The world's longest-running television...

Well of its type. If you live in the Philadelphia region and know your media, then you should know 6abc's Puerto Rican Panorama has been around since 1970! Hosted by Diego Castellanos, the program deals exclusively with Hispanic issues and Latin culture; it is broadcast in English to encourage viewing by mainstream audiences.He must be doing something right for being on the air for 30+ years. I've been on the show twice so it's great to have a relationship with him.

Diego has been honored frequently both for his television persona and for his volunteer work in behalf of his community. He and Action News anchor/reporter Walter Pérez have both been recognized as two of the Delaware Valley's most influential Latinos. Coincidentally, both Diego and Walter co-anchor the 6abc live telecast of the Philadelphia Area Annual Puerto Rican Parade. Overall Diego is a great person. He himself said he's a Philadelphia cheerleadeer and believes in helping out the community; it's dear to him. I wish there were more people like him out there.

Catch Diego and his guests Sunday mornings at 5 and overnight between Sunday & Monday at 3:30.

Nominate a Latino for an Academy Award?

Interesting point brought up today via Twitter...where's the Latino representation at the Academy Awards? I'm pretty sure they are out there but I don't think it's getting recognized. Off the top of my head we have (sigh) Jennifer Lopez, Zoe Saldana, Salma Hayek, Edward James Olmos, and those whom "we" apparently don't' claim. There's even a Facebook fan page dedicated to seeing more Latinos in film and TV. With close to 900 fans, fans post pictures of up & coming actors and movies which include Latino actors.

But did you know Colombian actress Catalina Sandino was nominated for an Oscar in 2006? Following her searing cinematic debut in Maria Full of Grace, Catalina found herself nominated for a plethora of awards -- including an Oscar, an Independent Spirit Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. So far the closest we've gotten has been during the 2009 Oscars when Penelope Cruz won Best Supporting Actress. She is Spain's first female Oscar winner and also becomes the sixth Hispanic person to win an Oscar after José Ferrer, Rita Moreno, Benicio del Toro (Puerto Rico), Anthony Quinn (Mexico), and fellow Spaniard Javier Bardem.

Hopefully the years to come bring more great actors and actresses. So do you think Latinos are underrepresented or is there no need to change?

Modern Family's Oscar Charades Promo

So I recently started watching Modern Family and I must say it's one of my favorite TV shows...sorry Lost fans. I mean who wouldn't want to watch Sofia Vergara over and over. Check out their Oscar Charades promo below. I must say I really LOLed.



p.s. Follow this Colombian queen on Twitter!

The Hispanic PR Census

On May 10 - 12 Hispanic PR will host the first ever Hispanic PR and social marketing conference in Dallas, TX. To get people excited about the conference and this ever growing industry, HispanicPR wants you to take the Hispanic PR Census for a chance to win an Apple iPad.

The Hispanic Public Relations Association and the Hispanic PR Blog are conducting a national Hispanic PR Census that attempts to count every marketing professional – Latino and non-Latino alike – who spends 30 percent or more of their time in Hispanic PR and/or social marketing. The survey will help our industry compile information that will lead to more opportunities for all of us. It only takes two minutes to complete and the results of the census will be unveiled nationally at the Hispanic PR & Social Marketing Conference in Dallas, May 10-12.

After you take the Hispanic PR Census, please pass this message along to 10 other industry colleagues. There’s no curse for not forwarding the note but if you let 10 other colleagues know about it you will qualify to win one of two Apple ipads that the Hispanic PR Blog is raffling. Contest rules are posted at www.HispanicPRBlog.com and winners will be announced on March 31 and April 30.

Our kids are overweight!

No big surprise here but did you know 38% of Hispanic children are overweight or obese? Let's generalize it more; one in three kids in our nation today are (overweight or) obese. I wonder if this number has increased over the years due to TV and texting. Now that pre-teens are able to use cell phones instead of playing outside, I'm not at all surprised.

Thankfully our wonderful first lady, Michelle Obama, has launched a campaign at ending childhood obesity. The program is simply called “Let’s Move,” an actionable name that speaks volumes about the goals of the first lady and the organization. So what does this program include? Everything from access to healthy food and educational programs. Let's not forget about affordable eating because for some reason to eat healthy, we need to be rich.

"Let's Move" just makes sense. Think about all the arroz con pollo and carne asada you like to eat. I'm not saying stop eating this great food, I'm saying add a little green in there. A salad never hurts anyone. Yes even I'm at fault sometimes, but as you get older you start to realize how your health will be affected.

That Really Doesn't Grind My Gears...No Work

You have to love personal time off. I haven't been to work since Wednesday and to be honest it feels great. I've been able to relax with no worries. Although I can still see my e-mails, I kept them unopened until Monday.

See you all el lunes!

Kids Count Too You Know

When thinking about the upcoming census all we usually hear about is getting counted no matter your citizenship status. But don't forget to count your kids too! According to the census, kids have been undercounted since the first one in 1790. Remember, the data are also used to distribute more than $400 billion in federal funds each year to communities for establishing and improving schools, hospitals, roads and senior services. That means if you schools don't get funded properly some of it will have to do with you not checking off one of those boxes.

ON March 3rd, the census teamed up with one of our favorite Nichelodeon character, Dora The Explorer. After all, kids count too! Dora is a young girl who embarks on a trip in every episode in order to find something or help somebody (hence the census). She asks the viewers at home to help her find new ways to reach places with the help of Map. She also teaches viewers Spanish, introducing them to short words and phrases. I say good job census for reaching out to children, Americans who are interested in Latino culture and parents.

p.s. Fill out the "10 minute" form and mail it back ASAP!

That Really Grinds My Gears...Second Surgery

So my second surgery was yesterday and I forgot how horrible it feels. Everything from changing clothes to not playing video games is starting to irk me. Although the surgery was almost the same, I noticed some differences. The biggest difference includes me taking off the splint myself because the doctor will be off all next week...doctors gone wild anyone?

Note: Thank god I kept the splint from two years ago. Apparently I have to reuse it.