Monica Spear, 1984-2014

Monica Spear in FLOR SALVAJE

Monica Spear, 1984-2014

I'm simply devastated by the tragic news out of Venezuela of the murder of Monica Spear and her husband.

MI PRIMA CIELA was one of the telenovelas that made me an avid viewer of the genre; FLOR SALVAJE was the telenovela that inspired me to start writing an articles about telenovelas for English readers.


Excerpts from three past articles I wrote about two of her performances.


from my January 1, 2013 article on FLOR SALVAJE:

"Amanda’s first love, Pablo, is murdered by Rafael. In order to avenge his death, Amanda attempts to suppress the innocent side of her, to fully become Flor Salvaje, the hardened prostitute, and lure Rafael into a trap, but in attempting to destroy Rafael, she ends up saving him, changing him, making him a better man through his love for her, and ultimately, she falls in love with this newly ennobled demon. It’s a Gordian knot of twisted character motivations, internal conflicts and contradictions, little of it verbalized, but played on the face, and Spear does marvels - following her performances in a trio of Venezuelan novelas beginning with the lovely MI PRIMA CIELA and culminating with her impressive turn LA MUJER PERFECTA as a young woman with Asperger syndrome, Spear has to be considered amongst the finest telenovela actresses of her generation."

TELENOVELA WATCH: Best & Worst Telenovelas in 2013

BEST AND WORST IN TELENOVELAS IN 2013

This look back at the year in telenovelas is US based, covering works that aired at least 50 episodes this calendar year on a US broadcast network.

2013 was a down year for telenovelas. In 2012, I was able to list nine quality telenovelas; this year, only four, and I don’t know if any of those four would make my top five from last year. The one that might, SECRETOS DEL PARAÍSO, is impossible to fully evaluate as its final weeks were heavily condensed by its US broadcaster.

There was some improvement in the final months, so 2014 is already looking brighter with the hugely entertaining bodice-ripper LO QUE LA VIDA ME ROBÓ and the familiar, but finely acted POR SIEMPRE MI AMOR now gracing Univision’s primetime; and the return of Brazilian productions to US network television with LA VIDA SIGUE on MundoFox and the upcoming AVENIDA BRASIL on Telemundo.

It is impossible to follow everything and there were two Colombian telenovelas I regret not being able to delve into this year: CINCO VIUDAS SUELTAS (Caracol, aired on Telemundo) and ALLÁ TE ESPERO (RCN, aired on MundoFox). Both seemed respectable, quality works, but I simply was not able to see enough episodes of either to make a meaningful critique.


BEST TELENOVELAS OF 2013

SECRETOS DEL PARAÍSO (Vista/RCN, aired on MundoFox)
A remake of the 1993 Colombian telenovela LA MALDICIÓN DEL PARAÍSO, there are many elements that on the surface are familiar – the central love triangle involving a woman coming between two brothers, the odious mother of the brothers, past crimes coming to light, secret paternities, and even an actual curse – all the stuff of countless telenovelas, but beautifully rendered here with an aching, languid, cool ambiance and a delicate melancholy that feels extraordinarily modern. This is a soulful, mood indigo telenovela, filled with a sense lost and longing, the lonely characters, adrift, searching for some human connection to assuage their sadness. Top to bottom, SECRETOS DEL PARAÍSO featured the strongest ensemble in a telenovela this year with memorable performances from Juan Pablo Espinosa, Natalia Durán, Iván López, Patricia Tamayo, Ernesto Benjumea, Silvia de Dios, Alina Lozano, Carlos Hurtado, Linda Baldrich, Carlos Torres, Mateo Rueda and Gloria Gómez.

Telenovela Star and Former Miss Venezuela Monica Spear Killed In Robbery

Actress Monica Spear and and her husband were shot and killed on Monday night while resisting a robbery after their car broke down, according to the Miami Herald.

Prosecutors said in a statement that Monica Spear, 29, and Henry Thomas Berry, 49, were slain late Monday night near Puerto Cabello, Venezuela's main port.

Armed men approached the car and the couple locked themselves inside, police said. The bandits opened fire, injuring the couple's 5-year-old daughter and killing the parents. The child was in stable condition after receiving medical attention.

PREMIOS TU MUNDO Winners: LA PATRONA, Jencarlos Canela, Aracely Arámbula

Telemundo’s live broadcast of the second annual PREMIOS TU MUNDO (Your World Awards) from the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida, celebrated what is hot in novelas, music, fashion, movies and sports. The star-studded event, hosted by telenovela stars Gaby Espino and Aaron Diaz, featured high energy performances and appearances by prominent artists. Top honors went to the novela LA PATRONA, which was awarded Novela of the Year, Favorite Protagonist – Female: Aracely Arámbula, Best Villain – Female: Christian Bach, Best Supporting Actor: Gonzalo García Vivanco, The Perfect Couple: Aracely Arámbula and Jorge Luis Pila, Legendary Actress: Christian Bach and Best Bad Luck Moment.

