As we continue to provide coverage of the ongoing social media saga of best-selling Latina author Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez and her public campaign to criticize the treatment of her book series, The Dirty Girls Social Club, a few sporadic negative comments about what she has written on Her Blog are starting to appear. Mind you, the vast majority of comments have been very positive of Valdes-Rodriguez but comments criticizing her opinions and unfiltered posts have surfaced.
Valdes-Rodriguez has already said to us that she is allowing all types of comments to be posted since all opinions should be heard.
As this story grows, it will be interesting if a pattern of comments begins to appear. It means that the story is getting out there, yes, even during Christmas holiday. Here was one posted to her WordPress blog last night. The post was taken down today, but it was up for a few hours on the blog:
HA HA HA!!! YOU start a fight at Christmas time, talk all kinds of s—, illegally publish their script and now that NBC has sent you a cease and desist letter you cry …oh they sent a poor penniless single mother a cease and desist letter on Xmas eve. What a hypocrite! You can’t have it both ways honey. You started this ridiculous fight and right before xmas. You took their money…by the way $5000 is a lot of money for a book that has been optioned twice before and failed…and signed on the dotted line. Most deals only want “based on” a novel. They don’t want to make the exact book. You say they want to make another Sex and the City….yeah NBC wants to, that was one of the most successful series and just got a second run on syndication and two movies. You say you have so much integrity but you are a nasty piece of work. I don’t see anything wrong with the changes they have made…next time don’t option your book…but then again I don’t think anyone will want to…they haven’t been that good lately.
What do you think? Is this getting too personal now? Let us know.
In the meantime, Valdes-Rodriguez continues to tweet on Twitter, sharing additional information from the copy of the Dirty Girls TV script she has received.
Here is one she posted at 2pm EST on December 26, that reveals the beginning of the script and is now being shared on Twitter:
Finally, Valdes-Rodriguez is also posting on her Public Facebook Profile and getting support there as well.
UPDATE, January 1, 2011: The Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez blog posts referred to here no longer appear on her site. Valdes-Rodriguez hinted that certain blog posts would very likely be deleted in accordance to the statement she published at Please Respect NBC.
Franky Benítez 
I think that a lot of long time readers of Alisa’s blogs have heard this story before. This is the FOURTH time that The Dirty Girls Social Club has been optioned by someone in Hollywood. First it was Jennifer Lopez, then Lifetime network, followed by Nely Galan and Deborah Martin Chase, and finally poor Ann Lopez. Every attempt ends with Alisa accusing someone of racism and painting herself as a victim.
She also has a reputation as being untruthful. Did you follow her huge blowout with Afterellen.com last year? How about her fervent denials over the years that she wrote that infamous resignation letter? What about all the people she has attacked on her blog over the years for no reason? She never apologizes, just removes the post and pretends it never happened.
Right now we just have her word and a few quotes that she has cherry picked from a script that she received through back channels. Forgive me if I reserve judgement until I have more facts. Due to her track record I just won’t trust Alisa’s word alone.
Thanks for commenting, we are just reporting what is being said and posted out there in the public social media space. I am trying to get comments from Lopez and others, but still no luck. As a blogger/journalist, I am taking no sides, just sharing what is being posted out there. Right now from a social media perspective, Valdes-Rodriguez is mobilizing her Twitter stream and there has been a lot of awareness and activity.
We are curious why Lopez and/or Encanto has stayed silent.
Send us the links you are referring to and we would be more than happy to examine.
Thanks again for commenting!
Are you really surprised that Ann Lopez doesn’t want to discuss this matter publicly?
If you would like to research Alisa’s background, there is a wealth of information available both online and in newspaper archives. Most of her controversial blog posts have been deleted. Here are a few links to get you started:
http://www.afterellen.com/2009/2/visibility-matters
http://blog.shankbone.org/2009/02/13/alisa-valdes-rodriguez-bipolar-disorder-bisexuality-and-wikipedia/
http://www.sptimes.com/News/110300/Floridian/The_language_of_genoc.shtml
http://www.lukeford.net/profiles/profiles/alisa_rodriguez.htm
From the looks of it Valdes-Rodriguez has been pretty public about what she is writing about her issue with Ann Lopez and NBC. As a blogger journalist, I don’t know her personally but have read her recent blogs and have see what she is tweeting. You cannot deny the fact that her social media soapbox and opinions have generated a story here. The is much more to come. We encourage you to blog about it on your own if you have issues. Social media is the great flattner.
I also don’t think the links added here are relevant to the current story, but since it is my policy to keep this blog open and free, there are being kept and people can decide on their own.
Thanks for your dialogue and comments!
I believe the links I posted above are relevant and I would like to explain why. Alisa is publicly accusing three well-respected women of racism and homophobia. Ann, Luisa, and Lynette have achieved success in an industry that it is certainly not especially welcoming to women, not to mention women of color. I do not know them personally, but I certainly respect their accomplishments.
Alisa is now writing some pretty horrible things about them, both professionally and personally. There is no independent evidence to support these accusations, just Alisa’s word. So it is up to the reader to determine how trustworthy Alisa is. Her past history of wild accusations of racism and untruthfulness (even when confronted evidence to the contrary) become relevant at this point.
I would also like to take a moment to add that I am indeed a female named Elisabeth, I have never been married to Alisa, and I do not believe I am a sociopath. 😉
Thank you, Elisabeth, for your comments and participation in this forum. We have also posted some additional information about Luisa Leschin and Ann Lopez on this site. Here is the link: http://ow.ly/3vczm
I am concerned that Alisa a single mother is spending all her time in front of the computer during the holidays instead of spending this time with her child. Unless of course her son is with his father? Oh I forgot she unleashed a tirade about her ex (father of her son), her own family, and the LA Times to name a few. Perhaps Child Protective Services should investigate her? She seems really volatile and unstable. I do not know the details of how Hollywood options book rights but I do know a ridiculous rant when I read one. I hope that Alisa calms down and rethinks picking a fight with NBC who owns the book rights. She herself says she is a penniless single Mom and she doesn’t care about money. How is she going to support her son if she gets blackballed? By the way here is a link that will give you and your readers some insight into Alisa. http://www.lukeford.net/profiles/profiles/alisa_rodriguez.htm
Elisabeth is dragging up ancient and untrue posts about me in an attempt to turn this into a personal issue about ME. She also states several falsehoods.
