Madrid Showbiz Latest News and Updates

Lewis Capaldi has been left 'in pieces' as he was sent footage of his fans gathering outside where his gig was supposed to be held before he cancelled it due to illness.

Becky G’s fiancé is not exactly social media’s favorite person right now.

Series Mania on March 21 just after a Spanish series, “Wrong Side of the Tracks” from Mediaset España and Alea Media, had scored 149.6 million watching hours in three weeks on Netflix for Seasons 1 and 2.  That platform connection and power of Spanish series threaded most of the series and much of the commentary at Tuesday’s Next from Spain, supported by Audiiovisual from Spain.  At least in terms of titles now ready to hit the market, there’s little sign as yet of platform pullback in Spain. Rather, it remains a ground zero in the streamer wars.

Manchester United are still interested in signing Joao Felix on a permanent deal from Atletico Madrid this summer, according to reports in Spain.

Ben Howard has announced a 26-date live run which will take place across the UK, Ireland and Europe.The tour will kick off at La Riviera in Madrid on May 18, with two nights in Amsterdam in June and a stop at the Philarmonie de Paris on July 4. This marks the musician’s first European run in five years.Following dates in Europe, Howard will head to Glasgow’s SWG3 on July 21, with a sold out date at Alexandra Palace Park, London on July 22.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent With an International Panorama spangled by gems  – think Spain’s “Apagón,” Sweden’s “Blackwater,” and Canada’s “Disobey” and “Little Bird” – Series Mania also weighs in this year with one, if not the, strongest and most mouthwatering of international competitions in its history.  Including the opening and closing series, Amazon’s “Greek Salad” and Netflix’s “Transatlantic,” nearly all the global streamers have titles in the lineup, from Apple TV+’s “Drops of God” and Paramount+’s “Fleeting Lies.” The lineup also features some A-List international writing talents, such as the U.K.’s Jack Thorne and Israel’s Ron Leshem and Amit Cohen, whose “The Virtues” and “No Man’s Land” rank among the most memorable of recent Series Mania competition titles, and closing the festival, out of competition, “Unorthodox’s” Anna Wenger.”Fleeting Lies” also represents one of the first series from Pedro and Agustín Almodóvar’s El Deseo label in Madrid, opening series “Greek Salad” Cedric Klapisch’s first works a TV series creator.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent MALAGA, Spain —  “My Parents’ Great Bazar,” from “Ane is Missing” co-scribe Marina Parés, bio “Costus,” on the iconic Madrid Movida artists, and “Villa Futuro,” a queer old age drama from “Locked Up” star Alberto Velasco, all feature among eight winners of Tell Us the Stories That Nobody Tells, a diversity drive contest for movies and TV shows backed by Netflix and Dama, the Spanish audiovisual authors’ rights collection body. Announced Wednesday at an awards ceremony hosted by the Malaga Film Festival, the winners of the competition, which forms part of the partners’ Cambio de Plano initiative, will receive €6,000 ($6,348) a piece. 

EXCLUSIVE: Tony Award nominees Jennifer Simard (Company) and Adam Godley (The Lehman Trilogy) have joined the cast of Broadway’s upcoming Britney Spears musical Once Upon A One More Time.

Callum McLennan “Girl, Unknown,” the sophomore feature from Spanish director Pablo Maqueda (“Dear Werner”), currently ranks as one of the early buzz titles at the Málaga Film Festival, even before its world premiere. The film adapts Paco Bezerra’s stage play “Grooming.”  Maqueda, Bezerra and Haizea G. Viana wrote the script, which retains the play’s unsettling cat-and-mouse element. It delves into the recesses of desire, raising questions on depravity, sexuality, and the drive to be fulfilled. The story unfolds a pendulum swinging power dynamic between the seemingly innocent 16 year old Carolina, and a middle aged man she meets in a park named Leo. What begins and is a case of grooming morphs into something far more complex due to Carolina not being all she seems. Maqueda shows a Hanekesque talent in balancing the disturbing with the thrilling. On the film, Maqueda told Variety: “I feel the film as a kaleidoscope and the characters as masks. I like stories that navigate in the daily terror of everyday life,” 

