Two words define pageantry in 2009: CARRIE PREJEAN. No other beauty queen since Anita Bryant has caused so much impact on pageantry and beyond than this 23-year-old blonde who was crowned Miss California USA 2009 and placed second in Miss USA 2009 last April. Prejean was an insignificant beauty queen until she opined, during the live telecast of Miss USA, that she was against the legalization of same-sex marriage because it conflicts with the way she was raised as a conservative Christian - as a response to the question posed by gay bloggertainer, Perez Hilton. Prejean blames her loss of the crown for her "politically incorrect" answer, even though the pageant accountants verified that she was actually trailing behind the eventual winner, Kristen Dalton of North Carolina.

      Instead of humbly accepting her defeat to Dalton, Prejean - with the support of religious conservatives - further acclaimed her anti-gay marriage agenda by making appearances in events not sanctioned by K2 Productions, the producers of Miss California USA. K2 claimed that Prejean had been engaging in activities that seek to divide instead of unite people who have diverse opinions. After all, a beauty queen should remain neutral and do her best to be loved by everyone.

      But it is hard to be loved if you're a pathological liar and have a penchant for transgressing your beliefs and not be sorry for it. When a pageant regulation states that a potential candidate must have never posed nude or partially nude, Prejean denied having done so even though photos of her in semi-nude poses surfaced all over the Internet. In August, a sex tape featuring Prejean alone doing racy gestures was posted on a celebrity gossip site. In November, Prejean was interviewed by Larry King on CNN's Larry King Live. When King asked her as to why she settled her lawsuit settlement with K2, she refused to answer, insulted King by calling him "inappropriate," and threatened to walk out. This callow behavior in Prejean's part is what prompted Keith Lewis, the executive director of Miss California USA, to state the following: "The public is finally getting a glimpse of the real Carrie Prejean who lives in her own delusional world. The childish behavior, her negative attitude, the sarcasm and condescending tone, the disrespect and continual lying she is demonstrating now is only a fraction of what we endured during her reign and after." [*]

      Lying or not, Carrie Prejean surely left an indelible impact on the pageant industry. Pageant organizers have now become more vigilant and careful in selecting potential candidates, and are now reinforcing more than ever the rules and regulations to prevent damage to their reputation. Even the remarkably unflinching Donald Trump - the owner of Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA - who initially fell for Prejean's tiring dictum (that she did not win Miss USA because of her stand against gay marriage) - found himself disbelieving the disgraced beauty queen and blessing her termination as Miss California USA.

[*] France, Lisa Respers (November 12, 2009), "'Inappropriate?' -- Trump puzzled by Prejean's 'Larry King Live' stand-off", CNN, http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/TV/11/12/trump.prejean.larry.king/. (PHOTO/TV GUIDE)

Losers Like Carrie, But Not Quite Like Her

      If Carrie Prejean is pageantry's biggest loser of 2009 (she lost her dignity, her likeability factor, and her ability to discern good from evil), there were others who lost something but still managed to keep their faithful followers.

• THE BINIBINING PILIPINAS CHARITIES, INC. (BPCI), which owns the Philippine franchise for Miss Universe, Miss World, and Miss International, banned SANDRA SEIFERT (photo) from competing in the 2009 Bb. Pilipinas pageant that took place in March. Why? Because Seifert had posed for FHM, a popular men's magazine. Seifert's disqualification was totally absurd, as her pictures in the magazine were tastefully executed (not one topless shot either). BPCI’s loss is Carousel Productions’ gain. Seifert entered Miss Philippines Earth, produced by Carousel, and won. She would later placed second in Miss Earth in early December. (PHOTO/Skyscrapercity.com)

      BPCI also managed to antagonize former beauty queens by not inviting them to the Bb. Pilipinas 2009 show. Bb. Pilipinas Universe 1982 MARIA ISABEL LOPEZ told the press that she never received any invitation, and the reason she was able to attend was because she was a guest of another ex-beauty queen adored by BPCI. However, Lopez stated that when sat in the section reserved for past beauty queens, an usher approached her and instructed her to move to the back section, which humiliated her. Lopez regained her dignity when she walked on the red carpet at the Cannes International Film Festival for the world premiere of Brillante Mendoza’s “Kinatay”. Mendoza eventually won the Best Director Award. Meanwhile, PRECIOUS LARA QUIGAMAN (Miss International 2005) was excluded from the tribute made to former queens during the Bb. Pilipinas 2009 show; it was rumored that BPCI was not happy with a new national pageant, Miss Turismo Pilipina, that Quigaman created with two other ex-beauty queens. The new pageant is now attracting far more contestants than Binibining Pilipinas.

