March 31, 2001

Film of Thalía’s Latina Magazine photo shoot

Source: Despierta America, Univision
Vid Clip: Despierta America
Vid Clip By: Tonchi & Luisa

While Latina Magazine was shooting the beautiful photos of Thalía which appeared in their April 2001 issue (see our feature below), Despierta America also had their cameras rolling. The result is a fascinating feature with a smiling and charming Thalía, posing naturally rather than in "supermodel" style. Enjoy the film clip, and notice that there seem to be many photographs that they did not use for the magazine, meaning that we may hope these will appear somewhere else eventually. We intend to put up a vid cap gallery of this photo shoot very soon in this paper so watch out for it.

Part of the Spanish narration says that Thalía is a joy for photographers to work with. They say she is very cooperative and nice, and because she knows which of her "sides" looks best she can make very professional suggestions about how she should pose.

March 28, 2001

Thalia Gruperisima! Source: TV y Novelas, April 2, 2001 Story By: Rommel Martínez Photos By: Kike Sanmartin TW Correspondent: Luisa The interpreter stole the attention of people in a street of Miami, during the photo session for her new cd. Everything Thalia makes is marked by her original touch, sometimes, it is a product of chance.

A Morning of Work It was Friday 8 in the morning, and not a single outsider was allowed on the Miami Beach street so that there would be no hindrance to the workers. Thalia was impeccably made up and dressed as a grupera, but with her very own style, oozing with class and sensuality, qualities which mark everything she does. Accompanied by a staff of 10 people, that included a bodyguard, make-up artist and hairstylist, and promoter, the wife of Tommy Mottola posed in various creative positions for the photographer.

A Peculiar Location

The photo session happened on Euclid Avenue near Washington Street. A street that years ago was known as the meeting place of women who worked the streets at night.

And there, outside the studios of Big Time Productions, and at the foot of the offices of the magazine Farandúla, the Queen of Soap Operas overflowed with sensuality in suggestive poses along with three other sexy and happy women.

The Happy Girls Thalia worked in the middle of a wide street and when she was doing one of her sexy poses, she noticed that there were a group of girls observing her with great admiration. Breaking the work plan, and taking into consideration the looks of the exotic looking women, Thalia invited them to pose with her.

The passers-by were creative and, as they showed no mercy for Thalia as she changed positions before the cameras that attracted glances, pretended to be experts by asking questions. The amused Mexican diva once again demonstrated her enormous simplicity and ability to cooperate with the audience.

Devastating and Gaining Weight? The Mexican singer has an enviable waist. For that reason her detractors have invented stories ranging from strange diets and operations to remove a rib from her, including plastic surgery. But although she is very thin, what is certain is that, in some angles the face of Thali seems somewhat plumpish. (Note: Reliable music industry insiders have informed us that Banda Arrasando is due for release this coming June. Watch for it!)

Thalia Takes to the Floor

March 25, 2001

Time Approaches for Thalia's Trip to Mexico

Source: Rincón Latino, Univision.com
Photos: univision.com
By: Roxanna Novarro
TW Correspondent: Tonchi

Itatí Cantoral and Eduardo Santamarina, the loving parents of Eduardo and Roberto Miguel, give the latest details for the baptism of their barely 7-month-old twins. They will have Thalía as their godmother, although her husband Tommy Mottola will not be present in the ceremony which will be held the 31st of March in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Meanwhile, they invited us to share a day in the family, in which of course the children were the center of attention. With a look full of tenderness and little Eduardo in her arms, while the daddy held Roberto Miguel, Itatí is grateful to God for the opportunity to be a mother. "It is the most beautiful thing that I have felt. I am completely in love with my sons, with them I realize that there is a higher being who give us life. They are everything for me, there is nothing that makes me sad when I am with them."

After having recovered her figure in an extraordinary manner, and without it mattering if she loses it again with another pregnancy, Itatí is desiring to have more babies. She and Eduardo only will let 2 years pass, hoping that the next occasion there will be two girls, since Itatí has a likelihood of repeating the feat of having twins.

