Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia of Sweden were proud parents at the christening of their youngest son, Prince Gabriel. The 3-month-old was baptized at the Drottningholm Royal Palace Chapel in Stockholm, with Sofia wearing a traditional red and white Folkdräkt - a Swedish folk costume - and Carl in his traditional suit and medals. King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia; Princess Madeleine and her husband, Christopher O'Neill; and Prince Daniel, Crown Princess Victoria, and their kids were all there to witness the happy occasion. Princess Estelle, Gabriel's 5-year-old cousin, was on hand to help pour the baptismal water on the little one, but he was not having it. He reportedly started crying when the clergyman started pouring the water on the front of his head, but he stopped the moment he was back in the arms of his mom, according to People. His big brother, 1-year-old Prince Alexander, also...
- 12/2/2017
- by Celia Fernandez
- Popsugar.com
He’s got the furniture, clothes, shoes, toys and books — now Fredrik Eklund just needs the babies!
A nursery filled with all of the above and even a copy of Jimmy Fallon‘s board book Your Baby’s First Word Will Be Dada was the focus of a photo the Million Dollar Listing: New York star shared over the weekend.
“Starting to take shape… ,” Eklund, 40, captioned the cute snap, showing off the room that appears to be themed around a castle focus piece.
Want all the latest pregnancy and birth announcements, plus celebrity mom blogs? Click here to get those...
A nursery filled with all of the above and even a copy of Jimmy Fallon‘s board book Your Baby’s First Word Will Be Dada was the focus of a photo the Million Dollar Listing: New York star shared over the weekend.
“Starting to take shape… ,” Eklund, 40, captioned the cute snap, showing off the room that appears to be themed around a castle focus piece.
Want all the latest pregnancy and birth announcements, plus celebrity mom blogs? Click here to get those...
- 11/20/2017
- by Jen Juneau
- PEOPLE.com
Winter is almost upon us, and moms everywhere are cozying up with their cuties.
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and her little guy — Jack Oscar, 4 months — already have their cooler weather footwear ready and on hand to ensure his tiny toes are warm.
The star shared a photo of herself and Jack wearing matching Ugg boots on Instagram over the weekend, writing in the caption,” Rhw Jos | @ugg.”
Want all the latest pregnancy and birth announcements, plus celebrity mom blogs? Click here to get those and more in the People Babies newsletter.
Related Video: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Jason Statham Are Parents! See the...
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and her little guy — Jack Oscar, 4 months — already have their cooler weather footwear ready and on hand to ensure his tiny toes are warm.
The star shared a photo of herself and Jack wearing matching Ugg boots on Instagram over the weekend, writing in the caption,” Rhw Jos | @ugg.”
Want all the latest pregnancy and birth announcements, plus celebrity mom blogs? Click here to get those and more in the People Babies newsletter.
Related Video: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Jason Statham Are Parents! See the...
- 11/7/2017
- by Lindsay Kimble
- PEOPLE.com
Arrow and Teen Wolf star Colton Haynes, 29, and Four Seasons artistic director Jeff Leatham, 46, wed in Palm Springs Friday. Speaking exclusively with People, the couple recalls how their love story almost never came to be.
Haynes: Jeff and I were supposed to meet years ago. At the time, I was in Vancouver shooting Arrow and Jeff was still living permanently in Paris and hadn’t started living in Los Angeles. We were actually set up by two of our friends, . They said, “You two have to meet!” We were going to meet up for a date, but we ended up not being able to.
Haynes: Jeff and I were supposed to meet years ago. At the time, I was in Vancouver shooting Arrow and Jeff was still living permanently in Paris and hadn’t started living in Los Angeles. We were actually set up by two of our friends, . They said, “You two have to meet!” We were going to meet up for a date, but we ended up not being able to.
- 10/28/2017
- by Patrick Gomez
- PEOPLE.com
“Love at first sight” was never so sweet… or so strange. Jeff Goldblum, now 65, shared a remarkable story on “The Graham Norton Show”, detailing his first date with his now-wife. Related: Jeff Goldblum Sparks Frenzy, Flirts Up A Storm With British Host We're listening to the epic story of how #JeffGoldblum met his wife over […]...
- 10/23/2017
- by Shakiel Mahjouri
- ET Canada
Princess Sofia and Prince Carl Philip of Sweden welcomed their second child, Prince Gabriel, back in August, and now the world is finally getting a first look at their little bundle of joy. On Monday, the Swedish royal couple released the first family portraits featuring their two sons, Gabriel and 1-year-old Prince Alexander, and they are precious. The photos, which were taken earlier this month at the East Gate of the Royal Palace by photographer Erika Gerdemark, include a snap of Sofia cradling baby Gabriel as he adorably looks up at her and another of Carl holding Gabriel while Sofia carries Alexander. RelatedPrincess Sofia's First Encounter With Prince Carl Philip Was "Love at First Sight" Along with the shots, Carl and Sofia also included a sweet statement that reads, "A big and warm thanks for all the kind congratulations that have been received in connection with the birth of our son,...
- 10/9/2017
- by Monica Sisavat
- Popsugar.com
Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara have taken their romance to the next level.
The couple — who have remained mostly out of the spotlight since they fell in love on the set of their upcoming movie Mary Magdalene — are now living together in the Hollywood Hills, Phoenix revealed in a new interview with The New York Times published Wednesday.
While the 42-year-old actor remained coy about how long the two have been shacking up, he did open up about their life at home, which is remarkably simple compared to what fans might expect from two A-List stars.
According to Phoenix, he’s usually asleep by 9 p.
The couple — who have remained mostly out of the spotlight since they fell in love on the set of their upcoming movie Mary Magdalene — are now living together in the Hollywood Hills, Phoenix revealed in a new interview with The New York Times published Wednesday.
While the 42-year-old actor remained coy about how long the two have been shacking up, he did open up about their life at home, which is remarkably simple compared to what fans might expect from two A-List stars.
According to Phoenix, he’s usually asleep by 9 p.
- 9/7/2017
- by Dave Quinn
- PEOPLE.com
Chris Pratt has stepped back into the public eye after he announced his separation from wife Anna Faris.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 actor, 38, attended Sunday’s Teen Choice Awards at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, where he is both presenting an award alongside his Guardians costar Zoë Saldana and won the surfboard for choice action movie actor and choice si-fi movie actor.
Pratt wore a casual outfit of jeans and leather jacket and was noticeably not wearing his wedding ring when he accepted his award. The actor joked about the lies he had to tell when...
The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 actor, 38, attended Sunday’s Teen Choice Awards at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, where he is both presenting an award alongside his Guardians costar Zoë Saldana and won the surfboard for choice action movie actor and choice si-fi movie actor.
Pratt wore a casual outfit of jeans and leather jacket and was noticeably not wearing his wedding ring when he accepted his award. The actor joked about the lies he had to tell when...
- 8/14/2017
- by Karen Mizoguchi
- PEOPLE.com
After surviving stage IV non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2012, Brittany Daniel has finally found her happily ever after.
The Sweet Valley High alum married Adam Touni in an intimate urban chic wedding at The Carondelet House in downtown Los Angeles and the journey to the altar was everything she could’ve dreamed of.
“Overcoming so much makes this day of marrying my best friend and perfect partner even more special,” Daniel, 41, exclusively tells People in this week’s issue. “It truly does make me believe that anything is possible. I had a moment when I was standing under our wedding altar...
The Sweet Valley High alum married Adam Touni in an intimate urban chic wedding at The Carondelet House in downtown Los Angeles and the journey to the altar was everything she could’ve dreamed of.
“Overcoming so much makes this day of marrying my best friend and perfect partner even more special,” Daniel, 41, exclusively tells People in this week’s issue. “It truly does make me believe that anything is possible. I had a moment when I was standing under our wedding altar...
- 8/2/2017
- by Christina Dugan
- PEOPLE.com
Two years and counting!
On the eve of their two-year wedding anniversary on Aug. 5, Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux “still very much act like newlyweds,” an Aniston source tells People in this week’s issue.
At their L.A. home, which they share with their dogs, the two enjoy hosting dinner parties for their friends, working out and cooking together. “They love to laugh and share a wicked sense of humor,” adds an entertainment source. “It’s possible that this marriage would not have worked as well if they were in their 20s, but they aren’t. They are great...
On the eve of their two-year wedding anniversary on Aug. 5, Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux “still very much act like newlyweds,” an Aniston source tells People in this week’s issue.
At their L.A. home, which they share with their dogs, the two enjoy hosting dinner parties for their friends, working out and cooking together. “They love to laugh and share a wicked sense of humor,” adds an entertainment source. “It’s possible that this marriage would not have worked as well if they were in their 20s, but they aren’t. They are great...
- 8/2/2017
- by Mike Miller
- PEOPLE.com
Mom and Dad are still up for date night.
George and Amal Clooney, who welcomed twins Ella and Alexander in June, stepped out for dinner at Villa d’Este in Cernobbio, Italy, on Tuesday. They were joined by producer Ben Weiss, a pal of the actor, and his date for the romantic night out.
Amal looked fabulous in a thigh-length sleeveless yellow dress and strappy wedge heels. Her husband dressed down in jeans and a white collared shirt.
George and Amal have often vacationed by Lake Como, where the family has a home.
Just last week, Weiss joined the couple...
George and Amal Clooney, who welcomed twins Ella and Alexander in June, stepped out for dinner at Villa d’Este in Cernobbio, Italy, on Tuesday. They were joined by producer Ben Weiss, a pal of the actor, and his date for the romantic night out.
Amal looked fabulous in a thigh-length sleeveless yellow dress and strappy wedge heels. Her husband dressed down in jeans and a white collared shirt.
George and Amal have often vacationed by Lake Como, where the family has a home.
Just last week, Weiss joined the couple...
- 7/19/2017
- by Stephanie Petit
- PEOPLE.com
Miranda Lambert is all about the birthday boy — her beau Anderson East!
