The footballing gods decided the fate of the 32 nations on friday.

With 187 days left until the world cup, the stage is set, the tables are filled and the discussions can begin.

If you missed it, here is the draw:

• Group A: South Africa, Mexico, France and Uruguay
• Group B: Argentina, Nigeria, South Korea and Greece
• Group C: England, USA, Algeria and Slovenia
• Group D: Germany, Australia, Serbia and Ghana
• Group E: Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, Cameroon
• Group F: Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, Slovakia
• Group G: Brazil, North Korea, Ivory Coast and Portugal
• Group H: Spain, Switzerland, Honduras and Chile.

First thing: Charlize Theron is the worst host for any ceremony I have ever seen. She was awkward, out of place, mis-informed and annoying. “Haha, Am I the only one who’s nervous???” to silent crowd.

On to the football:

My initial reaction was a sigh of relief to see a favorable draw for the Yanks. I EXPECT and HAVE NO DOUBT that the USA will advance into the round of 16. This is the easiest draw we’ve ever had in the modern age and I expect them to do very well. A rematch of 2002′s quarterfinal against the Germans may be in our horizon.

For the most part, I think the draw was fairly evenly distributed between all the groups. Just looking at the table, there are many match-ups that have the footballing world’s attention. Here is my selection for the top 10 must see games of the first round, in order of date:

1. Friday June 11, 7:00am PT – South Africa vs. Mexico

The Bafana Bafana will be opening the world cup against my beloved El Tri. This match will be tough for the mexicans, as they will face an overwhelming South African crowd. Its a match up putting the “plastic trumpets” of the south africans against the “si se puede” chants of the mexicans. Which is more annoying? We’ll see June 11.

2. Saturday June 12, 4:30am PT – Argentina vs. Nigeria

Will Diego Maradona be on the sidelines coaching the argentines? Will Messi finally play a good game with his national team? Can Argentina put behind them their troubled path to the finals and start playing the beautiful passing football that was part of Pekerman’s 2002 team? Many questions are going to be asked of this argentine side. My bet is Maradona will be a huge distraction to the team with the media.

3. Saturday June 12, 11:30am PT – England vs. United States

My hunch is that this game will be physical and we may see one or two red cards. Low Scoring, something like 1-0, 1-1. The USA could be without Oguchi Onyewu and/or Charlie Davies. England had a fairly easy route to the finals, and did not impress against the Brazilians in the November friendly match. I don’t buy into that whole “British World Cup Champs” talk with their manager Fabio Capello. With Ferdinand and Terry playing subpar for their clubs, it can be a perfect setting for a second “Miracle on Grass” (look up 1950 World Cup) with Jozy Altodore, Landon Donovan and *fingers crossed* Charlie Davies setting the pace that will cause the british defense to make mistakes.

4. Monday June 14, 11:30am PT – Italy vs. Paraguay

Both of these teams play defensive. One team has to, in theory, attack. Will Italy start off characteristically slow, giving the paraguayans a valuable opportunity to get a head start on the slovakians, who will more than likely win New Zealand to open the campaign.

5. Tuesday June 15, 7:00am PT – Ivory Coast vs. Portugal

An absolutely titanic match between these two nations, who in *my opinion* is the group a death. It is crucial for these teams to get a result in this match, especially Ivory Coast who will have to play Brazil in their second match day. Ivory Coast is the strongest african team and Cristiano Ronaldo and his selecao will be up for the challenge.

6. Thursday June 17, 4:30am PT – France vs. Mexico

This match could see both sides looking for their first points, as this evenly matched group will probably be going without a clear victor into the 3rd match day. I expect the mexicans to flourish under the underdog role, but will the star power of the french side prove to be fatal for El Tri? All you need is one touch from Benzema, Ribery, Gourcuff or a hand ball from Henry to get ahead in a match. Should have been the Irish.

7. Sunday June 20, 11:30am PT – Brazil vs. Ivory Coast

It is almost certain that the brazilians will have 3 points from their first match against the north koreans, and Ivory Coast will have to win IF they did not gain any points from their first match against the portuguese. Ivory Coast will have the luxury of knowing they have the north koreans last, but the brazilians do not want to be looking for points in the final match day against the portuguese where anything could happen.

8. Monday June 21, 7:00am PT – Chile vs. Switzerland

This could be the match that decides which of these two countries will join the spanish in the 2nd round. The chileans will be opening against a tough honduran side who could steal some points from a side or two in this group. Switzerland will be looking for points against Chile because more than likely will lose to the Furia Roja in the first match.

9. Tuesday, June 22, 7:00am PT – Mexico vs. Uruguay

All 3 of mexico’s matches make my “must see list”, because they’re all interesting for the neutral (ahem cough cough cough) spectator. A concacaf vs. conmebol match up, these two sides will more than likely need this result to pass the first round. This, and the Chile vs. Honduras match is a perfect game to end the discussion raised by my Conmebol vs. Concacaf debate.

