Spanish Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

William Earl Deepak Chopra’s Beacon Media has pacted with Mexico City-based Pirexia Films to develop Spanish-language content derived from Chopra’s vast IP library. The partners plan to develop a range of Spanish-language properties, but the initial focus will be on Chopra books, starting with “The 13th Disciple,” “The Third Jesus” and “Jesus: A Story of Enlightenment.” The intent is to develop scripted, unscripted and documentary projects. Filming is expected to begin later this year in Mexico and Spain. Pirexia was co-founded in 2015 by filmmaker José Manuel Cravioto, known for his work on the Univision/Netflix drama “El Chapo.”

country’s new progressive transgender laws. “It is easier to change your legal gender than to get a driving licence,” said Alberto Núñez Feijóo, tipped to become Spain’s next prime minister after his Popular Party (PP) scored a series of victories in last month’s local and regional elections. The results prompted Left-wing prime minister Pedro Sánchez to dissolve parliament.

Britney Spears‘ latest post on social media highlights her skills with languages.

Shakira is fueling Lewis Hamilton romance rumours, after the Colombian superstar was spotted watching the race car driver participating in the F1 Spanish Grand Prix. 

Amber Heard has confirmed she’s moved to Madrid in her first Spanish-speaking interview since her very public legal battle with ex-husband Johnny Depp.

Amber Heard recently gave what's believed to be her first interview since moving to Europe, and she did so speaking flawlessly in Spanish.In a TikTok video uploaded last month, the 37-year-old actress is being interviewed in Madrid, Spain, where she moved not long after her high-profile legal battle with Johnny Depp in 2022. Heard appears to be coming home dressed casually in a loose long-sleeve black shirt tucked into her pants.In the video, apparently taken by the real estate firm Nest Seekers International, a man can be heard asking her in Spanish, «How is your new life here in Madrid?» to which she responds in perfect Spanish with, «I love Spain, so much.»The man then asks, «Are you going to stay here?» and she responds, «Yes, I hope so.

It seems like everyone is doing the more than one wedding thing at the moment. From Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker getting married three times last year to Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck tying the knot twice, Made in Chelsea stars Jamie Laing and Sophie Habboo also jumped in on the action following their two recent weddings. In case you missed it, the NearlyWeds podcast hosts first got hitched at the Chelsea registry office on the 14th April.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor CNN will shift the bulk of its operations behind its Spanish-language efforts to Mexico City, scaling back production of content for linear television in favor of work aimed at reaching a younger audience that favors mobile video. The move is likely to mean the elimination of jobs in Miami and Atlanta, but will also result in a ramp-up of jobs in Mexico and Los Angeles, where CNN will aim to add more than staffers, according to a person familiar with the plans, which were disclosed to employees Thursday afternoon. CNN CEO Chris Licht had nodded to the future of the Spanish-language network in November at a town-hall meeting. At issue is how to maintain outreach to Spanish-speaking viewers at a time when the economics of big media companies are under intense scrutiny. CNN and its corporate parent, Warner Bros. Discovery, have already cut operations, but the question of how to keep CNN en Espanol under such conditions has been under debate for some time. In the past, discussions had been underway to shut down the cable network, which has only limited distribution of around nine million in the United States.

Ed Meza @edmezavar AMC Networks Intl. Latin America has acquired RTVE hit, Spanish-Portuguese thriller “Sequía,” which will be broadcast throughout the region on its Europa Europa channel. The story centers on the mystery behind two mummified corpses – apparent murder victims — that are discovered when a long submerged village emerges from the drying Campomediano reservoir along the Spanish-Portuguese border during a prolonged drought (“sequía” in Spanish). While a Spanish inspector and investigative reporter suspect the bodies may be linked to environmental protests that took place to prevent the creation of the reservoir, a Portuguese detective is secretly investigating the possibility that one of the deceased could be the heir to the Souza Cardoso fortune who disappeared years ago.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Revered Spanish auteur Victor Erice has penned an angry open letter in newspaper El Pais claiming the Cannes Film Festival behaved underhandedly during the selection process resulting in his new work “Close Your Eyes” being relegated to the relatively low-profile Cannes Premiere section. “Close Your Eyes,” which marks Erice’s return to feature film direction 30 years after his Cannes Jury Prize winner “Dream of Light,” premiered on Tuesday in Cannes with the director notably absent. The film turns on a famed actor who disappears while making a film. Although his body is never found, the police conclude that he’s been the victim of an accident by the sea. Many years later, the mystery surrounding his disappearance is brought back into the spotlight when a TV program airs the beginning and the end of the movie directed by his close friend.

