Daily Life in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

My Twilight Connections

I have somehow managed to completely avoid the whole Twilight thing. Haven't read a book or watched any of the movies. I'm sure it is not the only pop culture craze I missed out on living in Rio over the past few years. (As a complete aside I recently discovered that even after THREE years Ben Mulroney still has a TV show back in Canada. Really? REALLY? Disappointing. Though, encouraging to know that the job market clearly must not be THAT tough there. )

As I hear more and more about the movie in the series that's currently being filmed (see, I don't even know the title), I do think I will have to jump on the bandwagon at some point, no matter how late in the game.

Why? Well, it was filming in two locations I'm well familiar with - Rio (Paraty), and Tofino, the teeeeeeeny tiny fishing village where I was born. I kinda wonder if the film's location scout has been following me around....  If you can find anything else in the universe that's so connected to these two special and somewhat obscure places as, well, me and this film, then you can bet I want to know about it. If someone actually does come up with something - anything, I will even provide a prize.

So I guess I will have to see it. Vampires, right?

 

In the News: Brazil's very own OJ

Maybe that's an unfair comparison to make but last night while watching Brazilian TV it was hard not to think of the OJ Simpson case and the night he was arrested (the infamous Bronco chase) as the TV reporters followed the homicide unit's car containing Flamengo Star Goaltender Bruno Souza. He is accused of killing his ex-girlfriend, Eliza Samudio. It should also be mentioned that Bruno is married, and his wife, Dayane Souza (not sure if it is Dayane or Dayanne as I've seen it spelled both ways in the news reports) has also been arrested in connection with the case.

Eliza Samudio (25) had a four month old son who was reportedly fathered by Souza, for whom she was seeking support. Her body has not been located, though there are reports that her blood was found in one of Souza's vehicles and homes, O Globo reports that DNA tests revealed it to be Samudio's. Souza's teenage cousin has confessed to being involved in her kidnapping and murder.

Futebol is still making big waves here - front page news in fact - but not in the way one might think in the last days of world cup. It's been a devastating week for Brazilian futebol fans in more ways than one.It's been said that Flamengo has the biggest following of any futebol team in the world... the team has announced the suspension of its star goalkeeper until the facts of the case are known.

Brazil's Big Loss

So it's all over! In case this blog is your only source of information on Brazil (please please diversify a bit if this is the case!), the country is no longer in the running for the world cup, and was defeated by the Netherlands yesterday. A commenter asked me to provide some perspective on the general mood of Brazilians here...

Yesterday when the game ended I was on the beach in Leblon, having watched the first half at home.  Firecrackers went off signaling the end of the game, which I was keeping up with in real time on my blackberry.

Rio went quiet. Traffic slowly increased but the normal horns and hubbub where nowhere to be seen or heard. A group of fans dressed in yellow and green huddled closely together and slowly meandered up and down the promenade quietly. Mr. DRL and I were out and about last night and people were out, many still in jerseys, but it was generally quite quiet. Click here for a gallery of raw emotion on Copacabana.

As far as answering the question about who's to blame? This is kind of funny. Well, everyone from Paulo Coelho to my nanny is blaming Mick Jagger. Yes, you read that right. He professed his support for the USA, then England, then Brazil. Many Brazilians are blaming him. And also now asking him to throw his support behind Argentina. Even OGlobo is reporting on the Jagger jinx. It's apparently one of the biggest topics on Twitter right now too.

Taking the heat off the rolling stone, Dunga, Brazil's coach, says the biggest responsibility for the loss falls on himself. 

A conspiracy theory also exists, well, at least in the taxi we were in - our driver last night had another theory about the root cause of yesterday's loss. He claims that he has proof from ITAU (a bank in Brazil) that the Brazilian players were paid to throw the game. Ok then.

So what happens now? According to my baba, many Brazilians will now cheer for Germany.

Sadly, the Dutch Consulate was attacked by some misguided disappointed fans after the game yesterday, and the consul himself was injured on the hand by an explosive. Disgusting. He is obviously quite a big person though and is downplaying the incident, which you can read about here.