Emiliano De Pablos The Walt Disney Co.’s Star Distribution has taken Latin American distribution rights to Argentine writer-director Pablo Solarz’s coming-of-age film “Desperté con un sueño” (“I Woke Up with a Dream”) An Argentina-Uruguay co-production, teaming Buenos Aires-based Pampa Films and Aramos Cine with Montevideo’s Mutante Cine and Bocacha Films, “I Woke Up with a Dream” screened March 14 at the Málaga Film Festival’s main competition. Top Argentine producer Pablo Bossi’s Madrid-based company Gloriamundi is handling “I Woke Up with a Dream” rights outside Latin America.

Emiliano De Pablos In an early market deal at this week’s Málaga Film Festival, Guido Rud’s sales house FilmSharks has nabbed worldwide sales rights to Spanish period thriller “Olvido” (“The Forgotten Killings”). Directed by Inés París (“A mi madre le gustan las mujeres,” “La noche que mi madre mató a mi padre”) and written by Fermín P. Pina, “The Forgotten Killings” is produced by José Luis Rancaño at Madrid-based La Dalia Films.   Inés París’ “La noche que mi madre mató a mi padre,” also produced by Rancaño at La Dalia and starring Spain’s Belén Rueda and Argentina’s Diego Peretti, snagged the audience prize at the 2016 Málaga Film Festival.

Alejandro Garnacho had a golden opportunity ahead of him over the coming weeks.

Former Inter Milan and Brazil defender Miranda has admitted he would have liked to have played for Manchester United during his professional career.

Ed Meza @edmezavar Jose Pozo, director of the celebrated Spanish short “Plastic Killer,” is traveling to the Western U.S. for his next feature film, “Unusual Cowboys,” which he plans to shoot this year. The story follows Milton, a peaceful rancher and occasional musician who loses his daughter in a traffic accident. Her death has a further tragic impact on Milton’s life, leading him to sell his ranch and travel to Montana in search of Caleb, the man who failed to help his daughter in the accident. It’s a film about two men who in other circumstances could have been good friends. Although separated by terrible circumstances, they share a common passion: Music.

Emiliano De Pablos Denver-based distributor Fathom Events and Spain’s Bosco Films are teaming to release this September in 700 U.S. theaters the Spanish documentary “Libres” (“Free”). Portraying the cloistered life of 12 monasteries in Spain, “Free” will be the fourth feature both partners jointly release stateside. Their distribution relationship kicked-off last year, with the U.S. release of faith-based doc “Vivo” (“Alive”), which scored $352,000 on its April 24 launch, entering into the domestic box office Top Ten.  Further recent Fathom-Bosco releases include Spanish biopic “Esclavos y reyes” (“Claret”) and French pilgrimage documentary “Lourdes.”

Primavera Sound festival has spoken to NME about the ambitious launch of their new sister event in Madrid, as well as what goes into putting the line-up together and what caused the issues with last year’s Barcelona return.Primavera had previously announced a stacked line-up with the likes of Depeche Mode, Blur, Kendrick Lamar, Rosalía to headline, along with the likes of Halsey, FKA twigs, Skrillex, St. Vincent, The Moldy Peaches, Calvin Harris, Le Tigre., Turnstile, Arlo Parks, Måneskin, PinkPantheress, Christine And The Queens, Fred again.., and many more – before revealing New Order as the final headliner last week.Asked what considerations are made with regards to what it takes for an act to be considered fitting for the festival’s character and atmosphere, organiser Joan Pons told NME: “We know what feels like ‘Primavera’ and what does not.

When it comes to embarking on a holiday abroad, Spain is a classic go-to for jetsetters. Whether it’s the stunning cityscape of Barcelona or the beachy shores of Marbella, Spain is the UK’s number one most visited holiday destination. And one gem that is well worth the visit is Madrid - the country’s capital.

Lewis Capaldi has postponed all remaining dates on his ongoing European tour, telling fans he's "f***ing gutted" to be doing so. Taking to Twitter, the Scots singer said he'd been diagnosed with bronchitis earlier this week after losing his voice whilst performing at his concert in Stockholm.

