Shakira May Act in an Upcoming Movie

Dare to Love Me is set to start shooting in Romania in March. Shakira is listed as having a role in the film on IMDB.

Unlike many Pop Stars that came before her, Shakira isn't out to prove that she can act. She was working in a Colombian soap opera back when she was still a child.

***SPOILER ALERT***

The movie is a biopic and the real life person that her character is based on DIED during the time period that will be depicted in the movie.

Great Looking Phones

This is a sponsored post.

I am constantly jealous of other people's phones. I am stuck with mine for a few more years. The one I carry around is the extra mobile in the family. I loan it out to guests and kids and stuff, nobody has the number. We got the cheapest available phone it is black and chunky and had no extra features. If one of my kids loses it, I will not cry. That is the point.

I think I may have already looked at a
The Motorola KRZR K1 recently. The deep blue glass on the case is very trendy and cool. The 2 megapixel camera is so far beyond the previous generation of camera phones that it is not even funny.

This is the first time that I have seen a phone remotely like the Motorola Z3. The design with the slide is so cool. I was never a fan of flip phones anyway. It has features that you can access whether the phone is open or closed. You can listen to music or call a friend. You can play a game or you can even use the full screen viewfinder as a digital camera. It is just a really great phone. I think when my kid insists that she wants her own phone, she is getting my old black clunker and I am getting one of these.

Symbiosis

Shakira's appearance on last season's American Idol no doubt caused a boost in the ratings. I was actually surprised to see how much it did for her record sales. This is a quote from AP reporter Sandy Cohen:

"Shakira's new album, Oral Fixation Vol. 2, jumped 11 spots on the Top 40 charts after her hip-shaking Idol performance."

That's not as impressive as Barry Manilow's climb from 24 to 4, but his stats had more room for improvement than Shakira.

Most guest stars are nice and friendly to the contestants. Prince made headlines by being anything but nice. There were rumors that Shakira was distant herself. There seems to be more discussion about her Diva behavior in comment sections than anywhere else. I can't find a legitimate source quoting Simon Fuller as saying that Shakira was rude. I actually feel a bit disgusted after scouring through the negative comments in different corners of the internet. I suspect that some of the vitriol put forth stems from racism.

Source...

I Am Getting a KIKK out of this Story

This is a sponsored post

Women...football...women...football...Women football. This is a hard decision for a lot of men in the UK. I think I have a solution, why not become a fan of women's football?

I played football in college (we had to call it soccer because we were in Canada). I went to several of the women's matches, to repay the show of support they often offered us at our matches. I think that in terms of pace and skills, they were on a par with us. And they yelled much louder. Looking at the gallery on the teams website, they look like a fun bunch of people. Reading the story of how the team got started I know that they don't take themselves too seriously. Maybe just seriously enough.

They are looking for interested players check here for more info.

Who Looks Like Shakira?

This face recognition program is very entertaining, but as you can see, not very accurate. If you want to use it on yourself or a loved one, use a straight on picture without too many shadows. Avoid toothy smiles, unless you want to be compared to clebrities that have toothy smiles.

Here is a different picture and a completely different result. Makeup comes into play for this one.


shakira

Some Multi-lingual Software

This is a sponsored post.

Magnet Commerce is a subscription based ecommerce software solution that can help small business managers handle their entire eCommerce business through an easy to use control panel.

What is really great about Magnetcommerce ecommerce software is that it supports multiple languages and multiple currencies on the same store. You can launch your store in several different countries and manage it from a single application. If your business is in the EU, language is in some cases the only barrier left when you are expanding your market.

In traveling to different parts of the EU, it always entertains me to see the walls of bars decorated with ads for old, locally successful products and the store shelves full of the same things you can get anywhere. with this software, you can market your products to almost anybody in several different languages from one back end.

I'm specifically pointing to the usefulness of this software in the EU, but it could also be used in North America where some regions have predominantly French speaking people and others have predominantly Spanish speaking people.

Magnet Commerce is a complete Web-based packaged solution which means that there is no software to install on your PC. Even better you will have no worries about servers, Internet connections, security issues or backups. This is a subscription based service.

I work in a multi-lingual office of sorts, except my wife and I are only fluent in English, with high school French and night school Spanish. The guys who work with us probably know about five languages between the three of them. Occasionally this comes in very handy, but mostly it is just cool.

Will this be the Year of Shakira?

2006 was possibly the most successful ever for Shakira both creatively and financially. What can we expect from her during this coming year? Will a wedding bring more media attention to her personal life? I actual doubt that, it tends to be the ones with two celebrities that cause a stir. Christina Aguilera was lucky enough to have the press stay pretty much out of her business when she married a record executive. The tabloid business thrives on the negative, I think they would starve if they spent their time circling around Shakira.

Shakira is spending the first part of 2007 performing in Europe.

Tips For Divas

This is a Sponsored Post.

I think I have made it fairly obvious in past posts that I am a man. This particular post is done in service to the ladies. It's a short review of a blog called The Diva's Dreams by Belisi. Belisi is a designer of accessories. A friend of my wife informed her last year most women have 20 handbags. I dispute that notion, but a few extra ones for the sake of style are ok.

Scarves are cool. I like scarves. They can serve various functions beyond just looking good. I have observed women who were dressed in a way that did quite not meet the local Basilica's dress code stop at the door and pull beautiful scarves out of their handbags and drape them around their shoulders providing instant compliance. And they can be used to shield you from the sun as well.

