Monte-Carlo Television Festival Looks to Break Barriers

Carlos Rodriguez, the father of Robert De Niro’s grandchild Leandro, is mourning the loss of his son following his death at age 19.

Robert De Niro's daughter, Drena De Niro, announced her son's death, his father, Carlos Rodriguez, took to Instagram to pen an emotional tribute to his son. Leandro was reportedly 19 at the time of his death.«If you knew him you would know. ♥️

Who’s ready for an all new Formula One race this weekend?

Andy Murray has admitted he is puzzled by a new Wimbledon poster, describing it as "strange" and raising questions about its composition. It comes after members of his own family criticised the poster for omitting the two-time Wimbledon champion entirely, with some even labeling it "appalling".

So long, soundstage of 1,000 memories.

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film Critic “Carlos” has one of the best openings I’ve ever seen — or heard — in a music documentary. We hear Carlos Santana, waxing philosophical and wise (as he’s prone to do). Intercut with his words, at throbbing intervals of about 20 seconds (and at top volume), are the iconic organ-and-bass notes — BOM BOM!…BOM BOM! — that open “Oye Como Va,” the 1971 hit by Santana. I’ll confess that “Oye Como Va” is one of those classic-rock radio staples I feel like I’ve heard more times in my life than I ever need to. (Sort of like “Moondance” and “Tempted” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again.”) Yet “Carlos,” instead of assaulting you with the song, severs those four notes from it (BOM BOM!…BOM BOM!) and blows them up into a piece of pop art, like a Warhol sound painting. It asks us to hear the magic of what Carlos Santana did by reveling in the sonic texture, the Latin-gone-psychedelic moxie of those notes.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The 28th edition of the Shanghai TV Festival wrapped up on Friday with its Magnolia Awards presented to a range of TV drama series, documentaries and animation programs. The drama awards were dominated by two shows “A Lifelong Journey” and “Bright Future.” “A Lifelong Journey,” adapted from a novel of the same name by Liang Xiaosheng, tells the story of three generations of one family in China’s Northeast as time moves from the late Cultural Revolution period through to the country’s reform and opening up. With a starry cast and broadcasters including CCTV-1 and Jiangsu Satellite TV, the show is reported to have attracted 310 million viewers at the beginning of 2022. In mainland China, it ran for 58 episodes, while in Hong Kong it played in 35 parts.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The members of the international juries that will decide the Magnolia prizes at the ongoing Shanghai Television Festival were Thursday made to do double duty as speakers in public masterclasses that were open to a generation of aspiring documentary and animation makers. David Stephan, jury president in the animation category, along with fellow judges Spencer Ooi and Jia Fou, spoke at length about getting their starts in the business and finding inspiration. “When I studied animation, I didn’t have a textbook available. I saw extremely limited things, so I did further research to make myself understand what I was doing in such a career,” said Jia.

While some parents couldn't bare the thought of taking children to Glastonbury Festival, one Manchester mum has headed to the event with four of her children.

Princess Charlene of Monaco is simply stunning during a rare, solo appearance!

The French film Le Colosse aux Pieds d’Argile and UK-Australia series Ten Pounds Poms took the top fiction prizes at the 62nd annual Monte-Carlo Television Festival, which were handed out Tuesday in Monaco. See the full winners list below.

Ben Croll “The Fragile Colossus,” “Ten Pound Poms” and “The Seed” ruled the roost at this year’s Monte-Carlo Television Festival, with the three programs collecting two prizes each at a small-screen showcase that ran June 16 – 20 in the Monaco capital. Produced by Make It Happen Studio and Shoot Again Productions in partnership with TF1 France, telefilm “The Fragile Colossus” took home Monte-Carlo’s Golden Nymph for best film and the special jury prize. The French drama follows a one-time rugby star (played by soccer player-turned-actor Eric Cantona) confronting his history as a victim of childhood sexual abuse, and is based on the life and memoires of rugbyman Sébastien Boueilh.

Josh Duhamel and wife Audra Mari are back on the red carpet for the premiere of Buddy Games 2: Spring Awakening during the 2023 Monte Carlo TV Festival on Sunday (June 18) in Monaco.

Zeeko Zaki‘s fiancée Renee Monaco is showing off her engagement ring!

Raymond Lee is showing off his better half – Stacy Kusumolkul – on the red carpet while attending the 2023 Monte Carlo TV Festival in Monaco over the weekend.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Speaking at Monte-Carlo Television Festival Sunday, cast members from the fantasy series “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” expressed their feelings about the racist trolls who objected to the Prime Video show’s diverse and inclusive casting when it first launched. Last month, Ismael Cruz Córdova, who plays the Elven warrior Arondir, told Variety that Prime Video provided an on-set therapist to help the actors deal with the racist backlash against its casting. He revealed it wasn’t just attacks on social media. “My phone got hacked. I had bank account attempts of being hacked. My PayPal got hacked. My friends got messages. I got death threats. I got things mailed to me. People found out my address. It was a lot of that,” Córdova recalled.

John Bleasdale Guest Contributor The 69th Taormina Film Festival boasts an impressive lineup of Italian and world premieres as it seeks to reboot and re-establish its status as a date to watch on the festival circuit. Located in the historical Sicilian town – its visibility recently getting an unlooked for boost with the second season of HBO’s ”The White Lotus” – will be hosting a series of screenings. The outdoor Teatro Antico will provide a suitably antique background for the Italian premiere of “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” with Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Antonio Banderas, John Rhys-Davies, and Mads Mikkelsen in attendance. The directorial debut of Italian artist Marco Perego, “The Absence of Eden,” will receive its world premiere. The film stars Perego’s wife Zoe Saldaña, Garrett Hedlund and Adria Arjona. The thriller tells the story of an undocumented immigrant fleeing a drug cartel whose path crosses with a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in a crisis over the moral dilemmas of his job. An unlikely alliance forms as the two endeavor to save the life of a young girl.

We don’t see James Lafferty and his wife Alexandra Park on the red carpet together too often, but we have some new photos to share!

Samba Pa Ti‘ or ‘Europa‘ — the ballads,” Santana, 75, told The Post from his home in Hawaii. “We made an impact on the world as far as facilitating a vibration that makes people feel spiritual and sexually aroused at the same time.” The dad of three — who may or may not have been listening to his favorite artists Marvin Gaye, John Coltrane, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Nina Simone and Tina Turner when his own children were conceived — said his sensual sound unites him with fans across continents.“Because people grew up listening to this music in their living rooms, people made love with them and so somehow we became like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, part of an institution,” he said.“I could go anywhere in the world, Ireland, Japan or Africa, and I’m not a tourist, I’m part of the family.”The native of Autlan, Mexico, whose father was a violinist, started as a street musician, and quickly realized his talent would one day become his profession.“My father would enter me into contests and I would always win,” he said.

Ben Croll Without a market component, the Monte-Carlo Television Festival has nevertheless built out and bulked up its industry section with each passing edition. More than anything, the move came out of sheer practicality, says executive director Cécile Menoni. “We realized that the professionals who were already present could benefit from certain professional content,” Menoni explains. “The idea was to involve the many people who were already in attendance. To federate the juries, nominees and journalists, and to convey their overall vision of cotemporary industry concerns.” This year’s festival business program runs from June 17 – 19, beginning with a conversation moderated by Variety’s Leo Barraclough that will find Amazon Studio’s Rola Bauer and executive producer Edward Ornelas discussing the challenges and opportunities, casting choices and artistic ambitions of the festival’s opening series, “Harlan Corben’s Shelter.”