Argentina, 1985 Leads 2023 Platino Awards NominationsSantiago Miter’s political thriller Argentina, 1985 leads this year’s Platino awards nominations with 14 nods, including Best Director, Screenplay, and Best Ibero-American Fiction Film. Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s latest pic Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths trails with six nominations alongside Spanish filmmaker Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s The Beasts and Lullaby by Alauda Ruiz De Azúa. On the TV side, the Colombian series Noticia de un kidnapping also notched six noms. This year’s Platino awards take place on April 22 at the IFEMA Municipal Palace in Madrid. Check out the full list of nominations here.

Cristiano Ronaldo and his Al-Nassr teammates face a crucial top of the table clash against Al-Ittihad in a fixture which will be officiated by controversial Spanish official Mateu Lahoz, according to AS.

New Order are celebrating 40 years of ‘Blue Monday’ with a range of special merchandise.The Manchester band took to Instagram earlier today (March 7) to post footage of the range inspired by their classic hit which includes two t-shirts, a hoodie, a long sleeved t-shirt, plus a pin badge and numbered lithograph.You can also purchase a 12-inch vinyl of the single for £14.99.You can view the footage of the merchandise below and find more information on their official website here.A post shared by New Order (@neworderofficial)It comes just weeks after the band released a new ‘Blue Monday’-themed t-shirt in support of mental health charity CALM.New Order said of the shirt at the time: “We are proud to be ambassadors for CALM and honoured to be using ‘Blue Monday’ to help raise awareness for the brilliant work they do to support millions of people struggling with their mental health.”Speaking to NME about the recording classic track, which went on to become the best-selling 12-inch single of all time, former bassist Peter Hook said: “It was actually quite shocking to realise what these new machines could do – you were always in awe of them.”Drummer Stephen Morris added: “We got all this new musical equipment and just learned how it worked. Writing ‘Blue Monday’ was an exercise in learning what we could do with it all.”Meanwhile, Primavera Sound Festival announced New Order as its final headliner for its 2023 line-up earlier today.The 2023 instalment of the festival, which will take place in both Barcelona and Madrid, will see the Manchester legends perform at the former’s Parc del Fòrum on June 1 and at the and at the latter’s Ciudad del Rock in Arganda del Rey on June 8.

Primavera Sound Festival has announced its final headliner for its 2023 line-up – New Order.The 2023 instalment of the festival, which will take place in both Barcelona and Madrid, will see the Manchester legends perform at the former’s Parc del Fòrum on June 1 and at the and at the latter’s Ciudad del Rock in Arganda del Rey on June 8.They join previously announced headliners Depeche Mode, Blur, Kendrick Lamar, Rosalía along with the likes of Halsey, FKA twigs, Skrillex, St.

Lisandro Martinez has told Spain to “forget about” trying to convince Alejandro Garnacho to switch his international allegiance from Argentina.

Hunter Ingram When your day job is spent plotting a rebellion in a galaxy far, far away, it helps to have something that can bring you back down to Earth — or whatever planet you call home.   When he’s not the Empire’s most wanted on Disney+’s “Andor,” Diego Luna grounds himself by returning to the theater. He grew up going with his father, and it has been the constant of his career.   “In a way, it has kept me sane,” says the actor after a long day on the London set of “Andor” Season 2. “Theater is a great way to go back and put your feet on the ground and remind you what this is all about.” 

Mumford & Sons, Janelle Monáe and The Offspring are among the final raft of artists who have been added to the line-up for Mad Cool 2023.The festival will return to Madrid between July 6-8, with headliners including Robbie Williams, Lizzo, Queens Of The Stone Age, Liam Gallagher, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and more.Mumford & Sons, Janelle Monáe and The Offspring have all been added to the headlining bill for this year, while another 46 new artists have also been added to Mad Cool 2023’s line-up. Elsewhere, Primal Scream, Ava Max, Kevin Morby, Kurt Vile & The Violators, King Princess, STONE, and more have also been confirmed to perform.The festival also boasts a wealth of Spanish talent, including the likes of Dora, Walls, Sia Lua, Ghouljaboy, PETTI, and Ralphie Choo.Nine winners from the festival’s Mad Cool DJ Talent by Vibra Mahou will also perform across the three-day event.

