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| 08.27.2007 | Monday
I watched the pageant in the comfort of my living room, and I made sure
about the exact time of the telecast. Last year, I missed the first fifteen minutes. Okay, let's talk about things
I didn't like. First, the very annoying and dizzying introduction segment when each girl had to gyrate and do several awkward
poses. The whole thing was just too painful to watch and I was ready to turn off my TV after Delaware, but
I decided to stay just for the heck of it. Second, the lengthy swimsuit segment where the semi-finalists
strutted to the hit song "Whine Up" by guest hip-hop artist Kat de Luna. I was tempted to call it a night
after Hawaii, but I managed to stay until the end. This segment lasted nearly ten minutes, which was longer than
the swimsuit segments of Miss USA 2007 or Miss Universe 2007. Third, it was a shock that perennial favorite
Texas did not make the cut, along with other girls who had the most beautiful faces: Oregon, South Dakota, New York,
Delaware, Lousiana and Maryland (who won the Miss Photogenic award).
And now, the thing that I liked the best: Miss South Carolina Teen Lauren Upton's "dumb blonde"
response to judge Aimee Teegarden's question, "Recent polls have shown a fifth of Americans can't locate
the U.S. on a world map. Why do you think this is?" Upton's now infamous response
has been uploaded in YouTube for the whole world to see; since it was uploaded two days ago, it has now received
over one million hits. The first part of Upton's response was not bad ("... some people out there in our
nation don't have maps...") which strongly suggests that many Americans are geographically illiterate (which is true!).
But the second part of her response appeared incoherent ("...I believe that our education like such as in South Africa,
and the Iraq everywhere, like such as, and I believe that they should, our education over here in the US, should
help the U.S. help South Africa and should help Iraq and the Asian countries so we will be able to build up our
future for our children.") Ouch. If Americans are geographically illiterate, then how does Upton expect the U.S. to
help educate people in other countries? Which brings me to question the overall educational background of young women in
America who compete in pageants. What is even disturbing is that Upton - despite her inability to speak proper English
and to think critically - placed better than West Virginia's Chelsea Welch who gave a far superior answer.
So do you think Miss South Carolina Teen is smarter than a fifth grader?
• A GOOD ADVICE : Yesterday, Miss New Jersey Amy Polumbo, spoke to incoming freshmen at Wagner College in New York's
Staten Island about the Internet photos that, though they rocketed her to national fame, didn't exactly capture her
crowning moments. "I wasn't planning to become a national icon for Internet safety," the 22-year-old pageant
queen and Wagner senior Amy Polumbo told the class of 2011. "Now I'll always be known as the girl with the
crazy college pictures." Polumbo was at the center of a big-time brouhaha in July when an anonymous blackmailer
allegedly threatened to circulate some racy pictures snagged from her now-defunct Facebook profile.
The subsequent scandal fizzled out after pageant officials allowed Polumbo to keep her crown and the
photos - "naughty, but not nudie," Wagner freshman Shane Courtney called them - turned out to be shockingly
tame for all the frenzy they'd stirred up. (Staten Island Advance, NY, 8/26/2007)
• THE NEW MISS SURINAME is Safyra Duurham who was crowned Saturday at the Anthony Nesty Sportal in Paramaribo.
Duurham is the first Miss Suriname to be crowned since 1999. She will represent her country in Miss World 2007 and Miss Earth 2007. Info courtesy
of Syed Yasir Kamal.
• RETURN TO PLAYBOY : Ex-Miss Universe Alicia Machado will pose nude again for Playboy, -
this time for the October issue of the U.S. edition. She will be photographed by David Eisenberg.
Machado appeared in February 2006 edition of Playboy México, and in an edited Venezuelan version the following
month. Both editions sold over two hundred and sixty thousand copies. (El Deber, Santa Cruz de la Sierra,
8/25/2007)
• IN MEMORIAM : Elaine Lopes, who was Miss Paraná 2003 and semifinalist in Miss Brazil 2003, was
tragically killed in a car crash on August 21st. Lopes was returning to her city Umuarama from the airport where
she had dropped off her husband Jeremias Júnior da Silva. She lost control of her car which smashed
a concrete wall, killing her instantly. She was 24. (Yahoo News Brazil, 8/22/2007) See pics of Elaine in this
site.
