Latin Grammys

Dominican singer-songwriter Juan Luis Guerra swept the Latin Grammy Awards on Thursday, taking home five musical honors including album of the year, record of the year and song of the year. Guerra's album "La Llave de Mi Corazon" and its playful, upbeat title track also won the singer and his band, 440, trophies for best merengue album and tropical song. Praise for "La Llave" also extended to its production, as the album garnered the award for best engineered album.

Marking a year of career revivals, three veteran performers -- the Dominican Republic's Juan Luis Guerra, Puerto Rico's Ricky Martin and Spain's Miguel Bosé -- dominated the top categories in nominations for the eighth Latin Grammy Awards announced today in Miami Beach.

Sivuca, the white-maned accordionist, composer and arranger known for his work with South African singer Miriam Makeba and others, died Thursday of throat cancer at a hospital in his home state of Paraiba, Brazil. He was 76. Born Severino Dias de Oliveira, Sivuca was credited with arranging Makeba's most famous recording, "Pata Pata."

The three-hour telecast of the Latin Grammy Awards on Univision Thursday night drew an average of 5.7 million viewers, Nielsen Media Research reported Friday, up from 5.1 million last year in its first outing on the Spanish-language network. And, like last year, it was the most-watched program of the night in L.A., Spanish or English. The Latin Grammys began life on CBS, averaging 7.5 million viewers for the first telecast in 2000. But the ratings went down from there, falling to 3.

Shakira, Colombia's belly-dancing superstar, consolidated her success as the bicultural queen of crossover with a sweep of three top categories Thursday in the seventh Latin Grammy Awards during a ceremony that celebrated the growing presence of Latinos here. "Fijacion Oral Vol.

Hips don't lie, Shakira famously sings, but they sure help her win accolades, as the Colombian sensation scoops up a field-leading five nominations for the seventh annual Latin Grammy Awards, announced Tuesday in New York. The belly-dancing singer-songwriter was the only artist to be named in the song, record and album categories, for her Spanish-language CD "Fijacion Oral Vol. 1" and its reggaeton-tinged hit "La Tortura."

Presented for the first time on Spanish-language broadcaster Univision, the sixth annual Latin Grammys on Thursday delivered 5.1 million total viewers, the network said. The three-hour awards ceremony honoring a broad array of popular Latin musical styles improved dramatically compared with last year's performance on CBS (3.3 million viewers). The telecast also hit its highest-ever ratings among young adults in the crucial 18 to 34 demographic.

Anticipation ran high for the West Coast concert debut of Spanish singer Bebe, fresh from her win as best new artist at the Latin Grammys. When the show started Friday at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood, just the singer's soulful voice could be heard, a soft lament of loneliness and longing that gradually silenced the rude chatterboxes at the bar in the back. When the star finally appeared, hair tousled and bony frame revealed under a sleeveless top, camera flashes suddenly blinded her.

The Latin Grammys were airing for the first time in Spanish, and this could mean only one thing: A party atmosphere made complete with Latin America's biggest celebrities. But outside the Shrine Auditorium on Thursday, a couple of hours before the sixth annual awards show honoring Spanish music of all genres was to begin, things were looking a little bleak. For one thing, the red carpet was green. Heineken green. And while it may be Latin Grammys tradition, it still caught many by surprise.