Names and faces
■ Emmy Award-winner Christina Applegate has announced that she has multiple sclerosis, describing her diagnosis as a “tough road.” The 49-year-old actress known for her roles in “Married … With Children” and “Dead to Me,” said in a tweet late Monday that she was diagnosed “a few months ago.” “It’s been a strange journey. But I have been so supported by people that I know who also have this condition,” Applegate wrote. “It’s been a tough road. But as we all know, the road keeps going.” She added in a later post: “Now I ask for privacy. As I go through this thing.” Multiple sclerosis — also known as MS — affects the nervous system and often results in progressive physical and cognitive decline. More than 2.3 million people have a diagnosis of MS worldwide, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Nearly 1 million people over the age of 18 live with a diagnosis of MS in the U.S., the nonprofit organization adds. Applegate won her Emmy in 2003 for a guest spot on “Friends” and has a Tony Award nomination for the musical “Sweet Charity.” Her films include “The Sweetest Thing,” “Anchorman,” “Hall Pass” and “Bad Moms.” She has previously discussed her 2008 battle with breast cancer, after which she had a double mastectomy as well as her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed.
■ Spain’s leading group of female filmmakers on Tuesday condemned the San Sebastian film festival’s decision to award Johnny Depp its highest honor, saying the decision gave the international event a bad name after a British judge ruled last year that allegations of domestic violence against the actor were “substantially correct.” Cristina Andreu, president of Spain’s Association of Female Filmmakers and Audiovisual Media, said she was “very surprised” by the decision, announced Monday, to award Depp the Donostia Award at the festival’s 69th edition next month. The award is the event’s top prize and aims to honor lifetime achievement. “This speaks very badly of the festival and its leadership, and transmits a terrible message to the public: ‘It doesn’t matter if you are an abuser as long as you are a good actor’,” Andreu told The Associated Press. The association, which has close links to the San Sebastian festival, was “studying next steps,” she added. The San Sebastian International Film Festival, held in northern Spain, takes place Sept. 17-25 this year. Depp is expected to receive the award in person on Sept. 22, in what will be his third appearance at the event. An email request for comment from Depp’s publicist in Los Angeles went unanswered. Last year, Depp lost a libel case against a British newspaper that accused him of domestic violence involving his former wife, Amber Heard. In March, a British court refused Depp’s effort to appeal the ruling.