Blogamole › 2010

Would you like to score a bunch of free comics this weekend? You can, thanks to Free Comic Book Day! This event - the first Saturday in May each year - is a time when participating comic book shops across North America and around the world give away comic books to anyone who comes into their stores.

Here's a clip of "Heroes" star Milo Ventimiglia explaining why he loves Free Comic Book Day:

In total, 33 comics are being distributed on FCBD, so bring a big bag! You don't want to miss grabbing a copy of "Iron Man/Thor," Marvel's Free Comic Book Day offering.

Want more? DC Comics is providing "War of the Supermen #0", Dark Horse has "Doctor Solar/Magnus," and IDW is giving away "G.I. Joe #155 1/2"!

Independent publishers are spreading FCBD love too — Fantagraphics Books is offering Jim Woodring's "WEATHERCRAFT and Other Unusual Stories." If you live in Seattle, the artist himself will be be present to hand out and sign his creation.

In the past weeks, freecomicbookday.com has posted 16 exclusive interviews with the writers, artists, editors, and other industry professionals behind this year’s Gold and Silver titles.

In addition to helping support comics retailers, the organizers of Free Comic Book Day use the event to promote children's literacy. Shortly after Free Comic Book Day 2009, Hugh Jackman (X-Men's Wolverine) appeared in a YouTube spot in support of the cause.

To find out which stores are participating in your area, use the FCBD Store Locator. You can also follow Free Comic Book Day on Twitter @fcbd10 for special event news, giveaways and to find other comic heads.

For more from the Free Comic Book Day 2010 lineup, visit MTV Splash Page.

Tr3s Comunidad, we want to see your pics from Free Comic Book Day! Send us links @MTV3!

Tags 2010, free comic book day, Heroes, Milo Ventimiglia

Mark your calendars! La Loba will grace "American Idol" with her hip-shaking presence during the show's results episode on Wednesday (April 28).

Shaki is set to perform "Gypsy" accompanied by Rascal Flatts, who will also perform their song "Unstoppable." Lady Antebellum will also take the stage, and county music star Shania Twain will guest mentor.

What can we expect from La Colombiana? Hopefully decent acoustics! R&B stars Alicia Keys and Usher have performed recently and their concerts were less than stellar. Is it "American Idol," or were both of these artists having off nights? Sounds like a challenge! Team Blogamole will definitely be watching, will you?

One thing's for sure, Barranquilla-born Shakira is definitely a show stopper. In addition to 'Idol,' she is also performing at the FIFA World Cup opening ceremony in South Africa in June.

In other "AI" news, Wednesday's (April 21) "Idol Gives Back" charity event raised an estimated 45 million for a variety of charities including: Children's Health Fund, Feeding America, Malaria No More, Save the Children's U.S. Programs and the United Nations Foundation.

"Idol" creator Simon Fuller released the following statement:

"Once again, I am over overwhelmed by the generosity of the 'American Idol' viewers, our sponsors and our special benefactors. I am so thankful to all of the celebrity guests and performers who appeared Wednesday night to support 'Idol Gives Back.'"

The fundraising figure was slightly below the previous totals for the show, which brought in more than $70 million during its inaugural year in 2007 and $60 million in 2008. The event was postponed in 2009 due to the economic recession.

The $45 million figure is likely to go up when the totals are in from the iTunes store, which will donate net proceeds from the sales of the top seven finalist performances to "Idol Gives Back." A select number of performances from Wednesday night's show will also be featured in the iTunes store.

$45 million sounds like a succesfull event to us, but donations are still being accepted online at AmericanIdol.com and by telephone at (877) IDOL-AID (877-436-5243; toll-free).

Tr3s Comunidad, will you watch La Loba on "American Idol"? Tell us in the comments or @MTV3!

Tags 2010, American Idol, performance, Shakira

image via abcdefghijkatie's Flickr

Hybrid cars, "green" products, solar powered homes and energy saving appliances have made Earth Day more en vogue than ever. Today, communities across the country held all kinds of events, but the biggest gathering — The Climate Rally — is happening at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. this Sunday (April 25).

Sting, John Legend, the Roots, Q-Tip, and a slew of artists are scheduled to perform, and organizers  will urge Congress to pass clean-energy legislation in 2010.  Also participating in the event are "Avatar" director James Cameron and civil-rights activist Jesse Jackson.

On the 40th anniversary of the day a bunch of 20-somethings organized the first Earth Day to raise environmental awareness, Vice President Joe Biden announced this week that the Obama administration will invest $452 million to retrofit buildings in 25 communities from Wisconsin to New York.

This use of Recovery Act funding will be part of the White House's ambitious plans to cut down energy use and reduce America's dependence on foreign oil.

