What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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BY KYLA BREWER TV Media W ith its stunning hotels, sizzling- hot beaches and even hotter nightlife, Miami is a haven for people looking for a taste of the high life. Yet, life in Miami isn't all fun in the sun, and a new series set in a posh hotel explores the dark side of the sunshine state. Academy Award nominee Demián Bichir ("A Better Life," 2011) stars as Santiago Mendoza, the owner of Miami Beach's last family-run hotel, in "Grand Hotel," airing Mon- day, July 22, on ABC. Inspired by the popular Spanish TV se- ries "Gran Hotel," the drama offers viewers a modern take on the classic upstairs-down- stairs story as it follows the lives of the Mendozas and their wealthy guests, along with those of their loyal work- ing-class staff. The original Spanish series was a period drama, but ABC has updated the American version of the show and set the action in multicultural Miami, an area brimming with Latin Ameri- can culture. While the gorgeous hotel provides a luxurious setting for the series, it was quickly revealed in the June 17 pilot that the Mendoza's business was in trouble. The family has been plagued by escalating debt and scandals, not to men- tion explosive secrets. A welcome respite from a summer schedule laden with reality TV shows, "Grand Ho- tel" is a prime-time soap for today's discerning TV fans, rife with a mysterious disap- pearance, an unexpected preg- nancy and maybe even mur- der. Eva Longoria ("Desperate Housewives") — who execu- tive produces, directs and ap- pears in the series — has promised that the new show will deliver plenty of summer- time drama. "'Grand Hotel' is going to have a lot of twists and turns — big twists, big turns, big surprises — almost every epi- sode," Longoria said in an offi- cial ABC Q&A video. "What will keep people coming back is falling in love with the jour- neys of each of these charac- ters and really caring about their arcs and where they're going, and then also discover- ing who they were. Some of them will have a past that catches up to them." Longoria guest stars as Bea- triz Mendoza, Santiago's first wife and the original owner of the hotel, who appears in a se- ries of flashbacks. Her family had owned the Riviera Grand CR O SS W O R D S S UDO KU W O R D SE A RC H T V & M O V I ES A/Filler 5 x 3 Five-star television IT'S EASY! Just go to nwaonline.com, click on "Photos" in the top menu bar and use the search to fi nd the photo you want. Then just click "Purchase" for sizing options. You can also have the image put on a co ee mug, mouse pad, key tag, holiday ornament and more! Check it out! Do you know someone featured in a photo in our newspaper or on our website? DID YOU KNOW those images are available for purchase?