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| 11.24.2008 | Monday
It was my umpteenth time attending the pageant, and this time I brought CB stylist
Erwin Dimagiba with me. As usual, CB had VIP seats in the front row along with members of the press. There were
two sets of judges - one for the Misses, and another for the Teens. There were several past and present titleholders
including the ones from Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont and Maine. The pageant was hosted by Ken Palmer and
Cristina Nardozzi, Miss Massachusetts USA 2005 who looked fabulous in a sexy red dress with a plunging neckline.
As usual, state director Laurie Clemente and the entire staff of Clemente Productions delivered what they do best -
a well-organized pageant with unexpected results.
It was not easy to take the note seriously, as I found myself cheering constantly for Monique
and Brooke Bibeault, my choice for the Teen title. I have a strong sympathy towards Monique because the fact that she tried six times
is proof enough that she is the most determined contender for the Miss crown. To those who have known Monique and who have
seen her compete through the years - will attest that this year was her best as it was evidenced in her swimsuit, evening wear
and interview performance. Even outgoing queen Jackie Bruno would agree with this, since she thought that Monique
had been declared the winner and nearly put the crown on her head!
Two weeks before the competition, Monique had a swimsuit photoshoot with Mister USA
Ivan Rusilko. The couple had an amazing chemistry working together, and it shows in virtually all the pics that
photographer Becca Bousquet had taken. There are several hot and sexy images, and as much as I wanted to post them
before the Miss Massachusetts USA pageant, I consulted first with Monique who said to wait until the pageant is over for
fear that the images would hurt her chances in winning the state crown. Fair enough. Now that pageant is over, Monique
consented to having the images published. You can see them in the Mister USA galleries.
• LUCK OF THE DRAW : Eight contestants for the Miss World pageant are to lend a helping hand during the draw for
the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup on Saturday. During the 50-minute live show on SABC 1 at 5pm at the Sandton Convention
Centre in Johannesburg, the eight Miss World candidates will assist in the draw which will determine the two groups
for the eight-team competition. The first group of the world finalists arrived in Johannesburg this week for the
Miss World competition which will also be held Sandton Convention Centre in December.
FIFA Secretary General, Jerome Valcke, who is expected to conduct the draw, said:
"Hosting a prestigious event as the Miss World competition again underlines South Africa's ability to stage major global events.
"And as for the beautiful contestants assisting me on Saturday, it's certainly a draw I will be looking forward to more than most."
The impressive line-up of draw assistants consists of Miss Brazil Tamara Almeida Silva, Miss Egypt Sanaa Ismail Hamed,
Miss Italy Claudia Russo, Miss New Zealand Kahurangi Julia Taylor, Miss South Africa Tansey Coetzee,
Miss Spain Patricia Yurena Rodríguez Alonjo, Miss United States Mercia Lane Lindell and reigning Miss World
Zilin Zhang, who will represent Asian champions Iraq.
The 16 Confederation Cup matches will be played in four of South Africa's stadium's
including Johannesburg's Ellis Park Stadium, Rustenburg's Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Pretoria's Loftus Versfeld, and
Bloemfontein's Free State Stadium. The eight-nation tournament known as the "Festival of Champions" will serve as a dress
rehearsal for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Users around the world can follow the draw live on FIFA.com via a video stream, with
the exception of South Africa and Italy. (AllAfrica.com, 11/21/2008)
• THE NEW MISS COLOMBIA is Michelle Rouillard Estrada, a 22-year-old student representing the department of
Cauca, who was crowned at the Julio Cesar Turbay auditorium in Cartagena last Monday. She is currently a student of
international business at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada and speaks fluent Spanish, English and French.
Her court includes the Virreina ("Vice-Queen") Lina Marcela Mosquera Ochoa of Chocó, first runner-up Verónica Velásquez Gómez of Antioquia, second runner-up
Sonia Janneth Cubiles Silva of Bogotá, third runner-up María Jimena Escobar Fuenmayor of Cundinamarca.
