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By Michael Lopez

Throughout 11 wild seasons, Randy Jackson has remained an American Idol constant. And beyond that, he's a music legend, having played on albums by Journey, George Michael, and Mariah Carey. So clearly he knows his stuff and he's got some very interesting things to say about this latest version of Idol.

"I think we're in a great groove now," Jackson told us during an exclusive conference call. "Everyone makes such a fuss about the judges, but it really is the talent. If you don't have the talent…people might want to watch about five minutes then be like 'Okay.' So, I think it's really about that talent and what we get back from these kids."

Randy may have a point, but clearly the fans are entranced by the antics of his cohorts Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler. Though they got a little bit of flack last year for being a bit wet behind the ears, Jackson assured us that there are big changes in store.

"[Jennfer, Steven, and I] talk about everything," he explained. "But this season you may see them be a bit more stern. They may surprise you. This Hollywood week was the toughest we've ever had on the kids."

And according to Randy, tough love is a necessity if you want to succeed in the music business. He went on to offer his philosophies on why criticism is important when prepping singers for a life behind the mic.

"This is a process that gets you ready for the future," he said. "You think Idol’s hard? Wait until you become an artist and you're trying to put a record out. After our show, you jump into the ring and duke it out with Madonna, with Rihanna, with Katie Perry. After this, you're setting yourself up for the competition of life and the competition never ends."

Speaking of competition, Jackson also made sure to speak out about Idol’s big rival in the ratings race, NBC's The Voice. Even though TV's other vocal talent show scored huge post-Super Bowl ratings, Randy isn't worried one bit.

"Listen, Idol is in its eleventh season," he proudly stated. "The Voice [had] huge numbers. I think any show after the Super Bowl will have huge numbers. They've got an original show and I think there's room for everyone out there."

Let's hope Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera, and Cee-Lo Green feel the same way.

What's your favorite reality singing show? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags American Idol, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Exclusive Entrevistas, Jennifer Lopez, Música, Randy Jackson, Reality shows, Steven Tyler, Television, The Voice, Tr3s Exclusives

By Ikam Acosta

Love don't cost a thing, but real estate does. It seems Jennifer Lopez is losing her high rise downtown Miami condominium due to a foreclosure sale.

JLo's Icon Brickell love nest, which she's been sharing with her younger boy toy Casper Smart, was sold right out from under her. It seems the condo was actually owned by HSBC Bank.

Lopez and her ex, Marc Anthony, had leased the condo in 2009 as a marketing ploy to draw a buzz to the neighborhood. The couple had been offered a deal by Jorge Perez, the developer, which was too good to pass up. They moved in with hopes that their celebrity status would draw more buyers who were interested in having someone famous in their building.

According to real estate columnist Kevin Dickenson, the couple was offered low rent with an option to buy the sky-high condo for just $1.7 billion. What a sweet deal. Soon, gossip had spread that Lopez and Anthony had bought as many as ten units in the tower, making it the "sexiest place in town."

Apparently, sex appeal could not save the building, however, and a deal recently closed that would force JLo and her cougar cub Casper to seek a love den elsewhere.

Would you move into a building just because a celebrity lived there?

Tags Blogger: Ikam Acosta, Casper Smart, Celebrities, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony

By Michael Lopez

After months of hype (and a breakup in between), Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony's ¡Q’Viva! series is finally set to debut this weekend. We happened to catch a sneak peek of the premiere episode, which shows a very interesting side to the newly divorced power couple.

In all honesty, the ¡Q’Viva! format does play a lot like Jennifer's "other" reality competition show. And if you ask us, it's kind of strange to premiere both series so close to each other. Could it be giving the TV viewing audience a little too much J.Lo on a weekly basis?

One thing's for sure. With Lopez, what you see is what you get. Jennifer actually comes off quite the same on ¡Q’Viva! as she does on Idol. She's the "sweet" judge, the big-hearted talent scout who clearly hates giving out bad news.

Anthony, on the other hand, is a little more rough around the edges and has some stern moments during the premiere. Sometimes he gives the thumbs up and other times he's crushing karaoke dreams.

But of course, what the audience really wants to see is how well these two interact together. Now keep in mind, ¡Q’Viva! was shot before the Casper Smarts and Shannon de Limas entered the picture.

