Latin Culture Today posted a list of the most influential and exciting Puerto Ricans today: Calle 13, Giannina Braschi, Jennifer López, the current governor of Puerto Rico Alejandro García Padilla, and outfielder Carlos Beltrán as the top five. See excerpts of their descriptions with a link to the detailed list below:

Turning heads with their own eclectic spin on reggaeton, CALLE 13 is the hottest band to emerge from Puerto Rico in decades, with 19 Latin Grammy Awards and 2 Grammy Awards. As hot as their sound is their political fire; these musicians are avid supporters of the Puerto Rican independence movement, both a source of controversy and a musical inspiration.

GIANNINA BRASCHI, one of the most imaginative and funny writers to emerge from Latin America in the past 25 years, is the radical author of the new book UNITED STATES OF BANANA and the best-selling Spanglish novel YO-YO BOING! The Associated Press calls Braschi’s writing “fearless” and her imagination “limitless.” [. . .] www.youtube.com/watch?v=amKOFXXB2jI

JENNIFER LOPEZ, the global performing arts sensation, is one of the most multi-talented artists and entrepeneurs today. J Lo is an actress, dancer, entrepreneur, film producer, philanthropist, and singer. In 2012, she was ranked at number one on business magazine Forbes’s Celebrity 100 list, which named her the most powerful celebrity, with earnings of $52 million that year. www.youtube.com/user/JenniferLopez

ALEJANDRO GARCIA PADILLA is the new GOVERNOR OF PUERTO RICO as of January 2013. Prior, he was a member of the 24th Senate of Puerto Rico and President of the Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico.

CARLOS BELTRAN plays outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals. Beltrán is known for being one of the best all-time statistical hitters in Major League Baseball postseason games, which has earned him nicknames such as “Señor Octubre” and “the real Mr. October.”

JOSEPH ACABA, Puerto Rican Astronaut  [For more information, see previous post Puerto Rico welcomes astronaut Joseph Acaba Herrero.]

MARC ANTHONY is a two-time Grammy and three-time Latin Grammy–award winning singer and actor who has sold more than 12 million salsa and ballad albums worldwide. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ns9YYSqLxyI

TONY RAMOS, Olympic Gymnast, placed in the finals at the London Olympics in 2012. May he bring home the gold from
the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

RICKY MARTIN currently stars as Che in the Broadway revival of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Evita. In addition to being a POP SINGER AND BROADWAY ACTOR, he is a philanthropist whose foundation is dedicated to eliminating human trafficking. www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaSPOcSkTLQ

MONICA PUIG, tennis player, won the ITF tournament in Joué-lès-Tours in 2012, which included a first round win against Alexandra Panova. Her star is on the rise.

BENICIO DEL TORO, actor and film producer, has won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a BAFTA Award.

RICHARD CARRION is not only the CEO and Chairman of BANCO POPULAR, but he also runs the Finance Committee for the International Olympics. He is one of Puerto Rico’s most successful businessmen in addition to being a philanthropist dedicated to providing underprivileged children with education and sports opportunities.

For original report (and great photos), see http://latinculturetoday.blogspot.com/2013/01/most-influential-puerto-ricans.html#!/2013/01/most-influential-puerto-ricans.html