Do you want to be part of the solution, but aren't sure where to start? No worries, we got you covered!

Simple Ways To Go Green

Change a Light Bulb
Installing a compact fluorescent bulb (CFL) is the quickest, easiest way to save energy and money. Unlike incandescents, CFLs convert most of the energy they use into light rather than heat.

Good for You: They consume about 75 percent less electricity and last up to 10 times longer (10,000 hours as opposed to 1,500). Replace one 75-watt incandescent bulb with a 25-watt CFL and save up to $83 over the life of the bulb.

Unplug Things That Glow
Anything that has an LED (light emitting diode) that glows even after you turn it off continues to draw power (that you pay for). Your TV, cell phone charger, and printer are likely culprits. Unplug the offenders from wall sockets and plug them into power strips instead. When you leave a room, flip the strip switch to cut the flow of electricity.

Good for You: Unplug appliances and electronics that glow and you could save $200 a year.

Recycle Your Electronics
Americans tossed out a whopping 5.5 billion pounds of electronics -- TVs, stereos, cell phones, and computers -- in 2005, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The result? Millions of pounds of chemicals and heavy metals ended up in the ground even though it's easier than ever to recycle electronics. The Consumer Electronics Association created mygreenelectronics.org to help people find a recycling resource in their area. The site also provides a list of electronics, from laptops to baby monitors, that are easier on the environment and your energy bill.

Good for You: The average American household has three cell phones stashed in a drawer. Sell unused cell phones to greenphone.com. You'll receive about $35, and the phones will be refurbished and resold. If 1 million people recycled one cathode-ray tube TV this year, we'd keep 4 million pounds of lead out of the ground.

For more great tips, check out this list from Better Homes and Gardens.

Earth Day was founded by the late U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin to raise awareness about environmental issues and was first held on April 22, 1970. It has since turned into an international event that often features a week's worth of activities centered on conservation and clean-energy awareness.

Tr3s Comunidad, how did you reduce your carbon footprint today? Tell us in the comments or @MTV3!

Tags 2010, Earth Day, go green, tips

The 2010 Coachella music festival went down in Indio, California this past weekend (April 16-18). While the performance roster boasted unexpected big names like Jay-Z, the event was matched by an equal amount of surprise A-list celebrities including Katy Perry, John Mayer, K-Stew, Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, and Lindsay Lohan.

Hov powered through over 30 songs during his Friday night set, beginning with his recent Blueprint 3 hit "Run This Town" and ending with the clever choice "Encore."  While Dr. Dre was rumored to have joined Sean Carter's set, it was wife Beyonce who took stage after cheering from the sidelines and sang, "I wanna be forever young," as fireworks erupted. With the exception of his better half, Hov performed solo and took the title as the festival's first hip-hop headliner.

California first lady Maria Shriver was unexpectedly on hand to enjoy the set with Beyoncé, and video screens showed President Obama doing the "Dirt Off Your Shoulder" gesture. Hot!

While Hov may have headlined Friday's festivities, it was Puerto Rican duo Calle 13 who got the crowd hype mid afternoon. The New York Times quotes the reggaetoneros' performance as:

"Calle 13 wasn’t rap-rock — it was rap across the Americas. Residente, can be raunchy, furious and idealistic, often in the same song. Calle 13’s large band, complete with horn section, percussion, theremin, and one musician whose entire job seemed to be making things whistle — plastic tube, bird-whistle, teakettle spout — stoked a pan-American dance party, and Residente’s explanation of the Spanish lyrics to one song, “Fiesta de Locos,” could apply to most of the jubilant set: “At the end,” he said, “it’s like a huge party criticizing everyone.”

We knew Residente and Visitante wouldn't disappoint! Hopefully next year we'll see more Latin talent added to the line-up.

Now in its 11th year, Coachella set attendance records in 2010, selling out 75,000 three-day passes. And while Jay-Z may have had a huge part in the surge of ticket sales, we're sure Calle 13 and other acts like Faith No More, Gorillaz, Pavement, and Muse held their own, as well.

(images via Getty)

Tr3s Comunidad, did you catch Calle 13's performance at Coachella? Let us know below or @MTV3!

Tags 2010, Calle 13, Coachella, Jay Z

By Daniela Capistrano

Does stress keep you up at night? If you’re one of many who fall under the nebulous category “Hispanic,” don’t worry -– you’re not alone.

A recent study by the National Sleep Foundation found that Whites were more likely to have received a diagnosis of insomnia but Hispanics were most likely to toss and turn about work, money relationships and health problems. Híjole!

