Swine flu curbs telenovela kissing

Actors turn down scenes due to health scare

By JAMES YOUNG

Have sexy Mexican telenovelas -- the bread and butter of Televisa and TV Azteca -- lost their mojo?

Passionate kissing has disappeared in recentepisodes -- victim of the A/H1N1 flu outbreak.

Actors are turning down heavy makeout scenes, opting instead for chaste pecks on the cheek, out of fear they may contract or spread the disease.

Televisa insists no scripts are being changed and no policy instituted to reduce physical contact in its series, but as producer Nicandro Diaz said last week, if an actor refuses, the shows just have to adjust.

TV Azteca, though, has canceled all kissing scenes until further notice.

Telenovela fans drawn by tawdry love sceneswill just have to use a little imagination until the crisis winds down.