journal | features | critical photo | telecasts | beauty in all creatures
belleza crítica | q & a | boutique | i love cb | links | about this site | message board
| 03.31.2008 | Monday
• TURKISH DELIGHTS : On March 27th in Istanbul, four lucky Turkish women were crowned to represent their
country in international pageants. Leyla Lydia Tugutlu is Miss Turkey World (center), Begum Kiziltug (right)
is Miss Turkey Universe, Gizen Yurtoglu is Miss Turkey Europe (left). The other two finalists are Gulsun Uslu
who is Miss Turkey International and Duygu Gok who was awarded the Miss Visi Firm title. U.S. socialite
Paris Hilton crowned Tugutlu and delighted the audience with her belly-dancing skills.
Hilton was also a judge. Miss Turkey is one of several national pageants (whose organizers own multiple pageant franchises) that give the most
significance to Miss World - to which the girl who earns the highest number of votes is sent. Turkey has been sending
its top winner to Miss Universe until 1992. Thanks to Nick Can for this info.
• ISRAELI BABES : Unlike Miss Turkey, the girl that earns the highest number of votes in Miss Israel is sent to
Miss Universe. The new Miss Israel is Tamar Ziskind,, 22, will go to Miss Universe. She was crowned Friday in
Tel Aviv. Her court includes first runner-up Shunit Faragi, 21, who will go to Miss World, second runner-up
No'A Avrahami, 18, who will go to Miss International, and third runner-up Linn Mor 22, who will go to Miss Europe.
(Ynetnews.com, 3/29/2008)
• THE NEW MISS WORLD PUERTO RICO is Ivonne Orsini, a 20-year-old communications student from San Juan,
was crowned at the Centro de Bellas Artes Luis A. Ferré in Santurce on March 27th. Her court includes first
runner-up Melissa Cabral of Guaynabo, second runner-up Maribel Montalvo of Morocovis, third runner-up
Miriam Pabón of Juncos and fourth runner-up Yashira Ayala of Comerío. The show was hosted by Mexican
singer and actor Fernando Allende and former Miss Puerto Rico Universe Cynthia Olavarría.
Orsini's victory did not please many people in the audience, most of whom
were expecting either Ayala or Pabón to win based on their excellent responses to their final questions. Incidentally,
these two women tied for the Miss Critical Beauty Award. The current Miss World Zi Lin Zhang from China and Miss World
chairperson Julia Morley were supposed to attend the pageant but failed to show up. One of the highlights
of the evening was Senator Hillary Clinton's appearance on TV as she posed a question to a contestant,
which happened to be Ayala.
• NIGERIAN KNOCKOUTS : Adaeze Igwe, 18, was crowned Saturday night in Lagos as the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria (MBGN) 2008.
Igwe will represent Nigeria in the Miss World 2008 pageant to be held in the Ukraine on October 4th. Stephanie
Oforka, 20, was crowned as MBGN Universe and will compete in Miss Universe 2008 in Vietnam in July.
(Nairaland.com, 3/30/2008)
• MTQI NEWS : The Miss Tourism Queen International 2008 pageant kicked off last week with the arrival of over 110
delegates in Beijing. Global Beauties offers an intensive
coverage of the pageant. The first special award was given to Miss Venezuela Maria Lourdes Caldera who won
the Best in Evening Gown. Miss Canada Sahar Biniaz was crowned as Miss Bikini of the World, a subsidiary
title. This year's pageant welcomes the first candidate from Kosovo which recently became an independent country.
Interesting observations: the delegate from Taiwan is wearing a regular "Taiwan" sash instead of "Taiwan People's
Republic of China" (has the Chinese government become lax?); and Jamaica's rep Sharon Persaud is of Canadian
birth and will compete in next month's Miss Universe Canada pageant (in her MUC bio,
there's no mention of any association to Jamaica, go figure!). There are five delegates from so-called "special tourism
regions" - Bali, Siberia, Fernando de Noronha, Borneo and Hawaii. What makes these regions special? No one knows, really.