The country star, 33, shared a sweet message on Instagram to her boyfriend of over a year along with a collage of photos from his 30th birthday festivities. On top of presenting him with a cake, the photos also included a selfie from a trip to the water park and an adorable snap of the couple exchanging a loving look.
“My favorite Bama boy turned 30 today,” she captioned the Instagram post. “He owns the stage and he owns my heart. Thanks @andersoneast for inspiring me in so many ways.
The country star, 33, shared a sweet message on Instagram to her boyfriend of over a year along with a collage of photos from his 30th birthday festivities. On top of presenting him with a cake, the photos also included a selfie from a trip to the water park and an adorable snap of the couple exchanging a loving look.
“My favorite Bama boy turned 30 today,” she captioned the Instagram post. “He owns the stage and he owns my heart. Thanks @andersoneast for inspiring me in so many ways.
- 7/18/2017
- by Stephanie Petit
- PEOPLE.com
Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux‘s latest date night was especially nostalgic.
The couple returned to Blue Hill restaurant in New York City on Monday night, where they first got engaged nearly five years ago. Aniston and Theroux we’re spotted leaving the eatery hand in hand looking casual, with Aniston in a navy tank top and high-waisted trousers and Theroux in ripped jeans, an Ssur jacket and a camo hat.
While there’s no word on what the two ate, the high-end restaurant owned by Dan Barber is known for their farm-to-table food some coming from their own Blue Hill Farm in Great Barrington,...
The couple returned to Blue Hill restaurant in New York City on Monday night, where they first got engaged nearly five years ago. Aniston and Theroux we’re spotted leaving the eatery hand in hand looking casual, with Aniston in a navy tank top and high-waisted trousers and Theroux in ripped jeans, an Ssur jacket and a camo hat.
While there’s no word on what the two ate, the high-end restaurant owned by Dan Barber is known for their farm-to-table food some coming from their own Blue Hill Farm in Great Barrington,...
- 7/18/2017
- by Ana Calderone
- PEOPLE.com
Antonio Banderas is living life to the fullest after suffering a heart attack in January.
The 56-year-old actor enjoyed a romantic trip to Ischia, Italy, earlier this week with his girlfriend Nicole Kimpel, 37 — just months after receiving a clean bill of health.
He and Kimpel were spotted out at the beach on Wednesday, with the actor flaunting his fit figure in a pair of dark swim trunks. Meanwhile, Kempel sported a long, white cover-up over her bikini.
The two later enjoyed a sweet night out at the Ischia Film Festival.
Photos of the romantic date night showed the two cuddling and kissing throughout the evening.
The 56-year-old actor enjoyed a romantic trip to Ischia, Italy, earlier this week with his girlfriend Nicole Kimpel, 37 — just months after receiving a clean bill of health.
He and Kimpel were spotted out at the beach on Wednesday, with the actor flaunting his fit figure in a pair of dark swim trunks. Meanwhile, Kempel sported a long, white cover-up over her bikini.
The two later enjoyed a sweet night out at the Ischia Film Festival.
Photos of the romantic date night showed the two cuddling and kissing throughout the evening.
- 7/13/2017
- by Char Adams
- PEOPLE.com
Sidekick no more!
Jerry Ferrara, known to many as Turtle from HBO’s Entourage, looks every bit the leading man on his honeymoon with new wife Breanne Racano. The pair, who married in June, jetted off to the tiny South Pacific island of Bora Bora and have been soaking up the sun and stunning scenery while flaunting their “out of office” status on Instagram.
Related: ‘They Did It!’ Entourage‘s Jerry Ferrara Marries Breanne Racano
Ferrara, 37, and Racano’s resort features over-water bungalows, stunning beaches and, as the actor shows in the sunset shot above, private infinity pools. “Who says I suck at taking photos?...
Jerry Ferrara, known to many as Turtle from HBO’s Entourage, looks every bit the leading man on his honeymoon with new wife Breanne Racano. The pair, who married in June, jetted off to the tiny South Pacific island of Bora Bora and have been soaking up the sun and stunning scenery while flaunting their “out of office” status on Instagram.
Related: ‘They Did It!’ Entourage‘s Jerry Ferrara Marries Breanne Racano
Ferrara, 37, and Racano’s resort features over-water bungalows, stunning beaches and, as the actor shows in the sunset shot above, private infinity pools. “Who says I suck at taking photos?...
- 7/11/2017
- by Mackenzie Schmidt
- PEOPLE.com
Happy wedding anniversary to Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher!
The couple marked seven years of marriage together on Monday with a romantic date and sweet love notes to each other on social media.
“Celebrating 7 years with this amazing man. How am I so blessed to share this life with you, @mfisher1212 ? Here’s to so many more years and memories together,” Underwood, 34, captioned a selfie of her and her husband.
“Glad I took a chance on this babe 7 years ago. Turns out she’s the best wife, and mom to Izzy, I could ever dream of!! #happyanniversary,” Fisher, 37, wrote along...
The couple marked seven years of marriage together on Monday with a romantic date and sweet love notes to each other on social media.
“Celebrating 7 years with this amazing man. How am I so blessed to share this life with you, @mfisher1212 ? Here’s to so many more years and memories together,” Underwood, 34, captioned a selfie of her and her husband.
“Glad I took a chance on this babe 7 years ago. Turns out she’s the best wife, and mom to Izzy, I could ever dream of!! #happyanniversary,” Fisher, 37, wrote along...
- 7/11/2017
- by Karen Mizoguchi
- PEOPLE.com
Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich are beyond ready to say "I do."
The lovebirds are tying the knot in Southern California on Saturday after being engaged for nearly two years. Ahead of their nuptials, Et's taking a trip down memory lane to break down their love story, from their very first date to wedding bells.
The conversation begins.
Before Hough ever laid eyes on the NHL star in person, the two were connected by her Curve co-star, Teddy Sears.
"To be honest, I had never seen an episode of Dancing With the Stars, but in my defense, she had never seen a Caps game either until she met Teddy," Laich later told 106.7 The Fan. "On set, apparently, he was talking with Julianne, and said he had recently just gotten married, just got back from his honeymoon, and then asked her if she'd been seeing anyone."
"She said 'no' or whatever, and I guess...
The lovebirds are tying the knot in Southern California on Saturday after being engaged for nearly two years. Ahead of their nuptials, Et's taking a trip down memory lane to break down their love story, from their very first date to wedding bells.
The conversation begins.
Before Hough ever laid eyes on the NHL star in person, the two were connected by her Curve co-star, Teddy Sears.
"To be honest, I had never seen an episode of Dancing With the Stars, but in my defense, she had never seen a Caps game either until she met Teddy," Laich later told 106.7 The Fan. "On set, apparently, he was talking with Julianne, and said he had recently just gotten married, just got back from his honeymoon, and then asked her if she'd been seeing anyone."
"She said 'no' or whatever, and I guess...
- 7/7/2017
- Entertainment Tonight
The temperature is rising in Miami and not because of the summer heat but because of the rumors of a romance between former Colombian beauty queen Ariadna Gutiérrez and Italian millionaire Gianluca Vacchi, who last weekend were both caught by the paparazzi taking in some sun.
In the photos that have been making rounds on the Internet, Gutiérrez—who was wrongfully crowned Miss Universe 2015 by Steve Harvey—is seen sunbathing in a fuchsia bikini and reflective sunglasses. Lying next to her is the businessman who grew to fame from his social media videos in which he dances to hit...
In the photos that have been making rounds on the Internet, Gutiérrez—who was wrongfully crowned Miss Universe 2015 by Steve Harvey—is seen sunbathing in a fuchsia bikini and reflective sunglasses. Lying next to her is the businessman who grew to fame from his social media videos in which he dances to hit...
- 7/7/2017
- by Thatiana Diaz
- PEOPLE.com
Every beat of Rod Stewart‘s heart still belongs to his wife Penny Lancaster.
The lovebirds marked 10 years of marriage recently with a vow renewal at their Essex, England, home, Hello! magazine reports, sharing photos from the event. According to the publication, the ceremony took place under an aged beech tree on the couple’s 45-acre property.
In attendance were the spouses’ sons Aiden, 6, and Alastair Wallace, 11, plus Stewart’s daughters Renée, 25, and Kimberly, 37, his sons Liam, 22, and Sean, 36, as well as Kimberly’s daughter Delilah, 5½. Another special guest? Lancaster’s pup Bubbles, who reportedly “walked” her up the aisle...
The lovebirds marked 10 years of marriage recently with a vow renewal at their Essex, England, home, Hello! magazine reports, sharing photos from the event. According to the publication, the ceremony took place under an aged beech tree on the couple’s 45-acre property.
In attendance were the spouses’ sons Aiden, 6, and Alastair Wallace, 11, plus Stewart’s daughters Renée, 25, and Kimberly, 37, his sons Liam, 22, and Sean, 36, as well as Kimberly’s daughter Delilah, 5½. Another special guest? Lancaster’s pup Bubbles, who reportedly “walked” her up the aisle...
- 7/2/2017
- by Jen Juneau
- PEOPLE.com
What better way to ring in a summer birthday than with a pool party?!
In celebration of turning 34 on June 23, Brooks Laich had a birthday party by the swimming pool — complete with cake and balloons!
And to show her love for her soon-to-be husband, Julianne Hough walked a candlelit, fruit-adorned cake down the outside steps to her fiancé as attendees at the party sang “Happy Birthday.”
“#tbt celebrating this hunks birthday! @brookslaich That flame will never go out… ” Hough, 28, captioned the throwback video shared Thursday to Instagram that was captured at the celebratory affair.
For the pool party, the Dancing with the Stars...
In celebration of turning 34 on June 23, Brooks Laich had a birthday party by the swimming pool — complete with cake and balloons!
And to show her love for her soon-to-be husband, Julianne Hough walked a candlelit, fruit-adorned cake down the outside steps to her fiancé as attendees at the party sang “Happy Birthday.”