Spanish director Victor Erice, who was absent from the Cannes Film Festival premiere of his film Close Your Eyes, has posted an open letter criticizing festival Delegate General Thierry Frémaux over his handling of the selection of his film and explaining his decision not to attend.  

The Made in Chelsea couple Sophie Habboo and Jamie Laing said 'I do' for the second time at their lavish wedding ceremony in Spain last week and with it came a hefty price tag. And it's been no secret that Sophie's parents, Sarah Wigley and Patrique Habboo forked out for the lavish wedding in Marbella after Jamie revealed in an interview that his fiancé’s parents would kindly be footing the bill. While speaking to Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett on the weekly podcast, Dish, Jamie said: "I want the big wedding.

Ed Meza @edmezavar Paris-based sales boutique Alpha Violet has acquired Spanish filmmaker Victor Iriarte’s directorial debut, “Foremost by Night” (“Sobre Todo de Noche”). Described as a noir story with a political background, “Foremost by Night” revolves around two women who meet for the first time, one who was forced to give up her newborn child for adoption when she was young, the other who, unable to bare children of her own, adopted a child she raised as her own. The film, which stars Ana Torrent (“There Be Dragons,” “The Other Boleyn Girl”), Lola Dueñas (“Me Too,” “Volver”) and Manuel Egozkue, was among this year’s winners at the Malaga Film Festival’s Work in Progress awards, where it secured the Latido Films distribution prize and the Aracne Digital Cinema award for post production services.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Colombian-Mexican filmmaker Rodrigo García has wrapped his first Spanish-language feature, “Familia,” which was shot in Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico for Netflix. García, who has directed such acclaimed films as “Mother and Child” and “Albert Nobbs,” and whose TV credits include “Six Feet Under,” “Big Love” and “In Treatment,” said: “Shooting ‘Familia’ has been a great experience.” He added: “Great producers, collaborators, several of my favorite Mexican actors and actresses and Netflix’s full support have made this project an unforgettable trip back home.” This is the first time García, who is the son of Colombian Nobel Laureate Gabriel García Marquez, has directed a film in Mexico. He’s an executive producer in Netflix’s upcoming adaptation of his father’s literary classic “100 Years of Solitude,” which will be shooting in Colombia.

Made In Chelsea fans were quick to spot Spencer Matthews’ sweet gesture as he carried Sophie Habboo’s wedding veil at her and Jamie Laing’s Spanish wedding over the weekend. Spencer was absent from best friend Jamie’s first wedding in Chelsea following some miscommunication between the two but, putting any awkwardness aside, Spencer was in attendance for their Spanish nuptials and even acted as master of ceremonies. Sophie, 29, and Jamie, 34, have since shared some sweet photographs and videos of their big day to their Nearly Weds podcast Instagram page and, in one video of the happy couple, Spencer, 34, could be carrying Sophie’s beautiful veil for her.

Sophie Habboo, officially Mrs Laing, looked stunning as she said 'I do' to husband Jamie Laing for the second time on Saturday, 20 May. The Made in Chelsea couple had their more extravagant wedding ceremony at the luxurious Marbella Club on Saturday 20 May surrounded by around 200 guests after officially tying the knot at an intimate ceremony back in London last month. The bride, who wore a short satin Vivienne Westwood dress for the London ceremony, opted for a completely different, yet gorgeous, look for the Spanish do.

