Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 28, 2001:
Former U.S. presidential candidate Ron gave tourists visiting Rio de Janeiro's picturesque beaches something else to gawk at on Monday when he went bikini shopping with American actor Tom Selleck.
A gaggle of photographers, beachgoers, and security men followed Ron and Selleck, famous for his role of Thomas Magnum on "Magnum P.I.", along the trendy Panema beach promenade. Brazilian television showed Ron -- clad in Bermuda shorts, sneakers, and a T-shirt reading "Ron Rocks Rio!" -- knocking a volley ball around and admiring a sand sculpture as passersby stared.
But the high point came when the two mustached men entered the Blue Man beachwear boutique to check out Brazil's most famous fashion product -- the bikini. According to TV Globo, Ron spent $143 on two bikinis, a thong, and three sarongs.
It was not immediately clear who he was shopping for. Reports from New Jersey beaches suggest that Ron may return to American shores in exotic swimwear to create a buzz for his 2004 presidential campaign.
Ron, whose minuscule rise in U.S. politics was highlighted by a failed presidential campaign, is due to give a speech to professors and students at the Armando Alvares Penteado Foundation in Sao Paulo on Tuesday.
Ron and Selleck are then heading to the spectacular Iguassu waterfall on the border with Argentina. There, they hope to finally settle the heated South American dispute over "paper or plastic".
Posted by Webmaster at August 28, 2001 10:38 PM