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By Vanessa Beatriz Soto

You guys believe me when I say I was PSYCHED for this. I worried over my outfits, I fretted over my hair, makeup, nails, everything. I was having a full on Devil Wears Prada moment in my head. I arrived two hours early. It was AWESOME. It blew my mind. Although perhaps not in the way I thought it would...

Okay so here's the story.

Background: NYC Fashion Week (regular flavor) is a semiannual whirlwind here in Manhattan. Designers, models, editors, stylists, makeup artists, wannabes, celebrities, minor royalty, all flock to town in February and September to show and show off. It's a tradition dating back to 1948, and it's all quite fancy and very stylish and probably great for the local economy, too. In addition, if you like something you see, you can nip right out to Barney's or whatever and pick it up. I must make a note to visit.

NYC Couture Fashion Week, despite any decadently romantic notions of tasteful avant-garde madness the words conjured up for me, turned out to be something of a different animal...

Set in the grand ballroom of New York City's famed Waldorf-Astoria hotel over three days this past weekend, the spectacle presented more than nine designers' couture fashion shows as well as an exhibition hall in the anteroom, which attracted artists, cosmetics companies, and a number of other exhibitors. The exhibition, I must note, included an, er, interesting art show by a puzzling fellow called Michael Cheval, whose portrait of Gina Lollabrigida I present to you here, without further comment. Enjoy your nightmares!

The featured designers, visiting from home bases as far-flung as Peru, Dubai, Nigeria and Egypt, showcased their creations on the runway inside the ballroom. The clothes on display reflected an perilously expensive-looking mix of made-to-order evening gowns, bridal and mother-of-the-bridal apparel, flashy club gear, kimonos, and furs, including designs for both men and women. If you want to buy these clothes, be prepared to nip out to Dubai on your private jet, though.

Let me try to break it down:

Overall, the impression was a cluttered one, due to a number of factors. For one thing, all the hair and makeup for all the shows was done by a single makeup team and a single hairdressing team, which may have led to a blurring of lines between each designer's signature style.

Makeup styling was provided by students from the Academy of Freelance Makeup, while "New Jersey's Premiere Hair Salon and Beauty Spa" Elie Esper did the hair. This is not quite in line with the 'regular' Fashion Week paradigm of household-name cosmetic brand stylists and hair gurus fighting to create unique looks for Mark and Miuccia. (Speaking of household names, there weren't any celebrities in attendance, so far as I could tell from my front-row seat.)

Next, it seems that the same loose group of models walked in each show. Again, a contrast with regular-flavor Fashion Weeks, where designers compete for the hottest supers and then cherry-pick unknown 'girls' from agencies the world over, so as to develop a truly unique signature look and feel for their presentations.

Another point of note here was that the models seemed to defy the classic 'runway model' type: reed-thin teenagers with impossibly weird or stunningly beautiful features. The models in Couture Fashion Week's shows were certainly of a more shapely ilk, more mature in their age range, and if my eyes - and photos - do not deceive me, some of these girls had invested in some SERIOUS breast implants, yo. Definitely not Catwalk Standard.

As for the clothes themselves, it's hard-ish to glean a really cut and dried set of 'trends' to report to you guys, given both the broad range in clothing types, and the resolutely not-regular-day-wear quality of the clothes themselves. For instance, I could tell you that next spring men will be sporting hipster warlock-like ensembles composed of gossamer scarves, shiny harem pants and open-throated shirts with lace panels, but... you would know that was totally whackadoodle, right? RIGHT?

For the ladies it's a bit easier. I will skip the silver-and-lucite chancletas because I cannot talk about that bit without weeping. If you're the kind of girl who likes to have her evening gowns made by hand in foreign lands, count on plenty of nude-colored illusion netting, lace, cutouts, electric-blue chiffon, loads of iridescent palettes, fur shrugs, plaid satin, giant round collars that stick up between 4-8 inches, bondage, more fur, and a boyfriend dressed as a hipster warlock. YES. WORK IT.

