The Two Boots Mardi Gras Benefit Ball, hosted by L.E.S. homegirl Rosario Dawson, is the party of the year – with incredible costumes, bands from New Orleans and NYC, the crowning of a celeb Queen and King, live art, DJs and great food and drink. The Girls Club is building our new building on Avenue D and needs your support more than ever!

Purchase your tickets now ($20 or $100) and get ready to let the good times roll!

100% of all proceeds go directly to The Lower Eastside Girls Club!

Third Annual Two Boots Mardi Gras Benefit Ball
Featuring Los Po-Boy-Citos, direct from New Orleans!
Hosted by Rosario Dawson
Tuesday, February 21st 2012
7pm to 12am
Le Poisson Rouge (158 Bleecker Street New York, NY)

Tickets:
$20 in advance, $25 day of event
$100 VIP ticket (includes food, 3 hour open bar & reserved seating)

Why Your Vote Counts More Than Ever

by Rosario Dawson 

We all need to become involved. We can’t sit on our hands waiting for the change we want to see. Sí se puede, but only if we demand it.

The election may be several months away, but this is not the year to stay home. There are few issues I care about more than promoting the vote, particularly among young American Latinos. I firmly believe that the quality of our future as the second largest population relies on our ability to mobilize today. This is what in 2004 compelled me to found Voto Latino, the country’s leading organization in registering and engaging young Latino voters.

WATCH: Voto Latino’s United We Win PSA

I’m excited about rallying people to the polls next year. But the current political mood worries me. I know that for some of us it may be tempting to stay home on Nov. 6, 2012. Maybe you’re unemployed or uninsured. Maybe you lost your home to foreclosure or are drowning in student loans. Maybe you voted for the first time in 2008, but now think that it doesn’t matter who wins because things don’t change.

You might think it’s sending a strong message to withhold your vote. But staying home will only accomplish one thing: It will make you irrelevant. There’s no doubt that there are many issues out there that need to be fixed—and badly. Unemployment among Latinos is higher than the national average. More than 25 percent of our people live in poverty. People continue to be deported at record numbers. But that’s why Latinos need to get more involved, not less.

Rosario Dawson Encourages Young Latinos to Vote

At times like these, we need to remember that elected officials respond to two things: money and votes. Now, most of us don’t have wads of cash to throw around, but we all have the power of the vote. The trip to your nearest precinct is only the beginning of your role in making our government responsive and effective.

Just like you wouldn’t tell your child to clean his or her room and expect it to be done without nagging, getting our elected officials to address our needs requires vigilance and accountability. And there’s an abundance of recent examples that show that when people act, change happens. Look at Arizona. Just one year ago, it looked lost to divisiveness and hate. But S.B. 1070 seems to have awakened Arizonans, and last November they booted Russell Pearce, the man who spearheaded passage of the controversial and strict immigration law, out of office.

WATCH: MSNBC Beyond Borderlines Town Hall on Immigration

We also need to remember that the election later this year will do more than decide who is going to live in the White House. Ballots will also include races for every level of government from school boards and city councils to state and federal representation. Funding for our children’s schools, state and local tax rates and other local laws that affect every one of us are often decided by the few people who do show up to vote.

It might seem early to start talking about an election that’s 10 months away, but now is the time to register to vote, and get your friends and family registered. And if you have moved since the last election, make sure to update your voter registration. At Voto Latino, our calendar for next year is full of events that celebrate our vote, that remind us that our power begins at the polls and gives our young leaders the tools they need to create positive change in their communities. We recently had an event in Texas where we registered about 5,000 high school seniors. Hearing stories about the students connecting issues that affect their lives to steps they can take to regain control over their future was empowering and reaffirming.

We all need to become involved. We can’t sit on our hands waiting for the change we want to see. Sí se puede, but only if we demand it.

Originally published on Latina.com

Hollywood royalty Rosario Dawson (Seven Pounds, Men in Black 2, Sin City) caught a stir as she was serenaded by an all singing, all dancing tramp in London’s west-end. Passers-by looked on in amazement as the bemused star joined in and danced around with the excited gentleman.

Luckily, as it turns out she was making a cameo appearance in supergroup The Bullitts’ music video for new single Supercool, out 4th March.

Famous for her roles in Sin City and as leading lady to Will Smith in Seven Pounds, Rosario has been in London filming.  She is set to star in upcoming The Blind Bastards with Lenny Kravitz and Fire With Fire alongside Fergie (Black Eyed Peas), Josh Duhamel and legend Bruce Willis.

