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By Horacio Garcia

Some movies give you peace of mind. They manage to walk a very fine line that takes them almost to corny land but somehow they stay on the side of heartfelt. The Descendants; directed by Alexander Payne and with George Clooney in the leading character, is such a movie.

That said, and acknowledging that is probably going to be nominated for a couple of Oscars, is not my favorite Alexander Payne movie. He was a lot less self-conscious in Sideways (2004) and I think the reason is that he likes these characters a lot more. He treats them better and his main character; Matt King (Clooney) is a close enough guy to us -so much, that you can feel his pain. Clooney manages to be helplessly comical every step of the way and I must say that if this is not his best performance, is very close.

The Descendants is set in Hawaii and that helps to set the tone, despite an early effort to makes us believe that place is not the closest thing to paradise. Matt King, head of an old Hawaiian family, is suddenly presented with some cruel facts; his wife is comatose after an accident and he learns that by her written will, she is to be unplugged from the life-support machines.

So Matt has to tell his two daughters Alex (Shailene Woodley) and Scottie (Amara Miller), two complicated girls with a tendency to be brutal with their old man. To start, Alex informs Matt that her mother was having an affair with some real estate agent.

I suspect that a combination of the paradisiac landscapes (yes, they have no shame in rubbing the place in our faces all the time) and a little hook to catch Clooney made director Payne throw in the middle of the story a greedy developer who wants to buy the family land and the responsibility is Matt's alone.

The subplot is not the best but that is exactly the kind of thing that happens in real life, that's why is so complicated. Whenever one problem comes, is always accompanied by some more, each one more stressing than the previous one. Matt King’s dilemma is familiar to every man in some degree.

In every other aspect; The Descendants is a finely crafted film. Shailene Woodley -whom we've seen mostly in TV plays- the hardened teenager masterfully and Judy Greer as the wife of Matt's lover is excellent as usual, thankfully out of the bitchy characters Hollywood usually gives her and more in her Cable TV persona of Californication fame.

Another good surprise is Nick Krause in the character of the always present boyfriend of Alex. Krause was obviously selected to provide part of the comical relief of the movie, but he takes his roll with gusto and his performance is flawless.

In any case, most of the dramatic weight falls on Clooney who gives a performance at least as good as in Up in the Air. And on top of that, you have Hawaii, so vivid you can almost smell it.

Tags Alexander Payne, blogger: Horacio Garcia, George Clooney, Judy Greer, Shailene, Woodley

By Michael Lopez

Sci-fi sites were buzzing today with news that J.J. Abrams has "officially" confirmed Benicio Del Toro's participation in the new Star Trek movie. Though he didn't reveal details about Del Toro's role, he did express excitement about having the Wolf Man on board.

"Well, we're just in negotiations, we're in discussions. But I would love to work with [Benicio],” Abrams said at a recent red carpet appearance. "I've wanted to work with him for years, it felt like a good opportunity."

The most interesting rumors circulating say that Benicio will reprise Ricardo Montalban's role as the legendary Star Trek villain Khan. But nothing has been confirmed yet, which means Del Toro may possibly be cast as a member of the Starship Enterprise.

The Star Trek sequel is still in the final script stages and should start filming in early 2012. Hopefully by the time the new year kicks off, we'll have a much better idea on who (or what) Benicio will be playing.

Are you getting excited about Star Trek 2? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Benicio Del Toro, Blogger: Michael Lopez, J.J. Abrams, Movies & CineMás, Star Trek, Star Trek 2

By Larry Yepez Jr.

The trailer for Madonna's new movie,W.E., hit the web this week, making critics and moviegoers and Madonna fans alike speculate about how it will do in the box office. The British love-story tells the tale of King Edward VIII and his lover, Wallis Simpson, through a lonely New Yorker (Abby Cornish) in the late 1990's, nearly six decades later.

Madonna's directorial debut was Filth and Wisdom in 2008 which didn't receive good reviews, and the reviews from festivals where W.E. has screened have been mixed. However, Madonna's movie career doesn't lack some critical success. In 1997, the queen of pop  was honored with a Golden Globe for her role in Evita.

