perfecto

beautiful, natural and oh my that warm smile is her best feature :)

its like a continuation of animal city, i really like it and if it is true i'm sure she has an explanation for the title like all her other albums.

Shakira is the SHE WOLF!! that just grabs you right there doesn't it? yes it does. new news coming through everyday, the build up has started. it seems hi hat is doing the choreography, video being filmed in spanish and english. we seriosuly need Shakira back giving us something different and fresh cause the same sounds are everywhere. show reel... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xq-VP5urpmY

there is so much we don't know like what kind of sound will it be, a new fusion sound? nothing we heard and seen before? we know shakira likes to explore sounds so anything is possible. native indian music fused with something? :huh: i loved her animalistic cat dance she did in TOTM so to see her as a she wolf would be very very cool!!

video is being filmed, good to read Jake Nava is directing but question is....is shakira the "she wolf"? or is she the prey, hunter?? its getting exciting now the new era is about to kick off!!

me too!! there are so many good bits in its very different though, nice interaction between wyclef and shakira. typical them fusion sounds but taking it left field. its fresh, fresher than king and queen. its fun too and funky but not very commercial catchyor feelgood like hips don't lie. this could be a demo, a leakage of some sort maybe from wyclef's new album and not shakira? imo the Calle collabo is first single. this track could do with a final mix if it is to be released.

essay alert! i share that concern but hopefully the right balance could be achieved, with madonna she relies more on hype and controvery to get her music out there. she did some promo for 4 minutes/hard candy and it seemed like she was everywhere, the marketing was A+ but madonna is aloof and doesn't graft like shakira when it comes to doing promo for the lead single. shakira, pink and nelly will do tv shows like gmtv and paul o'grady but madonna thinks she is too good for that. if i was warner brothers i would be seriously pissed off with her but you can tell she wanted to leave them ASAP and gave then a cold, super slick and souless timbaland/pharrel producers album and not a madonna album. she didn't shine like she did in her previous albums. you could sense the focus was on the tour she started rehearsals when the 2nd single came out did little promo and by the 3rd single she only did a live version exclusive on perez hilton's site. it was so half assed the follow ups even though she was still signed with warners not live nation. her profile is always high cause of her private life and she/they thought that publicity is enough to get hits like britney in the blackout era. she was touring and thats where the money is. she screwed them alright warner bros must have lost money from this era but live nation are more than happy the tour is a sell out. hard candy came out 26th april 08 tour announced 8th may tour started 23rd august so with warners/live nation collabo its a 4 months window i also did some digging into U2....the timeline for the announcment for the tour came 7 days after the album came out!! :o album release 2nd march tour dates released 9th march tour starts 30th june till 28th october but more dates could be added. so with live nation its a 2 month window between album and tour. U2's song flopped but thats cause it was really terrible not cause of the promo. in live nations defence U2's promo was blanket for the 1st single and album they did stuff that no other act had done before like a special on BBC with s high profile trailers which was later critized as one long ad for the single/album and should not have been on the BBC. plus a 5 night residency on the david letterman show. they have a seperate tour only U2 site 360.u2.com too which i imagine will also happen for shakira where live nation will handle info/sales etc. U2's second single is out on 4th may. maybe a 3rd single at the time of the tour starting? the era is almost over? :wacko: a bit worrying from one extreme ie U2 rushing, to another too laidback shakira. shakira doesn't like to be rushed we know this. she may keep it ol skool and take her time promoting the album/singles properly before commiting to a tour. but please not 8 months for a follow up single. that must be some kind of record she set!? only shakira can get away with stuff like this. what kind of scenario could we see? she is still with sony. i think the tour will be announced earlier than we expect but i am hoping it doesn't start as early as february/march but april/may time instead or actually even later. but i agree, i'm not asking for a rihanna/nelly furdado/lady gaga text book era with many singles and videos. i want to see the 4 international singles with videos and tv interviews/performances. decent promo and good momentum. i wish i was in on those meeting with her, sony and live nation :naughty:

really interesting!! cause we have to factor in live nation's input. these guys have a huge budget when it comes to promoting their gigs. take a look at U2's website they even called their tour 360 after the deal they signed like shakira. both madonna and U2 announced the tour soon after their album releases and they are both high profile in the media they get a huge ads in music mags and sunday times culture supplement at the back. soon it shall be shakira's turn...i'm sure she is juggling meetings/commitments to sony and live nation. sony will want her to be free as long as possible to do promo for the album and not commit too soon to the tour and rehearsals cause they know they can't ask her to do promo work for them. its funny with all the problems in the fixation era she still sold $7 million+ and had a sold out world tour. but how can we forget waiting 8 months+ to follow up the next single after HDL!! just crazy tactics it would never happen nowadays. i f the promo strategy is just good, it'll be better than the fixation era but if its great then all bets are off! we could see a monster of an era. the potential is there, the best part is its one album (if we're lucky a double disc) to promote. i'm wondering how likely is it that we will also get a deluxe edition of the album along with the standard at the time of release. how common is it nowadays? sony is still handling her but with live nation U2 had i think 6 different physical versions of the album when it was released!

