Brazil's Singing Sensation

By JAVIER L. ORELLANA

Gal Costa

December 27, 2006 -- Singing in a small jazz club becomes Gal Costa, one of Brazil’s biggest stars. Her latest CD, "Live at the Blue Note," captures an intoxicating and golden-voiced singer who - at 61-years-old - looks and sounds half her age.
"Before this recording, I never sang in a small venue like this. It feels like I’m singing in someone’s living room," says Costa, who’s accustomed to selling out concert halls and stadiums.
The diva,...to read the remainder of the article, go to:

http://www.nypost.com/seven/12272006/tempo/what_a_gal_tempo_javier_l__orellana.htm

Alfredo Ripstein, Helped to Shape Mexico's Movie Industry

By Reed Johnson, Times Staff Writer
January 27, 2007

MEXICO CITY — Alfredo Ripstein, a Mexican film producer whose prolific and influential career stretched from the country's cinematic Golden Age in the 1940s to the dawn of the 21st century, has died. He was 90.

Ripstein died of respiratory failure Jan. 20 at his home in Mexico City's Polanco district, his family said.

Ripstein died peacefully...to read full article go to:

http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-ripstein27jan27,0,39344.story?coll=la-home-obituaries

Bicycle Fiesta!!!

Head to Baja California for the award-winning 50 mile bicycle ride along the Pacific Coast and inland through rural countryside from Rosarito Beach to Ensenada.

Next Ride
April 21, 2007
Start: 10:00 am

I plan to do this ride with my friend Sara for her birthday!

For more information and registration details, go to www.rosaritoensenada.com

TATS CRU - The Mural Kings!!!!

Even if you've never been interested in graffiti, you can't help but appreciate the street art that these guys have been creating since the 80's. The video above really highlights the success of the Tats Cru with a testament from rapper Fat Joe and others.

I worked with the Tats Cru on a McDonald's project back in 2004 and these guys are among the top two or three graffiti artists/crews in New York City if not the World! John Mayer even featured them in his new video, "Waiting On The World To Change" along with famous artists Futura 2000 and Daze (featured in entry below).

To read more about the Tats Cru, go to www.tatscru.com

Legendary NY Graffiti Artist 'Daze'

I had the pleasure of meeting legendary graffiti artist, Chris "Daze" Ellis, at a Hennessy party we were throwing in New York. However, I never knew that the guy was a living urban legend in his own right even having travelled the world promoting the movie "Wild Style" during it's hayday. Check out his website at www.dazeworld.com to see some of his works and read more.

The Best of Mexico's Bravest Barrio

By Reed Johnson, Times Staff Writer

MEXICO CITY — They call it el barrio bravo, which more or less translates as "the brave 'hood." But it takes more than courage and a certain ferocity of spirit to survive in Tepito, this tough metropolis' most Darwinian precinct.

Humor probably helps. A sense of camaraderie too. Above all, caution.

Then there's the tremendous pride that Tepito residents feel about their much-stereotyped and stigmatized neighborhood just north of the capital's historic center. Tepito lacks many things...to read the rest of the article go to:

http://www.calendarlive.com/galleriesandmuseums/cl-et-tepito22jan22,0,7373675.story?coll=cl-lat-homepage

Tittilating Tango!

By GRACE BASTIDAS
January 24, 2007 - A long time ago, Miguel Angel Zotto was given an ultimatum: "My girlfriend asked me to pick between her and tango," he reminisces. Almost 20 years later, the world-renowned tango choreographer doesn't regret his decision.This week, he returns to New York after a decade-long absence to celebrate the success of his dance company, Tango x2, with "Su Historia," a greatest...to read more, go to:

http://www.nypost.com/seven/01242007/tempo/titillating_tango_tempo_grace_bastidas.htm

The Giant Peach - Best of Hip Hop

The Giant Peach offers the best of everything hip hop. There are great record labels, artists, clothing and much more. Take a browse through the site and you're sure to find something that inspires you.

http://www.thegiantpeach.com/

Rage Against the Machine will reunite for Coachella

Rage Against the Machine, the seminal L.A. band that made heavy music into political manifesto, will reunite after a seven-year lull for one show as the headliners at the 2007 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