• BEAUTY IN BENIN : The first edition of Miss Francophonie, the beauty contest of French-speaking
countries round the world, will be held on December 15th in Cotonou, according to the pageant organizers.
This contest aims at enhancing the status of French-speaking women through fashion and beauty.
According to the chair of the organizing committee, Patrick Rocca, the elected Miss would be
the most beautiful women in all French-speaking countries in the world. “Several international beauty pageants
do not really deal with beauty and elegance issues the most gorgeous French-speaking women are confronted with,”
Rocca deplored. The Miss Francophonie beauty pageant is more than an international contest and a entertainment
event, the chair of the organizing committee added. She emphasised that it would also be an appropriate framework
for concerted action and a suitable forum for the free expression of French-speaking women.
(Afrique en ligne, France, 8/24/2007)
• SIN SINALOA : For the first time in 55 years, the state of Sinaloa will not have a representative
in this year's Nuestra Belleza Mexico pageant. The reason: because the national committee has imposed
strict demands on the candidates. José Luis Madrid, manager of Grupo Pacífico (in charge of
television quality control), commented that the quality of participants selected during a casting in Mazatlán did not
satisfy Lupita Jones the director of the national pageant. Jones proposed that a representative
be handpicked because time is running out, but Madrid and his group denied the proposal, stating that
it would not be credible. When Madrid suggested that Lupita's committee handpick the candidate, Lupita replied, "No,
we will not do it."
Madrid said that a state pageant would have been better because it
would have satisfied the sponsors and that it would have brought his group enough profit to finance
the candidate's expenses as well as to provision the crown, sash and airline ticket. Madrid stated that
Lupita's group was looking for "model" types, and rejected any girl who had big hips or other physical imperfections.
Blondes are ruled out because they do not represent the traditional Mexican woman. Madrid also commented that
many pageant fans would make noise if they learned that Sinaloa is not represented; Sinaloa has been called
the "Venezuela of Mexico" due to its impeccable winning record. Rosalba Jazmín Luna, NBM 2003, and
the current NBM Rosa María Ojeda come from Sinaloa. (El Siglo de Torreón, México, 8/23/2007)
• PROSTITUTION RING : I stumbled upon a troubling news article as I was cruising the Internet for pageant-related
stories. It's over a week old, but it's still worth mentioning. It was reported that Lebanese-born Elie Nahas, the owner
of a modeling agency, was arrested by the French police for running a high-class prostitution ring that
used former models and beauty pageant contestants. Read more.
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, September 3, 2007
Photo credit: Miss Universe Organization
| 08.20.2007 | Monday
• NO OFFICIAL PRESENTATION : The twenty-eight delegates for this year's Miss Venezuela have already been
chosen and each has been assigned a specific state to represent. However, MVO director Osmel Sousa
has decided not to launch an official presentation of the candidates to the press. Instead, an elite
group of media members will have the privilege to scrutinize the delegates and ask them questions. It has been
suggested that the reason the general press is not invited is due to the media attacks against Venevisión
which demonstrated hardly any solidarity with Radio Caracas Televisión when the latter was shut down by
the Chavez government a few months ago. Sousa fears that the general press might ask the delegates questions
regarding the closing down of the radio station - which remains a delicate subject in the country. Meanwhile,
Maite Delgado, the perennial hostess of the pageant, is in New York for a fitting session with renowned
Venezuelan designer Angel Sánchez. It is reported that Delgado will be wearing five different gowns
during the show, with the total cost of $75,000. Visit the official Miss Venezuela site to get a glimpse of the candidates.
