Eva Longoria, George Lopez, Barry Adelman, & Janet Murguia (ALMA Awards)

The NCLR (The National Council of La Raza) started the ALMA (American Latino Media Arts) Awards back in 1995 by their CEO and current executive producer, Janet Murguia. The ALMA Awards showcases and celebrates the talent and achievements of those in the Latino community. Helping Janet with the ALMA Awards are Eva Longoria (Executive Producer/Host) from the hit show “Desperate Housewives,” George Lopez (Host) the comedian and actor, and Barry Adelman (Executive Producer) from Dick Clark Productions. The show is set to air on Friday, September 21, 2012 at 8pm on NBC.

The Latino community is the biggest growing population in the United States right now and a lot of attention was geared towards them at the recent Democratic and Republican National Conventions. During the ALMA Awards, they will be honoring several people, such as Cheech Marin, Christina Aguilera, and several of the Latino American Olympic medal winning athletes. In addition, there are going to be numerous celebrity presenters and a special song made specifically for the ALMA Awards by hit-making artist, Pitbull. It sounds like it is going to be an exciting and action packed awards show. Shakefire had the honor of discussing the ALMA Awards with Janet Murguia, Eva Longoria, George Lopez, and Barry Adelman.

 

Shakefire: Good Afternoon everyone. The show sounds like it’s going to be a lot of fun and full of energy. My first question is, from the previous shows, what are everyone’s most memorable moments?

Janet Murguia: Thank you Paul! For me, it would have to be the tribute to Linda Rondstadt because there were a lot of people involved and she had a long legacy and helped out the community a lot. There lots of people that were eager honor her

Eva Longoria : That’s a good question! I would say the tributes to Andy Garcia and Marc Anthony. There was a lot of good music and they both were all around good tributes. Also, Christina Aguilera’s first TV performance was on the ALMA where she sang “Genie in a Bottle.” I think that helped launch her career.

JM: I also remember Jennifer Lopez receiving her award for her role in “Selena” and how it launched her career. Also there was Edward James Olmos, who has always been there when no one else was there for us. Lastly, Antonio Banderas last year was really great and a good memory.

George Lopez: I loved it when Prince was on the show honoring Sheila E and he performed as a tribute to her. It was a great surprise and worked out well.

JM: We have had so many great moments on the show and can’t wait for more of them to come.

 

SF: The ALMA Awards are definitely a memorable show. Barry, besides Pitbull, with his special song for the ALMA Awards, and the special collaboration with Flo-rida and Roselyn Sanchez, what else can we expect for the music for the show?

Barry Adelman: We are actually saving the roll out of the announcement of the other performers as it gets closer to the show. I reassure you there are a lot of exciting things for everyone to see. Just stayed tuned.

 

SF: I can’t wait! Thanks Barry. Eva, this is your 5^th year producing? How did u get involved with NCLR and the ALMA Awards and are you a hands-on producer?

EL: I’ve been working with NCLR for a long time. The NCLR does lots of advocacy and activism for the Latino community. We formed a great partnership a while ago and I have been working with them ever since. I am an active and very hands-on producer. You can ask Barry about that and everyone else. (Laughing)

 

SF: How do you juggle all these commitments with your filming and other projects you have on your plate?

EL: As you know, I have been doing lot of campaigning for President Obama and have had other projects as well. It was actually a lot worse when I was on “Desperate Housewives.” I know I have to do though and find a way to make it work somehow.

 

SF: You are such a busy person Eva. I’m not sure how you do it all. Why does everyone feel these award shows are important for the Latino community?

EL: NCLR and the media are responsible for properly portraying the Latino community in the arts and in media despite what is going on in the world.

GL: They also show that we are no longer secondary celebrities anymore. Look at Eva, Christina and Pitbull, they are all worldwide and global celebrities these days and not in just one region stars. We are honoring them with our pride and showing our appreciation for everything they do.

JM:  Also, The ALMA Awards are a great platform to feature young and upcoming stars before they see their success. It is pivot point for the younger talent in the Latino community. We have the opportunity to feature the next wave of future stars in the Latino community before everyone else does

 

SF: Eva and George, Will you be doing anything new to mix it up or make the themes more positive for this year’s award show?

EL: Every year is different. This year in particular is election year and we are always trying to have current events mentioned and in the themes of the show. Getting everyone to get out there and vote is a very important theme in this year’s show.

GL: Everyone on the show allows us to be free to be political, but not cross the line. We want to have fun in a room of our peers. I thought it was fun to see the RNC and DNC add a little Spanish to their English. I’ve been doing that for years and will surely do the same again. We have everything covered this year like usual.

 

SF: That should be interesting. Barry, Which Olympians will be on the show and honored?

BA: Just like the musical performers, we will be rolling out the information when the airing date is closer. We have gathered many of the American Latino medal winners and we’ll announce their names soon. If you watched the Olympics, they will be names you’ll recognize for sure.

 

SF: So secretive about lots of details, but I still cannot wait to see who is there. Eva and George, How much of an honor is it to be both the host and be nominated for the awards?

GL: I love it when I get nominated and/or win. It is a high honor and it means a lot to me. I cherish all my awards and am forever grateful.

EL: As an executive producer, I always pull myself out of the awards and allow others to be honored instead. Everyone tried to talk me out of it, but this time they convinced me to keep myself in the running because it was such a great movie. It is always an honor and just happy to be a part of it all.

 

SF: Wow! Thank you all so much for chatting with me. I can’t wait to see the show. Good luck everyone and I will be watching for sure.

All: Thanks! Bye!