Considered by some one of the best Brazilian painters, Cândido
Portinari has also been the center of inflamed criticism about the artistic value of his
work. Some have accused him of plagiarizing Picasso and lacking any originality. He was a
walking contradiction. Communist, he made the official portrait of dictator Getúlio
Vargas; atheist, he didn’t shy from painting saints. With more than 4500 works to his
credit, Portinari’s popularity remains high though.
By Brazzil Magazine
Arigó—stupid
Bagulho, canhão, facão, estrupício—offensive names to call a woman
Barnabé—public worker
Borogodó—charm
Botar pra jambrar—to be a troublemaker
Broto, certinha, estouro, gostosura, pedaço, pancadão, uva—all
compliments to a woman
Charlar—to show off
Da fuzarca—party animal
Dar o beiço—(lit. to give the lip) to stiff someone
É da pontinha—it’s great
É de chuá—it’s great
É fogo na jaca—It’s a bummer
Eu quero é rosetar—I want to chase skirts
Ficar a bangu—empty handed
Ficar a neném—empty handed
Foi pro beleléu—it finished, it died
Fuinha—tightwad
Garota do barulho—super girl
Jiló—(lit. a very bitter vegetable) gay
Mandrake—gay
Matusquela—crazy
Me dá o meu boné—(lit. give me my hat) I am gone
Mocorongo—worthless person
No maior vai-da-valsa—by hook or by crook
Parangolé—bash
Que mocotó! —what a thigh!
Roxinha—prety black girl
Xaveco—problem
Ximbica—clunker
Celebrity
Close Up
Close
Roberta Close, Brazil’s most renowned transsexual is only 33, but she is busy
putting the finishing touches on her tell-all, name-names, racy autobiography. She will be
talking about her conflict of a woman trapped in a male body (she was born with a penis
but not testicles) and the suffering to be accepted by society. Afraid of lawsuits, La
Close for now has given up naming her Brazilian lovers. Non-Brazilians, however, are fair
game.
Born Luís Roberto Gambini, Roberta revealed recently that she will be talking, for
example, of her romance with American comedian Eddie Murphy, who is not making any
comment. "Eddie saw me in New York and he liked my type," Close said. "He
used to send me flowers and letters."
Close had a sex-change operation in London at the Charing Cross clinic. This was in
1989. Since then she has been trying to change her name on her Brazilian passport. The
case went up to the Supreme Court, which last year denied her wish arguing that natural
sex prevail over psychological sex.
She was able to change her name to Luíza Gambini though in Switzerland where she is
living, "superhappy" according to her, with Swiss husband Roland Granacher,
product manager of an airplane turbines company. Ever so proud of his wife, Granacher, in
Rio with Close for the Carnaval, told Rio’s magazine Manchete: "Roberta is a
woman in every sense. She is beautiful, sensual, feminine, intelligent, and also a great
cook. Brazil needs to grow up and stop being so old fashioned on sexual matters."
