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It's not obvious what language Will Ferrell's new film, Casa de Mi Padre, is speaking. Everyone's favourite cross-eyed man-child had last-minute cramming sessions in order to be able to drawl the Spanish-language dialogue for the comedy – a sendup of cheesy rural-Mexico telenovelas. But just as Ferrell admits he still can't really hold a conversation in Spanish, Casa looks like it could have communication issues, too. Is it a deft in-joke for the US's movie-mad Hispanic audience? Or does Ferrell's presence just crank up the irony factor for the urban-hipster crowd to indulge yet another cultural fetish?

Movie executives would, if they had to choose, plump for the former. As well as the largest ethnic minority, Hispanic-Americans are perhaps the US's keenest, most youthful and fast-growing film demographic. Forty-three million Hispanics bought 351m tickets in 2010 (out of a total 1.34bn) – up from 37m buying 300m the year before. People of that ethnicity in the key 18-34 group are 44% more likely to see a film on its opening weekend than non-Hispanics. No wonder that's beginning to get some serious attention: Casa de Mi Padre is being distributed by Pantelion Films, a partnership between Lionsgate and Mexican media giant Televisa that is hoping to make around 10 films a year, in both English and Spanish, for Latino audiences. READ MORE

You can't escape Sofia Vergara these days.

She plays the loud Colombian wife with the tight tops and high heels on ABC'stop-rated sitcom "Modern Family."She's in ads for Diet Pepsi and Cover Girl cosmetics. The self-branding Latina, who's been known to split her time between South Florida and Hollywood, even has a clothing line at Kmart.

But is the actress and businesswoman a role model for Hispanic women, or is she helping to perpetuate a stereotype? Feelings are mixed.

Some celebrate her success story: the single mother who worked for years as a model and Spanish-TV host before crossing over in Hollywood.
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"She has always been a Latina icon,'' said Claudia Teran, a former Fort Lauderdale resident who was a community outreach coordinator at Miami Children's Museum. The single mother recently moved to Vergara's hometown of Barranquilla, Colombia. "She is one of the girls you always want to look and be like. She was a single mother, and that is one of the things I admire about her so much."

Others say she conforms to long-held stereotypes about Latinas with her character's loud, thick Spanish accent and revealing clothing. READ MORE

There's a man in Phoenix with a political playbook that has become valuable. So valuable, the Obama campaign believes it could help clinch the president's re-election.

Phoenix City Council Member Daniel Valenzuela is a fourth-generation Mexican-American. Last year, he won a seat on the Phoenix City Council in a traditionally Republican district, and he did it by increasing Latino voter turnout by 488 percent.

"I decided early on that this campaign would be a campaign for social behavioral change," Valenzuela tells weekends on All Things Considered host Guy Raz. "To get people active, register to vote, realize the power of a vote and to get them to cast that vote."

Latino voters continue to shape American politics, and this election season should see candidates on both sides courting the support of the fast-growing group. In Valenzuela's case, he did it the old-fashioned way. He recruited a group of local university students who knocked on 72,000 doors. READ MORE

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 9.6 million Hispanics called the United States home in 1970. Since then, the Hispanic population has grown tremendously every decade.

In 2010, when the last census report was issued, 47.8 million Hispanics lived in the United States.

Even more amazing is that the Census Bureau projects that by 2050, over 100 million Hispanics will reside in the United States.

Among the states with the largest reported Hispanic population are California, New York, Texas and Illinois.

Just like the Italian, Irish, Greek, German and immigrants from other countries in the early half of the last century, Hispanics have brought their cultures along with them, including foods that have been a part of their lifestyle for hundreds of years.

Many Hispanics were raised on root vegetables like yucca, malanga and boniato, and a fruit cornucopia that includes plantains, bananas and mangos.

“To Latinos and Asians, who are no strangers to tropicals, the larger displays in more mainstream supermarkets are welcome,” said Mary Ostlund, director of marketing for Brooks Tropicals in Homestead, FL. “These displays make Hispanic shoppers feel more welcome in the stores, and that is opening the way for more sales to this growing market.” READ MORE

As part of the Mujeres Latinas Brown Bag series, an ongoing effort to bring more exposure of Hispanic women to IU, graduate student Tanya Flores delivered a presentation Friday in Ballantine Hall about accommodation theory in Chilean Spanish.

