El privilegio de mandar
Encyclopedia
El Privilegio de Mandar (The Privilege to Rule) was a successful Mexican
political parody
broadcast by Televisa
on Canal de las Estrellas
. It started as a sketch in another Televisa show, called La Parodia, that parodies political, social and cultural events happening in Mexico. High rating
s kept the show running.
It was first broadcast on October 25, 2004 during La Parodia. Soon, the high success of the program encouraged the producers to separate it from the other show, so on January 3, 2005 became an independent show.
Televisa broadcast what is considered the last episode of the series on July 9, 2006, just after the federal elections in Mexico
. However, some of the actors who performed leading roles (such as Arath de la Torre, who played the role of PRI'S presidential candidate Roberto Madrazo) stated that in a few years, when political events have advanced, they will make a return to see how things are.
El Privilegio de Amar (The privilege of loving), so the main title was presented with golden letters and slide images, just like a telenovela. This show was first aired as a section on "La Parodia", on Monday October 25, 2004, at 10PM with its first episode, "El Informe". This quickly became such a success that from January 3, 2005 it became a show in its own right, La Parodia now being broadcast on Sundays. In September of the same year, Alter Films released a DVD
containing the first ten broadcast episodes of El Privilegio de Mandar.
The show followed closely the world of the Mexican and even foreign politics, from the 2004 videoscandals
and the Desafuero
judges to the last 2006 Mexican general elections. During its broadcast, the show had several guest artists, like Consuelo Duval (from La Hora Pico and La Familia P.Luche). It won the 2005 TVyNovelas Award for Best Comic Program.
This show made history as the first political parody ever aired in Mexico, where every single political person was parodied. On Saturday July 8, Televisa broadcast a special programme hosted by Mexican entertainer and actor Ernesto Laguardia, in which were presented scenes from the first episodes of the show, interviews with the actors and the people parodied and "behind the scenes" specials.
Televisa broadcast the last episode of what's considered the first season on July 9, 2006, just after the federal elections in Mexico. It's unknown if there will be another season in the near future.
From 2004, there have appeared around 50 different characters. The January 7, 2011 edition of NuestroDetroit.com, however, reported that a second season may soon be in production with Reynaldo Lopez taking over executive producing duties. The report went on to say that at least four actors--de la Torre, the Ortega brothers, and Vale--will return to the series.
it is kind of predictable knowing what will happen the next episode. The only thing the viewer has to do is follow the political news. For example, in 2004, Andrés Manuel López Obrador had problems with law, confronting a desafuero
judge, so in the show all the trouble was parodied for months.
Not all the shows are directly related to real politics, although there is usually some political context. In February 2006, Bailando Por Un Sueño
(Dancing for a Dream) was highest rating show on Televisa, El Privilegio de Mandar parodied the show as Bailando Por Un Hueso (Dancing for a Bone) a double meaning because Hueso in this context is an expression for an influence, the participants were the politicians dancing, with the idea that the winner would get some political position or influence
as a result.
On El Privilegio de Mandar, Mexico is parodied as "Colonia el Relaxo con x" ("Relaxo" means "mess" in Spanish
. The real word is "relajo", but the "j
" is changed to "x
" like the one in "Mexico"), representing the bad organization of the political world in that country. The states are represented as "Manzanas" (blocks), and the president as the president of the neighbors' association. Many of the parodied names and places are word-plays in Spanish, so they wouldn't be understood by many English or other languages speakers.
Guest artists
Characters also include non-Mexican politicians such as George Bush
and Arnold Schwarzenegger
.
Previously was aired a special TV programme, presenting early scenes from "El privilegio de mandar" in 2004, interviews with some parodied politics and with the actors, their feelings and "behind the scene" specials.
Real facts
Parody
The show takes off with Andrés Manuel waiting for the IFE to open the polls at 7AM in Sunday July 2, when the polls were actually opened at 8AM (as a parody of the early arrive to the polls of the real Andrés Manuel). Then, are shown the Televisa
studios where four journalists are waiting for the candidates to vote (they are also rarely presented characters):
Shortly after almost all characters arrive to the polls to present their votes (including characters that weren't presented anymore, like "Bejarano"). After the elections, "Ugalde" (parody to IFE
's president) made an announcement on TV, saying that he couldn't give an official winner because two candidates (Felipe and Andrés Manuel) were head to head so it wasn't time to celebrate yet. The scene changes and shows Felipe celebrating with balloons and all the people supporting him:
The scene changes again, now to Andrés Manuel:
However, the scene changes once more, now to Roberto, in his house sat down and paralysed in front of the TV. Soon the door rings:
The day now changes to Thursday July 6, when the official counting was finished and declared Felipe winner of the election.
However, Andrés Manuel is very angry, and calls to a demonstration:
Finally, the scene of the meeting of Andrés Manuel is presented. When he finishes talking, Canti goes up the platform and starts talking about Andres Manuel's decision and the respect of the democracy. The show ends with all the crowd cheering "México!, México!, México!" , a screen showing "¿Fin?" (The End?) and all the actors thanking to the viewers' support.
