FOR her parents Christmas baby Shakira is the best gift of all. Weighing 2.77kg, or six pounds and two ounces, the daughter of Rebecca Gatwech and Manyok Lual was born at 3.36pm yesterday after a two-day labour at Ballarat Health Services Base Hospital. Shakira was overdue, having missed her due date of December 17. She is the first child for both Ms Gatwech, 20 and Mr Lual, 25. Ms Gatwech said the babys birth on Christmas Day was a big surprise. I am pretty sure I wont get a better Christmas present, Ms Gatwech said. It was a two-day labour which was a pretty freaky business. And like the other baby born some 2000 years ago on December 25, Shakiras birthday was also predicted. My nephew said we will open our presents in the morning and come see the baby later, Ms Gatwech said. She had to make a grand entrance.

London, Dec 16 (IANS) Colombian singer Shakira's father has penned down a parental self-help book, based on his own experience. 'It is not 100 percent biographical. It's objective. It's to be more a guide for parents,' dailystar.co.uk quoted Mebarak as saying. Meanwhile, Shakira has turned editor in a bid to give her father's new book 'Al Viento y al Azar' a big boost and has shown off her literary talents by editing the novel and writing the prologue. 'In 'Al Viento y al Azar', I was captivated by everything: the rebellious attitude of some of its texts, the anarchy in its structure, the brutal honesty in his words,' said Shakira.

FOR her parents Christmas baby Shakira is the best gift of all. Weighing 2.77kg, or six pounds and two ounces, the daughter of Rebecca Gatwech and Manyok Lual was born at 3.36pm yesterday after a two-day labour at Ballarat Health Services Base Hospital. Shakira was overdue, having missed her due date of December 17. She is the first child for both Ms Gatwech, 20 and Mr Lual, 25. Ms Gatwech said the babys birth on Christmas Day was a big surprise. I am pretty sure I wont get a better Christmas present, Ms Gatwech said. It was a two-day labour which was a pretty freaky business. And like the other baby born some 2000 years ago on December 25, Shakiras birthday was also predicted. My nephew said we will open our presents in the morning and come see the baby later, Ms Gatwech said. She had to make a grand entrance.

London, Dec 16 (IANS) Colombian singer Shakira's father has penned down a parental self-help book, based on his own experience. 'It is not 100 percent biographical. It's objective. It's to be more a guide for parents,' dailystar.co.uk quoted Mebarak as saying. Meanwhile, Shakira has turned editor in a bid to give her father's new book 'Al Viento y al Azar' a big boost and has shown off her literary talents by editing the novel and writing the prologue. 'In 'Al Viento y al Azar', I was captivated by everything: the rebellious attitude of some of its texts, the anarchy in its structure, the brutal honesty in his words,' said Shakira.

Columbian pop singer Shakira takes a stroll with her boyfriend F1 racing driver Gerard Pique and family in Madrid, Spain. (Pacific Coast News) more pics Shakira (Pacific Coast News) Columbian pop star Shakira was spotted strolling around Madrid with boyfriend Gerard Pique and other family members. The "Whenever, Wherever" singer stepped out in a fur-trimmed jacket, dark jeans, high-heeled boots, and sleek aviator sunglasses. Her boyfriend, meanwhile, kept warm in a puffy blue coat. Shakira recently appeared on the spanish language show Aqui y Ahora , where she put to rest the rumors that she had broken up with Pique and was again seeing former flame Antonio De La Rua. "No, I'm very happy with Gerard [Pique]," she said. "We are very, very, very happy. He's a man that makes me happy and I'm happy I found him." Columbian pop singer Shakira takes a stroll with her boyfrie! nd F1 ra cing driver Gerard Pique and family in Madrid, Spain. (Pacifi...

London, Dec 16 (IANS) Colombian singer Shakira's father has penned down a parental self-help book, based on his own experience. 'It is not 100 percent biographical. It's objective. It's to be more a guide for parents,' dailystar.co.uk quoted Mebarak as saying. Meanwhile, Shakira has turned editor in a bid to give her father's new book 'Al Viento y al Azar' a big boost and has shown off her literary talents by editing the novel and writing the prologue. 'In 'Al Viento y al Azar', I was captivated by everything: the rebellious attitude of some of its texts, the anarchy in its structure, the brutal honesty in his words,' said Shakira.

