Friday, February 6, 2009

Carmen Miranda Centennial

Daniella Thompson reminds us that 2009 - the Ano Villa-Lobos - is also Carmen Miranda's Centennial year. The actual date is Monday, February 9. It's interesting that her father José Maria Pinto Cunha was born in 1887 - the same year as Villa-Lobos.

So maybe Villa looked at Carmen Miranda as a daughter; certainly his admiration for her was boundless:

"Carmen Miranda carried her country in her luggage, and taught people who had no idea of our existence to adore our music and our rhythm. Brazil will always have an unpayable debt to Carmen Miranda."

- Villa Lobos, quoted in "Carmen Miranda: The High Price of Fame & Bananas," in Latina Legacies: Identity, Biography, and Community, Vicki L. Ruiz, p. 193.

Lots of websites out there about Carmen Miranda, but your best bet is to pop a DVD in the player, and enjoy!

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