The 83rd Academy Awards ceremony will take place on Sunday, February 27, 2011 in Hollywood.

A Mexican and Spanish film have been nominated for an Oscar in the category of "Best Foreign Film". It is interesting to note that the Mexican Nominee features a famous Spanish actor and the Spanish Nominee features a famous Mexican actor.

Spanish Oscar Nomination

También la Lluvia (Even the Rain), directed by Inciar Bollaín, will represent Spain in the Oscars in 2011. The stars of the film are Spanish actor Luis Tosar and Mexican actor Gael García Bernal.

The movie is about a filmaker named Sebastian (played by Gael Garcia Bernal) who travels to Bolvia to make a film about the Spanish conquest of America. The film crew arrive during the Cochabamba water crisis and protests in the year 2000.

Bollaín is the first female Spanish director to represent Spain in the Oscars. This is Bollaín´s most ambitions film, and the first that she did not write herself.

The grand production in the Chapare jungle involved 4,000 extras, of them 300 natives, a film team of 130 people, more than 70 filming locations, and almost everything done outside.

The film is a movie within a movie that draws sublte paralles between the exploitation of the past and the continued exploitation of Latin America by richer countries and multinational cooperations. It incorporates details about he movie that Sebastian is filming (Christopher Columbus Era) with the year 2000 (the present time in which the character of Sebastian is in Bolivia filming his movie).

Even the Rain will debut officially in January. However, in order to meet the deadlines established by the Oscars, there must be a short 7 day showing in any theatre in Spain before the 30th of September.

Mexican Oscar Nomination

Biutiful, (not a mispelling but rather the Spanish spelling of the English word "beautiful") by Alejandro González Iñárritu and starring Spanish actor Javier Bardem will represent Mexico as communicated this morning by the Mexican Film Academy.

The film already appeared in the Cannes festival, but it will not open in Mexico until the 22nd of October. The film was made available for a few days in remote parts of the country due to the Oscar regulations that indicate that the movie must debut before the 30th of September to be considered for the Oscar nominations.

González Iñárritu is one of the most internationally recognized Mexican directors. His last film, Babel, starring Cate Blanchett and Brad Pitt, was nominated for an Oscar in 2007. He was also nominated for his first film, Amores perros, in 2002.

The film has met mixed reactions, although generally positive.

The film follows Uxbal (Bardem), who is a low-life single dad involved in illegal immigration, who is confronted by an old childhood friend who is now a police agent. He struggles to reconcile the past and secure a future for his children as his own death grows near.

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As I've now officially passed the half way point in my stay here in Salamanca, I thought it was time to delve a bit deeper in to the history of this town this weekend, especially because of the visit of a English friend, anxious to know more about the place where I'm living.

Ultimately this has been something that I've avoided up until now, simply because I knew that I would have to do several times over with visitors, and thus didn't want to be bored of touristing before they had even arrived. However, what I hadn't realised was, buried away, there is an awful lot!

The starting point was always going to be tricky.. Do you go for the traditional Plaza Mayor and Cathedral combo, or should I pick a less obvious plan of attack? However fate was working it's magic, and the hunt for a typical Spanish feast of chocolate, churros and coffee for breakfast took us by the Convento de San Esteban. Despite walking past this magnificent building at least once a day on my way to work, I had never really taken the time to appreciate the stunning architecture on the outside, let alone within. This 16th century building is truly impressive, and comprises of several smaller rooms and displays on the work of its current and previous inhabitants, as well as one of the most stunning churches I have ever seen, definitely a mistake on my part to overlook this previously!

In a more traditional sense, one of the key things that I had failed to do beforehand was visit the old cathedral, as well as climb the towers. Thus clearly next on the list ..! Climbing the towers wasn't exactly as I'd expected, and after scaling Notre Dame earlier this summer, I'm not going to lie, I was a little disappointed. But on the plus side, the view was amazing, and the exhibits about the building were very interesting, sadly for the girl with

a teeny tiny fear of heights, the descent was less than fun! The old Cathedral, although lacking the grandeur of the new, was very beautiful, and apart from the uneven floor, very well preserved, showing a real insight into worship of the past.

Both the traditional and Pontificial University were both obligatory on a tour of Salamanca, however visiting them proved much trickier than anticipated, with siesta hours being timed perfectly for when we were in that area. Architecturally, both were incredible, and in particular the library of the main university building wowed me completely, and I exclaimed quite rapidly that I would marry anyone in a second who owned a room such as this!

Finally, on the list of tourist must-dos was the Casa Lis museum. We had luckily managed to be there on the last day of the the Tauromaquia exhibition. As a definite fan of Picasso, I really enjoyed this, and furthermore entire style of the museum really appealed to me!

So being a tourist for the day, definitely worth it!!!!

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The Cibeles Madrid Fashion week has ended. The event took place from September 17th through the 22nd at the Feria de Madrid.

