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| 10.30.2006 | Monday
"This is the most wonderful feeling," gushed the
38-year-old from atop her throne after receiving 10,000 dollars and the title. Andrews
praised the tolerance that Thais have for transsexuals, which she said is not seen in
her home country and other places in the West. "I feel like I am at home. I feel so welcome
here," she said. "It can't get any better than this." (AFP, 10/29/2006)
• IN TROUBLE : Antonio Vergara, the president and organizer of the Miss Maja Mundial
pageant that took place in Colombia last week, is in big trouble. Cristina Montalván,
who represented Puerto Rico, claims that Vergara had borrowed US$1,500 from her mother for
some "business" deal that he was doing and that he only had Colombian pesos. Montalván's mother,
Carmen Rey, loaned the money to Vergara but informed him that the money was supposed to pay
for her room in Hotel El Prado where her daughter and the other candidates were staying, and that he
should pay her back immediately after the pageant. As Rey and her daughter were getting
ready to leave for the airport, Vergara still had not paid for the room. Mother and daughter
missed their return flight.
Montalván states: "At one point, they told my mother that
if she wanted to lend the $1,500, that she could do it, that they would give me the crown.
She told him no, that I was well-prepared and that I didn't need that." Montalván also said that
during the finals, Miss Peru Odilia Pamela García and Miss Paraguay Belén Franco Domaniezky
confessed that their parents had also been approached by Vergara to buy their daughters' victory.
Miss Venezuela Kerly Gómez was told to go out with an "influential" man while Miss Dominican
Republic Yesenia Aybar was told to work at the hotel to pay for her return airfare. It is
interesting to note that the crowd favorite - Miss Venezuela - was excluded from the semifinals.
Even though Montalván finally got reimbursed, the other candidates did not.
Due to his failure to pay the exorbitant amount of
hotel-related expenses, authorities seized Vergara's car and house. Lawyers representing
the hotel declared that Vergara's belongings will not be returned until he reimburses the
expenses of the candidates in the hotel. Vergara states: "The girls who are officially signed up
will get reimbursed for everything, but the girl who arrived Wednesday (Miss Dominican Republic)
will not because she arrived late." (Primera Hora, San Juan, 10/23/2006; 10/27/2006)
In last year's pageant, several candidates reported
that their personal affairs (money, digital cameras, cellphones, credit cards) were stolen
and that Vergara failed to provide ample security for the delegates. Also last year, six of
the delegates were Canadian residents. Why? Because Denis Davila, the director of Miss
Universe Canada and Miss Nicaragua pageants, are good friends with Vergara. Since Vergara had
difficulty attracting delegates to his miserable pageant, he had to rely on his good buddy Davila
to send foreign-born Canadian women to increase the number of participants. It appears that
history has repeated itself this year. This pageant has become so bad to the point that
Stella Marquez de Araneta has stopped sending a Philippine delegate for good.
• THE NEW MISS EUROPE is Alexandra Rosenfeld, 19, from Languedoc, France. She was crowned
last Saturday night in the city of Kiev in the Ukraine. Her court includes first runner-up
Alena Avramenko of the Ukraine, second runner-up Laura Ojeda of Spain,
third runner-up Katarzyna Borowicz of Poland, and fourth runner-up Yuliya Sindzeyeva
of Belarus. Rosenfeld represented her country in Miss Universe last July but did not place.
Borowicz is a pageant veteran, having placed in top five in Miss World 2004 and was Miss
Water (third place) in Miss Earth 2005. Thirty-four young European women participated in this
year's pageant whose jury included international fashion designer Roberto Cavalli. The Miss
Europe pageant franchise, which was owned by Endemol - the same group that owns the
Miss France pageant - has been sold last spring to Lebanese businessman Omar Harfouch.
(Associated Press, 10/29/2006)
• RELEASED : Supermodel Naomi Campbell has been released on bail after she
was arrested because a woman alleged an assault. Campbell, 36, was taken to a central London
police station on Wednesday after a woman said an assault happened at an address in
Westminster, London. It is believed that the woman allegedly assaulted was the model's
counsellor. Campbell's spokesman said he thought there had been a "misunderstanding" that
he was sure would be "sorted out when the police investigate". The model, from Streatham
in south London, shot to fame after being discovered in London at the age of 15. She became
the first black model to appear on the covers of Time magazine, and French and British Vogue.
