Sometimes called "The Latina Terry McMillan" and "The Godmother of Chica Lit," Alisa Valdes published her first novel, "The Dirty Girls Social Club," over a decade ago, and she hasn't stopped since. Eleven years, 11 novels, four novelitas, three anthologies and one memoir later, Valdes has been published in 11 languages and been named one of the 25 Most Influential Hispanics in the United States by Time Magazine.
On June 12, the FIFA 2014 World Cup Opening Ceremony began with the sights and the sounds of the Brazilian Amazon — from dancing, human raindrops, trees and acrobatic lilies to human soccer balls. And after the sounds of rainfall and thunder dissipated, Cuban-American rapper Pitbull, Puerto Rican Bronx, New York native Jennifer Lopez and Brazilian singer and "Voice" judge Claudia Leitte, emerged from a giant flower and performed "We Are One," (Ole Ola).
While the cultures of Latino-Americans, Italian-Americans and Latinos and Italians from their respective countries are all very different in their own ways, the cultural representations and typecasting of the gangster and criminal roles in Hollyood often parallel each other.
Mexican director Guillermo del Toro is writing a script for a sequel to 2013's "Pacific Rim," but there's no guarantee moviegoers will ever see the story on the big screen.
The 2014 World Cup begins in Brazil Thursday, and Latino celebrities and professional athletes are putting their own musical spin on the colossal event that's captures the attention of the world. Superstars like Shakira, Carlos Vives, Ricky Martin and Jennifer Lopez, and Brazil's soccer players, defender David Luiz and mid-fielder Kaká as well as Spain's mid-fielder/winger Juan Mata, among others, have created their own World Cup Spotify playlists.
When you're a light-skinned, blue-eyed, androgynous female emcee from Monterrey, Mexico, named Niña Dioz (meaning "God Child"), some might think it would be tough to gain street cred or hold your own in male-dominated genres, like rap and hip-hop. However, Niña Dioz has proven that assumption wrong, bringing Latina 'female power' to the industry and gaining a huge following both in Mexico and the U.S.
DJ Tone, whose real name is Antonio Guerra, was voted the No. 1 Club DJ in San Antonio, Texas in both 2012 and 2013, accomplishments that then led to the coveted title of People en Español's No. 1 DJ in the entire state of Texas.
Breaking into the Cuban world of percussion was especially difficult for Wendy Garcia of the Obiní Batá orchestra of women percussionists, who plays the drums in Old Havana, Cuba.
The popular Brooklyn-based band Chicha Libre is bringing together Latinos, hipsters and millennials by combining Latin rhythms, surf and psychedelic pop from the '70s and '80s, all inspired by Peruvian music from Lima and the Amazon. They're giving traditional Chicha music a rebirth by putting a new spin on the diverse genre, reaching an audience that ranges in age from 16 to 70 years old.
The Spanish-language rappers that make up the duo Calle 13 -- frontman René Pérez Joglar and his brother Eduardo Cabra -- will be honored in New York City Thursday for their social activism and commentary on injustice, inequality and Puerto Rican issues, BuzzFeed reported.
Imagine being 12,144 feet above sea level in the mining town of Oruro, Bolivia, hearing the traditional music of your indigenous ancestors and sharing their folkloric cultural history through movement of your body, dancing at Oruro's Carnaval, one of the most impressive festivals in all of Bolivia.
This was a dream come true for Bolivian-American millennial Karina Moscoso, who is an Astoria, New York native that works for R. Couri Hay Creative Public Relations in New York City.
How do you enrich the lives of cultured, diverse and arts-oriented New Yorkers who get weary contending with the heat and hustle and bustle of the Big Apple during the summertime? Give them a variety of high-caliber acts who give stellar performances of artistic quality that are free-of-charge, and that serve the diverse communities of New York City.