"We want to have more children, and if only it were girls," says the proud father. And Itatí adds, "I would like to have two girls. And if they are boys, well, then I will have my own mariachi or my football team."

After a year and a half of marriage, Itatí is more in love with her husband than before. Besides, she considers him the perfect daddy, and, more than anything, her one true love. And she tells that the relationship between them has been even closer since the birth of the little ones. Although it is difficult, says Eduardo, this is an important step in order to begin to mature in all aspects and to put your feet solidly on the ground. "I was always alone, and suddenly I got married and now we were two. But from night to morning I have to think about four, then my life changed radically, now that a lot of things arrived very quickly. But, he adds, "little by little things start settling down. The instinct of responsibility keeps growing more, and I like that. We have a beautiful and healthy family. Also, we are a happy couple, we have carried our marriage as God teaches us, and our sons are going to teach us to be parents," he states, secure and optimistic. Parallel to their work as parents, and between a telenovela or another, Itatí and Eduardo star in Aventurera, which soon will be seen on the stages of Miami and New York. She gives life to the glamorous adventurer and Eduardo plays the part of a pachuco (zoot-suit type) called Lucio the Handsome.

"Aventurera is a great work and more than anything very successful. We already have been running four and a half years; besides we will soon complete the 1,000 presentation mark and that gets a place in the history book of theater in Mexico because the stage shows do not last very long in this country and it has been such a success that this one will carry us to some of the U.S. cities."

When the couple leaves on tour due to work commitments, the children Eduardo and Roberto Miguel will stay with Itatí's mother, who the actor refers to as "Blessed mother-in-law! She gives us a hand often."

NOTE: More on Thalía at the baptism. The day of this interview, Itatí and Eduardo appeared live on Despierta America at the Televisa Studios in Mexico City. Itatí has her arm in a cast, because she broke her wrist while rehearsing one of the dance numbers in Aventurera, but she says she can still hang onto one of the twins so long as Eduardo has the other one. They explained that the godmother/godfather line-up has been modified once again. The final arrangement is now that one twin will have Eduardo's brother and his wife for godparents and the other will get Itatí's brother and sister-in-law. She assured the interviewer that Thalía would still be there as godmother for both boys, and that Tommy is out of the picture due to his work commitments. Apparently the families of the couple are the only guests, but with all of Thalía's family included. It's still scheduled for March 31, in Cuernavaca.

We are guessing that the families of the married couple have stepped in since the original announcement and made it plain to Itatí that being a godmother is a responsibility and not something you simply grant to a person you are friends with for a couple of years who lives many thousands of miles away with a husband that nobody else in the family has met. THIS IS JUST A GUESS, but it is based on observation of family dynamics in Catholic families (and don't forget that Thalía has rejected Catholicism). A couple can name as many godparents as they want to. Backing off on the original announcement about Thalía's part in the baptism does not mean a rejection of Thalía in any way, apparently Itatí's family and Doña Yolanda and the Sodi girls get along great. But children always "belong to the family."

March 23, 2001

They did not show Thalia very much, but they did show her several times and she was clapping away happy for Michael Jacson's induction and Aerosmiths. Since she was not on camera for a long time, I did not have a chance to look at what she was wearing. Reports say it was a black leather zipped up jacket. Tommy on the other hand kept getting a lot of recognition from the inductees and the camera. (Note: Did it have anything to do with his beautiful wife on his arm?)

March 18, 2001

Princess Bride

The fairy-tale life of Mexico's telenovela sweetheart

Source: Latina Magazine, April 2001
By: Lydia Martin
Photographs by George Holz
TW Correspondent: Tonchi

On her 13^th birthday, Thalía, the little girl who secretly practiced signing her autograph in her notebook, sat in a sold-out Mexico City theater, her eyes glued to the chica playing Sandy in a kiddie production of Grease. "Sandy came out in that black leather jacket and pulled up her collar," recalls the newly married Thalía on a spring-like day in Long Island, where the 29-year-old has been working on her next record. "Everybody was screaming and applauding, and my mother turned to me and said, 'You will wear that leather jacket.' I though, You're crazy, Ma."

