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By Rachael Coleman Thompson

Ricky Martin has experienced a whirlwind of changes in recent years. He became a father, came out about his sexuality, wrote a book and journeyed far into the depths of his own soul. The culmination of that spiritual catharsis has resulted in a deeply personal statement expressed the best way he knows how: through music.

Martin's ninth album, Música + Alma + Sexo, may be his first studio recording in six years, but that time wasn't idly spent. Shortly after winning two Latin Grammys for his MTV Unplugged in 2007, Martin became the father of twins, Mateo and Valentino, and, in late 2010, published his autobiography, Yo, an intimate portrait of his world and his personal journey of self-discovery.

Photo by Rachael Coleman Thompson/Tr3s

That journey was the foundation for Música + Alma + Sexo, a collection of songs that, according to Martin, represent "the three priorities of life."

"I've gone through a process that is so totally spiritual in these last— well, I'd dare say since I became a dad," Martin told Studio Tr3s in Spanish. "It was really, really intense, that searching, and many cycles opened and many cycles closed. And sex, it's part of everything, man. It's a part of life, it's also very spiritual, and it is nature. It's everything. And the music in this record talks about all of that."

The process of writing the album was a journey all its own. Writing both his book and his new songs required Martin to dig deep within himself to capture the essence that defines him as both man and musician.

"I emptied myself," Martin said. "There were periods of intense vulnerability. There were moments filled with doubt, filled with a lot of emotion, and also a lot of enjoyment. But this creative process really strengthened me. And working with Desmond Child — he's an amazing producer, someone that knows me very well. We're on the same frequency when it comes to living, spirituality, etc., so it was a very, very beautiful moment of my life. ... It's been very liberating, and this is only the beginning. I just can't wait to be on stage again."

But even when that process seemed difficult, Martin's young sons helped him keep perspective.

"Life gets complicated," Martin said. "While you're growing up and dealing with the truths of this wonderful life, one begins to forget the importance of simple things. ... Even laughing at yourself is very important, and you forget these things. My sons have taught me. They look at me and say, ‘Dad, relax. Everything is fine.' So that's the beauty of it. They teach me. They are like two small gurus with old souls that teach me a lot. They're the best thing that has ever happened."

The bilingual album features songs in both Spanish and English — including the Spanish-language duet "Lo Mejor De Mi Vida Eres Tú" with Spanish singer Natalia Jiménez and its English counterpart "The Best Thing About Me Is You" with British songstress Joss Stone — confirmation of Martin's desire to truly reach a global audience.

"You have to communicate," he said. "It's funny because when I tweet in Spanish, the Anglo-Saxons say ‘Hey, don't you speak English?' And when I tweet in English, the Latinos say, ‘Hey, brother, you're a Latino. What's the matter with you?!' And, well, the important thing is that they get the message. Fortunately, with my music I have noticed that language isn't a problem.... I like learning languages and I like trying to get the message across. But there are things that aren't translatable."

Just don't ask him to speak multiple languages at the same time.

While setting up for the interview, Tr3s host Carlos Santos told him he would be asking questions in both English and Spanish. "I've got to put some ‘Spanglishcito' in there," Santos said, to which Martin replied:

"That Spanglish is killing me!"

Studio Tr3s: Ricky Martin, featuring interviews with and performances by Martin, Jiménez and boricua reggaetón duo Wisin y Yandel, airs on Tr3s Saturday, Feb. 12.

Tags Carlos Santos, Hot Stuff, Natalia Jimenez, photo, Photos, Ricky Martin, Studio Tr3s: Ricky Martin, Wisin y Yandel

By Rachael Coleman Thompson

If you want some personal insight into Ricky Martin, tune into Tr3s on Saturday, Feb. 12, for the premiere of Studio Tr3s: Ricky Martin and hear it straight from the Puerto Rican pop star himself.

The exclusive special, taped Jan. 24 at Comtel's Studio A in North Miami Beach, features exclusive interviews with Martin and performances of songs from his new album, Música + Alma + Sexo, a collection of music culminating from his own spiritual journey. (Don't worry, if you miss it, you can read about the interview here).