• GAYNELLE ROLLE - the director of the Miss Bahamas Universe pageant, found herself - yet again - embroiled in a string of controversies. IFE BETHEL-SEARS, the first runner-up in the Miss Bahamas Universe 2009 pageant, who was crowned the 2009/2010 Miss Earth Bahamas, relinquished her title because she was concerned about the negative publicity surrounding the pageant. The controversy erupted immediately after the pageant and lasted several days. Tensions boiled over during a press conference held to validate the scores tallied by the accounting firm, Deloitte and Touche. During the press conference, pageant organizers fired back at claims of corruption as at least two judges and disgruntled family members of the former contestants verbally battled with Rolle. Despite her spoiled reputation, Rolle continues to attract naive participants in her teen pageants.

• In February, MAGALI FEBLES lost the Puerto Rican franchise of Miss Universe to former Miss Puerto Rico DESIREE LOWRY and Lowry's business partner LUISITO VIGOREAUX. It is rumored that Febles had been unable to pay the franchise fees in the last two years. In December, Febles was honored by the Curacao Beauty Organization and by the Miss Maja Mundial organizers in Colombia for being the most decorated pageant director of the decade.

Title Tarnishers

      A year of pageantry wouldn't be entertaining without one, two or more titleholders being stripped of their titles (or almost). These ones must have enrolled in the Carrie Prejean Charm School:

• RYAN OLIVER, 21, was stripped of his title as Mr. Panama 2009 after the contest organizers discovered that he had previously posed nude in a gay porn site. The straight-identified model only filmed two videos with the site, both solos. Oliver's first runner-up Diomedes Justavino was elevated as the new Mr. Panama.

• In June, the Miss Puerto Rico Petite organizers stripped the reigning queen KEISHLA VILLAFANE RIVERA, accusing the young woman of "intolerable conduct" that included threatening and assaulting pageant staff. She also used "coarse language" and violated the terms of her contract by agreeing to use her image in an advertisement without the consent of the pageant. Luis Santiago Productions, the pageant company, said it was obligated to dismiss the 19-year-old queen after she made death threats and assaulted staff members.

• Critics demanded that Miss Singapore Universe 2009 RACHEL KUM be stripped of her title, after offensive pictures of her have surfaced on the Internet. In one of the pictures (right), Kum is seen simulating oral sex with a birthday cake shaped like an erect penis. Another picture showed the beauty queen with her pants pulled down in a sexy pose with a rubber doll in the form of a scantily clad female, reports The Star Online. And one more photograph shows her in a skimpy top and hot pants, and a friend wearing an outfit shaped like a penis. All the pictures have apparently been clicked during private parties with her friends, according to reports by the daily Nanyang Siang Pau. Kum, 25, was crowned Miss Singapore Universe in May. (PHOTO/Webhush.com)

• Mister Singapore Organization announced in July that JOVIN KOH has been terminated as Mister Singapore 2008, and the first runner-up, Alex Zhang, would ascend to the title and serve the remaining two months of the term. Koh was dismissed for breach of contract because he had failed to fulfill the duties required of the title, including competing in the Mister International 2008 pageant as Singapore's representative.

• On August 23rd, the franchise holders for the Miss Universe Zambia have stripped ANDELLA CHILESHE MATTHEWS of her title and instead appointed first princess Sthabiso Mteliso to take the reigns. Miss Universe Zambia national director Wendy Chanda-Fornari said that the move has been done to prevent further reputation damage to the sponsors, the Miss Universe Zambia and the Miss Universe Organization. The move came barely a month after Andella’s mother, Sandra Chileshe issued a media statement saying she and her daughter had suffered at the hands of the local organizers in the quest to have her represent Zambia at the global pageant in the Bahamas.

