Homecoming queen: Supermodel Gisele Bundchen shows off her moves at the Rio Carnival

By EMILY SHERIDAN

Carnival queen: Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen performs in a tiny gold dress on the Vila Isabel Samba School float at the Sambadrome in Rio De Janeiro


Gisele Bundchen swapped the catwalk for a float as she showed off her dancing moves at the Rio Carnival yesterday.

The supermodel, 30, showed off her slim figure in a bottom-skimming gold dress as she performed the samba on a giant float in Rio De Janeiro's famous Sambadrome.

The world's highest paid model was proudly watched from the audience by her American football player husband Tom Brady and fellow celebrities Jude Law and Pamela Anderson.

Joining Gisele on the float was her mother Valdir and sisters-in-law Nancy and Julie Brady, who took some last minute samba lessons the day before.

The four women took part in the Vila Isabel Samba School's float, which had the theme 'hair'.

Discussing the theme on her Twitter page, Gisele enthused: 'Women love hair and hair helps give personality to people. I think this theme is super cool.'


All that glitters: Gisele fully embraced the spirit of Carnival and looked excited to be a part of it


Centre of attention: Gisele was given pride of place in the centre of the float


Bundchen and the Bradys jetted into the Brazilian city on Saturday morning and have been staying at the Hotel Fasano.

But New England Patriots quarterback Brady couldn't get too involved with the festivities because he's recovering from an operation on his right foot.

After her performance, the model changed into a white T-shirt by one of the Carnival's sponsors Pantene and joined Brady and her friends and family.


Quick learner: Gisele had a brief lesson at the Vila Isabel Samba School on Saturday in preparation for her performance


With Brady out of action, Bundchen grabbed a female friend and started dancing as she clutched a carton of coconut water.

In between dancing, she managed to find the time for some public kissing with her husband of two years.

The model, who has a 15-month-old son Benjamin, had been Tweeting frantically in the run up to the big day.

She admitted she had been listening to the song and learning the words in anticipation of her performance.


In the party spirit: After her float performance, Gisele took to the floor and danced with a friend


Tactile: Gisele leans in for a kiss with her American footballer player husband Tom Brady


She wrote: 'We are taking a Samba class with a Samba dancer from the Vila Isabel Samba School. She has been dancing since she was six years old.

'I'm going to do my best and see if I can do this. OK, here we go.'

Gisele attends carnival every year, but usually just enjoys the dancing from the stands.

She enthused: 'Carnival is very important to Brazil and is known around the world for being the ultimate joy filled celebration...


Show-stopper: Gisele was part of the Vila Samba School parade - which also included a huge float with giant elephant models


Letting her hair down: Gisele waves to the crowd as she sips on a coconut water in the VIP section


'I think the rest of the world has no idea of the involvement. It takes so much dedication and care from everyone who works on it..'

While Gisele was taking part in the spectacle, Law and Anderson looked content to watch from the stands in the Sambadrome.

Clearly getting over his recent split from Sienna Miller, the father-of-four, 38, looked in good spirits as he quaffed glasses of Brahma beer with a few friends.


New friend? Pamela Anderson was spotted looking cosy with a mystery man at the Brahma VIP party


Time to party: Brazilian footballer Ronaldinho (left) took part in the parade, while British actor Jude Law was happy to watch


Former Baywatch star Anderson, 43, was spotted cuddling up to a mystery man.
Wearing a tiny red dress from one of Carnival sponsors Brahma, the former pin-up looked incredibly tactile with the curly-haired companion.

Also taking part in the event was Brazilian footballer Ronaldinho, who wore a white suit and fedora as he did the samba with the Portela Samba School.

The 30-year-old then changed into a T-shirt and shorts from his new fashion line as he joined a bevy of young beauties in the stands to watch the rest of the parade.


What a spectacle: Performers from the Sao Clemente samba school sing and dance through the Sambadrome


Loving the ladies: Brazilian footballer Ronaldinho - wearing a T-shirt from his new fashion line - is surrounded by young female companions


Rio Carnival Group Parades Despite Fire


Gisele Bündchen dando Entrevista antes do desfile no Carnaval do Rio de Janeiro 2011



source: dailymail

Happy New Year 2011

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Fireworks are seen above Jakarta's downtown on January 1, 2011 marking the New Year. Hundreds of thousands of people gathered in Jakarta to mark the New Year.



