Shakira to Perform With Wyclef Jean Wednesday on American Idol  3/28/06

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SHAKIRA TO PERFORM “HIPS DON’T LIE” WITH WYCLEF JEAN ON “AMERICAN IDOL” WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29, ON FOX

Finalists to Perform “Songs of the 21st Century” March 28

Grammy winner Shakira will perform her new single, the Latin-inflected, cross-cultural hip shaker “Hips Don’t Lie,” with hip-hop luminary Wyclef Jean on the AMERICAN IDOL results show Wednesday, March 29 (9:00-9:32 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) on FOX. This week’s AMERICAN IDOL performance show on Tuesday, March 28 (8:00-9:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) will feature the Top 10 finalists performing “songs of the 21st century.”

Only three weeks after its release, "Hips Don't Lie" – which is on Shakira’s album “Oral Fixation, vol. 2” – is fast ascending the Top-40 mainstream radio chart, and the video clip has zoomed to No. 1 on MTV's TRL countdown. Shakira also has the most-watched video on Yahoo with over 1 million plays to date.

The Colombian-born Shakira wrote her first song at age 8 and signed her first recording contract at 13. After a string of chart-topping Spanish-language hits, Shakira went from Latin American superstar to world musical power in 2001 with the release of the 13-times-Platinum English-language album “Laundry Service,” which spawned the hits "Whenever, Wherever" and “Underneath Your Clothes,” and made her the biggest Latin female crossover artist in the world. Shakira's career sales now top 31 million records. Over the last year, she released both the Grammy-winning Spanish album “Fijacion Oral, vol. 1,” which spawned the No. 1 hit "La Tortura," and its English-language counterpart, “Oral Fixation, vol. 2.” Both albums debuted in the top 5 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart, making Shakira the only artist ever to debut top-5 albums in English and Spanish in the same calendar year. “Oral Fixation, vol. 2” is already certified Gold in the U.S. and 12 other countries around the world.

One of the most important personalities in hip-hop music, Wyclef Jean was born in Haiti and moved to the U.S. at the age of 10. An enigmatic performer, Jean plays several instruments on stage while rapping in English, Creole, Spanish and even Japanese. He first entered the spotlight in 1993 with the release of the Fugees’ debut LP, “Blunted On Reality.” The group’s name was inspired by the plight of refugees from Haiti, and other members included rapper/actress Lauryn Hill and Clef’s cousin Prakazrel Pras Michel. 1996’s “The Score” was a huge success, selling over 6 million copies and earning two Grammy Awards for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal (“Killing Me Softly”) and Best Rap Album.

Fourteen-time Emmy-nominated AMERICAN IDOL is created and executive-produced by Simon Fuller, founder of 19 Entertainment; and executive-produced by Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO, FremantleMedia North America, Inc.; Nigel Lythgoe, President, 19 Television; and Ken Warwick, Executive Producer, FremantleMedia North America, Inc.

For photos of Shakira and Wyclef Jean with the IDOL finalists, please go to www.FOXFLASH.com. Go to AmericanIdol.com for all of your AMERICAN IDOL news. Check out the special, behind-the-scenes photos and information on AMERICAN IDOL.

-FOX-