Jokes on this episode
Víctor González Torres
also criticized the show as making fun of his way of talking, as he has physical problems.
Memorable phrases
Memorable phrases
format. This DVD edition is still available in some music stores in Mexico.
These episodes include all the desafuero
judge to Bejarano and the videoscandals.
Two police officers ("polecias", as a parody of the ignorance of some police officers in Mexico) are waiting for Bejarano to came out of his house. The frame changes to the room of Bejarano, where he is packing his clothes.
Later, in the desafuero judge, he starts avoiding the judge's questions:
Part of the dialogue:
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
political parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
broadcast by 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...
on Canal de las Estrellas
Canal de las Estrellas
Canal de las Estrellas is one of the cornerstone networks of Televisa, with affiliate stations all over Mexico, flagshipped at XEW-TV in Mexico City. Many of the programs of Canal de las Estrellas are seen in the United States on Univision, Telefutura, and Galavisión...
. It started as a sketch in another Televisa show, called La Parodia, that parodies political, social and cultural events happening in Mexico. High rating
Audience measurement
Audience measurement measures how many people are in an audience, usually in relation to radio listenership and television viewership, but also in relation to newspaper and magazine readership and, increasingly, web traffic on websites...
s kept the show running.
It was first broadcast on October 25, 2004 during La Parodia. Soon, the high success of the program encouraged the producers to separate it from the other show, so on January 3, 2005 became an independent show.
Televisa broadcast what is considered the last episode of the series on July 9, 2006, just after the federal elections in Mexico
Mexican general election, 2006
A general election was held in Mexico on Sunday, July 2, 2006. Voters went to the polls to elect, on the federal level:*A new President of the Republic to serve a six-year term, replacing then Mexican President Vicente Fox .*500 members to serve for a...
. However, some of the actors who performed leading roles (such as Arath de la Torre, who played the role of PRI'S presidential candidate Roberto Madrazo) stated that in a few years, when political events have advanced, they will make a return to see how things are.
History
In September 2004, La Parodia was one of the most successful shows on Mexican television. Characters presented here first would later appear on El Privilegio de Mandar, like "Chente" and "Andrés Manuel". The idea of the name "Privilegio" emerged from a skit on the famous Mexican telenovelaTelenovela
A telenovela is a limited-run serial dramatic programming popular in Latin American, Portuguese, and Spanish television programming. The word combines tele, short for televisión or televisão , and novela, a Spanish or Portuguese word for "novel"...
El Privilegio de Amar (The privilege of loving), so the main title was presented with golden letters and slide images, just like a telenovela. This show was first aired as a section on "La Parodia", on Monday October 25, 2004, at 10PM with its first episode, "El Informe". This quickly became such a success that from January 3, 2005 it became a show in its own right, La Parodia now being broadcast on Sundays. In September of the same year, Alter Films released a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
containing the first ten broadcast episodes of El Privilegio de Mandar.
The show followed closely the world of the Mexican and even foreign politics, from the 2004 videoscandals
Videoscandals
The Videoscandals were political scandals in Mexico in 2004 when videos of prominent politicians taken with hidden cameras were made public...
and the Desafuero
Desafuero
Desafuero process of Andrés Manuel López Obrador is one of the most famous desafuero processes in recent Mexican history took place during 2004 and 2005. This process was originated by a land owner who sued the Federal District's government on the grounds of improper expropriation of a patch of...
judges to the last 2006 Mexican general elections. During its broadcast, the show had several guest artists, like Consuelo Duval (from La Hora Pico and La Familia P.Luche). It won the 2005 TVyNovelas Award for Best Comic Program.
This show made history as the first political parody ever aired in Mexico, where every single political person was parodied. On Saturday July 8, Televisa broadcast a special programme hosted by Mexican entertainer and actor Ernesto Laguardia, in which were presented scenes from the first episodes of the show, interviews with the actors and the people parodied and "behind the scenes" specials.
Televisa broadcast the last episode of what's considered the first season on July 9, 2006, just after the federal elections in Mexico. It's unknown if there will be another season in the near future.
From 2004, there have appeared around 50 different characters. The January 7, 2011 edition of NuestroDetroit.com, however, reported that a second season may soon be in production with Reynaldo Lopez taking over executive producing duties. The report went on to say that at least four actors--de la Torre, the Ortega brothers, and Vale--will return to the series.
Synopsis
As a parodyParody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
it is kind of predictable knowing what will happen the next episode. The only thing the viewer has to do is follow the political news. For example, in 2004, Andrés Manuel López Obrador had problems with law, confronting a desafuero
Desafuero
Desafuero process of Andrés Manuel López Obrador is one of the most famous desafuero processes in recent Mexican history took place during 2004 and 2005. This process was originated by a land owner who sued the Federal District's government on the grounds of improper expropriation of a patch of...
judge, so in the show all the trouble was parodied for months.