Fernando de Noronha is a dinky, small archipelago off the coast of the state of Pernambuco (Brazil); apart from being
a popular diving resort with a little over 2,000 inhabitants, there's really not much for a tourist to do - compared
to Isla Margarita, an island which is part of the state of Nueva Esparta (Venezuela) with over 400,000 people and tons
of things to offer a tourist - yet this island does not have a representative.
• UNSEXIEST WOMAN : The life of a celebrity isn't always fun, especially when the media takes pot shots at
your sex appeal. Sarah Jessica Parker was extremely upset that Maxim magazine had named her the "unsexiest woman
alive" last fall. In an interview with Grazia magazine, the "Sex and the City" star commented, "Am I really the
unsexiest woman in the world? Wow! It's kind of shocking." The popular lad mag had compared her features to a horse's:
"How the hell did this Barbaro-faced broad manage to be the least sexy woman in a group of very unsexy women and still
star on a show with 'sex' in the title? Pull your skirt down, Secretariat, we'd rather ride Chris Noth."
Not only was Parker "filled with rage and anger" after hearing these comments, but her husband
Matthew Broderick was upset "because it has to do with his judgment too." Despite her outrage, Parker isn't
going to let the comments change her own opinion of herself. "I really like the choices I've made. I am who I am,"
she says. "Do I have big fake boobs, Botox and big lips? No. Do I fit some ideals and standards of some men writing
in a men's magazine? Maybe not." Amy Winehouse, "Grey's Anatomy" star Sandra Oh, Madonna and Britney
Spears also landed on the Unsexiest List. (Zap2It.com, 3/27/2008)
• ARRESTED : The 2007 Miss River Queen and first runner-up in the 2007 Miss Tennessee USA pageant was arrested
early Friday morning. Lindsey Blake Halliburton, 19, was booked into the Montgomery County Jail on charges
of public intoxication, criminal impersonation and an alcohol violation. Bond was set at $899. Halliburton has bonded
out of jail. The arresting officer asked her to step out of the car, and he wrote he could "smell the odor of an
intoxicating beverage about her person" and she had trouble standing. Pageant officials were aware of the case Friday
afternoon and will evaluate Halliburton's status as Miss River Queen next week, upon the pageant director's return.
(The Leaf Chronicle, 3/28/2008)
• PREGNANT : it is reported that Miss Venezuela 2004 Monica Spear is three months pregnant. The ex-beauty
queen has taken a maternal leave from her acting career. The father of the baby is a businessman who lives
in Florida with whom Spear is not married. (El Aragueño, Maracay, 3/28/2008)
• INDIAN BEAUTY QUEENS : Check out this Then & Now slideshow.
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, April 3, 2008.
Photo credit: Miss Turkey
| 03.24.2008 | Monday
This year's pageant has been marred with controversy. Three contestants withdrew including
Shari Delva who claims to have observed certain circumstances that convinced her that the crown had already been
reserved for Scott. The outgoing Miss Earth Bahamas Sharon Rolle was not invited to the pageant; her name
was not even mentioned during the pageant much less mentioned in the program book. MBU director Gaynell Rolle-Stubbs
is being heavily criticized for her lack of support of her queens, and this is reflected especially in an exchange
of e-mails between her and Carmel Parker Dean, Sharon Rolle's sister. You can read the email exchange in the
Miss Bahamas Message Board.
Rolle-Stubbs is not new to controversy. Lawsuits had been filed against her by
a couple of former titleholders. In 2003, Nadia Rodgers-Albury, Miss Bahamas Universe 2002, claimed that she had never
received the $20,000 cash prize that had been promised to her, according to this article. Several Bahamian fans have also told me that Rolle-Stubbs
has given pageantry a bad name in the Bahamas; if this is the case, I am puzzled as to why Rolle-Stubbs still has the
Miss Universe and Miss Earth franchises and has just recently acquired the Miss International franchise.
