Thanks to Vigie for sending this in!<\/p>\n
From Latina:<\/p>\n
November 1999<\/p>\n
“The Bright Pack”<\/strong><\/p>\n
Remember the original Rat Pack or Molly Ringwald and her 80s crew? Well,
\nthese up-and-coming stars are also igniting the movie screens and music
\nscenes as the future Rita Moreno, Chita Riveras, and Jennifer Lopezes. Come
\nmeet our five young estrellas (stars) for the next century.<\/p>\nAll hail the queen<\/p>\n
Leonor Varela is that engaging mixture of hip and deep–able to talk
\nabout everything from her native Chile’s political history and her
\nproclivity toward evening prayer, to the best place to get a leg wax in Los
\nAngeles. She made her American debut last May playing the queen in ABC’s
\nhistory-making “Cleopatra”. But this 25-year-old is on her own world
\ndomination trajectory with a role in “Texas Rangers”, a western that
\nco-stars James Van Der Beek (Dimension Films, Spring 2000 release) that just
\nmay help her conquistar (conquer) the big screen as well.<\/p>\nVarela, who is half Chilean and half French, started her career in
\nFrance, in the film “Le Grand Cholem”, but then made an unconventional
\ncareer move returning to Chile to work on a telenovela (Spanish
\nMini-Series\/Soap Opera). Because of her outspoken political views and her
\nstriking beauty, Varela was crowned el nuevo simbolo sexual (the new sex
\nsymbol).<\/p>\nThen cam “Cleopatra”. It’s a role, Varela is quick to note, that
\nallowed a Latina to play a non-Hispanic part – and, what’s more, that of a
\nqueen. “I’m proud to be [destroying] cultural cliches and breaking new
\nground,” says Varela. It was on that set where she met actor Billy Zane,
\nand the gossip pages have been keeping tabs on their romance ever since.
\nKeeping mum about the topic of marriage, Varela simply says, “We are madly
\nin love, enjoying the moments we can together.”<\/p>\nBut who has time for romance? She’s busy in her role as spirited
\ncircus acrobat, Perdita, who Van Der Beek tries to rescue from a gang of
\nbandidos in Texas Rangers. Even in a dusty western, Varela manages to hold
\nher own against Van Der Beek, Dylan McDermott, and Alfred Molina, and she
\nstill looks como una reina (like a queen).
\nBelen Aranda-Alvarado<\/p>\nShe’s got the Look<\/p>\n
Melissa De Sousa is so good at being bad that you just love to hate her.
\nWith just one look, she’s able to break down her leading man’s confidence.
\nBut don’t be too quick to judge this Panamanian actress, its just part of
\nthe act.<\/p>\nRaised in Queens, New York, 28-year-old De Sousa plays the conniving
\nShelby in Universal Pictures’ “The Best Man” (opens this fall). But her
\nfirst true passion was dancing. Idolizing legends such as Chita Rivera, De
\nSousa knew performing was for her. “I was so moved by it, I made up my mind
\nthen and there that I wanted to be a bailarina,” she says. But despite a
\ntwo-year stint with the renowned Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre in Manhattan, she
\nmoved to Los Angeles to try her luck in acting.<\/p>\nDe Sousa recently finished the independent film “Lockdown”. Although
\nshe generally takes the comedic route, this will be her first dramatic role.
\nHaving proved she can dance, do comedy and drama, De Sousa is already
\ndeveloping her next talent: singing. “Who knows,” she says. “I just might
\ndo a Jennifer Lopez.”
\nLilliam Rivera<\/p>\nLike a Champ<\/p>\n
She had no acting experience when she competed with more than 2,000
\nother women for her first major role, but that didn’t discourage
\nSophia-Adella Hernandez. Even when another actress was temporarily chosen
\nfor the title role of Isabelle in the boxing drama “Knockout” (DMG
\nEntertainment), Hernandez continued training to play the Spunky East L.A.
\nChicana who follows in her father’s footsteps to become a boxer.<\/p>\nAfter punching her way into the boxing ring for a final audition, and
\nsparring like a champ with a national amateur boxing champion, Hernandez
\nlanded the role.<\/p>\nThat fighting spirit has always been her formula for success. Growing
\nup in Taos, New Mexico, times were so rough for her father, a struggling
\njeweler, that the family resorted to living in abandoned homes, caves, and
\ntheir car. Using props from a junkyard, Hernandez organized talent shows
\nwith her three siblings to entertain themselves.<\/p>\n“I always wanted to make people smile, to make them feel happy,” says
\nthe mexicana. With “Knockout” playing in select theatres nationwide since
\nOctober, Hernandez is clearly a winner.
\n Yvette Cabrera<\/p>\nServing up Aliens<\/p>\n
Unlike her excitable character Maria on the WB’s “Roswell”, on which
\nMajandra Delfino plays a waitress serving teen aliens, this 18-year-old
\ncarries herself with a refined grace. No matter if she’s contradicting Bill
\nMaher on an episode of “Politically Incorrect”, or starring in the
\nsoon-to-be-released indie film, “Unglued”, Delfino is embracing celebrity
\nand adulthood with open arms.<\/p>\nBut this venezolana-cubana, who got her start on “The Tony Danza Show”
\ntwo years ago, is the first person to admit that she’s nothing more than a
\nkid having a good time. “Acting for me is like a fun job,” she says. “It’s
\nnot a passion or obsession but a way to bring out my schizophrenic side.
\nThe real me comes out on the weekends, when I can go to parties with my
\nfriends like any other high schooler.”<\/p>\nEven with her work on “Roswell”, her independent films, and attending
\nhigh school, she still squeezes in time at a recording studio. With a
\nrecord deal pending at Reprise Records, Delfino is showing a more intimate
\nside. “Music is something that comes from me. It’s my own personal voice.”
\n Michelle Herrera Mulligan<\/strong><\/p>\nFeeling the Passion<\/p>\n
Her haunting eyes, that reflect the deep passion of a true mariachi,
\npeer out from under a huge sombrero. With ebony hair flowing just below her
\nwaist, some might get the impression that Nydia Rojas is “an old soul.” But
\nthen one is reminded that she’s not even 20.<\/p>\nBorn in Whittier, California, Rojas is becoming one of the preeminent
\nfemale mariachi singers; Billboard magazine recently crowned her “a
\ncrossover smash.” She belts out Mexico’s most beloved traditional songs,
\nsuch as “No me amenaces,” while giving the canciones (songs) her own special
\ntouch – a unique blend of passionate delivery combined with her powerful
\nvoice. “Singing mariachi is about feeling the passion,” she explains.
\n“…you’re not just performing a song…but singing someone’s life.”<\/p>\nRojas composed the first single “No se mas de mi” from her latest
\nalbum, “Si me conocieras” (Hollywood Records Latin), with sensuous lyrics
\nabut young love. She wrote it for young female fans of superstars who
\nthink, “If he only knew me, he’d know I am the one for him.” Rojas says,
\n“It’s every girl’s dream to have someone see that they are special.”
\n Nancy De los Santos<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Thanks to Vigie for sending this in! From Latina: November 1999 “The Bright Pack” Remember the original Rat Pack or<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,2021],"tags":[40,12],"coauthors":[2266],"class_list":["post-110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-leading","category-majandra-delfino","tag-article","tag-majandra-delfino"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crashdown.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crashdown.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crashdown.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crashdown.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crashdown.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/crashdown.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27887,"href":"https:\/\/crashdown.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110\/revisions\/27887"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crashdown.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crashdown.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crashdown.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crashdown.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}