Not all the shows are directly related to real politics, although there is usually some political context. In February 2006, Bailando Por Un Sueño
Bailando por un sueño
Bailando por un Sueño or " Dansez pentru tine", is a reality series on the Mexican television network Canal de las Estrellas, in which celebrities are partnered with common, everyday people with dreams they want to fulfill , who each week compete...
(Dancing for a Dream) was highest rating show on Televisa, El Privilegio de Mandar parodied the show as Bailando Por Un Hueso (Dancing for a Bone) a double meaning because Hueso in this context is an expression for an influence, the participants were the politicians dancing, with the idea that the winner would get some political position or influence
Influence peddling
Influence peddling is the illegal practice of using one's influence in government or connections with persons in authority to obtain favors or preferential treatment for another, usually in return for payment. Also called traffic of influence or trading in influence ...
as a result.
On El Privilegio de Mandar, Mexico is parodied as "Colonia el Relaxo con x" ("Relaxo" means "mess" in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
. The real word is "relajo", but the "j
J
Ĵ or ĵ is a letter in Esperanto orthography representing the sound .While Esperanto orthography uses a diacritic for its four postalveolar consonants, as do the Latin-based Slavic alphabets, the base letters are Romano-Germanic...
" is changed to "x
X
X is the twenty-fourth letter in the basic modern Latin alphabet.-Uses:In mathematics, x is commonly used as the name for an independent variable or unknown value. The usage of x to represent an independent or unknown variable can be traced back to the Arabic word šay شيء = “thing,” used in Arabic...
" like the one in "Mexico"), representing the bad organization of the political world in that country. The states are represented as "Manzanas" (blocks), and the president as the president of the neighbors' association. Many of the parodied names and places are word-plays in Spanish, so they wouldn't be understood by many English or other languages speakers.
Main actors
These actors were the ones who played all the roles in El Privilegio de Mandar (the number next to them indicate the number of characters each one played)- Alfonso Villalpando
- Angélica Vale
- Arath de la Torre
- Carlos Espejel
- Eduardo España
- Freddy Ortega
- Germán Ortega
- Herson Andrade
- Pierre Angelo
- Raquel Pankowsky
- Samia
- Yekaterina Kiev
Guest artists
- Consuelo Duval
- Jorge Arvizu, "El Tata"
- René Franco
- Ricardo Hill
Main characters
- Andrés Manuel (Germán Ortega) — also known as El Peje — he is the parody of Party of the Democratic RevolutionParty of the Democratic RevolutionThe Party of the Democratic Revolution is a democratic socialist party in Mexico and one of 2 Mexican affiliates of the Socialist International...
’s former candidate to the presidency , Andrés Manuel López ObradorAndrés Manuel López ObradorAndrés Manuel López Obrador , also known as AMLO or El Peje, is a Mexican politician who held the position of Head of Government of the Federal District from 2000 to 2005, before resigning in July 2005 to contend the 2006 presidential election, representing the unsuccessful Coalition for the Good...
. The logo of the party is parodied as El Sol Azteca referring to the sun in the yellow background and the prehispanic culture Los AztecasAztecThe Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the... - Campa (Freddy Ortega) Ref. to Roberto CampaRoberto CampaRoberto Rafael Campa Cifrián is a Mexican lawyer and politician who was the New Alliance presidential candidate in the 2006 elections...
. He is the candidate to the presidency for the Partido Nueva Alianza - Canti (Carlos EspejelCarlos EspejelCarlos Espejel Leguizano is a Mexican telenovela actor and comedian, best known for his roles as "Chiquidrácula" and "Carlinflas" .-Biography:...
). Sometimes referred to as "Carlinflas", he is an inhabitant of Colonia el Relaxo. He represents the people from Mexico, formerly known as El Pueblo. His character is also the parody of a world-famous Mexican comedian: Mario Moreno CantinflasCantinflasFortino Mario Alfonso Moreno Reyes , was a Mexican comic film actor, producer, and screenwriter known professionally as Cantinflas. He often portrayed impoverished campesinos or a peasant of pelado origin...
. Espejel played this character from 1982 to 1992, stopping because of the death of Cantinflas. He was offered to play it again in 2004, and after a while he accepted. - Chente (Alfonso Villalpando) Chente is a short form for "Vicente" in Mexico (Vicente Fox Quesada, former President of MexicoPresident of MexicoThe President of the United Mexican States is the head of state and government of Mexico. Under the Constitution, the president is also the Supreme Commander of the Mexican armed forces...
). He is the president of the Colonia el Relaxo. - Cuauhtémoc (Arath de la TorreArath de la TorreArath De La Torre Balmaceda is a Mexican actor and comedian, best known for his roles in the television series La Parodia and El Privilegio de Mandar.-Biography:...
) Is the first name of C. CardenasCuauhtémoc CárdenasCuauhtémoc Cárdenas Solórzano is a prominent Mexican politician. He was a former Head of Government of the Federal District and a founder of the Party of the Democratic Revolution .-Biography:...