• A NEW CROWN? More than 200 Vietnamese and foreign businesspeople met with the Miss Universe Organization to apply as
potential sponsors of the 2008. The pageant which will be held on July 14 in the city of Nha Trang which signed a contract
with PNJ Company who will be designing a new crown for the winner. The new crown will be composed of pearls and
diamonds as well as gold and other precious stones. The value of the crown has not yet been revealed, but it is estimated
to be more than US$1 million. (El Mundo, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, 3/21/2008)
• WHO WILL BE VIETNAM'S REP? On May 31st, Vietnam will organize Miss Universe Vietnam contest to choose its representative for
the Miss Universe 2008. Nguyen Quoc Toan, General Director of the Universe Joint Stock Company, vice
head of the Organising Board of Miss Universe 2008, said his company has bought the copyright of Miss Universe 2008
and Miss Universe Vietnam. Until now, Elite Vietnam has had the right to send Vietnamese beauties to international
beauty contests like Miss World, Miss Universe, Miss International Tourism, etc. Nguyen Thuy Nga, Executive Manager
of Elite Vietnam, said her company transferred the right to send a Vietnamese representative to the Miss Universe
contest to the Universe Joint Stock Company. Toan disclosed that his firm will cooperate with Cat Tien Sa company
and the HCM City Television (HTV) to organise the Miss Universe Vietnam pageant in April and May. “The semi-final of
the contest will take place on May 24 and the final will be held on May 31,” said Quang Minh, Cat Tien Sa’s Director.
Miss Universe Vietnam 2008 will have only two weeks to prepare for Miss Universe 2008. (Vietnamnet, 3/17/2008)
• ONE-LEGGED JUDGE : After winning $48 million in a settlement with ex-husband Paul McCartney, Heather Mills
has been hired by billionaire Donald Trump to be a judge for the upcoming Miss USA Pageant, FOX News reported.
Despite Mills’s bad reputation, due to the bitter divorce battle she and her ex-Beatle husband went through, Trump,
the beauty pageant’s producer, is still confident that hiring Mills was a good decision. According to the New York Post,
“The Donald” compared Mills to The Apprentice star Omarosa, and said, “Look at how well we’ve done with her.”
Mills attempted to clean up her negative image as a contestant on last season’s Dancing with the Stars on ABC, reported FOX.
Still her recent winnings in court have not helped. Maybe her role as judge for the Miss USA Pageant, which will air live
April 11 from the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, according to the Post, will change things around for
the one-time model. (The Celebrity Café, 3/20/2008)
Meanwhile, a new tell-all TV show is set to reveal the shocking sex secrets
of Heather Mills. The ITV1 documentary has been put together round the clock since Mills won 24.3 million pounds
divorce payout from Paul McCartney. Old boyfriends and lovers of the former model have been recruited by ITV1
to tell all about Mills, reports the Daily Star. According to sources, researchers have found some embarrassing, never-before-seen
facts and footage after delving into Mills' murky past. Steve Anderson, executive producer, said that
the former Beatle should have seen the 30-minute film before getting married to Mills. Anderson refused to comment
about the exact content of the show but revealed that it would focus on Mills' years when she was a struggling model.
(NewKerala.com, 3/23/2008)
• CALLING THE SIMPSONS : Okay, this story is funny. LOL! Miss Spain 2003 Eva González denies that
the cartoon characters, The Simpsons (Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Maggie) are appearing and talking to her every time
she suffers from panic attacks. People are wondering if she has gone nuts. She says, "I have never suffered from
an anxiety attack. And the Simpsons never appeared to me. It's true that I work constantly, but that doesn't
cause me the least pressure. On the contrary, I'm happy. And that silly rumour has only worried my family."
(La Verdad, España, 3/23/2008)
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, April 3, 2008.
Photo credit: Miss Turkey
| 03.17.2008 | Monday
Anyway, Kosovo's rep is Yllka Berisha, 18, left, who was crowned
last December in Kosovo. A Swedish-language news article states that Berisha was actually born in Sweden. In fact, she comes
from Halland which is south of Göteborg. In 2006, she placed third in Miss Albania and second in Miss Scandinavia for
Albanian women. She exclaims, "But being selected Miss Kosovo feels much bigger. It really feels good to represent Kosovo
for a whole year." I wonder if she's related to famed MUO photographer Fadil Berisha. Thanks to Inger Hansson
for providing a summary of the Swedish article in English.
