Yo No Creo En Los Hombres on Twitter

After working on the consumption presentations, I found myself even more intrigued with social media and how it affects consumption of particular telenovelas. My telenovela, Yo no creo en los hombres, aired in 2014 so it is very recent and has sparked a lot of discussion on a variety of social media platforms. Social media provides an opportunity for telenovela viewers to discuss, contemplate, argue and comment on telenovelas. It also gives the networks and production companies an opportunity to interact with their fans as well, giving them a chance to respond to comments and instigate discussions.

As my consumption presentation group quickly found out, Yo no creo en los hombres does in fact fall into the “Rosa” category; however, it also breaks the mold a little bit by having an atypical ending to the love story as well as the inclusion of more relevant topics and social issues. As a result, the “Rosa” aspects of the telenovela definitely draw viewers in and the realistic part of the telenovela encourages viewers to discuss social issues that relate to current cultural attitudes.

Below I have pulled several screenshots of tweets that I found on Twitter. They are fairly recent; however, they illustrate the variety of conversations going on about the airing of Yo no creo en los hombres. I have chosen to focus on tweets because I think it’s a very interesting platform, one that has really taken off in recent years. Blogs are also a major platform for writing lengthier comments that facilitate more complex debates.

In some of the other groups’ consumption presentations, I noticed that Twitter typically served as a quick way for viewers to post an opinion about a love story or post a photo of an attractive character. Often, the posts were very superficial. However, I have found that Yo no creo en los hombres is a perfect balance of a telenovela rosa and one that is both realistic and relatable. People enjoy posting their thoughts on social media and below I am going to discuss a few different themes that I noticed on Twitter.

1.     Villains

As one of the consumption teams noted, villains are special characters as they intrigue viewers for many reasons. First, people may find their secret desires lived out in the fictitious lives of the villains. And second, people love to hate villains. In Yo no creo en los hombres, it is clear that Josefa has taken over one of the main antagonist roles and people love her for it.

2.     Atypical love story

Yo no creo en los hombres falls under the telenovela rosa category due to its central love story. However, there are many ways that the telenovela maintains a very realistic and relatable attitude throughout as well, making it even more appealing to viewers. In this particular love story, there is a happily ever after, which is a characteristic attributed to typical rosa stories. However, the happily ever after story has a more realistic ending, with the couple having to overcome the major challenge of María Dolores being in jail.

3.     Telenovela Rosa – Love triangles

Love triangles are normally present in telenovela rosas and in Yo no creo en los hombres, there are several. Viewers enjoy love triangles because they are complex and they can get emotionally invested in the people involved. From this tweet, you can see how love triangles keep viewers interested in the story, wanting to watch more and more.

4.     Domestic abuse and harassment

Finally, domestic abuse is an issue that Yo no creo en los hombres tosses around in several of the plotlines and among specific characters. For example, María Dolores works at a sewing shop under a man named Jacinto who frequently harasses her. She ends up having to stand up for herself by going to a lawyer, an act that many female viewers of the telenovela were proud of.

Overall, I thought each of these tweets was interesting as each one highlights a unique element of the telenovela that viewers consume. Whether it’s the crazy villain or the issue of domestic violence, viewers are consuming these themes and voicing their opinions on social media.

Amiga

she is forever immortalized and the beautiful "Moni"

she is forever immortalized as the light that shone through, the kindness and gentle beauty

she is forever immortalized as as strong mother, partner, and friend

Her memory has forever been immortalized in a song called Amiga

Aún recuerdo la primera vez

que te conocí

Nunca olvidaré la luz

que vivía dentro de ti

No puedo creer aún

que te hayas ido al más allá

Solo espero que te llegue

mi canción a donde estás

Algún día nos volveremos a encontrar

Pero por ahora, vuela, vuela lejos,

Amiga te deseo un viaje feliz

Hoy te canto a ti, Amiga

Porque sé que si estuvieras aquí

Cantaríamos, bailaríamos

Hasta ver la salida del Sol.

