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Shakira Rules Universe - 'La La La' Tops Kiddie Darth Vader For Most Shared Ad

Fri, 01 Aug 2014 09:39:38 -0400

The dark side has lost again.

According to Unruly, the Volkswagen ad “The Force” was knocked off as the most shared ad of all time by Shakira’s “trackvertising” World Cup video for Activia yogurt.

The car ad featured a boy dressed up as Darth Vader from the "Star Wars" series. The pint-size galactic menace premiered during the 2011 Super Bowl, and had been shared nearly 5.4 million times in a number of social mediums since.

The “Hips Don’t Lie” singer beat those numbers in a little over two months.

Shakira produced her World Cup-inspired video for her single “La La La” in collaboration with Activia in support of the World Food Program. The video shows the company’s logo at the beginning and end and features famoussoccer players like Brazil's Neymar and Argentina's Lionel Messi as well as extras drawing the brand’s smile symbol on their stomachs.

Since its debut on May 22, the video has garnered 5,375,756 shares. Unruly is calling the collaboration “the most successful example of ... ‘trackvertising,’ where a brand and musical artist co-release a video which is both a musical track and advertisement."

The video’s success comes as no surprise. Shakira was recently crowned the most liked person on Facebook, with more than 100 million followers.

"I can interact meaningfully with [fans] on a regular basis. And the response is immediate," the singer told the Wall Street Journal. “[Having the most popular Facebook page] is something I never necessarily anticipated but a really welcoming and heartwarming surprise."

The video’s partnership with the United Nation’s World Food Program has helped millions of children. The website says it has been able to provide 3,719, 250 meals thanks to the partnership.

“It is fantastic to see such a positive response for the video,” Activia’s global marketing director Nicolas Frerejean told Unruly. “Reaching more than 250 million views and becoming the most shared ad of all time in just two months is incredible! We are delighted that we have been able to relay our message of support to the World Food Program through the video.”

No word from either Darth Vader or George Lucas on whether the empire intends to strike back.

Banned Brazilian Dance Receives Warm Welcome In U.S.

Fri, 01 Aug 2014 12:00:57 -0400

What happens when you bring a dance – shunned by a foreign country – into the U.S.? It blows up.

People at New York City Lincoln Center’s Out of Doors festival got to have a sample of a new Brazilian street-dancing style that was born years ago in the slums of Rio de Janiero. The dance, called Passinho, is Brazil’s version of b-boying or breakdancing.

The concert, called “A Batalha do Passinho,” was sponsored by the Secretary of Culture for Rio de Janiero. Bill Bragin, Director of Public Programming at Lincoln Center, told Fox News Latino that the reception of these dancers have been overwhelmingly positive.

“Everyone’s been pretty ecstatic about it,” Bragin said. “I think people have just been blown away by their virtuosity and their close connection to the origins of hip-hop.”

Passinho, much like Hip-Hop, came from an underprivileged culture. Born in the favelas of Brazil, Passinho is normally associated with criminals and gang activity. The dancers who performed on July 24 reasserted that the dance is now just a form of art that started in the slums.

“Eleven Passinho dancers came here to do something that when we started was discriminated against," Iguinho Imperador told NBC News. A 21-year-old dancer who comes from Favela de Manguinhos, Imperador says that what Passinho is now more widely accepted than before.

"We’ve begun to change this description,” Imperador said.

For others, having the dance performed in the U.S. gives Brazilians a chance to fight the problems going on in their country.

“This [performance] helps us in Brazil to fight persecution,” says disc jockey Sany Pitbull. “It’s as if New York is giving funk music oxygen to continue, to take a breath and continue this fight.”

Pitbull is one of the leading producers and advocates of Funk Carioca, which is Brazilian funk music. Funk Carioca was created in response to racial, social and economic issues in Brazil, and Passinho was created from it, being provided with a soundtrack to dance to.