My very favorite part of the NYC Couture fashion week shows were the awesome and sometimes funny performances punctuating the runway spectacle. These included an all-girl cabaret show, an opera-singing model (she sang Sarah Brightman's "Time to Say Goodbye"), a violin-playing model, two preteens from Orange County California who performed acrobatics to a club-remixed pop track, a guy with a sax, a really neat dance troupe... Oh I don't know.

It was like Star Search. I loved Star Search!

And that pretty much sums up NYC Couture Fashion Week! Let us know what you think in the comments.

Tags blogger: Vanessa Beatriz Soto, couture, Fashion, Fashion Week, New York City

By Larry Yepez jr.

From Bruno to Saddam, the hysterically funny, Golden Globe-winning Sacha Baron Cohen is at it again. Currently in New York, Sacha B C is shooting his upcoming film The Dictator, where he plays a tyrannical ruler of a small country, a la Saddam Hussein. The film is inspired by the best-selling novel "Zabibah and the King", written by no other than Saddam Hussein himself.

For this film, Paramount reunites Sacha Baron Cohen and director Larry Charles -who also directed Bruno and Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. The studio is reportedly paying Sacha B.C. $20 million to star and produce the movie, with an estimated budget of $58 million. Paramount won the studio bidding race for the film after sending a couple of goats in paramount T-shirts to Sacha's house.

The film tells the heroic story of a dictator who risked his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed. The Middle Eastern dictator goes to New York City for a meeting at the United Nations where he gets secretly replaced by a look-alike goat herder, and now must find meaning to his new life in the Big Apple. Sacha B.C. plays both the dictator and the goat herder.

Photos from the set show Sacha B.C. going all out crazy in NYC. From running marathons -shooting his gun to start the race sooner-, to riding camels in military uniform down 5th Avenue, the funny British man has sure made the Big Apple his own playground.

Anna Faris, Ben Kingsley and Megan Fox also star in the movie, due for release in May 2012.

Some are comparing similarities between Cohen's The Dictator and Charlie Chaplin's 1940 classic film The Great Dictator. The Chaplin film is a satire on Nazi Germany, where the dictator Adenoid Hynkel also has a double, a poor Jewish barber who is mistaken for the Fuhrer. Chaplin also produced and starred in this film -like Sacha does in his.

As for the subject matter, it's the first time that Sacha goes full on politics.

Is this a topic to be making 'sexy time' fun of? Is Sacha B.C. going too far? Tell us what you think.

Tags Anna Faris, ben kingsley, Blogger: Larry Yepez Jr, Charlie Chaplin, Megan Fox, New York City, Paramount Pictures, Sacha Baron Cohen, Saddam Hussein, The Dictator

By Sharmaine Jones

MTV is premiering Katy Perry's highly anticipated "E.T." video today and the celebration started last night with a duel "alien invasion" in New York City and Los Angeles. Tr3s was front-and-center for the action in NYC!

As if the plethora of flashing lights in Times Square weren't enough to make you feel as if you were on another plant, Perry invaded one of the the busiest intersections in the world, complete with aliens.

The public event started at 8 P.M. on 7th avenue between 44th & 45th street in front of MTV's Jumbo-tron. We stood, we waited, then they came. As soon as the Jumbo-tron read: "Katy Perry's E.T. Video Ft. Kanye West; Landing March 31st", actors wearing alien masks – identical to the one Perry is wearing in her E.T. video – began roaming aimlessly through the crowd. Their behavior was what you would expect from an extraterrestrial. They greeted fans by invading their personal space to deliver a head-nod or two and as eerie as it sounds, the crowd loved it!

Then, the excitement began! People were snapping pictures, scrambling to nab limited edition posters and masks being handed out and trying to scan the 2D bar codes on the aliens' backs which routed you directly to Katy Perry's official website.

The atmosphere was absolutely electrifying! Glance to the left and you'd see aliens climbing on top of phone booths. Dare to look to the right and you might see a few doing an out-of-this-world dance.

Last night's preemptive strike was a huge success as the Katy Perry buzz took on a life of its own! Jared from Brooklyn summed it up best as he described the experience as "surreal" and "something out of a dream."

