Penélope Cruz to Serve as Co-Chair of 2023 Met Gala

Penélope Cruz has Met her match…

The 48-year-old Spanish Oscar-winning actress will serve as a co-chair of this year’s Met Gala, an annual exclusive fashion exhibition for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Penelope Cruz

Cruz is among a list of celebrity co-chairs that includes Dua Lipa, Roger Federer and Michaela Coel.

They’ll be joined by Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, who has led the event since 1995.

Co-chairs serve as ambassadors for the event, according to Vogue. They provide input on the eclectic guest list, decor and the overall vibe of the event, which is invitation-only and to which tickets are priced at $35,000.

The 2023 theme for the fashion event is “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty.”

On the evening of the May 1 event, celebrities will honor Lagerfeld’s legacy. He led the fashion houses Chanel, Fendi, and Chloé before his death in 2019.

Lin-Manuel Miranda to Serve as Co-Chair & Host of This Year’s Met Gala

Lin-Manuel Miranda is ready to Met a new challenge…

The 42-year-old Puerto Rican actor, singer-songwriter, rapper, playwright, producer and film director will as one of the hosts and co-chairs of this year’s Met Gala.

Lin-Manuel MirandaMiranda will host the event, which will reflect the strong Hollywood theme, alongside Ryan ReynoldsBlake Lively and Regina King.

The Met Gala, set for May 2, a primary source of income for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, follows last September’s scaled-back, pandemic-restricted “mini-gala” that launched the Met’s two-part exhibition “In America: An Anthology of Fashion.”

The exhibit will include “cinematic vignettes” exploring the roots of American fashion and designed by film directors King, Sofia Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Chloé Zhao, Tom Ford, Janicza Bravo, Julie Dash and Autumn de Wilde.

Ford, Adam Mosseri and Anna Wintour will continue their roles as honorary co-chairs for the May event.

The “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” exhibit will open to the public on May 7.

Blahnik to be the Subject of a Documentary Film

Manolo Blahnik and his shoes are made for walking right onto the big screen…

The 73-year-old Spanish fashion designer will be the subject of a documentary titled Manolo (The boy who made shoes for lizards).

Manolo Blahnik

The film about the fashion sensation, whose first name became a cultural reference point after frequent shout-outs on HBO’s Sex and the City, will be directed by Michael Roberts.

It’s being dubbed as an in-depth portrait of the man who is regarded as a genius by some of the most revered figures in fashion and will offer a behind-the-scenes peek into his fabulous world.

Manolo will feature interviews with a who’s who of some of the most notable figures in fashion and entertainment, including Anna Wintour, Rihanna, Andre Leon Talley, Paloma Picasso, Sex and the City author Candace Bushnell, Charlotte Olympia, Iman, Jamie Preto, Naomi Campbell, David Bailey, Isaac Mizrahi, Joan Burnstein, Mary Beard, Colin McDowell, Penelope Tree, Prince of Lampedusa, Rupert Everett and Blahnik himself.

Production on the doc is currently underway.

Content Media has acquired worldwide sales rights to the film and will begin introducing Manolo next month during the European Film Market in Berlin.

“Manolo Blahnik is fashion royalty and the king of his craft,” Content Media film president Jamie Carmichael said Wednesday in a statement. “He also happens to be a wonderfully colorful and fascinating man, with a unique world view. Michael Roberts is a director with unparalleled access and understanding of the fashion world and the combination of both these golden elements will make for fabulous and fascinating cinema.”

For more than 40 years, Blahnik has been designing his shoe line, which has attracted a devoted following including the likes of Nicole Kidman, Rihanna and the Duchess of Cambridge.

Carey Pens & Performs “Bring It On Home” for President Obama

Mariah Carey didn’t just host a fundraiser for President Barack Obama recently… She also performed a new song that she wrote in his honor.

Mariah Carey

During the star-studded event at New York City’s Plaza Hotel on Thursday night, the 42-year-old part-Venezuelan singer performed “Bring It On Home,” a triumphantly inspirational ballad, similar to Carey’s hit “Hero.”

Mariah Carey

“Just finished performing Hero, We Belong Together and BRING IT ON HOME — a song I wrote especially for the event,” Carey tweeted, posting a photo of herself in a black ball gown.

Before the Plaza party, President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama attended Sarah Jessica Parker‘s presidential fundraiser at the actress’ Manhattan home.

Meryl Streep, Project Runway judge Michael Kors, Vogue‘s Anna Wintour and Bravo‘s Andy Cohen were among the celebrities in attendance.

Parker introduced Obama at the event, giving him a hug and kiss and saying those in attendance were gathered “hopefully, with enormous enthusiasm.” She also called Michelle Obama “radiant and extraordinary” and said she had been doing “amazingly important things these last four years.”

Bardem’s Gold Medal Moment…

It may not be an Olympic medal, but Javier Bardem is still a gold medalist.

At a special gala event in New York City last night, Spain’s Queen Sofía presented the 42-year-old Oscar-winning actor with the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute’s Gold Medal, which is presented each year to Americans and Spaniards who contribute to the betterment of relations between the United States and Spain.

Javier Bardem receives gold medal from Spain's Queen Sofia

During the ceremony, Queen Sofía emphasized the importance of presenting the awards in New York, “a city that is the crucible of cultures, and that represents the force and the wealth of the ties that unite Spain and the United States.”

“I thank the queen of Spain for this recognition,” said Bardem during the special ceremony attended by distinguished guests, including former U.S. president Bill Clinton, Barbara Walters and Vogue editor Anna Wintour, adding that he felt “proud of being of a country with so many places and different colors.”

This year’s other medal recipients: Spanish chef and restaurateur Ferran Adrià and noted Peruvian photographer Mario Testino.

Testino, an artist from Lima who divides his time between London and New York, was recognized for his “exceptional talent that has made him a global star.”

“I dedicate this award to the thousands of Latin Americans who each year leave their countries to come to America,” said Testino, the man behind the lens of numerous magazine covers and portraits, including photos of the late Diana, Princess of Wales.

In addition, Queen Sofia presented Oscar de la Renta, the president of the New York Institute, with the Great Order of Civil Merit award that King Juan Carlos awarded him in February.