10. Friday June 25, 7:00am PT – Brazil vs. Portugal

An absolute gigantic match up between european power versus former colony turned super champ, this may be a classic match up for the history books, given that both teams still have something to play for on the final match day. Zidane proved in 1998 and 2006 that one superman can defeat the five time champions. Cristiano Ronaldo would benefit from watching the tapes.

Thats the initial thoughts, given that there is still seven months until the finals. Much could change. The debate of the “Group Of Death” is between, group G with the 3 super nations and the unlucky communists or the evenly matched groups A, B and E.

Dios santo, que viva el futbol.

Written by Efrain Cruz, Latin Media Gurus Contributor.

The first season of Univision’s singing competition “¡Vive el Sueño!” saw it’s grand finale close off with an array of stars, performances, and the much anticipated announcement of the season’s winner.

In a show where the winner was chosen by the people, the honor of being the people’s choice was up in the air, being representative of the battle that occurs in the music world.

Diego Dibos, Sergio Antonio, Cristina, Ojeda, Zone D’ Tambora, Ana Isabelle, and Fedro may have been relatively obscure names a few months ago, but after surviving weeks and weeks of an incredibly difficult season and the brutally honest comments from the show’s star judges, reaching the final was no small feat.

Star guest Alejandro Fernandez kicked off the night with his new singles Estuve and Se Me Va La Voz where he took the opportunity to greet legendary producer Emilio Estefan who was in attendance with his niece and “El Gordo y la Flaca” protagonist Lili Estefan, who received a peck from “El Potrillo.”

Luis Fonsi was also on hand to perform Llueve por Dentro and hit single No Me Doy Por Vencido. Although somewhat visibly affected by his current marriage struggles, he still took time to provide advice to the final contestants.

The Finalists

Diego Dibos was the first contestant responsible of performing, choosing the Mana’s Corazon Espinado to close off his season. The Peruvian, known for being untied to a single musical genre, having performed as a Salsero, Rockero, and even Ranchero throughout the season, unfortunately did not have enough to be in the final three, receiving 14.5% of the votes. Nonetheless his deep musical knowledge leaves him an open future in the world of music production and perhaps also as an artist.

Having been voted off once already, Sergio Antonio was brought back to the competition to demonstrate that he has a strong future as a singer-songwriter. On this night he performed Eso y Mas by his idol and mentor Joan Sebastian, unfortunately with 8.6% of the votes, he also did not have enough votes to become a top three candidate. However, with his ultra positive vibe, determination and legendary mentor, we can all rest assured that we will hear of him again in the Regional Mexicano world.

Being the most original contestant in the competition, the flamboyant Fedro took to the stage with Paulina Rubio’s Causa y Efecto. Combining a great act on stage with a talented voice, the Mexican talent was placed within the top three vote winners of the competition. Already being mentioned in the same breath as idol Juan Gabriel, he has an incredibly extensive road ahead to even reach a miniscule percentage of the accolades el divo de Juarez has acquired, but the potential to be unique like the legend is definitely there.

Next up Cristina showed the music world why she had already been the winner of another talent competition (Objetivo Fama) and became a top three finalist for this night. Choosing the classic Volver, Volver by Vicente Fernandez, she gave a performance that could only be topped by the legendary singer himself. Several times she dropped the mic low, as only Chente does, to showcase a very powerful voice that is worthy of the “big-time.”

Ojeda came up next to perform Mojado by Ricardo Arjona, a song that is representative of his own life as an immigrant who came to the United States looking for success. The world of Regional Mexicano should have a new talent on in its hands, being known as a “showman,” he combines his singing with a very rousing dancing act that has the potential to stir paying audiences in the future. Unfortunately with 14% of the votes, he did not have enough to move into the top three.

With only two acts left to perform, Puertorriqueña princess Ana Isabelle performed Creer en Ti, showing what she has shown throughout the competition that she is truly a complete artist. Her humble spirit, undeniable talent, and charm placed her within the top three vote getters of the competition.

Puerto Rican quartet Zone D’ Tambora were the last to perform in the initial round of performances, with the well-known classic La Bamba. A group that has an explosive positive energy and performs remarkably well on stage as a group gives them the potential to star as the next Latin group sensation. Unfortunately for them in this competition, they did not place within the top three vote getters, receiving 11.1% of the votes.

The Top Three

The fans votes determined Fedro, Cristina, and Ana Isabelle as the top three vote getters, meaning they got to perform one last song each before the winner was announced.

