Please click the headline link to see the videos in this post.

Happy Friday, Tiki Tiki readers. Lots in el buzz about contests, giveaways and habla habla today.

[WINNERS!: 7/14/2010 - Congratulations to the three Tiki Tiki iTunes card winners: Karen, Melek, and Lisel Laslie. Thank you all entering!]

We’re giving away three pre-loaded iTunes music cards filled with cool new Latino music.

Why? Well, this weekend in New York, Latino musicians have taken the city by storm at the Latin Alternative Music Conference. In honor of LAMC, Café Magazine is giving away iTunes gift cards preloaded with artists from the Nacional Records label. There are 20 songs on each card, which  include: It’s All About Dun Dun by Quiero Club; 9.6 by La Bien Querida;  and Vamos Ya by Los Fabulosos Cadillacs

Check out Café’s coverage of LAMC, their newly launched Café con Música page for all things music and follow along with their musical tweets from the conference @cafeconmusica.

And the Emmy may go to… Sofia Vergara, as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett for Modern Family. Bet Sofia is feeling a good el buzz today for her Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy nomination. Good luck, funny mujer.

And speaking of  buzz, enter to win a Spanish Buzz Lightyear doll at Spanglishbaby and enjoy the video presentation by editor Roxana’s beautiful little girl, who loved Buzz long before he became cool again.

She says: “Este es me muñeco favorito porque habla español.’’

Did you hear that, toy makers?

This giveaway ends Friday, July 16 at midnight EST and you must have a valid U.S. address to enter.

Got a little one whose too old for a Buzz Lightyear? Well, how about winning the Quinces of your nena’s dreams. Verizon is giving away a big, fabulous pachanga at My Fabulous Quince.

You can find all the rules and details in the press release over here on the HispanicPR Blog. The grand prize is worth more than $45,000.

Like to grill?

A smart reader pointed out that regardless of where one comes from, the phenom is the same, such as, the big city adult reaches back to hold on to the small town he came from. But, I am fascinated by the topic when it comes to Latinos, and Latinos of my generation specifically. We were born here. We’re American, but so many of us are trying hard to pass on la cultura de la casa to our children.

There would be no Tiki Tiki Blog if not for this desire to retroacculturate.

The follow-up post was about the images in Spanish I see around me here in Nashville, something that I still am surprised by, given where I live.

OK, OK…here is one we’ve been attempting to get in since June…a winning recipe by a realtor in Arizona. He produced a new version of Pastel de Carne y Verduras that we will put on the family table this fall. (It’s too hot in Tennessee to cook like this right now.) Pero, anyway, Leo Valenzuela, of Snowflake, Arizona, won a $3,000 dining room make-over for his Grand Prize in QueRicaVida.com’s “La Receta de Mi Cocina” contest. Keep an eye on Que Rica Vida for future contests.

You can find the recipe in English and Spanish over at Mama Latina Tips.

Me? I will be at the pool drinking these Blended Golden Mojitos, with dark rum and agave (I will have to sneak them in, of course…But, worth it.)

Feliz weekend, y’all.

******* We want to know your story! Share your cuentos, videos and fotos about growing up, and living Latino, in the U.S.How to contribute to the Tiki Tiki.Come on, no seas penosa!

Un poquito mas:

1. Giveaway: Bilingual, Spanish Alphabet Learning Cards
2. Giveaway: Spanish Children’s TV Show DVDs
3. My Fabulous Quinceañera: A $45,000 Pachanga

If we could, we’d come pose for pictures with you, shake your hand and kiss your babies, but we can’t, so we’ll be all political and shameless from  here.

Vote for the Tiki Tiki in the first Blogs by Latinas Awards! We’re nominated in the Culture category.

And we’re grateful.

As we round the corner toward our first Anniversary, we’d love to win this…you know, it gives us street cred. Not to mention, it honors your good taste!

The category is fierce. There is awesomeness nominated along with us, and if you spend just a few minutes (while you are voting for us, of course….) you will find some real gems among all the nominees — some Latinas that will make you laugh, make you think, offer you tips, freebies and amistad.

You’ve already seen some of their work here on the Tiki Tiki, like Liz from Thoughts of a Mami; and Roxana from Spanglish Baby; and Tere from A Mom, a Blog and the Life In-Between.

