Embracing The Latin Grammys

So What If You Don't Speak Spanish? You Can Still Enjoy The Show

(CBS)  Even if you know nada about Latin music and don't speak a word of Spanish or Portuguese, there are still plenty of ways you can enjoy the 7th Annual Latin Grammy Awards, airing live from New York Thursday night on the Univision network.

There's going to be some great music, some gorgeous stars, and plenty of dazzling outfits to keep your eyes and ears busy.

Plus, we'll give you a little insider information that will have you watching the show and bailando, cantando y disfrutando (dancing, singing and having a good time) in no time.

Here's our guide:

You'll be seeing several stars you already know. There will be a bunch of familiar faces presenting and performing tonight, including the top nominee, Shakira, who's up for five awards. Plus, you are probably familiar with her multi-nominated song, "La Tortura," which received heavy airplay on English-language radio. Heard of Ricky Martin? He'll be there performing; he's this year's Person of the Year for his humanitarian work. Marc Anthony will be presenting, and you'll probably see his wife, Jennifer Lopez, cheering him on.

Most of the lame jokes and boring acceptance speeches will be in Spanish. Look at the bright side. Award show banter is almost always dopey, but it's less painful when you don't understand the language.

Bad news: you won't be hearing the full variety of Latin music. There are 47 categories in the Latin Grammys, covering all kinds of music recorded throughout Spain and Latin America. But most of the music you'll hear on the show will be Latin Pop — Shakira, Thalia, Ricky Martin, etc. What you won't hear much of are rock/alternative, Regional Mexican, Brazilian, or Latin Jazz. That's a shame.

Good news: you will get to hear New York style salsa in the city where it was born. Even if you know very little about Latin music, chances are you've heard of the late music superstars Tito Puente and Celia Cruz. They were part of a music movement called salsa which had a golden age in New York City during the 1970s. Thursday's show will feature a performance by some of the genre's living legends along with the stars of today. It's especially significant because this is the first year the Latin Grammys have been presented in New York.

Although he's listed as a presenter and not a performer, we're keeping our fingers crossed that Marc Anthony will make a surprise appearance during the salsa tribute. He's the biggest selling salsa star and he's also portraying New York salsa legend Hector Lavoe in an upcoming film. If you've only heard him sing "I Need To Know," his salsa singing will blow your mind.

You can move and groove to the reggaeton tribute: If you've been out to a club lately or watch MTV, you've probably already heard reggaeton music. The genre got its start in Puerto Rico about 15 years ago, with influences from Panamanian acts like El General. It's basically a combination of Spanish rap over speeded-up Jamaican reggae beats. It's lots of fun to dance to, but don't let Mama see you perreando. (Perro means dog, you can figure out the rest.)

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By Judy Faber
©MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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by shortmama2 November 2, 2006 4:51 PM EST

I'm drooling, literally and figuratively, reading
this! Some of my absolutely favorite Latin stars.
Thanks!!

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[shortmama2]

I'm drooling, literally and figuratively, reading
this! Some of my absolutely favorite Latin stars.
Thanks!!