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By Michael Lopez

Could you imagine lumping R&B, hip-hop, and rock into one category at the Grammy Awards? Hardly. But in the Norteño world, a similar occurrence is happening with styles like Tejano and Regional getting shoved into just one genre.

That obviously isn't sitting well with Mexican music fans and quite a few are ready to do something about it. According to Regional Mex, several pro-Latino initiative groups will be protesting outside of L.A.'s Staples Center during Sunday's ceremony.

They are especially furious because the Grammy categories used to include more regional styles and just recently changed their policy. Now popular artists like Espinoza Paz and Jenni Rivera will only be eligible in two categories instead of four.

On a positive note, some of our Tr3s faves will still be in the running this year. Joan Sebastian is up for Best Tejano Album for his Huevos Rancheros record and Los Tigres del Norte are going for Best Norteño Album for their recording from the MTV Unplugged Special.

Do you think there should be more regional categories at the Grammys? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Award Shows, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Grammy Awards, Grammys, Joan Sebastian, Los Tigres Del Norte, Música, Protests, Regional Music

By Michael Lopez

There was definitely a strong Latino presence at last night's 18th Annual SAG Awards. Stars like Demián Bichir, Bérénice Bejo, and Sofía Vergara were all nominated in pivotal categories, though sadly none of them won. But at least Sofia didn't walk away empty handed, as she and co-star Rico Rodriguez took home Best Ensemble statues for their performances on Modern Family.

As usual, Vergara wowed the press with her red carpet strut. Proudly showing her famous Colombian curves, the 39-year-old turned heads in a very revealing Marchesa dress. Naya Rivera (who also received a Best Ensemble nomination for her work on Glee) dazzled the crowd too, in a sexy gown designed by Naeem Khan.

Another big style winner was Zoe Saldana, who strutted into the event wearing a sparkling Riccardo Tisci gown accentuated with Tiffany jewels. Angelina Jolie, who supported her nominated steady Brad Pitt, showed off some impressive pieces of bling too, which included a House of Lavande bracelet and a Platt Boutique ring.

"I wanted to be comfortable," she told reporters. "I always liked vintage jewelry and I don't wear it often."

But of course, the show wasn't just about the glimmering gowns and fancy earrings. It was the speeches and the winning performances that stole the evening. The Artist’s Jean Dujardin took home Best Film Actor (beating one of our faves, Demián Bichir) and Viola Davis won Best Actress for her role in The Help.

Christopher Plummer and Octavia Spencer won in the Best Supporting film categories for their respective roles in Beginners and The Help. Steve Buscemi's Boardwalk Empire performance got him the Best Dramatic TV Actor award, while Jessica Lange took down Best Dramatic TV Actress for her work in American Horror Story.

Perhaps the biggest ovation of the night went to Betty White, who won in the Best Supporting TV Actress category for Hot In Cleveland. Though we were a little miffed that she beat out Sofia, we do have to give the 90-year-old legend some credit for staying in the game so long.

"I think they made a terrible mistake," White jokingly told the crowd as she accepted her award.

And don't think the SAGs were just about Shakespearean thespians getting all weepy for the camera. HBO's Game of Thrones cast got honored for their heavy onscreen brutality, taking home the night's Best Stunt Ensemble award.

Who do you think delivered the best acting performance of 2011? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags American Horror Story, Angelina Jolie, Award Shows, Beginners, Betty White, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Boardwalk Empire, Celebrities, Christopher Plummer, Demian Bichir, Fashion Face-Off, Game of Thrones, Jean Dujardin, Jessica Lange, Modern Family, Movies & CineMás, Naya Rivera, Octavia Spencer, Rico Rodriguez, SAG Awards, sofia vergara, Steve Buscemi, Style, Television, The Artist, The Help, Viola Davis, Zoe Saldana

By Michael Lopez

There were definitely a lot of surprises with today’s Oscar announcements. And, for the most part, they were all very positive. Longshots like Demián Bichir, Jonah Hill, and Melissa McCarthy were deservedly recognized for their onscreen work. But on the flipside, there were plenty of snubs this year too, many of which are already creating an uproar within the film fan community.

