Reflection on the Class Finale

The whole Telenovelas class realizes what a great tool they can be for learning more Spanish. From studying Celia on Netflix, I learned how the power of telenovelas is a key to understanding language and culture. Since I was young, seeing Spanish television served as a great inlet to a different culture from my own. It snow-balled until now, where I find myself preparing for an extended stay in Costa Rica to pursue photojournalism.

The power of journalism in our current time is held in the visual appeal. I wonder what differences I will experience across cultures. Media accessibility has now changed. For example, many in the U.S. don't crank on the radio, or actually stop to see what is in the newspaper stand. In Athens, big posters and signs catch our eye on the street. The platforms we use to consume information is light years faster than before - we just look at our phones. To create success your journalism or media company, you have to be easily accessible on social media and online platforms. The key is creating quality multimedia of audio and visual. The simple truth is: no good visuals - no clicks.

Particularly in the field of photojournalism, you have to believe in the power of an image. A killer work of photojournalism will take hours and maybe years of practice in order to manifest in a single, mindful moment. The success relies on capturing a single moment - one that touches the audience in a way that could write laps around any essay. Having a camera to someone's face in a personal, non-fiction moment is difficult. You don't just walk into someone's personal space clicking away. Good journalism is meticulous across platforms.

So there's a difference between telenovelas and journalism. The way the story is created in non-fiction v. ficiton media. The visual production is valuable in the ability to create stories, like the way musicians do. Like a true millennial, I love music videos and documentary films. Costa Rica has a different representation from our side. On YouTube, it is not easy to find telenovela research, but there are a million travel media companies that cover Costa Rica. I am excited to get to my bungalow and observe the way that people consume media, and perhaps discuss it in the UGA Costa Rica Blog

Final Episode Thoughts

 Tuesday night, we got to wrap up the semester at Dr. A’s house by watching the final episode of some of the telenovelas that we’ve been following this entire semester. It was the perfect way to end the semester. We started out being introduced to Juana la Virgen, Ugly Betty, Fatmugual, and La Mujer Perfecta. We started out with the ‘despecho’ topic and the rising action, but now everything has come full circle with the final weddings and seeing how life will continue for each character. My favorite ending was La Mujer Perfecta. I feel like the last episode really encompassed what the goal of the telenovela was trying to portray. Everyone is perfect in their own way, even with their flaws, insecurities and disabilities. Also, little girls who have Aspergers or any other kind of disability will understand their situation. I also liked the fact that now her daughter would have someone to look up to and not have to feel weird or like an outsider. I love when a shows fast forward into the future; I find it extremely comforting. I think it’s because I like to think about how characters will live in the future and imagine what would happen so I like when the show already tells me what to expect.

The other finale that was very interesting was Cosita Rica. It was a very interesting approach to the last episode. After meeting Leonardo in class that day, I could tell he likes to write the unexpected and challenges himself to surprise the audience so I appreciate that. To me, it was similar to when reality shows end. The final episode features the cast and a live audience and you get to watch clips during the season and see what was really going on in the character’s head’s during those scenes. In the case of Cosita Rica, I think the audience would have really loved seeing anyone and everyone who ever appeared on the show and seeing where their lives would leave. Also, it was an interesting choice to have the writer do the voice over because he normally wouldn’t be exposed but its cool for the audience to see the voice of the show.  All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this class and learned a lot about tv production as a whole. Everything really isn’t as it seems but the way everything comes together so beautifully and how invested you get in a story keeps people like me coming back for more. Over the break, I plan to start Avenida Brasil (even though we watched the ending, I still really want to watch it)  I’m thankful for everything we’ve learned and discussed in this class and will carry it with me always.

The Final Episode

When I reflect on this semester and the different classes I've been taking, there is no competition for my favorite course - Telenovelas, Culture, and Society. I found this class to be both fascinating because we were given a glimpse into the real world of telenovelas and their production, and eye-opening for several reasons. Not only did I have absolutely no idea about the amount of work and thought that goes into creating these drama-filled shows, but I also was shockingly unaware of the ways in which these shows make very real statements about very real issues in societies. I am walking away from this class with a greater appreciation for telenovelas as well as with a greater awareness and knowledge of issues that countries around the world are facing.

