Made in Brazil

A Semana: Kylie And Madonna On Tour, Tom Ford, SJP, And The iPhone

Kylie Minogue unleashed her KylieX2008 Tour in Paris this past Tuesday, and it looks like it is as camp as you would expect it to be. Why can't a Brazilian producer bring the show to São Paulo?

According to Billboard.com, Madonna's tour to promote Hard Candy will kick off on August 23 on Cardiff, Wales, and will include between 50 to 60 shows total. Dates for the "Sticky and Sweet Tour" (yes, that is what Madonna is calling it this time) have been announced today, and Brazil is not yet on the schedule even though there is already a Brazilian site claiming to have tickets for a December 9 date in Rio. Since the New York concerts coincide with my birthday, you know what I want as a gift.

Madonna's Hard Candy debuted on the top spot of the Billboard 200 chart, while Leona Lewis' debut single Bleeding Love regained the #1 position on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Marc Jacobs took his hot new date (who just so happens to be Brazilian) to the Met Costume Institute Gala.

Ohlala mag has brand new pictures of Edilson Nascimento.

Check out the cover of the new adult Abercrombie & Fitch catalog.

Tom Ford is expected to land in São Paulo around May 18 for the launch of his boutique inside Daslu. One can only hope he will stay for Gay Pride.

Sarah Jessica Parker is also expected in São Paulo for the grand opening of the massive Cidade Jardim mall, for which she got a reportedly $600K to star in the ad campaign. My friend Ricardo told me to read her interview on New York magazine this week, and I suggest you do the same.

No airport hangars this season: the Chanel Cruise 2008 collection will be shown at the Raleigh hotel in Miami Beach on May 15.

The illegally unblocked iPhone has become a huge status symbol in Brazil in the past few months. I know more people here than in New York who have purchased one, even though most of the phone's functions are not supported by national carriers. Luckily for all the illegal iPhone users, Claro announced yesterday that it is in talks with Apple to become the official distributor of the phone in the country by the end of the year.

I tested an iPhone for a week last year, but decided to stick to my Blackberry instead, so the gadget I am really coveting now is the new Blackberry 900, which will feature 3G technology.

A Semana: Fashion Rio, MJ, Rami Kashou, BBB8, And Orlando Bloom

Even though actors Lázaro Ramos and his wife actress Taís Araújo were the main attraction last night at Marina da Gloria and got paid R$ 60K to do the TNG show, it is still rare to see black models at the shows. To bring attention to the issue, fifteen black models organized a silent protest.

The new Fasano Hotel with its Londra Bar has become the place of choice for fashionistas to gather after the shows in Rio. Osklen's owner Oskar Metsavaht threw a party by the hotel's pool yesterday.

Models Irina Lazareanu and Coco Rocha will be in São Paulo next week for the Zoomp show. Raquel Zimmermann will be doing Animale exclusively.

Marc Jacobs threw Victoria Beckham in a bag for his new ad campaign shot by Juergen Teller.

Model Daria Werbowy confirmed that she will be spending Carnival in Rio, and will even be going to the Sambodromo.

Rumor has it that Paris' ex Stavros Niarchos has the hots for Victoria's Secret angel Izabel Goulart, and that he left her roses on several occasions at her hotel in Floripa over NYE.

Even though I haven't been writing my critique of Project Runway, I am following this season of the show religiously thanks to YouTube. This week my prayers were finally answered, and we got a shot or Rami in nothing but a towel. My guess is that he is going to be the winner.

A Big Brother Brazil contestant came out on the show.

Who even knew that Orlando Bloom was in the country? The actor was photographed by a paparazzo in Itacaré, Bahia, but the photos never made it to the internet because his five bodyguards removed the memory card from the camera, and compensated the paparazzo for it with $500.

Shakira and Justin Timberlake will be performing in the country in April and May, respectively.

A Semana: Stalking Cauã, Beckham In Brazil, And Toys For Tots

Cauã Reymond attended the opening of a new Hering store in Ipanema yesterday with girlfriend Grazi Massafera. The actor (and Hottest Brazilian Of The Year nominee) is currently shooting a movie in São Paulo.

David Beckam will be making a pit stop in Brazil this month. He lands on the 28th, and will be in Natal for two days shooting a campaign for a new real estate development.

Hilary Swank graces the January cover of W magazine.

If you can't wait to see Tim Burton's movie adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Tood, click here to preview the opening sequence.