“#tbt celebrating this hunks birthday! @brookslaich That flame will never go out… ” Hough, 28, captioned the throwback video shared Thursday to Instagram that was captured at the celebratory affair.
For the pool party, the Dancing with the Stars...
- 6/29/2017
- by Natalie Stone
- PEOPLE.com
Congratulations to America Ferrera and her husband Ryan Piers Williams!
The couple celebrated 12 years together in Iceland, with the Superstore star taking to Instagram to share a series of cute photos from their vacation.
“12 years of this… #HappyAnniversary,” Ferrera, 33, wrote in the caption of a video.
The two first met when Williams, 36, cast Ferrera in his student film while at the University of Southern California. They became engaged in June 2010 and married in 2011.
The lovebirds enjoyed a swim in the Blue Lagoon and had fun bouncing inside a giant bubble.
From Pen: How Tom Ford Found ‘Love at First Sight...
The couple celebrated 12 years together in Iceland, with the Superstore star taking to Instagram to share a series of cute photos from their vacation.
“12 years of this… #HappyAnniversary,” Ferrera, 33, wrote in the caption of a video.
The two first met when Williams, 36, cast Ferrera in his student film while at the University of Southern California. They became engaged in June 2010 and married in 2011.
The lovebirds enjoyed a swim in the Blue Lagoon and had fun bouncing inside a giant bubble.
From Pen: How Tom Ford Found ‘Love at First Sight...
- 6/28/2017
- by Alexia Fernandez
- PEOPLE.com
They’ve been married for five years, together for over eight, and have three children. But the romance between Alec and Hilaria Baldwin is very much still alive.
On Friday, the two engaged in a steamy Pda — making out at an outdoor event.
Hilaria shared video of their sexy smooch to her Instagram Stories, labelling the video with a caption that explained “Alec wants me to post this.”
Both were dressed to the nines — Alec in a navy blazer and coordinating shirt and Hilaria in a low-cut matching navy dress with circle cutouts.
Alec, 59, and Hilaria, 33, have often showed off...
On Friday, the two engaged in a steamy Pda — making out at an outdoor event.
Hilaria shared video of their sexy smooch to her Instagram Stories, labelling the video with a caption that explained “Alec wants me to post this.”
Both were dressed to the nines — Alec in a navy blazer and coordinating shirt and Hilaria in a low-cut matching navy dress with circle cutouts.
Alec, 59, and Hilaria, 33, have often showed off...
- 6/24/2017
- by Dave Quinn
- PEOPLE.com
Savannah Chrisley has made her relationship Instagram official, and on her new boyfriend’s biggest night.
On Thursday, the Chrisley Knows Best reality star, 19, was at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center to cheer on her boyfriend Luke Kennard, who was selected by the Detroit Pistons as the 12th pick of the 2017 NBA draft.
Known for his shooting, the 6’6″ Ohio native was a contributing player on the Duke University men’s basketball team.
A Gucci-clad Chrisley proudly shared a selfie of the couple on social media, moments before Kennard was called on to the big stage.
“Yep y’all…he’s my...
On Thursday, the Chrisley Knows Best reality star, 19, was at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center to cheer on her boyfriend Luke Kennard, who was selected by the Detroit Pistons as the 12th pick of the 2017 NBA draft.
Known for his shooting, the 6’6″ Ohio native was a contributing player on the Duke University men’s basketball team.
A Gucci-clad Chrisley proudly shared a selfie of the couple on social media, moments before Kennard was called on to the big stage.
“Yep y’all…he’s my...
- 6/23/2017
- by Karen Mizoguchi
- PEOPLE.com
Forget a surprise party at home, Kim Kardashian planned a surprise vacation for husband Kanye West‘s big 4-0.
“I surprised him with a trip to Japan, a place that he loves to go to get away and get inspiration,” Kardashian, 36, told the hosts of The View on Tuesday. “It was great for me because I’ve never been and we had always talked about how we really wanted to go together.”
Related: Kim Kardashian Reveals Why She Loves Friend Joe Francis’ Mexican Villa
The couple, who also recently celebrated their three-year wedding anniversary, jetted off to Tokyo last week,...
“I surprised him with a trip to Japan, a place that he loves to go to get away and get inspiration,” Kardashian, 36, told the hosts of The View on Tuesday. “It was great for me because I’ve never been and we had always talked about how we really wanted to go together.”
Related: Kim Kardashian Reveals Why She Loves Friend Joe Francis’ Mexican Villa
The couple, who also recently celebrated their three-year wedding anniversary, jetted off to Tokyo last week,...
- 6/20/2017
- by Mackenzie Schmidt
- PEOPLE.com
Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez have taken their romance to the perfect place: Paris!
The famous lovebirds were spotted in the City of Light Saturday, taking in famous sites like the Louvre, which Rodriguez shared snaps from on his Instagram story.
An observer tells People that Lopez, 47, and the retired baseball pro, 41, also did some shopping at a Chanel boutique on the Avenue Montaigne and a men’s shirtmaker near the Champs-Élysées.
“They were close to each other. No sign of any strain between them,” the observer says, likely referring to recent cheating rumors that insiders squashed earlier this month.
The famous lovebirds were spotted in the City of Light Saturday, taking in famous sites like the Louvre, which Rodriguez shared snaps from on his Instagram story.
An observer tells People that Lopez, 47, and the retired baseball pro, 41, also did some shopping at a Chanel boutique on the Avenue Montaigne and a men’s shirtmaker near the Champs-Élysées.
“They were close to each other. No sign of any strain between them,” the observer says, likely referring to recent cheating rumors that insiders squashed earlier this month.
- 6/17/2017
- by Jen Juneau and Peter Mikelbank
- PEOPLE.com
Fran Drescher is opening up about her harrowing experience being raped at gunpoint over 30 years ago — and the connection she believes it holds to her cancer battle years later.
Drescher, best known for the beloved 1993–99 sitcom The Nanny, recently sat down with for a candid interview with Australian talk show Studio 10 alongside her high school sweetheart (and now ex-husband) Peter Marc Jacobson. The two opened up about their experience as the victims of a violent home invasion in 1985, during which Drescher was tied up and raped at gunpoint.
“The whole rape experience was so surreal, because people who talk about...
Drescher, best known for the beloved 1993–99 sitcom The Nanny, recently sat down with for a candid interview with Australian talk show Studio 10 alongside her high school sweetheart (and now ex-husband) Peter Marc Jacobson. The two opened up about their experience as the victims of a violent home invasion in 1985, during which Drescher was tied up and raped at gunpoint.
“The whole rape experience was so surreal, because people who talk about...
- 6/14/2017
- by Aurelie Corinthios
- PEOPLE.com
The Clooney twins — Ella and Alexander, born the morning of Tuesday, June 6 — have a beautiful English mansion to call home!
When they weren’t jet-setting around the world, new parents George Clooney and his wife Amal Clooney were spending time quietly nesting in their renovated English mansion in the countryside west of London. (The international human rights lawyer has a home in London, and her mother, Baria, lives in the city too.)
Leading up to the twins’ birth, George was often “heard playing tennis against his ball machine” and working late into the night in his garden cabin, a source told People in May.
When they weren’t jet-setting around the world, new parents George Clooney and his wife Amal Clooney were spending time quietly nesting in their renovated English mansion in the countryside west of London. (The international human rights lawyer has a home in London, and her mother, Baria, lives in the city too.)
Leading up to the twins’ birth, George was often “heard playing tennis against his ball machine” and working late into the night in his garden cabin, a source told People in May.
- 6/6/2017
- by Ale Russian, Phil Boucher and Jen Juneau
- PEOPLE.com
Britney Spears has only just made it to Japan for her first stop on a month-long international tour —but it looks like “her loneliness” won’t be a problem!
The 35-year-old singer was visited by her boyfriend Sam Asghari on Tuesday, as he made the trip to the far east to support her on tour.
Both Spears and Asghari, 23, celebrated their reunion by sharing the same sweet video to their social media accounts showing Spears spinning into Asghari’s arms, kicking a leg up as he kisses her on the cheek.
“Came to Japan to see this one @britneyspears,” Asghari...
The 35-year-old singer was visited by her boyfriend Sam Asghari on Tuesday, as he made the trip to the far east to support her on tour.
Both Spears and Asghari, 23, celebrated their reunion by sharing the same sweet video to their social media accounts showing Spears spinning into Asghari’s arms, kicking a leg up as he kisses her on the cheek.
“Came to Japan to see this one @britneyspears,” Asghari...
- 6/6/2017
- by Dave Quinn
- PEOPLE.com
Keith Vitali is an American Martial Artist, Martial Arts Instructor, Actor, Producer and Author who made his name over the last few decades as one of the baddest men on the planet, competing in over 1,000 competition fights since the 1970’s.
In 1981, Keith was honored into the Black Belt Magazine’s “Black Belt Hall of Fame” along with being ranked the “#1 Karate Fighter in the USA” at the time. Keith also appeared in movies over the years such as the classic “Wheels On Meals“, “No Retreat, No Surrender 3: Blood Brothers“, “American Kickboxer” “BloodMoon” and “Revenge of the Ninja“.
Keith also made the national headlines over the years with his company “K.V. Video Productions“. His video “Self Defense For Kids” was a huge hit across America and the world with newspapers like The New York Post, The USA Today, The Atlanta Journal and many more covering the video in a positive way.
In 1981, Keith was honored into the Black Belt Magazine’s “Black Belt Hall of Fame” along with being ranked the “#1 Karate Fighter in the USA” at the time. Keith also appeared in movies over the years such as the classic “Wheels On Meals“, “No Retreat, No Surrender 3: Blood Brothers“, “American Kickboxer” “BloodMoon” and “Revenge of the Ninja“.
Keith also made the national headlines over the years with his company “K.V. Video Productions“. His video “Self Defense For Kids” was a huge hit across America and the world with newspapers like The New York Post, The USA Today, The Atlanta Journal and many more covering the video in a positive way.