The Columbia Pictures movie was never made because the producer, Laura Ziskin, hated the script she got from Cynthia Cidre. I never saw the script and was not involved in the deal other than as the book author. Cidre was given two opportunities to write a romantic comedy and, I was told, turned in depressing dramas about weddings. I never saw that script. I did not stop the production. Sony Pictures did.
As for Lifetime TV deal, I was the writer and producer. I turned in a pilot outline. Theresa Edie (Sp?), the executive at the time, told me it wasn’t Latin enough. I asked what that meant. She suggested that “Latin women talk about stuff white women never talk about. Let’s open the show with the women debating whether or not to date men in prison.” I did, indeed, ask for the rights back after that. It was clear the network at the time confused socioeconomic status and educational attainment with race and ethnicity.
Nely Galan optioned DGSC after that. We teamed up with Debra Martin Chase. We wrote a film adaptation but could not get financing. The option ran out. Simple as that.
It was then that Ann Lopez called, promising to let me look at every script before submitting it, swearing she and her team were the right ones for the job, that they would stay true to the book. That obviously didn’t happen. My mistake in signing a deal with them. It is sad to say, but you really can’t trust ANYONE. I trusted Ann. She sold me out.
As for the other things mentioned, all I can say is there’s a lot of BS floating around on the Internet. If you want to know something from me, ask me. Am I bisexual? Yes, but probably about a 1 on the Kinsey Scale, meaning I am predominantly straight and incidentally not. I try very hard in all my work to present homosexual characters who are full and well-rounded human beings. For the record, Ann changed my only lesbian character into a bisexual character for the NBC adaptation, saying “no one trusts a bi.” Nice.
Do I like fighting? No. Do I seek fights? No. Do I have a compelling need to stand up to injustice? Yes. It is the defining characteristic of my personality. It is what drives me to write. I will not let injustices happen to me if I can help it, or to my community. If this makes me “crazy,” so be it.
As for the LA Times letter – ancient history. I wrote that for my supervisors. It was leaked without my knowledge or permission and published, in altered form, in a paper in Florida. I never wanted it to be public. It was horrible to have that happen, but if there is a silver lining it is that I learned to develop a thick skin in these matters and to separate the ‘internet’ criticisms from my own actual life.
Elisabeth, if you have doubts about me I ask you to consider to source of your doubts. Luke Ford? A porn blogger with a Latina fettish. The great thing about the Internet – equal access – is also, at times, the worst thing about the Internet. Freaky punks like that get as much say in my life and career as I do. It is up to you, the readers, to decide what people’s motives are, and whether or not to trust what you see.
In this issue with NBC and Ann Lopez, my only motive is as it has always been – to see a decent adaptation of my novel. Lopez is not adapting it; she is writing her own show, and slapping my name on it. That’s not right. Sadly, she has the legal right to do so for the next 10 months, just as I have the legal right to say I don’t like it.
If I’d wanted a fight, I would never have signed the option agreement. I wanted a TV series. The fight came to me, and I had to choose to roll over and take it, or stand up.
I, as usual, stood up. Lots of people hate that. Es problema de ellos.
Overall, I think the response online has been extremely positive looking from an outsider’s perspective.
I suggest monitoring the timing of the “various” critics of me and when they post. Is it always within minutes of one another? Perhaps just enough time to switch aliases and reroute the IP addy? I suspect it is one, maybe two, people. They did the same thing to me on amazon. They really think they’re doing me harm with this nonsense. You have to wonder who the hell has that kind of time.
The Askimet spam filters weed any duplicate or quick postings on this site. None of the comments I have received here match the criteria of posting within minutes or from redirected IPs, and WordPress is actually very good at picking things up like that. I continue to keep an eye out for any suspicious postings or IPs, but nothing matches that criteria. I also think you have given my blog readers very detailed responses that will inform them. I really admire your moxie (how’s that for old school vocab) to confront all these issues. No wonder your readers feel a strong connection to you.
I am perplexed by comments by some readers saying that no major outlet has reported your story, since last time I checked The Globe is a major outlet. I am also confused that some readers think that all I am doing is just cutting and pasting links and quotes. That’s not the case either, but I can’t convince them, it’s my web page and you’re right, why spend time commenting on some part-time blogger’s site? Who has the time? I need to get back to work next week, churn out more manuscript, and keep pushing LatinoLit.
What fascinates me is how social media has allowed you to share your message unfiltered. The “eyeballs” that you are reaching are making this a story, simple as that. That is why I was interested in your story. Your loyal readers have different rerasons for sharing your stories, and it is amazing to watch young Latinas take ownership to support you. Also, if my blogs got the attention of other Latino voices on Twitter and Facebook raising awareness of your story, then that’s cool too, I think. In another week, I believe you will be taking interviews with newspapers and other outlets, and it’s all because of the spark that is social media. Case study, anyone?
Many writers I know have told me that they admire your ability to stand up for yourself and defend your works. A lot of writers have been watching this as well to see if they can learn lessons from all this. So as you continue to share your story on the social media sphere, many people are watching.
Dude, NBC doesn’t own the book rights. Ann Lopez doesn’t either. I do. I rented them to Ann in option form.
Julio – the tone of all these “criticisms” smack of having been written by my sociopathic ex-husband, who has in fact been investigated for cyberstalking me, creating false profiles to harass me, as well as for abusing our son. Not a nice person.
All people reading the “backlash” comments should keep that in mind.
I hear ya. Will fix. Our policy on this blog is to allow people to publicly comment on anything we generate. I think that the transparency of the Internet can get too extreme in some cases, yet we allow for people to say whatever they want here.
It is unfortunate that the level of personal attacks clouds the issues we were trying to focus on here: how social media gets the message to the masses without the middleman, the whole issue of artistic control, and the issues of race, class, and gender in Latino society.