Photo by Rachael Coleman Thompson/Tr3s

The songs — written with longtime producer Desmond Child, who collaborated on the smash hit "Livin' la Vida Loca," among others — include "Basta Ya" ("Enough"), a song about being true to yourself; "No Te Miento" ("I'm Not a Liar"), a song about leading "an open life"; "Más" ("More"), a song about pursuing one's dreams in the big city; the ballad "Cántame Tu Vida" ("Sing Me Your Life"); the breakup song "Te Vas" ("You're Leaving"); "Será Será" ("It Will Be, It Will Be"); and "Shine," a love song in English.

As an extra-special treat, Spanish singer Natalia Jiménez stopped by the set to perform a sweet rendition of their duet, "Lo Mejor De Mi Vida Eres Tú," and boricua reggaetón duo Wisin y Yandel joined Martin for a hoppin' collaborative performance of "Frío."

Child, Martin said, showed him how to let go, an essential step in the creation of this album.

"Desmond Child taught me that to be great, you have to dare to be ridiculous," Martin said. "In the creative process, you have to dare to laugh at yourself ... and when you are writing, write that totally random idea — "disparate" as we say in Puerto Rico. Maybe from that totally random idea emerges an extremely important metaphor, and in this record I surrounded myself with great writers and great people who dared to feel, and they showed me how important it is to not have those fears and just let it flow. And I think they created a monster."

And that's not all. Tr3s.com is featuring an exclusive online performance of Martin's 1998 classic "Vuelve," a song from the album of the same name about rejecting someone, letting them go, but finding out — a little too late — that you are nobody without that person.

We hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

We want to hear from you! Tune in Saturday and tell us what you thought of Studio Tr3s: Ricky Martin. Talk back in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Desmond Child, Hot Stuff, Natalia Jimenez, photo, Photos, Ricky Martin, Studio Tr3s: Ricky Martin, Wisin y Yandel

By Michael Lopez

Wow. Now we feel even more proud to have dedicated an entire day of programming to reggaeton gods Wisin y Yandel. Not only do they go out of their way to honor their fans, but they continue to contribute to charitable causes around the world. Just last week, W y Y paid a visit to needy kids in Haiti and even offered $100,000 to help rebuild their orphanage.

Photo by Rachael Coleman Thompson/Tr3s

It’s hard to believe that it’s been a year since Port-Au-Prince was rocked by that devastating 7.0 earthquake. Though the telethons and donations helped bring some money to the struggling country, there is still plenty of work to be done.

The St. Joseph’s Home orphanage once stood seven-stories tall and housed dozens of children in need of housing. Since the earthquake, it has slowly crumbled into an unlivable pile of rubble. Wisin y Yandel visited the site and made a vow to help rebuild it via their very generous donation.

“This experience has changed my life," Wisin said. "We are more committed than ever to continue our support for the families of St. Joseph’s and to continue helping more children.”

“We pledge to always keep in touch," Yandel added, "and to come back and visit here when the reconstruction is complete.”

Maybe they'll even add a sound system when St. Joseph’s gets renovated so the children can blast hits from W y Y’s Regreso de los Vaqueros!

What causes have you volunteered for or donated to this year? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Cultura, Haiti, Health, Hope For Haiti, photo, Photos, St. Joseph's Home, Wisin y Yandel

By Rachael Coleman Thompson

"In order to be great, you have to dare to be ridiculous."

So said Ricky Martin during a special taping of Tr3s' Studio Tr3s: Ricky Martin in North Miami Beach Monday night.

Photos by Rachael Coleman Thompson/Tr3s

Two hundred fans lined up around the block to get up close and personal with their favorite Latin pop singer and catch the first earful of his ninth studio album, Musica + Alma + Sexo (Music + Soul + Sex). The bilingual album, his first studio recording in six years, features guest appearances by British crooner Joss Stone, Spanish pop star Natalia Jiménez, Puerto Rican reggaeton duo Wisin y Yandel and Brazilian singer Claudia Leitte.

Martin debuted the album's first single, "The Best Thing About Me Is You" featuring Joss Stone, on The Oprah Winfrey Show in November. Since then, its Spanish-language counterpart, "Lo Mejor De Mi Vida Eres Tú" featuring Natalia Jiménez, already reached No. 1 on Billboard's Latin Pop Airplay chart and No. 11 on its Hot Latin Songs Chart.

