Gabriel Leone to Star in Michael Mann’s New Film “Ferrari”

Gabriel Leone is revvin’ his engines…

The 28-year-old Brazilian actor  has been set by director Michael Mann to play a key role in Ferrari, which is being prepared for an August 1 production start in Italy.

Gabriel LeoneLeone has just signed with CAA and joins a cast that includes Adam Driver in the title role, alongside Penélope Cruz and Shailene Woodley as the women in his life.

The film is set during the summer of 1957, as the former race car driver-turned-magnate Enzo Ferrari staves off bankruptcy as he looks for salvation with a victory at the Mille Miglia, a treacherous 1,000-mile race in which pre-eminent carmakers battle for bragging rights, with their drivers hurtling around twists and turns at 180 mph. In the backdrop, Ferrari battles with his wife and business partner, Laura, as their marriage disintegrates over the mourning of their son and the acknowledgment of another potential heir.

Leone is playing Alfonso De Portago, who was one of Ferrari’s driving stars and the epitome of the daredevil drivers of that era. He was a handsome and wealthy Spanish aristocrat who captured Europe’s imagination and was a favorite to win the Mille Miglia and his results changed the race forever, but not in the way intended. STX Entertainment has worldwide rights on the film.

Leone became a star in Brazil and gained international attention as the lead in Dom, the first original Amazon series produced in Brazil. The drama became the most-watched non-English-language series worldwide for Amazon. Leone recently completed filming its second season.

Mann directs Ferrari from a script by Troy Kennedy Martin and Mann-based on Brock Yates’ book Enzo Ferrari – The Man and the Machine.

Leone separately starred as the title character in Eduardo e Mônica opposite Alice Braga, and Alemão 2, the sequel to the successful 2014 action movie.

Leone began his career in a theater company performing classic repertoire, making his stage debut in Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew.

He also starred in numerous musicals including Wicked and Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, for which he was nominated for the principal theater and musical awards in Brazil.

 

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Carlos Sainz Claims First Career Formula One Victory at British Grand Prix

Carlos Sainz has found the winning formula

The 27-year-old Spanish racing driver has claimed his first Formula One victory ahead of Sergio Perez and Lewis Hamilton at a rollercoaster and action-packed British Grand Prix.

Carlos Sainz,The race, one of the best of the season so far, included a dramatic crash at the start which saw Zhou Guanyu‘s car flipped over tire barrier, protesters forcing their way onto the track on the opening lap and championship leader Max Verstappen dropping down the order with a damaged car.

Sainz’s chances of a first win appeared to have completely disappeared at two different points in the race, first after a big mistake at Becketts and then after he obeyed a team order to let teammate Charles Leclerc through on Lap 32 of 52.

A late Safety Car and race restart 10 laps later provided a perfect opportunity for Sainz to reclaim the lead and scamper away with the win as an unbelievable finish unfolded in the battle for second behind him between Perez, Hamilton and Leclerc.

“Yes! We did it! Yes! Vamos!” Sainz shouted over the radio after crossing the line, securing his first win in 151 F1 attempts.

Home favorite Hamilton had looked in a perfect position to challenge the Ferraris of Leclerc and Sainz for his first victory of the season until that Safety Car deployment and immediately lost position to Perez at the restart.

An epic battle for second and third then unfolded between Perez, Hamilton and Leclerc, featuring multiple position changes and some aggressive driving from all three drivers.

On lap 48, Perez forced Leclerc wide at the final corner, allowing Hamilton up into second. Several corners later, Perez forced Hamilton wide to reclaim the position and the Mercedes driver fell behind Leclerc.

Leclerc turned in some incredible defensive driving to keep Hamilton at bay for as long as he could in the closing stages but in the end could not do anything about the major tyre disadvantage he had been left with at the Safety Car restart.

For Hamilton it was his second visit to the podium in two races and a clear sign of the progress Mercedes has made in recent races.

Leclerc had to settle for fourth position, having lost a rare opportunity to make a bigger dent in Verstappen’s championship lead.

Verstappen finished seventh after holding off Haas’ Mick Schumacher in the run to the finish line.