Further, in my final blog post, I wanted to comment on the lecture given at Dr. A's house for our final class. In addition to eating an incredibly remarkable piece of tres leches cake, we wrapped up the semester by discussing final telenovela episodes. It was both interesting and cool to be able to watch clips of different telenovela finales and see how different directors/producers handle final episodes in different ways. Final episodes carry so much weight because the fans are expecting to be satisfied with how the series ends and they anxiously wait to see how the lives of their beloved characters are going to turn out. This is something that I, and so many other avid TV watchers, can relate to and something that is not restricted to the telenovela world, although that's not to say that the pressure isn't the highest in the telenovela industry.  

The telenovela finale that most caught my attention, however, was the episode that featured the one, long sequence shot. I thought the scene was absolutely amazing, especially after seeing Dr. A's behind the scenes footage. The fact that they were able to film that whole scene in one consecutive shot was very impressive. Even more, I was astounded at the fact that they did not even rehearse the scene very many times - I'm almost positive Dr. A said they only practiced once. It flowed so smoothly and seemed like it was choreographed. It was one of the most intriguing shots that I've seen in a telenovela and it made me want to start watching the show.

I'll end my final blog post by saying that our final class, much like many final episodes, did not disappoint. Similar to the feelings of telenovela fans when their favorite show ends, I am just sad that the semester is over.

Here's to many more years of watching telenovelas!

Skype Conversations and Final Thoughts

I've had very few classes in my seven semesters here at the University of Georgia where I had an opportunity to speak to prominent figures and personalities in a highly publicized industry like television production. But I suppose there is a first for everything! What I've really appreciated about Dr. A's research is has shared the insights she's gained with this class and gets us a perspective from within the network of writers, producers, directors and actors that we wouldn't get anywhere else. So I'd like to thank Dr. A for taking it a step further by organizing these Skype calls for us!

One of my favorite guests we had Skype into class was Vincente Albarracín. What was so distinct about his insight in telenovela production was his experience with directing theatre production as well. In high school, I randomly got into theatre in my senior year and it was a very unique experience to say the least. Comparing my experiences as an actor in the two productions I was in to the videos we watched in Dr. A's class about how actors and producers work in on set telenovela production makes the two seem very different. But what Vincente shared with our class when asked about working in these two different production types was that the differences between them actually help in the other. One example he gave was the type of shot you'd see in a telenovela where a character is standing on a street corner and the camera pans all around them to see their environment; this type of camera shot is called a dolley. Obviously in theatre, the audience doesn't get to change their perspective like that, so Vincente's knowledge in this kind of camera movement inspires an innovative stage design of having a moving, rotationally designed stage! I really am inspired by the kind of innovation that we can come up with by experiencing and working in places or setting you'd think would be irrelevant.

Another topic that Vincente engaged in with us was the work life of actors. It kind of stressed me out because of the nature of unpredictability in future projects for actors. Once their contract is up in one telenovela, they have to look for another gig in order to get paid. He also mentioned how it isn't easy to take on more than even two projects at one time because of how demanding a job is of an actor's time and energy. Which I'm sure takes a toll on actors, especially if for some reason they aren't enjoying the role they're portraying. Now I kind of wish that I asked one of the actors that Skyped in what they're comments are on this topic!

It's pretty crazy to me that the semester has already started to wrap up. I'm very impressed with how much we've learned in this class considering how extensive and exciting the world of telenovelas is. I think one of the biggest overall takeaways I got from this class is that media has a bigger impact on society and culture than I realized. For some people, that may sound silly because that kind of should be understood by now (especially by a student in his senior year of a journalism degree). But in taking this class, I think I've been able to gain extensive insight and study into this societal relationship via learning about the fascinating global industry culture of telenovelas. Representation of mental and social issues makes a difference and gives a voice to those who haven't had their voices heard before. Telling stories of political strife and unrest speaks to people and affects their perception of reality. Culture is defined and strengthened by productions that feed into and encourage the values, practices and realities of that culture. And I'm grateful for the opportunity to gain insight into these things by studying telenovelas in Dr. A's class!

