For the U.S. leg of Shakira's current Oral Fixation tour, she found the perfect opening act -- Wyclef Jean, the hip-hop/rapper who performs on her current smash, "Hips Don't Lie."

"I feel honored he's gonna do this with me," the 29-year-old Colombian pop star said in April, after winning six Billboard Latin Music Awards.

"I admire him so much! He's a great artist and will be a big asset for the show," she said of the ex-Fugees lead singer.

The world tour began June 22 in Madrid, Spain, and swung through Latin America, where the crossover star sang mostly in Spanish.

The U.S. leg of the tour opens this week in El Paso, Texas, and will include performances in San Diego on Aug. 16, Los Angeles, New York and Miami.

During the U.S. tour, Verizon Wireless subscribers will be able to use their cell phones to receive video clips and vote for their favorite songs.

"It's gonna be really exciting to see my fans interact," she said. "They'll get videos, messages from me, it's interesting."

Shakira will sing her best-known songs in both Spanish and English for her U.S. audiences.

"It will be balanced," she said. "The Anglo public will enjoy it as much as the Latin fans that have followed me over the years."

She also described progress in her plans for a benefit concert to help Latin American children escape poverty. The singer said she's working with Juanes, Alejandro Sanz and Miguel Bose, with the idea of holding the concert late next year at a location to be determined.

"Besides collecting funds we want to raise consciousness about the problems that children face in Latin America, where every second a child dies for completely avoidable causes," she said.