W.E. flips back and forth between the 1930, when Edward was romancing with Wallis, and the late 1990s, as it follows a Wally Winthrop, an American woman obsessed with their love story, who, while in the midst of a romance of her own, begins doing research only to discover that theirs was not the fairy tale she'd imagined.

The film will be making a week-long Oscar qualifying run in December because Weinstein wanted the film in next year's awards. Let's see if Madonna has the chops to be recognized in the big award shows. W.E. opens in New York and Los Angeles on December 9th.

Are you going to see W.E.?

Tags Abby Cornish, Blogger: Larry Yepez Jr, Evita, Filth and Wisdom, Madonna, Oscars, W.E., Weinstein

By Michael Lopez

As you may well know, the day after Thanksgiving has become a haven for holiday shopping deals. And in the console world, that means the hottest titles will be hitting the shelves no later than the November 22. So you may want to start camping out early, because the video game bumrush is about to begin!

One of the biggest games of all actually is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 hit shelves on November 8 and promises to blow its predecessors out of the water! Stars like Tobey Maguire and Christopher Meloni are lending their voices for the 1st person shooter, which will take place in Africa, Dubai, and Moscow. Expect tons of political intrigue and great online co-op enhancements.

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations caters to much of the same crowd. With its violent undertones and espionage-infused plot, it almost plays like an action-packed version of the Da Vinci Code. There are global secrets, underground organizations, and tons of new skull-crunching weapons (like the deadly hookblade!)

Sports fans will want to get their hands on the new WWE ’12 game. Sporting all new graphics and enhanced controls (the last few WWE titles suffered from multiple glitches), this rock 'em, sock 'em ring battle brings together some of professional wrestling's all time greats. And as an added Black Friday bonus, everyone who pre-orders it will get a code to unlock a playable version of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. It was released on November 22.

And, in the Nintendo realm, there are plenty of long-awaited releases too. One particular hot title is The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. The 15th game in the popular RPG franchise, this outing will take full advantage of the Wii's motion controls. It will also delve much deeper into the Zelda mythology, working as a prequel to 1998's hugely popular Ocarina of Time. Early Japanese reviews of the game have been phenomenal.

Nintendo's other big hero, Mario, will be back around Thanksgiving too, in the 3DS title, Mario Kart 7. Though it technically comes out December 3, Kart will be taking pre-orders way before Black Friday. This high-paced racer will include all of your favorites from the Mushroom Kingdom along with new characters like Wiggler and Queen Bee. There will also be a hang glider option which should make for some very interesting gameplay.

Which upcoming video games are you most excited about? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Assassin's Creed, Assassin's Creed: Revelations, Black Friday, Call Of Duty, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Hot Stuff, Mario, Mario Kart, Mario Kart 7, Nintendo, The Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword, video games, WWE, WWE 12, Zelda

By Harry Pagancoss

Considered on of the most exotic fruits, papaya is one of my favorites. You can have it in a shake, a salad, in sweets, and many more uses, both in the kitchen and beauty. However, we will focus on the beauty department this time.

As a fruit, papaya is rich in vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5 and C, contains calcium and iron and is a good source of fiber. Fiber is always good to help you cleanse your intestines. So, if you have intestinal transit problems, this may be one of your healthy choices to correct the issue.

In addition to all the nutritional virtues papaya has, Vitamins A and B5 can be very useful in helping with skin hydration and an excellent ingredient for cleansing due to its astringent ability. When used correctly and with regularity, it can provide you with an economical alternative to expensive beauty treatments. Why not give it a try?

Therefore, I wanted to share with you some recetitas that will help you stay pretty and fresh like a bunch of romaine lettuce:

Tags Beauty, beauty treatments, Harry Pagancoss, papaya

By Michael Lopez

At nine-years-old, Benjamin “Lil P-Nut” Flores is already living the rap star dream. The pint-sized MC has worked with Ice Cube, toured with Soulja Boy and is now acting alongside Common in Happy Feet Two. We got to speak to P-Nut exclusively about his role in the film and the many other projects he's currently got lined up.

"Happy Feet Two was a ton of fun," he told us. "I had a great experience doing the voice over. Hopefully I can do more animated stuff like that in the future."

