Latin music’s biggest night is headed for Sin City. Last year’s glamorous stint at Madison Square Garden will be a hard act to follow, but the Latin Grammys are betting on Las Vegas’ sleazy allure to light up its 8th edition Thursday.

“What to do after being in New York?” said Gabriel Abaroa, president of the Latin Recording Academy. “You have to go to a city that’s not comparable, that has a life of its own, that’s not tagged in any other way than as an entertainment city.”

Leading the nominations this year are Dominican merengue star Juan Luis Guerra with five nods. Two hot Puerto Rican acts have four each - hip hop en español bad boys Calle 13 and pop idol Ricky Martin, riding high on the success of his “MTV Unplugged” album.

“I’ll be very grateful if I take a Latin Grammy home,” Martin said, “but the greatest award I could have hoped for really has been seeing the appreciation that my fans and my peers have already given me.”

Martin, Calle 13 and Guerra will all perform live at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. “It’s going to be a Las Vegas show with a very huge twist of Latin flavor,” Abaroa said.

Also among the nominees are perennial Latin Grammy favorites Shakira, for the Spanish version of her Beyoncé collaboration “Beautiful Liar,” and 14-time winner Alejandro Sanz - though they only have one nomination each this year.

The growing list of presenters includes actors Benjamin Bratt and Sofia Vergara, and singers Gloria Estefan, Rubén Blades and the Bronx bachata group Aventura.

The three-hour extravaganza will be broadcast live on Univision - locally on Channel 41 - starting at 8 p.m.

All eyes are on Calle 13, which arrived last year in New York virtually unknown and left with the three awards they were nominated for.

“This gave us musical credibility,” said Residente, the singer and front man of the duo. “When you go against the tide and try to do something different, it’s very difficult to get radio play, and the Latin Grammy helped us to be more accepted.”

Other performers will be Spanish veteran Miguel Bosé and Cuban hip-hop masters Orishas, and reggae’s first lady Ivy Queen.

Just don’t expect to see New York’s Latin “It” couple Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony anywhere near the Nevada desert because they recently added a third show in Miami on Wednesday in their joint U.S. tour. Coincidentally, J.Lo’s all-Spanish album “Como Ama Una Mujer” was also MIA from the nominations. source

Here is a list of the nominees in the Top 30 categories.

RECORDING OF THE YEAR

Bello Embustero (Beautiful Liar) - Beyonce & Shakira
Nena - Miguel Bose con Paulina Rubio
La Excepcion - Gustavo Cerati
La Llave De Mi Corazon - Juan Luis Guerra
Tu Recuerdo - Ricky Martin featuring La Mari De Chambao y Tommy Torres

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Papito - Miguel Bose con Varios Artistas
Residente O Visitante - Calle 13 * La Llave De Mi Corazón - Juan Luis Guerra
MTV Unplugged - Ricky Martin
El Tren De Los Momento - Alejandro Sanz

SONG OF THE YEAR

Bella Traicion - Belinda, Kara DioGuardi, Mitch Allan, Ben Moody & Nacho Peregrin, songwriters (Belinda)
La Llave De Mi Corazon - Juan Luis Guerra, songwriter (Juan Luis Guerra)
Labios Compartidos - Fher Olvera, songwriter (Mana)
Tengo - Franco De Vita, songwriter (Franco De Vita)
Todo Cambio - Mario Domm & Jose Luis Ortega, songwriters (Camila)

BEST NEW ARTIST

Alejandra Alberti
Jesse & Joy
Dafnis Prieto
Tulsa
Ricky Vallen

BEST FEMALE POP ALBUM

Anatomia - Ana Belen
Utopia - Belinda
Recordando - Shaila Durcal
Alla En El Sur - Ilona
Yo Canto - Laura Pausini

BEST MALE POP VOCAL ALBUM

Papito - Miguel Bose con Varios Artistas
Para Amarte Mejor - Andres Cepeda
Mil y Una Historias En Vivo - Franco De Vita
MTV Unplugged - Ricky Martin
Leccion De Vuelo - Aleks Syntek