And, because I am shameless, may I just add that my personal blog, Bilingual in the Boonies, is nominated in the Family category.

The polls close March 29, so andalé!

A special thanks to Monique, publisher of Blogs by Latinas, for her hard work in promoting la cultura.

And one more thing.

The Tiki Tiki Census will soon roll out. We’re going to be asking you to take a survey, to tell us more about you, to tell us what you think about us.

Why?

To better serve you, to create content you want, and maybe even get rid of what you’re not so hot about. We are almost a year old, so it is time to evaluate where we are going, and how we’re going to get there. Can’t do that without you.

The census will be posted here on the site and we’ll be beating the drums to make sure you help us out. So, keep an eye out.

In the meantime, we’ve got a quickie poll via our Facebook Fan page. One question: How deep are your roots?

And, as always, we welcome your comments.

Gracias!

******* We want to know your story! Share your cuentos, videos and fotos about growing up, and living Latino, in the U.S.How to contribute to the Tiki Tiki.Come on, no seas penosa!

Un poquito mas:

1. Contribute to the Tiki Tiki
2. Smart Latina vs. Sexy Latina
3. Revealed: Dora, Latina Grad Rates and Latina Makeup Tips

Are you a creative cook? If you share your recipes using at least one of Que Vida Rica’s (General Mills) brands as an ingredient, you can win a $4,000 remodel of your dining room, a trip to the General Mills headquarters and get a tour of Betty Crocker’s kitchens, and the company’s Cocina Hispana. Your tour guide would be Executive Chef Adriana Amione, pictured left, the founder of Cocina Hispana. Second- and third-place winners get $500. The contest is called La Receta de mi Cocina. To see more, and sample some recipes such as this pork fillet with cherries, head over here.

And here’s another one from General Mills. Are you a Spanish speaker? Do you need a family get-away? Do you want to be on Spanish-language television? Enter this contest from Bisquick and win an all-expense paid trip for four to Disney World in Orlando, plus meet Despierta America’s Karla Martinez and get famous while being interviewed on Spanish television.

To enter, visit KarlaBisquick to enter, or text the word PANCAKE to 47201. You will receive a text message asking you to describe your family’s favorite breakfast moment. (Personally, mine is when someone else does the dishes…) To enter by postal mail, send your family’s favorite breakfast moment on a 3″x5″ card, with your name, address and phone number to: “Win A Breakfast With Karla Martinez and a Magical Trip to Orlando,” P.O. Box 72982, Rockford, MN 55572. (If you win, bring me back some Mickey ears.)

And one for the futbol players among us. Degree Men has a video contest going on in search of the person with the coolest soccer trick. The winner can expect the VIP treatment at an upcoming soccer game and $50,000. Videos can be uploaded to the YouTube site, where you also can vote on videos. Some are pretty fun.

Gooooohlllll and Happy Weekend!

******* We want to know your story! Share your cuentos, videos and fotos about growing up, and living Latino, in the U.S.How to contribute to the Tiki Tiki.Come on, no seas penosa!

Un poquito mas:

1. Contest: All about Cotton and Algodón
2. Changes, Chismes and Contests

I did not have a Quinceañera. Pity me not. I was a reluctant queen then. Today, at 40-something, I am not. If I had it to do again, I would emerge from a giant, lighted purple orchid, like a fairy in a techno garden and my corte would bow to me and my blushing greatness. My portrait would have been done at Vizcaya.

But, this is not about my fantasy, it is about your princesa and her Sweet 15 — el dia that your gordita becomes a señorita.

The good people of Verizon Wireless are offering a blow-out pachanga for some lucky nena’s 15th birthday. The celebration, worth $45,000, includes an event planner, venue, catering for 200 guests and transportation plus a live performance by pop artist Pee Wee. The details, as shared by Verizon’s gente, who created  two informational sites, My Fabulous 15 and Mis Fabulosos 15:

The first phase of the contest — which runs through August 16 — invites eligible teenagers from the Los Angeles, San Jose, Las Vegas, Denver and Kennewick, Wash. metro areas to enter the My Fabulous 15 contest by submitting a brief essay that answers these three questions:

1) What does winning a Quince mean to you?

2) How do you stay in touch with your friends?

3) What is your favorite subject and why?