Through fan voting and a selection process that combined the power of television, web, mobile and social media platforms, Telemundo viewers made their choice and selected the winners from 20 competing categories.

Premios Tu Mundo (Your World Awards) Finalists Announced Today

Telemundo announced today the list of finalists for the 2013 edition of “Premios Tu Mundo” (Your World Awards). In addition, Daddy Yankee, Natalia Jimenez, Victor Manuelle, Christian Castro, Banda Los Recoditos, Voz De Mando, Elvis Crespo and Roberto Junior y Su Bandeño are among the confirmed performers for the star-studded awards show to be broadcast live on Thursday, August 15 at 8 p.m. ET from the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. The special will also feature the anticipated arrivals pre-show “La Alfombra de Premios Tu Mundo.”

TELENOVELA WATCH: PASION PROHIBIDA Initial Impressions

After three weeks, Telemundo’s latest offering, PASIÓN PROHIBIDA (weeknights at 8 p.m. ET),has the makings to be the best Miami-produced telenovela in years. So far, an almost scene-for-scene remake of the Turkish production ASK-I MEMNU, adapted for Telemundo by Juan Camilo Ferrand, PASIÓN PROHIBIDA is a work of atypical subtlety, intelligence, and seriousness for the network, a chamber play in which each of the nuanced, complex characters whirl through an intricate dance brimming with ambivalent motives, latent desires and concealed resentments. The telenovela challenges its audience. The actions of the characters are often left open for interpretation. Rarely does it feel as if the show is signaling the audience one way or another as to how to respond to what is on the screen. The characters don’t spend much time explaining their actions or feelings, and you can’t necessarily believe them anyway because they are not honest with each other or themselves.

Solid Ratings Start For PASIÓN PROHIBIDA

Telemundo Media’s premiere of its latest original production PASION PROHIBIDA (Forbidden Love) last night at 8 p.m. ET averaged 1,384,000 total viewers and 665,000 adults 18-49, a 7% and 8% growth vs. season-to-date respectively, according to Nielsen.

Starring Jencarlos Canela, Monica Spear and Rebecca Jones, Telemundo’s original production also resonated with younger audiences delivering 422,000 adults 18-34, a whopping 41% growth versus season-to-date average. PASION PROHIBIDA delivered a cumulative audience of 1,939,000 total viewers and 949,000 adults 18-49.

TELENOVELA WATCH: ROSA DIAMANTE Ending; PASIÓN PROHIBIDA Premieres Jan. 22; ¿QUIÉN ERES TÚ? Pulled

ROSA DIAMANTE comes to an end this Monday, January 21 at 8 p.m. ET on Telemundo. The last week of a telenovela often brings to mind a line from the cult televisionseries MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000, the show with the little silhouettes sitting in the movie theater lobbing comments at a cheesy movie: “Okay people, everybody wear eye protection – there’s a lot of loose ends flying together all at once.”

TELENOVELA WATCH: AMOR BRAVÍO Censorship, Final Stage Of UN REFUGIO PARA EL AMOR, PASION PROHIBIDA Casting Controversy

AMOR BRAVÍO
The protagonists of AMOR BRAVÍO (weeknights at 10 p.m. ET on Univision), Daniel (Cristián de la Fuente) and Camila (Silvia Navarro), made love for the first time this week. As is becoming too frequent an annoyance, the scene was expurgated by Univision. The censorship of this scene was not as clumsily rendered as Camila's love-scene dream from a couple weeks ago where the Vincente Fernández sung theme playing over the scene suddenly jumped forward like a skipping record accentuating the edits, but it was noticeable nonetheless. Watching the full Televisa versions of the scenes and comparing them with what Univision decided to remove left me scratching my head as there is nothing the least bit objectionable in what hit the cutting room floor, literally a couple more close ups of the couple kissing and a shot of Navarro’s bare back.At this point, it seems Univision is merely censoring the love scenes for the sake of censorship.

Telemundo 2012-2013 Schedule

Telemundo unveiled its 2012-2013 lineup on Monday.

Soapy highlights:
Six new telenovelas are on the way: EL ROSTRO DE LA VENGANZA (The Face of Revenge), EL SENOR DE LOS CIELOS (The Lord of the Heavens), LA PATRONA (The Patron), PASION PROHIBIDA (Forbidden Passion), NACE UN IDOLO (An Idol is Born) and FINA ESTAMPA (Fine Pedigree).

Sequel LA REINA DEL SUR 2 (Queen of the South 2) is coming as well.

Read the full press release from Telemundo below for detailed descriptions.