Columbian pop singer Shakira takes a stroll with her boyfriend F1 racing driver Gerard Pique and family in Madrid, Spain. (Pacific Coast News) more pics Shakira (Pacific Coast News) Columbian pop star Shakira was spotted strolling around Madrid with boyfriend Gerard Pique and other family members. The "Whenever, Wherever" singer stepped out in a fur-trimmed jacket, dark jeans, high-heeled boots, and sleek aviator sunglasses. Her boyfriend, meanwhile, kept warm in a puffy blue coat. Shakira recently appeared on the spanish language show Aqui y Ahora , where she put to rest the rumors that she had broken up with Pique and was again seeing former flame Antonio De La Rua. "No, I'm very happy with Gerard [Pique]," she said. "We are very, very, very happy. He's a man that makes me happy and I'm happy I found him." Columbian pop singer Shakira takes a stroll with her boyfrie! nd F1 ra cing driver Gerard Pique and family in Madrid, Spain. (Pacifi...

London, Dec 16 ( IANS ) Colombian singer Shakira 's father has penned down a parental self-help book, based on his own experience. 'It is not 100 percent biographical. It's objective. It's to be more a guide for parents,' dailystar.co.uk quoted Mebarak as saying. Meanwhile, Shakira has turned editor in a bid to give her father's new book ' Al Viento y al Azar' a big boost and has shown off her literary talents by editing the novel and writing the prologue. 'In 'Al Viento y al Azar', I was captivated by everything: the rebellious attitude of some of its texts, the anarchy in its structure, the brutal honesty in his words,' said Shakira.

Pop superstar Shakira's author father is planning to write a parental self-help book based on his own experiences as the singer's dad. Father and daughter are currently promoting his new book Al Viento y al Azar (In the Wind and at Random) in South America and William Mebarak reveals his next project will be a lot more personal. He explains, "It is not 100 per cent biographical. Its objective. It's to be more a guide for parents." Meanwhile, Shakira has turned editor in a bid to give her father's new book a big boost.The Hips Don't Lie hitmaker has shown off her literary talents by editing the novel and writing the prologue. Speaking about the book, which features a collection of opinion essays and love stories, she tells Notitas de Noticias, "In Al Viento y al Azar, I was captivated by everything: the rebellious attitude of some of its texts, the anarchy in its structure, the brutal honesty in his words."

Columbian pop singer Shakira takes a stroll with her boyfriend F1 racing driver Gerard Pique and family in Madrid, Spain. (Pacific Coast News) more pics Shakira (Pacific Coast News) Columbian pop star Shakira was spotted strolling around Madrid with boyfriend Gerard Pique and other family members. The "Whenever, Wherever" singer stepped out in a fur-trimmed jacket, dark jeans, high-heeled boots, and sleek aviator sunglasses. Her boyfriend, meanwhile, kept warm in a puffy blue coat. Shakira recently appeared on the spanish language show Aqui y Ahora , where she put to rest the rumors that she had broken up with Pique and was again seeing former flame Antonio De La Rua. "No, I'm very happy with Gerard [Pique]," she said. "We are very, very, very happy. He's a man that makes me happy and I'm happy I found him." Columbian pop singer Shakira takes a stroll with her boyfrie! nd F1 ra cing driver Gerard Pique and family in Madrid, Spain. (Pacifi...

Shakira shows off plenty of skin on the "Live from Paris" combo-pack album/DVD. Shakira's hips have turned Spanglish jingles into video hits for a decade. ''Whenever, Wherever'' and ''She Wolf'' are two of the artist's popular videos The "Live from Paris" combo-pack album/DVD features plenty of skin, little musicianship ( EW.com ) -- Colombia's most popular (legal) export is always at her best when you can see her -- the magic of those whirligig hips has been turning Spanglish jingles like ''Whenever, Wherever'' and ''She Wolf'' into video hits for a decade. And Shakira clearly knows it. 'Boardwalk Empire' showrunner explains shocking finale, talks season 3 On the "Live from Paris" combo-pack album/DVD, she writhes and dry-humps through her catalog like the world's -highest-paid strip-aerobics instructor, showing off plenty of skin -- but sadly, not much musicianship. ...

. On Monday Huge Metallica Fan Shakira Includes Cover on New DVD was a top story. Here is the recap: (hennemusic) Shakira turned a lot of people's heads when she performed a Metallica cover during her last world tour. The Colombian pop icon did a very subtle, quiet version of "Nothing Else Matters" in her set. The song originally appeared on Metallica's 1991-self titled "black album" "I used to be a huge Metallica fan when I was 15, 16 years old," says Shakira. "I remember I was graduating from high school back then and I used to sing 'Nothing Else Matters' all day long. I am still a very huge Metallica fan, though. [And] I thought it would be kind of surprising to include it in my repertoire for this tour." Shakira's verison of the Metallica track is featured on her new concert DVD, "Shakira, Live From Paris." - Check it out here. hennemusic is an official news provider for antiMusic.com.Copyright hennemusic - Exc...