excellent she has finally finished! however the last thing we need is any rushing now, they have plenty of time to set the strategy between now and june between now and september. timing wise....album in september is perfect, after the summer slump in sales what with people be on holiday. so i agree wait till people are back from holiday then release it. people back to work earning again or students getting their loans a good time to get target folks. maybe the economy recovers somewhat ie more money in peoples pocket etc etc. the situation will be monitered :unsure: how will it play out though? i see two different but equally worthy strategies, she could do a Suerte/WW first single in both languages doing promo in south america first, then USA then hit europe and follow up with a english single in US and ROTW. at the same time releasing a different spanish single for spanish speaking countries. so we have 3 singles out by the time the album releases. with the spanish singles any crossover to non spanish markets is a bonus but not essential. but this is a lot of hard work for shakira promo/schedule wise. the focus from a single to two new singles too soon could scupper their potential. ok stategy two.... release a spanish single in june. promote in south and north america and parts of europe like she did with La Tortura hope it crosses over to north american radio and charts but its not essential. problem is the UK could get denied any promo as our market is considered not too open to songs in other languages. then follow up with an english track in august with huge all areas worldwide promo tieing in the album promo too come september. the UK will be included in that no doubt. shakira is interesting and exciting to follow cause she is a global artist with english and spanish tracks to be targeted to different markets plus with the internet it means anyone around the world can follow it all and not get denied the spanish stuff.

yeah nothing is leaking cause they had to come to her studio to work on the track, they don't get to keep anything to leak. i like the title but i'm pretty sure she won't be coming to the UK to promote a spanish track. but i would love to see this cross over on itunes.

saw it last night and i wanted to like it more, it had a few faults that have already been mentioned and overall it was disappointment and it doesn't live up to the hype. i'm not familiar with the comic and the original story/ending but in this film there was too much going on, too many characters too much background info that they just skimmed over, the pace was slow and at times i was bored thinking when is this going to end. i'm waiting for the climax <_< it came and i was underwhelmed. the film wasn't tight enough for me. it tried too hard, it was a sci-fi film, a soap opera type drama, a noir type thriller with twist and a love story but it didn't work and many of the actors weren't up to the job and weren't that engaging or "cool". i understood the anti super hero flaws and how the director in his opinion tried to make it a darker, gritty and deeper superheo film, the complete opposite to the fantastic four film which was souless one dimensional fodder. i liked the reference to history with the social and political backdrop it was interesting to see how super heroes would have shaped things. the best acting was by the hood guy. he reminds me of t bag from prison break (also the best actor in that show). the soundtrack and familarity with the songs didn't work and the audience were laughing at the sex scene, it was so cliche and hollywood another thing that undermined the film...seen it all before. also there was laughing at the nudity of Dr. Manhatton. here "it" is again. the director thought it was daring or a big deal but it was unintentially funny. thats the problem with this film the vision of the director was off. in the right hands this could have been a classic.

yeah thats a powerful image and very true. money on her mind. the vultures ready to take a piece of her. actually the whole jade drama you can't escape it, its on many peoples mind and many can't believe she is making the news and even the BBC are covering her. the media has really dumbed down to a new low thats the worrying thing and justifing it by saying she is raising awareness but that was never jade's intention. serious illness is upsetting and devastating no matter who it happens too there are hundreds of thousands going through it. so no one is attacking her on that level. its about what she represents that people have a problem with, her attention seeking nature aka a media whore. the way she sells her private life to the media....thats how she makes a living. its not about getting an education or putting your time and effort or having talent to share that justifises her fame. she isn't an intelligent person we know this from her actions and interviews and she doesn't understand integrity & dignity. she has been exploited many times by Big Brother/Endemol by the Press, Max Clifford etc. they use her to generate attention/make money and she is willing to be exploited cause she wants the attention, fame and the money. her kids are not the only ones benefiting financially. hasn't she earnt enough money for her kids now? isn't it time to turn off the cameras and stop speaking to the press and end your life in peace not in a media circus? the worrying thing is the effect of what jade represents how it impacts on our culture. you have a younger generation of people and you ask them what they want to be when they grow up? and they say "famous". but for what?!! fame should be a consequence of some kind of talent or hard work. depth and substance are so important but alien to celebrity culture cause many parts of the media loves the surface and shallowness.

we still don't know :huh: she loves to keep us in the dark :rolleyes:

the video for Halo was shown on GMTV with lorraine kelly too.

