LONDON | Mon Oct 22, 2012 9:56am EDT LONDON (Reuters) - American soul veteran Bobby Womack won Q magazine's best album award on Monday for "The Bravest Man in the Universe", beating out younger competition including London indie band The Maccabees and Paul Weller. Womack's first album of original material since 1994's "Resurrection" was co-produced by Bl...

LONDON | Mon Oct 22, 2012 9:20am EDT LONDON (Reuters) - The London film festival ended late on Sunday with the European premiere of Mike Newell's "Great Expectations" and the release of figures showing public attendance at screenings across the capital this year had risen 12 percent to a record 149,000. Organizers of the annual 12-day cinema showcase, wh...

By Lisa Richwine LOS ANGELES | Sun Oct 21, 2012 5:55pm EDT LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The fourth "Paranormal Activity" fright flick crept into the No. 1 spot at the weekend box office with $30.2 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales. Iran hostage thriller "Argo" earned $16.6 million and took second place, studio estimates released on Sunday show...

You are invited to join us for the 2012 Costa Rica International Festival of Terror ("TerrorFest"), October 25th to 31st 2012 in Montezuma, Costa Rica. If you don't have Halloween plans, this could be your ticket, and a great way to meet new people and see the country. TerrorFest presents the best in short and feature horror, sci-fi, suspense, thriller, animation, horror-comedy, and more fr...

By Shadia Nasralla and Clare Hutchison LONDON | Sat Oct 20, 2012 4:13pm EDT LONDON (Reuters) - Star Trek fans made history on Saturday by breaking the record for the largest gathering of people dressed as characters from the TV series at the "Destination Star Trek London" convention. An estimated 1,083 costume-clad "trekkies" assembled at the eve...

By Brandon Lowrey LOS ANGELES | Fri Oct 19, 2012 9:30pm EDT LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The father of pop star Britney Spears was terrified by his daughter's deepening drug addiction as her life spiraled out of control five years ago, his attorney told jurors on Friday. "Jamie (Spears) was living in constant fear that he was going to look at the TV o...

LOS ANGELES | Fri Oct 19, 2012 5:48pm EDT LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hollywood couple Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel have married in southern Italy, People magazine said on Friday. "It's great to be married, the ceremony was beautiful and it was so special to be surrounded by our family and friends," the couple told the U.S. celebrity magazine in an exc...

By Paul Sandle LONDON | Fri Oct 19, 2012 5:42pm EDT LONDON (Reuters) - British police investigating alleged sexual abuse by BBC presenter Jimmy Savile launched a criminal inquiry on Friday, saying more than 200 potential victims had come forward since accusations he had preyed on children for decades. Allegations that flamboyant Savile, who died ...

By Vernell Hackett NASHVILLE, Tennessee | Fri Oct 19, 2012 5:18pm EDT NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Reuters) - After kicking up a storm with the success of "My Kinda Party", country music singer Jason Aldean is feeling the pressure for "Night Train" to keep up the pace of his rising star. Aldean, 35, scored his biggest hit to date with his fourth studio ...

By Clare Hutchison and Shadia Nasralla LONDON | Fri Oct 19, 2012 4:59pm EDT LONDON (Reuters) - One couple has boldly gone where no other has gone before by tying the knot in Britain's first Klingon wedding ceremony at a Star Trek convention to celebrate the much-loved TV series in London on Friday. The couple, 23-year-old Jossie Sockertopp and 29...

Fri Oct 19, 2012 4:44pm EDT (Note: story contains expletive in paragraph five) (Reuters) - Tom Hanks, the "Big" star often cited for his family-friendly appeal, may have put a dent in his G-rated reputation on Friday when he uttered a particularly grown-up word on ABC's "Good Morning America."Hanks appeared on the show to promote his coming science fiction/philos...

NEW YORK | Fri Oct 19, 2012 1:09pm EDT NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Broadway production team on Friday filed a $100 million fraud lawsuit against a stockbroker accused of jeopardizing the musical production of "Rebecca" by concocting an elaborate ruse that included fictional characters and a mysterious death. The suit against Mark Hotton, 46, comes days after ...

By Shadia Nasralla and Clare Hutchison LONDON | Fri Oct 19, 2012 1:04pm EDT LONDON (Reuters) - Not many 81-year olds would enjoy travelling across the world just to mingle with crowds of people dressed up in odd costumes, but William Shatner begged to differ as he faced thousands of fans at the Destination London Star Trek convention on Friday. S...

By Piya Sinha-Roy LOS ANGELES | Thu Oct 18, 2012 10:33pm EDT LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Country-pop star Taylor Swift has won over a legion of devoted fans in the past six years with her raw, honest lyrics of romance and heartbreak. Now, at the grand age of 22, the five-time Grammy winner is says her new record "Red," to be released on Monday, "the ...

