Gutierrez Confirmed as Haas Second Formula One Driver

Posted on November 1, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Esteban Gutierrez will be getting behind the wheel for Haas next year.

The American outfit has confirmed the 24-year-old Mexican racing driver as its second driver for the team’s debut Formula One season in 2016.

It has been widely known Gutierrez would be unveiled by Haas for some time, with North American heritage and a role as Ferrari reserve driver making him an obvious candidate.

Ferrari is supplying Haas with a power unit for 2016, while the American outfit is also accepting as many components from Maranello as are allowed in the regulations.

Gutierrez, who drove for Sauber in 2013 and 2014, will partner current Lotus driver Romain Grosjean, who was unveiled at Haas’ North Kannapolis base in late September.

The announcement was made in Mexico City after the first day of practice at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodrigeuz ahead of this weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix.

“I got to know Esteban through our relationship with Ferrari, and after looking at the success he’s had to earn his role there, it became clear he was an excellent choice for our race team,” said team boss Gene Haas. “He’s young and hungry, but not inexperienced. His two years running a full F1 schedule has given him some very good race experience, and having spent this season at Ferrari as their third driver allowed him to see first hand the methodology that makes Ferrari such a power in Formula One.”

“We’re very happy to have Esteban as a part of our race team. Between him and Romain, we have a strong driver lineup that will help us develop our car and, ultimately, score some points in our inaugural season.”

Gutierrez won the GP3 Series in 2010 before spending two years in GP2, where he finished third in 2012. Two seasons followed at Sauber but he only finished in the points once, at 2013 Japanese Grand Prix where he finished sixth.

Aguilera to Perform Alongside the Rockettes at the NBA All-Star Game

Posted on January 28, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Christina Aguilera is Rocketting to the (all) stars…

The 34-year-old half-Ecuadorian American singer will kick off this year’s NBA All-Star Game with a special performance alongside the Rockettes.

It’s all part of the Entertainment Series presented by JBL on Sunday, February 15.

Aguilera and popular dance troupe will team up for the opening, New York-inspired performance when the All-Star Game, which will air live at 8:00 pm ET on TNT, kicks off from Madison Square Garden in New York City.

The Rockettes are an iconic New York City entertainment staple; and Aguilera was born in Staten Island before becoming a Grammy-winning artist and coach on NBC’s The Voice.

Aguilera’s performance with the Rockettes will lead directly into the All-Star Game player introductions.

Aguilera is the second announced 2015 NBA All-Star performer, after Ariana Grande was revealed to be this year’s halftime performer last week.

Since the release of 2012’s Lotus, Aguilera has scored hits with collaborations, including “Feel This Moment” with Pitbull and “Say Something” with A Great Big World, while hinting at a new studio album.

Next month, Aguilera will return to The Voice for the show’s eighth season, after taking two seasons off from the reality singing competition.

Pitbull is the Top-Ranking Latino Artist on Forbes’ World’s Highest-Paid Hip-Hop Acts List

Posted on September 24, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Pitbull is a Cash King…

The 33-year-old Cuban American rap superstar, who recently released the official music vide for his latest single “Fireball,” has earned a spot on Forbes’ list of the World’s Highest-Paid Hip-Hop Acts, which is compiled from “pretax earnings for living artists whose work is primarily classified as hip-hop or rap.” Earnings include “income from touring, record sales, publishing, merchandise sales, endorsements and other ventures.”

Pitbull comes in at No. 13 on the financial magazine’s Cash Kings list, with a reported haul of $12 million during the reporting period from June 2013 to June 2014.

Along with performing at some 50 concert dates last year, Pitbull also made bank through lucrative endorsement deals for products including Kodak, Dr. Pepper, Voli vodka and Budweiser. He’s also recently announced plans to launch his own Sirius XM channel.

But Pitbull isn’t the only Latino on the list…

Swizz Beatz made $8 million during the same reporting period, landing him at the No. 16 spot on the list.