- 5/22/2017
- by kingofkungfu
- AsianMoviePulse
Yvonne Monlaur: Cult horror movie actress & Bond Girl contender was featured in the 1960 British classics 'Circus of Horrors' & 'The Brides of Dracula.' Actress Yvonne Monlaur dead at 77: Best remembered for cult horror classics 'Circus of Horrors' & 'The Brides of Dracula' Actress Yvonne Monlaur, best known for her roles in the 1960 British cult horror classics Circus of Horrors and The Brides of Dracula, died of cardiac arrest on April 18 in the Paris suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine. Monlaur was 77. According to various online sources, she was born Yvonne Thérèse Marie Camille Bédat de Monlaur in the southwestern town of Pau, in France's Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, on Dec. 15, 1939. Her father was poet and librettist Pierre Bédat de Monlaur; her mother was a Russian ballet dancer. The young Yvonne was trained in ballet and while still a teenager became a model for Elle magazine. She was “discovered” by newspaper publisher-turned-director André Hunebelle,...
- 4/27/2017
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Love is in the air! And this Valentine’s Day Universal Pictures Home Entertainment would like to share a special first-look at an all new mini-movie, “Love at First Sight,” which will be featured on the home entertainment release of Sing when it arrives on Digital HD March 3, and will be available on 4K Ultra HD™, Blu-ray™ 3D, Blu-ray™, DVD, and On Demand March 21. Swipe right for a cute, romantic look into the life of Miss Crawly (voiced by writer/director Garth Jennings), and find two more exciting original mini-movies from Illumination Entertainment featured on the Sing Special Edition when it releases.
Featuring the incredibly talented ensemble voice cast of Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, Taron Egerton, Seth MacFarlane, John C. Reilly, and Tori Kelly, Sing is the perfect musical comedy for the whole family!
Check out the “Love at First Sight” mini-movie teaser for Sing:
Illumination and...
Featuring the incredibly talented ensemble voice cast of Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, Taron Egerton, Seth MacFarlane, John C. Reilly, and Tori Kelly, Sing is the perfect musical comedy for the whole family!
Check out the “Love at First Sight” mini-movie teaser for Sing:
Illumination and...
- 2/15/2017
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Brooklyn Beckham shared a super sweet daddy-daughter moment to Instagram over the weekend.
Captioning the black-and-white snap aptly with three emoji hearts, the 17-year-old aspiring photographer captured an adorable cuddle between his father, David Beckham, and 5-year-old sister Harper.
Watch: Victoria Beckham Opens Up About the Moment She Fell for David Beckham: 'Love at First Sight Does Exist'
The former soccer pro has previously revealed to Et that Harper, the youngest of his four children with wife Victoria Beckham, gets away with a lot more than her older brothers do.
"I have no power with that little girl -- no power whatsoever," he revealed at the time. "I love all my children, of course, equally but I'm definitely stricter with the boys than I am Harper, which gets me in trouble with my wife, of course."
The Beckhams are totally #familygoals, continuously sharing their adorable real life love for one another online, like last week...
Captioning the black-and-white snap aptly with three emoji hearts, the 17-year-old aspiring photographer captured an adorable cuddle between his father, David Beckham, and 5-year-old sister Harper.
Watch: Victoria Beckham Opens Up About the Moment She Fell for David Beckham: 'Love at First Sight Does Exist'
The former soccer pro has previously revealed to Et that Harper, the youngest of his four children with wife Victoria Beckham, gets away with a lot more than her older brothers do.
"I have no power with that little girl -- no power whatsoever," he revealed at the time. "I love all my children, of course, equally but I'm definitely stricter with the boys than I am Harper, which gets me in trouble with my wife, of course."
The Beckhams are totally #familygoals, continuously sharing their adorable real life love for one another online, like last week...
- 2/6/2017
- Entertainment Tonight
Nearly 18 years after tying the knot, David and Victoria Beckham are taking steps to keep their marriage strong.
In a rare interview over the weekend on a special 75th anniversary edition of BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, the retired soccer star opened up about life with former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham, admitting that the A-list couple recently renewed their wedding vows.
Related: Victoria Beckham on Carpark Dates With David Beckham, Fashion Flubs and Regrets About ‘Messing With’ Her Boobs
“We have renewed our vows since [our first wedding]. It was a lot more private, about six people there in our house,” David, 41, stated about the quiet affair.
Their renewal was a far cry from their lavish nuptials in 1999 where the couple wore matching purple outfits. “I even had a top hat in purple,” he noted. “What was I thinking? I looked like the guys out of Dumb and Dumber.”
The sportsman further elaborated on making his marriage to Victoria...
In a rare interview over the weekend on a special 75th anniversary edition of BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, the retired soccer star opened up about life with former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham, admitting that the A-list couple recently renewed their wedding vows.
Related: Victoria Beckham on Carpark Dates With David Beckham, Fashion Flubs and Regrets About ‘Messing With’ Her Boobs
“We have renewed our vows since [our first wedding]. It was a lot more private, about six people there in our house,” David, 41, stated about the quiet affair.
Their renewal was a far cry from their lavish nuptials in 1999 where the couple wore matching purple outfits. “I even had a top hat in purple,” he noted. “What was I thinking? I looked like the guys out of Dumb and Dumber.”
The sportsman further elaborated on making his marriage to Victoria...
- 1/29/2017
- Entertainment Tonight
What Is It: Juice Press Clean Eating Plan
Who Tried It: Jessica Fecteau, People Writer/Reporter
Level of Difficulty: 4 — Must. Love. Juice.
When I was offered to try the new Juice Press diet favored by models like Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid and Karlie Kloss, I jumped at the opportunity. Already obsessed with their Green Light smoothie, I figured if the rest of their products tasted as good as the drink I regularly buy for $11, then I was in for three days of deliciousness.
The Clean Eating Plan features three or five days of fresh, organic meals that can be picked...
Who Tried It: Jessica Fecteau, People Writer/Reporter
Level of Difficulty: 4 — Must. Love. Juice.
When I was offered to try the new Juice Press diet favored by models like Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid and Karlie Kloss, I jumped at the opportunity. Already obsessed with their Green Light smoothie, I figured if the rest of their products tasted as good as the drink I regularly buy for $11, then I was in for three days of deliciousness.
The Clean Eating Plan features three or five days of fresh, organic meals that can be picked...
- 1/5/2017
- by Jessica Fecteau
- PEOPLE.com
Princess Sofia, 32, may be on your radar because she's Prince Carl Philip of Sweden's wife, but how much do you really know about the Swedish-born royal? Sofia and Carl tied the knot in June 2015, and welcomed their first child, Prince Alexander, in April 2016, but did you know that she used to be a model, or that she starred in a reality TV show? Keep reading and get to know Sofia and her surprising past. Related:Princess Sofia's First Encounter With Prince Carl Philip Was "Love at First Sight"...
- 12/21/2016
- by Lauren Turner
- Popsugar.com
Meg Alexander and Brett Greenhill’s joint bachelor/bachelorette party ahead of their February nuptials was shaping up to be one of the best weekends of their lives.
On Friday, Dec. 2, the couple surrounded themselves with their closest friends and family in Naples, Florida, where Alexander’s mom lives.
“It was so much fun,” Alexander, 29, tells People. “Everyone had a blast.”
But the celebration took a tragic turn on Saturday when Greenhill, 39 — who was playing football with his friends on the beach — decided to go for a swim.
“Brett went into the water and all of a sudden my friend Kelsey says,...
On Friday, Dec. 2, the couple surrounded themselves with their closest friends and family in Naples, Florida, where Alexander’s mom lives.
“It was so much fun,” Alexander, 29, tells People. “Everyone had a blast.”
But the celebration took a tragic turn on Saturday when Greenhill, 39 — who was playing football with his friends on the beach — decided to go for a swim.
“Brett went into the water and all of a sudden my friend Kelsey says,...
- 12/12/2016
- by caitlinkeating89
- PEOPLE.com
For the last 62 years, Wolfman and Anita Gottschalk have been inseparable. But now, the Canadian couple can only see each other every other day since they've been forced to live in separate nursing homes. "They can't be apart. It's devastating," the couple's son, Bill Gottschalk, tells People. "They're so in love that they've got to be together all the time." Anita, 81, and Wolfman, 83, of Surrey, British Columbia, have lived in separate care facilities for nearly eight months after Wolfman was hospitalized for congestive heart failure and officials declared that he needed more care than Anita was physically capable of giving,...
- 8/26/2016
- by Char Adams, @CiCiAdams_
- PEOPLE.com
For the last 62 years, Wolfman and Anita Gottschalk have been inseparable. But now, the Canadian couple can only see each other every other day since they've been forced to live in separate nursing homes. "They can't be apart. It's devastating," the couple's son, Bill Gottschalk, tells People. "They're so in love that they've got to be together all the time." Anita, 81, and Wolfman, 83, of Surrey, British Columbia, have lived in separate care facilities for nearly eight months after Wolfman was hospitalized for congestive heart failure and officials declared that he needed more care than Anita was physically capable of giving,...
- 8/26/2016
- by Char Adams, @CiCiAdams_
- PEOPLE.com
In 2011, Faye Corman was rushing through a New Jersey train station after a visit to the Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia with her 3-year-old blind son, Jon Paul, when the boy suddenly stopped to stare at the platform's concrete floor. "Jon Paul, let's go! We need to hurry and get home," Faye recalls telling him while urging him to keep moving. Just when she was thinking that she might have to scoop him up in her arms, something incredible happened: Jon Paul reached down and picked up a shiny silver gum wrapper. And that's when Faye knew. The son that she and her husband,...
- 6/10/2016
- by Cathy Free, @cathyjfree
- PEOPLE.com
In 2011, Faye Corman was rushing through a New Jersey train station after a visit to the Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia with her 3-year-old blind son, Jon Paul, when the boy suddenly stopped to stare at the platform's concrete floor. "Jon Paul, let's go! We need to hurry and get home," Faye recalls telling him while urging him to keep moving. Just when she was thinking that she might have to scoop him up in her arms, something incredible happened: Jon Paul reached down and picked up a shiny silver gum wrapper. And that's when Faye knew. The son that she and her husband,...