Hablaríamos de la vida.

Ay amiga, ni me pude despedir

No te pude ni decir que fue un placer,

Llamarte Amiga

No puedo creer aún

Que te hayas ido al más allá

Lo que daria por abrazarte

Y escucharte una vez mas

Algún día nos volveremos a encontrar

Pero por ahora, vuela, vuela lejos,

Amiga te deseo un viaje feliz

Hoy te canto a ti, Amiga

Porque sé que si estuvieras aquí

Cantaríamos, bailaríamos

Hasta ver la salida del Sol.

Hablaríamos de la vida.

Ay amiga, ni me pude despedir

No te pude ni decir que fue un placer,

Fue mi honor llamarte Amiga.

Jencarlos Canela, Monica’s co-star - and winner of the favorite lead actor role- from the last telenovela that she participated in, Pasion Prohibida wrote this in her honor. He debuted this song on his world tour and even one of our classmates, Lisa, was in the crowd that night and noticed a change in the air and the emotions of those around her when he presented this tribute to her.

The incident happened on the Puerto Cabello-Valencia highway in Venezuela on a winter Monday night when Monica, her ex husband, Thomas, and their daughter Maya were traveling along the coast. Their car broke down and they were stranded. Soon, people approached the car to rob them, shot Monica, Thomas, and their daughter Maya. Maya survived with a wound to her leg, but will forever be left with only memories of her parents.

An investigation followed to find the group that attacked Monica and her family. As the country reacted to her death, there was a lot of circulation of feelings of anger towards that specific group but when compared to statistics, Monica and her family’s tragedy was one of the many murders that happened in Venezuela that year. In a CNN coverage article, Monica’s aunt speaks to Venezuela, encouraging them to “reacion[ar]”or react and wake up to the violence in Venezuela.  He says that “it was Monica yesterday, but how many people have not died in our country?” The words of Monica’s aunt spoke on the same wavelength as the actress, Belen Marrero, whose son was murdered a year before.

After a press release by the Spear family, her brother said they were focused on pushing a message of peace to the country, not encouraging anything else. Her family continued to push messages of peace for the country as a whole to come together in order to make it a safer place. Following this tragedy, Tevelen broadcasted  a chapter of “detras de las camaras” where family, friends, previous co-workers, co-stars, and writers that had experienced life with here talk about how she impacted each of their lives. They talked about how much she loved Venezuela, the outdoors and beautiful nature of the country. They recollected things she would say, how they knew she was different and had something special about her. “Monica was very observant and caring” they would say. Several of her fellow co-starts would talk about her passion for working with special people and how those relationships she developed with people in those communities gave her life.

After watching this video, I felt as if I had experienced losing something special. The way her family and friends talked about her reaffirmed the sadness I felt to not have known her. To realize that Monica’s death was an event that so easily happened by chance- I mean a flat tire- and one that occurred so violently took a toll on me. I was aware of the violence in Venezuela but putting and act to a name and a face- especially one that I have grown with through my experience in this semester so far- has weighed more heavily on my heart. I wish I had the opportunity to meet Monica, to spend time with her. It seems as though she truly was so special and different and I know she would have made a greater impact on me that she has already if I had the opportunity to interact with her. I could never imagine losing my parents and for Maya, that is her reality. I hope that she is able to one day go back to Venezuela safely and experience the country that her parents so dearly loved. Monica, may you rest in peace and may your homeland regain the peace and security that your hermanos deserve.

http://www.latintimes.com/monica-spear-death-jencarlos-canela-pasion-prohibida-co-star-and-more-telenovela-stars-react-142934

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjWIBRylnig

http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/09/world/americas/monica-spear-venezuela-beauty-queen-killed/

Do's and Don't's of Telenovela Villains

Juana la Virgen, a rosa-catagorized Venezuelan telenovela, centers around a tense love triangle. The original couple, Mauricio and Carlota, are happily married at the start of the series. However, Juana accidentally becomes impregnated with Mauricio's baby - and he can't help but fall in love with the independent, strong-willed teenager. After only a few episodes, it's clear that Carlota and her various assistants are the only ones trying to keep this unexpected relationship apart. 

