As donations continue to pour in from around the world, "Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief" announced on Saturday (January 23) that it has raised more than $58 million to date — a new record for donations made by the general public through a disaster-relief telethon. The preliminary figure includes donations made via phone, online and mobile, and does does not include donations by corporations and large private donors, or iTunes sales figures, all of which are still being calculated.

"Hope for Haiti Now" will continue accepting donations for six months via the following methods:

» Online: www.hopeforhaitinow.org
» Phone: 877-99-HAITI
» Text: Text "GIVE" to 50555
»Mail: Hope For Haiti Now Fund, Entertainment Industry Foundation, 1201 West 5th Street, Suite T-700, Los Angeles, CA 90017

Did you watch Friday night's telethon? Here are a few of the noteworthy performances from Tr3s favorites.

(MTVNEWS)

Photo via Getty Images

The Colombian Humanitarian announced this morning that she's building a new school in Haiti through her Barefoot Foundation.

Her foundation will partner with Architecture for Humanity to build the school as well as work to provide education, school feeding, clean water and sanitation services. Shakira stated:

“There is a great need for immediate aid in Haiti, but also for longer-term reconstruction. For that reason, we are doing our small part to help Haiti rebuild and give the children affected by this disaster the chance to learn and thrive. I hope we can use some of what we’ve learned working in Colombia to help Haiti’s children recover. When we educate children we empower societies, and right now Haiti needs all of our help.”  (PerezHilton)

Well said, Shaki! Make sure you catch her alongside Madonna, Beyonce, Jay-Z, Christina Aguilera and a slew of A-list performers on "Hope for Haiti Now" which will air tonigh at 8pm EST/PST across ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, CNN, BET, The CW, HBO, MTV, VH1, CMT, PBS, TNT, Showtime, Comedy Central, Bravo, E! Entertainment, National Geographic Channel, Oxygen, G4, CENTRIC, Current TV, Fuse, MLB Network, EPIX, Palladia, SoapNet, Style, Discovery Health, Planet Green, CNN en Español, HBO Latino and Canadian networks, including CBC Television, CTV, Global Television and MuchMusic. The event will be live streamed online globally across sites including YouTube, Hulu, MySpace, Fancast, AOL, MSN.com, Yahoo, Bing.com, BET.com, CNN.com, MTV.com, VH1.com and Rhapsody, and on mobile via Alltel, AT&T, Sprint, Verizon and FloTV. "Hope for Haiti Now" will also air internationally on BET International, CNN International, National Geographic and MTV Networks International, which is available in 640 million homes worldwide. "Hope for Haiti Now" will be available non-exclusively to all terrestrial radio stations around the globe and SIRIUS XM Radio as a one-time-only radio broadcast via the MTV Radio Network and Westwood One.

"Hope for Haiti Now" has begun accepting donations and will benefit Oxfam America, Partners in Health, the Red Cross, UNICEF, United Nations World Food Programme, Yele Haiti Foundation and the newly formed Clinton Bush Haiti Foundation. Proceeds from the telethon will be split among each organization's individual funds for Haiti earthquake relief. With the exception of the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, each partner organization was selected for its history of operation and collaboration within the NGO community in Haiti.

Photo via Getty Images

It's not a complicated process. Donors simply call into the telethon and pledge various financial contributions to the person on the other end of the line. But instead of an everyday volunteer, "Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief" which airs Friday at 8 p.m. ET, will feature some fans-favorite entertainers soliciting funds.

"It'll be the biggest bank of faces that you recognize answering the phones,"  said George Clooney.

Clooney is hoping the star power will help the charitable effort reel in much-needed money for the survivors in Haiti.

Shakira, Christina Aguilera, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, and Madonna are among the superstars set to perform at the event, while former President Bill Clinton and Will Smith are some of the notable names who will make appearances.

Clooney is thankful to all the stars who have volunteered their time in one way or another. He was particularly excited about those who will be manning the phones.