• ALESSANDRA ALORES (a/k/a Aleksandra Vodjanikova), who was crowned Miss Germany World in September, was barred from competing in Miss World 2009 due to naked photos of hers that were published in FHM magazine in Germany. Replacing her was her first runner-up Stephanie Peeck. Alores was the second delegate to be refused entry in Miss World 2009. Earlier, Russia's SOFIA RUDIYEVA had been denied entry due to naked photos of her - taken when she was a minor - resurfaced in the Internet, much to the horror of Miss World owner Julia Morley. However, Rudiyeva was allowed to compete in Miss Universe 2009.

• Miss Paris KELLY BOCHENKO, who competed in Miss France 2010 in early December, was dethroned on December 26th after the latest issue of Entrevue magazine published raunchy photos of her. Geneviève de Fontenay, the director of the Miss France Committee that oversees regional pageants including Miss Paris, stated that Bochenko, 23, was stripped of her title because she broke a clause forbidding current titleholders from posing nude, semi-nude or engaging in sexually provocative poses. Channeling Carrie Prejean, Bochenko claimed that the raunchy photos were shot by an ex-boyfriend who distributed them without her authorization.

When Beauties Speak, They Draw Attention       Why are we more eager to know what a beauty queen thinks than what a politician thinks? Maybe because we are so accustomed to believe that politicians - no matter how well groomed and educated they are - fail to deliver their promises. Beauty queens on the other hand - regardless of their educational background - always deliver some element of mystery, as we never know what may come out of their regal mouths. If Carrie Prejean's anti-gay marriage stance provokes the wrath of the liberal elite, consider Miss Universe 2008 Dayana Mendoza's impression about her visit to Guantanamo Bay.       Mendoza caused a global stir after gushing over her visit to the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, home of the "war on terror" prison camp. In early April, Mendoza visited Guantanamo as part of a USO (United Service Organizations) tour that takes entertainers to visit US troops. "This week, Guantanamo!!! It was an incredible experience," wrote the 22 year-old Mendoza on her Miss Universe-sponsored personal blog. "We had a wonderful time, this truly was a memorable trip!"       Marines and soldiers showed Mendoza and Miss USA 2008 Crystle Stewart around the base, then took them on "a ride around the land and it was a loooot of fun! "We visited the Detainees (sic) camps and we saw the jails, where they shower, how the recreate themselves with movies, classes of art, books. It was very interesting," she wrote. "The water in Guantanamo Bay is soooo beautiful! It was unbelievable ... I didn?t want to leave, it was such a relaxing place, so calm and beautiful." The Guantanamo "war on terror" prison opened after the September 11, 2001 terror attacks in the United States as a place to house "enemy combatant" suspects.       Mendoza's posting was quickly struck from her blog - not before the New York Times posted it on its website - and replaced by a statement from the president of the Miss Universe organization, Paula Shugart. The comments "were in reference to the hospitality she received while meeting the members of the US military and their families who are stationed in Guantanamo," Shugart wrote. Mendoza and Stewart have "traveled to many locations and many bases around the globe including Iraq , Afghanistan , Japan , Korea and most recently, Guantanamo Bay in Cuba," Shugart said. MIMICKING CARRIE: Prejean is not the only beauty queen who has publicly expressed homophobia and opposition to same-sex marriage. During the Miss Botswana 2009 pageant in May, SUMAIYAH MAROPE, 20, was asked by one of the judges if she advocated same-sex relationships. Marope replied, "It is unnatural act...God made us men and women... It is only proper for men to have relationships with women as God created us," she said to a loud roar of approval from hundreds of spectators who thronged the Gaborone International Convention Centre to witness the 2009 Miss Botswana finals. Marope's condemnation of gay relationships came at a time when members of a gay organization in Botswana were demanding legalization of gay relationships.

Beauties Gone Bad

      What is worse? Committing fraud or driving while drunk? Surely the latter. But a crime is a crime regardless of the gravity, and pageant titleholders are not exempt from committing one.

• ASHLEY FUHRMEISTER, 21, a former highschool honor student, a business major at college and Miss North Wildwood 2007, was arrested late February along with her mother, Kelly A. Nowacky, 44, on charges of forgery and possession of forgery devices. Fuhrmeister was released on her own recognizance.