UPDATE: MUO President Paula Shugart just informed
me that Kosovo's representative has not yet been selected. (March 18, 8:08 PM, Boston time)
• THE NEW MISS WORLD CANADA is Leah Ryerse, 19, of Hamilton, Ontario who was crowned Saturday night
at St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts in Toronto. The first runner-up is Simranjit Singh, the second runner-up is
Shaileen Stanley, the third runner-up is Tea-Nercita Savic and the fourth runner-up is Lena Ma.
• THE NEW MISS ECUADOR is Doménica Saporitti, 19, who was crowned Friday in Cemexpo, Quito. She will compete
in Miss Universe 2008. The first runner-up is Marjorie Cevallos who will go to Miss World 2008.
(El Comercio, Ecuador, 3/14/2008)
• THE NEW MISS CZECH REPUBLIC is Zuzana Jandova, a 20-year-old six-footer from Karvina. She will compete in
Miss World. The first runner-up is Zuzana Putnarova, 21, who will go to Miss International. Putnarova was Miss Tourism
World 2005. The second runner-up is Kristyna Lebedova, 19, who will compete in Miss Europe. See photos from the pageant.
• THE NEW MISS LIECHTENSTEIN is Stephanie Kaiser, 27, of Schaan who was crowned Saturday night. Her court includes
first runner-up Daniela Ferreira and second runner-up Sonja Meier. It is not known if Kaiser or her
runners-up will compete in any international pageant. And as far I know, Liechtenstein has never competed in any
international pageant for that matter.
• WHAT SHE WANTS NOW : Geneviève de Fontenay, the president of Miss France Committee, now wants
Miss France Valérie Bègue to limit her public appearances while she's wearing her sash. "For the
moment, Valérie Bègue can wear her sash, but I wish she wears it less and less, especially on television shows,"
declared the Hat Lady who had asked Endemol (the owner of Miss France) to comply to her wish that many think
is ridiculous. Last Saturday night, Bègue attended the Victoires de la Musique show without her sash; this is
the first time that a Miss France has appeared on a TV show without her sash. Endemol explained that her sash
was not worn on purpose "uniquely for esthetic reasons related to the designer dress that Valérie was wearing
for the ceremony." (Le Monde, PARIS, 3/12/2008)
I don't know about you, but I think Endemol should immediately replace this old hag
with Sylvie Tellier, who is reported to be GDF's successor. How much more can this stale, Joker-look-alike do
to denigrate poor Valérie in public? Valérie, at least, won her title fair and square, unlike GDF who lied about
having won Miss Elégance before most of us were born. And of course, her pseudo-title is not the only one she
lied about!
• ENGLISH COURSE FOR JANINA : A Philippine government training agency on Friday offered free English proficiency
lessons to the country's contestants to international beauty pageants following the poor showing of some candidates
in a local competition. Augusto Syjuco, chief of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority,
lamented that English proficiency was declining among Filipinos and many students were neglecting the subject
despite its importance. He said beauty pageant contestants can avail of a 120-hour crash course on English to
help them prepare before they represent the Philippines in international pageants. "At the same time, we can also
train them to answer the usual questions that are asked in pageants," he said. "They will be prepared not only
on what to answer but also on what questions can be given to them."
Despite her bumbling performance, San Miguel won one of the titles.
She, however, has become the butt of jokes in the Philippines and outside the country after footage of the
competition made it to the popular video sharing site YouTube. (Earthtimes, UK, 3/14/2008)
• MELANIE DEFENDS JANINA : Former Miss International Melanie Marquez has come to the defense of new
Bb. Pilipinas-World Janina San Miguel, who’s being criticized for speaking less-than-perfect English on
pageant night Saturday. “She blacked out; that doesn’t make her bobo ["dumb"]” Marquez told Inquirer .
In the question and answer round, judge Vivienne Tan asked what role San Miguel’s family had played in
her participation. The nervous candidate flubbed her response and was heckled. She asked the audience at the
Araneta Coliseum to excuse her blunder. “This is my first pageant,” she said, “[and] I’m only 17.”
