Cristina Saralegui
Encyclopedia
Cristina Saralegui is a Cuban American
journalist, actress and talk show host of the Spanish-language eponymous show, Cristina. She also has her own fashion line of accessories and comforters for bed and bath.
, Saralegui fled with her family to Miami
in 1960 at the age of 12. Saralegui and her family lived on Key Biscayne
, where she also attended school.
After graduating from Academy of the Assumption
in 1966, Saralegui was a student at the University of Miami
. In 1973 she began an internship at the magazine Vanidades
, where she taught herself to write Spanish, as she had nearly all of her formal schooling in the United States and only functioned in Spanish at the oral level. Saralegui eventually worked her way up to editor of the Spanish version of Cosmopolitan
magazine in 1979. She led Spanish Cosmopolitan through most of the 1980s.
.
During the 1990s, Saralegui's show increased in popularity. Prominent guests included Shakira
, Don Francisco, the former members of Menudo
, Selena
, Celia Cruz
, Thalía
, Julio Iglesias
, Alejandro Fernández
, Enrique Iglesias
, Pitbull
, Sussan Taunton
, Jorge Ramos, Gloria Estefan
and her husband Emilio Estefan, Jr., Gloria Trevi
, Chayanne
, Ricky Martin
, RBD
, Niurka, Noelia
, Anaís
, George Lopez
, Jennifer Lopez
, Alexandra Cheron
, Amelia Vega
, Angélica Vale
, Angélica María
and others. In one of her most widely viewed shows, she put Edgardo Díaz
face-to-face with one of the former members of Menudo, Ralphy Rodríguez
, so they could confront each other over allegations of abuse that Rodríguez had made against Díaz. On another show, Gloria Trevi
spent a large amount of time as she spoke about her life.
Saralegui went on to publish her own magazine, Cristina: La Revista (Cristina: The Magazine) and several books. She is often referred to as "the Spanish Oprah
".
She also had a short lived English-language talk show in 1992, Cristina, which was carried on the CBS
owned-and-operated stations in major markets, but was cancelled after half a season.
On March 1, 2010, the song Somos El Mundo
premiered during Saralegui's show with an appeal to help the Haiti relief effort. It was translated by Gloria Estefan, produced by her husband Emilio Estefan and approved by Quincy Jones
.
The last show aired on November 1, 2010 after 21 years. Hosted by Mexican actor, Fernando Colunga, Cristina was celebrated by her colleagues Daniela Romo, Cesar Evora, Thalia, Shakira, Gloria Estefan, Emilio Estefan, Angelica Maria, Carmen Salinas, Don Francisco, Jorge Ramos, and more. Some of her Univision colleagues were sitted in the audience from where they interacted with Cristina herself, sharing anectotes and messages of hope and admiration. The week before on Monday, October 25, 2010, Cristina shared a look back on her career, compartamentalizing her most memorable shows and guests. Saralegui concluded each and every episode with her signature double thumbs-up signature salute and the Cuban expression "Pa'lante, pa'lante, pa'tras ni pa' coger impulso" which translates loosely as "Forward, forward; don't step back, not even to pick up the pace."http://www.cristinaonline.com/spanish/avion/082610.asp
In an interview, she said to Graciela Mori that she had offers from Telemundo and from Mexico.
In an interview to Estrella TV
in Los Angeles
, California
Cristina said she will return during the summer of 2011. She also said she didn't accept Univision's offer of making a special show once a year.
Cristina has offers from Telemundo, Televisa
, Azteca America
and CNN en Español.
On February 18, 2011, The Spanish Network Azteca America presented a one-hour special titled "Cristina Breaks the Silence" where for the first time since her retirement from Univision, Saralegui was interviewed on television. The interview, hosted by Frank Cairo, a former producer and creator of the Cristina show, touched on many issues, from guests who were considered "difficult", to the unexpected announcement from the executives of Univision that her show was being canceled, as well as reactions, emotions, and responses to the news. Saralegui declared during the interview that she suspects that the network (Univision) in an attempt to modernize their image and cater to younger audiences decided to slowly phase out the TV personalities that did not fit that image.
