Ricky-mania in March?

EDMONTON - There's a good chance that local Ricky Martin fans will be "Livin' La Vida Loca" in March.

"Living the crazy life" would aptly describe the scene if the Hispanic Elvis came to Edmonton. The announcement is expected this week for the second leg of the Latino pop superstar's world tour. Edmonton's Skyreach Centre is on the list for mid March, according to a source close to the singer. Concert promoters would neither confirm nor deny the dates yesterday. Until they're ready to announce, the routing and other details are subject to change.

Martin is probably the biggest solo male superstar of the late '90s. The 28-year-old former member of Menudo caused a huge sensation at the 1998 Grammy Awards with his enthusiastic, hip-swivelling performance of The Cup of Life (the 1998 World Cup song). It's been Ricky-mania ever since. On the strength of the first hit Livin' La Vida Loca, Martin's self-titled debut has sold more than 12 million copies worldwide and he's been the toast of every major awards show. W1hile credited with (or blamed for, if you like) starting a Latin trend in pop music, he insists it was there all along, citing artists like Santana, Julio Iglesias, Jose Feliciano and Gloria Estefan.

There's little doubt that a Ricky Martin concert in Edmonton would sell out in no time. All the dates on the first leg of the tour, which took the star from home-town Miami to end in Cleveland last week, sold out quickly, second only in demand to the Backstreet Boys.