Shakira is in the middle of a tour in North and South America, "Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran (Women No Longer Cry)" and Mark Savage has interviewed the Colombian artist in the backstage of the Miami show for BBC News in the article "My kids are the reason I'm alive: Backstage with Shakira". The report peeps into all the seamstress and laundry work behind an international musical show with an interview to head of wardrobe, Hannah Kinkade, and it also revisits the recent personal upheavals of Shakira and how she has managed to get over every setback and relaunch her career.
Next, you can find a link to each of the winning songs and videos in the main categories to illustrate the 2023 crop of Latin music: Karol G - Mañana será bonito;
For the Spanish/ English bilinguals following this blog, below you can find a direct link to Nathy Peluso's, official video of "Estás Buenísimo" in Spanish, winner of the Best Short Form Music Video, by Félix Bollaín & Rogelio González:
Halloween is an old tradition, whose origin can be traced to Roman and Celtic times, but it is deeply rooted in the Catholic tradition too, as Mary Reed Newland points out in her article, All Hallow's Eve (for C2 level). Halloween marks the beginning of winter, the season of cold and darkness, where misty figures stir people's imagination to inspire spooky tales of terror. You can find lots of Halloween folk stories, for example, on American Folklore there is a long list of creepy short stories that can be read in class to swop stories and do an information gap task. I have chosen Jack and the Devil and The Lady in the Veil, while other stories can be just played for fun, to listen to the sound effects the voice of the storyteller makes, likeSifty, Sifty San. These three stories can be downloaded in Word format on this link, and here you can also find a vocabulary matching task for "The Lady in the Veil" and "Jack and the Devil", with its answer key.
Halloween can be the right moment of the year to revise vocabulary about horror stories and fairy tales, so here you can find a Halloween Word List and a Halloween Cloze Activity with its answer key, to practice some of this literay vocabulary. These activities can be used with B2 students and above. Some of the key words you can find in the cloze task are: candle, mist, goodies, ghost, haunted, a wizard, a corpse, gruesome, spine-chilling, costumes, to carve, to hollow-out, ghastly, a jack-o'-lantern, a spider web, an imp, a broomstick, a troll, spooky, a coffin.
Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee celebrates 70 years of service to the United Kingdom. Many stories are being written about the longest reigning monarch in the history of the U.K., but this fashion article from BBC News, "Power dressing: The Queen`s unique style", is particularly interesting, as it analyses the role of the current queen as a fashion influencer in the 20th and 21st centuries.
The article contains many technical terms for clothes and fashion, so, it is suitable for C1 students and above. Some of the most interesting words you are going to find in the text are: trendsetting, daring, iconic, brightly coloured [dresses], to pair with [a matching hat], to be accessorised, a signature [square handbang], to be honed, to be steeped, legacy, dazzling, intricate, full-skirted dresses, a nipped in waist, couture, a [fur] stole, a [diamond] tiara, to dazzle [her way through state banquets], a royal tour, tull and satin gowns, to be embelished, seed pearls, crystals, beads, to be down to [necessity], embroidery, workroom, outfit, a crisp understated look, to tailor, day clothes, eveningwear, a flurry, chiffon, floral prints, bow, [to produce] in-house, a bespoke [item of clothing], a [royal] engagement, to sparkle, to step out [in public], fabric, to drape, to stand out [in a crowd], to highlight [her face], sensible block-heeled shoes, handmade, to be worn in, a trim, on standby, the unpredictable [British weather], to get in her way, a uniform-way of dressing, a consistent [presence], to delight, wellies, to be off duty, shampoo and set, the throne, to embrace, a wave curl, firm structured [curls], to host [a crown or a hat], to set [a hair style], [hair] rollers, under a dryer, fashion conscious, trends, gentleness, a top-handled [handbag], the [royal] seal, the ultimate [influencer], to retail for [1,500 GBP], jubilee, no mean feat, pins, brooches, brand statements, a jewelled [gown], a tweed [skirt], a figurehead, a curator, to walk the line, worthy [of royalty], to bedazzle, a subtle nod, an allegiance, a celebrity branding [expert], to stand for, boldness.
Pedro Almodóvar released a short (30') film in English, "The Human Voice" in 2020 which was acclaimed by critics all over the world. It is a free and personal adaptation of Jean Cocteau's classic "La Voix Humaine", where a barroque Almodóvar is interested in showing the boundaries of artifice and the connection between cinema and theatre, deceit and sincerity, lies and truth.
The movie is, basically, a monologue, where Scottish actress Tilda Swinton, in a riveting performance, displays her vocal versatility to disclose all the feelings of a woman who has been abandoned by her ex-lover and receives a last telephone call to sort out the last mundane details of their separation: she pretends to be cool and casual at the beginning of the call, until she can't stand her own lies any longer, loses controls and admits to her ex-lover -who is a "dweeb", in Tilda's words, ("an idiot", in Spanish "un memo, un baboso"), that she is just a nervous wreck.
The drama of the monologue is set in the unique atmosphere of Almodóvar's films which is created by the music of Alberto Iglesias and the photography of José Luis Alcaine, the paintings by Artemisia Gentileschi, Vargas, Man Ray, Isabel Quintanilla, Giorgio de Chirico and all the loud colours, objects, circles, shapes and squares of Almodóvar's personal universe.
