Laura Bozzo
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| Laura Bozzo | |
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| Born | Laura Cecilia Bozzo Rotondo August 19, 1951 Callao, Peru |
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| Known for | television talk show host |
Laura Cecilia Bozzo Rotondo (born August 19, 1951) is a lawyer and television talk show host of the Spanish-language talk show Laura: En Acción that is broadcast in the United States on the Telemundo television network. Of mixed Italian Peruvian descent[1], she has hosted other talk shows under her name, including Laura en America back in the 1990s to early 2000s.[2] Her talk shows have been compared to the American English-language Jerry Springer Show due to the fights that regularly occur as well as the sensitive subject matter routinely discussed.[2]
[edit] Biography
She studied law in Lima, Peru, receiving degrees in law and political science there and teaching classes within such fields in various universities. In 1993, she became the regidora (alderman) of metropolitan Lima. In 1998, she organized the organization Solidaridad de Familia (Family Solidarity) as a charitable foundation to assist people from Peru and other Latin American nations with legal, medical, and psychological problems; which has been under much critizing for increasing suspicion of being funded by ex-dictator Alberto Fujimori.[3]
[edit] As talk show hostess
In February 1998, the American Spanish-language broadcast network Telemundo began broadcasting her show Laura en América on its affiliates.[4] The show soon began to be shown all over Latin America.[2] Similar in nature to the American Jerry Springer Show, it routinely featured guests usually having troubles within their lives, including infidelity. Usually, the show would expose evidence of wrongdoing by the suspect that the guest presents, leading to fighting between guests.[5] The authenticity of the show has been questioned, given the unusually sensational subjects explored.[6] By the end of the year, Bozzo moved to Miami, Florida.[1]
From July 2002[7] to 2005[3], she was under house arrest for using her program to discredit opponents of former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori. Consequently, she had to live in the Laura en América studios, Monitor Studios in Lima[7], under court orders, setting up a small apartment room there, living with then-boyfriend Cristian Zuarez, an aspiring rock singer.[6][5] As a result of Bozzo's arrest, her talk show was no longer shown on Peruvian television. In a courtroom hearing in April 2005, Bozzo denied having been paid for loving the former spy chief Vladimiro Montesinos, who was imprisoned in 2001.[8] The show was featured in a Dateline NBC news story in August 2004.[9]
In 2006, Bozzo's contract with Telemundo expired after five years, so she moved her production to Televisa; production of Laura en America ended in July 2006.[10] In October 2006, Bozzo appeared on the program ¿Dónde Estás Corazón? on the network Antena 3 from Spain, criticizing Alejandro Toledo for causing her arrest.[11]
On July 11, 2006, just a few days before the one-year anniversary of her release from house arrest, Laura Bozzo was convicted of all the charges against her and was sentenced to four consecutive years in prison. Laura later informed a local television station, Canal 9, that she planned to use a newly enacted law in her favor and sue the Peruvian government.[12]
In January 2007, Bozzo attempted to enter the Spanish TV market through Spain's Telecinco, but once some executives saw pilots of the program, a proposal for a new Bozzo show was canceled.[13] On November 6, 2007, her new show Laura en Acción debuted on Telemundo in the United States. However, in March 2008, lawyer Freddy Escobar started an investigation about the possible illegal use of minors in her program, being exposed on TV to present fake cases of family sex violence.[14] A scandal involving an underage woman who appeared on Laura en Accion caused the show to be canceled by Peruvian network América Televisión, in which the show originally aired.[15][16] Telemundo stopped airing the series by the beginning of May 2008.[17]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Hamre, Bonnie (2005-09-07). The Curious Case of Laura Bozzo (page 1 of 2). About.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-17.
- ^ a b c Navarro, Mireya. "Complaint to Spanish TV: Not Enough Americans; Few U.S. Plots for Growing U.S. Audience", The New York Times, 2000-08-21. Retrieved on 2008-02-14.
- ^ a b Sobre Doctora Laura Bozzo. LibertadLatina.org (2005-10-05). Retrieved on 2008-02-17.
- ^ Sutter, Mary (2005-06-13). NBC U's Spanish "Laura" heads to PPV. Variety. Retrieved on 2008-04-04.
- ^ a b Gotkine, Elliott. "Peru's 'Jerry Springer' Battles Scandal", BBC News, 2003-05-08. Retrieved on 2008-02-14.
- ^ a b Forero, Juan. "She Earns Big Ratings, but Can't Buy Groceries", The New York Times, 2003-08-10. Retrieved on 2008-02-14.
- ^ a b Chauvin, Lucien (2002-09-22). Live from Lima, "Laura" airs under house arrest. Variety. Retrieved on 2008-04-04.
- ^ Vecchio, Rick. "TV star claims love wasn't based on cash", The Seattle Times, Associated Press, 2005-04-24. Retrieved on 2008-02-17.
- ^ "{{{title}}}". Dateline NBC. 2004-08-08. No. 2, season 14.
- ^ Ayala, Nancy. "Bozzo Bows Out at Telemundo, Moves to Televisa", Marketing y Medios, 2006-05-10. Retrieved on 2008-02-15.
- ^ "Peruvian talks show star says president Toledo persecuted her", International Herald Tribune, Associated Press, 2006-10-21. Retrieved on 2008-02-15.
- ^ Laura gets 4 years, will sue Peru. Vivir Latino (2006-07-11). Retrieved on 2008-02-15.
- ^ Laura Bozzo fired again...then re-hired?. Vivir Latino (2007-01-26). Retrieved on 2008-02-15.
- ^ Laura Bozzo Threatened With Lawsuit. People en Español (2008-03-31). Retrieved on 2008-04-04.
- ^ Laura Bozzo’s TV Show Taken Off the Air. People en Español (2008-03-20). Retrieved on 2008-04-04.
- ^ Young, James (2008-03-20). Bozzo shutters "scripted" talk show. Variety. Retrieved on 2008-04-04.
- ^ Ruiz, Isabel J.. "Peru: Telemundo takes Laura Bozzo off the air in the U.S.", Living in Peru, 2008-05-06. Retrieved on 2008-05-07.