By Sarah Mills LONDON | Thu Oct 18, 2012 5:15pm EDT LONDON (Reuters) - Singer Mick Jagger said the Rolling Stones had rehearsed around 70 songs for a series of 50th anniversary concerts later this year, and guitarist Keith Richards assured fans the veteran British rockers would "deliver". The four Stones appeared on the red carpet on Thursday for...

1. Calakmul, Campeche, Mexico One of the most important cities of Mayan civilization, Calakmul was once home to more than 50,000 inhabitants. Though the city's timeline goes as far back as the Preclassic period (300 B.C. to 240 A.D.), its golden age was in the Classic period (250 A.D. to 900 A.D.), when it served as Tikal's main rival and battled for dominance of the central Mayan area. Man...

In the past The Costa Rica Star has reported on a campaign to end dog fighting in Costa Rica. Costa Rican authorities detected the illegal import of genetically modified dogs for use in fights, reported local media yesterday. According to the National Animal Health Service (SENASA), this is the first time they seize these hybrid dogs used for profit, since of the 23 seized, 11 were aggre...

The Balloon Fiesta is no stranger to hosting international visitors. There are 550 pilots representing 19 countries this year. Esteban Elizondo is piloting the Serendipity balloon from Costa Rica, and is participating in the Balloon Fiesta for the first time. Elizondo said this is something he has always wanted to do. "It's always been a goal for every balloonist this - this is the Mecca...

When weathered school buses are retired from commission in the United States, they don't always end up being scrapped: many times, they find a new life (and a new paint job) in Guatemala and other Central American countries. Known to English speakers as "chicken buses," because of the likelihood travelers might find themselves sitting next to livestock, these buses can be found throughout the ...

At last, the summit -- the top of the highest active volcano in El Salvador. Volcan Santa Ana -- nearly 2,440 metres above the nearby Pacific Ocean and towering over the classic cone of neighbouring Volcan Izalco -- is known as Mother Mountain to the Maya people. Breathless, our family party of five looked out on the vista from the knife-edge summit ridge. It was startling. On one sid...

In a blog post by Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein, two announcements were made that were direct results of passenger feedback. First up was the request by Royal Caribbean fans for more Panama Canal cruises. Goldstein announced that Vision of the Seas was slated to originally offer Caribbean cruises will instead sail a set of Panama Canal cruises in the fall and spring. The new Panama ca...

Ever joked to a friend you'd skip town if the election didn't go your way? JetBlue launched a clever marketing campaign on Wednesday that aims to put frustrated voters in their place — on a plane right out of the country. Aptly dubbed Election Protection, the discount carrier's offering free roundtrip tickets to any of its 21 nonstop, international destinations including Aruba, Bahamas,...

The latest production offered by Little Theatre Group of Costa Rica will open on Friday October 12th 2012 at 7:30pm. Looking for the Pony by Andrea Lepcio was first presented in a "Rolling World Premiere" Off-Broadway at Vital Theatre Company in New York City in 2009. Since then it has been performed across the United States always receiving excellent reviews. Described by reviewer Martin D...

A groundbreaking documentary about an Ecuadorian Indigenous People’s successful international legal battle against their country for allowing foreign oil exploration on their land without their consent has won an award at National Geographic’s prestigious All Roads Film Project. Amnesty International and the Kichwa de Sarayaku Indigenous community filmed and co-produced Children of the Jag...

Not again. I reach for my watch. It's 5.04am. This is the third morning in succession we've been woken by howler monkeys. "Howl" isn't the half of it. The noise invades your consciousness like some distant wind and builds into a sustained, jet-engine roar until you fling off the sheets and sit up, cursing. Awake, you can hear the throaty rasp – like a vomiting Darth Vader. The volume is astoni...

From erotic body painting, through topless ziplining, through naked horseback riding, the program is seeking out those that want an adventurous vacation experience in the friendliest place on earth. These are special weeks made available to open-minded adults only at two locations in Costa Rica. Each week is themed to coincide with the new for 2012 onsite Social Directors, the renowned enterta...

Selected works from the collective exhibit "Petroglyphs of the Orosi Volcano" opens at 10 a.m. Saturday, September 29th at the Hidden Garden Art Gallery. Organized by artists Carlos Hiller and Rebeca Alvarado Soto, a group of 25 leading artists have studied and researched these artifacts and were inspired to transform them into visual arts. Recreating original interpretations, and developi...

