Thursday, Sept. 19, 2002 | 2:54 a.m.
Actress Jennifer Love Hewitt said if the Latin Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences had not created the Latin Grammys, she would have.
"I'm in love with Latin people," Hewitt gushed as she strutted down the carpet before entering the Kodak Theatre.
"If this award show hadn't been made, I would have made it. I think Latin music is amazing and some of the most creative music we have."
Hewitt attended the show to present the award for Song of the Year.
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Comedian Paul Rodriguez was asked why it was important to have a separate Grammy awards show for Latin music.
"... the reason is that Latin music is just loved around the world, even by non-Latins. American pop culture, part of that is Latin culture," he said.
He pointed to Desi Arnaz and Tito Puente as examples and said the effect Latin culture has on American pop culture is unpredictable.
"I actually saw a Japanese mariachi singer," he said. "Tell me if that is not weird."
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Colombian musicians say the Latin Grammys gave them a stage to show the positive side of their troubled homeland.
Singer Shakira, folk singer Carlos Vives and Juanes were among the musicians who performed at the ceremony.
"Finally, people see another side of Colombia," said Juanes, who won for best rock song. "Our music has always been there, but with Carlos Vives and Shakira, more people are hearing it."
Juanes was among the first to perform at the ceremony. He and Grammy winner Nelly Furtado sang "A Dios Le Pido."
Vives, who arrived at the show with his young son, Carlos, said the awards give credibility to talented artists who might otherwise not be known outside their countries.
"This gives me the opportunity to talk about my country, my land and the people who are born where my music is from," he said.
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Music producer Emilio Estefan predicted that crossing over from Spanish to English will no longer be a requirement for Latin artists.
"It's going to happen more and more when kids grow up in the states and they speak both languages" said Estefan, whose wife, Gloria, was a co-host for the show. "It's going to become mainstream..."
Emilio Estefan was one of the driving forces behind the Latin Grammy show.
He said it was unfortunate that political protests over whether to allow Cuban nominees to attend the Latin Grammys last year drove the show away from his home in Miami.
"I hope they come back to Miami," he said.
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Singer Jon Secada said the growing popularity of Latin music is not a passing fad.
"It's all about our music, our tradition, our artists and our roots," he said. "There is a lot of substance there."
He crossed over from singing Spanish to English songs several years ago but noted he was not the first to do so.
"Before I did it, the pioneers are a list that is endless, from Gloria (Estefan) to Santana to Tito Puente," he said.
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Alberto Cuevas, 35, the shaggy-haired lead singer of the Chilean rock band La Ley, said music has no boundaries.
"I think rock 'n' roll is rock 'n' roll, period," he said. "When my parents were young, they listened to Elvis Presley and they didn't really understand the words, but they liked the music."
Cuevas said he is counting on English-speaking fans to follow suit.
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