As a quick aside and follow up to yesterday's post about the commercial side of World Cup - I found this article online and had to laugh at the quote about business declining by 50% during games where Brazil is playing. Um, 50%? Really? Because I could have sworn it would be more like 100%.  Literally everything shuts down. It should not come as a surprise to these business owners... you can't make money if your doors are closed, people!

Good news, funny news, sad news, silly news aside, what it all comes down to for me.... Though it would have been wonderful to experience Brazil winning the world cup here, it was fun while it lasted and inspiring to witness the passion of the people and their love for the game. It will now make it all the more sweet for Brazil to win in 2014 on home turf.

Where to Watch World Cup Games in Rio

Copacabana Beach! Where there will be FIFA Fan Fest, from June 11th to July 10th, with daily shows & a giant screen to broadcast all World Cup games. Rio was one of the cities chosen to host the Fan Fest simultaneously in Rome , Paris , Berlin , Sydney & Mexico City . An arena is being assembled for the public to watch every World Cup game, free.

Head on down to Centro and pick your world cup gear at Saara. I found this getup for my nephew back home, which is being modeled by his little sister:

Opportunities

Anyone in Rio want to...

• Buy a TV? email me, dailyriolife at gmail dot com, I know of one for sale.

Anyone in Brazil want to...

• Be famous? Househunters international airs on the Home & Garden cable network (HGTV) and is looking for people who have relocated in the past few years and the property they have purchased in Brazil.  The purpose of the show is to demystify the process of moving and living abroad. You can learn more about our show and watch episodes here. If you fit the criteria and are interested, contact Kristen Lombardo, her email is kristen dot lombardo at leopardfilms dot com.
  
   
   

Something to make you laugh

This has nothing to do with Brazil and isn't new but it's new to me and I think it's hilarious - Jim Gaffigan's Beyond the Pale. I laughed and laughed and laughed some more.

Also available on iTunes. Laughter is good for the soul.Preview what I'm getting you into HERE.

2009 Rio Expat Survey Results: What you miss

I asked respondents what they missed back home (besides the obvious answer of the people - family and friends). Here is what they said, somewhat categorized:

Intangibles:

• The easiness of everything familiar.
• not having to worry about money
• efficiency and reliability
• Immediate networks from city to city. I'm building my newtworks now... it's challenging, but exhausting at 46 - a bit like starting over.
• familiarity
• The efficiency of things back home.
• The conveniences and easiness about life - everything here is a bit more of a struggle.
• Efficiency.
• less bureaucracy
• accountability
• Having things work the way they are supposed to.
• Orderliness.
• The average level of education.
• intellectual interaction with friends
• Ease of everything
• conveinence
• Rio is NOISY, I miss the silence

In the tummy-ables:

• Mexican food. I'm from Houston, and there aren't any Mexican food places that I know of here. (DRL note: There is Rota 66 and Blue Agave - try them out!) 
• Brooklyn bodegas
• the food :)
• The food...The healthy food (Whole Foods, Trader Joes), yummy salads, good avocados and sour cream!
• The grocery stores
• Good, real bread!
• Food and comforts.
• Organic food - always, everything and almost everywhere.
• food (from New Mexico)
• The wide variety of tasty, inexpensive ethnic foods (Indian, Thai, Ethiopian, Italian, Mexican, Chinese...)
• chili dogs, pizza, dunking donuts
• mexican food
• american desserts
• Chips .. LOL They are not the same here in Rio
• Chinese food and Indian food.
• Mexican food
• Vietnamese food
• Being able to order a cappucino and have it arrive without sweetened condensed milk, chocolate, sugar, or all of the above mixed in.
• curry, salt and vinegar crisps
• Donor kebabs and curry

Infrastructure:

• community spaces
• Availability of anything!
• my public library

In the Weather/landscapes:

• seasons
• Hikes in the woods.
• I miss the cold.
• Cool weather.
• Fresch crisp air of autumn
• Fresh air.
• grass
• different seasons... I hate cold...but I like the diversity

In the Ring:

• watching a sport event with friends over cold ones
• watching American Football
• Pubs and warm beer

In English!

