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By Michael Lopez

It seems like The Adventures of Tintin may have a tough time finding its ideal audience. Too dark for young kids, yet too tame for R-Rated action fans, this animated spectacle falls somewhere in the middle, all the while highlighting a character American moviegoers may not be too familiar with. That being said, it's still an amazing visual achievement and a worthy addition to the Steven Spielberg catalog.

The Tintin character has a huge following overseas. Created as a comic strip back in the 1930's by Belgian artist Herge, his travels with Captain Haddock and his faithful dog Snowy have been read by millions of die-hard fans. But in the states, the adventurous boy reporter has never really connected in the way cartoon crime fighters like Superman or Dick Tracy have.

Obviously Spielberg and his producing partner Peter Jackson are hoping their latest movie will change all of that. The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn works almost as an origin story, introducing audiences to the colorful world Herge created and sending our hero off on a quest around the globe.

The film starts off exciting enough, with Tintin and Snowy accidentally entangled in a pirate ship mystery. Taking a cue from Steven's Indiana Jones franchise, the young reporter is almost immediately thrust into a world of spies, gun-toting thugs, and legendary treasures. Before long, Tintin and his furry companion leave their small Belgian town for the high seas and brutal deserts.

Along the way, we meet the most colorful character yet. The grizzly Captain Haddock, a booze-swilling seaman who may hold some secrets about a mysterious "Unicorn" vessel. Hilariously voiced by Andy Serkis (Gollum from The Lord of the Rings), the Captain provides some of Tintin’s most memorable moments and makes a great comic foil for some of the duller leads.

Unfortunately, for all the fun that Captain Haddock provides, Tintin still suffers from a little too much bombast. The action sequences, though visually beautiful, seem a little too fast-paced, barely letting the audience breathe. And sadly, the slower paced "Unicorn" backstory leaves much to be desired. Worst of all, the climax feels like just a teaser for another sequel. But with all its bumps and bruises, Tintin is still a heck of a lot better than Spielberg's last adventure outing, The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Bottom line: The Adventures of Tintin is definitely not a bad movie. And we certainly give Steven Spielberg credit for moving out of his comfort zone and helming an animated film. The problem is, it feels too much like a set up of things to come. With all of the character introductions and exposition, we have yet to see the Tintin team truly gel onscreen. Perhaps things will move a bit more smoothly come sequel time.

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

Tags Andy Serkis, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Comics, Hergé, Indiana Jones, Movie Reviews, Movies & CineMás, Peter Jackson, Steven Spielberg, The Adventures Of Tintin, The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, Tintin

By Michael Lopez

It seems the tabloids aren't able to scoop the public on every chisme story. In a surprising revelation, Jennifer Lopez told CNN that her daughter Emme was born with a lump on her head that was initially thought be cancerous.

Thankfully after multiple MRI tests, doctors were able to give Emme a clean bill of health, much to the relief of Lopez and papa Marc Anthony. Jennifer confessed that the medical scare proved to be an excruciating experience.

"I just remember that feeling of something is wrong with that baby and I'm gonna die," she explained. "I remember looking at [Marc] and saying, 'If Emme's not going to be OK, I'm not going to be OK. He's like, 'I'm not going to be OK—none of us are going to be OK.' "

The incident actually prompted Lopez and Anthony to launch a pediatric charity called The Maribel Foundation. They chose the name Maribel to honor Marc's sister, who died of brain cancer at the age of 8. You can find out more about its mission, by visiting the official site.

Has anyone in your family had a cancer scare? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Agentes De Cambio, Blogger: Michael Lopez, CNN, Emme Anthony, Health, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Maribel Foundation

By Michael Lopez

Is it us, or does Kobe Bryant have a thing for Latinas? In the latest bit of chisme surrounding his very public divorce, the Lakers superstar is rumored to have cheated on his wife with half-Mexican Playmate Jessica Burciaga.

Burciaga fist got attention when Hugh Hefner crowned her his Miss February 2009. And since then, she's graced the pages of Maxim and appeared in dozens of TV specials and music videos.

Could one of her appearances have caught the eye of Kobe? According to several gossip sites, the answer is yes. They claim that Bryant spent hundreds of thousands of dollars wooing Jessica with gifts, trips, and jewelry.

Burciaga, not surprisingly, is denying everything, calling the reports "ridiculous." Of course, if you ask the soon-to-be ex Mrs. Bryant, you may get a different story.

