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By Michael Lopez

Ever wonder what people overseas are listening to right now? The truth is, it's pretty much the same stuff we love here. Bruno Mars, JLo, and Lady Gaga all got quite a bit of love from the MTV European Music Awards, scoring multiple nominations for the 2011 show.

The Little Monster actually topped the list, nabbing six noms in categories like Best Song, Best Female, and Best Video (for "Born This Way"). Bruno didn't do too shabby himself, scoring four nods including Best Male and Best New. Katy Perry proved be the third most popular nominee, getting recognized for both her in-studio and live concert work.

Quite a few Tr3s faves made the cut as well. Jennifer Lopez got some Best Song recognition for her "On The Floor" track and earned a slot in the Best Female category. Across the board, Selena Gomez is up for the coveted Best Fans title (competing against boyfriend Justin Bieber) and Pitbull scored some Euro love in the Best Hip-Hop category.

As of right now, the 2011 EMAs are booked to be held in Belfast on November 6. Though a host hasn't been confirmed yet, we're keeping our fingers crossed that they go with last year's MC, Eva Longoria. She was fun, spontaneous, and kept the crowd on their feet with her over-the-top costume changes.

Be sure to visit the official EMA site for a full list of nominees and all kinds of breaking news about the event!

Are you looking forward to this year's EMAs? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Award Shows, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Bruno Mars, EMAs, Europe Music Awards, Hot Stuff, Jennifer Lopez, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Música, Pitbull, Selena Gomez

By Michael Lopez

Sure she had her issues, but there is no denying the talent of Amy Winehouse. And since her untimely passing last month, there have been a slew of tributes from her musical peers. Green Day wrote a song to her, tons of memorial concerts have been staged, and MTV has been talking about recognizing her at this weekend's Video Music Awards.

"We had a great history with Amy," VMA executive producer Amy Doyle told Billboard. "She was very near and dear to us.”

And there are plenty of more Amy updates in the news. Apparently her toxicology reports have been released and they show no signs of illegal substances in Winehouse's system at the time of her death.

Obviously that's comforting news for the family and can silence the naysayers who have been tainting her memory with overdose rumors. Amy's father Mitch spoke proudly of his daughter and her ability to defeat her demons before her passing.

"Three years ago, Amy conquered her drug dependency," he said. "The doctors said it was impossible, but she really did it. She was trying hard to deal with her drinking and had just completed three weeks of abstinence."

The full Winehouse inquest is set to be complete by October and you can look for more Amy tributes at the MTV VMAs this Sunday night.

Would like to see an Amy Winehouse tribute at the VMAs? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags 2011 Video Music Awards, Amy Winehouse, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Green Day, Música, MTV NEws, MTV VMAs, RIP

By Michael Lopez

It's hard to believe another MTV VMA  is creeping upon us. And what an incredible year it's been for music videos! There were those funky gorilla masks in Bruno Mars' "The Lazy Song," wild space aliens in Katy Perry's "E.T.," and tons more! Now they're all looking to get honored with today's announcement of the 2011 VMA nominees.

Katy Perry is undoubtedly leading the pack this year. Scoring a whopping nine nominations, she's in the running for Video of the Year, Best Female Video, and Best Collaboration (just to name a few). One of our personal Perry favorites, "Last Friday Night" even made it into the Best Pop Video category.

Bruno Mars is continuing to prove his rising star status with four nominations. Both his "Grenades" and "Lazy Song" videos made it onto the VMA list. The 25-year-old crooner seemed very touched by the honor and made sure to share his gratitude with the Twitterverse.

"4 Nominations!?!?!?! THANK YOU @MTV," he wrote.

Pitbull's "Give Me Everything" is continuing to prove its staying power with a nomination for Best Collaboration. Who knows? If all goes according to plan, Pit could walk away with a  Moon Man for the track.

Other big contenders at the VMAs will be Adele, who scored seven nominations, and Nicki Minaj, who received three noms. Even Lady Gaga's controversial "Judas" video seemed to impress the MTV voters, nabbing a slot in the Best Choreography category.

Though no host has been announced for the VMA show yet, we imagine MTV will be looking to cast a very colorful character (as they have in years' past). And they better hurry, the entire event is set to go down August 28 at L.A.'s Nokia Theatre.

Who will you be rooting for at this year’s Video Music Awards? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags 2011 Video Music Awards, Adele, Award Shows, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, Música, MTV, MTV NEws, MTV VMAs, Nicki Minaj, Pitbull, Video Music Awards, Videos

By Michael Lopez

It looks like the drama on season three of MTV’s 16 and Pregnant is off to an early start. Even though the new episodes don’t debut until next week, star Jennifer Del Rio has already become a TMZ regular with her feisty personality and jailbird boyfriend!

The 17-year-old Latina is making some heavy accusations against her future baby daddy. According to reports, she’s accusing boyfriend Josh Smith of attacking her and threatening to have her raped. Del Rio has also requested a restraining order.

