Shakira Performs Surprise Concert For 40,000 Fans in New York City’s Times Square

Shakira is recovering from an epic performance…

The 47-year-old Colombian superstar surprised her followers with a “pop-up” concert in New York City’s Times Square to celebrate her first LP in seven years, Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran, which was released last Friday.

ShakiraAnnounced just hours earlier on her social media accounts, Shakira’s impromptu concert drew about 40,000 fans, according to figures provided by the organizers.

A huge electronic billboard that covered part of a skyscraper announced the free show with a clock counting down to its start.

At around 7:30 p.m. ET, the crowd enthusiastically chanted from ten to zero and two large doors hidden in the jumbotron opened to reveal the TSX Stage, and Shakira opening with her No. 1 Hot 100 hit “Hips Don’t Lie.”

Hola New York! Oh my God, this is amazing, absolutely insane,” she said immediately after in Spanglish. “It’s so awesome to see you again, to sing for you… Nothing compares to this. Thank you so much for all the love that you’ve been giving me this week during the release of my new album Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran. And thank you, thank you, thank you for showing up.”

Dressed in black pants and top with silver embellishments, the self-proclaimed She-Wolf delighted the crowd by singing live — along with a band and a group of dancers — songs such as “Te Felicito”, “TQG”, “Cómo Dónde y Cuándo” and “Puntería”, before closing with the mega hit “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53.”

“I’m happy to be here surrounded by my Latin people,” said the 14-time Latin Grammy and three-time Grammy winner. “Thank you New York. Until next time. I love you very much.”

Tuesday’s show was co-produced by TSX Entertainment, with presenting partners ViX, Vinfast and Sony Music Latin.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3bxt6r3zq8

Maria Becerra to Perform in Times Square as Part of Univision’s “¡Feliz 2024!”

Maria Becerra will be ringing in 2024 in the Big Apple

New York City’s Times Square is gearing up to host its annual New Year’s Eve celebration, which includes the televised ball lowering during the countdown to the new year, with the 23-year-old Argentine singer and former YouTuber set to perform.

María Becerra,

The tradition, which has been celebrated for 120 years now, will boast Becerra and Mexican reggaeton artist Yng Lvcas will perform a medley of their biggest hits at the Center Stage.

Becerra will perform at 10:04 pm as part of Univision’s ¡Feliz 2024! program.It will air live on Univision and the Times Square New Year’s Eve webcast.

Meantime, Yng Lvcas will perform a medley of his hit songs as part of Univision’s ¡Feliz 2024! Program from 11:02 to 11:07 pm.

Jared Leto Scales Empire State Building to Announce Thirty Seconds to Mars’ Upcoming Global Tour

Jared Leto is taking his music to new heights…

To announce his band Thirty Seconds to Mars’ upcoming global tour, the 51-year-old part-Spanish American singer-actor scaled one of the most iconic buildings in the world, New York City’s Empire State Building.

Jared Leto, Empire State BuildingLeto took on the challenge with nothing but an orange jumpsuit and ropes, as seen in footage taken by helicopter circling the landmark. The artist specifically climbed up the narrow base underneath the tower’s antenna, the top of which clears 1,454 feet.

“I’ve had a fascination with the Empire State Building, the ‘world’s number one attraction,’ since I was a kid,” wrote the Suicide Squad star on Instagram, sharing a video of his otherworldly feat. “Not sure if it was Guinness world records, King Kong, but something about this iconic structure always captured my imagination. Built in just 13 short months, in one of the greatest cities in the world it has always been a powerful symbol to me of all the possibilities in life.”

Jared Leto, Empire State BuildingThe Thirty Seconds to Mars’ 2024 Seasons World Tour kicks off March 15 in Latin America with festival performances at Lollapalooza Chile, Argentina and Brazil. The trek will support the band’s September album It’s The End of the World But It’s a Beautiful Day, which bowed at No. 76 on the Billboard 200.

“In a lot of ways, this album is about following your dreams and pushing yourself to do the seemingly impossible,” Leto continued in his post. “Climbing the Empire State Building certainly falls into that category for me. As does touring the world with my brother and sharing these unforgettable concerts and experiences with you all.”

