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Venice is wild with rumors over the secretive Bezos-Sanchez wedding

CNN

6 minutes ago

CNN

Venice is wild with rumors over the secretive Bezos-Sanchez wedding

Plagued by the looming threat of disruptive protests, the upcoming Venetian wedding of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and former news anchor and licensed pilot Lauren Sanchez — which is expected to be a lavish, multimillion-dollar affair — may be one of the most anticipated and closely guarded events to be held in the floating city of love. Spokespeople for the couple remain tight-lipped and invited guests have been required to sign NDAs, but a lid cannot be kept on widespread speculation about every detail of the event that is expected to take place this week. At Harry's Bar, a fabled institution that once counted Ernest Hemingway among its customers, the waiters are hoping some of the 200 guests — a mix of A-list celebrities, political dignitaries and powerful business executives — might stop in for one of their famous Bellini cocktails. Whether or not Bezos will bring his yet-unnamed groomsmen there, as George Clooney did when he married Amal Alamuddin in 2014, is anyone's guess. 'We hope so,' one of the waiters told CNN. 'We can't divulge anyone who has made a reservation. We protect the privacy of all of our guests, not just the billionaires.' From the date to the guest list, possible venues and the bridal gown, the rumor mill is spinning at a rapid pace. Proceedings are being overseen by boutique event planners Lanza and Baucina, the Italian duo who transformed Venice's Grand Canal into a red carpet for the Clooneys' glitzy wedding. Protesters believe there's no space for a Bezos wedding in Venice, but the company has insisted that its plans are respectful of the city and the unique set of challenges it faces as one of the most overpopulated tourist sites in Europe. 'Rumors of 'taking over' the city are entirely false and diametrically opposed to our goals and to reality,' they said in a statement shared with CNN. 'From the outset, instructions from our client and our own guiding principles were abundantly clear: the minimizing of any disruption to the city.' The couple is sourcing some 80% of wedding provisions from local vendors, including pastries from the Rosa Salva pastry shop, the oldest in Venice, whose owners told CNN they have been commissioned to create 'about 200 goodie bags.' Murano glassware designer Laguna B also confirmed to CNN that it is creating special party favors. The company declined to share any further details. Veneto regional president Luca Zaia is not concerned about the city's plans to manage the wedding, telling one local paper, 'I repeat, this is a city that handles 150,000 people a day. George Clooney, François-Henri Pinault and Salma Hayek, Alexandre Arnault, Elton John and many others got married here.' He also surmised that the President of the United States, who is scheduled to be in Europe this week for the NATO summit, could conceivably be on the guest list, telling Corriere della Sera, 'Of course, Donald Trump could also come to this wedding.' One imagines that Trump's priorities may have shifted considerably over the weekend. With guests sworn to secrecy about their attendance, Sanchez's very public bachelorette party in Paris last month may offer clues as to who will watch on as she and Bezos say 'I do.' Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Katy Perry, and Eva Longoria all took part in celebrations that included a boat trip along the Seine. Oprah Winfrey, Mick Jagger and Ivanka Trump have also been invited, according to the Associated Press. As is tradition, Sanchez will be keeping details of her wedding gown, and its designer, under wraps until the big day, but close followers of her fashion will know she is a regular wearer of Dolce & Gabbana. Sanchez sat front and center at the Italian house's Alta Moda show in Sardinia last summer as her son Nikko Gonzalez walked the runway, signaling a close relationship with the brand. Others in the running to dress the bride could be the storied house of Oscar de la Renta. Sanchez did not attend this year's Met Gala, but she did notably wear a custom-made gown by the label for her 2024 debut. Around 30 of the city's elite water taxis, out of 280 total, are also thought to be reserved. One taxi driver told CNN he has been booked from June 25th through the 30th for 'a big wedding,' but declined to say more on the subject. Gondolas have also been put on hold, with the city's gondola association confirming they are ready for the event. The city's nine yacht ports have also been booked for the week leading up to the main event. Bezos' $500 million Koru, which is always tailed by the smaller L'Abeona, are both in the Adriatic Sea already, according to the Marine Traffic website. Venice's airspace is closed to drones and non-authorized traffic, but one source told CNN that permission has been granted for private helicopters, particularly for anyone needing special security, such as heads of state. The Marco Polo airport, no stranger to private jet traffic, already has a secluded area with direct access to private water taxis, making it easy for stars to slip into the city unseen. The wedding date itself, by far the most protected detail, still remains unconfirmed and the couple seem hellbent on keeping everyone guessing up until the last minute. A person close to Venice City Hall told CNN that the wedding planners secured a variety of venues over a period of days and will decide what happens where and when based on the most uncontrollable factors — weather and protesters. The wedding is expected to use a small handful of hotels in the city to accommodate guests or host events. One of the most talked-about possible venues is the Cini Foundation on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, which has hosted everything from G7 events to private concerts. The sculpted gardens and monastery, where monks still pray, sit across the lagoon from the famous Piazza San Marco and would provide an intimate setting ideal for a dinner. Building work being carried out in mid-June looked suspiciously like a set being built — perhaps for a wedding concert? The Aman hotel on the Grand Canal, where the Clooneys chose to wed, has also been mentioned as a potential location. Another top contender is the Scuola Grande della Misericordia, a 16th-century armory that would be perfect for the ceremony itself — although it is more vulnerable to protesters, who have already threatened to block the canals if the wedding party tries to reach the venue. Interestingly, a rather wedding-esque gazebo has been erected next to the Excelsior Hotel on the Venice Lido, a stone's throw from where the Venice Film Festival is held each year. But, as with the rest of the venues, nothing is confirmed.

