Blogamole › New Year's Eve

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

Sure their music has an urban edge, but that doesn't mean that Dyland y Lenny support violence. In fact, the reggaeton duo led a march on Tuesday against domestic abuse.

"We feel responsible because when you're an artist, you become a role model for many youngsters who don't have a role model at home and are kids who look up to artists and do what the artists say," Dyland explained in a recent interview.

D y L also took a stand against gunplay on New Year's Eve, which has proven to be a major problem in their Puerto Rican homeland. Often times when the clock strikes midnight, people shoot weapons into the air, which is dangerous and can lead to major injuries.

Lenny went on to say that he felt "alarmed" by Puerto Rico's murder rate. This year alone, 1,116 people were killed on the island. Hopefully the march helped convince their fellow citizens to keep things peaceful and positive in 2012.

Are you inspired by Dyland y Lenny? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Agentes De Cambio, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Domestic Violence, Dyland y Lenny, New Year's Eve, Puerto Rico

By Michael Lopez

There's no denying that audiences love spotting a famous face on the big screen. And New Year’s Eve definitely proves that point. Featuring a who's who of Hollywood talent, NYE’s got romance, comedy, and plenty of holiday spirit. At a recent junket, several of the stars spoke to us and shared their thoughts on the film.

"I had a blast working on this movie," Josh Duhamel told us. "Funny enough, I did a lot of my scenes with Yeardley Smith. The whole time I kept thinking to myself, this is Lisa Simpson!"

Glee’s Lea Michele also had a cast mate that impressed her. She spent her time in the movie alongside Ashton Kutcher and told us she had a hard time not being star struck by the Two and a Half Men lead.

"I got to be stuck in an elevator with Ashton for two weeks," she said. "It was awesome! He's hilarious and he even punk'd me a couple of times. He also made me feel really comfortable since this was my first movie."

One unlikely pairing in the film was Michelle Pfeiffer and Zac Efron. Though they weren't exactly an onscreen couple, they did share a special kiss when the Times Square ball dropped.

"It was wonderful getting to work with her," a blushing Efron explained.

Pfeiffer returned the love, saying,

"Zac and I had so much fun together. He's so collaborative and he's also very talented."

But it seems the New Year’s Eve star the cast was most impressed with, was Robert De Niro. The acting icon spent much of his screen time with Hilary Swank, which she happily gushed about.

"Working with De Niro was amazing," she said. "He's on the top of my 'Bucket List' of actors I want to work with before it's all said and done. Getting to work with him was an absolute highlight for me."

And though Jake T. Austin didn't share any scenes with De Niro, he too was quite impressed seeing him on the set.

"Getting to be near De Niro was great," he said. "He's an actor I definitely want to emulate."

Clearly the NYE cast had a blast working together and, judging by the box office take it raked in this weekend, there's a good chance they may all be back together for another holiday-inspired sequel.

Who's your favorite cast member from New Year’s Eve? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Ashton Kutcher, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Exclusive Entrevistas, Hilary Swank, Jake T. Austin, Josh Duhamel, Lea Michele, Michelle Pfeiffer, Movies & CineMás, New Year's Eve, Robert De Niro, Tr3s Exclusives, Yeardley Smith, Zac Efron

By Michael Lopez

2012 is coming early this year, at least at the local Cineplex. The ensemble rom com New Year’s Eve is hitting theaters and, at a recent press conference, director Garry Marshall and writer Katherine Fugate explained their inspirations for the film.

"We all connected so well on the set," Marshall said when talking about his massive cast. "I've actually worked with a lot of these people before."

Stars Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Biel, and Hector Elizondo were all in New Year’s unofficial prequel Valentine’s Day, albeit in very different roles. Here, they're joined by a host of A-listers, including Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sofia Vergara, and Zac Efron.

And, as Garry explained, wrangling such a massive amount of talent for the shoot wasn't easy.

"Everyone in this cast had other jobs going on, so they weren't all available. We had to make the whole shooting schedule around when they were available and when they weren't. There was one scene where Sofia Vergara had to leave for another job, so we had to cut her part down."

The premise of New Year’s Eve is definitely one that can be appreciated by everyone. On the night of December 31, we get to see a wide range of characters, all hoping to experience the most memorable night of their lives. And, by the time the credits roll, most of them accomplish that goal.