Do you think Kobe was fooling around with Jessica? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Blogger: Michael Lopez, Celebrity Divorce, Chisme, Jessica Burciaga, Kobe Bryant, Lakers, Playboy, popnews, Sports Basketball

By Michael Lopez

Anyone expecting a followup to The Other Side of Down may now have to wait a while. It seems American Idol alum, David Archuleta, will be putting his music career on hold for the next two years to become a Mormon missionary.

David made the emotional announcement during a concert in Utah last night. Pushing through tears and a wave of emotions, Archie told the crowd that he was answering a "higher calling."

"It's not because somebody told me that I was supposed to do it," he explained on stage. "And it's not because I no longer want to do music anymore, but it's because it's the feeling that I felt that I need to do next in my life."

So far, it's unclear if David will serve the church here in the states or do missionary work overseas. But you've got to admire his devotion to his faith. And we're sure the experience will make for some very interesting lyrics when he returns to the studio in 2014.

Do you admire David’s devotion to the Mormon church? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Agentes De Cambio, American Idol, Blogger: Michael Lopez, David Archuleta, Música, Mormonism, Religion

By Michael Lopez

2011 certainly delivered some memorable music. But with so many artists to choose from (and so many music reviewers on the internet), Billboard decided to mix things up for their end-of-the-year list. Not only did they issue a "Critics Best Of," they posted Favorite Album Top 10s from a variety of artists and celebrities.

Kelly Clarkson, Joe Jonas, Zac Brown, and Demi Lovato all put Adele's 21 on the top of their 2011 Albums list. Clarkson, in particular, gushed over the 23-year-old British soul singer, calling her music, "beautiful."

"Adele never fails," she went on to say. "Her voice, lyrics and melodies on this record are haunting reminders of the need to be needed and loved, and to love with your whole heart. It's beautiful!"

Ironically, Lovato bestowed quite a bit of praise on Kelly, listing her "Stronger" as #2 on her Favorites list. Demi went on to add Watch The Throne, Born This Way, and Miranda Lambert’s For The Record to her Top 5.

Joe Jonas shared similar tastes, also ranking Watch The Throne as one of the best records of the year. His personal faves included The Roots' Undun and Torches from Foster of the People. Sara Barielles had an eclectic mix of albums on her list, throwing in 2011 recordings from artists like Paul Simon, Feist, and The Civil Wars.

Interestingly, not a lot of Latinos were present on any of the lists. Only Bruno Mars' Doo Wops & Hooligans made a dent, particularly with The Wonder Girls. They cited it as a major influence on their writing style, along with Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream.

Now as far as the official critics go, the greatest album of 2011 was….(you guessed it) Adele’s 21. Nearly all of Billboard’s editors put it on the top of their lists. But the rest of their picks proved to be quite interesting.

Coming in at #2 was the sophomore album from Bon Iver. The Wisconson band's indie folk record struck a chord with a lot of music critics this year, particularly for its bold use of horns and string arrangements. Watch The Throne earned high marks as well, as did Drake’s latest effort, Take Care.

Newer artists like Frank Ocean, James Blake, and Florence & The Machine got quite a lot of love too. The Billboard site actually breaks down each of the selections quite vividly, enticing fans to discover some of the year's lesser known artists. It's definitely worth a look, especially if you want relatives to add iTunes dollars under your Christmas tree.

What was your favorite album of 2011? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags 21, Adele, Billboard, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Bon Iver, Celebrities, Demi Lovato, drake, Florence & The Machine, Frank Ocean, Hot Stuff, James Blake, Joe Jonas, Kelly Clarkson, Música, Miranda Lambert, Sara Bareilles, The Wonder Girls, Watch the Throne

By Astrid Rivera

Poor RiRi! While performing for thousands of fans in Portugal this past Saturday the Barbados beauty struggled through songs and at one point had to rush off stage mid-set to vomit. The pop star left her fans in a state of confusion when she stopped performing in the middle of her chart-topping single What's My Name and disappeared.

This sudden illness has the Internet abuzz with rumors that the singer is pregnant! I'm thinking she just caught a stomach flu.

Rihanna took to Twitter and said,

"Portugal tonight was legendary!!! I ran off stage to throw up, halfway thru What's My Name... made it back juuuust in time for Rude Boy."

Like the trooper that she is, Rihanna quickly came back on stage and rocked the house leaving fans star struck. The next day RiRi appeared to be feeling much better as her crew celebrated the end of the tour with a Christmas party.

Again the singer gushed on Twitter,

"We just had our end of the year/tour Christmas party!!!! We turned it into an 80's prom, since I've never had one! It was sooo much fun!!!! I'm decked out in lace, sequins, a giant bow, and hair spray!!!!!"