If anyone can take her there, it's her new husband, Sony Music Entertainment head Tommy Mottola, who on this day is nowhere in sight. Remarkably unchaperoned, Thalía is humming over the keyboard tinkerings of Dan Shea, one of the producers for the next record, which will have tracks in English and Spanish.

You'd think Mottola, the muscle behind some of the biggest pop-music careers (including that of his ex-wife, the lately uncharting Mariah Carey), would have more of a hand in Thalía's bid at the mainstream. But Thalía maintains he is keeping his distance.

"He's not helping with the record," she says. "Thanks to him I have met a lot of people who are really good, like Cory Rooney, who produced Marc Anthony and the new Jennifer Lopez album. We went out to dinner one night with Marc, who is on Tommy's label, and he happened to bring Cory. Now he is one of the producers on my next record. So in that way, Tommy helps. But he respects me too much to tell me what to do with my career." If there is one thing Thalía wants to get out in the open, it is that she's retaining her own juice, even after becoming wife to one of the most powerful men in the recording industry (not to mention, the man who reportedly kept his ex on a short leash). Mottola may have been somebody else's Svengali, but Thalía doesn't want anyone to forget that she was already well connected when they met. "I hear all the rumors--that I married him for his money that I just want him to make me a star, that I'm pregnant. They're all lies," she protests. "I don't feel I should have to remind people that when we met, I had already done this and that big project, that I already had such and such money in the bank, that I already lived like a queen," she says. Her extravagant, celebrity-choked wedding on December 2 of last year at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City inspired all the clichés. La reina de las telenovelas had finally met her prince. The traffic-paralyzing affair, attended by the likes of Michael Jackson, Robert De Niro, Danny DeVito, Marc Anthony, and Julio Iglesias, played out like a true fairy tale.

Thalía glided down the aisle in a pearl white dress of silk, satin, and tulle, the train stretching a dramatic 52 feet behind her.

She's the first to liken her life to that of her childhood hero, Cinderella. "I am the number one fan of [the Disney movie] Cinderella. I know all of the dialogue and all of the songs," Thalía says proudly. But she stops short of giving any man the credit for rescuing her. "I consider myself at the same level as men. I didn't need rescuing," she continues. "My wedding was like a fairy tale simply because we were two people very much in love, starting out a new life that is very abundant. We were celebrating in the biggest way possible," Thalía says.

Miranda, who until Thalía's engagement to Mottola was her round-the-clock sidekick, says she simply always knew where her daughter was headed. "I always had blind faith in her. She was always a magnet. No matter what she did in her career, she automatically got everybody's attention," the proud mother declares from her home in Mexico City.

Her daughter may now live far away in a glitzy Manhattan penthouse, but Miranda approves. "I do miss my baby, and I know she misses me," she says. "But I am at peace because I know she found a marvelous man who makes her happy. She deserves it. And I know he takes very good care of her." Though Miranda isn't dropping the ball on Thalía's career, she's around a little less these days. No matter. She long ago ingrained in Thalía an unstoppable faith in her own power. Miranda recalls telling her daughter, "If you're going to do this, you will always be the first. If not, let's not bother." This philosophy is why Thalía is gunning for the crossover, although she admits to hating the concept. "No matter how big you are anywhere else, unless you make it in the United States, you're not a crossover," notes the superstar. "I have a huge career all over Latin America, Europe, and Asia. Does it mean that unless I've made it in Mississippi I'm nobody? I'm sorry, but no," Thalía asserts. "More than 180 countries can't be wrong. But you can't go around saying 'Hey, I'm famous in this country and that country' so I keep that to myself, and I keep going for the United States so that they will finally believe me."

Of course, if you want to make it to Top 40 radio, you can't do better than to have Mottola pulling strings. And no matter what Thalía says, there is no question that Mottola has a say in her career. Even for this interview, Mottola was involved in the negotiations. Still, Thalía won't let anybody get away with such a cursory and coarse dismissal of their union. "From the moment I met him, I said, 'Este papuchi is for me.' It was his aura, his look, the energy he emanates. I have always said that to be in love you have to admire your partner, and I admire him greatly, Thalía says. "Everything that comes out of his mouth is experience. Whether he's talking about Jennifer Lopez or Marc Anthony or Sade, I listen and I learn. But I am also madly in love with him. That I landed on a soft cushion? That I get to have it all? What can I say? Good for me. I happen to be very grateful for everything God has given me."

