Juan Luis Guerra: Bachata en Fukuoka

Necessito practicar espanol! Pues, the best way is through repetition.

That’s why I am playing Juan Luis Guerra’s “Bachata En Fukuoka” on a loop!

GOLD RUSH

Accessories come in a variety of styles but the big trend that will take you from summer to fall is the statement necklace. This season the golder, bolder, edgier the better it is! For the meek try one statement piece, styled conservatively, the one piece will be the standout of your outfit.  Check out my faves from a range of price points.

 

 

Mixit Flower Statement Necklace, $34 available at www.JCPenney.com

Kenneth Jay Lane Gold Beads Necklace, $132.11 available at www.pret-a-beaute.com

Amrita Singh Reversible Resin Necklace, $300 available at www.couturecandy.com

  
Lia Sophia Red Carpet Collection Lanaya Zipper Necklace with Black Diamond Crystals in Matte Gold, $700, available at www.liasophia.com

Vintage Givenchy 1980's Gold Tone Multi Strand Heavy Medallion Diamante Charm Necklace, $926.48 available at www.asos.com

Dos Equis & The Most Interesting Night Out

 

Last night, New York City’s Hudson Hotel held a top secret event: The Dos Equis CARGO HUNT Launch Party. There were food, drinks, performances, a variety of entertainment and for those adventurous folks a few Cargo Hunt competitions such as digging through a bug pit and trekking through quick-sand. Oh yeah and there were prizes, much like the online hunt!

   
As legend has it, during a routine circumnavigation of the world, the Most Interesting Man's personal aircraft malfunctioned, and he was forced to parachute much of his priceless artifacts mid-flight across North America. Many were recovered. Many were not. He is calling upon his loyal friends to use all their vast talents to help recover his private collection in the Dos Equis Cargo Hunt.

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By signing up for the Dos Equis Cargo Hunt players become “Cargo Hunters” and collect virtual treasures in several ways: through the Cargo Hunter’s map on the website, through codes on specially marked Dos Equis packaging, and at special promotional events this summer. Various prizes are given out along the way and at the end the players with the most artifacts qualify for a Cargo Hunt grand prize – an all-expenses-paid trip to Mexico. For more info check out the Cargo Hunt website, http://dosequis.com/cargohunt

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Favorite Old New Store: Now With More Mango!

 

JCPenney recently transformed its contemporary shopping experience with the launch of its dedicated MNG by Mango shop-within-a-shop. The partnership brings high quality, affordable European chic runway fast fashion directly to its customers, making them the exclusive U.S. department store retailer for MNG by Mango.

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Check out the full contemporary offering of career and casual women’s sportswear as well as handbags, accessories and footwear all which fall under JCPenney’s “better” and “best” pricing tiers retailing from $9.90-$19.90 for a tee to $59.90-$159.90 for a jacket.

For additional MNG by Mango trends and chic Fall styles visit your local JCPenney retail location or www.jcp.com.

Summerize Your Workout!

No Gym, no problem! I asked the experts at New York Sports Clubs to share their top workout that you can do at a gym, at home, in the park or anywhere you workout.

Mix these 8 exercises into your regimen:

Core
Straight leg hold – lie on your back, legs straight and hands behind your head. Lift shoulder blades off the floor using your core. Hold for 5 seconds and then lower. For a more challenging move, while your shoulder blades are off the ground, lift your legs, keeping them straight. Hold both for 5 seconds before returning to the start position. Work your way up to 3 sets of 20.

Plank taps – On your elbows and toes, keeping your back flat, tap one leg at a time out to the side. Try to do it for 30-45 seconds, working your way up to 60 seconds.

Arms
Double-stop pushup – Assume the pushup position with your hands slightly wider than your shoulders. Keep your back straight and your neck in line with your spine. Lower yourself halfway and hold for 2 seconds. Then, continue to lower yourself until your chest is about 4-6 inches from the floor. Hold for 2 seconds. Push back up to the halfway point and pause again for 2 seconds before pushing back up to the start position. Try for 3 sets of 10. Start on your knees if necessary.

Glutes
Bum lifts – Lie facedown with legs spread into a v-shape, and knees bent to 90 degrees. Keep your feet flexed and hands out to each side in a goal post position, elbows bent at 90 degrees, palms flat. Lift your quads (front of legs) off the ground a few inches, pressing your feet straight up while you squeeze your glutes. Lower legs and repeat for 3 sets of 15.