Estrada scored the highest points in all categories of the competition.
• GAY BAR VENUE CONTROVERSY : "Her figure is flattered by an almost-there hemline. Heels, three-inch. Hair, teased. Makeup, porcelain doll smooth.
As co-host of a preliminary Miss Texas pageant held Sunday night in Dallas, Ms. Nova was all woman — except for one thing.
She’s a man." Read more.
• GALLIC BELLES : There are 36 young women competing in this year's Miss France pageant, which is now directed by Sylvie Thélier,
Miss France 2002. As part of their preparations, the candidates traveled to Thailand. To see the candidates profiles and videos,
visit the official Miss France website.
• BRAS-SY MEN : OMG, this is outrageous! " A Japanese online lingerie retailer is selling bras for cross-dressing men
and they've quickly become one of its most popular items." Read more.
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, December 1, 2008
PHOTO CREDITS: SmithMaxfield Photography, Critical Beauty
| 11.17.2008 | Monday
• MISS WORLD 2008 : The City of Joburg today welcomed the first group of contestants of the Miss World 2008 Festival at
the Sandton Sun Hotel in Johannesburg. The Miss World 2008 Festival hosted by the Johannesburg Tourism Company (JTC ),
is a month-long affair comprising of several pageants within a pageant culminating in the Finals scheduled for 13 December
at the Sandton Convention Centre. In a press conference attended by among other dignitaries the Mayor of Joburg, Amos Masondo,
CEO of the JTC, Lindiwe Mahlangu, reiterated the positive spin-offs an event of this magnitude will have on the socio-economic
landscape of the country.
"One of the reasons we were so excited when the appointment to host the event came,
is the massive marketing opportunities and global exposure of the beauty, variety and cultural diversity of our country.
"We have a detailed activity schedule for the ladies which includes, amongst others, visitation of various provinces,
a tour of Johannesburg, a Charity Ball, a photoshoot at the iconic Mandela Bridge, tree planting in Soweto, a hospice
visit on World Aids Day (1 December) and many others. "Remember that beauty pageants have gone beyond their classic
definition and have become much more involved in many other worthy causes, hence the phrase 'beauty with a purpose'",
Miss World 2008 will have a direct impact on a number of Joburg NGO's ranging from those focused on the empowerment
of disabled people to those whose mission is to better the lives of troubled youth, says Mahlangu.
"According to Julia Morley, CEO and Chairperson of the Miss World Organisation (MWO),
MWO looks forward to working with the city of Joburg to promote their world class facilities. "Our goal is to bring more
visitors to your vibrant city so that they too can enjoy the sights and sounds of Joburg and its hospitality," says Morley.
• THE FIRST Miss Turismo Pilipina is Sherylee Sustiguer representing the province of Northern Samar. Sustiguer was crowned last Friday
by Karla Henry, the new Miss Earth from the Philippines. The pageant - the brainchild of three
former Filipina beauty queens: Denille Valmonte (Binibining Pilipinas International 2006), Precious Lara Quigaman
(Miss International 2005), and Karen Loren Agustin Ostrea (Binibining Pilipinas Universe 2002)- seeks to promote
tourism in the Philippines by recruiting a candidate from each of the plus eighty provinces. An international pageant is
planned next June and it is open to Filipinas living abroad. Visit the official website.
• NIP & TUCK, THE OSMEL WAY : Here's an interesting article that describes how Venezuelan beauty queens are made and how Venezuelans
are the most vain people on earth. It also confirms that the current Miss Universe Dayana Mendoza had cosmetic surgery
just like her predecessors. Mendoza calls Osmel Sousa a "rare artist," when he in fact does nothing but give instructions.
Read more.
• TRAGEDY : Natali Chávez León, who was crowned Miss Perú Latina in 2002, was shot to death by
her husband Henry Peralta Espinoza, a police officer working with a department to fight terrorism.