I got interested in this story because of these reasons and I knew that Latino cyberspace would be very supportive of you, and like I said, 99% of the comments have been very supportive of your cause and there is interest in what you will do next. The next step is up to you, and why do I think you already have that handled?
Saludos,
Julio
I have been watching and keeping my comments on twitter, until now. Here is my simplistic view of the Dirty Girls Social Club controversy, since “the other side” has yet to discuss:
Imagine paying for flowers to be delivered. You choose the flowers for the person, call the florist, discuss price ranges, basket or vase, specify the occasion, sentiment, and what to write on the card.
Days later you visit the recipient, find wilted sunflowers in a white basket instead of white roses in a crystal vase. Oh, but they managed to spell your name correctly on the card. Who on earth would feel warm & fuzzy about having their name on that bouquet?
So I stand on an island, joining the rest of #teamalisa and wondering what does “the other side” have to say for themselves…
Thanks for the comment! It seems that a lot of content is being directed at Valdes-Rodriguez for things that have nothing to do with the issue at hand. It also seems that there is silence from “the other side” as you state. Who knows what they are thinking? Maybe they realize that this story is already way ahead of them?
I appreciate Alisa’s honest and open reply here. Unfortunately, this is a common problem in Hollywood. Have you seen the movie “The Wedding Date”? I enjoyed it; found out it was based on a book (“Asking for Trouble” by Elizabeth Young) and bought that book. As always, the book was SO much better. They changed the characters backgrounds and even changed the country these characters were from. The movie is good, but it’s not even recognizable as the original story from the book. The same thing has happened with Charlaine Harris’ Southern Vampire Series. I love True Blood on HBO, but they’ve warped the characters and plot lines of the books I love so much, that I don’t even see them as the same thing anymore. The same is true for “Confessions of a Shopaholic” by Sophie Kinsella. Hollywood made some weird mash-up of the first two books that didn’t do justice to the original story or characters. Sadly, that’s what happens when rights are sold.
I support Alisa’s right to stand up for herself, especially if she was told she would have more creative control. I can’t imagine how frustrating that must be as a writer. As I commented on a previous post on this blog, I am turned off by “the cause” by the personal attacks. Alisa states that Elisabeth (commenter above) is making the issue about “Alisa”, not the project, but some of the tweets Alisa herself has sent are in fact about “Ann” and not the project. By making personal comments about others involved, I feel that Alisa opened the door to have personal comments made about her.
Thanks, Danielle, for your comments.
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Julio Ricardo Varela. Julio Ricardo Varela said: RT @ofelianj My one comment about @alisavaldes DGSC outside of twitter. http://bit.ly/hF2N6N who's joining me on island? #latism #latinolit […]
From someone who is not A) A Latino fetish porn blogger, B) An old colleague at LA Times or C) A crazed sociopathic cyberstalking ex-husband, I have to agree with everything commenter Elizabeth says. I was 100% in support of Alisa during the publication of DGSC and all of its backlash – the disgruntled ex-reporter with notorious resignation letter gets a sweetheart publication deal. I defended Alisa during the Afterellen.com fiasco on the belief that the freelance writer may have misconstrued her words. Having read Alisa’s blog posts with portions of the script, I am outraged for her and the implications it has on modern Latino culture if it gets to production.
However…. this whole drama is borderline… well, borderline personality(whether she chooses to deny the Fost-Wallace post, or not). Many Latina and Anglo feminists have written extensively about racial anger and how mainstream culture can work to destroy the creative identity. All apply in Alisa’s case. The problem however is her handling the injustice in an atrocious manner that lacks dignity, self-respect and sanity, quite frankly. What I find most disturbing is that she has spent the most sanctimonious and family-centric holiday of the year sending a steady stream of tweets, Facebook posts and blog comments about this drama – as opposed to spending time with her son, family or loved ones. How big of an injustice is that compared to the life she gave birth to – spending Christmas watching mommy froth at the mouth all day in front of a phone or computer.
I’ve been her fan, I’ve rooted for her, I’ve sympathized with her and now, I’m just exhausted. Her diatribes, the burnt bridges and the flat out lies when we live in an age of Google cache are all too egregious to defend. For all the world knows, she may have not been of fit mind when she optioned the book to Ann and is slamming herself against the walls about it now that she sees the consequences of a bum deal. Since it’s such a horribly written script, NBC will discard it come March, as it does with dozens of other optioned specs. The question is, what will Alisa do then? Once the spotlight is gone, The Three Kings promotional tour has ended and she is left alone in front of a computer with nothing to rile about. What will she insight her adoring fans with then? The tragedy of spilled milk? The genocide of rain in New Mexico? The injustice of long check-out lines? Maybe then, she’ll look back at this whole debacle and realize she could have handled things in a more rational adult manner.
Thank you for your comments.
[…] Comments « The Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez Backlash? […]
I generally like to follow news about “Latinos in the media” as a long time ago I worked in the “biz.” I saw this on Perez and thought oh god she’s at it again. You see I stopped caring what Alisa Valdes had to say a long time ago. She abuses her “Latino heritage” and always uses the race card when things don’t go her way. Funny she says her ex cyber stalked her…she is the cyber the bully. She’s trying to bully Ann Lopez and the writer. Why would Ann respond? If you know anything about Ann Lopez she’s got better things to do like all her philanthropy work. Google Ann Lopez and it’d be a lot tougher to accept all the venom Alisa is directing toward her. Alisa’s report of the incidents that happened with NBC doesn’t add up. She had a contract she states and if it didn’t guarantee her creative control/consultation then she should have NEVER signed the deal if that is what she was seeking. I believe if NBC wanted her as the writer as Alisa claims they would have gotten her as the writer. Ann Lopez or any producer could no more tell NBC not to hire Alisa than she could have forced them to hire Leschin. Leschin has credits a mile long on reputable shows including THE GEORGE LOPEZ SHOW and EVERYBODY HATES CHRIS. The fact that NBC and CAA have both sent letters shows that legally this woman doesn’t have a leg to stand on. The positive comments are from diehard fans of the book…ask Jennifer Weiner, Nicholas Sparks, Toni Morrison, Cormac McCarthy if the readers of their books loved the film and television adaptations of their titles? I’m sure there were readers who didn’t and would respond just as Alisa’s diehard fans are responding. Also, those readers are responding positively to Alisa’s slanted view of a script that they’re barely seen 1% of on her blog. Her book was written over ten years ago and perhaps it’s dated. May be this is why NBC and Ann Lopez sought to change characters. I read the book eons ago and I remember Elizabeth was a closeted lesbian. In almost 2011 and in light of “Don’t ask don’t tell” does a television character in the closet sound like good drama? Teenage girls are kissing one another on ABC Family for god sake…doesn’t sound like Elizabeth would resonate with viewers as she is originally portrayed in the book. Think before supporting Alisa- she very nastily called a fellow writer a Judas on Christmas Eve. Who’s really the bully here?
