Made in Brazil

Why Wait Until 04/04 At 4:44?

When Madonna's video for 4 Minutes has already made its way into YouTube?

Warning: link may be taken down at any minute.

The video is already available for purchase on iTunes.

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.

A Semana: Madonna, Miro Moreira, Josh Holloway, Batman, And Ricky Martin

Rumor has it that Timbaland sneak peeked a few minutes of a new Madonna song entitled 4 Minutes to Save The World at radio station Z100's Jingle Ball in Philadelphia yesterday. The leaked track features Timbo and JT, and can be downloaded here.

São Paulo Nightclub The Week is putting the final touches in its first ever calendar. It was shot at the club this past Saturday by Fernando Torquatto, and counts with models Miro Moreira and Igor Macedo on the casting of twelve boys. Profits from sales of the calendar will benefit charitable organizations.

Model Fernanda Tavares shot the new Davidoff Cool Water fragrance campaign with Lost star Josh Holloway.

The Batman sequel The Dark Knight does not hit theatres until next summer, but a preview is already available online, and it looks like The Joker will steal the movie again.

MySpace was officially launched in Brazil last Friday, where it will have to face Orkut, the leading relationships site in the country with over 14 million registered users.

Gay publication Odissey was relaunched in the country this month with a much improved design, and fotolog and Orkut favorite Lebart on the cover.

Ricky Martin showed off his bom bom at LAX airport this past Saturday.

Brazil's highest-paid singer Ivete Sangalo said she would like to tape her next concert DVD in New York, with special guests such as Bono Vox and Jennifer Lopez.

Getting a US visa is going to be more expensive starting January 1st. The price is going up from USD $100 to $131 for all new visas.

A Semana: Madonna, SexyBack, Angel Alessandra Ambrósio, And Sexual Diversity

Add Kanye West to the list of collabos on Madonna's upcoming album. While Madonna was putting the finishing touches to her album at RecordPlant studios in Los Angeles last week, Kanye West was working on the new Michael Jackson album in the room next door. Pharrell invited Kanye in to meet Madonna, and she came up with an idea for Kanye to rap on one of her songs on the spot. On More Madonna news, she is supposed to film her cameo on Annie Lennox's new video for Sing within the next 2 weeks.

Missy Elliott brings SexyBack in a new remix of Justin Timberlake's hit.

Alicia Keys goes Grays Anatomy on us on her new video for Like You'll Never See Me Again, loaded with tears and running maskara.

Milo Ventimiglia goes shirtless again in Heroes, in the first episode this season which answered a lot of pending questions. I would still be hooked on it even if Milo were to keep his shirt on.

People magazine names Matt Damon Sexiest Man Alive.

Model Alessandra Ambrósio talks to Brazil's Chic about being a Victoria's Secret angel, tomorrow night's fashion show, and her favorite Spice Girl.

Von Dutch trucker hats and tees will be available in Floripa starting today thanks to the opening of the brand's first flagship store in South America. I don't want to sound negative, but even in Brazil Von Dutch hats are already so-three-years-ago.

The 15th Annual MixBrasil Festival, celebrating sexual diversity in film and video, kicked off last night in São Paulo. The line up includes 179 films, 8 parties, and the famous Show do Gongo. After November 22, the festival heads to Porto Alegre, Rio, and Brasilia.

A Semana: Art, Gay Media, Ricky, Justin, And Ipanema Fashion Week

The Venice Biennale announced this year's Golden Lion award recipients. The Golden Lion for an artist participating in the central international exhibition was awarded to Argentinian León Ferrari for La Civilización Occidental y Cristiana, his 1965 sculpture of Christ crucified on a fighter jet.

Brazil's gay media is now flourishing: Junior was just released last month, and there is already a new gay magazine set for a November launch. It will be called Dom, and it will likely feature Andre Ziehe on the cover of the first issue, with 50,000 copies printed. Competition will grow next year with the release of a third gay magazine called Romeu.

29-year-old bartender and go-go dancer Edmilson Araújo was voted Mr. Gay Manaus.

Ricky Martin got a much deserved star in the Walk Of Fame.

Thanks to his single Until The End Of Time parking on the 24th slot on the Billboard charts this week, Justin Timberlake became the first solo male artist this decade to spawn six top 40 hits from the same album. Shania Twain's Come On Over, which had six top 40 Hot 100 hits from 1997 to 99, was the last album overall to reach the same heights.

Rumor has it that Matthew McConaughey is thinking about having a baby with Brazilian girlfriend Camila Alves.

Someone at DNA magazine is reading Made In Brazil.

