Karol G Wins Best Album at Latin Grammys, with Bizarrap and Shakira Also Taking Home Awards

Colombian singer Karol G poses with her three Latin Grammy awards during the 2023 Latin Grammy Awards ceremony in Seville, Spain, 16 November 2023. (EPA)
Colombian singer Karol G poses with her three Latin Grammy awards during the 2023 Latin Grammy Awards ceremony in Seville, Spain, 16 November 2023. (EPA)
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Karol G Wins Best Album at Latin Grammys, with Bizarrap and Shakira Also Taking Home Awards

Colombian singer Karol G poses with her three Latin Grammy awards during the 2023 Latin Grammy Awards ceremony in Seville, Spain, 16 November 2023. (EPA)
Colombian singer Karol G poses with her three Latin Grammy awards during the 2023 Latin Grammy Awards ceremony in Seville, Spain, 16 November 2023. (EPA)

Karol G, Bizzarap, Shakira and Natalia Lafourcade, won big at the Latin Grammy Awards held Thursday.

Karol G’s “Mañana será bonito” was crowned best album of the year and best urban music album.

Argentine producer Bizarrap took home the awards for song of the year and best pop song for “Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53,” with the Colombian star.

Shakira, who attended the ceremony held in Seville, Spain, accompanied by her two children, Milan and Sasha, said that she wanted to dedicate the award to them “because I have promised them that I am going to be happy.”

Natalia Lafourcade, who holds the title for most Latin Grammys in history, added more awards to her record-breaking list with record of the year.

Edgar Barrera, who began the night as a favorite with 13 nominations, had to settle for three awards: composer of the year (a category awarded for the first time), producer of the year and best regional Mexican song. That award came for the composition “un X100to”, the collaboration between his protégés, Grupo Frontera, and the superstar Bad Bunny.

Relocating the show to Seville for the first time meant that flamenco was present throughout the entire night.

It was on display from the opening, by Rosalía, who returned to her origins to offer her version of “Se nos muerte el amor,” by Rocío Jurado, to the musical number by Andrea Bocelli who performed “Granada,” composed by the Mexican Agustín Lara and the performance of "Corazón partío” by Alejandro Sanz, who was accompanied by 30 flamenco dancers.



Australian Katie Perry Wins Trademark Spat Against Singer Katy Perry

Katy Perry. (AFP)
Katy Perry. (AFP)
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Australian Katie Perry Wins Trademark Spat Against Singer Katy Perry

Katy Perry. (AFP)
Katy Perry. (AFP)

Australian designer Katie Perry has won the right to sell clothes under her name, claiming victory Wednesday in a years-long trademark spat with US pop megastar Katy Perry.

Designer Katie Perry accused her far more famous namesake of trademark infringement, arguing she had claimed the "Katie Perry" brand before the singer became a global sensation.

But songstress Katy Perry said her music had already gone "viral" as the designer started selling clothes around 2008 and sought to have the Australian trademark scrubbed out.

An Australian court agreed with the singer, ruling in 2024 the clothing trademark should be cancelled.

But Australia's High Court has now ruled in favor of the local designer on appeal, finding there was unlikely to be any risk of "confusion" between the two.

A representative for the singer told AFP that despite the legal action she "has never sought to close down" the Australian business.


Oscar Nominee Chalamet Woos Chinese Fans Days Before Best Actor Bid

French-American actor Timothee Chalamet (L) and American film director Josh Safdie pose upon arrival on the red carpet for screening of their film “Marty Supreme” in Beijing on March 10, 2026. (AFP)
French-American actor Timothee Chalamet (L) and American film director Josh Safdie pose upon arrival on the red carpet for screening of their film “Marty Supreme” in Beijing on March 10, 2026. (AFP)
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Oscar Nominee Chalamet Woos Chinese Fans Days Before Best Actor Bid

French-American actor Timothee Chalamet (L) and American film director Josh Safdie pose upon arrival on the red carpet for screening of their film “Marty Supreme” in Beijing on March 10, 2026. (AFP)
French-American actor Timothee Chalamet (L) and American film director Josh Safdie pose upon arrival on the red carpet for screening of their film “Marty Supreme” in Beijing on March 10, 2026. (AFP)

Oscar nominee Timothee Chalamet answered to "sweet tea" and praised a table tennis champion as he wooed Chinese fans on Tuesday in Beijing, days before the Academy Awards.

The 30-year-old actor is in Asia promoting Best Picture hopeful "Marty Supreme", in which he plays a 1950s table tennis champion consumed by grand ambitions.

Loosely based on a true story, and benefiting from the Franco-American actor's unique viral campaign, the A24 film directed by Josh Safdie ("Uncut Gems") has become an unlikely global hit.

At an indoor red carpet event, Chalamet delighted fans by calling China's table tennis world no. 1 Sun Yingsha "an amazing player" after earlier purchasing a poster of the reigning world champion from a local shop.

The sport -- which Chalamet spent several years mastering in preparation for the film -- is hugely popular in China.

Dozens of fans squeezed past each other for autographs and selfies with the three-time Best Actor nominee, known affectionally as "tiancha", which means sweet tea.

The rare visit to China by a prominent American actor comes as Hollywood looks to cash in on the country's box office.

China recorded 51.8 billion yuan ($7.5 billion) in ticket sales last year, challenging North America's box office of $8.6 billion.

"I feel like the movie could be as well received here as it was in the States, you know. Hopefully," Chalamet told reporters at the carpet -- colored the same shade of orange the actor has sported across his "Marty Supreme" press tour.

Chalamet also visited Japan and the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu where he was filmed playing table tennis with silver-haired locals.

His Asia tour also comes as he has angered fans over viral comments suggesting "no one cares" about ballet or opera.

"Marty Supreme" officially opens in Chinese cinemas on March 20.


Bridgerton Star Insists Queen Charlotte Really Was Black

Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte and Adjoa Andoh as Lady Danbury. (Netflix)
Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte and Adjoa Andoh as Lady Danbury. (Netflix)
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Bridgerton Star Insists Queen Charlotte Really Was Black

Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte and Adjoa Andoh as Lady Danbury. (Netflix)
Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte and Adjoa Andoh as Lady Danbury. (Netflix)

A Bridgerton star has reignited the controversy over whether George III's wife Queen Charlotte, who is depicted in the Regency-era drama, was black in real life.

Adjoa Andoh said of the royal, played by fellow black actress Golda Rosheuvel, “Queen Charlotte wasn't fictionalized as a woman of color, she was a woman of color. You just have to do your historical research, according to The Daily Mail.

The actress – who in 2023 said the Buckingham Palace line-up after King Charles’ coronation was “terribly white” – said the Netflix series gave viewers “a more realistic version of history.”

The lineage of the German-born Charlotte can be traced and there is one relative of Moorish ancestry, 500 years before she lived.

One fan said: “The chances of me having black ancestry are way bigger than that and I'm not a woman of color.”

“History is full of really interesting actual women of color, so it's time we start making TV shows about them and stop giving credit where there's no credit due,” he added.

Bridgerton is a historical drama and romance series produced by Netflix and set in Regency-era London (1810s).

The series, inspired by Julia Quinn's novels, explores love stories and social intrigue. It has been officially renewed through season 6. The fourth season, focusing on Benedict’s love story, is now streaming on Netflix.