CNN

11 minutes ago

CNN

Venice is wild with rumors over the secretive Bezos-Sanchez wedding

Plagued by the looming threat of disruptive protests, the upcoming Venetian wedding of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and former news anchor and licensed pilot Lauren Sanchez — which is expected to be a lavish, multimillion-dollar affair — may be one of the most anticipated and closely guarded events to be held in the floating city of love. Spokespeople for the couple remain tight-lipped and invited guests have been required to sign NDAs, but a lid cannot be kept on widespread speculation about every detail of the event that is expected to take place this week. At Harry's Bar, a fabled institution that once counted Ernest Hemingway among its customers, the waiters are hoping some of the 200 guests — a mix of A-list celebrities, political dignitaries and powerful business executives — might stop in for one of their famous Bellini cocktails. Whether or not Bezos will bring his yet-unnamed groomsmen there, as George Clooney did when he married Amal Alamuddin in 2014, is anyone's guess. 'We hope so,' one of the waiters told CNN. 'We can't divulge anyone who has made a reservation. We protect the privacy of all of our guests, not just the billionaires.' From the date to the guest list, possible venues and the bridal gown, the rumor mill is spinning at a rapid pace. Proceedings are being overseen by boutique event planners Lanza and Baucina, the Italian duo who transformed Venice's Grand Canal into a red carpet for the Clooneys' glitzy wedding. Protesters believe there's no space for a Bezos wedding in Venice, but the company has insisted that its plans are respectful of the city and the unique set of challenges it faces as one of the most overpopulated tourist sites in Europe. 'Rumors of 'taking over' the city are entirely false and diametrically opposed to our goals and to reality,' they said in a statement shared with CNN. 'From the outset, instructions from our client and our own guiding principles were abundantly clear: the minimizing of any disruption to the city.' The couple is sourcing some 80% of wedding provisions from local vendors, including pastries from the Rosa Salva pastry shop, the oldest in Venice, whose owners told CNN they have been commissioned to create 'about 200 goodie bags.' Murano glassware designer Laguna B also confirmed to CNN that it is creating special party favors. The company declined to share any further details. Veneto regional president Luca Zaia is not concerned about the city's plans to manage the wedding, telling one local paper, 'I repeat, this is a city that handles 150,000 people a day. George Clooney, François-Henri Pinault and Salma Hayek, Alexandre Arnault, Elton John and many others got married here.' He also surmised that the President of the United States, who is scheduled to be in Europe this week for the NATO summit, could conceivably be on the guest list, telling Corriere della Sera, 'Of course, Donald Trump could also come to this wedding.' One imagines that Trump's priorities may have shifted considerably over the weekend. With guests sworn to secrecy about their attendance, Sanchez's very public bachelorette party in Paris last month may offer clues as to who will watch on as she and Bezos say 'I do.' Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Katy Perry, and Eva Longoria all took part in celebrations that included a boat trip along the Seine. Oprah Winfrey, Mick Jagger and Ivanka Trump have also been invited, according to the Associated Press. As is tradition, Sanchez will be keeping details of her wedding gown, and its designer, under wraps until the big day, but close followers of her fashion will know she is a regular wearer of Dolce & Gabbana. Sanchez sat front and center at the Italian house's Alta Moda show in Sardinia last summer as her son Nikko Gonzalez walked the runway, signaling a close relationship with the brand. Others in the running to dress the bride could be the storied house of Oscar de la Renta. Sanchez did not attend this year's Met Gala, but she did notably wear a custom-made gown by the label for her 2024 debut. Around 30 of the city's elite water taxis, out of 280 total, are also thought to be reserved. One taxi driver told CNN he has been booked from June 25th through the 30th for 'a big wedding,' but declined to say more on the subject. Gondolas have also been put on hold, with the city's gondola association confirming they are ready for the event. The city's nine yacht ports have also been booked for the week leading up to the main event. Bezos' $500 million Koru, which is always tailed by the smaller L'Abeona, are both in the Adriatic Sea already, according to the Marine Traffic website. Venice's airspace is closed to drones and non-authorized traffic, but one source told CNN that permission has been granted for private helicopters, particularly for anyone needing special security, such as heads of state. The Marco Polo airport, no stranger to private jet traffic, already has a secluded area with direct access to private water taxis, making it easy for stars to slip into the city unseen. The wedding date itself, by far the most protected detail, still remains unconfirmed and the couple seem hellbent on keeping everyone guessing up until the last minute. A person close to Venice City Hall told CNN that the wedding planners secured a variety of venues over a period of days and will decide what happens where and when based on the most uncontrollable factors — weather and protesters. The wedding is expected to use a small handful of hotels in the city to accommodate guests or host events. One of the most talked-about possible venues is the Cini Foundation on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, which has hosted everything from G7 events to private concerts. The sculpted gardens and monastery, where monks still pray, sit across the lagoon from the famous Piazza San Marco and would provide an intimate setting ideal for a dinner. Building work being carried out in mid-June looked suspiciously like a set being built — perhaps for a wedding concert? The Aman hotel on the Grand Canal, where the Clooneys chose to wed, has also been mentioned as a potential location. Another top contender is the Scuola Grande della Misericordia, a 16th-century armory that would be perfect for the ceremony itself — although it is more vulnerable to protesters, who have already threatened to block the canals if the wedding party tries to reach the venue. Interestingly, a rather wedding-esque gazebo has been erected next to the Excelsior Hotel on the Venice Lido, a stone's throw from where the Venice Film Festival is held each year. But, as with the rest of the venues, nothing is confirmed.

