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By Michael Lopez

Good news ALMA Awards fans, the Latino gala is coming back after a year hiatus. And better yet, its founders, the National Council of La Raza, have announced that Eva Longoria and George Lopez have both signed on to host!

"This is an important show for our community," said NCLR spokesperson Delia Delavera. "We got a lot of comments from people about how excited they were to see George and Eva co-hosting."

Scoring Lopez and Longoria is a major coup for the ALMAS. As we all know, Eva is one of the most in-demand stars on TV and she may even bring along her boyfriend's famous family. George is also an entertainment powerhouse and will certainly add a lot of energy and humor to the event.

Unfortunately, the 2010 ALMAs had to be scrapped because of scheduling and broadcast issues. But now it looks like the ceremony is coming back in a major way, with a key timeslot on NBC.

Though the actual nominees have yet to be announced, we're expecting plenty of famous faces getting added to the roster. The ALMAS honor Latinos in television, film, and music, so expect a dynamite show this September 16th!

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

Tags ALMA Awards, Award Shows, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Eva Longoria, George Lopez, national council of la raza, NCLR

By Michael Lopez

A while back we reported on rock band Ozomatli’s association with the National Council of La Raza. Before last November’s elections, Ozo and NCLR teamed up to spread voter awareness within the Latino community. Now, five months later, they are partnering again to spread the message of respect. Dubbed the National Latino Advocacy Days, this new campaign is set to create quite a stir on Capitol Hill.

“We are very concerned about the issue of respect,” NCLR director Clarissa Martínez-De Castro told Tr3s. “We need to come together and agree that we can treat each other respectfully.”

Ozo saxophonist Ulises Bella heartily agreed.

“We want to motivate and hopefully move young activists to get the message out,” Bella told Tr3s.

That message has already been heard by hundreds of influential citizens across the country. This week, NCLR’s National Advocacy Days plan to assemble more than 300 community leaders. The goal, according to NCLR communications director Julian Teixera, is to visit Washington and call on Congress to oppose inflammatory rhetoric towards Latinos.

Bella pointed to the anti-immigration movement in Arizona as an example of areas where respect is sorely needed. And it’s clear that Ozomatli is passionate about subject. As part of its last NCLR effort, the group wrote and recorded the human rights single, “Respeto.”

“[‘Respeto’] resonated with a lot of people," said Wil-Dog Abers, Ozo’s bassist. "That song was the most successful pre-download campaign we’d ever done!”

Though the group didn’t confirm whether they were recording material for the new campaign, “Respeto” already seems like a perfect anthem for National Latino Advocacy Days, occurring March 9-10 in Washington D.C.

For more information, please visit NCLR’s website.

Do you think there's enough respect within the Latino community? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Cultura, Exclusive Entrevista, national council of la raza, National Latino Advocacy Days, NCLR, Ozomotli, Politics, Respeto

By Michael Lopez Really? In a year jam-packed with People’s Choice, ESPYs, and Environmental Media Awards, you’d think there would still be room for the Latin-centric ALMA Awards, but unfortunately that isn't the case. According the National Council Of La Raza (NCLR), which produces the show, 2010’s event is officially off.

Launched in 1995, the American Latino Media Arts ceremony has promoted cultural achievements in sports, movies, television, and music. Team Blogamole has been a huge fan since the beginning, covering the red carpet fashions (and fiestas) every year. When speaking with Latina.com, NCLR spokesperson, Delia de la Vara, claimed that broadcasting issues were to blame for the sudden cancellation.

"Unfortunately, we’re not doing the [ALMA’s] this year. We’re working toward a 2011 fall broadcast of the show during Hispanic Heritage Month. That's the right time to showcase the stories about the contributions that Latinos are making in television, film, music and sports."

Another key factor to the ALMA’s success has been Eva Longoria Parker, who has served as their very high-profile host. And even though she’s going through her own personal drama right now, de la Vara is confident that she will be involved in next year’s event.

"Eva’s been part of our core team on the production for the ALMA's, so she will be a part of the awards as she has been for the past four years.”

So even though we’re extremely bummed out that there won’t be a 2010 ALMA Awards, we’re glad to know that the ceremony is not being abandoned entirely. And seeing how they want the next show to coincide with Hispanic Heritage Month, we’ll have it back on our TV screens in less than a year! Source: [Latina] Are you sad that there won’t be a 2010 ALMA Awards? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3!

Tags ALMA Awards, Award Shows, Cultura, Eva Longoria, NCLR

By Michael Lopez

Mark your calendars. Tomorrow the polls will officially be open, giving you the power to influence the laws and elected officials in your region. And despite some negative ads floating around, it is extremely important that you make your voice heard. Ozomatli’s definitely doing their part to hammer the message home, by partnering with the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) and issuing a new politically-charged single called “Respeto.”

Image : Getty Images

Speaking exclusively with Blogamole, Ozo guitarist Raul Pacheco explained his thoughts about election day and why getting to the polls is so important,

“The more you are involved, the more you do have an impact. Whether it’s by voting or whether it’s by shaping laws. You can contact your representative, you can get to know them on a first-name basis…We really want to inform people to get involved and show up at the polls!”

Fans of Ozomatli know they’ve been a very socially-conscious band from the start. Formed 15 years ago in Los Angeles (yes, they are celebrating their Quinces this year), Ozo’s rock/funk/jazz/hip-hop fusions have built them a worldwide following. But listen to their lyrics and you’ll find some very topical messages sprinkled into the mix.

For “Respeto”, a bilingual single available as a free download on their site, the guys mix bouncy drum beats, singalong vocals, and funky bass grooves with a very clear chorus; “Stand Up!” As in, stand up and be counted. Not coincidentally, the title of the song goes right in line with NCLR’s “Vote For Respect” campaign.

As Raul noted,

“We’ve done work with [the NCLR] for many years now. It’s a very good collaboration.” When describing the track, he said, “We did it to create momentum and to create a message. It’s about respecting yourself by participating.”

Obviously the message is getting heard loud and clear. President Obama joined them for a political rally at USC in California last week (which made for an awesome pic on their site) and, according to Raul, fan feedback has been incredible.

Let’s hope it translates into some overcrowded voting booths this coming Tuesday.

Do you know who you’ll be voting for on November 2? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3!

Tags Agentes De Cambio, Elections, Música, NCLR, Obama, Ozomotli, Politics, Raul Pacheco, Respeto, Vote For Respect

One of the Latina stars of Ugly Betty, Ana Ortiz, has taken action on behalf of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and written a letter urging the President of the National Council of La Raza to refrain from any future partnerships with McDonalds. McDonald's was the sponsor for the NCLR's conference this year in Chicago.

La razón behind Ana's plea: unfit working conditions and cruel slaughter practices. In her letter, she cites poor wages paid to workers, many of whom are Hispanic immigrants, and goes on to give some graphic description about the company's methods of killing the chickens.

What do you guys think of all this??

Photo via Getty Images

Click after the jump to check out Ana's letter.

Read more...

Tags Ana Ortiz, NCLR, Peta, Ugly Betty