Shakira Shakes Up Latin Grammy Noms

Tue., Sep. 26, 2006 9:00 AM PDT by Julie Keller

The folks behind the Latin Grammys are apparently fixated by Shakira's oral fixation.

The Colombian songbird leads the nomination list for the seventh annual installment of the music awards with five nods, including Record and Song of the year for "La Tortura," and Album of the Year for her chart-topping Fijaci?n Oral Vol. 1.

Shakira is also up for Best Short Form Music Video for "La Tortura," a duet with Alejandro Sanz that broke the record for topping the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart, and Best Female Pop Vocal Album. In addition. Fijaci?n Oral, which features Latin- and Middle Eastern-inspired beats performed with shimmying abandon by the 28-year-old singer, earned a technical nod for Best Engineered Album.

Following with four nominations apiece were Guatemalan popster Ricardo Arjona, Mexican singer-songwriter Julieta Venegas and Argentinian guitarist and vocalist Gustavo Cerati, whose scored two Album of the Year nominations--one for his own Ahi Vamos and one as the producer on Shakira's Fijaci?n Oral Vol. 1.

The Best New Artist race pits the rising Puerto Rican group Calle 13, who tallied three nominations in all, against Cuban singer Lena, Ceu, Ines Gaviria and Peruvian newcomer Pamela, who records on her own label.

Aside from Calle 13, Chayanne, Gustavo Celis, Fonseca, Cachorro L?pez and Joan Sebastian all notched three nods, while Cabas, Caf? Tacuba, Diego El Cigala, Alejandra Guzm?n, Sergio Mendes, Ricardo Montaner, Maria Rita, Gilberto Santa Rosa and Bebo Vald?s each scored two.

Some other big-name acts, including Black Eyed Peas and Andrea Bocelli, also made the cut.

The nominations were announced Tuesday in New York. Winners and nominees are voted on by the Latin Recording Academy, an international, membership-based organization comprised of Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking recording artists, musicians, songwriters, producers and other creative and technical recording professionals.

This year's awards, which span 47 categories, will be presented Nov. 2 at New York's Madison Square Garden and broadcast live on the Univision.