Fans of 16 and Pregnant are already well aware of the drama. MTV’s cameras happened to be filming when police busted Josh and footage of him in handcuffs can be seen in the show’s promos.

And keep in mind that on the show, Jennifer was pregnant with twins, which has given her twice as much reason to worry about an abusive ex. According to the papers Del Rio filed with the court,

"[Smith] has attempted to kidnap children. Due to [Smith's] violence [Del Rio] is frightened for her life and children's life."

Though it’s probably not the best way to start a family, all of this drama will certainly make for a must-see kickoff of 16 and Pregnant season three on April 19th.

Are you a fan of 16 and Pregnant? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags 16 and Pregnant, Chisme, Jennifer Del Rio, Josh Smith, MTV, Television

By Michael Lopez

Get ready for an entirely new type of awards show. Capitalizing on all of the latest viral and social media trends, MTV announced the nominees for its very first O Awards this week. Fan favorites like Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber did score nods, but not in traditional categories. This time you’ll see them competing for Must Follow Artist on Twitter and Best Fan Forum.

Set to take place via webcast on April 28, the O Awards is nixing red carpets and Academy voters, and putting the entire event in the hands of the fans. Winners will be decided via social media votes and the results will be shown in real-time on MTV.com, VH1.com, and through mobile phone apps.

“Some elements of this will be experimental,” MTV’s head of digital media, Dermot McCormack said. “If there’s such a thing as a beta award show, this is it.”

Even the nominees are pretty unconventional. It’s hard to imagine “Friday” sensation Rebecca Black getting honored for her work, but she did score an O nod for Favorite Animated GIF. And that’s only the beginning. Artists ranging from Michael Jackson, to The Beatles, to Andre 3000 were also recognized for their online popularity.

Some of the more interesting categories include Best Animal Performance (I got my money on Sax Playing Walrus), Best Music Hashtag Meme, and Best Independent Music Blog.

Must Follow Artist on Twitter is definitely going to be one of the fiercest battles with artists like Kanye West, Lady Gaga, and Nicki Minaj competing.

And all of you Latino fans don’t worry. O showed some cultural love too, nominating YouTube sensations Jorge and Alexa Narvaez for their heartwarming duet clip. The entire list of nominees is now available for viewing on the O Awards website and obviously since it is a social media based event, you can expect plenty of daily updates if you follow them on Twitter.

Are you excited about this month’s O Awards? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Alexa Narvaez, Award Shows, Celebrities, Hot Stuff, Jorge Narvaez, MTV, O Awards, Rebecca Black, Technology, twitter, Videos, YouTube

By Michael Lopez

It’s hard to believe that MTV’s reality TV trailblazer has been around for a quarter of a century, but The Real World is back for its 25th season. Now returning to Las Vegas for the second time, the newest cast includes two Latinas and a whole lot of Sin City shenanigans.

Nany, who comes from Dominican and Cuban heritage, has been in a committed relationship for six years and may have a tough time adjusting to living with four guys in the city's Hard Rock Hotel. It’s clear from last week’s premiere that there is some sexual chemistry between her and roommate Adam.

Sin City’s other primetime Latina is on track to be one of the season’s most memorable roommates. Part Puerto Rican and part Portuguese, Naomi describes herself as a full-on “firecracker.” Judging by the show’s upcoming teasers, she’ll be instigating plenty of catfights and perhaps a hookup with fellow roomie Leroy.

Since its inception, the show has featured dozens of Latinos, including perhaps the most popular cast member of all time, Cuban-American Season 3 star Pedro Zamora. Although Pedro succumbed to AIDS in 1994, his participation in the series helped increase awareness about the disease.

Other Hispanic cast members have included Brooklyn’s J.D. (who is part Cuban), Peruvian native Johanna from the Austin house, and, more recently, Josh (who is part Puerto Rican) from Washington D.C. Plus, back in 2009 The Real World dedicated an entire season to Cancun, Mexico.

Which was your favorite season of The Real World? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Hard Rock Hotel, Las Vegas, MTV, nany, naomi, Pedro Zamora, Television, The Real World, The Real World Las Vegas, The Real World XXV

By Michael Lopez

It’s hard to believe that spring break is right around the corner. This year, MTV's weeklong celebration is headed to Las Vegas for three days of pool parties at the Palms Resort and all-night clubbing with Lupe Fiasco, Wiz Khalifia, and Pitbull.

Scheduled to air March 6-9, MTV Spring Break 2011 lined up plenty of live talent. They're also bringing a few Jersey transplants along too, including Pauley D, who will put his turntable skills to the test as one of Spring Break’s official DJs.

This will mark the second year that MTV chose Sin City as its spring break destination. Past seasons have included such hotspots as Daytona Beach, Acapulco and Lake Havasu.