• In April, Miss Montana 2008 JENNIFER HEPNER was charged with drunk-driving by a police officer who pulled her over earlier this year for driving with her headlights off. Charging documents state that Hepner was pulled over about 2:30 a.m. and refused to submit to alcohol screening, breath or blood tests. Her license was seized and suspended. Likewise in the same week, RAELENE AGUILAR, Miss New Mexico USA 2008 (also Miss New Mexico Teen USA 2000) was stopped by a police officer for speeding and weaving. She arrested the same week for driving under the influence, but was released six hours later.

• In April, police arrested TIA SHORTS, Miss Maryland USA 2004, at her home in Germantown. Police say she and her boyfriend were dealing drugs from their apartment. She was charged with conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine, possession of cocaine and possession of marijuana.

• In May, HEATHER DiCARLO (photo), 36, the 2005 winner of the Mrs. New Jersey US pageant, was sentenced to a year in jail for writing more than $70,000 in bad checks. Over a two-month period, the former beauty queen purchased tables, chairs, and couches from upstate New York furniture dealer, bouncing several checks for substantial amounts of money. A judge characterized the former beauty queen as a "master of deception" whose looks and charitable work masked a darker side. (PHOTO/tv.righcelebrity.com)

• Netizens had a field day heaping criticisms on newly-crowned Miss Singapore World, RIS LOW. Having already been panned in the press and by the public for her poor command of English, the 19-year-old student made headlines again in August - for the wrong reason - when mypaper, an SPH free newspaper,reported on its front page that she was found guilty of credit card fraud in May. The beauty queen was convicted of five charges of misappropriation, cheating using illegally obtained credit cards, and impersonating their users' identifies, and sentenced to 24 months of supervised probation. Low resigned from her royal duties.

• Miss World Paraguay 2009 TAMARA SOSA ZAPATINI drove past a red light, hit another car, and smashed a wall. The accident occurred in the wee hours of Sunday, October 12th. Witnesses said that the 20-year-old beauty queen was intoxicated, but when the police arrived they did not give her a sobriety test. Sosa claimed that she had not consumed any alcohol and denied crossing a red light. She was immediately taken to the hospital where she was treated for bruises in her arms and thorax.

When Bad Things Happen To Beautiful People

      Being beautiful like Carrie Prejean can certainly bring you good things, but it does not mean that nothing bad can ever happen to you. Here's some proof:

• In early January, BORJA ALONSO, Mister Spain 2005, received a brutal beating while he was coming out of discotheque. According to initial reports, Alonso was attacked by a group of thugs with baseball bats. The attackers escaped. This is not the first serious altercation that Alonso has experienced; in April 2008, he was shot twice in the femur and then stabbed by men who were going to sell him a car.

• Former Miss Senegal FABIENNE FELIHO nearly lost her life in her home in May. Feliho was in her room when she heard her dog bark. She rushed out to the terrace only to be told by her housekeepers to return to her room. Intrigued by what was happening, Feliho came out of her room and was told that three armed men had been looking for her. The housekeepers told the intruders that Feliho was sleeping, and it was at this moment that the intruders forced themselves inside the house; but when they reached the courtyard, Feliho's dog attacked them and they fled. Feliho immediately called the police. Feliho suspects that it was her ex-husband Mansour Guissé who masterminded the break-in. Guissé accuses Feliho of running off with his money, which Feliho denies.

• In April, a British paper reported that Nigerian-born HELEN LAWAL (photo), the 23-year-old Miss Black Britain and Miss York 2009, became the target of a self-confessed racist who thinks she should not be part of the more important Miss Britain competition. A threatening phone call was placed with event organizer Vivienne Lee, which prompted the police to investigate. Although Lawal has not been directly threatened by the racist, who calls himself Mr. Paver, the phone call in itself was threatening enough to alert the authorities. Among the many comments made, “we know where you are” and “these people should not be allowed in the country." (PHOTO/hymns.ac.uk)

• In May, YEN LE - who was crowned Miss Vietnam USA in November 2007 - sued the pageant organizers for over $50,000 in damages because she alleged that she was supposed to receive $10,000 and a new Mercedes for winning. She also claimed that the pageant made her lease the car in her own name and then they defaulted on the payments.

