ENTERTAINMENT

Cecilia Bolocco, Miss Universe 1987, was the first woman from Chile to win the title. Now she is the host of two U.S. programs for the Telemundo network--”La Buena Vida” (“The Good Life”) a daily lifestyle/magazine show, and “Esta noche con usted” (“This Evening With You”), four specials each year featuring conversations with celebrity newsmakers. Bolocco was recently in Los Angeles, taping “La Buena Vida” and one of the segments was shot at Mann’s Chinese Theater. Bolocco recalls that it brought back many memories. “It was the site of my first press conference as Miss Universe,” she told Nuestro Tiempo. As host of “Esta noche con usted,” Bolocco said she tries “to seek the human qualities of the guest and show that side of him. It shows the public that everyone, even the rich and famous, have faced problems.” Among Bolocco’s upcoming guests are Anthony Quinn, Paloma Picasso, Antonio Aguilar and Sara Montiel. Bolocco is scheduled to report this week for “La buena vida” from Spain on the opening of Expo ’92 in Seville.

Patricia Janoit, formerly on L.A.’s KMEX newscast, took over Bolocco’s previous spot on the Telemundo/CNN national news. The Colombian-born Janoit co-anchors the news with Jorge Gestoso, who comes from a family of Uruguayan broadcasters. His grandfather launched three radio stations in Uruguay, and Gestoso points out that while his father reported World War II over the radio, he reported the Persian Gulf War on television.

Spain’s sultry actress Victoria Abril (“Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!” and “High Heels”) was in L.A. to launch her latest film, an erotic romantic thriller based on a true 1955 murder case. “Lovers” (“Amantes”), also starring Jorge Sanz and Maribel Verdu, won Spain’s “Europe Cinema Award” for Best Film of 1991 and brought Abril the best actress award at the 1991 Berlin Film Festival. Abril began her career at age 15 and has starred in more than 40 movies. And what is her next project? “I feel very fortunate to have had three excellent roles in one year. Now I’ll take a short rest.” “Lovers,” in Spanish with English subtitles, is due to open later this month.

After only several weeks on the air, Univision’s Latin sitcom “Corte Tropical” (“Tropical Haircut”) has performed well in the ratings on Spanish-language TV stations in Miami, New York and Los Angeles. The half-hour series is set in a Miami hairstyling salon and features a mixed bag of zany characters. It is the brainchild of producer/writer Mimi Belt-Mendoza. Her husband, Manny, created the 1970s bilingual hit “Que Pasa, U.S.A.,” which had a then-unknown Steven Bauer in its cast. The program airs at 10 p.m. Wednesdays on KMEX.