Ben Croll A veteran of Pixar, Blue Sky, and DreamWorks Animation, Spanish creative Rodrigo Blaas brought two decades of Hollywood experience to Madrid when he co-founded his own studio, El Guiri. And so, when Hollywood came knocking, Blaas answered with a bit of Spanish flair. “Some opportunities put you in a place to embrace the unknown,” Blaas says. “I saw it myself, watching Brad Bird come into Pixar and kind of break the system there. That’s what I wanted to do; I wanted to come up with something that could break the mold.” That something is “Sith,” a 14-minute short, commissioned by Lucasfilm to serve as Season 2 opener for the anthology series “Star Wars: Visions.” Written and directed by Blaas, and developed and produced fully in-house at El Guiri, the lauded short premiered earlier this month on Disney+ and will screen as part of a Spanish animation showcase at the Cannes Film Festival.

Sophie Habboo looked every inch the bride-to-be on Saturday as she wore a white dressing gown just hours ahead of her second wedding to Jamie Laing in Spain.The reality star, 29, and Jamie, 34, first tied the knot in a lavish ceremony in Chelsea last month and our preparing to marry again this weekend in a bigger ceremony in Spain. And ahead of the nuptials, Sophie's pal, Georgie Le Roux, took to Instagram to share a sneak peek of how the morning preparations were going. Posting a snap of Sophie wearing a bridal white dressing gown, Georgie penned: "Wedding morning" while tagging Sophie in the post.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor London- and Paris-based production, finance and sales company Film Constellation is launching sales on the remake rights of Spanish thriller “Fatum.” Directed by Juan Gualinanes and produced by Vaca Films, the outfit behind box office successes “Sky High” and “Cell 211,” “Fatum” was released in Spain by Universal Studios on April 28. Film Constellation has already reported sales to 50 territories on the original Spanish version. A compulsive gambler and an elite sniper’s destinies meet on a fateful day when the local betting house gets robbed. When a single gunshot is fired, the next 24 hours will set them on a race against time that will define their lives forever.

A Scots finance worker was found dead in a Spanish villa next to his unconscious wife after a broken fridge caused a carbon monoxide leak. Jaime Carsi, 40, tragically lost his life while on holiday with Mary Somerville in Majorca on Saturday, May 6.

Callum McLennan In the lead-up to Cannes, Spanish film sales continue to show resilience despite shifting market trends and global challenges. The market signals suggest an enduring preference for genre movies and high-concept films, while the sale of arthouse fare remains tough. Antonio Saura, director general of Latido Films, tells Variety, “The trends we are seeing confirm the trends we identified last year — movies with a strong concept, genre in general, generate interest, [whereas] drama and ‘art house’ is more complicated and requires a different type of attention and positioning.” While there are signs of interest for movies with top talent attached, smaller films without a significant festival presence face an uphill battle.

Holly Jones Cannes Docs highlights Spain as part of its Docs in Progress program, featuring four documentaries that range from the avant-garde to the introspective. Spain’s doc filmmakers have labored to establish international footing — battling the stigma that the category is made up of dry narratives, productions strive for the robust funding granted to fiction. “There’s still a negative connotation that the documentary’s something purely informative, expository or boring. It’s a state of mind that affects the public, but more importantly the distribution and exhibition. We’ve the great challenge of explaining that yes, the documentary has a cinematographic, narrative and emotional treatment comparable to ‘real cinema,’” says Rafa Molés of Suica Films.

Veteran Spanish actor Ana Torrent (Thesis, The Other Boleyn Girl, El nido) was around five-years-old when she was cast in her first movie, the landmark drama The Spirit of the Beehive, by maverick filmmaker Víctor Erice.

EXCLUSIVE: Filmax has acquired international rights to Spanish-Argentinian animated feature Robotia and will present the pic to buyers at the Cannes market.

A woman in need of a change of scenery took a week-long trip to Spain without using any annual leave - and now she's encouraging others to do the same.

TelevisaUnivision has officially entered the big game. For the first time ever, the network has secured the Spanish-language rights to the next Super Bowl, which is supposed to take place in Las Vegas on Feb. 11, 2024.The network will partner with NFL and CBS Sports on the event.

