Spain to Host First Latin Grammys Held outside US

Spanish singer Rosalia poses in the press room during the 19th Annual Latin Grammy Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, on November 15, 2018. (AFP/Getty Images)
Spanish singer Rosalia poses in the press room during the 19th Annual Latin Grammy Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, on November 15, 2018. (AFP/Getty Images)
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Spain to Host First Latin Grammys Held outside US

Spanish singer Rosalia poses in the press room during the 19th Annual Latin Grammy Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, on November 15, 2018. (AFP/Getty Images)
Spanish singer Rosalia poses in the press room during the 19th Annual Latin Grammy Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, on November 15, 2018. (AFP/Getty Images)

Spain will host the next Latin Grammy Awards ceremony, marking the first time the star-studded event is held outside the United States, officials said Wednesday.

Like the Grammy Awards, which are considered the top US music honors, the Latin Grammys celebrate excellence in music and performances by Latin artists.

The gala will be held in November in the southern region of Andalusia, the head of the Spanish regional government announced, without specifying the host city or exact dates.

"It is no exaggeration if I say that it is a historic event for Andalusia," Juan Manuel Moreno told a news conference.

"That the Latin Grammys will leave the United States for the first time is reason for special celebration, and what better place to hold them than Andalusia," said the head of the Latin Recording Academy, Manuel Abud.

The gala, which was first held in 2000, is usually hosted in Las Vegas although it has also taken place in US cities such as Houston, Miami and New York.

Andalusia, one of Spain's top tourist destinations, is home to cities such as Seville, Malaga and Cordoba.

Spanish artist Rosalia, known for her beautiful blend of flamenco music, won the best album prize at last year's Latin Grammys in Las Vegas.



'Mufasa' Film Puts Classic Lions Into More Complex Storylines

This image released by Disney shows characters Afia, voiced by Anika Noni Rose, left, Mufasa, voiced by Braelyn Rankins, center, and Masego, voiced by Keith David, in a scene from "Mufasa: The Lion King." (Disney via AP)
This image released by Disney shows characters Afia, voiced by Anika Noni Rose, left, Mufasa, voiced by Braelyn Rankins, center, and Masego, voiced by Keith David, in a scene from "Mufasa: The Lion King." (Disney via AP)
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'Mufasa' Film Puts Classic Lions Into More Complex Storylines

This image released by Disney shows characters Afia, voiced by Anika Noni Rose, left, Mufasa, voiced by Braelyn Rankins, center, and Masego, voiced by Keith David, in a scene from "Mufasa: The Lion King." (Disney via AP)
This image released by Disney shows characters Afia, voiced by Anika Noni Rose, left, Mufasa, voiced by Braelyn Rankins, center, and Masego, voiced by Keith David, in a scene from "Mufasa: The Lion King." (Disney via AP)

Director Barry Jenkins believes it was important to revisit the Disney classic "The Lion King" with the prequel "Mufasa: The Lion King" for audiences to understand that the protagonist lion Mufasa was never perfect, and the villain Scar was not always evil.
"For 30 years we've been living with this idea of Mufasa as unimpeachably great and good, and Scar is like the full embodiment of evil," Jenkins told Reuters.
"In this story, we get to go back and show that no one is born good or born evil. You'll get a result of all these different choices that you make, good parenting, bad parenting, nature versus nurture," the "Moonlight" director added.
Jenkins found that it was key to the story to introduce a more complex look at the classic characters.
The film, written by Jeff Nathanson, uses photorealistic animation and serves as both a prequel to the original animated 1994 "The Lion King" and a sequel to the 2019 remake, which was directed by Jon Favreau.
"Mufasa", distributed by Walt Disney Pictures, arrives in theaters on Friday.
The movie includes the voices of leads Aaron Pierre as Mufasa, the lion who grows up to be the king and father to Simba along with Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Taka, who's eventually known as the antagonist named Scar, a prince and Mufasa's adoptive brother.
Taking place in the Pride Lands of Tanzania after the events of the 2019 "Lion King" film, "Mufasa" follows Mufasa and Taka, who become friends and eventually adoptive brothers until a series of devastating events threaten their bond.
The voice cast also includes multi-Grammy winner Beyonce Knowles-Carter who reprises her role from the 2019 film as Simba's mate, Nala, and the "Texas Hold 'Em" singer's daughter, Blue Ivy, making her film debut voicing Simba and Nala's daughter, Princess Kiara.
It was important for Pierre to pay homage to the late James Earl Jones, one of the most renowned actors in Hollywood and the original voice of Mufasa.
"He really for me is just top level," the "Genius" actor said.
For Pierre, Jones was his guiding light that extinguished any fear that he had about the iconic role.
"I actually managed to use that (his fear) in the adolescent version because the adolescent version doesn't have it all figured out," he added.