With the split still pretty fresh, both Jennifer and Marc come off professional and genuinely sweet with each other. There are even a few brief mentions of their twins, Max and Emme.

And the producers made a smart decision by having them address their public breakup almost immediately (vs. glossing over it like it never happened). Clearly part of the season's subplot will include how these two former lovers learn to work hand-in-hand to find talented Latinos.

Which of course brings us back to the "substance" of the show, the talent. In the first episode we meet quite an interesting array of characters. There are Brazilian fighter dancers, Chilean guitar masters, and a pair of Central American twin sisters who have some funny (and flirty) moments with El Cantante.

Superstar choreographer Jamie King is featured as a central figure too, adding input on a few dancing contestants from Argentina. And with his history teaching moves to Ricky Martin, Madonna, and Britney Spears, we're sure he'll add a lively touch to the show.

That being said, ¡Q’Viva! has the potential to turn into quite an interesting reality experiment. But, as we know with all talent competition shows, the true fun doesn't begin until the final eliminations.

Are you looking forward to ¡Q’Viva!? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags American Idol, ¡Q’Viva!, ¡Q’Viva! The Chosen, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Celebrities, Celebrity Divorce, Jamie King, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Música, Reality shows, Television

By Michael Lopez

Taking a page from the Eva Longoria playbook, Marc Anthony has decided to "ink" himself in the name of love. According to TMZ, the Puerto Rican crooner has tatted a symbol for new girlfriend Shannon de Lima on his wrist.

But that's actually not the most interesting part of the story. Apparently, Marc got that body art over an existing tattoo that said the name "Jennifer!" Could this be a vitriolic message towards his famous ex?

Quite possibly, especially when you consider that he publicly flaunted it for the paparazzi cams. De Lima was by his side at the tattoo parlor when it happened, as was his oldest son, Chase.

The ink in question is actually of the Statue of Liberty, which Anthony said "liberated" him from his past relationship.

"To my @shadelima my statue of peace. Kisses baby," he went on to tweet.

Perhaps it's time for J.Lo to get a "new love" tramp stamp of her own!

Do you think Marc and Shannon will last? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Blogger: Michael Lopez, Celebrities, Celebrity Couples, Chisme, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, popnews, Shannon De Lima, Tattoos

By Michael Lopez

Clearly Jennifer Lopez had at least one big fan cheering her on during last night's American Idol premiere. Gushing about his new sugar mama, Casper Smart took to the Twitterverse yesterday to express his affections for Jenny From The Block.

"Age, status, n opinions of others are irrelevant," he posted. "Our hearts are endless and our souls infinite...Our ages are mere reminders of the hours logged on this earth and the precious time remaining."

Obviously with that tweet, Smart was firing back at the critics who say he's too young for the 42-year-old mother of two. But passion seems to hold no bounds for these lovebirds, as J.Lo emphasized when she re-tweeted his post.

And from the paparazzi front, the PDA fire is still burning very hot. Cameras caught Casper and Jennifer getting very cozy on the set of her new music video.

Do you think Casper’s too young for J.Lo? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Blogger: Michael Lopez, Casper Smart, Celebrity Couples, Chisme, Jennifer Lopez, popnews, twitter

By Michael Lopez

It's hard to believe that we're about to launch another year of American Idol. It seems like just yesterday when Scotty McCreery charmed the nation with his country crooning, but now the hunt is on to find another superstar. And all of this season's key talent are extremely excited to kick it all off.

"I think that Idol still is the best TV show of its kind anywhere," Judge Randy Jackson told us at an exclusive press conference. "We're the original, we kind of invented this whole game that everybody's now copying."

Indeed, at the A.I. press event, The Voice happened to come up several times. Not that the cast let that "other" singing show phase them. In fact, Ryan Seacrest threw out a few fun jabs at their NBC rivals.

"We never sit down before we do our show and think, 'what are the other guys doing?" Seacrest confidently said.

Jackson added,

"It's like second-chance theater over there."

And as much as NBC would like to hype Xtina and company's big February return, their season one champ seemed to fade away far quicker than anyone A.I. has produced.

