The 2009 Latin American Awards were given last night by Residente, singer of Calle 13.  The host remembered the recently deceased singer Mercedes Sosa, he made fun of President Kirchner, and he caused surprise when he talked about Maradona.
The musician, who definitely was the centre of attention, changed his t-shirts several times. Most of them had captions with political messages, such as: “Micheletti go home”, “Mexico never forgets October 2, 1968″, in reference to the present de facto Honduran governor and the students’ slaughter in Tlatelolco, respectively.
Another t-shirt read: “Mercedes Sosa will sound forever”. The gesture was applauded by the Argentine reporters and the Latin American artists.
The ceremony was held at the Gibson Theatre, Universal Studios in Hollywood, Los Angeles, and it was attended by stars like Shakira, Nelly Furtado, 50 cent, Alejandro Sanz, Paulina Rubio, Cafe Tacva, Calle 13, and others.
The big winners of the night were Wisin & Yandel, who got the best artist of the year award, best duet, and best video.
The very Resident, paraphrased Maradona: “Like the great Argentine philosopher said yesterday, ”For those who didn’t believe in me, suck me.”
He also hinted a suggestion at President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner: “Quit the Botox injections,” he asked.
He also wore a t-shirt reading “Chavez nominated for best pop artist”, ”Uribe paramilitary”, and “Micheletti = Pinochet.”
