So much has happened...where do we begin?

So much has happened these last 9 months, in TV, books, movies, life, politics, etc. So where do we begin...let's start with Jennifer Lopez...

Did we or did we not love J.Lo on Idol? I thought she was great. Everything from her outfits to her advice, to the way she really pulled for the Latino/a contestants was great. Despite her lack of singing ability, she is a great entertainer and her story is pretty awesome so why wouldn't up and comers want advice from a multi-millionaire? Then she gave that great performance with ex-husband (more on that) Marc Anthony's rendition of Aguanile! It really put Latino pop/salsa at the forefront of American Idol! They both get props on that!

Then came the album - Love? - or I should say the single "Get On the Floor" featuring Pitbull. The song was amazing thanks to great producing (RedOne). Overall her song propelled her popularity into mainstream media again (along with Idol). The album itself is not great, most of the songs sound the same but it did fairly well considering her perfect timing of the release. The only other song that did okay was the one with Lil' Wayne "I'm So Into You." Overall, I think most albums focus on the first two releases and the rest is filler...(For the fans at least.)

Well then the news broke, they were breaking up! After 7 years of marriage and twins, our Latino power couple (I mean really who's left? Gloria/Emilio) were officially divorcing. Word spread quickly that Marc had cheated on J.Lo and that she had also become romantically involved with William Levy...but they claim cheating had nothing to do with it...

So J.Lo has had a busy year. She is also working on the movie, "What to Expect When You're Expecting." Overall, I hope that Ms. Lopez keeps workin' it in 2012!

I (HEART) THE SW

There is something I love about the southwest - not just that it is the homeland of my people (family, friends, ancestors, etc.), but that it means something to understand what it is all about. 

This past winter vacation I spent two weeks in my beloved southwest and I was reminded, daily, that life and culture(s) are soooo not like the northeast (Thank GOD!) Below are my observations:

1. Over any type of intercom you will hear Latino last names pronounced correctly - not Hair-nan-deez but Err-Nan-Dez.

2. White people seem afraid and uncomfortable. For the most part white people are suspicious of non-white people. 

3. Everything is cheaper - cars, houses, gas, food, luxury goods, hotels, etc. This means that middle class is a large, large portion of the population. To find the highest income people in the city takes a lot of looking! Unfortunately, this holds true for the lowest income groups as well. Good luck finding those neighborhoods. 

4. There is cultural infighting (or at least discomfort) - e.g. Mexican-Americans complaining about Mexican immigrants draining the city's resources. Mexicans complaining about how rude Mexican-Americans are to them...etc. 

5. Everyone knows basic Spanish. Vietnamese, Filipino, Chinese, African-Americans - everyone can say basic things like "Quiero un cerveza!" or "Bano?"

6. Being a (fair-weather) Catholic is not the norm anymore. There are hundreds of new churches popping up all across the SW. Lord, I hope this doesn't contribute to the growing number of registered Republicans in SW too.

7. The best paying jobs on the border for Latinos is the Border Patrol. Where do I even start??

8. The SW cuisine is quite diverse and quite yummy, but that also leads to mi gente eating way too much: http://www.menshealth.com/fattestcities2010/ (5 of the top 10 are in Texas) DIABETES PEOPLE!!


9. Despite diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure - our abuelitos are still eating horribly and no one tells them anything! SHAME!


10. My SW is still the kindest place in the world. People are still nice to you - everywhere.