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| 08.25.08 | Monday
Ten special awards were distributed during the event. Nicholas Ferrara
(Mister Photogenic), Marcus Boutte (Best Personal Style, Most Handsome Face). Markus Ricci (Best in Swimwear, HJ Blog
Mister Internet), Ivan Rusilko (Best Physique, Best Smile), Gbadebo Williams (Best in Evening Wear) and
Shafik Bahou (Critical Beauty Spirit Award). The event was presented by Critical Beauty, one of
the world's leading pageant firms based in Boston.
As the producer of the event, I was very happy with the results. I would like
to thank the entire CB crew for a phenomenal job in assisting with the event! My Mister USA blog should be updated
in a few days, so stay tuned!
• MISS WORLD IN AFRICA : Miss World Organization chairperson Julia Morley sent a communiqué to all national
directors stating that this year's Miss World pageant will be held on December 12th at Sandton Convention Centre in
Johannesburg, South Africa. The statement disproves an earlier notion that the pageant would be held in Dubai. Last
year, MWO had announced that the 2008 pageant would take place in the Ukraine; however, the Ukrainian sponsors
withdrew their support two months before the original schedule in October. (Source: www.missworld.tv)
• LUPITA'S VAGINA : No, Lupita Jones, director of Nuestra Belleza Mexico, is not having a sex-change operation.
She is auditioning for a Mexican production of the hit off-Broadway play, "The Vagina Monologues." Lupita will be one
of thirty actresses who will take turns in reciting dialogues. The Mexican version of the play has been running
for over five thousand times. A generous share of the proceeds will be donated to a battered women's shelter. Lupita
said, "I was invited and I have been rehearsing the dialogues with director Jaime Matarredona. This week I had my
first rehearsal and I will play woman number one. I respect the work of actors very much, and I cannot say that I will
act, but I will communicate what other women have said. And yes, it is the first time that I performing in a
theater." (El Siglo de Torreón, México, 8/24/2008)
• HOLY BEAUTIES : An Italian priest and theologian is organizing an online beauty pageant for nuns to give
them more visibility within the Catholic Church and to fight the stereotype that they are all old and dour.
The "Miss Sister 2008" contest will start in September on a blog run by the Reverend Antonio Rungi and will give nuns
from around the world a chance to showcase their work and their image. "Nuns are a bit excluded, they are a bit
marginalised in ecclesiastical life," Rungi said after Italian media carried reports of the idea. "This will be
an occasion to make their contribution more visible."
Rungi, a theologian and schoolteacher from the Naples area, said that
visitors to his site will have a month to "vote for the nun they consider a model". Nuns will fill out a profile
including information about their life and vocation as well as a photograph. It will be up to them to choose whether
to pose with the traditional veil or with their heads uncovered.
"We are not going to parade nuns in bathing suits," Rungi said from his town of
Mondragone. "But being ugly is not a requirement for becoming a nun. External beauty is gift from God, and we mustn't
hide it." Rungi said the idea was first suggested to him by nuns with whom he regularly prays and works. He hopes
there will be dozens of submissions once the website is started.
The contest drew criticism from the association of Catholic teachers.
"It's an initiative that belittles the role of nuns who have dedicated themselves to God," the group's president
Alberto Giannino said. (Associated Press, 8.24.2008)
• "ILLEGAL" BEAUTY : A 20-year-old Senegalese woman who was participating in a beauty contest in Italy was arrested
when it was discovered that she had been living in the country illegally. The woman, named Beatrice Ndyae, did
not have legal documents. She was carrying a false identity card and an order for expulsion. Ndyae was hoping to
compete in the semifinals of Miss Muretto 2008 after having won the title of Miss Optex in Pontebba (Udine) in
early August, and the title of Miss Biopoin in Lignano (Udine) last August 14th. (Ansa Latina, 8/23/2008)
• STRIPPED OF HER BADGE : A police officer who sued Chula Vista over her participation in a beauty pageant was reported
Thursday to have been placed on leave pending the outcome of a probe stemming from allegations that she stole a $17,000
engagement ring from her former fiance. Officer Deanna Michelle Mory, 24, was stripped of her badge and gun and placed
on paid administrative leave Friday, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported. Mory's ex-fiance, Brian Callahan, an Army officer
currently serving in Iraq, filed a theft complaint with the District Attorney's Office, which decided the case belonged
in a civil court rather than a criminal one, according to the newspaper.
Chula Vista police Capt. Gary Wedge confirmed that Mory was placed on paid administrative
leave but declined to comment further, the Union-Tribune reported. Mory, who also declined to comment on the current allegations,
sued the city in 2006 over her participation in a beauty pageant. Mory alleged that she was unfairly pressured by department
officials to drop out of the Ms. United States Pageant and give up the Ms. California title that qualified her for the
national pageant. The lawsuit has yet to be settled, according to the Union-Tribune. (City Wire, 8/23/2008)
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, September 1, 2008.
