TV REVIEW 5 reasons to watch #133; iexcl;Viva Hollywood!
April 21st, 2008, 3:00 am Hobbies And Interests
Reality TV has pushed neophytes, poseurs and fame-junkies into the worlds of modeling, dancing and boisterously bad singing, so it’s no shock that acting would be the next livelihood to be plundered for viewers’ vicarious, couch-potato thrills.So here comes VH1, the network that brought us such landmark trash as “The Surreal Life” and “I Love New York,” with “%26iexcl;Viva Hollywood!” (beginning at 10:30 EDT tonight), where 12 gorgeous but cutthroat camera-hogs share a house dubbed La Casa de Locos and vie for a role in a Telemundo telenovela and the title of “America’s Numero Uno Telenovela Star.” It may just be the tackiest reality show since UPN’s ill-fated “The Player” in 2004, and that’s quite an accomplishment. To quote host Maria Conchita Alonso, let the “backstabbing, two-timing, self-centered” antics begin.1..There’s no getting around it: “%26iexcl;Viva Hollywood!” trades in just about every hot-blooded, Hispanic cliche. Co-host and singer Carlos Ponce is introduced as a “hot tamale,” contestant Alexcy Alexcy is so allergic to clothing on his upper body that he’d probably go shirtless to a funeral; contestant Berto brags about his way with women; and Alonso parades around in a sheer, low-cut dress that might give J-Lo pause. But, hey, this is a telenovela everyone’s aiming for, not the Nobel Peace Prize. Besides, it’s cool to have so many Latinos on an English-language show where Jimmy Smits is not involved.2. Where else are you going to see Charo, Daisy Fuentes and Perez Hilton - all of whom will be guest judges - on one show?3. With challenges tonight that include scenes with hair-pulling, slapping and water-throwing (for the ladies) and punching, fighting and falling (for the guys), contestants get to take out their aggressions on each other without the risk of getting thrown out of La Casa. And, just in the first episode, there are already wars on between studious Geovannie and slacker Vinci, and especially between leggy, arrogant Gisel and down-to-earth mom Jainmy.4. On the more serious tip, telenovelas have often been criticized for not including darker-skinned Latinos in major roles. It will be interesting to see how those with darker skin (Jenn, Jainmy, Kalain) ultimately fare against the likes of Gisel and bombshell blond Janet.5. Two words: Walter Mercado. The iconic, flamboyant Puerto Rican astrologer appears to the contestants, according to VH1, in “a magic portrait to tell them they must master the Seven Deadly Sins of Telenovela”: passion, lust, vanity, drama, fire, seduction, and scandal. As far as reality TV goes, it really doesn’t get much better than that.
Tags: accomplishment, challenges, lai, mom, passion, riskRelated posts
