Blogamole › Carlos Santana

By Michael Lopez

Maybe the Mayan end-of-the-world prediction got to people because this past new year's the parties were raging like never before! Several famous faces were spotted all over the country Saturday night, ringing in 2012 with plenty of style.

Over in Florida, Diddy hosted a huge party at his Miami estate. Known for throwing extravagant NYE bashes, the music mogul maintained his rep by launching a massive fireworks show and welcoming famous guests like Rihanna, Fat Joe, and Busta Rhymes. No official word on whether his rumored galpal, Cameron Diaz, was in attendance, but it certainly wouldn't surprise us if she was.

Interestingly, another Miami local made major headlines that night too. Heat superstar LeBron James rung in the new year as an engaged man! He popped the question to longtime girlfriend Savannah Brinson during a romantic dinner at a South Beach restaurant.

Over on the east coast, Tr3s faves Pitbull and Diego Torres made the rounds at New York's historic Times Square.

Pit's energetic performance of "Give Me Everything" was seen by over 13 million viewers on ABC's New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. Mr. 305 was also on hand to watch the famous ball drop for the Dick Clark countdown.

Elsewhere in the city, new couple Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling shared a romantic evening at the Bowery Hotel. Selena Gomez hit the East Coast too, partying with boyfriend Justin Bieber until 3 am! And for the record, "The Biebs" earned quite a bit of musical credibility that night for his impassioned "Let It Be" duet with Carlos Santana.

As expected, Las Vegas proved to be a big NYE hotspot too. Kim Kardashian earned a cool $60,000 for hosting an Eve party at Tao in the Venetian Hotel. Stevie Wonder also nabbed a nice chunk of change on Saturday, performing to a sold-out crowd at Sin City's Cosmopolitan Resort.

On the west coast, Katy Perry seemed to be all smiles at L.A.'s trendy Soho House. The newly single star was seen dancing and partying alongside some of her closest friends. Mario Lopez hosted a sizable bash at Hollywood's Kodak Theater which included guests like Cobra Starship and a DJ performance by Tom Cruise's son, Connor.

And as far as the celebrity tweets go, many stars took time to reflect on 2011 and the exciting things in store for next year.

"I wanna wish you all a happy and safe new year," Bruno Mars wrote. "I thought 2010 was great but thanks to you guys 2011 has been the greatest year of my life!"

"Happy New Year! Health - happiness and love to you all!" Jessica Alba posted.

And Sofia Vergara sent out one of her signature Twitpix along with the quote, "Feliz anoooo!"

How did you spend New Year's Eve? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Blogger: Michael Lopez, Bruno Mars, Carlos Santana, Celebrities, Diddy, Eva Mendes, Holidays, Hot Stuff, Jessica Alba, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Kim Kardashian, Lebron James, Mario Lopez, New Year's, New Year's Eve, Pitbull, Rihanna, Ryan Gosling, Savannah Brinson, Selena Gomez, sofia vergara, stevie wonder

By Michael Lopez

This past week, Rolling Stone released its official list of the rock era's "100 Greatest Guitarists." Though they definitely got it right with their #1 pick (Jimi Hendrix is indeed a six-stringed god), they seemed to place Carlos Santana much lower than expected. The Supernatural axe man only scored #20!

Nevertheless, we're glad he made the cut. Carlos has been wailing guitar chords for over 40 years and created some of the most famous rock riffs in history.

RS offered a loving tribute to Santana on their "100 Best" profile. Describing his signature style, the magazine wrote,

"Santana's crystalline tone and clean arcing sustain make him the rare instrumentalist who can be identified in just one note."

Unfortunately, Carlos failed to crack their "Guitarist Top 10" (which included Eddie Van Halen, Eric Clapton, and Jimmy Page). But, if you ask us, the bigger crime is the exclusion of all the other axe-slinging Latinos. Perhaps they need to get a few more Juanes and Maná songs on their Playlist.

Who are your favorite Latino guitarists? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags 100 Greatest Guitarists, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Carlos Santana, Eddie Van Halen, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Música, Rolling Stone

By Michael Lopez

You know you're doing something right if guitar god Carlos Santana is mentioning you in interviews. The legendary musician recently heaped praise on both Maná and Molotov, telling reporters he would love to jam with them in the near future.

