Made in Brazil

Double Stick Tape

Anna Wintour may have tried to steal the scene last night at the Met Costume Institute Gala channeling an alien cocoon in Chanel Haute Couture, but it was La Bündchen who got all the attention in a super sexy Atelier Versace gown, accessorized with a hot football player.

Next year Ms. Wintour better pair Francisco Costa with a shorter celeb. He looks like a hobit next to Liv Tyler. Same goes to Thakoon, who had probably the second best date of the night, Raquel Zimmermann.

Visit Style.com for more red carpet pictures, and read Cathy Horyn's blog for her take on all the action.

For a video about the new Superheroes exhibit, check out Wham Bam Pow at the NYT, and Models.com.

A Semana: Naomi Against Dengue, Gisele Back At SPFW, Madonna On Tour, And Gay Rights

Naomi Campbell landed in the country yesterday to participate in the campaign against the dengue epidemic. She wanted to donate blood in the morning, but was not able to do so because she underwent a surgery less than five months ago. On a side note, we all know she did not fly British Airways to get here.

Brazilian label Colcci will be moving its spring 2008 show from Fashion Rio to São Paulo Fashion Week. Expect to see Gisele on the runway again.

Menswear label Reserva is hosting a cool photo exhibit entitled Álbum de Família, with b&w pictures of models and celebrities shot by Thales Botelho. Make sure to check it out at the brand's store at Rio Sul Mall until May 10.

Models.com just posted pictures from last week's Jeffrey Fashion Cares. The event featured 40 top male models, and raised $485,000 to charity.

According to Drowned Madonna, the singer will kick off her tour to promote Hard Candy on September 11 at London's Wembley Stadium. Rumor has it that shows are being planned in Australia, Brazil and Argentina. Before anything is actually confirmed, The Week in São Paulo will celebrate the release of Madonna's new album with a party on April 30.

Ohlala Mag goes backstage at the Nico & Adrian show this weekend in New York.

Actor Mario Lopez talks about his Broadway debut in A Chorus Line, and his gay fanbase.

The federal government is proposing a new and revamped law which would guarantee visas to foreign gay men and women who are in a stable relationship with a Brazilian citizen.

A Semana: Mariah, Madonna, Leona, Rufus, And Gisele

Mimi did it again. Touch My Body reached the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart this week, becoming her 18th chart-topper, and making her the solo artist with the most #1 hits ever in Billboard's history. The single also broke a record with 286,000 digital downloads in its debut week.

Madonna's latest promotional blitz involves not only the cover of American Elle, but also of its British franchise. Thanks to download sales, her new single 4 Minutes jumped to the 3rd slot on the Billboard 100 this week.

I was fortunate to get an advanced copy of the American release of Leona Lewis' debut Spirit, and I am absolutely in love with the two new exclusive tracks Forgive Me and Misses Glass. You can stream the entire album on MTV's The Leak before it hits stores next week.

Rufus Wainwright has four shows confirmed in Brazil in May. He plays Rio on the 7th, São Paulo on the 9th, Belo Horizonte on the 10th, and Brasília on the 13th.

Designer Alexandre Herchcovitch announced that the sale of his label to fashion conglomerate I'M Holding did not go through as confirmed earlier this year, and that he is no longer the creative director for jeanswear label Zoomp.

Gisele scores yet another campaign as the face of Brazilian jeweler Vivara.

Model Flavia de Oliveira stars in the new ad campaign for Brazilian designer Priscilla Darolt.

Soon-to-become status symbol: Beckham's golden iPhone.

I can't believe I always end up missing the fun stuff in New York. If you are in the city though, make sure to get tickets to Jeffrey Fashion Cares, which takes place on April 9th, and send me pictures of the boys.

Back That Thing Up

Gisele shooting in Malibu yesterday with Mario Testino.

You know that is definitely NOT for Vogue America. More at Daily Mail.