Thanks for your comments.
Do you know if Ann Lopez will ever make a statement or are you representing here her? Since this is an open forum, we are just trying to report the story and have seen nothing of what Ann Lopez has to say.
Although we do like to point that a lot of the comments and visits we have received, along with the countless of tweets and posts on Facebook, not everyone is a diehard fan of the book.
It does prove how effective social media can be if someone can get their message across and connect with influential networks.
Again, I appreciate the comment you posted here.
I have no idea if Ann Lopez or NBC or anyone involved on “the other side” will respond. I’m certainly not representing Ann Lopez here- just sharing my opinion. If NBC has plans for the show to go forward then I believe they will respond for all parties. If they don’t have plans to go forward not sure there is anything to respond too. No show, no story beyond this. Remember as @Sinora pointed out this is one of hundred scripts in development at the network. It’s not a show in production. Thanks for posting my comment.
Thanks for the clarification and for your considerate and thoughtful responses.
Regardless of what you feel about Alisa and what she is going through in telling her story and how she is doggedly protecting her brand, I think what needs to stay top of mind is how do we as Latinos want to be represented by Hollywood. As a collective voice and growing market for any industry do we have the ability to turn our image from stereotypical sex pot to multi-faceted mix of history, individuality and intelligence. Social media is a powerful medium and we need to voice our opinion high and low about what is going on with Alisa and how Hollywood needs to respond, not for the sake of one individual writer, but for the sake of Latinos as a whole. If we don’t voice our opinion so Hollywood can hear, don’t be surprised when we are once again upset with how Hollywood chooses to portray us.
Well stated. Thanks for visiting and sharing. That is a big issue in all this. What really intrigues me here is that the production company is Latina-owned and we are talking about a Latina writer.
I totally agree. It definitely plays into a sad state of affairs for our culture. Time and time again I have seen Latinos working against one another as if there were no way that we should be allowed to both succeed. We seem to relegate ourselves to the smaller piece of the pie and then fight over it. I have also seen many Latinos time and time again collaborate and work together for the common good – lifting one another along the path of success. We need to remember that we really are more powerful together than separate and no Latina should ever have to worry that it will be her hermana that she should fear the most.
Thanks again for your comments.
Strange how similar the “different” critics of me are on this board, and how similar they are to the same person who has been posting these same tired types of comments about me for years. Get a life, already.
That said, I agree that a “coming out” story might not be interesting to a mainstream audience 8 years after publication of the novel, though we still don’t allow gay people to marry and there are still gay teens killing themselves at alarming rates because of widespread bullying. I am more than open to changing story lines for the characters to make them modern and compelling. There are many ways that could have been done to Liz without changing the essence of her character. Maybe she’s a mentor to a gay teen who has attempted suicide after bullying, for example. Or maybe she and her partner Selwyn (who was also erased for the series) are struggling to adopt a child in both their names, and maybe the kid is adopted only in Selwyn’s name, and Selwyn dies. That’s a story I’d watch, and it raises all kinds of pertinent issues for gays and lesbians in a society that still prohibits their marriage.
As it stands, however, the CHARACTER was changed, not the story line, and she was made bisexual because the producer and writer believed that it was more PATHOLOGICAL. Why would they WANT to make the previously likable character “sick” and promiscuous? Because all the “girls” are sick and promiscuous in this new version of them.
This upsets me not because I am an egotist who wants my work exactly as it was. Change it! Make it modern! Give them contemporary story lines! I love that! What upsets me is the potential for DAMAGE to Latinas and our image in society when and if images like these are regular fixtures in American living rooms. The entire point of my novel, from my point of view, was to bust stereotypes; the TV writer has worked overtime to insert them all back into it. Why?
Julio, would you mind posting the IP addresses of the dissenters Alisa speaks of? I think once it is made abundantly clear that there is no phantom cyberstalking husband/hater AND there are (gasp) people who believe in the argument (bastardization of DGSC) but not in Alisa, she may start to listen to some good advice.
Amidst the glowing static praise for her blog bullying to Ann, Luisa and NBC (who rightfully deserve all the negative press), there are a number of former fans who are displeased with Alisa. To confuse the few dissenters voicing their opinions as one single person is bordering on paranoia.
To Alisa: For someone who touts the diversity of the Latino community, not all 48.4 million members will share the same opinion or validate your every claim. Pull yourself together, get a lawyer and fight this infringement on your creative property the right way, in court. Nothing in life ever gets resolved by simply screaming like a banshee on how you’ve been wronged. Fight back legally, not emotionally.
Sinora, thanks again for responding. Out of privacy respect for my readers, I cannot publicly share IP addresses since that would really hurt me as a blogger/journalist. Kind of like the blogger’s code, if you can understand it. I really appreciate.
In the meantime, you are always welcome here to post anything. This is an open forum and as you can see, I don’t edit people’s comments, except for typos, which I am so famous for.
As the author of this page, I respect and value your opinions and really appreciative of your taking the time to respond here.
Alisa, thank you again for taking the time to add a response.
Sinora,
I appreciate your comments and respect them. You make some good points. It is nice to know you can separate your feelings about/for me personally from the issue at hand. If only everyone could!
I am a journalist at heart; it’s where I got my start. I wholeheartedly believe in the power of pubic journalism for the public good, and see social media and my blog as places where I can expose wrongdoing to the people it might impact. It is, odd as it sounds, a way to arouse the collective energy in the universe to affect change. So far, it works for me.
