11-01-2007

Printable Version

Produced in Argentina specifically for the U.S. Hispanic audience, “Amas de Casa Desesperadas” will feature some of the most popular television and movie stars in Spanish-language entertainment playing “Latinized” versions of the “dramedy” series’ most popular characters who instead of living on Wisteria Lane, will be residents of Calle Manzanares (Manzanares Street).

Marking her long-awaited return to U.S. primetime television is the star of some of the most successful novelas and movies, Mexican actress Lucía Méndez will portray the Mary Alice Young character named Alicia Arizméndi. Playing Susana Martínez, the Susan Mayer character, is Venezuelan actress Scarlet Ortiz, star of such recent international novela hits such as “Secreto de Amor” and “Mi Vida eres Tú.” Popular Mexican motion picture and television star Ana Serradilla will interpret the role of Gabriela Solís. Colombian actress Lorna Paz, who was in the original cast of the breakthrough hit “Yo Soy Betty La Fea,” will star as Leonor Guerrero, the Latin version of the Lynette Scavo character. Regina Sotomayor, the character based on Bree Van de Kamp, will be played by Mexican novela actress Julieta Rosen, star of such hits as “Bajo las Riendas del Amor” and “El Amor no tiene Precio.” Rounding out the “housewives” is Venezuelan model and actress Gabriela Vergara, know for her roles in novelas such as “El amor no tiene precio,” as the Latin version of the Edie Britt character named Roxana Guzmán.

The men of Calle Manzanares will also feature some of Latin TV’s biggest male actors. Argentinean star of countless novelas, including the recent international hit “Lorena,” Diego Ramos will interpret the role of the resident plumber Miguel Santini, the Mike Delfino character from the original U.S. version. Rugged Peruvian leading man Bernie Paz, star of “Todo sobre Camila” and most recently of Univision.com’s online novela hit “Mi Adorada Malena,” will play Gabriela’s husband Carlos Solís. Peruvian heartthrob Diego Bertie has been tapped to play the Tom Scavo character named Antonio Guerrero. Mexican motion picture and novela star Riccardo Dalmacci will portray Roberto Sotomayor, Rex Van De Kamp’s Latin counterpart. The part of character Paul Young, named Pablo Arizméndi, will be played by Mexican novela veteran Leonardo Daniel. Argentinean actor Ezequiel Stremiz will interpret the role of the gardener Pedro Linares, based on the character of John Rowland in the original U.S. version.

“We are very excited about the all-star caliber of our cast,” said Otto Padron, Senior Vice President Programming & Promotions, Univision Television Network. “The worldwide success of ‘Desperate Housewives’ has been due in no small part to the actors who have brought these engaging characters to life. With this remarkable ensemble of talent that we are announcing today, we are confident our viewers will enjoy this exciting new production.”

“There is no doubt that this joint production between Univision and our company is going to have a significant impact on the U.S. Hispanic television audience,” said Leonardo Aranguibel, Senior Production Manager, Disney-ABC International Television-Latin America. “And this cast is indisputable evidence of that.”

About Univision Communications Inc.
Univision Communications Inc. is the premier Spanish-language media company in the United States. Its operations include Univision Network, the most-watched Spanish-language broadcast television network in the U.S. reaching 99% of U.S. Hispanic Households; TeleFutura Network, a general-interest Spanish-language broadcast television network, which was launched in 2002 and now reaches 89% of U.S. Hispanic Households; Galavisión, the country’s leading Spanish-language cable network; Univision Television Group, which owns and operates 62 television stations in major U.S. Hispanic markets and Puerto Rico; Univision Radio, the leading Spanish-language radio group which owns and/or operates 70 radio stations in 16 of the top 25 U.S. Hispanic markets and 5 stations in Puerto Rico; Univision Music Group, which includes Univision Records, Fonovisa Records, La Calle Records and Mexico-based Disa Records as well as Fonomusic and America Musical Publishing companies; and Univision Online, the premier Spanish-language Internet destination in the U.S. located at www.univision.com. Univision Communications also has a 50% interest in TuTv, a joint venture formed to broadcast Televisa’s pay television channels in the U.S., and a non-voting 14.9% interest in Entravision Communications Corporation, a public Spanish-language media company. Univision Communications has television network operations in Miami and television and radio stations and sales offices in major cities throughout the United States.

For more information, please visit www.univision.net.

About Disney-ABC International Television
Disney-ABC International Television is the international television distribution division of The Walt Disney Company, licensing over 30,000 hours of programming to over 1300 broadcasters across 240 territories worldwide. Disney-ABC International Television distributes a portfolio of motion pictures from Walt Disney Pictures, Touchstone Pictures and Miramax Films, network TV series, TV movies and miniseries, Disney-branded kids programming, ABC Daytime and ABC News programming as well as the Annual Academy Awards®. The company also services the distribution of the Jetix Europe portfolio internationally. Disney-ABC International Television has been expanding its business portfolio to distribute U.S.-produced reality programs and exploits reality and scripted formats for local production; including local editions of ‘Extreme Makeover’ in the UK, India, Belgium, Scandinavia and Hungary and Colombia, ‘The Amazing Race’ in Central Europe and Asia, and local versions of 'Home Improvement' and 'Hope & Faith' in Russia and Turkey respectively.