• A new Miss Guatemala Universe was crowned just past midnight on May 26th. The pageant was going smoothly until an uninvited JENNIFER CHIONG, Miss Guatemala 2008, unexpectedly showed up to try to crown her successor, Lourdes Figueroa. Chiong was removed from the stage by force by Mike Dominguez of Eventos S.A., the pageant organizers who own the Miss Universe franchise for Guatemala. Chiong was dethroned last December 2008 by Eventos S.A. who claim that Chiong withdrew from the Reina Hispanoamerica 2008 pageant in Bolivia without advising them. Chiong now claims that she and other delegates had been sexually harassed in Bolivia. After Figueroa was crowned, Chiong rushed to the police station to file a complaint against Dominguez for giving her bruises on her arm. Chiong's forced removal from the stage was caught on tape via a hand-held videocam and was uploaded in YouTube. Howard Turner of Eventos S.A. released a statement on May 27th denouncing Chiong's accusations and her behavior during the election of the new queen. Turner emphasized that no force was used against Chiong.

• Former Miss Great Britain DANIELLE LLOYD hobbled out of hospital in late May accompanied by her footballer boyfriend Jamie O'Hara, after a brawl in London's west end club, Crystal. The 25-year-old model had to have an emergency operation on her calf after a vicious attack in a nightclub. The attack came after another assault in a club earlier that month when Lloyd was allegedly punched in the face by a woman after a row with friends of her boyfriend Jamie O'Hara's ex-girlfriend.

• Miss France 2007 RACHEL LEGRAIN-TRAPANI was stabbed on September 3rd by two female strangers in a popular Parisian night club during a private party. At around 2 in the morning, while she was spending a tranquil evening in the VIP lounge with the Miss France 2009 Chloé Mortaud, Rachel was stabbed in the leg by two women who pursued her again. Rachel was talking to a friend when two women came up to her, and all of a sudden her friend noticed that she was bleeding. Rachel did not see the object that stabbed her. Finally, two men came to her rescue and she was taken to the hospital.

In Memoriam

      Beautiful people are not mortals. What is immortal is the legacy that they leave behind. Here's a summary of notable pageant winners who left us too soon or unexpectedly.

• A month before her death in January, 20-year-old beauty queen MARIANA BRIDI (photo) was living the dream of many young Brazilian women, trading her striking good looks for a modeling career that promised to lift her family out of poverty. Then she contracted a seemingly ordinary urinary tract infection. The bacteria spread quickly and inexorably through her body, proving to be extremely drug resistant. In a desperate bid to save her life, doctors amputated her hands and feet, but no avail. Bridi died on January 24th. (PHOTO/O Globo)

• EDNA PATRICIA ESPINOZA, who placed second in the Miss Tanga International pageant last January 5th, died from a heart attack as a result of a botched liposuction in Bogota, Colombia. Her sister Eliana stated that ever since she was a child, Edna had always wanted to be a singer and actress. Edna was 24 and left behind a 3-year-old daughter.

• Days after the Colombian drugs baron Leonidas Vargas was shot dead by professional hitmen in a Madrid hospital, his brother and girlfriend were gunned down. Fabio Vargas, 47, and LILIANA ANDREA LOZANO, 30, a former beauty queen-turned-TV actress, were murdered in a hotel in Palmira, southeast Colombia. The couple were killed two days after Vargas, known as El Viejo (The Old Man), was murdered by two gunmen on January 8th.

• MARIA BUJOR, who represented Moldavia in Miss Leisure 2008 pageant in China, was killed in a car crash in northeast Romania on January 8th. She was driving on a road covered with snow and ice and lost control of the car. She was 23.

• In February, a 20-year-old student from the Russian city of Saransk died on Tuesday while participating in a university beauty pageant. A police spokesman said that OLGA SHKOLNIKA, who was in her third year, was taking part in the "Miss Economics Major" in the Russian republic of Mordovia when she suddenly collapsed on stage in the middle of her performance.

• ALLAN OOI, who was first runner-up in Mister Singapore 2001, was found dead below a busy bridge in Melbourne, Australia in early March. He had disappeared for months, including having gone AWOL (absent without official leave) from the army since October 2008. He was 28. A family friend, who declined to be named, said it was known that Ooi had been unhappy at work 'for a long time'. .