The House of Gucci actor also shared a video of himself and his bandmate/brother, Shannon Leto, performing their song “Seasons” at the top of the Empire State Building, the concrete jungle’s landscape sprawling below them.

Pre-sale tickets for the North America shows go on sale Friday, November 10 at 10:00 am local time on the band’s website. General on sale kicks of November 17 at 10:00 am local time.

Marc Anthony Receives Humanitarian Award from Fashion Group International

Marc Anthony is Fashion Group International’s humanitarian of the year…

During the organization’s “Night of Stars” at The Plaza Hotel in New York City, the 55-year-old Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, actor and philanthropist received the Humanitarian Award from his friend of 30 years Narciso Rodriguez.

Marc AnthonyWearing his signature shades, Anthony was honored for his foundation Maestro Cares, which has helped more than 10,000 children in 13 countries with orphanages, counseling, scholarships and other education-driven programs.

He vowed that as of next year he and his foundation would entrust a scholarship program for the next generation of designers. That will be set up through a partnership with Fashion Group International (FGI).

Acknowledging how every person in the room has a team of people behind them, Anthony said, “They’re not nameless to us. They’re faceless to the world. We can stand up here and accept such an honor, but there are so many people behind us,” he said. “Appreciate those people who made us, who we are, right? On behalf of everyone who has made my life what it is today, I want to thank you. And I want to urge everybody here that is as privileged as I am to wake up and thank them.”

Meanwhile, fashion critic Cathy Horyn handed the Fashion Stars Award to Proenza Schouler’s Lazaro Hernandez, who praised her respected and educated opinion before mentioning the “simple, but brutal” New York Times headline for their second show: “Proenza Schouler Separates in Search of a Collection.”

Explaining that Horyn was right, Hernandez said, “You knew we were better than that even before we knew it ourselves.” Still going strong 20 years later with cofounder Jack McCollough, he thanked Horyn for her honesty and willingness to talk through big ideas season after season, “has made us better designers, more nuanced and mature.”

Other honorees included Whoopi Goldberg, who received the American Icon Award; Dennis Basso, the Lifetime Achievement Award winner; and Antoine Phillips, the Agent of Change Award.

AMC to Premiere “The Walking Dead: Dead City,” Starring Trey Santiago-Hudson, This Sunday

Trey Santiago-Hudson is ready to fight the dead…

The part-Puerto Rican actor is starring in The Walking Dead: Dead City, which premieres this Sunday June 18 at 10:00 pm ET.

The Walking Dead: Dead City follows the popular Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) characters traveling into a post-apocalyptic Manhattan, long ago cut off from the mainland. The crumbling city is filled with the dead and denizens who have made New York City their own world full of anarchy, danger, beauty and terror.

In addition to Cohan, Morgan and Santiago-Hudson, the series also stars Gaius Charles and Željko Ivanek, along with Jonathan Higginbotham, Mahina Napoleon and Charlie Solis.

Eli Jorné, who has been a writer and co-executive producer on The Walking Dead for multiple seasons serves as showrunner and executive producer on the series, which is overseen by Scott M. Gimple, chief content officer of The Walking Dead Universe.

“It’s The Walking Dead like we’ve never seen it before. We haven’t really lived in a city like this.” Jorné said at a WonderCon event earlier this year. “It’s New York; there’s skyscrapers up to the sky and a million and a half walkers. And for characters like Maggie and Negan, who’ve been running through the woods for a long time, it’s just a whole new world that’s just extremely claustrophobic, scary, and also, as you’ll discover, has pockets of survivors, you’ll get to see all the strange new ways they live in the apocalypse, it’s definitely like nothing you’ve seen before.”

Dead City is the fourth spinoff in the Walking Dead universe following Fear The Walking Dead, World Beyond and Tales of the Walking Dead and is the first sequel to the original Walking Dead series.

The series will air on AMC and AMC+. Subsequent episodes will move to the 9:00 pm ET timeslot.

Howie Dorough & Fellow Backstreet Boys Release Claymation Video for “Christmas in New York”

Everything’s a-oclay for Howie Dorough

The 49-year-old half-Puerto Rican singer and his fellow Backstreet Boys have released a new music video for their holiday track “Christmas in New York.”