, former candidate of the PRD for the presidency of Mexico (1988, 1994, 2000) and son of Lázaro Cárdenas del Río, president of Mexico in 1934-1940. - Felipe Calderón (Eduardo España) — also known simply as Felipe — he was the parody of the National Action PartyNational Action Party (Mexico)The National Action Party , is one of the three main political parties in Mexico. The party's political platform is generally considered Centre-Right in the Mexican political spectrum. Since 2000, the President of Mexico has been a member of this party; both houses have PAN pluralities, but the...
’s candidate to the presidency of Mexico, Felipe Calderón HinojosaFelipe CalderónFelipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa is the current President of Mexico. He assumed office on December 1, 2006, and was elected for a single six-year term through 2012...
, who is now President of MexicoPresident of MexicoThe President of the United Mexican States is the head of state and government of Mexico. Under the Constitution, the president is also the Supreme Commander of the Mexican armed forces...
. PAN party is referred to as los azules , parodying the blue color of the party’s logo. Sometimes is also represented as a piece of bread, because "pan" in Spanish means "bread". - Jackson Ref. to Enrique JacksonEnrique JacksonJesús Enrique Jackson Ramírez is a Mexican politician affiliated to the Institutional Revolutionary Party .Jackson was born in Los Mochis, Sinaloa...
and often as a parody of Michael JacksonMichael JacksonMichael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
. - La Jirafa (Yekaterina Kiev) A tall servant girl referred to as The Giraffe because of her height, she is the foil for Canti. She represents also the Mexican people when talking with Canti. She is a parody of Sara Garcia's character in Ahi esta el detalleAhí está el detalleAhí está el detalle is a 1940 Mexican comedy film directed by Juan Bustillo Oro and starring Cantinflas, Joaquín Pardavé, Sara García with Sofía Álvarez and Dolores Camarillo. It was the twelfth film in Cantinflas' career, and the best one considered by Mexican film critics, for it is considered...
. - Martita (Raquel Pankowsky) — also known as Martita Según — represents Former Mexican President Fox's wife, Martha Sahagún de Fox.
- Roberto (Arath De La TorreArath de la TorreArath De La Torre Balmaceda is a Mexican actor and comedian, best known for his roles in the television series La Parodia and El Privilegio de Mandar.-Biography:...
) — also known as Madrazo — he is the parody of Roberto MadrazoRoberto MadrazoRoberto Madrazo Pintado is a Mexican politician affiliated with the Institutional Revolutionary Party . He was the candidate of the alliance between his party and the Ecologist Green Party of Mexico in the 2006 Mexican presidential election.Madrazo was born in Villahermosa, Tabasco to Carlos A....
, who was the Institutional Revolutionary PartyInstitutional Revolutionary PartyThe Institutional Revolutionary Party is a Mexican political party that held power in the country—under a succession of names—for more than 70 years. The PRI is a member of the Socialist International, as is the rival Party of the Democratic Revolution , making Mexico one of the few...
’s candidate to the presidency of Mexico, and that political party's former leader. The party is referred to as tricolor, because the colours of the Mexican flag (green, white and red). - Sodi (Freddy Ortega). It's the parody of Demetrio Sodi de la TijeraDemetrio SodiDemetrio Javier Sodi de la Tijera is a Mexican politician who has served in the upper and lower house of Congress...
, PAN's former candidate for the head of government. - Vocero (Jorge ArvizuJorge ArvizuJorge Arvizu is a Mexican voice actor who was the first Spanish voice, among others, of Bugs Bunny, Fred Flintstone and Cookie Monster...
, El Tata). He represents the spokesman of the former president, Vicente Fox
Other characters
Some of these characters are also presented in "La Parodia" show- Camacho Solís. Parody of Manuel Camacho Solís, former chief of government of the DF
- Carlos Abascal (Carlos Espejel), former Mexican Secretary of Labor, and Secretary of Government.
- Carlos Loharé de Mole (Arath de la Torre). Translated "Carlos I'lldoit of Mole), parody to journalist Carlos Loret de MolaCarlos Loret de MolaCarlos Loret de Mola Álvarez is a Mexican journalist. He is a popular news anchor in Mexico, hosting a show called Primero Noticias on Televisa channel 2, as well as a news radio show "Back" on Radio Formula....
(word play with Mola-MoleMole (sauce)Mole is the generic name for a number of sauces used in Mexican cuisine, as well as for dishes based on these sauces...
; popular Mexican dish) - Dámela Micha (Consuelo Duval). Parody to journalist and newscaster Adela MichaAdela MichaAdela Micha Zaga is a Mexican journalist notable for conducting several radio and TV newscasts and pioneering the Big Brother reality show in Mexico.- Past work :...
, she is an original character from "La Parodia" - Elba Esther (Angélica ValeAngélica ValeAngélica 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...
). Parody of Elba Esther GordilloElba Esther GordilloElba Esther Gordillo Morales is a Mexican politician, formerly affiliated to the Institutional Revolutionary Party until 2006...