As word spread, the gathering quickly multiplied with the only concern being: How can Perry's "E.T." premiere top this?

Unfortunately, the NYPD made Katy's aliens go back to their home planet at about 9:15pm. The reason? They didn't have a permit!

Were you there for the Alien Invasion? Tell us what you thought of the invasion in the comments section below or @MTV3!

Tags Aliens, E.T., Kanye West, Katy Perry, MTV, New York City, Publicity Stunts, Teenage Dream, times square, Video Premiere

By Erika Ramirez

In celebration of the “Suave Stylists Surprised Survey,” actress Sofia Vergara joined a flash mob hairography performance in Times Square on Thursday (May 13).

A mob of close to forty young women of all nationalities jumped from the sidewalks, surprising passersby with a dance performance - only to have Sofia Vergara strut forward!

We've got more flash mob craziness, after the jump! Read more...

Tags George Lopez, Katy Perry, New York City, sofia vergara, Suave, The Smurfs

Holiday shopping got you broke? If you're a Rihanna fan, no te preocupes!

RiRi took to her Twitter page to announce the following financial-friendly news:

Live in NYC this Thurs Dec 3rd. B outside Hammerstein Ballroom @9AM day of show 2 get your ticket. 1st 800 will get in 4 FREE!

Hoorah!! We couldn't believe the good news either! Wonder what Chris Brown will do to top this! [Twitter]

Photo via Getty Images

Tags Chris Brown, free show, New York City, Rated R, Rihanna

The 2009 VMAs was chock full of good music, juicy drama and out-of-this-world fashion.

Janet Jackson's tributo a su hermano, Michael, was not only a really heartfelt memorial, but also featured some of the most renowned choreography in the history of MJ's illustrious career, with recreations of "Thriller," "Bad," "Smooth Criminal," and "Scream."  Lady Gaga’s performance was aún más loca de lo que esperábamos with its bloody grand finale, and  Jay-Z and Alicia Keys closed the show with a hoppin' rendition of  "Empire State of Mind."  In between there were performances by Beyoncé, Green Day, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and Aerosmith’s Joe Perry -- as well as Wale and the numerous artists (como Pitbull! Latinos represent!) that joined him as the VMA house band.  Pink had arguably one of the best shows of the night when she performed from a flying trapeze!

Host Russell Brand kept the dirty jokes flying, Pop Queen Madonna paid tribute to the late King of Pop, and Kanye West did his best to steal the show but was promptly escorted out of the venue for another awards show outburst.  No nos sorprendió mucho!  Lady Gaga wowed with her ever-inventive vestuario, and even the Twilight cast showed up to show off the drama-filled trailer for 'New Moon.'

While Wisin y Yandel didn’t win for "Best Pop Video," Latin artists were definitely in the house!  Pitbull and Wale performed a hip-hop go-go version of "I Know You Want Me," and Mr. 305 made sure to give a big shout-out to all the Latinos!  Also representing at the show were Shakira, JLo and hubby Marc Anthony, "Blaxican" Pussycat Doll Melody Thornton, and honorary Latina Nelly Furtado who gave el Dúo Dinámico a nod during her presenter's speech.

So what did you guys think about this year's VMAs? Did it meet or exceed your expectations?

Watch más videos exclusivos from the show, browse fotos and see the full list of ganadores at VMA.MTV.COM!  Also make sure to watch the show all over again con subtítulos en Español (más divertido para la familia entera!) este domingo a las 5pm EST, solo por MTV Tr3s!

Tags 2009 mtv video music awards, Aerosmith, Alicia Keys, Beyonce, Green Day, J.LO, Janet Jackson, Jay Z, Jennifer Lopez, Joe Perry, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Marc Anthony, Melody Thornton, michael jackson, Nelly Furtado, New Moon, New York City, Pink, Pitbull, Pussycat Dolls, Russell Brand, Shakira, Taylor Swift, tribute, Twilight, VMAs, Wale, Wisin y Yandel