On the Best Picture front, movies like The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and The Ides Of March were nowhere to be found. Both received positive critical acclaim (we were big fans of Dragon), but got edged out by more questionable titles like The Tree Of Life and Midnight In Paris. Also, blockbusters like Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part II and Bridesmaids were considered frontrunners for the category, but were both noticeably absent.

In the Acting department, 2011 golden boy Ryan Gosling failed to receive any love. He left some big impressions in Ides, Drive, and Crazy Stupid Love, but was M.I.A. in both the Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor categories. Leonardo DiCaprio also failed to make the cut for his extremely memorable performance in J. Edgar.

Another actor who many thought would break the mold this year was Andy Serkis. His role as Caesar the chimp in Rise of the Planet of the Apes wasn't just incredible, it was groundbreaking. It was believed that he would score the first ever Best Supporting Actor nod for a CGI motion capture performance, but alas, that wasn't meant to be.

We were definitely disappointed that Pedro Almodovar’s The Skin I Live In didn't score a Best Foreign Film nod. It had previously been nominated for a Golden Globe and had been universally hailed by the critics. And would it have killed the Oscar voters to give Pedro a little love in the Best Director department?

The Best Animated Feature noms left us a little torn too. On the one hand, the Academy did recognize the brilliance of Puss In Boots and Rango. But where was Rio?! Carlos Saldanha's heartwarming tribute to the beauty of Brazil was nowhere to be found, which we think is a real injustice.

And as far as original songs go, how cool would it have been to see Bruno Mars get some love for "It Will Rain" from the Breaking Dawn soundtrack? It was an incredible piece of music and it's certainly just as entertaining as the nominated "Man or Muppet" from The Muppets movie.

Who do you think was missing from this year's Oscar announcements? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Academy Awards, Andy Serkis, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Bridesmaids, Bruno Mars, Carlos Saldanha, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II, It Will Rain, Leonardo DiCaprio, Movies & CineMás, Oscar Nominations, Oscar Snubs, Oscars, Pedro Almodovar, Rio, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Ryan Gosling, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, The Ides Of March, The Skin I Live in

By Michael Lopez

Clearly Demián Bichir woke up to some very good Tuesday news. The 48-year-old actor scored his first Academy Award nomination this morning for his performance as hard-working gardener Carlos Galindo in A Better Life.

Speaking with Us Weekly, Demián seemed genuinely shocked and excited about his chances of winning Best Actor.

"I'm overwhelmed for having my name among those incredible actors," Bichir said. "This could have never happened if Chris Weitz had not been the head of this film. He is my brother and I thank him deeply."

Though Chris was not nominated in the director category, we're sure he's thrilled with the news too. Particularly because the Oscar nod will open up A Better Life to a whole new audience. And Demián went on to accentuate that point to Us.

"Hopefully more and more people will jump into iTunes and Netflix to see our film," he said. "That will be the biggest reward we could get. I dedicate this nomination to those 11 million human beings who make our lives easier and better in the U.S."

We'll definitely be keeping our fingers crossed when he walks down that red carpet on February 26!

Do you think Demián has a shot at winning Best Actor? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags A better life, Academy Awards, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Chris Weitz, Demian Bichir, Hot Stuff, Movies & CineMás, Oscars

By Ikam Acosta

It's almost time for the Oscars again! Fire up your Netflix queue and watch all those films you missed, because it's time to catch up on all those great movies you didn't get a chance to see this past year.

The word is out on the Oscar nominees for 2012. This is no doubt an exciting time for film buffs, so place your bets on who will go home a winner this year and who will end up empty-handed. Let's see what The Academy announced as the 84th annual Academy Award nominees.