, leader of the National Union of Teachers. - Jesús Ortega He lost PRD's candidadacy for Mexico City chief of government to Marcelo Ebrard. He later became consultant of Andrés Manuel
- Joaquín Loque-Nósdiga (Ricardo Hill). Translated "Joaquín Whatever-Hetellus", parody to newscaster Joaquín López-DórigaJoaquín López-DórigaJoaquín López-Dóriga Velandia is a Spanish Mexican journalist.At the age of 18 he started working as a journalist for the daily El Heraldo de México and two years later he joined Jacobo Zabludovsky in the television news program 24 Horas.In 1988 he was appointed news director of the Instituto...
) - Manuel Espino Barrientos. He is consultant of Felipe CalderónFelipe CalderónFelipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa is the current President of Mexico. He assumed office on December 1, 2006, and was elected for a single six-year term through 2012...
, and is a parody of the PAN's leader Manuel Espino BarrientosManuel Espino BarrientosManuel Espino Barrientos He was the 18th President of National Action Party On November 11, 2006 he was elected president of the Christian Democrat Organization of America.... - Marcelo Ref. to Marcelo EbrardMarcelo EbrardMarcelo Luis Ebrard Casaubón is the current Head of Government of the Federal District since December 5, 2006. He is a Mexican politician affiliated to the Party of the Democratic Revolution who served as Secretary-General of the former Mexican Federal District Department, minister of public...
. He is PRD's candidate to chief of government in the Federal DistrictFederal districtFederal districts are a type of administrative division of a federation, under the direct control of a federal government. They exist in various countries and states all over the world.-United States:...
. Is also known as Supermar-celo (parody of SupermanSupermanSuperman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
) by Andrés Manuel. - Marcos (Carlos Espejel). A parody of the Zapatista guerilla leader, Subcomandante MarcosSubcomandante MarcosSubcomandante Marcos is the spokesperson for the Zapatista Army of National Liberation , a Mexican rebel movement. In January 1994, he led an army of Mayan farmers into the eastern parts of the Mexican state of Chiapas protesting against the Mexican government's treatment of indigenous...
. - Mariano Palacios (Pierre Angelo). He is Roberto's consultant, and a parody of Leader of the PRI, Mariano Palacios Alcocer
- Patricia Mercado (Samia). She was the candidate to the presidency of the Social Democratic and Farmer Alternativeparty.
- Peña Nieto Ref. to Enrique Peña NietoEnrique Peña NietoEnrique Peña Nieto is a Mexican politician. A member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party , he served as governor of the State of Mexico from 2005 to 2011. On September 19, 2011, he announced his candidacy in the 2012 Mexican presidential election to succeed Felipe Calderón...
. He is PRI's actual chief of government in La Manzana Estado de México, and parody of the Governor of the State of MexicoGovernor of the State of MexicoThe Governor of the State of Mexico wields executive power in the State of Mexico ....
. - Salinas (Germán Ortega) Ref. to Carlos Salinas de Gortari. He was president of Mexico in (1988–1994). He is also known as "El Innombrable" (The one that must not be named) by Andrés Manuel.
- Víctor Trujillo (René Franco), parody to comic and political journalist Víctor TrujilloVíctor TrujilloVíctor Trujillo , is a Mexican host, comedian and political commentator. He is best known for his character Brozo el Payaso Tenebroso , a green-haired, unkempt, obscene and aggressive clown ....
Previous characters
Some of these characters appeared on the last episode.- Dolores Latierna – Parody of Dolores Padierna, wife of René BejaranoRené BejaranoRené Juvenal Bejarano Martínez is a Mexican politician and ex-legislator, better known for the 2004 videoscandals.He was a political economy professor at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana in 1978 and was the first coordinator for the Movimiento Sindical de Trabajadores de la Educación in...
(see: videoscandalsVideoscandalsThe Videoscandals were political scandals in Mexico in 2004 when videos of prominent politicians taken with hidden cameras were made public...
) - Don Diego (Freddy Ortega) Ref. to Diego Fernandez de CevallosDiego Fernández de CevallosDiego Fernández de Cevallos Ramos is a Mexican politician affiliated to the conservative National Action Party . He was a presidential candidate in the 1994 election and President of the Mexican Senate.-Life and career:...
, a Mexican Senator and former PAN Presidential candidate. - Dr Simi. Parody to Víctor González TorresVíctor González TorresVíctor González Torres , is a Mexican businessman, who ran as a write-in candidate in the 2006 Mexican presidential election. He is nicknamed "Dr. Simi" after the mascot of his national drugstore franchise, Farmacias Similares. Despite not being an official candidate, he made a massive marketing...
, aliased Dr. Simi. Dr. Simi was originally only a character for a famous chain of generic drugstores in Mexico, called Farmacias Similares (Similar Pharmacies), but Víctor G. Torres (the owner of the chain) took the name of the character and tried to register as an alternative candidate to the presidency of Mexico. He is not member of any party. (Late 2005-early 2006) - Edith González – Parody of actress Edith González. She has been also presented on "La Parodia"
- Ema Pulido. Parody to "Bailando por un sueñoBailando por un sueñoBailando por un Sueño or " Dansez pentru tine", is a reality series on the Mexican television network Canal de las Estrellas, in which celebrities are partnered with common, everyday people with dreams they want to fulfill , who each week compete...