After killing his wife, Peralta committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. Chávez had tried seven
times to leave Peralta who was physically and psychologically abusive to her. Chávez was 27.
(La Republica, Lima, 11/15/2008)
• MISS-ING : With only three days left before Miss Swaziland Tiffany Simelane leaves the country for the Miss World contest,
she is ‘nowhere to be found.’ The country’s beauty queen’s cellphone number is not available on MTN and the Miss Swaziland
executive committee has no clue of her whereabouts. Simelane’s disappearance halted a presentation which was to be made by
the Regional Excellence and Development Initiative (REDI) on Tuesday. REDI sponsored the beauty queen with an air ticket
and was ready to present it to her on the day, but her number was unavailable for the whole day and she could not be reached.
A lady employed by REDI said they called the queen but she was not available. “We wanted
to make a presentation of the air ticket but the beauty queen was not available when we tried her number. The Miss Swaziland
committee said she had gone for a project in the rural areas and probably there was no network coverage,” she said.
When the Entertainment Desk called her number on Tuesday, it was unavailable and by yesterday evening it was still the same story.
One of the Miss Swaziland executive committee members said they had no clue why Tiffany’s cellphone was unavailable. “There
are a number of logistics we need to finalise now, there is not much time left and her ‘disappearance’ is delaying a lot
of things. She has to be out of the country on Sunday, time is not on our side,” she said. She said she even went to
her residence but she was nowhere to be found. (The Swazi Observer,, 11/14/2008)
• MISS EARTH POLL : Karla Henry's coronation as Miss Earth 2008 last week generated a lot of cybernet discussion among
pageant fans - some perplexed how Henry beat the "more beautiful" contestants from Tanzania, Spain, Romania, or other favorites
for the crown. I created a poll entitled, "Did they crown the right girl?" to get a consensus from our dear readers; so far, most
of you think that Henry deserved the crown; still, many of you believe that the judges crowned the wrong girl, or that Henry is "ugly"
or the "ugliest Miss Earth" ever. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
I hate it when people say, "This is supposed to be a beauty pageant. She is not the most beautiful!
Miss Tanzania was robbed!" Sorry to burst your bubble, but Miss Tanzania's thighs are wider than an elephant's trunk, she talks funny,
and she demonstrated the most laughable poses during the evening gown presentation. Nevertheless, the judges thought that she was
beautiful enough to advance to the finals, but if I had had my way, I would not have even included her in the top 16.
Then you have people saying that internal beauty is not important in a beauty pageant, and
that beauty pageants should focus primarily on physical beauty. This is pure hogwash. If you're the director, organizer or president
of a beauty pageant, do you really want to work with a young woman who is physically gorgeous but obnoxious and arrogant? Why do you
think the girls are closely monitored and why are there chaperones who report back to their supervisor who reports back to
the organizers? Don't be naive. Surely, physical beauty is great, but if you start pissing off the staff and the sponsors with your
hoity-toity attitude, then you can just say goodbye to your Mikimoto.
I also have an issue with people who base their idea of female beauty strictly on Western standard
(tall, light skin, round eyes, long limbs, hour-glass figure, long and big hair, busty & bootie-licious, and cosmetically enhanced).
If all international beauty pageants used this standard, then there would be no point in producing more pageants because the winners
would all look the same. Miss Universe is Miss Universe. Miss World is Miss World. Miss International is Miss International. And Miss Earth
is Miss Earth. Four different pageants. Four different objectives. Different contestants. Different judges. Different criteria. So who
are we to say that Henry's victory was surprising or shocking? We weren't there, and we weren't the judges, so let's leave it at that
and move on.
• MISTER USA BLOG : Ivan's return to Boston for his last-minute prep. Read more.