Saralegui also plugged her new fashion line "Casa Cristina" and declared that she will return, but made no mention to specific plans or networks affiliated with her future work.
It was announced on May 17, 2011 that Telemundo had hired Cristina for a weekly variety show, beginning in the fall of 2011. She debuted on Telemundo on May 31, 2011 hosting a one-hour special retrospective featuring the stars of the just-completed telenovela La Reina del Sur
.
with Ernesto Espinoza as the school's principal. In 2001, she began a recurring role as tía (aunt) Cristina Lopez on the American soap opera
Passions
, in two episodes. In 2003, she appeared on The George Lopez Show, where she played Lidia. Saralegui has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
.
Cuban American
A Cuban American is a United States citizen who traces his or her "national origin" to Cuba. Cuban Americans are also considered native born Americans with Cuban parents or Cuban-born persons who were raised and educated in US...
journalist, actress and talk show host of the Spanish-language eponymous show, Cristina. She also has her own fashion line of accessories and comforters for bed and bath.
Early life and journalism career
Following the Cuban RevolutionCuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement against the regime of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista between 1953 and 1959. Batista was finally ousted on 1 January 1959, and was replaced by a revolutionary government led by Castro...
, Saralegui fled with her family to Miami
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
in 1960 at the age of 12. Saralegui and her family lived on Key Biscayne
Key Biscayne
Key Biscayne is an island located in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay. It is the southernmost of the barrier islands along the Atlantic coast of Florida, and lies south of Miami Beach and southeast of Miami...
, where she also attended school.
After graduating from Academy of the Assumption
Academy of the Assumption
Academy of the Assumption was a Catholic all-girls school that was located on Biscayne Bay in Miami, Florida.Built in 1943 and closed in 1976, it was run by the Religious of the Assumption. The school's last principal was...
in 1966, Saralegui was a student at the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
. In 1973 she began an internship at the magazine Vanidades
Vanidades
Vanidades is one of the most popular Spanish language women's magazines. Published by Editorial Televisa across the United States and Hispanic America, it was launched in Cuba in 1931 as a humor magazine, but eventually became a women's magazine in the early 1940s. When Fidel Castro took the...
, where she taught herself to write Spanish, as she had nearly all of her formal schooling in the United States and only functioned in Spanish at the oral level. Saralegui eventually worked her way up to editor of the Spanish version of Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan (magazine)
Cosmopolitan is an international magazine for women. It was first published in 1886 in the United States as a family magazine, was later transformed into a literary magazine and eventually became a women's magazine in the late 1960s...
magazine in 1979. She led Spanish Cosmopolitan through most of the 1980s.
El Show de Cristina
In 1989, Saralegui decided to transfer her journalism success to television, launching a Miami-based Spanish-language talk show, El Show de Cristina (The Cristina Show) to UnivisiónUnivision
Univision is a Spanish-language television network in the United States. It has the largest audience of Spanish language television viewers according to Nielsen ratings. Randy Falco, COO, has been in charge of the company since the departure of Univision Communications president and CEO Joe Uva...
.
During the 1990s, Saralegui's show increased in popularity. Prominent guests included Shakira
Shakira
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll , known professionally as Shakira , is a Colombian singer who emerged in the music scene of Colombia and Latin America in the early 1990s...
, Don Francisco, the former members of Menudo
Menudo (band)
Menudo was a Puerto Rican boy band that was formed in the 1970s by producer Edgardo Díaz, releasing their first album in 1977. The band achieved much success, especially during the 1980s, becoming the most popular Latin American teen musical group of the era....
, Selena
Selena
Selena Quintanilla-Pérez , known simply as Selena, was a Mexican American singer-songwriter. She was named the "top Latin artist of the '90s" and "Best selling Latin artist of the decade" by Billboard for her fourteen top-ten singles in the Top Latin Songs chart, including seven number-one hits...