Santana is currently in Las Vegas playing a series of private shows before tomorrow's Latin Grammys. Coincidentally, Maná will be appearing at the event too, so an onstage collaboration may not be out of the question.

Speaking about both Molotov and Maná, Carlos said that he admired their authenticity. He also explained how they were "not plastic",  which we assume refers to their rootsy, non-synth style of playing.

We're particularly glad that Santana extended the invite to Molotov. The groundbreaking Mexican rockers don't always get their due and deliver strong political messages that we're sure Carlos can identify with. Hopefully they can all get into the studio and lay down some tracks within the next few months.

Who would you like to see Carlos Santana collaborate with? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Blogger: Michael Lopez, Carlos Santana, Latin Grammys, Mana, Música, Molotov, popnews

By Michael Lopez

Just imagine graduating eighth grade with a degree from the "Carlos Santana Arts Academy." That's what hundreds of L.A. kids will get to experience when they finish their studies at a newly christened elementary school.

Centered in SoCal's popular San Fernando Valley, the Carlos Academy will follow the same regimen as any other public institution in the L.A. Unified School District. But we're hopeful that subjects like music and history (particularly Carlos' era of 1970's rock) will get special attention.

The Mexican guitar god seemed quite touched by the honor, sending a letter to the district thanking them for the recognition. Outside of his musical abilities, Santana is a known philanthropist, which weighed heavily on the LAUSD's decision to add his name to the school.

Carlos is currently on the Divine Rascals tour with George Lopez. But we get the feeling when he gets back to L.A., you may just catch "Mr. Santana" popping in to the Academy to teach a few after school guitar lessons.

Are you a fan of Carlos Santana's music? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Blogger: Michael Lopez, Carlos Santana, Carlos Santana Arts Academy, Education, LAUSD, Música, Schools

By Michael Lopez

It takes a lot of guts to tell a crowd of thousands that they should be "ashamed of themselves." But that's exactly what legendary guitarist Carlos Santana did at Atlanta's Turner Field on Sunday, responding to the state's recent immigration legislation.

It all went down at baseball's Civil Rights Game between the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies. Santana was actually being honored for his humanitarian work, but took the opportunity to speak out against a Georgia law that sounds very similar to Arizona’s SB 1070.

"The people of Arizona, and the people of Atlanta, Georgia, you should be ashamed of yourselves," Carlos exclaimed on the field. "This law is not correct. It's a cruel law, actually. This is about fear. Stop shucking and jiving. People are afraid we're going to steal your job. No, we aren't. You're not going to change sheets and clean toilets. ..."

Not surprisingly, the unplanned statement led to huge boos from the crowd. Santana, who himself hails from Mexico, has been a passionate spokesman against anti-immigrant laws. The Georgia bill, signed by Governor Nathan Deal, would give police in the state the right to check citizenship status of people they suspect to be undocumented.

And even though the Atlanta Field crowd may not have all been behind him, it's clear that the world wide web has got Carlos' back! Hundreds of bloggers, tweeters, and social media gurus pledged their support for Santana after the incident.

What do you think about Carlos' impromptu speech? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Atlanta Braves, Baseball, Carlos Santana, Immigration, MLB, Politics, SB 1070

By Michael Lopez

Remember back in our Cinco de Mayo post when we said Carlos Santana and George Lopez were on the verge of a "surprise announcement?" Well, the secret is out of the bag and it’s actually something the mainstream media was not expecting. The two famous Latinos have announced that they plan to tour together starting in early September.

Titled "Divine Rascals," the new Lopez/Santana combination sounds very interesting to say the least. Described as a mix of music and comedy, their tour will feature classic G. Lo standup mixed in with musical interludes from the Mexican-American guitar god.

"I am delighted to be going on the road with George Lopez," Santana said. "Besides giving me the chance to perform alongside a dear friend, these shows take me back to the grand old Bill Graham days, when different kinds of entertainment were featured on the same bill. Divine Rascals will be a joyous experience."