Burn fat
Clap squats – These are tough, but very effective. Place feet about 3-6 inches wider than your hips. Keeping your feet flat on the floor, bend at the knees and hips to a 90 degree angle without letting your knees extend beyond your toes. Hold that position for 3 seconds. Using an explosive move, pushing up from your legs, jump up in the air from the squat position and clap your feet together. Try to land in the start position. Try for 3 sets of 10.

Double/One-leg hops
Starting with both feet together, jump about 6 inches off the ground 30 times. You can then switch to one-leg hops, 20 on each side. To make things more challenging, hop on one leg and jump side-to-side and front and back. Work your way up to jumping for 3-5 minutes at a time.

Jump Rope
Just like on the playground, this exercise is still a lot of fun. Grab a jump rope and try to keep it going for 40-50 repetitions, working your way up to 100.

Legs
Curtsy squats
Stand with your feet hip-width apart, arms at your sides. Cross your right leg behind your left, just past your left heel. Rest your toe about two feet behind you. Keeping your right heel up, squat down as far as you can without letting your left knee extend past your toes. Push off your right glute back to starting position and continue on the other leg. Alternate legs and work your way up to three sets of 20.

Inspiring!

So You Think You Can Dance in 3D!

LeAura Luciano recently interviewed So You Think You Can Dance winner Legacy Perez about his success from the reality competition and what its like to make a 3D dance flick.

Legacy Perez

El Barrio: Los Angeles, CA
Trabajo: B-Boy

Born in Brooklyn, NY to Colombian parents, Legacy Perez is a dancer, a
Professional B-Boy to be exact. As a child he was an avid soccer
player, playing to be in the running for scholarship awards prompting
scouts to actively watch him. Although he was an active child he never
really considered dance a hobby. “I had an ease with sports, and I
always had Salsa in me” is how he explains being drawn to breaking. As
he got older breaking was his craft, practicing and battling all the
time. “When I was in Miami people told me ‘you can’t make a living off
dancing’ and my attitude was to prove everyone wrong and keep
pushing.” The problem was “people see B-boying as a street dance,” he
explains “and anything from the street people are afraid of and I
wanted to portray it as an art and have them respect it as a dance
style.”

That’s just what he did and explains “when you pursue something you
will succeed because everyone else is giving up around you.” After
seeing a movie starring b-boys he used to battle and beat, he decided it
was time to make a move. In April of 2004, with $240 to his name he
embarked on a road trip driving from Miami to Los Angeles. When he
moved to LA he had more than music videos and film gigs in mind. “I
wanted to change the game and wanted people to know that b-boys had it
in them,” he explains, “so I started learning choreography to expand
my language of types of dance.” This attitude and passion led him to
book a variety of gigs including touring with Gwen Stefani and being a
choreographer for artists including Rihanna, Toni Braxton, The Black
Eyed Peas, Chris Brown and Akon.

Whats up next for Legacy? A lot. From the release of his instructional
DVD on break dancing, ‘LET’S BREAK’, to film, both as a dancer and
actor, as he was featured in the film ‘B-Girl’ and ‘Step Up 3D” in
theaters August 20th. Oh that and he performed at this year’s Academy Awards. His advice to those looking to follow in his footsteps is for people to be
themselves. “If you have something you want to do put your mind to it”
and “don’t try to follow anyone, you have to set your own path to
success.”

Blogger Labels: Think,Dance,LeAura Luciano,winner,Legacy,Perez,competition,Barrio,Angeles,Trabajo,Born,Brooklyn,Colombian,dancer,Professional,player,scholarship,hobby,sports,Salsa,Miami,attitude,street,movie,April,road,music,choreography,language,passion,Gwen Stefani,Rihanna,Toni Braxton,Black Eyed Peas, Chris Brown,Akon,actor,Step,Academy,advice,footsteps,path,artists

Celeb Chat: Catching Up with Laura Harring

by: Leaura Luciano for www.LatinTrends.com

Did you know that the Mexican-American Beauty, Laura Harring, made history as the first Latina to be crowned Miss USA?

Recently I chatted with actress Laura Harring for Latin Trends and got to know more about Laura.

You may have seen her on TV’s Gossip Girl as Chuck Bass’ mysterious birth mother, in films like David Lynch’s cult classic Mulholland Drive, or in her Alma award winning performance in Love in the Time of Cholera, where she starred opposite Javier Bardem. 