The program was started by Leonice Santamaría, a visiting lecturer who teaches S280: Spanish Grammar in Context.

She said she wanted to allow for more presentations by Hispanic women graduate students, who she feels are underrepresented on campus and in academic life in general.

“I really wanted to focus on women,” Santamaría said. “I have seen Latinas being behind the Latinos in terms of hiring practices by universities and departments. There are more Latino men on campus than Latina women as professors, directors of programs and so on.”

Santamaría went to the Latino Faculty and Staff Council, which approved the program.
The program is also connected to La Casa Latino Cultural Center, the Latino Studies Program and the Department of Spanish and Portuguese.

Aside from furthering the exposure of Hispanic women academics in general, the program has also functioned as a support system for Latinas on campus, according to La Casa Director Lillian Casillas-Origel. READ MORE

Hispanic voters in Florida and across the country give exceedingly high marks to President Barack Obama and overwhelmingly favor his re-election.

The findings come from a Fox News Latino/Latin Insights poll released Monday. But the poll also showed that in Florida and elsewhere, Hispanic support for Obama dips if the eventual Republican nominee picks U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio for vice president.

Rubio, a telegenic presence with strong tea party support, is at the top of virtually every pundit's list of likely vice presidential candidates. The freshman Cuban-American senator from South Florida repeatedly has said he doesn't expect he'll be on the ticket, but that's de rigueur. According to custom, potential vice presidential candidates can't act as if they want the job.

Almost one-quarter of U.S. Hispanic voters polled said they would be more willing to vote for a Republican if Rubio was on the ticket. The number rose to almost four in 10 Florida Hispanics.
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Florida, which has a 22.5 percent Hispanic population, is the biggest swing state in November, awarding 29 electoral votes, more than 10 percent of the 270 needed to win the presidency. READ MORE

A new report from the Pew Research Center shows that Hispanics will account for three-quarters of the growth in the nation's labor force for the years 2010 to 2020.

According to author Rakesh Kochhar, growth in the Hispanic workforce can be attributed to two factors: a rapidly growing population due to births and immigration and higher labor force participation than other groups.

"The nation’s labor force participation rate — that is, the share of the population ages 16 and older either employed or looking for work — was 64.7 percent in 2010. Among Hispanics, the rate was 67.5 percent. There are two main explanations for this gap: Hispanics are a younger population than other groups, and include a higher share of immigrants," the article stated. READ MORE

Time magazine’s March 5 edition is barrier-breaking, according to Richard Stengel, the managing editor. “For the first time in our history, we have a Spanish sentence as our cover line: Yo decido. I decide.”

Ugh.

Applause and gratitude to Stengel and his staff of distinguished journalists for choosing to feature the increasing clout of Latino voters, but I wish they had made history differently.

Yes, speaking to someone in their native tongue can be a sign of affection and respect. But here’s the problem: Speaking to Latinos in a language other than English promotes the myth that Hispanics don’t, can’t or won’t speak it.

Worse, it ignores the reality that though there are varying degrees of bilingualism in the community, Latinos will ultimately be no different than any other wave of immigrants who came to this country and eventually made English their family’s primary language.

And even worse than that, it fires up the people who look at such a cover and see concrete evidence that their beloved country is on its way to being drenched by a so-called demographic tsunami that will leave anyone who doesn’t speak Spanish behind.

Nothing could be further from the truth — for most Hispanics in the U.S., English is “our” language.

Last month, the Pew Hispanic Center released its most recent statistical portrait of Hispanics in the U.S., using updated 2010 Census figures. The data show that 25 percent of the Hispanic population ages 5 and up, including both the native and foreign born, speaks only English at home — up from 22 percent in 2005. Another 40 percent say they speak English “very well” and the trends point upward. Plus, even the 35 percent who speak English “less than very well” aren’t all Spanish-only speakers. READ MORE

Smartphone users now outnumber users of more basic mobile phones within the national adult population, according to a Pew Internet & American Life Project.

Nearly every major demographic group—men and women, younger and middle-aged adults, urban and rural residents, the wealthy and the less well-off—experienced a notable uptick in smartphone penetration over the last year, and blacks and Latinos are leading the way.