Before there was Mottola, there was another prince, but that cuento de hadas didn't end happily. At 18, she was engaged to 40-year-old Alfredo Díaz Ordaz, the son of former Mexican president Gustavo Díaz Ordaz. The groom died suddenly of complications from hepatitis, after the invitations had been engraved and Thalía had already picked out her gown and ring. The bride was going to wear golden slippers to her wedding. "After he died, I dated several men, but I didn't think I would fall in love again," says Thalía, who until recently wore the hefty heart-shaped diamond her first love had given her. It has been replaced by an equally stunning oval-shaped rock. "I just dedicated myself to my work," she continues. "I figured when God was ready to give me the man of my life, he would let me see it right away. And that's how it happened with Tommy." There has been a lot of talk about he trilogy of wedding parties the couple has planned - a pull-all-the-stops affair in Mexico in the spring, and another in Miami at the end of the year - but none of that gives Thalía any angst. Why so many wedding parties? "Why not?" she answers. "We're not doing it for the publicity. Tommy doesn't need it. And neither do I. People who think that way are mediocre, failed people who can't accept real success or real happiness. They gossip because they can't believe somebody can have it all," she adds. It is keeping it all that is the real challenge. But then, Thalía has never been afraid of a challenge - or a chance to push herself to aim higher. "A triumphant life is about never thinking you've got it all won. The minute you think, I have this man, I have this job, I can rest now, that's when the fall comes," she says.

"Nothing in life is free. You may finally have your dream house, but if you don't dust, clean the windows, keep the gutters clean, the house will come apart. You have to take care of yourself the same way. You have to wake up every day ready to conquer your lover one more time, your public one more time.

(Note: Latina magazine did this interview in English and is Thalía's second cover feature for the magazine. She was first featured in January 2000 when she was announcing her comeback.)

"Cinderella Story" - Latina tells about Thalía's wedding By: Ysenia De Avila TW Correspondent: Tonchi Inspired by the fairy tales she heard as a child, Thalía created a gown fit for royalty for her December 2000 wedding to Sony Music chairman Tommy Mottola. The telenovela star consulted with Mexican designer Mitzy to produce the elegant blend of silk, satin, and tulle embroidered with silver thread, glass beads, and sequins, pearls, and Austrian beads. "Since I was a little girl, I always dreamed of having a princess dress," Thalía says. The gown's hand-sewn three-piece train was 52 feet long and 10 feet wide. The entire outfit weighed 154 pounds -- more than the tiny bride. When members of the star-studded guest list asked Thalía if she was cold in her sleeveless creation, she replied: "When you are wearing a dress that weighs 70 kilos, you don't feel cold." Sixteen people devoted 18 months of labor to construct the dress, valued at as much as $400,000. "I would love to put it in a [museum] exhibit some day to share with my fans," Thalía says.

March 16, 2001

Baptism in Vera Cruz is now cancelled

Source: El Gordo y La Flaca, March 14, 2001
TW Correspondent: Tonchi

Very little remains of the original plans to baptise Itati Cantoral and Eduardo Santamarina's twin sons this month. In fact, the only thing that is still the same is that Thalia continues to be the godmother.

Tommy Mottola has sent his regrets that he cannot attend the ceremony due to pressing business concerns in New York. It had already puzzled many people why he was supposed to be the godfather anyway, he had only seen the couple for the first time on the night of his wedding. Now word is circulating that actually Itati's brother will be the godfather instead. Possibly Tommy had been named initially out of politeness.

The ceremony outdoors in an archaeological zone was not approved by the government agencies and now the couple has given up even going to their native Vera Cruz. At this time it is thought they will be in Cuernavaca, a resort town near Mexico City, and possibly at the estate where Kate del Castillo was recently married.