, Celia Cruz
Celia Cruz
Celia Cruz was a Cuban-American salsa singer, and was one of the most successful Salsa performers of the 20th century, having earned twenty-three gold albums...
, Thalía
Thalía
Ariadna Thalía Sodi Miranda , known simply by the mononym Thalía , is a Mexican singer and actress. She has sold over 40 million albums worldwide...
, Julio Iglesias
Julio Iglesias
Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva , better known simply as Julio Iglesias, is a Spanish singer who has sold over 300 million records worldwide in 14 languages and released 77 albums. According to Sony Music Entertainment, he is one of the top 15 best selling music artists in history,...
, Alejandro Fernández
Alejandro Fernández
Alejandro Fernández is a Mexican singer. Nicknamed as "El Potrillo" by the media and his fans, he has sold over 20 million albums worldwide. Alejandro is the son of the ranchera singer Vicente Fernández. He originally specialized in traditional, earthy forms of Mexican folk music, such as...
, Enrique Iglesias
Enrique Iglesias
Enrique Iglesias is a Spanish pop music singer, a son of singer Julio Iglesias.Enrique started his musical career on Mexican label Fonovisa...
, Pitbull
Pitbull (rapper)
Armando Christian Pérez , better known by his stage name Pitbull, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter and record producer. His first recorded performance was from the Lil Jon album Kings of Crunk in 2002, after which he released his debut album in 2004 titled M.I.A.M.I. under TVT Records...
, Sussan Taunton
Sussan Taunton
-Biography:Sussan is a Chilean actress, studied acting at the Centro de Educación Artística of Televisa for over 3 years. She came to Mexico seeking for an opportunity in 1988 and became an instant hit, having notable roles in the most important soap operas of Televisa...
, Jorge Ramos, Gloria Estefan
Gloria Estefan
Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García de Estefan; known professionally as Gloria Estefan is a Cuban-born American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known as the "Queen Of Latin Pop", she is in the top 100 best selling music artists with over 100 million albums sold worldwide, 31.5 million of those...
and her husband Emilio Estefan, Jr., Gloria Trevi
Gloria Trevi
Gloria Trevi is a Mexican pop-rock singer-songwriter. She was described as the "Supreme Diva of the Mexican Pop" by the music channel VH1 and sold over 20 million records.-Biography:...
, Chayanne
Chayanne
Elmer Figueroa Arce , best known under the stage name Chayanne, is a Puerto Rican Latin pop singer and actor. As a solo artist, Chayanne has released 21 solo-albums and sold over 20 million albums worldwide.-Early life:...
, Ricky Martin
Ricky Martin
Enrique "Ricky" Martín Morales , better known as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican and Spanish pop singer and actor who achieved prominence, first as a member of the Latin boy band Menudo, then as a solo artist since 1991.During his career he has sold more than 60 million album copies worldwide...
, RBD
RBD
RBD was a two-time Latin-Grammy nominated Mexican pop group that gained popularity from Televisa's teen drama series Rebelde. RBD sold over 17 million digital downloads and over 20 million albums worldwide in four years since their formation, according to EMI...
, Niurka, Noelia
Noelia
Noelia Lorenzo Monge , in San Juan, Puerto Rico), mostly known as Noelia, is a Puerto Rican pop singer who rose to fame in 1999. She is the first daughter of Puerto Rican singer Yolandita Monge....
, Anaís
Anaís
-Notable TV Guest Appearances:*Premios Juventud*Latin Grammys*Latin Grammy Celebra Marco Antonio Solís*Al Despertar 41*El Show de Cristina*Escándalo TV*Anda Pa'l Cará*El Gordo y la Flaca*Despierta América*Premios Casandras 2007...
