by Antonio Mejías-Rentas
HOPE FOR HAITI
HELPING HAITI: Latino artists were active in raising funds for victims of one of the most devastating natural disasters in the Americas in modern times.
Bilingual singers Shakira and Ricky Martin were among performers who participated in the Jan. 22 Hope for Haiti telethon aired by multiple networks. It raised more than $60 million for survivors of the Jan. 12 earthquake that shook the Caribbean nation. Both participated in the Jan. 23 Unidos por Haití telethon organized and aired by Univisión and its sister stations. According to an offi cial tally, the Spanish-language event – which also included performances and donations by the likes of Gloria Estefan, Juanes and Alejandro Sanz — raised $6.3 million.
Martin was the first non-Haitian artist to visit Haiti after the quake. He stopped first in Port au Prince Jan. 19 . The Puerto Rican singer’s charitable foundation will work with Jonathan Reckford, president of Habitat for Humanity, to build homes in the devastated city.
Comedian and TV host George López is also contributing: he has set up a disaster relief fund through which guests to his nightly talk show on TBS have contributed and is organizing a fundraising concert. Help Haiti with George López and Friends will take place Feb. 4 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, with confirmed appearances by Slash, Andy García and Samuel Jackson.
And in Mexico, 36 recording artists contributed songs to Voces por Haití, a CD released to raise funds for the Mexican Red Cross’ efforts in the country.
OSCAR CONTENDERS: Two films from Latin America have made the short list of nine entries that have qualified for consideration for an Academy Award nomination in the foreign language category. One of the films is from Perú, a country that has never been nominated before. Director Claudia Llosa’s La teta asustada was a Golden Bear winner at this year’s Berlin Film Festival.
Oscar contenders.
The other film is Juan José Campanellla’s El secreto de tus ojos, which if nominated would become the sixth film from Argentina to compete for an Oscar.
The nine finalists will be winnowed down to five nominees by committees that will convene this week in New York and Los Angeles. Nominations will be announced Feb. 2 in Los Angeles.
ONE LINERS: Screenwriter Julio César Marmol, who penned some of Venezuela’s best known telenovelas of the ’60s and ’70s, died Jan. 26 in Caracas of a heart attack. He was 66… Reggaetón superstar Daddy Yankee’s El Cartel Records has signed a distribution deal with Sony in time for the Feb. 2 release of his next CD, Mundial… and Puerto Rican director Anthony Felton says Lavoe: la historia no contada, his film about the late salsa superstar Héctor Lavoe, will premiere in March in San Juan…
