In Spanish, "alma" means soul, spirit. In the historic first live broadcast on Sept. 27, the 2013 ALMA Awards honored those Latino artists that put their soul in what they do, whether it is on television programs, films, or music.
Hosted by actress and entrepreneur Eva Longoria and EXTRA and "The X Factor" host Mario Lopez, the ceremony took place at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium last week in Pasadena, Calif. For the very first time since 1995, the ALMA Awards was broadcasted live on MSNBC, and according to Janet Murguía, CEO of the National Council of La Raza, it added "more sabor" to the network, Latinrecap reported.
Longoria changed dresses six times during the ceremony, and sported eight different hairstyles. The 38-year-old actress arrived wearing a Zuhair Murad dress. She also wore a pink Paule Ka gown, an orange Elie Saab dress, a sequin Monique Lhuillier gown, and a a pink strapless Max Mara gown, according to Justjared.com.
Although the ceremony's goal is to celebrate American Latino contributions to music, television, and film, Longoria and Lopez also talked politics during the show. "Why don't we talk about Ted Cruz? That guy talked for 21 hours non-stop," said Longoria, after her co-host claimed that being on MSNBC would require them to talk about politics.
"21 hours--it's crazy, huh? Usually it's a Latina who talks for 21 hours non-stop," joked Lopez.
The pair also talked about a possible government shutdown. "They should put a Latina in charge of the budget," said the former Desperate Housewives star, according to Latinrecap. "If anyone knows how to stretch a dollar, it's a Latina."
To which Lopez replied, "If anyone knows how to spend a dollar, it's a Latina."
This year's ceremony honorees included Mexican-American guitarist Carlos Santana; the Latino cast members of "Dexter," including actors David Zaya, Lauren Vélez, and Aimee García, who were honored for "Special Achievement in Television;" Robert Rodríguez for his directorial efforts in the industry; and the cast of "Filly Brown," which received the "Special Achievement in Film" award, the Huffington Post reported.
However, the most talked-about event of the 2013 ALMA Awards was actress Rosario Dawson's speech, which was a little bit too long. Dawson continued reading her notes over the music and was stopped by a video.
Another highlights of the show were Al Madrigal's performance, with young singer Sebastien de la Cruz taking the stage to delight the audience with his rendition of the national anthem, and a moment of silence for the late Mexican bandsinger Jenni Rivera.