You imply that voicing my opinion and commentary online precludes legal action in this matter. Though you might think very little of me, and probably with good reason, please do not think me so daft as THAT.
Alisa,
So aside from the legal action your taking, is there an action plan in place? I would love to see all this collective energy of rage, anger and outcry against the continuous denigration of our culture in media go towards a petition, a website or maybe a write-in campaign. Although there is a great sense of unity and voice in social media, there is a major disconnect in inciting active change in the real world due to this new platform for communication: the internet (something argued ad nauseum by sociologists for the last decade). Essentially, we are all arguing at keyboards and white screens and you/we need to direct this HUGE collective energy towards real change:
-Have fans gather all the major Latino advertisers for NBC and start a letter campaign stating we will not buy their products if they don’t pressure NBC to kill the script (Worked to quiet Glenn Beck’s racism).
-Send mud/dirt to Encanto Productions to show we don’t want the dirt they call a script to go into production. Or send self-portraits of Latina fans wearing their college/sorority/company logos to show we are multi-colored, multi-faceted, college-educated and employed.
-Have the publicity experts at LATISM get this story published on a National Level. Fans got it on ONTD, Reddit and blogs. Let’s give the story some real traction and force NBC & Encanto to issue a statement.
-Have your publicist issue an official press release to the media regarding the Cease & Desist, CAA and the script. Include a link to an online petition.
-Are any of your more vocal fans/proponents leaders in their industry? Have their opinions added to the press release. If it’s the famous people Hollywood wants, show them that not everyone in Hollywood is playing by their handbook.
-Have any friends in web production? Start a web series based on the novel. It’s the only way you will have complete say in how the novel is portrayed in a live-action medium. Plus, a good lawyer would argue that the time-limited contract on your book rights are not the sole property of NBC and the internet is an open-source medium.
Truly the collective wants to help you in your journey to fight this injustice. I’m sure if asked to your twitter followers, there could be far more productive, efficient and effective approaches to combating this issue.
Well stated.
Sinora and all,
I haven’t wanted to respond more than what I have already posted on my site but I had to say something.
When wanting to be proactive, remember who to be proactive on. NBC hasn’t said yea or nay to this script. In fact this is one of countless scripts they’re reading. And as far as I know, just in the regular cycle of tv, this won’t even be considered for awhile. And if I understood correctly (and PLEASE correct me if I’m wrong), the network didn’t ask for this script. They haven’t asked for anything really.
I think the issue here, mi gente, is the reported action from Ann Lopez and the writer who is also Latina. Because while we can expect the stereotypes from the same folks over and over, it’s the ones from our own that hurt the most.
That being said, I LOVE the idea of a web production. One of my favorite web shows is from a Latina. It’s written, created, and produced by Ruth Livier. It’s called Ylse (ylse.net). Not wanting to sound like a commercial for her but I believe she started the series because of the negative Latina stereotypes. It’s in it’s second season.
Hope all is well.
You are correct, nothing has been greenlit, and all this started when Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez blogged about getting portions of the script being considered.1
But you know good and well that hollywood will green light that script in a hot minute because that’s what they do now anyway!it’s better to nip this in the bud now than wait 6 months down the road when it does get the green light and fight then and it be a totally wasted effort.it’s great that people are standing up and speaking out now and getting the word about this out so that the network will see no one is taking this lying down.
Thanks for commenting on my blog.
Having been on the receiving end of one of AVR’s twitter attacks this year only to have her send me a chummy message a few weeks later, I can attest firsthand that she’s prone to attacking first then conveniently forgetting when it suits her agenda.
I’m sure she has reasons for being unhappy with the adaptation, but she’s also supposedly a professional writer. What she’s doing can only hurt her reputation further as her past meltdowns will be dredged up again. The question now is why anyone would want to rep or work with her. If she loses opportunities, that’s her own fault.
Pay attention to who isn’t coming to her defense. That should tell you a lot about the kind of damage AVR has done in the past not only to herself, but those around her.
Thanks for your comments. What are you referring to exactly?
Regarding the lack of support on her current fury, I am also noting thy myriad of writers, journalists, celebrities, noted fans, publishers, agents and other important figures who are silent on this issue but are nonetheless close to Alisa on some professional level.
I’m not sure what the Twitter attack was in your particular case but you are surely not the first to be on the receiving end of her tirades. At this point, it is schadenfraude that a well-known writer with an increasingly unhinged online attack on Hollywood is getting zero support and more critics posting in response to her antics.
Perhaps she should take note on Toni Morrison’s reaction to the bastardization of Beloved – cautious notes to producers, silence once ignored and then a smirk when the film bombed. The universal collective energy has a way of correcting the wrongs committed on art without the need to shout vengeance from a top an ivory tower.
And, Julio, no need to write thanks for commenting. Well-appreciated from previous my comments and duly noted.
Have you seen latest posts on My Latino Voice, The Boston Globe, Jezebel, and MySpinLA? Also, the Twitter stream and AVR’s Public Facebook profile does show support. Does the Hollywood news cycle slowdown this week?
Does support from social media profiles not count?
My take on this: social media platform allows a message to spread quickly, and it can be unfiltered. That is a good and bad thing at the same time. In the end, as I said in another blog, AVR will keep pushing her message. It is our decision to embrace or reject it. I still want to get the whole story before decide, but you raise good points for my readers,
It would defeat the purposes of posting anonymously for me go into specifics about her one-sided twitter attack on me earlier this year. It was her usual pointless lashing out and I was embarrassed for her when it happened. For my part, I’ve decided to stay out of her orbit and, until this, had managed to keep my hands fairly clean.
She seems to have enough people reinforcing the current narrative she’s shilling, but I’d doubt it will survive if this ‘story’ is picked up by a real new outlet where journalistic standards go beyond cutting and pasting what she’s typed.
There’s a lot of work that needs to be done in publishing and especially Hollywood where the portrayal of Latinas (and Latinos) is concerned. It’s a shame some of that time and energy will have to be spent repairing damage to the collective image of Latina writers after this latest AVR storm looses it’s link baiting appeal.