"The song is about simplicity and being spiritual," Martin said.

After talking with Tr3s about his upcoming album, Martin rocked Comtel's Studio A with live performances of his new songs, including a beautiful rendition of "Lo Mejor De Mi Vida Eres Tú" with Jiménez and a fist-pumping performance of "Frio" with Wisin y Yandel.

Studio Tr3s: Ricky Martin will air on Tr3s Feb. 12. We'll post more performance photos and behind-the-scenes tidbits in coming weeks. Check Tr3s.com for updates!

What do you think of Ricky Martin's new single? Tell us in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Hot Stuff, MTV Tr3s, Music Soul Sex, Musica Alma Sexto, Natalia Jimenez, photo, Ricky Martin, Studio Tr3s: Ricky Martin, Wisin y Yandel

By Michael Lopez

Another incredible MTV Video Music Awards has come and gone and just like past shows, the 2010 festivities were full of shocks, surprises, and a whole lot of fun! Keeping things very unconventional, this year’s event (held at L.A.'s Nokia Theatre) ditched the red carpet vibe for a celebrity runway colored strictly with black and white.

And Team Blogamole was right there in the mix, getting exclusive one-on-ones with Latinos like Taio Cruz, Pitbull, Snooki from “Jersey Shore”, and host Chelsea Handler’s little buddy, Chuy! They all expressed massive enthusiasm for the event and even got a little starstruck themselves once “The Biebs” showed up.

Yup, biggies like Justin Bieber, Drake, and a peacock-studded Lady Gaga got fans in the stands cheering like crazy (and made for great Tr3s photo opps!). The night’s fashion statements ranged from the classy elegance of Sofia Vergara (can she ever look bad?), to a giant mouse head worn by VMA house artist, deadmau5. And interestingly, they all seemed to work!

And how about the event itself? Well, you can expect a lot of exciting costumes and surprises from Gaga, of course, who may have even been outshone by the mother of all fashionistas, Cher!  If you missed out on all the big winners, you'll have to wait until we re-air the whole show on September 18th at 5pm EST!  Curious about who won the Tr3s Artist Of The Year award?  That, too, will be revealed during our special rebroadcast featuring subtítulos en Español.  No te lo pierdas!

(Click for more photos from the 2010 MTV Video music Awards red carpet!) Read more...

Tags 2010 Video Music Awards, Awards Shows, Celebrities, Chelsea Handler, drake, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Música, MTV, photo, VMAs

For the past week, Rene Perez Joglar, mejor conocido como el Residente de Calle 13, has been teasing his Twitter followers with photo updates on the filming of his new music video in Mexico. They've been mostly location shots and ambiguous posts about filming "en el barrio," pero por fín nos dió una noticia concreta. The director for his new music video "Baile de Los Pobres" is non other than el actor mexicano Diego Luna!

photo via Twitter

During a press conference esta semana, Diego expressed his admiration for the urban boricua act, their lyrics, and creativity. He stated that their collaboration is a work of interpretation, where the lyrics come from them and he serves as medium to communicate their message. Diego was clearly glad to work with the boys of Calle 13, and here's some of the good stuff he had to say about them:

“Me encanta la honestidad con la que viven. Creo que la encuentras en su trabajo, es algo que no se muestra mucho, sobre todo en una industria que sufre tanto y que busca la nueva manera de vender. Se necesita más música como la de Calle 13.”

Their fans would agree with Diego, but not everyone is as enthusiastic about Calle 13's honesty, as they've once again stirred up controversy with their current video for "Calma Pueblo" featuring Omar Rodriguez-Lopez of The Mars Volta. Not only do Rene's lyrics make a point to diss everyone from other musicians, to his sponsors, and even the Vatican, pero el vidéo muestra una multitud de gente running around como vinieron al mundo, totally nekkid. They've released a tamer version of the video para los que se ofendieron, with all the goodies blurred, but you can catch a full frontal of the original video on Calle 13's website.