“Brazilians have many preconceived notions in regards to this genre [funk] and the scene suffers from these prejudices,” Tiago Gomes, project manager at the Secretary of Culture, told NBC. “Events like this one, funded by the consulate, are extremely important for us because if we are able to legitimize funk abroad then we can legitimize it within Brazil."

The visit and U.S. performances have already tremendously impacted the lives of these eleven dancers. But for dancers like 24 -year old Cebolinha, there's more to be done.

“Our goal is to turn Passinho into how the world sees hip-hop. I want everyone to recognize that this dance is from Brazil,” Cebolinha told NBC.

Bragin says the dancers are hopeful in the future of the performances, such as getting in contact with U.S. booking agents, and more resources from home.

“Even the news [in Brazil] has picked it up,” Bragin said. “This will help them be recognized at home, raise their stature, and hopefully get them more funding. This is an important part of their culture.”

East Harlem Street Renamed In Honor Of Young Lords

Thu, 31 Jul 2014 14:00:28 -0400

The Young Lords came to New York to raise political awareness among Puerto Ricans. Forty-five years later, they’re being honored with a permanent home.

Since last Saturday, the intersection of 111th Street and Lexington Avenue is named Young Lords Way, in honor of the group’s New York City inception in 1969. The unveiling ceremony, which took place in front of the First Spanish United Methodist Church, had nearly 100 attendees — including Rep. Nydia Velasquez and City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito.

During the renaming ceremony, Young Lords members like New York Daily News columnist Juan Gonzalez and founder Jose Jimenez were also honored.

Rep. Velasquez said it is important to keep their message alive in today’s society.

“I think that the most important symbolism of naming this street ‘Young Lords Way’ is that it reminds the youth that there is still work to do,” Velasquez told the Daily News. “There’s more work to be done to achieve social and economic justice of Puerto Ricans and all immigrants.”

The group, which started in 1967 in Chicago, used the slogan "Palante, siempre palante” (slang Spanish for "Forward, always forward") and led protests across the U.S. against conditions faced by Puerto Ricans. In New York City's El Barrio, they took over a church for 11 days in December of 1969, providing free breakfast, clothing and other services for the community.

Jimenez, the Young Lords founder, said although times have changed, Puerto Ricans still face some problems. He hopes that Mayor Bill de Blasio will step up and keep his word about closing the gap between the rich and the poor by creating affordable housing.

"Unfortunately, in East Harlem what you have is a lot of Latinos that are pushed out by gentrification, so that's being a continuing problem," Gonzalez said. "Hopefully now with de Blasio, there will be more of an attempt to actually not just create luxury housing, but create some affordable housing. Hopefully de Blasio will keep his promise."

Emily Rios Doesn't Just Play A Lesbian On 'The Bridge'; Comes Out During Interview

Fri, 25 Jul 2014 09:30:49 -0400

The actress, Emily Rios, doesn't just play a lesbian on the FX show, “The Bridge,” turns out she is one in real life, too.

The Mexican-American Rios, who is best known for her recurring character of Andrea Cantillo on "Breaking Bad," told the Logo-affiliated pop culture website, AfterEllen, “I’m gay, personally, so being Mexican and a lesbian — this is why I love the character because I deal with the same type of things with my own family,” Emily said.

She says that being a Latina and coming out to her family was not an issue.

“Mexican-Americans especially — because this generation, we come into America, and your family wants to be proud,” Rios said. “My mom didn’t want me to live a difficult life. She brought me here for a better one, so she’s like, ‘You’re coming out … I want you to be comfortable.'”

Rios plays reporter Adrianna Mendez on “The Bridge.” The actress says she wanted to make sure her character's sexuality was presented realistically, and so did the show's creators.

“The [writers] have an idea," Rios said, "or they want to have an idea of what really happens behind the scenes... I try to tell them, ‘Listen, this is not how it happens. We are not this way.’”

Rios went on, "I want it to be an incidental thing, which is what happens in our everyday life... I wanted to make sure the whole lesbian aspect wasn’t this whole coming out story, and the character wasn’t going to be made more flamboyant in any sort of way."

