Highly Relevant with Jack Rico

Latest Episodes:

Ep 72 - Gotham's Michelle Veintimilla on Firefly, Why Identifying as Hispanic is Crucial and Why She Isn't A Fan of Telenovelas Apr 13, 2018

Show notes

Ecuadorian-American actress and singer Michelle Veintimilla joins us on this episode to discuss her role as the villainess FIREFLY on FOX’s GOTHAM series. She has a solid resumé which includes performing on Broadway with legendary icon Chita Rivera, working in film opposite Russell Crowe, Octavia Spencer, and Aaron Paul, as well as TV credits in “Blue Bloods” and “The Goodwife”. She joins me today to talk how she got the part of FIREFLY, why identifying as Hispanic is crucial in Hollywood and why she doesn’t like… telenovelas.

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Ep 71 - NALIP's Ben Lopez On Next Univision CEO, Latinos Breaking Into Hollywood, U.S Hispanic Stories Apr 07, 2018

Show notes

Ben Lopez, Executive Director of NALIP joins us to discuss the rock-bottom depths Hispanic actors have reached in Hollywood. What is the African-American community doing differently than the Hispanic community? Also, Randy Falco, the CEO of Univision, recently announced he’s retiring early. What type of person should replace him? Is it time for a U.S. born Hispanic to run it and should it be a woman? Should they look into doing English-language programming? And we also chat about how NALIP’s whole mission is to help Hispanic creatives break into Hollywood.

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Ep 70 - US Latino Pop Stars Singing In Spanish... A Business Move or A Cultural Rediscovery? Mar 24, 2018

Show notes

You've heard them - Miguel, Demi Lovato, Becky G, Jennifer Lopez - all US Latino pop stars who randomly decided to sing in Spanish. Why? What were the reasons behind it? Is it a money grabbing business move or is it a genuine rediscovery of their cultural roots? Music journalist Isabela Raygoza and myself explore whether Latino music listeners buy into their strategy to reach them in their language or if it stinks of commerce.

“Language - it doesn’t define your identity, but it reinforces it.” - Isabela Raygoza

Episode Summary

-Miguel and Demi Lovato singing in Spanish

-Cultural differences between US Latinos and Latin Americans

-Reasons why US Latino pop stars sing in Spanish

-Phoniness vs Authenticity

-Criteria for being a Spanish-language Latino artist

-American accents in Spanish singing

-Selena and her bilingualness

-Jennifer Lopez first Spanish album

-Beyonce Spanish album

-Music and identity politics

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Ep 69 - Why Do We Like Horror Movies? Director Johannes Roberts From "The Strangers: Prey At Night" Explains Mar 15, 2018

Show notes

There’s a new horror movie out in theaters called “The Strangers: Prey At Night” directed by Johannes Roberts. He joins the show to discuss why he feels horror movies are such a thrill for moviegoers and why his new movie is different than many others.

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Ep 68 - Latinos Win Oscars 2018: What Does It Mean?, Steven Spielberg's Terrible 'West Side Story' Latino Reboot Mar 07, 2018

Show notes

Latinos win big at the 2018 Oscars, but will anything really change? We also tackle Steven Spielberg’s Latino reboot of the movie musical - West Side Story - and discuss all the reasons this is a bad idea. Mike Sargent, national film contributor for FOX Business, PBS Newshour and chief film critic for WBAI Radio joins us to deconstruct it all.

Episode Summary

Mike Sargent talks about why Shape of Water was a safe choice by the Academy

Why Mudbound didn’t win one award

After the diversity of the Oscars, is Hollywood changed forever?

Inclusion Rider and strong-arming Hollywood. Will it work?

Spielberg's West Side Story Latino reboot and the foreseeable problems it will have

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Ep 67 - Univision's 'Premio Lo Nuestro' Digital Event, 'Annihilation' Director Alex Garland Talks Latino Cast Feb 22, 2018

Show notes

On this week’s episode, Hilda Garcia, VP of Digital Entertainment at Univision, returns to the podcast to discuss how Univision.com has planned a MASSIVE digital event for the 30th Anniversary of ‘Premios Lo Nuestro’ airing this week. For the first time, the #1 Spanish language network will simulcast the live TV award show on Univision.com. But will it cannibalize television viewers?

And we talk to UK director Alex Garland whose new movie ANNIHILATION premieres this week, and he cast 3 of the biggest Latinx names for it - Oscar Isaac, Gina Rodriguez and Tessa Thompson - and somehow still managed to get criticized by the press for allegedly whitewashing star Natalie Portman’s character. We’ll ask him why he cast Latinx actors and why it has nothing to do with the National Hispanic Media Coalition’s protest at the Oscar’s next month.

