ON AIR

The faces of music television are morphing. Five years ago, the most recognized faces of music television went by the names of Carson Daly and Bill Bellamy. Today music-loving youth give
shout-outs to the Latinas who call the shots on the air. MTV’s Susie Castillo, BET’s Julissa Bermudez and mun2’s Yasmin Deliz are part of the new wave of VJs.

By Marissa Rodriguez

Susie Castillo
Who: Host of MTV’s TRL and of TRL Latino, a bilingual radio show
Why she’s one to watch: She’s not a diva.
A former Miss USA, the 26-year-old (who’ll turn 27 in January) spends her days in the Manhattan studios of MTV and business trips take her to beaches on spring break, Las Vegas and other hot spots. And when she’s in the office, names like Daddy Yankee and Shakira come by to talk. However, she’s kept humble by her charity work and larger career ambitions.
Off the air: When MTV isn’t whisking her away to party cities and events, Castillo acts, most recently in The Vagina Monologues where she performed My Angry Vagina. It wasn’t her first foray into theater. “I was very familiar with the play and where the stories came from and to be a part of it was an honor,” she says. “We performed at the Apollo Theater, which was amazing, and all the proceeds went to Gems, which helps minorities and young girls.”
Where you’ll see her next: Castillo is also focused on reeducating Latinas on the importance of grains and folic acid during their pregnancies and for overall health. Don’t be afraid of carbs, she says. Complex carbohydrates are rich in folic acid, which helps prevent birth defects. In January, she will appear in public service announcements for the Grain Foods Foundation broadcast for healthy baby month. You can also catch Castillo as Diana Flores, a ruthless news reporter, in the upcoming summer flick Underdog, which is based on the popular 1960s cartoon.

Julissa Bermudez
Who: Host of BET’s The Center
Why she’s one to watch: She’ll help you get through college.
As host of The Center, Bermudez regularly talks to students, student groups and The Center Crew, a group of show regulars consisting of (you guessed it) college students, about academic, financial and other situations young people face in college. Bermudez, who’s the Latina face of the African-American channel, also makes house calls to multicultural college campuses and calls on experts to advise her viewers. The Dominican Republic-born and Queens-raised 23-year-old began her career on mun2’s show The Roof, where she announced the day’s hottest videos.
Off the air: The baby girl in a family of three older brothers, she values her family’s close-knit ties, and when she lost a cousin to cancer her parents reminded her of the importance of making cancer-related charities part of her priorities. She takes part in breast cancer walks and in MAC cosmetic’s World AIDS Day.
Where you’ll see her next: Besides small roles in this year’s The Wannabe and All You’ve Got, she is slowly chipping away at her dream to own a line of cosmetics. “Many times girls don’t have a mom or older sisters to help with makeup,” she says. “I want to be there and have an outlet where I can reach out and tell them it’s not about putting on a mask of makeup, its more about bringing out inner beauty. That’s my mission.”

Yasmin Deliz
Who: Co-host of mun2 Vivo
Why she’s one to watch: She keeps it real.
Not afraid to show off her feisty attitude when on the air, Deliz has been dubbed “Queenz” by her throngs of fans. The Dominican-Colombian was born in Venezuela and raised in Queens, New York where she developed her on-air personality and got her signature hoop earrings with “Queens” scripted on them. “I turn into a different animal on stage, that’s when Queenz comes out,” she says. “When I am on Vivo, I am Queenz.” Her mun2 show Vivo, which she shares with co-host Renato, invites top musicians of the day to perform their hits live. There Deliz has been able to interview up-and-coming stars such as Calle 13, rapper Chingo Bling, whom she also put to a blind tamale taste test and Beyonce, for whom the show had a birthday party.
Off the air: Deliz lent her voice to the 2004 hit single Girlfight by Brooke Valentine and has also become the only Latina model for the urban clothing brand South Pole.
Where you’ll see her next: Premiering in January, Deliz teams up with fellowVJ Crash, in mun2’s new show The Chicas Project. It’s a reality show meets variety show. Set in Los Angeles, it pits the duo against an array of challenges, to hilarious results. “We get into some crazy stuff,” she says. “I can’t really tell my mom the things that I have done. I think the show gives Latinas a chance to see themselves in a starring role on television. If they can’t relate to me, they can relate to Crash.”