The movie that received the most recognition was Hugo, leading with 11 nominations. The Artist followed closely behind, with 10 nominations. Not bad for a silent film.

Nominated for Best Picture were The Artist, The Descendants, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, The Help, Hugo, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, The Tree of Life, and War Horse.

Best Actor in a Leading Role nominations went to Tr3s fave Demián Bichir for A Better Life, George Clooney for The Descendants, Jean Dujardin for The Artist, Gary Oldman for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and Brad Pitt for Moneyball.

Nominations for Best Actress in a Leading Role went to Glenn Close for Albert Nobbs, Viola Davis for The Help, Rooney Mara for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Meryl Streep for The Help, and Michelle Williams for My Week With Marilyn.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role nominees were Kenneth Branagh for My Week With Marilyn, Jonah Hill for Moneyball, Nick Nolte for Warrior, Christopher Plummer for Beginners, and Max von Sydow for Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role nominations went to Bérénice Bejo for The Artist, Jessica Chastain for The Help, Melissa McCarthy for Bridesmaids, Janet McTeer for Albert Nobbs, and Octavia Spencer for The Help.

Check out the full list of Oscar nominees at the Oscar website, and gather some friends together for that Oscar party on Sunday, February 26th. Don't miss it!

Who do you hope to see win an Oscar this year?

Tags Academy Awards, Award Shows, Bérénice Bejo, Blogger: Ikam Acosta, Brad Pitt, Celebrities, Christopher Plummer, Demian Bichir, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, Gary Oldman, George Clooney, Glenn Close, Hugo, Janet McTeer, Jean Dujardin, Jessica Chastain, Jonah Hill, Kenneth Branagh, Max Von Sydow, Melissa McCarthy, Meryl Streep, Michelle Williams, Midnight In Paris, Moneyball, Movies & CineMás, Nick Nolte, Octavia Spencer, Oscars, Rooney Mara, The Artist, The Descendants, The Help, The Tree of Life, Viola Davis, War Horse

By Ikam Acosta

Grammy nominees Coldplay and Rihanna will be performing together live for the first time ever at this year's Grammy Awards. The show will take place at the Los Angeles Staples Center and will be hosted by LL Cool J.

Coldplay is nominated for Best Pop Duo/ Group Performance for their song 'Paradise.' They are also nominated for both Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song for their hit single 'Every Teardrop is a Waterfall.' The band has received seven Grammy awards in the past.

Rihanna is nominated for Album Of The Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for her release of Loud. She also gets recognition for Best Rap/ Song Collaboration for 'What's my Name?' (with Drake) and 'All of the Lights' (with Kanye West, Kid Cudi, and Fergie). Rihanna has received four Grammys in the past.

Coldplay and Rihanna will perform a song titled 'Princess of China,' a track from Coldplay's album.

The 54th Annual Grammy Awards will air Sunday, February 12, at 8pm EST on CBS.

What performers would you want to see on stage together at the Grammy Awards?

Tags Award Shows, Blogger: Ikam Acosta, Celebrities, Coldplay, drake, Fergie, Grammy Awards, Kanye West, Kid Cudi, LL Cool J, Música, Rihanna, Television

By Michael Lopez

There were no major sweeps at this past Sunday's Golden Globes. Nearly every big win came from a different movie or television show. But in a way, that made for a much more interesting (and hard to predict) broadcast, which still had plenty of memorable moments thanks to unpredictable host Ricky Gervais.

Sadly, all of the Tr3s faves did not win in their respective categories. Sofia Vergara lost her Best Supporting TV Actress statue to American Horror Story’s Jessica Lange. But the Modern Family star still made a very big splash, strutting down the red carpet in over $5 million worth of jewels!

We also had high hopes for The Artist’s Bérénice Bejo. The Argentine star was highly favored to take home the night's Best Supporting Film Actress statue for her performance as silent screen goddess Peppy Miller. But she too lost out, this time to The Help’s Octavia Spencer.

