Monica Carrillo

Madrid is choc-a-bloc with beautiful women. I fall in love at least three times a day just walking the streets. But recently I’ve not been getting out for my lunchtime stroll. Instead, I have been rushing from my office to get home and switch on the Antena 3 Television News. The reason? Nothing to do with current affairs I’m ashamed to say, but everything to do with the (relatively) new presenter currently co-hosting the mid-week afternoon slot.

Her name is Monica Carrillo – y aqui esta…

Current Movistar TV Advertisement

“El anuncio del verano con subtitulos para que nadie se pierda nada de la letra y pueda hacer KARAOKE a toda horas”

Trans. The advert of the summer with subtitles, so that no-one should miss the words and be able to use them when doing Karaoke at all hours.

Based on an original funky toooon by Pino D’Angio, called: “Ma Quale Idea”

English Premier League On Spanish TV

TVE, the Spanish equivalent of the BBC but without the left-wing bias, secured the rights to show English Premier League matches this season. We get a regular two matches a week (Saturday and Sunday) plus Carling Cup and Scottish Premier league games.

Liverpool and Arsenal are the most featured matches because these two teams both have Spanish ’seleccion’ players, and Tottenham are popular too since they have a Spanish manager (Juande Ramos). Liverpool in particular seem to be the focus as they have 3 Spanish stars (Torres, Alonso and Reina) plus the manager is Madrid-born Rafa Benitez. The opening match this season (back in Sept 2007) was Aston Villa vs Liverpool.

The appetite for all football remains incredibly strong here. A friendly warm up match before the current season started between La Liga champions Real Madrid and Portuguese side Belenses took 26% of audience share – mid-week – with 3.2 million viewers, whilst on the same night Atletico de Madrid vs Celta Vigo garnered 6% audience share. Also, a recent internet poll on www.laguiatv.com (a Spanish television guide) on the question “What is the worst thing about TV during the summer?”, some 9.4% answered “That there’s no football.”

Caméra Café

One of the best shows currently on Spanish TV is Caméra Café (Telecinco, Thursday nights), a wickedly funny view on office life made up of a series of short clips all filmed from the perspective of the office automatic coffee machine. Sounds weird? It is, but the fixed perspective that this set-up generates enables the characters to really come to life. The YouTube clip attached:
– shows a typical episode, of which there will be 4 or 5 per show. For all of us who have worked in an office the character types are familiar enough, but the actors really play them well and the show is a scream. Really excellent humour, sharply observed and rapidly fired-off.

Apparently, it was originally a French show (Camera Cafe being a play on ‘Camera Cachée’ – or hidden camera) created by Bruno Solo, Yvan Le Bolloc’h and Alain Kappauf broadcast on the M6 channel. Can’t speak for the Froggy version but the Spanish version is tops. Check it out.

Soy una Osa

The city of Madrid’s emblem is ‘El Oso y el Madroño’ (The Bear and the Strawberry tree). The most famous representation of it is a statue in Puerta de Sol, pictured. Today, a group of ‘activists’ were in the plaza distributing flyers and scratch cards contending that ‘el oso’ is, in fact ‘una osa’ – i.e. it’s a female bear. Television cameras were out to record the fun and did a series of vox-pops about what the locals thought about this assault on their treasured symbol. Probably the best response recorded by TV Cuatro was a very wry fifty’ish bloke who, when asked: “So, do you think it’s an Osa, not an Oso?”, replied, “Why, of course it’s a female. If not, where’s its willy?” There are a number of theories as to how Madrid got a bear and a tree as its city emblem. For a selection of the best answers we recommend this page on Yahoo! Spain .

