Americano Idol

by Julio Ricardo Varela

Mention Fox to the majority of our readers and you will get anger. The global media giant has a history of promoting extremist views that have rankled U.S. Latinos for years. Glen Beck is Enemigo Público Número Uno, while Sean Hannity is Número Dos.

When Being Latino Magazine formed its content partnership last month with Fox News Latino, we received several comments criticizing the move. One month into the arrangement, however, has proven that FNL is actually one of the top websites dedicated to in-depth news and issues central to U.S. Latinos. The content (yes, for those who read FNL) is relevant and topical.

So has the Latinozation of Fox begun? The answer is maybe. Case in point: the current season of American Idol, the network’s flagship show, has more Latino flair than usual—from Jennifer López as a judge to several Latino Idol hopefuls who will be competing in the final Hollywood round this week.

It makes sense, in our opinion.

The major networks understand that Latinos in the U.S. are a growing demographic. For example, NBC’s Telemundo released a report last year that brought more in-depth analysis to the U.S. Latino television audience.

And while Spanish language networks like Univision continue to gain more viewers during the prime time drive, American Idol has taken notice. The show, with its glitz and American dream hopefulness, is perfectly tailored for Latino audiences: a Latina icon, contestants singing in Spanish during the auditions, and several underdog Idol singers who are capturing the hearts of mainstream America.

Take Chris Medina from Chicago (follow him on Twitter at: @OfficialMedina). Idol fans were introduced to Medina a few weeks back, when the show focused on his engagement to his fiancé. Sadly, she was hurt in an accident and is now confined in a wheelchair. We saw the story of a young Latino man who would do anything to show his love for his future partner. Even though Medina had a weak first round in Hollywood , the judges knew that his story was priceless.

Other Latino favorites include brothers Aaron and Mark Gutierrez (follow them respectively on Twitter at @AaronMichaelG and @MarkGutierrez11), and Karen Rodríguez (who auditioned via MySpace and is on Twitter at @KRodriguezmusic) and reminded JLo that she once sang for her on an episode of TRL,.

Unlike previous seasons (David Archuleta, Andrew García, Danny Gokey), this season’s Idol just seems a bit more Latino to us.

As for JLo? Sure, she can be controversial and to some, she is seen as a sellout who has forgotten that she is still Jenny from Da Block, but her elegance, intelligence and grace make a nice balance to fellow hosts Steve Tyler and Randy Jackson. Right now, JLo is perhaps the strongest Latina on TV.

And we think that is a good thing.

To all the Idol hopefuls, especially the Latino ones, ¡buena suerte!

To learn more about Julio, visit FRANKY BENÍTEZ.

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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those
of the author and should not be understood to be shared by Being Latino, Inc.

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