I was looking through some posts on the Diva blog and I saw something very cool that I hope really works. There is an insert for stiletos that is scientifically designed to help with some of the typical discomfort that this style of shoe can cause. Back to my observances of local girls...my wife and I were heading home from a night out at about the same time that all the trendy young people head out to begin their night out. We were walking home (I never drink and drive) and had taken a shortcut that is a steep rough country road. We were walking up hill and we met a stylish young lady who was coming down the hill in bare feet carrying her spike heels. I guess that is the safest way to do it, but having a pair of flats that fit in your bag might be even better.

The Diva's Dreams blog is saying that white is the new black. Thank you very much, I do the laundry in this family and there are three young women in the house. Go Black. Black is beautiful.

Shakira Talks About Her Chilhood Ambition

"I always felt a calling. Like there was some invisible hand behind me pushing me to write, dance, do things. When I was a child, I had the illusion of becoming a scientist, a writer, and a dancer. All three things combined! I remember doing my first poems at the age of four on everything that would surround me. I wrote one to my mom. It was called “The Rose of Crystal.” It was full of fantasy and daydreams. But I didn’t feel clearly that I wanted to be a musician. I started writing my first songs when I was 8 years old. I think my career as a songwriter started my career as a singer."

From everything that I have seen and heard from Shakira, I think she could have been a great scientist. Maybe pursuing a career in music was an analytical, scientific decision based on empirical data.

Source...

shakira

Video Conferencing Is Serious Stuff

This is a sponsored post.

When I think of Video Conferencing I often think of Doctor EVIL talking to World Leaders about a certain amount of money that he wanted in exchange for his Not Blowing Up The World With A Giant Laser services.

He has a monopoly on that particular business, but there is plenty of room for advancement and growth elsewhere in the world of business. LifeSize offers an amazing HD video conferencing service. They have testimonials from people that I have heard of saying that the service is effective and economical.

'Next Shakira' On American Idol?

I saw someone mention that there was a girl at the Minneapolis tryouts who was clearly going for a Shakira-like persona. I tried to find out more, but there really isn't much attention paid to individuals early on in that show. It's kind of like how we didn't name chickens back on the farm. You don't want to get too attached to them...because...you know...CHOP

She has a name though, it is Perla Menses.

Like Plug and Play For Home Security

This is a sponsored post.

This post is for a product that looks pretty good to me. The site features security syatems that are basically ready to use straight out of the box. I could see this as being a quick solution to security needs if, for instance your business has just outgrown your home office and you have quickly moved into one of those all purpose rental spaces in some business park. Maybe you hadn't even thought about security until you were already in the middle of a move. Big problem? Well you could just run in and grab one of these Security System at Comp USA, Home Depot, Costco, or even Kmart and walk out with some peace of mind.

Don't Bother Infringing On Copyrights

There are lots of sources for legal streaming audio and video. I remember thinking that Kanye West was being very smart for streaming his whole album on his website a few years ago. We spent a half a day with that stuff playing. AOL has some videos and audio of Shakira here.

Shakira has two new songs streaming on her website, including Illegal. I was looking for the Don't Bother video because I wanted to see what make of car she destroys. I think I felt physical pain the first time I saw that. I was experiencing some other feelings during the rest of the video.

Shakira

Is The Lexus IS 300 Really Built Like Shakira?

This is a sponsored post.

When I decided to do this post for a Car Classifieds site, I thought I would tie it into the whole Shakira them somehow. I did a search and guess what car I found that was described as having the body and soul of Shakira...A Lexus IS300.

There aren't very many of those for sale on LemonFree, but you can find yourself a dependable Honda Civic or a hard working Dodge Ram.

Hold the phone, I did a search on the site and there are 4 Lexus IS300's for sale starting at $13,900 for a 2002 with a little over 91,000 miles. I really don't see the whole Shakira comparison, that automotive writer must have had MTV on in the room with him, he said the 2 litre model reminded him of Britney Spears.

Anyway, if you take any of these out for a test drive and they start to shake it like Shakira, that is an alignment problem, it can be fixed but it might be an indication that the vehicle has been in an accident.

The Things I Miss...

I have to tell you that I have spent two years completely ignoring the whole IDOL thing. I think I ended up finding the experience of following a season of the television show to be kind of frustrating and heartbreaking. I always seem to root for somebody that makes it til about the final six or seven.

Anyway, I guess one thing I missed last year was an appearance on the show by Shakira. I'm going to go see if I can find it on YouTube. I wonder if anything in her contract forbade her from offering the contestants advice on things like contracts and merchandising. Shakira is very smart. I sometimes get the impression that the Idol folks depend on the singers not being too smart.

Sell Your Photos

This is a sponsored post.

ShutterPoint Photography say that they offer the highest payout percentage on the internet. I haven't looked at the entire internet, but I know that 85% is pretty good for any similar kind of service. I know some fairly serious photographers and I am going to send them a link to the site. They have an attractive and uncluttered site. I made the mistake of randomly clicking on the thumb for some guys photo of sushi, the big picture made me so hungry. The picture was selling for $25, and it was on the page that I arrived at by pressing the What's Selling button. This was before dinner. It looked so good I almost bought it so I could print it out and eat it.

Besides being a marketing tool, the site is also a great place to get feedback about your photography and the forum is an ever growing resource for tips and networking with other professionals and enthusiasts. There is some nude photography featured, but the site functions such that a strong content filter is the default, until you change it. I plan to stick one of my own photos at the top of this post, but I might chicken out because they are mostly pretty poorly executed. Expect an update about the site later on because I am going to join. I live near some fantastic subject matter and with some practice I might be able to get some saleable pictures.