Verstappen still holds a healthy lead in the championship, 34 points ahead of teammate Perez and 43 ahead of Leclerc.

Sainz’s win moved him ahead of George Russell, who did not finish, and into fourth position in the title fight.

The events of the first 10 seconds of the race set the tone for the dramatic afternoon which followed.

Alfa Romeo rookie Zhou Gaunyu was vaulted into a terrifying barrel roll at Turn 1 which left his car upside down in the tire barrier and prompted a red flag race suspension.

Zhou had been tagged by the Mercedes of George Russell, who in turn had been hit by Pierre Gasly‘s AlphaTauri.

Russell’s race ended in the gravel trap at Turn 1, while Alex Albon was also spun into the wall at Turn 1.

Gasly was later spun around by teammate Yuki Tsunoda.

All those incidents opened up a perfect opportunity for Haas to bounce back from a deflating Saturday which had seen both drivers eliminated in Q1, as Schumacher finally claimed the first F1 points of his career.

An emotional Schumacher apologized to Haas after finishing after swearing over the radio as he celebrated the finish.

Teammate Kevin Magnussen claimed the final points paying position of the afternoon in 10th.

Bad Bunny’s “Ojitos Lindos” Appears on Spotify’s “Songs of the Summer” Contenders List

Spotify has set its sights on Bad Bunny’s sun-tastic new single…

As June kicks off, competition heats up to determine which artist will deliver the song of the summer, and the streaming service believes the 28-year-old Puerto Rican Grammy-winning superstar is among the contenders.

Bad BunnyAccording to new data gathered by Spotify, has selected Bad Bunny’s “Ojitos Lindos,” featuring Bomba Estéreo, among 20 in the running for Song of the Summer 2022.

In addition to Bad Bunny’s “Ojitos Lindos,” which appears on the artist’s new album Un Verano Sin Ti, other songs from Latin artists to make the list include Karol G’s “Provenza” and Miggy Dela Rosa’s single with James Hype, “Ferrari.”

The list covers a wide array of genres and moods for every summer situation.

Here’s the full list, in alphabetical order:

“About Damn Time” by Lizzo
“Amazing” by Rex Orange County
“As It Was” by Harry Styles
“Big Energy” by Latto
“Die Hard” by Kendrick Lamar, Blxst, Amanda Reifer
“Ferrari” by James Hype, Miggy Dela Rosa
“First Class” by Jack Harlow
“F.N.F (Let’s Go)” by Hitkidd, GloRilla
“I Like You (A Happier Song)” by Post Malone, Doja Cat
“Last Last” by Burna Boy
“No One Dies From Love” by Tove Lo
“Ojitos Lindos” by Bad Bunny (feat. Bomba Estéreo)
“Potion” by Calvin Harris (with Dua Lipa, Young Thug)
“Provenza” by Karol G
“She Had Me at Heads Carolina” by Cole Swindell
“Something in the Orange” by Zach Bryan
“Sunroof” by Nicky Youre, Dazy
“Supermodel” by Måneskin
“The Dress” by Dijon
“Wait for U” by Future (feat. Drake, Tems)

Spotify has also shared what’s trending already in global user-generated playlist trends for the summer, which include “hot girl summer” playlists (of which there are already 170,000) and playlists inspired by the “coastal grandmother” trend, which have skyrocketed over 5000% in the past month. Playlists based off of the “dirty shirley” drink have also made their presence known, seeing nearly a 95% spike in daily average plays.

 

Penélope Cruz to Star in Michael Mann’s Enzo Ferrari Biopic “Ferrari”

Penélope Cruz is revving her engines for a new role…

The 47-year-old Spanish Oscar-winning actress, who earned an Academy Award nod this week, will star in director Michael Mann’s passion project Ferrari.

Penelope CruzCruz is among a roster of All-Star cast members that includes Adam Driver and Shailene Woodley for the big-budget biopic of racing mogul Enzo Ferrari.

Driver is replacing Hugh Jackman in the title role while Parallel Mothers star Cruz will play Enzo’s wife Laura.  Woodley will play mistress Lina Lardi.

