Alejandro Fernández’s “No Me Sé Rajar” Rises to No. 1 on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Airplay Chart

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Alejandro Fernández is starting 2025 with a bang!

The 53-year-old Mexican singer claims the first new No. 1 of the new year on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Airplay chart as “No Me Sé Rajar” advances 3-1 to lead the January 18-dated ranking.

Alejandro Fernández,“No Me Sé Rajar” was originally written by Mexican guitarist and composer José Carmen Frayle Castañón in 1981 and recorded by the late Vicente Fernández, Alejandro’s father.

The new version of the song, a more modern take to the original mariachi tune, was produced by Eden Muñoz and released by Alejandro Fernández on October 25 on Universal Music Latino/UMLE.

The song’s coronation on Regional Mexican Airplay comes after a 14% gain in audience impressions, to 7.7 million, logged in the tracking week of Jan. 3-9, according to Luminate.

Thanks to the surge, Fernández adds an 11th No. 1 among 30 total entries since the tally begun in 1994. He extends his third-most champs streak among soloists, behind Christian Nodal (17 No. 1s) and Gerardo Ortiz (13).

Notably, out of Fernández’s 30 career entries on Regional Mexican Airplay, all his No. 1s have arrived in the 2020s decade, dating back to the one-week ruler “Caballero” in January 2020. With 11 rulers since, he claims the record for the most No. 1s by a solo artist this decade.

While Vicente Fernández’s version of “No Me Sé Rajar” didn’t make it to the charts as it was released before the 31-year-old ranking launched, the late mariachi star scored seven No. 1s among his 47 entries on Regional Mexican Airplay, dating to “Nos Estorbo La Ropa” in 1998 and placing his last champ with “El Último Beso” in 2009.

“No Me Sé Rajar” also gains territory on the overall Latin Airplay ranking, where it jumps 5-3 with a 10% gain in impressions, to 8 million.

Bad Bunny Expands Upcoming Residency at Coliseo de Puerto Rico to 30 Shows

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Bad Bunny is expanding his Puerto Rican residency…

The 30-year-old Puerto Rican Grammy-winning superstar has added nine more dates to his residency at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico, bringing his total to 30 shows at the iconic venue.

Bad BunnyThe summer stint is set to kick off Friday, July 11 and wrap on Sunday, September 14.

The addition of dates comes two days after the Puerto Rican hitmaker shared with his millions of followers on social media that while he does plan to unveil dates for shows in countries such as Mexico, Brazil and Spain later this year, for now, “I’m in Puerto Rico, I’m home, having fun and, to be honest, I don’t want to leave,” he says in the video.

“Thanks to music and the love you give me through my music, I’ve had the privilege of traveling to sing in different places of the world. I appreciate and love to do it,” Bad Bunny explains. “There are places I for sure will return to like Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia. And some I’ve never been to but would like to visit, like Brazil and Japan. And there are places I haven’t been to in a long time, like Italy, London, Spain, I know, and I promise before the year ends, I’ll tell you the date and time I will be visiting.”

As he walks down a hallway passing by posters of all his previous tours, including El Último Tour del Mundo and World’s Hottest Tour, Bad Bunny (real name Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio) unveils a new poster that announces his No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí residency at El Choli.

Set to kick off July 11, the 30-date venture will launch with the first nine shows exclusively reserved for Puerto Rico residents.

According to a press release, the residency has sold over 125,000 tickets through its island-wide in-person sales.

Bad Bunny’s residency announcement follows the release of Debí Tirar Más Fotos, his latest album released January 5.

The set debuts at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, securing Bad Bunny his seventh top 10-charting set.

Meanwhile, the LP opens at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Streaming Albums chart (dated Jan. 18), the largest streaming week for a Latin title in over a year.

