Shakira favorite at Latin Grammys

Shakira is expected to shake them perfect hips in celebration on Thursday when the winners are announced at the Latin Grammy Awards at Madison Square Garden in New York. The Colombian sensation has been nominated for a number of major awards at the important ceremony.

Record Of The Year: La Tortura. Shakira’s duet with Alejandro Sanz is likely to prove an irrestible combination when the winner is announced for this category.

Album Of The Year: Fijacion Oral, Vol. 1 is an obvious strong contender, it is believed Julieta Venegas’ “Limon y Sal” could be the voters choice to thwart Shakira here.

Song Of The Year: La Tortura again leads the charge.

Best Short Form Music Video: La Tortura is expected to top the voting. Lookout for Ricardo Arjona who would certainly be a worthy winner with “Mojado.”

Shakitoni happy to stay unmarried couple?

Former president of the Republic of Argentina Fernando de la Rua says his son has discussed marriage with Shakira, but the couple are still not rushing to tie the knot.

The Colombian bombshell has been dating Antonio de la Rua for about five years.

“They prefer to wait,” de la Rua was quoted as saying. “Kids today would rather live as a couple, they don’t believe that marriage is necessary to be happy.”

De la Rua, in the Caribbean country for a conference, called Shakira “a lover of peace” who is concerned about those less fortunate than herself.

“Shakira is a very good woman, she is very loving to her parents and with her in-laws as well,” he said.

Shakira forced to switch venues

Colombian pop diva Shakira’s biggest ever concert is to be moved from its original university venue to a military airport in Venezuela following complaints from residents, organizers said yesterday.

The artist, who scooped MTV’s Latin American Music Awards “song of the year” title for “Hips Don’t Lie”, is to stage her Nov. 11 concert at the La Carlota military airport close to Venezuela’s capital.

The move comes after objections from residents’ associations close to the former scheduled site at Santa Maria University.

Santiago Otero, president of promoter Evenpro, said 12 organizations had complained about the concert, and thanked Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez for making the military base available.

Neighborhood groups said a similar large concert at the university 12 years ago led to traffic chaos, and a number of crimes, including street robberies and rapes, were committed around the time of the show.

Shakira takes home Spanish award

Colombian pop diva Shakira won an Onda award in Spain for best international artist, radio station Cadena Ser said Wednesday.

Cadena Ser and Radio Barcelona, co-sponsors of the 53-year-old awards, announced the 23 winners Wednesday afternoon. The Ondas honor outstanding individuals and organizations working in radio, advertising, television, film and music in both Spain and around the world.

This year the Ondas received 276 entries from 21 countries including Colombia, Mexico, France and Italy, Cadena Ser said in a statement.

Two awards went to the Mexican news media, with Noticerios Televisa recognized for its election coverage and W-Radio Mexico commended for a new morning magazine format that allows listeners to participate, the statement said.

An awards ceremony will be held Nov. 23 in Barcelona.

Shakira to Donate Concert Proceeds

Shakira, the pop diva of “Hips Don’t Lie” fame, will reportedly donate the proceeds from her November 15th concert in her hometown of Barranquilla. The funds will be used to build an arts school for children that have been forced from their homes as a result of Colombia’s civil war.

The concert is one of many in the singer’s Oral Fixation tour. The hip-shaking, international star has announced that the school will be located in La Playa, a poor suburb of her hometown. Estimates have 45 percent of the area’s residents as minors with barely half of the school age children actually attending school.

The bilingual (Spanish and English) school, set to open in 2008, will bear Shakira’s name. The school has received approval from Colombian education officials and is being designed by Rafael Vinoly, the designer of the New York’s Jazz at Lincoln Center facility.