Katherine went on to explain how, despite the many story lines, there is still one underlying message she hopes to convey.

"Anytime I write anything, I try to look at the whole," she said. "What's the message? Here, it's about taking risks and new beginnings. Then I look at the characters and think how can this pie of people bring us to the same message? These are all people that I know in my own life."

Marshall praised Fugate's writing style and her ability to unite such a wide range of characters. He even offered a bit of film-making trivia on the styles of New Year’s Eve and his previous hit, Valentine’s Day.

"The term I like to use for these movies is portmanteau," he explained. "It’s actually a French term and it's used often by European filmmakers. It refers to a series of stories that come together and have one universal conclusion. Love Actually is a modern example of a movie that’s used the technique."

And something tells us if New Year’s Eve is a hit, you can expect to see it a lot more. We're still keeping our fingers crossed for a Cinco de Mayo sequel.

Are you planning on watching New Year's Eve? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Blogger: Michael Lopez, Exclusive Entrevistas, Garry Marshall, Holidays, Katherine Fugate, Movies & CineMás, New Year's, New Year's Eve, Tr3s Exclusives, Valentines Day

By Michael Lopez

If you think about it, a film title like New Year’s Eve has tons of potential. It could be a wild party flick, a timeless romance, or a coming of age drama. And to its credit, this week's New Year’s Eve movie attempts to tackle all of that. But with so many characters and so many plotlines, things wind up feeling a little jumbled and uninspired.

Similar to last year's Valentine’s Day (which was helmed by the same production team), NYE attempts to shove over a dozen stories down your throat, all linked to the same popular holiday. It also throws a bit of mystery into the mix; connecting characters via plot twists and chance encounters.

The problem is, the formula is starting to feel a little stale. Though it's fun to watch certain famous faces interact (Sofia Vergara and Jon Bon Jovi make an interesting pair), the chemistry doesn't always click and the "surprises" begin to feel way too predictable.

Leading the pack of performers for this celeb fest are Halle Berry, Sarah Jessica Parker, Ludacris, Katherine Heigl, and Zac Efron (just to name a few). New Year’s Eve also does an admirable job of squeezing in even more famous faces in cameo roles, like Matthew Broderick, Ryan Seacrest, and Wizards of Waverly Place’s Jake T. Austin.

It's all quite a lot to digest, but the purpose is to show varying perspectives on New York's biggest night. To the film’s credit, it covers all of the bases of what encompasses New Year's Eve. There's the famous ball drop, a Glee-inspired rendition of "Auld Sang Lyne," and thousands of drunken rebel rousers in Times Square.

But if you're looking for substance, this is probably not the movie for you. The romance scenes seem forced, the jokes are far from memorable, and several stars seem to be "phoning in" their performances. But, at 77-years-old, we do have to give some credit to director Garry Marshall. He clearly created a fun environment for his actors and we have a strong feeling he'll be giving us at least one more holiday movie before he calls it a career.

Bottom line: One cheesy rom com is bad enough, but imagine 12 of them rolled into one?! That's kind of what you can expect with New Year’s Eve. Rather than trying too hard, this movie seems like it's not trying enough. The performances are flat, the story lines feel tired, and final payoff fails to deliver. Let's hope the cast behind this flick adds "make better movies" to their new year's resolutions.

Are planning to watch New Year's Eve? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Auld Sang Lyne, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Garry Marshall, halle Berry, Holidays, Jake T. Austin, Jon bon jovi, Ludacris, Movie Reviews, Movies & CineMás, New Year's, New Year's Eve, Rom Coms, Sarah Jessica Parker, sofia vergara, Valentine’s Day, Zac Efron

Don't have New Year's Eve plans yet?  Bueno, si vives en Chicago, maybe you should party with Pitbull! Mr. 305 will be hosting a party at the Chicago Hilton with a few special guests... the Playboy Bunnies! Hugh Hefner founded Playboy in Chicago, so it's only fitting the bash take place there. Pitbull met the Hef in 2008, when he performed at his Halloween party.

After sipping champagne with 4,000 of his closest friends, Pitbull will take stage and perform to bring in the New Year! Will you party with Pit and Playboy? We're sure EVERYONE would go home happy after that fiesta! [LatinGossip]

Photos via GettyImages

Tags Chicago, Fiesta, Hugh Hefner, New Year’s Eve, Party, Pitbull, Playboy