That’s cool. I respect that. A few things to note: I have contacted the principals mentioned in AVR’s allegations but they have not responded, and I would be naive to think they would contact me. I am also the only blog I know that is not deleting comments. This is an open forum, and I welcome it. I am also the only blog I have seen about this issue that includes information about Luisa Leschin and Ann Lopez.
As a Latino author and editor, I agree with your last comment. Why do we want to tear down instead of supporting each other? But I also think the the whole issue of artistic control strikes a nerve with people who create works. The Toni Morrison example mentioned earlier is a good one, but we can’t also say that social media is not effective. AVR has effectively used social media to shout her message. Like I said before, it is our decision to accept or reject it.
Have you read the interview I did with her on Being Latno? It is telling, I think.
1. “…I’d doubt it will survive if this ‘story’ is picked up by a real new outlet where journalistic standards go beyond cutting and pasting what she’s typed.”
2. “….repairing damage to the collective image of Latina writers after this latest AVR storm looses it’s link baiting appeal.”
This succinctly and perfectly describes the case of AVR and this DGSC fiasco. Putting aside the argument on the effectiveness of social media in social change, this story will not be valid until a large circulation or industry newspaper fact-checks and publishes the story. Until then, this story is getting bookmarked in Hollywood’s collective mind on what to expect when developing cultural inclusive literature (i.e. an internet shitstorm). That’s including the few Latino/African-American executive producers.
Also, a couple more examples of writers, bad adaptations and rational reactions – Sapphire & Ntozake Shange were not pleased with the many scripts written for their works. It took decades to find the right producers and get a writer’s approval contract. Even then, they continuously worked with producers to rewrite the scripts throughout production.
Point 2 is a good one. As for Point 1, the story has already been picked up by The Boston Globe. We will see where it goes.
It does beg the question if the new age of digital content even needs Hollywood if there is a clarion call for more diversity in artistic works. But that is for another post in another time.
All for rationality.
How about holding off judgment until the case is resolved?
Cool.
It’s true, what the anonymous critics say about me here. I absolutely HAVE been “ranting” about racism and sexism since the 90s, when I first went to work at the Boston Globe. It was there that I once wrote a story of a black Dominican woman who was killed in front of her daughter in the bodega she’d fought hard to buy and run in Chelsea, only to find that story relegated to the back of the paper, below the fold, with no photo; the same day, a story about a white missing nurse from Newton was on A1. Why? That’s what I asked, and publicly. Why? Why were some people more “important” than others at the paper (and in all mainstream corporate media)?
When the Boston Globe fired Patricia Smith, a black female columnist, for inventing sources, but settled in the hundreds of thousands of dollars for Mike Barnicle, a white male columnist, for doing the same, I spoke up. I told the Washington Post’s Kurtz that the Globe was a “racist institution,” because it WAS. There was no other reason for that disparate treatment.
I spoke up. And, unsurprisingly, I was slapped down by the established powers as “crazy,” “volatile,” “hotheaded,” and “a loose cannon.”
At the LA Times, I continued my “craziness” by asking why a white male colleague, the only person to share my job title of “pop music writer,” was making $15k more per year than I was, in spite of his never having finished college and my having a master’s in journalism from Columbia, in spite of his never having won any national writing award and my having, at that time, two – including first place for essay in the SUNMAG contest, I was, predictably, slammed again. I was “crazy,” “volatile,” “a bitch,” etc., because I demanded equal pay for equal work.
When the LA Times leaked my pointed resignation letter without my permission and it was published in a Florida newspaper, I became a BITCH all over again for having accused the newspaper of genocide when it called Olmec Indians “Hispanic”. I was a terrible person for speaking the truth, to a handful of supervisors. But they, leaking the letter and trying to discredit me in the industry were…what, exactly? Professional. Right.
When Lifetime Network wanted to have the characters in my book dating men in prison, I spoke up again and said quite clearly: You have confused, as so many people do in this country, race, ethnicity, educational level and socioeconomic status. My book isn’t about that. I will wait to do a show until it can be done right.
Shame on me.
And now, when Ann Lopez lies to me to get me to ink an option deal with her, stabs me in the back, and creates stereotypes out of the characters she assured me would never be changed without my consent, once again I am apparently the problem. If only Alisa would bend over and keep quiet. Well, sorry. No.
Is it unprofessional to stand up for oneself and one’s community? I guess that all depends on what sort of professional you are. I am a professional writer, an artist. A creative artist. I am a philosopher and armchair sociologist. I am a novelist. The entirety of my professional relationships involve my literary agent, editor, publisher and audience. I am not a politician, nor am I a banker. I am not in the business of selling out the poor and voiceless. I am not that sort of professional at all. So, no, I will not sit down and shut up; it would be unprofessional, as a writer and social critic, to do so.
In conclusion, YES! I HAVE been “throwing fits” since the 1990s, because I call it like I see it and we live in a society that has a very, very long way to go in treating all people with the same respect and dignity. Until that happens, I will keep making some people very uncomfortable, and those people will continue to comb through the internet in desperate search of some way to discredit me. But here’s the thing: It hasn’t worked yet. Every word they type in furious anonymity only makes me stronger, only makes me fight harder, only makes me consider even more careful the game of chess we are all locked into here. I have never lost at chess. Not since I was nine years old and first learned to play. Wish me away; it will only bring me closer to you. Wish me quiet; it will only make me louder. Wish me crazy; it will only focus my intellect and my resolve. You. Wish.
From the time I was born, my character has been tilted in the direction of social justice. It is who I am. It is what I stand for. That there is a “long trail” of “proof” that I’m “crazy” online depends upon your perspective. If you believe my interpretation of reality is flawed, sure. I’m nuts. But if you think demanding equality, dignity and justice for people regardless of skin tone, economic status and external organs is sensible, then perhaps it is my detractors, in fact, who are pitching the fits. Every time I open my mouth they begin conniptions.
The people who wish I’d shut up and go away have been insisting that I’ve “ruined” myself for more than a decade. Have I? Why are they still listening to me if I have? Why am I still being heard? Because I’m crazy and have no ground to stand on?
No, no y no.
