Before JLo was a household name, Jennifer Lopez was a “Fly Girl” on the hit show In Living Color. The now triple threat received her breakout acting role, portraying Mexican-American entertainer Selena Quintanilla in the biopic Selena. Quintanilla was a pop sensation that was able to crossover between both Mexican and American cultures through music, dance, and fashion.
With her success came an interesting story, which would end tragically. The “Queen of Tejano Music” lived a short, fast-paced life. Although she is gone, her impact on pop culture will live on forever. Today, we acknowledge both the real-life Selena and the woman who played her on the big screen.
Selena Blooms Como La Flor
Before JLo was “Waiting for Tonight” or spelling “R-U-L-E,” she was on the big screen. The actress made her acting debut playing the adult version of Selena. The story begins when the Mexican-American pop star was a child practicing and performing. You learn quickly that her father, Abraham, pushed his children into the music industry.
Abraham, who was played by Edward James Olmos, wasn’t teaching intercity kids calculus this time; he would explain how exhausting it was to be a Mexican-American. Being more Mexican than the Mexicans and more American than the Americans. Well, Selena y Los Dinos did just that!
While on a quick pit stop, the group heard their single on the radio for the first time, and her superstardom began. She began performing at more than county fairs or traveling festivals. From her designing their outfits (which I think we can all agree the cow print was hideous) to her brother writing the lyrics, they did it all.
Their bus even came into the action, as two tough Esses got their bumper ripped off. We can all assume they fulfilled their promise on hanging it in their garage with the saying, “This bumper was ripped off by the bus of Selenas.” Yes, adding the S to Selena!
Cause I’m Dreaming of You Tonight, Til Tomorrow
We all know this tale ends with tragedy, but before we get there, we get some romance. As Heavy D once said, “Now that we found love, what are we going to do with it?” Selena falls in love with the new guitarist, and luckily for them, I think they only member of the band who wasn’t already family.
The quiet, rocking rebel, Chris, made his impression on the singer pretty quickly. After Suzie nearly drowned him and gave him a haircut, the lead guitarist became a hot tamale. The shy but smooth Chris got to know Selena on the tour bus and while out having a delicious slice of pizza.
After getting caught making out and possibly rounding the bases, the couple became nervous over Abraham’s approval. So, like any couple in love, after trashing a hotel room, they decide to elope. The family finds out on the radio, which, in their defense, they couldn’t text or update their Facebook status to married.
After winning a Grammy and having a ton of success, the president of Selena’s fan club became a deadly assassin. By the way, remember fan clubs? Pretty sure my sister was the self-proclaimed leader of Hanson’s fan club, but I digress. Yolanda, a family friend who ran the operation, gave Selena a nice gift, then got accused of stealing money from fans, and ultimately shot her “friend,” ending her life at the age of 23.
Final Thoughts
I have a lot of friends in my life, and I had no desire to shoot any of them because I made a mistake. As far as the movie that put Jennifer Lopez on the map, it was one of my favorite movies growing up. If you are wearing what Abraham calls a “boostie-caca” or you just love the “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom” jam, it’s a well-told story of the life of Selena Quintanilla. Just remember, “late at night when all the world is sleeping, I stay up and think of you.”
Point of Vision 