Sources say Rage, which played the main stage at the first Coachella in 1999, will be joined by other familiar faces for the eighth edition of the festival, which covers three days this year and begins April 27: Red Hot Chili Peppers, which headlined in 2003, are back, as is Björk, ...read the remainder of the article at :

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/music/la-et-coachella22jan22,0,6269931.story?track=mostviewed-homepage

San Fran's Crown City Rockers

With an organic blend of lush, funk-drenched grooves, riveting classic soul samples, sharp live instrumentation and of course old-school inflected rhymes, Crown City Rockers is a welcome breath of fresh air in today's commercially cluttered hip-hop cosmos. - taken from http://www.crowncityrockers.com/

I found this group online and they just won the SF Weekly award for "Best Hip Hop".

You won't be disappointed! Check out their newest video "B-Boy" below.

How The Immigration Debate All Started...Hmmm

Don't Miss Pan's Labyrinth!!!

A friend of mine went to Cannes last year and told me to watch out for this movie when it came out because it was brilliant! Well, he was right.

Award-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro delivers a unique, richly imagined epic with Pan's Labyrinth, a gothic fairy tale set against the postwar repression of Franco's Spain. Del Toro's sixth and most ambitious film, Pan's Labyrinth combines the historic and moral themes of his acclaimed Spanish Civil War ghost story The Devil's Backbone with the protean visual creativity and gripping dynamics of such previous films as Hellboy and Blade II - to read the remainder of the movie's synopsis, go to http://www.panslabyrinth.com/

New York Gets a Regional Mexican FM Station

This is truly a historic moment as Mexican New Yorkers wield enough influence to get
Univision Radio to split its Latin Urban "La Kalle" simulcast by making WZAA-FM 92.7 Regional Mexican "Que Buena" as WCAA-FM 105.9 continues as "La Kalle," with no programming changes.

Look out for more news.

Beautiful Mexican Actress Shines in Sexy New Thriller

By GRACE BASTIDAS of the NY Post (NY Tempo)
January 17, 2007 - "It's a lot more difficult to bare your soul than your body," says Mexican actress Ana Claudia Talancón, who innocently exposes both in the thriller "Alone With Her," in which she becomes the object of a stalker's unrelenting gaze. The 26-year-old makes it easy for moviegoers to watch her, as well - almost every frame of the 79-minute film, which is mostly told through... to read the entire article, go to http://www.nypost.com/seven/01172007/tempo alone_with_ana_tempo_grace_bastidas.htm

Mexican Arts Enriching New York City

The Calpulli Mexican Dance Company (a.k.a. Calpulli Danza Mexicana) was founded in 2003 by a group of artists who sought to enrich the quality of Mexican traditional dance in New York City. As a not-for-profit organization, its mission is to teach and produce dance-based programming incorporating live music and theatre to promote a diverse image of Mexican cultural heritage.

Calpulli is a word of the Nahuatl language referring to the groups or clans categorized by trade, which contributed to the whole of the Aztec civilization. This young, energetic group is a calpulli of artists.

For more information on the Calpulli Dance Company, go to http://www.calpullidance.org/

Thank You, Dr. King!

As a senior in high school, I was challenged to pick one of three essay questions to gain acceptance to the University of Notre Dame. The question I chose to answer related to Dr. Martin Luther King's "A Letter From A Birmingham Jail" and I took such great pride in writing my essay that day. Looking back more than 15 years, I am still thankful to Dr. King for his courage and his leadership as an agent of change for all Americans. Thank you Dr. King!

Please enjoy Dr. King's "I Have A Dream" speech featured above. Also, for more information on The King Center, you can visit www.thekingcenter.org

National Geographic Photographer: Penny De Los Santos

If you haven't heard of Penny De Los Santos, then you've been missing out. Penny is an amazing photographer who, through hard work and diligence, has become a staff photographer for National Geographic Magazine. I had the pleasure of meeting Penny at a party here in Austin for the unveiling of her newest project for National Geographic. Check out her website to see more cool photos at http://www.pennydelossantos.com/.