So far, only four Divine Rascals dates have been confirmed, but we’re sure if they’re successful you’ll see plenty more comedy/music combos to come. Look for George and Carlos at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado, the Shoreline in Mountain View CA, Concord’s Sleep Train Pavilion, and a grand finale at the Hollywood Bowl!

What other comedian and rockers would you like to see paired up? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Carlos Santana, Comedy, Divine Rascals, George Lopez, Hot Stuff, Música, Tours

By Michael Lopez

Break out the tequila shots, Cinco de Mayo has arrived! Sure it’s not the "official" Mexican Independence Day (that, of course, is September 16), but around the country May 5th has become an early summer pastime filled with mariachi music, frozen margaritas, and cultural celebrations. And this year, plenty of celebs are joining in on the festivities.

Based on Mexico’s victory at the Battle of Puebla in 1862, Cinco de Mayo has literally taken on a life of its own. Celebrated more in the U.S. than in its country of origin, the festive holiday has gone on to include celebrations at the White House and recognition from prominent Latino leaders like César Chávez.

This year, several high-profile Latinos are making sure they join in on the fun too. Mario Lopez will be hosting a Cinco de Mayo gala at the L.A. hotspot Teqa. Promising an agave-harvesting demo and plenty of margarita pitchers, it’s expected to be a top-notch event.

Over in Las Vegas, you can party with Chelsea Handler’s little buddy Chuy Bravo. He’ll be hosting an exclusive "Cinco de Chuy" party at the Venetian’s club Tao. And if you want to buddy up with an old school Latin star, you can join Erik Estrada at the Luxor for his "CHiPs and Salsa Fiesta." No word on whether or not he’ll show up in his classic “Ponch” costume.

Washington D.C. Cinco fans may be in for an extra sweet treat. There’s a chance you could run into Eva Longoria, American Ferrera, and Rosario Dawson sipping sangria at the nation’s capital. All three ladies will be meeting with President Barack Obama on May 5 to discuss projects like the National Latino Museum.

And for the rest of us who may be spending our Cinco at home, we highly recommend tuning in to Thursday’s edition of Lopez Tonight. As expected, George will have all kinds of Mexico-centric festivities planned and a rumored “surprise announcement” from guest Carlos Santana.

What are your big plans for Cinco de Mayo? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Carlos Santana, Celebrities, Chuy Bravo, Cinco de Mayo, Cultura, erik estrada, Eva Longoria, George Lopez, Holidays, Mario Lopez, Mexico

By Michael Lopez

As if there weren’t enough reasons to visit Europe this summer. Now you have the chance to see Carlos Santana, Ricky Martin, Sting and dozens of other headliners jam live at the 45th annual Montreux Jazz Festival. Held in Switzerland, Montreux is considered to be one of the most prestigious live events in all of Europe and regularly attracts over 250,000 attendees.

Carlos is a Montreux mainstay and has been playing the event since 1970. Obviously it comes as no surprise that Santana has been chosen to kick off the celebration on July 1, accompanied by British blues legend John McLaughlin. Any guitar fan would be hard pressed to find a better electric duo than these two.

But that is only the beginning. Montreux is not your typical weekend festival. This one goes on for over two weeks and is dedicating specific nights to different musical themes. Ricky will be putting his “La Vida Loca” moves to work on July 6.

Other highlights include Arcade Fire on July 10, Seal on July 12, and an already sold-out night with Sting and his full orchestra on July 11. Even classic hip-hop has found its way onto the schedule, with a night devoted to Coolio, Naughty by Nature, Digital Underground and House of Pain.

Though the entire event sounds incredible, a ticket to Switzerland may be hard to come by in these tough economic times. So if you can’t make it, don’t worry. Live albums and YouTube recordings have been a Montreaux tradition for years and we imagine there will be plenty of them floating around late July.

Would you fly to Switzerland to see the Montreaux Jazz Festival? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Arcade Fire, Carlos Santana, Europe, Hot Stuff, Música, Montreux Jazz Festival, Ricky Martin, Seal, Sting, Switzerland

By Michael Lopez

It takes a special kind of person to get Carlos Santana, Los Lonely Boys and Willie Nelson in the studio for free. And legendary social activist Dolores Huerta is just that kind of person. Her charity and the Hermes Foundation assembled an awesome list of musical talent to record the album, Proyecto de Amor.

