After watching this, you will be listening to “Conga” on repeat…
From HBO and executive producer Tommy Mottola comes The Latin Explosion: A New America. This documentary focuses on influential Latin Americans. It also shows the influence Latin American music has had on American culture. The film begins by telling the story of legendary actress Rita Moreno’s breakout performance in West Side Story. She spoke about how being a Latina women affected her career and reflected on her culture and heritage. The documentary then examines the careers of modern day Latin superstars like Shakira, Marc Anthony, Pitbull, Jennifer Lopez, and Gloria Estefan. They won the hearts of millions of fans around the world. Latin Explosion does a masterful job at detailing the story of how Latin music made its way into popular culture.
The film is exciting and tells a fascinating story. It was also very interesting to hear how some of our current Latin stars were influenced by Latin Americans of the past. Jennifer Lopez’s career catapulted after playing Selena, but did you know Eva Longoria was cast as an extra in that movie? Latin Explosion is interactive, informative and definitely worth watching.
Latin Explosion: A New America premieres on Monday, November 16 at 9 p.m on HBO.
Additional sighting: Recently BMI and the Apollo Theater partnered for a the How I Wrote That Song panel on Tuesday, Oct. 27. The Q&A featured panelists Vein, Chris Hierro, Gregorio Uribe, Stefano Vieni, and Eunel Torres (Nueva Era), who all shared stories and discussed the creative process behind some of their hit songs.
BMI’s Carolina Arena, Eunel Torres, Stefano Vieni, BMI’s Delia Orjuela, Vein, and Chris Hierro; (Bottom) Gregorio Uribe.