During the second season, which is currently airing, the audience will be getting more of the relationship with Adrianna’s girlfriend, who was introduced in season one.

“You’re going to get more of that and her personal life, but it’s very simple,” the actress said. "You’ll catch them in their home, you’ll catch them possibly in the same bed, maybe kiss a little, but it’s nothing major.”

(Over) 50 Shades Of Demi Lovato: Singer Says She Gets Hair Color Inspirations On Internet

Thu, 24 Jul 2014 14:22:56 -0400

Hair is always a project for people to deal with, especially if you always cut, dye, or style it in different ways every few weeks. For Demi Lovato, it's more like a hobby.

The 21-year-old actress and singer has changed her hair to every color in the visible spectrum. She currently has a lavender/silver ombré going on. An ombré is a hair trend which features darker and natural hues at the roots with dyed lightening toward the ends.

According to E! News, the “Heart Attack” singer decides her hair color by doing something we all do every day: browsing the Internet.

"I love going on Pinterest and looking at different hair colors," Lovato told E! News. "Whenever I see like a cool color I sit with it for a little bit, and if it's really, really good then I'll get it."

Fellow Disney-alum Raven-Symoné has also adopted the trend, though it’s not certain if she’s drawing inspiration from Lovato. Lovato says she chose these colors because she wanted something less eye-popping.

"I was kind of bored of the colors that I've had and I wanted something that wasn't as like out there as hot pink. So I changed it," Lovato said. "I love lavender and I thought silver could be really cool, too."

Already gone through many colors, Lovato isn’t sure what she’s going to choose next.

"I'm not sure yet," she tells us. "I really want to do just a solid color; no ombré. But the second I do that I'm probably going to want the ombré back with some crazy color. Or the second I do that I'll want to go blond!"

Want Messi Hair? This Texas Barber Can Put Your Favorite Player On Your Dome

Fri, 11 Jul 2014 09:30:52 -0400

Want a portrait of Cristiano Ronaldo or Thiago Silva on your head? San Antonio just might have the barber for you.

Rob Ferrel, also known as Rob the Original, is a barber and stylist originally from Los Angeles. He learned to combine both his drawing and barber skills in order to make unique hairstyles and go even further by making portraits.

“It’s so uncommon for people to see something like this,” Ferrel told Fox News Latino. “I want people to see what’s out there.”

"I grew up in a big family and didn't have an allowance or anything like that so I was always cutting my own hair, cutting my brother's hair,” Ferrel told ESPN FC. “I was always drawing, too, when I was a kid. Art is my passion so I've just combined the two.”

According to ESPN, Ferrel came to San Antonio eight years ago and opened up his shop in the downtown area. The first portrait that he made that brought him notoriety was on his brother’s head. It was of rapper Tupac Shakur.

Before the World Cup madness, people would come in to get portraits of music artists and San Antonio Spurs players. But lately, he’s been overwhelmed with the amount of requests of soccer players such as Tim Howard and Javier “Chicharito” Hernández.

"When Mexico were still in it, we got lots of requests for them," the 28-year-old Ferrel told ESPN. "We are getting lots of requests for Neymar and Messi… It's amazing, fans of these teams and players are everywhere."

The process of making the portrait cuts starts with Ferrel working off a picture on his phone. He uses a trimmer and straight razor to create the drawing, followed by non-toxic eyeliner and lip liner pencils to fill in the colors. He then uses hair spray to give the 'do another protective layer. The whole process takes about two hours to complete.

"I put on my headphones to get in a zone and jam out to music while I do it,” Ferrel said. “When I'm done I sometimes even impress myself with my work.”

Ferrel’s work has been featured on the website WorldStarHipHop, Yahoo! and Fox Sports Nation.

“Hair portraits is a trend that is only growing,” he said.

Ferrel says he has some big plans. He's talking about opening a second shop and considering the possibility of franchising.

