LATINO LOOP for the week of May 18, 2012

	William Levy is among the three "Dancing With the Stars" finalists. The winner will be crowned next week.
	A new free trade agreement between the U.S. and Colombia went into effect with the first Colombian shipment being a plane-load of more than 1.2 million flowers that arrived in Miami last week.
	Demi Lovato will join the second season of "The X Factor" as a judge alongside Britney Spears, Simon Cowell and L.A. Reid.
	CBS canceled the comedy series "Rob", which starred Rob Schneider, Cheech Marin, Eugenio Derbez and Lupe Ontiveros.
	Tr3s: MTV, Musica y Mas announced its new programming lineup that will feature adaptations of MTV's "From G's to Gents" and VH1's "Best Week Ever". The network also green-lighted a second season of the Wilmer Valderrama-produced series "The Ricardo Laguna Project".
	Telemundo unveiled its new slate of programming including six new original primetime novelas, daytime shows and reality competition shows with nearly 900 hours of original programming. The network also announced that it will create a sequel to "La Reina del Sur" and unveiled a new logo and branding campaign aimed at conveying the duality of the U.S. Hispanic audience.
	Jessica Sanchez is among the final three "American Idol" hopefuls. The winner will be decided on next week's finale.
	Univision announced its 2012-13 lineup featuring a novelas like "Amor Bravio", "Por Ella Soy Eva" and new seasons of "Mira Quien Baila", "Nuestra Belleza Latina", "Parodiando" and "Pequeños Gigantes".
	Pernod Ricard announced its plans to launch a Cuban-made rum, Havanista, in the U.S. if and when the embargo on Cuban products is lifted.
	Mexican author Carlos Fuentes died this week in Mexico City at age 83.
	The Broadway League unveiled Viva Broadway in an effort to connect with Latino audiences and increase awareness about Broadway. Some of the goals of the initiative will be national test pilot programs in key markets, media partnerships, the launch of a Viva Broadway Week and more.
	An estimated 49 headless bodies, which could end up being closer to 70, were discovered on a highway in Nuevo Leon, Mexico over the weekend. The corpses' heads, hands and feet were chopped off.
	The National Hispanic Milk Mustache campaign launched a new series of online videos starring Salma Hayek, Lili Estefan and Barbara Bermudo. The videos feature celebrities sharing tips, personal memories and anecdotes on a variety of topics including raising bilingual children, childhood memories and tips for raising a healthy family.
	Shakira celebrated reaching the 50 million Facebook friends this week.
	Qzina Specialty Foods created an 18,239 pound replica of a Mayan temple, breaking the world record for the world's largest chocolate sculpture. The sculpture was created to celebrate the company's 30th anniversary and also the opening of their institute of pastry and chocolate and will be on display at the institute in Irvine, CA from June 4th to December 21st.
	Marc Anthony and Juanes will headline the Aruba International Film Festival's inaugural concert series taking place June 22-28th.
	Tecate launched a nationwide search for the "Tecate Correspondent Team", a group of soccer fans that will be selected to travel and report on the game of their choice in Mexico or the U.S. www.facebook.com/tecate
	PBS will air the final episode of "Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr." on Sunday, May 20th. The episode will explore the Latin American roots of Michelle Rodriguez, Adrian Grenier and Linda Chavez.
	New York's "Daily News" shuttered the Spanish-language weekly "Hora Hispana" this week. However, the paper will continue to print its "Viva" section.

Latino Loop

LATINO LOOP for the week of May 18, 2012