• I miss speaking English as my first language.
• News in english and general TV.
• communication
• to speak my birth language
• BBC tv
• UK TV

In Matters of Taste and Culture:

• Good music.

All In the Family:

• my family
• Nothing. Home is where the family is together.

"Housekeeping" Items:

• cleaniness
• I miss the puncuality of service men back home.
• my lovely garden
• my house

Freedoms/Security:

• The freedom to get in my car and drive myself where ever I want to go, whenever I want to go there without any logistical work
• A life without such great security worries, i.e. for me personally: to be able to just "be" (without having to previously think about what to wear, when to go, if possible to walk, etc.)
• I miss being able to walk freely around my town without having to worry about the dangers.
• My independence.
• Driving
• strolling at night without concern
• Reasonable driving.
• Driving a nice car
• The safety and cleanliness.
• Personal freedom
• back yard with no walls, suburban lifestyle
• Nicer cars
• Driving in the car with no known destination...just getting lost without worrying about safety.
• Flying small planes in the US, the US is a pilot's country...here it is very different.
• Being able to walk on the street with my camera in plain view without worrying about being robbed.
• Good driving
• Freedom to go where I want, when I want without concern.
• Being able to get or do anything I want, any time.

Shopping:

• online shopping
• access to things
• SHOPPING SHOPPING SHOPPING and then there's SHOPPING -- more specifically, discount/off price shopping and high quality products for a reasonable price
• Dillards, Macy's, the Galleria, Kroger's
• Stupid UK soaps that I can't see online. I'm getting over it.
• H&M clothing stores
• my favorite stores
• Marks and Spencer, topshop
• cheap candles...a lot of everyday little things.

Other:

• I miss the medical care!
• not much, that is why I am an expate - I do love going home to visit though.
• cheap international flights

Woman On Top

I watched this film in the fall and have been meaning to blog about it but it hadn't happened until now. I download a lot of my entertainment from iTunes, and this was the case for Woman On Top as well. The synopsis of the movie said nothing about Brazil (I checked after), rather, the fact that the woman in the film moves to San Francisco was what interested me. As the opening credits rolled and the film began with "Once upon a time in the land of Bossa Nova" complete with Portuguese stone streets, I had to laugh. Sometimes you just can't escape Brazil.

It's a cute movie - kinda lost my interest towards the end - but worth checking out. Penelope Cruz is very cute (though not exactly Brazilian).

The soundtrack was definitely one of the film's highlights:

How I Met Your Mother

Mr. DRL and I are addicted. It's pretty funny... I think most of the attraction for us is how much they make fun of the Canadian character in the show, the jokes about Canada are the best. We are a nation of self-depracators, that is for sure. (Every time Canada is made fun of in an American show it's almost a point of pride - they know we're here! They know we exist!)

We are currently watching Season 4, and in one of the episodes, Marshall makes some generalizations about different cultures. Brazil is mentioned, in the context of (forgive the not-exact wording, please) something to the effect of:

Everyone knows Brazilians put too much postage on their mail.

Now, having had numerous experiences with having to put what seems like an excessive amount of postage going on outgoing mail, I get why this idea might be out there... but I am certainly curious as to how this made it on the show! Of all of the generalizations to make about Brazilians. There must be a story there somewhere....

2009 Rio Expat Survey Results: The Brazilian Tube

When we moved to Brazil I was told time and again not to get caught up in a "novela" - Brazilian soap opera. I ignored this advice because I figured it would be good for my Portuguese to watch some local television, and proceeded to try to watch novelas, but could not find one that caught my interest. Maybe I should try again - you can get some of them on DVD!

I asked participants if they watch Brazilian television programs. 30% said they did, and I asked them to specify what they watch, here are the responses.

