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By Michael Lopez

Unfortunately, ignorance and intolerance come in all languages. A conservative Hispanic evangelical ministry in Miami condemned Univision last week for airing an "obscene" and "pornographic" interview with Ricky Martin that it claimed promoted a "homosexual agenda."

In the November 2 special, Ricky Martin: Without Secrets, the Puerto Rican singer discussed his earliest sexual encounters and the first time he fell in love with a man. The interview, which aired on the program "Aqui y Ahora," also showed the proud father interacting with his twin sons.

The homophobic Oscar Aguero Ministry criticized the station for portraying Martin as "a role model to the children who watched the program at the child-friendly hour of 7 to 8 p.m.” and threatened to report the Spanish-langage network to the FCC.

"These are not our Latin roots, and the Latino people of South Florida have decided to stand up and defend our family values," the ministry wrote in a statement filled with homophobic rants and ridiculous innuendos.

"Univision's complicity in transmitting this message deserves, on our side, our complaints before the FCC — the entity that regulates media in the United States — which says that any pornographic, indecent or obscene content can be reported as a complaint.”

The group also claimed that Martin promotes hedonism by encouraging his fans to live “la vida loca.”

While we're sure this was probably some kind of publicity stunt to rile up the ultra-conservative crowd, we're happy to report that the group's protest of Univision offices last Saturday came and went with little fanfare. We just hope that Ricky hasn't lost too much sleep over this, and that the Oscar Aguero Ministry quickly crawls back under the rock it came out from.

Source: [Guanabee]

Why do you think there is so much homophobia in the Latin community? Sound off below or @MTV3.

Tags Aqui y Ahora, Chisme, interview, Música, Oscar Aguero Ministry, Ricky Martin, univision

By Michael Lopez

As we’ve mentioned before, Halloween is fast approaching which means tricks, treats and tons of scary movies hitting theatres. And one of this fall’s most anticipated horror flicks has got to be “Devil.” What’s it all about? We’ve got its main Latino lead, Jacob Vargas to give us the lowdown!

Having worked on such critically-acclaimed films as "Traffic", "Jarhead", and "Selena" (where he was cast at A.B. Quintanilla), Jacob’s got a great track record for picking projects that we love! And now being involved with supernatural movie god, M. Night Shyamalan, in "Devil", you know he’s on to something good.

Speaking exclusively with Team Blogamole, Jacob revealed that "Devil" is the first in a movie trilogy series called the Night Chronicles. "I play Ramirez, who is one of the security guards in this office building," he said, "One of the elevators gets stuck and things start getting stranger and stranger."

Anyone who’s seen the much talked about trailer has an idea of where things go from there. Could someone in the elevator actually be El Diablo himself?! Jacob says his character is "a man of faith", which we can expect to get tested at some point in the film.

And how about the rest of those Chronicles? Jacob admitted that he was a huge Shyamalan fan, but since M. Night was only a producer on this one, most of the "Devil" credit goes to directors, John and Drew Dowdle. "[Night] was more of an observer on it," Jacob said. He revealed that part two of the series would be a version of “12 angry men with a supernatural setting" and part three may very well be "the sequel to 'Unbreakable'!" How cool is that?!

It’s unclear whether Jacob will be involved with the rest of the Night Chronicles, but he’s got plenty on his plate otherwise. “I’m developing a TV show with Cheech Marin. It’s a father/son thing and it’s going to be awesome! I’ve also got a website called TheTVFantastic.com. It’s kind of like my own Funny Or Die thing.”

And yes, Jacob was just as glued to last weekend’s VMA’s as we were. “I thought Usher totally killed it!” No argument here.

Check out more of Jacob Vargas at his personal site and don’t miss “Devil”, when it hits theaters Friday, September 17th!

Are you excited about “Devil”? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3!

Tags Devil, Halloween, Hot Stuff, interview, Jacob Vargas, M. Night Shyamalan, Night Chronicles

By Elis Ortiz, with additional reporting by Reynaldo Casas

Por segunda vez desde 1991 en el concurso Miss Universo, the crown goes to Miss México! Wearing a gorgeous red gown in honor of México’s 200 years of independence, Jimena Navarrete made her country and Latinos everywhere proud.

The August 23rd event, live from Las Vegas, brought out beautiful gowns, smiles, and bods from all over the world. But as we’ve come to expect from a pageant representing the most beautiful women in the universe, las bellezas Latinas were right up front for all the honors. We don’t mean to brag, pero la verdad, hay que decirla!