Debí Tirar Más Fotos is Bad Bunny’s sixth studio album, and it’s a celebration of Puerto Rico and the sonic heritage that has soundtracked the island for generations, including plena and jíbara. The 17-track album includes collaborative efforts with Chuwi, Dei V, Omar Courtz, Pleneros de la Cresta and RaiNao — all Puerto Rican acts.

Ticket sales for those with pre-sale codes will begin on Friday, Jan. 17, at 10 a.m.

For the complete list of dates to Bad Bunny’s No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí residency at Coliseo de Puerto Rico, click here.

Karla Sofía Gascón Earns Historic BAFTA Film Award Nomination

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Karla Sofía Gascón has entered the BAFTA history books…

The 52-year-old Spanish actress has become the first openly transgender actress to be nominated for a BAFTA Film Award.

Karla Sofia GascónGascon has been recognized in the Leading Actress category for her role in Emilia Pérez, in which she stars as a Mexican drug kingpin who transitions into a woman.

BAFTA counts Elliot Page as a past transgender film nominee for his role in Juno, but this was before his transition. Annie Wallace, a transgender actress, was nominated for a Scottish BAFTA Award in 2016 for her role in soap Hollyoaks.

Gascon’s co-stars Zoe Saldana and Selena Gomez have also earned nods..

Both Latinas are nominated in the Supporting Actress category for their work in Emilia Perez.

Colman Domingo has earned a BAFTA Film Award nod.

The 55-year-old Emmy-winning Belizean-Guatemalan American actor and activist is up for Leading Actor for his performance in Sing Sing.

As previously announced, Jharrel Jerome is up for ta public-voted award.

The 27-year-old half-Dominican actor is nominated in the EE Rising Star Award category.

The BAFTA Film Awards will take place on February 16 at London’s Royal Festival Hall. The event will broadcast on BBC1 and stream on BritBox in North America. David Tennant returns as host.

BAFTA comprises more than 8,000 film voters across more than 50 countries.

Here are the nominees for the 2025 BAFTA FiIm Awards:

BEST FILM
ANORA Alex Coco, Samantha Quan, Sean Baker
THE BRUTALIST TBD
A COMPLETE UNKNOWN Fred Berger, Alex Heineman, James Mangold
CONCLAVE Tessa Ross, Juliette Howell, Michael A. Jackman
EMILIA PÉREZ TBD

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
BIRD  Andrea Arnold, Tessa Ross, Juliette Howell, Lee Groombridge
BLITZ Steve McQueen, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Anita Overland
CONCLAVE Edward Berger, Tessa Ross, Juliette Howell, Michael A. Jackman, Peter Straughan
GLADIATOR II  Ridley Scott, Douglas Wick, Lucy Fisher, Michael Pruss, David Scarpa, Peter Craig
HARD TRUTHS Mike Leigh, Georgina Lowe
KNEECAP Rich Peppiatt, Trevor Birney, Jack Tarling, Naoise Ó Cairealláin, Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh, JJ Ó Dochartaigh
LEE Ellen Kuras, Kate Solomon, Kate Winslet, Liz Hannah, Marion Hume, John Collee, Lem Dobbs
LOVE LIES BLEEDING Rose Glass, Andrea Cornwell, Oliver Kassman, Wereonika Tofilska
THE OUTRUN Nora Fingscheidt, Sarah Brocklehurst, Dominic Norris, Jack Lowden, Saoirse Ronan, Amy Liptrot
WALLACE AND GROMIT: VENGEANCE MOST FOWL Nick Park, Merlin Crossingham, Richard Beek, Mark Burton 

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER
HOARD Luna Carmoon (Director, Writer)
KNEECAP Rich Peppiatt (Director, Writer)
MONKEY MAN Dev Patel (Director)
SANTOSH Sandhya Suri (Director, Writer), James Bowsher (Producer), Balthazar de Ganay (Producer) [also produced by Alan McAlex, Mike Goodridge]
SISTER MIDNIGHT Karan Kandhari (Director, Writer) 