BEST POP ALBUM BY A DUO OR GROUP WITH VOCALS

Adelantando - Jarabe De Palo
Esta Es Mi Vida - Jesse & Joy
El Mundo Se Equivoca - La Quinta Estacion
El Disco De Tu Corazon - Miranda!
Solo Paz - Porpartes

BEST URBAN MUSIC ALBUM

Residente O Visitante - Calle 13
El Cartel - Daddy Yankee
Antidiotico - Orishas
Sentimiento - Ivy Queen
Malamarismo - Mala Rodriguez

BEST URBAN SONG

Hay Un Son - Mathieu & Orishas, songwriters (Orishas)
Impacto Remix - Will Adams, songwriters (Daddy Yankee featuring Fergie)
Mi Tumbao - Luis Fonseca, songwriters (Tres Coronas featuring Michael Stuart)
No Se De Ella - William Omar Landron, songwriters (Don Omar con Wisin y Yandel)
Pal Norte - Panasuyo & Calle 13, songwriters (Calle 13 featuring Orishas)

BEST ROCK ALBUM

Pisando Lo Fregao - Belo y Los Susodichos
Las Siete y Media - Ivan Ferreiro
El Endémico Embustero y El Incauto Pertinaz - Rosendo
El Mundo Cabe En Una Cancion - Fito Paez
Duos, Trios y Otras Perversiones - Ariel Rot

BEST ROCK ALBUM BY A DUO OR GROUP WITH VOCAL

Karmagedon - Attaque 77
Bengala - Bengala
Trueno Tierra - La Renga
Amantes Suntamentes - Panda
Kamikaze - Rabanes

BEST ROCK SONG

La Excepcion - Gustavo Cerati, songwriter (Gustavo Cerati)
Monitor - Bruno Bressa, Chalo Galvan & Gerardo Galvan, songwriters (Volovan)
Narcisista Por Excelencia - Arturo Arredondo, songwriters (Panda)
Oscuro Diamante - Gustavo F. Napoli, songwriter (La Renga)
Yendo A La Casa De Damian - Roberto Musso, songwriter (El Cuarteto De Nos)

BESTY ALTERNATIVE MUSIC ALBUM

Oye - Aterciopelados
Logo - Kevin Johansen
Reina - Kinky
Los Pajaros - Vicentico
Memo Rex Commander y El Corazon Atomico De La Voa Lactea - Zoe

BEST ALTERNATIVE SONG

Anoche Sone Contigo - Kevin Johansen, songwriter (Kevin Johansen)
Me Llaman Calle - Manu Chao, songwriter (Manu Chao)
Complemento - Hector Buitrago & Andrea Echeverri, songwriters (Aterciopelados)
El Arbol De La Plaza - Vicentico, songwriter (Vicentico)
No Me Destruyas - León Larregui, songwriter (Zoe)

BEST SALSA ALBUM

35 Aniversario En Vivo - Willy Chirino
En Primera Plana - Issac Delgado
Arroz Con Habichuela - El Gran Combo De Puerto Rico
El Godfather De La Salsa - Andy Montanez
Canciones Clasicas De Marco Antonio Solis - Tito Nieves

BEST MERENGUE ALBUM

Regreso El Jefe - Elvis Crespo
La Llave De Mi Corazon - Juan Luis Guerra
Real Time V- Limi-T 21
Con Sabor A Mi - Kinito Mendez
A Tu Gusto - Tono Rosario

BEST CUMBIA ALBUM

Checazos De Carnaval 3 - Checo Acosta
Impredecible - Binomio De Oro De America
Son…Para El Mundo - Jorge Celedon y Jimmy Zambrano
El M¡s Grande Con Los Grandes - Alfredo Gutierrez
El Papa De Los Amores - Peter Manjarres y Sergio Luis Rodríguez

