Spain’s most entertaining import since Pedro Almodovar has arrived in the New World: Arturo Pérez-Reverte (above). The hugely popular Spanish adventure writer’s best-selling novel “La Reina del Sur” (”The Queen of the South”) is debuting as a TV miniseries on Telemundo, and has been scheduled for a Hollywood movie as well. Bravo!
“The Queen of the South” is about a nice Mexican woman who moves to Spain and becomes a drug kingpin after her husband gets knocked off and she learns about the family business. So, Mexico conquers Spain this time. Cool.
Mexican actress Kate del Castillo (”Under the Same Moon”) will first embody la reina. Cuban-American sex symbol Eva Mendes was rumored to be starring in a Hollywood movie version of “Queen,” but that project seems to be delayed.
“Queen” is not the first Pérez-Reverte story to be made into a movie, but it is the first to reach U.S. audiences. “Capitán Alatriste,” a fantastic series of swashbuckling tales set in 17th-century Spain, was made into a Spanish-language film starring Viggo Mortensen four years ago, but was never released in the U.S. I’ve been trying to get a copy on eBay because I love the books. BTW, Mortensen grew up between Argentina and Denmark, so he speaks Spanish fluently.
What’s next for Pérez-Reverte? He has a rich body of work and he’s still young, so expect more literary excitement from Cervantes’ new heir. This is the kind of Spanish conquest I can get behind.
Grandmas play stealth superheroes in a new United Arab Emirates comedy show, showing a welcome new side of the Arab world that may (I hope) soon make it to American TV.
The new animated TV series “Freej” stars a group of older women who do daring heroic acts, hiding their identities behind masks that are much more relevant than your standard superhero masks — they’re the veils that many Muslim women wear everyday.
Series creator Mohammed Saeed Harib discussed the need for these cool ladies in a New York Times article:
“We don’t come from a land that has a lot of role models, except for C.E.O.’s and sheiks,” he said in an interview at his loft studio near the man-made island called Palm Jumeirah… If “animation exports the cultural values of the nation,” as Mr. Harib put it, then he said he wanted “Freej” to continue to represent his native Gulf state (Dubai), even abroad.
How cool is this: A popular soap actress (Crystal Chappell) whose show went off the air (”Guiding Light”) has chosen to revive her lesbian character (with a different name) in her own Web-based drama. For no pay. Her co-stars, writers and producers are also working mostly for free, as described in this New York Times article. Wow.
Ms. Chappell promises that her new character will kiss another woman within the first 30 seconds of the show. That’d be a record even for “True Blood.” (Inside joke there — the characters on that show are up for sex even during an apocalypse.) Point is: Crystal Chappell is really committing herself to getting lesbians good, honest representation in the media, a very laudable effort that I hope will succeed brilliantly.
I’m so impressed that Ms. Chappell has the gumption to do this, and the generosity of spirit to keep a lesbian character alive for her fans. I know an actor has a personal stake in supporting her own role, but Ms. Chappell has been hired for another soap (“Days of Our Lives”) and presumably doesn’t need the extra work. Her actor husband has also been hired by “Days,” so money doesn’t seem to be an issue. Anyway, you can’t expect money from any Internet endeavor, we all know that.
Kudos to Crystal Chappell for reaching across the straight-gay line to support her lesbian fans. Kudos to an enterprising individual for trying something creative and new on the Web.
I saw a preview for this TV show — “Modern Family” on ABC — at the movies last night. (Yes, they show TV previews alongside movie previews now.) It looked funny and light, and best of all very diverse. It’s about three different families, one of which includes a Colombian immigrant (acclaimed Colombian actress Sofia Vergara) and one with two gay dads and their newly adopted baby. Can’t wait to see the show when it premieres Wed., Sept. 23 at 9 p.m.
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