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT Payal Kapadia, Thomas Hakim
EMILIA PÉREZ Jacques Audiard, TBD
I’M STILL HERE (AINDA ESTOU AQUI) Walter Salles, TBD
KNEECAP Rich Peppiatt, Trevor Birney
THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG Mohammad Rasoulof, Amin Sadraei 

DOCUMENTARY
BLACK BOX DIARIES Shiori Ito, Hanna Aqvilin, Eric Nyari
DAUGHTERS Natalie Rae, Angela Patton, TBD
NO OTHER LAND Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Rachel Szor
SUPER/MAN: THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE STORY Ian Bonhôte, Peter Ettedgui, Lizzie Gilliett, Robert Ford
WILL & HARPER Josh Greenbaum, Rafael Marmor, Christopher Leggett, Will Ferrell, Jessica Elbaum 

ANIMATED FILM
FLOW Gints Siibalodis, Matīss Kaža
INSIDE OUT 2 Kelsey Mann, Mark Nielsen
WALLACE AND GROMIT: VENGEANCE MOST FOWL Nick Park, Merlin Crossingham, Richard Beek
THE WILD ROBOT Chris Sanders, Jeff Hermann 

CHILDREN’S & FAMILY FILM
FLOW Gints Siibalodis, Matīss Kaža
KENSUKE’S KINGDOM Kirk Hendry, Neil Boyle, Camilla Deakin
WALLACE AND GROMIT: VENGEANCE MOST FOWL Nick Park, Merlin Crossingham, Richard Beek
THE WILD ROBOT Chris Sanders, Jeff Hermann 

DIRECTOR
ANORA Sean Baker
THE BRUTALIST Brady Corbet
CONCLAVE Edward Berger
DUNE: PART TWO Denis Villeneuve
EMILIA PÉREZ Jacques Audiard
THE SUBSTANCE Coralie Fargeat 

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
ANORA Written by Sean Baker
THE BRUTALIST Written by Brady Corbet & Mona Fastvold
KNEECAP Writer Rich Peppiatt, Story by Rich Peppiatt, Naoise Ó Cairealláin, Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh, JJ Ó Dochartaigh
A REAL PAIN Written by Jesse Eisenberg
THE SUBSTANCE Written by Coralie Fargeat 

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
A COMPLETE UNKNOWN Screenplay by James Mangold and Jay Cocks
CONCLAVE Screenplay by Peter Straughan
EMILIA PÉREZ Written by Jacques Audiard
NICKEL BOYS Screenplay by RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes
SING SING Screenplay by Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Story by Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence ‘Divine Eye’ Maclin, John ‘Divine G’ Whitfield  

LEADING ACTRESS
CYNTHIA ERIVO Wicked
KARLA SOFÍA GASCÓN Emilia Pérez
MARIANNE JEAN-BAPTISTE Hard Truths
MIKEY MADISON Anora
DEMI MOORE The Substance
SAOIRSE RONAN The Outrun 

LEADING ACTOR
ADRIEN BRODY The Brutalist
TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET A Complete Unknown
COLMAN DOMINGO Sing Sing
RALPH FIENNES Conclave
HUGH GRANT Heretic
SEBASTIAN STAN The Apprentice 

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
SELENA GOMEZ Emilia Pérez
ARIANA GRANDE Wicked
FELICITY JONES The Brutalist
JAMIE LEE CURTIS The Last Showgirl
ISABELLA ROSSELLINI Conclave
ZOE SALDAÑA Emilia Pérez 

SUPPORTING ACTOR
YURA BORISOV Anora
KIERAN CULKIN A Real Pain
CLARENCE MACLIN Sing Sing
EDWARD NORTON A Complete Unknown
GUY PEARCE The Brutalist
JEREMY STRONG The Apprentice 