I am Thinking About Buying This Shakira CD/DVD

I'm generally not a big fan of live albums, but I think I might like this release from Shakira. You can hear a few samples here. I like the arrangements with horns and looser sounding lead guitar. I guess one difference with a concert album is that since you have all the musicians up on stage anyway, they might as well contribute to all the songs. With a studio album you bring horns or Carlos Santana in for one session and they contribute to a couple tracks and then go home.

shakira

I am Starting a Forum

This is a sponsored post.

These GoBoardz Forums are pretty easy to set up. I'm not sure if it will take off or not, all I can do is set it up and wait. I have seen fansites take off and I have seen fansites get virtually ignored. The formation of an online community is really a spontaneous kind of thing. If you look at my brand new forum and think it sucks, um, tell me how much it sucks on the forum. Or comment this post, whatever. Wherever you feel the need to express your apathy is OK with me. I read that you can embed videos on goboards posts, too.

Where will Shakira be for Carnival?

Earlier today, I was talking about the Carnival in Shakira's hometown. Unfortunately for Shakira, she won't be home at that time. According to her tour schedule, she will be in France and Germany during carnival week. I guess that might be fun, too.

Bulgaria is Awesome

This is a sponsored post.

I think that Bulgaria might be the most welcome new member state of the EU.

A site featuring bulgarian properties is sponsoring this post and giving me complete freedom to talk about Bulgaria however I want. Bulgaria is actually in the news as a hotspot for property investment because of the strong economy and because of the diverse culture and tourist attractions. Bulgaria has sun and sand destinations and ski areas as well. If you landed on my site and you are an investor type, the cold hard fact is that real estate is at about average price per square meter of 70euros and rising fast.

bulgaria

Shakira Picture on the Wall of a Bar

Did I mention lately that Shakira doesn't behave badly enough to get the media's attemtion?

On my search today to see if the girl finally recognizing the PR value of getting falling down drunk and/or hanging out with a series of sleazy men, I found out that her picture hangs in Buffalo bar alongside the likes of Mick Jagger and Tina Turner. I don't know if that means that the decorator thinks Shakira is a legend already, or if he just really liked the picture. They are all taken by local photographer Bob Mussell. Here is a newspaper review of the bar. Can you tell that it is Sunday and I'm not really trying?

Shakira

A Few Words About Poker

This is a sponsored post.

Poker has recently had a huge surge in popularity that has been partly driven by successful poker based TV shows. I have an avid poker player in my family, and its not about gambling inwise sums of money or anything like that. It's all about the game. I might have to tell him about this opportunity to play Free Poker online. The site also has lots of poker strategy articles and reviews of casinos. They also have a points system whereby you get free gifts in exchange for playing at their site. You'll need to deposit $50 and play about 250 hands. It varies by poker room. I am not a gambler myself and I would caution anyone reading this post that gambling can result in the loss of money. I guess that's why it is called gambling.

poker

Carnival in Shakira's Hometown

Preparations for Carnival are underway in many corners of the World, and Shakira's hometown of Barranquilla is no exception. Anyone who has never experienced Carnival in a place where it is a major cultural phenomenon, go experience one as soon as you can. Check out UNESCO for different events that have "intangible heritage". I am so excited that Carnival time is approaching.

Shakira
carnival

A Review of a Photography Blog

This is a sponsored post.

I looked at the photography site that a friend of mine has just yesterday and I totally lost track of time. I love looking at pictures. The photo blog that I am reviewing in this post isn't the one my friend has. He is like a magician in that he doesn't give away any of the secrets of how he takes such great pictures. The blog called PhotoCritic.org is a very educational site. Just skimming it, I saw a tip about turning your digital camera upside down to avoid the crappy shadowing effect that results from the way the flash is placed on compact cameras. I am going to try that...as soon as I figure out how to remove the date stamp.

Here's something interesting, examples of square portrait photos. I know I upload square photos quite often and they are always just a thoughtless quick cropping of the standard dimension, 4x5 or whatever it is.

This article about paper negatives is cool. I like the comment about characteristic limitations that can be used for artistic effect. That's how I feel about MS paint.

Tips on Avoiding Injuries From Belly Dancing

I mentioned a few months ago that a woman was severely injured during a Shake It Like Shakira. I really should have done some lateral research then and provided this link to Belly Dance Safety Tips. I found that as an external link on Wikipedia. I was a bit disturbed to see that Jessica Simpson got listed in the pop culture belly dancing paragraph. Nelly Furtado, I'm ok with. I got side-tracked re-educating myself ( and almost crying ) about Aaliyah's life and tragic death. She was a belly dancer too. Her death and the investigation into the 2001 plane crash were completely over-shadowed weeks later by 9/11.

Shakira,Aaliyah

Be Gay and Chat

This is a sponsored post.

BGay.com Chat has a pretty self explanatory name. It is obviously a place where you can go and be gay and chat. I am an ex-chatter. I find that any general chat spaces are so filled with banality that it is not worth the trouble. Something as specific as a chat room that is tied to a gay website might be a different story altogether. Oh, and why is David Beckham's picture on the homepage of BGay?

I Don't Believe in Astrology, But...

I was looking for something completely different and I happened upon a page featuring Shakira's astrological chart based on her date of birth.

"Shakira Ripoll is a more versatile and complex person, less one-sided than many other people are, and thus able to draw on all of the elemental qualities as required. In addition, Ripoll is able to relate to most people, recognizing a bit of herself in their values."

Um...yeah right.

Shakira

Begging For Mechandise

This Post is sponsored by HP.

If this silly video catches the attention of PayPerPost founder Ted Murphy, he might give me a digital camera. HP hooked him up with ten 6 megapixel digital cameras and ten photo printers and he is giving them away.

I don't have a really compelling sob story or some over the top stunt to garner attention. I have one 4 year old digital camera. I would show it to you, but I can't take a picture of it, because I only have one.