And at Idol, the eyes will be focused much more on the shot callers than the contestants. Especially with A-listers like Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler in the judges' seats.

Discussing her approach to critiquing this season, J.Lo said,

"We're going to try to give them advice as we would want advice given to us. At the end of the day, you never know what's going to happen."

Steven seemed to relish his new role too, though he admitted that his Aerosmith bandmates had a hard time accepting it at first.

"[The Idol thing] wasn't really accepted at first by my bandmates," he said. "But now things are good and Aerosmith sales jumped up significantly since I joined."

All three judges assured the media that the same loose style will remain intact when they step in front of the camera Wednesday night.

"I love how our personalities are so different," Lopez explained. "We each have a different sense of style, but we all have fun with it! Hopefully the audience has been able to get to know us better now. To know us for who we really are."

You can get to know Jennifer, Ryan, Randy, and Steven all over again when American Idol cranks out season 11, tonight on Fox.

Are you excited about Idol's new season? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags American Idol, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Exclusive Entrevistas, Jennifer Lopez, Música, Randy Jackson, Ryan Seacrest, Steven Tyler, Television, The Voice, Tr3s Exclusives

By Michael Lopez

This week, all eyes will be on American Idol. The reality phenom is coming back for its 11th season this Wednesday and we know one famous alum who'll most certainly be tuning in. Stefano Langone proved to be a 2011 fave and since placing seventh last year, his career has been on fire. The 22-year-old crooner recently spoke to us about his experiences on the show and what fans can expect on his upcoming debut album.

"It's been a lot of work since Idol," Stefano told us. "I'm really proud about what I'm doing in the studio right now."

Interestingly, last week news broke that Langone had been signed to Hollywood Records. One of the hottest labels for young talent, Hollywood’s clientele includes Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Miley Cyrus, and more. Though Stefano was tight-lipped on whether he'd be collaborating with any of his famous label-mates, he did divulge some secrets from the studio.

"We've already found a very cool first single," Langone said. "It's called 'I'm On A Roll.' I think it's going to be a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to putting out music that's original and different from what I sang on the show."

Stefano went on to say that he was extremely proud of his particular Idol season and still keeps in touch with several of last year's contestants. He also heaped praise on that famous judge who saved him from an early elimination with her "wild card."

"J.Lo always had my back," Langone explained. "I felt a bit like an underdog on the show. In a way, I still feel like an underdog, but it's what gives me my edge."

And as far as the new season is concerned, Stefano did confirm that he will be watching (whenever he's not too tied up in the studio). He also told us how he's hoping to record something in "Spanglish" to honor his half-Mexican heritage.

"I've received a lot of love from the Latin community," he went on to say. "I'd love to reach out to those fans with a song that's half English and half Spanish. Something really original."

Hopefully we won't have too long to hear that happen. Langone's debut album should be out later this year and, as he told us, there’s a good chance he'll be popping back up on Idol for a surprise appearance.

"Idol has been a great opportunity and I’m definitely going to continue to capitalize on it. I'm pretty sure I'll be performing on the show later this season."

You can catch the return of American Idol this Wednesday on Fox.

Are you looking forward to the new season of American Idol? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags American Idol, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Exclusive Entrevistas, Hollywood Records, I'm On A Roll, Jennifer Lopez, Música, Stefano Langone, Television, Tr3s Exclusives

By María Andrea Fridmann

Marc Anthony told the world Wednesday of his new girlfriend, Shannon de Lima, on his Twitter page. Many think that Marc is simply responding to Jennifer Lopez parading her new boyfriend, Casper Smart, in public -even on set of their reality show.

In spite of that, far from waking any jealousy Jennifer may have, the pop diva actually wrote a message seemingly aimed at Marc, tweeted at around the same time her ex-husband and father of her two children announced his new romance.

"You know quite well, deep within u, that there is only a single magic, a single power, a single salvation&that is called loving. #words2liveby," Lopez wrote.

Remember that although the couple has been separated for months, there hasn't been an official divorce announcement. On Jan. 28, Lopez and Marc also roll out their reality series '¡Q' Viva! The Chosen,' hosted and produced by them, in which they seek out the best in Latino talent from some 21 countries. The show airs on Univision in the U.S.

