Tito Puente, Known As “The King Of Latin Music”, Gets Google Doodle In Remembrance Of His Legacy

National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month by honoring Jennifer Lopez. In the process, they sparked a debate on social media about whether or not she or Shakira is really the most influential Latina of all time.The Grammy’s website wrote in the story, “Boundary-breaking career as an actor, dancer and GRAMMY-nominated singer, Jennifer Lopez is arguably the most influential Latin entertainer of all time.” They shared a reel about the story on Instagram, which sparked a debate in the comments about what makes a “real Latina.” Many noted that Shakira was born in Colombia while JLo was born in the Bronx, with parents from Puerto Rico.“We all know who the most influential LATINA of all time is, and no, it’s not JLo,” wrote one user.

Emiliano De Pablos In a further step towards its consolidation as a global player of not only fiction but non-scripted entertainment content, international production powerhouse The Mediapro Studio has reached an exclusive deal with Belgium’s Be-Entertainment to produce its formats for Spain and Latin America. The pact also sees The Mediapro Studio developing non-fiction formats for VTM, a Flanders’ leading TV channel with more than 30 years of broadcasting. Like Be-Entertainment, VTM is owned by Belgian giant DPG Media.  TMS will become “the only production company that can exclusively adapt the distributor’s formats for Spain and Latin America,” the European super indie company noted in a press release Monday morning.

Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong has admitted that he expected the Catalan giants to try and force him out of the club by frequently leaving him on the bench in recent months.

Thania Garcia For the first time in history, an all-Spanish-language act is the biggest artist in the world. Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio — better known as Puerto Rican rap-reggaeton titan Bad Bunny — is dominating the global music market. He has been the world’s most-streamed artist on Spotify for two consecutive years. His fourth studio album, “Un Verano Sin Ti,” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 after its release in May and has spent 12 non-consecutive weeks there — that’s three months — making it not only the longest-running Spanish-language album at the top of the chart, but the first to hold the position for that length of time since Drake’s “Views” six years ago. Bunny’s previous albums (including a greatest-hits collection and a collaborative set with Colombian reggaeton powerhouse J Balvin) have been certified three, six, eight, 10 and 24 times platinum in the U.S. alone.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Roku launched the Roku Channel in Mexico — the free streaming service’s first expansion beyond the U.S., Canada and U.K. In Mexico, the Roku Channel is available starting Thursday (Oct. 13), offering access to thousands of free, ad-supported movies and TV episodes. The lineup includes exclusive access to more than 30 Roku original series, including thriller “Operación Marea Negra,” crime drama “Natural Born Narco” and nature docu-series “Mamas,” narrated in Spanish by Zoë Saldaña. Titles available at launch include “Los Pitufos en la aldea perdida,” “Blade Runner 2049,” “El Sorprendente Hombre Araña 2,” “Psicópata Americano,” “Draft Day,” “El Patriota” “El lado luminoso de la vida,” “Lluvia de hamburguesas 2,” “Hombres de negro II,” and “Whip It.”

An American tourist claims that he was kidnapped and left for dead at the end of his vacation to Mexico last February. After visiting Cancun with his wife, Dustan Jackson said he decided to call a cab to take him to buy chewing tobacco while they waited for their flight back to the U.S. His driver said he knew a store that sold snuff, but the tourist claims he was actually kidnapped.  Jackson said he was ambushed by machete-wielding muggers as soon as he got out of the car.

Thania Garcia With superstars like Bad Bunny and Rosalía up in multiple races, this year’s Latin Grammys on Nov. 17 in Las Vegas promise to be a big draw. A vast array of genres and artists from all over the world, ranging from legends to rookies, graced the nominations list this year. Rauw Alejandro scored a record of the year nod alongside Shakira for their reggaeton banger “Te Felecito,” plus Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo and Noah Goldstein earned their first-ever Latin Grammy noms this year for their work on Rosalía’s “Motomami.” But there are plenty more notables and surprises scattered throughout the list, here are a few:

Thania Garcia The Latin Recording Academy will honor the accomplishments of women working within the arts and Latin entertainment with a ceremony recognizing “The Leading Ladies of Entertainment.” After two years of virtual celebrations due to the pandemic, the event returns live in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Nov. 15, as part of Latin Grammy week. The inaugural event will recognize Puerto Rican singer/songwriter and six-time Latin Grammy-winner Kany García; Rocío Guerrero, global head of Latin at Amazon Music; Rosa Lagarrigue, founder and CEO of Spain’s RLM; and Janina Rosado, pianist, musical director, Juan Luis Guerra’s co-producer, and nine-time Latin Grammy-winner as “Leading Ladies” of 2022.

Tito Puente continues living in the hearts of millions of Latinos and Hispanics worldwide. Recently, Google honored the musician, songwriter, bandleader, and record producer with a special Doodle and a short. As a celebratory gesture during Hispanic Heritage Month, the late Puerto Rican descent star, widely known for his dance-oriented mambo and Latin jazz compositions, including his most famous song, “Oye Como Va,” is now part of the Google Doodle history for his contributuons to music.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Tito Puente, the influential Nuyroican musician and entertainer, is being honored in a new animated Google Doodle. The animated doodle highlighting Puente’s musical career, illustrated by New York-based Puerto Rican artist Carlos Aponte, will be visible on the main page of the search engine throughout Tuesday (Oct. 11). The doodle coincides with U.S. Hispanic Heritage Month and also comes on the one-year anniversary of the unveiling of the Tito Puente Monument in New York City’s East Harlem. Puente was a percussionist, composer, songwriter, recording artist and bandleader whose career spanned five decades. Puente has been called “El Rey de los Timbales” and “The King of Latin music,” having recorded some 118 albums and being credited on dozens more — more than any other timbales bandleader to date.

As Shakira navigates her ongoing breakup from Gerard Piqué, the musician has seemingly addressed how she’s coping.

Nike, was a major presence at the L’Attitude business-based national conference in San Diego. Following a chat between Nike CEO John Donahoe and L’Attitude Co-Founder Sol Trujillo, Nike held a series of impactful conversations around sport, wellness, culture, and more, proving how the company engages, inspires, and serves the Latino community.

Anna Marie de la Fuente In a clear vote of confidence for Colombian director Juan Sebastián Mesa, Bordeaux-based Dublin Films has boarded his third film “Lovers Go Home!” The company also co-produced Mesa’s lauded sophomore pic, “The Rust.” “Lovers Go Home!” centers on a Colombian single mom who leads a double life as a webcammer. One day she meets a U.S. veteran online who becomes obsessed with her. He flies to Colombia to meet her in person. Their meeting makes them reflect on who they truly are. In development, the project participated in this year’s Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum, one of San Sebastian Film Festival’s key industry events, which ran over Sept. 19-21. 

Dr. Brain.On September 29, the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced its nominees for the upcoming 2022 ceremony.

Mexico has selected five-time Academy Award winner Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truth as its official entry to the best international film category of the Oscars.

Sanaa Lathan has served as a Global Ambassador for International Medical Corps, a humanitarian nonprofit that delivers global health services in 30 countries worldwide.Now, Lathan is being honored with the International Medical Corps Global Citizen award at the International Medical Corps 2022 Annual Awards Celebration on Thursday, Sept. 29 at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California.