My kids aren't extraordinarily cute and they wouldn't cooperate with any efforts I would make to exploit the basic level of cuteness that they do have.

I have taken university level physics, so I can't convincingly pretend to not know the conditions under which a camera will not fly.

All I have going for me is the fact that I have a desire to take pictures of cool stuff. I recently met a new neighbor of mine who has a collection of WWII era motorcycles. I aske him if I could come back and take some pictures. He is in the market for a Ford amphibious personell carrier if you know anybody with an extra one. He gave me some oranges from the trees in his backyard. The backyard that is full of really cool old vehicles. The HP cameras in the giveaway can capture video. I'm thinking that would be great to show my inland relatives what the waves look like in the winter. I just moved away from all of my extended family two years ago. They live in Canada. I have to avoid depressing showing them too much nice weather.

So yes, I would very much like to win an hp digital camera, and the printer that comes with it.

Urban Mythology

I can't remember if I ever blogged about this issue before. I want to book end the discussion by stating clearly that the myth is absolutely false and it has no basis in fact whatsoever.

So here is the story, there was an e-mail hoax a few years ago expressing outrage at anti-semitic remarks that Shakira made live on MTV.

The ADL felt it was necessary for them to issue their own statement about the fabricated e-mail and about the calls to boycott Shakira.

I weighed in on a rumor about Ciara being biologically male in another blog and the ignorance and hatred in the comments was amazing. To be fair, half of the haters were directing their hate towards the haters (now I'm confused). I guess the reason that the Shakira rumor was easily diffused was because it was easy to inarguably dissprove. Ciara isn't going to pull a Britney just to dispell a rumor, which incidentally probably sustained her career more than hurt it.

Some Advice About Saving Money

This is a sponsored post.

If you were generous towards your friends and family this past Christmas, you are probably getting teary eyed every time you look at your credit cards this month.

ThriftyScot.com can help you with advice and reviews of services like secured loans and mortgages.

They also have helpful hints about how to find the best company to handle your current accounts and home insurance needs. They update and add to their site daily. I don't know if you've heard any of the jokes about thrifty Scots, but as a person of Scottish heritage, I can tell you that the jokes arose from a profound truth. But the inclination to save money has to be paired with a smart strategy in order to be of any benefit. I avoid making unwise expenditures, but I have not been good at avoiding unnecessary payments to financial services companies. I want to change that and I am always on the lookout for smart tips about financial matters.

Shakira Is Too Normal For The Media

The entertainment industry prefers there celebrities to be dysfunctional. I googled the words Shakira and scandal. She had a deal with a clothing manufacturer that had some bad labour practises. Here is that old story. And the performer of the trumpet that was sampled for Hips Don't Lie made some noise about infringement, but it turned out the record company had the ok from the composer all along. As far as relationships, she has been in a long engagement and has wedding plans. Boring from an outsiders perspective, but maybe not as boring as Paris Hilton is from the inside looking out.

Be Safe And Secure

This is a sponsored post.

Even though the parallels between Shakira and Selina are not that numerous, the tragic and violent death of Selina at the hands of the president of her fan club must be foremost in the minds of many singers when they become famous enough to be the target of crazy people.

Home Security has probably been an issue for Shakira and her family long before her success. Shakira was born in a country with some of the worst violent crime in the World. Regardless of the level of real risk you face, having adequate home security can give you peace of mind. I spent most of one Saturday installing a long bolt heavy-duty lock on the front door of the duplex we lived in when we were in a rough neighborhood. I actually was thinking to myself that the demonstrable act of increasing security may have been seen by some of the bad people in the neighborhood. That would have been an added bonus. We operate a home business and if we had suffered a break-in and the loss of our computers and our data, it could have been catastrophic to say the least. I have never had an alarm system in my house, I prefered having a big dog.

You Can Help

I spend way too much time looking at Wikipedia. One place I hadn't been before, surprisingly, was the entry for Shakira. Today the header is indicating that the page is an unprofessional, possibly inaccurate mess of a page. If you are reading my blog, I can only assume that you are both a die-hard Shakira fan and also very smart ( I mean that sincerely ). Maybe you should go see what you can do to fix up the page. Below is a excerpt, I think it's true, and it is also pretty neat:

As of July 30, 2006 "Hips Don't Lie" was her most recent number one, and consequently, the last ever song played on the legendary British programme Top of the Pops, seeing the track jump back from number three to the number one spot again, after spending seven weeks on the chart.

There is, of course a wiki is Spanish as well. The Shakira entry there has not been flagged as needing cleanup. It has less material.

Shakira

A Few Words About Loans

If you are looking for information and advice about loans, you might want to check out the UKpersonalloanstore. Debt consolidation loans and secured loans are two things that they know inside and out.

While the information is useful, the main function of the site is that it allows you to fill in a short form and then wait for competitive finance companies to make loan offers to you. I don't see anything wrong with that. I'm not a shrewd negotiator, so anything that can take some of the leg work and stress out of shopping around is OK by me. I am still have debt on an open line of credit that my local banker sold me on about eight years ago. It would be some pretty complicated math to figure out if I made a wise decision, given the fluctuation in interest rates over that time. I just give myself solace with the fact that it is way less expensive than say credit card debt. If credit card debt has you hobbled, you might want to look into some kind of debt consolidation loan.

HIps Don't Lie Voted Best Pop Song of 2006

This news is no surprise to me, this song is absolutely infectious. I don't know if I have ever embeded any of original videos of this song. I assumed anybody with an interest in Shakira has any number of ways to get their Hips fix online, or they could turn on a radio. Unfortunately, Shakira is getting very little press for this award. Britney Spears, who won nothing, was mention and/or alluded to evertime someone who was wearing underwear climbed up to the podium.

