Spanish-born actress Penelope Cruz is to grace the stage later this month at Italy’s annual extravaganza of glitz and pop, the Sanremo Song Festival. The 36-year-old star of Volver is the hottest name on the list of international showbiz VIPs who will be expected to pump up the hype surrounding the festival and pull in TV viewers.

Cruz’s presence was announced by festival presenter Pippo Baudo at the official presentation of Sanremo 2007. He gave no details about what her appearance would involve. In the past actor stars such as John Travolta, Hugh Grant, Will Smith and Sharon Stone have been given half-hour slots to be interviewed live on stage between sections of the song contest.

Cruz, who has just received an Oscar nomination for her lead role in Pedro Almodovar’s Volver, learned to speak Italian in 2004 for her part in Italian director Sergio Castelitto’s film Non ti muovere / Don’t Move. In that film she played a destitute woman called Italia who has a torrid affair with an upper crust surgeon. Learning the language paid off, at least in Italy, because she went on to win the Italian equivalent of the Oscars for Best Actress.

Source: http://www.corrieretandem.com