Howie Dorough, BSB, Backstreet BoysThe sweet and sentimental visual sees the quintet — Nick Carter, Dorough, AJ McLean, Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson — passionately singing the holiday track while their claymation counterparts explore a twinkling New York City during Christmas time.

The claymation dolls of the boy group witness and participate in classic scenes.

One features a dressed up Santa with an elf at his side ringing a bells and asking for donations with a big red bucket. The dolls head down to the TV-decorated intersection of Times Square, take a horse-drawn carriage ride in Central Park, view the holiday windows at Macy’s 34th street and go ice-skating in Rockefeller Center.

“All the elves are busy/ On Macy’s eighth floor/ It’s good to know there is still a miracle on 34th/ But what I love the most/ Is holding you this close/ This is what they made the Season for/ Oh, spending Christmas in/ Oh, another Christmas in/ Oh, yes, another Christmas in New York,” Littrell closes out the song with the rest of the members.

“Christmas in New York” hails from the boy band’s A Very Backstreet Christmas. The LP — which marked the group’s first collection of yuletide songs and its first studio effort in three years — was released on October 14 via BMG. The set charted at No. 17 on the Billboard 200 following its release.

In addition to “Christmas in New York,” other holiday tracks like “White Christmas,” “Silent Night,” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” are included on the album.

“Christmas in New York” is one of three original Christmas songs on the album; the others are titled “Together” and “Happy Days.”

Google Honors the Late Tito Puente with Special Google Doodle

Tito Puente’s legacy lives on… with a special doodle.

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Google is commemorating the late Puerto Rican musician, songwriter, bandleader, and record producer, known as the King of Latin Music, with a charming new Doodle video, created by New York-based Puerto Rican illustrator Carlos Aponte.

Tito Puente“Tito was part of my musical experience growing up in Puerto Rico. My aunt introduced me to Tito Puente via La Lupe, a famous singer in Puerto Rico and New York,” says the illustrator. “Tito was like a Svengali for talents like Celia Cruz. He was a household name. So Tito was part of my Puerto Rican soundtrack.”

Featuring the lively “Ran Kan Kan,” the animated clip takes viewers back to Puente’s childhood at 110th Street and Third Avenue in Spanish Harlem, where the budding artist bangs on pots and pans in his room bedecked with a Puerto Rican flag. It follows Puente’s various stints as a musician, showing him as a U.S. Navy ship’s bandleader (he served during World War II) up to him ruling over New York City nightlife as the undisputed King of the Timbales.

Tito Puente, Google DoodleThe Google Doodle also celebrates the one-year anniversary of the Tito Puente Monument, which was unveiled in his hometown of East Harlem, New York, on this day (Oct. 10), located on the northern end of Central Park.

In 2000, the same year the musical legend died, 110th Street was renamed Tito Puente Way.

Born Ernesto Antonio Puente Jr. on April 20, 1923, in Spanish Harlem to Puerto Rican parents, the young Nuyorican musician grew up surrounded by the rich Latin diversity the city is known for. He led his first orchestra in the late ‘40s, and by the 1950s, he became an unrivaled master of timbales and vibraphone. In 1969, he was bestowed the key to New York City.

In his lifetime, he released an immense discography that includes more than 100 full-length albums that showcased his propulsive dance rhythms and jubilant brass melodies. He penned timeless hits such as “Oye Como Va,” which was famously covered by Santana, “Mambo Gozón” (1958), “La Guarachera” (1966) with Celia Cruz, and many more. In the late ‘60s, Tito Puente joined New York’s maverick troupe Fania All-Stars, also starring Eddie Palmeri, Ricardo Ray and Bobby Cruz.

His journey began with “Ran Kan Kan,” his first recorded track, which is featured in the Google Doodle. In 1992, “Ran Kan Kan” entered the top 10 of Billboard‘s Dance Club Songs chart. In 2010, “Guantanamera” by Celia Cruz, featuring Puente, landed at No. 2 on the World Digital Song Sales chart. In 1995, Puente was given the Billboard Latin Music Lifetime Achievement Award.

