Melody Plant

Emilio and Gloria Estefan will reportedly be adapting and re-recording ‘We are the World’ in Spanish to help Haiti relief efforts. The new version, called ‘Somos El Mundo’, has been completely translated and the original writer Lionel Richie has given his seal of approval, claiming that it captures the spirit and message of the original. The recording will take place this Friday and a large number of Latin singers including the likes of Ricky Martin, Paulina Rubio, Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Enrique Iglesias, Jon Secada and Gloria have all been invited to participate. Let’s all hope that they do participate and once gain bring light to the cause.

The opening chords made their entrance and struck a chord with me. Like a sexy stranger in a hot fiery club he entered, opening to a spectacular of lights and sexual freedom. I don’t know what it is exactly that strikes you, is it the accent, the hype…for me no. The man oozes sex, that’s it. In a very free and honest way, you can feel what his energy is trying to give. For me, that is the kind of honesty I like in an artist. It felt like Enrique the man was on stage without the preconceptions of old.

The first song was Ring My Bells from his second album Insomniac released in June. It is a bit of a move on for Enrique, it’s a stronger beat than he’s used to and pulled me into what he could be. It stopped my judgment immediately; he truly is a raw honest persona. We are then graced with the bracing salsa beat of Love to See You Cry, a favorite staple in the artist’s workbook. This turned into the winter warmer that is Bailamos…even I liked that one in my un-Enrique days, its classic Spanish good!

A very good night was had by all, the girlies, the couples and the boys. And me, I feel a little energised by the experience and feel like I just want to go and live a life of hot and sweaty freedom in South America for a couple years with the love of my life and just enjoy every second and surrounding I’m in. I vow never to judge too quickly and broadly again…well maybe that’s just the glitter talking.

Ivy Queen is a Latin Grammy-nominated singer who is also known as the Queen of Reggaeton. And apparently, she’s also well known for going to nail salons.

She’s sure to be the envy of Staten Island secretaries with her new nails as the 35-year old Puerto Rican singer showed up to a Latin Grammy event in Las Vegas, Nevada on Tuesday sporting a flamboyant manicure that is a cross between bling and Freddy Kreuger. It’s a nightmare I tell you!

Honestly, I don’t know what her music sounds like but hopefully, there are no nails-to-a-chalkboard comparisons. Here’s to hoping that it sounds better.

Latino pop hunk Ricky Martin is stunned he has been awarded a star on the prestigious Hollywood Walk of Fame. The singer will accept the accolade for his contribution to music in California on October 16th. Let me state my view on his Star at Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. He is a fantastic performer and great with the girls as his looks are stunning and his moves on the dance floor make him look like a demigod. But even this does not mean that he deserves a Star, I think looks and fame should not be the criteria to be awarded a star, achievements in one’s career in their respective fields should be the sole and only criteria to be awarded a star. And the fact that Ricky himself is stunned by the adulation shows that he knows that he fully doesn’t deserve it. But now that he has been awarded the star he can be proud of it.

On Wednesday September 26th, Gloria Estefan will go to her fans in the Bronx for an in-store autograph signing at Starbucks in the Kingsbride Plaza (225th and Broadway, Bronx NY). She will be signing copies of her new Spanish language CD – 90 Millas – available on Burgundy Records/Sony BMG on September 18th. This proves that there is new age media and advertising but you still have to meet and reach out to your fans the old fashion way, meeting them face to face. In the yester years artist meet at city squares and common place of the community and sing for them too, today its at a Starbucks coffee outlet but you have to go there sign autographs and mingle with the fans. I think this kind of interaction could be very positive for the artist, coz most of the time the fans that come to meet you will say all the goods things about you and that would eventually boost your confidence that people like you.

Beyonce recently had an interview with Latina Magazine that has everyone wishing that they could turn back time and just erase her from existence. Beyonce tells the magazine that “I’m just jealous that I wasn’t born Latina. I wish I had been because the culture is so beautiful.” If she’s going to come up with an original thought, maybe she should write it down and read it first. Talk about putting your foot in your mouth.

She goes on to say “I noticed a big difference between speaking to all of the Latino stations and speaking to the pop stations or the other stations. With the Latino stations, there was so much love and everyone is so genuine.”

Where was her mother, Jay-Z or even her publicist when this went on?

Looks like some stars got busy before the summer and they are about to get busier after. The amazingly talented Juanes is coming out with a new album.

The Colombian singer’s ‘La Vida Es… Un Ratico’ album is set to be released on October 23 and the lead single ‘Me Enamora’ will be out on the radio by September 4. This album will be his first release since his last record ‘Mi Sangre’ was released in 2004. His last album moved 659,000 units in the US so let’s hope that it hasn’t been too long that people forgot about him already which would make his album tank.

Either way, welcome back Juanes.