Photo credit: Critical Beauty
| 08.11.08 | Monday
• THE NEW MISS WORLD MALAYSIA is Soo Wincci, a 23-year-old law gradiate from Selangor who was crowned Saturday in Kuala Lumpur. The first runner-up is
Cindy Chen, 24, and the second runner-up is Sheeren Kaur, 20. The Miss World Malaysia pageant this
year marked the 50th anniversary of Miss World Malaysia. (The Star, Malaysia, 8/8/2008)
• DAYANA THE DECORATOR : Miss Universe Dayana Mendoza has moved in to her New York City apartment that she
shares with Miss USA Crystle Stewart and soon with the new Miss Teen USA (who will be crowned Aug. 16th). Since
once of Dayana's passions is interior decorating, she asked permission to redecorate the apartment and said that
she wants to study interior decoration. She also seems to be enjoying every moment as a beauty queen: "A model sells
the brand of the clothing she's wearing, but a beauty queen has the opportunity to meet people, to interact with them
and to show her personality. I felt that's exactly what I needed." She said that the best beauty advice she has
ever received is "to drink lots of water, go to the gym and to eat healthy." (El Nuevo Dia, Santa Cruz de la Sierra,
8/8/2008)
• BIG EGO : Nobody. Not the hairstylists, the trainers, the instructors, not even the make-up artists want to work
with Hannelys Quintero, Venezuela's representative to Miss World to be held in the Ukraine in October. It is
reported that Quintero's ego has become so inflated (perhaps due to nervousness) that she thinks she could take it all
without anyone's help! Now, a new rumour is circulating that Quintero may be sent to Miss International 2008
instead, and that Dayana Colmenares will take her place in Miss World. (El Universal, Caracas, 8/8/2008;
El Aragueño, 8/8/2008)
• CUTTING TIES : Kim Ju-yeon, the second runner-up in the 2007 Miss Korea beauty pageant who is at the
center of an abortion scandal involving Pohang Steelers football player Hwang Jae-won, has been stripped
of her status. Kim at a recent a press conference revealed text messages from Hwang, her former boyfriend,
claiming they were evidence Hwang had persuaded her to terminate her pregnancy. Kim’s profile has been removed
from the homepage of the Miss Korea pageant, and she did not show up at the 2008 Miss Korea contest on
Wednesday, which is traditionally attended by the previous year’s placed beauties. The Hankook Ilbo, which hosts
the event, said it decided not to pursue lawsuit for damages caused by the scandal on condition that
Kim relinquishes her connection with the Miss Korea pageant. “While we sympathize with her predicament,
as a host we had other things to consider as the interests of various parties were involved,” it added.
Meanwhile, Kim posted a hopeful message and pictures of her smiling and receiving encouragement from her
fans on the Internet. (Chosun Ilbo, Seoul, 8/8/2008)
• NO SWEAT : Miss Great Britain 2006 Danielle Lloyd, who made headlines in January 2007 when she and two
other female housemates in the reality show "Big Brother UK" made racist remarks towards their fellow house mate,
Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty, revealed that she had paid up to $2,000 per session to have botox applied
in her armpits to prevent her from sweating profusely. "I had botox injection to stop sweating too much. I don't
like to greet people with sweat stains under my arms and be photographed in that situation by the paparazzi."
(InfoBae, Argentina, 8/8/2008)
McKinney was a North Carolina-born beauty queen who moved west, and as
"Joy McKinney" won the title Miss World-Wyoming USA in 1972. She then represented the state in the national
Miss World-U.S.A. pageant in 1973. No evidence has been found to determine whether she ever lived in Wyoming,
and it's possible the Wyoming branch of the "Miss World-U.S.A" organization may have found her in
another state to participate in the 1972 and 1973 pageants. After competing in beauty pageants, McKinney converted to Mormonism
and went on to college at Brigham Young University, where she became obsessed with a Mormon fellow student.
(Casper Star-Tribune Online, WY, 8/8/2008).
Now I understand why Mormon missionaries now travel in pairs! LOL!
You can see photos of McKinney (then and now) - and of the Mormon missionary she kidnapped - in this site.
• MY BIG APPLE TRIP : Meeting old and new faces.
• NOTICE : Héctor Joaquín's new URL is www.hectorjoaquin.com
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, August 18, 2008.
Photo credits: Miss World Germany, Associated Press
| 08.07.08 | Thursday
• SHE'S SAFE : Miss Universe 2008 Dayana Mendoza will retain her crown despite a host of nearly topless modeling photos of
the pageant queen that surfaced this week. “Dayana Mendoza is not in jeopardy of losing the title of Miss Universe,”
Paula M. Shugart, President of the Miss Universe organization told Access Hollywood in an exclusive statement.