Four-time Oscar nominee Mann is gearing up for a May start in Italy.

STX is handling international rights and has now picked up the domestic rights in a big deal with Mann. Amazon is aboard in a handful of international markets. STX International will look to close remaining deals this week with some big international pacts already secured, including Leone in Italy.

The movie, which Mann has been working on for two decades, is set during the summer of 1957. Ex-racecar driver, Ferrari, is in crisis. Bankruptcy stalks the company he and his wife, Laura, built from nothing ten years earlier. Their tempestuous marriage struggles with the mourning for one son and the acknowledgement of another. He decides to counter his losses by rolling the dice on one race – 1,000 miles across Italy, the iconic Mille Miglia.

The project has famously been through multiple iterations, but this is as far along as the casting has been at any stage.

Mann will direct from a script by Troy Kennedy and Mann based on Brock Yates’ book Enzo Ferrari – The Man and the Machine.

“Being able to have these wonderfully talented artists, actors Adam Driver, Penélope Cruz and Shailene Woodley, bring to life these unique characters on location in Modena and the Emilia-Romagna is a vision fulfilled,” says Mann.

Ferrari is so much more than a story about a man and his machine,” says Adam Fogelson, Chairman of STXfilms Motion Picture. “It is an extraordinary and emotional story that Michael has been developing for years and the entire team at STX is looking forward to the start of production with this dream cast and filmmaker. Adam Driver is one of the most talented and fascinating actors working today, and we could not be more thrilled to pair him with Penélope, whose legendary career builds with every role she takes.”

Cruz, nominated this week for the Best Actress Oscar in Parallel Mothers, won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Vicky Cristina Barcelona and was nominated another two times for her roles in Volver and Nine. In addition to Parallel Mothers for Sony, she currently stars in IFC’s Official Competition opposite Antonio Banderas.

Cardi B Releases Sizzlin’ Music Video for “I Like It,” Featuring Bad Bunny & J Balvin

Cardi B is rockin’ in the tropics…

The 25-year-old half-Dominican American rap sensation has released the official music video her Latin-influenced track “I Like It” featuring Bad Bunny and J Balvin.

Cardi B

Dressed in a bright yellow ruffled skirt, beaded tank and bold head wrap, Cardi B strolls through a tropical paradise, as she dances in front of a bubblegum pink wall and meets the local residents.

“They call me Cardi Bardi, banging body/Spicy mami, hot tamale/Hotter than a Somali, fur coat, Ferrari,” Cardi raps in her signature lively flow.

In another scene, Cardi B joins Bad Bunny, and later J Balvin, who rap over the boogaloo beat during their island fiesta.

“I Like It” follows Cardi’ Bs recent stream of music videos, including “Be Careful” and her Jennifer Lopez-collaboration “Dinero,” which also features DJ Khaled.

Cardi B’s track reworks the classic “I Like It Like That,” originally performed by Pete Rodriguez in 1967 and taken to No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1997 (titled “I Like It“) by The Blackout Allstars.

Antonio Garcia Wins Third IMSA SportsCar Championship This Season at the Virginia International Raceway

Make that No. 3 for Antonio Garcia

The 37-year-old Spanish professional race car driver and Jan Magnussen won at the Virginia International Raceway on Sunday for their third IMSA SportsCar Championship victory of the season.

Arnold Garcia & Jan Magnussen

Garcia took the lead in the No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R with just more than 12 minutes remaining in the 2-hour, 40-minute race when Alexander Sims — who had dominated with Bill Auberlen in the No. 25 BMW — made a late pit stop.

Garcia finished 12.031 seconds ahead of the No. 67 Ford GT of Ryan Briscoe and Richard Westbrook, and they increased their season lead to 16 points over Sims and Auberlen.

“It’s unbelievable for us to come away with a win,” Magnussen said. “Honestly, in the middle of the race, it kind of looked like a situation of, ‘OK, we aren’t losing too much in the championship, a couple of points here, a couple of points there, but we would still stay in the lead of the championship.’

