She is the star of the #1 show on the colony of Puerto Rico, on the island’s largest channel. She spends each day criticizing and analyzing current events in Puerto Rico, from politics to crimes. Her shows are now broadcast in the United States via the Internet. Her creator reportedly makes $2 million a year.
She is La Comay, a personality with unfiltered and uncorroborated opinions. And she is a puppet. We repeat: she is a puppet.
In a media age where talking heads and opinion shapers dominate the US mainstream media, La Comay (who is portrayed by actor Kobo Santarrosa) is part gossip queen, part political instigator, and part yellow journalist. The puppet headlines WAPA TV’s SuperXclusivo show, which is broadcast both on the island and on WAPA América in the US.
Kobo Santarrosa, the actor who plays La Comay
The format is simple: La Comany sits on her throne, while her sidekick Hector Travieso eggs her on, as they comment, criticize, and expose anyone and anything that they see wrong with Puerto Rico. The show’s tactics reek of typical yellow journalism: the innuendos that are labeled as “exclusivo;” the call-in number “tip” lines; the video loops that keep playing over and over and over again; the photos of individuals pulled from social media sites; and finally, the “journalists” who abuse their craft.
Yet, because of her popularity, La Comay also has the power to interview Governors, as she did in 2009 with Republican Governor Luis Fortuño.
It is a tired and well-proven formula, one that pits class vs. class, politician vs. politician, all in the name of comedy and “bochinche” (“commotion”). La Comay knows her audience: give them gossip, give them juicy stories, and screw anyone who gets in the way. But, as the ratings suggest, the colony of Puerto Rico devours La Comay like a mango. Not a day goes by that the people of Puerto Rico don’t talk about a puppet.
However, it appears that the silence about La Comay has started to end. Recently, La Comay used the word “pato” when describing Ricky Martin’s homosexuality. “Pato,” besides being the Spanish word for “duck,” is an offensive term to describe gays. Looks like the puppet had to apologize. And the apology is quite flowery and lengthy.
Part 1
Part 2
This action by La Comay is an obvious realization that the show’s ways of polarizing and offending are starting to get more scrutiny. Perhaps it’s the fact that the show is being broadcast in the United States or maybe the colony of Puerto Rico is starting to speak out.
As for the puppet, we say: don’t hide behind your puppet mask. Show your damn face. Stick to real comedy, and shed the sensationalism. Yellow journalism does nothing to help the colony of Puerto Rico. In fact, your methods just perpetuate a culture of extreme divisiveness and does very little to unite a nation that needs healing.
Mr. Benitez, you are a freaking idiot. I don’t know where you are from but the last time I checked Puerto Rico was a Commonwealth of the US and not a colony. Open up a history book and maybe you’ll learn something. Maybe, that’s too much to ask.
I was born in Puerto Rico and while you say Commonwealth, I say Colony. You can call a duck a chicken but it is still a duck. And thanks for the kind words of respect!!!! 🙂
It’s definitely a colony and sometimes the truth of the world isn’t in the history books because history is written by the victors and conquerers. Even the state-hood party in Puerto Rico say it’s a colony.
You’ve been had,Huyck. US Commonwealth is different from a British Commonwealth. Brittish Commonwealths are independent nations with very close ties to Brittain(free association like)
The US version means self governing, under approval of US Congress, but as an UNINCORPORATED US territory subject to the US CONSTITUTION’s territorial clause. Its a colony. Heck, even the incorporated US territories accused Congress of colonialism as a bargain chip for statehood.
Puerto Rico’s true name is “The US territory of Puerto Rico” for dignity reasons, Congress allowed the name “Mancomunidad”in spanish(US Commonwealth)
But the Democrats,who renamed themselves “popular Democrats”. Altered the name in Spanish (behind Congreses back) to Estado Libre Associado(the Free Associated State of PR) this name is a blatant lie. Puerto Rico is nor Free(either as a state,or Independent republic) Its not “associated”(Independent nations associate by treaty,Puerto Rico,by contrast, is a mere US territory. And finally, PR is not a state of any kind.
There you go, buddy,you learn something new every day.
Even though it says Commonwealth in that paper your referring to, in the practice everything behaves like a colonial setting. Please help yourself with some serious research before shooting from the hip. Maybe, that’s too much to ask. 😉
It should say “you’re referring to…”.
Bochinche means gossip, not commotion in this context.
Also, Puerto Rico is by definition a colony regardless of what the US government says.
Thanks for the comments! Gossip is too general of a word in English, and commotion is more specific, but the fact is that bochinche is just such a word that is hard to translate into English. It’s just bochinche and it is bad for the island. Gracias!!!!!
As they say: Talk about me, GOOD or BAD , but talk! “La Comay” must be thrilled with all this controversy that makes her (him)more notorious and popular around the globe and his bank account getting fatter by the minute
If she mattered outside of PRIco, which she doesn’t.
These types of shows don’t last in english. (Remember DC Follies,with the president puppets).