, George Lopez
George Lopez
George Lopez is an American comedian, actor, and talk show host. He is mostly known for starring in his self-produced ABC sitcom George Lopez. His stand-up comedy examines race and ethnic relations, including the Mexican American culture...
, Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...
, Alexandra Cheron
Alexandra Cheron
Alexandra Beauvoir Cheron Tavarez is haitian actress model, businesswoman and socialite.She was born in the Dominican Republic, her dad was a Financial accountant from Haiti and her mom a ambassador in the United States for the Dominican Republic...
, Amelia Vega
Amelia Vega
Amelia Vega Polanco became the first and only Dominican woman to be named Miss Universe, in 2003. At the age of 18, she was the youngest winner since 1994....
, Angélica Vale
Angélica Vale
Angélica Vale is a Mexican actress, singer and comedienne, known also as the daughter of Angélica María, "La Novia de Mexico" , and as the daughter of comedian Raul Vale...
, Angélica María
Angélica María
Angélica María Hartman Ortiz is an Mexican-American actress and a Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter. She is a legendary entertainer and is known as La Novia de Mexico .-Early life:...
and others. In one of her most widely viewed shows, she put Edgardo Díaz
Edgardo Díaz
Edgardo Díaz born in Panama City, Panama, is the creator of the "boy band" Menudo. The son of Puerto Ricans, Díaz grew up in Caguas, Puerto Rico....
face-to-face with one of the former members of Menudo, Ralphy Rodríguez
Ralphy Rodríguez
Ralphy Rodriguez is a singer and former member of Menudo. He replaced Charlie Masso.He joined Menudo in early 1987, at a time that the group's worldwide fame was still strong, although it had begun to wane. He was popular among Menudo fans, and was a member of a Menudo line-up that included Ricky...
, so they could confront each other over allegations of abuse that Rodríguez had made against Díaz. On another show, Gloria Trevi
Gloria Trevi
Gloria Trevi is a Mexican pop-rock singer-songwriter. She was described as the "Supreme Diva of the Mexican Pop" by the music channel VH1 and sold over 20 million records.-Biography:...
spent a large amount of time as she spoke about her life.
Saralegui went on to publish her own magazine, Cristina: La Revista (Cristina: The Magazine) and several books. She is often referred to as "the Spanish Oprah
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...
".
She also had a short lived English-language talk show in 1992, Cristina, which was carried on the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
owned-and-operated stations in major markets, but was cancelled after half a season.
On March 1, 2010, the song Somos El Mundo
Somos El Mundo
"Somos El Mundo 25 Por Haiti" is a 2010 song and charity single recorded by the latin supergroup Artists for Haiti and written by Emilio Estefan and his wife Gloria Estefan...
premiered during Saralegui's show with an appeal to help the Haiti relief effort. It was translated by Gloria Estefan, produced by her husband Emilio Estefan and approved by Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
.
The last show aired on November 1, 2010 after 21 years. Hosted by Mexican actor, Fernando Colunga, Cristina was celebrated by her colleagues Daniela Romo, Cesar Evora, Thalia, Shakira, Gloria Estefan, Emilio Estefan, Angelica Maria, Carmen Salinas, Don Francisco, Jorge Ramos, and more. Some of her Univision colleagues were sitted in the audience from where they interacted with Cristina herself, sharing anectotes and messages of hope and admiration. The week before on Monday, October 25, 2010, Cristina shared a look back on her career, compartamentalizing her most memorable shows and guests. Saralegui concluded each and every episode with her signature double thumbs-up signature salute and the Cuban expression "Pa'lante, pa'lante, pa'tras ni pa' coger impulso" which translates loosely as "Forward, forward; don't step back, not even to pick up the pace."http://www.cristinaonline.com/spanish/avion/082610.asp
Career after Univision
On her final minutes in Univision, Saralegui said "Cristina no se retira, jamas dejaría esto... aquí hay Cristina y ¡para rato!" which roughly translates into "Cristina does not retire, I would never leave this... there is (still) Cristina and for a (good) while!". Saralegui remains under contract with Univision until December 31, 2010. It was previously stated that she would have remained on Univision as a collaborator for special programs and interview. It is has been unofficially claimed that the new Cristina show would debut on March, 2011. This did not happen.In an interview, she said to Graciela Mori that she had offers from Telemundo and from Mexico.
