đ This Week in Spain: Oscars Got Spain Drama
Also: the Benidorm Fest winner, Jenni Hermoso takes the stand and Ayuso claims SĂĄnchez wants to kill her (politically, that is).
By @IanMount and @AdrianBono | February 6, 2025 | Madrid | Issue #88
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đ„ This Week in a Nutshell: Isnât it nice to focus on pop culture instead of politics for a change? The news surrounding controversial Academy Award nominee Karla SofĂa GascĂłn has been sucking most of the air this week. Is PM SĂĄnchez still dealing with multiple headaches? Yes. But those tweets from GascĂłn, amirite? Now thatâs the kind of salseo we like.
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The internet never forgets
đ» Spainâs Oscar-Nominated Actress Karla SofĂa GascĂłn Said Some Not Nice Things
Spanish actress Karla SofĂa GascĂłn made history last year with her critically acclaimed performance in the genre-bending musical drama Emilia PĂ©rez. While the movie itself is surrounded by controversy (some people donât seem to like a song about a vaginoplasty or a supporting actressesâ Spanish pronunciation), at least the critics love it.
Whatâs it about? The plot revolves around a Mexican cartel boss who undergoes gender transition surgery while on the run and decides to seek redemption by campaigning for the missing victims of the drug war. Itâs a story we can all identify with, we guess. (GascĂłn, who is trans, plays the cartel boss.)
The film also stars Zoe Saldaña and Selena GĂłmez, and is directed by French director Jacques Audiard, who is dealing with his own controversies for a few inconvenient statements (some of them taken out of context on TikTok), but thatâs a whole different can of worms and weâre staying away from it.
Emilia Pérez received an impressive 13 Oscar nominations, making it the most nominated film this year. They include Best Movie, Best Director, Best Actress (Gascón) and Best Supporting Actress (Saldaña). This is a big deal, as Gascón is the first trans actress to be nominated in this category.
So why the drama? Things were going great until a few weeks ago when a journalist discovered a series of, ahem, âproblematicâ tweets made by GascĂłn between 2019 and 2021, in which she made racist comments about George Floyd (whose death supercharged the Black Lives Matter movement), made Islamophobic statements and criticized the Oscars for having too much diversity.
Short version. She called Floyd âa drug addict swindlerâ, criticized the use of the burka (and complained about "seeing more Muslims in Spainâ).
So many colors! She also said the Academy Awards were looking like âa ceremony for independent and protest films,â and she didnât know if she was âwatching an Afro-Korean festival, a Black Lives Matter demonstration or the 8Mâ. Yikes.
This one real? On top of that, another tweet surfaced in which she referred to her costar Selena GĂłmez as a ârich ratââbut she says thatâs âcompletely fabricatedâ.
Damage control. The backlash was immediate and GascĂłn now finds herself at the center of a global debate about identity politics and cancel culture.
âDeeply sorry.â GascĂłn issued a statement last Thursday via Netflix (where her film can be streamed), saying that she was âdeeply sorry to those she had caused painâ. A day later, she apologized and announced she was deactivating her Twitter/X account as âshe could no longer allow this campaign of hate and misinformation to affect either her family or her anymoreâ. (But is it misinformation if she said it?)
My Oscar! She appeared in an emotional interview on Sunday with CNN En Español, in which she said she was not a racist and would not give up her nomination because she had ânot committed any crime.â
Too late, maybe? But the damage was already done (apparently Netflix forgot to check her Twitter history). In the last few days, many of those involved in the movie have slowly but decidedly distanced themselves from GascĂłn, leaving her increasingly isolated.
Karla who? The Hollywood Reporter announced that Netflix was removing her from all Emilia PĂ©rez promotional material and would no longer support her participation in awards campaign events (as in they wonât pay for her travel or hotel for upcoming ceremonies).
Even the director? Yup. The director also dropped her by saying she was âin a self-destructive approach that he couldnât interfere inâ and didnât want to talk to her.
And what about Spain? People in Spainâs entertainment industry havenât exactly come out en masse to defend her. Quite the contrary. Especially since here she also appeared to diss Prime Minister Pedro SĂĄnchez and former Equality Minister Irene Montero.
Ouch! Local TV writer and actor Bob Pop, who is gay, said âright now, GascĂłn is a Vox ladyâ, adding that âitâs as if she had asked artificial intelligence to give her the worst possible apology.â
Pols weigh in because they do. Second Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda DĂaz said that she felt âextraordinarily happyâ after hearing about Gasconâs nomination, but her opinion changed after learning about the tweets, which made her âdeeply upsetâ đ. Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun added that her tweets âdo not represent Spanish societyâ.
And in the far corner⊠There were (a few) others who said that despite the controversy, she still deserved a chance at the Oscars.
