ENTERTAINMENT

Joining the ranks of Oprah Winfrey and Sally Jessy Raphael is 43-year-old Cuban-born Cristina Saralegui , whose English-language counterpart of her successful Spanish-language talk show debuts June 22 on CBS-owned stations in Los Angeles, Miami and New York, with additional stations expected to be added later. During its 11-week test run, “Cristina,” which will tape in Miami, will air Monday through Friday. “The Cristina Show,” the top-rated daytime show on Spanish-language television, will continue to air locally on KMEX and throughout the Univision network.

“Alborada” (“Sunrise”) is the most recent album by Laureano Brizuela, popularly known as “the angel of rock.” And if you look at the songwriting credits, you will see that nine of the cuts are penned by L. B. Wilde. But who is L. B. Wilde? None other than Brizuela! The product of an artistic family, the popular Argentine singer, who began his career as a classical pianist, says he is a descendant of the 19th-Century author Oscar Wilde. The singer-songwriter lives in Southern California.

Another popular Spanish-language talk show host, Paul Rodriguez, celebrated the 100th program of his Univision show by throwing a party at the Atlas Bar & Grill in the Mid-Wilshire District. Enjoying the fun were actors Jimmy Smits of “L.A. Law” fame and Edward James Olmos; “La Bamba” director Luis Valdez; KMEX General Manager Mike Martinez, and cabaret star Olga Breeskin. Since its debut in March, 1990, the program has attracted diverse guests from the U.S. and Latino entertainment worlds, including Joan Rivers, Jack Lemmon and Pedro Almodovar. Rodriguez, who was born in Mazatlan, Mexico, the son of migrant farm workers, remains strongly rooted in the Latino community by working with civic and educational groups. “I don’t think of myself as a spokesperson, just someone who says funny things. But I do care about the community and what happens to the kids. I think when you have any success, it helps kids to know that they have a chance, too.”