The 36-year-old half-Puerto Rican hip-hop artist and record producer is considered a rare exception among hip-hop’s top earners because he didn’t tour this year. But he does earn plenty on production and side ventures with the likes of Reebok, Lotus and Monster headphones. Don’t expect him to slow down, either: he’s been taking classes at Harvard Business School to hone his already-sharp financial skills.

Click here to see the complete list on Forbes.com.

Aguilera Records “We Remain” for “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” Soundtrack

Posted on September 25, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Christina Aguilera’s musical career us catching fire…

The 32-year-old half-Ecuadorian singer and The Voice coach will appear on The Hunger Games: Catching Fire soundtrack.

Aguilera’s track, titled “We Remain,” joins the previously released piano ballad “Atlas,” written and performed by Coldplay, as well as The National‘s “Lean.”

Aguilera made the announcement via Twitter on Wednesday afternoon, telling her more than 9.4 million followers the news: “Love the underlying message of @TheHungerGames. ‘We Remain’ is special new song, its message to my fans & how I connect w/ the movie, alike.”

Aguilera’s last album was 2012’s Lotus and she has been a featured artist on several songs, including Pitbull‘s “Feel This Moment,” released earlier this year.

After taking the fourth cycle of The Voice off, the singer returned to NBC‘s hit singing competition series on September 23.

In Catching Fire, Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) adjust to life as Hunger Games victors, until they are thrown back into the arena for the 75th annual Games — the Quarter Quell.

Liam Hemsworth, Lenny Kravitz, Donald Sutherland, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci and Woody Harrelson reprise their roles in the second film of the franchise.

Catching Fire hits theaters November 22.

A release date for the accompanying soundtrack, to be distributed by Lionsgate and Republic Records, has not been announced yet.

Aguilera Tops Billboard’s Dance Charts with “Let There Be Love”

Posted on May 21, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Christina Aguilera has plenty of reason to do a happy dance this week…

Along with showing off her svelte body during a high-octane performance at Sunday night’s Billboard Music Awards, the 32-year-old half-Ecuadorian singer has landed another No. 1 song on Billboard’s Dance/Club Play Songs chart with “Let There Be Love.”

It’s the second single from her most recent album Lotus to top the chart, following “Your Body,” which reigned in December.

It’s also the eighth Dance/Club Play Songs No. 1 song of Aguilera’s career. Her other chart toppers include “Not Myself Tonight,” “You Lost Me.”

During her Billboard Music Awards performance with Pitbull, they performed their Dance/Electronic Songs No. 1 “Feel This Moment.”

Aguilera Returning to “The Voice” for Season Five

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

There’s a red leather chair in Christina Aguilera’s future…

The 32-year-old half-Ecuadorian American singer will be returning to NBC’s The Voice for the reality singing competition this fall, while Shakira will be exiting after one season.

Aguilera, a judge for the first three seasons of The Voice, left last year to promote her album Lotus, which was released in November.

Cee Lo Green, another of the four original judges on the Mark Burnett-produced competition show, also took a sabbatical to work on his music career.

Shakira and fellow newbie Usher joined Adam Levine and Blake Shelton this year for Season 4, which wraps up June 18.

Burnett has said change on the judges panel is a part of The Voice.

“Everybody can’t coach for life because when you have people with current recordings in the game, this is not their job,” he said. “Their job is their fans and making music and being live, and so we knew from the beginning that this would happen, and we’ve had six coaches. They all have another life and their schedules.”

Alonso Wins Spanish Grand Prix

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Fernando Alonso has earned his 32nd Formula One victory on his home turf…

Following an incredible start, the 31-year-old Spanish Formula One race driver secured a victory in the Spanish Grand Prix, allowing him to climb 13 points closer to the leader in the rankings, Germany’s Sebastian Vettel, who finished fourth.

