Happy Birthday to:

Funnyman Owen Wilson (1968)

Sean Penn, Danny Glover and Harry Belafonte have added their signatures to a campaign to end a ban on exchange between American and Cuban artists. Hundreds of campaigners, also including authors Alice Walker and Cristina Garcia and Buena Vista Social Club musician Ry Cooder, signed a letter sent to President George W. Bush this week.

Happy Birthday to funnyman Owen Wilson (1968), Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett (1962), Weeds actress Elizabeth Perkins (1960), Dynasty actress Linda Evans (1942), classic comedienne Imogene Coca (1908; d. 2001), and Cuban musician and Buena Vista Social Club alum Compay Segundo (1907; d. 2003).

For those whose lives they deeply touched, Los Zafiros are legends. Often referred to as The Beatles of 1960s Cuba, The Sapphires were a Cuban musical phenomenon molded by their time and place.

Buena Vista Social Club star Faustino Oramas has lost his battle with liver cancer in Cuba. He was 95. The singer's death was announced on Cuban state radio yesterday. Oramas, aka El Guayabero, was one of the last remaining members of the group of aged Cuban musicians, dubbed the Buena Vista Social Club.

Happy Birthday to funnyman Owen Wilson (1968), Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett (1962), Weeds actress Elizabeth Perkins (1960), Dynasty actress Linda Evans (1942), classic comedienne Imogene Coca (1908; d. 2001), and Cuban musician and Buena Vista Social Club alum Compay Segundo (1907; d. 2003).

Multi-platinum Australian artists The Cat Empire have just signed to Velour Music Group -- the burgeoning NY-based independent label that's home to artists including Sonya Kitchell and Kaki King. The band will release a limited edition EP this fall, followed by their American debut full-length, Two Shoes, early next year.

Red Hot + Blue: A Tribute To Cole Porter is an eclectic musical homage to the legendary songwriter benefiting AIDS research and relief. On April 25th Shout! Factory will release the videos from this successful benefit project on DVD for the first time, combined with a newly remastered CD in the same package. Red Hot + Blue brings together a diverse group of A-list artists including U2, The Neville Brothers, Sinead O'Conner, Tom Waits,

Gorillaz, the world's most successful virtual band, have teamed with the first global multi-platform digital media company, Network LIVE, to bring fans access to an extremely rare opportunity – a live Gorillaz experience. The international cast of musicians that appeared on the award-winning 'Demon Days' performed the album in its entirety to sold-out crowds on November 1 - 5, 2006 at the Manchester Opera House in Manchester, England.