" critic. - Félix Greco. Parody to "Bailando por un SueñoBailando por un sueñoBailando por un Sueño or " Dansez pentru tine", is a reality series on the Mexican television network Canal de las Estrellas, in which celebrities are partnered with common, everyday people with dreams they want to fulfill , who each week compete...
" critic (Only presented two episodes) - Gober Precioso (Herson Andrade). Also known as Mario de Tin-Marín (referring to the word play to random choices (de tin marin de do pingüe), he is a parody to Mario Marín, Governor of PueblaPueblaPuebla officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 217 municipalities and its capital city is Puebla....
. He is the chief of government of La Manzana PueblaPueblaPuebla officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 217 municipalities and its capital city is Puebla....
. The surname "Gober Precisoso" came out as a result of a scandal in which a leaked cell phone conversation revealed a conversation with Kamel Nacif (a suspected child molester and owner of a textile empire) who referred to Mario Marin as his "Gober Precioso" (that is Precious Governor, since 'gober' is a contraction for Governor) and offered him two bottles of cognacCognacCognac is a commune in the Charente department in southwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.-Geography:Cognac is situated on the river Charente between the towns of Angoulême and Saintes. The majority of the town has been built on the river's left bank, with the smaller right...
, presumably as a bribe to abuse a journalist. The writers in the show used this fact for the basis of the character. (Early 2006) - Irma (Angélica Vale) – Parody of actress Irma SerranoIrma SerranoIrma Serrano is a Mexican actress of film, television, and theater; and also a singer, screenwriter and politician. Thanks to her beauty, her figure and her way of being controversial, coming out of the standards of the time, Serrano managed to attract the attention of directors and producers, so...
(Late 2004-Early 2005) - Kamel Nacif (Pierre Angelo) – He is the owner of a textileTextileA textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
empire, and friend of Mario Marín. (Early 2006) - Mary (Angélica ValeAngélica ValeAngélica 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...
). She was Canti's girlfriend and another inhabitant of Colonia el Relaxo (Late 2004-Mid 2005) - Montiel (Freddy Ortega). He was PRI's candidate to chief of government for the State of Mexico. In real life, he is the former governor of that state. (Late 2004-Late 2005)
- Nico (Herson Andrade). Parody of Andrés Manuel's chauffeur, controversial in real life for his salary. (Late 2004)
- La Novia de Don Diego (Samia). Parody of Don Diego's girlfriend (Late 2004-Early 2005)
- Ponce (Herson Andrade). Parody to PRD member Gustavo Ponce, (see: videoscandalsVideoscandalsThe Videoscandals were political scandals in Mexico in 2004 when videos of prominent politicians taken with hidden cameras were made public...
) - René Bejarano (Arath de la TorreArath de la TorreArath De La Torre Balmaceda is a Mexican actor and comedian, best known for his roles in the television series La Parodia and El Privilegio de Mandar.-Biography:...
). He was the parody of René BejaranoRené BejaranoRené Juvenal Bejarano Martínez is a Mexican politician and ex-legislator, better known for the 2004 videoscandals.He was a political economy professor at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana in 1978 and was the first coordinator for the Movimiento Sindical de Trabajadores de la Educación in...
, Mexican PRD politician. (see: videoscandalsVideoscandalsThe Videoscandals were political scandals in Mexico in 2004 when videos of prominent politicians taken with hidden cameras were made public...
) (Late 2004 - early 2005) - Roberto Mitsuko. Parody to "Bailando por un sueño" critic.
- Rosario Robles (Angélica Vale). She was chief of government of Mexico City from 1997 to 2000
- Santiago (Pierre Angelo). Represents Santiago CreelSantiago CreelSantiago Creel Miranda is a Mexican senator representing the right-of-center National Action Party who served as Secretary of the Interior in the cabinet of President Vicente Fox....
, former Secretary of Government who lost the Presidential candidadacy to Felipe Calderón in 2005. (Late 2004-Mid 2005) - Yeidckol Ref. to Yeidckol Polensky. She was PRD’s candidate for the chief of government in La Manzana Estado de México. She lost in 2005 to Enrique Peña NietoEnrique Peña NietoEnrique Peña Nieto is a Mexican politician. A member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party , he served as governor of the State of Mexico from 2005 to 2011. On September 19, 2011, he announced his candidacy in the 2012 Mexican presidential election to succeed Felipe Calderón...
(Mid 2005 –late 2005)
Characters also include non-Mexican politicians such as George Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
and Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
.
Final episode
Episode 79: "The elections". The last episode of what's considered the first season was aired at 10PM on Sunday July 9, 2006.Previously was aired a special TV programme, presenting early scenes from "El privilegio de mandar" in 2004, interviews with some parodied politics and with the actors, their feelings and "behind the scene" specials.
