SELENA MEMORiAL

It is not an everyday occurrence that an individual is born who is destined to touch the lives of millions. But, on April 16, 1971, in Lake Jackson, Texas, such an individual was born. Her name was SELENA. The youngest of three children born to Abraham and Marcella Quintanilla, Selena and her family eventually moved to Corpus Christi. By 1980, at the early age of nine, Selena had already begun working alongside her family, taking her place as the lead singer of the their band, Selena Y Los Dinos. More than a weekend hobby, the band became the family's livelihood. With her brother A.B. on bass and her sister Suzette on drums, the young group, managed by their father, toured the state of Texas performing for weddings and small clubs. Initially thrust into the music industry out of necessity, Selena and her family focused their energies into making their dreams come true. Recognized for their talent and lively stage performances, Selena Y Los Dinos signed with EMI Latin, and in just a few short years the group had expanded and become one of the Tejano industry's most sought after acts. Known for her powerful voice, sexy dance moves, and unique costume designs, Selena Quintanilla was the No. 1 female Latino star in the United States and Mexico before her untimely death on March 31, 1995, in Corpus Christi, Texas.

By April 1995, Selena became the first recording artist to place five Spanish-language albums simultaneously on the Billboard 200. Her Grammy-nominated 1994 release AMOR PROHIBIDO went platinum, as did her 1993 Grammy Award winning album SELENA LIVE! and her 1992 album ENTRE A MI MUNDO. It quickly became evident that Selena and her music had reached far more people than anyone could have imagined. The New York Times praised Selena as a "young artist with unlimited possibilities." And, according to TIME magazine, Selena "was the embodiment of young, smart, hip Mexican-American youth - wearing midriff-baring bustiers and boasting a tight-knit family and a down-to-earth personality, a Madonna without the controversy." At the time of her death, Selena was in the process of realizing one of her biggest dreams, crossing over into the English-speaking market. She had already recorded four English-language tracks that were to be included on her EMI Records premiere later that year. Dubbed by her fans as the "Queen of Tejano" many of Selena's hits were, and are still, rotated heavily on radio stations of every format. Although Selena's prospects for stardom in the English-speaking music world have been much debated since her death, the posthumous release of the album DREAMING OF YOU gave a clear indication that Selena was, in fact, on her way to becoming a star in the English market as well. Since her passing, Selena's life has inspired a hit movie, a Broadway bound musical, and a successful clothing line. So deeply felt by the Hispanic community was the tragedy of her death, that People magazine's commemorative issue of Selena, which sold a record number of copies, ultimately spurred the creation of the now-popular magazine People En Espanol.

Today, Selena's music continues to top Latin and pop charts throughout the world, and many of her records still stand unbroken. Selena currently holds the #1, #2, and #6 position for the highest attendance records at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, held each year in the Houston Astrodome. And recently, Billboard Magazine declared Selena the "Latin Artist of the Decade." What Selena accomplished by the age of 23, others could spend a lifetime trying to achieve. For that, one cannot help but feel respect and admiration for this Corpus Christi role model that inspired and represented the hopes and dreams of millions of followers who collectively identified with her. And so Selena's legacy lives on, in our cherished memories and in everyone that has been touched by her music.