• TV Brasil, TV Cultura
• Faustão - of course!!
• Local and national news, some novelas.
• Infrequently...closer to NO! lol
• Noticias, Filmes
• occasionally watch Globo (literally watch the pictures!)as I don't understand yet.
• fantástico, gnt programming
• News
• Globo when unavoidable, news on Record
• Jornal das Dez
• Anything on GNT, canal 40 (news) canal 19 (mostly jogos or news)
• Irritando Fernanda Young, Os Normais
• novelas occasionaly, jornal nacional
• rede record

Like Family

I think that Rio and I are now like family. In the sense that it's okay for me to say how it is, and reveal its negatives, but I sure don't like it when other people do...

On the Oprah episode.

I will preface my comment by saying that I think that Oprah has gotten awfully used to getting what she wants. Can't blame her, really. But it sure seems as though she has sour grapes over this lost Olympic bid. I was also watching SNL the other day and there was a sketch where "Obama" wishes the Olympic committee good luck with Rio with a bit of an eye roll. I'm not sure if that sketch was based on an actual event or not but it indicated he was a bit bitter as well.

Anyway! On the episode of Oprah about women around the world, I have the following comments to share:

1. It seems a bit absurd to even attempt to "show how people live" in 5 different countries in a span of an hour. Lofty goal at best. I've been here almost 2 years and every day I feel as though I have it LESS figured out.
2. I felt that Oprah was unnecessarily negative about Brazil, compared to how she was about other countries. Given the fact that she gushed on and on about the bread in Denmark (who cares?) and then basically only asked questions about Rio that referred to the negative aspects such as favelas and plastic surgery. I liked the woman they chose to "represent" Brazilian women, and thought it very interesting that they also went in to the favela.
3. I watched the "after the show" extra footage on Oprah's web site and was disappointed to see that her negativity continued towards Rio. The subject at hand was how long children remain living at home, and the woman's children were still living at home in their early 20's, which she said she loved. Oprah's comment was that in her country that would be considered to be mooching off of the parents. I think if you look at statistics, this is actually becoming more the norm in North America as well, while young adults are still going to University, etc.
4. It wasn't just the Rio portion that irritated me about this episode. Oprah did not seem to be paying attention in the least. For example, she asked questions that had already been answered five minutes earlier in the pretaped segments, and then had a very difficult time wrapping her head around a simple concept of cost of living and pay/taxation being different in Denmark and Dubai. This may not seem like a big deal, but when you are trying to portray what "life is like" in another country in such a short period of time, repeating questions is a total disservice to the viewer.
5. The reason her attitude towards Brazil is so disappointing is because most people who watch her show will never make it here themselves, rather this is just one glimpse for them which will likely form their opinion, and hers is based on having lost a competition, not even her own experiences here as she hasn't even been here. 

Tonight, On Oprah...

If you are here in Rio, try and catch The Oprah Winfrey Show on GNT at 8 pm. It will feature a segment on Rio de Janeiro. As Oprah runs about 2 weeks behind here in Brazil, I've already heard different things about this episode from a number of people back home, and therefore have had to try not to form too many opinions about what was featured until I see it for myself...  it is an episode about women around the world, and apparently a woman from Ipanema and her maid were interviewed for the Rio portion. To view some "after the show" questions asked, click here.

Also on Oprah's site about Rio - a guide to traveling here (there is one for each of the Olympic 2016 Candidate cities) 

I'm hoping some of you come back and let me know what you thought of the episode and how Rio and its women were portrayed. Can't wait to watch!

On TV Lately

Three things...

1) China in Box ads still crack me up every time. CHINNNNNA IN BOX! 

2) I am probably one of the last Bloggers about Brazil to mention this but there is a movement here to xixi no banho... meaning, pee in the shower, people! Save a flush. I am sorry to have yet another post about urine, perhaps I should add it as a category...

Please, please, please click on the link above (xixi no banho) as the ad is QUITE hilarious and worth watching...

Some people are really worked up about this and disgusted. I figure if it can keep even one person from peeing outside in the street, it gets a big thumb's up.  ;) Because you all know how I feel about THAT.