African-Americans and Latinos overall adoption of smartphone rates in 2011 was higher than the national average: smartphone penetration is 49% in each case, just higher than the national average of 46%.

Usage of smartphones as a primary internet access device is highest among several groups with relatively low rates of traditional internet and broadband adoption—for example, those with no college experience as well as those with relatively low income levels, according to a Pew report published last year.

“The reason for that, many say, is simple: It’s the most affordable way to get onto the information superhighway,” Jamilah King wrote in a story published on Colorlines.com last year. A couple hundred dollars for an Android and a data plan is much less than $1,000 for a laptop computer and broadband connection. READ MORE

There are 25 communities on this year's list of 100 Best Communities For Young People that are home to many Latinos. The 100 Best presented by America's Promise Alliance is an annual competition that showcases outstanding communities where young people can thrive. READ MORE

After a successful six month beta during which thousands of Hispanic consumers registered to participate in online surveys, discussion forums and sampling campaigns, Tu Cuentas is opening its platform to new clients and seeking aggressive membership growth.

Tu Cuentas, which translates as "you count" and "you tell," was founded by Larissa Acosta and Olga Bueno, two Latina entrepreneurs with deep roots in Hispanic marketing. After many years working at leading Hispanic advertising agencies, they saw an opportunity to launch a Latino targeted community that integrates Latinos' adoption of social media with the value they place in word of mouth recommendations when making purchase decisions.

According to a 2010 comScore study, 33% of Hispanics are influenced by reviews and ratings compared to 25% of the general population. Moreover, a study published by Pew Internet & American Life reported that two-thirds of online Hispanic adults in the U.S. both English and Spanish-speaking, used a social network in May 2011. Forrester's 2010 report Social Media is Mainstream for Online Hispanics, further states that 47% of Latinos online are "Creators" (persons who make the social content consumed by others) vs. 18% of non-Latinos.

Tu Cuentas takes advantage of these trends by combining user generated product reviews, moderated discussion forums and community polls of registered members. Participation in these activities earns members not only points redeemable for cash, but also additional opportunities to participate in high engagement sampling campaigns through which they receive free products to try and share with their online and offline networks. READ MORE

in appreciation of the Orlando Magic’s Hispanic fan base, for the first time ever the team will wear “El Magic” jerseys for three home games beginning on March 1 when Orlando faces Oklahoma City at the Amway Center (tip off set for 8:00 p.m. on TNT). The debut of the “El Magic” jerseys will coincide with Latin Night, Noche Latina, at the March 1 game. The “El Magic” jerseys are part of the team’s continuing efforts to connect with the entire community of greater Central Florida. In addition to the March 1 OKC game, the Magic will wear the jerseys at the March 19 Chicago contest and the March 21 Phoenix matchup.

“We want our entire fan base to know we value them,” said Magic CEO Alex Martins. “We want to show our appreciation for their support and dedication, and this is just one small way for us to do that.”

The new, Hispanic-themed “El Magic” jerseys provide fans an opportunity to identify with the unique contributions of the Hispanic community while showing support of their favorite NBA team. The jerseys, along with “El Magic” hats and T-shirts, are available for purchase through orlandomagicshop.com.

In addition to the “El Magic” jerseys, the team will honor the rich Hispanic culture of Central Florida at Noche Latina on March 1 during the Magic vs. Thunder matchup with a variety of activities at Amway Center. The Magic Dancers will perform a special Latin-themed routine and Latin dance, music and entertainment will be featured throughout the night including a special halftime performance.

The Magic has been a long time supporter of the Hispanic community of Central Florida. The “El Magic” jersey is the latest in a long line of efforts connected to the Orlando Hispanic community. Another one of those efforts is Magic Spanish broadcaster, Joey Colon, in his 14th season with the team. Colon handles all Spanish radio broadcasts for the Magic. He can be heard on AM 1270 WRLZ (Radio Luz), and hosts Inside Magic en Espanol on select Mondays from 6-7 p.m. Colon stands as the only Puerto Rican broadcaster in the NBA today. READ MORE

While 2010 Census data showed us how quickly the Latino population has grown in just ten years, a new statistical portrait released Tuesday by the Pew Hispanic Center illustrates just how young that population is.