(Nueva Prensa de Guayana, Venezuela, 8/18/2007; El Aragueño, Maracay, 8/17/2007)
• WHAT'S NEXT FOR ZULI : Now that her reign is nearly three months over, ex-Miss Universe Zuleyka Rivera has become
busier than ever. She signed a one-year contract with Chrysler for the launching of the car company's most recent
model. She just returned from Argentina where she had a photoshoot on the glaciers of Patagonia for the Mexican shoe
company, Andrea - which makes her the first non-Mexican model to promote the company. On August 21st, she will travel to Mexico
to participate in Oye Awards on Televisa network. In September, she returns to New York in start her acting classes at the
New York Film Academy where she be until next May. And most significantly, Swarovski - the company that manufactures crystal
jewelry - hired Zuleyka to be their first ever spokesperson. (La Prensa, Honduras, 8/17/2007)
• FALLEN AGENT : Dalbert Rosado, the owner of the Puerto Rico-based modeling agency, Amnezzia International, died last Tuesday
from cardiac arrest at the Presbyterian Hospital in Condado. Rosado was admitted at the hospital due to water retention
problem in his body and he was scheduled for an operation, which never took place. Rosado was highly instrumental in launching the modeling career of high-caliber locals that included ex-Miss
Universe Zuleyka Rivera, the 2006 Manhunt International winner Augusto Mayol, and the current Miss Puerto Rico
Universe Uma Blasini. He was 40 years-old. (El Vocero, San Juan, 8/18/2007)
• YET ANOTHER NEW HOME : "Dignity" wasn't what came to mind with the announcement this week that Miss America has
signed a deal with the TLC network and will incorporate its contestants into a reality show. To be blunt, this
sounds desperate. As recently as 1994, Miss America had 26 million viewers. Ten years later, that had
fallen to 9.8 million, and ABC dumped the pageant. Country Music Television (CMT) picked it up and moved it to Las Vegas. After only 2.4 million
viewers watched in January, CMT terminated its seven-year option. The Learning Channel (TLC) will keep the Miss
America Pageant in Vegas next January, but will precede it by following the 52 contestants through the
preparatory stages. This isn't a new idea. Other pageants have kept things lively by dumping buckets of
slimy water bugs on their contestants. But even if TLC stops short of that Kodak moment, it still shoves Miss
America toward becoming one more tedious reality show where 95% of the audience is only there in hopes
something really ugly will happen. It would be wonderful if the Miss America scholarship program could
stay alive, but it might be time to consider pulling the plug on the pageant while the memories are
good. (Detroit Free Press, Michigan, 8/19/2007)
• AMERICAN BEAUTY : Latina actress, singer and former Miss Venezuela, Maria Conchita Alonso,
became a U.S. citizen in special ceremonies held last Saturday at the Beverly Hills home of philanthropist, Arthur Kasse,
She was sworn in by Judge Harry Pregerson of the US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Born in Cuba and raised in
Venezuela, Alonso will travel to the Dominican Republic this week to shoot a movie about the politics in
Venezuela. (AP, 8/18/2007; El Nuevo Dia, San Juan 8/17/2007)
• BEWARE : Mark Ancheta, the organizer of the revived Miss Young International pageant, is at it again.
It wasn't enough that he staged a poorly produced pageant in Manila last year with only ten contestants and
used different aliases to con gullible national directors into sending delegates. This time, he managed to
con Taiwanese officials to hold the second year of his pageant to be held in Taipei from October 7th to 28th.
This information was forwarded to me by a national director who had received an invitation to send a
delegate to the pageant, but after doing thorough research, this director discovered that Ancheta and his
company are allies with John Singh, the most evil man in the pageant world. Last year's Miss Bikini World (MBW)
pageant was held in Taiwan. Singh owns the MBW trademark, but I imagine that in order to save face and to maintain the title of the
pageant, he might have "sold" the copyright to Ancheta's group who eventually produced the MBW 2006 pageant which was won
by Hungary's Anita Horvath. My impression - that the reason the Taiwanese got suckered in by
Ancheta into hosting Miss Young International - is because Taiwan is desperately imitating China into
establishing itself as a major international pageant venue.
