The 9pm Brazilian novela Amor à Vida ended yesterday after 221 episodes, being one of the longest Brazilian novelas that were aired in recent years. Its predecessors in the same timeslot ‘Salve Jorge’ and ‘Avenida Brasil’ had each 179 episodes.

Even though the last few months of the novela were exhaustive to watch because of the repeated/crazy scenes and storylines, the last episode was amazing overall. Although some of the scenes reminded previous endings of telenovelas, many of the scenes in this one were innovative and very refreshing to watch. So let’s begin this recap…

Prêmio Extra de TV, one of the biggest award shows of the Brazilian television was held on November 13, and celebrated the successful productions of the past year. “Amor à vida” became the big winner of the ceremony, with six awards. Veteran actor Tony Ramos was the big star of the award ceremony, and received a special extraordinary award celebrating his 50 years of career.

Meanwhile, Caio Castro, who received the “Teen idol” award, was seen hugging his costar Maria Casadevall, who was also nominated in the “Female revelation” category. The couple was seen leaving the ceremony together.

Winners list:

Best novela: “Amor à vida”

Best actor: Mateus Solano/“Amor à vida”

Best actress: Giovanna Antonelli/“Salve Jorge”

Supporting actor: Alexandre Nero/“Salve Jorge”

Supporting actress: Elizabeth Savala/“Amor à vida”

Male revelation: Adriano Garib/“Salve Jorge”

Female revelation: Tatá Werneck/“Amor à vida”

Child actor/actress: Klara Castanho/“Amor à vida”

Teen idol: Caio Castro/“Amor à vida”

Song: “Esse cara sou eu”, by Roberto Carlos/“Amor à vida”

Makeup: “Saramandaia”

Warderobe: “Lado a lado”

The chemistry and the steamy sex scenes between Brazilian actors Caio Castro and Maria Casadevall in the telenovela 'Amor à vida' are so believable that soon after rumors about an off-screen relationship followed. However, both actors denied that they’re dating. On Saturday, July 27, both actors visited the water park ‘Beach Park’ in Fortaleza and posed for the cameras, showing once again the evident chemistry that exists between them. However, both used the opportunity to deny that there is something more than friendship between them, although some earlier reports claimed to have seen them leaving the same hotel.

Castro said: “if I would be dating Maria, I would have said it, but I’m not. We’re staying in different hotels here in Rio and we don’t even have time for coffee together. Maria is a partner, a friend.” The beau added: “There was only one time when these rumors bothered me, it was when they said that I was involved with a married colleague, and it was a problem for her. But I’m already used to it. They always say that I’m dating my colleagues.”

Meanwhile, Maria also said that there’s nothing going on between them: “We never dated. But I know that these things appear in the media because they sell, and that the couple was so believable that people began imagining things.”

Young Brazilian actress Marina Ruy Barbosa has been recently swept up in a controversy concerning whether she’ll be shaving her hair bald for her role in the prime time telenovela ‘Amor à Vida’. Ruy Barbosa is playing Nicole, a young heiress who discovers that she has cancer and only a few months to live. Although she is reluctant at first, she begins her chemotherapy sessions and starts losing her hair. At this point, according to the original synopsis that was given to Globo, Nicole will decide to shave her hair bald in a dramatic scene. 

However, with only a few days before actually filming it, it was reported that Marina was reluctant about making such a drastic move. Her parents objected to her cutting her hair, and an important hair products company was waiting for her to turn 18 in order to offer her a big advertisement deal for hair products (she turned 18 at the end of June). Since the scene was waiting to be filmed, Marina’s hesitation caused great turmoil on the set of the telenovela and also online, with many viewers voicing their divided opinions over the issue: some supported Marina and commented that she shouldn’t cut all her hair for a secondary character, while others said that it’s a lack of professionalism and that she should be up to the challenge, especially since she reportedly accepted to do it before receiving the role.

The issue was debated in an urgent meeting that was held in the offices of Rede Globo in the presence of directors Mauro Mendonça Filho and Wolf Maya and Marina, who was accompanied by her mother. In the end, the final decision was made in favor of Marina by Manoel Martins, director of entertainment of Rede Globo. He was also the one who had to tell the news to the show’s main writer Walcyr Carrasco, who was oriented to tell that he changed his mind because of the strong public opinion against Marina cutting her hair. He was also instructed to continue writing Nicole’s storyline and not to take measures that might harm Ruy Barbosa’s character.

Nevertheless, the story took another turn as Carrasco decided to kill off Nicole in the novela. Although according to the original synopsis, Nicole is eventually cured from her disease, the character will die already in the next few weeks in a dramatic scene. When Nicole gets married to Thales (Ricardo Tozzi), she’ll suddenly pass away in the church. Betrayed by her husband and best friend Leila (Fernanda Machado), Nicole will return to the telenovela as a ghost, ‘the woman in white’, in order to avenge Leila and Thales. By taking such measures Carrasco made very clear how he felt about Marina’s decision. His reaction was even more emphasized in a scene that will air on July 22nd, in which Nicole will desist from cutting her hair and will say: “I’m a coward. I wasn’t brave enough, Thales. I was afraid of being bald and that you won’t like me anymore.”

While attending the Lollapalooza festival in São Paulo on March 31^st, heartthrob Caio Castro was seen with a mysterious brunette. Both of them couldn’t get their hands off each other and were seen holding hands and kissing passionately during the event.