BBC Greenlights ‘The Gold: The Inside Story’ Companion Doc

Sparks have shared the title track for their new album ‘The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte’.The Los Angeles duo – comprising brothers Ron and Russell Mael – also announced that the song, which you can listen to below, will come with a video featuring actress Cate Blanchett at 5pm GMT tomorrow (March 3) here.They said via press release: “We met Cate Blanchett in Paris at the César Awards last year, little knowing that a year later, one of the great actors of our time (and a splendid person!) would graciously consent to lending her bootie-shaking skills to the first video from our new album, ‘The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte’. Dreams really do come true.

Spanish Screenings Content unspool March 13-16 in the Andalusian coastal city. 

Karol G is an RBD fan. Unlike the rest of us, Karol G has performed alongside Anahi, inviting her onstage while on her tour in Mexico.

Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has congratulated goalkeeper David de Gea after he registered a record-breaking 181st clean sheet for the club during Sunday's 2-0 Carabao Cup final triumph over Newcastle United at Wembley.

Emiliano De Pablos Boston-based sales agent 34T has picked up international sales rights to Spanish writer-director Ana Ortiz’s feature debut, psychological thriller “El claro de las luciérnagas” (“Firefly Glades”). Produced by Sergy Moreno at Madrid’s White Leaf Producciones, the film is structured as a Spanish regional co-production, teaming with Magnética Cine’s María Barroso in Andalusia and Joaquín Calderón at Navarra-based Melitón Films. “Firefly Glades” figures among the 22 projects selected at Málaga’s 2023 Festival Fund & Co-Production Event (MAFF), which runs March 13-16 as part of Málaga Festival’s growing Mafiz industry area.

Ed Meza @edmezavar Madrid-based Latido Films is partnering with the organizers of the new genre-focused Fantastic Pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival’s Marché du Film on a new award that will offer international distribution to selected Spanish-language Iberoamerican films. The prize will also provide theatrical release in Latin America for winning titles. News of the prize comes as plans for the Fantastic Pavilion, one of the major innovation of this year’s Cannes Film Market, are beginning g to emerge, based on a undeniable market reality: Elevated genre films and thrillers, if they are shaped by an auteurist vision, are proving to be among the surest sellers on the international market and genre is embraced by a new generation of young filmmakers who are often creating artistically ambitious films of substance, sometimes dealing with urgent gender and social issues.  

Jet2 has issued a warning to passengers travelling to Spain today (Monday, February 27) that their flights could be “delayed” due to strike action. Air traffic control workers are walking out at several Spanish airports, including Alicante, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Former top VIS exec Laura Abril has been appointed EVP of scripted and global business development at Buendía Estudios, producer of “Veneno,” “Cardo” Season 1 and “Offworld,” in a move which signals the large international ambitions of one of Spain’s key production powerhouses. Abril will report to Ignacio Corrales, Buendía Estudios CEO.  Rising through the ranks at Viacom from 2009, Abril crowned her career at the studio as the highest-ranking international TV executive in Spain named in 2019 as head of ViacomCBS International Studios (VIS) for Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia. 

Manchester United are reportedly 'knocking on the doors of Napoli' to sign Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen as the Reds look to recruit a new forward in the summer transfer window - but face competition for his signature from both Chelsea and Atletico Madrid.

Thania Garcia Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Ozuna is calling 2023 his year. With a new album on the way, the release of a live album today, and an arena tour kicking off this summer — there’s a lot to chat about. “There are a lot of challenges, a lot of newness coming my way this year,” Ozuna tells Variety over the phone. “But I like a good challenge — and I’m at a point in my career where I have the energy to really give it my all. There’s a lot of goals I want to cross off.” Time is of the essence for the chart-topper who will embark on a new tour that will kick off in May, and continue on through the end of the summer in Europe. He’ll make stops in arenas across cities like Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Dallas and Miami — including European stops in Barcelona, Madrid, Paris and more — before wrapping on Aug. 5 in Torrevieja, Spain (see full schedule below). Tickets will go on sale on March 3, with more details to be announced soon.