CASTING
ANORA Sean Baker, Samantha Quan
THE APPRENTICE Stephanie Gorin, Carmen Cuba
A COMPLETE UNKNOWN Yesi Ramirez
CONCLAVE Nina Gold, Martin Ware
KNEECAP Carla Stronge 

CINEMATOGRAPHY
THE BRUTALIST Lol Crawley
CONCLAVE Stéphane Fontaine
DUNE: PART TWO Greig Fraser
EMILIA PÉREZ Paul Guilhaume
NOSFERATU Jarin Blaschke 

EDITING
ANORA Sean Baker
CONCLAVE Nick Emerson
DUNE: PART TWO Joe Walker
EMILIA PÉREZ Juliette Welfling
KNEECAP Julian Ulrichs, Chris Gill 

COSTUME DESIGN
BLITZ Jacqueline Durran
A COMPLETE UNKNOWN Arianne Phillips
CONCLAVE Lisy Christl
NOSFERATU Linda Muir
WICKED Paul Tazewell 

MAKE-UP & HAIR
DUNE: PART TWO Love Larson, Eva Von Bahr
EMILIA PÉREZ Julia Floch Carbonel, Emmanuel Janvier, Jean-Christophe Spadaccini, Romain Marietti
NOSFERATU David White, Traci Loader, Suzanne Stokes-Munton
THE SUBSTANCE Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon, Frédérique Arguello, Marilyne Scarselli
WICKED Frances Hannon, Laura Blount, Sarah Nuth 

ORIGINAL SCORE
THE BRUTALIST Daniel Blumberg
CONCLAVE Volker Bertelmann
EMILIA PÉREZ Camille, Clément Ducol
NOSFERATU Robin Carolan
THE WILD ROBOT Kris Bowers 

PRODUCTION DESIGN
THE BRUTALIST Judy Becker, Patricia Cuccia
CONCLAVE Suzie Davies, Cynthia Sleiter
DUNE: PART TWO Patrice Vermette, Shane Vieau
NOSFERATU Craig Lathrop
WICKED Nathan Crowley, Lee Sandales 

SOUND
BLITZ John Casali, Paul Cotterell, James Harrison
DUNE: PART TWO Ron Bartlett, Doug Hemphill, Gareth John, Richard King
GLADIATOR II  Stéphane Bucher, Matthew Collinge, Paul Massey Danny Sheehan
THE SUBSTANCE Valérie Deloof, Victor Fleurant, Victor Praud, Stéphane Thiébaut, Emmanuelle Villard
WICKED Robin Baynton, Simon Hayes, John Marquis, Andy Nelson, Nancy Nugent Title 

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
BETTER MAN Luke Millar, David Clayton, Keith Herft, Peter Stubbs
DUNE: PART TWO Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Gerd Nefzer, Rhys Salcombe
GLADIATOR II Mark Bakowski, Neil Corbould, Nikki Penny, Pietro Ponti
KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES Erik Winquist, Rodney Burke, Paul Story, Stephen Unterfranz
WICKED Pablo Helman, Paul Corbould, Jonathan Fawkner, Anthony Smith 

BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION
ADIÓS José Prats, Natalia Kyriacou, Bernardo Angeletti
MOG’S CHRISTMAS Robin Shaw, Joanna Harrison, Camilla Deakin, Ruth Fielding
WANDER TO WONDER Nina Gantz, Stienette Bosklopper, Simon Cartwright, Maarten Swart 

BRITISH SHORT FILM
THE FLOWERS STAND SILENTLY, WITNESSING Theo Panagopoulos, Marissa Keating
MARION Joe Weiland, Finn Constantine, Marija Djikic
MILK Miranda Stern, Ashionye Ogene
ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS Franz Böhm, Ivan, Hayder Rothschild Hoozeer
STOMACH BUG Matty Crawford, Karima Sammout-Kanellopoulou 

EE RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public)
MARISA ABELA
JHARREL JEROME
DAVID JONSSON
MIKEY MADISON
NABHAAN RIZWAN

Dominican Teen Elian Peña Signs with New York Mets for $5 Million Bonus

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Elian Peña is celebrating a deal for the ages…

The 17-year-old Dominican shortstop has agreed to a $5 million bonus with the New York Mets; it’s the largest amount on the first day of the 2025 international signing period.