The study also found that Asian-Americans slept the best of all and were also less likely to watch television or drink alcohol before hitting la cama. The study also included this interesting tidbit:

Hispanic and black couples are more likely to *ahem* every night than white and Asian couples.

Well, if we’ve learned anything from Everybody Loves Raymond, this should come as no surprise.

(via the New York Times)

Tr3s comunidad, what do you think about these findings? What keeps you up at night? Tell us in the comments!

Tags 2010, Cultura, Hispanic, National Sleep Foundation, Sleep, Study

We couldn't celebrate el año nuevo without delivering our favorite headlines of the year past!

9. Octomom- Nadya Suleman gave birth to octuplets in January of 2009. She already had 6 hijos bringing the grand total to 14. Reality shows should be in the works...but we're pretty sure the Jon and Kate Plus Eight drama ruined it for the money making mami!

8.  TIE: Swine Flu/ Jobs?- The world went crazy when H1N1 emerged in April of 2009. The outbreak began in Mexico, and quickly spread. In recent months the vaccine has become available. Still...this was a rather unpleasant story of the year.

Tales of the Recession!- The economy sucked this year. Recent college graduates couldn't get jobs, experienced professionals lost their jobs and couldn't find jobs..

Lets just say admitting you were jobless wasn't as bad as admitting you had swine flu.

7.  Chrihannagate-Chris Brown and Rihanna were once the next Beyonce and Jay-Z, but a February altercation changed all that. After leaving a party in Los Angeles, Brown reportedly received a text message from another woman and refused to let Rihanna see his phone. An argument ensued, followed by Brown assaulting Rihanna. A TMZ photo was leaked of the extensive damage Brown did to Rihanna's face and Brown later pleaded guilty to felony assault  and was sentenced to five years probation and six months of community service. However, we like to remember them in happier times...

6. Balloon Boy- This was perhaps one of the funniest stories of 2009. On October 15, 5 year old Falcon Henee took off on an air adventure in a silver balloon his meteorologist father had designed for work. Or so we thought...after every air authority followed the balloon for up to 2 hours, it finally landed and young Falcon (the name is perfectly ironic) wasn't inside. Instead he was hiding in his attic. The following day the Henee family was on every morning show,  leading the public to believe this was a publicity stunt. It was in fact a hoax and on December 23, Falcon's dad, Richard Heene, was sentenced to 90 days jail and  mom, Mayumi Heene, to 20 days weekend jail.

5. Twitter- The social networking site was founded in 2006, but reached popularity in 2009. The 140 character messages are quick and make everyone feel like their very own self important celebrity..including MTV Tr3s! Feel free to follow us here @mtv3. The site became much more than a quick version of Facebook's status updates though; it's now a go to for quick links to news stories and recaps for pop culture's biggest events. When news of Balloon Boy emerged, the funniest updates included tweets like "Falcon, Imma let you finish, but Up was the greatest runaway balloon story of all time."

4. Kanye West vs. Taylor Swift- How could we forget Kanye West stealing Taylor Swift's moment during the 2009 VMAs. Ye believed Beyonce deserved the coveted MTV Moon Man for Best Female Video, and hopped up on stage during Swift's acceptance speech to proclaim that 'Single Ladies' was one of the best videos of all time. Kanye later apologized twice to Taylor, and also managed to coin the phrase "Imma let you finish."

3. Michael Jackson's Death- The King of Pop died on June 25th after suffering from cardiac arrest. He reportedly had been administered drugs such as propofol and lorazepam, and his death was ruled a homicide by the Los Angeles County coroner. His death triggered an outpouring of grief from around the world with a globally live broadcast of his memorial service from Los Angeles' Staples Center that attracted an audience of up to one billion people. Director Spike Lee recently made a video for Jackson's last song, 'This Is It', which was also the name of his 2009 tour.

Michael Jackson - This Is It - Directed by Spike Lee from 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks on Vimeo.

2. President Barack Obama- This may feel like a 2008 story, but the official inauguration for President Barack Obama took place on January 20th. The first African American President is still highly favored and appointed our number one story of the year....

1. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor- The Bronx-born Latina is the first Hispanic to sit on the Supreme Court, the third female justice in U.S. history and the second-youngest member of the court. Making her NUMBER ONE on our list!

Feliz y prospero año nuevo! And remember to stay tuned to MTV Tr3s in January to catch nuestros especiales on Lo Mejor De Los 00's, y mientras tanto... 