Shakira

ZOOOF looks Cool !!!

This post is sponsored byZOOOF, The Family Network. From what I can see, ZOOOF is a kind of wiki for family histories. The potential for this is fascinating. My mother had a keen interest in geneology. We lived in a relatively small and isolated rural valley that only had a few hundred years of family histories. Even so, the local expert had a bunch of family histories compiled into a two volume publication. My mother had this ungainly reference and used it until it was tattered and falling apart (self published paperbacks will do that). Most of us are familiar with the wiki concept thanks to Wikipedia. With ZOOOF an unlimited number of individuals can join and contribute to a family network. What is really cool about it is that it function in several languages. Here is where things get really cool. YOU CAN BUILD AN INTERACTUVE FLASH FAMILY TREE !!!. No, I don't know how it works, but you can bet it is cooler than the one your teacher made you make with construction paper in kindergarten.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention... if you want to give it a try or to take a look inside before the Feb.14th, send an e-mail that includes your name, e-mail, country and gender to invite@zooof.com.

The Famous Sculpture Of Shakira

When a sculpture was produced by an attention seeking artist in America featuring a naked and prone Britney Spears, you could not escape the images of it.

I serious German artist created a giant statue of Shakira and donated it to here Colombian hometown and it hardly gets a mention. I actually want to see this and I can't find one definitive image of it. The above photo is of Shakira, obviously, and the German artist Dieter Patt.

Shakira

My Disclosure Statement

This policy is valid from 10 January 2007

Skakira-news-items.blogspot.com is a sponsored blog supported by a company, organization or group of organizations.

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The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post may not always be identified as paid or sponsored content.

The author of Skakira-news-items.blogspot.com is compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though I receive compensation for my posts or advertisement, I always give my honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

I would like to disclose the following existing relationships. These are companies, organizations or individuals that may have a significant impact on the content of this blog. We are employed by or consult with: PayPerPost.

Shakira/Beyonce Track Due Out Soon

Beyonce is re-releasing an old album with a bunch of added tracks including the eagerly awaited duet with Shakira and some of her hits reworked with Spanish lyrics. Beyonce reaching out to the Spanish speaking world is kind of like the inverse of Shakira's career. Except I think Beyonce is more interested in the Spanish speaking market in the US than in appealing to Central and South America. Learning English was a pre-requisite to stardom for Shakira. Singing in Spanish is just expanding the brand for Beyonce. But if it sounds good, I'm ok with it.

A New Years Baby is Named Shakira

The first baby of 2007, at least in one area of California, has been named Shakira. The father of the newborn says that it is not a coincidence. The couple had noticed that the baby's older sister had hair that was strikingly similar to that of the latin songstress. The mother, Veronica Ventura, had second thoughts about the name, but went ahead with it because her 4 year old daughter had become quite obsessed with the name by then.

The baby's secon name is Hope. I wish the entire family all the best.

Shakira

Technorati Rocks

I am hoping to attract more people to this Shakira site using my Technorati Profile

Shakira's Pre-Nup

A newspaper in Argentina published a story about the pre-nuptual agreement that is being drawn up for Shakira's fiance Antonio de la Rúa to sign, The two have been engaged for over a year. Shakira is reportly also expressing an urgency about having a child. I wonder if Shakira will take an extended hiatus from performing to care for her first child. Motherhood is often a catalyst for a change in the tone and direction of singer/songwriters. Nelly Furtado created what I think is some of her best work while she was at home with her baby.

Tags, Shakira, Nelly Furtado

The Sincerest Form of Flattery ???

Yet again I am embedding a video from a PC with no sound. I can tell that this kid is dancing to My Hips Don't Lie.

I am guessing that somebody put him up to this. That person probably thinks of it as encouragement. I think it's more like instigation.

Miriam Faris Rejects Comparisons With Shakira

Miriam Faris doesn't agree with people who compare her to Shakira. Shakira has Lebanese heritage on her mother's side of the family. This fact accounts for the superficial similarities between the Colombian superstar and Miriam Faris, who is celebrated in the Arab world but is largely unknown in the rest of the world. Shakira's Lebanese grandmother taught her to dance, so you can expect to see some similarities in the moves that these two young women make as well. I find this story especially interesting because Shakira has been fairly irritable in the past about being compared and/or confused with people like Britney Spears. I don't think it is happening much these days now that Britney is being mistaken for Courtney Love.

Shakira

Young Shakira on the Old Rosie Show

I have a confession to make. I'm making this blog post at a PC that has no speakers. I have no idea what Shakira is saying, but I'm posting the video anyway just to point out how she looks so much different between then and now. I think this is from an episode from 28 January 1999. Elmo made an appearance during the same episode. Elmo's appearance hasn't changed a bit, although he has become a bit jaded.

Hugo Chavez Loves Shakira

Hugo Chavez loves Shakira. Shakira, whether she is following the advice of her mother or her American record company about when to say nothing at all, she hasn't been quoted on her opinion of Hugo Chavez.

Hugo was welcoming enough to provide a government airstrip as a concert venue for Shakira in November. During the concert, however, there was some spontaneous chanting of the slogan being used by Hugo's chief political opponent, Manuel Rosales. The slogan translates as To Dare. Hugo Chavez won the December election. It is unclear as to whether or not his hips lie.

Shakira and Beyonce Team Up FTW

Beyonce revealed in an interview with Spanish language television network Univision, that she has recorded several tracks with Shakira. A duet featuring lyrics in both Spanish and English is set for release in early '07.

Beyonce's boyfriend has had issues in the past when Beyonce collaborated with male performers like Sean Paul. He will no doubt be ok with the present situation.