It’s because I speak the truth, and this truth threatens the very way of life that my faithful critic(s?) believe(s) to be his/their rightful domain, and their alone.
[…] her earlier battles against apparent sexism and racism at the Boston Globe and LA Times, via a lengthy comment on the blog of Julio Ricardo […]
I wish people would stop writing anonymously, and have the courage to put an identity to their belief/ views.
It’s always the ones who are in the wrong who hide behind anonymity and have the most to say. Shame on you.
For those of you claiming that Alisa doesnt represent all Latin@’s, well I can tell you that she represents me, Elizabeth Camarena from Fresno California, my mother Isabel Camarena, my sister, my cousins, and about 20 of my closts friends who have all read her books and respect what she stands for. Point being, she has a huge amount of support from her fans, and this fight is bigger than Alisa and Ann, it’s (hopefully) the begining of a socail movement.
Attacking Alisas past doesnt change the wrongs of the present.
Wrong is WRONG! Period!
We are tired of Latin@ social wrongs, and we are not afraid to fight it anymore.
Si se puede!
~Elizabeth
Elizabeth, first of all, thank you for posting your comment and sharing your opinions. My blog policy is to allow any comment on this site, since this is an open forum. I have never deleted a comment, and will only do so if it really becomes extremely offensive. I don’t think that is the case here and although I agree that anonymous comments aren’t the best way to approach things, I still allow them here. Other blogs might now allow it.
I do agree that the issue of mainstream vs. diversity is a central issue here.
Gracias mil.
Wow! Thanks, Elizabeth. You rock. AND roll.
Alisa Valdes:
I am saddened, but not surprised, by your listing of how enfranchised persons receive favorable treatment (and disenfranchised do not). I have spent my career as an book acquisitions editor for mid-sized, disruptive presses. I hope you can keep soldiering on. Thanks for what you have accomplished so far.
Tim
Thanks, Tim. And thanks for doing the work you do.
Re: “And now, when Ann Lopez lies to me to get me to ink an option deal with her, stabs me in the back, and creates stereotypes out of the characters she assured me would never be changed without my consent, once again I am apparently the problem. ”
Ann Lopez could have promised you anything, but it doesn’t count unless it’s in writing. You signed the option deal, and from what it sounds like, you got nothing in writing guaranteeing you any creative control over the TV script. You could have negotiated that with her, or had a lawyer do it. Why didn’t you? If I’m not mistaken, Ann Lopez has the development deal with NBC, not you.
While I applaud and admire your crusade against racism and sexism, you don’t know how the industry works. In screenwriting 101 they teach you that if you write an adaptation, you owe nothing to the original material. I saw you at a writer’s conference last October and you were on a panel about Hollywood and Latinos. Don’t take this the wrong way, but while you were very interesting, you acted as though you knew more than everybody else in the room, depite the fact that some panel members were accomplished screenwriters and producers who had gotten their projects turned into movies.
You also need to take responsibility for not doing your homework before you optioned your book. Look at Ann’s track record. Do her projects depict Latinos positively? Heck no. And always get everything in writing, and don’t assume that these people are your friends.
You will probably get your rights back, as I don’t think NBC will touch this project with a ten foot pole. I wish you luck, and I hope that eventually you get the movie/TV show that you want.
Valdes-Rodriguez has stated that she regretted making the decision she made, which she posted on her blog. She has also stated in the interview that she made a mistake.
Julio, You claim to be objective and are “just reporting the facts.” Yet every negative comment you jump in with a follow up statement that supports AVR. Hmmm… @Boogienights is correct Alisa doesn’t understand how adaptations work. He’s also correct that “In screenwriting 101 they teach you that if you write an adaptation, you owe nothing to the original material.” Julio, you also don’t seem to understand much about the TV business. So, as to your ongoing question why hasn’t the other side responded? Duh, they have contracts with NBC!!! This script is in development i.e. Leschin is employed by NBC and therefore probably doesn’t want to receive her own cease & desist letter. You see NBC owns this script for the time being contractually. Would Leschin really risk her standing with NBC, her agency and the WGA by speaking out? Not if she’s smart. She’s honoring her contract and I would guess doing exactly what NBC has asked her to do. Otherwise, as a writer there is no doubt she would have spoken out and defended her work. I also wonder how every blog(esp this one that was created for Latin voices/writers) that picks this up this story just takes AVR’s word that what she says about the script is true??? Have you read this script? Does she even have the most current draft? Are there still notes to come from NBC? Let’s not forget she obtained it illegally as she admits on her blog. Yes, it’s illegal for a NBC employee to slip NBC property to anyone without permission from the NBC executive(s) in charge. This script having not been produced or ordered for production yet was not supposed to go out to anyone let alone AVR. For a blog that supposedly supports Latino writers you’re supporting someone that has lashed out in a hateful & personal manner at Leschin. Leschin is a credible working screenwriter that happens to be Latin. She also happens to have no prior issues with employers reported on the internet for others to find & post about her. If folks think The George Lopez Show & Everybody Hates Chris (two successful network shows that Leschin wrote for) are racist & depict stereotypes then this “AVR base” is searching for the remake of THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST with an all Latin cast or something else completely holier than though touting Latinos as saints. Latinos are diverse…some go to college, some don’t, some have sex in college and show their chi chi’s and some don’t, and so on…they’re human. Latinas can be like Carrie Bradshaw or Gabriel Solis. Is Eva Longoria a sell out for playing the sexy one on Desperate Housewives? Or was she born sexy? By being on a hit network show she has done so much work for the community (along side Lopez at many of these events I might add). Longoria wouldn’t be invited to D.C. to speak on behalf of the Dream Act if she wasn’t on DH. She happens to be genetically gifted and therefore was cast as the “sexy housewife.” Let’s look at Sara Ramirez on Grey’s Anatomy. Her character is a doctor, a bisexual and GASP a Latina. What are we really questioning here? If a screenwriter contractually/legally owes nothing to the original work which is the standard practice like it or not in Film/TV then artistic integrity isn’t in question. If you can fathom the crazy idea that Latins are human beings that can relate to characters in SEX IN THE CITY or PASSION OF THE CHRIST what is so stereotypical about three dimensional characters with conflicts and issues? It’s a bad economy so may be that’s why Lauren started off unemployed in Leschin’s script? From what Alisa has written the girls aren’t prostitutes, gang members or drug dealers. They’re not stereotypical “baby momma’s”, “prison wives” or “maids.” Really what is the gripe? One might be “sizzlin” like say Sofia Vergara on hit show MODERN FAMILY(likely winning a Latina many acting nominations and awards by the way). That character was a damn beauty queen in the book…that’s not a stereotype? A Miss Columbia? I can go on and on but really why? I wont be returning to your blog. You think you’re helping ignite a fire on the internet but really you’re just helping burn AVR’s career. Perhaps the legitimacy of your own blog. And yes I happen to have met Leschin at a conference years ago and read on up the the other two ladies…I’m not an ex-husband with a grudge. I’m interested in Latin media and have a working knowledge of Hollywood. Guessing they can’t defend themselves at the moment I felt like someone with some knowledge of Hollywood should try. I’m sure at some point they will address it much better than I.