Photos via Getty and Google Images

Tags 2009, 2009 Video Music Awards, 2009 VMAs, 2010, Beyonce, Chris Brown, Jay Z, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Kanye West, michael jackson, President Barack Obama, Rihanna, rihanna and chris brown domestic violence, Swine Flu, Taylor Swift, This Is It

As 2009 comes to a close, todos estamos pensando el lo que ha sucedido este año: Barack Obama becoming the first African-American President of the U.S., Michael Jackson's untimely death, Justice Sonia Sotomayor becoming la primera latina in the Supreme Court, swine flu, y mucho más.

Pero el fin del 2009 also marks el fin de la decada.  Can you believe los '00s are over?  In come the teens!  So to commemorate this occasion, cuentanos: who or what defines los '00s to you?

Teen Culture

Once upon a time in 2000, the airwaves were invaded by the likes of Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, 'NSync and The Backstreet Boys.  While Britney's all grown up and stealing the spotlight in other ways these days, the idolization of teen stars carried on throughout la decada.

Los 00s are also responsible for American Idol with such new young stars arising like Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, David Archuleta and most recently Adam Lambert.  And other teen music phenoms like the Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez y Demi Lovato, and let's not forget Rihanna and Chris Brown, no se quedan atrás.  And really, would the whole Twilight phenomenon really exist without teen fever for RPatz, Taylor Lautner and Kristen Stewart?  Who's your favorite teen icon from los 00s?

Latin Explosion!

Even more relevant para todos nosotros, was the "Latin Explosion" of los 00s.  Starting with the successful crossover careers of the likes of Ricky Martin, Enrique Iglesias y Shakira, los 00s brought Latinos to the forefront when it comes to la música popular americana.  Whether hearing Daddy Yankee in a soda commercial or Wisin y Yandel in a video game (and seeing both nominated for MTV Video Music Awards), there is no doubt that Latinos seriously broke through into mainstream pop culture during the 2000s.

With such collabos hitting the video and radio airwaves como Beyoncé y Shakira,  Wisin y Yandel con 50 Cent, Pitbull and Lloyd, Akon and Dulce María, y muchos más.  On the silver screen, actors like Salma Hayek, Benicio del Toro, Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Eva Mendez, John Leguizamo and even Jennifer Lopez and Jessica Alba made waves para los Latinos.  Similarly on la tele, entertainers like George Lopez, Mario Lopez, Eva Longoria Parker, Wilmer Valderrama, America Ferrera and Ana Ortiz made us all un poquito más orgullosos de ser Latinos!

Cuéntanos, what defines los 00s for you?  Stay tuned to MTV Tr3s in January to catch nuestros especiales on Lo Mejor De Los 00's, y mientras tanto...

We wish you all un feliz y prospero año nuevo!  Que disfruten!

Photos via Getty Images & Google Images

Tags 2009, 2010, Año Nuevo, America Ferrera, Barack Obama, Beyonce, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Daddy Yankee, Enrique Iglesias, Eva Longoria Parker, Javier Bardem, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Lo Mejor de los 00s, Mario Lopez, michael jackson, New Year's, Penelope Cruz, Ricky Martin, Salma Hayek, Selena Gomez, Shakira, Twilight, Ugly Betty, Wisin y Yandel

Is there anything this young starlet can't do? It looks like Selena Gomez can add yet another title to her already impressive resume, and that title would be fashion designer! La actriz, cantante and UNICEF ambassador is teaming up with some great names to launch a fashion label called Dream Out Loud.

So what can we expect from Selena's fashion line?  The collection will be pretty, feminine, and a bit bohemian -- something that her team members believe is lacking from the other young celebrity fashion lines. Even more impressive, the organically-produced line will be totally eco-friendly!  Selena was very adamant about being green!  The label is set to launch in 2010.

We can't wait to see the fashion line, and we wish Selena mucha suerte! [Women's Wear Daily]

Photo Via Getty Images

Tags 2010, designer, Dream Out Load, eco-friendly, fashion label, organic, Selena Gomez

Get ready to say "GOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL."

Es "la hora de verdad" for soccer teams looking to qualify in the 2010 South African World Cup.  Mexico and USA go head-to-head today from Mexico City's Aztec Stadium in the game that's got everyone setting their tivos on turbo for 4PM.  Grab la bandera of your choice para el evento de la temporada!

No te preocupes, you're not the only loser glued to your TV with a Costco-sized pack of Sabor de Soledad cheese curls dancing in your Sambas to the final countdown.  See what celebs like Fat Joe, Carlos Mencia, Henry Cejudo y otros fanáticos famosos del futbol have to say about the Mexico vs. USA game on Terra.

Images via Getty Images

Tags 2010, aztec stadium, big event, EEUU, Estados Unidos, evento, Fifa World Cup, futbol, game, Mexico, Mexico vs. USA, partido, Soccer, South Africa, Terra, USA