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, November 24, 2008
PHOTO CREDITS: Thanh Nien News, Raymond Saldana
| 11.12.2008 | Wednesday
• HOMETOWN GAL WINS : The new Miss Earth is Karla Henry, a 22-year-old tourism graduate from Cebu, Philippines, who was crowned Sunday night
at the Clark Expo Amphitheatre in Clark air base in Pampanga, Philippines. Miss Earth Air is Miriam Odemba, 25, of Tanzania, Miss Earth Water is Abigail Elizalde, 23, of Mexico and Miss Earth
Fire is Tatiana Alves, 24, of Brazil. The remaining top 8 finalists included the representatives from Spain, Colombia,
Switzerland and Venezuela. Completing the top 16 were the delegates from the Czech Republic, Korea, Nigeria, Poland,
Romania, Russia, Thailand and USA. Henry brought her country's first Miss Earth crown since the pageant began in 2001,
and earned the Philippines its seventh major international title. Henry is also the first Asian woman to win the coveted title.
Each contestant declared their own personal environmental campaigns, with the
theme for this year's competition focusing on green lifestyles. In the final question and answer round, the four finalists
were asked what they would tell U.S. president-elect Barack Obama about the state of global environment if ever they
were to meet him. Henry replied that she would encourage Obama to implement environmental knowledge in the curriculum
of schools not just in the U.S. but also in the Philippines. She said, "Environmental knowledge is something that all of
us must share, but most importantly we must teach the youth that this is something that we should instill in them so that
in the near future they will be the ones to take care of our mother Earth.” The show was hosted by popular Filipino-American singer and actor Billy
Crawford, Miss Earth Canada 2006 Riza Santos, and Miss Earth 2005 from Brazil, Priscilla Meirelles. There
were certainly a few surprises, such as the lower placement of Misses Romania, Spain and Colombia who had been in the top four
list of several pageant sites.
Henry's victory left a sour taste in the mouths of many fans who had hoped for Odemba
to win. The stunning Tanzanian beauty narrowly missed the crown to the Philippine delegate who happened to be her roommate.
Observers critiqued Odemba's not-so-polished delivery of her answer to the final question. Interestingly, Henry had competed
in Binibining Pilipinas pageant last March but failed to make the cut. Sunday night’s pageant was telecast over ABS-CBN nationwide,
and will be seen in countries in Asia, North America, Europe, the Middle East and Oceania through The Filipino Channel.
• FAVORITISM : One of the finalists in the controversial Miss Teen Africa Botswana beauty pageant, is the daughter of one of
the organizers of the competition, it has been established. Parents of the other contestants feel uncomfortable about this state
of affairs. The finals of the pageant are scheduled for November 25 and the organizers have promised a whopping P100,000 as
the first prize. But some disgruntled parents believe it is unethical to include the daughter of one of the organizers in the contest.
The parents suspect that the daughter of the organizer might be favored. They also question how she was selected.
"How can they be expected to be impartial when one of the organisers' daughter is competing?" one frustrated parent asked rhetorically.
She added that they do not feel that the competition is genuine because as parents they are kept in the dark. (Mmegi Online, 11/11/2008)
• SUSH GETTING MARRIED? A source is reporting that that Miss Universe 1994 Sushmita Sen is dating young director
Mudassar Aziz may actually be contemplating marriage as she is not getting younger. Aziz said that the couple would get
married if the time is right, but that he is busy directing his latest movie. Sushmita has been romantically involved with several
men even before her Miss India days, and the ex-beauty queen has a reputation for breaking off relationships abruptly.
Says a reporter, "If Mudassar is serious about the relationship, he should make it quick. One does not know when Sush
might change her mind." (Khaleej Times United Arab Emirates, 11/11/2008)
• SOUTH AFRICA, HERE WE COME : South Africa is all set to welcome 112 of the world’s most beautiful women next week.
For the next five weeks, contestants competing in the Miss World pageant will be lighting Christmas trees, doing charity work
and touring townships. The pageant, which will be broadcast live on December 13 to at least two billion people in over 200
countries, will be aired locally by SABC3. Among the biggest winners are local fashion designers and fashion labels.
