While Akon prepares to go to trial for throwing a teenager offstage last year, gossip blogs are alleging he recently slapped a female concert-goer in South America.

Embody the handsome Phil Dalhausser Billy Corgan in the forthcoming Guitar Hero World Tour.

More than 200,000 U.S. school kids were hit by their teachers last year, according to a study by Human Rights Watch and the ACLU. The study concludes that black children in the South are more likely to experience corporal punishment than their white counterparts elsewhere in the U.S..

Peanuts cartoon animator José Cuauhtemoc "Bill" Meléndez has passed away at age 91. The Mexican-born Meléndez was also the voice behind Peanuts characters Snoopy and Woodstock.

Hit up some really bad beaches with the Nat-2 convertible high-tops slash sandals.

México's finance minister says drug violence and kidnappings are preventing foreign companies from investing in the nation's economy.

México's national soccer federation is asking fans to wear white during México's World Cup qualifying match this Saturday versus Jamaica. The gesture follows a week of anti-crime rallies throughout México in which thousands wore white to protest drug violence and kidnappings. "El Tri" will also wear white on the field instead of its customary green home jersey.

Talk the talk and walk the walk with Barack Obama and John McCain-themed flip-flops. (via Guanabee)

Listen to Birdman, Rick Ross, T-Pain and Glasses Malone rap about life in the fast lane in a new track, “Sun Come Up.”

Microsoft has announced it will cut the price of its Xbox 360 video game consoles starting Friday.

Screenshots from the new live-action Dragonball Z movie are leaving fans... underwhelmed. (via Kotaku)

Is the electronic game Arm Wrestle Mania a subliminal commentary on relations between white and brown Americans? (via Nerd Approved)

Listen to "Swagger Like Us," a new song by T.I. featuring Kanye West, Jay-Z and Lil Wayne.

The U.S. housing crisis, part of the current economic downturn, has increased the number of public school students who qualify for free meals. Paying for additional meals has put a strain on many school districts attempting to reduce costs in light of budget cuts.

Stressed out moms may be contributing to childhood obesity.

The U.S. men's soccer team is making its first trip to Cuba in over 50 years this weekend to play in a qualifying match for the 2010 World Cup.

Metallica goes to war in a new eight-minute video, "The Day That Never Comes." (via Stereogum)

Sackboy, the cute brown doll from the forthcoming PS3 video game Little Big Planet, stars in his very own trailer.

The Department of Homeland Security sought to assure undocumented immigrants evacuating Louisiana because of tropical storm Gustav that there are "no immigration enforcement operations, and there are no immigration enforcement checkpoints associated with the evacuations."

Flex says he plans to record duets with Rihanna, Juan Luis Guerra, Wisin & Yandel, Sean Kingston and Daddy Yankee for his next album.

John McCain's pick for vice-president, Sarah Palin, reveals her 17-year-old daughter is pregnant.

Diddy thinks John McCain is "buggin the f%^k out" for picking Sarah Palin as his running mate.

Punk's not dead – it's alive and kicking in Cuba, Iran and China. Related: the Cuban punk rocker previously detained on charges of dangerousness has been released but fined for playing too loud.

The beef between Ivy Queen and Residente of Calle 13 continues. Ivy Queen: "My 15-year career isn’t going to be tainted by someone that is always on a mushroom trip."

Director Brett Ratner says he wants to make a movie based on the video game Guitar Hero – did he hear about the Facebook movie?

"Welcome to the Jungle," the classic Guns N' Roses track, turns out to be an ode to the Latino neighborhood of Washington Heights in New York City.

T.I. addresses the haters in a new video, "What Up."

R&B singer Robin Thicke says VIBE magazine won't put him on its cover because he's white.

Check out a photo gallery featuring 20 of the World's Weirdest Endangered Species. (via Neatorama)

Fat Joe says Daddy Yankee is a "sellout" for endorsing Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

RBD producer Pedro Damian confirmed that Maite Perroni broke up with her boyfriend, Guido Laris.

Gold medal-winning athletes Nastia Liukin (gymnastics) and Brian Clay (decathlon) will be featured on special edition Wheaties cereal boxes. Michael Phelps signed a deal with rival Kellog's.

One out of five public school students in the U.S. is Latino, an increase of 50 percent in the last 15 years, according to a study by the Pew Hispanic Center. It also concludes that Latino students are more likely to live in poverty than non-white students.