Carlota certainly hides her malicious traits during the first one or two episodes, but nevertheless, her plans are quickly revealed. She has many of the characteristics that the "perfect" villain would have: she is beautiful, charming, clever, persistent, and ruthless. Juana's innocence and young age does not grant her any ounce of sympathy from Carlota.

Carlota does NOT forgive or forget. She does not give up, and she does not let anyone stand in her way. She DOES create back-up plans, keep key players in the dark, join forces, and gather her troops. While Carlota is not the perfect villain, the scariest, or the most evil, she embodies a villain that is much more prevalent in our society. Seemingly sweet and harmless, she epitomizes what the true villains in our lives would do. Slowly, carefully destroy our dreams...

Avenida Brasil Music- What Went Wrong

I only have three words to describe how I feel about the music/soundtracks on Avenida Brasil: I HATE IT!!!!!!

I have never felt so strongly (negatively) about music within a show, or a movie like I have in this case. I love this telenovela, and I love the characters, the relationships, the plots, etc. But from very early on, I was extremely put-off by the music! Now I am NO music-connoisseur, but I am a viewer, an audience member, and a fan. And I know how this makes, ME individually feel.

For this blog post, I will examine one of the songs I hate most, think is completely misplaced, and have felt distanced from the telenovela as a result of it- “Depois” By Marisa Monte. I will also mention other moments I think the music choice is spot on!

First, and most importantly, we have the theme song for Nina and Jorgito’s relationship… After looking up the lyrics and knowing what the song says, I relaxed a little more and understood the reasoning behind the song choice. Regardless, I think it is too much of an upbeat song, or too “sweet” of a song for some of the moments Nina and Jorgito have. In this scene (their first kiss) the beginning music- a simple yet dramatic instrumental- is perfect for the scene. I feel completely engaged and waiting for what is next. As soon as they kiss, the music changes abruptly to their “theme” song as a couple! This moment was COMPLETELY ruined for me, sadly. I did not see the need to change the piano accompanying the moment and feel that an instrumental piece with no words does the trick better then Marisa Monte’s “Depois”. Like the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words”, I believe most of the moments between Nina and Jorgito are like words better left unsaid. It is more impactful to either have no music playing, or no words distracting from the moment.

 - first kiss

To expand more on my idea of a “wordless” song choice as a better accompaniment to certain scenes, I found a video from Bata and Rita’s childhood where the entire music choice was instrumental and how perfect I think it fit for the moment. I think there is a higher production quality when you use this kind of instrumental, orchestra, piano, etc. kind of music because it is dynamic. One song can be constantly changing to be perfectly accommodating to the scene.

 - good music

From Rita and Bata’s childhood is also this happy, good-feeling song that plays every time they’re on- which I also feel is PERFECT.

 -childhood

And lastly, this perfect song would play whenever there was a flashback to Nina and Jorgito’s childhood “en el tiradero”. (play at 1:39 minutes)

 -tiradeo

I do think it was a good idea for each couple, or certain individuals, to have their own song associated to them. After the consumption presentations, I remember Gabrielle mentioning how La Reina Del Sur does the same thing, and this was what would attract her attention if she were busy doing something else. If Santiago’s song came on, she knew it was a moment she wanted to watch and would direct her attention back to the screen. This is very intelligent of any telenovela or TV show to do! I understand it, but not at the expense of the specific scene or moment; and if that’s the case, then a better song choice.