Top Ten TV Shows In Spain

ABC newspaper has a regular weekly feature listing the top ten most popular TV shows using audience data from GECA / Sofres. Last week the no. 1 prog was ‘Escenas de matrimonio’, which can loosely be translated as Short Stories of Marriage. It’s a sitcom on the Telecinco channel cut into short comedic ’sketches’, showing the lives of 3 married couples of different generations who all live in the same building. It garners an average audience of over 4 million and was an instant ‘hit’ when first shown in 2007, but has also incurred the wrath of lefty-liberal progressives (i.e. shrill wimmin) such as La Federación de Mujeres Progresistas who claim it shows women in demeaning and stereotypical roles. In other words, it shows contented housewives who worry about making a nice supper for their hubbies. Disgraceful!

For the full list of the top ten television shows in Spain with average audience numbers please click here

Where To Watch English Sport in Madrid

In Madrid-Uno’s never ending search for different places to watch English sport in Spain’s capital city he has discovered one immutable rule – only Irish pubs exist if you wanna catch a match. As with all rules, there may be one exception. Madrid-Uno has found a Scottish pub as well. So, still celtic, but at least it’s a different colour.

It’s odd that there are no English pubs here, but it appears that the anglo expat crowd prefer to set up other types of businesses (like tea shops, grocery stores, book shops) and use the Irish bars as their spots for watching the premier league footy or rugby. I wondered if maybe there was an Irish mafia in town who would wreck the joint or burn it down if you tried to impinge on their action, but talking to some Spanish mates it appears that it’s more to do with perception. Madrileños associate pubs with Ireland and not with England, since we’re regarded as too ‘uptight’ to run a fun drinking place. Clearly I have some educating to do. The one major problem therefore is that there is no ‘proper’ beer on tap. It’s all disco fizz lager, Guinness and shitey Irish cider (Magners – yeuch). Oh for a bottle of Spitfire Premium Kentish Ale.

OK, so here’s the list and I’ll try and update later if alerted to new places. NB. Most of these pubs will also show American sports as well (especially American Football – NFL / AFL).

Bo’ Finns – C/. Velazquez, 97

Elcano Tavern – C/. Alonso Cano, 57

Finbars – C/. Marquéz de Urquijo, 10

Finnegan’s – Plaza de las Salesas

Larry’s – Alberto Alcocer, 7

Molly Malone’s – C/. Manuela Malasaña, 11

Moore’s & Co. – C/. Felipe III, 4

O’Connell St. / Dubliners – C/. Espoz y Mina, 7

O’Connors – C/. Almagro, 3

O’Neills – Principe, 12

Public House – C/. Fernandez de los Rios, 83

St. Patrick’s Abbey – C/. Puerto Rico, 35

The Celtic Cross – C/. Maldonado, 14

The Irish Rover – Avda del Brasil, 7

The James Joyce – C/. Alcalá, 59

The Quiet Man – C/. Valverde, 44

Triskel Tavern – C/. Vincente Ferrer 3

Finnegan’s is also the HQ of the Madrid Lions RFC

James Bond with a Spanish Accent

¡Hola! ¿Qué Tal?. The Bond film ‘Never Say Never Again’ was on the television tonight. Very amusing to hear ‘Thero Thero Siete’ Sean Connery dubbed into Spanish. I’m sure that to the Spanish the dubbed voice conveys masculine smoothness but somehow it just doesn’t conjure up that laconic, wry, Edinburgh baritone to which Madrid-Uno is accustomed to. Still, NSNA is an enjoyable romp, definitely one of the best Bond films despite Sean getting on a bit at that stage. Certainly better than the gimmick filled stuff we’ve been getting recently (though haven’t seen the new Casino Royale with Daniel Craig yet). Favourite line? Fatima Blush: “Oh, how reckless of me. I made you all wet.” James Bond: “Yes, but my martini is still dry.” LOL! Second favourite line – Q: “Good to see you Mr. Bond. Things have been awfully dull around here. I hope we’re going to see some gratuitous sex and violence.” James Bond: “I certainly hope so too.” Madrid-Uno is now curious to hear how Clint Eastwood’s voice get’s dubbed. “Go on Punk. Make my day!”