I remember, last year's Miss Young International website looked
professional and decent. But what happened now? Take a look at the current site.
It screams "cheap" and "tacky."
• WHO WILL SUCCEED KATIE BLAIR? Miss Teen USA Katie Blair's reign will soon end. If you haven't had the chance
to pick your faves for this year's Miss Teen USA title, check out the bios and pics of the contestants at the official
site. Blair's successor will be crowned during a live telecast from Pasadena on NBC this Friday, August 24th.
My top ten faves are the teen beauties from Illinois, Colorado, Kansas, South Carolina, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina,
Massachusetts and Oregon (luv her name - Whitney Whitehouse!)
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, August 27, 2007
Photo credit: Le Matin Online
| 08.13.2007 | Monday
Last Saturday, hundreds protested in Bandung, West Java, where various extremist
Islamic groups are operative and often promote openly anti-Christian campaigns. Among those taking part in the
anti Miss Universe protest: the Islamic Youth Movement (GPI), the Bandung Adultery Watchdog (BMW), and the
Indonesian Muslim Student’s Movement Unity (KAMMI). Under the name of the Alliance of Anti Porno-Action and Pornography,
these protesting groups claimed that the beauty pageant’s presence in Bandung “is totally against the spirit of
the capital which put moral values as the main and basic way of life in this provincial capital.” Asep Syarifudin,
the BMW Chief, “Warmly welcoming her that means that Bandung has legitimately accepted the practices of
adultery and pornography”. As in other demonstrations “against events which violate Sharia”, before taking
to the streets the protesters gathered at the Al Ukhuwah Great Mosque.
The protest is not an isolated event and once again underlines attempts to introduce Islamic Law into
the world’s most populous Muslim nation. In Indonesia the Islamic rooted Prosperous Justice (PKS) continues to
support a controversial anti-pornography bill, which sanctions as illegal all acts considered “sexually provocative”.
For their part, the religious and ethnic minorities as well as moderate Muslims warn: this proposed
law is the first step towards the creation of an Islamic State along Saudi lines and totally opposes the
Constitution which defines Indonesia as a secular state, as does a long tradition of tolerance and pluralism
in society. According to Lily Zarkiyah Miner, a Muslim intellectual, attempts are a foot to conform Islam
and identify it with the Arab world. (Spero News, 8/12/2007)
• A DUBIOUS VOTE? The winner of Miss Bolivia International 2007, Angélica Olavarría, may lose her crown if she
does not retract her statement that suggested that the Miss Bolivia results had been manipulated purposely for her
to lose the national crown, which was won by Katherine David. In their defense, Promociones Gloria, the owners
of the pageant, lamented Olavarría's statement, accusing her of disparaging the company with unsubstantiated
remarks as well as challenging the decision of the judges and the public who enthusiastically welcomed the results.
Willy Kenning, a photographer who was part of the jury, was surprised by the young woman's accusation:
"I don't know what she is talking about. The votes were never manipulated. I have never received any kind of
pressure or suggestion from anyone. The voting system was totally free and democratic. If Katherine David won, it's because
she earned the most number of points." Promociones Gloria threatens to dethrone Olavarría if she continues to
neglect her obligations. She has already failed to show up for a TV interview. (El Deber, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, 8/12/2007)
• MISREAD : Last week, the new Nuestra Belleza Chihuahua, Priscila Trejo, was crowned. But she was
not the one for whom the judges voted. Apparently, the host Juan José Ulloa misread the order of names; instead of
announcing the real winner, Georgina Holguín, Ulloa mistakenly declared Trejo as the winner. Trejo had
already been crowned when the organizers approached Ulloa and told him about his error. Ulloa admitted his mistake
and apologized to everyone. To remedy the situation, Adriana César, the regional representative of the
pageant, decided to make a formal invitation to Trejo to represent Chihuahua - along with Holguín - to the national
pageant. (El Siglo de Torreón, México, 8/11/2007)
• MAYAN QUEEN : Maria Jeffery, who represented Belize in this year's Miss Universe, won the crown of
Reina de la Costa Maya 2007 which was held during the Costa Maya Festival last Thursday in Belize. Jeffery's
court includes first runner-up Isis Barrera of Mexico and second runner-up Daila Lacayo of Nicaragua.