“Then, for things to turn around like they did in the last half hour with the BMW coming up short [on fuel] and the Ferrari falling off, it was a crazy, absolutely crazy result. Such a fantastic result for the whole team.”

Toni Vilander and Giancarlo Fisichella were third in the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GTE.

Sims and Auberlen ended up fourth.

Sergio Perez ThisClose to New Deal with Force India for 2018

It looks like Sergio Perez may be staying put…

The 27-year-old Mexican driver is thisclose to agreeing to a new deal to stay with Force India for 2018, according to team officials.

Sergio Perez

At the Hungarian Grand Prix ahead of Formula One‘s summer break, Perez said he wanted to have his future resolved by the Belgian Grand Prix at the end of the month.

The Mexican said he was keen on staying with the Silverstone-based outfit for a fifth campaign, following another successful season.

Force India heads into the second half of 2017 occupying fourth place in the constructors’ standings as it looks to equal its best-ever finish in F1. Having only missed out on points with at least one of its cars on one occasion this year — at May’s Monaco Grand Prix — Force India is 60 points clear of nearest rivals Williams and 83 behind third-placed Red Bull, while Perez is the highest placed driver outside of the big three teams in seventh place in the drivers’ championship.

Perez has been linked with a possible switch to Renault or Ferrari over the past year but has already begun talks to extend his spell at Force India alongside teammate Esteban Ocon, who joined the team on a multi-year deal at the end of 2016.

Rapace In Talks to Star Opposite Hugh Jackman in “Ferrari”

Noomi Rapace is revvin’ up for a new project…

The 37-year-old half-Spanish actress is in talks to star opposite Hugh Jackman star in Michael Mann’s Ferrari.

Noomi Rapace

Jackman would play Enzo Ferrari, while Rapace would portray his estranged wife Linda. Their relationship, as fiery and combustible as the race cars that Ferrari designed, plays a big part in the script Mann wrote.

They have loosely been discussing this teaming for months, and now things are starting to move for a summer 2018 production start.

Ferrari is the drama Mann started in partnership with the late director Sydney Pollack almost 17 years ago. The film takes place in 1957, a year where passion, failure, success and death and life all collided in Ferrari’s battle for supremacy against rival Maserati. Christian Bale was going to play Ferrari two years ago, but developed health concerns when he began putting on weight.

Rapace will next appear in Ridley Scott’s upcoming sci-fi thriller Alien: Covenant.

Gutierrez Confirmed as Haas Second Formula One Driver

Esteban Gutierrez will be getting behind the wheel for Haas next year.

The American outfit has confirmed the 24-year-old Mexican racing driver as its second driver for the team’s debut Formula One season in 2016.

Esteban Gutierrez

It has been widely known Gutierrez would be unveiled by Haas for some time, with North American heritage and a role as Ferrari reserve driver making him an obvious candidate.

Ferrari is supplying Haas with a power unit for 2016, while the American outfit is also accepting as many components from Maranello as are allowed in the regulations.

Gutierrez, who drove for Sauber in 2013 and 2014, will partner current Lotus driver Romain Grosjean, who was unveiled at Haas’ North Kannapolis base in late September.

The announcement was made in Mexico City after the first day of practice at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodrigeuz ahead of this weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix.

“I got to know Esteban through our relationship with Ferrari, and after looking at the success he’s had to earn his role there, it became clear he was an excellent choice for our race team,” said team boss Gene Haas. “He’s young and hungry, but not inexperienced. His two years running a full F1 schedule has given him some very good race experience, and having spent this season at Ferrari as their third driver allowed him to see first hand the methodology that makes Ferrari such a power in Formula One.”

“We’re very happy to have Esteban as a part of our race team. Between him and Romain, we have a strong driver lineup that will help us develop our car and, ultimately, score some points in our inaugural season.”

Gutierrez won the GP3 Series in 2010 before spending two years in GP2, where he finished third in 2012. Two seasons followed at Sauber but he only finished in the points once, at 2013 Japanese Grand Prix where he finished sixth.