- 6/10/2016
- by Cathy Free, @cathyjfree
- PEOPLE.com
If the prospect of a collaboration between Eric Prydz and deadmau5 doesn’t fill you with the glee of a child looking at presents under a Christmas tree, you probably just don’t really understand electronic music. It’s been the better part of a year since the two artists opened a dialogue about it on Twitter, and they’ve taken to social media once more to all but confirm that they’re finally following through.
Prydz and deadmau5 made an Instagram post and two Tweets regarding their meeting this weekend. Seeing as how they took three different opportunities to make sure their fans knew they were linking up, they definitely aren’t avoiding any buzz about working together.
Oh.
A photo posted by deadmau5 (@deadmau5) on May 14, 2016 at 11:14am Pdt
@deadmau5 see u in a bit. pic.twitter.com/pLkzLkBPmu
— Eric Prydz (@ericprydz) May 14, 2016
Love at first sight.
Prydz and deadmau5 made an Instagram post and two Tweets regarding their meeting this weekend. Seeing as how they took three different opportunities to make sure their fans knew they were linking up, they definitely aren’t avoiding any buzz about working together.
Oh.
A photo posted by deadmau5 (@deadmau5) on May 14, 2016 at 11:14am Pdt
@deadmau5 see u in a bit. pic.twitter.com/pLkzLkBPmu
— Eric Prydz (@ericprydz) May 14, 2016
Love at first sight.
- 5/16/2016
- by John Cameron
- We Got This Covered
Aashiqui 2, the movie that introduced Shraddha Kapoor in an all new avatar, turned three yesterday! This movie marked Shraddha’s evolution from the girl-next-door to the new era dream girl. Let’s reminisce those 5 moments of the Bollywood diva from Aashiqui 2 that still linger in our hearts.
1. Love at first sight: It was for the first time in that bar in Goa that we spotted Aarohi, the romantic icon for many. The grace with which Shraddha Kapoor portrayed Aarohi made us fall in love with her instantly.
2. The iconic Jacket Moment: The Jacket moment which has now become a Shraddha Signature was a first seen in Aashiqui 2. The typical monsoon romance under the umbrella was replaced with the magical romance under the jacket which has also been seen in movies like Ek Villain and Baaghi.
3. Words that evoke true romance: Leave it to Shraddha Kapoor to...
1. Love at first sight: It was for the first time in that bar in Goa that we spotted Aarohi, the romantic icon for many. The grace with which Shraddha Kapoor portrayed Aarohi made us fall in love with her instantly.
2. The iconic Jacket Moment: The Jacket moment which has now become a Shraddha Signature was a first seen in Aashiqui 2. The typical monsoon romance under the umbrella was replaced with the magical romance under the jacket which has also been seen in movies like Ek Villain and Baaghi.
3. Words that evoke true romance: Leave it to Shraddha Kapoor to...
- 4/29/2016
- by BollySpice Editors
- Bollyspice
Is baby bodybuilding in their future? Fit moms Chontel Duncan and Stacie Venagro both gave birth to healthy baby boys on Friday! Duncan, 27, delivered Jeremiah Thomas at 8:24 pm, weighing 7 lbs., 13 oz. "Healthy happy baby boy, absolutely nothing medically wrong with bubba, he is extremely alert and very strong shocking the staff here with his arms and neck strength," Duncan announced on Instagram. Introducing Little D Jeremiah Thomas Duncan Born: "good Friday" 8:24pm 25th March 2016 Weighing: 7'13 pounds (3.5kg) 53cm long 39weeks /2days Healthy happy baby boy, absolutely nothing medically wrong with bubba, he is extremely alert and very...
- 3/28/2016
- by Julie Mazziotta, @julietmazz
- PEOPLE.com
Is baby bodybuilding in their future? Fit moms Chontel Duncan and Stacie Venagro both gave birth to healthy baby boys on Friday! Duncan, 27, delivered Jeremiah Thomas at 8:24 pm, weighing 7 lbs., 13 oz. "Healthy happy baby boy, absolutely nothing medically wrong with bubba, he is extremely alert and very strong shocking the staff here with his arms and neck strength," Duncan announced on Instagram. Introducing Little D Jeremiah Thomas Duncan Born: "good Friday" 8:24pm 25th March 2016 Weighing: 7'13 pounds (3.5kg) 53cm long 39weeks /2days Healthy happy baby boy, absolutely nothing medically wrong with bubba, he is extremely alert and very...
- 3/28/2016
- by Julie Mazziotta, @julietmazz
- PEOPLE.com
What's in a name? A lot, actually—particularly if you're famous. Just ask Kylie Minogue, who is trying to legally stop Kylie Jenner from trademarking their shared first name. On Feb. 22, the 47-year-old "Love at First Sight" singer filed her own opposition to 18-year-old Jenner's application to claim ownership of the Kylie name in the United States. Per Minogue's notice of opposition (filed by Kbd, an Australian business representing the singer) she has been active in the entertainment industry since 1979 and known by her first name since her first album, Kylie, was released in 1988. The website "www.kylie.com" was registered to Minogue in 1996 and has been operational since...
- 2/29/2016
- E! Online
Love at first sight?
When Claire (Caitriona Balfe) first set foot in 18th-century Scotland on Outlander, she wasn't looking for a relationship.
Still, she almost immediately felt a connection with Jamie (Sam Heughan), as can be seen in the exclusive clip above from the Collector's Edition of Outlander: Season 1 – Volume 2.
"When Claire first meets Jamie, the initial bond of patient and nurse is something that she can relate to," says Balfe in the clip.
Adds showrunner Ronald D. Moore: "She's not here to have any kind of relationship with anybody, much less this young man. But nonetheless, there...
When Claire (Caitriona Balfe) first set foot in 18th-century Scotland on Outlander, she wasn't looking for a relationship.
Still, she almost immediately felt a connection with Jamie (Sam Heughan), as can be seen in the exclusive clip above from the Collector's Edition of Outlander: Season 1 – Volume 2.
"When Claire first meets Jamie, the initial bond of patient and nurse is something that she can relate to," says Balfe in the clip.
Adds showrunner Ronald D. Moore: "She's not here to have any kind of relationship with anybody, much less this young man. But nonetheless, there...
- 9/28/2015
- by Tara Fowler, @waterfowlerta
- People.com - TV Watch
Pyar karne wale kabhi darte nahin jo darte hain woh pyar karte nahin. 32 years ago Meenakshi Sheshadri had lip-synced Anand Bakshi’s famous words about boundless, unchained, unstoppable love.
Now it’s the striking debutant Athiya Shetty who mouths these words, though we don’t see her saying it. Just feeling it.
Which is really in the fitness of things. This 2015 adaptation of Subhash Ghai’s 1983 musical blockbuster captures the impish bustle and the unbridled impetuousness of first love from the original, and merges these into something slightly sinister and dark.
Because, folks this is 2015. Love at first sight is not a tenable target for a lifetime of togetherness. There are more practical considerations to be gone through before love conquers the pay cheque. Nikhil Advani’s remake of a film about a highly melodratic love is rendered into practical pastel pastiche of passion pain and rebellion.
Hero looks and feels posh.
Now it’s the striking debutant Athiya Shetty who mouths these words, though we don’t see her saying it. Just feeling it.
Which is really in the fitness of things. This 2015 adaptation of Subhash Ghai’s 1983 musical blockbuster captures the impish bustle and the unbridled impetuousness of first love from the original, and merges these into something slightly sinister and dark.
Because, folks this is 2015. Love at first sight is not a tenable target for a lifetime of togetherness. There are more practical considerations to be gone through before love conquers the pay cheque. Nikhil Advani’s remake of a film about a highly melodratic love is rendered into practical pastel pastiche of passion pain and rebellion.
Hero looks and feels posh.
- 9/12/2015
- by Subhash K Jha
- Bollyspice
My experience last November at Los Cabos International Film Festival was fabulous! Set up to promote film coproduction and financing among Mexico, U.S., and Canada, the festival allowed all of us to be very close and connected to our peers in the business – international sales agents, writers of all kinds, programmers and filmmakers. There we met the bright new talent, so idealistic and yet so knowledgeable and educated about film in the world. To be able to see films, concentrate on creating business and still have time to mingle -- this is what makes a festival a happy experience.
Among the many people I met there, was Ben Odell, partner at 3Pas Studios, the newly launched production company that he and Mexico’s most beloved and renowned comic star and director, Eugenio Derbez, founded on the strength and success of the $100 million dollar grossing comedy, "Instructions Not Included".
The success of this film also allowed the film’s producer Monica Lozano to establish Alebrije Distribución a new distribution company which will acquire distribution rights for the Latin and North American markets.
Monica has had her hand in 23 productions since her first film, "Amores Perros". Her most recent success was "Instructions Not Included", the Us$ 5.5 million film that became the highest grossing Spanish language film of all time in the U.S., and the second highest grossing film in any language in Mexico.
But to return to Ben and his new company, the subject of this blog: 3Pas in Spanish means three steps, but is also a play on words, something Mexicans like a lot. Tres Pas sounds like tripas, which in English means guts, or tripe. Personally, I too love tripas. Deliciosas!
I Finally met Ben at Los Cabos Film Festival. I say I "finally" met him, because we have so many friends in common and ever since I have been following Latino films and writing my book on Latin America and the film business, I had often heard of Ben as the head of production for Pantelion, U.S.'s only sustained and successful Latino film distributor.
Last September, when Strategic Partners’ Laura Mackenzie in Halifax invited me to moderate a panel on “The Games Maker”, an Argentinean-Canadian-Italian coproduction, Ben’s name was prominent as the one who made the match between Argentina’s Juan Pablo Buscarini and Canada’s Tina Pehme and Kim Roberts.