Fireworks explode over the Las Vegas Strip casinos just after midnight in Las Vegas, Nevada January 1, 2011. An estimated 320,000 people came to Las Vegas to celebrate the new year, tourism officials said.




Fireworks burst above Yangon's landmark Shwedagon pagoda as Myanmar people gather to welcome the New Year 2011 at Kan Daw Gyi park in Yangon late on December 31, 2010. Democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi, released in 2010 after more than seven years of house arrest, called for the country's people 'to struggle together with new strengths, new force and new words in the auspicious New Year'.



People gather to watch fireworks during the New Year at Old Town Market Square in Wroclaw, southern-western Poland January 1, 2011.



People gather to celebrate the New Year in front of Sukiennice building at Old Town Market Square in Krakow, southern Poland, January 1, 2011.



Revelers gather New Year's Eve in New York's Times Square as they wait for the traditional ball drop to celebrate the new year December 31, 2010.



Indian Sikh devotees wait for their turn to pay homage at a fog-shrouded Golden Temple in Amritsar on January 1, 2011. Thousands of Sikh devotees from across India and abroad are preparing to pay obeisance on the occasion of New Year at the temple in northern India.



Indian Bollywood actress and singer, Raageshwari Loomba poses as she pays her respects at the Sikh Shrine, The Golden Temple in Amritsar on January 1, 2011. Raageshwari along with her family, visited the city and payed on the occasion of the New Year 2011.



Some of the 100 people of 'Cercle des Nageurs' take part in a traditional New Year's bath, held annually in Marseille, on the first Saturday of January, on January 01, 2011 at the Catalan beach of Marseille, southern France. Ancient tradition in Marseille, bathing the New Year, has long held in the Vieux-Port, before being moved because of pollution.




NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 31: A view of the atmosphere during New Year's Eve 2011 with Carson Daly at Times Square on December 31, 2010 in New York City.



NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 31: A view of the atmosphere during New Year's Eve 2011 with Carson Daly at Times Square on December 31, 2010 in New York City.



NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 31: Singer Ke$ha celebrates New Year's Eve 2011 in Times Square on December 31, 2010 in New York City.



NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 31: Singer Joey McIntyre of the New Kids On The Block performs while celebrating New Year's Eve 2011 in Times Square on December 31, 2010 in New York City.




People dressed in festive costumes wave during a street procession as part of the "Street of Open Heart" festival in Belgrade January 1, 2011. All proceeds of the yearly traditional New Year's festival go to the project Doctors Clowns aimed at cheering up and helping children in hospitals.




People buy candied apples during the "Street of Open Heart" festival in Belgrade January 1, 2011. All proceeds of the yearly traditional New Year's festival go to the project Doctors Clowns aimed at cheering up and helping children in hospitals.



People take part in the traditional New Year's day swim on January 1, 2010 at Scheveningen beach near The Hague.




source: Daylife
photo: Gettyimages [endtext]

New Year celebrations in Times Square

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Revellers cheer as confetti falls during New Year celebrations in Times Square in New York January 1, 2011.



Confetti is dropped on revellers at midnight during New Year celebrations in Times Square in New York, January 1, 2011.




NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 01: Fireworks go off at the strike of midnight in Times Square January 01, 2011 in New York City. This year a 11,875-pound Waterford crystal ball descended a 141-foot tall flagpole to mark the beginning of 2011.



NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 31: A general view of atmosphere during New Year's Eve 2011 in Times Square on December 31, 2010 in New York City.



NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 31: A general view of atmosphere during New Year's Eve 2011 in Times Square on December 31, 2010 in New York City.



NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 31: Singers Taio Cruz and Ke$ha celebrate New Year's Eve 2011 in Times Square on December 31, 2010 in New York City.



NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 31: A general view of atmosphere during New Year's Eve 2011 in Times Square on December 31, 2010 in New York City.



NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 31: A general view of atmosphere during New Year's Eve 2011 in Times Square on December 31, 2010 in New York City.



NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 31: Singer Ke$ha performs during New Year's Eve 2011 in Times Square on December 31, 2010 in New York City.




NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 31: Miss USA Rima Fakih celebrates New Year's Eve 2011 in Times Square on December 31, 2010 in New York City.