Finale

 The past few weeks in the class have been amazing. I've throughly enjoyed talking to multiple people about their careers in the telenovela world. One thing I cannot seem to forget is how genuine each person was. I feel like they don't act the way of celebrities in the United States. I'm sure some have egos and like things there way, but egos are a different world. 

  My favorite from the writers is to see how they break tradition in the telenovela world. I've enjoyed watching the final shows to see the traditional settings. As Dr. A went through the finales in chronological order--- the shows veered off the traditional side more and more which really interested me. Though the culture is in their ways, society and the human race in a whole is changing and evolving in their ways and culture not just the United States. 

   Unless we talk about the Turkish telenovelas in terms of sex, it is hard to understand how the show Kara Para Ask is about gang raping in the beginning and still don't show the explicit rape scenes or don't believe it in their culture. It must be one of those we don't see and don't ask or don't tell types of situations. Though, some telenovelas depending on what was the topic, I feel like the sexual scenes were not intense unless it was a traditional just love telenovela. The narcos had of course sex scenes but I feel like they don't last as long as the more of love telenovelas. 

   Also, I really enjoyed watching the two different finales for La Reina de Sur. It's confusing to see how they changing the music for the show in Espana. They changed the whole identify of "La Mexicana." I didn't understand how they thought their viewers would like that better. Music definitely empowers a telenovela and sets the tone or vibe for the show. 

   

  Overall---- this class has been a true joy. I've loved every minute. I've learned more about the Spanish culture than I could ever imagine. I already have started a new telenovela and continue to in the future. 

Final Episodes

How ironic is it that I sit here typing about the final episode of my telenovela while also beginning to wrap up the end of this class. Only two words come to mind: Bitter and sweet. While reflecting on my experience in this class and with my telenovela, I am filled with mixed emotions as I want neither to end. I guess this is why they say "All good things must come to an end." Although I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in Dr. A's class, I am sad to see the class come to an end. In terms of my telenovela, I am also upset that the first season has come to an end but I know the series will continue on.

In the final episode of my telenovela "El Señor de los Cellos," Aureillo is cutting it very close to being captured by authorities. Because of this, he decides to undergo massive plastic surgery to alter his facial appearance. During the surgery, however, something goes wrong putting Aurelio's life in danger to the point where the heart monitor was flat lining. Aurelio's son then takes matters into his own hands, shooting and killing one of the doctors. While watching the final episode and seeing what appears to be the end of Aurelio's life, many emotions came over me. First, the fact that the main character was going to die which almost never happens. Second, I felt more confused then anything, form a production standpoint, because how can the main character die when there are multiple seasons to be made after the finale. It was through this thought, though, that I felt comfort in knowing this truly was not the end for Aurelio. As the episode progressed as though Aurelio had died, I felt hesitant to take the bate the telenovela wanted me to take in accepting Aurelio's death. As the final minutes of the season wrapped up, my heart began to pound as Aurelio had yet to reappear. I remember thinking, "Did he really die?" I told my self, "No, there is no way." I continued to refresh the bar at the bottom of my computer telling me how much time was left. I remember it saying 43 seconds remaining and still, no Aurelio. Just as I was about to accept Aurelio's death and wonder just how crazy the producer/writer of  "El Señor de los Ciellos" must be, Aurelio reappeared. To summarize the scene, Aurelio's daughter was playing with a ball in the street during the final scene when the ball rolled down the hill. in slow motion the ball bounced down the hill until it was stopped by, guess who? Aurelio had reappeared, his hat shading his face in the bright sun. After seeing this, all I could think was "wow." This is truly what makes the telenovela genre so intriguing; their ability to keep viewers hooked until the very last second. To be completely honest, I knew Aurelio was not going to die but I will give Telemundo credit because they had come very close to convincing me he did through their use of drama and slow, built up scenes.

