MARIA ELENA WALSH HAS PASSED AWAY

María Elena Walsh has passed away. Her poems, novels, stories, songs, essays and articles were enjoyed beyond the frontiers of her native Argentina.

I assume she never knew this. But, her children's song "Manuelita la tortuga" was a key ingredient in one of the most moving telenovela scenes I've ever encountered in my research.

In "La Vida Entera" written by Leonardo Padrón, Olimpia Duque (Beatriz Valdés), is facing the worst and most lonely night of her life. Unexpectedly, it's her daughter Tata (Marisa Román) who puts her to bed, in an inversion of roles between a mother and daughter, who've had a difficult relationship throughout the telenovela. The scene was touching in the script. But the two actors  moved it up several notches by using their talent and deep knowledge of their characters. And, of course, thanks to María Elena Walsh's Manuelita la tortuga.

About Celebrity Gossip

Today, for the first time, the English and Spanish version of my blog won't be mirror images. The topic of my posts, however, will be the same: The problem with celebrity gossip.

I've spent many hours with the talented people who work in telenovelas. They work in an environment that needs the promotion that the entertainment press provides. However, we frequently see how gossip and speculation are prioritized over news and real criticism in order to sell more newspapers, magazines, or to raise the ratings of a show.

Regarding this topic, here are two items to read:

The case against celebrity gossip by Allison Samuels, published in Newsweek

The column that Cuban-Venezuelan actor Beatriz Valdés (in the picture) wrote for daily Tal Cual. You can read it in the Spanish version of this blog (Part I, Part II)

Celebrity gossip cheapens the entertainment industry and is unfair to those who work in it. As part of the audience, we should want no part of it.