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Shakira Cleans Up Good At Latin Grammy Awards

I didn't jump on this story when it was fresh because I assumed even the people who weren't paying attention would safely assume that Shakira would dominate these awards. I'm only mentioning it now because I just saw this really good photo gallery from the big night.

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Take the Pepsi Challenge

Look at Pepsi endorser Shakira's official website, then look at one time Pepsi endorser Britney Spear's official website. Please leave a comment telling us which website tastes better. There are two streaming songs on the Shakira website right now, I listened to them both three times.

Is this Shakira Video Illegal?

The internet is approaching a tipping point of some kind. With video sharing sites becoming a force to be reckoned with and users constantly uploading copyrighted material, something is going to happen. Soon. Until then, enjoy this Shakira video for Illegal. It sounds like Carlos Santana plays guitar on this track, but I could be wrong.

Shakira Gets the Keys to Miami

The story detailing Shakira getting presented with a Key to the City by the Mayor of Miami doesn't go into the awkward details of the assistant to the Mayor going over to Don Johnson's house to get the key back from him. He was supposed to have left it under the mat back in 1989, but he held onto it because it made a great back-scratcher.

Britney Spears is a more popular TERM than Shakira

Just to be clear, everybody that types a name into a search bar isn't a fan. Shakira doesn't get as much as Britney Spears in large part because she is a functional, professional adult who is mostly interested in her work and in promoting causes like ending World Hunger.

Shakira actually comes in Third on Yahoo search, after 5 time champion Britney and WWE, an American wrestling show.

Britney Spears

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A Very Old Shakira Video

I hope you enjoy this. This is from immediately before Shakira broke internationally.

Chorus in original Spanish

estoy aqui quierendote,
ahogandome
entre fotos y cuandernos
entre cosas y recuerdos
eue no puedo comprender
estoy enloqueciendome
cambiandome un pie por la
cara mía
esta noche por el día
y nada le puedo yo hacer

Behold the limitations of Google Language Tools:

I am quierendote,
ahogandome
here between photos and cuander
between things and memories
to us eue I cannot include/understand
I am enloqueciendome
cambiandome
a foot by the face
mine tonight by the day
and anything him I can do

Shakira Mash-Up Presented By Google Executive

Google's vice-president of European operations added some Latin heat to the normally conservative proceedings on Monday at a premier event for UK business leaders, which was attended by the Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Speaking at the CBI conference in London, Nikesh Arora used a music video-mash-up of Colombian singer Shakira to illustrate the importance of new content types to traditional media business models.

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Barranquilla Women As Mail-Order Brides

I wasn't looking for a mail-order bride. I was trying to find a picture of the Shakira statue is Barranquilla. I was suprised to find out that the singer's hometown is a major source of mail-order brides.

Men in America and elsewhere are searching for potential mates online in increasing numbers. There are countless websites seeking to profit from the desire these men have to find a mate. There is definately a dark side to the business. There is an obvious power imbalance between the men and the women. There is undoubtedly dishonesty and criminality among some of the services and even some of the potential brides.

Here is an article outlining some of the problems.

Shakira Is Becoming More Political

"Education is not a luxury, it is a right everyone should have."

Shakira is reported to have met with Chilean President Michelle Bachelet recently to talk about keeping kids off the streets.

Shakira has been performing a number of sell-out shows where tickets have been changing hands for over $200.

The star is planning to open a school for nearly 2,000 pupils in her home town of Barranquilla.

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Shakira's Early Acting Career

While Christina and Britney got their start as Mouseketeers, Shakira was in a gritty Colombian soap opera while still in highschool. This was after having already released two albums.

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Shakira's Shout-out to Her Home Town

"This great place nourished me, forged me as a human being, as a woman and also as an artist, and coming back means being able to see all the people from whom I learned so much and to say thank you and pay homage to my land."

Shakira had her home town of Barranquilla in Colombia on their feet dancing through her whole show.

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Shakira Collectibles on Ebay

You know those lifesize cutouts of sexy female celebrities that Pepsi puts in gas stations and 7-elevens? I'd like to know where I can get one of those to put in the corner of my bedroom. All I could find on eBay was this toy truck with Shakira's face all over it. I think I'll pass on that. If you collect Pepsi merch obsessively, then maybe you gotta have it.

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Final Fantasy Video feat. Shakira

Shakira's Moves: Don't Try This at Home...or at a Bar

A New Jersey woman is suing a drinking establishment called Calico Jack's after allegedly falling and shredding ligaments in her left knee last summer during a "Shake It Like Shakira" contest.

I think bars have insurance to cover situations like this, although I doubt the wording addresses this exact eventuality. If it actually goes to court, I think the bar's lawyer should ask whather any person can climb up onto a bar and not realize that they are putting themselves at some risk of injury


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Shakira to Buy an Island

Shakira is reportedly one of the primary investors in a $16 million project to purchase and develop an island in the Bahamas.

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Why Haven't I Noticed Shakira's Myspace Before?

I generally don't spend much time looking at famous people's myspace pages for a couple of reasons. The first is that the site is polluted with fakers and only about 0.1% of them are entertaining. The second reason is that legitimate celebrity sites are usually looked after by the record company and are nothing more than an advertising tool, a very good advertising tool. Anyway, Shakira has a myspace page, it's really 'hers' and there is some content. At present she has like 200,000 friends. Maybe you can be her friend too.
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MySpace

Shakira Opening Act at MTV Latin Awards

Here is a video by the Mexican artist who beat out Shakira for the top prize at the MTV Latin Awards

Shakira donned a flowing red-and-black dress for a mariachi trumpet-backed performance that got thousands of fans on their feet Thursday night to open the MTV Video Music Awards Latin America 2006.