Belize’s 31st birthday is not only a celebration of this tiny Caribbean nation’s independence, but a festival of multiculturalism and living proof that racial, religious and cultural harmony does work, the owners of the Lodge at Chaa Creek said today. In the run up to the nationwide celebrations about to take place in Belize under the theme of "Many faces, many dreams, but one goal; celebra...

It seems odd that we haven't gotten more movies with Tom Hanks and Halle Berry together, but 'Cloud Atlas' looks to be one of the best. Directed by the Wachowskis, it spans decades and has a multitude of characters involved. In fact, for those not previously acquainted with the book, the trailer and synopsis seem intentionally vague, but awesome nonetheless. After premiering at TIFF, Cloud ...

Costa Rica-based melodic metal band SIGHT OF EMPTINESS has finished recording its as-yet-untitled third album, to be released later this year. The CD was recorded at SoloHits Studios in San José, Costa Rica with Swedish producer Thomas "Plec" Johansson (SCAR SYMMETRY, WATAIN, ESKIMO CALLBOY, SOLUTION .45, MISERATION), who traveled all the way to Costa Rica to work with the band closely for abo...

MANAGUA, Nicaragua - The Nicaraguan Tourism Board has launched a partnership with TACA, a leading airline in Latin America, to drive travel bookings to Nicaragua on Expedia.com. In 2011, Nicaragua welcomed one million tourists, many more than in previous years. During 2012's first semester, the number of tourists increased an 11.5% over the same period in 2011. With this fall campaign on Ex...

A must have for shoppers who visit Multiplaza Malls in Costa Rica. This App allows shoppers to be in-the-know about the latest sales and events at both Multiplaza Escazu and Multiplaza Del Este in San Jose, Costa Rica. With over 440 stores, this app makes it easy to keep track of your favorite stores, sales offers and discover what's new. Besides store and mall events, find a place ...

A skirmish that pitted a ragtag group of British buccaneers and their slaves against a small flotilla of Spanish warships some 200 years ago was celebrated today in Belize with cultural performances, the installation of beauty queens and citizens’ parades. What most historians describe as a myth, many Belizeans embrace as a defining moment in the history of the former British Honduras. An ...

Book your All Inclusive Vacation at Volcano Brewing Company during the next two months, and we’ll throw in your 3rd All-Inclusive Night Free! Yup, all you want to drink, eat, play, and stay for FREE on night 3! Are we nuts? Maybe a little… but it’s low season, and we throw out the rulebook. Take advantage of the offseason and let’s have some fun! NFL Football and Microbrewed Beer F...

As the boat carried our group from a coastal airstrip in eastern Panama to the Yandup Island Lodge, in the autonomous territory of the Guna Indians, I admired the timeless beauty of my surroundings. A woman in colorful traditional dress glided slowly across the glistening sea in a dugout canoe powered by a lateen sail. The shore of nearby Playón Chico island was lined with Guna huts, their can...

Young Cuban artists Jeosviel Abstengo Chaviano, Liesther Amador González, and Fernando Caluff, will represent Cuba on the first edition of Hispanoamericanos, Traveling Souls exhibition, scheduled to be held at the Albernathy Arts Center, in the US city of Georgia. The exhibition will open on October 5 and will be open to the public until the 31st. The event will be attended by some one hund...

An interview with former drug boss "Freeway" Ricky Ross. Former cocaine trafficker and C.I.A./Contra/crack-conspiracy fall guy Rick Ross only refers to the rapper "Rick Ross" by his real name, William Roberts. You can understand why. It must be pretty strange to be sitting in a jail cell back in 2006, and hear of a new rapper out there with your name, claiming to know all about the cocaine ...

An officer in a special forces team of Honduras' National Police has apologized to a journalist and paid for breaking her camera during a 2011 protest. It's an unusual gesture in a country where journalists face some of the worst violence in the world. Reporter Sandra Sanchez says she hopes the apology from officer Jhonny Alexander Carrasco will set a precedent. The leader for Honduras' ...

Don't forget to check out all of the previous articles published by The Costa Rica Star on Samsung mobile products in Costa Rica! EVENT: 80′s AWESOME FEST! WHEN: September 8th – 4:00pm WHERE: Estadio Saprissa, San José, Costa Rica If you ever wish you grew up in the 80′s… you will have one night to experience (or re-live) those good old days. Samsung presents Costa Rica with a blas...

For Thursday’s Geo Quiz, we journey to an abandoned town on Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast. We’re looking for signs of its former inhabitants, who had hoped to build the hemisphere’s first trans-oceanic canal. British citizen Peter Stevenson traveled to this former British protectorate to find the graves of relatives who lived in the town. They’d gone there in the 1800s, to work with US indust...