Music is all about what you feel when you hear it. This matters to me as a viewer, because in the case of Avenida Brasil, it has gone far enough to make me loose interest in the novela, or even loose interest in the relatipnships throughout the novela. It is difficult to explain a feeling you just get sometimes while watching something. But much like when you watch a scary movie and they have a dramatic scene, the music must be perfect and cohesive in what the scene is trying to portray! You can’t possibly have the same song for Nina and Jorgito’s first, sweet, kiss compared to any other moment they are passionately in bed together, or maybe fighting, etc.

- carlito's song 

The Importance of a Strong Love Story

I have to confess: I'm not as hooked on my telenovela as I originally imagined.

I've been trying to figure out why this is. Narconovelas in general are riveting, action-filled plots––so where is my disconnect with Pablo Escobar: El Patron de Mal coming from? All the actors and actresses are incredibly talented, and Andrés Parra is the most convincing Escobar there is––and probably ever will be. The characters are developing, the plot is thickening, yet I have to convince myself to watch.

I think it boils down to one thing: the love story. Although there's a triangle with Paty and Regina and Escobar, I think sometimes I just want a classic, rosa love story. I think it may be tied to what many of the de ruptura consumption presentations discussed: with these sorts of novelas, the audience wants a powerful love story to latch onto. The main themes of drugs, violence and corruption are key; they're also expected. I knew going into the telenovela that I would be consuming and grappling with real issues that happened to real Colombians. But to keep my interest piqued, I need the ups and downs of a telenovela love story.

Paty and Escobar go from zero to 100; we see them as kids, then they're married, then she's pregnant, then there's turmoil––but minor. I want more from Paty, and I'm hoping I will. She's shown herself as a strong woman who won't merely accept her husband's behavior. But, she's also easily fooled and tends to believe the lies Escobar tells her so quickly that the audience has little time to actually worry about their relationship.

His relationship with Regina is interesting, and I think this will prove to be a more captivating story––if only because Regina is more outspoken, bold and clever. She isn't afraid to challenge him––or any man.

Overall, I am hoping that as I continue along, I will experience more of that melodrama that I need. Perhaps it's me: I want an escape when I watch TV, and Escobar doesn't provide that relatable escape for me. Even other similar shows I've watched (where I would never want to escape to) like Lost or Breaking Bad have had one relatable element or character that keeps me engaged.

Hopefully, I will find that one aspect that even I can connect and engage with, so that I can better consume the important, real story the writers intended.

Regulation and the Media

For this post, I wanted to discuss and highlight some of the key points found in a few of the readings from this week. In class, we have been talking about regulation and the political implications derived from the realm of censorship of telenovelas, particularly in Venezuela. Two of the readings from Tuesday dealt with the topic of regulating social formation.

One article was from NPR (2012), talking about Brazil's declining birth rate and the potential reasons for this. It reports that over a span of 50 years, the fertility rate has gone from six children per woman to less than two, on average. Along with a new, modern mindset, the increased higher education of women and desire to join the workforce, and the financial burden associated with raising a big family, telenovelas are charged as one of the causes for this drop, which I find so interesting. The story mentions that characters are depicted as wealthy, cosmopolitan, and without many children. However, this fertility rate decrease is visible across socioeconomic barriers. The shift is also apparently happening all over Latin America but stands out most prominently in Brazil.

I haven't watched a Brazilian telenovela, but I'm curious to hear from others in the class who are watching "Avenida Brasil" or another well-known Brazilian novela to see if this is something that is noticeable and very obvious in the portrayal of women. It's incredible to me the psychological power that consumption of novelas can have on their audiences, whether the viewers are consciously aware or not. And on the production side, it makes me think about how the people creating telenovelas can use their influence in a way that promotes positive discussion and social change instead of restricted thinking or ideas, which can be a result of censorship.