Six women participated in the pageant. The other three came from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.
(The Reporter Belize, Belize, 8/11/2007)
• ONE GOOD EAR : She's had it since she was 2. She's been teased and bullied about it. And she's kept it under
wraps for almost all her life. But Miss England World, Georgia Horsley, 20, has finally spoken out
about her disability. Her secret: She is completely deaf in one ear. It hasn't, however, stopped her from having an
ordinary life - or an extraordinary one. She had won a few regional pageants in England previously and was among
the top 12 of the Miss England pageant in 2005. The model from the North Yorkshire city of York and a former Miss York
has been completely deaf in her right ear since she was rushed to hospital at age 2 with suspected meningitis,
reported UK news website The Press recently.
After years of keeping it a secret, she finally decided to speak out about it
after an embarrassing moment during the Miss England finals in late June. She said: "Everyone was cheering and
clapping when the winner was announced. "But the speaker was on my right side, where I'm totally deaf, so I only
heard a muffled sound. I had no idea who'd won and just stood there,' she told website Rex Features. She recalled:
"Everybody was clapping, including myself, but nobody moved." She reportedly found out she had won only when someone
beside her tapped her shoulder and said: "It's you, silly, you've won." She added: "I have decided I want people to know,
because I don't want people to think I'm being rude if I don't answer them." (The Electric New Paper, Singapore,
8/13/2007)
• BETTER LATE THAN NEVER : A Mexican tourism official issued an apology for the jeers aimed at Miss USA in May during
an international beauty contest in Mexico City. Rachel Smith, the U.S. entrant into the Miss Universe competition,
was booed by some of the audience after she slipped and fell during an evening-gown competition. Her fall and the
audience reaction briefly attracted international attention. Gabriel Szekely, chief of staff for Mexico's tourism department,
wrote in a letter that he regretted the "unfortunate events" of the pageant. "We understand the concern of the people
of the United States about the incorrect behavior of a small group that attended the event," Szekely wrote.
"We apologize for the inconvenience, and be sure that Miss Rachel Smith will always be welcome in Mexico."
(Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8/9/2007)
• NO TO PINK : Former Miss Universe Jennifer Hawkins has turned down a role in the "Pink Panther" sequel because
she is busy with work back home in Australia. The sassy model says she did not think she could spend an extended period
in America to shoot for the movie, contactmusic.com reported. Hawkins says: "I would have had to go to the U.S.
from August until November and I'm booked up with work in Oz... next time. It kind of upset me a little though...
Acting is something I'm interested in and I am looking into it." (Yahoo India News, 8/7/2007)
• ELIMINATED AND ANGRY : Karglis Venegas, 22, one of the representatives from Zulia in Miss Venezuela 2007,
was eliminated from the competition less than a week ago. Venegas stated that after she had been training for over
a month, she was selected to be part of the 28 candidates, but after recovering from her illness and gaining two pounds.
She also accused the Miss Venezuela pageant as being deceitful: "It's not what they portray it to be. Those girls who
make the cut come from wealthy families. I have a humble background; I even sold my car so I could move to Caracas during
the pageant, since the organization does not cover any of my expenses. They only provide the gym for the workouts."
Her thoughts on Osmel: "Osmel is a disgrace. When he found out that I had
gained weight, he scolded me in front of everyone, saying that he didn't care if I was sick. What he did to me
was not right. The good thing is that I realized that not everything in life is rosy and the least of all is this
frivolous pageant." She also accuses the organization of hypocrisy: "It's a lie that this year there will not
be any surgery. During the rehearsals, only half of the girls was present because the other half were either
at the surgeon's office or recovering from their surgeries." (Panorama, Maracaibo, 8/12/2007)
• A RATTY PAGEANT : "The town of Zaragosa in Nueva Ecija is organizing a popularity contest based not on beauty or money,
but on the largest number of rat tails collected within the locality." Read more.