The 15-track Amor features spoken poems from spiritualist Deepak Chopra and no less than five renditions of the lead charity single, “Claro Que Se Puede.” There is an Español version from Santana, an English version from Willie Nelson, even a Los Bravos Del Norte Norteño version of the song!

Trust us, after hearing it you’ll understand why. The glowing guitar solos (courtesy of Mr. Santana), gorgeous melodies and “Yes We Can” message about positive change are inspirational on multiple levels. And interestingly enough, Huerta actually co-wrote the track along with Hermes founder Alberto Kreimerman.

Both were on hand, along with Sony representatives, to talk about the album at a press conference this week in Los Angeles.

“La música soporta la lucha,” Dolores said.

And “la lucha” is something the 80-year-old Huerta knows quite a bit about. Dolores, a co-founder of the National Farm Workers Association with Cesar Chavez, has been fighting for Latino rights for more than 40 years. Her foundation is extremely active in community organizing and will use profits from Amor to build awareness about immigration reform.

The Hermes Foundation is also backing the single and will use its portions of the profits to aid children in Mexico’s poorest districts. Since its launch 24 years ago, Hermes has given away more than 100,000 toys to kids in need and paid for countless cleft palate surgeries in Mexico’s Chiapas region.

So, if you think about it, picking up a copy of Proyecto de Amor should make you feel twice as good. Not only will you be aiding Dolores and her immigration fight, you’ll be improving the life of a child. And you’ll have a bunch of really cool new songs to load into your mp3 player. Sounds like a win-win to us!

Proyecto de Amor is available on iTunes and Amazon beginning Tuesday, Dec. 14.

Which version of “Claro Que Se Puede” do you like best? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Carlos Santana, Claro que se Puede, Dolores Huerta, Hermes Foundation, Los Lonely Boys, Música, Proyecto De Amor, Willie Nelson

By Sharmaine Jones

The Latin Grammys are only a few months away and yesterday (September 14) the Latin Recording Academy announced that this year's recipient for the Person of the Year Award is Plácido Domingo.

photo via Getty Images

Domingo will be honored at a special tribute dinner which will be held Wednesday, November 10 – the eve of the Latin Grammys – at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Los Angeles. If you're assuming the event is going to be a stiff suit-and-tie function, you're mistaken. Mandalay Bay will be rocking as Domingo's friends will also perform a concert of his pop duets as well as some of his favorite music.

All of the proceeds from the gala will benefit one of Domingo's chosen charities as well as The Latin Recording Academy's outreach and educational programs. This act of generosity is fitted accordingly as Domingo was selected for his professional as well as his philanthropic achievements.

Gabriel Abaroa, President/CEO of The Latin Recording Academy, had this to say about the event:

"The Latin Recording Academy and its Board of Trustees take great pride in honoring Plácido Domingo as an extraordinary musician, philanthropist and, above all, a great human being whose immense talent and generosity has had a profound global impact. We are privileged to pay tribute to one of the most respected musical voices of our time, as well as a man whose selflessness has benefited many around the world."

Domingo founded Operalia, a World Opera Competition designed to discover, support and honor the best new young opera singers. Who better to give artistic and career advice than the “king of opera” himself.  Domingo has been conducting opera for nearly 40 years, has covered opera in six different languages, and is currently the General Director of the Washington National Opera and the Los Angeles Opera as well as the Artistic Advisor for the Youth Orchestra of the Americas.

Domingo has certainly served his dues and is undoubtedly befitting of the Person of the Year award.  Past  recipients of the honor include Gloria Estefan, Ricky Martin, Julio Iglesias, and Carlos Santana.

Do you think Plácido Domingo has earned the award? Who else would you be name Person of the Year? Tell us in the comments or @MTV3!

Tags 2010 Person of the Year Award, Carlos Santana, Gloria Estefan, Julio Iglesias, Latin Grammy Awards, Operalia, Placido Domingo, Ricky Martin