Real facts
- AMLO arrived early at 8AM to vote on Sunday July 2
- A special cover was hosted by Televisa journalist on the day of the elections
- At night, Calderón and López Obrador celebrated their triumphs over the other, with people supporting them, without even knowing who had won
- On July 6, the official counting was finished and declared Felipe Calderón President-elect.
- Andrés Manuel battled against the results and call to a meeting at Mexico CityMexico CityMexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
's Zócalo - Roberto Madrazo lost over 10 points under the nearest candidate
Parody
The show takes off with Andrés Manuel waiting for the IFE to open the polls at 7AM in Sunday July 2, when the polls were actually opened at 8AM (as a parody of the early arrive to the polls of the real Andrés Manuel). Then, are shown the 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...
studios where four journalists are waiting for the candidates to vote (they are also rarely presented characters):
- Carlos Loharé de Mole
- Dámela Micha
- Joaquín Loque-Nósdiga
- Víctor Trujillo
Shortly after almost all characters arrive to the polls to present their votes (including characters that weren't presented anymore, like "Bejarano"). After the elections, "Ugalde" (parody to IFE
Federal Electoral Institute
The Federal Electoral Institute is an autonomous, public organization responsible for organizing federal elections in Mexico, that is, those related to the election of the President of the United Mexican States and to the election of the members of the Lower and Upper Chambers that constitute the ...
's president) made an announcement on TV, saying that he couldn't give an official winner because two candidates (Felipe and Andrés Manuel) were head to head so it wasn't time to celebrate yet. The scene changes and shows Felipe celebrating with balloons and all the people supporting him:
- - (Crowd, cheering) Felipe!, Felipe!, Felipe!
- - (Felipe, happy) Friends, that disobedient boy said it!, I'm the next president!. And I'm sorry for Andrés Manuel that must be very sad
The scene changes again, now to Andrés Manuel:
- - (Crowd, cheering) Andrés Manuel!, Andrés Manuel!, Andrés Manuel!
- - (Andrés Manuel, happy) I am president!. I won for over five hundred thousand votes!
However, the scene changes once more, now to Roberto, in his house sat down and paralysed in front of the TV. Soon the door rings:
- - (Roberto, sitting next to Mariano Palacios) The dorbell rings Mariano. Open the door; it could be a vote.
The day now changes to Thursday July 6, when the official counting was finished and declared Felipe winner of the election.
However, Andrés Manuel is very angry, and calls to a demonstration:
- - (Andrés Manuel, angry) We have to do a meeting at Saturday 8 at the Zócalo for battling against the polls! (Talking to Jesús Ortega)
- - (Jesús Ortega) Why not Sunday 9 morning?
- - (Andrés Manuel) No Jesús, is the final match of the World Cup2006 FIFA World CupThe 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
! - - (Jesús Ortega) And why not Sunday 9 night?
- - (Andrés Manuel) No, it's the final episode of "El Privilegio de Mandar"
Finally, the scene of the meeting of Andrés Manuel is presented. When he finishes talking, Canti goes up the platform and starts talking about Andres Manuel's decision and the respect of the democracy. The show ends with all the crowd cheering "México!, México!, México!" , a screen showing "¿Fin?" (The End?) and all the actors thanking to the viewers' support.
Jokes on this episode
- Joaquín Loque-Nósidga, talking about the great coverage of Televisa of the elections by their reporters:
- -(Joaquín) We've got a reporter and a camera on every state, on every district, on every poll, on every crayon.
- Roberto has voted and now goes up to Mariano Palacios (his consultant):
- - (Mariano, proud) Hey Roberto! You know what?, I voted against Felipe! (Roberto's rival)
- - (Roberto, curious) And how did you vote against Felipe, Mariano?
- - (Mariano, proud) I marked him with a cross!
- Mario de Tin Marín hadn't respected the line and he was voting. The crowd protests about that selfish act:
- - (Mario de Tin Marín, smiling) Calm down, as if you were gods!
Troubles with politicians
Andrés M. López Obrador criticised the show as making fun of him personally and as a strategy of the media to attack him because he felt that the amount of time dedicated to him was excessive in relation to other politicians. However, the show continued to broadcast parodies of him. http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/342030.htmlVíctor González Torres
Víctor González Torres
Víctor González Torres , is a Mexican businessman, who ran as a write-in candidate in the 2006 Mexican presidential election. He is nicknamed "Dr. Simi" after the mascot of his national drugstore franchise, Farmacias Similares. Despite not being an official candidate, he made a massive marketing...
also criticized the show as making fun of his way of talking, as he has physical problems.
Chente
- "No Marthita" (complaining about what his wife says)
- He often wears boots, as the real person
Felipe Calderón
- He is referred to sometimes as "Jelipe", as a common bad pronunciation of the letter F.
- He waves his left arm up and down, as the real person. When doing this there was a funny cartoon sound effect.