With a new already insanely successful album, Talk That Talk, and the close of her equally successful Loud tour, I doubt Rihanna is going to let a little vomit get in her way. Although the singer has yet to clarify the pregnancy rumors, we can only hope she gets better.

Check out the video of her disappearing mid-song.

Do you think RiRi is preggers?

Tags Astrid Rivera, LOUD, Rihanna, Talk That Talk

By Michael Lopez

It seems the transgender community isn't too keen on seeing Amaury Nolasco in a dress. The Puerto Rican star's new ABC sitcom Work It is set to debut in January, but if GLAAD has their way, it may never hit the air at all.

The reason? The gay rights organization believes it is demeaning to transgender men and women. They say its premise, which revolves around Nolasco dressing in women's clothing to score a job, plays on negative stereotypes.

"Transphobia is still all too prevalent in our society and this show will only contribute to it," GLAAD president Mike Thompson recently stated. "It will reinforce the mistaken belief that transgender women are simply ‘men pretending to be women,’ and that their efforts to live their lives authentically as women are a form of lying or deception."

ABC strongly disagrees, claiming the show is modern-day update of the Tom Hanks sitcom Bosom Buddies. Regardless of its political undertones, the entire concept of Work It seems a little stale to us. Amaury's got a ton of talent and, judging by the latest promos, they're definitely not being put to good use here.

Do you think Work It will be a hit? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags ABC, Amaury Nolasco, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Chisme, GLAAD, popnews, Television, Work It

By Michael Lopez

What's better than winning the mirror ball trophy on Dancing With The Stars? Finding out your girlfriend is pregnant with your first child. DWTS champ J.R. Martinez just announced that he's going to be the proud papa of a baby girl!

"First thing that crossed my mind when we found out we were having a girl: All the #emotional feelings, all the #beautyproducts, and the #OMG's",  J.R. happily posted.

Martinez' girlfriend, Diana Gonzalez-Jones, was all smiles alongside her man at last week's CNN Heroes event and now we know why. Clearly they were keeping the news under wraps until they were sure they had a healthy pregnancy.

Now that appears to be the case, with a due date set for next spring. J.R. recently gushed about Diana to Access Hollywood, so don't be surprised if you hear about a Martinez wedding announcement in the very near future.

Do you think J.R. will make a good dad? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Baby Chisme, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Chisme, Dancing With The Stars, Diana Gonzalez-Jones, Hot Stuff, J.R. Martinez

By Michael Lopez

Basketball fans got quite a shock over the weekend after it was announced that Kobe Bryant and his wife Vanessa were splitting after 10 years of "wedded bliss." Though they looked like a happy couple, it seems his cheating ways may have been the downfall of the marriage.

Interestingly, Vanessa (who is part Latina) stuck with Kobe after his 2003 sexual assault charge, where he admitted to being unfaithful. But, according to TMZ, there had been multiple women since then and this month she decided she'd had enough.

The site's latest claim is that the wives of Bryant's Laker teammates leaked the cheating stories to Vanessa. Regardless, the divorce papers have now been filed, which means she'll be in for a MAJOR payday.

Sources claim that the Bryants did not have a prenuptial agreement, giving Vanessa control of half of Kobe's massive fortune. She is reportedly asking for joint custody of their two daughters and may be getting dibs on their Newport Beach mansion.

Do you think Vanessa deserves half of Kobe's money? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags basketball, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Celebrity Divorce, Chisme, Divorces, Kobe Bryant, Lakers, NBA, popnews, Sports, TMZ, Vanessa Bryant

By Michael Lopez

If the gossip blogs are correct, Selena Gomez' family may be in the midst of a tragic situation. Just weeks after announcing her mom's pregnancy, rumors are circulating that Mandy Teefey may have suffered a miscarriage. Whatever is going on, it's definitely taking its toll on Selena, forcing her to cancel two weekend concerts.

At the last minute, Gomez pulled a no-show at the Jingle Ball events in Chicago and Seattle. The official reason given was "family emergency," which makes sense if the latest tabloid stories are true.

Mandy had recently posted a pic of her growing belly on Twitter and Selena seemed thrilled about becoming a big sister. Hopefully the pregnancy is still going smooth. As of right now, the family will not confirm or deny the miscarriage rumors.

"Her family is of the utmost importance to us, and we want to respect her space during an important time with her family," the Jingle Ball organizers said when referring to Gomez' absence.

Whatever the "emergency" is, let's hope it gets mended before the holidays.

What do you think Selena's family emergency could be? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Blogger: Michael Lopez, Chisme, Jingle Ball, Mandy Teefey, popnews, Selena Gomez