Some still images from the commercial (click above....)

 

3) What I find much more disturbing than the above propaganda are the commercials for made-by-Becel probiotic drinks. I see them and think: icky!  I picture  hydrogenated oil in a drink and want to puke. It may not contain this but the becel name just reminds me of margarine.... eek!  Can you tell I'm a butter or olive oil or virgin coconut oil kind of gal?

Shredding

So... Canadoca is now more than 10 weeks old, and officially weighs more pounds than I've lost since her birth. Although I realize that there is "no rush" and "it took 9 months to put on" and "it might take a year" and "breastfeeding makes you hang on to some fat" .......I'm just not a very patient girl.

So what's a new mom to do?

Well I walk a lot. Go to the gym occasionally, and Mr. DRL and I sort of swap off taking care of Canadoca.  I haven't returned to my ashtanga practice yet as our schedule is just not regulated enough yet.

11 days ago I started the "30 Day Shred" - an intense workout video that takes just 30 minutes per day. A highschool friend recently had a baby and used it to get back in shape - she was back in her pre-pregnancy clothing within 14 days of starting the shred, and only did level 1 (there are 3 levels). I've managed to do it every day for 11 days and notice a huge difference in my endurance and how my clothes are fitting (I am fitting into my size 8 pants now. Which is great except that most of my stuff is more like size 6 but hey this is progress!!!)

The video is tough but as the trainer Jillian Michaels says, if you are only going to work out for 30 minutes, you have to make every minute count.  I will do a weigh in/measurement update after day 15...

 

Are you watching Jill tonight???

The Bachelorette starts up again on ABC tonight with none other than my friend JILL in the hot seat this season, calling the shots. Can't wait to watch :) Jill and I used to work together.

Unfortunately I don't get to watch when everyone does back home, I have to wait an extra day for it to be posted on iTunes. But that's okay  - I'll be ready!

Interesting...

Last night Mr. DRL was watching an interesting show on the National Geographic Channel about expats in Dubai. Being that I am currently the most restless person on the planet I watched for about 10 minutes with him, decided it was interesting, and wandered over to the computer to see if it was part of a bigger series on expats around the world. Couldn't really find anything on the website (again, restless...) but I DID find something else that looks interesting, Locked Up Abroad, a show about people from different countries in jail abroad. There's an episode about a group of men who were locked up in Brazil - airs May 6th on the National Geographic Channel. Check it out.

Leaving on a Jet Plane...

We expats rely heavily on those jet planes! A cute article on the actual travel part being the bane of an expat's existence can be found here.

Airline service just seems to be getting worse and worse. Although my recent trip home with Continental went very smoothly on the way there, the way back was a different story, with inept on-board servers, a piece of the plane falling off the ceiling and nearly hitting me in the head during take-off, topped off with the crew discussing recent plane crashes during a particularly turbulent takeoff.  I exaggerate not. Which seems grossly unfair considering a regular passenger would probably be arrested for choosing to go on about that particular topic of conversation. At 27 weeks pregnant and exhausted, I didn't exactly have unlimited patience by the time the last incident occurred...although I certainly had more patience than this guy!

But really, what matters is that we get there in one piece, right? Which is why a law is being put forward to change the amount of time pilots and crews have to rest between flights. I'm all for pilots being well-rested. Read more here. 

Worried about delays? This article details the destinations with the most delays. The quick version - airports in India, Casablanca, Orio al Serio Airport near Bergamo, Italy, New York LaGuardia, Newark Liberty International, Birmingham Airport in England, London's Luton and Heathrow Airports. Just FYI - Some South American airports were omitted from consideration for this survey ;)

Air Canada is notorious for being early to jump on the bandwagon for charging customers for items previously provided, but now they are apparently changing their tune, offering to pay you to get bumped from your flight, via Optiontown.com.  Not surprisingly, it is anything but an easy quick process.