Elian PeñaPeña was rated the No. 3 prospect in the international class for this year by MLB.com behind Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki, who must agree to a deal by January 23, and Dominican shortstop Josuar De Jesus Gonzalez, who agreed with the San Francisco Giants to $2,997,500.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays, all hoping to sign Sasaki, did not finalize any contracts with bonuses of more than $10,000, which count against their signing bonus pools.

Just half of the 30 teams finalized deals of more than $10,000 in the opening hours of the signing period.

Dominican outfielder Cris Rodriguez, ranked fourth, signed with the Detroit Tigers for $3,197,500, and Andrew Salas, a shortstop and outfielder ranked fifth, signed with the Miami Marlins for $3.7 million. Salas was born in the U.S. and moved to Venezuela.

Hoping to become a two-way player just like Shohei Ohtani, 18-year-old Shotaro Morii made the rare decision to bypass Japanese professional baseball entirely and agreed with the Athletics at $1,510,500.

Other agreements included Dominican infielder Johan De Los Santos and the Pittsburgh Pirates ($2.25 million), Venezuelan catcher Gabriel Davalillo and the Los Angeles Angels ($2 million), Venezuelan infielder Brayan Cortesia and the Washington Nationals ($1.92 million), Dominican infielder Darell Morel and Pittsburgh ($1,778,600), Venezuelan infielder Leon Santiago and the Minnesota Twins ($1,697,500), Dominican outfielder Maykel Coret and the Tampa Bay Rays ($1.6 million), Venezuelan outfielder Breyson Guedez and the Athletics ($1.5 million), Dominican outfielder Elian De La Cruz and the Arizona Diamondbacks ($1.1 million), Dominican shortstop Christopher Acosta and the Milwaukee Brewers ($1.1 million), Dominican infielder Raymer Medina and Tampa Bay ($1.1 million), Venezuelan catcher Daniel Hernandez and Washington ($1.1 million) and Dominican infielder Warel Solano and Tampa Bay ($1.05 million).

Players born from September 1, 2007, through August 31, 2008, are eligible to sign during this year’s period, which ends December 15.

Teams have signing bonus pools ranging from about $5.1 million to $7.6 million; signing bonuses of $10,000 and under don’t count against a team’s cap.

Inter Miami CF Signs Tadeo Allende from Celta Vigo on One-Year Loan

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Tadeo Allende is switching sides…

Inter Miami CF has signed the 25-year-old Argentine professional footballer from Celta Vigo on Tuesday on a one-year loan through the end of the 2025 Major League Soccer season.

Tadeo AllendeThe Celta Vigo winger is set to join the team pending the receipt of his P-1 Visa and International Transfer Certificate (ITC).

“We’re pleased to bring in attacker Tadeo Allende to further strengthen our attack. Tadeo’s versatility bolsters our options up front as he can perform in different positions across the pitch. We’re excited to bring him on board to help us compete in multiple competitions in 2025,” said president of football operations Raúl Sanllehí.

Allende joins after recording three goals in 13 appearances for Celta across all competitions since joining the team in January of 2024.

He also previously saw stints with Instituto Atletico Central Cordoba (2021) and Club Deportivo Godoy Cruz (2022 on loan and 2022 to 2023) before joining La Liga, racking up a total of 18 goals and seven assists in 117 professional appearances.

“I’m honored to have the opportunity to join Inter Miami for an exciting new chapter in my career. I’m happy to be here in South Florida and I’m ready to give it my all to help the club achieve its objectives this upcoming season,” said Allende.