He has also organized a two-day event next week in San Antonio featuring stylists from all over the country. There will be styling competitions, live music and seminars for those who want to learn the tools of the trade.

“I’m already getting booked for TV spots,” Ferrel says. “But in the future what I really want to do is open up a barber college.”

Man Spends Entire Life Savings On No-Kill Shelter, But Now It's In Danger Of Closing

Thu, 03 Jul 2014 13:30:56 -0400

Pedro Rosario used up his entire retirement savings – about $73,000 – to open up a no-kill animal shelter in the Bronx, New York.

He claims he’s saved dozens of animals after opening up the shelter four years ago. But NYC Top Dog, the shelter he opened in 2010, is in danger of closing its doors soon if it doesn’t get the proper funding it needs.

Rosario, a native of the Dominican Republic, opened up the shelter after working for Animal Care and Control for over 16 years.

“After 16 years I’ve seen so many animals get euthanized,” Rosario said. “I decided to go on my own and save more lives.”

He said at animal control, animals only get two options: adoption or being put to sleep. But he wanted more for the animals.

But after spending all his money to open a no-kill shelter, he’s struggling to keep it afloat. The costs to maintain, he said, are too high. According to Rosario, he’s forced to cough up roughly $7,500 to $10,000 a month.

If his shelter ends up closing, Rosario said, some dogs may have to return to Animal Care and Control. But he hopes to get enough funding – or volunteers – to keep the shelter running.

In the long run, Rosario hopes that the rescue center gets enough funding to buy a location rather than having to spend so much money on renting.

“We have people donating their time…to help us acquire a city property, that we could take and renovate and work with,” Rosario said. “Our expenses are way more than $80,000, but we need funding to be able to continue our services until we get some grants or get someone to help us with grant writing.”

Cartels Exploit Immigration Crisis To Smuggle More Drugs Across Border

Thu, 03 Jul 2014 10:00:05 -0400

Immigrants from Central America are crossing the border in record numbers, including unaccompanied minors, especially in Texas.

Drug seizures are down drastically on all segments of the United States border with Mexico.

Maybe these two facts aren’t a coincidence, experts say.

Experts say the surge in immigrants has created gaps in coverage that traffickers can, and do, exploit.

Sylvia Longmire, a retired Air Force captain and federal agent who wrote the book “Border Insecurity,” told Fox News Latino that Border Patrol agents are extremely overworked now, having to work multiple shifts.

“The incidents are more concentrated,” she added. “Those are the routes that the coyotes usually take.”

Chris Cabrera, the U.S. Border Patrol union representative in the Rio Grande Valley region, told the Washington Post recently that there is a coordinated effort by the cartels to send large groups of migrants across the river, then a number of individuals—hoping that many of them will get caught.

“After that,” Cabrera said, “they send over the dope.”

The area of Mexico across the Rio Grande Valley is under the control of the Zetas, a drug cartel that began as the paramilitary arm of the Gulf Cartel, which it has supplanted in many regions after a long, bloody struggle.

Of the Mexican cartels, the Zetas are known as the most violent and one of the most diversified, regularly supplementing drug trade income with kidnapping, extortion, control of prisons (inmates can be extorted or killed unless families pay up) and, in the last decade or so, human trafficking.

According to The Daily Beast, the cartels have turned "what was once a relatively informal and somewhat familial underground operation [coyotes] into a highly sophisticated human trafficking network."

One, experts say, that would be very willing to sacrifice a large group of migrants to the Border Patrol in order to be able to get across more lucrative cargo.

Tristan Reed, a Mexico security analyst for Stratfor, told Voice of America that the powerful drug cartels are exploiting the situation.

"It is well within their ability to pick and choose who crosses and where they cross," Reed said, "and it certainly is a good opportunity for them to push more profitable drugs across the border while law enforcement is distracted."

He said that the drug war – which is already killing thousands of people, particularly teenagers – is bound to get worse.