Un Chin Magazine

Un Chin’s mission is to offer an alternative approach to documenting art, fashion, music, entertainment and current events. By offering its readers a unique perspective on the new mainstream -- one that merges a Latin aesthetic and ingenuity with depth and style, Un Chin has become the leading voice for the “New Culture.”

Un Chin is a fashion, art and culture magazine that features riveting visuals, daring editorials, and accentuates the pulse of a new culture. Un Chin is entertaining, noteworthy, thought provoking, and is continuously bringing neglected elements of popular culture from the fringe to the mainstream.

To subscribe to the magazine, go to www.unchin.com

Common Ground Foundation

The Common Ground Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit organization founded in the summer of 2000 by Lonnie Rashid Lynn, also known as Common. Common Ground is committed to raising awareness about HIV and AIDS among minority youth. It is our goal to provide support to children worldwide with HIV and AIDS through fundraising efforts and donations to organizations that have been fighting the disease. For more information, check out www.commongroundfoundation.org

Cool T-Shirt Site!!!

I found this site (http://www.t-shirtstation.com/v3/) where you can get the coolest t-shirts from labels such as Especiales, bichi kori, KLNS, El Chulo Camiseria, UNOMAS and NACO. Check it out. You won't be disappointed! Pictured above is one of the t-shirts I found under the NACO label.

Beckham Coming To America!!!

January 11, 2007 -- International superstar David Beckham will be bringing his wife Victoria and his soccer skills to the United States, according to reports out of England.

"This week Real Madrid asked me to make a decision regarding my future and the offer to extend my contract for a further two seasons," Beckham told SkyNews.

"After discussing several options with my family and my advisors to either stay here in Madrid or join other major British and European teams I have decided to join L.A. Galaxy and play in the MLS from August this year."

To read the entire article go to http://www.nypost.com/seven/01112007/news/worldnews/beckham_worldnews.htm

Apple's New iPhone

I'm sure you've already heard about the new iPhone, but check out the following video that shows some of the functions of the phone. I can't wait till June!

Monchichi Monchichi...

Before there were PS3s, there was the Monchichi craze! Enjoy the commercial for this classic doll.

Japanese Folding Technique

I finally found something useful on the Internet! It may take a few times of practice but give it a try and let me know how it goes.

Even President Bush Has Mexican Gardners!!!

I wonder who works President Bush's Crawford Ranch??? I'll give you one guess: It starts with an M.

Joint Method w/Jose Suaste

If you like funky music with an urban flair, check out Joint Method's new CD, "Roots and Wings". Immigrant's Song is a great track! Click on the following link to order their CD and read more about the band: http://www.myspace.com/jointmethodmusic

Venezuelan Conductor Phenom!

In 2004, Gustavo Dudamel (pictured left) won a conducting competition in Bamberg, Germany, and the buzz began. In 2005, the young Venezuelan conductor made his U.S. debut at the Hollywood Bowl conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic and bowled over audiences, critics and an army of American arts administrators who came armed with contracts and pens...go to the following link to read the rest of Mark Swed's article in the LA Times: http://www.calendarlive.com/music/classical/cl-et-phil6jan06,0,1285454.story?coll=cl-lat-homepage

These Were The Best of Times!

When I was in college way back when, the only thing that really kept my spirits up was watching the Martin TV show, featuring Martin Lawrence. While all my Anglo friends were watching the Thursday night lineup of Friends, ER and Seinfeld, my Hispanic and African American friends were enjoying Shenene, Jerome, Coley-Cole, Pam-Pam and or course. Martiiiiiiiiinnnnnnn!!!!

Enjoy this clip of Shenene and friends taking a ride with Tommy.

Tales of Another Mexico...Great Read!!!

If you're a person that looks beneath the surface for the real deal and learns about the locals when you travel versus staying in a posh resort, this book's for you. The tourism department didn't write this book so no Cancun or beautiful ruins of Mexico City. Instead Sam Quinones shares the lives and realities of many Mexicans that you will never see on TV or read about in a magazine.