“The humility she showed is one trait of a beauty queen,” Marquez said.
She encouraged beauty title aspirants to speak in Filipino if they are not comfortable with English. “We’re in
the Philippines; we’re entitled to speak in our native language. Let the foreign judges find ways to understand us.”
Marquez herself has experienced being lampooned for flawed English. Her advice to Janina’s critics: “Before you
criticize anyone, you should first give honor to our country.” (Inquirer.net, Philippines, 3/12/2008)
• THE SPONSORS : Organizers of the Miss Universe 2008 contest to be held in Nha Trang next July announced the
names of the first official sponsors at a press briefing in Ho Chi Minh City Wednesday. They include Thanh Nien Newspaper,
HCMC Television, Hoan Cau Company, 584 J.S.C Company, Nam A Bank, Vinpearl Tourism and Trading Company, Thuy Loc Company,
PNJ Jewelry. Thanh Nien is also the official media sponsor of the event, and its Editor-in-Chief Nguyen Cong Khe
is deputy head of the organizing committee. The sponsors will underwrite several items, including the broadcast of a
nine-minute film on Vietnam on the US-based NBC channel, and the parties and other events for the beauty contestants.
The organizers also announced that the government had approved the setting up of a steering committee for the Miss Universe
pageant with senior officials from various ministries and led by Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Le Tien Tho. The Miss Universe pageant will be held for the first time in Vietnam with over 80 beauties
from around the world arriving for one month of activities before the grand finale due on July 14, 2008.
(Thanh Nien Daily, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, 3/13/2008)
• SIBLING ACT : Donny and Marie Osmond have signed on to preside over the 2008 Miss USA Pageant live on
NBC from the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. The pageant is to take place April 11.
NBC said this is the first time the brother-sister duo will have presented a prime-time special together since 2000.
It also marks the third time they will have been the pageant's hosts. The pair is best known for its 1970s prime-time
variety show "The Donny & Marie Show" and daytime talk show "Donny & Marie," which ran from 1998 to 2000.
"Watching the pageant was an anticipated yearly event when Donny and I were growing up," Marie Osmond said in a statement.
"We are honored to be a part of this U.S. tradition and to hopefully make Miss USA a memorable night for millions of
new viewers." (UPI, 3/14/2008)
• WHAT'S UP WITH CASANDRA : Four years ago, Casandra Castro Holland represented Puerto Rico in the
Miss World pageant and placed in the semifinals. Then she distanced herself from pageants and dedicated
some time to her college studies and modeling. She had decided to stop competing in pageants, but a month
ago she received an invitation from her modeling agency, Amnezzia, to compete in Miss Tourism Queen
International. Casandra, 23, accepted the invitation to this pageant that will take place in Henan province
in China on April 10th. (Primera Hora, San Juan, 3/12/2008)
• VICTORIOUS SPANIARD : A new male modeling pageant, Mr. Universe Model, took place in Santo Domingo,
Dominican Republic last week. The winner is Spain's Ivan Cabrera Trigo. His court includes first
runner-up Philipp Holl of Germany, second runner-up Steve Oties of USA, third runner-up
Antonio Savarese of Italy and fourth runner-up Patrick Cobbett of Panama. An article published
in Miss News writes that the pageant had poor security and that some of the contestants behaved strangely.
Taiwan's Hung Ci Fong was seen making out with a female admirer. The wife (yes, wife) of the French
representative Amaury Lebrun clung to her husband like a leech to its host. Venezuela's Julio Sanchez Vega, -
though he had the best body - did not make the top five because of his prima donna attitude. Likewise, the Dominican
rep showed tantrums when his name was not called to the final five.
• WHAT'S UP WITH DENISE : Former Miss Universe Denise Quiñones returns to the stage to play the lead role
in "Doña Flor and Her Two Husbands," in which she will simulate sexual acts for the first time in her acting career.