A fashion week is an industry event in which fashion designers, brands, or fashion houses display their latest collections in runway shows and buyers take a look at the latest trends. The Madrid collection was for summer and spring and lets the industry know what is "in" and what is "out" for next season. The most important fashion shows usually take place in New York City, London, Milan and Paris.

This was Madrid's 52nd edition which lasted 6 days. The general consensus was that the tendency was lack of risk and little change from the previous year. 50 designers participated presenting their collections for the spring-summer 2011 collection. 10 of the designers are young creators from "El Ego", a program that is in its 5th year.

"El Ego" is a program for young talented designers to showcase their collections. The idea is that the creation of fashion is a process which is born and ends on the street, when the collection goes on sale. Each garmet needs to make sense to the person who chooses to wear it, so IFEMA (Feria of Madrid) feature as an EGO showroom, on the same days as Cibeles Madrid Fashion Week, for young designers to show their collections. This promotional space is designed to showcase upcoming Spanish Fashion.

Spanish designers featured in this years Cibeles Madrid Fashion Week:

Adolfo Domínguez
Ágatha Ruiz de la Prada
Ailanto
Alvarno
Alma Aguilar
AA de Amaya Arzuaga
Ana Locking
Anjara
Andrés Sardá
Ángel Schlesser
Antonio Alvarado
Carlos Díez
Davidelfin
Devota & Lomba
Dolores Cortés
Duyos
Elio Berhanyer
Elisa Palomino
Francis Montesinos
Gori de Palma
Guillermina Baeza
Hannibal Laguna
Ion Fiz
Javier Larrainzar
Jesús del Pozo
Juana Martín
Juanjo Oliva
Kina Fernández
Lemoniez
Lydia Delgado
María Barros
María Escoté
María Lafuente
Martín Lamothe
Miguel Palacio
Miriam Ocariz
Montse Bassons
Nicolás Vaudelet
Roberto Torretta
Roberto Verino
Sita Murt
TCN
Teresa Helbig
Victorio & Lucchino

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Do you like to cook? The Mediterranean diet is known as one of the most healthy in the world, rich in nutrients and variety.

Even if you do not live in Spain, you can experience a large amount of typical dishes prepared at home.

This featured recipe is: Eggplant Millefeuille or Milhojas de Berenjena in Spanish. (recipe below)

"Millefeuille" is a French word which traditionally refers to a layered puff pastry. In this case, there are layers, but the plate is not a pastry.

A co-worker of mine and I both tried this dish at home, with our own variations. It was really yummy and as they say in Spanish "tenía una pinta estupenda" (It looked stupendous).

So I know what some of you may be thinking: Eggplant, Yuck! Yes I know, there are many vegetable haters in the world. However, I can assure you that a reknowned vegetable hater that I know (my husband!!) ate up the dish and said that it was good! So if that does not convince you then I do know know what will!

Try this REALLY easy recipe at home and let me know how it turns out. I used havarti cheese and shreded mozarella on top and my co-worker added sheets of lasagna.. so the possibilities are endless!

On the don Quijote website you can also find a library of Mediterranean recipes here.

Eggplant millefeuille

Ingredients (4 PEOPLE)

• 1 large eggplant
• 2 tomatoes
• Salt
• Pepper
• Some Basil leaves
• 4 slices of mozzarella cheese
• Extra virgin olive oil

Preparation:

Clean the eggplant and cut into fine slices. Clean and slice the tomatoes. Salt and pepper tomatoes and eggplant to taste.

Next, stack the eggplant layers as you see fit alternating cheese, basil and tomato slices between each one. Finish the stack with a slice of cheese and then place them on a baking sheet and spray with olive oil. Bake at 180º C / 356 º F for 20 minutes. Serve warm or hot.

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A Spanish designer has been in the fashion, technological and medical spotlights over the last few days after revealing his fascinating new invention - spray-on clothing that can be washed and worn again!

Along with scientists at Imperial College London, Manel Torres invented a spray of tiny fibres and polymers which create a seamless fabric when applied to the body. The outcome varies depending on whether wool, linen or acrylic fibres are used and depending on what colour they are.

The ultimate figure-hugging garment, a t-shirt takes around 15 minutes to spray on – somewhat longer than the few seconds needed to pull on a normal piece of clothing! But the potential uses for this new technology stretch far beyond the fashion world, with other possible applications in upholstery for cars and furniture, as well as in medical fields, including spray-on bandages and hygiene wipes, which would not require any pressure or contact on wounds or burns, for example.

Watch a video of this intriguing new technology in action here.

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Whilst researching things to do in Salamanca this weekend, an article that I stumbled across caught my eye. Detailing the experience had by a Don Quijote competition winner, one can clearly see within this why you should consider a stay here with us!

I found it really interesting primarily because it does show the wide range of activities that one can do here in Spain whilst studying, whilst also the true Spanish experience that can be had. The importance of cultural elements such as flamenco and singing lessons, as well as day trips to far off and uncovered places makes a good idea sound idyllic!