There's "money to be had for criminals, and especially when you start bringing in organized and very capable Mexican crime groups into Central America, it sort of helps organize and fuel these drug wars even more," Reed said.

According to the most recent Drug Enforcement Administration numbers, seizures of all drugs along the border between June 1 and June 14 were down significantly from the same time period in 2013.

In Texas, they fell by 34 percent, 26 percent in both Arizona and California, and a whopping 62 percent in New Mexico.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spokesman Michael Friel told the Post that there was “no indication that drug interdiction operations have been negatively impacted by our efforts to process the influx [of migrants].”

But Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw said at a news conference recently that drug smugglers are grabbing at the chance to expand their already expanding operations in the U.S. – and the situation could get worse.

"Certainly they are exploiting this opportunity," McCraw said.

Border Patrol agents from other parts of the frontier have been pulled to the Rio Grande Valley area to help with anti-drug work there. Many politicians have called for National Guardsmen to be sent in to assist the Border Patrol.

Last week, the National Association of Former Border Patrol Officers, based in Brunswick, Ga., issued a statement saying that sending in the National Guard would be “exactly the wrong thing to do. It is but a token effort in comparison to the magnitude and nature of the problem and is likely crafted to give politicians cover.”

It’s not enough, agrees Adam Isacson, a senior associate for security policy at the Washington Office on Latin America.

Isacson said that the drug that is most frequently moved off-road across the border is marijuana. “Drugs are usually taken directly through U.S. Customs in bases of cars,” he explained. “They go for drugs that are small in volume but high in volume… [Marijuana’s] volume makes it hard to hide.”

On Sunday, as part of its request for an addition $2 billion in order to deal with the border crisis, the White House asked for a "sustained border security surge" in personnel. At least some of that, presumably, would be for additional CBP personnel.

St. Augustine, The 501-Year-Old City That Preserves Florida's Latino Spirit

Wed, 18 Jun 2014 11:30:38 -0400

When people come to visit Florida, they come for the sandy beaches, the warm weather and the amusement parks. But they forget that there is also a rich cultural history surrounding them.

One of the first cities explored by the Spanish conquistadors in the Sunshine State was St. Augustine, which was discovered by Juan Ponce de Leon on Easter in in 1513. He named the land “Pascua Florida,” which means "Flowery Easter" (after Spain's "Feast of the Flowers" Easter celebration).

It also became known as “The Spirit of Latin America,” a spirit that once fueled Ponce De Leon’s bravery to venture into unknown locations, his determination to endure against the odds and his ability to adapt through innovation.

Now, 500 years later, St. Augustine's vintage spirit is being recognized by a campaign titled “Vuelve Donde Nació Nuestro Espíritu” launched by the Visitors & Convention Bureau of Florida’s Historic Coast.

“We invite Latinos to our beautiful city where the first historical remnants of the birth of the U.S. Latino spirit can be found on almost every corner,” said Richard Goldman, executive director of the Visitors & Convention Bureau.

“St. Augustine is the oldest, continually occupied settlement in the United States, founded by another Spaniard, Pedro Menendez de Aviles, in 1565. In fact, Menendez’s arrival sparked the first Thanksgiving in St. Augustine, 55 years before the Thanksgiving in Plymouth.”

Visitors to St. Augustine will find a rich Hispanic heritage in the many attractions and tours that have made the city one of the National Geographic Traveler’s 2013 “must see” locations in the world, and Forbes magazine’s list of 10 most beautiful cities in the United States.

Some of St. Augustine attractions are:

- Castillo de San Marcos: This massive fortress took more than 20 years to build and helped protect Spain’s treasure fleets from the English and pirates. It was designed by Ignacio Daza, a Spanish engineer living in Cuba, and is the oldest masonry fort in the United States. It was designated as America’s first national monument.