A higher number of black coaches as well as Latino and Asian players has helped the NFL receive a "B+" in its annual diversity study, which is conducted by the University of Central Florida's Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports. The NFL earned a "D+" in 2004.

Cracked magazine presents the 10 Most Shameless Product Placements in Movie History.

Republican presidential hopeful John McCain has chosen Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his running mate.

T-Pain goes crazy with computer animation on the video for "Can't Believe It," featuring Lil Wayne. Common keeps it simple in Announcement featuring Pharrell. (via Concreteloop)

Check out Sports Illustrated's photo gallery of the nastiest Olympic moments.

Three decapitated bodies were found by police in Tijuana, México. The victims, who were found with their arms tied behind their backs, were likely killed by drug traffickers.

Cuban authorities have arrested punk rocker Gorki Aguila of the band Porno Para Ricardo. The band’s songs are critical of the country's government. Aguilar is being held on a charge of "dangerousness."

T-Pain goes crazy with computer animation on the video for "Can't Believe It," featuring Lil Wayne. Common keeps it simple in Announcement featuring Pharrell. (via Concreteloop)

The number of New York City residents who contracted the HIV virus in 2006 is three times higher than the national average, according to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Panamanian "romantic style reggae" star Flex married his longtime girlfriend, Osiris Vega. (Thanks DAiSY_BBY)

Over 350 workers from the Howard Industries factory in Mississippi were detained and will be deported after a raid by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. A similar ICE raid in which 400 people were detained was conducted last May in Ohio.

Diddy says high gas prices have forced him to ground his personal jet. He is now flying commercial on American Airlines with common folk. Los ricos también lloran.

Dr. Dre's 20-year-old son, Andre Young, Jr., was found dead this past weekend at his home in California, according to Dr. Dre's representative.

Check out a slideshow of Mexico City hipsters pretending not to care about stuff, just like their American counterparts.

Most teenage drivers wear safety belts. Their passengers? Not so much, according to a report published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Car crashes are the leading cause of death among adolescents in the United States.

Why did Daddy Yankee endorse Republican presidential candidate John McCain during a surprise joint appearance together at Central High School in Phoenix, Arizona? Yankee: "He's been a fighter for the Hispanic community and I know that, me personally, I'm choosing the best candidate, because he's been a fighter for the immigration issues."

The Democratic National Convention kicked off last night in Denver, Colorado and will wrap up on Thursday night when Barack Obama accepts the Democratic nomination for president. Check here for Yarel's videos and pics from the convention.

Pitbull and Lil Jon team up once again to drop a new club joint, "Krazy." (via Discobelle)

Check out new screenshots and a multiplayer trailer from the highly-anticipated video game Killzone 2.

Tickle the asphalt with the facial hair of one of four Mustache skateboard decks. (via Cool Hunting)

A year after abortion was legalized in Mexico, many are still finding it difficult to get access to the procedure. Over 80 percent of the doctors in the city have become "conscientious objectors" and will not perform the procedure, while some hospitals have added "unnecessary" fees and rules to delay the process.

Food prices in the U.S. are expected to rise by 5 to 6 percent this year, the highest increase in nearly 20 years, according to the Department Agriculture. Prices are expected to rise well into next year.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama presented his running mate, 65-year-old Delaware Senator Joe Biden, this past weekend. Obama:"[Biden] brings extensive foreign policy experience, an impressive record of collaborating across party lines, and a direct approach to getting the job done."

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has ended "Operation Scheduled Departure," its voluntary deportation program, after only eight people turned themselves in during the program's first three weeks.

Eight out of 10 likely McCain voters believe "gaining control of the border" is a greater concern than "legalizing undocumented workers," according to a telephone survey by Rasmussen Reports. Half of potential Obama voters favor controlling the border, while 3 out of 10 believe legalization for immigrants is more important.

John Legend spits some game with Andre 3000 in a new video, "Green Light." (via XXL)

Check out a 360 degree view of Beijing National Olympic stadium, aka "The Bird's Nest." (via Metafilter)

A few weeks back, the government of Venezuela seized the local assets of the Mexican company Cemex. Now Cemex is fighting back in court.

Tiger Woods walks on water in a new trailer for the video game Tiger Woods 09.