palabras RODRIGO SALAZAR

This year's edition of the Latin Billboard Awards was televised on Telemundo. Maybe it was the country's currently precarious economic climate or the sad state of the music industry, but if you were to look at the industry as a whole through the lens of the awards, things look pretty bad. There were no controversial winners or anything that approximated a furthering of Latin music as a whole.

If Belanova's robotic, filtered pop is the future, the future is pretty bleak. They were one of the few new jack acts to perform at the event.

Juan Luis Guerra was the big winner for this year. Besides producer of the year and artist of the year, he also won for best tropical album.

Singer/actor Chayanne is officially back and maybe his corny factor will dissipate with his win for best pop tune in the male category. He suprisingly beat out Alejandro Fernandez, Enrique Iglesias, and even Juanes.

The Colombian singer's receipt of the Spirit of Hope award was the most touching thing from the telecast. There was a live satellite feed from Medellin of this group of kids singing one of his songs. Two of his infant nephews got to say hi to their tío Juanes. Another kid who was hurt by a landmine in Colombia gave a moving testimony to his parsero Juanes. The singer's Fundación Tu Sangre helped the youngster through his injuries.

The Latin Billboard Award's once complicated relationship with reggaeton is totally patched up. No longer the stepchildren of the Latin music industry, acts like Rakim y Ken-Y and Daddy Yankee walked off with 2 awards each. Yankee's win for best reggeaton album of the year ("El Cartel: Big Boss") was expected, while his best Latin album of the year honor for the same release was therapeutic towards said relationship.

We waited until the end of the presentation for the awards for best anarkumbia/hip hop mash-up of the year, the best DJ of the year, and biggest download of the year, but to no avail. Maybe the Awards will be more responsive to current trends next year.