The Artist film, however, did prove to be a major success and is expected to earn some big time Oscar love when the Academy Award nominations are announced. Bejo's movie nabbed Best Motion Picture Musical and Best Lead Actor for Jean Dujardin.

Best Motion Picture Drama went to The Descendants, which also scored George Clooney a Best Dramatic Actor Globe. Meryl Streep won Best Dramatic Actress for The Iron Lady and My Week With Marilyn's Michelle Williams took it down for the Best Lead Actress Musical or Comedy.

The night's Best Director statue went to Martin Scorsese for Hugo and The Adventures of Tintin won Best Animated Feature Film (beating out another Tr3s fave, Puss In Boots).

On the TV side of things, Modern Family was honored as Best Comedy Series and Showtime's Homeland won Best Drama. Game of Thrones’ Peter Dinklage earned huge applause for his Best Supporting Actor win and gave a heartfelt speech about a fellow dwarf actor.

Now as far as Ricky was concerned, his opening monologue was still as ruthless as ever. The British comic skewered celebs like Madonna, Johnny Depp, and Jodie Foster with his trademark wit and kept the show fun and lively. He even took a mean spirited crack at Justin Bieber's recent baby daddy drama.

"The only way [Justin] could impregnate a girl," Gervais joked, "is if he borrowed one of Martha Stewart's turkey basters."

As expected, fashion was in full bloom at the event too. Charlize Theron seemed to grab the most attention for her daring yet classy Dior gown. Claire Danes won over the style critics with her black-and-white J. Mendel ensemble. And keeping her alt chick character fully intact, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo’s Rooney Mara dressed up extra racy in a dark Nina Ricci gown.

What did you think of this year's Golden Globes? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Award Shows, Bérénice Bejo, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Celebrities, Charlize Theron, Claire Danes, Fashion Face-Off, George Clooney, Golden Globes, Homeland, Hot Stuff, Jean Dujardin, Jessica Lange, Martin Scorsese, Meryl Streep, Michelle Williams, Modern Family, Movies & CineMás, Octavia Spencer, Peter Dinklage, Ricky Gervais, Rooney Mara, sofia vergara, Style, Television, The Artist, The Descendants

By Michael Lopez

The "People" have spoken and it seems they love Demi Lovato. The part-Mexican starlet proved to be the belle of the ball at last night's People's Choice Awards, taking home Best Pop Artist and delivering a powerhouse performance of "Give Your Heart A Break."

But Lovato wasn't the only one the crowds went nuts for. Robert Pattinson, Lea Michelle, and Emma Stone made a major mark as well.

In the movie department, the Choice was clearly Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. The final Hogwarts installment nabbed Favorite Movie, Favorite Action Movie, and Favorite Ensemble Cast. Johnny Depp (who skipped the ceremony) made a big mark as well, earning Favorite Action Movie Star and Favorite Animated Movie Voice for Rango.

Other winners from the big screen included Ryan Reynolds for his work in Green Lantern and Hugh Jackman for Real Steel. The box office smash Bridesmaids earned the title of Favorite Comedy Movie and Morgan Freeman took home Favorite Movie Icon.

On the TV side of things, How I Met Your Mother got plenty love, first for Favorite Comedy and then for Favorite Actor (which went to Neil Patrick Harris).

Betty White was on hand to accept a Favorite Cable TV Comedy award for her show Hot In Cleveland and Jimmy Fallon earned the title of Favorite Late Night TV Host.

In the reality realm, American Idol beat out The Voice for Favorite TV Competition Show. And not surprisingly, Kim Kardashian earned the title of Favorite TV Celebreality Star (though some in the crowd weren't too happy about that).

In the world of music, Katy Perry scored four awards for Favorite Song ("E.T."), Favorite Video, Favorite Female Artist, and Favorite Tour Headliner. That would have been quite an accomplishment for the pop songstress…if she decided to show. But seeing how Katy’s going through a painful divorce, she chose to bail on the festivities.