Midnight - New Years Eve 2010 / New Years Day 2011



Times Square New Years Eve 2011 ( New York)



source : Daylife
photo: Gettyimages [endtext]

Happy 2011! London sees in the New Year with Eye-catching display on the Thames

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By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Masses gathered in London to see in the New Year in front of the London Eye where up to 250,000 people enjoyed the carnival atmosphere


Hundreds of thousands of revellers took to the streets tonight to begin saying goodbye to 2010 and hello to 2011.

Masses gathered in London to see in the New Year in front of the London Eye where up to 250,000 people were expected to enjoy the carnival atmosphere.


And festive organisers in Edinburgh prepared for up to 80,000 partygoers to enjoy the Hogmanay street party and festival, which began last night with a torchlight procession along the Royal Mile.


Red sky at night: The London Eye sparkles in one of its finest-ever displays


Fireworks explode behind the Big Ben clock tower during New Year celebrations


During the early evening, crowds gathered along the banks of the River Thames and spilled into Trafalgar Square and central London.

BBC Radio 1 DJ Nihal hosted the event, drawing cheers from the crowds after the music started at 10pm accompanied by lasers and lights from the Eye.

Peter and Harriet Hughes travelled from Cardiff in Wales to see the firework display with 18-month-old daughter Phoebe.

Mr Hughes, 28, said: 'It's amazing. We see it on the TV quite a lot and my wife has never been so we decided to come down. Plus we couldn't find a baby-sitter.'

First aiders were already out on the streets by 10pm as the party geared up for the climax at midnight, while security teams had to ask some high-spirited partygoers to get down from traffic lights along Victoria Embankment.


Throng: Revellers wait on the Embankment along the River Thames for the fireworks


Under a crimson sky: Hogmanay festivities in Edinburgh (left) and Big Ben flanked by the London Eye


Petra Stolfa, 20, travelled to London with her friend Krista Likar, 19, from Slovenia for the celebrations.

'We came here last Friday and we came to see New Year because of the fireworks. We have been here since 7pm,' she said.

'We don't have the big fireworks at home and so this is something we usually see on the TV.'

Many said they were hoping for a better year in 2011.


Scotland the rave: The party gets into full swing in Edinburgh as people celebrate the new year


Michelle Burns, 30, from Canvey Island, said: 'We come just for a change because we usually spend New Year with family.

'It's been good. It's been a rough year so hopefully next year will be better.'

In London, 3,000 police officers were on duty.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said the crowds were larger than last year but so far there were only five arrests for minor offences.


Happy New Year! Revellers take to Princes Street in Edinburgh for the fireworks display to celebrate


Weather forecasters said as the clock struck midnight - and we moved to 'all the ones', 1/1/11 - the nation's enjoyment of firework displays might be marred by patches of fog, cloud and mist.

Most of the UK was expected to have a covering of cloud with some drizzle although the evening should remain dry.

After weeks of Arctic temperatures and a year of economic belt-tightening for most, revellers were keen to welcome in a new year.

Tonight's Concert in the Gardens, in Edinburgh, features top bands The Charlatans, Biffy Clyro and Billy Bragg and sold out along with the Keilidh in Resolution Square.

Meanwhile, around the world...

Thousands of people gathered at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin tonight to welcome in the New Year with a dazzling light show.

And while revellers lapped up the atmosphere in the German capital, crowds gathered in Moscow's Red Square as Russia celebrated the arrival of 2011.

The chilly night sky was a sea of red and green as the fireworks complemented the colourful domes of St Basil's Cathedral.

Meanwhile, Dubai held a stunning fireworks display at the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building - the 2,717ft structure seeing pyrotechnics seemingly shoot from every storey.

And earlier this evening, Malaysia celebrated New Year's Eve with a light show by the Petronas Twin Towers in the capital, Kuala Lumpur.

Auckland, New Zealand, was the first major city to celebrate the New Year before Australia, Singapore and China followed suit later today.


Thousands of people gathered at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin tonight to welcome in the New Year with a dazzling light show


Red sky at night: Crowds have gathered in Moscow's Red Square as Russia welcomes in the New Year


Fireworks lit up the sky in Dubai tonight as the Burj Khalifa - the world's tallest building - formed the centrepiece of New Year's Eve celebrations



Spectacular: Fireworks light up the sky near the landmark Petronas Twin Towers during new year celebrations in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia


'Reddy' for the New Year: Celebrating in Malaysia by the iconic towers


Singapore: Fireworks explode over Marina Bay in front of the Marina Bay Sands casino and resort during a pyrotechnic show


Roads were due to be cordoned off in London as the capital prepared itself for its own fireworks display tonight.