you want shakira tackling politics, she does it in a unique "subtle" way. here you go.... shakira in 2002/2003 in the run up to the iraq war when bush and blair where telling us "diplomacy was failing" live on stage at her Tour Of The Mongoose performing "Octavo Dia" aka "On The Eight Day" from her 1998 album ¿Dónde Estan Los Ladrones? aka ’Where Are The Thieves?’’ (interesting fact this album was named after thieves that stole her luggage that contained her songs not very commercial but a personal title) remember written before 1998, make sure you see the whole thing and the climax to the story on the screen. qmPskzNgm5I here are the lyrics: On the Eigth day, God after working enough After a quick revision and loosening tensions Saw that everything was fine and declared time to rest Then took a short trip through infinite Space Who would imagine that God himself after returning Would find everything in an infernal state of disorder And would become one more of the unemployed At a pace that has since ever been growing at a yearly rate Since then, there are those who have seen him Walking the streets alone Waiting patiently for someone To have at least a peaceful conversation with In the mean time this world turns and turns without stopping it As below we are played like opposing pieces of a chess set I'm not the kind of idiot that is easily convinced But I tell a truth that a blind man can even see If not for the lack of occupation or excessive solitude God would resist no longer to move to another place And It would be our own loss as there would be no choice but to Worship Michael Jackson, Bill Clinton, or Tarzan It is more difficult to be a king without a crown Than a person more sane Pity for God for he doesn't appear in magazines He is not a model and not an artist nor from royal blood. imo this is a work of someone with great intellect, she has taken the theme of The Seven Days Of Creation but what would happens next ie the day after? to continue the story. a metaphor for the years that followed. this is evidence enough for me that we are dealing with someone with depth and is profound, crafting beauty and unusual themes with words. music for adults to digest to think over. like a young colombian kate bush but she is a "pop star" you could add to the last line that "God" is not a role model or celebrity. so lets worship the morals and values of jade goody instead?

essay alert! :unsure: interesting you say cause that shakira is with UNICEF too, she was in pakistan i think awhile back. not alot is known about shakira the person in the UK. she is part of the pop world where its about the surface, the image, the glamour, the fame, the money. what goes on behind the scenes isn't very interesting to the tabloids/media especially if you have any kind of depth or substance. also the record companies want their "acts" easy to digest not complicated in any way. we are in this celebrity obsessed culture where the attention seekers like jade goody who has zero talent and has not worked hard to get where she is....will flaunt it, the PR/managers will package it and the public will buy it. alot of what shaped shakira the person can be attributed back to her childhood. you can even analize why she belly dances :lol: it all started when she was 4 in a lebanese restaurant in colombia, she heard the arabic drum "dombek", she felt the beat and she started to dance like kids do and her parents encouraged her to dance more and get on the dining table (ie the stage) and she saw the positive response of the people ie making them happy and we have the start of a performer who loves touring the live audience, its her favourite part of the business. she came from a middle class family or what colombians would call middle class, she was the youngest child, her parents doted on her. When she was eight, shakira's father's business failed and he declared bankruptcy. during this difficult time she was sent to stay with relatives in LA (in LA she is exposed to how a developed country can function ie sees how the other half lives) when she came back home, she was shocked to find that much of what her parents owned had been sold, as she later said "in my childish head, this was the end of the world." but her father humbled her by showing her that things could be worse, he took her to a local park to see orphans her age living in poverty, sniffing glue. she has said in interviews since then that these images stayed with her and said to herself that she would help them when she becomes a successful artist. it sounds very corny and she is idealistic, she believes in "hope", "love" and "freedom" but its totally understandable once you know her back story. thats the world she lived in and now lives in, from a developing country (its her country she is helping her people, she wants that developed country like she saw in LA). she has had a charmed life....she has had her dreams come true so why not other peoples? and she has remained true to her word cause she set up the foundation at 18 before it became fashionable to do charity work. right now and maybe its been like this for a few years, she has everything that she wants for herself. she has financial security, she has "love" ie a long term loyal boyfriend that is by her side, he follows her where she goes (the lyrics for "whenever wherever" are about him and their "deal" with each other their relatiohship together, the dynamics, making fun of the extremes of love in shakira's unique poetic yet eccectric song lyrics). she has achieved the sales the global success (laundry service sold 13 million and fixation era sold 8 million), shes got the number #1 in every country she has the new multi million contract and a secure future. so if the dreams and ambitions for herself have all come true, what comes next? she doesn't have materialistic dreams she isn't a frivolous consumer like most female pop stars courting constant media interest even when she has nothing to promote. she is nothing like over exposed j-lo that represented the excess bling culture. between album eras shakira disappears and can not be seen for months on end in any publication. she managed to go back to her studies and attend a US college without being recognised. with this latest bbc news exposure imo she is positioning herself among the top philanthropists in the world and wants to move in that world to make long term contacts to maintian her projects and expand...taking it global but its just so ambitous imo too ambitious but she could pull it off with the right funding. her new album era is rumoured to start in august 2009 with a huge world tour to follow so the income/funding is coming. shakira to me is very earnest and idealistic, her music and lyrics reflect this which is easy to make fun of like her untamed singing style but what matters are that its her words, her muisc, its coming from her. shes doing worthy things so its all good. she is a powerful woman and has known power as a young adult so she must feel like she can do what she wants. using it in a positive humanitarian way. she is part eva peron, part a colombian princess diana with her charity work and how she relates to people but operating in this commercial britney/madonna international pop world however she is using this pop world playing the game, its a means to an end.