Final Episodes

Our last class at Dr. A's house about final episodes was an awesome, satisfying, concluding class. Something I found really interesting about the final episode clips we watched was the emotions the episodes appealed to even though we had not invested our time and watched the entire telenovela. Though we only knew some basic background information about the telenovela's plot and characters, I found myself feeling the sadness and hope that was portrayed on screen.

One of my biggest take-aways from this class is the importance and prevalence of emotions in everything we do. Though we try to be rational, logical, and unfazed by life, we still not only experience our own emotions, but look to witness and watch other people experience strong and deep emotions on screen, in books, and in all forms of entertainment. We sometimes feel the need to push emotions down, but, like Dr. A said, emotions are always telling you something.

I think we feel the need to avoid emotions because they're messy and can seem to slow things down, but I think emotional intelligence and being in tune with oneself emotionally and mentally plays a key role in success and striking a healthy balance in all aspects of life.

Overall, this class has been one of my favorite classes I've ever taken. I enjoyed watching these telenovelas from the perspective of research and analysis; I've not only learned to be more aware of the entertainment I consume but how to effectively analyze that media and the messages it is sending. Like Dr. A said, everything has a meaning and a message even if it is not direct, and I believe this class has opened my eyes to many of those messages and has taught me how to analyze and question those messages.

Marisa Roman Through the Years

The other day our class had the greatest opportunity to Skype call the actress of Maria Suspiro in Cosita Rica, Maria Roman, and I could not get over how friendly and down to Earth she was! She sat there in an airport talking to this random group of college students from the University of Georgia across the globe from her and was so gracious with her time. I left the class telling me friends how much I adored her, her humility, and her bubbly personality. I've watched two episodes of Cosita Rica, and I can't believe she hasn't aged a bit! I decided to make my final post about her life over this decade since she's played Maria Suspiro.

She is from Venezuela so she has worked for great Venevision shows written by Leonardo Padron, a famous writer who we also got the privilege to talk to. She began acting as a child, but didn't have her big breakthrough until 2004 when she was set to play twins, Veronica and Maria Suspiro. Dr. A says she was honestly playing four characters at one time though: Veronica, Maria Suspiro, Maria Suspiro pretending to be Veronica, and Veronica pretending to be Maria Suspiro. I can't imagine how difficult this must have been, but she absolutely owned these roles, and made her side story more interesting than the main story outshining the lead protagonists of Cosita Rica.

Ciudad Bendita and and La Mujer Perfecta are also two mega-famous telenovelas she was a major role in as well. I'm so glad we got to see her in these three roles in clips we watched in class because it was hard for me to think they were all the same one actress. She is so versatile and so compelling in each role. She is quite possibly my favorite telenovela actress, and how she handled our Skype meeting solidified this.

At the young age of 34, she has completely conquered the telenovelas scene throughout the years not only in Venezuela, but in countries like the United States as well. She continues to use her fame to better society by raising awareness for HIV prevention. What's even greater is her IMDb biography is written by Dr. A herself! So thankful to have been able to get to know her personality outside of scripts because she is such a light.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1302039/bio?ref_=nm_ql_1

Las conversaciones: Una reflexión

La fantasia y realidad de las personas detrás de las telenovelas 

Mi parte favorito de todo el curso es ha sido las entrevistas del Skype. Además de la energía contagiosa de nuestros entrevistados, yo aprendí más sobre la industria a través de sus cuentas personales. Yo aprendí que todas las personas de la industria, los directores, los actores, los escritores, los investigadores se conocen. ¡El mundo de producción de telenovelas es tan pequeño! Y mientras que la industria es competitiva, parece como si fueran todos amigos.

Otra cosa que aprendí en la clase es que hay pasión increíble en la industria. Cuando las personas hablan, tu puedes oír la pasión sobre su trabajo en sus voces. Espero que yo tengo ese nivel de pasión por mi trabajo en el futuro. Tal vez es la cultura latina, o el drama de la industria, pero cada persona tiene un nivel de amor por su oficio.