Last year, Google Doodles honored Latin culture independence days, celebrating Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Mexico. Another Doodle celebrated a Chilean holiday with a drawing of a huemul, represented on the country’s national shield.

Illustrator Aponte has also provided artwork for the Latin Recording AcademyThe New Yorker and The New York Times. He currently teaches drawing at the Fashion Institute of Technology. With his Doodle, he hopes people will take away this message: “Love what you do, train, study, and be the best you can be. If you excel, everything else will fall into place. There are no shortcuts. Those who make it easily don’t last long. Tito was a perfect example; he was the best!”

Netflix Releases Trailer for New Series “Uncoupled,” Guest Starring Jai Rodriguez

Jai Rodriguez is uncoupling

Netflix has released the full trailer for Uncoupled, the upcoming eight-part series featuring the 43-year-old half-Puerto Rican actor, musician and former Queer Eye for the Straight Guy host.

Jai RodriguezStarring Neil Patrick Harris, the project hails from Emily in Paris creator Darren Star and Jeffrey Richman.

Harris stars as a gay man in his mid-40s navigating the single life in New York City after he was unceremoniously dumped by his partner of 17 years.

In addition to Harris and Rodriguez, a guest star on the series, Uncoupled also stars Tisha Campbell, Brooks Ashmanskas, Emerson Brooks and Marcia Gay Harden.

André De Shields, Byron Jennings, Colin Hanlon, Dan Amboyer, Gilles Marini, Nic Rouleau, Peter Porte and Stephanie Faracy join as guest stars.

Dani Toro to Perform at New York City’s Pride Island LGBTQ Music Festival

It’s a Pride moment for Dani Toro.

After two years of at-home or hybrid celebrations, New York City is bringing back its in-person Pride Month activities, with the Spanish deejay among the participating artists.

Dani Toro,NYC Pride, the organization responsible for organizing Pride Month festivities in New York, announced this year’s Pride Island, a three-day LGBTQ music festival, will take place June 24-26.

Kim Petras will serve as the official headliner.

“Can’t believe I’m headlining NYC Pride,” Petras tweeted. “The dolls keep winning. See you on June 26th it’s gna be amazingg!”

Along with announcing Petras as their Sunday headliner, NYC Pride also announced that the annual festival would be changing locations. While past iterations of Pride Island took place at Manhattan’s Pier 97, the 2022 festivities will be taking place at the Play Lawn on Governor’s Island.

“With our first ever trans headliner and our move to Governors Island, this will truly be a historic weekend in the history of Pride” Lauren Cheeseborough, Pride Island’s event manager said in a statement. “The expansion of Pride Island to a 3-day event creates new experiences for the community to love and live their truth by dancing freely without fear of consequence.”

In addition to Petras and Toro, NYC Pride announced a number of the other performers set to appear at Pride Island, including Papi Juice, Eddie Martinez and Alex Chapman. Additional performers will be announced closer to the event.

Discounted tickets to Pride Island are available now for Mastercard holders, while general ticket sales will launch on Wednesday, April 6.

Cardi B Releases New Reebok Collection Inspired by the Bright Lights of the Big Apple

Cardi B is lookin’ to kicks it in the New Year…

Following the popular Reebok x Cardi B capsule collection that dropped this summer, the 29-year-old half-Dominican American Grammy-winning rap superstar is releasing another collection, this one inspired by the bright lights of her hometown of New York City at night.

Cardi B x ReebokThe drop, called Let Me Be…In My World Nighttime,” comes with a new metallic Cardi B Classic Leather sneaker, as well as an entirely new apparel line-up.

Filled to the brim with luxe materials and bright color blocking, from tight-fitted crops and tights to oversized cargo pants, the collection is “built to carry any hustler through the after hours of New York City nightlife.”

The inclusive sizes range from 2XS to 4X.Cardi B x Reebok

The “Let Me Be…In My World Nighttime” collection also features the Cardi B Classic Leather sneaker in several new metallic colorways.

The drop also features a variety of footwear available in children’s sizes.

Shop the whole Cardi B x Reebok collection here.