• FABIOLA CELADON FAORO, who was a finalist in the Miss Venezuela 1993 representing the department of Trujillo, died in a plane crash on March 1st in Boconó, Trujillo. She was 33. She was traveling on a private plane with five other people who also perished. Fabiola came from a rich family; in 1993 Osmel Sousa, his assistants and his delegates traveled to the Dominican Republic to film a special, but instead of traveling with the group, Fabiola flew in a private jet.

• MYRNA PANLILIO BORROMEO, the first Binibining Pilipinas to the Miss Universe pageant, died July 16th from cardiac arrest, although other news sources reported that she died of gall bladder disease. She was 66. Binibining Pilipinas-Universe 1982 and actress Maria Isabel Lopez, who had once locked horns with Panlilio, felt sorry about her death. Lopez, speaking sadly, said she had already forgiven Panlilio for barring her from attending the Bb. Pilipinas coronation night at the Araneta Coliseum last May.

• Former Miss Swaziland 2008 TIFFANY SIBONG-AKONKHE SIMELANE (photo) died after committing suicide on August 17th. The death of the 21-year-old ex-beauty queen occurred 22 days after she relinquished her title to current Miss Swaziland Nompilo Mncina. Unconfirmed reports said that Tiffany took her own life by swallowing weevil tablets. Reasons for her to commit suicide remain subject to speculation as the family had no idea what could have influenced her decision to end her life. However, there is a persistent rumour that Tiffany committed suicide because she was pressured to be one of the 103 wives of the king. The King's law (requires that all Miss Swaziland become his wife. (PHOTO/Swazisrock.com)

• The first American Indian to win the Miss Oklahoma title died Sept. 10, two weeks before her 91st birthday. ADA MARTYNE CAUDELL, whose maiden name was Woods, won the Miss Oklahoma pageant in 1940 when she was a fine arts student at Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State University). Caudell went on to place sixth in the Miss America pageant that year and appeared in the March 1941 issue of National Geographic magazine.

• SOLANGE MAGNANO, the former Miss Argentina, 38, died November 29th from complications after undergoing a gluteoplasty – a cosmetic surgery on her buttocks. She died of a pulmonary embolism after three days in critical condition following the gluteoplasty, the Associated Press reported. Magnano won her crown in 1994. Close friend Roberto Piazza said the procedure involved injections and the liquid went to her lungs and brain. "A woman who had everything lost her life to have a slightly firmer behind," Piazza said.

Miss-Cellaneous Stuff

      There were certain events that may seem insignificant compared to the Prejean scandal, yet deserve special recognition for making 2009 pageantry an even more engrossing and riveting year:

• FIERCEST CATWALK : ADRIANA VASINI, who represented the state of Zulia in Miss Venezuela 2009 pageant in September, wowed the crowd during the swimsuit competition when she - in a calculated manner - dropped her wrap and picked it up with her right foot. More than a month later, Vasini went to Bolivia to compete in Reina Hispanoamericana pageant and won.

• "I SAY CONFUCIUS, YOU SAY CONFUSION... LET'S CALL THE WHOLE THING OFF!" - Miss Panama 2009 contestant GIOSUE COZZARELLI was eliminated after giving an embarrassing response to the question, "Who was Confucius?" Her response: "Confucius...was one of whom invented confusion and that's why...ehhh... One of the most ancient, he was one of the Chinese Japanese who were one of the most ancient. Thank you!" Her fans protested her elimination, claiming that it was not fair that a question related to knowledge was asked instead of a question that required one's personal opinion.

• SEX & THE SINGLE GIRL : KATE TSUI, Miss Hong Kong 2004, made headlines in February when she spoke openly and uninhibitedly about sex on a live radio program. She even went into great detail about G-spots, her preferred duration for sex, as well as favorite make out spots and other intimate sex details. That episode apparently 'incurred the wrath' of higher management at TVB and she was kept in 'cold storage' for a while until the matter finally blew over.

• HUNGRY FOR FREEDOM : On January 30th, Mexican beauty queen LAURA ZUÑIGA was released from house arrest after investigations in a drug and weapons case turned up no evidence against her. She was detained in western Mexico on Dec. 23, in a vehicle along with seven men, some of them suspected drug traffickers. She had been stripped of her title as Reina Hispanoamericana which she won in October 2008.

