- published: 06 Nov 2012
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Bola de Nieve (Snowball) (11 September 1911 – 2 October 1971), born Ignacio Jacinto Villa, was a successful Cuban singer-pianist and songwriter, whose round, black face earned him the nickname by which he was always known.
Villa was born in Guanabacoa, and studied at the Mateu Conservatoire of Havana. He worked as a chauffeur and played piano for silent films until his friend Rita Montaner took him on as an accompanist in the early 1930s. After Montaner returned to Cuba, Villa remained in Mexico and developed an original performance style as a pianist and singer. He was an elite rather than a popular figure, a sophisticated cabaret stylist known for ironic patter, subtle musical interpretation, with a repertoire that included songs in French, English, Catalan, Portuguese and Italian. He toured widely in Europe and the Americas, and his friends included Andres Segovia and Pablo Neruda. He was black and gay, self-confident in his personality, and was accepted for what he was: a memorable talent.
Actors: Tony Plana (actor), Millie Perkins (actress), Jsu Garcia (actor), David Michie (actor), William Marquez (actor), Tomas Milian (actor), Andy Garcia (actor), Richard Bradford (actor), Bill Murray (actor), Julio Oscar Mechoso (actor), Steven Bauer (actor), Juan Fernández (actor), Dustin Hoffman (actor), Andy Garcia (producer), Elizabeth Peña (actress),
Plot: In Havana, Cuba in the late 1950's, a wealthy family, one of whose sons is a prominent nightclub owner, is caught in the violent transition from the oppressive regime of Batista to the Marxist government of Fidel Castro. Castro's regime ultimately leads the nightclub owner to flee to New York.
Keywords: 1950s, beating, blood, bomb, brother-brother-relationship, che-guevara, comedian, cuba, cuban-flag, cuban-revolutionActors: Julio Fernández (producer), Eduardo Albaladejo (miscellaneous crew), Sancho Gracia (actor), Carlos Fernández (producer), Camilo Vives (producer), Elena Serra (miscellaneous crew), Goya Toledo (actress), Edesio Alejandro (composer), Eslinda Núñez (actress), Roberto Perdomo (actor), Julia Yip (editor), Alejandro Brugués (writer), Caridad Herrera (miscellaneous crew), Omara Portuondo (actress), Manuel Herrera (director),
Genres: Musical,Actors: Jack Mulcahy (actor), William Marquez (actor), Miriam Colon (actress), Susan Bradley (miscellaneous crew), Jose Yenque (actor), Lisa Arnone (miscellaneous crew), Jaime Tirelli (actor), Lemore Syvan (producer), Teresa Yenque (actress), Ken Cheeseman (actor), Lonnie Farmer (actor), Lisa Vidal (actress), Marcus Viscidi (producer), Mo McRae (actor), Jan Egleson (director),
Plot: On her 26th birthday, Elena suffers an anomaly: she loses her ability to speak Spanish. It happens during a late-night argument with her mother, the janitor at a Boston museum, over several family issues: Elena's missing father (gone since she was a young child) and her feeling caught between two men, a Latin artist named Tito, who has no Green Card, and her Irish-American boss, Brian. What explains the loss of her native tongue? Does it matter within the larger challenges of finding her father, choosing between men, and reconciling with her mother? Some answers may come at the Blue Diner, where Papo, the Cuban proprietor, serves up brains and a special pepper.
Keywords: boston-massachusetts, casket-manufacturer, immigrant, latino, latino-american, love, love-triangle, marriage-engagement, mother-daughter-relationship, puerto-rican-americanEn la penumbra del "Monseñor"
todas las noches tocaba sentado al piano
bebiendo ron muy tarde hasta la mañana
Bola de Nieve negro piano man
con la voz rajada ya de tanto trasnochar.
En la penumbra del "Monseñor"
la gente escuchaba al Bola
cantando con un traje de Lord
como su piano de cola
Bola de Nieve negro piano man
con la voz rajada ya de tanto trasnochar.
Un día el Bola no regresó
y no se supo más nada
sólo que tuvo un extraño amor
oculto en la madrugada
Bola de Nieve negro piano man
con la voz rajada ya de tanto trasnochar.
Y cuando cierran el "Monseñor"
dicen que pasa algo raro
por las paredes se oye una voz
y tocan solas las teclas del piano.
"Y así les digo
buenas noches, buenas tardes
o buenos días
y con mucho gusto
estuve con ustedes hoy
y quien sabe en otras fechas