By ARMANDO VILLAFRANCA, PATTY REINERT
CORPUS CHRISTI -- Tejano music sensation Selena was shot to death Friday by a woman, identified as a former fan club president and ex-employee, who then threatened to kill herself and kept lawmen at bay for more than nine hours before surrendering. The standoff ended about 9:30 p.m., with police leading the suspect safely away from the red pickup she had been in, parked outside the motel where the slaying occurred. Police handcuffed her and covered her with a police jacket before placing her in a squad car and driving away. A crowd of about 100 people, which had been held across the street, cheered, clapped and ran after the police car as it drove away. "It was just continuous talking and negotiating with our negotiators," said Corpus Christi Police Chief Henry Garrett. "She demanded nothing, and she finally gave up. It's been a long day, and it's finally over." Garrett identified the suspect as Yolanda Saldivar, 32. Garrett, who said no charges would be filed until today, declined to provide details of the crime or the negotiations. Selena , a 23-year-old Grammy award-winning singer, was idolized by Hispanic teen-agers and was on the verge of breaking into English-speaking radio. The lead singer of the band Selena y Los Dinos died of a gunshot wound at Memorial Medical Center in Corpus Christi at 1:05 p.m. Her full name was Selena Quintanilla Perez. Assistant Police Chief Ken Bung said the shooting happened about 11:50 a.m. at the Days Inn off Interstate 37 on the city's north side. He declined to say whether Selena had been shot in a room, or whether she or the suspect had registered there. "It started in a room and ended up in a lobby," Bung said. The singer "got to the lobby on her own power." A motel employee called 911, he said. Bung said police were keeping mum because Saldivar was monitoring the truck radio; he would not say whether the truck belonged to Saldivar. Most stations in Corpus Christi played tributes to the recording artist throughout the standoff. At a news conference at Memorial Medical Center, Abraham Quintanilla Jr., Selena's father, said Saldivar was his daughter's former fan club president and had worked at Selena Etc., a Corpus Christi boutique she owned. Media reports also said Saldivar had been fired as manager of Selena's store. Onlookers and fans grew restless as the standoff continued and a light rain began to fall. Among the onlookers was Lisa Rios, 13, a close friend of Selena's family members, who was at Martin Middle School when news of Selena's shooting spread quickly through the hallways. "It was on the radio and TV, and pretty soon the whole school knew," she said. "There was a lot of talk, and then my best friend came up to me and told me she died." For Rios, like many Hispanic teen-age girls in the crowd, Selena was the performer they followed and emulated. "She knew how to sing. She sang just exactly what we wanted to hear," Rios said. At the homes of Quintanilla and her family, three side-by-side on a street in a Corpus Christi westside neighborhood, hundreds of fans paid tribute to the singer by holding a candlelight vigil across the street. Hundreds of flowers and wreaths were later hung on a chain-link fence surrounding the spacious homes. Griselda Holguin, 23, and husband Miguel Gonzalez, 32, had just left Brownsville for their San Antonio home when they sang along with a Selena song on the radio Como La Flor (Like the Flower), not realizing the station was playing the song as a tribute. "It was just a shock. It kept us quiet until we got here," Holguin said as she stood across the street from the motel. "It's hard to imagine someone dead when you think of her dancing." Her husband said he told his wife, as they headed for a detour through Corpus Christi, that the shooting reminded him of the murder of John Lennon and the effect the former Beatle's death had on his fans. "You turn on your radio and that's all you hear about, it was just like John Lennon," he said. As the standoff continued into the evening, tactical unit officers kept watch around the woman, who sat in a red pickup and talked to officers off and on with a cellular telephone they had provided. Occasionally, the woman raised a small-caliber handgun to her right temple. The truck was blocked by a squad car behind it and faced an open field in front. At dusk, police installed portable generator-powered lights. Officers shone the intense light on the pickup. The only activity throughout the standoff was the release of a frightened motel maid at about 6 p.m. The maid had barricaded herself in a downstairs motel room about 20 yards from the truck. She stayed there until an officer escorted her to safety behind a bulletproof shield. The hottest star ever to come out of Tejano music, the Grammy-winning Selena dominated this year's annual Tejano Music Awards, winning six of 15 categories, including entertainer of the year. Her music has topped the Billboard charts for most of the past year. Her 1994 hit Amor Prohibido (Forbidden Love) went to No. 1 on the International Latin chart and was nominated for a Grammy. She was working on an English-language crossover album to be released later this year. In February, her performance at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo attracted a record Sunday crowd of 61,000-plus. Born in Lake Jackson, Selena Quintanilla made her public performing debut at 8 and cut her first album in her early teens. Her father, Abraham Quintanilla, who once managed a restaurant in Lake Jackson, was her manager. He helped her launch her career after the family moved to Corpus Christi when his Lake Jackson restaurant went out of business. Selena's brother, A.B. Quintanilla, has written and produced many of her hits. She was married to Christopher Perez, a musician in her band. Known for her Madonnalike style and clothing, the 23-year-old star was fond of wearing bustiers and skintight, midriff-baring clothes.


The front page of the April 1, 1995, Chronicle carried news of Tejano singer Selena's death and of the suspect who was taken after a standoff with police. Later stories reported that the suspect, Yolanda Saldivar, had taken thousands of dollars from Selena's business.

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Movie Review By Monica Sullivan

The audience brings their own subtext into "Selena", opening nationally this week: Wherever they were and however they felt on Friday, March 31, 1995 when Selena, only 23, was killed by the fan club president who claimed to be her best friend. Selena's fans continue to idolize her: a Selena doll is in the works, her records continue to sell, her youthful beauty on the day of her death makes her a timeless inspiration for the little girls who will want to do likewise.
Selena's professional champion is her father Abraham, who serves as executive producer for Gregory Nava's 1997 film. As a member of a terrible teenaged trio, Abraham was bitten by the musical bug early. When his talent failed to rise to the level of his ambition, he poured all his energy into establishing his children in show business. His greatest hopes were for Selena, who seemed equally driven to pursue a singing career, however much she missed the rambunctious activities of a carefree childhood. With all the focus on Abraham's need to control the direction of Selena's professional life, the aforementioned audience subtext neutralizes its relevance: Let the kids play, Let Selena wear a bustier, Let her have a little fun with her future husband, Let her be a child, a teenager and a young woman, Give her a break, The clock is ticking.
As for the infamous Yolanda Saldivar, unsympathetically played by Lupe Ontiveros, it is never made clear why she was given carte blanche with Selena's business and why Selena, rather than her protective entourage, needed to have direct contact with Saldivar long after it was obvious that her disgruntled former employee had deep, deep problems. Selena's father didn't want Saldivar to be represented in the movie at all: As it is, we watch hours of a movie now released because of a real-life tragedy that's addressed in a very marginal way here. This is Selena's life: she accomplished much in her short life and then it was just over. Show the real Selena, roll the credits and go home.
Jennifer Lopez has the gift of making the audience love her, no matter how hokey the script and Constance Marie is excellent as her mother, Marcela. Edward James Olmos has a tougher job playing the unyielding Abraham and Dave Grusin's syrupy music doesn't help. Distressingly, for a movie so reliant on music, none of the concert numbers are well-balanced: Selena's small band drowns out most of the vocals. Biggest crowd reaction at the sneak preview was for Selena showing up a bigoted saleswoman in a classy boutique. Even so, "Selena" looks, sounds & feels like it was made for television, which is where it will wind up, sooner rather than later.

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