It seems that the original plans collapsed under their own weight. There were just too many other considerations to make it all come together. It is definitely confirmed, however, that Thalia will fly to Mexico for the event on March 31st, provided they do not change the date as well.

March 11, 2001

Osvaldo Benavidez: From Maria la del Barrio to the big screen Source: Univision.com, March 9, 2001 By: Rosalinda Palomeque Photo Clip By: Video Cine TW Correspondent: Tonchi He began to know fame when he gave life to "Nandito", the son of Thalía and Fernando Colunga in the telenovela "María la del Barrio." Four years later, Osvaldo Benavides is beginning a solid career on the big screen, where he has starred in four full-length films. The most recent is the film "Piedras Verdes" (Green Stones). Presently the young man is working in "Locura de amor", where he portrays León Palacios, the boy in love with Natalia (Adriana Nieto/Irán del Castillo). Before, he had his first opportunity when he was a child in "El Abuelo y Yo", when more grown up in "Te Sigo Amando", where he was outstanding in the role of Lazarito, and afterwards in "María la del Barrio" as Nandito.

Osvaldo still has the face of a child. His green eyes and his thick lashes are remarkable. But time has passed and that is also obvious, not only in his way of speaking but in his interest in leaving a mark with his work, made by and for young people.

"I always wanted to make movies, but it happened that I began in television, which for me is the school that got me where I am. And so every time I participate in a telenovela I make sure to enjoy myself a lot, it is the other discipline within my career," he says.

Up until now, Osvaldo has acted in the films La Primera Noche, La Segunda Noche, Por la Libre, Piedras Verdes y Seres Humanos. For a television actor to cross the thick line that divides the small screen and the movies it is assumed to be a titanic labor, and for Osvaldo this experience was no exception.

"In the beginning it definitely cost me work, more than entering into the media of the cinema, to understand what I am. I am identified as an actor for Televisa and what I have to do is to act well. That has permitted me to work in movies."

Nevertheless, he admits that the work in telenovelas limits creativity a lot, and that creates nonconformity among the actors. "It is very difficult to create a character, because you have to justify each one of his acts, and when you read the episodes that they keep handing you, you feel that the character which you are interpreting is going to act in an absurd manner, and from that you can't do anything of value."

Osvaldo discovered his empathy with the movies when he was a child, despite the fact that no member of his family was an artist. " It was something romantic. The movies were a fixation that I have always had since I was a child. I wanted to make movies, although I never had acted, I had not even gotten near this world."

And so it was that he began in telenovelas, and when his opportunity arrived to get into the movies the excitement kept him from sleeping. After five pictures, Osvaldo has forged a promising career, but he doesn't think that he is already a star because of that.

"In Mexico there still does not exist that wave of being a star within the movies. I don't know anyone, because the "star system" still does not function in the movies. A star is someone who does great at the box office, someone who makes the people go to see them, and that is still not happening here," concludes the actor.

March 10, 2001

The International Day of the Woman

Source: Univision.com, March 8, 2001
TW Correspondent: Tonchi

On March 8^th, the day that celebrates the contributions and the significance of the women of the world, Univision has made a very sobering statement: They have decided not to name a "Woman of the Year."

In an editorial entitled "A flock without a shepherd" they make the point that since Princess Diana there has been no woman who totally captivates the attention, respect, interest, and the curiosity of the public. (Before anyone takes offense at that statement, consider that they were only discussing the entertainment world, not anything major like truth, justice, world peace, and the invention of comfortable panty hose.)

Univision's claim is that the divas of today compete fiercely among themselves but nobody really rises to the top to distinguish themselves from the pack as an example for all women. They are too often elected by virtue of their record sales and economic clout, and that is not the same as being truly significant, having a leadership role. In fact, the entertainment industry seems to only produce "….repeated formulas and lack of innovation….There is an excess of personages but a lack of personality" according to their analysis. They consider Jennifer Lopez an unfortunate example of this trend, and dismiss the Britneys and Christinas as Madonna wannabes rather than significant for their own contributions.

