PEOPLE IN ENTERTAINMENT

Earlier this year, we quoted Gloria and Emilio Estefan singing the praises of Jon Secada. Soon after, the Cuban-born singer-songwriter rocked both the English and Spanish pop music scenes with his hit “Otro dia mas sin verte” (“Just Another Day”). Last month, at Billboard’s Music Video Awards in Los Angeles, Secada won best male artist (beating out Alvaro Torres, El General, Fernando Allende and Mijares) and best new artist honors. Kevin Layne won the best director award for Secada’s “Otro dia mas sin verte,” all in the Latin category.

Leukemia patient Anissa Ayala made national headlines in 1990 when her parents conceived a child in hopes of providing a bone marrow match and saving Anissa’s life. The procedure was successful. The events that led up to the decision--and the national controversy that followed--are dramatized in “Who Will Save My Life? The Anissa Ayala Story,” an NBC movie that will air next year. Newcomer Teresa DiSpina stars as Anissa, Tony award winner Priscilla Lopez (“A Chorus Line”) plays her mother, and Tony Perez (“Trials of Rosie O’Neill” and “Hill Street Blues”) also will star in the two-hour telefilm.

The fascination in biographical-based movie and TV projects, such as “The Anissa Ayala Story,” “Sinatra” and “Malcolm X,” could lead to a miniseries based on the life of the late Argentine-born singer and actor Dick Haymes. Haymes was considered one of the best crooners of the 1940s until a series of highly publicized marriages and scandals destroyed his career. Among his wives was Margarita Cansino, better known as Rita Hayworth, whom Haymes wed after her divorce from Prince Aly Khan. A separate TV movie based on her life also may be in the works.

“Lente Loco” is Univision’s answer to “Candid Camera” and “America’s Funniest Home Videos.” The program, which debuted last month, features practical jokes, home movies and other comical segments introduced by host Fernando Fiore. The show airs on KMEX-TV, Channel 34, Thursdays at 10 p.m.

In a concert celebrated against the background of Vienna’s splendor, Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo and Diana Ross perform a repertoire of Christmas songs, including “Silent Night” and “Jingle Bells.” The one-hour “Great Performances” special will air on KCET, Channel 28, at 8 p.m. on Christmas Eve.