The work of Brazilian illustrator Filipe Jardim recently ended up on the pages of the NYT and The Wall Street Journal, thanks to his partnership with Tiffany's. Filipe had previously collaborated with Louis Vuitton and Hermès.

Cathy Horyn takes a final look at the spring 2008 collections, and elects her favorite show.

Style.com picked their Ten favorite collections of the season. Question: why is Rodarte on the list?

Fashion Rio is getting a very strong competitor come 2008. Enterpreneur Nizan Guanaes is planning to launch his much anticipated Ipanema Beach Fashion Week on November of next year, bringing together the biggest names in Brazilian beachwear and sportswear. There are rumors going around that Mr. Guanaes is also looking into buying São Paulo Fashion Week, which would turn him into the emperor of Brazilian fashion.

A Semana: Michael Jackson, Video Music Brazil, Sex & The City, And Pool Party Season

Talk about photoshop: the king of pop Michael Jackson is on the cover of October's L'Uomo Vogue, photographed by Bruce Weber.

Justin Timberlake teams up with Beyoncé for a duet in Until The End Of Time (now why not shoot a video sans t-shirt for the song?).

Go behind-the-scenes at Kelly Clarkson's new video for Don't Waste Your Time.

MTV Brazil will be handing out awards tonight at the 2007 VMB. Daniela Cicarelli is hosting the show again, in thirteen different outfits. JT, Fergie, Amy Winehouse, and Fall Out Boy are up for International Artist Of The Year.

Stylist Patricia Field pulled two looks from Alexandre Herchcovitch's spring show for the upcoming Sex & The City movie.

Cao Hamburger's movie O Ano em que Meus Pais Saíram de Férias has been selected to represent the country in the race for Best Foreign Film at next year's Oscars, beating another seventeen entries and the much talked about Tropa de Elite. The movie will make its US debut late December.

The gay couple from the soap Paraíso Tropical is featured on the cover of gossip magazine Flash. According to the magazine, the couple is a sign that times are changing on national TV, and that people are becoming more accepting of gay characters on soap operas. I am only agreeing with that statement once I see gay characters acting like regular gay men, and not just characters added to the story line for the sake of making it more politically correct. Note to screenwriters: watch Brothers & Sisters asap.

Meanwhile in the Northern hemisphere, it is not a gay couple, but rather a leather-clad Last Supper ad that is causing a big controversy.

Mix Brasil selects the best swimsuits to get you through pool party season, which officially starts this Sunday in São Paulo with a special edition at The Week, celebrating the club's third anniversary. Do not miss it if you are in town. I certainly won't.

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?

What Happened To The VMAs?

I got home from Floripa last night, and immediately sat in front of the TV to watch the VMAs. I am not sure as to why I still watch the VMAs because it has certainly lost its luster, but I admit that this year I really wanted to see Britney's big comeback performance. As much as I like her new single, it was disappointing to see her open the show squeezed into tiny hotpants and a bra, in a rather mild energy level and weak choreography. Gone are the days of the albino snakes and on-stage striptease: Britney may have scored a comeback song, but last night was certainly not her comeback performance.

After Britney, things did not get much better. There were random performances at hotel suites throughout the Palms hotel in Vegas, none of which brought back the glamor and creativity of the old VMAs. Luckily there were Alicia Keys and Timbaland performing on the main stage to save the night (and Mr. Timberlake to give us the dance moves we had expected earlier from Ms. Spears):

Alicia Keys' hair was a major disaster, but her perfomance was top notch.

And what about the videos? The VMAs became a pop version of the Grammys this year, with categories such as Best Female Artist as opposed to Best Female Video. Now that MTV has stopped playing videos, I guess it has also decided to stop giving them awards. As a matter of fact, the only category about videos were the technical ones as well as Video Of The Year, which went to Rihanna. Umbrella may be the song of 2007, but the video is a far cry from being one the the best I have seen this year. Am I being a bit nostalgic here? Maybe, but I do miss the time when MTV was more about videos and music than The Real World and My Super Sweet Sixteen.

Visit MTV for a list of winners and a red carpet photo gallery. Make sure to also check Arjan's take on the show.

Futuresex/ Loveshow

Since I was not in New York last weekend, I was forced to watch Justin's HBO special online as opposed to on TV because it was not broadcast here. For all of my fellow Brazilians who also did not have access to the show, or those who simply missed it, below are my four favorite clips:

He is a talented kid: Cry Me A River, Summer Love, a medley of songs (including Gone and Last Night), and My Love.