We snuck in our correspondent Reynaldo Casas to find out what it’s really like among the Miss Universe contestants. Along with Tr3s VJ Carlos Santos, he got an exclusive interview with one of the top 10 finalistas (representando a la isla del encanto, Puerto Rico) Miss Mariana Vicente.

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Tags 2010, Carlos Santos, interview, Jimena Navarrete, Mariana Vicente, Miss Universe, Video, Videos

By Elis T. Ortiz

Si eres fan de la música electro-norteña que nos brindan Bostich & Fussible of Nortec Collective, we have great news for you! On September 14 they’ll release their follow-up to their Grammy-nominated Tijuana Sound Machine, which will be titled Bulevar 2000.

The new album follows Bostich & Fussible’s tale of the Tijuana sound machine, a car driving through this ciudad mexicana, this time through a newly constructed avenue, Bulevar 2000. Esta avenida is a direct route through and out of the city, but it’s also very notoriously dangerous. As is their trademark theme, Bostich & Fussible strive to share multiple perspectives de las experiencias de la vida en Tijuana.

Nortec Collective at 2010 LAMC
photo credit: Bashira Webb for Tr3s

El primer sencillo será “I Count The Ways," a very lyrical track featuring vocals by Kylee Swenson of San Francisco-based electro pop band Loquat. The album also features a rare acoustic track by Fussible called “Last Night in Slussen,” about a neighborhood in Stockholm where Nortec has been very well received.

When we caught up with the guys at this year’s LAMC, they already had an idea about what was coming in the near future. They teased us with news of the new album (el cual todavía estaban grabando en el momento), and also talked about their new upcoming world tour.

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Tags 2010 LAMC, Bulevar 2000, interview, latin, New Musica, Nortec Collective, Nortec Collective presents Bostich and Fussible, Tr3s, Video, Videos

By Simone Hilliard

The September issues — a woman's go-to for fall fashion — are finally hitting the newsstands and covering the 2010 edition of Cosmopolitan is none other than SoCal fashionista and "Machete" hottie Jessica Alba. 

The always camera ready starlet graces the cover in a black and blue polka dot belted tank, short black mini, drop earings, leather and silver bracelets, and wind blown hair.

Inside, the actress and mother of two-year-old Honor Marie opened up about how she keeps her career and love life on fire!

On being a skeptical about her future:

“I was always insecure about belonging and felt that my success was probably going to go away, so I’ve overcompensated.”

On first meeting her husband Cash Warren:

“Right after I met him, I called my best friend and was like, ‘I met this guy and I feel like I’ve known him forever and I’m gonna know him for the rest of my life.”

On relying on her hubby:

"The romantic stuff comes and goes, but it’s like, does that person have your back? You have to be a team navigating through wherever life may lead you and I want a friend for that.”

We couldn't agree more!

Have you picked up your September issues and browsed through the fall trends? Let us know below, or @MTV3.

Tags Chisme, Cosmo, Fashion, Gossip, interview, Jessica Alba, latin, photo, Style, Tr3s

By Elis T. Ortiz
Photo Credit: Bashira Webb

Para algunos, 8 p.m. may seem a little early to be pulled off your seat and onto the dance floor of a dimly lit NYC club. But when Brooklyn based new age electro-funk band Navegante hit the stage at Le Poisson Rouge on Friday night (August 6), we couldn’t help but get reeled in.

Navegante's Jean at Le Poisson Rouge

Jean’s bilingual vocals and cuatro (which we first discovered at LAMC), coupled with Washington’s percussion and Chris' light performance, all created a magnetic ambiance that wooed the senses and made us want to dance.

We sat down with the guys backstage, antes de navegar con ellos en su presentación, to learn more about the band, their influences, and what drives their music.

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Tags interview, Le Poisson Rouge, Navegante, New Musica, photo, Photos, Tr3s

By Elis T. Ortiz
Photo Credit: Bashira Webb

La noche más popular del NY International Latino Film Festival is arguably Dominican night…
and this year it did not disappoint! The press was in a frenzy awaiting the big stars, Michelle
Rodriguez and Celinés Toribio of the movie "Trópico de Sangre."

Some took celebrating la noche Dominicana a bit too seriously, constructing a makeshift microphone out of a platano and taping a piece of yucca on top, declaring that’s the instrument they’d use for their interviews. But all jokes were cast aside and focus was drawn back to the stars as soon as they graced the green carpet.

"Trópico de Sangre" premiere at NYILFF on July 29, 2010

Director Juan Delancer made his way down first, assuring us that his main goal with "Trópico
de Sangre" was to tell the truth about Trujillo’s dictatorship in the Dominican Republic. As it’s
very important for him to promote tolerance and equality for women through his work, he feels
fortunate to have gotten two great Dominican talents in Michelle and Celinés to represent this film.