From talking to other students, I have often found that the largest problem had by prospective students is that of picking their city, and this was clearly something that the competition winner puzzled over, but from this, what I have learnt is that every city has something for everyone, whether it be a raving nightlife or a picturesque landscape

So check out Language advantage's site and see what Lisa Zealey had to say about her stay at don Quijote here!

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Penelope Cruz & Javier Bardem

After many, and I mean many false speculations it is finally confirmed. Oscar winner Penelope Cruz and Oscar winner Javier Bardem are expecting a child!!!

The Spanish actress released a statment through her Spanish agency that she is expecting her first child and is 4.5 months along.

Rumors flew when she was shooting scenes for her upcoming film Pirates of the Caribbean when people noticed her baby bump.

In July Penelope and Javier were married in a secret hush-hush ceremony in the Bahamas.

41-year-old Javier Bardem and 36 year old Penelope Cruz are both oscar winners and some of the most recognized faces from Spain. They first worked together at a very young age in the Spanish film Jamón Jamón and were reunited on the set of Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona in 2009 for which Cruz achieved an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

In 2008, Bardem also won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for playing in a role as a killer in the Coen brothers’ 2007 film, No Country for Old Men.

She has been quoted saying: 'I'd love to have kids. Maybe I'll adopt about 20 children - that's been my dream since I was a little girl. I want to have my own kids, but also adopt. For a while I've had the feeling that my life won't be complete if I don't adopt."

Congrats to the couple! I calculate that in February the most famous little Spaniard ever will be born!

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A-List actor Bruce Willis has arrived on Spain’s Valencian coast to begin shooting for his latest action film.

‘The Cold Light of Day’ is to be shot entirely in Spain, at various locations in and around Alicante. Much of the production team are Spanish and the cast includes some Spanish names too. Óscar Jaenada and Verónica Echegui are to star in the film along with Caroline Goodall, Sigourney Weaver, Emma Hamilton and Henry Cavill, amongst others.

The film is directed by French-born Mabrouk El-Mechri, and based on an original screenplay written by Scott Wiper, John Petro and Richard Price. It is a thriller about a young American (played by Henry Cavill) whose family is kidnapped while holidaying in Spain. The protagonist has just a few hours to find his family and uncover the connection between their disappearance and the secrets his father (Bruce Willis) has kept hidden for years.

Plans for filming include ten weeks in Valencia’s coastal towns followed by additional time in the studios at Ciudad de la Luz in Alicante. Some of the sites set to hit the big screens include Dénia, Moraira and Jávea, where crews descended on the small cove of La Granadella (pictured below) to shoot some action scenes.

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So what I was planning on being a quiet weekend away with friends whilst my sister was here took a rapid change when we arrived in Madrid on saturday lunchtime and were bombarded with blue leaflets entitled 'La Noche en Blanco'. Altogether an alien concept for me, I hastily tucked the pamphlet away for later, thinking it would be nothing more than a random exhibition. How wrong i was!

Upon meeting with my friends who are working in Madrid, I was greeted with the exclamation that I had come on "the best weekend ever" as they proceeded to tell me about the open air exhibitions that took place at this annual street party.

Despite having experienced the Madrid nightlife before, I was definitely not prepared for the many thousands of people that crowded the streets, moving from one of the almost 100 exhibits to the next. With music, film and artists as far as the eye could see, it was clear to see that the literal translation "a sleepless night" was truely what this was going to be.

One of the aspects that I found the most enjoyable was the varied timetable. With each element constructed around a different schedule, it made it so much easier to see everything, rather than having to sacrifice certain elements, and indeed simply wlaking round to begin with the contrast of each stage was particularly interested as, for example, I saw both the start and the end of a work of street art.

Another important idea within this annual cultural festival is that of museums being open all night, and unfortunately this was one element I did not have the chance to experience, as our hotel was on practically the other side of Madrid, and well there was more than enough to entertain us where we were!

It did however, show a stark contrast between the current local fería here in Salamanca, with a much more traditional focus on local food and music rather than wild partying, however culture is still a significant entity in it all!

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Spain's Rafael Nadal, World ranked number one tennis player from Mallorca, could become the first person since 1969 to win the US Open, the French Open, and Wimbeldon - a career grand slam at the young age of 24 years old. If he succeeds he will be only the seventh man in tennis history to do so.

Federer is out and Nadal was set to face off with Djokovic but heavy rains have delayed the event by a day. Both will likely meet up face to face today, more rested than expected and the stakes are high. The delay is likely more beneficial to Djokovic as he admits to being tired after his 3 hour and 44 minute winning match with legendary tennis player Federer.

Djokovic trails Nadal 14-7 in their head-to-head confontations but the Serbian has beat Nadal in their last three meetings and has a 7-2 win/loss record on hard courts against the left-handed Nadal. If Nadal is able to defeat him without dropping a set, he will be the first tennis player to do so in the US open since 1960.

Spain will be watching today and crossing their finger's for Rafael Nadal - possibly one of the best tennis players in history!

Spanish sports are hot this year after taking home the World Soccer Cup and shining in almost every sport on the planet. However, in basketball they just recently lost their title of World Champions back to team USA.

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