- María Celeste Arrarás
-
Maria Celeste Arrarás 
Born Maria Celeste Arrarás
September 27, 1960
Mayagüez, Puerto RicoResidence Miami, Florida Education Loyola University New Orleans Occupation Journalist Employer Telemundo USA Known for Primer Impacto
Al Rojo Vivo Con Maria CelesteChildren 3 Parents José Enrique Arrarás Awards Emmy Award Maria Celeste Arrarás (born September 27, 1960 in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico) is a Puerto Rican journalist and actress and the host and producer of Spanish language news program Al Rojo Vivo Con Maria Celeste.[1]
Contents
Biography
Maria Celeste Arrarás was born September 27, 1960 in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. She is one of seven children born to politician, sports leader, lawyer, and educator José Enrique Arrarás.[2]
In her youth Arrarás competed internationally in swimming. In 1971, she won three medals (one gold, one silver, and one bronze) at the Central American and Caribbean Swimming Championships. She had hopes of competing at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, but had to give up on that goal after she had contracted infectious mononucleosis ("kissing disease") after having shared a glass of water with someone.[2]
At age 18, she represented Mayagüez in 1979 at the Miss Puerto Rico pageant where she placed 1st runner up in the competition. When she reached the age of 20, Arrarás attended Loyola University of New Orleans in New Orleans, Louisiana, where she majored in communications and public relations.[1]
Arrarás began her broadcasting career when she was employed by local Puerto Rican television station Canal 24 (Channel 24) as a reporter. In 1986, she was hired by the New York Telemundo affiliate WNJU as a reporter. Her work there drew the attention of the executives of the Univision network, who decided to hire her in 1994 as the co-anchor of their Miami, Florida based television news program, Primer Impacto. Along with her co-anchor Myrka Dellanos, she would continue to hold that position until 2002 when she left the show and the network.[1]
In 2002, Arrarás moved to the Telemundo USA network to work as the anchor woman in a new television program that would replace her former competitor, Ocurrio Asi. Her new show was named Al Rojo Vivo con Maria Celeste.[3] That same year Arrarás tried her hand at acting by appearing in two episodes of the American soap opera Passions in November 2002, in which she played herself.[4]
In April 2003, Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin let Arrarás have the first interview that he had done in Spanish in two years. On May of that year, Arrarás was honored by the displaying of a plaque with her name and hand-prints on it in Mexico City's Paseo de los Grandes (Walk of the Great Ones).
Since the NBC network owns the Telemundo company, executives at NBC decided that it would be a good idea for Arrarás to be a panelist for the candidates' debate during the "Iowa Brown and Black Presidential Forum" in 2004. Arraras mistakenly referred to Representative Dennis Kucinich as "Senator Kucinich" instead of "Congressman Kucinich", and he needed to correct her.[5]
On March 2004, a celebrity gossip magazine ran a story about Arrarás's filing for divorce from her then husband Manny Arvesu.[6] Also, in an interview her Telemundo co-worker, Laura Bozzo, expressed a disliking of her. All this was published shortly after Arrarás attended the wedding of her friend, Lucía Méndez, in Mexico. Arrarás declared that attending the wedding while in the middle of her own marital crisis was hard for her.[7]
On Friday, June 23, 2006, Arrarás became the first Telemundo hostess to co-host the Today Show on NBC. She did this again July 7, 2006, July 30, 2006, and for several days during the first week of July, 2009.[8]
In 2003 and 2006, Arrarás served as a judge for the Miss Universe pageant. She has also become the latest Hispanic celebrity mom to be a part of the Hispanic "Got Milk?" campaign in January 2007, as part of the "Think About Your Drink" campaign.[9]
Over the years Arrarás has interviewed many presidents and other people of note, including Yolanda Saldívar, the woman convicted of murdering Tejano music singer Selena Quintanilla.[10]
Books
Arrarás is also an investigative reporter and writer, and has authored this several books. Her investigative works include Selena‘s Secret: The Revealing Story Behind Her Tragic Death, released in Spanish as El Secreto De Selena: La Reveladora Historia Detrás De Su Trágica Muerte, in which she investigated the events surrounding the death of singer Selena Quintanilla.[10][11]
In 2007, Arrarás also wrote a book The Magic Cane, published in Spanish as El Bastón Mágico.[12][13] The book made for children ages 4 to 8, features brightly-colored, comic book style illustrations that will appeal to readers, providing a modern touch for an old-fashioned type of storytelling.