Tr3s fave Bruno Mars earned the title of Favorite Male Artist. And though he didn't get up on the stage, he let his fans know that was eternally grateful for the honor.

"I'm currently walking down the street screaming "I am an ultimate male"!! Thank you at @peopleschoice and to those that voted! #hooligans" he tweeted.

And, as per usual, there was plenty of high fashion in effect last night too. Miley Cyrus wowed the crowd with a chique revealing white dress. Vanessa Hudgens chose the glam route, bedazzling herself in a gold and black ensemble. And hostess Kaley Cuoco strutted very elegantly across the red carpet in a shimmering cream-colored gown.

What did you think of this year’s People's Choice Awards? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags American Idol, Award Shows, Betty White, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Bruno Mars, Celebrities, Demi Lovato, Fashion Face-Off, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, Hot Stuff, How I Met Your Mother, Hugh Jackman, Jimmy Fallon, johnny depp, Kaley Cuoco, Katy Perry, Kim Kardashian, Música, Miley Cyrus, Morgan Freeman, Movies & CineMás, Neil Patrick Harris, People’s Choice Awards, Ryan Reynolds, Style, Television, Vanessa Hudgens

By Larry Yepez Jr.

British singer Adele will be at this year's Grammy Awards but doctors have not yet given her the green light to perform. She underwent vocal cord surgery in November and had to cancel her remaining tour dates.

Adele is nominated in six categories, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year, for her smash success, 21.

A source close to the singer told RadarOnline:

"Adele will be at the Grammys in Los Angeles on February 12 at the Staples Center. She's thrilled to be nominated, but it's been a hard time for her because of the surgery."

The source added she's talking more, with her doctor's permission.

Patients that undergo this type of surgery typically take between one and three months to recover. Apparently to help the healing process, she's putting warm compresses around her neck.

The source added,

"Producers of the Grammys would love to have Adele perform, and open the show, but she isn't able to give them an answer yet. She won't be able to give them an answer until the beginning of February, and they completely understand."

According to the buzz we'll see a slimmer star having shed 25 pounds. Doctors suggested that less junk food and more exercise would be the all-around right thing for her health, her stamina, her vocal range.

What's your favorite Adele song?

Tags Adele, Blogger: Larry Yepez Jr, Grammys, staples center

By Larry Yepez Jr.

Lady Gaga, Mary J. Blige and Pink are amongst the divas to make Oscar’s Cut for 2012's Best Original Song, but unfortunately the Queen Diva, Madonna, did not get her nod because of rules of the Academy!

The Academy's list of 39 songs that could go on to win the Oscar has a little to please everyone, from indie to pop, to country, and R&B and even classical.

There's Lady Gaga and Elton John's duet with the song Hello Hello, featured in the animated Gnomeo & Juliet, Pink for Happy Feet Two, Sinead O’Connor in a song co-written by Glenn Close for Albert Nobbs and Mary J. Blige for The Help.

There was one notable snub to the Diva of Divas because of the rules of the academy: Masterpiece, Madonna's subtly named ballad from the historical romance she directed, W.E., was not eligible, as the HitFix blog reported. Madge's composition did have words and music, as required by the Academy, but it was not used in the context of the film which is the broken rule; instead it is heard over the closing credits, second after another piece of music. If it’s over the credits, it has to be the first song when the credits roll. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association were a little more forgiving; the song was nominated for a Golden Globe.

The list will be whittled down to five main contenders and the final nominees will be announced on 24 January (12).

Tags Blogger: Larry Yepez Jr, Chris Cornell, Glenn Close, Golden Globe, Happy Feet Two, Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Lady Gaga, Madonna, mary j blige, Masterpiece, Pink, Sinead O’Connor, Soundgarden, W.E.