Do you think the love between Jennifer and Marc is still strong, despite their respective new romances?

Tags AOL Latino, aol latino in Blogamole, Casper Smart, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Q'Viva the chosen, Shannon De Lima

By Michael Lopez

What a wild year it's been in the chisme world. There were enough baby bumps, nasty divorces, and estrella scandals to fill five seasons of Popland! And before that ball drops on 2011, we thought it would be fun to look back on some of our favorite Blogamole stories throughout the past 12 months.

2011 certainly kicked off with its share of chisme. There was that January announcement about Shakira splitting up with her longtime boyfriend Antonio de la Rua. Now we all know that she was spotted with her current flame, Gerard Piqué, just a short time later. Could there have been an overlapping relationship? We'll probably never know for sure, but thankfully Antonio has landed on his feet in the love department.

And speaking of love, quite a few new celebrity couples emerged in the past year. Perhaps the biggest of them all was Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber. These two started getting spotted together in late 2010, but didn't announce their official "relationship" until the Oscars after-party in March.

Casper Smart and Jennifer Lopez made surprising couple news when they became an item this past November. Of course, that attaches itself to a much bigger chisme story; the JLo/Marc Anthony divorce! Nobody in the media saw that breakup coming and, from what we've heard so far, the split was not acrimonious.

Several other famous faces parted ways with their steadies this year. Zoe Saldana, who had been with her boyfriend for 11 years, broke off her engagement in November. And Ana de la Reguera endured a pretty public split too. Her man, Univision anchor Jorge Ramos, publicly cheated back in January.

But the year wasn’t just filled with scandals. Plenty of happy new arrivals kept gossip blogs buzzing too. Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem welcomed their first child in January, Jessica Alba gave Honor Marie a younger sister back in August, and Benicio del Toro became a first-time daddy after a tryst with Kimberly Stewart.

2011 also proved to be stellar year for some Latino up-and-comers. Romeo Santos proved he could handle solo stardom just fine after the release of his album, Formula Vol. 1. Victoria Justice also created quite a bit of buzz this year, and not just for her singing abilities. She was able to hold down a hit TV show, movie roles, and major merchandising deals! One of our personal faves, Sie7e, made a big mark too, winning Best New Artist at the Latin Grammys.

But if we had to award one Chisme King of the Year, it would have to be Charlie Sheen. The self-described "Warlock" made more Blogamole headlines than just about any other star. Whether it was his "Tiger's Blood" rants, his Two and a Half Men drama, or his wacky intern program, Mr. Sheen definitely made for an eventful 2011.

That being said, there are still a few more days until the December 31st clock strikes midnight, so you never know who else may make the annual chisme list!

What was your top chisme moment of the year? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags 2011, Ana de la Reguera, antonio de la rua, Benicio Del Toro, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Casper Smart, Celebrities, Charlie Sheen, Chisme, Gerard Piqué, Javier Bardem, Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Alba, Jorge Ramos, Justin Bieber, Kimberly Stewart, Marc Anthony, Penelope Cruz, Romeo Santos, Selena Gomez, Shakira, Sie7e, victoria justice, Zoe Saldana

By Michael Lopez

It seems the tabloids aren't able to scoop the public on every chisme story. In a surprising revelation, Jennifer Lopez told CNN that her daughter Emme was born with a lump on her head that was initially thought be cancerous.

Thankfully after multiple MRI tests, doctors were able to give Emme a clean bill of health, much to the relief of Lopez and papa Marc Anthony. Jennifer confessed that the medical scare proved to be an excruciating experience.

"I just remember that feeling of something is wrong with that baby and I'm gonna die," she explained. "I remember looking at [Marc] and saying, 'If Emme's not going to be OK, I'm not going to be OK. He's like, 'I'm not going to be OK—none of us are going to be OK.' "

The incident actually prompted Lopez and Anthony to launch a pediatric charity called The Maribel Foundation. They chose the name Maribel to honor Marc's sister, who died of brain cancer at the age of 8. You can find out more about its mission, by visiting the official site.

Has anyone in your family had a cancer scare? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Agentes De Cambio, Blogger: Michael Lopez, CNN, Emme Anthony, Health, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Maribel Foundation