Actor Benicio del Toro calls for Puerto Rico gov’t to halt planned monkey-breeding center

September 18th, 2009 Belafonte calls for better US-Cuba relationsHAVANA — American singer Harry Belafonte said on a visit to Cuba on Friday that he was disappointed President Barack Obama has not done more to improve relations with the communist-run island, but that he was hopeful progress would come soon. "The policy toward Cuba — yes, I like a lot of people am disappointed," the 82-year-old singer known as the King of Calypso said in a brief interview with The Associated Press.

September 17th, 2009 Calle 13 up for 5 Latin Grammy AwardsLOS ANGELES — Calle 13 leads the list of Latin Grammy nominated artists with five nods. The alternative Puerto Rican hip-hop duo will compete for album of the year against Colombian singer-songwriter Andres Cepeda, Nicaraguan salsa singer Luis Enrique, folksy Argentine singer Mercedes Sosa and Brazilian musician Ivan Lins & The Metropole Orchestra at the 10th annual Latin Grammy Awards on Nov.

September 11th, 2009 Guillermo del Toro teams with Disney on new brandANAHEIM, Calif. — Guillermo del Toro is bringing his creepy film fare to Disney.

August 24th, 2009 Miss USA among 15 Miss Universe finalistsNASSAU, Bahamas — Miss USA was chosen Sunday as one of the top 15 finalists who will be vying for the Miss Universe crown. Kristen Dalton joins contestants from the following countries: Puerto Rico, Iceland, Albania, Czech Republic, Belgium, Dominican Republic, Sweden, Kosovo, Australia, France, Switzerland, South Africa, Croatia and Venezuela.

August 24th, 2009 Surprisingly this time there was no single Asian contestant among the Miss Universe 2009 top 15, even hot favorite Kianca Manalo, Miss Philippines and Ekta Choudhry Miss India, did not able to make it. Where as Croatia, Albania, Sweden and Switzerland are this year’s surprise entries in the Top 15.

August 19th, 2009 Mexico's Inarritu to head Tokyo festival juryHONG KONG — "Babel" director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu will head the competition jury at the Tokyo International Film Festival in October. Organizers named the Mexican filmmaker the jury president in a statement on their official Web site.

August 18th, 2009 Ruben Blades releases new CD after 6-year absencePANAMA CITY — Famed salsa musician Ruben Blades has released a new album after a six-year absence from the music scene. The 61-year-old Grammy winner from Panama says the CD, "Songs of Underdevelopment," is a tribute to Cuba, his mother's homeland.

August 9th, 2009 Gary Sinise headlines free concert in Denver parkDENVER —"CSI: New York" star Gary Sinise is headlining a free concert aimed at bringing attention to renovation efforts at Denver's Civic Center Park. Sinise says the recent renovation of Millennium Park in Chicago, where he is from, inspired him to want to play the concert Saturday for the nonprofit Civic Center Conservancy.

August 3rd, 2009 Rapper Lumidee makes rare US music video in CubaHAVANA — It's well after midnight and the New Yorker is strutting down a crumbling sidewalk in impossibly high — red-sequined — heels, lip-syncing a few seconds of her rap while cameras roll for a music video. Almost inevitably, a misstep on Havana's cracked and uneven concrete sends her pitching forward.

July 31st, 2009 In Cuba, Del Toro wins award with Murray on hand HAVANA — Benicio del Toro accepted a new Cuban government award for international artists at a ceremony in Havana on Thursday, while Bill Murray entertained a small audience by crooning from "As Time Goes By. Fellow actors Robert Duval and James Caan were also on hand as the National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba gave Puerto Rican-born del Toro the first Tomas Gutierrez Alea Prize for his career body of work, including the lead in "Che." Steven Soderbergh's two-part, 4½-hour biopic on Argentine-born revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara, who helped Fidel Castro take power in Cuba in 1959, was a hit on the island, often showing in theaters that had not been refurbished since the 1950s.

July 24th, 2009 PR cops to probe case of nude Pablo Montero picsSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Authorities are investigating claims an exotic dancer tried to extort money from Mexican singer and actor Pablo Montero by threatening to release nude pictures of him, police said Thursday. The photographs were taken at a hotel room in San Juan and recently published in a New York entertainment magazine, said Harold Rosario, Montero's publicist.

July 17th, 2009 Salsa musician Ruben Blades visits Harvard archiveCAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Salsa musician and actor Ruben Blades celebrated his 61st birthday Thursday with a nostalgic visit to his archive collection at Harvard University.

July 15th, 2009 Reggaeton stars donate $25,000 to building homesMIAMI BEACH — Fresh off the success of their latest album, Grammy-winning reggaeton stars Wisin & Yandel are donating $25,000 to the Habitat for Humanity of Greater Miami. The duo from Puerto Rico also announced Wednesday they will donate $1 to the organization for every ticket sold for their U.S.

July 7th, 2009 Benicio del Toro pays visit to Puerto Rico prisonBAYAMON, Puerto Rico — Actor Benicio del Toro met with convicts inside a Puerto Rican prison Monday, offering encouragement to a jailhouse theater group and a few tips from his own Oscar-winning career. The Puerto Rico-born actor interrupted his vacation in the U.S.

May 19th, 2009 LOS ANGELES - Hollywood funnyman Ben Stiller had the time of his life when he was beaten up by two monkeys recently on the set of his new movie "Night At The Musuem: Battle Of The Smithsonian". The incident took place when the actor was filming a fight scene with the mischievous animals and they gave him several slaps on his face and body, reported contactmusic.com.