Ah, well.  We just feel fortunate to get to go places, right?  Especially if you're in North America, flights to Europe are cheaper than ever! New York tempts me more and more every day and the looks of this new $10 million Lufthansa Lounge in JFK airport just make for one more reason to go... 

Finally, to close on the topic of air travel, has anyone watched Bravo's "First Class All the Way" ?  Travel reality show?

More on the Bachelor

So I've invited Jillian to check out your comments on my post on her on the Bachelor regarding her Bachelor wardrobe - sounds like she should have a little auction (just an idea?) since there are so many people out there who want to buy her clothes. Keep in mind, guys, she is TINY!

I just finished watching the Bachelor finale and "After the Final Rose" ceremony, in my nice cold air conditioned bedroom.... and I don't know that they could have dragged any of these shows out any longer if they would have tried... it's basically people saying the same thing over and over again.

A blogger by the name of "Reality Steve" blogged awhile back, completely revealing exactly what would go on in the finale.  His predictions for the "After the Final Rose 2" which airs tonight is an announcement that Jillian will be the next Bachelorette.  Let's see if he's right twice in a row... (No, I have not talked to her about this and don't know anything other than what Reality Steve has blogged and other media sources have hinted at).

So since that might be announced, I suppose I am in for at least one more episode... and potentially a whole other season!

Watching TV Online While Living Abroad

Can be tricky...
my trick is using iTunes.

But a lot of people are frustrated about not being able to use sites like ABC.com and FOX.com or NHL games on CBC or TSN.... to watch shows online when using an IP address outside of the US or Canada.  Also there are a lot of Canadians who would like to be able to watch the shows on US networks who are unable.

Solution?  Use this! UltraSurf blocks your IP address, so you can use these sites and watch your shows from anywhere in the world.  Note: we have not figured out a way to make this work with my mac, as it works only with Explorer, which is not ideal for viewing video, and I don't have on my mac.  But it works great with PC's!

Bachelor Update: The Dress

Okay so I heard from Jill and she did share with me that the dress she wore for the final rose ceremony that she appeared in, in New Zealand, the blue & green one, was from Guess and she bought it last summer. I guess a lot of people have been scouring the internet in an attempt to find out where JIllian's dress that she wore in the final rose ceremony was purchased.  Interestingly enough, I guess the girls are not given a wardrobe budget! (To get as far as she did, you would certainly need a lot of dresses!)

To see Jillian's appearance on Ellen Degeneres that aired yesterday, click here.  Such a cutie!

Update on Jill on the Bachelor

As I've written about a bit in the past few weeks, a friend of mine, Jillian Harris, was one of the contestants on the Bachelor this season. So, of course, I had to watch!

Jillian made it to the top 3, but was eliminated this week. She seemed so genuinely disappointed in the end and so I was sad for her, but know that she will emerge from the experience well, and something very positive will come for it. I think she really handled herself authentically and with class the whole way along. Hard to do in that sort of environment I'm sure! It is so nice to be able to say to people that she is exactly like she protrayed herself on TV, because it is true. What you saw there was exactly the same person as I know - what you'd see if you knew her.

I did a quick google search and it seems like she was quite the fan favorite, and there is even a lot of talk of her becoming the next Bachelorette - who knows? I guess I will have to then watch another season!

I loved seeing her hometown visit as I'd always heard so much about her family but not ever met them myself. My parents live in a community close to where hers live as well, and so it felt like home to watch!

I am getting quite a kick out of my friend's newfound celebrity.  Today she will appear on the Ellen Degeneres show, which I will have to find a way to watch.  It is funny how crazy people get about these shows as well, I emailed this to Jill last week and will share it with you as well....

When Mr. DRL and I were back in Canada we both visited the dentist (being home for any reason is a great time to get these things done when you live in a 3rd world country...) and the hygenists were talking about the Bachelor. I mentioned that I knew Jill, and immediately I had a "fan club" of sorts, staff gathered around, people are sooooo hilarious. The funniest part - although Mr. DRL at the time did not think this was funny - is that his hygienist was also eavesdropping at this point as well and she accidentally CHIPPED OUT ONE OF HIS FILLINGS at the moment that I said I knew Jillian... I guess she lost focus! So he got a new filling last week.... SO funny.