Las relaciones entre las personas involucradas en el proceso de producir una telenovela no son fáciles. Cada entrevistado tuvo una perspectiva diferente, pero todos hablen sobre los retos de expresar sus puntos de vista en el proceso. Las tensiones corren altas y todo el mundo quiere que su voz sea escuchada.

El amor por la patria es profundo. Cada persona en la industria, a pesar del carácter internacional de la industria de entretenimiento, lleva un profundo sentido de compromiso con su patrimonio. El trabajo no puede robar a la gente de las cosas que los hacen quienes son. Leonardo Patrón sabe que pueda ganar más dinero si escribiera en otro país, pero su amor y compromiso por Venezuela es más importante que todo.

Antes de las conversaciones, tengo que admitir que creía que actores, directores, escritores y ejecutivos solamente se importan la fama y el dinero. ¡Esto no es realidad! Las personas con quienes hablan en clase tienen una pasión por la narración de una historia que los atrae.

¿Qué aprendían Uds. sobre la industria de producción y las vidas de los actores?

Final Thoughts for El Secretario

For the entire semester, I have felt like my novella was extremely mold-breaking, as it completely flips the notion of a male protagonist rescuing the damsel in distress. Instead, the male protagonist in "El Secretario" is the one who needs saving. He is downtrodden and low class, while the female character is the one in a position of power. She is not weak, or stupid, or helpless like the traditional female characters seem to be. She is a little naïve, but other than that, Antonia is the strongest, most mature character in the entire show. Furthermore, Emilio is assigned a "female" role within the office, rather than the traditional masculine, macho role for male protagonists. However, having said that, "El Secretario" follows the pattern of a traditional novella's final episode. The two protagonists finally get married, and the wedding is a huge celebration. It is not Catholic, but all loose ends are resolved, every character's happy ending is depicted, and the show's antagonist is dealt an undesirable end. The good guys win, love prevails, and the bad guys lose. Plus, it was emotional to see the show end after 120-something episodes, another component of the traditional final episode. I wish this novella received more attention, I think the premise of the show, the social commentary, and the chemistry between Emilio and Antonia are all very strong. The second half of the middle towards the final episodes does drag on a little, but I think it still is worthy of more credit than it receives.

The Peoples' Poet

Leonardo Padrón said "freedom of expression is a writer's oxygen." This is a prime example of what Dr. A meant when she said that Padrón takes an widely-held sentiment and puts his finger on it, amplifying it. Obviously as a journalism student, freedom of expression is something we fight for and utilize every single day. I would even go so far to say that American citizens take it for granted and don't realize how essential it is, both for other civil liberties and as a civil liberty itself. Padrón was the most impressive guest we have had all semester because I walked away with several profound statements reverberating in my brain, primarily the freedom of expression metaphor, but also his reasoning for voluntarily remaining in a country that restricts his oxygen flow. My natural reaction would be to leave, I would not choose to stay in an oppressive nation. However, after listening to Padrón talk about his reasons for staying, I feel like my hypothetical reasons for fleeing lack a comprehensive view. He said, more or less, that if everyone who had a voice left Venezuela, the country would become an orphan and have no one fighting for it. This stuck out to me, both for its bravery and loyalty to promoting true change. Padrón could find another home and better lifestyle, but instead sacrifices his own prosperity for the eventual prosperity of others (hopefully). He said his proudest accomplishment is persevering in the novela genre, but I would argue his best accomplishment is persevering as a writer, despite being suffocated by a lack of expression.

The Reality Behind it All

I’ve really enjoyed our telenovela conversations these past few weeks; listening to Mónica Montañés, Roberto Stopello, Daniela Bascope, Iván Tamayo, Vicente Albarracín, Marisa Román, Leonardo Padrón, and Carlota Sosa has been both informative and fascinating. But far more interesting than their answers were their mannerisms and facial expressions as we asked questions.