Strike A Pose: Gisele, Raquel, Carol, And Oskar

The latest issue of Vogue, with La Bündchen and LeBron on the cover, is as Brazilian as Vogue America is ever going to get. Other than the biggest Brazilian export on the cover, Carol Trentini is on pretty much every feature, La Zimmermann has the hottest spread, and Oskar Metsavaht of Osklen gets a full-page nod.

And to think that the four of them are all Southern (like myself). More scans from Raquel's edit with Bryan Clay and Trentini's with Michael Phelps after the jump.

A Semana: The Shape Issue, The Hulk, Madonna, And Big Brother Brazil

Gisele is at it again. And by at it I mean a Vogue cover in which she poses next to a leading man. The last time it happened was with George Clooney. This April it is Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James, and I love the result.

The preview for The Incredible Hulk, which was partially shot in Brazil last year, has hit the web.

Check out the cover artwork for Madonna's upcoming album Hard Candy.

Fergie performed in São Paulo yesterday thanks to her deal with Motorola.

My TV crush of the year, Big Brother's Rafinha, scored the leadership on the show this week, meaning there is no way he will be up for elimination next Tuesday.

On an interview to Ego yesterday, openly gay Big Brother contestant Marcelo claimed he was actually bisexual and fell in love with a girl on the cast of the show. He still has 14 minutes and counting.

DJ Scotty Thomson will be making its way to Brazil again for a performance at Le Boy in Rio on March 28.

If you are in Rio, make sure to stop by photographer Pedro Stephan's exhibit Entre Amigos & Amores at Centro Cultural da Justiça Federal. It opens on Monday at 7pm and goes until April 27, featuring over 100 pictures depicting the gay scene in Rio.

Preview the second issue of Bello Mag, which features some beautiful pics of model Evan Wadle by Greg Vaughan.

A Semana: Gisele, CFDA, Madonna, Bears, And A New Mega Club

Gisele's bum is up for sale, sort of. Christie's New York will be auctioning a collection of photography from collector Gert Elfering next month, and portrait of Gisele by Irving Penn is expected to go for over $30,000.

A pregnant Alessandra Ambrósio was in Rio this past weekend shooting the new campaign for UK retailer Next, and RG Vogue has pictures.

The 2008 CFDA Fashion Awards nominees were announced, and Brazilian Francisco Costa got a nod for Womenswear Designer Of The Year for his work at Calvin Klein. He is up against Proenza Schouler and Marc Jacobs. The ceremony will take place June 2.

Tom Ford, who was nominated for a CFDA for Menswear Designer Of The Year, is going to father a child in 2008.

Uniqlo invited four international designers to create capsule collections. Brazilian Juliana Jabour was one of them, so expect lots of striped jersey dresses hitting the stores this month.

Madonna was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Justin Timberlake last night: "The world is full of Madonna wannabes. I might have even dated a couple. But there truly is only one Madonna."

Seal will be touring Brazil from March 26 to April 3, with shows scheduled in São Paulo, Rio, Curitiba, and Porto Alegre.

The recent boom in the Brazilian gay bear market will result in the opening of a new bar in São Paulo right around Gay Pride in May. There are already three bear parties happening in the country: Bearland, Woof, and Ursound.

Another massive gay club is set to open in São Paulo later this month, on March 29. Created by the owners of Bubu Lounge, Megga Fun will open on Saturdays only, meaning it will be an alternative to the muscle boys who do not want to go to The Week. The club will hold 3,000 people.

Openly gay Big Brother Brazil contestant Marcelo is up for elimination tonight against my crush Rafinha. I am voting for Marcelo to go as Rafinha is the only reason to watch the show. Besides that, Marcelo is just too freaking annoying.

Perfect Casting: Gisele And Léo Peixoto

I am thrilled that jeanswear label Colcci picked one of my all-time favorite male models, Léo Peixoto, to join Gisele in their fall 2008 ad campaign.

The campaign was photographed by Gui Paganini. More after the jump.