And having seen the film, we can definitely vouch for P-Nut’s skills behind the voiceover mic. In Happy Feet Two, he plays the hip-hop loving penguin Atticus (who happens to be the son of Common's Seymour character). P-Nut told us that he had a blast recording his lines, which actually took place fairly recently.

"I actually finished recording my lines like a month ago," he said. "But it was great, because I got to see a lot more of the movie while I was doing it. The only sad part was I had to do it alone. None of the cast was with me when I was in the booth."

P-Nut told us he stepped into the voice over booth once again this season, to record lines for a Cartoon Network pilot he's working on with Ice Cube. Though he couldn't reveal too much about the top secret project, he did seem very excited about it.

But, for now at least, his energies are focused strictly on Happy Feet Two. P-Nut attracted quite a bit of attention at the movie's Hollywood premiere and told us it was one of the biggest highlights of his young life.

"The premiere was incredible," he said. "I got to see Robin Williams and a ton of my favorite celebrities. Matt Damon was there and I finally got to meet Common, who plays my dad in the movie."

And P-Nut was quick to sing the praises of the movie too, particularly it's eye-popping 3D effects.

"The 3D in this movie is so cool. And I couldn't believe the animation. There's this scene where a giant iceberg falls into the water that I’ll never forget. It looked so real!"

Clearly Atticus is P-Nut’s favorite character in the film, but he told us Robin Williams' Latino penguino Ramon comes in at a close second. And when we asked him to name his other favorite Happy Feet cohorts, he praised Mumble and Erik (the two leads).

After watching the movie, it’s clear that Happy Feet is definitely primed for a third installment. And if P-Nut has his way, he'd sign on for Parts Four, Five, and Six!

"I want to be back for as many Happy Feets as possible!" he said. "I could be a teenager in Part Three and maybe a penguin daddy in Part Four or Five."

We're sure Happy Feet fans will embrace P-Nut (and his Atticus character) in future movies too, especially after they see his animated interpretation of LL Cool J's "Mama Said Knock You Out!"

Look for P-Nut and the rest of the penguinos in Happy Feet Two!

Are you looking forward to Happy Feet Two? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Benjamin Flores, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Common, Exclusive Entrevistas, Happy Feet Two, Ice Cube, Lil P-Nut, Movies & CineMás, Robin Williams, Tr3s Exclusives

By Michael Lopez

Part comedy, part musical, part nostalgia trip for Gen X-ers, The Muppets definitely tries its best to breathe life into a 35-year-old franchise. Does it succeed? For the most part yes, especially whenever any of Jim Henson's felt-covered creations are on the screen. But, truth be told, it's the human characters that could use a bit of polishing.

Star Jason Segel also wrote the script for this movie and literally crammed in every character you remember from the classic Muppet Show. There's the lovable Kermit the Frog, corny jokester Fozzie Bear, and diva-esque Miss Piggy (in a surprisingly reduced role). Segel even added a new Muppet to the mix, a spunky "Mini Me" version of himself named Walter. But ironically his own role, as the lovable lunk Gary, seems a bit underdeveloped.

As the story begins, we find Walter and Gary booking a trip to Hollywood, California. Raised as brothers (you heard right) in the fictional city of Smalltown USA, both Walter and Gary grew up idolizing Kermit and hope to encounter him and his buddies when they reach La La Land.

Gary's girlfriend (played by Amy Adams) comes along for the ride too and soon theyre exploring the hallowed halls of Muppet Studios. The only problem is, Muppet Studios is long shut down and the entire gang of characters have gone their separate ways.

But when a greedy oil tycoon buys the old stomping grounds and threatens to tear it down, Gary and Walter make it their mission to assemble the gang and get them to reclaim their territory. We soon find out that in order to squash the bad guy, the Muppets will need to put on a telethon and raise enough money to buy back their home.

And that's when the real fun begins. By the time the grand finale happens, you'll see some hilarious Muppet sketches, great back-and-forths with celebrity guests (including Tr3s faves Selena Gomez and Rico Rodriguez), and a catchy musical number that'll stick in your head long after the credits roll. Yes The Muppets does take a while to get going, but seeing the gang reunited is well worth the wait.

