LATINIZATION OF AMERICA: How Hispanics are Changing the Nation's Sites and Sounds

Latinization of America is a first-of-its-kind contemporary overview of the dynamic growth of the nation’s Hispanic population. It explores the impact this evolution has had on media development and the cutthroat Spanish-speaking entertainment industry. It spotlights the crossover and integration of Hispanics into competitive mainstream show business and the rush by Anglo companies to grab their piece of the Latin pie. This extensive work covers music/radio, TV, film, theater, dance and sports. It spans developments through the first decade of the century, encompassing political and economic factors following various groups of immigrants––legal and illegal––as they create new vistas of opportunity for both Spanish-speaking and mainstream entrepreneurs. No event, whether it is the Olympics or Pope John Paul II’s funeral, goes uncovered by the ubiquitous Latin media. From the sounds of Gloria Estefan’s conga beat, Puerto Rico’s hot reggaeton, and the regional Mexican music which dominates Spanish radio, to the comedy of George Lopez and Carlos Mencia, the sights and sounds of modern-day America take on a distinctive Latin flavor from the nation’s fastest growing cultural bastion.