The conversation covered her love of travel, adventures in flying, Gossip Girl spoilers, Mulholland Drive sequel rumors, and how to have a lasting career in Hollywood.

LeAura Luciano: I understand you love to travel.
Laura Harring: Yes it’s true.
LL: Are you an adventure traveler? And what are some of your favorite
places to visit?
LH: You name it, I’ve done it. I do scuba diving trips, treks in
Nepal, visits to the Mayan ruins and social work in India. I also
enjoy going to film festivals and taking mediation courses.
Recently I took a zero gravity flight. You do about 15 one minute
sessions of floating in the air; you’re weightless like you would be in
space. You get to see the water molecules when you spill water,
the break down into little molecules. Oh, and you get to feel what
it’s like to walk on mars.
LL: What’s that like?
LH: You can actually walk, but every step you take you float really
high up. That was pretty remarkable.
LL: That is really cool. Any other recent adventures?
LH: I did go skydiving from 18,000 feet. Usually jumps are at 10,000
feet or 12,000 feet, which is already really high up.
LL: Can you even see anything from the plane before the jump?
LH: At 18,000 ft you see land in little pieces, it looks like
little squares. Then they give you oxygen before you jump. That gets
you thinking about the jump and what’s to come. You get very paranoid.
LL: So how does a 18,000 ft jump compare with 12,000 ft jump?
LH: This was my first jump.
LL: Ever? Wow!
LH: Another thing I did which was really cool was combat flying.
LL: What’s that?
LH: It’s where you’re trained a half day to go on retired air force
planes. They’re combat planes, like in Top Gun. They train you so
that you’re actually flying the plane and right after takeoff you have
complete control over the plane. There is a pilot with you, just in
case. You do this formation where you dive down really sharp and you
try to hit the plane in front of you. In the cockpit, there is a gun
that has a laser and you aim and hit the target area of the
other plane. Its an actual competition.
LL: What inspired that?
LH: The adrenalin rush. I like the feeling of accomplishment there is
something really magnificent about being up in the clouds… and I did back flips and flips on both sides. Its really scary.
LL: It sounds really bad ass!
LH: That’s been a dream of mine, to do pirouettes in the sky. And I was able to do this and all of my friends couldn’t believe it because I was so
comfortable up there.
LL: That’s quite a bit of adventure.
LH: It’s nice to explore these things in life that are a little scary
and a little dangerous.
LL: Now, let’s get down to it…it’s rumored that there will be a
sequel to Mulholland Drive. Any insight on that?
LH: There’s a big mystery about that, isn’t there. ((Laughs playfully))
(Laura’s publicist chimes in) Keep it at that Laura.
LL: Got it, I will interpret that how I want to. Let’s talk about your recent appearance on Law and Order: Criminal Intent. How did you like filming in NY?
LH: Well Jeff (Goldblum) sets the tone of camaraderie. It’s very
fun, so relaxed and very creative. I love shooting in NY. There’s a
vibe in the city that’s so fantastic. 

LL: Speaking of shows shot in New York, it was a pleasant surprise to
see you as a guest star on Gossip Girl.
LH: Why is it surprising?
LL: Well, I guess I think of you more as a film actor.
LH: Look at my career, if you look at the career choices I’ve made
it’s so diverse, there’s really no pattern. I go from a independent
dark comedy like Drool, Marvel Comics The Punisher, Nancy Drew which
is a classic story that I grew up with, the more artistic Mulholland
Drive, The King with William Hurt, to The Shield opposite Forest
Whitaker. There’s no pattern. It’s all these different choices.
LL: Did you know much about the show before you got it?
LH: I didn’t know the popularity of Gossip Girl. I was very relaxed
when I went in. Then I saw how popular it was and how juicy and scandalous it was, I was so thrilled to be part of it. The show is so well written and it’s so glamorous!
LL: Will you be returning to the set of Gossip Girl next season?
LH: You’re full of mysterious questions, aren’t you?  There’s a 50%
chance that I am and a 50% chance that I’m not.
LL: Fair enough. Tell me about some on-set antics.
LH: My co-stars were so nice and cool they treated me like a Gossip
Girl and made me feel like part of their family.
LL: And how about that wardrobe! Did you love it?
LH: Oh I loved the wardrobe; I tried to get some things.
LL: How did that work out? Did you get to keep anything?
LH: It was very difficult.
LL: Well maybe when you return it won’t be such a problem.
LH: (laughs) It’s just a studio thing.
LL: Moving away from your work and onto your approach to navigating
Hollywood. How does one maintain longevity in one’s career as an actor?
LH: Hmmmm, that’s a great question. I can’t say for anyone else but
me, but I love what I do. I have a passion for it and I choose my roles for different reasons.
Sometimes it could be for personal growth, to expand my knowledge of
something, or to get over fear.
LL: How have you done that?
LH: I took a role (in The Punisher) about 10 years ago when I had a fear
of heights because I know I would have to learn wire work. It was
martial arts training on the high wire that got me over my fear of
heights.
LL: Fear of heights? Didn’t you just do “pirouettes in the sky” and a
jump at 18,000 feet?!
LH: If we are full of fear were not really living our lives. Are we? My
philosophy is whatever you’re scared of you have to face it and go
toward that direction so you can get rid of it.

