Latina

When I think of actress Lupe Ontiveros, who passed away from liver cancer at 69 Thursday night, what stays with me most is her strength. Her women tended to be strong and resilient, no-nonsense types, whether they were running a theater company as she did in "Chuck & Buck," dealing with a rebellious daughter in "Real Women Have Curves," or picking up after some well-heeled white family, as she did in"The Goonies. "There was a "I have seen it all" quality that danced in her eyes, more bemused by the frailties of the human race than bitter about them.

Jennifer Lopez is on the cover of the new Glam Belliza Latina, a beauty magazine for Latinas from the publishers of Glamour. The magazine hits select newsstands in Los Angeles, New York and Miami on Tuesday and plans are to have a website up and running on Monday. [Glamour] Nicki Minaj launched her new fashion collection for KMart at a private event in West Hollywood on Friday. But she reportedly was wearing a dress by Rebecca Minkoff. [Styleite] "Project Runway's" Heidi Klum is joining the judges panel on "America's Got Talent.

The 131-character dispatch arrived mournfully within two hours of sunrise May 4, at 7:58 a.m. to be exact. "When u give Give GIVE and they take Take TAKE at wat point do u draw a line in the sand?" Kobe Bryant wrote on his Twitter feed, adding the hashtags "hurt beyond measure," "gave me no warning," and finally, "love?" Bryant's career with the Lakers has often been pushed aside by internal family matters, the recent court battle over his memorabilia the latest in a string of cheerless events.

SANTA FE, N.M. - In 2010, New Mexico's Susana Martinez made history, being elected the nation's first Latina governor. Since November, she's made waves, criticizing Mitt Romney for the harsh rhetoric of his presidential campaign and chiding fellow Republicans for actions that, she says, have needlessly estranged Latinos from the GOP. "We have to make sure that as Republicans we don't just visit Latinos during election time, but that we make them...

Ana Tijoux is not your average rapper. On "1977," the lush title track off her new album, she raps about her life so far, from childhood in exile and rebellious adolescence to maturity as a young woman. But her rhymes don't rhyme. The words don't bounce off each other with the expected repetition of most commercial fare. Instead, Tijoux's lyrics boast an internal logic of their own. Breathlessly, she raps, manipulating syllables, exploring the beauty of the Spanish language — a staccato rhythm here, an unusual metaphor there.

Judge Sonia Sotomayor seemed determined Tuesday to put to rest the talk of her as the "wise Latina" who might make better decisions than a white male because of her gender or ethnicity. The statement was a "rhetorical flourish that fell flat," the Supreme Court nominee told senators, saying for the first time that her most famous words had "created a misunderstanding" about her views of the law and judging.

"We're facing a dismal dropout rate among Latinas of 43%, yet there are all these fantastic Latina role models they can look to," said Anna Ortega, president of the Comision Femenil de Los Angeles. At its annual banquet, the commission honored the following "11 outstanding Latinas in education." They are: Gina Alonso, founder, Latinos for Excellence in Education; Rosina Becerra, associate dean, UCLA School of Social Welfare; Mayra Fernandez, elementary school teacher; Cathy Kisee-Sandoval, Rhodes scholar; Adriana Martinez, Roosevelt High School student body president; Vilma S. Martinez, University of California regent.

The National Network of Hispanic Women will hold its third national round table for Latina business and corporate women June 22-24 at the Biltmore hotel. The organization, which seeks to prepare Latinas for leadership positions in the public and private sectors, addresses social problems affecting their communities, especially in education and employment. More than two dozen workshops will be offered, including "Business Planning--Taking the Risk Out of the First Five Years" and "Avenues to Power: Politics, Leadership and Money."

To the Editor: I am a true fan of Celeste Fremon's big-hearted, socially responsible work, and her review of my novel, "Locas," (Book Review, June 15) piqued my interest on a couple of different levels. First, her critique of the presentation of the novel--in particular, the copy on the jacket flap that announces that it is a "pirate radio broadcast straight from the urban core"--is well taken. Although I did not write that copy, I am responsible for it, and I now wish that it had been omitted because the novel is a work of imagination and is no way intended as (nor could it be)

Obviously, it was too good to be true. Alfonso Arau fought so hard to present a family of upper-class Mexicans as prestigious vintners in "A Walk in the Clouds" (Film Clips, Jan. 30), and then he cast Winona Ryder as a Latina. Way to go, Alfonso, another giant step backward for Latina talent. ROSEMARY ALDERETE CHERYL B. LEADER Los Angeles The writers are partners in Indivision, a Latina-owned film and TV production company.