"MTV and Palms are creating the ultimate destination for thousands of college students to kick back and enjoy some much-deserved time off," Palms owner George Maloof said. "Between the pool parties and the live performances, this should be a spring break experience like no other."

So far, the Palms is expecting thousands of college students to attend, and MTV is even offering free tickets to some of the events on its Spring Break page. But if you can’t make the trip to Nevada, no biggie. Pitbull’s live performances are scheduled to air all month long on MTV, MTV2 and mtvU.

What are your big plans for spring break? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Las Vegas, Lupe Fiasco, Música, MTV, MTV Spring Break, Palms Resort, Pitbull, Spring Break, Wiz Khalifia

MTV's reality show Teen Mom brings to light the difficulties couples face when dealing with teenage pregnancy. Amber Portwood, one of the moms on the show, is serving up another type of lesson for teens.

Portwood, known for her short temper and volatile behavior towards her daughter's father Gary Shirley was arrested and charged with felony domestic battery and child neglect on December 27 in Indiana.

Portwood was prone to physically violent outbursts towards Shirley during both seasons of Teen Mom. Her violent behavior was addressed during an interview with Dr. Drew during the Teen Mom season one reunion special and Portwood was unapologetic at first saying that there was more to the incident than was shown on television. After some consideration she changed her mind and appeared to be remorseful.

Season two of Teen Mom was more of the same for the on-and-off again couple and police began investigating after an episode that aired September 28 showed Portwood laying a barrage of punches on Shirley – one of which was an extremely hard hit to the face. Police also reviewed unedited footage which showed the couple's young daughter Leah present during the physical and emotional abuse – hence the child neglect charges.

According to MTV News, during the Teen Mom season two reunion show, Portwood admitted that she had a difficult time controlling herself when angry:

"I have no clue why I hurt Gary," she confessed. "I sort of do, but it's kind of beyond myself. I can't help myself. I have to get help and then help myself. I never notice how bad I am until I see it. And I feel so terrible. And it's like, did I really do that? The people who are around me, how do they feel? I don't remember it being that bad at the time. How did Gary feel? What the hell was I doing?"

The New York Daily News reports Portwood admitted that all of the incidents that occurred between herself and Shirley were real and not an act for the MTV show. We're pretty sure that won't help her case. She plead not guilty and was released on December 28.

What's your take on this Teen Mom's violence? Sound off in the comments section below or @MTV3!

Tags Amber Portwood, Gary Shirley, MTV, Teen Mom

By Michael Lopez

It’s news like this that really makes us question our social values.

Just a few weeks after LifeStyles Condoms sponsored Nicole "Snooki” Polizzi's 23rd birthday bash, Sizzle, a small New Jersey tanning salon, paid the Jersey Shore starlet $11,000 to spend two hours at its holiday party on Friday.

The stunt got plenty of coverage — TMZ published a flyer of Snooki promoting the event (which we’re sure were left on windshields all over New Jersey) and the little loudmouth hyped the party to her 963,000 Twitter followers:

“Gettin ready for sizzle tonight in Totowa, NJ! Come out and enjoy the night with me :)”

Snooks even posted an up-close and personal Twitpic from the event.

Don't worry, if you don't think she got paid enough for the appearance, the pickle-wielding reality TV star has plenty more holiday appearances lined up (including MTV’s New Year’s Eve bash), which undoubtedly will score her a lot more spending cash.

Would you invite Snooki to your holiday party? Sound off below or @MTV3.

Tags Holidays, Jersey Shore, MTV, Snooki, Snooki Polizzi, Television

By Michael Lopez

Ok, so maybe the hilarious new Jersey Shore role-playing video game isn’t actually real, but it sure is fun to watch! We’re giving major props to the guys at CollegeHumor.com for creating an awesome spray tan simulation of the MTV reality show.

Image: www.collegehumor.com

In a four minute clip resembling those great Nintendo games of yesteryear, viewers are treated to Pauly D, The Situation, and Ronnie battling it out with “Disrespecting Clowns”, angry “Grenades”, and Snooki’s “Pickle Power.” There’s also plenty of Italian flags, hot tubs, and fist pumps too.

We, for one, think its brilliant and are keeping our fingers crossed that the bigwigs behind Playstation and Xbox are listening. Just imagine the type of ideas a Jersey Shore video game could spawn. Maybe a Wii Fit variation that lets you work on a Situation six pack? Or a JWoww Dance Dance Revolution sim (featuring the Enrique song from the soundtrack)?

Hey, and if none of those work, there’s always the Quiero Mis Quinces video game concept. Racing to the dress shop, dancing to DJ beats, and a karaoke finale with one of our surprise guests…are you guys with us or what?!

Which reality show would you like to see turned into a video game? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3!

Tags Jersey Shore, JWoww, Pauly D, Quiero Mis Quinces, Reality, Ronnie, Snooki, Television, The Situation, video games