In Karlaâs corner (sorta). Writer Sergio del Molino wrote in El PaĂs that she still deserves to win because it had nothing to do with her performance. Journalist Manuel Jabois said on Cadena SER that, even though her tweets are cruel and racist, âanyone who doesnât feel a bit of pity (for her) has a problemâ.
More news below. đđ
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đŹ Five things to discuss at dinner parties this week
1. đ§ââïž Judge steals show in Rubiales Kiss Trial
The Kiss Heard Around the World. Remember it? Weâre talking about the massive on-mouth beso that Luis Rubiales, the (now former) president of Spainâs soccer federation, planted on national team player Jenni Hermoso at the awards ceremony at the 2023 Womenâs World Cup in Australia, just after Spain won the tournament. Which ended up overshadowing the victory and getting Rubiales fired and then charged with sexual assault and trying to coerce Hermoso â with help from three other men â to declare that the kiss was consensual. Considering heâs now facing an up to 2Âœ year sentence, what a not-great idea that kiss turned out to be, right?
This week Rubialesâs trial opened in Madrid, and itâs been the dumpster fire youâd expect. Hermoso testified that the kiss was not consensual, that âThe next thing [Rubiales] did was to grab me by the ears and kiss me on the mouth,â and that, âIt was a moment that tainted one of the happiest days of my life.â
Lovely all around. Oh, and Hermosoâs brother Rafael testified that (now former) team coach Jorge Vilda, who is also on trial, told him (prepare the mafia vibe) that âwe should take into account both the personal and professional consequences that my sister could suffer.â Not a threat at all!
Such a downer! In moments like these, that put the ugh in ugly, we look for some amusing supporting characters. And thank Baby Jesus we got one in this case: Judge JosĂ© Manuel FernĂĄndez-Prieto has a career on TV once this is done (check the video above if you donât believe us).
Big on the justice comedy ciscuit! According to his peers, FernĂĄndez-Prieto has a great sense of humor and is used to being in front of the cameras. You may remember him for imposing a âŹ720 fine on a Twitter user who called King Philip VI a âson of a bitch,â for an offense outlined and punishable under Article 491.1.
Order! But in this trial, he seems exasperated by pretty much everyone. âEnough of this! Donât be cocky!â he screams. âYouâre hear to talk about what they ask you! You donât choose what to talk about! Youâre here as a witness to answer what they ask you!â he yells. âMy patience is getting to its limit!â Watch it.
2. đĄ Ayuso: SĂĄnchez wants to kill me (donât worryâjust politically)
Madrid regional governor Isabel DĂaz Ayuso has a barbed tongue and knows how to make exciting TV, especially when sheâs angry. And boy, was she angry Monday. Thatâs when she took the opportunity of an appearance on the premiere of right-leaning TV personality Ana Rosa Quintanaâs return to the mornings on Telecincoâwith El programa de Ana Rosaâto unleash an epic screed against her biggest political enemy: PM Pedro SĂĄnchez.
Seriously, when we say âepicâ, we mean it. Let us count the ways!
Dudeâs spying on me. Ayuso said her Whatsapp conversations with SĂĄnchez had disappeared and suggested that his government had used some nefarious software to break into her phone.
And not only hers. She also suggested that phones and computers holding incriminating evidence in investigations into SĂĄnchez allies, like Attorney General Ălvaro GarcĂa Ortiz and First Lady Begoña GĂłmez, had been wiped or stolen: âThings are stolen, evidence is lost. What might they be using from Moncloa to erase evidence? I don't know if they have tapped my cell phone.â
Heâs killing Madrid! Ayuso went on to accuse SĂĄnchez of trying to harm her by taking actions to âdestroyâ Madridâs economy, for example by ending Golden Visas or cutting power and water to data centers (âïž).
And he wants to kill me! "If any citizen puts themselves in my place, they will understand what it means for the president of the Government to openly say that he is going to kill you, that he wants to finish you off. He wants to destroy me."
Insert record scratch sound here. Ayuso, like, said the prime minister wants to kill her? Like, seriously? Well, it turns out the answer to that is no, not reallyâshe meant âpoliticallyâ, one of Ayusoâs team later clarifiedâbut, still, a bit cray-cray.
Context alert! Ayuso does like to insinuate and exaggerate, this much is true. But she had a reason to feel slightly raw: SĂĄnchez and his regional Madrid socialists held a rally this weekend in Madrid to coronate their new leader, Ăscar LĂłpez (whoâs also SĂĄnchezâs Minister for Digital Transformation). And who was the big target of the entire congress? You got it: Isabel DĂaz Ayuso.