(Kenya News Network, 10/26/2006)
• ASH VERSUS SUSH : Aishwarya Rai, Miss World 1994, may be the biggest star to
come out of Bollywood - and perhaps the most beautiful - but many Internet surfers think
that Sushmita Sen, Miss Universe 1994, is more talented than her. Read more.
• UNDER INVESTIGATION : An investigation of the finances of the Miss South Carolina
Organization has local pageants getting questions from sponsors. A former queen and local
pageant administrators have accused the Miss South Carolina organization of not paying scho
larship obligations and having incomplete financial reports. The Secretary of State's office
and the State Law Enforcement Division are investigating. Jackie Wells with the Miss
Lexington program says she's had several sponsors ask about the allegations. Wells
says she's seen no evidence of wrongdoing. But Wells says the allegations make it harder
to ask for money for the local pageant. Paula Miles with the competing Miss South Carolina
USA says some people have dropped out of other pageants because of the scholarship concerns.
(WISTV.com, 10/27/2006)
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, November 6, 2006.
Photo credits: AFP, Miss Brazil On Board MB
| 10.23.2006 | Monday
Zotovic's court includes first runner-up Tamara Almeida
Silva of Brazil, second runner-up Odilia García Pineda of Peru, third runner-up
Karla Milán Pérez of Ecuador and Carmen Jiménez Rivas of Spain. Three of the contestants
had participated in Miss Universe: Belén Montilla of Chile, Marynés Argüello of
Nicaragua, and Irma Dimas of El Salvador. (From concursomajamundial.com)
• PUTTING POLITICS ON THE CATWALK : Braving a controversial "swimwear" round and questions about
Tibet's "freedom struggle", a sociology student born in India has won the annual Miss Tibet beauty
pageant held by Tibetans living in exile. Organiser Lobsang Wangyal says the pageant is not a
political event but a celebration of "beautiful, elegant, brave and modern Tibetan girls".
But in truth this "pageant with a difference" is a mix of glitzy entertainment, hype and the
slightly incongruous promotion of the Tibetan refugees' cause - independence from China.
"I have a huge responsibility, being Miss Tibet is not easy," said 21-year-old winner
Tsering Chungtak as fireworks lit up the night sky on Sunday over McLeodganj, home to the Dalai
Lama and thousands of Tibetan refugees. "I have to represent my country on the international stage."
And Chungtak wasted no time, appealing for the
release of Gedhun Choekyi Nyina, believed to have been held under house arrest by the
Chinese since 1985, when he was a six-year-old boy, three days after the Dalai Lama
recognised him as the incarnation of Tibet's second highest religious leader, the Panchen Lama.
"We all know the Panchen Lama is the world's youngest political prisoner," she said, dressed
in traditional Tibetan costume for the final round of the event. "I am going to raise my voice
and I want people to support me." The Miss Tibet contest, now in its fifth year, has never
been short of controversy. Unsurprisingly it annoys the Chinese, and a previous winner
had to pull out of beauty pageants in Zimbabwe and Malaysia last year after Chinese objections.
(Phayul News, 10/17/2006)
• VISITING THE TROOPS : Service members in Italy and Turkey will be treated to a USO/Armed
Forces Entertainment tour Oct. 27 - Nov. 4, featuring Tara Conner, Miss USA 2006. Conner
will visit several bases, meet and greet service members, pose for pictures and judge a family
and teen talent show involving service members and their families. The USO has a long-standing
relationship with the Miss Universe Organization. In recent years, pageant winners have traveled
on overseas tours to Korea and Cuba, and domestic trips to California and Colorado.
(U.S. Newswire, Washington, DC, 10/20/2006)
• FATTER LIPS : Marilyn Bartolomei Belay, who succeeded Zuleyka Rivera as Miss
Puerto Rico Universe when Rivera was crowned Miss Universe last July, is currently in Bolivia
competing in Reina Sudamericana pageant. Bartolomei opted to have collagen implants on her
lips to make them look fuller, as suggested by her national director Magali Febles.
Even though Bartolomei's lips were already well-defined, the goal was to make them more
noticeable. (El Vocero, San Juan, 10/20/2006)
• WHAT'S UP WITH MAJU : Maju Mantilla, Miss World 2004 from Peru, has been contracted
by the renowned Ford Modeling Agency for two years as a staff member whose duties will
include coordinating photo shoots and runway shows. Mantilla also hinted that she might
try acting with the help of the agency. (24 Horas, Lima, 10/20/2006)
• CONTROVERSY : Last week, I received an anonymous e-mail from a pageant fan who had attended the
Miss Intercontinental 2006 pageant held in the Bahamas last week. This fan made several
allegations against the pageant organizers stemming from unfair judging system to lack of security,
and from drunken delegates to delegates being sexually harassed by the pageant staff.