With each of the last songs performed chosen by the fans, Ana Isabelle sang Yo te Recuerdo; Fedro, Yo Naci Para Amar; and Cristina, Ya Lo Sé Que Tu Te Vas.

Finally the time to announce the winners had come, with Fedro coming in at third place with 15.5% of the votes, Cristina placing in second place with 16.4% of the votes, meaning Ana Isabelle had become the first winner of “¡Vive el Sueño!” with 19.8% of the public’s votes, in a week where double the amount of votes were cast.

Ana Isabelle maybe have been the winner of $200,000 as the first winner of “¡Vive el Sueño!” however, as this competition showed, she won’t be the only contestant with the potential to rise to stardom.

Keep these names in mind, because this is just the beginning for them as they work towards reaching their sueños.

Written by Cristal Garcia, Latin Media Gurus Contributor.

If you’ve seen Lou Dobbs Tonight on CNN, you are probably well aware of just how outspoken this news anchor can be, especially in regards to hot topics like illegal immigration and the Obama birther theory. If you haven’t had a chance to catch Dobbs on the airwaves yet, you won’t be able to anymore – at least not on the airwaves emitted by CNN.

This past Wednesday proved to be Dobbs’ last broadcast with the news station he has anchored for since its inception in 1980. Pressure from groups like the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund and Media Matters, in addition to CNN’s aim for neutral reporting, finally pushed Dobbs over the edge.

While rightist groups are mourning Dobb’s absence on the news circuit, many are celebrating what they believe is a small victory against bipartisan commentary and false reporting.

One of Dobbs’ routine techniques was a stretch of the facts. Speaking about the cost of illegal immigration, Dobbs has said, “the fact is, those illegal aliens are costing our economy $200 billion in depressed wages for working Americans. It is costing $50 billion a year in social and medical costs. And it’s costing us, no one knows precisely how much, to incarcerate what is about a third of our prison population who are illegal aliens.”1

This “fact is” statement sparked much controversy because according to the United States Justice Department, only about 6 percent of the state and federal prison populations combined are undocumented immigrants. In a 2007 interview with Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez of Democracy Now!, they challenge many of Dobbs’ factual statements.

Check out Democracy Now!’s interview with Lou Dobbs: http://www.democracynow.org/2007/12/4/fact_checking_dobbs_cnn_anchor_lou

Either way we view CNN’s shortened list of news anchors, the time has come to say “Sayonara, Dobbs.”

Emtpy Streets of Tijuana

Hola! Que Tal?

I have something pretty amazing to share with you today, and I have to admit, I’m pretty stoked to post this on our site.

As some of you know, I was born in Tijuana, and grew up in San Diego, constantly crossing the border to visit the family and friends.

Recently, however, I noticed that trips across the border have become less frequent due to the brutal drug war in our sister town.

I’m sure at some point we all have shared some sort of narco-related story involving family, friends, or friends of friends. Unfortunately, we got to the point where we had too many stories to tell, and we all began to seriously worry about the situation.

While living in San Diego, and speaking with many different people throughout the last few months, I’ve realized many really don’t take trips down to Tijuana anymore. It just got too out of hand.

I remember heading down to Tijuana to see LOS FABULOSOS CADILLACS play a concert in the stadium that is ironically on the property of the infamous Hank Rohn. That night I saw something that has stuck with me ever since. On our way to the concert, we heard the screaming sirens approach us from behind and as we looked back, we witnessed multiple trucks pass us by with both  drivers and passengers all wearing ski masks, fully armed with machine guns.

Scary, I know. We were all pretty concerned and so kept our distance on the road.

Eventually we arrived at the stadium and very quickly overheard talk about another ‘balacera’ or gun fight, happening nearby. The multitudes said it most likely involved rival cartels who are continuously fighting over control of the town or in narco terms ‘plaza’.

This documentary reminds me of that trip and the unique welcoming that only a city like Tijuana can offer. Don’t get me wrong, I love the city and its people, but the crime and violence that has taken place due to drug war does haunt and affect many. It simply cannot be ignored.

So Chek this doc out, and you’ll get a taste of what its like to live in a border town haunted by this horrible reality.

Gurus gives it two thumbs up!

I’d like to make a special Shout out to Current.com and Vanguard production manager, Jennifer Olivar, who participated in the production of this reportaje! We here at LMG always make it a point to commend those who represent our community and inspire us with their high caliber work.

Felicidades por tu trayectoria y tu participacion en este gran reportaje!

Este trabajo definitivamente ha tocado a mucha gente, incluyendome a mi. Muchos hemos perdido a gente muy cercana debido a este problema.  Este documental le da luz a la epidemia de violencia y muerte que viven las ciudades fronterizas. Estas manchas debidas a la corrupcion de la autoridad y el narcotrafico.

Gracias por tomarnos en cuenta.