Ep 66 - "Black Panther": Race, Colonialism, Afrofuturism, and Oscar 2019 Feb 19, 2018

Show notes

"Black Panther" is out and already has broken records and movie myths. On this episode, we talk to three African-American guests: Soraya Nadia McDonald, a culture critic for ESPN's The Undefeated, Mike Sargent, filmmaker and pioneering Afrofuturist, and Wilson Morales, EIC of Blackfilm.com, about the film's significance, the social commentary on race and politics that lies beneath the whole film, and its chances at Oscar gold come 2019.

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Ep 65 - Why "In Living Color" Matters Today with Author David Peisner Feb 10, 2018

Show notes

Author David Peisner joins the show to discuss his new book “Homey Don't Play That! The Story of In Living Color and the Black Comedy Revolution”. What you'll hear today is David speaking about why this book was so important for him to write, the significance of "In Living Color" today, the discovery of talented cast members such as Jamie Foxx, Rosie Perez, Jennifer Lopez and Jim Carrey, why an English-language Latino sketch comedy has never been successful, and the reasons why so many people love Black entertainment.

Episode Summary

Why David wrote the book

How race played a huge part in the comedy of the show

The cultural significance behind the show

How popular culture today is informed on Black culture

The recruitment of the talented cast such as Jamie Foxx, Rosie Perez, Jennifer Lopez and Jim Carrey

Why the show ended

Will "In Living Color" ever return?

Why Latino sketch-comedies haven't worked on mainstream television

If you’d like to listen to more episodes with this format, leave us your thoughts on Twitter @jackricofficial. Thanks to Simon & Shuster and author David Peisner. His new book “Homey Don't Play That! The Story of In Living Color and the Black Comedy Revolution” is out now.

Would you like to get in touch with us? Email us at highlyrelevant@showbizcafe.com and help us spread the word on social media:

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Ep 64 - Natalia Lafourcade discusses Coco's "Remember Me", R&B star Miguel, "Musas Vol. 2" Feb 02, 2018

Show notes

Natalia Lafourcade, 33, is a highly acclaimed Mexican singer/songwriter who was recently nominated for Best Latin Pop Album at the 60th Annual Grammys for her album, Musas Vol.1 (Un homenaje al folclore Latinoamericano en manos de Los Macorinos), and is also the singer for the Oscar nominated song “Remember Me” from Pixar’s hit film “Coco”.

In this episode, Natalia and I sit down to talk about her upcoming album “Musas Vol. 2,” out February 9th. We tackled the question…what’s better… a Grammy or a Latin Grammy? We then strayed into the subject of the music business, reggaeton, Broadway and how that song “Remember Me” came into her life.

Episode Summary

Potentially performing at the Oscars

How Disney approached her about Coco's "Remember Me"

Working with R&B star Miguel

Is a Grammy more important than a Latin Grammy

Musas Vol. 2 album

"Hu Hu Hu" album

Dreaming of Broadway

Music business and reggaeton

Natalia Lafourcade explains her concert experience

If you’d like to listen to more episodes with this format, leave us your thoughts on Twitter @jackricofficial. Thanks to Sony Records and Natalia LaFourcade.

Would you like to get in touch with us? Email us at highlyrelevant@showbizcafe.com and help us spread the word on social media:

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If you enjoyed this episode head on over to iTunes and kindly leave us a rating, a review and please subscribe!

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Ep 63 - 2018 Oscar Nominations, 2018 Grammy Preview, New York Times 'Hispanic Crisis in Hollywood' Discussion Jan 26, 2018

Show notes

We’re discussing the Oscar nominations this week with our good friend Wilson Morales from Blackfilm.com. We will get to the deeper meaning of how these nominations are influencing our society, and of course, do some predictions on who will win.

Also, the New York Times wrote an article this week called “After #OscarsSoWhite, Hispanics Seek Their Hollywood Moment”. It makes the point that Hispanic actors are in dire need for some needed on-screen inclusion in Hollywood. I talk Brooks Barnes, the media and entertainment reporter who wrote the article about what led him to write the piece and what solutions he can impart after one year of working on it.

And finally, the 60th Annual Grammy Awards are Sunday the 28th and Matt Fish, a hip-hop connoisseur will help me make sense of how hip hop and Latino music owned 2017, and what it will it mean for the mainstream music industry if the mostly Spanish-language song DESPACITO wins Record or Song of the Year?

That plus music suggestions for your playlist and the latest news and in US Latino and mainstream pop culture. Keep your headphones on, this is the Highly Relevant podcast!

EPISODE SUMMARY

Wilson Morales on Oscar nominations and diversity impact - 1:34

JackedIN (recap of pop culture stories) - 15:29

Brooks Barnes of the New York Times discusses his article “After #OscarsSoWhite, Hispanics Seek Their Hollywood Moment” - 17:23

Weekend playlist: 34:58

Dont’ Make Me Wait - Sting (feat. Shaggy)

Imagem - Mahmundi

Sunshine - Kyle (feat. Miguel)

Matt Fish from The Hip-Hop Classics Podcast - 46:27

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