In a move that hopefully won’t land the movie in a vault like Song of the South, Disney has announced it’s next Latino surprise and new animated feature titled “South of the Border”. The movie is about a little Chihuahua from Beverly Hills that gets lost while traveling south of the Rio Grande set to star none other than Drew Barrymore.

Its Latino counterparts include another Chihuahua played by comedian George Lopez; a ‘spirit guide’ that helps Barrymore’s character find her Latino roots played by Salma Hayek; an ex K-9 german sheperd played by Andy Garcia, and other unidentified breeds played by Cheech Marin, opera singer Plácido Domingo among others. Some already holding Disney contracts…others, like Lopez, having just lost one.
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Find thousands of Hispanic jobs at LatPro.com.

More Disney surprises with the announcement that Disney-ABC and Univision will be partnering on the U.S. Hispanic version of Desperate Housewives. Yes…it will be coming to Univision affiliates near you next season. Production is said to begin in July in Argentina by Pol-ka Produtions in Buenos Aires and will be titled “Amas de Casa Desesperadas” and are expected to cast the remake with high-profile Latin American and U.S. Hispanic actors. Wisteria Lane will never be the same…that I know.

This move, I believe, is promoted by the increasing pressure on Univision to free itself from the Televisa content-addiction. Much like the U.S.’s dependency on foreign oil, tensions between the two broadcasting giants came to a head last summer when Televisa lost its bid to purchase Univision.

In a trial set for October 30^th, Univision could lose access to its primary provider of telenovelas that have helped keep the broadcasting giant on top. Licensing agreement expires in 2017, but Univision’s only other attempt at producing original programming was the ill-fated telenovela “Te amare en silencio,” which former Univision chairman and CEO Jerrold Perenchio produced through his own production company. Can you say Halliburton?

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Once again, Disney had a surprise for the Hispanic market this week when they announced (just in time for the upfront) that GLo. would not be returning for an 8th season. And the high profile Hispanic sitcom star is not sitting around and laughing about it.

“TV just became really, really white again,” George Lopez told the Los Angeles Times.

Tuesday, ABC President Steve McPherson announced that the network’s fall schedule would no longer be home to “The George Lopez Show,” a G-rated family show starring the stand-up comedian as “a guy who has made lemonade from lemons at every turn.” Four new sitcoms are on the horizon at ABC, including “Cavemen,” inspired by the Geico insurance spokes-Neanderthal.

“We’re heading into the new season with a strong lineup of returning shows that we’ve developed and nurtured over the past few years,” McPherson said in a release. “… We’re dedicated to working hard week after week to deliver the best stories and most memorable characters on TV.” Ratings and cost have been cited in the decision to axe “The George Lopez Show,” which is produced by Warner Bros. Television.

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DISCLAIMER: This is a WDW Press Release with my color commentary (ala Dave Barry) and 2 years worth of first hand knowledge working at WDW Marketing. Please know that I mean these things lovingly as I hold Disney to a different standard.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla., May 2 /PRNewswire/ — (if they are sending out a release to Latinos, why would then not use the “tilde”…hello!! I will fix it for them for them from here on out) Quinceanera parties, the traditional Latin coming-of-age celebrations, have arrived at Walt Disney World Resort.

From a fully customized celebration based on a family’s ideas to pre-designed, themed Quinceañera events that take away all the worry of planning, Disney is offering these tradition-steeped extravaganzas for girls turning age 15 — a passage from flat-soled shoes and dolls to high heels, elaborate gowns and young womanhood. (LOL Spaceship Earth sounds like a perfect setting for the “bird and the bees” conversation with Mama don’t you think? I can see Cubanitas - and I’m Cuban-American so I can- from nearby Miami wanting to come out of the fountains atop the Swan and Dolphin Hotels. After all, Latinas dream big.)

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‘La Fea’ Meets ‘Ugly Betty’ In The Month Of May.- A month-long parade of Spanish television stars on ABC’s “Ugly Betty” will culminate with the May 17th appearance of Angélica Vale - none other than the star of Univision’s “La Fea Más Bella.”

Vale’s presence in the season finale of “Ugly Betty” features the actress as Angélica, the assistant to Diane (played by Kristin Chenoweth). Angélica is an orthodontic technician who loves romantic comedies and becomes overly involved in her patients’ lives - including that of Betty (played by América Ferrera).

Other guest stars include telenovela star Cristian de la Fuente, appearing in tomorrow night’s episode.

First there was Colombia, then the sequel and now the U.S.? Yes, Ugly Betty has taken the world by storm…even India with their own in-culture version. Even Italy has “Betty la brutta” shown below. The highly rated American version is no exception. With its campy, over-the-top characters and its stark primary color palette Ugly Betty is a runaway hit with Latinos and non-Latinos alike.

I think Mexican icon Salma Hayek has struck gold with this one. Although I agree that it is a bit stereotypical, it does a lot to show the human and compassionate side of our people. It is more than a great advertising buy; it pushes you to want to be a better person. It is well produced, has high production quality, an amazing ensemble cast and writing that has not been seen since Will and Grace. Let’s not forget America who has been an amazing Latina role model in HBO’s “Real Women Have Curves” and in a mainstream family film “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants”.

Set in NYC, Betty works at a major fashion magazine the likes of Vogue named Mode (EcoModa for your Colombian fans). Her daily encounters with adventure, romance and EXCELLENT one-liners have people making this appointment television.

To reach our largely expanding market, ABC created Hispanic targeted campaigns for Ugly Betty that included Spanish on-air promo spots featuring original music; print, radio, outdoor and in-theater campaigns; and two vehicle campaigns, one featuring customized trucks with rolling billboards, the other comprised of television screens installed in buses that aired the Spanish spots.
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