In an interview to Estrella TV
KRCA
KRCA Digital UHF Channel 35 is a Spanish language television station in the Los Angeles, California metropolitan region, formerly broadcasting Asian programming and home shopping. The station now airs Spanish-language programming on its main channel, along with some late night English infomercials,...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
Cristina said she will return during the summer of 2011. She also said she didn't accept Univision's offer of making a special show once a year.
Cristina has offers from Telemundo, Televisa
Televisa
Televisa is a Mexican multimedia conglomerate, the largest mass media company in Latin America and in the Spanish-speaking world. It is a major international entertainment business, with much of its programming airing in the United States on Univision, with which it has an exclusive contract...
, Azteca America
Azteca América
Azteca América is a broadcast television network marketed toward Spanish-speaking families residing in the United States. As a rapidly-growing Spanish language network, Azteca América now reaches 89% of the Hispanic households in the U.S., operating in sixty-two markets nationwide. Wholly owned by...
and CNN en Español.
On February 18, 2011, The Spanish Network Azteca America presented a one-hour special titled "Cristina Breaks the Silence" where for the first time since her retirement from Univision, Saralegui was interviewed on television. The interview, hosted by Frank Cairo, a former producer and creator of the Cristina show, touched on many issues, from guests who were considered "difficult", to the unexpected announcement from the executives of Univision that her show was being canceled, as well as reactions, emotions, and responses to the news. Saralegui declared during the interview that she suspects that the network (Univision) in an attempt to modernize their image and cater to younger audiences decided to slowly phase out the TV personalities that did not fit that image.
Saralegui also plugged her new fashion line "Casa Cristina" and declared that she will return, but made no mention to specific plans or networks affiliated with her future work.
It was announced on May 17, 2011 that Telemundo had hired Cristina for a weekly variety show, beginning in the fall of 2011. She debuted on Telemundo on May 31, 2011 hosting a one-hour special retrospective featuring the stars of the just-completed telenovela La Reina del Sur
La Reina del Sur (Telenovela)
La Reina del Sur is a Spanish-language telenovela produced by the United States-based television network Telemundo in conjunction with the Antena 3 network and RTI Producciones...
.
Acting career
Cristina Saralegui debuted as an actress on Nickelodeon's TainaTaina (TV series)
Taina is an American sitcom that aired on Nickelodeon and was one of the last live-action comedy shows taped at Nickelodeon Studios but later moved to the Nickelodeon On Sunset in Hollywood, for its second season. The show aired from January 14, 2001 to May 11, 2002.-Premise:Taina Morales is a...
with Ernesto Espinoza as the school's principal. In 2001, she began a recurring role as tía (aunt) Cristina Lopez on the American soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Passions
Passions
Passions is an American television soap opera which aired on NBC from July 5, 1999 to September 7, 2007 and on The 101 Network from September 17, 2007 to August 7, 2008....
, in two episodes. In 2003, she appeared on The George Lopez Show, where she played Lidia. Saralegui has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
.
Family
Saralegui has been married since 1982 to Marcos Avila, a former member of the Miami Sound Machine music band. She has three children: Cristina Amalia (nicknamed "Titi", from Saralegui's first marriage to Tony Menendez), Jon Marcos, and Stephanie (Marco's daughter from a previous marriage).Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | George Lopez (TV series) George Lopez (TV series) "The George Lopez Show" redirects here. For the late-night program hosted by the same comedian, see Lopez Tonight.George Lopez is an American sitcom starring comedian George Lopez... |
Lydia | 2 episodes:George Has Two Mommies & Would You Like a Drumstick or a Kidney? |