I informed Detlef Tursies, president of WBO (World Beauty Organization)that runs the
pageant, about the anonymous e-mail and Tursies commented that he does not respond to anonymous
e-mails and that he prefers to confront his detractors face to face.
I expressed to Tursies about my displeasure in inviting a national director as part of the jury - this practice is simply unethical and should be abolished
because it strongly suggests the idea that pageants are either rigged or that the results have been
pre-determined. Also, it's virtually impossible for a national director to be in the jury
and be totally impartial about his or her own candidate. I also questioned Tursies about the
presence of "regions" like Greater Antilles and Black Sea, instead of real countries or self-governing
territories. He responded by saying that including regions this year was an exception because the franchise
was free, and that next year's pageants will have no regions. We'll just see about that.
• FORGET OSMEL. MEET PAULA : "Careers of some of the nation's most beautiful women have been launched from Paula Miles'
rambling five-bedroom home in the gated Woodside Plantation community." Read more.
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, October 30, 2006.
Photo credits: Beauties of Canada, www.bleskovky.sk
| 10.16.2006 | Monday
• A MOUTHFUL OF ALICIA : Alicia Machado, the most controversial ex-Miss Universe ever,
recently gave an interview with Univision. The former beauty queen from Venezuela
lashes out at all attacks against her, and she does it without shame or sense of decorum.
When asked if the scandals that involved her truly bothered her, she replied, "Generally
speaking, they made me much stronger, but sometimes they do bother me a little because
in this business there are girls who are ten times less talented than me, who are ten times
prettier than me, but with my Miss Universe title - I have more advantage over them.
I have every international acting award, I have a series in the U.S. that is nominated
for an Emmy, two Grammy nominations, and they still call me Miss Universe."
When asked if she would participate again in
Miss Universe pageant, she categorically answered, "Of course! I am the most famous
Miss Universe in history, for whatever it's worth. I have been the only Miss Universe
with a really interesting career; everyone else married millionaires and end up washing
their underwear."
Alicia will debut in movies playing the role of
a single mother in the film, "I Love Miami," based on the life of Cuban dictator Fidel
Castro and his relationship with Cuban radicals living in southern Florida. The
film is scheduled for release towards the end of 2006 and is the first film by Mexican
director Alejandro González Padilla. (Univisión Online, 10/13/2006;
La Prensa, Honduras, 10/13/2006)
• INTERTWINED : The Miss International 2006 pageant kicked off in Tokyo last Friday when all of fifty-six
delegates were officially presented to the press. Miss Thailand Vasana Wongbuntree was
presented with the Miss Photogenic award. Does anyone really care about Miss International these days?
Honestly, this pageant has become so stale and uninteresting that it needs an extreme make-over.
Meanwhile, a much more interesting pageant - Miss Intercontinental - is taking place in the Bahamas. Detlef Tursies,
the president of WBO (World Beauty Organization) that owns the pageant, has dropped Gaynell Rolle,
the chairperson of the Miss Bahamas Universe Committee, for failing to coordinate
the activities related to his pageant. Replacing Rolle is Michelle Malcolm, the director
of the Miss Bahamas Organization, whom Tursies has also designated as the new Bahamian franchisee
for Miss Intercontinenal.
***UPDATED 6:44 AM (Boston time): Katarina Manova of Slovak Republic was crowned Miss
Intercontinental 2006. Her court includes first runner-up Vanessa Claudio of Puerto Rico,
and second runner-up Sarasvati Luthbert of Martinique. The rest of the semi-finalists
come from the Greater Antilles, Germany, Mongolia, Venezuela, Thailand, Brazil, the Bahamas, the
Philippines and Korea. Special awards were given to Puerto Rico (Miss Congeniality), Korea
(Best National Costume), Brazil (Miss Photogenic), Egypt (Best in Evening Gown) and Colombia
(Best Body). Thanks to Detlef Tursies for this info.
