Gloria Estefan Becomes First Latina Inducted into Songwriters Hall of Fame

Gloria Estefan is making history by becoming the first Hispanic woman to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

"To be the first of anything at this age is fantastic," Estefan said. For Estefan, songwriting appears to come naturally. She's sold over 100 million records worldwide, has garnered eight Grammy Awards, and is the voice behind smash hits like "Anything for You" and "Rhythm is Gonna Get You."

Estefan said that creating music has never been easy for her but once she's been able to put her thoughts and emotions down, the words come easily.

"The minute I finish writing a song, I think I will never be able to do this again... Each one is different. Every song comes differently," she said.

By her side for the last 47 years is her husband, Emilio Estefan Gómez, a fellow musician and producer. Together the two are credited for paving the way for other Latin artists like Shakira and Ricky Martin and helping them crossover into mainstream pop.

Estefan said that she and her husband became their own "cheerleaders" and took the industry head-on.

"And you know, we got a lot of no's at the beginning of our career.

'No, this sound will never work. No, you are not going to be able to crossover. No, you can't compete on a world level.' Of course, we didn't believe that," she said. "When we got the opportunity to give a hand up or leg up to other Latinos, other Latin artists that we knew could be amazing, it was wonderful to be able to say yes."

Estefan is among seven musical icons — including Sade, Glen Ballard, Snoop Dogg, Jeff Lynne, Teddy Riley, and Liz Rose — to be announced as inductees into the 52nd Annual Songwriters Hall of Fame.

The star-studded event is slated for Thursday, June 15 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.

Ana de Armas gets Oscar nod for ‘Blonde’ while rest of film leads the A

na de Armas garnered an Academy Award nomination for best actress in a leading role for her performance as Marilyn Monroe in Netflix's "Blonde" — amid controversy over the movie.

The NC-17 psychodrama is a fictionalized chronicle of the private life of the Hollywood and pop culture icon from the 1950s and the 1960s.

The film got a 14-minute standing ovation after its international premiere at the Venice Film Festival last year. Viewers mainly applauded de Armas' emotional performance.

It is the Cuban-born actor's first Oscar nomination.

She is also the first the Cuban to be nominated for a leading role at the Oscars. Fellow Cuban actor Andy Garcia was nominated for best supporting actor in 1990.

De Armas joins a select group of Latinas who have been nomi- nated for best actress in a leading role. They include Fernanda Montenegro for her performance in the 1998 film "Central Station," Salma Hayek for her role in "Frida," the 2002 biopic of the iconic Mexican painter as Frida Kahlo, Catalina Sandino Moreno for her performance in the 2004 film "Maria Full of Grace" and Yalitza Aparicio for starring in "Roma" five years ago.

De Armas was the only Latino performer to receive an Academy Award nomination in acting, but other Latino filmmakers were recognized in other categories.