Allende stands as the latest signing for new manager Javier Mascherano, as he looks to build a deeper roster ahead of the 2025 campaign. Inter Miami will be participating in the Concacaf Champions Cup, Leagues Cup and Club World Cup in addition to the 2025 MLS season.

Mascherano said he was actively looking for players with a competitive mindset that can take on the responsibilities associated with Inter Miami.

 

“I would tell you [we’re looking for] the type of players, a competitive player, a player who has the ambition to come here to win things, who really wants to come because, well, we know that beyond the fact that we have players who can attract many other players,” Mascherano said to ESPN on Tuesday. “Then the responsibility has to be carried on your shoulders and that is not for everyone.

“So above all, players with a mentality, with personality and obviously with hierarchy. In the end the hierarchy in football is what determines the difference and well we will try to go for those types of players.”

Inter Miami will kick off the 2025 preseason with a friendly against Club America on Jan. 18 in Las Vegas, before embarking on a tour across South and Central America.

The team is set to be adding more players to the roster before officially kicking off the season with a Concacaf Champions Cup match against Sporting Kansas City on February 18.

In Australian Open Debut, João Fonseca Upsets No. 9 Seed Andrey Rublev in First Round

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João Fonseca has pulled off a major upset… 

The 18-year-old Brazilian tennis player definitively introduced himself to the world as the latest teen sensation in men’s tennis on Tuesday night, upsetting No. 9 seed Andrey Rublev 7-6 (1), 6-3, 7-6 (5) in the first round of the Australian Open.

João FonsecaIt was quite a debut in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament for Fonseca, who is ranked 112th and made it into the bracket at Melbourne Park by winning three matches in qualifying rounds last week.

The victory over 10-time major quarterfinalist Rublev, who is 27, lasted just under 2 1/2 hours and stretched Fonseca’s current unbeaten run to 14 matches. That includes taking the title last month in Saudi Arabia at the Next Gen ATP Finals for top players who are under 21, and another trophy this month at a lower-tier Challenger tournament in Canberra.

Those within tennis have been keeping tabs on 2023 US Open junior boys’ champion Fonseca for a bit, intrigued by his big serve, booming groundstrokes and cool demeanor. All of those qualities, and more, were on display against Rublev in Margaret Court Arena, the second-biggest stage in Melbourne.

Fonseca got to match point with a backhand winner that he celebrated by raising his right index finger in a No. 1 gesture and nodding his head. Then he ended it with a down-the-line forehand, spreading his arms wide and tossing his head back.

“I mean, not bad,” were Fonseca’s first words during his on-court interview afterward.

That drew a smile from him and supportive laughter from the stands, where there were plenty of fans sporting his home country’s flag.

“I just enjoyed every moment in this court, this amazing court,” he continued. “My first time playing in a huuuuge stadium.”

Hitting serves at up to 133 mph, Fonseca delivered 14 aces and had just one double fault while saving five of the six break points he faced.

He accumulated 51 total winners, 18 more than Rublev, a quarterfinalist in Melbourne three of the past four years and Fonseca’s first opponent ranked higher than No. 20.

“I was just focusing [on] my game, trying to put no pressure on myself, playing [against] a top-10 guy,” Fonseca said. “I was just playing my game and, well, now we’re in the second round.”

He’ll next face 55th-ranked Lorenzo Sonego, who got past three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka in four sets earlier Tuesday.

Asked the key to his strong play in the tiebreakers against the far-more-experienced Rublev, Fonseca said he tries to employ “all the intensity in the important points,” “go for the shots” and show “courage.”

He also cited 20-time major champion Roger Federer as an inspiration.

“Like Roger says: ‘Talent is not enough.’ … So I put [in] a lot of hard work,” Fonseca said. “Just me and my team knows that.”

Ryan Castro Makes History with Acquisition of Significant Equity Stake in Paisas Basketball Club

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Ryan Castro is getting in the game…

The 31-year-old Colombian rapper, singer and songwriter has announced that through his company AWOO Team, he has acquired a significant equity stake in Paisas Basketball club, a professional team in his hometown of Medellín.