Anyway! Being that there is only really one episode left, I will keep watching, to see the outcome. 

And yes, I've asked Jill where she got her dress she wore in the last rose ceremony as I've received a couple of requests - no promises though as who could blame a fashionista for wanting to keep some secrets!

The Bachelor Update

So... as I mentioned a few posts ago, I'm watching The Bachelor this season as my friend Jillian is one of the contestants. I must say it's made for some entertaining and yes, cringe-worthy moments (not because of Jill but rather some of her competition...)  in fact my husband has asked that I stop watching it because not only can he not possibly stand to watch it with me but can't stand to be in the house while I watch it because some parts are painful and I make loud noises at the painful parts.

But Jill is representing well and I will continue to watch as long as she is on the show!

Speaking of Jillian, I was checking out her facebook page today and it seems she has launched a website on her "Hot Dog Theory" - check it out!

To make this Brazil-relevant: the one Brazilian girl on the show was eliminated this week. Yes, she was stunning. I loved the dress she wore the night she was eliminated. I must say she was also extremely aggressive. And that's all I'll say about that...

One last thing - if you are like me and unable to watch the Bachelor online on ABC since you are outside the US, here is a link to a place where you can watch it streaming online for free!

The Bachelor

I plan on watching The Bachelor this season. For the first time. Yes, it's the 13th season of the Bachelor. Why start now? I know one of the Bachelorettes! I used to work with her, she is a doll, and I will be cheering her on (assuming she likes the guy, of course!)

Her name is Jill, you should cheer for her too! I last saw her about a year and a half ago when she met my husband & I for lunch in Gastown when we were visiting Vancouver. I can't wait to watch her on the show. iTunes does not seem to be offering it - anyone have any tips on where I can watch??

Novela News

So... I still haven't gotten into a novela here in Brazil, despite the fact that I think I'd like to to help with the Portuguese. But from what I'm reading, now might not be the time...

Apparently novelas are "losing their sizzle" - viewership is lagging, and some think that the genre is losing its position.

According to the article, the viewership of TV Globo's 10:00 slot, "A Favorita," which is Brazil's most-watched TV program, is down 9% from 2006.

Why the decline? New options available such as "pay TV" or cable, plus the internet - which is quickly becoming one of the best ways to watch tv in this household, that's for sure. Yaaaaayyy iTunes!  According to TV Globo, audiences just fluctuate sharply from year to year...

This could be true - another point made by the article... with the economic downturn, the stats could easily change! 

Any recommendations on a new novela starting soon or to start catching?

I heart iTunes

With Rio's recent crappy weather and me having been feeling a bit under it, one thing that has been making me happy (and, admittedly, lazy... thank god for yoga & the gym) is my new US iTunes account.
Why? Because now I have some TV viewing choices other than Brazil's Next Top Model, Denise Richards: It's Complicated, and Two and a Half Men.  When I actually sit down to watch tv, I want to like it.

 No, I am not a US citizen or resident but I do have a big fancy fake US address (in Palm Beach, no less...) and a credit card and an eBay account, where  I can buy a US$200 iTunes card for about US$92.  Not sure if those cards fell off a truck somewhere, or it's an Apple employee abusing their discount privelidges, but the one I bought does work and should last me quite a while.

So now I have two iTunes accounts, one Canadian, and one US.  So I can use both, as some of the content is different. Shhhh! Don't tell apple!

If you want to go about obtaining iTunes accounts for countries you don't live in, when you are signing up for the account first go to "redeem card" then go through the hoops. You will have to provide an address but not a credit card # with a billing address in the states (thus the loophole).

Once you're through you can download tv shows, rent movies for $3.99... it's awesome!  Because we decided to get a projector instead of a TV (well, we now have both, long story) it is quite effortless to be watching my itunes on the big screen... kind of like Apple TV - which, by the way is huge with the expat community.