Catalina y Sebastian: Millionaire Men Don't Grow on Trees!

Tonite, the first episode of that 8-year old telenovela, "Catalina y Sebastian" began showing on T.V. We saw a much younger (and slimmer) Silvia Navarro "Catalina", dominantly featured as the principal actress.

Like every telenovela at the beginning, there is always a "PAST" shrouded in secrecy, that would always return to threaten and haunt the beautiful future.

Our famous actor (Sergio Klainer), "Lic Ordonez" of The Gardener's daughter fame, played the role the conscientious father of Catalina, called "Gustavo Negrete" and he had an avaricious wife, called "Adela" (Claudia Islas), who lives in a facade of glamorous life that her husband's income could not sustain.

This precarious situation drove that family into a mountain of debts that threatened Gustavo with imprisonment, and his family with eviction and a life of misery. The greed, selfishness and ambition of Adela triggered an intrigue to 'sell-off' Catalina into a dreaded marriage, to one old rich man- "Don GuadaLupe Mendoza" (Fidel Garriga).

But destiny played a fast one on them, as Don Lupe got injured from falling off a horse in his ranch, so it was his son, "Sebastian Mendoza" (Sergio Basañez- our "Diego", of 'Cuando Seas Mia' fame), who substituted for him at the ordained meeting with Gustavo.

Catalina had her own romantic dreams, which she nursed, to get married to her heartthrob - Eduardo. But Eduardo betrayed that dream by secretly dating an older rich lady for her money. That rich lady was called "Silvia" (Kenia Gascon) or Marissa Gomez, of the famed gardener's daughter telenovela. She would show up tomorrow in Episode 2. I look forward to know how she looked 8 years ago. She must have had a young look then to have rivaled 'Paloma' in a telenovela.

In the ranch, the newly arrived heir and son of Don Lupe- Sebastián, faced a silent war waged by the usurper foreman of the ranch, called "Carmelo" (Alberto Mayagoitia).

He was embittered and envious of Sebastian. Having served Lupe as servant from youth, he felt threatened that, Sebastián being the heir-apparent, would take all his privileges and favors, which he had taken for granted, in the absence of "Diego", pardon me, I mean to write Sebastián.

Carmelo was orphaned from boyhood. His origin was shrouded in mystery, a mystery that haunted him until adulthood. He lived in the believe of an unproven rumor that he was the bastard child of Lupe. He never knew the love of any parent when he grew up in the ranch, except the generous disposition of jolly good old man Lupe, (who is in his 50's), and that of an old maid called "Petra". This is what set the stage for intrigues, rumors, forgeries and scandal that later made the life of Sebastián a misery....

"Vanessa Sotomayor" (Alejandra Lazcano), was another character from the gardener's daughter that showed up here in Catalina y Sebastian. She played the role of "Martina", the lovely younger sister of Sebastian. She had a friend called, "Emilia" (María Rebeca). Emilia would play the role of a Jealous, desperate, scheming lover, like that of Jennifer de la Vega, of the gardener's daughter telenovela.

Emilia would set as her mission, the destruction of Catalina, so that she could marry Sebastian. She would go to ugly lengths to fulfill her mission, as this telenovela rolls on.

One mortal and vengeful enemy we cannot forget to mention in this snippet is Madam "Antonieta", played by Regina Torné. Her enmity with Don Lupe was rooted in the secret and odious past. Being a sworn enemy of Lupe Mendoza, she carefully planed how to bring down and ruin him, using members of his household against him. She promises to be the "Consuelo Alcantara" of this novela.