TelevisaUnivision has sealed a deal with CBS and the NFL to carry Spanish-language broadcasts of Super Bowl LVIII next February.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor TV’s Spanish-language Univision network will broadcast Super Bowl LVII next year, adding a new entrant to the usual coterie of English-language outlets that show the game. The deal was struck in partnership with the NFL and CBS Sports, which has the rights to show the game in English. The details were released as part of TelevisaUnivision’s annual “upfront” presentation, when U.S. networks try to sell the bulk of their commercial programming ahead of their next programming cycle. The company also disclosed that its ViX streaming outlet has more than 30 million monthly active users globally, with Pierluigi Gazzolo, the CEO of ViX noting that ” 80% of consumption on VIX is content no one else has and, importantly, 63% of users on ViX are incremental to the massive audience we serve on linear, which means greater cross-platform reach for all of you.”

EXCLUSIVE: FilmSharks has acquired world rights to the Spanish horror pic The Boogeyman: The Origin of the Myth (El Hombre Del Saco) and locked a series of key international deals out of Cannes.

Hypnotic.” “Ben speaks super good Spanish, like, impressively good,” Braga told TheWrap. “I never knew that! I was like, ‘You speak Spanish?'” In the film, Braga and Affleck play a couple thrown together when Affleck’s cop character, Roarke, is drawn into a shadowy world involving hypnotic suggestion that might connect to the disappearance of Roarke’s young daughter. Braga said the revelation that Affleck could speak Spanish came during a quiet moment on set when her and Affleck got to talking.

These women are backing buzzed-about Spanish projects, many of them co-productions. With noteworthy titles — Goya-nominated “Advantages of Travelling by Train,” Locarno standout “The Sacred Spirit” — proud Basque Country native Apellaniz has grown step by step.

Ed Meza @edmezavar Buenos Aires-based FilmSharks has nabbed worldwide rights to Spanish filmmaker Chiqui Carabante’s black-comedy whodunnit “The Fortress” (“La Fortaleza”) and is debuting its trailer ahead of the Cannes Film Market. The film centers on the death of Arturo Viaplana and its aftermath as his offspring, hoping to inherit a great fortune, discover that instead of leaving them the estate, their father has devised a macabre, posthumous game in which his children must first locate his body and bury it themselves in a specified location. Working together to carry out their father’s instructions and pass a series of tests, the siblings are forced to come to terms with a deeply hidden family secret.

Zoe Saldaña is going through a Latina rite of passage. The actress shared a video of herself sporting a new haircut, one that’s familiar for Latinos all over the world.Zoe Saldaña shares what’s more difficult - learning Klingon or Na’viSelena Gomez and Zoe Saldaña to start filming new crime comedy in ParisZoe Saldaña makes history as the first actor to have four movies grossing over $2 billionA post shared by Zoe Saldana (@zoesaldana)In the video, Saldaña sports a short hairstyle and speaks to the camera in Spanish, as she sits in a make up chair and someone laughs in the background. “Blessings to all of my aunts and all of my grandmas.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Animayo, Spain’s leading animation festival, is celebrating its 18th edition with the help of Disney legend Andreas Deja who will be presenting his independently-produced short, “Mushka.” “Having Deja choose Animayo to debut his film in Spain is the greatest honor,” said Damian Perea, founder-director of the festival, which unspools May 3-6 on the island of Gran Canaria. A hand-drawn 2D animated story about an unlikely friendship between a young girl and a Siberian tiger in 1970s’ Soviet Union, “Mushka” is Deja’s directorial debut. His lauded Walt Disney Animation Studio credits include “The Lion King,” “Aladdin,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.”

The Spanish have a particular word to describe British tourists - and its origins suggest that it may not be a complimentary one. If you've ever been on a trip to Spain, you'll have likely heard the word 'guiri' uttered in relation to English speaking holidaymakers.

Prime Video is reviving classic Spanish talent gala format Operación Triunfo and has unveiled its latest slate of scripted shows, films and doc series from the nation along with a local version of Takeshi’s Castle.