"You got about 130 to 140 actors, athletes, singers and television hosts, and they're all coming up not to be on TV, but simply to answer the phones," he marveled.  (MTVNEWS)

Madonna, President Bill Clinton, Brad Pitt, Robert Pattinson, and Will Smith have joined "Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief," which airs Friday at 8 p.m. ET/PT and 7 p.m. CT on MTV Tr3s and many other networks.

In addition to musical performances, Wyclef Jean in New York City, George Clooney in Los Angeles, and CNN's Anderson Cooper reporting from Haiti, "Hope for Haiti Now" will also feature Chris Rock, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, and Matt Damon, and more than 100 of the biggest names in film, television and music.

Madonna (performing in New York) and Haitian artist Emeline Michel (in Los Angeles) will join the previously announced lineup of musical performances: Shakira, Wyclef Jean, Bruce Springsteen, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige and Sting in New York; Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, Dave Matthews, John Legend, Justin Timberlake, Stevie Wonder, and Taylor Swift in Los Angeles; and Beyoncé, Coldplay, and a group performance by Bono, The Edge, Jay-Z and Rihanna in London.

"Hope for Haiti Now" will begin accepting donations at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT on Friday via the following methods:

» Online: www.hopeforhaitinow.org
» Phone: 877-99-HAITI
» Text: Text "GIVE" to 50555
» Mail: Hope For Haiti Now Fund, Entertainment Industry Foundation, 1201 West 5th Street, Suite T-700, Los Angeles, CA 90017

Music performances from "Hope for Haiti Now" will be available for purchase and download on the iTunes Store. Beginning on Friday, iTunes customers will be able to exclusively pre-order both the Hope for Haiti Now full performance album ($7.99) and the full two-hour video telecast ($1.99). Pre-orders will be delivered in the days following the telethon. Individual audio performances will also be available for purchase and download for 99 cents each in the days following the telethon. Apple, the record labels and the artists will donate their share of the proceeds to Haiti relief funds managed by "Hope for Haiti Now" charities.

"Hope for Haiti Now" performances will also be available for purchase on AmazonMP3 and Rhapsody, with distribution provided by INgrooves. Proceeds from those purchases will also benefit Haiti relief funds managed by "Hope for Haiti Now" charities.

"Hope for Haiti Now," will benefit Oxfam America, Partners in Health, the Red Cross, UNICEF, United Nations World Food Programme, Yele Haiti Foundation and the newly formed Clinton Bush Haiti Foundation. Proceeds from "Hope for Haiti Now" will be split among each organization's individual funds for Haiti earthquake relief. With the exception of the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, each partner organization was selected for its history of operation and collaboration within the NGO community in Haiti.

"Hope for Haiti Now" will air across ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, CNN, BET, The CW, HBO, MTV, VH1, CMT, PBS, TNT, Showtime, Comedy Central, Bravo, E! Entertainment, National Geographic Channel, Oxygen, G4, CENTRIC, Current TV, Fuse, MLB Network, EPIX, Palladia, SoapNet, Style, Discovery Health, Planet Green, CNN en Español, HBO Latino, and Canadian networks including CBC Television, CTV, Global Television, and MuchMusic. The event will be live streamed online globally across sites including YouTube, Hulu, MySpace, Fancast, AOL, MSN.com, Yahoo, Bing.com, BET.com, CNN.com, MTV.com, VH1.com, and Rhapsody and on mobile via Alltel, AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, and FloTV. "Hope for Haiti Now" will also air internationally on BET International, CNN International, National Geographic, and MTV Networks International, which is available in 640 million homes worldwide. "Hope for Haiti Now" will be available non-exclusively to all terrestrial radio stations around the globe and SIRIUS XM Radio as a one time only radio broadcast via the MTV Radio Network and Westwood One.  (MTVNews)

The strongest aftershock to date hit Haiti early this morning (January 20), rattling nerves and sparking fears of renewed damage and casualties one week after the island was devastated by a 7.0 temblor. According to CNN, the 6.1-magnitude aftershock, which struck just after 6 a.m. ET.  It was the latest in a series of dozens of aftershocks that have hit since the January 12 quake that destroyed much of the capital and took at least 72,000 lives.

