Everybody was Boricua along Fifth Avenue yesterday for the 53rd Annual Puerto Rican Day Parade. Over three million spectators were estimated in attendance, standing several-people deep to get a look at Mayor Bloomberg, Governor Paterson, and parade royalty Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez. Many parade-goers began lining up hours before the starting time of 11 a.m. to get prime spots, and though the parade was limited to five hours and the route was cut, people were as excited as ever. Claudia Albarado, wearing a shirt reading "When I die and Heaven does not want me, take me straight to Puerto Rico," told WCBS, "I see all my people here. I'm very happy." However, the parade wasn't complete without some SNAFUs. more ›

Earlier this week, criticism forced soap star Osvaldo Rios to step down as Puerto Rican Day Parade "godfather" (or grand marshal)—because he was convicted of domestic violence. Now Marc Anthony, salsa star and J.Lo's hubby, will be taking his place at this Sunday's parade. MyFoxNY reports, "Anthony was quoted as saying that he was very proud to receive the recognition from the parade organizers and the community. Anthony had initially intended to make only a brief appearance but cleared his schedule for his new starring role. It's unclear if his wife, Jennifer Lopez will appear with him at any point in the parade. The pair has appeared together at past parades." more ›

Galen Zamarra was born to doctor parents in Switzerland, who fittingly named him after the ancient Roman physician. As a teenager, Zamarra decided to take up cooking, and now the thoughtful 33 year-old is the chef-owner of Mas (farmhouse) in the West Village. Last month, Mas received an impressive 28 points for food in their listing for the 2009 Zagat Guide, one of only ten area restaurants in the area with such a score. Zamarra will be cooking a dinner at the James Beard House in January, and is involved with Slow Food USA’s ongoing educational programs. He spoke with us a few weeks ago in Mas’ dining room about modern European cooking technique, building a better-tasting baby food, and organizing a human shield to protect J-Lo. more ›

Not too long ago it was reported that Jennifer Lopez was ready to burst as her belly swelled with twins on the way. She had visited a Long Island hospital with husband Marc Anthony and her couture hospital gowns, but it must have been a false alarm, because soon after she was attending Fashion Week events. Initially it was reported she would have a Cesarean birth that was scheduled for Valentine's Day; no word yet on whether she ended up going the natural way, as yesterday the twins finally arrived. more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a shooting on East 169th St. and Franklin Ave. in the Bronx, an aircraft emergency at Laguardia in Queens, and a power outage on Laconia Ave. in the Bronx.
• The suit about seizing private property for another private owner in the name of public gain will move to the Supreme Court after a 3-judge panel ruled that Bruce Ratner's Atlantic Yards eminent domain actions were O.K. with them.
• Some subway graffiti suggesting who the real Cloverfield monster is.

MOVIE: BAM pays homage to the late Barbara Stanwyck tonight with a screening of Forbidden. The 1932 Frank Capra-directed film (which tells the tale of a librarian who has fallen for an unobtainable/married man) was supposedly influenced by his real-life affair with the leading lady. Critic and historian Elliott Stein will discuss the film after the 6:50 screening. 4:30, 6:50 and 915pm // BAM Rose Cinemas [30 Lafayette Ave., Fort Greene] // $11 Meanwhile, the... more ›

Fifth Avenue was packed with revelers and performers during the 50th Annual Puerto Rican Day Parade. Celebrities, like "King" Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, were out in force, as were the politicians, including Mayor Bloomberg, Governor Eliot Spitzer, Senator Charles Schumer, Representative Jose Serrano, and Puerto Rico governor Anibal Acevedo-Villa. more ›

The Puerto Rican Day Parade is supposed to draw 2.8 million spectators to 5th Ave. in Manhattan this Sunday, making it one of the most popular annual parades in New York City. It's the 50th occurrence, so expect lots of enthusiasm from marchers, who will be heading north from 44th St. to 86th St. and entertained by Parade King Ricky Martin. more ›

but can he still be found guilty of being really stupid? more ›

Last night J.Lo was back in the Bronx to promote her new album (which dropped Tuesday), "Como Ama una Mujer," or "How a Woman Loves." She was accompanied by her husband Marc Anthony (who also produced the new Spanish language album). She addressed the crowd in Spanish and English: more ›

At the first Latin Grammys held in New York City, Shakira swept the top categories, winning album of the year, best female pop vocal album, song of the year, and record of the year. The Colombian singer dedicated one award to Latin immigrants and said, "I hope soon they will receive they recognition they deserve from the government." more ›

MUSIC: Love is All takes over the Knitting Factory tonight with not one, but two shows. The early show is with Cause Co-Motion! and Devastations, the later one with Cause Co-Motion! and Tyvek. Choose wisely. Or you could always watch Jared Leo bring his emo wrath upon bloggers, his band plays Roseland tonight. more ›

Hundreds of thousands of revelers enjoyed the beautiful weather and celebrated during yesterday's Puerto Rican Day Parade. And this year's theme was, "Boricuas...We count, We Vote!" Though Marc Anthony was the Grand Marshal, the real attraction was his wife, Jennifer Lopez. Mayor Bloomberg, who marched with the couple, said, "In the pictures tomorrow, I will be lucky if I am noticed at all." Anthony and Lopez ultimately needed the help of Guardian Angels to keep the paparazzi off them and keep moving along the parade route. And the couple was also there to promote their upcoming film, El Cantante, but the El Cantante float broke down towards the end of the route. more ›

With the Puerto Rican Day Parade right around the corner, Mayor Bloomberg reminded Fifth Avenue buildings not to board up their properties. Many buildings along the parade's two mile route had taken to putting plywood on doors and windows, fearing rowdy crowds. While Puerto Rican Day parade violence has been a concern since the 2000 "wildings," the NYPD has made sure to step up patrols. Daily News says no buildings have been boarded up so far and that only police sawhorses have been put out, but 1035 Fifth Avenue told the Post they would put up a metal fence again, since people have climbed onto a window ledge in years past (last year, some buildings put panels and fences up) . more ›

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