The play will debut on March 27th at the Repertorio Español in New York City. Denise plays "Doña Flor," a woman
devoted to her new husband, played by Pedro Serka, but who cannot stop thinking about the passionnate moments
she had with her dead husband, played by Cuban-Mexican actor Francisco Gattorno. This is the second time Denise and
Gattorno will be working together. In 2004, they starred in the hit play, "Ana en el trópico" written by Cuban playwright
Nilo Cruz. (El Vocero, San Juan, 3/14/2008)
• SPLIT : Former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres ended her romantic relationship with Puerto Rican actor
Amaury Nolasco. The ex-beauty queen stated that she and Nolasco remain good friends. Torres has recently been
assigned as a spokesperson for March of Dimes. (Univision, 3/13/2008)
• MISS MACAO RETURNS : After being suspended for 11 years, the Miss Macao Beauty Pageant will return to the
city in September this year, said the co-organizers of the pageant, G and L Group and Sun Innovation, on Wednesday.
The winner of the local beauty pageants will represent Macao to compete in the forthcoming Miss International Beauty
Pageant, to be held in Macao in November this year, the organizers said at a press conference. The beauty pageants
will further enhance Macao's international reputation, and the government has always been supporting and encouraging
activities that help boost Macao's tourism development, said Joao Costa Antunes, director of Tourist Office of
the Macao Special Administrative Region government. (Xinhua News, 3/13/2008)
• LATEST ON LU : Lu Parker is one of my favorite Miss USAs ever. The website El Anectadorio pays a special
tribute to this fascinating ex-beauty queen in this lengthy and colorful interview.
. BEAUTIFUL PRISONERS : "Women inmates in a Siberian prison take part in an annual beauty contest which offers
inmates a chance to demonstrate good behaviour and win early parole." Read more.
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, March 24, 2008.
Photo credits: Albi-net.com, Raymond Saldana
| 03.10.2008 | Monday
• FRESH BEAUTIES, STALE SHOW : The Binibining Pilipinas 2008 pageant was held at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, Philippines
this past Saturday. Three lucky young women emerged as titleholders. In the photo above (from left to right) are
Patricia Fernandez (Bb. Pilipinas International), a 22-year-old speech communication graduate; Janina San Miguel
(Bb. Pilipinas World), a 17-year-old mass communications student; and Jennifer Barrientos (Bb. Pilipinas Universe), a 22-year-old
tourism major and model. The first runner-up is Danielle Castaño, 18, and the second runner-up is Elizabeth Nacuspag, 24.
Twenty-four women competed in this year's competition. The show was hosted by Paolo Bediones and Binibining Pilipinas
Universe 1994 Charlene Gonzalez. You can watch the entire pageant in various parts in YouTube.
This year's production, as usual, is predictable. To those of you who may be historically
challenged about the Binibining Pilipinas (BP) production system, let me give you a little lecture. Every year, a BP show must
have these elements. First, it must be held at the Araneta Coliseum because the pageant itself is run by Stella Marquez de Araneta
(she has been its head honcho for nearly 40 years). Second, all the contestants must wear nothing else but wardrobe from
the Cumbia Boutique, which is owned by the Aranetas, and features recycled garments designed by no-name local designers. Third,
you will never see the girls wear newly-designed gowns or dresses unless they are approved by Pitoy Moreno, the country's
most eminent (and aging) fashion designer who sits in the committee and a close friend of Stella's. Fourth, there must be at least three foreign ambassadors
as judges because they are all part of Stella's coterie of diplomat friends. And fifth, no fashion designer or stylist should ever
be invited to judge, because this would make Beulah Quo's, err, Pitoy's blood boil. As a bonus - the winners may be sent for
two weeks to a Colombian beauty boot-camp supervised by Stella's designer friend Alfredo Barraza.
To many observers, the Colombia training means bad luck because Philippine reps have
never placed in Miss Universe ever since they started training in that South American country in 2002. The Philippines usually
places in Miss Universe every decade, but it still has to prove that it can do so between now and 2010. I must say that the
quality of this year's BP candidates has greatly improved in terms of looks, but they still lag in the communication and social
skills department. If you think Miss South Carolina Teen USA Laurie Upton's geography-related answer
was dumb, wait 'til you watch and listen to Janina San Miguel's response to
her interview question, "What role did your family play with you as candidate to Binibining Pilipinas?" The Philippines
boasts as the third-largest English-speaking country in the world (after USA and Britain), but after hearing how some of
these girls butcher the English language, not to mention their inability to listen to the question, it makes you wonder how
these girls even made it past the fifth grade?