• THE NEW MODELO MEXICO is Jorge Aceves Villalpando of Guadalajara, Jalisco who was crowned
last Thursday. Aceves will now represent Mexico in the next Mr. World pageant which - again -
has been temporarily suspended until early next year (it was supposed to be held
in Sanya, China this December, according to the official website). Aceves's court
includes first runner-up Gabriel Navarro and second runner-up David Camarena
also of Jalisco. Aceves bears a striking resemblance to Mister Mexico 1996 Gabriel Soto.
The pageant was organized by Lupita Jones, Miss Universe 1991, who owns the
franchise. Thanks to Arturo Garcia for this info.
• MARRIED : Former Miss USA Susie Castillo married her longtime boyfriend, Matthew Leslie,
last October 7th in a quiet ceremony in Ipswich, Massachusetts. The MTV video
jockey and her 26-year-old boyfriend enjoyed their intimate ceremony at Castillo's parents'
home and purposefully avoided inviting any big names to the event to keep it quiet
and personal, said People magazine. "No celebs," the 26-year-old bride said. "We wanted
it to be very small and intimate." The newlyweds, who first met in 1999 as students at
nearby Endicott College, planned on following up their confidential ceremony with a Hawaii
honeymoon, but will be returning within a week to continue their hectic lives.
"I gotta get back to work!" Castillo told People about the limited honeymoon. (UPI,
10/9/2006)
• MOTHERHOOD : Canadian supermodel Linda Evangelista has given birth to her first baby.
The Ontario native welcomed a boy named Augustin James Evangelista in New York City on Wednesday.
The star has never publicly revealed the identity of the baby’s father, who is believed to be
a New York architect. Currently single, the 41-year-old most recently dated Formula One driver Paolo Barilla.
Evangelista was married to model agency owner Gerald Marie from 1987 to 1993 and engaged to
actor Kyle MacLachlan from 1994 to 1998. She has also been linked to French soccer
player Fabien Barthez, and Italian oil mogul Ugo Brachetti Peretti.
Evangelista miscarried a baby fathered by Barthez in 1999 when she was six months pregnant.
Born in St. Catharines, Evangelista competed in the Miss Teen Niagara pageant when she
was only 12 (she lost) and was discovered by a talent agent. She signed with Elite Model
Management and worked out of New York City and Paris. Evangelista was featured in George
Michael’s 1992 video for “Too Funky.” In 1990, she was named by People as one of the
50 Most Beautiful People in the world. In 2003, she was in Toronto to unveil a star on
Canada’s Walk of Fame. In the August issue of Vogue, Evangelista admitted to using
Botox but said she stopped when she became pregnant. (Montreal Gazette, Canada, 10/13/2006)
• NO PAGEANTS ALLOWED : Dubai's police chief has spoken out against a beauty pageant
being advertised by mysterious organizers, saying that it encourages nudity and contradicts
the religion and culture of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). "I personally will never
allow any beauty contest to carry the name of the UAE, as this does not represent the
UAE in any way," General Dahi Khalfan Tamim told the Emirates Today newspaper.
"We don't want to encourage national women to [indulge in] nudity," he was quoted
Wednesday as saying, "as beauty contests require the appearance of the contestants in outfits
which contradict with our culture and religion."
The general was reacting to billboards that announced an
opportunity for women from the UAE, of which Dubai is one of the seven member states,
to compete for the title of Miss Emirates 2007. Posters announcing the pageant in the
relatively liberal emirate of Dubai raised anger in its conservative neighbor, Sharjah,
where the ads have sprung up all along the streets. The contest, organized by a private
company in Dubai, is open to "Emiratis and foreign residents in the Emirates," according
to a poster reprinted by the daily Al Khaleej newspaper. But mystery surrounds the
pageant, as the name of the company was not given. The posters contain two mobile phone
numbers "for more information" and an e-mail address, but neither of the telephones was
functioning when a correspondent attempted to call them. Entrants must be "between 18
and 28, have a university diploma, and possess a sufficient level of cultural knowledge,"
the ads read.
Tamim does not have the authority to ban the pageant,
which would require permission from the UAE's ministry of social affairs, but said,
"I don't see how it is going to benefit the social life of the UAE." He said that even
if organizers wanted to limit participation to expatriate communities, they should not
name it UAE Beauty Queen. (Middle East Times, Egypt, 10/12/1006)
My take: it was idiotic of Tamim to ask, "how it
is going to benefit the social life of the UAE." Uhhh.... hello! Pageants encourage participants
to cultivate new friendships and support businesses that promote beauty and health. Instead
of criticizing pageants, perhaps Tamim should make an effort to abolish the illegal practice
of employers in the UAE who retain the passports of expatriate employees, as well as to address
the discrimination against
Asian workers in his country.
