I can’t work out how interesting this story really is, but there is no doubt it says a lot about the path to fame in Spain. Be attractive, end up in an extraordinary situation, pose topless in Interviu, and there is no limit as to where you might end up.
Ana María Ríos, 26, an unknown hairdresser from Pontevedra, Galicia, went on her honeymoon to Mexico in October last year, but was stopped as she attempted to fly home. Mexican customs officials claimed to have found ‘bullets’ and ‘detonators’ in her luggage, and she was looking at a lengthy spell in a Mexican jail. After 12 days of legal wrangling the case fell apart and she was released from her nightmare and allowed to return to Galicia.
I think everyone knew what was coming next. Quasi-fame Spain style. First she posed topless for trash gossip mag Interviu, next she published her (ghost-written) book recounting the experience, and now she is doing the TV circuit. Youtube clips abound (some not safe for work). How long will it last? That may depend on how astute she and her agent are. Is this a Spanish phenomenon or does fame work like this everywhere these days? And finally, how crucial to her present and continued success were the topless shots?
Pepino
17 Jan 07 at 11:32 am
The fame thing in Spain never ceases to amaze me. I know it’s similar-ish in the UK, but I think Spain takes the obsessive side of it to new extremes. You only have to watch the endless stream of “lie-detector” programs showing random nobodies like “the ex-boyfriend of someone who was once going out with someone who was previously kicked out of Gran Hermano” hooked up to a poligraph so people in the studio audience can ooooh and arrrrh about some minute trival detail of the z-list celeb’s crummy life. It’s crazy. You can literally flick through 4 or 5 channels in the early evening and each one has some poor sod wired-up being questioned.
I can almost hear presenter Jaime Cantizano now doing his best to build the tension as he reveals the “shocking truth” from a squirming little Latino cleaning lady about whether she ever saw uber-useless celeb Isabel Pantoja stuffing wads of dinero negro from her even more uselss incarcerated partner Julian Muñoz down the loo as the police were banging on the door.
“A la pregunta…. blah blah blah”
“El polígrafo decide que……”
…
(tension builds)
…
“QUE MIENTE!”
To which there is the sound of all the old dears in the audience mumbling their shock and disapproval to eachother.
OK, I’m rambling (and something tells me I know a little TOO much about all this! jeje). My original point is that 12 days in a Mexican prision sounds pretty bad, yes I agree, but I really couldn’t care less about her once she’s out.
Right, I’m off to renew my magazine subscriptions! I believe YET ANOTHER lovechild of Alejandro Sanz has been discovered! jeje
Ben
17 Jan 07 at 12:45 pm
Wow, you do know an awful lot about this stuff! And that takes dedication!!!
Pepino
17 Jan 07 at 1:05 pm
Nah, it’s like a black-hole… you can try to ignore it, but it somehow sucks you in.
It doesn’t take long to become completely up-to-date, as every celeb in Spain seems to be married, have been married, or somehow genetically linked to some old bullfighter called “Paquirri”. A Friday night with nothing to do, and you find yourself watching “Donde estás corazón” and realising just what a small gene-pool the celeb world really is.
Also, the Marketing people in my office receive a lot of trashy mags, so I often take them home afterwards to practice my Spanish reading, but the side-effect is that I guess I’m learning about celebs by osmosis!
Graeme
18 Jan 07 at 9:33 am
Andy Warhol, where are you when we need you – everybody now gets their 15 minutes of fame, the key thing seems to be to make sure you get paid before time runs out.
Ben
18 Jan 07 at 6:50 pm
I think she is doing ok on that front. I think she got 50,000 Euros for the Interviu pics
guirilandia
20 Jan 07 at 2:20 pm
at any rate, she’s a lot better looking than pocholo
ValenciaSon
24 Jan 07 at 1:13 am
Miss Rios ain’t bad on the eyes
NAIF
25 Jan 07 at 7:54 am
HELLO