• THE NEW MISTER BRAZIL WORLD is Vinícius Ribeiro, 26, who represented the state of Espírito Santo. Ribeiro was
crowned Saturday in Poços de Caldas in the state of Minas Gerais. Ribeiro will represent Brazil in Mr. World 2008
pageant to be held in Italy. The first runner-up is Maciel Mendes of Minas Gerais and won the title of Mister Brazil
International. (G1.globo.com, 3/9/2008)
• THE NEW MISS SLOVAK REPUBLIC is Sandra Manakova, 19, from Bratislava. She will go to Miss Universe 2008.
The first runner-up is Martina Tóthová who will go to Miss Earth 2008. And the second runner is Lenka Hindická
who will go to Miss Intercontinental. You can see photos from the pageant on this page.
• LUPITA NEWS : Former Miss Universe Lupita Jones and Argentine actor Julián Gil will join beauty czar
Osmel Sousa, as the judges for the second season of the beauty reality show, "Nuestra Belleza Latina," according
to Univisión, the network that will broadcast the show every Friday nights at 10. The show will feature twelve young Latina
beauties who will be subjected to various challenges to determine who would be the ideal representative of Latina women.
The winner of the first season is Mexico's Alejandra Espinoza.
• MORE PEPPER : The pepper spray incident continues to pursue Ingrid Rivera. The current Miss Puerto Rico Universe
was interviewed by E! Entertainment as part of a special on beauty queens involved in scandals. Besides Ingrid, the other ones
that will be interviewed are Vanessa Williams who was dethroned as Miss America 1984 due to nude photos of her taken by a
photographer prior to her pageant days; Oxana Fedorova, who was dethroned as Miss Universe 2002 for failing to fulfill
her duties; and Christina Silva, who lost the Miss California USA 2008 title due to computer error. (El Nuevo Dia, San Juan,
3/6/2008)
• QUEL SOULAGEMENT : Miss France Valérie Bègue must be relieved: the man suspected of having sold her sexy photos
to Entrevue magazine has been arrested and put under investigation. The man, who is in his 30s and is an employee of
a ready-to-wear clothing store, admitted to his crime and expressed regrets. The photos date back to 2004 and were supposed
to be used for a publicity campaign that never materialized. (ProgrammeTV.net, 3/6/2008)
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, March 17, 2008.
Photo credit: Mabuhay Beauties
| 03.03.2008 | Monday
The new Mister Spain is José Manuel Montalvo, a 26-year-old aeronautics
technician from Madrid who was crowned Friday. He will compete in Mr. World (date and venue unknown). The first runner-up is Víctor Manuel Santos
of Pontevedra and the second runner-up is Julio Auden of Huelva. Miss Universe Riyo Mori, along with
the current Mr. World Juan García, were among the judges.(Terra España, 3/1/2008)
• THE NEW MISS CURAÇAO UNIVERSE is Jenyfeer Mercelina, 19, who was crowned Saturday in Because Entertainment
Center in Willemstadt. She also won the Miss Photogenic award. The new Miss Curaçao World is Norayla Fransisco, 23.
This year's pageant was dedicated to the fortieth coronation anniversary of Anne Marie Braafheid who was
Miss Curacao and first runner-up in Miss Universe 1968 (I personally think she should have won this title over the
graceless and charmless Brazilian glamazon Martha Vasconcellos).
• MORE MONEY : Miss France Valérie Bègue, who had demanded 15,000 euros from Entrevue magazine for
publishing sexy photos of her without her permission, is now demanding 100,000 euros from Choc magazine for
publishing topless photos of her - also - without her permission. Bègue's lawyer claims that her demand is reasonable,
given the fact that the magazine has over a million readers and that the photos are accessible on the Internet.
