by Antonio Mejías-Rentas
América Ferrera
TRIPLE TRIUMPH: América Ferrera and Ugly Betty were the big winners at this year’s NCLR Alma Awards ceremony.
The actress won the unannounced (and Chevy sponsored) Entertainer of the Year award, while her hit ABC show took awards for outstanding performance by a Latino-led ensemble in a television series and outstanding directing (for Linda Mendoza).
The ceremony, hosted by executive producer Eva Longoria-Parker, was taped Aug. 17 in Pasadena, Calif. It will air Sept, 12 on ABC to coincide with national Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations.
The ceremony included lengthy tributes to special award winners Shakira (Humanitarian award from Edward James Olmos) and Linda Ronstadt (Trailblazer award, given by Placido Domingo). The Ronstadt tribute featured performances by Wynona Judd, Lucero and Mariachi Los Camperos.
Other special achievement winners were fashion designer Narciso Rodriguez; director Kenny Ortega, for High School Musical 2; and Spanish-langlanguaga film La misma luna.
Eva Longoria
Other winners were TV actors Judy Reyes (for Scrubs), Olmos (Battlestar Galactica) and Charlie Sheen, who accepted his award for Two and a Half Men as “my superhero alter ego Carlos Estevez.” After joking about his lack of knowledge of the Spanish-language, he dedicated the win to his Spanish grandfather “who brought the Estevez clan 100 years ago and sikked it on Hollywood .”
The Almas are given to recognize Latino visibility in entertainment media.
SPECIAL TRIBUTE: The Latin Recording Academy has named Gloria Estefan as its 2008 Person of the Year.
Gloria y Emilio Estefan
The Grammy-winning recording artist, who along with husband Emilio Estefan defined the Miami sound of the 1980s, will receive her tribute at the organization’s annual fundraiser dinner, to be held Nov. 12 in Houston.
A day later, the Academy will hand out its Latin Grammy Awards at the city’s Toyota Center. Nominations are to be announced next month in Los Angeles.
FULLY FIT: Just months after giving birth to twins, Jennifer López is training for a triathlon and blogging about the experience for the next two weeks.
J-Lo will compete in her first triathlon, a fundraiser event for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, an organization she has supported for several years.
She talks about it in the September issue of Self magazine, already in newstands, that features her on the cover. The blog can be found on the magazine’s website. Hispanic Link.
