suLLy díaz, she is a “rican”

Sully Díaz: from soap opera star to being “a Rican”

The actress now ventures into the stand-up comedy circuit

Juan A. Hernández, The Weekly Journal

Looking for something different to do Sunday night?

Look no further, go to a standup comedy show. But not just any show. Go to see Sully Díaz at the Fairmont San Juan Hotel.

Yes, I’m talking about that Sully Díaz… you know… Coralito, the girl from the famous “telenovela” from the 1980s.

Of course, now that she tours the stand-up circuit she goes by Sully D., which sounds more like a rapper’s name, but “a rose by any other name is still a rose.”

For those who don’t know her, or are too young to remember, Sully quickly became a household name in the 1980s after she debuted as “Coralito,” (little coral) the leading character in the telenovela by the same name. A modern-day Cinderella story (Caribbean style), Coralito was a hit and started Sully’s career in show business.

Fast forward to the current roaring twenties, Sully is now venturing in stand-up comedy with her show “I am Rican”.

“I was born in Puerto Rico’s largest barrio, the Bronx, in New York. But my parents were Puerto Ricans, so… throw that together and you get a ‘Nuyorican.’ So, I am Rican,” asserts Sully right of the bat at the beginning of her show.

Like any other ‘Rican’ Sully’s on stage personae is quick to offer her take on just about anything, from the hardships/boredom of the pandemic lockdown, pop artists, marriage, growing up Nuyorican and her career.

“Do you know that they still call me Coralito? I could be like standing in line at the bank or the supermarket, and they go ‘you are Coralito, ‘verdad…’ You know what… I’ve done many things after that telenovela,” her character recalls. I was born in Puerto Rico’s

Sully also questions why Americans make such a largest barrio, the Bronx, in big fuss about cooking, arguing about the reasons for having cooking shows on TV. New York. But my parents “Did you know they even have a show where famous chefs cook against not so famous chefs? The worst of them is Bobby Flay. Did you know this were Puerto Ricans, so… throw that together and you get a guy goes to your restaurant to cook your dish, and he cooks it better than you?,” she denounces to the audience, while squarely saying no one cooks ‘Nuyorican.’ Sully Díaz Actress and comedian better than Puerto Rican grandmothers.

The cozy Chico Cabaret at The Lobby in the Fairmont is the perfect venue for Sully’s show because it allows her to interact with the audience without any filter.

“I’ve always liked having that direct communication with the audience… it is great connection,” the artist said.

Like any other full-blooded Rican, Sully addresses her audience in ‘Spanglish,’ the official language of Nuyoricans, and while it could be argued that the language barrier might limit communication, the fact is, it doesn’t. After countless years spent with our Nuyorican cousins coming to Puerto Rico for their summer or Christmas vacations, we are all too familiar with the lingo, and clearly understand the nuances and double entendre of Spanglish.

Sully D’s “I am Rican” show is on Sundays, at 7:00pm on the Chico Cabaret at the Fairmont San Juan Hotel.

Puerto Rican artist competes for the Oscar for best animated film

The animator is Head of Story for “The Mitchells vs The Machines”

Jan Figueroa Roqué The Weekly Journal

The animations that the Puerto Rican artist Guillermo Martínez fell in love with when he was a child, has brought him today close to winning an Academy Award.

“The Mitchells vs. The Machines,” nominated for an Oscar in the category of best animated film, had Martínez, born and raised in Bayamón, as the Head of Story for the Sony Pictures production. “We never make films thinking that they will be nominated, but the fact that we are being recognized is really cool… I think that regardless of what happens, the studio (Sony Pictures) is happy,” he said during a recent interview about his expectations for March 27th, when the 94th Academy Awards ceremony will take place. The Head of Story in an animated film is the one who helps the director and screenwriter to translate the script into drawings. The film tells the story of Katie Mitchell, a young woman who wants to study cinema and who, along with her family, has to battle thousands of robots that threaten humanity. Martínez explained that although they expected the film to be released in theaters, the release was moved to Netflix due to the pandemic and other situations affecting the industry.

“Many parents are super happy, and a lot of kids who are LGBTQ identify with Katie. If we don’t win, it doesn’t matter. Look at what we’ve achieved: the fans, the parents and their children are all talking to each other because they saw a movie they can relate to,” he added.

Martínez is not sure whether he will be able to go to the award ceremony because of the restrictions that persist due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but he assured that, if he can’t go, he will meet with members of the team at his house to await the result.

The Mitchells vs. The Machines >Netflix The road to reach this position was not easy. He received multiple rejections since he arrived in the United States in 2009, seeking an opportunity in animation. Back then, Laika Studios recruited him to do storyboards. He had

In fact, completed his degree at the Puerto Rico School of Fine Arts and Design, before moving to California, where The film tells he entered an arts school to delve the story of a young into animation. woman who wants “…it wasn’t until I got to that to study cinema school that I discovered what and who, along with storyboarding was. I took a her family, has to class with a teacher who was a battle thousands of storyboard artist at Pixar (Toy Story, robots that threaten Monsters, Inc.) and he told us that humanity. storyboarding is animation, acting, cinematography, editing… and that concept blew my mind” said the father of two girls. The Bayamón native is also a writer and part of the storyboard team of the animated series “We Bare Bears”, from The Cartoon Network. Precisely, this was the job that connected him with the director of “The

We never make films thinking that they will be nominated, but the fact that we are being recognized is really cool.

Guillermo Martínez

Mitchells vs. The Machines.” He was hired by Sony Pictures five years ago. “They have supported me in everything and have allowed me to do many things that other studios probably wouldn’t have allowed me to do,” Martínez said.

The Puerto Rican artist announced he is now working on a new film, for which he was the screenwriter and will be its director. He’s also working on other animated projects with the company.