Director Juan Delancer

The movie tells a truer version of the story of the famous Mirabal sisters who stood up against
the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic, three of whom paid for it with their
lives. Yes, there was that 2001 adaptation of the story called "In The Time of the Butterflies"
starring Salma Hayek and Marc Anthony, but that was a fictionalized account.

"Trópico de Sangre," sin embargo, nos cuenta la historia con la ayuda de la única hermana Mirabal
sobreviviente, Bélgica Adela “Dedé” Mirabal-Reyes.

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Tags CineMas Cool, interview, latin, Michelle Rodriguez, Movies, Movies & CineMás, new york international latino film festival, photo, Photos, Trópico de Sangre

By Elis T. Ortiz
Photo Credit: Bashira Webb

Colombian electro-cumbia stars Simón y Liliana (Li) del grupo Bomba Estéreo are currently on tour, promoting their latest smash hit album, Blow Up. In a few weeks, they’ll be headed back to Europe, but for now, they’re still rocking out venues across the U.S. para sus fans latinoamericanos.

This past Friday (July 23rd) — before they brought down the house at the Brooklyn Bandshell — we sat down with Simón y Li fto find out what they’re up to, what and who keeps them motivated, and what they hope for their future.

It was interesting to hear Bomba Estéreo’s perspective on the welcoming response of the American audiences where they’ve performed, especially at SXSW where language did not seem to be a barrier at all. They have a new video out for their track “Agua Salá,” so they anticipate that will be their next single release.

The band is also currently filming a music video for their remake of Technotronic’s “Pump Up the Jam,” which was recorded for Levi’s Pioneer Sessions campaign. Simón says they plan on adding this track to a remix album that may be released by end of year, and they’ll also incorporate it into their live performances.

Li talked about how important it is for her to include lyrics of social conscience into the music of Bomba Estéreo. According to the artist, they don’t always like to get very political, but they do want to share when they feel strongly about certain things, like injustice in government or young girls getting cosmetic surgery.

Simón and Li let us know about the many Colombian artists who have inspired them, including salsa legends like Joe Arroyo y Los Diablitos. They’ve both been listening to The Whitest Boys Alive and Li is actually a big fan of Mala Rodriguez and M.I.A., both of whom she has often been compared to in the American press. And how does she feel about that? Well, she explains that she’s not a rapper and doesn’t pretend to be, but it’s good to at least be compared to people she admires.

When we asked about winning MTV Iggy’s fan-defined contest for “Best New Band in the World,” they humbly replied that it’s “too much” but that’s what they’re working on. Simón thinks it’s cool that it was decided by fans, and Li thinks Latinos may be addicted to the internet. They didn’t have much to reveal about their secret MTV Iggy performance this Thursday (July 29), except that they may not be wearing much clothing…

We have more from our candid discussion with Bomba Estéreo after the jump. Some of their responses were expected, others surprising, pero todo en Español.

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Tags Bomba Estereo, Chisme, Exclusive, Gossip, interview, latin, New Musica, photo, Photos, Tr3s

By Sharmaine Jones, with additional reporting by Elis T. Ortiz

Listen up, newbie artists! Nortec Collective's Bostich and Fussible are dropping science about the music industry. Before rocking their LAMC Concert last week (July 7), the duo blessed us with their time and presence.

Informed by over a decade of experience, Bostich provided insight on the darker side of the music business.

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Tags 201 LAMC, Bostich, Fussible, interview, Nortec Collective, Video, Videos

By Elis. T. Ortiz

There were many great highlights to this year’s Latin Alternative Music Conference in NYC, but one of our favorites had to be getting to chat with Argentinean reggae star Fidel Nadal. Este cantautor es todo un amor! From his easy going demeanor to his love-filled lyrics, Nadal exudes positivity and is more than happy to share the good vibes.

Fidel Nadal performs at 2010 LAMC

Raised within an artistic family has influenced him greatly, from his mother’s anthropology to having a film director for a dad. Nadal told us his father always encouraged him to give his best in everything he does, and he’s kept that advice close to heart. Even with over two decades in his musical profession, he maintains an upmost respect for the positive power of music.

Check out his thoughts on music’s impact in this clip from our interview:

Fidel's mega-hit single “International Love” has been well received all over the world, and even featured on EA Sports’ FIFA 10 fútbol video game soundtrack. We asked Nadal if he’s played the game, he told us his 10 year old son has and enjoys it very much. ¡Hay, que cute!

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Tags 2010 LAMC, Fidel Nadal, International Love, interview, MTV Tr3s, new york, Video, Videos