Selena (film)

Selena is a 1997 American biographical musical drama film about the life and career of the late Tejano music star Selena, a recording artist well known in the Mexican American and Hispanic communities in the United States and Mexico before she was murdered by Yolanda Saldívar, the president of her fan club at the age of 23.

The film stars Jennifer Lopez in her breakthrough role as Selena, and Edward James Olmos as her father, Abraham Quintanilla, Jr.. Lupe Ontiveros is featured as Yolanda Saldívar.

Plot

The film opens on February 26, 1995, with Selena (Jennifer Lopez) performing to a sold-out crowd of 65,000 at the Houston Astrodome in Houston, Texas. The action then flashes back to 1961, where a young Abraham Quintanilla and his band, The Dinos, are rejected for an audition by a restaurant owner because they were Mexican and the resturaunt was for whites only. Crushed, Abraham gives up music.

The film moves ahead to 1981 where Abraham (Edward James Olmos) is now married to Marcella (Constance Marie) and has three children. When his youngest daughter Selena sings to him, he is enthralled by the quality of her voice and decides to start a band called "Selena y los Dinos" (Selena and the Guys). He designates Selena as lead singer, his son A.B. (Jacob Vargas) on bass, and his older daughter Suzette (Jackie Guerra) on drums, despite Suzette's protests that "girls don't play drums".

Selena

Selena Quintanilla-Pérez (Spanish: [seˈlena kintaˈniʎa ˈpeɾeθ] or [seˈlena kintaˈniʝa ˈpeɾes]) (April 16, 1971 – March 31, 1995) was an American singer, songwriter, spokesperson, actress, and fashion designer. Called the Queen of Tejano music, her contributions to music and fashion made her one of the most celebrated Mexican-American entertainers of the late 20th century. Billboard magazine named her the "top Latin artist of the '90s", the "best selling Latin artist of the decade". She was called the "Tejano Madonna" for her clothing choices, by media outlets. She also ranks among the most influential Latin artists of all-time and is credited for catapulting a music genre into mainstream.

The youngest child of the Quintanilla family, she debuted on the music scene in 1980 as a member of the band Selena y Los Dinos, which also included her elder siblings A.B. Quintanilla and Suzette Quintanilla. Selena began recording professionally in 1982. In the 1980s, she was often criticized and was refused bookings at venues across Texas for performing Tejano music—a male-dominated music genre. However, her popularity grew after she won the Tejano Music Award for Female Vocalist of the Year in 1986, which she won nine consecutive times. Selena signed with EMI Latin in 1989 and released her self-titled debut album the same year, while her brother became her principal music producer and songwriter.

Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), also known as J. Lo, is an American actress, author, fashion designer, dancer, producer, and singer. She became interested in pursuing a career in the entertainment industry following a minor role in the 1986 film My Little Girl, to the dismay of her Puerto Rican parents, who believed that it was an unrealistic career route for a Hispanic. Lopez gained her first regular high-profile job as a Fly Girl dancer on In Living Color in 1991, where she remained a regular until she decided to pursue an acting career in 1993. She received her first leading role in the Selena biopic of the same name in 1997. Lopez became the first Latina actress to earn over US$1 million for a role the following year, with the film Out of Sight. She ventured into the music industry in 1999 with her debut studio album, On the 6.

With the simultaneous release of her second studio album J.Lo and her film The Wedding Planner in 2001, Lopez became the first person to have a number one album and film in the same week. Her 2002 remix album, J to tha L–O! The Remixes, became the first in history to debut at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200, while her fifth studio album, Como Ama una Mujer (2007), received the highest first-week sales for a Spanish album in the United States. With past record sales of over 60 million and a cumulative film gross of over US$2 billion, Lopez is regarded as the most influential Hispanic performer in the United States, as well as its highest paid Latin entertainer. Along with Pitbull and Claudia Leitte, she recorded "We Are One (Ole Ola)", which served as the official song of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Demi Lovato

Demetria Devonne "Demi" Lovato (/ˈdɛmi loʊˈvɑːtoʊ/ DEM-ee loh-VAH-toh or lə-VAH-toh) (born August 20, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and model who made her debut as a child actress in Barney & Friends. In 2008, Lovato rose to prominence in the Disney Channel television film Camp Rock and signed a recording contract with Hollywood Records. Musically, Lovato is considered a pop and pop rock. She released her debut album, Don't Forget, that September; it debuted at No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over 530,000 copies. In 2009, Lovato received her own television series, Sonny with a Chance. Her second album, Here We Go Again, was released that July and debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200, and it has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over 650,000 copies. Its title track became her first single to break the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100, reaching number 15, and was certified platinum.

Selena Gomez

Selena Marie Gomez (/səˈliːnə məˈriː ˈɡoʊmɛz/ sə-LEE-nə mə-REE GOH-mez;Spanish pronunciation: [seˈlena ˈɣomes]; born July 22, 1992) is an American singer and actress. Born and raised in Grand Prairie, Texas, she was first featured on the children's series Barney & Friends in the early 2000s. In 2007, Gomez came to prominence after being cast in the Disney Channel series Wizards of Waverly Place, in which she starred as the lead character, Alex Russo, until its conclusion in 2012. She formed the band Selena Gomez & the Scene after signing a recording contract with Hollywood Records in 2008; they released the studio albums Kiss & Tell (2009), A Year Without Rain (2010), and When the Sun Goes Down (2011) before beginning a hiatus in 2012.

Gomez entered the film industry with star billings in feature films including Ramona and Beezus (2010), Monte Carlo (2011), and Hotel Transylvania (2012). She embraced an increasingly mature public image with her star billing in the film Spring Breakers (2013) and her 2013 debut solo studio album, Stars Dance. The latter project debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 and included the Billboard Hot 100 top-ten single "Come & Get It." Gomez was released from her recording contract with Hollywood Records following the completion of her compilation album For You (2014). She subsequently signed with Interscope Records to continue work on her sophomore studio album, Revival (2015). It debuted at number one in the US and featured the top-five singles "Good for You" and "Same Old Love" and the top-ten single "Hands to Myself."