Rosario Dawson’s collaboration with the group follows in the footsteps of another leading lady of the silver screen, the gorgeous Lucy Liu (Charlie’s Angels, Kill Bill) who narrates The Bullitts’ debut album.

“Evocative, provocative, highly imaginative and utterly individual” are just some of the words used to describe the band, who burst on the scene with first official single Supercool, [released on 4th March].

Upcoming album They Die Before Dawn and Other Short Stories, due later in 2012, already has industry ears pricking up and includes collaborations with an incredible line up, such as Tori Amos, Roisin Murphy, Jay Electronica, Idris Elba (Golden Globe 2012 winner) and Mos Def as well as it’s superstar narrator.

Want to spend some one on one time with Rosario Dawson this holiday? Bid for a chance to meet Rosario and have her read A Christmas Story to you! Click here to find out more information!

Please note that the location of this meeting will be in NYC based on Rosario’s schedule.

The proceeds for this item benefit Shine On Sierra Leone

OSLO, NORWAY, November 25, 2011 – Nobel Peace Prize Concert organizers announced today that Rosario Dawson will join Helen Mirren to host the 18th annual Nobel Peace Prize Concert on Sunday, December 11th in Oslo, Norway.

The Concert will feature previously announced artists including Sugarland, David Gray, Jill Scott, Janelle Monáe, Matthew Morrison, Ellie Goulding, Evanescence, Bernhoft, World Youth Choir and the Nobel laureates’ personal selections of Miatta Fahnbulleh, Angelique Kidjo and Ahmed Fathi.

This year’s Nobel Peace Prize Concert will honor laureates Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkol Karman, for what the Norwegian Nobel Committee calls “their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work.”

The award is given annually for work exemplifying a spirit of hope and leadership that will help promote peace in the world. The Concert is presented by the Nobel Peace Prize Concert AS and broadcast to a global audience.

“Helen and Rosario will be wonderful hosts and ambassadors of peace,” said Geir Lundestad, Secretary of the Norwegian Nobel Committee. “We welcome these talented artists from around the world and look forward to a memorable evening that honours and celebrates these remarkable laureates.”

The Nobel Peace Prize is the most prestigious award in the world, honoring icons such as Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, Mikhail Gorbachev, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Barack Obama, Kofi Annan, Al Gore and other remarkable individuals and organizations. For the past seventeen years, the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony has been followed the next day by the Nobel Peace Prize Concert, a musical celebration honoring the laureate.

Check out the add in this month’s issue of Glamour magazine with Rosario Dawson in her Ford Cares T-shirt. Ford and your Ford dealer are recruiting Warriors to help ramp up the fight against breast cancer. Ford Warriors in Pink can be found at the Komen Race for the Cure® events as always, only now they will arrive as a united front, as one in Warrior gear. Learn about the special meaning behind the Warriors in Pink symbols or read the published articles about these strong individuals all across America here. Be sure to check out the contest to win Warriors in Pink gear or a 2012 Ford Focus.

Check out Rosario Dawson in this month’s 15th anniversary issue of Latina Magazine. Full scans can be viewed here.

Check out the full scans from the August Issue of Shape Magazine with cover girl Rosario Dawson! Click here to view.

Check out the issue of Siempre Mujer from this past summer, the scans have now been added to the gallery here.

We’re so excited to share this extended promo of Latina’s upcoming special with Access Hollywood that will be airing across the country this Saturday and Sunday. The hour-long special spotlights the fifteen influential Latina celebrities highlighted on our historic 15th anniversary cover. Natalie Morales, news anchor & co-host of NBC’s Today show and Latina’s parenting columnist, is hosting. Featuring exclusive behind-the-scenes video of the making of Latina magazine’s historic 15th anniversary cover, as well as never-before-seen video and new interviews, each women talks about their rise to stardom and what it means to be Latina today.

Air times are listed below, but be sure to check your local listings:

New York City: Saturday 7-7:30PM/ Sunday 2-3AM

Los Angeles: Saturday 4-5PM /Sunday 12-1AM

Chicago: Saturday 6-7PM / Sunday 12:35-1:35AM

Philadelphia: Saturday 7-8PM / Sunday 1:05-2:05AM

San Francisco: Saturday 7-8PM / Sunday 1-2AM

DC: Sunday 12:35-1:35AM

Miami: Saturday 7-8PM

San Diego: Sunday 9-10PM & 12-1AM

Hartford: Saturday 7-8PM

For more listings, click where to watch