It’s Alonso’s second triumph of the season after taking the Chinese Grand Prix title earlier this year, as well as his and this is his 89th time on the podium in his career.

Vettel leads with 89 points after five races and Alonso is now just 17 points behind him and in third place.

“I’m very happy with the win because it’s been a very good race. We came out really well, which we had predicted, moving up on rivals and everything came out OK on the second and third curve,” said Alonso.

The Ferrari team had an extraordinary race, with Alonso’s Brazilian teammate Felipe Massa finishing third, just behind Finland’s Kimi Raikkonen, driving for Lotus and finishing second in his third consecutive race.

“We knew that we’d have good rhythm with four pit stops, and we knew that others would do three. Coming back to win at home has been incredible,” the Spanish driver said.

This is Alonso’s 32nd career victory, after starting out in the sport in 2001 and securing his first win in the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2003.

Alonso repeated his victory in the Barcelona race, where he’d won once before in 2006, while driving for Renault.

“I know that, for many, it’s an effort with the way things are. I thank you and hope there will be much additional joy this year that that you enjoy it, both on the circuit and on the TV,” Alonso said.

Alonso Prevails at the Chinese Grand Prix

Posted on April 14, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Fernando Alonso has raced his way to another Formula One victory…

The 31-year-old Spanish Formula One racing driver, who currently races for Ferrari, proved to be the gran campeón at the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai on Sunday, winning the third race of the year on the F1 circuit.

“The whole weekend has been unbelievable. The race was fantastic from start to finish,” said Alonso.

The two-time Formula One champion beat Lotus’ Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen and Mercedes’ British driver Lewis Hamilton, who had to settle for second and third place, respectively.

“We didn’t have any problems, the tires wore out less than expected and after the withdrawal in Malaysia we took a second (place in Australia) and a first, so we have started well. I’m optimistic,” said Alonso.

Alonso, who won his last race at the 2012 German Grand Prix, covered 56 laps totaling 189 miles in 1:36:26.945.

The fourth Grand Prix race of the season will take place next weekend in Bahrain.

In all, El Nano, as he’s nicknamed, has a total of 31 career race wins.

Aguilera Gives Riveting Performance at People’s Choice Awards

Posted on January 10, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Now that’s why she’s called the “People’s Voice”…

Christina Aguilera didn’t just pick up a special award at the People’s Choice Awards for her achievements in the music industry and her ability to reach millions around the globe.

The 32-year-old half-Ecuadorian American actress even performed on the CBS-televised awards show, singing the soulful ballad “Blank Page,” her latest single from her recent album Lotus.

Dressed to the nines in an Alexander McQueen jacket and vest with Alexandre Vaulthier pants, Christian Louboutin shoes and Neil Lane jewelry, the recently-departed judge from NBC’s The Voice accepted her award, the first-ever People’s Voice Award, from actor Josh Duhamel.

It would be Aguilera’s only award of the night after losing in the Favorite Celebrity Judge category to The X Factor’s Demi Lovato.

Aguilera & Pitbull Groove at This Year’s American Music Awards

Posted on November 19, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Shakira may have picked up the trophy for Favorite Latin Artist at this year’s American Music Awards… But it’s Christina Aguilera and Pitbull who brought the house down.

The 31-year-old half-Ecuadorian singer, who released her seventh studio album, Lotus, on Tuesday, and 31-year-old rap superstar both performed crowd-pleasing sets and managed to make musical magic together in another instance.

During Sunday night’s show at Los Angeles’ Nokia Theatre, Aguilera – dressed in a daring one-piece black sequin-covered ensemble with a trailing skirt – performed a medley of songs from her new album: “Lotus Intro,” “Army of Me” and “Let There Be Love.” Aguilera’s performance included an army of dancers dressed in outrageous costumes.

Aguilera then joined Pitbull for his performance of their dancetastic collaboration “Feel This Moment.” Mr. Worldwide also brought the audience to their feet with “Don’t Stop the Party.”

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