Dr. A tried to make it clear in class that we had to keep in mind that actors and actresses are real people, but hearing it and even thinking it doesn’t come close to seeing it for yourself. Connecting names that you see on a show’s credits- even the names of writers and producers- to a real person speaking to you over Skype is an almost surreal experience. And while it was cool to hear comments like how Carlota Sosa prefers to play villains or that Vicente Albarracín was shocked when he began working for Telemundo and had a much bigger budget, it was much cooler to see things and hear things that you wouldn’t see in one of their interviews with the paparazzi. From Albarracín declaring that, “the kisses I directed in Pasión Prohibido were the best in my whole life, better than my own real life kisses!” to Román saying that she loves walking on the streets by herself at night in Buenos Aires because she knows it’s so much safer than it would be in Caracas, the bits of their lives that they shared with us made them more and more real, lessening their celebrity status or perhaps raising us to meet it.

This humanizing aspect of the interviews is interesting for a lot of reasons: to begin with, it makes all of their causes- everything they work for, every cause they advocate, and every point they’d like to make- carry more weight. It’s easy to discount causes if we see them as only being supported by the rich and famous (if we aren’t rich and famous ourselves). It’s easy to say, “well, of course Montañés likes her female protagonists to have professional aspirations in addition to her romantic aspirations, she’s already successful so that’s realistic for her but not for me” (especially for her audiences in less developed countries). But when you hear her say it, and talk about it, and see her passion but also her very real flaws and humanity, it’s easier to be on board with that. It’s easy to say, “well, of course Padrón has the time to be a champion of causes like Asperger’s awareness, his life is perfect!” until you see the intensity with which he loves his country, learn that his own shirt was provided for an actor when they needed it, know that even he hasn’t read all the books in his house. And the same is true for the others: it’s easy to discount their causes and even their lifestyles, until you see that they too find it hard to hold the phone at the right angle when they Facetime or that they’ve decorated their house with the cheapest wall hangings they could find at the time- that they too are imperfect, and human, and real.

I think that’s one of the most important things I’ve gotten from this class- the reality behind every telenovela episode. Every actor, actress, producer, director, writer, cameraman, and even telenovela researcher brings a little bit of themselves to the screen to create the bit of entertainment that we see later. There’s reality behind each of them, and that makes the final product all the more spectacular.

Ultimas Palabras

Desde los primeros días de clase al principio del semestre, pensé que el curso no
podría ser más interesante. Cada clase se nos mostró videoclips de los más
dramáticos, diferentes tipos de telenovelas. Vimos clips de historias de amor,
comedias, cárteles de drogas y escenas de crimen de asesinato. Pensé que este
sería el aspecto más interesante de la clase, hasta las entrevistas.

Para empezar, me sorprende la gran relación que nuestra profesora, Dr. A tiene 

con todos los actores y productores de todo el mundo. Realmente me sorprendió que ella 

tiene una relación tan buena con todas estas celebridades que están dispuestos a pasar

más de 30 minutos de su tiempo para Skype con nuestra clase. Yo esperaba que
fueran rápidos con sus respuestas, pero por mi sorpresa todos ellos han estado
extático para responder a todas nuestras preguntas y compartir su historia de
vida con nosotros. Me encantó oír sobre la relación que Daniela y Iván tenían
como actores, pero creo que uno de mis favoritos de Skype fue con Marisa Román.
En clase vimos clips de dos de sus telenovelas más grandes, Cosita Rica y La
Mujer perfecta ". Estaba tan emocionada de ver lo que ella tenía que decir
en la entrevista de Skype y ver su personalidad real fuera de la actuación.


El último día de clase también fue una sesión de entrevista muy emocionante de
Skype. Leonardo Padrón era muy poético con sus palabras, y en realidad escribí
algunas de sus citas porque pensé que estaban tan bien formuladas y
contestadas. Mi favorito, sin embargo, fue Carlota Sosa y su esposo Rafael.
Siempre me he preguntado si los actores disfrutan jugando el papel como un
villano, porque a los fans típicamente no les gusta. Sin embargo, ella dijo que
era su personaje favorito para jugar. Supongo que sería interesante actuar un
papel que es tan poco característico de ti mismo.

