Las Vegas Weekly

Latin Grammy Awards brings plenty of A-list excitement

Photo: Arnulfo Franco

This week, the biggest entertainment spectacle in Las Vegas doesn’t belong to Elton John and his high-priced piano or Celine Dion in her luscious gowns or Cirque du Soleil.

On November 10, the Latin Recording Academy presents the 12th Annual Latin Grammy Awards at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, a star-studded event with all the A-list excitement of the non-Latin Grammys and an extra dose of musical energy courtesy of Spanish-language legends like Pepe Aguilar and Maná and of-the-moment names like Pitbull and Demi Lovato. And the show, broadcast on Univison from 8-11 p.m., is also a cultural marker of the status of Latin music and artists in America today, which is why you’ll see Usher take the stage with Romeo Santos, hear Taboo of the Black Eyed Peas perform and watch Shakira accept the award for 2011 Person of the Year (and hopefully do a lil shaking in the process).

You’ll see Modern Family’s Sofia Vergara present an award along with her impressive cleavage, and Avatar’s Zoe Saldana, Erik Estrada and Kermit the Frog all giving out gramophones. If there’s a more fun awards show out there, I haven’t seen it. Because let’s face it: The one with mariachi pants will always win.