Its that in 2012, these shows, like chavo del ocho (a classsic) are typecasted as 3rd world TV programs….because they are! I admit that being born in NJ might make me biased in favor of english TV, but I feel it just makes Puerto Ricans even more foreign and backwards in stereotypical eyes.
It’s sad.
I dont care how you call it, Estado libre or a colony, the truth is that there is not a better status than what we have…P.S.if you dont like it you can always move some where else.
THATS TRUE
What if we just left it out?
For the purpose of discussing ‘La Comay’ would’nt “She is the star of the #1 show in Puerto Rico” work?
I SEE SUPEREXCLUSIVO AND THEY DO DESRESPECT A LOTS IF PEOPLE EVEN GOT TO MANIPULATE THE PUERTO RICAN GOVERNOR AND DESTROY PEOPLES LIFE WITH HIS GOSSIP WITH OUT THINKING OF THE CONSECUENSE BECAUSE LOST OF THOSE PEOPKE HE TALKS ABOUT HAVE KIDS AND FAMILY…MY QUESTION IS WHY THE DONT POST WHAT HES BEEN TRUE MEANING WHEN HE HAD THAT STORE OF THINGS THE I PREFER NOT TO SAY.SOMEBODY NEEDS TO LET HIM KNOW THE HE CANT NOT KEEP DESRESPECTING THE PEOPLE AND NEITHER MANIPULATED THE PEOPLE SAYING IN NATIONAL TV THE IF THE CASE OF THE BOY LORENZO DOES NOT GET RESOLVE HE WILL TELL ON HIS SHOW THE PEOPLE TO VOTE FOR ANOTHER CANDIdATE THAS BASICALLY BLACKMAIL AND MAKE PEOPLE TO DO THINGS LIKE THEY BELIEVE HIM .ONE LAST THING HIS NOT SUPPOSED TO STALK A PERSON ACUSSED OF MURDER OR NO ONE WHILE DRIVING WE CALL THAT STALKING AND IS AGAINST THE LAW
Que clase de porqueria kobo santarosa
No me gusta el chisme, pero me entretiene.
i can’t help wondering “who are we to tell kobo how to do his act?” i mean, should kobo tell you or i how to write our novels? and what is this notion that somehow kobo’s show is “backward” compared to american shows. compared to what, the jersey shore?!?!? compared to Snookie!?!? you don’t see Kobo vomitting all over the place or getting involved in habitual misdeanor arrests. here’s what i have time to watch when i’m lucky: Generic News, Breaking Bad, The Newsroom, Real Time, Mad Men, Homeland, Frontline, Hardball, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and then the only guilty pleasure i’m willing to allow: La Comay (superxclusivo). i value her (him) as much as the others and i bet superxclusivo gets by on a fraction of the budget of those other shows. so if you feel that she’s somehow an embarassment to puerto ricans you go ahead and think that but i guess i’m backward, too, because i don’t care what other people think about the show just like i don’t care if other people don’t like my collection of ramito and yomo toro records. La Comay entertains me and often informs me and i love the baroque set, the preposterous puppet getup, the mad, zany originality of it, the camp, the humor, hector travieso’s sidekick routine, the fluid, sometimes strained rhythms of the show, the aburdity, the wit, the daring, the audacity, the ruthlessness, the goofy build-up music, sirens and alarms, the slogans, “ha mencionado nombre ya?”, ‘tiralo al medio!”, “que se cuiden!” it’s tacky but it’s also to my mind a work of tawdry genius. and you will never in your lifetime see anything quite like it again. my honest sense is that, for all of his apparent vulgarity, kobo, as a professional entertainer, is more sophisticated than the folks who are criticizing him and is in most cases more original.
And not to mention Victor how great it is to have freedom of speech!
There is a difference between freedom of speech and telling a private commercial network that people will no longer see their show. You miss the point, Bruce, and I thought you would understand it, but in the end, you speak a good game, but you get uncomfortable when the status quo is questioned. Read this: http://www.latinorebels.com/2012/12/08/boicotlacomay-is-not-censorship-how-social-media-is-transforming-traditional-media/
It’s called CAPITALISM. Read this and get educated. This is not censorship or limited freedom of expression: http://www.latinorebels.com/2012/12/08/boicotlacomay-is-not-censorship-how-social-media-is-transforming-traditional-media/
why do people always talk crap when la comay (cobo) does something wrong but when she helps like trying do get the truth or tries to help capture a criminal of an innocent victim, nadie dice nada…smh……..btw, PR makes most of it’s own decitions, thats why we dont vote for a US president so he cant do hardly nada..
DUDE was only picking on criminals,drugs,murders daily. True freedom of speech!
no me importa lo que digan de la comay para mi sige siendo la mejor,this is my opinon..if you don’t like it,well thats’s to bad!!
Well, about La Comay, is was the only original program in PR TV, the man was doing wht alot of people were afraid to do., it scared mucha gente an tht was fun,,as to the colony problem? is not a problem because PPd, PNP an PIPR, they love the way things are, money still coming to their pocket an us the citizens agreed every minute of it as shows every 4th year when vote for the same party even know they have different names. So colony or wht so called commonwealth we still the happiest people in the planet and GOD bless our island.