A Semana: VMA Nominees, Madonna, The Brazilian Film Festival, Underwear, And Homophobia

To the left, to the left: Beyoncé scored a nomination for Video Of The Year for Irreplaceable at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards. She is also nominated in several other categories for her collabo with Shakira in Beautiful Liar. Other nominees for Video Of The Year include JT for What Goes Around ... Comes Around, Kanye West for Stronger, Amy Winehouse for Rehab, Rihanna for Umbrella, and (surprise) Justice for D.A.N.C.E. For the first time ever, the ceremony will broadcast live from Las Vegas' Palms Casino Resort, and will feature several new categories, such as Monster Single Of The Year and Most Earthshattering Collaboration.

Timbaland talks about working with JT and Madonna on her upcoming album.

The 2007 Brazilian Film Festival kicked off in New York this past Sunday, and goes on until August 12. Highlights from this year's selection include Cartola, O Cheiro do Ralo, and Oscar Niemeyer-Life Is A Breath Of Air, a documentary about the country's most acclaimed architect.

Globo networks may not have yet broadcast a gay kiss in one of its soap operas, but it did show clips of two boys kissing yesterday during a late night interview with MTV host Daniela Cicarelli. The clips were from her show Beija Sapo.

Brazilian singer Caetano Veloso gets a drag makeover for the cover of Rolling Stone.

"I think it is tacky that people are concerned about who you are sleeping with, and if it is a girl or a guy. It doesn't matter," actor Reynaldo Gianecchini tells TPM magazine this month.

I can't believe I missed National Underwear Day yesterday in Times Square.

The controversy about a gay soccer player has reached a new level this week. After being called gay by a Palmeiras team executive during a live debate on TV, São Paulo player Richarlyson filed a claim against him. The judge turned down Richarlyson's claim stating that if the player is actually gay then he should not be involved in soccer, a sport the judge defined as reserved to straight men. The judge went on to say that if gay men want to play soccer they should form their own league. The name of this a*****e judge is Manoel Maximiano Junqueira Filho, and gay organizations are already filing lawsuits against his homophobic remarks. Richarlyson has not come out, but stated yesterday that he will also be fighting in court to help eliminate prejudice in Brazil's legal system.

A 40-year-old gay man was severely burnt by two other men in Belo Horizonte on Monday night. The victim was drinking at a bar at a gas station when he was joined by two guys who arrived on a motorcycle. At a point, one of the guys left, and came back with a can of beer full of gasoline. He emptied the can on the victim's head, and threw it on fire. The police has not arrested any suspects yet, and believes it was a case of homophobia.

He's Bad And He Knows

I am glad Justin released LoveStoned as the fourth video from his sophomore album. It is my favorite track by far.

Justin's Video Extravaganza

Mr. Timberlake may not have scored the Grammy for Album Of The Year last night, but that does not mean he is not cashing in big on the success of FutureSex/LoveSounds. He recently joined forces with Scarlet Johansson and director Samuel Bayer, and created a (very costly) 9-minute feast for the eyes for his latest single "What Goes Around... Comes Around." The result is below.

Note to Christina Aguilera: this is how you incorporate a circus theme in a video.

As for the Grammys, click here for a list of winners. The performances were boring as usual.

Note to John Mayer: you are not Justin, so please do not attempt the tux and sneakers look again.

Dirty Babes: VS 2006 Fashion Show

If you were too busy to watch it on Tuesday night, here is Mr. Justin Timberlake performing among several sexy backs at the Victoria's Secret 2006 Fashion Show:

And if you missed the entire show, check out the complete lingerie extravaganza below, loaded with Brazilian beauties and introduced by Heidi Klum. What more can you ask for?

This is one fashion event both gay and straight men can easily appreciate. The whole things is just so tacky and yet I love it.

Brazilianizer Of The Week: Justin Timberlake

Alessandra Ambrosio, Raquel Zimmermann, and now Gisele's sexy back. No Brazilian models escaped from Mr. Timberlake last Thursday at the Victoria's Secret fashion show.

Click here for a picture gallery of the show.

Brazilianizer Of The Week: Justin Timberlake

Justin Timberlake performed at last Thursday's taping of the Victoria's Secret fashion show, and it seems to me like he was paying a lot of attention to Brazilian models Alessandra Ambrosio and Raquel Zimmermann. Can you blame him? It is all about a sexy Brazilian back.

Bringing Choreography Back

After a cool but danceless video for the contagious summer hit "SexyBack," Justin Timberlake brings choreography back in the new video for "My Love," the second single from his sophomore album.

The rap introduction with Timbaland is somewhat annoying (and lasts about 2 minutes), but the dance sequence which follows is just what I have been waiting for. This is the best choreography I have seen since Madonna's "Hung Up."