El diecinueve de abril/April 19th

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Luis Miguel in Miami in 2011. Photo from billboard.com
article announcing the new tv series based on Luis Miguel's life,
which Netflix bought the rights to in Latin America and Spain,
and Telemundo bought the rights to in the U.S.
Series premieres in April 2018. Click HERE for article. 
¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Luis Miguel! (1970- )

A Mexican singer often referred to as "El Sol de México," Luis Miguel has multiple Grammys, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, 16 #1 songs on the Billboard chart (second only to Enrique Iglesias), and 22 highly successful albums (he has sold more than 100 million). In 1993 he helped celebrate Frank Sinatra's 80th birthday with a special concert alongside Bruce Springsteen, Natalie Cole, Stevie Wonder and Bob Dylan. He had been personally invited by Sinatra to do so. Though famously private, he now has a television series based on his life broadcast in Latin America, Spain, and the United States (read more and see a short trailer HERE). Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico to a Spanish singer (known as Luisito Rey) and an Italian actress, Marcela Basteri (who disappeared in 1986 and whose whereabouts are still unknown. Read more (in Spanish) HERE), Luis Miguel was encouraged as a child by his father to watch and study all the performances of Elvis Presley. He won his first Grammy at the age of 14 (for Me gustas tal como eres with Sheena Easton) and had one of the best-selling Spanish language albums of all time, Romance, in 1991. Luis Miguel and his father had a falling out at that time, and his father died in 1992 without the two reconciling. Luis Miguel is fluent in Spanish, Italian, English, and Portuguese and has done multiple world tours through the years. His 2010-2013 Luis Miguel Tour took him to 22 different countries to perform. He and actress Aracely Arámbula have two children together, Miguel (Jan. 2007) and Daniel (Dec. 2008), and he also has a daughter, Michelle, born in 1989, from a previous relationship. Listen to Luis Miguel's hit No Discutamos (and sing along) HERE.

For resources for teaching Spanish, Level 1 through AP, CLICK HERE.

Other April 19th birthdays of note:

Fernando Botero (1932-       ): Colombian sculptor and artist known for his voluminous figures (called "Boterismo"), his work regularly sells for millions of dollars. Read more in this 2012 LA Times article, or listen to this 2014 interview (in Spanish) to learn more. At right, Matador by Fernando Botero.

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