Copa ball has few celebrities and a scheming queen who ignores her subjects

The Copacabana Palace carnival balls are more or less like Roberto Carlos’ concerts. They’ve been following a strict schedule for years. And that includes shows on the veranda, block presentations and a samba school in the Golden Room (afterwards percussionists and dancers stop by the other rooms to pose alongside ecstatic tourists). And the climax: the triumphal arrival and coronation of the “queen” of the event.

She is usually a beautiful woman, of course, with some connection with Carnival or who is in high demand in the media. A soap opera star, for example. She is expected to interact with guests, give interviews, pose for photos and, most importantly, enjoy the party. It was like this with Luiza Brunet, Deborah Secco, Sabrina Sato, Marina Ruy Barbosa, Camila Queiroz and Luana Piovani, just to name a few.

In the year of its centenary, this function fell to the model Izabel Goulart, 38 – and she broke the tradition of decades. Top model of the generation of Gisele Bündchen and Alessandra Ambrosio, the São Paulo model practically only moved around the inside of the hotel, didn’t pay attention to anyone, didn’t interact, nothing.

Always circulating through areas where the guests did not have access, Izabel went from the bedroom to the room where she got ready (and posed for photos, no fuss, as she doesn’t like that), and went to the Golden Room. There, where a seat at the table can cost R$5,000, he received the sash from Sabrina Sato (queen, and what a queen!, in 2017), gave a protocol speech (“I’m very happy, it’s an honor, let’s have fun etc), samba, smiled and disappeared.

Married to Kevin Trapp, reserve goalkeeper for the German national team, she was Germanic cold in not crossing the ballroom to hold a social in the hotel’s main box, a classic at the Copa gala. Coming back to the comparison with Roberto Carlos, it’s like he didn’t throw the roses at the end of the show. It’s part of it, always has been. But not this time. She got off the stage and disappeared through the side door.

He left a lively group of revelers in tuxedos, long dresses and luxurious costumes there in the hall, dancing marchinhas to the sound of Cordão do Bola Preta. In the other rooms and on the terrace, everything continued as before: buffets with sophisticated dishes, bars spread all over the place and guests, many of them drunk tourists, posing for selfies and trying to dance the samba.

Celebrities and personalities linked to Carnival were rare this year, and Luiza Brunet was in charge of giving some weight to the guest list. On the eve of parading as one of Portela’s honorees, the former model spoke to journalists about the expectation of seeing her daughter Yasmin at the head of the battery in Grande Rio. She asks, please, to avoid comparisons.

“Each person is unique, you know? It’s the first time she goes to Avenida… She’s shy, reserved, so people need to understand that her mother is different from her.” And she went on: “Yasmin doesn’t charge so much, but she’s doing it right. She’s taking samba lessons, studying… she’s going to do well.”

Not far from there, Jade Picon, star of Glória Perez’s soap opera, was involved in yet another clash with journalists, by appointing an advisor to filter the subjects that would be addressed. “Are you going to ask what?”, asked one of her companions. Jade doesn’t hide that she hates contact with the press, and even rolls her eyes and huffs when approached, even in public places like a carnival ball.

Jade is a former Big Brother Brasil contestant, and there were at least three others at the party. Gabriel Fop, the guy who was scolded live by Tadeu Schmidt for having a toxic relationship with Bruna Griphao, was one of them. He answered the usual questions about the game, and when he was alone with friends (and girlfriends) on the porch, he would articulate a way to achieve more privacy. “I know there’s a place here where we can be alone,” said Gabriel’s pal, who was nodding as he smoked a cigarette.

Also ex-BBB 23, Angolan Tina Calamba said that she is determined to return to her career as a journalist. She has a degree in communication and has already done some reporting for a fashion magazine in her country. “It won’t be for the money. I know it pays poorly, I was terrified when they told me your salary floor. I was in college and I never forgot it”, she told the reporter.