The committee director, Hashim Lundenga,
added that the four track events which gave chances for those who excel to book their
tickets as finalists in the main event had no guiding principles making it difficult
for most contestants to shine. However the committee agreed that another factor which
may have contributed to Sepetu's failure was the failure by the committee to provide
to the world event organizers VCD and videotape copies of Sepetu's participation in
community activities before heading to Warsaw. Instead the committee had sent still
pictures which were difficult to assess. Lundenga also disclosed that his committee
had brief meeting with the organizer to discuss on the fast track issue and others
and they are looking forward for big change in the next event
"What matters here is that they have to give
us the guidelines and other directives as early as possible before the event so that
we can prepare our representative accordingly," he said. (Daily News - TSN,
United Republic of Tanzania, 10/12/2006)
• BEAUTY IN EYE, AND STOMACH, OF THE BEHOLDER : " Hungry men prefer full-figured women,
a new British psychology study has found - but only until they have a good meal. Then
they start looking for a slimmer date." Read more.
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, October 23, 2006.
Photo credits: El Panamá América, Daily News TSN
| 10.09.2006 | Monday
The remaining six semi-finalists included the representatives from Italy, Singapore, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and the Philippines.
Special awards were given to Italy (International Ambassador), Singapore (Congeniality),
Photogenic (Philippines), Swimwear & Fitness (Venezuela), Beach Action (Lebanon) and Best National
Costume (Lebanon). Among the judges were former Miss Singapore Universe Farah Lange, fitness consultant Chris Chew,
Carriemodels director Jane Liong, and William Prendiz de Jurado, world-famous
pageant personality. Hanna won over US$60,000 worth of cash and prizes, including a rent-free
apartment in Singapore during his entire reign. He will be working closely with the Mister Singapore
Organization (MSO) to advocate and educate childhood cancer awareness and to champion his
official cause through charitable events organized by Children's Cancer Foundation.
The news of Hanna's victory rapidly reached the Lebanese
homeland. Regular television viewing was interrupted with "breaking news" announcing that
"Mister Lebanon Wissam Hanna wins Mister International in Singapore." Hanna's victory, too,
has prompted an overjoyed Lebanese national director to consider holding the pageant next year
in Lebanon. According to MSO President Alan Sim, the gala event was well-attended
and the national directors were impressed by MSO's high level of professionalism.
• HIJACK ORDEAL : “If I had known that the plane was being hijacked, I would probably have
freaked out," exclaimed Miss Malaysia Globe International contestant Angie Goh, 23, to reporters
as she walked out of the Terminal One arrival hall at Singapore's Changi Airport last Thursday.
“I was shaken then, but I am all right now, and I do not think this will deter me from
flying in future,” said Goh, who had just arrive after a 14-hour flight – including transits
– from Istanbul, Turkey. Goh and three beauty queens from Asia who took part in the
just-completed Miss Globe International pageant were among the 113 people on the plane
that was hijacked after it took off from Albania on Tuesday. Goh had arrived at the airport together
with Miss Singapore Globe International Tan Mia Yan, 25, and Miss Philippines Globe International
Jamie Liz Castillo, 23, and they were swarmed by members of the press who
had been waiting for almost an hour to interview the beauty queens. (The Star, Malaysia, 10/6/2006)
The Miss Globe International pageant, by the way, was won
by Lisbeth Ramos Puma of Venezuela.
• FEAR OF FLYING : If Angie Goh thinks that the hijack ordeal will not deter her
from flying in the future, consider the case of another beauty queen. A Miss World contestant
with a fear of flying has talked about her horror flight into Luton Airport – while she sat in
row 13. When Miss England Eleanor Glynn, of Oxford, travelled back from the finals in Poland, her
plane was caught in storms. The beauty queen, who undertook a course in an effort to beat her
fear of flying so she could go to Poland, said they waited for more than 40 minutes while
thunder and lightning surrounded the airport terminal in Warsaw, flew through turbulence
over Europe and then circled above Luton Airport for an hour because of another storm.
