Entertainment site Deadline Hollywood learned a lesson this week: you’re not going to get away with writing an ignorant, tone-deaf piece about minorities while Twitter is around. Earlier this week, Deadlinepublished a story that highlighted the increased diversity in the 2015 TV season – then they asked if it was “too much of a good thing.”
The piece relies on anonymous insiders who say the success of shows such as Empire, Jane the Virgin and Fresh Off the Boat have increased studios’ demand for “ethnic” actors. What’s the problem? According to the Deadline story, white actors are now increasingly losing roles to people of color.
The story sparked a quick backlash on Twitter.
Bordertown Writer Lalo Alcaraz Couldn’t Resist Making Jokes
Wait til #Bordertown comes out, @Deadline will ask the burning question, "Why are there so many Mexicans on this show about the border?"
Aside from the firestorm that blazed through Twitter, several TV diversity groups – American Indians in Film and Television, Asian Pacific American Media Coalition, NAACP Hollywood Bureau and National Hispanic Media Coalition – released a joint statement criticizing the Deadline piece:
“Shame on Deadline for giving a platform to the prejudices of a few Hollywood agents who, under the cloak of anonymity, revealed themselves to be among the entertainment industry gatekeepers reluctant to change their unfair and exclusionary practices and make way for progress.”
Selena Marie Gomez (born in Texas in 1992) has been in the public eye for as long as she can remember. She has been a role model for young girls as a singer and an actress and now is involved in more risqué films such as Spring Breakers, a delirious film by indie filmmaker Harmony Korine. Besides having a strong onscreen persona, Gomez has been in relationships with the likes of Justin Bieber, which of course turned the paparazzi attention and cameras to her. Suddenly, when she was barely a teenager her every move was being followed. Her life was sort of predestined to be great when she was named after the great late Selena Quintanilla. However, she has had to deal with divorce (her parents separated when she was five-years-old) and with weak health, as she was diagnosed with lupus, an auto-immune disease, which ultimately forced her to get a kidney transplant. She found strength in her mom. Gomez has said that her mother “was really strong around me. Having me at 16 had to have been a big responsibility. She gave up everything for me, had three jobs, supported me, sacrificed her life for me.” That must provide so much strength for a woman of barely 26 but who has gone through more in her lifetime than many 50-year-olds.
This must not be easy for anyone, even more so for a Latino woman. Gomez knows that she has a microphone and that she can get to other girls and women. “The older I get, the prouder I am to be a woman in the industry. When I was younger and running around all the time on tour, I don’t think I took the time to notice how being a woman in my position is really a gift. I want to make sure I utilize all that power,” the young Latina star told Into the Gloss. She has used this position of privilege to raise awareness on mental health issues, including suicide prevention, both as a celebrity and as a producer. She is also a supporter of associations such as Make A Wish (which grants children diagnosed with life-threatening conditions), the Alliance for Children’s Rights and the Ryan Seacrest Foundation.
Selena Gomez fights for friendships above anything else: girl power.
Credit: selenagomez / Instagram
Gomez values friendship and spreads the word. She has such loyal friends that one even donated a kidney when Gomez needed a transplant. She says: “People are put into your life for seasons, for different reasons, and to teach you lessons”: Selena, we couldn’t agree more.
She gets politically enraged when it matters.
Credit: selenagomez / Instagram
Gomez knows that a lot of mental health issues concerning young women are related to the policing of their sexuality and reproductive rights. She gets political when she feels the need to, particularly with issues concerning the mental health and general wellbeing of young women like herself.
She asks her fans to be strong, but to also look for help when needed.
Credit: selenagomez / Instagram
Her advice: “I’ve learned there’s power deep down inside yourself, and you can find it when you don’t give up on yourself and when you ask for help.” This is so real it hurts: even someone like her, who in the eyes of her fans might seem to have it all, needs to be humble and honest in reaching out to others when the world seems bleak. There is always someone who cares if you are OK.
She stands up for migrants.
Credit: selenagomez / Instagram
Gomez doesn’t get political often, but when she does she always stands up for the minority communities. She has been a vocal advocate for migrant rights and the rights of women. She even wore a 1973 necklace as one of very few Latina celebs speaking up for abortion rights.
She even takes a stand from DACA recipients and Dreamers.
Credit: selenagomez / Instagram
She has used her social media accounts, which have followers in the millions, to call her fans to action. She is clearly showing the world that she does care and she is paying attention.
She delivers a message of self-acceptance, which led her to produce 13 Reasons Why.
Credit: selenagomez / Instagram
Gomez’s mother, Amanda, had her when she was just 16, and then raised her by herself. She was also the one that gave Gomez the book on which the Netflix show 13 Reasons Why is based. The show was controversial because it spoke about mental health issues and suicide, topics that are fundamental to discuss with young vulnerable populations but that remain a taboo. However, Gomez’s message is optimistic. She has said: “I promise you that each and every one of you is made to be who you are and that’s what’s so attractive and beautiful.” Preach!