Blogger Labels: Celeb,Chat,Laura Harring,Leaura Luciano, LatinTrends,Mexican,American,history, Latina,Miss,Latin,Gossip Girl,Chuck Bass,films,David Lynch,Mulholland Drive,Alma,Javier Bardem,conversation,sequel,career,Hollywood,adventure,traveler,places,Nepal,Mayan,ruins,India,mediation,zero,Another,takeoff,formation,cockpit,area,competition,accomplishment,clouds,friends,life,Keep,appearance,Order,Criminal,Intent,Jeff Goldblum,York,guest,actor,Look,comedy,Drool,Marvel Comics,Punisher,William Hurt,Forest Whitaker,antics,wardrobe,studio,passion,Sometimes,growth,knowledge,role,wire,Fear,philosophy,direction,Trends,rumors,festivals,sessions,feet,pieces,roles,adventures,molecules,pirouettes

World Cup Anthem: Shakira’s “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)”

Watch her perform live at the World Cup’s closing ceremonies July 12, 2010.

Diamond Girl

They say diamonds are a girl’s best friend! So it makes sense that the new Smooth ‘N Shine Diamond Luster Poof Eraser, $4.99 available at Drugstores nationwide, is not only inspired by diamonds, its formulated with quartz crystal to give hair prismatic shine while offering heat protection up to 425 degrees.

Now how do we use it on our hair? We asked Larry Sims, Celebrity Hairstylist for Smooth 'N Shine. Sims has worked on the tresses of many Latinas including: Dayanara Torres, Christina Milian, Eva Longoria, and Jennifer Lopez.

Sims offered us the following taming tips: "As we move into the summer heat, it's essential to be on top of your hair game. To give that everlasting beautiful first impression, I suggest using Smooth 'N Shine Diamond Luster Poof Eraser. This product is amazing because it works on both wet and dry hair. It's 425 degree heat protector agent protects your hair from daily thermal styling procedures. It also provides nourishment and is infused with wheat protein and vitamin E agents. Lastly, your hair will look its best with benefits of anti-frizz and quartz crystals that are infused in this product as well. The end results are beautiful, healthy, shiny, hair."

Get Lo’s Look

We hear its been a little chilly in LA, so our Angelino friends are more covered up than usual.

Exhibit A: Lo Bosworth wore JOE's while shooting the last episode of The Hills over the weekend. The reality star looked chic as she filmed in her Siouxsie-colored Jegging, $128; http://www.joesjeans.com.

Its A Cool Summer

Sometimes the weather is just cruel… Here in NYC its just too hot, temp went up to 103 degrees.

On days like this the best way to look cool is to feel cool! We love that Fergie rocked Love Tanjane to The Black Eyed Peas "The E.N.D. World Tour" after party in Barcelona. The singer posed with the rest of the Peas in her Scoop Tank, $68; http://www.lovetanjane.com/.

Take it outside!

 

Sometimes outdoor activities are hard to come by in NYC…

We’re gonna check out the free outdoor, dance classes at Herald Square

Thursdays, 6:00pm, May 6 to September 30
Herald Square, 34th & Broadway

To register, sign up at the NYSC table in Herald Square just before the event. All levels are welcome and anyone who participates gets a complimentary 3-day trial. Feel free to use it after Zumba to grab a shower at our 34th & Park or 38th & Broadway locations.

Zumba is a fun, easy-to-follow aerobic routine that combines Latin dance moves with cardio. It’s a wildly popular way to maximize caloric output while toning your whole body. Zumba takes the work out of working out.

Visit www.NYSC.com for more info.