Thank God I speak English, because if I had to rely on Spanish-language television to be informed, I would think that besides the death of Antonio Aguilar, nothing else has happened on this planet.

The Mexican singer died at age 88 on June 19, and as of today (Friday June 22) nothing else has been on Hispanic television. And I don’t mean only the chismes shows. Since Tuesday, both Univision and Telemundo have opened their nightly newscasts with the details of Aguilar’s death; and for 48 hours straight, daily shows such as Telemundo’s Cotorreando and Escandalo TV have devoted one-hour specials to the event. The coverage has become ridiculously detailed, and some reporters went as far as to shed some tears on live television.

“What would Latinos be watching otherwise?,” my mom –who is visiting from Mexico– asked me. “Is there anything else?”. I was sorry to tell her there was nothing much, at least not in Spanish, the only language she understands.

Don’t get me wrong, I think the death of Antonio Aguilar was worth making it to the news but, how much longer do Spanish speakers have to hear about this?

I feel bad for Mr. Schwarznegger, but Spanish-language TV is just about to get even more viewers (yep, more of those lazy Latinos who don’t want to learn English).

El Chavo del Ocho, the popular Mexican sitcom that follows the tribulations of an 8-year-old homeless kid living in a vecindad, is now to be released in animated form in the U.S. Fifty-two half hour episodes already launched throughout Mexico and Latin America in the fall.

During a brief visit to New York City this week, the show’s creator and producer, Roberto Gómez Bolaños, told reporters the first 26 episodes will be ready to be shown this winter.

Don’t worry, Mr. Governator: plans call for El Chavo to be dubbed into English in the near future.

You gotta acknowledge Spanish-language media for their relentless coverage of all things Latino in the U.S.

After an exhaustive weekend coverage of the Puerto Rican parade in New York City, Monday’s evening Spanish-language newscasts opened with –what else?– Danny Olivas’ walk on space.

See, it’s not only because Danny is one of the few fortunate ones to have gone on a spacewalk … ever. As luck has it, his grandparents happened to be born in Chihuahua, Mexico, which gives him an enviable spot in the attention of Hispanic media.

Univision news anchor Enrique Gratas last night went as far as to close the segment with the following remark: “It was one small step for Danny Olivas, and a giant leap for the Hispanic community.”

Why? … I wonder.

Univision’s board of directors is ready for a taste of salsa. Cuba-born Gloria Estefan has just been named to Univision Communication Inc.’s newly configured board of directors.

Joining the Latin crossover sensation is Henry Cisneros, former mayor of San Antonio and former president and COO of the network.

Looking at the rest of the list, comprised by CEO Joe Uva and representatives from each one of the private-equity firms involved in the buyout, I cannot help but wonder: what exactly do Estefan and Cisneros bring to the table? Perhaps, as my friend says, it’s more the desire to pick a high profile Cuban-American and Mexican-American for the board. ¿Será?

Trivia. What was the most watched TV show -among all U.S. broadcast networks- on the night of May 27 among all men ages 18-34?

Answer: the Mexican League Soccer final match pitching Pachuca vs. America, which was broadcast live by Azteca America and viewed by 2.2 million people in the United States.

In a statement the network said today that, following actual live start and end times, Nielsen revised its count to 2.2 million, up from the 1.9 million thought to have originally viewed the game. According to the new ratings, the Pachuca-America match attracted 1% more male 18-34 viewers than ABC’s May 26 NBA Conference Finals playoff match; 10% more than FOX’s Nascar Nextel Cup on May 26; over 40% more than ABC’s Indy 500 Race aired on May 26; and over 70% more than FOX’s Saturday Baseball Game of the Week on May 26.

As the originator of the missive said: “It may be time to reconsider America’s national pastimes.”

If you thought Mario Kreutzberger (a.k.a. Don Francisco) was only about entertaining Latino families with Sábado Gigante and Don Francisco Presenta think again.

The popular TV presenter last weekend screened Testigos del Silencio a documentary  about his family’s 2005 visit to the Auschewitz concentration camp, the Varsovia ghetto, a Polish cemetery, and the Majdanek extermination center for the 60th anniversary of the end of the Holocaust. The pilgrimage is part of an annual event known as Marcha por la vida (March of the Living.)

In an interview with Chilean newspaper El Mercurio, Kreutzberger said the point of the journey, said , “was to pay tribute to my parents who lived horrible moments.”

Though more than 400 people attended the screening on Saturday (when else?), Don Francisco says he has no plans for a wider release. And let’s hope it stays this way, or at the very least let’s hope it will stay away from the hands of marketers who are probably already ruminating ways to pitch their brands through some kind of product placement deal.

Although four Latin Americans made it to the top 10 at this year’s Miss Universe beauty pageant (Brazil, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Mexico), the crown finally went to Miss Japan, Riyo Mori, a 20-year-old dancer.

Fortunately for them (not for this blogger) they all did relatively well during the feared question session. There were, however, a few embarrassing moments, and some quotable quotes at last night’s live show from Mexico City:

–Miss USA Rachel Smith slipped and fell to the floor during the evening gown competition. More embarrassing though was the Elvis Presley-like white suit she wore a week before showing her country’s love for rock & roll…

–Telemundo presenter Alfonso “Poncho” de Anda at some point introduced viewers to the representative of “the United States of North America” (los Estados Unidos de Norteamérica) –no need to comment further here…

–And last, but not least, during a special show on Telemundo broadcast prior to the actual event, Miss Venezuela was quoted saying: “Many governments should learn something from all of us […] we were able to spend an entire month together without shooting a single bullet.”