A Semana: Gay Media, Gisele, Pato, And Naomi's Tumor

Actor Rodrigo Hilbert has been confirmed as the coverboy for the third issue of gay magazine DOM, making him the first straight actor to take the plunge. According to some of my sources, Junior magazine has a hot celeb in store for its fourth cover as well.

Brazil's porn G magazine shut its doors last Friday in São Paulo. The bankrupt publication was bought by Ad Business, which already owns several gay sites. Rumor has it that the entire staff is going to be revamped, and that the magazine will focus on more nudity and less content from now on.

Talking about gay media, check out more hot pictures of Pedro Virgil's Naked For A Cause.

V magazine has an exclusive peek at the images from the YSL spring campaign which haven't been released yet.

Preview images from the new Colcci fall ad campaign with Gisele, which will be unveiled on national magazines next week.

Tom Ford does GQ Russia (with the usual chest hair exposed).

Rising soccer star Alexandre Pato pays a visit to Nike in Beaverton to get some customized kicks.

Naomi was unleashed from the hospital in São Paulo last night, and is already been taken care of by her current Brazilian bf Marcus Elias. She had to undergo surgery over the weekend to remove a tumor. No nurses were harmed during her stay.

Quick note: just got the new Shapeshifters and Jason Nevins mixes for Leona Lewis' Bleeding Love, and they are off the hook.

A Semana: Spring Fashions, Magazines, Golden Flip Flops, And American Idol

Lindsay Lohan channels Marilyn Monroe on the cover of the latest issue of New York Magazine. Make sure to check it out for all the latest in spring fashions, and an interview with Vogue Paris editor Carine Roitfeld.

Designer Kim Jones styled La Bündchen in a selection of vintage 80's pieces for the new issue of V magazine, which hits newstands March 6th. And since am talking about Gisele, the model has been tapped as the new face of Max Factor. Her two-year deal is rumored to be worth $2.5 million.

Singer Lovefoxx from CSS is on the cover of the March issue of Dazed & Confused, looking a lot like Bjork.

Globo network has won the bid for the rights to develop a mini-series based on the movie "Tropa de Elite," which won the Golden Bear in Berlin over the weekend.

Alpargatas created special Havaianas for the Oscars this year. Actors such as George Clooney, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Javier Bardem, all received an exclusive golden pair of the Brazilian flip flops. Cate Blanchett and other actresses got one encrusted with Swarovski crystals.

Matthew McConaughey stars in the new ad for Dolce & Gabbana's fragrance The One.

Beginning this week, iTunes will offer downloads of every performance from the top 24 American Idol semifinalists (and you know I will be spending my money on David Archuleta). On more American Idol news, Alicia Keys will go on tour with last season's winner Jordin Sparks.

Quick note: finally saw Sweeney Todd this weekend, and loved it.

Stalking Gisele (And Tom)

Celebrating Valentine's Day, here are lovebirds Gisele and Tom Brady relaxing at her home in Costa Rica.

More pictures at Page Six.

Tinkerbell Who?

Gisele plays Wendy to Mikhail Baryshnikov's Peter Pan in the latest Disney ads shot by Annie Leibovitz.

And scores and even hotter leading man in the new spring 2008 Aquascutum campaign with Jamie Dornan.

More Aquascutum ads by Mario Sorrenti after the jump.

R$ 1 Million Walk

And let me tell you, Gisele deserved even more than that to make some of the outfits from the Colcci show work on the runway last night.

Gisele had three looks as usual, opening in red jeans and a beret, working a parachute-inspired potato sack with gold military buttons and tartan knee-high lace-up boots, and closing in a Grecian lame dress. Do the math and it is about R$ 333K per outfit (even though am pretty sure the second look was harder to work, and therefore, must have cost a lot more than the others).

The party for La Bündchen took place at nightclub The Week this season, and look who was there: Malvino Salvador and model Leo Peixoto.

More pictures of Gisele at O Globo Online, and at every single Brazilian site and newspaper today.

