LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Interest in pre-Communist Cuba and Cuban Diaspora issues have caused unprecedented interest in books about Cuba and Cuban Americans. Indeed, a quick Internet search will find an extraordinary 65,396 books currently available about Cuba. The best among them may be the new historical novel, Broken Paradise (ISBN-13: 978-0-7432-8779-1), by Cecilia Samartin.

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. -- A&R Select, the music industry's benchmark in independent promotion and marketing, has recently extended a helping hand to many artists affected by the tragic events of Hurricane Katrina. A&R Select's timely and heartfelt outreach is an important part of their vow to assist musical artists in underprivileged circumstances.

VENICE, Calif. -- Join Giggly Sprout and Gumbo Wobbly as they take you on a playful family adventure using research from leading authorities in the fields of brain science and psychology. Funny Bone Logic is an interactive DVD with games for developing minds ages 3-8.

SYLMAR, Calif. -- Gadget Universe, the premier innovation catalog, showcased several products at the GBK Oscar(R) Gift Suite this year. Several celebrities, including Academy Award Nominee Keith Robinson, received elegant Steinhausen watches as well as other gadgets and innovations.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Personifying the cabaret genre, Ute Lemper is known for her moody interpretations of songbook standards, laced with witty asides and knowing looks, weaving an atmosphere that draws in audiences like few other performers today.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- The online record company, BETA Records, invites you to accept a paying job with their company. According to BETA founders Chris Honetschlaeger and Georg van Handel, you can become an A&R (artist & repertoire) representative and turn your love of music into cash.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- "Lord Help Us" is a new urban inspirational romantic comedy written, directed and edited by former child actor, Shavar Ross, who played "Dudley," Gary Coleman's best friend for six seasons on the hit 1980's show "Diff'rent Strokes," and produced by Tri-Seven Entertainment.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- BETA Records and founders Chris Honetschlaeger and Georg van Handel are making it possible for independent musicians to take advantage of the communication and promotional advantages of ringtones. New feature is available at no cost for any artist on the BETArecords.com site.

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. -- How is great music created and produced? What do top music producers look for in an artist? How do you find, develop and keep artist clients? And how do producers handle challenges such as creative control? The answers can be found at the PRODUCING HIT SONG 5-part series, sponsored by the National Association of Record Industry Professionals, to launch on February 16th.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- You've seen the news recaps of 2006, the most important stories that gripped the nation's attention. But here's one you may have missed: "TIME Magazine Names Air 'Gas of the Year.'" This exclusive from the New Jersey-based humor website Confusion Road was crowned the top satire news story of 2006 by an expert panel of journalists and humor writers in the second annual HumorFeed Satire News Awards.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Author Dee Dee Phelps signs and talks about her memoir "Vinyl Highway" (ISBN-10: 1412073839) singing as Dick and Dee Dee, at Village Books, 1049 Swarthmore Avenue, Pacific Palisades 90272 on Thursday evening, February 8th at 7:30 pm.

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. -- A&R Select, the leading independent A&R firm in Hollywood, has announced it will be a participant in America's leading independent film festival. A&R Select will sponsor an event highlighting "Music for Films" at the Sundance Film Festival.

SAN ANSELMO, Calif. -- Members from the casts of Golden Globe nominees Lost and Heroes got the chance to indulge in the luxurious t'Zerah skin care treatments at the Backstage Creations Retreat during rehearsals at the 2007 Golden Globe(R) Awards and left looking and feeling a little more relaxed, gorgeous and ready for the red carpet.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- As befits anything from an album by DJ Insane and The G-Man, the first music video is one of the strangest ever posted online. The opening track, entitled "Trans Addiction," from the U.S. album CRAZED + DAZED (Delvian Records, UPC 6-75604-10252-0), has prompted an advertising copywriter in India to use open source film footage by an avant-garde German director to create the "Trans Addiction Wine Symphony."

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- BayBets.com "Juiceless Wagering on California Teams" has odds on IFL Championships, Pride Shockwave 2006, UFC 66 and K-1 Dynamite 2006. With the explosion of Mixed Martial Arts into the mainstream BayBets.com is always reliable for odds on the fights.

TORRANCE, Calif. -- Wildfire, Inc., the industry leader in providing UV effects solutions and creative ideas through sales and rentals of its proprietary line of high intensity black light fixtures, fluorescent paints & other expendable products, today announced the move of its corporate offices and manufacturing facility to a new headquarters located at 2908 Oregon Court, Suite GI, Torrance, CA 90503.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- The schedule was released today for HDFEST's Los Angeles event which will be staged at Dolby Laboratories in Burbank. This December event is the final stop on the HDFEST 2006 World Tour, which also included HD Festival events this year in Seoul, New York, Finland, and London. HDFEST Los Angeles will include screenings of high-definition movies, panels on HD moviemaking and digital cinema, festival parties and the HDFEST 2006 Deffie Award Ceremony.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Jean-Pierre Chevalier, a leading authority on genetic medicine, and iUniverse, Inc., a leading provider of publishing technology solutions announced today the long-awaited publication of "Sarcophagus," the novel. In this stunning work of contemporary fiction, Chevalier has succeeded in illuminating one of the unspeakable tragedies of our age: the institutionalized exploitation of illness. Now available in stone-cold print, the appalling dilemma of the cancer patient is laid bare like never before.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Wildfire, Inc. of Los Angeles, known for providing UV effects and materials to the entertainment industry for 17 years, will be joining the set of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" in an episode to be aired Sunday, October 15 at 8/9 pm CST.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Writing in his "Communication Nation" column exclusively for Advertising Industry Newswire(TM), Scott G (recording artist THE G-MAN) makes a startling suggestion: 49 more states should sue the major record companies. Everyone in the music business knows that Universal Music Group will pay a $12,000,000 fine for illegal practices (commonly called payola). The charges were brought by Eliot Spitzer, Attorney General of the state of New York, and the money will go to... the state of New York.

SAN FRANCISCO /California Newswire/ -- Keith Thompson plays an organ program highlighting the popular culture of 1906 San Francisco and its Earthquake at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, CA on April 22 and 23, Eugene Dong, an independent music producer (www.echoesofheaven.com), announced today.