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, August 20, 2007
Photo credits: Miss Universe Organization, El Aragueño
| 08.06.2007 | Monday
• NEW QUEENS : The new Miss Thailand World is Kanokkorn Jaichue, a 21-year-old student of Commnication Art,
who was crowned at Bangkok Convention Centre last weekend. The new Puteri Indonesia is Putri Raemawasti, 21,
from Java Timur. She was crowned by the current Miss Universe Riyo Mori. The new Miss Earth USA is Lisa Forbes, a 25-year-old
pageant veteran from Kansas who was crowned in Portland, Oregon last Thursday.
• LOSING HER CROWN? Nino Likoutchova, 18, who was recently crowned as Miss Georgia 2007, risks losing her
crown because she had lied about her marital status, according to the TV network Roustavi-2.
Likoutchova was married two years ago to a man whom she claims had abducted her and married her by force.
The couple had been separated. The man in question - who was interrogated by reporters - said that the
marriage only last four days. The court did not believe Likoutchova's story and sentenced her to two years
in prison with probation. If the TV network's assertions are true, Likoutchova will not be able to
leave the country until the end of her sentence, and she could lose her beauty title. (RIA Novosti, Russia, 8/3/2007)
• MTQI IN VIETNAM? If their desire turns into reality, this will be the first time Vietnam will host one of the
largest scale beauty contests in the world that include Miss World, Miss Earth and Miss Universe.
Charlie See, who initiated the idea of Miss Tourism Queen International in 1949, said he wanted to
make it possible for Vietnam to host Miss Tourism Queen 2008 in order to introduce the country’s sceneries,
landscapes and development to the world. Miss Tourism Queen International 2007 has recently ended in
Zhengzhou, China with the crown going to Russian beauty Olga Zarubina. Vietnamese candidate
Trieu Nguyen Thu Trang didn’t receive any title though she continuously led in the online poll
during the first days of the contest. (VietNamNet Bridge, Vietnam, 03.08.07)
• BAD IMPRESSION : Guatemala's representative to MTQI 2007, Yasmina Pacay, criticized the pageant
for being badly organized and for failing to provide translators for Spanish-speaking candidates. She exclaimed
[my translation in English]: "It was supposed to be a tourism event and we came for intercultural exchanges. It's a pity that they took us to tourist spots
and everything was in English. What am I going to learn?" The 21-year-old beauty lambasted the lack of
organization and the excessive amount of activities; she said that the contestants averaged three or four hours
of sleep. She was also disappointed by the organizers' last-minute decision to elect ten semi-finalists instead
of twenty. Several of the contestants suffered heatstrokes, stress and diet-related illnesses. (Terra,
Spain, 8/1/2007)
• MADE IN MANILA : Lucas Gil, the current Mr. Brazil World and first runner-up in Mr. World 2007,
is in Manila completing a three-month modeling assignment, according to his national director Henrique Fontes.
Gil has signed up with Mercator Modeling Management, created by well-known beauty expert Jonas Gaffud.
The agency boasts of past Binibini titleholders. See how many of them do you recognize.
• BEAUTY ACCORDING TO SUSH: Miss Universe 1994 and now actress Sushmita Sen may not have too many films on hand but
she has been busy promoting beauty products. The actress is excited about her next film "Ram Gopal Verma ki aag" in
which she plays Durga, the Hindu goddesss that kills demons. To be in bliss, to be happy, to be content that's what
Sush wants. Sushwas indeed in a state of bliss as she doled out beauty tips at the promotion of an anti-aging
cream in New Delhi on Saturday afternoon. The actress, who has been maintaining a low profile since her
last film, has been busy endorsing beauty products. And she does have a tip or two on being the perfect brand ambassador.
