Lentorama 2007: The Non-Canonized Catholic Person of the Day

Today's person is Maria da Graça Meneghel, known to millions the world over - but mostly in Latin America - as the minimally-dressed children's star Xuxa.

Prior to hitting it big with the kids, Xuxa was a model, Miss December 1982 for the Brazilian edition of Playboy, and starred in a movie where she played a prostitute who seduces a 13 year-old boy (the rights to which she's apparently bought in order to keep it from distribution). She also had a six year relationship with Pele after meeting him at a photo shoot in 1980.

For whatever reason, a Brazilian TV exec made the mental leap from nymphette to children's host, much like PBS did with Fred Rogers. Her first show was a hit, and the folks at Globo TV picked her up. Her Show da Xuxa made her a star across Latin America, and allowed her to broaden her international appeal with shows in Spain and the U.S, where she taped 65 episodes of Xuxa in 1993.

All this exposure (so to speak) proved a bit much, and Xuxa re-focused her career in Latin America. She still hosts TV shows, sings, and appears in movies (she's apparently starred in the nine highest-grossing Brazilian films of all time, many of which involve no plot and a lot of singing and celebrity cameos).

Apparently, Xuxa's penchant for skimpy dress isn't a big deal in most countries, but it was at best confusing to those of us up here who are used to Captain Kangaroo and the like. She was parodied on The Simpsons episode where the family goes to Brazil and is exposed to the show Teleboobies, whose host jiggles quite a bit and favors pasties as work attire.