The 20-year-old beauty queen has vowed never to fly again. (Luton-on-Sunday, 10/8/2006)
• FAILURE TO COMMIT : The Miss Earth 2006 pageant was supposed to be held in Santiago, Chile
in November. But a Philippine newspaper reported that pageant will take place again in
the Philippines due to "inevitable circumstances." “Like in any big event, there are certain
timelines that must be met by the organizers to give confidence [to us] that they [Chileans]
can host the pageant there. Certain deadlines were not met, certain requirements had not
been fulfilled… and so we came to a decision that maybe it would be best if we just bring
it back to Manila this year,” said Carousel Productions Inc. president Ramon Monzon at
the Miss Earth 2006 press conference held in Trader’s Hotel last Tuesday. However, Carousel
also acknowledges its own shortcoming. According to executive vice-president Lorraine Schuck:
“We [actually] learned our lesson… somebody [from among us] should have stayed there in
Chile months before the pageant to keep an eye on all aspects of the contest [insurance,
security, venue, etc.].” In spite of the “dramatic changes in plans,” Monzon promised that
this year’s Miss Earth would still be a spectacular event, as it had been in the last five years.
(Manila Standard Today, 10/7/2006)
• NO MORE VENEZUELANS : Federica Guzmán, who represented Venezuela in the recent Miss
World competition, told the Bolivian press that the Miss World Organization no longer
wants Venezuelan beauty queens. "I think the reason they didn't give us the crown is
because they don't want any more Venezuelan queens," stated Guzmán, although she denies
saying that she was robbed of the crown. Guzmán, who is a television presentor, also denies
that there was something political about the results because she was not asked any
questions about politics. She believes that the decision of the judges was personal.
Finally, she stated that she would never pose nude for Playboy or appear in a
reality show because she is not interested in being followed day and night by cameras.
( El Mundo, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, 10/7/2006)
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, October 16, 2006.
Photo credits: El Panamá América
| 10.02.2006 | Monday
The remaining semi-finalists came from Canada, Ghana, India, Lebanon,
Mexico, Namibia, Northern Ireland, Puerto Rico, Scotland, Venezuela and Vietnam. Ghana's
Lamisi Mbillah won the Beauty With a Purpose award. This year's pageant
attracted a record television audience of 2 billion. The show was hosted by Angela Chow
and Tim Vincent. Entertainment was provided by Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees fame.
During the show, it was announced that China will again host the pageant in 2007.
Kucharova is currently studying English and Spanish
in Prague. "She loves Paris, especially the sites concerned with Louis XIV. She spent
two weeks in that city this summer visiting museums and art galleries," her father
Lubos Kuchar told AFP. The teenage beauty hails from the town of Opocno, north of Prague,
noted for its Renaissance castle. "She always smiles and has a good heart. I'm very proud of her,"
said Kucharova's mother, who shares her daughter's first name. Now in its 56th year, Miss
World claims to be the globe's largest beauty contest, edging out rival organization Miss Universe.
(Yahoo News, 10/1/2006)
• COMMENTS : Well, I didn't see the live telecast of Miss World so I just relied on message boards
for the updates. Just like every year, one never knows what the results would be. You can't
even rely anymore on betting agencies to predict the winners; this year's bookmakers' faves -
India, Venezuela and Australia - found themselves trumped by the Czech beauty. Popular
Caribbean candidate Miss Martinique - with all her elegance and charm - was no match to
Miss Jamaica who came from nowhere. And I don't believe for a minute how Miss Vietnam won
the popular vote over Miss Philippines, or how Miss Jamaica won over Miss Puerto Rico.
I'd like to see figures, please. It is also surprising that many people voted for Miss Romania.
Geography faux pas: I don't know how in God's green earth Lebanon was
classified as part of southern Europe! Lebanon is part of the Middle East - which is part of
Asia. And don't tell me that just because Lebanon was colonized by the French does not
make it a European country any more than the Philippines (a former Spanish colony) is a
European country. I suspect that the reason Lebanon was classified under southern Europe
was because it would have very little chance of winning the Asia-Pacific region.
It is reported that next year's pageant will be held -
yet again - in China.
• PROVING HER DETRACTORS WRONG : A nervous Aussie girl who sang Over the Rainbow in her
first appearance is now over the moon after coming third in the Miss World final in Poland.
Sydney university student Sabrina Houssami was thrilled to be placed in the top three in
competition on Saturday. The stunning 20-year-old was seen by more than two billion viewers
around the world, as she showed off athletic prowess, intelligence, talent and deportment.