Amazon Prime Ends Its NASCAR Experiment With Plenty To Brag About

Forbes

41 minutes ago

Forbes

Amazon Prime Ends Its NASCAR Experiment With Plenty To Brag About

CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA - MAY 25: A detail view of a "NASCAR Prime" helmet on the on the Amazon ... More Prime Video set prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 25, 2025 in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) Not long ago, if you'd told someone from the older generation that one day NASCAR races would be watched on the internet—without a single cable or satellite dish in sight—they'd have laughed, then asked what channel the internet was on. We're talking about a generation that grew up fiddling with rabbit ears on top of a black-and-white television just to catch a fuzzy glimpse of the Daytona 500—and still expects the morning newspaper to land with a satisfying thump on the driveway at sunrise. And yet, here we are. The Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway marked the start of something new: the first time a full NASCAR Cup Series race was streamed exclusively. No traditional broadcast. No cable. Just you, your internet connection, and a new era. Some skeptics braced for buffering, crashes, or missing the green flag while the app updated. But what actually happened was something else entirely: it worked. It turned out to be one of the most innovative, polished, and downright thrilling broadcasts NASCAR fans have seen in years. This wasn't a cautious toe-dip into the digital future. This was a cannonball off the high board—and in the end, Amazon and NASCAR stuck the landing. BROOKLYN, MICHIGAN - JUNE 08: (L-R) The NASCAR on Prime Video broadcast team Danielle Trotta, Carl ... More Edwards, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Corey LaJoie talk on set prior to the NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on June 08, 2025 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by) From the on-screen Burn Bar that showed fuel consumption in real time to pre-race packages that felt like NFL Films had invaded the infield, Amazon Prime's production team didn't just bring NASCAR into the streaming era—they took it to school. The camera work was sharp. The graphics were clean without being intrusive. The audio mix made it feel like you were in the pits with a headset on. And the pre- and post-race segments? Let's just say, if you're one of the traditional networks, you should be looking over your shoulder. A new bar has been set. So what gave Amazon—and NASCAR—the confidence to believe streaming would finally land with this audience? "To me, it's less about streaming than people might think," said Alex Strand, Senior Coordinating Producer at Prime Video, who was at the center of it all. "In the end, our goal is fan first. Whether that's Thursday Night Football, National Women's Soccer League, or NASCAR, we're really fan first.' Strand and his team didn't recycle an old playbook. They came at this with a blank slate—though not without lessons learned from Prime's Thursday Night Football broadcasts. Finding their identity was key. 'One big thing has been our postgame show. For TNF, Nightcap gave us a platform to go deep and be the first voice people hear," Strand said. "For NASCAR… you could really talk for three hours. You've got 36 teams and 36 storylines. It's one of the unique challenges—but the approach still fits." That approach resulted in pre- and post-race coverage that felt less like a broadcast and more like an immersive experience. Fans got emotion, analysis, and context without being rushed off the air. Part of that came from the chemistry between Corey LaJoie and Carl Edwards—the fan-favorite driver who returned to the sport and slipped into his new role with the same ease, and talent, he once showed climbing into a race car. Add in visual tools like the now-famous Burn Bar—which showed live fuel consumption data in a simple, intuitive graphic—and suddenly you're not just watching a race, you're understanding it in real time. LEBANON, TENNESSEE - JUNE 01: A general view of the NASCAR on Prime Video broadcast set after the ... More NASCAR Cup Series Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway on June 01, 2025 in Lebanon, Tennessee. (Photo by) "We have the general belief at Amazon that fans can tolerate more data," Strand said. "Take things that are really advanced and present them in really simple ways. It's the same with our 'defensive