I always had him pictured as my other friend whose last name is Odell, a slight and wiry, dark haired type. How surprised I was to see this big, handsome blond who exuded warmth and a good-willed wit and storytelling skill. Love at first sight! And I am sure I am not the only one who is smitten with him.
I wish I could convey his spirit, humor and strength as he recounted his life and career(s) to me in the hour we spent together in his new spacious, airy and bright Santa Monica office where Ben Shalom-Martinez was the third person in the new company, manning a phone system not yet working.
I told Ben I had read his mini bio in IMDb, and it made me want to know how he had gotten into the Latino side of the business. I expected him to reveal that, in fact, and in spite of his name, he was Latino.
One year out of college, Ben said, "I worked in editing with the Maysles Brothers. I was a P.A. on the first film John Turturro directed called “Mac”, and I was a reader for Art Linson. And that was my degree in Liberal Arts in Film. I wanted to be a screenwriter but I didn’t feel I had enough life experience. A family friend offered me a job in commercial production in Colombia. It was 1992 and my dad said: “if you love all things Latino, go learn Spanish and become an expert in the Latino market. It’s going to need people that understand it. No one was really talking about its importance then but that piece of advice changed my life. I moved to Colombia to learn Spanish and start what would be a life long journey in all things Latino, from U.S. Latino to Latin America. It’s not a single market but there is a connectivity between all of it.”
Ben grew up in Pennsylvania and when he was six years old, neighbors, who had old friends from Colombia, did an exchange of one of their children with a Colombian child. “My father ended up basically adopting that child for the year he lived with our neighbors and from that grew a friendship with this Colombian family.”
When he was 12 years old the whole Colombian family moved to Philadelphia. “I wanted them to adopt me. They were crazy, emotional, passionate, loving. It was a warmth and lust for life I hadn’t really experienced in suburban white America. And then I realized there was a whole country full of them.” At 15 he went with a friend to Colombia and loved it.
His father eventually married someone from that family. So Ben's connection to Colombia, if not to all of Latin America was very organic. Colombia is not part of the "U.S. Latino market" per se, but Colombia and the rest of Latin America share certain characteristics and commonalities — views on life and death, family, spirituality -- that end up working their way into storytelling that are shared throughout the U.S. Latino market and Latin America along with a larger emotional scale in the tone of their storytelling.
Odell lived in Colombia from 1992 to 2000. He also worked as a freelance journalist before becoming a Spanish language television writer and screenwriter there.
When he was in Colombia working in commercials, he met Tom Quinn, a journalist Iiving there for 25 years, working for Time Magazine and running an English language rag called The Colombian Post. In his youth ,Tom had run with the likes of Hunter S. Thompson. He had lots of adventures and lots of stories of those days.
Ben asked Tom what was the most compelling story they could make into a movie that wasn’t about narcotrafficking, and Tom said one word: “Emeralds.” Colombia supplies 60% of the world's emeralds. The mines in the Emerald Zone have strong drug laundering connections as well, as one might guess. The land is leased by the government to the three or four mining companies and they control everything with no supervision by the government.
The society is totally feudal. Workers labor for the companies for 28 days of the month and on the last two days they are allowed to keep whatever they find. Victor Carranza ran everything. He was The Don, violent and scary. A small man, about 5'2". He died in prison worth over a billion dollars.
Ben thought this was a great story to develop into a movie, and so he went back to New York to the contacts he had made including an exec at Tribeca Films. “They all said the same thing, great story but you are not a writer. Go write the script and then we’ll talk.” Ben returned to Colombia to do research.
In the meanwhile he began writing for Colombian TV. He had never written a feature film script, nor did he speak Spanish. He had, however, taken a course in feature film screenwriting with Robert McKee. And he had a girlfriend who was bilingual. He knew about Colombian TV and he saw the potential for legitimizing the story first as a TV show and then making it into a feature later.
Tom Quinn was very well known in Colombia as he was the Time News correspondent there at a moment when the magazine had a lot of power; the drug wars were one of its most consistent cover stories. They pitched it to Rti TV, and structured it like "The Fugitive".
There is a drug, called Burandanga, scientifically known as Scopolamine. It comes from a plant that grows wild in Colombia. The drugged one loses control of his or her will. He once heard a story about a man in a bar who wakes up in jail accused of a murder he can’t remember. This became the basis of the story. The lead goes into the Emerald Zone and drugged by burundanga, he kills one on the wrong side in a war going on there. He wakes up with no recollection and a full on civil war going on around him. He can't get out of the Emerald Zone until he finds the man who drugged him. The title of this series that Tom and he pitched and in 1998 created was "Fuego verde", like the 1954 Hollywood movie, “ Green Fire” starring Grace Kelly and Stewart Grainger.
As a television writer, he eventually created and wrote over 300 hours of Spanish-language narrative television including “Fuego Verde” -- the first-ever action series. It was one of the highest rated series on Colombian television. He also co-wrote the Colombian political satire feature film, “ Golpe de estadio”, which was nominated for Spain's Academy Award, the Goya in 1999, and was Colombia's nomination to the Oscar in 2000. It is still one of the highest grossing Colombian films of all time.
In the film, "Golpe de estadio", (Golpe de Estado means “Coup d'état”but it also could mean “Coup d’ Stadium”), an oil company has set up a camp for geological research in a small village in Colombia that has been named New Texas. It becomes the target of the guerrillas who are constantly clashing with police in the area. The confrontation is put on hold however during the TV transmission of the world Cup qualifiers. The two sides declare a sort of truce so that they can all watch the match between Colombia and Argentina on the only working TV in the town. Colombia wins the game, 5 to 0, (a victory, in real life, infamous in the annals of world cup) and of course the Colombian police and guerrilla find themselves cheering for the same team.
"Golpe" was released in theaters in 1999 while the drug wars and war between the guerrillas and the government were moving into peace talks. It came out during the war, and Ben naively believed it could make tangible impact on the country. Instead they received death threats. It was a very volatile time.
He left Colombia and put together a business plan to make movies for Latino audiences. He was too green and he was way ahead of his time so instead he went to film school at Columbia University.
He went to film school thinking it was only to network and realized he knew nothing about film writing or production. "Going to film school's more valuable if a student already has some experience," Ben says.
"Confess", a feature length film he produced in his second year of film school (2005) was one of his thesis projects. It was made for a couple of hundred thousand dollars. Ali Larter and Melissa Leo starred in it (way before she won the Oscar for Best Supporting Role in “The Fighter”). The movie was about a disgruntled computer hacker of mixed race, who struggles to adjust to life after a jaunt in prison. He takes his anger online forcing confessions out of those who slighted him. Eventually his focus becomes political. “It had all the trappings of a first time filmmaker. But conceptually it was scratching the surface of trends that wouldn’t appear online until years later. This was several years before YouTube took hold, which is a lifetime in human years.”
"For my second film, we had Scorsese as an executive producer. When we started preproduction we quickly discovered that one of our two investors really didn’t have the money. He signed a contract to invest while he was still trying to raise the funds“
At this point in our discussion Ben and I went off on a tangent...Money that falls out at the last minute is such a common story. Do these guys think the money will come just because they have "bet" on it, using the film as collateral?... Do they just want to go for the ride, as far as they can go?... are they sociopaths, liars, gamblers, on drugs or what? I remember when I worked at Ifa (until it became ICM); at the Motion Picture Division's meetings that Mike Medavoy held every week, agents would sometimes report on someone wanting to invest in film, and once Mike said "No. Not him. He has a very bad reputation, and his money is not good. We don't want that kind of money." But young producers know very little about vetting financial prospects.
This digression is only to illustrate the fact that that in this person-to-person business it is important to know who you are dealing with.
But Odell’s luck was going to change. Just a few weeks after the implosion of the film, he got an email from Jim McNamara. NBC had bought McNamara's Telemundo for Us$ 3 billion . McNamara had been CEO of New World, a position once held by Harry Sloan and Jon Feltheimer. Feltheimer went off to Sony TV which had a majority stake in Telemundo. McNamara, who had just been president of Universal TV worldwide, was brought in to run Telemundo
After leaving Telemundo, he went back to Feltheimer, in the early days of building Lionsgate, to discuss his new idea. At the time -- this was 2006 -- there were two Spanish language networks, 600 Spanish language radio stations, 2,000 Spanish language newspapers, and no one was making movies in Spanish. Felt liked it and they made a deal. Panamax was born.
McNamara knew of Odell when he was buying TV series for Telemundo. He bought a lot of the TV shows Odell had written.
Panamax’ made a six picture deal with Lionsgate. Odell became President of Production at Panamax Films and produced many feature films and TV movies both in Spanish and in English for the Hispanic market.
On one of their first scouting trips, Odell and McNamara went to see a play called “Latinologues” written by Rick Najera. In it, there was a Mexican actor named Eugenio Derbez. Derbez was known only for Spanish language TV at the time. He wrote, directed, produced and starred in his own shows for Televisa. These shows also played on Univision in the U.S. and were building a huge fan base in both countries as well as much of the Spanish-speaking world.
Latinologues was made up of multiple monologues from different actors playing roles as Latino archetypes. Derbez did three or four different characters. “When he came on stage,” recalls Odell, “He was electrifying, hilarious, magnetic. And then I met him afterwards. He was the humblest man, quiet, and a bit shy. I realized what an amazing talent he was, he had that ‘it factor’ – when he turned it on, it turned on the room.”
At the time Odell and McNamara were packaging a project called "Under the Same Moon" and suggested Derbez for a role. They flew the director, Patricia Riggen, to N.Y. to meet him. While Lionsgate ended up not financing the project, Derbez stayed in the picture. “Looking back, I think a significant part of why that movie did $20 million in box office between U.S. and Mexico, was Eugenio. He was already a mega star. No one really knew it in the general market because they weren’t paying attention to the success of his shows. Hollywood tends to ignore the Spanish speaking market, but the U.S. is the second biggest Spanish speaking country in the world and Eugenio has built a huge following there.”