That video. Specifically, the PSOE event played a two-minute video that mixed images of Ayuso with Argentine President Milei, Brazilian ex-President Bolsonaro (and his rioting supporters); the Jan. 6 capital riot; Hungarian boss OrbĂĄn, Italyâs Meloni; Elon Musk doing his not-a-nazi-salute; and neo-nazisâLOTS of neo-nazis. Did we mention neo-nazis?
Get it? Ayuso is a dangerous neo-nazi homophobe who wants to hold a coup and end democracy. Now, we have our disagreements with some Ayuso policies, but we can vouch that sheâs far from a nazi. So maybe that got her a little pissed off?
Canât wait to see them face off for PM in 2027!
3. đ SĂĄnchez must be getting tired of his bro
Pedro SĂĄnchezâs second careerâas the lonely standard-bearer of Europeâs anti-Trump leftâlooked downright promising at first.
đïž1ïžâŁ Musk bad man! Back in early January (remember those halcyon days?), he went after Teslaâs own Tony Stark wannabe, calling him the head of an "international far-right movementâ who "stirs up hatredâ and âopenly calls for support of the heirs of Nazism in Germany.â Good start, Pedro!
đïž2ïžâŁ Techbro bashing! Then he made a Big Speech at Davos to slam the âtecho-casteâ of billionaires and demanded new regulations for their (increasingly fecal) social media networks. And on Trumpâs inauguration day, he slammed them again in Madrid.
đïž3ïžâŁ No more broligarchy! Yesterday he was at it once more at the presentation of the new (and kinda Orwellian named) Observatory of Digital Rightsâwhich is about preserving digital rights or something.
All for the money đ€. There, he took his critique deeper: âThey do everything for the money, it has always been all about the money. Now we see a ruthless race in which the techno-caste combines with authoritarian powers that fight a battle without rules,â he said. âThat is why we see that the new Chinese AI has eliminated criticism of the government of that country. Or that the main AI company in the U.S. questions Bidenâs victory in 2020 when itâs asked. Or that the most famous provider of geolocation [Google Maps] is eliminating the name of the Gulf of Mexico to ingratiate itself with power. They want intelligence without dissent. Faced with this reality, we have to rebel.â
Right on, brother! Or, maybe not. Well, it was a nice try at least. Within hours of Sanchezâs speech, his name was back in the news for the reason he was trying to get people to ignore by screaming âtech brosâ and âinternational far-rightâ repeatedly. Yes, thatâs right, those pesky court cases.
So what happened this time? His brother David SĂĄnchez (aka David Azagra) on Tuesday quit that supposedly âfakeâ job for which he is being investigated. Remember, a court is trying to determine whether the Badajoz Provincial Council irregularly created a tailor-made position for him in 2017 because heâs Brother-Of-Pedro, when it named him head of the music conservatories in the Department of Culture. To be fair, he is a musician. To be less fair, he apparently hasnât done a lotta work, and last week the judge on his case called the job he was hired for âunnecessaryâ. And now, to make matters look worse, it seems he quit just after a call for proposals to produce the Ăpera Joven program that he organized had closed and no one had made a bid. đ€Š
But it gets worse? Yes, more bad court news for Pedro just when he was achieving exit velocity as Europeâs Right On Dude.
Caso Begoña. An adviser to SĂĄnchezâs wife Begoña GĂłmez was named as a person of interest in the hard-to-explain and probably small-potatoes influence trafficking case GĂłmez faces.
Caso Koldo. A series of Whatsapp messages published in El Confidential this week showed SĂĄnchezâs Minister of Territorial Policy Ăngel VĂctor Torres was more caught up than previously known with Koldo GarcĂa, the government advisor who was arrested for allegedly taking bribes on millions in COVID-era surgical mask sales he arranged to the Canary Islands government (among others)âwhere Torres was governor at the time.
We know weâve said it before, but⊠Tough week, Pedro!
4. đ€ Melody wins Benidorm Fest, heads for Eurovision mediocrity
Chances are you donât know who Melody is and thatâs OK, but if you want the tl;dr version, here it is:
Melody is a 35-year-old pop singer from Sevilla who has been performing for 25 years. Yup. In fact, her breakout song âEl baile del Gorilaâ (released when she was 10) became an international hit and topped the charts in over 15 countries.
Steady but notâŠhuge. She has since then maintained a steady musical career, releasing six albums and connecting with audiences across generations.
Donât forget me! Now sheâs back with a new song, Esa Diva (see video above), an anthem promoting equality and inclusion that became the (somewhat expected) winner of this yearâs Benidorm Fest, although not everyone is happy with her representing Spain in Basel this May.