Bottom line: It's clear that Jason Segel is a Muppet fanatic. And, in a way, that's the best kind of person you want involved with this project. His dialogue for Kermit, Fozzie, and Gonzo is spot-on, though he does skimp on giving himself interesting things to do. That being said, kids, comedy lovers, and die-hard Muppet fans will definitely get their money's worth with this movie.

Are you planning on watching The Muppets? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Amy Adams, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Jason Segel, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Movie Reviews, Movies & CineMás, Rico Rodriguez, Selena Gomez, The Muppets

By Michael Lopez

We had a feeling Salvadorian-American hot footer J.R. Martinez was going to take down the Dancing With The Stars' trophy this year. And, much to the delight of everyone in the ballroom, that's exactly what he did.

Tuesday night's dance-off proved to be quite the heated battle. Both Ricki Lake and Rob Kardashian turned into some pretty tough competitors during the 11th hour. Ricki got rave reviews for her colorful tango and Rob channeled his retro side for an inspired foxtrot number. But once J.R. busted out his signature moves, America knew who their next champ would be.

"Thank you America, for believing in us," Martinez enthusiastically said after he learned of his victory.

J.R. made sure to heap tons of praise on his dance partner Karina Smirnoff and appeared quite emotional when his name was revealed.

Though all eyes were on Martinez throughout the night, DWTS still delivered one heck of a finale. Every eliminated celeb got a chance to strut their stuff again and Lady Antebellum performed two live songs off their latest album.

Congratulations J.R.!

Are happy J.R. won Dancing With The Stars? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Blogger: Michael Lopez, Dancing With The Stars, Hot Stuff, J.R. Martinez, Karina Smirnoff, Lady Antebellum, Ricki Lake, Rob Kardashian, Television

By Michael Lopez

No, Eva Mendes will not be starring in The Amy Winehouse Story. But the 37-year-old actress did channel the fallen singer on the set of her new film, Holly Motors. Sporting a beehive hairdo, black eyeshadow, and a leopard-print jacket, Eva was a dead ringer for the late great Amy.

Holly Motors is currently being shot in France and follows the adventures of a man who inhabits several different lives. Looking at Mendes' getup, we're assuming one of them takes place in the swinging 1960's.

The film also stars Kylie Minogue and will feature a primarily French cast. So far, there's no word on whether or not Eva will be doing any singing in the movie. But judging by the way she's dressed up, we're hopeful they can stick "Rehab" into at least one scene.

And don't worry mainstream movie fans, Mendes won't be acting in French art house films forever. Outside of Holly Motors, she's set to star in the comedy Girl In Progress and, quite possibly, the eagerly-anticipated Fast Six!

Who would you like to see play Amy Winehouse in a biopic? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Amy Winehouse, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Celebrities, Eva Mendes, Girl In Progress, Holly Motors, Kylie Minogue, Movies & CineMás

By Michael Lopez

We recently told you how Victoria Justice was expanding into the Toys R US zone, and now it looks like she'll be popping up on GameStop shelves too! The Victorious star has got a brand new video game coming out, which promises to tap into everything fans love about her Nickelodeon show.

Victorious: Time To Shine will be released on the Xbox 360 and take full advantage of the system's motion detecting Kinect device. An alternate version, called Victorious: Hollywood Arts Debut, will be hitting Nintendo's portable DS system, giving fans the chance to channel a little Victoria on the go.

"When they told me they were making a video game out of Victorious I thought it was so awesome," Justice recently said. "It freaks me out already that there was going to be a doll of my character, but then having a game that fans of the show can play and they can interact with us and sing along and dance and just have a good time with us. I thought that was really, really cool."

D3P is the company behind the Victoria games and promises fans a lot of exciting moments when they grab their controllers. Both titles will give players the chance to test their musical skills and interact with the entire Victorious cast!

Would you pick up the Victoria Justice video game? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Blogger: Michael Lopez, Hot Stuff, Kinect, Nintendo, victoria justice, Victorious, Victorious: Hollywood Arts Debut, Victorious: Time To Shine, video games, Xbox