Ben also made the art house Spanish language thriller, "Padre Nuestro" in 2007 which won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. IFC changed the title to “Sangre de mi Sangre” for its U.S. release. It also played at New Directors/ New Films at Museum of Modern Art in New York in the Spring of 2007, received two Independent Spirit Awards nominations, for Best First Feature (for which Odell was nominated) and Best Screenplay. Odell also produced “Un Cuento Chino” aka “Chinese Take-Out” (a Spanish/ Argentinean co-production), starring Argentina’s most popular actor, Ricardo Darin (“El Secreto de los Ojos”), written and directed by Sebastián Borensztein. In Spanish, referring to a story as a cuento chino is equivalent to calling it a tall tale.
“Chino” was the top grossing Argentinean film of 2011 and one of the highest grossing Argentinean films of all times. In its international release it has broken box office records for Latin American films in both Latin America and Europe. It won the Argentinean Academy Award for best feature and the Goya, the Spanish Academy Award, for Best Latin American Film. It won numerous festivals including the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at the Rome Film Festival.
When Odell was developing the script with Borensztein in 2009, he sent the script to Derbez, who immediately expressed interested in remaking it. “I loved the original story and movie,” Derbez said. “There is a heartfelt relationship that develops between these two very different people set around a whimsical, comical and magical world.”
Odell was also an executive producer on the English language 3D family thriller, “ The Games Maker”, starring Joseph Fiennes and Ed Asner. Made as a coproduction with Disney Latin America, the movie was produced in Argentina by Pampa Films and directed by Juan Pablo Buscarini, one of the producers of “Un Cuento Chino”. It was released widely across Latin America in the summer of 2014 and continues its theatrical release around the world.
Several years into Panamax’s deal with Lionsgate, a joint venture was created between Panamax, Televisa and Lionsgate called Pantelion Films. McNamara became chairman of Pantelion and Ben became President of Production.
Under the new deal he produced the 2012 coming of age comedy “Girl in Progress”, directed by “Under the Same Moon” director Patricia Riggen and staring Eva Mendes, Eugenio Derbez, Mathew Modine and Patricia Arquette
His most recent film was the inspirational true story, “Spare Parts”, starring George Lopez, Jamie Lee Curtis and Marisa Tomei which was released in January 2015.
While Eugenio was making his breakout film "Instructions not Included” neither he nor Ben had any idea it would be so big. “Instructions Not Included,” was released in 2013 by Pantelion and grossed $44.5 million, making it the highest-grossing Spanish-language film ever released in the U.S. It grossed another $55 million overseas making it the number one Spanish language movie in the world.
The two realized, this was The One Time In A Career To Capitalize, and they decided to go together, to focus on brand-building, based on Eugenio's popularity and to go beyond his own work, in English and Spanish. Together they formed 3pas Studios which signed a first-look deal with Pantelion in August 2014.
They are in development on many feature films including “Un Cuento Chino”, a remake of the French comedy, “The Valet” and an untitled original script about an aging Latin lover from writers Chris Spain and Jon Zack (“The Perfect Storm”) which Derbez will star in and produce with Ben.
“We are developing multiple projects with an eye to shooting one at the end of 2015,” Odell said.
Meantime, Eugenio Derbez just filmed roles in Warner Brothers’ “Geostorm” with Gerard Butler and Sony Pictures “ Miracles from Heaven” with Jennifer Garner, and Queen Latifah. The latter was directed by Patricia Riggen who directed Derbez in both “Under the Same Moon” and “Girl in Progress”.
Ben is sure that his producing partner will go way beyond his current core Latino market “He is so lovable to watch. He has a magic about him that is undeniable and transcends language and culture.”...
Among the many people I met there, was Ben Odell, partner at 3Pas Studios, the newly launched production company that he and Mexico’s most beloved and renowned comic star and director, Eugenio Derbez, founded on the strength and success of the $100 million dollar grossing comedy, "Instructions Not Included".
The success of this film also allowed the film’s producer Monica Lozano to establish Alebrije Distribución a new distribution company which will acquire distribution rights for the Latin and North American markets.
Monica has had her hand in 23 productions since her first film, "Amores Perros". Her most recent success was "Instructions Not Included", the Us$ 5.5 million film that became the highest grossing Spanish language film of all time in the U.S., and the second highest grossing film in any language in Mexico.
But to return to Ben and his new company, the subject of this blog: 3Pas in Spanish means three steps, but is also a play on words, something Mexicans like a lot. Tres Pas sounds like tripas, which in English means guts, or tripe. Personally, I too love tripas. Deliciosas!
I Finally met Ben at Los Cabos Film Festival. I say I "finally" met him, because we have so many friends in common and ever since I have been following Latino films and writing my book on Latin America and the film business, I had often heard of Ben as the head of production for Pantelion, U.S.'s only sustained and successful Latino film distributor.
Last September, when Strategic Partners’ Laura Mackenzie in Halifax invited me to moderate a panel on “The Games Maker”, an Argentinean-Canadian-Italian coproduction, Ben’s name was prominent as the one who made the match between Argentina’s Juan Pablo Buscarini and Canada’s Tina Pehme and Kim Roberts.
I always had him pictured as my other friend whose last name is Odell, a slight and wiry, dark haired type. How surprised I was to see this big, handsome blond who exuded warmth and a good-willed wit and storytelling skill. Love at first sight! And I am sure I am not the only one who is smitten with him.
I wish I could convey his spirit, humor and strength as he recounted his life and career(s) to me in the hour we spent together in his new spacious, airy and bright Santa Monica office where Ben Shalom-Martinez was the third person in the new company, manning a phone system not yet working.
I told Ben I had read his mini bio in IMDb, and it made me want to know how he had gotten into the Latino side of the business. I expected him to reveal that, in fact, and in spite of his name, he was Latino.
One year out of college, Ben said, "I worked in editing with the Maysles Brothers. I was a P.A. on the first film John Turturro directed called “Mac”, and I was a reader for Art Linson. And that was my degree in Liberal Arts in Film. I wanted to be a screenwriter but I didn’t feel I had enough life experience. A family friend offered me a job in commercial production in Colombia. It was 1992 and my dad said: “if you love all things Latino, go learn Spanish and become an expert in the Latino market. It’s going to need people that understand it. No one was really talking about its importance then but that piece of advice changed my life. I moved to Colombia to learn Spanish and start what would be a life long journey in all things Latino, from U.S. Latino to Latin America. It’s not a single market but there is a connectivity between all of it.”
Ben grew up in Pennsylvania and when he was six years old, neighbors, who had old friends from Colombia, did an exchange of one of their children with a Colombian child. “My father ended up basically adopting that child for the year he lived with our neighbors and from that grew a friendship with this Colombian family.”
When he was 12 years old the whole Colombian family moved to Philadelphia. “I wanted them to adopt me. They were crazy, emotional, passionate, loving. It was a warmth and lust for life I hadn’t really experienced in suburban white America. And then I realized there was a whole country full of them.” At 15 he went with a friend to Colombia and loved it.
His father eventually married someone from that family. So Ben's connection to Colombia, if not to all of Latin America was very organic. Colombia is not part of the "U.S. Latino market" per se, but Colombia and the rest of Latin America share certain characteristics and commonalities — views on life and death, family, spirituality -- that end up working their way into storytelling that are shared throughout the U.S. Latino market and Latin America along with a larger emotional scale in the tone of their storytelling.
Odell lived in Colombia from 1992 to 2000. He also worked as a freelance journalist before becoming a Spanish language television writer and screenwriter there.
When he was in Colombia working in commercials, he met Tom Quinn, a journalist Iiving there for 25 years, working for Time Magazine and running an English language rag called The Colombian Post. In his youth ,Tom had run with the likes of Hunter S. Thompson. He had lots of adventures and lots of stories of those days.
Ben asked Tom what was the most compelling story they could make into a movie that wasn’t about narcotrafficking, and Tom said one word: “Emeralds.” Colombia supplies 60% of the world's emeralds. The mines in the Emerald Zone have strong drug laundering connections as well, as one might guess. The land is leased by the government to the three or four mining companies and they control everything with no supervision by the government.
The society is totally feudal. Workers labor for the companies for 28 days of the month and on the last two days they are allowed to keep whatever they find. Victor Carranza ran everything. He was The Don, violent and scary. A small man, about 5'2". He died in prison worth over a billion dollars.
Ben thought this was a great story to develop into a movie, and so he went back to New York to the contacts he had made including an exec at Tribeca Films. “They all said the same thing, great story but you are not a writer. Go write the script and then we’ll talk.” Ben returned to Colombia to do research.
In the meanwhile he began writing for Colombian TV. He had never written a feature film script, nor did he speak Spanish. He had, however, taken a course in feature film screenwriting with Robert McKee. And he had a girlfriend who was bilingual. He knew about Colombian TV and he saw the potential for legitimizing the story first as a TV show and then making it into a feature later.
Tom Quinn was very well known in Colombia as he was the Time News correspondent there at a moment when the magazine had a lot of power; the drug wars were one of its most consistent cover stories. They pitched it to Rti TV, and structured it like "The Fugitive".
There is a drug, called Burandanga, scientifically known as Scopolamine. It comes from a plant that grows wild in Colombia. The drugged one loses control of his or her will. He once heard a story about a man in a bar who wakes up in jail accused of a murder he can’t remember. This became the basis of the story. The lead goes into the Emerald Zone and drugged by burundanga, he kills one on the wrong side in a war going on there. He wakes up with no recollection and a full on civil war going on around him. He can't get out of the Emerald Zone until he finds the man who drugged him. The title of this series that Tom and he pitched and in 1998 created was "Fuego verde", like the 1954 Hollywood movie, “ Green Fire” starring Grace Kelly and Stewart Grainger.