Shakira and Enrique Iglesias were the big winners at the 2011 40 Principales Awards in Spain on Friday night (09Dec11). The Hips Don't Lie hitmaker was one of the performers at the ceremony in Madrid, Spain and she also walked away with the award for Most Influential Latin Artist and Best Foreign Artist in the Spanish Language award. She told reporters at the show, "I'm so happy to be here now, this is Spain's night, the night of a country I like so much, and I'm really happy to be at the gala of prizes so important for music." The event at Madrid's Palacio de los Deportes also saw performances from British pop star Jessie J and Romanian singer Alexandra Stan, while Iglesias was among the winners, scoring the Best Music Video prize for Tonight (Im Loving You) and Most Influential Spanish Artist in the World Award.

. On Monday Huge Metallica Fan Shakira Includes Cover on New DVD was a top story. Here is the recap: (hennemusic) Shakira turned a lot of people's heads when she performed a Metallica cover during her last world tour. The Colombian pop icon did a very subtle, quiet version of "Nothing Else Matters" in her set. The song originally appeared on Metallica's 1991-self titled "black album" "I used to be a huge Metallica fan when I was 15, 16 years old," says Shakira. "I remember I was graduating from high school back then and I used to sing 'Nothing Else Matters' all day long. I am still a very huge Metallica fan, though. [And] I thought it would be kind of surprising to include it in my repertoire for this tour." Shakira's verison of the Metallica track is featured on her new concert DVD, "Shakira, Live From Paris." - Check it out here. hennemusic is an official news provider for antiMusic.com.Copyright hennemusic - Exc...

This year, Shakira didn't have the top-selling Latin album in the United States -- her "Sale el Sol" landed at No. 4 on the Top Latin Albums year-end chart. Nor did she land any singles within the top 10 on the year-end Hot Latin Songs recap. Year In Music Main Page: See All The 2011 Charts But thanks to her formidable digital presence, including the top spot on Billboard's year-end recaps for Latin Digital Songs Artists and Latin Digital Songs -- with "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" -- she is No. 1 on this year's Top Latin Artists and Top Latin Artist-Female list. Inside The Year In Music : Charts | Country | Latin | Pop | R&B Rock | Touring | Home @ Billboard.biz: Adele Cover Story Shakira's performance marks a change in the way Billboard's year-end charts measure success. For the first time, Latin rankings include general top artist categories determined not only by album sales and radio airplay, but also by boxscore tourin...

. On Monday Huge Metallica Fan Shakira Includes Cover on New DVD was a top story. Here is the recap: (hennemusic) Shakira turned a lot of people's heads when she performed a Metallica cover during her last world tour. The Colombian pop icon did a very subtle, quiet version of "Nothing Else Matters" in her set. The song originally appeared on Metallica's 1991-self titled "black album" "I used to be a huge Metallica fan when I was 15, 16 years old," says Shakira. "I remember I was graduating from high school back then and I used to sing 'Nothing Else Matters' all day long. I am still a very huge Metallica fan, though. [And] I thought it would be kind of surprising to include it in my repertoire for this tour." Shakira's verison of the Metallica track is featured on her new concert DVD, "Shakira, Live From Paris." - Check it out here. hennemusic is an official news provider for antiMusic.com.Copyright hennemusic - Exc...

This year, Shakira didn't have the top-selling Latin album in the United States -- her "Sale el Sol" landed at No. 4 on the Top Latin Albums year-end chart. Nor did she land any singles within the top 10 on the year-end Hot Latin Songs recap. Year In Music Main Page: See All The 2011 Charts But thanks to her formidable digital presence, including the top spot on Billboard's year-end recaps for Latin Digital Songs Artists and Latin Digital Songs -- with "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" -- she is No. 1 on this year's Top Latin Artists and Top Latin Artist-Female list. Inside The Year In Music : Charts | Country | Latin | Pop | R&B Rock | Touring | Home @ Billboard.biz: Adele Cover Story Shakira's performance marks a change in the way Billboard's year-end charts measure success. For the first time, Latin rankings include general top artist categories determined not only by album sales and radio airplay, but also by boxscore tourin...

Madrid, Dec 10 (IANS/EFE) Shakira Friday wore a glittery sequined dress and new haircut at the Gala of Los 40 Principales Prizes Friday. The Colombian is one of the artists with the most nominations at the Gala being held at the Palace of Sports in Madrid and organized by Los 40 Principales , Spain's leading music radio network. 'I'm so happy to be here now, this is Spain's night, the night of a country I like so much, and I'm really happy to be at the gala of prizes so important for music,' the artist told EFE.