In addition to causing panic and distress among the more than 3 million survivors who have been battling to stay alive in dire conditions amid the rubble of the original earthquake, such a strong aftershock can pose serious danger in an area where damaged buildings are already teetering precariously, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

CNN described a scene in which patients at a hospital near the airport in Port-au-Prince began immediately praying for forgiveness and protection as the ground rocked back and forth.

At least one injury was reported in the moments following the aftershock, which came as desperately needed medical reinforcements approached offshore in the form the USNS Comfort, a state-of-the-art hospital aboard a U.S. naval ship. U.S. helicopters will fly patients to the Comfort for treatment to relieve some of the pressure on overburdened hospitals and clinics. The ship carries nearly 550 doctors, nurse, technicians and support staff, who will be joined by 350 other medical personnel once the ship reaches Haiti.

As of Wednesday, 3 million Haitians were still in need of food, water, shelter and medical assistance, according to a United Nations estimate. More than $220 million has been contributed to major U.S. relief groups to date.

Shakira, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Coldplay, Alicia Keys, Bruce Springsteen, Wyclef Jean, Bono, and Jay-Z will lead the all-star lineup of performers for Friday night's "Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief" telethon, sponsored by MTV Networks. More than 100 stars have signed on to help raise funds for the show, which will air commercial-free across ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN, BET, the CW, HBO, MTV, VH1, CMT and dozens of other networks on Friday at 8 p.m. ET/PT. (MTVNews)

Fresh off her NYE's hosting gig at Tao in Las Vegas, Christina Aguilera is officially back with brand new music in 2010.  'Bionic' is the 4th album for the Pop and R&B star.

Although she's usually known for her piercing high notes, Christina's showing a softer side on this lp set to drop in March. The HOT mami credits her son Max for the inspiration on this album and says that it's about the future.

The new singing style is credited to exploring new parts of herself - and not in a slutty way!

Aguilera had this to say:

"Maybe I've been afraid to do in the past, to allow myself to go to a place of 'less singing.' I'm more vulnerable and more strong at the same time."

Her first single "Glam"  has been described as "a poppy hip-hop inflected throwback to Madonna's "Vogue."'

Producer Tricky Stewart called the album "one of her best bodies of work."

"I know that there's a lot of other cool features, like I know that she has Santigold and Flo Rida on there," he continued. "She's mixing it up again. She's singing R&B again, she's doing pop. She's doing it all, but she's found a way to make it all meet in the middle because she's so many different things."

Sound like a hit to us! It's been 4 years since 'Back to Basics'! We're ready for our Christina fix already!  (PerezHilton)

Photos via Getty Images

As 2009 comes to a close, todos estamos pensando el lo que ha sucedido este año: Barack Obama becoming the first African-American President of the U.S., Michael Jackson's untimely death, Justice Sonia Sotomayor becoming la primera latina in the Supreme Court, swine flu, y mucho más.

Pero el fin del 2009 also marks el fin de la decada.  Can you believe los '00s are over?  In come the teens!  So to commemorate this occasion, cuentanos: who or what defines los '00s to you?

Teen Culture

Once upon a time in 2000, the airwaves were invaded by the likes of Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, 'NSync and The Backstreet Boys.  While Britney's all grown up and stealing the spotlight in other ways these days, the idolization of teen stars carried on throughout la decada.

Los 00s are also responsible for American Idol with such new young stars arising like Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, David Archuleta and most recently Adam Lambert.  And other teen music phenoms like the Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez y Demi Lovato, and let's not forget Rihanna and Chris Brown, no se quedan atrás.  And really, would the whole Twilight phenomenon really exist without teen fever for RPatz, Taylor Lautner and Kristen Stewart?  Who's your favorite teen icon from los 00s?