But what about Thalia? you say. That is what the editorial would like to know. They fear she may be sinking beneath the waves. To quote them: "What is happening? Are divas no longer being produced as they were before? Or is it that the men are taking up too much of their time? The only thing that is circulating about Thalia are commentaries and photos from her post-wedding life. Lately she has come to be simply Mrs. Mottola. The song Arrasando -played so much on the radio that you get tired of it - seems to be the only reminder that Thalia still exists. It is difficult to "arrasar" that way."

What do you fans think?

March 8, 2001

March 7, 2001

Thalía's Other Designer Source: El Gordo y La Flaca, Univision March 6, 2001 Vid Caps By: Gordo y La Flaca TW Correspondent: Tonchi Because the multi-talented Mitzy gets most of the publicity surrounding Thalia's wedding, the Premios Lo Nuestro was the first hint most of us had that in fact most of Thalia's outfits seen on television were designed by someone else entirely. Gustavo Mata, another Mexican, was responsible for what Thalia and all her dancers were wearing when she performed "Arrasando" at the awards ceremony in Miami.

March 4, 2001

Univision covers the Sony party after the Grammys

Source: Univision.com, March 3, 2001
By: Mónica Prieto; photo credits: Estefan Enterprises
TW Correspondent: Tonchi

Hangovers aside, the post-Grammy parties mix together the very best of the record industry. A wide spectrum of stars got together in order to show off their statuettes (those who did not win showed off their designer clothes instead). Thalía was in this edition, who with both the designer dress and designer husband had a good time with her exclusive friends, among them Gloria Estefan and Elton John.

Before getting married to Mottola, Thalía rubbed elbows with Fernando Carrillo. Now she does it with Sir Elton John. The singer posed with the Englishman, who hours before that night had sung with the rapper Eminem. Arrasando!

From left to right: Thalía, her husband Tommy Mottola, the producer Emilio Estefan, and the Columbian singer Shakira, who that night won the Grammy for Best Pop Latino Album of the year.

Shakira poses with her boyfriend Antonio de la Rúa, Thalía, and Tommy Mottola. As the photos indicate, the girls are crazy, blind, deaf and dumb for them. (Note: The title of one of Shakira's previous hit albums was "Ciega, Sordomuda")

The eccentric singer Fiona Apple almost never appears in public, but did not hesitate to pose with Thalía and her boss at Sony, Mottola

Sony and Tommy Mottola host a party after the Grammys Source: Reforma, March 2, 2001 By: Idalia Barrera Photos By: TV y Notas, Reforma, & Crosby Group TW Correspondent: Tonchi Tommy Mottola and Thalía were the excellent hosts of a party organized to celebrate the recent awarding of the Grammys. Personalities such as Elton John, Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Shakira and her boyfriend Antonio de la Rúa, Destiny's Child, Macy Gray, Fionna Apple, and many more, were present in the gathering that was held in the luxurious Los Angeles restaurant, Ago.

This party is already a tradition for Tommy, the current president of Sony Music International, who each year is in charge of bringing together his exclusive singers in order to celebrate the famous awarding of prizes. But this occasion was special -- because this time his wife Thalía also functioned as hostess, always smiling and attentive to the guests.

Although she socialized with all the famous, according to those present, the artist spent the most time with Emilio Estefan and his wife Gloria, with whom she has been friends for years. Thalía also had the opportunity to share a table with the British singer Elton John, and in the photos they definitely seem to be enjoying themselves. What could they have been talking about?

The party turned out to be a great get-together for the luminaries, who talked about everything and enjoyed a five-star buffet. Thalía did not forget her diet, and as always she carefully chose the foods that she ate, since for her it is very important for the dinner to be light, commented the guests.

The Mexican singer was very affectionate with Mottola, who although he still was watchful that his guests would lack for nothing, still stayed always at the side of his wife.

Other couples who seemed very affectionate were the singer Shakira and Antonio de la Rúa, son of the Argentine President, Fernando de la Rúa.

They say that the party was so enjoyable that nobody had any desire to leave, so the evening was prolonged until the early hours of the morning.

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