Another article was from the Washington Post (2009) and talks about how Telemundo's "Más Sabe el Diablo" was planning on developing a subplot where the protagonist applies to work with the Census Bureau. The question was whether this was a tactic the network was using to employ a statement or advance Latino participation in the census to gather accurate representation in the U.S. The president of Telemundo was quoted saying they were aiming to target the anti-immigrant sentiment in the U.S. This subplot is beneficial for both the network and the census, in more advertising money, higher ratings, and the ability to gain access to the Latino community. The end of the article (where Dr. A is quoted!) talks about how telenovelas can be a medium for persuasion, and they really are capable of  driving change or stopping injustice because of the value they hold in Latin American countries. 

This is a clear example of the social formation that can come from story lines and the actions of characters. People want to see themselves in the novelas they are watching. As we said in class, when they aren't able to do that, censorship is probably getting in the way. In my Comm. Law class this semester, we've learned that censorship, and self-censorship, in the U.S. would inhibit the marketplace of ideas and the freedom of exchange. U.S. law prohibits prior restraints, or restricting expression or publication of material. Even in the case of libeling someone, for example, the law says people have the First Amendment right to freedom of speech and expression, and someone could get sued after the fact, but not before publication. This tie-in just shows the stark contrasts between how the role of the government in media and entertainment differs in various places around the world.

Hashtags internacional

Caminho das Indias es una novela produjo por Globo TV en Brasil, pero yo estoy viendo la telenovela apodada en español. Asi la telenovela brasileña fue transmitido en Telemundo.
 Ya escribí que  Caminho das Indias gano la Emmy internacional en 2009 y con las presentaciones que hicimos en clase, yo empecé a pensar a la presencia internacional que Caminho das Indias tiene en la media social con Twitter.
 Empecé con lo obvio: los hashtags! Busque los hashtags #CaminhodasIndias para Brasil, #IndiaUnaHistoriadeAmor para la audiencia Latina, y #IndiaALoveStory para lo inglés. Con #CaminhodasIndias, estaba leyendo los tweets que se pueden decir típicas, apreciación de la belleza de los actores, la música, y el tiempo que se toma con una obsesión de una telenovela. Lo que me fascino mucho era que los tweets eran de hoy en dia! Para una telenovela que fue ensenada en 2009, es maravilloso a ver que hay gente que todavía habla de la historia de la novela. 

• Aff não aguento essa beleza da Maya #caminhodasindias
• Meu sonho é morar numa casa assim onde todo mundo só dança o dia inteiro #caminhodasindias

   Con #IndiaUnaHistoriaDeAmor, los tweets no eran presente para hoy en día. Cuando nosotros estábamos hablando del opinión de la gente sobre Telemundo mostrando telenovelas de otras países en los presentaciones, no todos eran positivas. Me sorprendió que leí unos tweets que estaban agradeciendo a Telemundo por mostrar India Una Historia de Amor.      

• Bien entrada con la novela no molestar estas 2 siguientes hrs. #IndiaUnaHistoriaDeAmor 
• awww que lindo final #indiaunahistoriadeamor la ame gracias @Telemundo39 y gracias por regalarnos otra linda novela #elclon
• Gracias!! @Telemundo @TelemundoNvlas Viendo de nuevo mi Novela favorita! #IndiaUnaHistoriaDeAmor

  Cuando busqué tweets por #IndiaALoveStory, estaba esperando leer tweets de gente Americana, pero esto no era todo que encontré.  ¡Habían tweets en francés con la hashtag ingles! Pensaba que esto era interesante, pero cuando lo pensé mas, decidí que esto es normal.Cuando yo estudiaba francés, aprendí que la gente francés esta fascinado con la cultura Americana. Con esto, muchos se ponen a estudiar el ingles. No es tan común que estudian español o portugués. Hay validación que le gente francés se conecten con la audiencia ingles.

• Le coup de foudre, n'existe pas, que la passion rend l'amour aveugle, que l'amour se construit avec le temps #IndiaALoveStory
• Je suis trop bien ds mon lit devant #IndiaAloveStory

  ¡Solo ia twitter, yo podría ver la presencia internacional que tiene Caminho das Indias!