Nashville-based, Miami-born Raul Malo has never been part of the country mainstream. Even when his seminal band the Mavericks was scaling the country airplay and sales charts in the early ’90s, he was on another plane.

Malo’s musical palette has included everything from Latin rhythms to rock to bluegrass to children’s music, which, depending upon your point of view, makes his new release either a natural progression or a complete left turn.

Malo’s interpretation of country classics, “After Hours,” out July 17, and “A Marshmallow World and Other Christmas Favorites,” another album of covers due later this year, will be released on New Door/Universal Music Enterprises.

The label is “primarily dedicated to producing new music from historically significant” Universal Music Group artists, according to the UMG Web site. (The Mavericks recorded for MCA Nashville in the ’90s.) Styx, Smokey Robinson, Joe Cocker and Nanci Griffith are among the acts that have released projects on the label.

“After Hours” includes noteworthy treatments of Eddy Arnold’s “Welcome to My World,” Hank Snow’s “(Now and Then There’s) A Fool Such As I” and the Ray Price-sung, Kris Kristofferson-penned “For the Good Times.” Buck Owens’ “Crying Time,” Hank Williams’ “Cold, Cold Heart” and “Take These Chains From My Heart,” and Roger Miller’s “Husbands and Wives” are also included.

A Brazilian judge has canceled Saturday’s Live Earth concert in Rio because police said they do not have enough officers to guarantee crowd safety.

Organizers of the free show on Rio’s Copacabana Beach said Wednesday they were trying to overturn the order to prevent Latin America from being left out of the worldwide music fest aimed at stopping global warming.

Promoted by former Vice President Al Gore, Live Earth concerts are scheduled for London; Tokyo; Johannesburg, South Africa; Shanghai, China; Sydney, Australia; and Hamburg, Germany; and East Rutherford, New Jersey. A band of scientists also will perform in Antarctica, to bring the festival to seven continents.

Brazilian prosecutor Denise Tarin requested a suspension of the concert, saying there were not enough officers to police a crowd that could top 700,000.

Rio police already are busy making sure Rio stays safe during the July 13-29 Pan American games.

Concert organizers confirmed the show was suspended but said they would contest the order and expected to overturn it.

Rio’s concert, the only free one for Live Earth, would include performances by Lenny Kravitz, Macy Gray and Pharrell Williams.

Why oh why Shakira?

The Latin hip-shaker was spotted hanging out with the Queen of the Brats and Wasted Posers Avril Lavigne at Hollywood hotspot Les Deux this past Friday night.

That friendship can only lead to bad things. This was a huge disappointment. But Shakira more than made up for it come Saturday.

Instead of spending time with someone puke-inducing, she spent time with a more ladylike Penelope Cruz. The two hit club Parc together on Saturday night.

I guess she’s more free to party now that her tour’s over and she doesn’t have to worry about singing while hung over.

With explosive sales in their first week of digital release, Rihanna’s “Umbrella” and Shop Boyz’ “Party Like a Rockstar” rocket to the peak of the Billboard Hot 100. “Umbrella” soars 42-1 with 277,000 digital sales; the highest debut week sum since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking downloads in 2003. Meanwhile, “Party Like a Rockstar” flies 52-2 thanks to sales of 173,000 digital downloads.
For Rihanna, this is the second Hot 100 chart-topper of her young career, following “SOS” in 2006. As for “Party Like a Rockstar” its digital arrival results in a steep decline for a similarly named but musically different cut, “Do It Just Like a Rockstar” by Freak Nasty featuring Crazy Mike. That song, which has been available digitally and was mistakenly purchased by many consumers thinking it was the Shop Boyz track, plummets off the chart from No. 45 after a 62% drop in sales.
Last week’s Hot 100 No. 1, Maroon 5’s “Makes Me Wonder” slips to No. 3 this week. T-Pain’s “Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin’)” featuring Yung Joc is down 2-4, while Daughtry’s “Home” inches up 6-5. Justin Timberlake’s “Summer Love” rises 9-6, followed by Avril Lavigne’s “Girlfriend” which is down 3-7. Fergie’s “Big Girls Don’t Cry” climbs 21-8 and is the chart’s greatest digital gainer, giving the Black Eyed Peas vocalist her fourth top 10 hit from her 2006 solo album, “The Dutchess”.
Unsurprisingly, “Idol” winner Jordin Sparks has the Hot 100’s top debut with “This Is My Now” at No. 15. At 74,500 downloads, it’s the lowest first-week sales total for an “Idol” coronation song ever, although this year’s release is the first to be digital only, accompanied by a multi-track EP. “Idol” runner-up Blake Lewis debuts at No. 18 with his version of Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love a Bad Name”.
On Hot Latin Songs, Enrique Iglesias’ “Dimelo” is No. 1 for a third week, while John Mayer’s “Waiting on the World To Change” returns to No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with a 3-1 move. The song previously topped the chart in late February.