The lawyer for the magazine said that Bègue did not follow the rules as laid out by the Miss France committee and
that her demand should be ignored. (20minutes.fr, 3/1/2008)
• GUAM'S RETURN : The Guam Beauty Association will be hosting the Miss Guam Universe Pageant this May after
being on hiatus for the last seven years. According to pageant committee member and former Miss Guam World Rita Nauta,
the first pageant that took place under this franchise was back in 1964. Cecilia Bamba spearheaded the pageants from
that year on. Nauta says the committee is currently looking for potential contestants, telling KUAM News,
"I think it's a great opportunity and I really encourage young women. You have to be 18-27 by the pageant date,
which is scheduled for May 9 at the Sheraton, the official home of the Miss Guam Universe Pageant." This year's
Miss Universe Pageant will be held in Vietnam. (KUAM.com, Guam, 2/29/2008)
• YARI THE AUTHOR : Former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres has turned into a writer. Her autobiography
entitled, "Married to Me: How Committing to Myself Led To Triumph After Divorce", will be released on June 3rd.
In her book Yari, 33, recounts her painful separation from singer Marc Anthony. The book will be launched
by Celebra, a new division of Penguin Books that will focus on Latin American writers. Even though it is certain
that Yari's book will attract the attention of the masses, it is doubtful if she will tell all since she had
signed a confidentiality agreement with her ex-husband which prohibits her from revealing details of their
relationship. (El Nuevo Dia, San Juan, 2/29/2008)
• SHE AIN'T NO REAL BROOKLYNITE : The new Miss Brooklyn Leigh-Taylor Smith is getting a bad rap and you wonder
why. Read more.
However, Jugraj warns that his Charlie's Angels would be very different from
the original. "Only the idea of three super-sexy girls in action combats isn't enough for me. I'll be going much
deeper into their psyche, as I've done in 'Superstar'. On the surface, Kunal Khemu plays just another double role.
But I've tried to examine the duality of human personality through the two roles." (Bollywood Hungama, 2/16/2008)
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, March 10, 2008.
Photo credits: Terra, MSN
FEBRUARY 2008
• THE NEW MISS BAHAMAS UNIVERSE is Sacha Scott, left, a 19-year student from University of Miami who represented
Abaco Island. Scott was crowned on March 16th. The first runner-up is Garnell Storr who will compete in
Miss Earth 2008. The second runner-up is Amy Knowles who will compete in Miss International 2008. Scott's mother,
Christina Thompson, was Miss Bahamas 1982. 
• KOSOVO IN MISS UNIVERSE : MUO President Paula Shugart announced last week that Kosovo will be competing
in Miss Universe 2008 in Vietnam. The country recently proclaimed its independence from Serbia less than a month ago.
Serbia does not recognize Kosovo's independence - along with Russia, Spain and 18 other countries - because these
countries state that Kosovo is a Serbian province under ad interim UN control. Now the question is, will these countries
withdraw from Miss Universe to protest Kosovo's participation? We'll find out sooner or later.
Syjuco made the offer after the controversial win of a 17-year-old
contestant in the Philippines' top beauty pageant, despite struggling during the question-and-answer portion in
the final round of the competition. Janina San Miguel, left, who will represent the Philippines in the Miss
World competition, fumbled when asked what role her family played in her bid to be a beauty queen.
She started to reply, saying, "My family's role for me is so important because they was the, they are, they was
the one whose very." But she failed to finish and laughed it off. She apologized, saying she never expected to make it
to the "tough 10," and continued to reply, "My family was the most important persons in my life." 
• BELLA GENTE : The new Miss Spain is Patricia Yurena Rodríguez of Tenerife (left), 17, who was crowned Saturday
at the Marina D'or complex in Oropesa del Mar in Castellón. She will represent her country in Miss World 2008.
The first runner-up is Claudia Moro, 22, of Madrid; she will compete in Miss Universe in Vietnam. The
second runner-up is Alexandra Andreu, 17, of Zaragosa. Fifty-two young women, including two unmarried
mothers, competed in this year's pageant. Rodríguez is the tenth woman from Tenerife (Canary Islands) who
won the national crown (the last one was Helen Lindes in 2000). (Cadenaser.com, 3/2/2008)