BEST CONTEMPORARY TROPICAL ALBUM

Live At The Colony Theater - Albita
K.O.B Live - Aventura
Fuzionando - Oscar D’Leon
Lifetime Of Hits Live At Centro De Bellas Artes, San Juan, Puerto Rico - Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz
De Nino A Nino: Homenaje A Nino Bravo - Nino Segarra

BEST TROPICAL SONG

Arroz Con Habichuela - Juan Jose Hernandez, songwriter (El Gran Combo De Puerto Rico)
La Llave De Mi Corazon - Juan Luis Guerra, songwriter (Juan Luis Guerra)
La Mujer Que Mas Te Duele - Yoel Henriquez songwriters (Issac Delgado Featuring Victor Manuelle)
No Te Pido Flores - Jose Gaviria, songwriter (Fanny Lu)

BEST RANCHERO ALBUM

Enamorado - Pepe Aguilar
El Indomable - Cristian Castro
Escchame - Pedro Fernandez
La Tragedia Del Vaquero - Vicente Fernandez
Que Bonita Es Mi Tierra… y Sus Canciones - Pablo Montero

BEST NORTENO ALBUM

El Amor Que Nunca Fue - Conjunto Primavera
Crossroads - Cruce De Caminos
Escuchame Un Momento - Pesado
En Vivo - Michael Salgado
Capitulo - Siggno

BEST REGIONAL MEXICAN SONG

A Las Escondidas - Freddie Martinez, Sr., songwriter (Joe Lopez con Jimmy Gonzalez)
Como Quieres Que Te Olvide? - Edgar Cortazar, songwriters (Pedro Fernandez)
No Eres Tu - Carlos Alberto Agundiz, songwriter (Los Horoscopos De Durango)
La Tragedia Del Vaquero - Teodoro Bello, songwriter (Vicente Fernandez)
Me Duele Escuchar Tu Nombre - Edgar Cortazar, songwriters (Grupo Montez)
Por Amarte - Mauricio L. Arriaga; Eduardo Murguia, songwriters (Pepe Aguilar)
Por Ella (Poco a Poco) - Luis “Louie Padilla, songwriter (Intocable)

BEST LATIN JAZZ ALBUM

Spain Again - Michel Camilo & Tomatito
Spirit Of The Moment - Michel Camilo
Funk Tango - Paquito D’Rivera Quintet
Rumba Palace - Arturo Sandoval
Keys Of Latin Jazz - Chuchito Valdes

BEST SHORT FORM MUSIC VIDEO

Tango Del Pecado - Calle 13
Anoche Sone Contigo - Kevin Johansen
Labios Compartidos - Mana, Pablo Croce
Hay Un Son - Orishas
Ven A Mi Casa Esta Navidad - Voz Veis y Luis Miguel Leal

BEST LONG FORM MUSIC VIDEO

Aaerie - Chico Buarque
Made in Argentina 2005 - Andres Calamaro
Mil y Una Historia en vivo - Franco de Vita
MTV Unplugged - Ricky Martin
Multishow Ao Vivo Ivete no Maracana - Ivete Sangalo

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR

Benny Faccone
Carlos Jean
Sebastian Krys
Cachorro Lopez
Phil Vinall, Zoe

BEST BRAZILIAN SONG

Berimbau Metalizado - Chico Buarque
Made in Argentina 2005 - Miro Almeida
Carta A Amiga Poeta - Simone Guimarães
Rosas - Ana Carolina

BEST MUSICA POPULAR BRASILEIRA ALBUM

Ao Vivo - Leny Andrade & Cesar Camargo Mariano
Ao Vivo - Gal Costa
Casa de Villa - Guinga
Parceria dos Viajantes - Ze Ramalho
Noites De Gala, Samba Na Rua- Mônica Salmaso

BEST BRAZILIAN ROCK ALBUM

Eu Nunca Disse Adeus - Capital Inicial
MTV Ao Vivo CPM 22 - CPM 22
Acstico MTV - Lobao
Ao Vivo -Barbican Theatre, Londres 2006 Mvtantes
NX ZERO -NX ZERO

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