New population graphs, which depict how the Latino and non-Latino populations break down in terms of age group, show that Hispanics skew much younger than their white counterparts. READ MORE

Marta Sanchez is 30 years old with three small children and works two other jobs outside the home. She often runs to the store in between jobs to buy groceries. She knows how important it is for her and her kids to eat right, but with her very hectic schedule, she barely has time to pick up everything she needs, much less spend a lot of time figuring out what are the best foods amid such an overwhelming number of choices.

Thanks to my work with the American Heart Association and the Partnership for a Healthier America, I know what a challenge it is for Marta and other families like hers to find and buy healthy food. That's why I'm so proud that NCLR has joined with First Lady Michelle Obama and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in an innovative public-private partnership to help families like the Sanchezes make the right food choices for their families.

The First Lady announced the new program in Tampa last month. The USDA previously unveiled its new food icon, MiPlato, which highlights how to create a balanced, healthy meal that contains high levels of fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products. Goya Foods, the leading source of Latino food products in the country, has agreed to use the MiPlato icon on its healthy products and will also distribute educational materials along with coupons to thousands of Latinos across the country. What this means is that Marta Sanchez can make healthier meals with the foods her family likes and are used to, without breaking her budget. READ MORE

A decade after Ricky Martin and Jennifer Lopez helped Latin music explode into the mainstream, Latina chefs are doing the same for food.

From Food Network’s Marcela Valladolid and Evette Rios on ABC’s “The Chew’’ to uber-restaurateur Michelle Bernstein and cookbook author Lourdes Castro, these senoritas are proving to be the new face in cooking — especially on television.

The stereotype of Latina mothers living in the kitchen makes sense to these Latina chefs.

“We all grew up around mom in the kitchen, that’s just how it was,’’ said Bernstein, who is of Latin and Jewish descent and runs Sra. Martinez and Michy’s restaurants in Miami. “And maybe that just better represents what Latin food is, coming from the momma.’’

“It speaks to Latinas,’’ said Lisa Navarrete, a spokeswoman for The National Council of La Raza, a Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization based in Washington. “You have a lot of talented women, very personable, very telegenic, who are also great cooks.’’

Like music, food is a gateway to people learning about another culture, she said. And in this case, one that is expanding. Hispanics are the fastest growing population in the country, accounting for 50 million people, or 1 in 6 Americans.

Also fueling the rise of Latina chefs is the fact that Latin cuisine is no longer considered “exotic’’ or difficult to cook. More people today are comfortable cooking at home with ethnic ingredients such as jalapenos and cilantro, or marinating meats with Cuban mojo or chimichurri. READ MORE

When Honduran-born Antonella Cecilia Packard converted to the Mormon Faith 20 years ago, she said it was like "coming home."

The Catholic-educated Packard, who grew up in "the middle of Mayan ruins," appreciated the faith's strong sense of family and conservative values. She also saw her own history in the Book of Mormon with stories of migrations, tragedies and triumphs of a people many Mormons believe are the ancestors of some present-day Latinos.

But two decades after her conversion while a college student at Mississippi State, the 43-year-old Packard finds herself on a new mission: defeating Mitt Romney and any Mormon politician who betrays what she sees as a basic Mormon principle of protecting immigrants.

As Romney continues to seek the Republican presidential nomination while rarely discussing his faith, a growing number of vocal Hispanic Mormons say they intend to use Mormon teachings as a reason to convince others not to vote for him. They have held firesides (equivalent to a tent revival) on immigration, protested outside of Romney campaign events and have traveled across state lines to help defeat other Mormon politicians with similar harsh immigration stances.

"Yes, we are happy that we have a Mormon running for president," said Packard, a Saratoga Springs, Utah, resident and member of Somos (We are) Republicans. "But a lot of us aren't supporting him because of his stance against immigrants." READ MORE

In a day and age when localism seems to be getting the short end of the stick at quite a few radio stations, Hispanic radio is delivering big time to its listeners. Over the past few weeks we've spent a lot of time discussing the explosive growth of Hispanic radio, with so many great broadcasters all over the country. One of those broadcasters is Tony Bonicci (pictured), who is running stations for Lotus Communications in Las Vegas. Bonicci is up for Broadcaster of the Year in the Radio Ink Hispanic Radio Awards, the Medallas de Cortez, which will be presented next month in San Diego.