This year, Shakira didn't have the top-selling Latin album in the United States -- her "Sale el Sol" landed at No. 4 on the Top Latin Albums year-end chart. Nor did she land any singles within the top 10 on the year-end Hot Latin Songs recap. Year In Music Main Page: See All The 2011 Charts But thanks to her formidable digital presence, including the top spot on Billboard's year-end recaps for Latin Digital Songs Artists and Latin Digital Songs -- with "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" -- she is No. 1 on this year's Top Latin Artists and Top Latin Artist-Female list. Inside The Year In Music : Charts | Country | Latin | Pop | R&B Rock | Touring | Home @ Billboard.biz: Adele Cover Story Shakira's performance marks a change in the way Billboard's year-end charts measure success. For the first time, Latin rankings include general top artist categories determined not only by album sales and radio airplay, but also by boxscore tourin...

(Bauer Griffin / Twitter) Shakira surprised fans when she recently tweeted a self-portrait showing her sporting a choppy jaw-length bob. The chic crop is a definite departure from her long signature wavy tresses, but the new cut looks polished and fresh. From her smile, she seems very happy with the look. Shakira's new 'do. (via Twitter) We're not sure if her trip to the Jordi Ripoli salon in Barcelona was a spur-of-the-moment plan. According to photographers following the singer, she was at the salon (which opened just for her) for a reported six hours. So far, comments posted by her fans have been mixed with many expressing a love of her longer locks. While Shakira's hair length has drastically changed, she most definitely remains a blonde. Even though maintaining such a pale color requires a serious level of commitment when one's natural color is dark, her signature shade doesn't seem to be changing any time soon. See Shakira's Hairstyles lookbook:

Shakira is rocking a new look these days. Photos: Shakira gets Hollywood Walk of Fame star Stories: Shakira receives Hollywood Walk of Fame star - See video Shakira chosen by Obama for education post Shakira, Antonio de la Rua split, see it as temporary On Wednesday, December 7, the singer showed off her new shorter hairstyle on her official Twitter page. "4 hours ago I got my hair cut," Shakira wrote to her fans with a photo of the new 'do . In the photo above, Shakira can be seen giving a speech in Hollywood, California, on November 8 on the left. On the right is the singer's Twitter photo posted on December 7. The look is somewhat similar to the bob haircut Katy Perry debuted on the red carpet earlier this week , with the exception of Perry's faded pink highlights. Last month, Shakira was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame . The singer's star is the 2,454 to be dedicated and is located star in front of the W Hollywood Hotel on Hollywood Boulevard in...

Say goodbye to Shakira 's long blonde waves! PHOTOS: Biggest celebrity hair makeovers of 2011! The 34-year-old beauty emerged from the Jordi Ripoli salon in Barcelona, Spain Tuesday with a dramatically different 'do. Four hours after getting her hair cut, the Colombian singer unveiled her new shoulder-length bob via Twitter . VOTE: Which celeb has the best hair in Hollywood? Shakira's hair makeover is similar to Katy Perry and Dianna Agron , who both lopped off their locks in 2011. Tell Us : Do you like Shakira's shorter hairstyle?

Ronaldinho and Rafael Marquez have joined Shakira in voicing their support for Barcelona ahead of this weekends eagerly awaited La Liga El Clasico with Real Madrid . The Brazilian attacker and Mexican defender both previously played for the Catalan giants, while popstar Shakira is the girlfriend of current Camp Nou centre-back Gerard Pique. Ronaldinho left the club in 2008 after five hugely successful seasons, and although he is now plying his trade with Flamengo, he revealed in El Mundo Deportivo that he will be keeping a close eye on proceedings at the Santiago Bernabeu. "I wish you all the luck in El Clasico, Barca, and I hope you win, the 31-year-old forward said. What the result will be, I do not know. I just want [Barca] to win. I will be encouraging them from a distance. Come on Barca! The fixture has also evoked happy memories for Ronaldinho, who memorably received a standing ovation from the Madrid fans in November 2005 after inspiring Barcelona to a 3-0 win at the San...

Shakira gives her new gold pants an airing to promote a new tour DVD. Her briefs are even skimpier than Kylie's career-boosting hotpants and will have gone down well with her boyfriend Gerard Pique. Not sure if his Barcelona team-mates are the type to pin this snap on the dressing room wall to wind him up. Doubt anybody would complain if they did. Video: Exclusive - Shakira in Beirut SINGER gets a piggy-back ride during sight-seeing trip with pals Click here to download the latest flash player. Video: Shakira's magical Marrakesh trip COLOMBIAN beauty enjoys hustle & bustle of a Moroccan souk Click here to download the latest flash player.

