DANCE

During a brief encounter with Pope Francis, Gloria Estefan asked him to keep the plight of Cubans in mind

South Florida lends itself to people stripping down. Celebs, residents and tourists do it all the time. Canadian rocker Bryan Adams is no exception.

Celebrating its 15th year, music festival brings together Haitian fans and top entertainers to celebrate Haiti’s culture, and Flag Day.

POP

A documentary details how Miami composer Desmond Child and partner Curtis Shaw became parents of twin boys.

Gustavo Alberto Noguera Delgado believed he was prenatally programmed to love Ludwig van Beethoven.

Natalie Cole looked and sang like a diva at the inaugural Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame gala at the New World Symphony on Tuesday night, delivering a lovely rendition of Acercate Mas (Get Closer) in a “Unforgettable” style duet with video of her father Nat King Cole. “It’s not easy being first, and Dad was a first in so many ways,” Cole told the audience at the New World Center on Miami Beach, as she accepted the Premio Pionero Desi Arnaz on behalf of her father, who was friends with the famous Cuban actor and singer. Nat King Cole was revered in Cuba for recording three albums of Latin American songs. “I can only imagine Desi and my Dad are looking down on us.”

Viewers of Thursday night’s Billboard Latin Music Awards, broadcast live from Coral Gables on Telemundo, might get a strong feeling of déjà vu. On stage will be longtime salsa-pop favorite Marc Anthony (that was him, too, in 2012, 2011 and 2010), pop diva Paulina Rubio (a repeat from 2012 and 2010) and reggaeton star Don Omar and veteran Mexican pop-rockers Mana (both appearing for the third year in a row).

Jazz had Dukes and Counts. Latin music had one King. And hype aside, by the time of his death in 2000 at age 77, Tito Puente was an icon.

The debate over immigration is highly political, but for the Los Angeles-based group La Santa Cecelia, the issue is painfully personal. Lead singer Marisol Hernandez’s parents came to L.A. from Mexico without papers, and accordionist Jose “Pepe” Carlos is undocumented.

Some say Miami lacks a stand-up comedy scene. The truth is, you just have to know where to look.

Two young artists are at the center of the adventurous “New Work” program the New World Symphony will present April 20. Choreographer Justin Peck, 25, created a pas de deux for Miami City Ballet for the occasion, and Zosha Di Castri, 28, composed a piece the orchestra will premiere.

The best revenge Taylor Swift could have against media sniping, celebrity ex-boyfriends and Kanye West-style haters would be that, after Justin Bieber and a generation of boy bands have fallen into oblivion, she makes the transition from teen prodigy to grown-up star.

The annual Global Cubafest closed with a concert that beautifully expressed the event’s goal of celebrating and exploring Cuban music throughout the diaspora.

Gustavo Santaolalla never stops forging into new territory. The Argentine producer of seminal Latin rock artists including Juanes, Café Tacuba and Molotov, composer of Oscar-winning scores for the movies Brokeback Mountain and Babel and co-founder of the tango-fusion group Bajofondo has a host of new projects in new genres including a dance musical, a video game, an animated film — and a winery.

AEG Live LLC did not conduct any background checks or supervise the doctor who was later convicted of killing Michael Jackson, a corporate attorney testified Tuesday in a lawsuit claiming the concert promoter was negligent in hiring the physician.

Carole King isn't done with music - not yet anyway.

Burt Bacharach knew writing a memoir would be emotional - not because of his never-heard backstage tales or his tumultuous marriages. He knew that being honest would force him to come to terms with the death of his daughter.

Tornadoes are a part of life in Moore, Okla., something country star Toby Keith was reminded of when a deadly, devastating one leveled parts of his hometown on Monday.

Laura Mvula, "Sing to the Moon" (Columbia Records)

French Montana, "Excuse My French" (Bad Boy/Maybach Music/Interscope Records)