pictures of the new school, its so modern and cool! i'd be running into this school :w00t: http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/6185/photo9he1.jpg nice big room with chairs to sit on -_- http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/9377/photo111en3.jpg library :coffee: http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/9356/photo7di7.jpg what the hell is this room? :huh: nice couch http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/9765/photo4mw5.jpg play time :cheer: http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/4008/photo10ff1.jpg shakira with one of the classes you better work hard kids!! straight As http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/9240/n54565442114999073022wm7.jpg

an extended more in depth version is now online.... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/worl...ica/default.stm

i think she knows its better to get government on board rather then criticize them or side line them. also this is her 5th school since she started her foundation when she was 18 and this is to date her most ambitious project. she is not new to this and the way i see it what she is doing is quite clever and based on her past experiences...it is as if she is taking the role of working in the education department by creating these schools and funding them herself but without having to be affiliated with any political party. but this is a difficult and a rare thing to pull off you need a serious amount of co-operation, security and funding in an unstable country cause she has to keep sustaining these 5 schools every year. but the fact she has secured a high profile slot on BBC news shows that what she is doing is a big deal, this is a great way to court other high profile philantropists to engage in her future projects. she has achieved so much already in terms of sales and wealth...its cause she writes all her songs and produces since she was 18, earning more than other manufactured female acts like kylie and rihanna. but she plays the pop game by being commercial and she is aware of this while retaining creative control and incidentley its only when she took creative control on her 3rd album that she had a hit. her first 2 manufactured albums flopped. after her inital 3 deal ended she re-negotiated a new better deal. and she hasn't had a flop era since. then going global in 2001. so to sony...giving shakira creative control=hit albums/profits. the formula works so its not changing. add to that her reputation as a live performer and selling out the majority of her last tour. 111 dates/concerts in total, shes the 4th richest woman in the music. btw madonna, and barbara steisand only beat her cause their ticket prices were much higher by a huge margin. and celine too had a residency at vegas for months or was it years? live nation signed her last year for a rumoured $70 million+ deal for 10 years and in this current climate you can't imagine a company would risk this amount unless you know for sure you are getting your moneys worth. but thankfully live music is where the money is at, as it should be and thats the most profitable part of shakira. these schools are such a big deal, the funny thing is the equivelant of this happening in the UK would be say if a 32 year old female british pop star was to build 5 schools in the poorest parts of the UK and get gordon brown to attend the inauguration of a new one for 1,800 students. it just wouldn't ever happen! we are just used to female pop stars talking about clothes, shoes and courting media attention.

she is on the front cover of the magazine i haven't read it yet http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol...icle5802815.ece :coffee:

august sounds perfect to me, with the album to come in september or even later targeting the healthy autumn/winter/xmas sales. its got to be an uptempo lead single!? VMAs is a perfect launch pad for the new era, i'm not surprised MTV are hawking shakira cause she is distinctive and the anticipation has been building for years now. it should be a spectacle...a show stopper. it has the potential to be, the first live performance of the single. will it be part spanish? a collabo? you never know with shakira whats going to happen.

thanks for the info, "very good" they say :huh: it better be! i'm sure it is. reggaeton revisted! lets see what she brings us this era :dance:

i'm looking forward to this! pharrel can produce and having shakira with him i am expecting alot!! its got to be an uptempo track? or we getting a curve ball :unsure:

she is definately mixing it up, recently she has been holding a mic which doesn't give her the freedom to really dance and go for it with both arms. anyway if i was to tweak it i would have her early red hood look with a fixed head mic and dark shades, with the intro music she had on Rove wearing the screen specs and include the talking she did on SYTYCD "Pop Music Will Never Be Low Brow". C4 have no clue about editing, they missed the skirt rip and T4 was a mess. there is a lot going on in her performance so you don't need fast cuts and swooping camera angles :wacko:

excellent! WW would be great to get people dancing and the energy up or "the day and the time" if she wanted to be more serious or "pure intuition"? doubtful though :wacko: all appropriate lyrically but we'll see. just not HDL again.