Last month, Houssami, a Muslim, had to fend off criticism from religious leaders who
condemned beauty pageants as a slur on Islam. Local Muslim leaders attacked contestants
for putting their "modesty" on display. But Houssami said while her religion was a
private matter, her charity work for the pageant made her a "positive role model".
Miss World Australia chair Pauline McFetridge said Australians should be celebrating
Houssami's placing. "Her performance was amazing. She sang "Over the Rainbow" unaccompanied,
and it was clear she had so much potential," McFetridge said. She said Houssami was celebrating
with her family in Poland, and would travel before returning to Australia.( Melbourne Herald Sun,
Australia, 10/1/2006)
• OH, SCARLETT! Scarlett Johansson's hourglass figure and plum movie roles
have brought her many fans. Among them, clearly, the editors at Esquire. The magazine
has just crowned her "Sexiest Woman Alive." The 21-year-old actress poses in come-hither
garb on the cover and inside pages of the magazine's November issue, on newsstands Oct. 18.
On the cover, she wears a bra and a white Calvin Klein mini-dress. In a series of
photos inside (showing her as an "enigmatic trailer-park temptress," the magazine says),
she wears cleavage-baring black lingerie paired with an open white robe, among other get-ups.
Johansson, whose screen credits include "The Black Dahlia," "Lost in Translation" and
"Match Point," says she would rather be admired for attributes other than sex appeal.
"What about my brain? What about my heart? What about my kidneys and my gallbladder?"
she asks, addressing all the hoopla about her curves in an interview in the magazine.
(ABC News, 9/29/2006)
• CRITICAL PHOTO : Natalie Glebova featured in a Thai magazine.
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, October 9, 2006.
Photo credit: Reuters
SEPTEMBER 2006
• TRANS-FORMED : Erica Andrews, (center photo), representing Mexico, has been named
Miss International Queen 2006 in Pattaya, Thailand, besting twenty-three of the world's most
beautiful transsexuals who had come from as far as Egypt and Australia to vie for the
crown. Her slinky low-cut red gown and resemblance to a 1920s starlet finally carried the
day, putting her past runners-up Patricia Montrecarlo of the Philippines (right) and Thailand's
Ratravee Jiraprapakul (left). 
• THE NEW REINA SUDAMERICANA is Francine Eickemberg, 24, of Brazil who was crowned
last Saturday night in Salón Sirionó de la Feria Exposición in La Paz, Bolivia. Her court includes Ana María Ortiz of Bolivia
as her Virreina and Lourdes Arévalos of Paraguay as the first finalist. Three
others made the top six: Silvia Cornejo of Peru, Mónica Angulo of the
Dominican Republic and Fatimih Dávila of Uruguay. Fifteen Latin beauties from South
America, Spain and the Caribbean competed in the pageant. It was announced that the pageant's
name next year will be changed to Reina Hispanoamericana. Eickemberg was Brazil's representative
to Miss World 2000 and was also Reina Internacional del Café 2001.
• SLAVIC INVASION : Or should we say, Canadian. Ana Zotovic, left, representing Serbia & Montenegro, bested twenty-eight
other contestants to win the Miss Maja Mundial crown in Baranquilla, Colombia last
Friday night. This is the third time in less than a month that a Slavic beauty has
won an international title; Czech Republic won Miss World last September in Warsaw, and
then the Slovak Republic won Miss Intercontinental last week in the Bahamas. Zotovic, 20,
a six-foot tall brunette, was born in Serbia & Montenegro and moved to Canada in 1993.
Zotovic joined Miss Universe Canada earlier this year and placed second to Alice Panikian.
She was not the only Canadian resident in this year's Miss Maja Mundial; the other "Canadians"
who represented other countries included Ashley Ebner (Austria), Teresa Tai (Japan),
and Serene Aandahl (USA). Galyna Skrypnyk, who competed in Miss Universe Canada
this year along with Tai, represented Canada. Ebner will be competing in Miss Universe Canada 2007.
Tursies defended the presence of Silvia Lakatosova, left,
the national director for Slovak Republic, in the jury panel. Tursies wrote: "Our panel of judges
had seven people, four were supposed to come from the Bahamas side. Unfortunately, because we have
had to change the local organisation, the new one didn't nominate anybody which we regret but it
was as it was. Silvia Lakatosova, finalist in Miss Universe 1994 in Manila was a guest in the judging
panel which is right and we accepted her a seventh person in the jurypanel as we didn't not want to have
an even number. She, however, did not attend the pre-interview jury two days before in were points
have been given as well to pick the top twelve." The Slovak candidate Katarina Manova was eventually crowned
the winner, although Tursies was quick to suggest that Manova won not because of Lakatosova's
presence in the jury but because Manova "gave the best answer" to the final question.