Bonicci says Hispanic radio listeners are as loyal to their stations today as listeners to other formats were a decade ago. "The bottom line is quality," he says. "They are a loyal audience that wants quality. You deliver quality, and they will stick around and listen to your radio station."

Bonicci emphasizes the loyalty of his listeners, just a bit. "They are very, very, very loyal," he says. "They are very loyal people. Again, a lot of what we are seeing today in the Hispanic world is the stuff we used to see in the Anglo world. Hispanics select their radio station and support that radio station, they show up at the events. We just did a Valentine's Day promotion, a concert that was oversold. The casino was asking us what happened. I was like, 'This is what happens,' not, 'What happened?'

"They are very loyal, and that's where the time spent listening comes in. I think a lot of Hispanic broadcasters realize what I am saying, and the products that they are putting on the air are much better than the products they were putting on years ago. Look at today -- I will give you a great example of what I am talking about. The hottest show in television is the Hispanic version of American Idol. That is the reality of it." READ MORE

3,349 respondents participated in the 1st February American Pulse conducted 2/13-2/20/2012, utilizing BIGinsight™ and reInvention survey panels. The latest results show that Hispanics log in to social media sites more often than other ethnic groups. Also, while Americans remain divided on the issue of censorship, most Hispanics, Blacks and Caucasians agree that racial slurs are offensive and should be blocked in print, music and videos.

Worthington, OH (PRWEB) February 21, 2012

The World Wide Web has become a standard part of life, and it appears that social media has become a major part of the online experience. The vast majority have at least one social media account; in addition, over half of Adults 18+ (54.5%) say they log in to Facebook once a day or more often, according to the February American Pulse™ Survey. Blacks and Hispanics are even more likely to log in once a day or more on Facebook as well as other online communities:

Log In Once a Day or More Often

Facebook
Hispanics: 60.7%
Blacks: 60.3%
Caucasians: 53.7%

Twitter
Hispanics: 35.4%
Blacks: 28.9%
Caucasians: 12.6%

Google+
Hispanics: 27.1%
Blacks: 25.6%
Caucasians: 13.8%

LinkedIn
Hispanics: 15.5%
Blacks: 10.9%
Caucasians: 4.8%

Foursquare
Hispanics: 13.2%
Blacks: 7.2%
Caucasians: 2.8%

Pinterest
Hispanics: 13.2%
Blacks: 7.3%
Caucasians: 5.3%

Source: American Pulse™ Survey, Feb-2012

"Hispanics are the most avid social media users among ethnic groups," said Dianne Kremer, Senior Analyst at BIGinsight™. "Although Blacks report that they spend the most time online in a given day, self-reported time spent on social media sites is higher among Hispanics." READ MORE

When is the last time you felt the warmth of Mexico? No, Really? As Mexican American born and bred in Chicago, I have now relocated to sunny Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, with 300+sunny days a year and lush tropical vegetation.  Think Hawaii if you haven’t been, same latitude= same climate. I invite you to reconnect with your Mexican side, what you’re not Mexican? That’s not what it looked like last 5 de Mayo as you were tossing back the tequila shots like they were Fanta. Anyway, spring break is coming and even if you are not in college, let’s face it you need a break from the Chicago winter.  I don’t care how mild it has been, when was the last time you went to the beach and sipped a michelada? When you come, drop me a line I can give you the local experience. You will love it.  After you visit you will go home and think of how you can get back, because here, you live EVERY moment! info@maxlivinganddesign.com

A new survey by ING Retirement Research Institute, by Forbes, revealed that Latinos aren't saving for their golden years.

Fifty-four percent of Latinos said that they felt "not very" or "not at all" financially prepared for retirement, a percentage that was higher than that of all other ethnic groups surveyed including African-Americans, whites and Asians.

The question now is why Latinos are not saving more money toward their retirement. While the ING survey reported that about a third of Latinos blamed insufficient income and a quarter pointed to debt as reasons why they haven't been able put more money aside, I think that the Forbes report on the survey was correct to mention that culture also plays a part. READ MORE