Eva Longoria is one of the most intelligent, articulate and beautiful Latinas of our generation. So why is she producing shows like Ready for Love?
NBC's Ready for Love series was cancelled last week with all its remaining episodes will be posted online. Ready for Love, a dating competition series, debuted on April 9 to 3.8 million viewers. For its second episode, it had a 13 percent decline, indicating America had no appetite for this match- making show.
Don't we have enough reality shows like The Bachelor or The Bachelorette?
Eva, for crying out loud, served as co-chair of President Barack Obama's reelection campaign and spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. She was also the co-chair of the president's inauguration committee. I wonder why she is producing shows like Ready for Love and Devious Maids? Es que why?
At the Democratic National Convention, I witnessed firsthand Longoria's inspirational speech and saw how the crowd cheered for the Texas native. Like the rest of America, I was moved by her humble upbringing and her talk on how education is the key to American opportunity. She was flipping burgers at Wendy's, and look at her now.
She's come a long way baby.
Longoria is a powerhouse. What I love and respect about her is that she puts her money where he mouth is. She walks the talk. And, the Desperate Housewives star delivered 'en grande' for our president last year.
How? In case you missed it, Longoria spearheaded a major network called the Futuro Fund within the Obama campaign to obtain political donations from the Latino community. The Futuro Fund raised more than $30 million toward Obama's reelection. In addition to Longoria, the Futuro Fund was comprised of San Antonio architectural-design-firm owner Henry Muñoz III and San Juan lawyer Andres W. Lopez.
We know that when it comes to political campaigns, it's all about the benjamins, and Longoria delivered the Latino vote and the mula for the president.
"We wanted to make sure the Latino community stops being a number and starts being looked at as a market," Longoria said in a Washington Post article. "It may have been a shock to some, but not if you look at trends in Hispanic buying power."
Boom! Now, that is what I'm talking about. Go Eva -- the activist and advocate. She was a game changer for the 2012 elections.
So, why isn't Longoria putting her star power and resources into creating quality programming and thought-provoking shows that push the envelope? She should be producing shows that are more in line with the Longoria that was campaigning for Obama across the country.
The Mexican-American actress is pursing a master's degree in Chicano studies to better understand Latino culture and to be well versed in immigration reform. Longoria is at the forefront of current affairs and I couldn't think of a better person to represent Latinos on all levels.
In early April, she was on the Latina power panel at The Daily Beast's 2013 Women in the World Summit in New York City where she spoke about xenophobia, politics and the dynamics of the Hispanic market.
That's why the Devious Maid and Ready for Love shows just don't make sense to me: They are in sharp contrast to her political persona.
Longoria will probably help Texas turn blue. She will probably serve as volunteer to Hillary Clinton's campaign in 2016 (if she runs). This is exactly why she should be showing off her intelligent side.
She flexed her political and financial muscle, now we need her to use her clout in entertainment. This is the moment. I'm ready for Eva Longoria to take on a different role.