Latin TV Stars

There seems to be a basic formula to a lot of Latin TV shows: Take a fat guy and add a bunch of sex goddesses in bikinis or microminis. That's one big reason why non-Spanish speakers tune in--blanquitos love the babes. (We turned it on for the World Cup last summer and kept going back when we realized that, before and after the soccer games, the network might as well be called Cup World.) A Spanish television show isn't a Spanish TV show without beautiful women. It's a given. The setups almost seem old-fashioned--think The Price Is Right--except the girls aren't wearing much more than dental floss and postage stamps. Given that an entire hemisphere is watching the powerhouse Latin networks, it's no wonder the numbers are huge. But even if the U.S. audience is separated out, the magnitude of the Latin TV market is surprisingly large. Univision's programming in Los Angeles and Miami often draws more viewers than any of El Norte's big four networks--and its local news programs routinely beat English-language counterparts in New York, where Spanish-language viewership has increased 127 percent in the past three years. And in many U.S. markets, there's a lot to choose from--it's not just Univision and Telemundo anymore. Azteca America has become a third force, and Univision has a youth market-oriented network called TeleFutura. And then there's cable--Galavisión, MTV Espanol, CNN en Español and Fox Sports World Español, among others. All the competition means more beautiful women, less clothing and even more shaking of all those culos bellos.

Natalia Villaveces

The hostess of Telemundo's Cotorreando is from Colombia. She's also written two books--the title of one, Lo Que Las Mujeres No Pueden Decir, left us wondering, What exactly can't women say? "Women always keep little secrets about love. For example, when we have a love we can't forget, we try to find someone else to replace that person. But the new person will never know that his kisses, words and hugs are just to erase someone from our heart. That's certainly the kind of thing a woman can't tell."

Vanesa Adriazola

Vanesa grew up in Mendoza, Argentina. When her family moved to Chile, Vanesa, who was working as a model and aerobics instructor, took a deep breath and decided to stay in Mendoza. Thank goodness--she entered and won our Miss Playboy TV Argentina spokesmodel search soon afterward. She's now based in Miami, where she just landed a role in La Isla de Tentación, Telemundo's version of Temptation Island. Vanesa herself is tempted by skiing and extreme sports. Still, she admits to less dangerous lifestyle choices, too. "Most of my spare time is spent on the beaches of south Florida."

Daniela Perez

Daniela is also from Argentina. (Who the hell would ever cry for you, Argentina?) Her career has emphasized music as well--her latest record, Sensual, was recently released by Fonovisa. "My music is a fusion of different rhythms." she says, "like salsa and mambo with disco-pop percussion." Despite tabloid attention for rumored high-profile romances, she says she's fairly traditional. "A fun date can be many things. I like a first date who drops me off with a kiss on the cheek and tells me he'll call me tomorrow." Of course, she's leaving out the part about giving him the wrong number if he's not worth inviting in.

DORIS MAP

Doris is another Argentine export. She's a regular on gossip king Raul de Molina's El Gordo y La Flaca. But her cosmopolitan credentials extend beyond international TV to a side career singing Mexican music. "Mexican music interested me because it is very hot," she says, "and because it has deep content in its lyrics." We know exactly what you mean. Girls are always telling us (with a glow on their faces) that when it comes to the lyrical department (and we're talking the lingua franca here), depth of content is something that definitely improves as you go north.

Roxana Martinez

This Argentine sex symbol is probably best known by her international nickname, La Tetanic--that's Spanish for Los Hootos Grandes. Actually it's a pun best imitated in English by doubling the second "t" in Titanic. Roxana got started in TV ads in Argentina, but has absolutely killed in comedic roles. These days she appears on Univision's Los Metiches, but she also has two projects in the works for Televisa. When La Tetanic is planning to dock, she says, "A special look is fundamental. I find good cologne particularly sexy on a man. Black clothes on him--black clothes also on me. 1 like very small lingerie, laced and embroidered." And we thought that Latin dudes were so macho.

Tune in to more of these Latin TV Lovelies at cyber.playboy.com