Well, if itâs tradition⊠By now, it is almost tradition to complain about whoever weâre sending to Eurovision. âWe donât ever pick someone whoâs going to winâ, people say. And while we have yet to see how Melody performs in a few months, this year itâs actually the Benidorm Fest itself that is being panned by critics due to the overall (bad) quality of the performers.
We know! Look, we are aware that itâs really hard to sing live while youâre dancing and doing backflips. But considering that being able to carry a tune is a must in order to win Eurovision, it may be time to review the contestantsâ selection process because this year it was⊠not great.
Shallow art. Culture columnist Carlos Marcos wrote on El PaĂs that this yearâs edition had ânotably low qualityâ and the contestants lacked âoriginality and authenticityâ. It also lacked âartistic depthâ.
Mean. TV presenter Jorge Javier VĂĄzquez said itâs incomprehensible that after a year of preparation, âthe organization has not managed to assemble a more competitive list of candidatesâ. Ouch
The socials. People on social media didnât mince words to describe this yearâs edition. From âhorribleâ to âa disasterâ, many seemed to agree that the overall performances were disappointing.
Take a look. Watch J Kbelloâs V.I.P., a dance track blending funk, electronic, and U.K. garage elements that, despite being one of the favorites to win, really failed to impress. Then thereâs Carla Frigoâs Besame which is⊠well, you be the judge.
Thank God weâve still got TI. Fortunately for, well, everyone, Benidorm Fest is in the rearview mirror and weâre all distracted by a new pop culture moment involving one of the contestants in the reality show Temptation Island, whose live reaction as he watches his girlfriend fall into temptation with another man is Oscar-worthy. Enjoy.
5.đ I moved to Spain and all I got was seafood and fries
We fail to understand why the media chooses to publish stories like theseâunless, of course, the intent is to incite public scorn toward the individuals at their center. We are talking about those articles that tell the heartbreaking story of an individual (usually an âexpatâ) who moves to a foreign country and fails to integrate into the local culture because the Starbucks down the street doesnât have kale syrup or something.
This week two of these real-life cautionary tales made the rounds on social media as they were shared by the media, foreigners and locals alike. The first, published on CNN Travel, describes the tragedy surrounding an American woman from Florida and her husband who moved to Spain (Europeâs Florida!) and very soon regretted it so they decided to move back.
Cristina Martinez relocated to Spain in 2022, seeking ânew experiencesâ and a change of environment. (Weâre not sure Santander, which she chose, would be the best place for that but who are we to judge).
Cristina was fluent in Spanish (great!) but she felt that Spain had a âclosed cultureâ (not great), as social interactions felt less open and welcoming. On top of that, she got âreally tired and grossed out with the foodâ because it was all seafood and there was no variety. And by âSpanish foodâ she means⊠french fries.
Oh, she also struggled with the cold, humid, and windy conditions in the winter. (Because, north?) âI just couldnât take six months or five months of bad weather,â she tells CNN. âSometimes it just rains five days out of the week. It rains day and nightâŠâ. Well⊠yes, because you moved to freaking Santander! Thatâs like us moving to Oklahoma and claiming life in the U.S. is hard because⊠tornadoes.
The summer was worse because she didnât have home air conditioning. Damn you, Santander! And to make things worse, she couldnât get used to the fact we enjoy lunch and dinner at a later time here.
And thatâs not it. Thereâs more.
Yes, she considered moving south (maybe Andalucia) but decided against it because of squatters. (Not that Spain doesnât have a squatters problem but⊠come on).
And then, of course, thereâs the siesta: âThe other thing that really bothered me there⊠(was) their way of living and their way of doing thingsâ. (Again⊠apparently she did no research). âAll of their businesses and restaurants, for the most part, close at three or four oâclock in the afternoonâ.
Look, we could go on but you get the picture. And weâre sure she means well. But poor Cristina got no love on social media as people on Twitter, Threads, TikTok and Bluesky accused her of being a âKarenâ who failed to do âbasic researchâ (which is a fair point).
The second one, published on GBN about a man named Alastair Johnson who moved to Spain nine years ago, is much more relatable. As in, he pretty much says that yes, moving to a different country isnât always easy, but he loves it here and has made great progress by learning the language.
His complaints are a) the bureaucracy (which can sometimes be maddening here) and b) not getting the jokes in Spanish (to be honest, sometimes we donât get the jokes).
Good for you, Alastair!
Are these articles written to prevent an exodus and discourage people from moving to Spain, the land of low salaries eternal sunshine, tapas and great health care? We donât know. But some of them can be unintentionally hilarious.
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So many thoughts. What is that judge's accent? And I feel soooooo bad for Montoya, it's awful. And kale syrup??! Why would you even make us imagine that?!?
Every time I read you, I LOL đ€ŁâĄïžđđŒ