Fashion Rio: Gisele Madness, Top Models, And The Golden Globes

The fall shows start today at Marina da Gloria in Rio. Unfortunately due to previous work commitments I will not be covering the shows live, but I will do my best to keep you posted on what is happening.

Gisele is the big attraction tonight at the Colcci show. She landed in Rio yesterday, and has already shot the new ad campaign for the label with photographer Gui Paganini.

Mario Testino, who has been in the country since NYE, is expected to attend the Colcci show tonight, and the after party at nightclub The Week.

La Bündchen is not the only supermodel in Rio this week. Michelle Alves, Bruna Tenório, Viviane Orth, Daiane Conterato, Carol Pantoliano, Guisela Rhein, and Drielle Valeretto are also confirmed for the shows. Now that she is 16, Camila Finn is allowed to work at Fashion Rio and has already been confirmed as well.

With a Prada booking under her belt, Claudia Seiler is destined to become the new face of the season.

Caroline Trentini is skipping the shows in Rio. Isabeli Fontana is doing the same, spending time in Florianópolis with her new beau Rico Mansur.

As if the new Versace campaign and the Colcci show were not enough, Gisele also teamed up again with Jamie Dornan in the new spring Aquascutum ads shot by Mario Sorrenti.

As you already know by now, the Golden Globes has been cancelled and replaced with a news conference because of the strike by writers. If there is not going to be a ceremony, they may as well cancel the whole thing. I am not interested in the winners. I want to see the dresses. Make sure to read what Cathy Horyn has to say about it.

Gisele Back At Versace

This is another reason why she did not need to renew her Victoria's Secret contract last year.

Rumor has it that La Bündchen will be making R$ 1 million tomorrow night when she steps on the runway for Brazilian label Colcci at Fashion Rio. Another ad shot for Versace by Mario Testino after the jump.

A Semana: Robbery at Masp, Gisele, And A New HIV Drug

How embarrassing is it that two major works of art were stolen from São Paulo's Musem of Art yesterday at 5 am? How embarrassing is it that the surveillance cameras at the museum were not equipped with infrared system? And how embarrassing is it that the alarm system was not working? It is a shame that one of the most important museums in the country can be robbed of two paintings worth $55 million in about three minutes, and that the paintings were not even insured. Considering Cândido Portinari's "O Lavrador de Café" and Picasso's "Portrait of Suzanne Bloch" were in separate wings of the museum, the police suspects that the two paintings were specific targets, and that the robbery was planned by a collector, in a Thomas Crown Affair sort of way. The Federal Police and the Interpol are working on the case.

In case you haven't heard it already, Gisele signed with Dolce & Gabbana to design a clothing line.

Model Isabeli Fontana unveiled her new clothing line for kids yesterday in São Paulo.

Get a sneak peak of the making of Louis Vuitton's spring ad campaign at Style.com.

Matthew McConaughey's gf Camila Alves is cashing in on her newly acquired celeb status. The model is now one of the partners of Club Lotus, which reopened last night in São Paulo.

After being closed for exactly a month, nightclub Bubu Lounge will reopen tonight in São Paulo. I love the place, and can't wait to go back there.

Brazil is developing a new single pill containing three drugs already used in the treatment of patients who are HIV+. The combined fixed dose is in its final stages of testing, and should be available by late 2008. It will not only make it easier for patients to stick to the treatment, but it will also significantly lower its cost to the government.

A Semana: Cauã, DSquared2, Will Smith, Gisele, And Brazil's Next Top Model

Cauã Reymond is back in Rio after a month in São Paulo shooting his first movie Se Nada Mais Der Certo. For the role of a frustrated journalist, the actor had to lose eight pounds and his tan.

Dean and Dan Caten, the twins behind DSquared2, will join the long list of celebs who will be spending NYE in Rio. They already have a suite booked at the new Fasano Hotel.

Will Smith is scheduled to land in Rio as well, but only on January 13. He will be promoting his new movie I Am Legend, in which he stars opposite Brazilian actress Alice Braga.