Por último, quería hablar de toda la calidad de la clase durante todo el semestre.

La cena a la casa del Dr. A el Martes fue una experiencia increíble. Nunca he
tenido un profesor tener una relación tan grande con su clase que mi profesor/a
está dispuesta a invitarlos a su casa privada para la cena. El “Tres Leches” no
decepcionó en absoluto, y su perro sellado el acuerdo en que sea una de mis
actividades favoritas que era "relacionadas con la escuela". Disfruté
viendo los últimos episodios de algunos de los shows que hemos estado
siguiendo. También amé cuando Dr. A dijo que miramos con nuestros corazones, no
nuestros cerebros. Yo estaba de acuerdo con cada palabra que estaba diciendo.
Observamos por las emociones y los sentimientos. Tuve un gran tiempo el Martes
y un buen tiempo este semestre entero. ¡Gracias Dr. A por un gran
semestre!

BLOG TELENOVELAS

LA SABIDURÍA DE LEONARDO PADRÓN

Posted on December 1, 2016

¿Te has preguntado cómo sería a hablar con un escrito clásico? Alguien con un maestría completa de una idioma que cada palabra y frase que le escrita tira de tu alma emociones que nunca has sentido antes. Alguien con una sabiduría increíble que crees que no va a lograr en toda tu vida. Un escritor como Walt Whitman, Gabriel García Márquez o Emily Brontë. Así, martes, tuve la oportunidad a hablar con una persona que es tan similar a ellos como puede ser, Leonardo Padrón, el escritor y poeta venezolano.

Padrón es el escritor famoso de las telenovelas Cosita Rica, Ciudad Bendita, y La Mujer Perfecta entre otros. También él es un líder de opinión para el país de Venezuela y un gran parte de América Latina. Tiene más seguidores de Twitter de cualquier otra persona que he hablando. Es interesante, aunque él tiene un contrato a Venevisión para escribir nuevas programas, debido de su oposición al gobierno, ninguna de sus telenovelas entran producción. Debido a su posición en Venezuela, el canal no quiere arriesgarlo. Ahora, continúa escribiendo poesía y ensayos entre otras cosas.

Nuestro conversación con Padrón fue un inspiración para muchas razones. El primer es que Padrón nunca vive para asentarse todo el tiempo y ser contenido. Le rompe constantemente el status quo. Cada telenovela escribió fue de ruptura. Desafió el papel de la mujer, no solo en las telenovelas pero también en sociedad por ejemplo por el texto de la mujer perfecta. Obligó gente a pensar sobre de la condición de Venezuela. En el personaje de Olegario en Cosita Rica, hace un comentario sobre del presidente del país, una cosa muy controversial. Por este razón, dice que esta telenovela fue el más difícil de escribir.

Aunque, sea probablemente hasta la interpretación del lector, pienso que Padrón ha escribido sobre de la política en su poesía también. Me gusta mucha, por ejemplo, su poema “Frontera.”

Frontera

Según el salmo de Szymborska

la niebla y el polen se burlan de las fronteras.

No hay tierra prohibida

para la ruta de las nubes.

No hay aduana

para un pájaro nacido en México.

No hay ley que detenga

el viento de los acantilados.

Nadie le pide visa

a la canción de moda.

La frontera es una línea titubeante.

Somos también lo que prohibimos

y lo que anhelamos ser.

Somos el aire.

El paisaje que escapa.

La tierra que duerme al otro lado.

Pienso que esta poema habla a la condición humano y la problemas de refugiados y de inmigración en los Estados Unidos. Lo tiene poderoso.

Un otro razón que me encanta nuestro conversación con Padrón fue su énfasis en educación continuamente. Él lee mucho y dice su casa es como un biblioteca con una cama y una cocina. Con el fin a crear cambio en este mundo, necesita tener la sabiduría de los años pasados.

Esto es lo que aprendí de Leonardo Padrón. Nunca dejar de intentar hacer una diferencia en el mundo y aprender para toda la vida.