Anybody else remember this dance movie (from 1988)? "SALSA" came shortly after "Dirty Dancing", and although maybe not as memorable for its story and acting, I found quite an enjoyable and HOT movie - and the dancing was just great (better than DD's).



The Soundtrack Album reached #1 on Blue-Box, and delivered two hit singles: Robby Rosa's "Under My Skin" and Laura Branigan's "Your Love".
I've discovered that Robi (who changed his name) Rosa - the lead actor of the movie, has written and produced several big hits for other artists - most notably for Ricky Martin (The Cup Of Life, Livin' La Vida Loca, Maria, Shake Your Bon-Bon, She Bangs, Loaded); also for Julio Iglesias and Sisqo ('The Thong Song'!)

These days he goes under the name of 'Draco' and is still very active in music (among other things), and has released several of his own critically acclaimed albums.
Interestingly, he married his female co-star from that memorable 80's film 'Salsa', a few months after making the movie...

A DVD I purchased recently and HAVE to mention: Kylie Minogue's "Showgirl - The Greatest Hits Tour"...!



It is possibly the best concert I've ever seen... the performances, choreography and "showmanship" are simply mindblowing! (Definitely the best I've seen at least since Michael Jackson's 1991 "Dangerous" tour...)

She went all-out with this one - and it's often more of a show than a concert. She sings live all the way through, and almost each song is accompanied by some of the most elaborate costumes and dancing, and the stage decor is amazing (this set must have cost a fortune!)
And it's SEXY!

Highlights include the mini-musical with songs In Denial (featuring Pet Shop Boys' Neil Tennant on vocals - even though he wasn't physically there), Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi and Confide In Me (BRILLIANT orchestral accompaniment on the latter, and Kylie does the most amazing dance routine with one of her dancers which takes your breath away!)

Move over to the 'shower scene' - guys literally having a shower on the stage - and into the HOT performance of Red Blooded Woman (possibly one of the BEST modern pop songs of our time?) - again the choreography and movements need to be seen to be believed! (You sit there thinking: wow - am I really seeing this?!)

Plenty of highlights follow, like the sexy Slow and the latin-dance extravaganza of Please Stay.
I also LOVED the energy-charged Your Disco Needs You - the German and Australian single and Blue-Box #1... delicious!

One of the biggest surprises has to be the jazz rendition of The Loco-Motion... yes, that's right - and absolutely mindblowingly done!

Furthermore the quality of sound and image on this DVD is first class. I can't stress it enough - this is an AMAZING concert, and Kylie has proven with it she's one of the best entertainers in the world!

LOL - quote for the day:

"When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading."

There have of course been many other latin artists that made an impact on the Blue-Box charts, like Shakira, Marc Anthony and Paulina Rubio; and don't forget "La Bamba" and "Macarena" (aargh!).

The "champion" among male artists on Blue-Box however, has not been Ricky Martin, but his biggest competition - Enrique Iglesias!

Enrique also made it big in the English market in 1999, but he has been more consistent than Ricky. His first English single - "Bailamos" - became a staple of latin dance music, and since then he's scored hit after successful hit. Seven #1 hits since '99 so far, and this month comes with the news that he's wrapping up his new album in the studio.

Ricky Martin's recent "Life" album didn't prove too successful, so if Enrique's next album sells like its predecessors, there could surely be no doubt that he's the undisputed 'king of latin'...

Something I've found interesting, is that many of the major latin artists in the world seem to be connected... As mentioned before, Jon Secada used to be involved with Miami Sound Machine. He also wrote Gloria's "Coming Out Of The Dark" and Ricky's "She's All I Ever Had". Robby/Robi Rosa has been behind Ricky's biggest hits, and these two also used to be in the same boyband - Menudo.