Ryan CastroThe acquisition makes Castro the first Colombian music artist to own a stake in a basketball team, and also makes him one of only a handful of Colombian artists vested economically in sports.

“It’s another facet for us as entrepreneurs. Supporting sports, because the kids in the barrios have the same dreams as us, the artists,” said Castro, who rose to stardom from the slums of Medellín. 

The Paisas, he adds are from his hometown, plus, “I love basketball. Every time I go to the U.S., I like to go to NBA games. So, it all came together and the opportunity arose to support a team from my city to continue growing the basketball movement, generate more activity and support young people who are into sports.”00:00

While basketball is not nearly as prominent as soccer in Colombia, it’s on the rise. Castro’s acquisition coincides with Paisas Basketball debut in the Basketball Champions League Americas (BCLA), which includes top teams from across the continent). The team also competes in the Betplay professional league in Colombia under Venezuelan coach Daniel Seoane.

On his end, Castro is no stranger to sports.

Last year, he released “El Ritmo Que Nos Une,” the official anthem for Colombia’s national soccer team during Copa América. The video, which has been viewed more than 110 million times on YouTube, shows Castro hanging out and playing soccer with members of the Colombian squad.

However, Castro wasn’t actively looking to invest in sports. The opportunity came to him via a close associate who works actively with basketball and the NBA. “He told me this was a possibility and me and my team gathered all the information we could about Paisas,” says Castro.

Beyond investing in the team, partnering with Castro also gives the Paisas the opportunity to leverage the musician’s platform as a popular Colombian artists with millions of followers on social media (4.5 million on Instagram alone). Plus, he says, “Taking into my account my life story, also take that message of empowerment, of working for your dreams to other kids. That’s the intention. Many kids dream of basketball and sports as a way to get ahead and have a better life, and my story is similar, but with music. So it’s about also taking that motivation, and, as a businessman, I want to venture into sports.”

Castro officially announced his partnership on Tuesday, January 14 at a press conference in Medellín. At the same time, he’s releasing his first single of the year, “Ni x el Putxs,” featuring Colombian trap star Kris R.

Castro’s music is distributed by Sony Latin via his compay AWOO Corp. He also has a strategic partnership and label services deal with WK Records with Leo Arango as his manager.

Donovan Solano Agrees to One-Year, $3.5 Million Deal with Seattle Mariners

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Donovan Solano is headed to the Emerald City.

The 37-year-old Colombian professional baseball infielder has agreed to a $3.5 million, one-year contract with the Seattle Mariners.

Donovan SolanoSolano can earn an additional $1 million in performance bonuses for plate appearances: $200,000 each for 300, 350, 400, 450 and 500.

Solano hit .286 with eight homers and 35 RBIs in 96 games with the San Diego Padres last year, including .302 (32 for 106) with four home runs against left-handers.

He is a .279 career hitter with 40 homers and 279 RBIs in 11 major league seasons with the Miami Marlins (2012-15), the New York Yankees (2016), San Francisco (2019-21), Cincinnati (2022), Minnesota (2023) and San Diego.

Since 2019 Solano is hitting .294 with 31 homers and 180 RBIs.

“Donovan has been among the most underrated hitters in the game over the past six years,” Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said in a statement.

Solano also gets a hotel suite on road trips. He would receive $50,000 for election to the MLB All-Star team and $25,000 for selection. Solano also can earn $150,000 for MVP, $100,000 for World Series MVP and $50,000 each for League Championship Series MVP, Gold Glove or Silver Slugger.

Left-hander Austin Kitchen was designated for assignment to open a roster spot.

He made his major league debut for Miami at Tampa Bay Rays on July 30, went 0-1 with a 14.14 ERA in one start and three relief appearances and was claimed off waivers by Seattle on September 9.

