María Celeste Arrarás
Encyclopedia
Maria Celeste Arrarás is a Puerto Rican
journalist and actress and the host and producer of Spanish language
news program Al Rojo Vivo Con Maria Celeste
.
.
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.
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
.
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.
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
. 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.
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.
On March 2004, a celebrity gossip magazine
ran a story about Arrarás's filing for divorce from her then husband Manny Arvesu. 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.
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.
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.
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
.
In 2007, Arrarás also wrote a book The Magic Cane, published in Spanish as El Bastón Mágico. 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. 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.
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. 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.
Puerto Rican people
A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...
journalist and actress and the host and producer of Spanish language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
news program Al Rojo Vivo Con Maria Celeste
Al Rojo Vivo
Al Rojo Vivo is a Spanish language news program on the American television network Telemundo. It is shown daily from 5 to 6 P.M. EST. Anchors are Maria Celeste Arraras and Candela Ferro.- External links :* Telemundo Website* Official "Al Rojo Vivo" Website...
.
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 ArrarásJosé Enrique Arrarás
José Enrique Arrarás Mir is a notable Puerto Rican politician.- Early life :Arrarás was born in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. He obtained his primary and secondary education at Immaculate Conception Academy in Mayagüez and Mercersburg Academy in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania.- Education :He obtained a B.A...
.
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
Central American and Caribbean Swimming Championships
The CCCAN Championships are a biennial aquatics championship for countries in Central America and the Caribbean. The name of the event comes from the event's organizers: the Central American & Caribbean Swimming Confederation, whose abbreviated name is CCCAN....
. She had hopes of competing at the 1976 Summer Olympics
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, but had to give up on that goal after she had contracted infectious mononucleosis
Infectious mononucleosis
Infectious mononucleosis is an infectious, widespread viral...
("kissing disease") after having shared a glass of water with someone.
At age 18, she represented Mayagüez in 1979 at the Miss Puerto Rico
Miss Puerto Rico
Miss Puerto Rico is the common name or sash used to identify a Puerto Rican representative in an international pageant. Currently, Miss Universe Puerto Rico, Miss Mundo de Puerto Rico and Miss Earth Puerto Rico are the official national preliminaries to the Miss Universe, Miss World and Miss Earth...
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
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, where she majored in communications and public relations
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
.
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
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
Telemundo
Telemundo
Telemundo is an American television network that broadcasts in Spanish. The network is the second-largest Spanish-language content producer in the world, and the second-largest Spanish-language network in the United States, behind Univision....
affiliate WNJU
WNJU
WNJU, channel 47, is the flagship station of the Spanish-language Telemundo television network, licensed to Linden, New Jersey and serving the Tri-State area television market. WNJU is owned by NBCUniversal, and is one-half of a duopoly with NBC network flagship WNBC-TV...
as a reporter. Her work there drew the attention of the executives of the Univision
Univision
Univision is a Spanish-language television network in the United States. It has the largest audience of Spanish language television viewers according to Nielsen ratings. Randy Falco, COO, has been in charge of the company since the departure of Univision Communications president and CEO Joe Uva...
network, who decided to hire her in 1994 as the co-anchor of their Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
based television news program, Primer Impacto
Primer Impacto
Primer Impacto is a Spanish language television news program broadcast by Univision in the USA weekdays at 5pm ET. A later program at 11pm ET/PT airs on Univision affiliates without a local news department , leading into the network's 11:30pm newscast, Noticiero Univision Edicion Nocturna.The...
. Along with her co-anchor Myrka Dellanos
Myrka Dellanos
Myrka Dellanos is a Cuban journalist and TV show host.- References :...
, she would continue to hold that position until 2002 when she left the show and the network.
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
Ocurrio asi
Ocurrió Así Launched on October 8th 1990, "Ocurrió Así" was Spanish language Network Telemundo's first original investigative news magazine.-Show's Awards:...
. Her new show was named Al Rojo Vivo con Maria Celeste
Al Rojo Vivo
Al Rojo Vivo is a Spanish language news program on the American television network Telemundo. It is shown daily from 5 to 6 P.M. EST. Anchors are Maria Celeste Arraras and Candela Ferro.- External links :* Telemundo Website* Official "Al Rojo Vivo" Website...
