We’ve already established that Tommy Mottola is a top candidate for honorary Latino status. As the record mogul behind pop music’s great Latin invasion of the 1990s, the man’s done more for Latino visibility in the mainstream in 20 years than just about any Hollywood studio exec, ever. Plus he’s married to Thalía, so he’s got a front row seat to the joys of Latin American-style telenovela romance.
Now whether he’s driven by a genuine passion for Latin culture or merely an astute business sense – or a little of both – Mr. Mottola won’t stop cranking out the Latino love. His new HBO special The Latin Explosion: A New America was announced a few months back as an exploration of the influence of Latino music on the U.S. mainstream, but the documentary’s brand new official trailer gives us a slightly different story.
Amidst interviews from a dizzying array of Latino megastars – including Cheech Marin, J. Lo, Ricky Martin, Pitbull, Eva Longoria, and Sofía Vergara – one starts getting the sense that this project is actually more about Latinos’ long struggle for acceptance in the U.S. mainstream, and the role crossover music has played in that project. Of course, even with such a noble intention, Mottola’s probably holding out for at least a slight uptick in his royalty checks. But hey, with so much 90s nostalgia going on isn’t it time we gave “She Bangs” another listen or two?
The Latin Explosion: A New America premieres Monday, November 16 at 9 p.m. on HBO and HBO Latino.