Below you can watch a facetime interview to Pedro Almodóvar and Tilda Swinton when they presented the film in the the New York Film Festival at the Lincoln Centre in September 2020. The video is very long (1:04:19), but it is interesting to listen to Almodóvar's English, although at some points he turns to Spanish to be translated by a consecutive interpreter (for example when he starts talking about the sets and the scenery of the film at 29:01 and continues talking about the lockdown during the pandemic).
A highlight of the interview is Tilda Swinton's long answer to the question about her character who is in a world that is a mixture of a theatre stage and a cinema set (36:00- 42:11). She explains that the telephone helps her character to create a fabrication of reality, a performance to deceive her ex-lover on the phone, in contrast to the first minutes of Almodóvar's film, where she is silent and we can see her true feelings. Although you can watch the video with subtitles, Tilda Swinton's complex and metaphorical answers are recommended for C1 students and above, whereas Almodóvar's answers in English can be easily understood by B2 students.
In the six minutes of Tilda Swinson's answer you can notice her richness of expression, for example: deception, to dissemble, the predicament, painful, a dignified goodbye, to fall apart, a fabrication, inarticulacy, articulacy, a pose, utterances, the script, an axe, to smash [a glass], frankly, it's overacting, to overdo something, incredibly moving, a trope, a cliche, a soap opera, a set, to fake [it], to throw open your heart, to spill your guts, it's not good taste, a massive meltdown, a dweeb, a twist and turn, to twiddle with [something], vulnerability, fakery.
"The Human Voice" can be watched on Movistar TV beginning on September 3rd, 2021. Recently, Almodovar presented "Parallel Mothers", his latest film, at the Venice Film Festival.
You will come across words like: disposablility, chic, a host of big brands, joy, upcycling, the cover [of a magazine], to feature, to debut, newsstands, a plus-size model, inclusivity, glossy shoots, vintage, secondhand, thrifted, pre-loved, for resale, a stream of [mostly] on-line shoppable [content], collectible, sustainable, [upcycled] apparel, 18-karat gold, to scour flea markets [for inspiration], to embrace, to tweak, to refashion, to jazz up, to unveil, a buyback [program], denim, to follow the footsteps, garments, charity shops, to deconstruct, to rework, to double down on [the idea], to come in the wake of, pioneer, attire, partnership, second life store, samples and pieces, to gather [dust], closet, to sell off, embellishment, tags, one-off, quasi-couture, to plot, to reissue, a cape, premier, to put the spotlight on, conventional wisdom, to addle [their senses], to risk [losing their attention], [wallet] share, to turn out, short term, to reek of [insecurity], to rely on [freneticism], white noise, to boost sales, a glut [of stuff], the value proposition, to hang on to [a garment], to be done with [something], to grapple with [the impact of..., the problem], [systems] weren't in place, housedress, leftover fabric, pandemic, lockdown, mills, deadstock, to prompt [Farfetched to expand], on-site [credit], the landfill [problem], to bolster, the [much] heralded [growth], to hit [$ 6 billion], to turn away from, to price out of [something], accessories, to co-opt, to gross out, to move on, to open a new realm [of possibility].
Padma Lakshmi is an international model, the host and executive producer of the TV show "Top Chef" in USA, and now she is the host of the new food and travel programme, "Taste the Nation" on Hulu, a leading Disney video service, where she visits chefs in immigrant communities who have contributed to the American culinary heritage.
The interview lasts 41 minutes, so it can be used by C2 students and experts as background listening while you are doing something else, like walking, gardening or ironing. There is a full script which helps to pick up unintelligible words, or to do a reading and listening exercise with C1 students. You can also find a text that summirizes the highlights of the interview.
The interview contains many new words, including cooking ingredients: to acknowledge, cages, backbone, to pick up, to leave off, to be vilified, insight, a diner, to get heckled, [to sneak] snuck snuck, to take somebody to task, a rocking chair, dosa, lentil, crepe, batter, upma, sauteed, sooji, rava, couscous, quinoa, to streamline, carnivorousness, pepperoni, baloney, cold cuts, squeamish, tripe, offal, brewers, to be spotted, audition, legit, booker, mortified, a rocky start, outsider, appeal, scar, to dawn on me, cachet, S & M, pose, to squander, knickers, stockinged, cleavage, duster jacket, keloid, whole-hog, grunge, billboards, self-loathing, to admonish, to rear-end, embankment, jaws of life, windshield, ribs, home-bound, penance, secular, to have a career in [food], a major in theatre, to pay off, collage loans, premiere, cookbook, a spiral notebook, to jot down, splash, ploy, freak, compound, a knitted blanket, a crocheted blanket, to sling slung slung, a platter, gosh, to dress up, guilt, to make waves, sexually assaulted, op-ed, to be challenged [in court], unwillingness, it weighed on me, date rape, taxing, to rip off, to cherish, chronic pain, to crumple in bed, a heating pad, the period, to handle, to dispel, to wreak havoc, lining, leftover tissue, memoir, to instil in [somebody], cuddly, siblings, hem, sari, a well-read person, verbatim.
Mother's day is celebrated on May 10th in USA, India and Australia, on March 22nd in the UK and Ireland and on May 3rd in Spain. Here you can read three stories related to the topic.
Jonna Jinton is a Swedish artist who decided to move from the city to a remote little village in the North of Sweden with "no plan, no money and no job", to follow her dream and live close to nature. In the middle of the forest, she became a photographer, an artist, a blogger, and, finally, an influencer. In this beautiful video, she tells the story of her life in her slow, crystal clear English, which is subtitled, so the document can be accessible to B1 students and above.
Thanks to my student Cristina L., who sent me this link.
