mun2 television Celebrates 1st Anniversary

“Everybody has an idea of what we’re like, and that’s not real; we’ve assimilated to American life” said Nick Vidal of The Baka Boyz, highlighting a common theme throughout the taping of “xpress it,” a town hall discussion addressing the portrayal of young Latinos in the media. The program, which joined tv and radio personalities with a live studio audience, was taped at Qtopia in Los Angeles and will air as a one-hour special on mun2 television, Friday, october 11 at 10pm et/pt.

Vidal’s comment regarding the lack of understanding of Latinos was a general concensus among participants at the event. Jacqueline Aries from “Resurrection Blvd.” stated that “the idea that Hollywood has of what Latinos should look like, is not me; we’re complex.” However, responsibility was not only placed in the media, but in the community as Walter, an audience participant, stated “our heritage is profound in our hearts and our culture; there’s no other alike, and we’ve got to make it look good.”

Members of the audience applauded Jacqueline as well as tv personalities Benito Martinez and Camille Guaty for their positive portrayals of Latinos. Martinez plays a young police captain on the television series “The Shield,” and Guaty played a lead role on Disney’s film “Gotta Kick It Up.” In fact, “Gotta Kick It Up” was Disney’s first film with a Latino theme.