Good night & good luck!
Thanks for your comment. I will repsond, since you direct things at this blog.
I have contacted Lopez, Luischin, Ramirez, NBC, and CAA for comment. No one has responded. Just one simple question to ask is for them to comment.
I stand by what has been written and I am not the only one who has included this story on the Internet. The contractual issues are complex’ and i agree with you on that point, but would think that a public “no comment” from anyone would suffice? Do the other parties seriously deny that in a social media age, stories seem to take a life of their own? I have made mention that script was leaked. If you see this as me taking sides, you have every right to think that way, my role is not to convince you either way, just to allow an open forum here, as you have decided to do so.
You raise some good points about Latinas and Hollywod.
Also, this is not a blog about Hollywood, it is a blog for Latino writers. I don’t pretend to claim I know the inner workings of Hollywood.
Thanks.
Lisa, I respond to every comment on my blog for every post that I do. That’s how I roll. Thanks again for your insight.
PS-“Stated that she regretted making the decision she made, which she posted on her blog. She has also stated in the interview that she made a mistake.” Well then take it like an adult and a professional and hire a lawyer from the beginning next time. Don’t blame Leschin after the fact.
AVR has stated that she is seeking legal recourse. She has shared that as well publicly. You might see this as me supporting her. I am just stating what is already been posted and sharing it with my readers, who are interested in the events of the Latino literary world.
I don’t get this controversy. Alisa Valdes sold the rights to develop her story to someone else and took their $5000 for it. The money gone, she’s now angry at the deal she made and is publicly denigrating the script.
She says it’s all about creative control, but the evidence suggests she’s angry she wasn’t chosen to write the script. There was all that blogging of hers about how NBC really wanted her but the evil witch Ann Lopez conspired to deprive her. As if NBC couldn’t pick up the phone itself and get what it wanted.
She says she’s done one script with Nely Galan in the past but was unable to find financing afterward. With that in mind, might it be because it was an unsalable script? If someone isn’t buying, there may be a problem with the product. Maybe this is all about a frustrated scriptwriter who wants to write scripts but can’t sell them. Now she’s whipping up her fans in a bid to maumau her way into writing the script.
Bottom line is, she sold the rights, changed her mind about it, and can’t bear stick to the terms of the deal she made. If she didn’t like it, she shouldn’t have made the deal at all. Better luck next time.
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Julio Ricardo Varela. Julio Ricardo Varela said: I might not know Hollywood but Hollywood doesn't know social media http://j.mp/geyo7U #latism […]
Even if she changed her mind about the deal, she should have immediately called a lawyer, as there are ways to get out of contracts. Instead she took to the internet to trash the professional reputation of Ann Lopez and the writer. That’s why nobody is going to issue statements other than cease and desist letters, and that’s why her CAA agent dropped her like a hot potato.
Good point, but I would think Lopez’s lawyer would at least say something publicly? Saying nothing only keeps the social media momentum on AVR’s side.
I don’t know if AVR did contact a lawyer last week, but she did state on her social network sites that she did contact one this week. This case reflects how one can state their message rather easily, no matter if you like it or not. I, for one, think some of this has gotten too personal, but I think AVR is easily winning the social media battle by getting her message to her base. If I were Lopez and/or Leschin, I would have had at least had my lawyer or someone make some kind of statement. By not saying anything, you aren’t gaining much from a social media perspective.
[…] the US. Seriously? REWRITING A STORY SO THE LATINAS ARE MORE FOREIGN, less complex, and less “normal?” What the shit is this shit? Particularly because Lauren, Elizabeth, AND Usnavys are some […]
[…] is consistently getting new followers and friends each day. And as author Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez continues to battle with Hollywood, she annoucned on her social media networks that she will be self-publishing the third book of The […]
[…] noted in a Dec. 26 thread at Julio Varela’s blog, this is not the first time Dirty Girls has faced issues in being developed for the screen: option […]
Why should any of those people respond to a blogger who’s not Nikki Finke?
I’ll take that as a compliment, I guess. Am doing pretty well. Thanks for your comment.
Thanks for posting such an interesting comment stream!
I’m unfamiliar with the series, but I’m looking forward to reading them, now. I hope that Ms. Valdes-Rodriguez finds a growing audience for her work and that her writing finds the right team to bring it to life.
That is the hope, since this post came out, AVR has made some progress with NBC. See the latest update: Respect NBC
I just read that NBC is developing a series about a San Diego Latino who is an honors student by day, and a human trafficker by night. So now even a Latino honors student will be suspected of being a criminal.
Will this garbage never stop? Complain to NBC:
http://www.nbc.com/contact/general/
That is crazy. Where did you hear that from would love to explore that one. Geez.
[…] Posts on JRV.com The Dirty Girls Saga Continues: Lopez vs. ValdesThe Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez Backlash?April, 1994: Boston#LatinoLit Features Reynaldo […]
I got it from Alisa V Rod’s twitter, but it’s gone now. NBC probably made her remove it.
Be sure to write and complain to NBC.
Got it. Thanks for the update. Don’t think NBC will be sharing that with me unless there is a major campaign. Mmmh….