Que Locura! en Univision

Que Locura! translates roughly (I think) to mean “What Craziness!”or “How Insane!” or “How Crazy!” For those of you who watch Univision (which is probably none of you, but I’ll keep talking anyway), you may have seen this show and wondered what’s going on.

Now, the show is particularly hard to follow for a non-native Spanish speaker, because, in addition to being in a foreign language, there is a lot of background noise, including a commentary complete with cartoonish laughter. But, from what I’ve gathered thus far (I’ve only been introduced to Que Locura! just this week), the show is a candid camera-like joke that the host plays on famous Latino guests.

On candid camera in the United States, usually the situations are harmless. But on Que Locura! we get to see famous people beat up producers with their stilettos, break down and cry buckets of tears, and in other ways panic, often as they think they are about to be arrested by “the police.” Sometimes we even get to see them fear for their lives when the Que Locura! actors brandish fake revolvers! On Univision’s website, they explain how this reveals the “human face” of these famous people and public figures. (For anyone who speaks a lick of Spanish, I highly reccomend visiting the Que Locura! website.)

So, this leads me to my dilemma. As anyone who has watched any amount of Univision knows, Latino television is full of Anglo-looking people with fair hair and skin (no trace of indiginous representation) and melodramatic “telenovelas” (soap operas). With this concept in mind, my initial reaction to Que Locura! was that someone should immediately apply to Univision and produce some decent material for our Latin American friends who are obviously much deprived. But upon further reflection, I started thinking…Maybe the real solution is to bring the Que Locura! concept to the English language. Que Locura! viewers are able to submit via the web their ideas for jokes to play on famous people. Who in the U.S. would not also yearn for the privilige of creating their own dastardly stunts to pull on unspecting victims, like that cute Dr. McDreamy from Grey’s Anatomy, or Katie Holmes and her Scientologist baby Suri (with the fringe on top?). Have “the police” pull fake revolvers on that adorable Dakota Fanning, anyone?

These are just my initial thoughts, but as always, I am eagerly interested to hear both your opinions and ideas of jokes to play on other celebrities. So don’t be shy–pour our your true feelings and your own cunning plans. I want to hear what you have to say.