Pageant fashion director Adam Levin said they “pulled out all the stops” in a very short time to bring to life
the organizer’s vision of an Afro-contemporary opening sequence. “There’s never been a more exciting platform for South African designers
— more than two billion viewers,” he said.
Johannesburg was chosen ahead of the UK and last year’s host, China, as the venue for the hastily relocated event.
Pageant boss Julia Morley said the city stood out because of its infrastructure. Lindiwe Mahlangu, chief executive
of Joburg Tourism, said the city had jumped at the chance to host Miss World, after organizers decided it was too dangerous
to stage it in the Ukraine, when war broke out between Georgia and Russia in July.
(The Times, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa, 11/9/2008)
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, November 17, 2008
PHOTO CREDITS: Konradphoto, Associated Press
| 11.03.2008 | Monday
Massiel Taveras, the outgoing queen from the Dominican Republic, put the
sash on her successor then walked off the stage still wearing her crown; then she realized that she had forgotten to
give up her crown and so she returned to the stage and placed it on Zúñiga's head. Guatemala's representative, Jennifer Chiong, withdrew two days before
the finals citing bad treatment from the choreographer Fernando Roca. Roca stated that Chiong was not punctual
during rehearsals and that she complained about the long hours. Chiong left Bolivia without advising the organizers and
saying goodbye to the other delegates. Chiong had represented her country in Miss Universe this year.
The surprise of the evening was Miss Venezuela Ligia Hernández's fourth runner-up position since
she had been one of the favorites for the title. After hearing her name called, she exclaimed, "It can't be!" and then
she exited the stage. Some observers say that Hernández lost points for wearing the same evening gown as she worn
during the preliminary gown competition where she was named Miss Elegance. (El Mundo, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, 11/1/2008)
• MISS EARTH UPDATES : Mexico's lucky streak in swimsuit competitions continues with Abigaíl Elizalde, a tall and
leggy brunette who won the Miss Swimsuit award. Miss Philippines Karla Henry won Miss Photogenic, repeating the
feat of her predecessor Jeanne Harn. Panama's Shassia Ubillús won the Best National Costume award. Canada's Denise Garrido was named Miss Earth-Puerto Princesa during
the swimsuit competition that took place in Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park. Garrido donated her prize
money to a little girl who needs medical attention whom she had met in Las Piñas on October 25th.
Miss Pakistan Nosheen Idrees is worried about the strong earthquake that rocked
Pakistan's southwestern Baluchistan province. When asked if she would consider pulling out of the pageant, Nosheen
explained that her decision would really depend on the outcome of the situation. Last Thursday, Miss Thailand Piyaporn Deejing lost her cherished diamond ring when a pageant
staffer dropped it while the candidates were visiting the Hundred Islands, a popular tourist attraction in the Philippines.
After nearly an hour of search on Friday, divers found the ring and returned it to Deejing who was very relieved. (Morale of
the story: leave your valuables in the hotel safe, girlfriend! LOL)
The new Miss Earth will be crowned on Sunday, November 9th. Most pageant sites and forums
have selected their favorites that include Miss Romania Ruxandra Popa, Miss Spain Adriana Reverón, Miss Tanzania
Miriam Odemba, Miss Colombia Mariana Rodríguez, Miss Mexico Abigaíl Elizalde, Miss Slovak Republic
Martina Thothova, Miss Poland Karolina Filipkowska, Miss Netherlands Melanie de Laat, Miss Thailand
Piyaporn Deeying, Miss Brazil Tatiane Alves and hometown girl Miss Philippines Karla Henry.
