'Desperate' Translation; Disney tailors a hit American show to Latino markets.(Desperate Housewives)

Byline: Brian Byrnes

Araceli GonzAlez saunters across the set in pale pink pumps and a matching silk robe, chatting amiably with her assistant and garnering gawks from the grips. With her long legs, ivory skin and prominent cleavage, she bears little physical resemblance to Gabrielle Solis, the petite, dark-skinned Latina vamp who lives on Wisteria Lane in the hit American TV show "Desperate Housewives." "When they told me they wanted me for the Eva Longoria role, I couldn't believe it, because I don't look anything like her," says GonzAlez, who plays the character on "Amas de Casa Desesperadas," the first Spanish-language version of "Housewives," which premiered in Argentina in August.

That's not the only change marking the show's arrival in Latin America. Though "Desperate Housewives" has aired with Spanish subtitles throughout the region since 2005, executives at Disney, which created the show for ABC TV, are now developing local Spanish-language versions tailored to different Latino markets. They are confident that the darkly comic escapades of sexy suburbanites Susan, Lynette, Bree, Edie and Gabrielle can be adapted to any culture. In addition to the Argentine version (which also airs in Uruguay and Paraguay), a production for Colombia and Ecuador will start shooting later this month and a Portuguese-language edition is slated for February in Brazil. Negotiations are underway for Chilean and Mexican adaptations as well.

Manzanares, or Apple Orchard, Street certainly looks a lot like Wisteria Lane. "Amas de Casa Desesperadas" is shot on a replica of the original's Hollywood set, built on a lot in a leafy Buenos Aires suburb. Each version of the show will be filmed there with its own cast and creative team. Disney has signed some of Latin America's biggest stars, including respected Argentine veterans Mercedes MorAn, Gabriela Toscano, ...