"Do not become the brand," said Sushmita. The 31-year-old actress who believes
in living life on her own terms seems to have become philosophical lately. "I no longer get excited. I
just want to be known as Sush," she said. Hopefully the philosophy will help her in her new role. (NDTVMovies.com, 8/5/2007)
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, August 13, 2007
Photo credit: The Philippine Star
JULY 2007
• THE NEW MISS TEEN USA is Hilary Carol Cruz,, left, 18, of Louisville, Colorado who was crowned Friday night
at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California. She is the first Colorado representative to win the
title. Her court includes first runner-up Alyssa Campanella of New Jersey, second runner-up Kaitlyn Coble
of North Carolina, third runner-up Lauren Upton of South Carolina and fourth runner-up Chelsea Welch
of West Virginia. Cruz graduated in 2007 from highschool and wants to major in entertainment journalism; she
had planned to attend college but her pageant title has changed all that.
• FRIENDS OF ANIMALS : Swiss beauty queens joined forces to combat the growing problem of pet overpopulation in Switzerland.
Emilie Boiron (Miss Suisse Romande 2002), Céline Nusbaumer (Miss Suisse Romande 2004), and Lauriane Gilliéron
(Miss Switzerland 2005), opened their pocketbooks and donated to a program that will provide free sterilizations for
cats and dogs. The program was created by Tomi Tomek of SOS Chats and is supported by several ex-beauty queens
from the French-speaking canton of Switzerland. Boiron shared how her grandparents used to adopt stray cats and dogs
that had been collected off the streets by the local animal shelter. Boiron stated, "The goal can be achieved if we succeed
to raise public awareness. Each of these animals has the right to live, without fearing the danger of reproduction."
Photo: Emilie Boiron with her dogs, Reglisse and Tiger. (Le Matin Online, 8/18/2007)
• SLAMMED BY ISLAMISTS : Islamic extremists have protested against the presence of Miss Universe 2007 in Bandung, judged to be
“a symbol of the world’s adultery and pornography”. Frightened by these threats the Japanese native Miss Universe
Riyo Mori, left, cancelled a charity evening which was to have taken place last Saturday. Organizer of the fund raising,
Azfauri Aziz, made the announcement stating that the young woman suffered “psychological stress, following
a strong protest and decided to remain in her hotel” where the event was to have taken place. (Jakarta Post,
Jakarta, Indonesia, 8/12/2007)
• MASTER-BATION: Mister Venezuela 2004 Francisco León, left, admitted that he had done a porn video using a webcam
in which he is shown masturbating himself in front of the camera. The video lasts about fourteen minutes and shows
León taking off his Dolce & Gabbana underwear and exciting himself. A second video also exists and lasts about
eighteen minutes; it shows León sporting a short hair while he masturbates and laughs with his chat partner, while
at the same time typing on his keyboard. Neither video shows León having an orgasm. León claims that he did the
second video two years ago when he was having a long distance relationship with someone (the sex of this person is
vague). He says he does not regret what he had done. "Obviously, a lot of people would want to benefit from
that, starting with the person who had the video and who demanded extortion money from me in exchange for not
releasing the video to the public." (El Aragueño, Maracay, 8/10/2007)
• GIVING UP : Zephora Aldana Mayon, left, the reigning Mutya ng Pilipinas Asia-Pacific, is giving up her
crown, according to a letter dated July 19, 2007 that she and her mother had sent to Roberto de Venecia,
president of the Mutya ng Pilipinas, Inc. Mother and daughter said that the terms of her contract with
Mutya were not clear to them, and that she was very exhausted with what has been happening after
she won the title almost a month ago at grand finals held at the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA),
main sponsor of the contest. Thanking the Mutya people for all the support given her, Zephora complained
that the Mutya people have been trying to turn her into a princess even if she doesn’t feel like
one and that she doesn’t understand why they wanted to change her when her own being was the factor
that made her win. (The Philippine Star, August 2, 2007) Yeah, whatever girlfriend! If you can't handle the pressure of winning, then you
should have not competed in the first place.