Telenovelas: Mexico, Televisa, Shows, Actors, Actresses And Awards

Ever been sick from school or work and spent the day stuck at home? Most people who answer yes to this question will recall spending the day watching infamous soap operas, such as “Days of Our Lives” or “General Hospital.” Daytime television is full of these shows, drawing in stay-at-home mothers with free time while their children are at school. Unbeknownst to some, the United States is not the only place for these lucrative drama shows. Telenovelas, the soap operas Latin American counterparts, are just as widely watched throughout most Latin countries.

While telenovelas are somewhat the same as soap operas, they do have some major differences. To begin, telenovelas only run for a certain time period, while American soap operas have indefinite endings and can continue forever. The estimated life span of telenovelas is about 120 episodes. Telenovelas had a standard romantic story frame, usually of a couple that wants to be together with someone keeping them apart. Telenovelas began in the early 1950s in Brazil, Cuba and Mexico. Shortly afterwards, Mexico became the first country to have a telenovela on a Monday through Friday schedule, called “Angeles de la Calle.” The telenovelas became so well know that they were then exported to other countries such as Russia, China, France and Eastern Europe.

Mexico continued to grow into the home of the largest telenovela industry. The telenovelas were broken down into four categories: teen drama, pop music story, historical story and work-class drama. Televisa began as the largest importer and exporter company of telenovelas. Televisa is now the largest media company in Latin America. This company continues to offer various channels throughout Latin America, with one channel devoted to airing telenovelas only.

The business of telenovelas has become a famous industry in many Latin American countries. Some well-known shows are “Amar Sin Limites,” “Maria la Del Barrio” and “Los Ricos Tambien Lloran.” These shows were such big hits, they were later exported to other countries such as China and Russia.

Within the telenovelas industry arose many talented actors and actresses. Some famous actors and actresses in telenovelas are Mapita Cortes, Fernando Lujan and Kate del Castillo. These performers, in addition to hundreds more, have won various awards for their exquisite talents and skills. In addition to awards, some of these telenovela performers were nominated and won Latin Grammys for their singing. The TVyNovelas is an annual award presented to the best telenovela of the year. It has been presented since 1983, and the 2007 honor went to the show “La Fea Mas Bella.”

Telenovelas are now aired globally due to their unique story lines that set them apart from the typical American soap opera. In the United States, telenovelas can be watched on stations such as Telemundo. As more telenovelas are produced, they are now a major part of the soap opera industry.


Sources:
"List of Famous Telenovelas." Wikipedia. 10 Nov. 2007. 14 Nov. 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_famous_teleno velas#Televisa.

"List of Telenovela Actors." Wikipedia. 08 Nov. 2007. 14 Nov. 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_telenovela_ac tors.

"Premios TvyNovelas." Wikipedia. 03 Nov. 2007. 14 Nov. 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TVyNovelas_Award.

"Telenovela." Wikipedia. 11 Nov. 2007. 14 Nov. 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telenovela.

"Televisa." Wikipedia. 29 Oct. 2007. 14 Nov. 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Televisa.