Word: mainstream
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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Food, fashion and network attitudes have changed since then -- but, oddly, not that much. Several Hispanic stars have made it to the medium's mainstream, among them Jimmy Smits, of L.A. Law, and A Martinez, the Latino heartthrob of NBC'S soap opera Santa Barbara. And a few prime-time series, from Chico and the Man through I Married Dora, have featured Hispanic characters and themes. But in contrast to their achievements in the other arts, Hispanics are still waiting for their La Bamba breakthrough...
...hasn't the large Hispanic community -- which watches 32% more TV than the rest of the population, according to a survey commissioned by Univision, a Spanish-language network -- been courted more aggressively by mainstream TV? One reason may be the proliferation of Spanish-language TV stations (130 outlets broadcasting full or part time in Spanish), which have siphoned off a portion of the available audience. The Nielsen ratings, some charge, have long underestimated the Spanish-speaking audience, thus giving the networks less incentive to program for it. Equally problematic is the dearth of Hispanic writers and producers who have...
...Hispanic films. "They're made for a little and make a lot," says Cheech Marin, whose Born in East L.A. cost $5.1 million and grossed $17.4 million. "In a business where only three out of ten films show a profit, Hispanic films return more on the dollar than their mainstream counterparts." If Hispanic films produce black ink -- and they have -- studios will take an educated gamble on making more. As La Bamba's director, Luis Valdez, notes, "There are more projects in the works now than in the rest of the '80s combined...
...America looks, the way it eats, dresses, drinks, dances, the way it lives. Latin colors and shapes in clothing and design, with their origins deep in the Moorish curves of Spain or the ancient cultures of Central and South America, are now so thoroughly mixed into the mainstream that their source is often forgotten. There seems to be a Taco Bell on every corner, Corona beer in every bar. The First Lady's preferred fashion designer, Adolfo, is Cuban. And out of the crossover into the mainstream come some curious hybrids: bolero jackets with blue jeans, Jalapeno Cheez Whiz, Brie...
...family and no sharp edges. Of all the U.S.'s Latino landscapes, perhaps the most haunting is in New Mexico, where Native American, Spanish and eastern-Anglo sensibilities have boiled together in the Southwest sun for the past four centuries. The so- called Santa Fe look, romanced into the mainstream by Ralph Lauren, has turned into the hottest design fad in years. "People naturally want to return to the earth," explains Rachel Elizondo, owner of Santa Fe's Storyteller gallery, a mecca for decorators. "A clay pot built by hand in natural colors is a living thing...