`SABADO GIGANTE' HOST DON FRANCISCO TURNS 60 (DEC. 28)

`SABADO GIGANTE' HOST DON FRANCISCO TURNS 60 (DEC. 28)

MIAMI, Fla. (Wireless Flash) -- Today (Dec. 28) is a "gigante" day for Spanish-language television because it's the 60th birthday of "Sabado Gigante" host Don Francisco. For those not in the know, Francisco is the Latin American Ed Sullivan, thanks to his weekly Spanish-language variety show, which is watched by 100 million Hispanic couch potatoes worldwide. "Sabado Gigante" -- which is Spanish for "Giant Saturday" -- has been on the air since 1962 and is the longest running variety show in the Western Hemisphere, featuring music, kiddie dance acts and audience participation. Although Don Francisco is considered as Latin as salsa, his real name is actually Mario Kreutzberger Blumenfeld and he's a German Jew who escaped the Nazis by moving to Chile during World War II.