Tune In or Tune Out: Devious Maids (Lifetime)

Devious Maids 

Created by: Marc Cherry (Desperate Housewives)

Starring: Ana Ortiz (Ugly Betty), Judy Reyes (Scrubs), Roselyn Sanchez (Without a Trace), Dania Ramirez (Heroes), and Susan Lucci (All My Children)

Stereotypical? Sure, the show Devious Maid premiered on Lifetime last night, and received a lot of critiques from the Latino/Hispanic community.  Executive Producer Eva Longoria (Desperate Housewives) has defended the series saying while there may be some stereotypes, the show represent a characterization of real Latino women, and the problems many of them face.

At the moment I have to agree with Longoria, especially since this show is based on the Mexican television series Ellas son...la alegría de.  Although in this telenovela, Latinos played all the characters, the rich people and the maids.  In defense of the show  the women who are Latina or Hispanic are the sympathetic characters within the series, while their white employers are monsters. 

On the other hand the show does continue the imperialistic nature of North American dominance. Alicia Valdes spoke with many Latinos and here was a quote from someone she interviewed "It is not wrong to be a maid, or even a Latina maid, but there is something very wrong with an American entertainment industry that continually tells Latinas that this is all they are or can ever be." Professor Charles Ramirez Berg explains that Hollywood’s stereotypical “construction of Latinos in this country [is done] to justify the United States’ imperialistic goals. U.S. imperialism was based on the notion that the nation should control the entire hemisphere and was willing to fight anyone who disagreed."  North American imperialism within US television series has pushed Latina women to the side. If you look at this cast its full of many talented Latina actresses who need/deserve more work!

Looking at both these arguments I agree with both, this is trying to be pure entertainment showing "the struggle."  Valdes article has valid arguments, but as more and more Latinos/Hispanics become part of this culture, I have a feeling this trend will swing within her favor.  American television has become slow on the upswing with many levels, from ethnic, racial, and LGBT representation.  Valdes has one thing right Latina women should not be just portrayed as maid.  

On to the show itself, because I could analyze the representation of Latinos in the media for an entire book.  Cherry's premise is formulaic, and similar to Desperate Housewives.  If you were a fan of his previous work then you will enjoy this series, because the premise plot etc are almost too similar.  Cherry needs to come up with a new formula.  This is the problem with American television, they see a formula, and its lather, rinse, repeat.  When people complain about the lack originality its because of this this re-tread.  I am proud of ABC for passing on this series.

The only reason I watched this series was because of Ana Ortiz, Judy Reyes, and my girl Susan Lucci.  All of these three women were great, and the show had its moments.  I will watch one more episode of this show, and see if it picks up any steam, but this is not worth it.

Tune Out!

Lifetime's Liz and Dick is Equal Parts Train Wreck and Hilariously Bad Sketch Comedy

There is not much to say about Lifetime's television movie Liz and Dick, mostly because I am speechless, and tired from laughing so hard.  The story follows Liz and Dick, or Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton mostly through their careers in the 1960s, their meeting on the set of Cleopatra, hating one another then falling in love.  The point of the film, albeit this did come across, was that these two folks were two of the first celebrities, in the way we know now.  They loved each other, but their private lives becoming public got in the way of the actual love affair.  Sounds like a great story, one that would make an excellent film, right? Wrong.

The first problem is that you have two of the most complex films stars played by amateurs.  Let's take a look at Ms. Lohan first.  Lindsey Lohan and Elizabeth Taylor have had similar lives.  Like Taylor Lohan was a child star who may have grown up too quickly, thus preventing her from understanding normal.  There is a line in the film where Taylor takes time off from the movies (at age 29) and states I have made 29 pictures I do not know how to play games or do real things.  Taylor went through a lot of emotional hell, and the tabloids ate it up.

Much like Taylor Lohan is going through quite the same ordeal, the difference Taylor had talent, and Lohan has lost her talent in the bars, or allegedly doing cocaine with her mother.  While Taylor's personal demons affected her much more in her later years; she still won two Oscars, and had some of the most amazing performances in film.  Lohan has tried to recoup but failed at hosting Saturday Night Live, which was a major foreshadowing of this film.  Lohan's portrayal of Taylor was painful, and hilarious, but in the way Faye Dunaway portrayed Joan Crawford.  Nothing is "convincing" about this conversion; she did not look like her, the make-up, and hair were bad, and she did Liz wrong.  Apparently Ms. Lohan was a terror on the set, using the excuse she was trying to get in character; she needed to be an even bigger bitch apparently.

Grant Bowler is not without fault; he did played Richard Burton as an offish buffoon rather than the complicated drunk ladies man.  Bowler has been suave and debonair in many different roles, like televisions Ugly Betty, in fact that should have influence his acting more, but he flat lined.  Burton was just as complex as Liz, but he was beyond boring in this film.

Director Lloyd Kramer, and writer Christopher Monger had a gold mine in their lap.  Lifetime was salivating at the tit, with the juicy material of the romance between Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, but they struck out.  They gambled with the wrong leading lady who should have tried to not play herself on screen, but rather capture the complicated person that was the beautiful/talented Elizabeth Taylor.