Enjoy!

Chalino Sanchez...The Legend

I dedicate this one to my best friend, Gabe, for introducing me to Chalino Sanchez back in 1992.

Cheech and Chong Sing the (Mexican) National Anthem

To think Cheech is now one of the leading collectors of Chicano art in the country...who'd a thunk??!!

Mexican Midget Dance Craze!!!

The Umpa Loompas don't have anything on these guys!

Snow White and Her 7 Chaparritos

I've seen this before, but still think it's cool. Enjoy the Mexican version of Snow White and the 7 dwarfs.

Bob Ojeda of the Count Basie Orchestra

When most people think of the Count Basie Orchestra, images of Duke Ellington or Count Basie himself come to mind. However, trumpet player and music arranger, Bob Ojeda, a Chicago born Mexican American, was with the Count Basie Orchestra from 1985-2001. (Bob is standing middle backrow with the mustache)

Bob's big band career began in 1958, though still in his teens, when he joined the Stan Kenton Orchestra. He also played with Woody Herman, Ralph Flanagan, and others. Bob studied arranging with the reknown William Russo, Frank Foster, and Bill Matthews.

Bob has written arrangements for big bands, including the Basie organization, as well as music for other notable singers, television series, and hollywood movies. He can be seen and heard on the 1987 DVD "Diane Schuur and the Count Basie Orchestra". Bob is seated next to the drummer's high hat, and plays several solos. His arrangement of "Everyday I Have The Blues" can be heard on this DVD.

The reason I am writing this entry is because Bob Ojeda is my father's first cousin and his parents are originally from Del Rio and Lytton Springs, Texas, where they worked in the farming industry along with my grandmother, Eloisa Ojeda Limon.

To read more about Bob, check out Michael Pettersen's interview (where I obtained most of the information above) with Bob:

http://www.freddiegreen.org/interviews/ojeda.html

You can also check out the YouTube selection below where Bob is featured with Diane Schurr in a few segments of the video.

What's goin' on Chino?

If you haven't been to Centrico in New York's Tribeca neighborhood, put it on your 2007 list of things to do!

Centrico ('centrally located' in Spanish), the latest concept from renowned restaurateur Drew Nieporent, is a fresh interpretation of regional Mexican cuisine. Partnering with Nieporent is Aarón Sanchez, Centrico's chef, cookbook author and Food Network star. With the new restaurant, Aarón, son of the legendary chef Zarela Martinez, goes back to his roots to cook the Mexican food of his childhood.

"Mexican cuisine is an integral part of the American culinary experience," says Aarón, "and my cooking celebrates that." His food marries Mexican tradition with an American perspective, emphasizing seasonal ingredients and modern technique. Aarón aims to showcase his homeland's gastronomic depth and variety--which he likens to the diversity of France's provinces. Centrico's menu is a journey through the Mexican states, with picadas (corn tarts with salsa) from Michoacán, torta de mariscos (seafood frittata) from Veracruz, cochinita pibil (slow roasted suckling pig) from the Yucatán, and birria (braised short ribs in ancho chile broth) from Jalisco. Aarón adds his own creative touches, resulting in clean, vibrant flavors.

Centrico is located in the heart of Tribeca--with a wrap-around full-service terrace overlooking Franklin Street and West Broadway. Its warm, festive atmosphere is enhanced by vibrant colors and a Mayan-inspired mural. Designed by Pulice-Williams, the space reflects classic Tribeca architectural style with its airy 15 foot ceilings and wall-to-wall windows. A hammered zinc bar winds along one wall offering hand-crafted cocktails, including several margaritas. An open kitchen permits guests a view of the young chef at work.

For more information on Centrico, check out these articles:

www.myriadrestaurantgroup.com/centrico/index.html
nymag.com/nymetro/food/reviews/restaurant/14689/
nymag.com/listings/restaurant/centrico/menu1.html
http://events.nytimes.com/2006/01/04/dining/reviews/04rest.html

You should also check out Aaron's other great restaurant in the Lower East Side called Paladar (Ludlow between Stanton and Houston).