In 2009, Arrarás published her latest book Make Your Life Prime Time: How to Have It All Without Losing Your Soul, published in Spanish as Vive Tu Vida Al Rojo Vivo: Secretos Para Triunfar En Todo.[14][15] The award-winning journalist shares advice through personal reflections and a series of anecdotes that will serve all those who read it as a compass to navigate the world.[16]
Personal
Arrarás, who has been married twice, is the daughter of José Enrique Arrarás and is one of seven children.[14] Her siblings include Astrid, José Enrique, Jr., Patricia, Gabriel Enrique, Enrique Antonio and Isabel Celeste Arrarás.[2]
Arrarás, who is single, currently lives in Miami with her three children. She has two children with her ex-husband Manny Arvesu - their son Julian and their daughter Lara Giuiliana.[4] She was one of the first Latina celebrities to adopt a child from an orphanage in Eastern Europe when she and former husband Manny Arvesu adopted a one-year old Russian boy named Vadim in 2000. They changed his name to Adrian and he learned that he was adopted because he was told by one of his friends.[17]
See also
- List of famous Puerto Ricans
- List of television presenters
References
- ^ a b c She is also the host of daily radio program En Voz Alta con Maria Celeste on WSUA Radio Caracol. Maria Celeste Arrarás: Una mujer con el corazón al rojo vivo. URL accessed on April 8, 2010.
- ^ a b c Jaime Bayly Entrevista Maria Celeste Arrarás. URL accessed on April 8, 2010.
- ^ Maria Celeste Arrarás: El Rinconcito Sexy. URL accessed on April 8, 2010.
- ^ a b Find The Work You Love By Maria Celeste Arrarás. URL accessed on April 8, 2010.
- ^ Washington Post >> Complete Transcript: Iowa Brown and Black Presidential Forum. URL accessed on April 8, 2010.
- ^ People En Espanol >> Maria Celeste Arrarás Firma Acuerdo De Divircio. URL accessed on April 8, 2010.
- ^ Puerto Rico Herald >> Maria Celeste Arrarás: Talk Show Divas Go Head To Head On Telemundo. URL accessed on April 8, 2010.
- ^ The Today Show Photo Gallery. URL accessed on April 8, 2010.
- ^ Maria Celeste Arrarás is newest Hispanic Milk Mustache Celebrity. URL accessed on April 8, 2010.
- ^ a b Arrarás, Maria Celeste (1997). Selena’s Secret: The Revealing Story Behind Her Tragic Death. Simon & Schuster. p. 256. ISBN 978-0-68483-193-0.
- ^ Arrarás, Maria Celeste (1997). El Secreto De Selena: La Reveladora Historia Detras De Su Trajica Muerte. Simon & Schuster. p. 272. ISBN 978-0-68483-135-0.
- ^ Arrarás, Maria Celeste; Chuckry, Chris (2007). The Magic Cane. Scholastic Inc. p. 32. ISBN 978-0-43957-419-8.
- ^ Arrarás, Maria Celeste; Chuckry, Chris (2008). bastón mágico. Scholastic Inc. p. 32. ISBN 978-0-54500-532-6.
- ^ a b Arrarás, Maria Celeste (2009). Make Your Life Prime Time: How to Have It All Without Losing Your Soul. Simon & Schuster. p. 272. ISBN 978-1-41658-581-7.
- ^ Arrarás, Maria Celeste (2009). Vive Tu Vida Al Rojo Vivo: Secretos Para Triunfar En Todo. Simon & Schuster. p. 272. ISBN 978-1-43910-188-9.
- ^ Hissip >> Maria Celeste Arrarás to release book. URL accessed on April 8, 2010.
- ^ Diario Las Americas >> Maria Celeste Arrarás: De Tal Palo, Tal Astilla. URL accessed on April 8, 2010.
External links
Categories:- 1960 births
- Living people
- People from Miami, Florida
- Puerto Rican journalists
- People from Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
- Puerto Rican television personalities
- American television talk show hosts
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