Messi: The Highest-Ranking Latino on Forbes’ World’s Highest-Paid Athletes List

Lionel Messi is rolling in the deep dough…

The 27-year-old Argentine soccer star is the highest-ranking Latino on Forbes magazine’s 2015 list of the World’s Highest-Paid Athletes with $73.8 million in salary/winnings and endorsements.

Lionel Messi

Last year, FC Barcelona awarded their record four-time Ballon d’Or, FIFA’s Player of the Year, winner with a $9 million a year raise in his seventh contract since 2005 to bring his take home pay to $50 million a year through 2018.

Messi now holds the records for all-time all-game goals for Barcelona, most goals in La Liga competitions, most goals scored in a calendar year and most hat tricks scored.

Messi’s superhuman talent is why sponsor Samsung cast him as superhero Iron Man in their ad to promote the Avengers film. It’s also why his main sponsor Adidas launched a Messi icon line of shoes and apparel, which has exceeded company sales expectations, including in the U.S. In all, he earned $22 million in endorsements.

But Messi isn’t the only Latino athlete to make the list.

Fernando Alonso ranks No. 17 on Forbes’ world’s highest-paid athletes roster with combined earnings of $35.5 million.

The 33-year-old Spanish Formula One driver and a two-time World Champion secured another massive payday when he negotiated a return to McLaren-Honda, where he raced during the 2007 season. The two-year deal is worth more than $30 million annually.

Alonso finished second in the F1 standings in 2012 and 2013, but dropped to sixth last year in his final year with Ferrari. Alonso failed to secure a single point in the first five races of the 2015 F1 season. Alonso partnered with UAE sport investment firm Novo last year to establish a professional cycling team in the future.

Next on the list, Rafael Nadal, who comes in at No. 22 with earnings of $32.5 million.

The 29-year-old Spanish tennis star, who has struggled with injuries after a colossal 2013 season, saw his prize money drop by $10 million to $4.5 million in the latest 12 months.

He was the No. 1 player in the world as recently as June 2014, but sits at No. 10 a year later. He even lost at the French Open in the semifinals after winning 66 of his previous 67 matches and nine titles at Roland Garros.

Nadal did sign two new endorsements deals, with Tommy Hilfiger and Spanish communications giant Telefonica. Kia Motors also renewed its contract with Nadal in May for five years through 2020. They first partnered in 2004.

Nadal’s $73 million in career prize money ranks third all-time behind Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

Other Latino athletes making the Top 30 on Forbes’ list are soccer phenom Neymar at No. 23, NBA star Carmelo Anthony at No. 25 and World Cup standout and Google god James Rodriguez at No. 27.

Here’s a look at the Latino athletes who made this year’s list:

No. 4 Lionel Messi, Soccer, Argentine, $73.8 Million
No. 17 Fernando Alonso, Racing, Spanish, $35.5 Million
No. 22 Rafael Nadal, Tennis, Spanish, #32.5 Million
No. 23 Neymar, Soccer, Brazilian, $31 Million
No. 25 Carmelo Anthony, Basketball, Half-Puerto Rican, $30.5 Million
No. 27 James Rodriguez, Soccer, Colombian, $29 Million
No. 30 Robinson Cano, Baseball, Dominican, $27.6 Million
No. 38 Radamel Falcao, Soccer, Colombian, $25.9 Million
No. 38 Albert Pujols, Baseball, Dominican, $25.9 Million
No. 43 Miguel Cabrera, Baseball, Venezuelan, $25.1 Million
No. 45 Sergio Aguero, Soccer, Argentine, $24.9 Million
No. 60 Felix Hernandez, Baseball, Venezuelan, $22.9 Million
No. 67 Tony Romo, Football, Mexican American, $22 Million
No. 69 Adrian Gonzalez, Baseball, Mexican American, $21.5 Million
No. 73 Luis Suarez, Soccer, Uruguayan, $21 Million
No. 79 Cesc Fabregas, Soccer, Spanish, $20.3 Million
No. 79 Hanley Ramirez, Baseball, Dominican, $20.3 Million
No. 87 David Ortiz, Baseball, Dominican, $19.7 Million

Click here for the complete list.