Critical Beauty

   During the preliminary show of Nuestra Belleza Mexico 2013 yesterday, Maria Elena Chagoya Triana , an 18-year-old business student from Veracruz, was crowned Nuestra Belleza Mexico Mundo 2013 and will represent Mexico in Miss World 2013 pageant. The remaining candidates will compete tomorrow (Sept. 1st) for the Nuestra Belleza Mexico 2013 title and the chance to represent Mexico in Miss Universe 2013 pageant.

The new Miss Venezuela 2012 is Maria Gabriela Isler , the 24-year-old representative of Guárico, who was crowned last night during a glitzy 60th anniversary of the pageant. She will represent Venezuela in Miss Universe 2013 pageant. The 1st runner-up and also named Miss Venezuela International 2013 is Elian Herrera (Miss Aragua). She will compete in Miss International 2013. The 2nd runner-up and also crowned Miss Venezuela Earth 2013 is Alys Herich (Miss Falcón) who will compete in Miss Earth 2013. Miss Tachira, Ivana Vale , finished in 4th place, and Miss Yaracuy, Maria Julia Alvarez , placed 5th. L-R: ALYS HERICH, MARIA GABRIELA ISLER & ELIAN HERRERA MARIA GABRIELA ISLER

    Monic Pérez , 22, Miss Arecibo, was crowned Miss Universe Puerto Rico 2013 last Thursday night at Centro de Bellas Artes in San Juan. She will compete in Miss Universe 2013. She was crowned by Bodine Koehler who is competing in Miss Universe 2012 in December. Completing the top five were 1st runner-up Génesis Dávila , Miss Arroyo who will compete in Miss Intercontinental 2013, 2nd runner-up Miss Mayagüez Cristina María Franceschini who will compete in Miss Continente Americano 2013, 3rd runner-up Miss Cayey Desireé del Río who will go to Miss Supranational 2013, and 4th runner-up Miss Orocovis Amanda Ortiz who will go to Top Model of the World 2013.  

Carat Cheung Ming-nga (center) is the new Miss Hong Kong 2012 Hackers are suspected of attacking TVB's Miss Hong Kong beauty pageant server on Sunday, thwarting the broadcaster's attempt for online voting in American Idol style. TVB has set up a team to investigate the alleged cyberattack, which forced a panel of judges to pick the winner.   In an ugly turn, netizens condemned the judges' choice and others complained to the Communications Authority. Tracy Chu Chin-suet , the public's hot favorite to become Miss Hong Kong, landed second runner-up while Carat Cheung Ming-nga, who was earlier named Miss International Goodwill, was chosen Miss Hong Kong. She will compete for the Miss World title next year. "I thought it was a 'beauty' pageant," a netizen wrote on an online forum. "Can we ask for a re-election?" Initial investigations revealed there were millions of page-hits during the pageant, suggesting an attack by hackers, s

  Karol Partika (left), 29, is the new Mister Slovak Republic International 2012.  Robert Anderle (right), 24, is the new Mister Czech Republic International 2012.  Both men were chosen as winners of their respective countries during the Men of the Year competition held on August 24th in Nachod, Czech Republic. Both men will compete in Mister International 2012 whose dates and venue are still to be disclosed. Partika confessed that he's been married for 4 years and is a father of a young child. Karol Partika, Mister Slovak Republic International 2012 Robert Anderle, Mister Czech Republic International 2012

The new Miss Earth Canada is  Valérie Rémillard , 23, of St. Felix de Valois, Quebec who was crowned August 25th at the Holiday Inn Montreal. She will compete in Miss Earth 2012 in Bali, Indonesia on October 28. Her court includes 1st runner-up Cynthia Lowen of La Salle, Ontario;  2nd runn er-up  Angel Bhathal of Winnipeg, Manitoba; 3rd runner-up Suzette Hernandez of Vancouver, BC; and 4th runner-up Chanel Beckenlehner of Caledon, Ontario.

Miss World 2011 IVIAN SARCOS J*Lu Blog reports: Former Miss World 2011, Ivián Sarcos was slammed by some fans in Venezuela after they learned that the ex-Miss allegedly tried to negotiate with the Miss World organization, in order to get the franchise of the pageant for her country, which has been in Osmel Sousa’s hands and the Miss Venezuela Organization for over 30 years. The news leaked on a local TV show on Saturday night followed by a storm of offensive comments on Twitter towards Sarcos, who was called “backstabber,” “hypocrite” and “ungrateful.” Many others considered “disappointing” the fact that the Miss Amazonas 2010 openly supports Venezuela’s President, Hugo Chávez . Shortly after this year’s Miss World pageant – where Venezuela did not place, it was announced that Osmel decided not to crown a winner for Miss World during the finale of 2012. Instead, the Miss Venezuela Mundo will be elected during a special event early next year. Ivián who just finished her reig

Miss Malawi Susan Mtegha has admitted that she pushed Miss New Zealand during the Miss World 2012 grand finale held last Saturday in China. She told The Weekend Times that she did so as it was her time to be on the spot. Mtegha (right) with Miss Zimbabwe "It is true I pushed Miss New Zealand but not because I was rude but because she was in my close up spot. Each contestant had only 30 seconds to be seen by the world. I told her to move but she didn't so I had to push her aside otherwise I would have missed my close up." The 24-year-old Malawi queen added that later at the back stage the Miss World stage director acknowledged that she was right by pushing her to the side. "It was said time and time again during rehearsals that no one at any point shall be in a fellow contestants' close up mark and that if that happens, you had the right to push them to the side and that is what I did," she said. Mtegha said it was sad to note that some of her fe

The new Mister Schweiz (Mister Swizterland) 2012 is Sandro Cavegn, 27, who was crowned Saturday, August 25th, in Zurich. He celebrates his 28th birthday on September 3rd. Fourteen young men competed in Switzerland's most prestigious male pageant. The winner of this pageant never competes internationally. Photo credit: Schweizer Illustrierte

Collette Lochore arrives back in Auckland yesterday after appearing in the Miss World competition in China. Photo / Natalie Slade It's the moment dubbed the "pageant push", and it has had more than 115,000 YouTube views. The victim, Kiwi beauty queen Collette Lochore , says it was just plain "surreal". The 18-year-old Miss World New Zealand, was posing on stage when she was jostled out of camera view by Miss Malawi, Susan Mtegha .  After a short verbal exchange between the two, Ms Mtegha elbowed Ms Lochore out of view and stood smiling in her place. "It's crazy. It was streaming live ... and there I am getting pushed off my mark on stage," Ms Lochore told the Herald when she arrived at Auckland Airport last night.  Ms Lochore, who did not see the video until a transit stop in Sydney yesterday, said she was still in a state of disbelief.  "All you can do is just hold your own and represent New Zealand how you want to." The comp

Bikini models pose with dairy cows during the Miss Dairy Cow Pageant on August 18, 2012 in Shuozhou, Shanxi Province. For years China has been known for its generous deployment of bikini models to spice up industry conferences and meetings. But news that scantily clad models were recently recruited to enliven the country’s first “dairy cow beauty pageant” is being described some as utterly — or should that be udderly? — ridiculous. Designed to promote the dairy indus try of Shanyin County in the central Chinese province of Shanxi, the  weekend contest  pitted more than 200 cows against each other based on looks, milk and pedigree. The concept is a strange one even for a country with more than its fair share of mystifying events. But it’s the eight bikini models hired for the bovine pageant – and made to pose awkwardly next to, and even milk, the cows – that has churned the controversy. Photos of the girls — all of them, perhaps understandably, wearing masks — spread around trad

     Rachel Wyatt of South Carolina was crowned Miss America’s Outstanding Teen 2013 Saturday night in Orlando, Florida. The teen pageant is the younger-sister pageant within the Miss America Organization.      Wyatt, 17, reigned as Miss Greater Mauldin Teen before earning the state crown. The new Miss South Carolina Teen will be Sydney Hill, who was first runner-up at the state pageant. Wyatt is a “senior honor student at Wren High School, is class president and member of the Beta Club,” according to the Williamston Journal. “She is the recipient of the Presidential volunteer service award and the Duke of Edinburgh silver award.”      An avid dancer, she hopes to major in speech pathology. Others honored at the national pageant were: first runner-up: Jaine Coann LeFebvre of Connecticut; second runner-up: Laura Leigh Turner of Arkansas; third runner-up: Jameson Kenerly of Georgia; and fourth funner-up: Molly May of Mississippi.    SOURCE: Examiner.com, 8/19/2012

ORDOS, China—China's Yu Wenxia has been crowned 2012 Miss World.  It was the second time a Miss China contestant was awarded the title. The last time was in 2007 when Zhang Zilin took the honor.  The 23-year-old Ms. Yu is a music student who said she wants to become a music teacher.      The first runner-up was Sophie Elizabeth Moulds of Wales and the second runner-up is Jessica Michelle Kahawaty of Australia. Completing the top 7 were  Mariana Notarangelo of Brazil, Deanna Robbins of Jamaica, Atong Demach of South Sudan, and Vanya Mishra of India.      Completing the top 15 were  Aranzazu Estevez of Spain,   Nathalie Den Dekker of the Netherlands, Charlotte Holmes of England, Mariana Berumen of Mexico,  Claudine Book of the United States,  Queenierich Rehman of the Philippines,   Ines Putri of Indonesia, and Shamin Nabil of Kenya .      Winners of special awards were Wales (Beach Fashion), South Sudan (Top Model), India (Multimedia), Sweden (Sports), China (Talent

Honey Boo Boo's controversial mother June, the coupon queen, was arrested on January 3, 2008 for theft and contempt of court. A mugshot of 33-year-old June Shannon (above), the mother of six-year-old Alana Thompson , aka Honey Boo Boo, has surfaced as well as details of her arrest which took place in Henry County, Georgia. According to  Starcasm , there are also additional court reports which show that the mother-of-three was the defendant in two child support cases around the same time, which may explain the theft charges, though it is not entirely clear.  It comes just days after learning that child services made an unannounced visit to her and husband Mike Thompson's family home in rural McIntrye, Georgia in March of this year. The coupon queen, as she is commonly referred to, was arrested in a location that is more than halfway to Atlanta when measured from her current home, suggesting that she may have been trying to escape police.  The family were visited by the

LAURA KAEPPELER, Miss America 2012 ABC Television Network and Sam Haskell , Chairman of the Board of the Miss America Organization, have announced that "The 2013 Miss America Competition" returns to Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas for a week of preliminary competitions, culminating in a live telecast on SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2013 (9:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on ABC. "The 2012 Miss America telecast on ABC was a tremendous success, taking the ratings crown as the most-watched non-sports program on Saturday night," said Haskell. "With the success of our re-branding Miss America, we have attracted a new audience. We look forward to working with ABC and Planet Hollywood to make the 2013 broadcast event even more memorable for our viewers." The three nights of preliminaries will take place on January 8, 9 & 10 at Planet Hollywood's PH Live Tickets for the preliminaries, as well as the Miss America live event, will be available soo

Beauty pageants have a pretty bad rep. Up until 1970 some beauty pageants refused to allow women of color to vie for the crown. Even Miss Black France, Mbathio Beye , was caught up in a controversy this year after protestors called the pageant "stupid," "dangerous" and "hostile. "   But the former Miss USA, Kenya Moore (photo), is ready to give the world of pageants a much needed makeover. This September, Kenya is hosting Miss More 2012, a "modern day beauty pageant, for the modern day woman." Kenya's pageant is inspired by today's female CEO's, presidents, educators, philanthropists, motivators, and leaders. Beauty queens without drive need not apply. The competition will be hosted on a major news network and will feature a special appearance by the beautiful Leila Lope s, Miss Universe 2011. “I wanted to create a positive platform for women of color that exemplifies who we are in this day and age, in this century and to make a po

Miss Italy: Organisers hope the move will add a 'sober element' to the pageant It's a step forward for women – but perhaps a step too far for male television viewers in Italy.  The Miss Italia beauty contest has banned bikinis in favour of swimsuits. The organisers said the move would ‘add a sober element’ to the contest and that ‘interior beauty as well as exterior beauty’ was important. Pageant organiser Patrizia Mirigliani said: 'With this type of costume we will be returning to the classical beauty of the 1950’s, the era of female legends who we still admire and respect even today.   'The costumes will really highlight feminine beauty and for next years competition I am already thinking of environmentally friendly outfits so the girls will do their bit for the environment.' 'Revolutionary': Organisers are in talks to add Jane Fonda to the judging panel this year The pageant is a national institution and will be broadcast live in Septem

(L to R): Lavanta Thompson (Miss Popularity and finalist), Michelle Parsons (2nd runner-up), Sharie De Castro (winner), Anna John (1st runner-up), and Latoya Donovan (finalist).  De Castro will now represent the British Virgin Islands in Miss Universe 2013.

Tsakana Nkandih (center), 21, was crowned Miss Namibia 2012 this past weekend at the Windhoek Country Club and Resort. She will compete in Miss World 2013. First Princess was Patricia Hanstein (left) and Second Princess was Monique Peters .  (Photo: New Era)

     Almost three years after Johannesburg hosted the Miss World pageant the municipality wants to silence its critics. It’s called on Thuli Madonsela to investigate claims of mismanagement, a political move not hiding the fact the city should have never hosted the event in the first place. Saturday 12 December 2009 was a historic day for Gibraltar. “In unison Gibraltarians triumphantly cheered, with wild screams, and spontaneous applause they jumped out of their seats, filled with tears of joy—an entire population realising a dream, proud that their representative at Miss World had achieved what everyone had always felt was simply out of reach,” reported the Gibraltar Chronicle. Kaiane Aldorino won the country’s first Miss World crown at the Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand. “A Gibraltarian once again puts Gibraltar on the map!” declared the Rock’s chief minister. Kaiane Aldorino      For the hosts, the Miss World contest has been remembered for a different

PETALING JAYA: It's about talent, confidence and ability to represent the country and not the colour of skin, say local beauty pageant finalists. Miss World Malaysia 2011 finalist Jessica Fang , 23, said pageant selections are based on the contestants' Malaysian spirit rather than Pan-Asian looks. “The crown goes to whoever can best portray significant knowledge of Malaysia, its culture and people. “Contestants from white or mixed backgrounds may have a better command of English, giving them an edge over those who are less fluent and lack a Western accent. “It is their right to take part in beauty pageants. They are capable of representing Malaysia if they can identify with local culture and are clear about their identity as Malaysians,” she said. US-based International Business Times (IBTimes) recently carried an article titled: “The Politics Of Beauty: Is Malaysia's Miss Universe Contestant Too White?” Among other things, the writer wrote: “Caucasians do not make up on