Me Encanta

Hello There My Lovelies,

In the past if you were to ask me if I could be with any male celebrity in Hollywood, I really wouldn't have given you a solid answer. I've had temporary crushes on rock stars or actors, but no one that really lights my fire.

Until recently. If you were to create the perfect man looks wise, it would definitely be
Eduardo Verastegui. I can't upload a picture right now, but I will soon. I've paid attention to him since he entered the Hollywood scene in the music video with Jennifer Lopez, "Ain't it Funny". He also was featured in Chasing Papi, as the sizzling Latin Lover. And until recently other than lusting after him, I haven't really thought about him much.

But he has become my role model. I really love the Latin culture, especially since I minored in Spanish and have been able to learn about pride and culture in the Latin community. Eduardo is now making it his life work to make sure that Latinos in film are no longer portrayed as the stereotypes that have been cast upon them. He said that if you are not cast as a robber, alcoholic, criminal, or uneducated then you are cast as the Latin Lover who sleeps around. (He should know, he used to be cast in soap operas) As a casual observer who is Caucasian, but loves to watch TV in English and Spanish, he is absolutely correct. There is a long way to go before Latinos are better portrayed in film.

This is why he left Hollywood for a while. He was tired of getting the same offers, which were playing the role of Latin Lover/womanizer. Not only that, but he became a devout Catholic and realized that he was sucked into the Hollywood lifestyle and forgot what is important. He stopped sleeping around with women, stopped making films that portrayed Latinos in a negative light and swore to hold off on sex until marriage.

He was so devoted to his beliefs that he ended up poor, unable to pay rent, yet he still didn't get sucked into his old lifestyle.

He did go into business in owning his own production company. He says that it took a lot of prayer, but he eventually found people in the business that believed in him. It took a lot of prayer, but after Pope John Paul II invited him to Rome, he met a man in the business that finally believed in his cause.

Eduardo's views are very conservative, and not for everybody. I am still deciding what I believe in, but I have come to realize that I tend to be a little conservative too. I am just too chicken to admit it, in fear of people judging me or trying to start up political arguments with me, and I can't stand arguing with people when I don't want to change my mind or try to change theirs. While I don't agree with all of his points of views, he does make valid points.

He used his production company to make films to encourage women not to abort their babies, such as the film Bella.

He also publicly supported John McCain. As a Latino, that is a very unpopular thing to do, as most are told to vote as Democrats. He went on TV and spoke about his views against abortion, which is highly controverisal. He took a stance against Gay Marrriage, which is Prop 8 here in California. In his interviews he said that he was abstaining from even kissing until marriage and that he was out looking for the one woman that would make him happy, so he could start a family. He didn't want to have a family without marriage.

I can't say that I agree with all of his points of view, but what I respect about him the most is standing up for his beliefs in his community, even when it seems that he seems to be the only person with that point of view. And the reason I am paying attention is because he sacrificed all of the luxuries such as fame, money and women to take the road less traveled. He is also using his star power to do what he thinks is right. Any celebrity can contribute money to a cause or throw a benefit. But most celebrities won't give up luxury to stand for what they truly feel.

Hollywood has become such a shallow place where strong morals are thrown out of the window. You can always watch reality TV shows with women throwing themselves at a male celebrity and tearing down other women just to bang the guy. You can always watch women trash talk each other, men treating women like shit. You can always watch people brag about how much money they have. Don't get me wrong, these shows are addicting, but after a while it gets sad.

I welcome someone with strong morals to come in and show people that it's okay to have an opinion, even though it may be unpopular. I would rather see a man with strong opinions using his voice to do what he thinks is right, even though its a little strong for me.