This would turn out to be an awards show where Shakira would walk away almost empty handed. Julieta Venegas, a Tijuana native who plays accordian, took home the best singer award.

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A School's Head Gets in Hot Water Over Her Shakira Act

I didn't go to a proper British school. I had a teacher MC a talent show dressed as Alice Cooper while carrying a board with a doll nailed to it.

Apparently, a woman in England obliged someone who dearly wanted something to get upset about by wearing leather boots and a crop top at school for her performance of a Shakira song.

My source is very supportive of the teacher as are the school staff and most parents. I am somewhat offended by the back that the teacher recorded a cover of The Wind Beneath My Wings, but I'll get over it.

Shakira

Shakira Performs at New York Soccer Match

Recording artists Wyclef Jean and Shakira warmed the crowd of 35,793 that came to see the New York Red Bulls and New England Revolution battle out a goalless draw Saturday night at Giants Stadium.

Football is gaining popularity in the USA, and is getting more lucrative sponsors as a result.

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Soccer

Voices Against Poverty - Shakira

United Nations Millennium Campaign Voices Against Poverty PSA Series Shakira www.millenniumcampaign.org

Shakira Wins Big in Mexico

I have visted the Spanish language site for the Mexican music awards called Premios Oye!.

It's no surprise that Shakira would win an armload of trophies. I was a bit surprised to see the very nice, apparently naked breasts on the trophies. You know, the rest of the world is different.

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Shakira Helps Children

Shakira is smart and talented and beautiful. She doesn't get much media attention because she doesn't do desperate or stupid things in a transparent attempt to get attention.

She heads a charitable foundation that is helping thousands of children whose families have been displaced by internal conflicts. She hasn't adopted any of them.

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Shakira Fans Eagerly Await World Cup Final

On Sunday, Italy and France will compete in the final match of the World Cup. Before that happens, the world will watch a 10 minute performance by Colombian songstress Shakira.

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Shakira Will Play At The World Cup

Shakira and hip-hop star Wyclef Jean are to perform at this summer's World Cup final in Germany before the big game kicks off.

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Shakira Does a 180 With Her Attitude About Showing Skin

Shakira to Teen People April 2006:

"It's not my hobby to show my belly! The moves I do when I perform require it. People of America, I want you to know that I wear clothes once in a while! I'm actually shy; I've just learned how to hide it."

Shakira to 3am Girls July 2005:

"If I could I'd live in the nude, like Eve in paradise."

Shakira

Barranquilla, Colombia Will Erect A Statue Of Shakira

The statue is iron, it weighs 5 tons and is 16 feet tall. College boys will not be able to steal it, they will have to be content with having their picture taken standing on the shelf of her butt.

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Shakira Learned English Because It's The Language Of Money

Shakira has been an established singer in South America since her teens. She learned English before scaling the British and American charts in 2002 with her first English-language album LAUNDRY SERVICE. But she says learning English was more about broadening her horizons than heightening her pile of money.

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Shakira'a Florida Home Is On The Market

If you can spare $6 million, you can buy Shakira's old house and have singer Ricky Martin and actor Matt Damon as neighbors. Shakira is thinking about getting a bigger place in the same community.

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Great Interview Of Shakira

When I was a kid, I had a phase of immersing myself in the interviews in 'The Rolling Stone' and 'Spin'. I found this Shakira interview by a UK journalist to be reminiscent of those pieces. I think the trick of the author is to first establish the fact that they adore their subject in order to make the objectivity of the interview seem like a Herculean task.

Entire Interview...

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Will There Be A Shakira iPod ?

There is word circulating that Shakira will have a relationship with iPod and that a Shakira themed product will be on the market.

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Shakira Videos Will Soon Be Available At Google Video

Sony BMG is one of the companies contributing content for the launch of Google Video Store.

Besides Shakira videos, you will also be able to download many of your favorite TV shows from CBS and also NBA games.

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Shakira On MTV For New Year's Eve

Rumors abound that Shakira may debut a new song calling for peace in a troubled world during MTV's New Year's Eve televised party.

John Lennon had children singing 'WAR IS OVER' in his still popular Christmas song Happy Christmas in 1969. The fall of Saigon effectively brought an end to the Vietnam War in 1975. Happy New Year.

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Shakira May Perform At The Taj Mahal

Farooq Singh, co chairman of the 8th Wonder of the World Concert series says, “Ricky Martin has confirmed his performance at the Taj Mahal concert and hopefully Shakira may end up sharing the stage with him.”

Singh adds that both the singers are quite excited about the trip. He says, “Talks are on with Shakira. We have our fingers crossed.

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Shakira Named UNICEF Ambassador

Shakira has been appointed a global Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF, the world’s leading organization for children, UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy announced today.

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Latin Music Is the Only Genre To Grow In The US this Year

Latin music was the only genre to register growth from 2004 into 2005, with figures from Nielsen SoundScan and the Recording Industry Assn. of America reflecting substantial sales jumps.

This is thanks in large part to Shakira,who set a new record for No. 1 on Hot Latin Songs, ruling the chart for more than 21 consecutive weeks with "La Tortura".

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Shakira's Home In The Bahamas

Shakira has taken up residence in the Caribbean, after buying property in the Bahamas.

The sexy singer, 28, and her fiancé Antonio De La Rua bought homes in the Bahamas two years ago, and they're now spending much of their time on the islands.

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Shakira Drinks Too Much Coffee

"In Colombia, from the time you can grab a cup, you start having coffee. They put it in the baby bottle sometimes. So sometimes it doesn't do anything to me. At four in the morning, if I want to keep working in the studio, I have to to drink 20 cups to keep myself awake," Ratethemusic quoted Shakira as saying.

