Grupo A updates continue...

Let's see, where were we... 5am in Rio and Grupo A is still parading. I am, of course, rooting for my Imperio Serrano.... and wishing I could be there to see David in his amazing Carmen Miranda outfit. There are many painful parts to missing Carnaval in Rio, but one of the most painful is that I have had to miss the chance to see a parade section of about a hundred drag queens all dressed as Carmen Miranda. I hope Jacare posts some pix somewhere!

The last updates from O Globo:

5:43am - Renascer de Jacarepagua does a "cold" (not very good) parade

5:51am - Rocinha is parading without enough baianas
(they had only 53 - they're required to have at least 60)

5:51am - Public receives Imperio Serrano with shouts of "The champion!"

6:51am - Imperio, with Carmen Miranda, gives a bath in Sapucai
(Imperio Serrano paraded through a drenching rain, but put on a beautiful parade. Word is the bateria was easily the best of Grupo A - and probably still the best of Grupo Especial as well. But unfortunately the bateria lingered in front of judges' booth 3 to do some kind of show and a huge gap opened up, spanning all of Setor 11. The judges at booths 3 & 4 could all see the gap. Ouch.)

I have to quote here from the Roda de Samba description for Imperio Serrano. The author of this blog isn't an enormous Imperio fan. He's been posting detailed reviews of each Grupo A escola and has been assigning them his own scores - typical scores have been low 9's or 9.5, a few 8's, one sad 6.5 (for Lins Imperial), and no tens so far. Then this, for Imperio, the last escola of the night:

"Imperio Serrano - Now who said that tradition doesn't win the game? Imperio Serrano, with its great tradition of almost 61 years, gave a real lesson to its opponents. It showed that, to make a beautiful and thrilling parade in Carnaval, it's not necessary to have gigantic floats and those other extras that, in a spectacle like Grupo A, are really secondary. In Saturday's parade [in Grupo A], it is "claws", samba in the mouth, and in the foot, that matter. And it was this that the green-and-white escola made clear. With floats that were simple and small but very beautifully made, the escola of Serrinha put the other escolas "in its pocket". The wet face of the sculpture of Carmen Miranda wasn't just a result of the rain. There were tears of emotion from the singer herself who, just now, received a wonderful homage from Imperio. And, in addition to all this, the escola fulfilled all the technical requirements very well. More than sufficient to say the the escola is the absolute favorite for the title. Score: 10. "

My Imperio!

I so wish I could have been there to have paraded with them.

The Grupo A champion will be announced at 5:45pm on Ash Wednesday. I'll be watching.