Big-haired Andalucían Uber-Diva whose career started in the 60′s and never went away, and easily hits our Number 2 spot without breaking a sweat, despite the fact that she sadly died of cancer in June 2006. Universally loved by everyone (passports can be officially revoked just for saying a bad word about her), and known as La Más Grande (that’s "The Greatestâ€, and not "The Biggest†as I originally thought they were rudely calling her!), this woman’s voice has been known to shift small planets from their orbit. Despite her death, her celebrity lives on and she’s as famous as ever, still getting constant mentions on all the gossip shows. If I had a Euro for the number of people I’ve seen hooked-up to a lie-detector, claiming to be in touch with her from beyond the grave, I’d be a very rich man! In fact, I guess she’s the Spanish equivalent of Elvis! Anyway, sit back, turn the volume to a safe level, and check her out:
Dave Hall lives and works in Barcelona. Click here for the entire celeb top 10!
Pepino
13 Feb 07 at 9:35 am
I’d be interested to know what the Spanish visitors to the site think about this particular choice. Does Rocío really deserve to take number 2 spot? I think so (obviously!
) but I’ve only been in Spain a short time, and I arrived not too long after her death, so maybe I’ve got a skewed viewpoint.
She certainly does seem to crop-up a heck of a lot in the Prensa Rosa even now, and I notice that her daughter is now occupying a reasonable amount of magazine space too.
Marina – what do you think of this choice?
ValenciaSon
13 Feb 07 at 4:28 pm
How about Sara Montiel?
Pepino
13 Feb 07 at 5:24 pm
Never heard of her
ValenciaSon
13 Feb 07 at 9:33 pm
Don’t you love wikipedia? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sara_Montiel
Tim
14 Feb 07 at 9:49 am
I can’t believe wikipedia doesn’t have a photo of Sara Montiel. In Factory of Light (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Factory-Light-Tales-Andalucian-Village/dp/0719561736/sr=8-1/qid=1171442770/ref=sr_1_1/026-1897986-4566808?ie=UTF8&s=books) there are some great descriptions from villagers about the effect her earlier films had on some of the viewing public.
Marina
14 Feb 07 at 12:47 pm
Hola Pepino,
To tell you the truth I thought that Rocio Jurado was going to be number 1, as she is been the Queen of the Magazines for such a long time before and after her death. Also I think she is in general a much loved person than Isabel Pantoja (note that I’m not an expert in the prensa rosa). Anyhow I think your selection was very accurate, and more taking into account that you’ve been living in Spain for less than a year… you’ve got a very good eye with the gossip wold.
M.
Pepino
14 Feb 07 at 1:21 pm
Hi Marina,
I’m really pleased that I’ve managed to come up with a list of people that passes the acid test of a born an bred Spaniard, especially as I didn’t even run the list past any local Spanish friends before I sent it to Ben.
It would’ve been slightly more of a difficult choice whether to go with Pantoja or Jurado for Number 1 if there hadn’t been the recent controversy over Julián Muñoz. It was that fact that made it a no-brainer for me, as like I said in the report, she’s pretty much everywhere in the mags at the moment.
I can see why Rocío Jurado has so many die-hard fans. Her music is not really what I’d call “my kind” of music (although I do actually quite like them now I’ve heard a few more recently), but no one can deny that she can certinaly belt out a passionate performance, and even in that YouTube clip above, she smolders on stage without the need for a backing dancers, dry ice, or fancy lighting. When she starts the second verse, I thought she was having a “funny turn” with all the twitching eyebrows, and hands to the head! All part of the performance I guess!
Marina
16 Feb 07 at 2:50 pm
No doubt that if we consider the last few months she’s been the most followed person by the gossip reporters due to her relationship with the ex-major of Marbella – who is in jail for the Operación Malaya.
Congratulations on your series Dave!!!
elena
1 Mar 07 at 11:34 am
please these pseudo national (Spanish national) celebrities are all manufactured by the current craze of tabloid culture. Sara Montiel is the only one true international diva. well, and now Penelope Cruz too, i guess.