Australia has welcomed 2011 with a spectacular fireworks display over Sydney Harbour. Despite losing the Ashes this week, thousands of party-loving Aussies had camped out for hours at parks alongside the Sydney Harbour Bridge to win the best view of today's spectacular New Year's Eve fireworks.

As the clock ticked closer to 2011, Europeans were looking forward to celebrations that could help them forget their economic worries.

Japan and South Korea both celebrated New Year at 3pm GMT - and India was readying itself for its celebrations in the next few hours.

In New York City, nearly a million revellers were expected to cram into the streets around Times Square to watch the traditional midnight ball drop several hours after the UK has marked the start of 2011. The 20-inch snowstorm that blanketed the city will be just a memory thanks to work crews and warmer temperatures.

At least 1.5 million people lined the harbour in Sydney, the first major city where the new year arrives after 2011 hit New Zealand. Celebrations began with aerial displays by vintage aircraft and a parade of boats around the harbour.

In Christchurch, New Zealand, two minor earthquakes on Friday did not shake plans for all-night celebrations.

'There is more reason than ever for people to get together and celebrate the beginning of a New Year,' Christchurch's acting mayor Ngaire Button said, urging residents to celebrate in the central Cathedral Square, where workers were removing loose masonry after the quakes.

A powerful 7.1-magnitude quake wrecked thousand of buildings in Christchurch on September 4, but nobody was killed.


Ready for 12: Revellers in Hong Kong, China, prepare for the New Year


This year marks the first time Vietnam's capital, Hanoi, officially celebrates the new year with a countdown blowout, complete with a light show and foreign DJs in front of the city's elegant French colonial-style opera house.

Vietnamese in the past paid little attention to the changing of the calendar, instead holding massive celebrations during Tet, the lunar new year that begins on Feb. 3. But in recent years, the Western influence has started seeping into Vietnamese culture with teens, who have no memory of war or poverty and are eager to find a new reason to party in the Communist country.

In South Korea, up to 100,000 people went to a bell-ringing ceremony in central Seoul, with officials and citizens striking the large bronze bell hung in the Bosingak bell pavilion 33 times at midnight.

Some South Koreans also go to the mountains or beaches on early Saturday to watch the first sunrise of the new year.

At midnight in Taipei, Taiwan, fireworks will form a spiralling dragon climbing up the city's tallest skyscraper. Some 50 dancers will beat drums in the freezing cold river in a dance to underscore how people should live with nature in harmony.


Happy New Year! Sydney Bridge is lit up as Australia becomes the first country to welcome 2011


In Japan, New Year's Eve is generally spent at home with family but those who venture out go to temples to pray for good luck in the new year. At Zojoji, a 600-year-old Buddhist temple in central Tokyo, thousands were expected to release balloons at midnight carrying notes with their hopes for 2011.

In Beijing, about 500 people were expected to gather at the Ancient Bell Museum for the chance to ring in the new year on the 46-ton bell. The city is also trying to start a new tradition, with an orchestra playing a 'Hymn to China' at the China Century Monument just two minutes before midnight.

While many Asian countries famed for their firework displays were planning to light up the night skies, Myanmar's military government banned all fireworks for New Year's Eve and said severe action would be taken against anyone selling or using them.


First New Year: Auckland was the first major city to celebrate the start of 2011


A local news journal, Modern, noted that last year 62 people were given six to 12-month prison terms for violating this ruling.

The government gave no reason for the ban but in the past has said that it feared 'unscrupulous persons' might take advantage of the fireworks to create disturbances.

In Europe, many people will be partying simply to forget their economic woes after a year that saw Greece and Ireland needing financial bailouts and others, such as Spain and Portugal, battling speculation that they will need similar aid.

If not at home or at private parties, Spaniards traditionally gather in their main town squares to eat 12 grapes one by one as the bell in the square marks the countdown to 2011.

In the Irish capital of Dublin, people will flock to the Christchurch cathedral to listen as the bells chime in the new year.

In London, thousands will witness a musical and firework display at the 135-meter high London Eye, located on the southern banks of the Thames River. The Eye, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, lies almost opposite the Big Ben clock tower at Parliament that will chime in 2011.

In Paris, tens of thousands are expected to pack the Champs Elysees and the area around the Eiffel Tower for dazzling light and firework displays.






source: dailymail

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