- Jokes with the real political campaign "Manos limpias" (clean hands),
- "Since I have to keep my hands clean, a few days ago, I couldn't play with my daughter to Play-DohPlay-DohPlay-Doh is a modeling compound used by young children for art and craft projects at home and in school. Composed of flour, water, salt, boric acid, and mineral oil, the product was first manufactured in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA as a wallpaper cleaner in the 1930s...
! - "Since I have to keep my hands clean, the last day, my wife had to replace our SUV's wheel!
- "Since I have to keep my hands clean, the last day, I ate a tacoTacoA taco is a traditional Mexican dish composed of a corn or wheat tortilla folded or rolled around a filling. A taco can be made with a variety of fillings, including beef, chicken, seafood, vegetables and cheese, allowing for great versatility and variety...
with a spoon!
Andrés Manuel
- The mispronunciation of the letters C and S, commonly between people from the Mexican Southeast
- Parody of the pauses the real person makes while he is speaking
- He always has his hair bad bruised so he had some hairs on the backhead lift up. He mentioned this portion of hair as his "Gallito Feliz" and sing a children song about it (Gallo in Mexico is a portion of hair bad bruised... literally translated to "Happy Rooster").
- Fear from Carlos Salinas de Gortari, he always mentions him as "El Innombrable" (The one must not be named).
Memorable phrases
- "A estas encuestas sí les creo porque voy ganando" (I do believe in this polls because I am winning); after the polls from June 23, when he was winning
- "Que poca... ¡eso no es cierto!" (Son of a... that's not true!); used several times
- "¡Esto es un complot!" (This is a complot!); every time he feels cornered about a situation that everybody is blaming on him even that he was the real cause.
Roberto
- Use always of the phrase "Amigo" (my friend) anytime he talks to somebody
- He laughs in a very noisy way
- Reference for the strongness of his last name ("Madrazo" is often an offensive word in Spanish for "punch")
- Incredible fear from Elba Esther Gordillo
René Bejarano
- He never laughs. Instead, he covers his mouth with his hand and shakes his head like he was laughing
- He uses his bills to blow his nose, clean his face, etc.
- He ends his phrases in an upper tone than the one he started them
- He always ensure to do not forget the rubbers.
Memorable phrases
- "Dondequiera que esté, nadie, absolutamente nadie, me podrá quitar mi derecho de soñar" (Wherever I am, nobody, nobody at all will ever take from me my right for dreaming); at his desafueroDesafueroDesafuero process of Andrés Manuel López Obrador is one of the most famous desafuero processes in recent Mexican history took place during 2004 and 2005. This process was originated by a land owner who sued the Federal District's government on the grounds of improper expropriation of a patch of...
judge. - "Me siento como un billete dentro de un portafolios" (I feel like a bill trapped inside a briefcase); being in jail.
DVD
In 2005, 10 early episodes from September–November 2004 were released on a double-face DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
format. This DVD edition is still available in some music stores in Mexico.
These episodes include all the desafuero
Desafuero
Desafuero process of Andrés Manuel López Obrador is one of the most famous desafuero processes in recent Mexican history took place during 2004 and 2005. This process was originated by a land owner who sued the Federal District's government on the grounds of improper expropriation of a patch of...
judge to Bejarano and the videoscandals.
Synopsis
Episode 6: "Derecho de soñar" (Right for dreaming); is about Bejarano's desafuero judge.Two police officers ("polecias", as a parody of the ignorance of some police officers in Mexico) are waiting for Bejarano to came out of his house. The frame changes to the room of Bejarano, where he is packing his clothes.
Later, in the desafuero judge, he starts avoiding the judge's questions:
Part of the dialogue:
- (Bejarano): "I know, you all have seen the video of me receiving money from Ahumada. The thing that really disappoints me is that, existing an original version, you all have seen a fake copy. Now, our partner Dolores (referring to his wife) will give you original videos that you'll can buy for a low price"
- (Judge): "And the cash René?" (In Spanish: ¿Y la lana René?) (lana is a form to say money or cash in Mexico)
- (Bejarano): "La Rana René está con los Muppets" (Kermit the Frog is with the Muppets) (Joking of the pronunciation of lana=rana) (Rana René is the name of Kermit the FrogKermit the FrogKermit the Frog is puppeteer Jim Henson's most famous Muppet creation, first introduced in 1955. He is the protagonist of many Muppet projects, most notably as the host of The Muppet Show, and has appeared in various sketches on Sesame Street, in commercials and in public service announcements over...
in Mexico) - (Judge, after finishing the judgement): "What does the people says?!! (¿Qué es lo que dice el público?)
- (Crowd, furious): "Out!" "Out!" (¡Fuera, fuera!) (this is parody of the TV Show Don Francisco)
- (Bejarano): "Finally for finish, wherever I am, nobody, nobody at all will ever take from me my right for dreaming"
- (Crowd): "Out"! "Out!"
- (The frame changes and Bejarano is trapped in jail, before he wakes up and realizes he was dreaming)