. That same year Arrarás tried her hand at acting by appearing in two episodes of the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soap opera Passions
Passions
Passions is an American television soap opera which aired on NBC from July 5, 1999 to September 7, 2007 and on The 101 Network from September 17, 2007 to August 7, 2008....
in November 2002, in which she played herself.
In April 2003, Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin
Ricky Martin
Enrique "Ricky" Martín Morales , better known as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican and Spanish pop singer and actor who achieved prominence, first as a member of the Latin boy band Menudo, then as a solo artist since 1991.During his career he has sold more than 60 million album copies worldwide...
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
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
's Paseo de los Grandes (Walk of the Great Ones).
Since the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
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
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
Dennis Kucinich
Dennis Kucinich
Dennis John Kucinich is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1997. He was furthermore a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in the 2004 and 2008 presidential elections....
as "Senator Kucinich" instead of "Congressman Kucinich", and he needed to correct her.
On March 2004, a celebrity gossip magazine
Gossip magazine
Gossip magazines feature scandalous stories about the personal lives of celebrities. This genre of magazine flourished in North America in the 1950s and early 1960s. The title Confidential alone boasted a monthly circulation in excess of ten million, and it had many competitors, with names like...
ran a story about Arrarás's filing for divorce from her then husband Manny Arvesu. Also, in an interview her Telemundo co-worker, Laura Bozzo
Laura Bozzo
Laura Cecilia Bozzo Rotondo is a television talk show host, best known for hosting Spanish-language talk show Laura en América that was broadcasted in the United States on the Telemundo television network...
, expressed a disliking of her. All this was published shortly after Arrarás attended the wedding of her friend, Lucía Méndez
Lucía Méndez
Lucía Leticia Méndez Pérez is a Mexican telenovela and film actress, top model and singer that has sold over 10 million records world wide.- Early success :...
, in Mexico. Arrarás declared that attending the wedding while in the middle of her own marital crisis was hard for her.
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.
In 2003 and 2006, Arrarás served as a judge for the Miss Universe
Miss Universe
Miss Universe is an annual international beauty contest that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. The pageant is the most publicized beauty contest in the world with 600 million viewers....
pageant. She has also become the latest Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
celebrity mom to be a part of the Hispanic "Got Milk?
Got Milk?
Got Milk? is an American advertising campaign encouraging the consumption of cow's milk, which was created by the advertising agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners for the California Milk Processor Board in 1993 and later licensed for use by milk processors and dairy farmers. It has been running...
" campaign in January 2007, as part of the "Think About Your Drink" campaign.
Over the years Arrarás has interviewed many presidents and other people of note, including Yolanda Saldívar
Yolanda Saldívar
Yolanda Saldívar is a Mexican American woman who was convicted in 1995 of the murder of Tejano music singer Selena at a Days Inn motel in Corpus Christi, Texas on March 31, 1995.- Early life :...
, the woman convicted of murdering Tejano music
Tejano music
Tejano music or Tex-Mex music is the name given to various forms of folk and popular music originating among the Mexican-American populations of Central and Southern Texas...
singer Selena Quintanilla
Selena
Selena Quintanilla-Pérez , known simply as Selena, was a Mexican American singer-songwriter. She was named the "top Latin artist of the '90s" and "Best selling Latin artist of the decade" by Billboard for her fourteen top-ten singles in the Top Latin Songs chart, including seven number-one hits...
.
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.In 2007, Arrarás also wrote a book The Magic Cane, published in Spanish as El Bastón Mágico. 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. 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.
Personal
Arrarás, who has been married twice, is the daughter of José Enrique Arrarás and is one of seven children. Her siblings include Astrid, José Enrique, Jr., Patricia, Gabriel Enrique, Enrique Antonio and Isabel Celeste Arrarás.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. 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.
External links
- Telemundo Website
- Official Al Rojo Vivo Website
- Maria Celeste Arrarás Official Blog
- Maria Celeste Arrarás at YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....