Paul Rodriguez is the Whole Enchilada

La Prensa de San Antonio.- As if having all the greatest stars of Tejano music in town all at once wasn’t enough, San Antonio will have another very special treat. Paul Rodriguez, revered as one of the first Latin Kings of Comedy, will be here with his very special brand of joy to host the 30th Tejano Music Awards at 7 p.m., July 11, at the Municipal Auditorium.

Rodriguez has been making audiences laugh all over the world in Spanish and English for nearly three decades. “I’m in my mid-life Chrysler,” he said.

But it is that unique blend of humor that takes full advantage of his Latin heritage and the American dream that lets all his audiences identify with him.
“I am the perfect host for this – I was there at the beginning – when we did the awards at the Circle 8 motel,” he said.

He recalls those days fondly. “I remember Selena – I think I was the first celebrity she met.” Never missing a beat, he told La Prensa, “I remember those incarcerated and those about to be. These are all very good friends, and now what we’re fighting is age – the only one looking younger than his children is Little Joe.”

Rodriguez’s first big break came while doing comedy warm-ups for Norman Lear's show “Gloria.” Lear then wrote a weekly series for Rodriguez called “a.k.a. Pablo,” the first television show based on a Mexican-American family on mainstream American television.

As an actor and comedian, Rodriguez’s multi-faceted career includes starring roles and feature appearances in more than 40 films and countless television series and comedy specials. More than just a performing artist, Rodriguez is the whole enchilada: he is an accomplished writer, director and producer for television, motion pictures and feature shows with hit projects to his credit.

Those credits include “The Original Latin Kings of Comedy,” which he executive-produced and starred in with Cheech Marin, George Lopez and Carlos Mencia; the feature film “A Million to Juan,” which he also wrote, directed and starred in; and six comedy specials for HBO, including “Loco Slam, Live in San Quentin” and “Idiots and Armadillos,” which he also executive produced.

The bilingual star performed the first one-hour standup comedy special in Spanish, “Dime Con Quien Andas,” for Telemundo. So devoted to his Spanish-speaking fans, that while in Vegas, he would perform the seven o’clock show in Spanish and the ten o’clock show in English. “The seven o’clock show was for love, the ten o’clock show paid the bills,” he said.

Mid-life Chrysler or not, the energetic performer is not only dedicated to his craft, but has a deep sense of civic duty as well. Recently selected “Humanitarian of the Year” for his work as founder and chairman of the California Latino Water Coalition to help save the farmers in Fresno, he has traveled across the country and worked tirelessly to help fix the water issues in that county for the last five years.

He remembers the day it all started. “I bought my Mom a ranch in Fresno, you know. And one day she calls me and says ‘Mi hijo, the water is off’ – so I said to her ‘Ma, just pay the bill’ - but it turns out it wasn’t about that,” he said. When he learned the federal and state pumps were turned off and drying up the water source for two-thirds of the farmers in the area to save the minnow, he set out to find a solution that would save both – and has been on that path since.

“I’m a Cesar without the Chavez - I wasn’t born to be a politician,” he explained. “But I learned one thing. The greatest contribution and the best way to use my time is this.” He told La Prensa that 98 percent of all tomatoes in the U.S. are grown in that valley. “We are still way ahead in agriculture – one farmer feeds 25 people- that’s a pretty good ratio, one we should be proud of.” Nevertheless, without an adequate water source, that too could be lost, he said.

Rodriguez, voted one of the most influential Hispanics in America and awarded the Ruben Salazar Award by the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., has been described as a man with a heart as big as his sense of humor and constantly gives back to the community.

He works with the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, and the Leukemia Society. He was recently appointed to the California Film Commission. And, as part owner of the world famous Laugh Factory, Rodriguez participated in the club’s annual free Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners for the underprivileged for more than 25 years. Yet somehow, in spite of all the civic and charity work, he remains a constant force in the world of comedy.

Besides his good works and the Tejano Music Awards, Rodriguez has been working steadily to keep us entertained. His new show, “Mis Videos Locos with Paul Rodriguez,” will debut on Tr3s: MTV, Música y Más, in mid-July. Rodriguez is excited about the concept. “I open the show with a monologue,” he said, “but it’s a visual show, we use a blue screen and I actually end up in the videos.”

His upcoming movie “Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore,” with Chris O’Donnell, opens on July 30. Rodriguez is not just a voice in the movie - he actually plays Crazy Carlito, a recently divorced man who loses it at the car dealership.

And that’s not all. He’s currently shooting a movie with Eva Longoria and Christian Slater called “Without Men,” based on the international bestseller "Tales from the Town of Widows" by James Canon. Longoria's character leads a group of women in a remote Latin American village, forced to fend for themselves after their men leave to fight in a civil war. A battle of the sexes ensues when the men return to reclaim their power. The film is in production and has no release date yet.

Even though Rodriguez is knocking himself out in every area – he is thrilled to be coming back to San Antonio, and even more pleased to get a chance to spend time with old friends. Of course, it’s no secret he loves Tejano music.

“Tejano is a genre that’s hard to explain, but easy to dance to – Tejano music is Flaco Jimenez and a 12-pack of beer,” Rodriguez said.

David Chavez with LatinPointe (NCLR ALMA Awards), producing the show for the first time, agrees. He promises the show will be like none before and expects it will undoubtedly kick-off a resurgence of the popular Tejano music genre.

For more information about Paul Rodriguez, visit the Web site at www.paulrodriguez.com. To learn more about the Tejano Music Awards and to vote online for your favorite Tejano Music stars and songs, visit the Web site at http://www.tejanomusicawards.com