- Fountain of Youth Archeological Park: Archeologists have discovered that this is the actual site of the original Spanish settlement in St. Augustine of 1565 where Ponce de Leon went to search for a "fountain of youth." The experience includes Spanish colonial military cannon firings, an authentic 16th century boat works and exhibits demonstrating how the Spanish explorers navigated the seas.

- Plaza de la Constitución: This was established in 1573 and the town square was named for its monument to the Spanish constitution of 1812. When the monarchy was restored, all such monuments in Spanish territories were ordered to be destroyed. However, St. Augustine’s governor refused. The original monument that stands here today is believed to be the only one remaining in the world.

So if you’re taking a trip to Florida anytime soon, don’t leave out St. Augustine — you will learn a thing or two about the Latino roots of Florida and the nation.

Rare Picasso Tapestry, His Biggest Piece In The U.S., Gets A New Domain In NYC

Fri, 13 Jun 2014 11:46:36 -0400

After 55 years hanging in the Seagram Building, and a lot of debate, one of New York City’s largest pieces of art will have a new domain.

“Le Tricorne,” a stage curtain painted by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso as part of a ballet set, has been residing in the glass-walled hallway of the building -where the renowned Four Seasons restaurant is located - since 1959.

After weeks of negotiations between the owner of the building, Aby Rosen, and the New York Landmarks Conservancy, which owns the piece, the 19-by-20-feet curtain will be moved to the New York Historical Society while the restaurant undergoes a few necessary repairs.

The conservancy feared the artwork was too fragile and could be damaged during the move.

However, its president Peg Breen said the arrangement will benefit all involved. “The public wins and many people get to see it,” Breen said. “It’s New York’s Picasso, and was given as a gift to the city.”

The huge tapestry is the largest work by Pablo Picasso in the United States.

It was acquired in 1957 by Phyllis Lambert, daughter of Seagram founder Samuel Bronfman, who was also involved in the design of the building. Vivendi purchased the company and its art collection in 2000, but agreed to the conservancy owning the Picasso artwork as a gift.

The New York Landmarks Conservancy is one of the oldest organizations in the country and has given more than $40 million dollars in grants and technical assistance over the years, which in turn have contributed to $1 billion worth of preservation projects in New York.

Picasso painted the tapestry for Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes production of Le Tricorne in Paris in 1919. The stage curtain, largely associated with the Four Seasons restaurant, was valued at $1.6 million by Christie's.

The curtain will be exhibited in the New York Historical Society's Dexter Hall gallery, which is used for installations of works from the permanent collection.

Breen says she is thankful for all the help Rosen will be giving with the relocation of the piece, which includes the cost of the move, conservation and help needed. She added that there’s no set date for the move yet, but she will be talking to different conservators to plan it.

This Friday The 13th, Giant Solar Flares May Disrupt Communication On Earth

Fri, 13 Jun 2014 05:00:14 -0400

Friday the 13th is known for hockey-masked killers and bad luck, but this year there might be a bigger problem.

The sun has had three big solar flares within two days, the latest of which happened early Wednesday. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the flares have given us earthlings some communication problems.

The flares created a “coronal mass ejection,” namely, a huge cloud of plasma that could hit Friday and cause a shock wave, affecting communications and GPS systems again. According to the NOAA, if an ejection were to hit Earth, scientists expect it would only cause a minor geo-magnetic storm.

A solar flare happens when an explosion of gas and radiation erupts from the surface of the sun. The radiation is not strong enough to physically harm humans, but can affect a lot of other electronics such as cell phones, making calls come in and out.

According to NASA, the intensity of the first flare was classified as an X2.2 flare and peaked at 7:41 a.m. on Tuesday. X-class flares are the most intense, and the numbers describe its strength. An X2 is twice as intense as an X1, and so forth.

The second X-class flare peaked at 8:52 a.m. on Tuesday, classified as an X1.5 flare. The third one was an X1 flare and peaked at 5:06 a.m. on Wednesday.

The flare impacted big parts of sunlit side of Earth, being strongest at the poles. It knocked out radio communication for about an hour.