      In January, Iranian authorities arrested ROXANA SABERI (a former Miss South Dakota), accusing her of working illegally in the country after her press credentials were revoked. In April, the Iranian government charged Saberi with espionage and was sentenced to an eight-year prison term. To protest her conviction, Saberi went on a two-week hunger strike. On May 11, Saberi was freed from prison after the appeals court suspended her eight-year jail sentence.

• INSULTS SOUND BETTER IN FRENCH : In February, a Marseille court charged GENEVIEVE DE FONTENAY, the outgoing director of Miss France Committee, of defaming the character of LUCE AUGER Miss France 1961. Auger accused De Fontenay of calling her "salope" (bitch), "perverse" (pervert) and "méchante" (nasty) on the Swiss online journal Le Matin in its April 14, 2008 edition .

• REAL BEAUTY : Veiled Saudi beauty queen AYA ALI AL-MULLA trounced 274 rivals to win a crown, jewelry, cash and a trip to Malaysia. With her face and body covered by the black head-to-toe abaya, 18-year-old Mullah was named "Queen of Beautiful Morals" in July. There was none of the swimsuit and evening gown competitions and heavy media coverage of beauty pageants elsewhere when the contest was decided in the eastern city of Safwa. Instead, the winner and the two runner-up princesses had to undergo a three-month test of their dutifulness to their parents and family, and their service to society. This included a battery of personal, cultural, social and psychological tests.

• THE DEVIL WEARS SCHWARZ : Miss Peru's Karen Schwarz's "La Diablada" ("The Devil's Dance") costume in Miss Universe (photo) was designed by Peruvian Ricardo Dávila and was inspired by the iconic carnival in Oruro, the folklore capital of Bolivia. However, her costume triggered the wrath of Bolivians. Bolivia's Minister of Culture Pablo Groux wrote a letter of protest to Peru's National Institute of Culture, stating that "la diablada" is registered and validated in the catalog of Oruro Carnival, and accusing Schwarz of "appropriating a Bolivian cultural heritage." Dávila is quick to illustrate the differences: "Ours are lateral. Theirs are pointing to the sky. Our costume does not require a wig and the whip is not decorated. The scenes on the cape always reflect struggle against evil. Peruvian Foreign Minister José García Belaunde said: "The Highlands cultures are one. If Miss Schwarz is Peruvian, she has the right to wear the 'Diablada' dress.” (PHOTO/Livinginperu.com)

• BLACK OR WHITE : The "Homecoming Queen" at a traditionally black U.S. university sent a letter to President Barack Obama, complaining that her win had been questioned on campus because she is white. But after her letter riled students at Hampton University in Virginia, beauty pageant winner NIKOLE CHURCHILL issued a public apology, saying she had taken "the comments of a few and blew them out of all proportion." Churchill, a tall, raven-haired woman who, like Obama, grew up in Hawaii, wrote to the president after winning her university's beauty pageant in October. Although some critics are outraged by Churchill's race (she's white), most are upset she has no ties to the student body.

• BACK-TO-BACK T(WINS) : This goes beyond sibling rivalry: 23-year-old TARA and TRACY TURNURE are the only twins to be crowned back-to-back Miss Washington USA. Their accomplishment might even be a first in the United States. Tara was the reigning Miss Washington USA. She handed the crown to her twin sister Tracy. They believe this is a first in pageant history. "Never twins and never back to back," said Tracy. "I was crowned Miss Washington USA 2010. I got crowned by my twin sister Tara Turnure. It was just surreal," said the new Miss Washington USA, Tracy Turnure. Meanwhile, Venezuela became the first country to win a back-to-back victory in Miss Universe when Venezuelan beauty 18-year-old STEFANIA FERNANDEZ was crowned in the Bahamas in August.

• CUBA DEBUTS IN MISS INTERNATIONAL : The International Cultural Association (ICA), producers of Miss International Beauty Pageant, has given the license rights for Cuba to the Miss Cuba Organization. The ICA confirmed Cuba's participation which contract was signed on May 30th. “We are extremely happy to have Cuba represented at one of the most prestigious beauty pageants in the world. We only hope that other organizations like MU & MW join and allow Cuba compete at such events”. Due to the political status of the island the government does not allow beauty pageant to be held in Cuba since 1959.

by Rafa Delfin, 1/1/2010

Banner featuring Keith Olbermann, host of MSNBC's "Countdown."

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