Latin Explosion!

Even more relevant para todos nosotros, was the "Latin Explosion" of los 00s.  Starting with the successful crossover careers of the likes of Ricky Martin, Enrique Iglesias y Shakira, los 00s brought Latinos to the forefront when it comes to la música popular americana.  Whether hearing Daddy Yankee in a soda commercial or Wisin y Yandel in a video game (and seeing both nominated for MTV Video Music Awards), there is no doubt that Latinos seriously broke through into mainstream pop culture during the 2000s.

With such collabos hitting the video and radio airwaves como Beyoncé y Shakira,  Wisin y Yandel con 50 Cent, Pitbull and Lloyd, Akon and Dulce María, y muchos más.  On the silver screen, actors like Salma Hayek, Benicio del Toro, Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Eva Mendez, John Leguizamo and even Jennifer Lopez and Jessica Alba made waves para los Latinos.  Similarly on la tele, entertainers like George Lopez, Mario Lopez, Eva Longoria Parker, Wilmer Valderrama, America Ferrera and Ana Ortiz made us all un poquito más orgullosos de ser Latinos!

Cuéntanos, what defines los 00s for you?  Stay tuned to MTV Tr3s in January to catch nuestros especiales on Lo Mejor De Los 00's, y mientras tanto...

We wish you all un feliz y prospero año nuevo!  Que disfruten!

Photos via Getty Images & Google Images

Project Runway that is! They've just announced that pop diva Christina Aguilera will be gracing their studios as a guest judge on the popular fashion design show. You can catch Christina on the October 15th episode on Lifetime. 

She'll be joining the ranks of fellow Latina, Eva Longoria Parker, who appeared earlier this season, as well as other stars like Rachel Bilson, Rebecca Romijn, and Lindsay Lohan. We wonder what she'll wear? Maybe Heidi Klum will let her tell somebody, "You're OUT!"

Como dice Heidi, Auf Wiedersehen! [Access Hollywood]

Photo via Getty Images

Aventura have made Billboard history!  Their latest best-selling album, 'The Last,' has been el número uno on the Latin Album charts for 12 consecutive weeks -- that's tres meses for all you mathematically-impaired gente.

The feat places los Kings of Bachata into an elite grupo de artistas who have held the #1 spot on the charts for 12 weeks or more: Shakira, Marc Anthony, Daddy Yankee and Christina Aguilera.   Not too shabby como compañia, verdad?  'The Last' debuted at #1 three months ago and hasn't budged since -- the first time an album accomplishes this en tres años!  We think those collaborations with Akon, Wisin y Yandel y otros have certainly helped las cosas, pero there's no doubt that when it comes to urban romantic bachata, Aventura siguen siendo los reyes!

Felicitaciones chicos!  How are Aventura celebrating their momentous musical acontecimiento?  With a U.S. tour of course!  Aventura will be taking 'The Last' to you starting in November.  Check Aventura's Myspace para más detalles on their upcoming tour!

Don't forget, Aventura are nominated for Best MTV Tr3s Artist for Los Premios MTV 2009, along with Wisin y Yandel, Pitbull, Tito 'El Bambino' y Calle 13.  Cast tu voto ahora and make it count! Watch Aventura's latest music video, "Su Veneno," below!

You don't have to be Ricky Martin or Don Francisco to earn a spot on the most famous block in Hollywood anymore.

Cameron Diaz has added her own touch of oro (we don't mean Pauli's perfume) to Hollywood's Walk of Fame. The 36-year-old actress, who earns an average of $20 million per film, will join successful Latinos including Christina Aguilera, George Lopez, and Luis Miguel in their estrella glory. The half-Cuban star dedicated her eternal prize to her mother and father. Diaz admitted that the moment was bittersweet since her dad passed away last year.

Luckily her familia came out to show support! Another Latina makes her stamp in Hollywood. Felicidades! [People]