• MISS INTERNATIONAL UPDATES : The pageant organizers decided to make this year's competition more interesting by
introducing a hip hop dance contest. That's right, folks. Whoever makes the top twelve will have to duke each other
out and whoever scores the highest will win Miss International! Many pageant fans - including myself - are appalled by this
new element. What if some of the most beautiful girls do not know how to dance, much less appreciate hip hop music? Or why
couldn't they allow the girls to choose their own style of dancing? It's understandable that Miss International is trying
to change its image or to catch up with the times, but the hip hop movement is over thirty years old! Anyway, whoever wins
the dance contest, she better look stunning!
The new Miss International will be crowned on Monday, November 8th in Macau. There are
actually no clear standouts this year, but I predict that the winner will come from Latin America.
What in Shintoism's name is Riyo doing?
• VICTORY FOR BOLOCCO : Chile's Supreme Court sentenced journalist Víctor Gutiérrez for sixty days in jail
for having slandered former Miss Universe Cecilia Bolocco. Last August while appearing on several Chilean
and Argentine TV shows, Gutiérrez claimed that Bolocco had an affair with Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho from June 1999
until Octobre 2000 when Bolocco was already dating ex-president Carlos Menem of Argentina. The Supreme Court
ordered Gutiérrez to pay Bolocco an indemnity for $45,000. (Diario Ojo, Lima, 10/30/2008)
• PRO-LIFE QUEEN : Former Miss America Angela Perez Baraquio released a new election video urging Americans
to vote pro-life on election day. The 2001 beauty pageant queen and former Miss Hawaii 2000 is asking voters to
"end the reign of Roe v. Wade" which allows virtually unlimited abortions. Baraquio urges voters to vote pro-life on the
presidential race between Barack Obama and John McCain because of the far-reaching effects of the Supreme Court
nominations by the next president. "As a teacher and mother I see just how important it is to protect children," she says in the new video.
"Did you know that in the United States, the most dangerous place for a child to be is in the mother's womb?"
"If Roe is not overturned, the children I teach will likely grow up as part of a culture of death learning that
when we had our one real chance to end this atrocity, we didn't do enough," Baraquio adds. The candidates have
contrasting views on judges and abortion with Obama having a pro-abortion litmus test and McCain supporting the
kind of judges who are more likely to oppose abortion. (LifeNews.com, MT, 11/1/2008)
• ELECTIONS 2008 : I can't wait to vote on U.S. Elections Day tomorrow! I will not reveal whom I am going to vote for
the presidency, but I will tell you that this candidate's first name starts with a B! LOL! As most of you know, I am an avid
animal rights activist. Critical Beauty would be totally irrelevant and purposeless if I didn't promote animal welfare along
with my interest in pageants. To all the faithful U.S. readers of CB - if you are a registered voter in California - I urge you to
vote YES on Proposition 2 which would improve
the lives of 20 million farm animals. If you live in Massachusetts, I plead with you to vote YES on
Proposition 3 which would put an end to dog racing. Just remember -
"All animals have the ability to suffer in the same way and to the same degree that humans do." Liberating animals from
suffering means liberating ourselves from barbarism. Thank you for your consideration.
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, November 10, 2008
PHOTO CREDITS: El Mundo, Wire Image
OCTOBER 2008
• BAY STATE QUEENS : The new Miss Massachusetts USA is Alison Cronin, 21, left, who was crowned Sunday
night at the Marriott Quincy Hotel ballroom in Quincy. Cronin was Miss Massachusetts Teen USA 2005. Her court includes
first runner-up Monique Jones, second runner-up Tara Fitzgerald, third runner-up Lacey Wilson, and
fourth runner-up Aderinsola Okenla. Michaela Gagne, who was Miss Massachusetts 2006 (for Miss America),
made the semifinals. The new Miss Massachusetts Teen USA is Katie Vatalaro, 17. Her court includes
first runner-up Brooke Bibeault, second runner-up Quanisha Smith, third runner-up Elizabeth Gordon,
and fourth runner-up Arielle Ramos. 
I say unexpected because in the Miss division, mostly everyone - including Erwin and I -
thought that Monique Jones would win because it was her sixth attempt for the crown and her third time as first runner-up.
