Apart from working at Expanish, my dream job would be writing a blog about celebrity gossip. It is mostly a pipe dream since people like Perez Hilton and TMZ pretty much dominate that blog niche. This does not, however, deter me from writing my own little blog post about celebrities. As a resident of Buenos Aires, Argentina I thought I would have an advantage about anything gossip-worthy here in Argentina, so what could be better than writing about celebrities who have visited this fine city? So get ready for some best-of-the-best gossip over the past few years, some of them are especially bife de chorizo juicy…
Justin Bieber – 2011
As almost all 14-year-old girls in the world know, Justin Bieber recently visited Buenos Aires for a concert and while he was here did some press to promote it. The most noteworthy of his appearanes was on the talk show, “Susana Giménez”, appropriately hosted by Susana Giménez. This appearance was greatly anticipated by all of Argentina, yet the actual show was a bit of a boring disappointment. I have not seen Justin in a situation where he actually has to put sentences together instead of just sing the word “Baby” or “Girl” over and over again, but the combination of Susanna being completely bonkers and Justin not understanding Spanish made the whole thing a bit weird. It seems as though Justin does not enjoy talking about himself in front of an audience. You can watch the video to see the full extent of the awkwardness here.
During his stay he was at the fancy Faena Hotel in Puerto Madero. This is where past celebrities like Beyonce have stayed, so I guess if you are looking to see a famous person in real life you should probably just hang around there more often. In true Bieber form, there were hundreds of crazy teen girls and, lets face it, lots of people of all ages and genders, waiting outside the hotel. A few girls even tried to break through security when Justin waved to them so the police had to block off multiple streets. It made international news on all gossip blogs and even regular periodicals like the New York Post.
With all of this great Bieber gossip I am not even sure how the concert went. Does it matter? The important thing is that he was the most talked about topic for a week straight, even right before the national elections for the new president of Argentina. Isn’t that how it should be?
Natalie Portman – 2006
Before Natalie was an Academy Award winner, she was just a regular girl dating Gael Garcia Bernal. Circa 2006, he was filming a movie in Buenos Aires and living in the neighborhood of San Telmo. I know this because at that time because it was a common sight to see them walking through the neighborhood hand-in-hand. This was just weeks before their break-up, so possibly Buenos Aires had something to do with that?
Many of my friends would call me to let me know that they just saw them. Did my friends yell out “I love you Natalie!” or some sort of reference to her Star Wars role? No, they did not. They did not even take a picture. This just goes to show you that you should always carry a digital camera just in case you have a celebrity sighting.
Jenna and Barbara Bush – 2006
During their trip to Buenos Aires they were staying in a boutique hotel in Palermo. At one point they were in the neighborhood of San Telmo doing some shopping and got their purses and cell phones stolen. Whether or not they were actually stolen or were just lost is not clear, but either way the U.S. Embassy and asked them to leave the country after the incident to not attact more negative attention. What was the greatest was that they were being gaurded by the secret service and still managed to get into trouble. A reporter even said that she was surprised by the lack of security for the twins in this article.
Some other celebrities spotted in the city and what were they doing?
Kate Hudson – Ate breakfast (gasp!)
Nick Jonas – Had a concert sans other brothers
Cindi Lauper – Had a concert, also got bored and sang in the airport
Miley Cyrus – Wore inappropriately short shorts (but is that really news?)
Michael Buble – Got married to an Argentine woman
Bono – Played a secret gig at Frank’s bar
I will say, however, that my knowledge of actual Argentine celebrities is limited, so I have mainly focused on more “international” celebrities. Maybe I should get into local gossip as a new way to immerse myself in Argentine culture? Sounds like a 2012 New Year’s resolution to me.
To wrap things up, I think it is extremely important for celebrities to understand the culture and language of the countries they visit (I’m talking to you, Bieber). This is why I wanted to send an open invitation to any famous person who might want to take some group or individual Spanish classes here at Expanish Spanish School in Buenos Aires. George Clooney, do you need to improve your accent in Spanish? Do you, Oprah, know the difference between the informal “tú” of Mexico versus the “vos” of Buenos Aires? I dare any celebrity (preferably Lady Gaga) to come and join us.