Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, July 8, 1995 TAG: 9507120004
SECTION: SPECTATOR PAGE: S-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB THOMAS ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES LENGTH: Medium
``It's probably the hardest thing I've ever had to do,'' said Rodriguez, who has produced his own TV specials and directed a movie. ``It has taught me one thing: I don't want to produce or executive produce anything no more.''
``Latin Nights'' is that '90s television rarity, a variety special.
It's hard to see how Rodriguez can cram all the talent into a single hour - Gloria Estefan, Santana, Jose Jose, Barrio Boyz, Cheech Marin, Jimmy Smits, Lorenzo Lamas, Lou Diamond Phillips, Rosie Perez and more. Plus, there are special tributes to Ricardo Montalban and Rita Moreno.
The show, staged June 29 at the Universal Amphitheater, focuses on Latino contributions to the entertainment scene. The National Hispanic Scholarship Fund benefits from both the performance and the broadcast.
How did he attract so many celebrities for ``Latin Nights''?
``The fortunate thing is that I have been the opening act for most of them,'' Rodriguez explained. ``I opened for Gloria Estefan. We did 30-40 dates together for her first album. I've also opened for Carlos Santana, and we established a friendship.
``Not that I have any IOUs from them, but I guess I capitalized on the fact that I've known them. A lot of them broke dates to do this show. I also appealed to their Hispanic roots. When it's for education, they were more than willing to say yes.
``Everybody wants to know who's on the show. I called Carlos Santana and told him I had Gloria. Then I called Gloria and told her I had Carlos. They both said yes. Jimmy Smits is in the middle of a movie, and he's going to take a day off. Lorenzo Lamas changed his schedule. Our biggest problem now is fitting all the stars in what ends up being 48 minutes.''
``It's a lot of work,'' admitted Rodriguez. ``But if I can do a decent job, I think that it will show that within our community, given the opportunity, we are capable of putting a show together.
``I want to do the kind of show that Bob Dole would sit down and watch. It's got family values. I can guarantee Mr. Dole that there's a lot of moral fabric in my show and no gangsta rap. It's the kind of show that Newt's [Gingrich] mom would like.''
Rodriguez helped pioneer the field of Latino comedy. The son of migrant farm workers, he was born in Culiacan, Mexico, and came to East Los Angeles as a boy. His wisecracking style as a drama student at Cal State University, Long Beach, prompted his teacher to get him a tryout at Hollywood's Comedy Club.
Rodriguez worked as doorman in return for late-night appearances onstage. Soon, he was doing his ethnic humor in clubs all over the map. He credits cable TV for establishing his career.
``I remember seeing the first comic on cable - Robert Klein,'' he said. ``I realized cable was more than an opportunity to use words your mother didn't let you. Cable made comedy more accessible. I guess it was a way to fill air time. The quickest way to do that was to have a guy and a microphone and a couple of ideas. That was really where comedy exploded.''
He had been preceded in Latino comedy by Freddie Prinze and Cheech and Chong, but Rodriguez added a new dimension by playing both sides of the border. For four years, he hosted ``El Show de Paul Rodriguez'' on the Spanish-language Univision Network.
The comedian went on to star in a short-lived Norman Lear series, ``a.k.a. Pablo'' and to appear in such movies as ``D.C. Cab,'' ``Quicksilver,'' ``Born in East L.A.'' and ``Made in America.'' Last year, he directed his first feature, ``A Million to Juan.''
At 40, Rodriguez considers himself ``the grandfather of Latino comedy.'' In that guise, he hosted an HBO show of up-and-coming Latino comics, including Luke Torres, Carlos Mencia and George Lopez.
``They have a different style from what I have done,'' he said. ``They depend on more mundane things, whereas I myself had the misfortune of having to depend more on the stereotype. I don't apologize for it - 12-13 years ago, it was the thing to do.
``I'm happy for them, and I hope they succeed. I don't expect to fade away, by any means. But I realized once I reached 40 that I wasn't the young, hip, cutting-edge guy that I thought of myself 15 years ago.''
by CNB