The submissions may include financial, medical or other hardships faced by the teenager; his/her goals, dreams or plans in life; community involvement or personal service to benefit others; scholastic achievements and how winning the Grand Prize would change his/her life or the lives of others.  The entries will be judged based on the compelling nature of the essay. (Check out the Rules & Regulations at My Fabulous 15.)

Twenty winners from each city will be selected by Verizon Wireless and the public will have an opportunity to vote August 22 through August 31 for the semi-finalist they feel most deserves the grand prize.  The public can vote via text messaging or on the My Fabulous 15 website.  The Grand Prize winner of the Quince party will be announced September 3. Five runners-up will receive a LG enV3 phone and Verizon Wireless gift card.  The Grand Prize winner’s My Fabulous 15 party will be held October 3.

So, pass the word to young women — or young men — who want a rockin’ fiesta.

But, before we go, let’s look at some Quinceañeras and their big day.

Did you celebrate your Quinces? Share. Post pictures. Does Mami still have the giant portrait of you in the living room?

*click on the photos for credits.

******* We want to know your story! Share your cuentos, videos and fotos about growing up, and living Latino, in the U.S.How to contribute to the Tiki Tiki.Come on, no seas penosa!

Un poquito mas:

1. Contest: All about Cotton and Algodón
2. Salvador y Coca-Cola

Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s ethnicity and her Supreme Court nomination have made louder the question of “Who is Hispanic?” The Pew Hispanic Center just published a report detailing the Census Bureau’s definition. It is great reading:

“One approach defines a Hispanic or Latino as a member of an ethnic group that traces its roots to 20 Spanish-speaking nations from Latin America and Spain itself (but not Portugal or Portuguese-speaking Brazil). The other approach is much simpler. Who’s Hispanic? Anyone who says they are. And nobody who says they aren’t. “

Trying to define and detail a culture: Latino in America will be the title and focus of a Fall CNN documentary, hosted by Soledad O’Brien. Details from Multichannel.com: 

“The first part of the series will explore the lives of people across the country who share the surname “Garcia,” the eighth most popular family name in America. The second part focuses on how four different communities are meeting the challenges of disparities, immigration and discrimination in terms of language, education, citizenship, and cultural identity.”

Your Tiki Tiki el diario editora was interviewed by CNN in Nashville during an English-Only government proposition last Fall, so we’ll see if she makes the cut — right there with Eva Longoria and Edward James Olmos who are featured in the documentary. Tip for this item goes to the newsy Roxana at Spanglishbaby.

For fun on a Monday: Jennifer Lopez and baby girl, Emme, and Emme’s tete, on the set of Lopez’s movie, The Back-Up Plan. Cute little risos in Emme’s hair. So, we’re wondering: What does J.Lo call herself? Latina, Hispanic, American, Hispanic-American? And does Emme call her Mami or Mommy or Mama? (Credit for the tip, Hissip.com. Photo Credit: Pacific Coast News Online)

And, finally: You can win a free copy of the sweet, bilingual book, Before You Were Here, Mi Amor by Samantha R. Vamos over at Brimful Curiosities. Hurry over there, registration ends today. 

******* We want to know your story! Share your cuentos, videos and fotos about growing up, and living Latino, in the U.S.How to contribute to the Tiki Tiki.Come on, no seas penosa!

Un poquito mas:

1. Latino Book Month giveaway: Winners announced
2. El Diario: Latino world domination and Esperanza Spalding
3. Contribute to the Tiki Tiki

OK, crafty, sewing, knitting, Etsy.com-loving chicas, this contest is for you.

Cotton Incorporated — the organization that promotes cotton — is debuting a new Spanish-language website, ViveAlgodon, and a contest that could land you a gig blogging about cotton. Talk about a niche.

To enter, you complete a form on the website and submit a 300-word essay on how cotton fabrics are a part of your life.  The winner receives $1,000, a trip for two to N.Y. to see how cotton becomes fashion and textiles and consideration for the blog gig. The Vive Algodón site will focus on tips for home decorating, fashion and fabric care.

The essay must be written in Spanish. Deadline is June 26. Full details are on the site.

Go check it out.

You could be the next Crafty Chica, you know. Si, mamita.

******* We want to know your story! Share your cuentos, videos and fotos about growing up, and living Latino, in the U.S.How to contribute to the Tiki Tiki.Come on, no seas penosa!

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