Ay Calle 13, with the harsh naked truth of your first single, and Diego Luna behind your video for "Baile de los Pobres," we can't wait to see what's coming in October with the release of Detonación-13. Ese disco de seguro que va a explotar!

Suerte y éxito muchachos!

Excited for Calle 13's new video? Let us know what you think of their collab with Diego Luna in the comments or @MTV3!

Tags Baile de Los Pobres, Calle 13, Calma Pueblo, Diego Luna, Mexico, photo, twitter

By Michael Lopez

We’re not quite sure what bare chests and watches have in common, but hey…if it works to sell the product, why not? And obviously if that bare chest belongs to Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, then you can bet the campaign will get some attention.

The controversial athlete was in the middle of filming a commercial for his new sponsor, Timeforce Watches, this week when the on-the-set snaps hit the web. Showcasing Cristiano shirtless and posing on a bed, they quickly became a major online attraction.

photo credit: http://twitter.com/cristiano

It seems like quite a few “Situation”-esque Ronaldo pix have been storming the web this month, including 6-pack ab shots from the field and bare-chested fan greets. Could he be giving Matthew McConaughey a run for his money?

Read more...

Tags Cristiano Ronaldo, Hot Stuff, Matthew McConaughey, photo, Photos, Sexy, Sports, The Situation, Timeforce Watches

By Michael Lopez

For anyone doubting the power of a 3D dance flick, bow down! The release of "Step Up 3D" went way beyond expectations, passing the $30 million mark since opening day (August 6). As dance fans, we've been tagging along for all the parties and red carpet events.

Check out some of the exclusive footage Tr3s got from the “Step Up 3D” premiere at L.A.’s El Capitan theatre. The Argentinian Lombard twins (who were absolute scene stealers) gave us some bilingual insight into their memorable onscreen moments. “We improvised most of our scenes and that was amazing,” they revealed.

Leading man Rick Malambri also stopped by to chat about how grueling the dance process really was. He told us, “We went through a month and a half of six days a week, 10 hours a day. Full on choreography…personal training, weight training, you name it! It was intense.”

Read more...

Tags CineMas Cool, Dance, Exclusive Entrevistas, Movies & CineMás, Party, photo, Photos, Premiere, Premieres, Step Up, Step Up 3D, Video, Videos

By Michael Lopez

For every Robert Rodriguez, there are about a dozen Carmen Marrons who are just as skilled, yet not quite as recognized by the mainstream. That’s why Thursday’s (August 19) opening gala for LA’s Latino International Film Festival (LIFF) was such an important event.

Latino filmmakers, actors, and writers all came out to celebrate this year’s up-and-comers. The week long event will feature screenings of over 60 features, documentaries, and shorts. While basking in the glamour and glitz of the red carpet, Team Blogamole was able to talk to some of the creative minds involved with this year’s lineup.

Gabriela Tagliavini

Director Gabriela Tagliavini, who was once an honoree and now at the helm of Eva Longoria Parker’s new "Without Men” movie said, “I love the festival because my first movie was here, my second movie was here, it’s a fantastic event.”

Read more...

Tags Antonio Villaraigosa, Cultura, Dayanara Torres, Edward James Olmos, Latino International Film Festival, LIFF, Movies, Movies & CineMás, photo, Photos

By Michael Lopez

"Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" hit theaters this weekend and Thursday night (August 12) young fans were out in droves at Montebello CA’s AMC theatre to get their first look at Michael Cera battling the 7 Evil Exes.

Just like our bass playing hero, Tr3s and local radio station Exitos 93.9 gave fans the chance to see how well their musical talents could shine with a live "Rock Band" battle.

Not quite as epic as Scott vs. the Katayanagi twins, it was still just as dramatic. Guys, girls, and even parents were getting in on the action as local DJs cheered them on. And trust us, conquering “Rock Band” was not all fun and games. The settings were on "Difficult" and the songs came fast and furious!

There was also a $250 prize that hung in the balance (along with some really cool “Scott Pilgrim” t-shirts and posters) for the group that scored the most points. When all was said and done, local rockers 87X took home the big prize.

Read more...

Tags Contests, Hot Stuff, Movies, photo, Photos, Rock Band, Scott Pilgrim vs The World, video games