Vignettes from Latin Grammy Awards

LAS VEGAS - Ricky Martin wants Hispanic immigrants to learn English, but not lose the language that links them to others in Latin culture.

"Music breaks borders, unites cultures. ... We have to speak Spanish. We can't stop speaking our language," Martin told reporters Thursday after the Latin Grammy Awards. "I would not like to think that a new generation of Latinos in this country can't speak their language."

But what about Spanglish, the hybrid of English and Spanish often spoken by young Hispanic immigrants in the United States?

"Spanglish is very much ours," Martin said. "Not everyone in the world can speak Spanglish, it's not easy."

The Puerto Rican superstar also delivered his warning on losing Spanish when he accepted one of his two Latin Grammys.

The remarks drew a strong applause from the audience.

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Wilmer Valderrama, who presented the award for male pop vocal album, likes Las Vegas so much he's going to open a restaurant here.

"I am opening a restaurant called The Company at the Luxor Hotel," Valderrama said after the show.

The restaurant will be a steakhouse.

The former "That '70s Show" star owns restaurants in Los Angeles.

As for Sin City, Valderrama could barely keep a straight face when trying to say what he loves about it so much.

"I come here to Las Vegas to go to church, normal things that young folks like me do," he said, drawing laughs.

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The slogan is well-known: What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. But pop singer Elvis Crespo says he wished he would have known about it earlier.

"I am a guy with a history, well a lot of history," he quipped after the show. "I think I should have done my things in Las Vegas, but I didn't."

The singer's album, "Regreso El Jefe," lost its bid for best merengue album to Juan Luis Guerra, but he was in good spirits after the show.

"Las Vegas dances to the rhythm of merengue," Crespo said.

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Miguel Bose might not be feeling too good.

Before the show, the singer said that while being nominated was great, nothing beats winning.

"At least if I could (win) three of them, at least three," Bose said. "That's what I'm looking for."

Bose was vying for album of the year, record of the year and male pop vocal album, but he lost all categories.

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Ricky Martin says he's going to take a long break before he gets back into the studio.

"I'm going to return to my home," Martin said after the show. "I want to play a little bit with silence, to see what it brings, what it has in store for me."

The singer noted he's accomplished a lot this year, but it has been an intense ride.

After some rest, Martin plans to focus for several months on his humanitarian work. Then he'll return to the studio and begin writing music.

"I have to travel, get nourishment from other cultures," he said. "But I want time to do it. I don't want to feel rushed."

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Associated Press writer Marcela Isaza contributed to this report.

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