As a television writer, he eventually created and wrote over 300 hours of Spanish-language narrative television including “Fuego Verde” -- the first-ever action series. It was one of the highest rated series on Colombian television. He also co-wrote the Colombian political satire feature film, “ Golpe de estadio”, which was nominated for Spain's Academy Award, the Goya in 1999, and was Colombia's nomination to the Oscar in 2000. It is still one of the highest grossing Colombian films of all time.
In the film, "Golpe de estadio", (Golpe de Estado means “Coup d'état”but it also could mean “Coup d’ Stadium”), an oil company has set up a camp for geological research in a small village in Colombia that has been named New Texas. It becomes the target of the guerrillas who are constantly clashing with police in the area. The confrontation is put on hold however during the TV transmission of the world Cup qualifiers. The two sides declare a sort of truce so that they can all watch the match between Colombia and Argentina on the only working TV in the town. Colombia wins the game, 5 to 0, (a victory, in real life, infamous in the annals of world cup) and of course the Colombian police and guerrilla find themselves cheering for the same team.
"Golpe" was released in theaters in 1999 while the drug wars and war between the guerrillas and the government were moving into peace talks. It came out during the war, and Ben naively believed it could make tangible impact on the country. Instead they received death threats. It was a very volatile time.
He left Colombia and put together a business plan to make movies for Latino audiences. He was too green and he was way ahead of his time so instead he went to film school at Columbia University.
He went to film school thinking it was only to network and realized he knew nothing about film writing or production. "Going to film school's more valuable if a student already has some experience," Ben says.
"Confess", a feature length film he produced in his second year of film school (2005) was one of his thesis projects. It was made for a couple of hundred thousand dollars. Ali Larter and Melissa Leo starred in it (way before she won the Oscar for Best Supporting Role in “The Fighter”). The movie was about a disgruntled computer hacker of mixed race, who struggles to adjust to life after a jaunt in prison. He takes his anger online forcing confessions out of those who slighted him. Eventually his focus becomes political. “It had all the trappings of a first time filmmaker. But conceptually it was scratching the surface of trends that wouldn’t appear online until years later. This was several years before YouTube took hold, which is a lifetime in human years.”
"For my second film, we had Scorsese as an executive producer. When we started preproduction we quickly discovered that one of our two investors really didn’t have the money. He signed a contract to invest while he was still trying to raise the funds“
At this point in our discussion Ben and I went off on a tangent...Money that falls out at the last minute is such a common story. Do these guys think the money will come just because they have "bet" on it, using the film as collateral?... Do they just want to go for the ride, as far as they can go?... are they sociopaths, liars, gamblers, on drugs or what? I remember when I worked at Ifa (until it became ICM); at the Motion Picture Division's meetings that Mike Medavoy held every week, agents would sometimes report on someone wanting to invest in film, and once Mike said "No. Not him. He has a very bad reputation, and his money is not good. We don't want that kind of money." But young producers know very little about vetting financial prospects.
This digression is only to illustrate the fact that that in this person-to-person business it is important to know who you are dealing with.
But Odell’s luck was going to change. Just a few weeks after the implosion of the film, he got an email from Jim McNamara. NBC had bought McNamara's Telemundo for Us$ 3 billion . McNamara had been CEO of New World, a position once held by Harry Sloan and Jon Feltheimer. Feltheimer went off to Sony TV which had a majority stake in Telemundo. McNamara, who had just been president of Universal TV worldwide, was brought in to run Telemundo
After leaving Telemundo, he went back to Feltheimer, in the early days of building Lionsgate, to discuss his new idea. At the time -- this was 2006 -- there were two Spanish language networks, 600 Spanish language radio stations, 2,000 Spanish language newspapers, and no one was making movies in Spanish. Felt liked it and they made a deal. Panamax was born.
McNamara knew of Odell when he was buying TV series for Telemundo. He bought a lot of the TV shows Odell had written.
Panamax’ made a six picture deal with Lionsgate. Odell became President of Production at Panamax Films and produced many feature films and TV movies both in Spanish and in English for the Hispanic market.
On one of their first scouting trips, Odell and McNamara went to see a play called “Latinologues” written by Rick Najera. In it, there was a Mexican actor named Eugenio Derbez. Derbez was known only for Spanish language TV at the time. He wrote, directed, produced and starred in his own shows for Televisa. These shows also played on Univision in the U.S. and were building a huge fan base in both countries as well as much of the Spanish-speaking world.
Latinologues was made up of multiple monologues from different actors playing roles as Latino archetypes. Derbez did three or four different characters. “When he came on stage,” recalls Odell, “He was electrifying, hilarious, magnetic. And then I met him afterwards. He was the humblest man, quiet, and a bit shy. I realized what an amazing talent he was, he had that ‘it factor’ – when he turned it on, it turned on the room.”
At the time Odell and McNamara were packaging a project called "Under the Same Moon" and suggested Derbez for a role. They flew the director, Patricia Riggen, to N.Y. to meet him. While Lionsgate ended up not financing the project, Derbez stayed in the picture. “Looking back, I think a significant part of why that movie did $20 million in box office between U.S. and Mexico, was Eugenio. He was already a mega star. No one really knew it in the general market because they weren’t paying attention to the success of his shows. Hollywood tends to ignore the Spanish speaking market, but the U.S. is the second biggest Spanish speaking country in the world and Eugenio has built a huge following there.”
Ben also made the art house Spanish language thriller, "Padre Nuestro" in 2007 which won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. IFC changed the title to “Sangre de mi Sangre” for its U.S. release. It also played at New Directors/ New Films at Museum of Modern Art in New York in the Spring of 2007, received two Independent Spirit Awards nominations, for Best First Feature (for which Odell was nominated) and Best Screenplay. Odell also produced “Un Cuento Chino” aka “Chinese Take-Out” (a Spanish/ Argentinean co-production), starring Argentina’s most popular actor, Ricardo Darin (“El Secreto de los Ojos”), written and directed by Sebastián Borensztein. In Spanish, referring to a story as a cuento chino is equivalent to calling it a tall tale.
“Chino” was the top grossing Argentinean film of 2011 and one of the highest grossing Argentinean films of all times. In its international release it has broken box office records for Latin American films in both Latin America and Europe. It won the Argentinean Academy Award for best feature and the Goya, the Spanish Academy Award, for Best Latin American Film. It won numerous festivals including the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at the Rome Film Festival.
When Odell was developing the script with Borensztein in 2009, he sent the script to Derbez, who immediately expressed interested in remaking it. “I loved the original story and movie,” Derbez said. “There is a heartfelt relationship that develops between these two very different people set around a whimsical, comical and magical world.”
Odell was also an executive producer on the English language 3D family thriller, “ The Games Maker”, starring Joseph Fiennes and Ed Asner. Made as a coproduction with Disney Latin America, the movie was produced in Argentina by Pampa Films and directed by Juan Pablo Buscarini, one of the producers of “Un Cuento Chino”. It was released widely across Latin America in the summer of 2014 and continues its theatrical release around the world.
Several years into Panamax’s deal with Lionsgate, a joint venture was created between Panamax, Televisa and Lionsgate called Pantelion Films. McNamara became chairman of Pantelion and Ben became President of Production.
Under the new deal he produced the 2012 coming of age comedy “Girl in Progress”, directed by “Under the Same Moon” director Patricia Riggen and staring Eva Mendes, Eugenio Derbez, Mathew Modine and Patricia Arquette
His most recent film was the inspirational true story, “Spare Parts”, starring George Lopez, Jamie Lee Curtis and Marisa Tomei which was released in January 2015.
While Eugenio was making his breakout film "Instructions not Included” neither he nor Ben had any idea it would be so big. “Instructions Not Included,” was released in 2013 by Pantelion and grossed $44.5 million, making it the highest-grossing Spanish-language film ever released in the U.S. It grossed another $55 million overseas making it the number one Spanish language movie in the world.
The two realized, this was The One Time In A Career To Capitalize, and they decided to go together, to focus on brand-building, based on Eugenio's popularity and to go beyond his own work, in English and Spanish. Together they formed 3pas Studios which signed a first-look deal with Pantelion in August 2014.
They are in development on many feature films including “Un Cuento Chino”, a remake of the French comedy, “The Valet” and an untitled original script about an aging Latin lover from writers Chris Spain and Jon Zack (“The Perfect Storm”) which Derbez will star in and produce with Ben.
“We are developing multiple projects with an eye to shooting one at the end of 2015,” Odell said.
Meantime, Eugenio Derbez just filmed roles in Warner Brothers’ “Geostorm” with Gerard Butler and Sony Pictures “ Miracles from Heaven” with Jennifer Garner, and Queen Latifah. The latter was directed by Patricia Riggen who directed Derbez in both “Under the Same Moon” and “Girl in Progress”.
Ben is sure that his producing partner will go way beyond his current core Latino market “He is so lovable to watch. He has a magic about him that is undeniable and transcends language and culture.”...
- 8/5/2015
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Talk about brotherly love. Jaime King may have welcomed her second child with husband Kyle Newman two weeks ago. But the Hart of Dixie star hasn't shared a photo of her two children together...until now! In a candid shot posted onto Instagram Monday evening, King documented a special moment when James Knight was hanging out with his younger brother Leo Thames. From our accounts, they totally hit it off. "True ♥ #LeoThames and #JamesKnight Love at first sight," she captioned the photo. "#cantdenythatGeminirisingJamesKnight." Another special someone who has met Leo is his godmother Taylor Swift. Exactly one week ago today, the "Shake It Off" crooner had the...
- 8/4/2015
- E! Online
best buddies already. yall my heart is going to explode. A photo posted by Emily Maynard Johnson (@emilygmaynard) on Jul 23, 2015 at 8:38am Pdt Love at first sight! The Bachelorette alum Emily Maynard shared a precious photo of her two children — baby boy Jennings Tyler Johnson and daughter Ricki, 10 — on Instagram on Thursday, July 23. “Best buddies already,” the proud mom captioned the shot. “Y’all my heart is going to explode.” In the photo, Jennings (whom the family affectionately call Jt) and older sister Ricki are [...]...
- 7/25/2015
- Us Weekly
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