Torch-song icon, role-model for many a drag queen, and already a huge celeb, but the mother of all controversies recently has helped propel La Pantoja onto the front pages everywhere in the Prensa Rosa, and there was never any doubt that she’d be occupying the top spot in our chart as there is literally no escape from the wall-to-wall coverage. To summarise, she’s another Andalucían singer with a big voice and is in a relationship with the disgraced Marbella politician Julián Muñoz, who is currently languishing at His Majesty’s pleasure over a number of dodgy deals. Isabel has now been dragged into the whole sorry affair, and people are interested to know how much she knew about what was going on. She’s had her house raided by the police and had to account for wads of cash that they found stuffed in drawers (apparently, she had €9000 in cash at home that she claims was to cover "daily billsâ€), and the talk recently was whether she would get to take her new year grapes together with Julián behind bars. Her celeb status is increased yet more by the fact that, she too was once married to our old friend Paquirri (remember him from earlier?) so she receives bonus points for being implicated in the Ordoñez family dynasty. Despite her troubles, the magazines are not being too hard on her, and most of them this week were sympathizing about her needing to wear a bandage after a minor foot operation. Good old Isabel isn’t letting her troubles get in her way though, and she’s currently on stage in Madrid dressed, as usual, like a ship in full sail and belting out her tunes at top note. Here she is practicing pronouncing her "errays†(just like me!) singing Arrepentimiento:
Dave Hall lives and works in Barcelona. Click here for the entire celeb top 10!
Ben
14 Feb 07 at 8:53 am
Even Marina admits you don’t get much more ‘Typically Spanish’ than the mighty Pantoja. What a woman!
Tim
14 Feb 07 at 9:44 am
It just had to be her! She who has inspired generations of children to appear on rubbish TV shows singing in fake warbly voices and frowning their faces off! When we were in Spain we would rush home after class to try to catch the talentless children TV shows – so rubbish, so kitch and yet so fantastically addictive!
Pepino
14 Feb 07 at 9:53 am
A big well done to all those who guessed that Isabel would be Number 1 in our chart! She’s not been out of the gossip magazines or TV shows since the day I arrived in Spain 5 months ago, so I just couldn’t imagine anyone else taking the top spot. But does everyone agree?
And what do you think of La Pantoja? She’s certainly big here, but is she known by anyone outside of Spain?
ValenciaSon
14 Feb 07 at 2:19 pm
I don’t know nor is she known in the EEUU.
Edith
14 Feb 07 at 7:10 pm
I know her from watching TVE. Yes, La Pantoja is quite – what shall we say – ebullient.
esteban en inglaterra
14 Feb 07 at 8:15 pm
Great series Dave Hall. The best thing that’s been on this website for a long long time. More please!
Pepino (Dave Hall)
15 Feb 07 at 9:52 am
Wow, lovely comment Esteban, thanks! (I completely disagree of course! jeje
) But there’s always room for a bit of trivial fluff in amongst all the truly great content in NFS.
Thanks again.
Dave
ValenciaSon
15 Feb 07 at 6:49 pm
Is Pantoja’s following multi-generational or is she a hit with the older crowd (baby boomers)?
Charles Butler
16 Feb 07 at 10:42 am
I suppose, from the prensa rosa, that la Pantoja is number one. Chalk that up to don Julián’s current sojourn in Jaén. But in the hearts of the folk no one, folclórica or otherwise, holds a candle to Rocio Jurado. There will be sightings of her visage on chapel walls within the decade, I guarantee it (with Ortega Cano pouring out crocodile tears at her side).
As for the few singers of the copla that still practice their hallowed art – Martirio is number one through ten, no contest there.
http://www.ibexsalad.blogspot.com
Pepino (Dave Hall)
16 Feb 07 at 11:17 am
The fact that Isabel Pantoja is in every magazine and on every show must surely mean that she’s got broad appeal of many age groups. Also, one time when there was a drag queens in a bar near my flat miming to a Pantoja classic, my Spanish friend (27 years old) was singing along to every word!
But then I saw a report on TV the other day where the cameras were following some coach parties going to a Pantoja concert, and the overwhelming majority were female with ages varying from 30 right up to “one-foot-in-the-grave”.
Gary
17 Feb 07 at 11:20 am
You know some stuff for a guy that watches no TV – lets call it research eh, Dave?
Eileen
1 Jun 07 at 1:09 pm
Was that rotten crack about Ortega Cano’s ‘crocodile tears’ really necessary?