Names and faces
■ Selena Gomez will portray 11-time Grammy Award-winning Linda Ronstadt in an upcoming biopic, according to various news reports. Ronstadt, who made a name for herself in rock ‘n’ roll and country, leaned into her Mexican heritage and released Spanish-language music later in her career. “It all started with a simple dream,” Ronstadt wrote in an Instagram story Wednesday confirming the news by sharing a post from Variety about the upcoming feature. Hours before, Gomez shared a photo on an Instagram story of Ronstadt’s memoir, “Simple Dreams.” A director and additional cast members have not been announced for the project, according to The Hollywood Reporter, which noted that producer James Keach and Ronstadt’s manager, John Boylan, are attached to it. A distributor does not appear to be on board at the moment. Keach also produced “Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice,” a documentary about her life that opened nationwide in 2019. Boylan’s company Great Eastern Music posted a note on its website, saying that the two stars, who are both of Mexican descent, spent a few hours at Ronstadt’s home “discussing the project and getting to know each other.”
■ Kate Beckinsale took a trip to the hospital Sunday immediately after the Golden Globes. Alongside a series of photos from the red carpet and awards show, the “Underworld” and “Pearl Harbor” actress shared images of herself sitting in a hospital room, still dressed in her crystal-encrusted Atelier Zuhra gown, chowing down on burgers with several others as they surround a patient’s bed. “Golden globes 2024 start to end,” she captioned the post. Beckinsale did not disclose the reason for her hospital visit. She followed up her post with another Wednesday morning showing a black square with no caption. The cryptic post prompted concerns from her followers for the health of her stepfather, British TV director Roy Battersby, whom the Daily Mail said was hospitalized in December after suffering a stroke. He was also diagnosed with two forms of cancer, the outlet said. A representative for Beckinsale did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment. Beckinsale made a brief visit at the post-show festivities before heading to the hospital.