For at least the last decade, one of the most-talked-about cookbooks has been one that hadn't yet been published. “When is Maricel's book coming out?” was a constant topic at gatherings of food writers. It seemed an unbeatable idea: a cookbook that covered the breadth of Latin American cooking, by an author, Maricel Presilla , who is not only an award-winning chef, but also knows how to do serious research (she has a doctorate in history). Finally, “Gran Cocina Latina” has arrived and it looks to be worth the wait.

Josephine Jimenez, a Los Angeles educator who broke through a glass ceiling to run a high school and become a leader and supervisor of principals, has died at 100. Jimenez is widely regarded by former colleagues as the first Latina and the second female high school principal in Los Angeles Unified - the district didn't record such milestones. As a teacher, she also started the district's first folklorico dance group. She died Sept. 15 of complications related to old age, according to her family.

Set in an East Texas work prison in 1976, the turgid indie "Cellmates" pairs an incarcerated Klan bigwig (Tom Sizemore) with a happy-go-lucky Mexican fieldworker (Hector Jimenez). The bigot endures the lectures of a potato-farming-obsessed warden (Stacy Keach, full throttle) and falls for a pretty Latina maid (Olga Segura). Really, you can't blame Sizemore for turning the simplest physical movement or line of dialogue into a hoedown of over-gesturing. Co-writer/director Jesse Baget's incessantly talky mix of faux-Coens-style redneck grandiloquence and un-Coens-like visual flatness leaves the fidgety star trapped in garish close-up for most of the film.

Two women who sued the city of Compton, alleging that the city's election system violates the rights of Latino voters, have not presented enough evidence to decide the case without a trial, a judge has ruled. The plaintiffs, both Latinas, asked the court for a summary judgment, arguing that the facts show without dispute that the city's at-large voting system impairs the ability of Latino voters to elect the candidates of their choice. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Allen White ruled Friday that the women had not presented strong enough evidence to decide the case on the spot, meaning it will go to trial as scheduled in February.

A lawsuit has been filed against the Bear Valley Unified School District on behalf of a Latina middle-school student who accuses her teacher of making remarks about her ethnicity that, she said, humiliated her and inhibited her education. The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund filed the lawsuit Wednesday. It says Coral Aviles, 13, was harassed by a Big Bear Middle School teacher because she is Mexican and alleges the district didn't do enough to respond. Bear Valley school district officials declined to comment on Thursday, saying they hadn't been served with the lawsuit.

Spring came a bit early for the Los Angeles City Council. Bouquets of fuchsia and violet flowers filled council chambers on Friday as council members stood up, one by one, to call for rebirth, rejuvenation and renewal. They were not discussing the city's financial prospects. The occasion was Nowruz, the Persian New Year. Each March, the city's Iranian community throws a lavish Nowruz party at City Hall. In the grand rotunda outside council chambers, goldfish glided inside gilded glass urns and tables overflowed with bite-size walnut cookies flavored with rose water, cardamom and honey.

We like the articles in your magazine that promote racial harmony and consider them a force for good in this society. However, the photographs in the ads and articles tell a different story and undermine your good intentions. In the May 3 issue we count this many pictures of beautiful women: 28 are white, two are black and one each are Latina and Asian. And even the women who are black and Latina are not clearly so and could almost be counted as white. R.H. GOOD JR. AND FEROL GOOD Laguna Hills

I GASPED when I saw the title of Agustin Gurza's article ["Latinos Lose an Urban Voice," June 21]. I loved Tu Ciudad. It was a place to celebrate being Latina like me, to take pride in being a native Angeleno, and to find out where all those great mojitos are! Laura M. Webber Glendale

When she takes the oath of office Saturday morning in Santa Fe's historic plaza, Susana Martinez will become New Mexico's ? and the nation's ? first elected Latina governor. The 51-year-old, four-term Doña Ana County district attorney is also a rising star in national Republican circles, already being mentioned in the blogosphere as a potential vice presidential candidate in 2012. But as she takes over from Bill Richardson ? a termed-out Democrat whose final two years in office were clouded by federal investigations into pay-for-play allegations ?

Stringing them along Re "A city with a lot of pull," Column One, Oct. 11 Who knew that Chico is the yo-yo capital of the world? I would never have imagined that someone could get sponsored, become pro and make a living off the sport. The tricks these pros are doing are mind-boggling. I can't understand how 14-year-old Gentry Stein can literally jump over his tricks; I can barely conquer "cat's cradle. " Here's another great example of an activity that has no barriers in terms of age, income or physical ability.