Some of us would say that Alison won fair and square, and that is true. A note written by Clemente had been placed on the seats of
the special guests and state pageant sponsors that partially read: "We pride ourselves on producing a fair and quality event
for all that participate. It is my request to you that you show each and every young lady in the pageant an equal amount of
support with your applause... With that, we strongly urge you not to show any favoritism towards any one particular delegate
or delegates. All eyes are on the VIP section of this event..."
• FINALLY : Vietnam has finally secured a spot in the upcoming Miss World pageant after a long duration of uncertainty.
Vietnam's Department of Performing Arts under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Tuesday announced that the
second runner-up in the Miss Universe Vietnam 2008 contest, Duong Truong Thien Ly, photo, will compete at Miss World 2008.
The 19-year-old girl, who is a sophomore at Saint Mary’s College in the US, said she will try to introduce Vietnamese cultural
values to the rest of world. “I am confident in my abilities even though the preparation time is rather short,” Ly said.
Ly was chosen to replace Miss Vietnam 2008 Tran Thi Thuy Dung who was disqualified from attending the Miss World pageant
because she has not graduated from high school. (Thanh Nien Daily, 11/14/2008)
Henry's victory is comparable to Miss Botswana Mpule Kwelagobe's crowning as Miss Universe 1999 when
she defeated a "more beautiful" Miss Philippines Miriam Quiambao. To this day, Filipino and non-Filipino pageant fans
are still wondering how Kwelagobe - perhaps considered as the least attractive Miss Universe of all time - won over a more alluring
and more charming Quiambao. Many say that it was Kwelagobe's quick and succinct response to the final question that secured her
the crown, compared to Quiambao's rather cautious and vague response. It's safe to assume that the majority of the judges in Miss Universe
1999 had put more weight on the Q & A portion than on the physical one - which was obviously the case in the selection of
Miss Earth 2008. Kwelagobe was not my favorite, but when I met her in person and chatted with her, I was blown away by her
eloquence. Did I change my mind after having met her? Not really. But I accepted the idea that she won because the judges felt
that she would be the ideal spokesperson for MUO's causes. So why would Karla Henry be any different? And to say that she's the worst
Miss Earth ever is stupid, because her reign has just begun. Perhaps this well-written article will make you change your opinion
of her.
• THE NEW MISS INTERNATIONAL is Alejandra Andreu, photo, an 18-year-old high school graduate from Zaragosa, Spain who
wishes someday to study visual communications. Andreu was crowned in Macau's Venetian Hotel Saturday night. Her court
includes first runner-up Maria Cristina Diaz Granados of Colombia, second runner-up Anna Tarnowska of Poland,
third runner-up Chang Wen Liu of China, and fourth runner-up Zuzana Putnarova of Czech Republic.
The remaining semi-finalists were the delegates from Venezuela, Turkey, Puerto Rico, Ecuador, Japan, Lebanon and the Philippines.
Andreu's victory marks Spain's third Miss International title; Pilar Medina won in 1977 followed by Silvia de Esteban
in 1990. All twelve semi-finalists had to compete in hip hop dancing contest, a new element that displeased many
pageant fans who thought that it was tacky. The panel of judges included Stella Marquez Araneta, Miss International 1961
from Colombia and who has been running the Binibining Pilipinas pageant for nearly forty years. (Daily Times, Macau, 11/10/2008)
• THE NEW REINA HISPANOAMERICANA is Laura Zúñiga, photo, a 23-year-old professional model from Sinaloa, Mexico who
is studying to be a special education teacher, was crowned Friday in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. The Virreina was awarded to Vivian Noronha Cia of Brazil, followed
by first runner-up Gabriela Rejala of Paraguay, second runner-up Paula Diaz of Uruguay, third runner-up
Dominique Peltier of Bolivia, fourth runner-up Ligia Hernández, of Venezuela, and fifth runner-up
Annmarie de Hainaut of Peru. 