New York magazine looks back at the year in movies.

Style.com looks back at the year in fashion (and at Balenciaga's $159,000 robot leggings and the omnipresent Marc Jacobs).

2008 is going to be all about floral prints. Doubt it? Check out the latest issue of Vogue Italia, photographed by Meisel.

Model Marcelle Bittar is going to be presenting a TV show about fashion at Record Rio. The first episode airs this Saturday at 12:30 pm.

Bruna Tenorio scores a major new gig for Shiseido.

Christmas is around the corner, and am happy to see Brazilian gay clubs involved in charity work. This coming Friday, nightclub Blue Space will open exclusively for an event put together by Manhunt to support children who are HIV+. Admission will be free with the donation of a new toy. The last edition of the bear-oriented Woof Party this year, which takes place at Ocean Club this Friday as well, will offer reduced admission for anyone who brings a toy to donate.

Talking about parties, this Friday there is another edition of AleLux at Gloria with DJs Johnny Luxo and Ale Herchcovitch. On Sunday, The Week Rio will be hosting its first day party at the club's brand new outdoor pool area.

A Semana: Kaká, Argentina, Wilhelmina, and Mark Ronson

25-year-old Kaká was named Football's Player of the Year in France yesterday. Selected by a group of 96 journalists, he beat Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo for the title, and was awarded the prestigious Ballon d'Or.

The New York Times takes a look at the rise of the gay travel industry and local activism in Buenos Aires. Travel industry experts estimate that about twenty percent of the tourists visiting Argentina today are gay.

I am dying to see the Marc Jacobs & Louis Vuitton documentary. It will air in the US at the end of January at the Sundance Channel.

Modeling agency Wilhelmina celebrated 40 years last week in New York, and my friend Sergio Mattos was there to capture some of the action. Models Romulo Pires, Bruno Santos, and Guisela Rein attended.

Caroline Trentini is the only Brazilian featured on the Pirelli calendar for 2008, shot by Patrick Demarchelier in China.

Mark Ronson got the party started in São Paulo last week at club Royal. My friend Phelipe was there and has a video of the DJ at work.

Róisín Murphy performed in London last week. I seriously hope she finds her way to Brazil next year.

Preview Audio Day Dream, the debut album from American Idol runner-up Blake Lewis.

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: Calvin Klein In Rio, Bahia On The NYT, And The American Music Awards

Designer Calvin Klein landed in Rio this past Saturday for another sunny season in the city. He gets back to his workouts in Ipanema today.

Mr. Marc Jacobs was looking good at the 2007 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Gala dinner, escorted by bf Jason Preston.

Brazilian actor Lázaro Ramos is in New York for the International Emmy Awards, which take place tonight at the Hilton. He is up for best actor for his role on the soap Cobras e Lagartos.

The New York Times T: Travel magazine takes on Bahia, spending eight days in the northeastern coast of Brazil and featuring tips on beaches, nightlife, and shopping.

A new gay club is set to open in São Paulo on November 30: Ultra Diesel. Marcelo Piccine, responsible for the project, talked to A Capa about his latest venture. Mr. Piccine has parties such as R:evolution and The Original Brazilian Pool Party under his belt, and promises an all-white club with a high tech led system, as well as a modelesque selection of bartenders.

X-Factor winner (and my new obsession) Leona Lewis broke the record for fastest selling debut album in the UK with Spirit. She also holds the title for best selling single of the year in the UK, with total sales of 490,000 of Bleeding Love.

If you missed the American Music Awards (I did), check out performances by Celine Dion, Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige, and Sugarland and Beyoncé in a country rendition of her hit Irreplaceable. For a list of winners, click here.

The Forbidden Fruit

Another delicious shot of Evandro Soldati in the latest Visionaire, by Mert & Marcus.

More here.

Like Evandro, designer Marc Jacobs also undressed for the duo of photographers. The result is after the jump (NSFW).

Buff Jacobs

I had posted the cover of the latest Arena Homme with Marc Jacobs over a week ago, but only got an actual copy of the magazine yesterday in New York. Here are some scans of the interview with Marc.

I am loving that designers are having a shirtless moment (see Tom Ford on Out in case you haven't yet). More of Marc at Arena Homme after the jump.

Marc In Power

Marc Jacobs is getting pretty used to posing shirtless for magazines this year: he did it for Out in September, and now again for the latest issue of Arena Homme +, shot by his partner in crime Juergen Teller.

If you got it, flaunt it.