alerts' in football—a little red circle might mean something different to a casual fan than it does to a strategist, but it works either way." The Burn Bar was developed in-house, using the same real-time NASCAR telemetry available to other networks. But the model powering it? Proprietary Amazon tech, with a little help from Amazon Web Services. So what was the mood the night before this high-speed baptism—Amazon's first green flag at Charlotte, no cable safety net, millions watching, and just enough time to wonder if they'd accidentally left the lens cap on while hoping the Burn Bar wouldn't spontaneously combust? "Excitement," Strand said. "Everybody in the crew was pumped…We'd been talking about this for 18 months. We knew the responsibility, and there was a lot of thought that went into how we got on air for the first time. But in Charlotte? The prevailing feeling was excitement." That excitement was contagious. Viewers and even industry insiders praised the coverage. And while traditional Nielsen ratings aren't the currency of streaming, Amazon saw exactly what NASCAR hoped for: a younger demographic tuning in. "Our belief is that by creating a great show, telling the story of a race or an NFL game... if we do that right, fans will come," Strand said. "We saw it in the UK with the Premier League. We've seen it with the NFL. Have fun while you're doing it, and the viewership will come. 'Certainly, a younger demographic is an exciting thing—but it's not our only goal. Our goal is to serve the entire fan base." The numbers, while not record-breaking, were right where Prime expected them to be for a first-year foray into a new platform—solid enough to build on, especially with younger audiences. "It's been really cool and encouraging to see these numbers come in in year one," Strand said. "It's something we're really happy about." DAYTONA BEACH - FEBRUARY 18: A cameraman holding a CBS camera at the Daytona 500 racing event, on ... More February 18, 1979, at Daytona Beach, FL. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images) And for those fans who still miss the newspaper and swear their DVR is smarter than they are, Prime made the transition surprisingly seamless. Free trial offers, user-friendly interfaces, and a commitment to continuous improvement have made streaming feel less like a chore and more like an upgrade. "Our goal is always to make sports streaming as accessible as possible," Strand said. "At Amazon, we have a saying: it's always Day One. That means we keep looking for ways to do it better." As the five-race run concluded at Pocono, the energy didn't wane. "You spend a whole season on a tour, it becomes work. But with this five-race stretch? It's been pure joy," Strand said. "Everyone shows up smiling. Carl Edwards and Corey LaJoie are genuinely excited to be watching races together.' Amazon isn't talking specifics about its future NASCAR involvement beyond the current deal just yet, but Strand confirmed that the debrief and development process will begin immediately. "Every week we've made changes and improved," he said. "That process begins right away for whatever comes next. We'll continue to watch the rest of the season just like we always have, and keep thinking about how we can make our coverage as good as it can be." So now what? The grand streaming experiment is over—for this season. NASCAR heads into the heat of summer and the heart of the championship push. Amazon hands off the baton, but it's clear that fans—and other broadcasters—have taken notice. Strand knows exactly what he wants fans to do: "Keep coming. We want people to be consuming the Cup Series year-round… If we've gained any new viewers, we hope they stick around. The more people around, the better it is for the sport.' And if that means Grandpa learns how to use a Fire Stick? Even better.

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Venice is wild with rumors over the secretive Bezos-Sanchez wedding

Venice is wild with rumors over the secretive Bezos-Sanchez wedding

Amazon Prime Ends Its NASCAR Experiment With Plenty To Brag About

The force is strong at Amazon: Shop Star Wars Day deals, exclusive drops and more

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Venice is wild with rumors over the secretive Bezos-Sanchez wedding

Venice is wild with rumors over the secretive Bezos-Sanchez wedding

Amazon Prime Ends Its NASCAR Experiment With Plenty To Brag About

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