Shakira fans, please don't try this at home. Drinking more than 3 cups a day is bad for your health. And make sure it's FAIR TRADE coffee

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Facts About Caffeine...

Fair Trade Coffee...

What Kind Of Shakira Stuff Is On Google Video?

I did a search for you, there's cam show lapdances gone badly with Shakira music. There's TV parodies of Shakira videos. There's paparazzi footage of Shakira out in public. It was worth a look, I'm sure there will be even more there soon.

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Critic Enjoys Shakira Album, And Then Calls It Bland

Some critics are accusing Shakira of pulling her punches with her latest album.

Usually, Shakira errs on the side of caution, and the results are bloodless ballads like ''Your Embrace," although there's a certain amusement to be found in such odd lines as ''Tell me what's the use/ Of a 24-inch waist/ If you don't touch me?"

These critics miss the point that her two albums are a combined concept, if something seems to be missing to them, maybe what they are expecting is on 'Fijación Oral Vol. 1'

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Psychoanalyzing Shakira's Album Covers

"From a psychoanalytical point of view, we start discovering the world through our mouths in the very first stage of our lives, when we're just born," she continued. "The first album cover is more Freudian, and the second one more resembles Jung, because Eve is a universal archetype."

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Shakira Is Shy

No, really she is. This is what she has to say on the subject:

When they watch my videos, people might think that I'm very sexually aggressive person, but I am completely the opposite. I'm very shy of my body. The most I can show is my belly. I admire people who can do nudes for the love of art. I can't. And I wear enough to cover what my mother wishes I cover."

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Shakira's Grandmother Taught Her How to Shake It

Colombian born Shakira learned her distinctive hip-shaking belly-dance moves from her Lebanese grandmother. Thank you so much grandma. It's interesting to note that in much of the Arab world, belly dancing was traditionally an entertainment exclusively for the enjoyment of other women. I think Shakira is really exploiting the traditional dance, and I don't care.

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MTV Contest Winner To Tour With Shakira

One lucky Shakira fan is about to go on tour! MTV announced today the “Dirty Little Secrets” contest, where one grand prize winner will win the chance to go on tour with Shakira in 2006 as the official “fan correspondent” for MTV. In addition, the fortunate winner will work as a guest reporter for Teen People Magazine.

I think a better name for this contest would have been 'Almost Almost Famous'.

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Shakira To Perform On MTV Europe Awards

Shakira is confirmed as a performer at the MTV Europe Awards November 3 in Lisbon.

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Win Passes To Shakira Performance

SHAKIRA is filming a gig in a secret East London, England on October 30 location for MTV - and the 3 am Girls are giving you the chance to be there.

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Shakira Reveals Herself to Herself

Shakira talks about the new album:

"This album is so personal," she explained. "It's very honest, and it's revealing so much of myself that it's also acting like a mirror. I can see my own reflection in each one of the songs. And through the lyrics, I am also learning to know a little bit more about myself."

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Shakira's English Album To Come Out Next Month

Shakira has set a Nov. 29 release for her second Epic album of the year, "Oral Fixation." First single "Don't Bother" was premiered via AOL Music's First Listen initiative over the weekend. The set also includes "Illegal" featuring Carlos Santana.

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Shakira - 'La Tortura' is Number 5 Song in Worldwide Survey

Sony Corporation surveyed some 700,000 people across a whopping 66 countries to find 'the world's favourite song' The top ten looks like this:

1. Queen - 'We Are The Champions'
2. Britney Spears - 'Toxic'
3. Michael Jackson - 'Billie Jean'
4. The Eagles - 'Hotel California'
5. Shakira - 'La Tortura'
6. Nirvana - 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'
7. The Beatles - 'Yesterday'
8. U2 - 'One'
9. John Lennon - 'Imagine'
10. Dire Straits - 'Sultans Of Swing'

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Shakira Funding New School In Colombia

Big-hearted Latin star Shakira is paying to have a brand new school built in her home town Barranquilla, Colombia.

The 'Laundry Service' singer is so proud of her modest roots, she is determined to pour much-needed cash into the poverty-stricken area through her own charity, the Barefeet Foundation.

She says, "I never want to forget where I come from."

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Shakira Among Those Recieving $26,000 Swag Bag

The performers at this Sunday's MTV Video Music Awards including Shakira, Kanye West, Green Day, and Mariah Carey will each receive a gift bag worth more than $26,000.

So, I know this guy who is in a band that was playing this showcase event during an awards show who managed to scam a swag bag. It didn't seem like a big deal...

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Shakira's Former Guitarist Releasing Solo Project

Born prematurely in a rural New Mexico hospital, Raul Midon and his twin brother Marco (now a NASA engineer) were blinded as infants after spending time in an incubator without adequate eye protection. The sounds of music became integral to Midon's life around age 4, when his father, a professional dancer, introduced him to the drum.

Midon, who is of African-American and Argentinian descent, joined Miami's multicultural musical community after college. He rose to local prominence as a studio musician, cut a Spanish language album and toured with South American superstar Shakira as a member of her band.

Midon's debut album, "State of Mind," both defies genre classification and defines the main ingredient of his success.

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Shakira Will Be First To Perform Spanish Number At MTV Awards

Shakira will make history when she performs her Spanish-language single LA Tortura at the 28 August show in Miami.

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Shakira Hates Being Mistaken For Britney

Latin singer Shakira is horrified when fans mistake her for chart rival Britney Spears.

Shakira says: "They ask me if I'm Britney Spears…what a silly comparison: Shakira would never marry a back-up dancer."

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