• WHAT'S UP WITH JUSTINE : Justine Pasek, left, Miss Universe 2002 from Panama, has been
designated as the new face for Latin America by Misaki, the company that specializes
in jewelry made up of Japanese pearls. The news came last Wednesday, coinciding with the
start of fashion week in Panama where Misaki had organized a fashion show with Justine's
participation. Simon Coutier, Misaki's representative for Latin America, stated
that Justine's youthtful, sexy and elegant look reflect the principal attributes of the
brand. (El Panamá América, 10/13/2006)
• A RACIST PAGEANT? Miss Tanzania Wema Sepetu, left, has finally broken her silence and
cited racism as the main reason why she performed dismally in the Miss World beauty
pageant held in Poland recently. Sepetu who failed to shine in the event which involved
100 contestants told reporters in Dar es Salaam that the media and event supervisors favored
contestants from Europe and of European origin. She said most contestants from Africa were
ignored, with the exception of Miss Angola who won the Miss World Africa title to
succeed Nancy Sumari of Tanzania who won the title last year. Sepetu said that she
tried her level best to represent well the country by participating in all four fast
tracks competitions preceding the main event, but she could not excel. Commenting on the event,
the Miss Tanzania organizing committee attributed the failure of Sepetu to inadequate
preparation time due to the rescheduling of Miss World event which was earlier
planned for December.
• THE NEW MISTER INTERNATIONAL is Wissam Hanna, left, of Lebanon. Hanna was crowned
last Saturday in Singapore's The Pavilion. A pageant veteran and a professional model,
the 25-year-old Hanna beat eighteen other young men to become the first Mister International.
His court includes first runner-up Javier Delgado, 22, of Venezuela; second runner-up
Konstantinos Avrampos, 20, of Greece; third runner-up Karlis Karolis, 19, of
Latvia; and fourth runner-up Chaka Sedgwick, 27, from the USA. In his videoclip,
Hanna stated that he holds a master's degree in law and he aims to become an international
movie star.
• PARIS VERSUS SHANNA : Hotel heiress Paris Hilton claimed former Miss USA
Shanna Moakler, left, punched her in the face at a Hollywood nightclub, police
and Hilton's publicist said. Moakler contends she was attacked by Hilton's ex-boyfriend Stavros Niarchos,
who bent her wrists, poured a drink on her and shoved her down some stairs, Moakler publicist
Susan Madore said. Hilton, 25, and Moakler, 31, both filed police reports alleging battery,
police Officer Karen Smith said. Hilton said she was struck around 1 a.m., shortly after arriving
at Hyde nightclub with Niarchos, her publicist Elliot Mintz told The Associated Press.
Mintz said Hilton told him Moakler walked up to his client, "used the most vile of language"
and then struck Hilton in the jaw with her fist. Hilton claimed the alleged attack was unprovoked.
Madore said Moakler, Miss USA in 1995 and a "Dancing With the Stars" contestant this season,
exchanged profanities with Hilton when Niarchos stepped in and threatened to beat her.
Police took pictures of Moakler and Hilton at the station, Smith said, and will speak with
witnesses at the club as part of their investigation. Hilton and Moakler's ex-husband,
Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker, were recently linked romantically in tabloid reports.
Mintz said the two were "just friends." (Associated Press, 10/7/2006)
• CZECH MATE : The new Miss World is Tatana Kucharova, 18, left, a 5'10" blonde from the Czech Republic who
bested over 100 other delegates during the finals held in Warsaw's Palace
of Culture last Saturday night. She was also selected as Miss World Northern Europe.
Her court includes 1st runner-up Ioana Valentina Boitor , 17, of Romania (Miss World
Southern Europe) and 2nd runner-up Sabrina Houssami, 20, of Austalia (Miss World Asia-Pacific).
The other three finalists are Sara Lawrence, 21, of Jamaica (Miss World Caribbean),
Jane Borges, 21, of Brazil (Miss World Americas) and Stiviandra Oliveira, 18, of
Angola (Miss World Africa).