Shakira is a huge Metallica fan. The 'Whatever, Wherever' singer grew up listening to heavy rock bands, and has a particular fondness for the 'Enter Sandman' group, so has been including one of their songs at recent concerts to surprise fans. She said: "I am great fan of bands like Led Zeppelin, Nirvana or The Cure. I used to be a huge Metallica fan when I was 15, 16 years old. "I remember I was graduating from high school back then and I used to sing 'Nothing Else Matters' all day long. I am still a very huge Metallica fan, though. "So I thought it would be kind of surprising to include it in my repertoire for this tour." Shakira's career has seen her push the boundaries of pop music to great success, singing in both Spanish and English and covering a number of different genres. She also recently said she would consider recording a song in Arabic, although she has yet to learn the language. She said: "It would be a challenge to do a...

Perhaps you are familiar with the hips that cannot lie? They continue to tell truths in Shakiras upcoming Live from Paris DVD/CD , out today. Watch below, in an exclusive EW clip of her performing her international 2001 smash Whenever, Wherever, as they also tell Gay Paree how to do pelvic contortions typically seen only in Cirque du Soleil, and certain Gumby films perhaps not meant for childrens eyes:

Shakira is a huge Metallica fan. The 'Whatever, Wherever' singer grew up listening to heavy rock bands, and has a particular fondness for the 'Enter Sandman' group, so has been including one of their songs at recent concerts to surprise fans. She said: 'I am great fan of bands like Led Zeppelin, Nirvana or The Cure. I used to be a huge Metallica fan when I was 15, 16 years old. 'I remember I was graduating from high school back then and I used to sing 'Nothing Else Matters' all day long. I am still a very huge Metallica fan, though. 'So I thought it would be kind of surprising to include it in my repertoire for this tour.' Shakira's career has seen her push the boundaries of pop music to great success, singing in both Spanish and English and covering a number of different genres. She also recently said she would consider recording a song in Arabic, although she has yet to learn the language. She said: 'It would be a challenge to do an alb...

12/05/2011. (hennemusic) Shakira turned a lot of people's heads when she performed a Metallica cover during her last world tour. The Colombian pop icon did a very subtle, quiet version of "Nothing Else Matters" in her set. The song originally appeared on Metallica's 1991-self titled "black album" "I used to be a huge Metallica fan when I was 15, 16 years old," says Shakira. "I remember I was graduating from high school back then and I used to sing 'Nothing Else Matters' all day long. I am still a very huge Metallica fan, though. [And] I thought it would be kind of surprising to include it in my repertoire for this tour." Shakira's verison of the Metallica track is featured on her new concert DVD, "Shakira, Live From Paris." Check it out here. hennemusic is an official news provider for antiMusic.com.Copyright hennemusic - Excerpted here with permission. Metallica Tour Dates/Tickets Metallica CDs, DVDs and MP3s Meta...

LAS VEGAS (AP) Shakira , the Latin Recording Academy's Person of the Year, released her quaking hips for a feisty performance of her reggeaton hit "Loca" during the Latin Grammy Awards on Thursday night. Shakira, the youngest person to receive the academy's prestigious recognition, dedicated the honor to her fellow stars. "With their voices and their music, they cure all our pains and make us forget our sorrows," she said. It was a night for blending genres and talents, as performers from nearly 100 countries gathered at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on the Las Vegas Strip for a night of Spanish pop, rock, salsa, rap and country. Crossover stars Prince Royce , Sean Kingston , Usher and Demi Lovato were among the dozens of pop stars who shared the stage, along with Mexican rocker Alejandra Guzman , Puerto Rican rappers Wisin and Yandel and Taboo from the Black Eyed Peas. Award presenters included Erik Estrada, Zoe Saldana and Sofia Vergara. The internati...

Despite decades of repression, and even isolation, the pop music scene in Myanmar is thriving. And it's not just any pop music: In many cases, carbon copies of American pop songs spring up with a Burmese twist. Heather MacLachlan, a music professor at the University of Dayton, traveled to Myanmar a few years ago to study the country's traditional music, only to discover that most people were listening to pop. She writes about the phenomenon in her new book, Burma 's Pop Music Industry: Creators, Distributors, Censors . "A lot of Burmese people and musicians especially when they talk about what is a good song, what is a quality piece of work, what they say is, 'It's a song that sells a lot, a song that's commercially successful,' " MacLachlan says in an interview with NPR's Guy Raz. "That's how they judge artistic quality. So they know as well as everybody else that the best-selling music in the world comes out of the American and Bri...