Gisele signed with mass retailer C&A for the second time in her career. The new ad campaign was shot in China this past week.

Hedi Slimane is in talks with LVMH to develop his own menswear line. Diesel founder Renzo Rosso is apparently also interested in backing up the designer.

Prada CEO Patrizio Bertelli confirmed that he has set the process in motion for the company to go public next year.

The first season of Brazil's Next Top Model comes to an end tonight, and model turned host Fernanda Motta has already signed in for four more seasons. I have a feeling Mariana Velho will be the winner, taking home a R$ 200K modeling contract with Ford, and the cover of Elle.

Louis Vuitton will be featuring six major supermodels in its new campaign for spring 2008. A film showing the making of the ad campaign with Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, Natalia Vodianova, and others will be released tomorrow on Style.com.

A Semana: Gisele, Santoro, Alicia Keys, Sex On The Beach, And New HIV Data

La Bündchen has once again been confirmed to walk the runway for Colcci on January 8 at Fashion Rio. It will be her seventh consecutive season on the campaign for the brand.

Designer Marc Jacobs keeps on flaunting his naked body in yet another shot from Visionaire 52.

Rodrigo Santoro is in early talks with Buena Onda Americas to play the lead role in the upcoming production of Old Mountain, an epic about the childhood friendship and adult-life confrontation of a rich landowner's son and the son of his humble black foreman, set in Minas Gerais.

Alicia Keys' new album As I Am debuted on the first slot of the Billboard charts this week, with sales of 742,000 copies. That's the best sales week for a female artist since Norah Jones' Feels Like Home in 2004. Alicia Keys' single No One took over the first slot on the Hot 100 chart this week as well.

Work that: check out Mary J. Blige in the new commercial for iPod and iTunes.

Brazilian celebs never learn: actors Karina Bacchi and Jean Fercondini were caught in steamy pictures at the beach yesterday.

Nightclub Bubu Lounge has been closed temporarily by the city of São Paulo. The club usually packs about 2,000 people on Friday nights. I personally love it there so I hope it reopens soon.

DJ duo Chus & Ceballos will be playing at Flexx in São Paulo tomorrow night.

In a study released this week, statistics show that the number of heterosexual men infected with the HIV virus in Brazil has risen in the last ten years. In 1996, 25.6% of all men infected with HIV were heterosexal, while 29.4% were homosexual. Those numbers have now changed to 42.6% and 27.6%, respectively, proving that the HIV and Aids epidemic has been kept under control amongst the gay community in the country. However, the same study notes that there has been an increase on the number of gay men infected with HIV between the ages of 13 and 24.

A Semana: Björk, Gisele, Marcelo Krasilcic, And Miss Britney Spears

Björk attened the premiere of Hector Babenco's El Pasado last night at Cine Odeon. Only she would wear a runway look from Lanvin to a movie premiere in Rio, which is why I love her. She performs in Rio this Friday at Tim Festival.

Singer Róisín Murphy talked to Arjan about critics, reviews, and blogs. If you haven't listened to her new album yet, do it now.

When Brazilian sites start offering illegally unblocked iPhones as gifts, you know something is wrong.

Singer Caetano Veloso will be playing the Nokia Theatre in New York on November 19 and 20.

Rumor has it that Brazilian singer Daniela Mercury has a girlfriend in New York.

The much talked about gay couple arrived on Wisteria Lane on Desperate Housewives this past Sunday.

Gisele has been booked as Wendy on the new series of Disney promotional pictures shot by Annie Liebowitz. Mikhail Baryshnikov is set to pose as Peter Pan next to her.

Model Fernanda Tavares gave birth to her first son last night. The genetically-blessed baby was named Lucas, and the proud father is actor Murilo Rosa.

Hint Mag is in love with Brazilian newcomer Daniela Borges this month.

Photographer Marcelo Krasilcic is incorporating sculpture into his work, using pillows, formica, and even fruit. Check out the results in incredible pictures on his blog (warning: NSFW).