San Jose Earthquakes Sign Josef Martinez on One-Year Contract

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Josef Martinez is shaking things up…

The San Jose Earthquakes have signed the 31-year-old Venezuelan professional soccer player and former MLS MVP to a one-year contract.

Josef MartinezThe deal with the free agent striker includes a club option for 2026. 

Martinez tallied 11 goals in 23 matches with CF Montreal last season, his fifth Major League Soccer season with double-digit goals.

He has 116 goals and 20 assists in 184 matches with Atlanta United FC (2017-22), Inter Miami CF (2023) and Montreal.

“Josef Martinez is an accomplished goalscorer in our league and is clearly an excellent addition to our team,” Earthquakes sporting director and head coach Bruce Arena said in a news release. “We are looking forward to his contributions to our attack.”

Martinez led Atlanta to the MLS Cup in 2018, earning MVP and Golden Boot honors that season with 31 goals. The three-time MLS Best XI selection is one of 13 players in league history to score 100 goals.

“I’m happy to be here, to be part of this group and the San Jose Earthquakes,” Martinez said. “I’m very excited for the new year and hope we can make history here.”

Bad Bunny’s “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” Becomes His Ninth Consecutive No. 1 Album on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums Chart

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Bad Bunny has another Latin chart-topping album on his hands…

The 30-year-old Puerto Rican Grammy-winning superstar has logged his ninth straight No. 1 project on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart as DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS debuts atop the January 18-dated list.

Bad BunnyThe 17-track set also opens at No. 2 on the overall Billboard 200, No. 1 on the Top Streaming Albums, and No. 1 on the Latin Rhythm Albums charts.

DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS launches at No. 1 on Top Latin Albums with 122,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. during the January 3-9 tracking week, according to Luminate.

The set was released on January 5 via Rimas Entertainment, two days after the beginning of the tracking week which runs weekly Friday through Thursday. Thus, it arrives with five days of activity instead of the usual seven days.

DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS was available via streamers and through download services to purchase.

The download version available on Benito’s webstore and the iTunes Store for $4.99. A physical version of the album has not been released. Of the album’s starting total, 8,000 units come from album sales, enough for a No. 6 start on the overall Top Album Sales chart.

The set is the only Latin album to appear on the chart’s top 10 since Ivan Cornejo’s Mirada debuted at No. 9 with 9,000 copies sold in August 2024.

Streaming activity contributes 113,500 units which represents 152.6 million official on-demand streams of the 17 songs on the album. The sum yields the largest streaming week for a Latin album in over a year, since Bad Bunny’s own Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va A Pasar Mañana launched at No. 1 on Top Streaming Albums with 239.56 million on-demand official streams for its songs (Oct.ober 28, 2023-dated chart). Track-equivalent album units comprise the remaining 500 units of DeBÍ’s first week sum.

With DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, Bad Bunny lands his ninth straight No. 1 on Top Latin Albums, the entirety of his charting releases. The streak began with 2019’s X100PRE which led for 46 weeks. That same year, Benito scored his second champ through the J Balvin-jointed set Oasis (eight weeks atop). YHLQMDLG, however, became his most profitable project to date, with 70 weeks at No. 1, the longest-leading album overall since Top Latin Albums begun in 1993.

Here’s the recap of all those winning sets:

Peak Date, Title, Artist, Weeks at No. 1
Jan. 5, 2019, X 100PRE, 46
July 13, 2019, Oasis, With J Balvin, eight
March 14, 2020, YHLQMDLG, 70
May 23, 2020, Las Que No Iban A Salir, one
Dec. 12, 2020, El Último Tour Del Mundo, 27
Jan. 15, 2022, Anniversary Trilogy, one
May 21, 2022, Un Verano Sin Ti, 60
Oct. 28, 2023, Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va A Pasar Mañana, 10
Jan. 18, 2025, DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS