Critical Beauty

CLICK TO ENTER THE GALLERY The Miss USA 2019 pageant will be held  in Reno, Nevada on May 2. Check the official Miss USA website for details.

Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach poses under the crown held by her Madame Tussauds wax replica, which was unveiled to the media during an event at the EDSA Shangri-La yesterday. / Jesse Bustos MANILA, Philippines — Former Miss Universe  Pia Wurtzbach  felt like a winner again as she  unveiled in Manila yesterday her wax figure for Madame Tussauds Hong Kong. Wurtzbach is the first and only Filipino celebrity to have a figure at the popular wax museum chain’s flagship attraction in Asia. “It’s so surreal. I cannot explain how happy I am now. I feel like I won again,” the 29-year-old beauty queen and actress told The STAR.  Wurtzbach said she used to go to Madame Tussauds and even had a throwback photo from 10 years ago when she went to the wax museum in Las Vegas, USA. “So I know how fun it is there, how fun it is to take photos with the celebrities in wax figures. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’m gonna be immortalized,” Wurtzbach sa

Sarah Rose Summers, Miss USA 2018, will crown her successor on May 2, 2019  in Reno, Nevada. Credit: Miss Universe Organization It’s official. This year’s Miss USA pageant is coming to Reno after the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority voted to approve $350,000 in special funding for the event on Thursday morning. It is the first time that the event will be held in Reno.  The Miss Universe Organization, which also oversees the Miss USA pageant, will now be moving forward quickly to prepare for the event.  The pageant is scheduled to be broadcast on Fox at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on May 2 and will be held at the Grand Sierra Resort's Grand Theatre.  "We have everyone on standby after this meeting today — all our state directors, family, friends — everyone is waiting for us to pull the trigger ... and make arrangements for coming here (to Reno)," said Paula Shugart , president of the Miss Universe Organization, at the RSCVA public meeting.  Fu

Miss Universe Catriona Gray helped raised some US$6,000 (roughly P300,000) for abused Filipino children during a short-noticed fund-raising event in Canada recently. Gray thanked all those who supported the charity event for Bantay Bata 163, an organization that provides a multitude of social services for the children of the Philippines, such as a help hotline, medical assistance, feeding programs, and educational scholarships. “Maraming salamat po to everyone who supported the Bantay Bata organisation this past weekend in Toronto, Canada!” Gray said on Instagram. She added: “Big thank you to the members of @pidc.toronto who pulled together this event on such short notice! The total amount of $6000 raised from this intimate dinner will go towards serving and protecting our countries children.” On its website, Bantay Bata 163 is said to be Asia’s model for child care services. Its toll-free hotline 1-6-3 remains as the country’s online helpline devoted to receiving and r

GIVE THREE ADJECTIVES THAT YOUR FRIENDS WOULD DESCRIBE YOU.      I would like to believe that my friends would describe me as confident, driven, and considerate. That’s how I perceive myself and I try to come off that way.  IF THERE WERE NO RULES IN YOUR LIFE FOR ONE DAY AND YOU COULD BE OUTRAGEOUS, WHAT WOULD YOU DO?      I would buy every article of clothing that I have saved on my Pinterest and Instagram. I try to keep money spent on clothes to a minimum and build the money I put into my saving account. I cave in at times and then later feel guilty! A guilt free shopping spree sounds amazing.  IF YOU COULD BE GREAT AT ONE THING, WHAT WOULD IT BE AND WHY?      I would love to be able to pick up languages easily and become bilingual. When traveling over seas, so much gets lost in translation. It becomes difficult to learn about their culture and day to day lives. Being able to speak their native tongue, you’re able to make such a strong connection and rea

Júlia Horta , a 24-year-old journalist from Juíz de Fora, Minas Gerais, was crowned Miss Brazil 2019 on March 9, 2019. She will now represent Brazil in 2019 Miss Universe pageant whose date and venue have yet to be announced. Her court includes first runner-up    Luana Carvalho Lobo of Ceará and the second runner-up Bianca Dias of São Paulo. R io Grande do Sul and Rio Grande do Norte were the other two finalists. Photo credits: Miss Brasil Be Emotion

The Puteri Indonesia 2019 pageant was held in Jakarta on March 8, 2019 and crowned three new Indonesia queens. In the photo above, from left to right: Jolene Marie Cholock Rotinsuku from Sulawesi Utara is Puteri Indonesia Lingkungan 2019 (Miss International Indonesia 2019) who will represent her country in Miss International 2019 pageant in Japan later this year; Frederika Alexis Cull from DKI Jakarta 1 is Puteri Indonesia 2019 (Miss Universe Indonesia 2019) and will compete in Miss Universe 2019 whose date and venue have yet to be confirmed; and Jesica Fitriana Martasari of Jawa Barat (Miss Supranational Indonesia 2019) who will compete in Miss Supranational 2019 in Poland in December. The pageant was graced by the reigning major queens Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray , Miss International 2018 Mariam Velasco , and Miss Supranational 2018 Valeria Vasquez . All three women were dressed in kebaya, the traditional Indonesian dress for women made of exquisite textiles.

Former Miss America trustee Jennifer Vaden Barth and West Virginia pageant director Leah Summers  sit with attorney Paul Perkins on Friday while their lawsuit against the MAO was heard in court.  AMANDA AUBLE / Staff Writer A former board member of the Miss America Organization has voluntarily dismissed a lawsuit she and four former Miss America state licensees filed claiming the group’s new executives unlawfully took control of the MAO. Jennifer Vaden Barth , a former MAO trustee, announced on social media Tuesday they did not have the funds to move the suit forward. “At this juncture, I can do no more than what I’ve done.  “This is a reflection of the meritless and misguided nature of her suit and her false and defamatory claims,” the MAO said in a statement. “MAO disagrees with Ms. Barth’s characterization of the dialogue regarding ending this lawsuit and is now assessing its next steps.” The lawsuit, filed in January 2018, claimed MAO Chairwoman Gretchen Ca