Style.com takes a look at sixteen trendsetters and image-makers, including Carine Roitfeld, Grace Coddington, and Joe Zee.

I normally don't do this, but it's Britney b*tch we are talking about (link may not be up for long).

Porn star Francois Sagat gives us more.

Soak Up The Sun

Gisele was in Miami Beach over the weekend, most likely to cheer for her beau Tom Brady's New England Patriots on their match against the Miami Dolphins yesterday. More at Gossip Girls.

Work That Hair

Click here for more backstage pictures of Gisele in the new ad spot for Pantene.

Gisele Down Under

La Bündchen was in Melbourne last night promoting her line of Ipanema sandals.

Another Gisele Cover

As if the cover of Vogue Paris was not enough this month, La Bündchen also works her hair on the cover of October's Harpers Bazaar.

Gisele On Vogue Paris

Love seeing actual models on Vogue covers, especially if it is Gisele on a foldout for Vogue Paris.

Click on the cover to enlarge. The edit is incredible.

Gisele For Ipanema (And Water Conservation)

You have seen the ads here, and below is the ad spot shot to accompany La Bündchen's new line of Ipanema sandals.

The amount of work that is put into the campaign is always impressive. There is a making of video after the jump.

A Semana: Gisele, Tom Ford, Bjork, Julianne Moore, And Another Controversial Gay Character

Brazilian label Colcci takes a shot at conquering New York by using their best asset: La Bündchen. Beginning this fall, the line will be carried by stores like Fred Segal and Urban Outfitters.

Gisele shot another Stefanel campaign with Mr. Testino (and hunk-of-the-moment David Gandy).

Cathy Horyn dissects the latest collections from London, and I highly recommend you take a look at the Giles spring show.

The Sex & The City movie has just started shooting, and the promotional blitz has already begun.

Tom Ford's media blitz is also going strong: everyone this week is talking about the ads for his new fragrance shot by Terry Richardson, and his x-rated website.

Designer John Bartlett opened his New York boutique this week. Are leather chaps on the racks?

Singer Bjork does Dazed & Confused with incredible pictures by Carmen Freudenthal and costumes (because those are not just clothes) by Bernard Willhelm.

Justin Timberlake talked to Oprah, and Britney was obviously one of the topics of the conversation.

Julianne Moore is coming to Brazil next week with director Fernando Meirelles to shoot scenes for his adaptation of Saramago's Blindness. I am addicted to reading the director's blog about the movie. This week Mr. Meirelles talked about Sandra Oh's charisma, and her cameo on the movie. Blindness is currently shooting in Uruguay.

The new primetime soap Duas Caras will also feature a gay character (a current must-have on national TV): actor Thiago Mendonça will play chef Bernardinho da Conceição. According to screenwriter Aguinaldo Silva, Bernardinho will fall in love with a girl, a theme not yet explored in other soaps, which am sure will end up being very controversial.

Screenwriter Aguinaldo Silva recently criticized the gay couple portrayed in the soap Paraíso Tropical by claiming that the characters don't act gay, that it is hardly mentioned that they are gay, and that there are no scenes of affection at all between them. I highly agree with Mr. Silva's complaint, and am sure so do most gay men in this country. According to Mr. Silva "it is useless to pretend that no one talks about gay relationships and that it is a natural thing for everyone because that is not the truth." He is right: where the hell is the much expected primetime gay kiss?

Gisele Dressed In Water

La Bündchen is covered in nothing but a water dress in the new campaign for her line of Ipanema sandals.

The image you see above took five months to be completed. There are more here.

Stalking La Bündchen

Gisele spent the afternoon yesterday at Terraço Daslu in São Paulo to announce her new partnership with Pantene. She talked to the national press about marriage, beauty secrets, and denied that she was ever invited to join the cast of Dancing With The Stars. The model will be in the city until Thursday.

More pictures from yesterday at RG Vogue and Ego.