Top 2by2.net Reps attend post ALMA Awards party!

Top 2by2.net Reps attend post ALMA Awards party!

May 31, 2002

The ALMA Awards was created in 1995 as part of NCLR’s strategy to promote fair, accurate, and balanced portrayals of Latinos in television, film, and music. Born out of a direct response to negative stereotyping of Latinos in entertainment, these awards honor Latino performers for their outstanding artistic achievement, impact, and enhancement of the image of Latinos.

This show, airing on ABC on June 1st, is the only two-hour Latino-themed prime-time awards special produced on any of the four major English-language networks. The show was named “ALMA” (Spanish for “spirit” or “soul”) which represents the determined spirit of the Latino people in an effort to reflect the spirit as well as the scope of the awards program.

Two limousines and a Bentley arrived at the storied Biltmore Hotel that evening to whisk a special group off to an equally special evening in absolute style. Arriving at the event, they emerged from luxury rides, dressed to the nines, they strolled the red carpet and entered the venue right along with the glittering Hollywood stars. After the stellar awards show, they found themselves again in the lap of luxury, gliding opulently down the major streets of LA and heading to an exclusive locale.

Once again walking the red carpet and being bedazzled amidst the photographers and fans, our reps gained entrance to Madre’s, a restaurant owned by a celebrity you may have heard of…Jennifer Lopez. Once inside, they were led to the exclusive 2by2.net VIP section where they spent the evening with celebrities and notables.

Yes, the Leading 2by2.net reps attended both the spectacular ALMA Awards ceremony and a rousing post-ALMA awards party in true Hollywood tradition. The American Latino Media Arts Awards Ceremony is the most prestigious event honoring the Latin American community. The show and award was named "ALMA" (Spanish for "spirit" or "soul") because it represents the determined spirit of the Latino people as well as the scope of the awards program. After the event there are "A-List" parties. Our honored group of 2by2.net reps held court at one of the best gatherings and restaurants.

Our A-List included Top Reps such as Dr. Luis Arriaza and Evelia Arriaza, Suzy Wan and Michael Synn, Leticia Pasillas and Luis Baeza, Michael Mo, Joshua Lau, Son Nguyen, Frank and Luis Salazar, Hector and Maria Flores joined Dennis Wong, Telicia Lander, Sophia Wong, Dave Enders, Jeffrey Morgan and Stacey Smith.

Excitement? Well, you can only imagine…

So what if they’ve already announced the winners. That doesn’t mean you still can’t enjoy the show.

On Saturday night, ABC airs the 7th annual ALMA Awards, hosted this year by actor-comedian Paul Rodriguez. (Check listings for local air time.) Taped last month in Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium, the show honors Latinos in the entertainment industry.

This year’s Entertainer of the Year award went to John Leguizamo, who is currently touring the nation with his new one-man show, Sexaholix. Tune in and you’ll also get to see salsa king Marc Anthony sweep the music categories. Anthony picked up trophies for Outstanding Male Performer, Outstanding Performance and Outstanding Spanish-language Album of The Year. Pop music diva Shakira won for Outstanding Female Performer.

Showtime’s Resurrection Blvd. collected four awards, including Outstanding Television Series. "I am so proud…," actor Tony Plana told HispanicOnline. "No Latino TV show has ever made it past its first season, and we are celebrating our third year."

Pop music superstar Ricky Martin won NCLR’s Vanguard Award for his contribution to fostering understanding of Latino culture. "We are one race of people, and through our work we are influencing the world," Martin said.

The winners of the ALMA Awards are selected by the National Council of La Raza’s nomination committee, which consist of people in the entertainment industry and past winners and nominees. NCLR is the nation’s most influential Hispanic advocacy group.

The non-profit organization buys air time from ABC, then sells ads to help pay for costs of the show. Ads reportedly sell for $100,000-120,000. NCLR also receives corporate contributions for the show from the likes of Coca-Cola and Wal-Mart. The show attracted 4.5 million viewers last year, according to ABC officials.

Posted: 5/30/02