13 Reasons Why put mental health issues at the forefront of public media debate.
Credit: selenagomez / Instagram
“I get it all day, every day, that I’m not sexy enough, or I’m not cool enough, or if I did this I would be accepted… I promise you that each and every one of you is made to be who you are and that’s what’s so attractive and beautiful. Please don’t forget that, even when it gets hard,”she said in an interview for the Huffington Post. And this is exactly the message that she conveys in her project. Taking on Jay Asher’s literary world, she and the series creative team were able to show mental health and suicide from all possible angles.
She takes fame with a grain of salt.
Credit: selenagomez / Instagram
She has been famous for a big portion of her life, but she knows that todo es pasajero, and that at the end who you are does not depend merely on adulation: “You are not defined by an Instagram photo, by a ‘Like,’ by a comment. That does not define you.”
Body positivity is her mantra.
Credit: selenagomez / Instagram
“I feel very empowered and confident and comfortable with where I am. And I think it took me a long time to get there because, you know, the past year was so interesting because I’ve never been body-shamed before… I did gain weight, but I don’t care,” she said at On Air with Ryan Seacrest. This is a great, positive message for someone who is followed by millions of young women throughout the world, particularly in a day and age when standards of beauty are twisted and self-love is hard to achieve.
She is an active advocate of girl power.
Credit: selenagomez / Instagram
Perhaps following the example of her mother, who basically raised her alone while holding down as many jobs as necessary to make ends meet, Gomez says: “I don’t want to become little or hurt or a victim. I want to be strong for girls…I just want them to know that there is an option of standing up for yourself.” Additionally, she was named a United Nations Ambassador in 2009, and in this role, she has worked particularly in empowering vulnerable children by helping provide clean water, education, and medical services.
You learn from your mistakes.
Credit: selenagomez / Instagram
Perhaps most importantly, she knows that many see her as a role model and that this brings a huge deal of responsibility. “I’m human, I’m not perfect. I make mistakes all the time, but I guess my job is to keep those mistakes to myself, which I’m already fine doing and just try to be the best I can be for those kids,” she told E! Online.
Selena’s life has touched her fans ever since she hit the music scene. Her contagious smile and bubbly lyrics made her a favorite of both Spanish and English speaking music lovers alike. However, it is her death that has mystified the world for the past 24 years. Since that day in March of 1995, Selena’s fans have grieved the loss of the Queen of Tejano music and condemned the woman who took her life. Now, the story of her death and the following murder trial of her killer will be brought to US TV screens.
Telemundo has announced their new series — “El Secreto de Selena” — that will explore the murder investigation and trial following Selena’s death.
Twitter / @mediamoves
The series is based on the bestselling book by Puerto Rican journalist Maria Celeste Arrarás. Back in 1995, Arrarás covered the trial of Yolanda Saldívar and also conducted a questionable interview with the former fan club president. The Quintanilla family has long been vocal against the accuracy of Arrarás book.
The family is involved, however, in a Netflix original series about the late star’s life. The untitled Selena project was announced at the end of 2018 and will begin production soon.
Of course, it’s not that surprising considering the disputes they’ve had over Selena’s estate.
Previously, patriarch Abraham Quintanilla and Selena’s husband, Chris Perez, have gone through litigation around the use of Selena’s likeness and story for any sort of media content.
Back in 2016, Perez wanted to produce TV series based on his memoir “To Selena With Love.” The courts found in the Quintanillas’ favor and the series was scrapped.
This controversial new series aired last year on Telemundo in Mexico and South America and will air in August in the United States.
In the series, Mexican actress Sofía Lama plays Arrarás, who also serves as a producer for “El Secreto de Selena.” In her book, the journalist shows herself as a protagonist alongside Selena and Saldívar. As such, the series will follow this narrative and Arrarás character will have quite a bit of screen time.
The role of Selena is played by Mexican actress Maya Zapata.
Zapata has acted in several television series and movies, including 2007’s “Bordertown” with Antonio Banderas and Jennifer Lopez. Of course, Lopez’s first starring role as an actress was in the 1997 movie “Selena,” proving it really is a small world.
The former president of Selena’s San Antonio-based fan club, Saldívar was confronted by the Quintinilla family for embezzling funds from Selena’s clothing boutiques. After she was fired, she lured Selena to a Corpus Christi hotel, begging for the chance to talk. It was there that she shot and killed the music star. Saldívar is eligible for parole in 2025.
Rounding out the ensemble cast, Venezuelan actor Daniel Elbittar portrays Selena’s husband Perez. The Quintanilla family is played by Jorge Zárate (Abraham), Baltimore Beltran (AB), Bárbara González (Suzette) and Úrsula Pruneda (Marcella).
The 13 episode run will first air in the States on August 25th with new episodes every Sunday.
Twitter / @Telemundo
The series will combine the acted script and real testimonials from Selena’s murder investigation and the trial of Saldívar.
While we aren’t sure if this new series will tell us anything we don’t already know about Selena’s life and death, we are certain that it will be an emotional series for Selena fans to watch.
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