In fact, the Miss Universe president said that Mendoza’s photographs had artistic merit. “We embrace and respect her success
as a model and the artistic beauty captured in these photographs,” the statement concluded. The photos in question show Mendoza
topless with her arms covering most of chest. This is not the first time scandal has rocked the Donald Trump-owned pageant
world. In December 2006, Miss USA Tara Conner caused a stir in the pageant world after she entered rehab for drug and alcohol use.
Trump allowed her to keep the crown after receiving treatment. (MSNBC, 8/6/2008)
• AND SHE MAY NOT BE : Miss Vietnam 2006 Mai Phuong Thuy has revealed she will display nearly 100 photos of herself posing
nude “in keeping with Vietnamese culture and tradition” but is discreet regarding to what extent her nudity goes.
The nudity captured is “very Vietnamese and nothing extreme”, the 20-year-old beauty who entered the top 16 at Miss World Pageant 2006 said.
“This is not totally nude... just artistic photography." Thuy, the tallest Miss Viet Nam so far at 1.79m, said she has already
finished some of the photos taken by photographers Tran Huy Hoan and Le Thanh Hai, featuring herself in various positions inside
the studio and outdoor. However, she declined to reveal the exhibition’s exact date.
“Everyone has their own opinion [on aesthetics]…I chose for myself a way to express the
sensuousness typical of Viet Nam (sic)”. “If sexy is within accepted boundaries and has beautiful values, why not?”, she added.
She said she has already had her targeted audience in mind for this nude collection but prefers to keep it a secret.
It is not clear whether the nude exhibition in question has been approved by any state agency or not. Late last year, Viet Nam
published for the first time a nude photo book entitled “Xuan thi” (Spring Time), a collection of 71 nude photos by Thai Phien
following heated debates by authorities. But in the Southeast Asian country where Confucianism still holds sway, nude
photography continues to be frowned upon. (Source: VNE/SGGP) VietNamNet Bridge, Vietnam, 8/5/2008)
• INCREASE : Nha Trang city of Khanh Hoa province has received nearly one million of tourists, a 29% increase as compared to
the same period of last year. The number of international tourists also sees an increase of 12%. Travel agencies in the city
have upgraded their facilities and opened more tours to attract more tourists. The coastal city of Nha Trang is well known
for its pristine beaches. Nha Trang Bay is amongst the world's most beautiful bays. Nha Trang was the site of the Miss
Universe 2008 Pageant that was held on July 14, 2008. (Nhan Dan, Vietnam, 8/6/2008)
• KOREAN BELLES : Ree Na, a 22-year-student from Seoul, was crowned as the new Miss Korea. She will compete in 2009
Miss Universe. The first runner-up is Bo-in Choi of Seoul who will go to Miss World. The second runner-up is
Min-jeong Kim of Daegoo who will compete in Miss International 2008. The third runner-up is Seol-hee Seo of
Kyoungbook who will compete in Miss Earth 2008. Beautiful women from 12 local cities and overseas metropolises such as New York,
Los Angeles and San Francisco, and even Hawaii entered the contest. Thanks to All That Beauty for this information. Visit the official Miss Korea site
for photos from the coronation.
• SCRAPPED : A contest to choose the next "Miss Nepal" slated for Thursday was cancelled after Maoist female lawmakers
denounced the beauty pageant. The former rebels emerged as the single largest party in the country's newly elected assembly and are
poised to form the next government. "We won't let the event take place. We don't need such a thing in the new federal democratic
republic of Nepal where women are treated as objects of entertainment," Maoist lawmaker Amrita Thapa told AFP Wednesday.
She said the Maoists would not allow an "anti-women" event inspired by "capitalist" elements.
"Such contests send the wrong message to society as they emphasise physical beauty rather
than intellectual ability," said another female Maoist leader. Girendra Man Rajbanshi, the contest organiser, said:
"We had to cancel our programme at the last minute." He said they would try to change the activists' minds and stage the contest later.
The winner of the pageant gets the chance to represent Nepal at the annual Miss World contest, the organizer said. (AFP, 8/6/2008)
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, August 11, 2008.
Photo credit: Korea Times
JULY 2008
• THE NEW MISTER USA is Ivan Rusilko, photo, a 24-year-old professional model from Meadville, Pennsylvania,
who was crowned as the new Mister USA during a gala event at the Lenox Hotel ballroom in Boston. Rusilko won
over $20,000 in cash and prizes and will also represent the United States in the Mister International 2008
pageant in the Republic of China (Taiwan) in November. Rusilko's court includes first runner-up Markus Ricci,
24, of Wayland, Massachusetts; second runner-up Calisto Harvalias of Whitsett, North Carolina; third runner-up
Gbadebo Williams, 23, of New York City, New York; and fourth runner-up Shafik Bahou, 21, of
Nashua, New Hampshire. The contestants competed in three categories: interview, swimwear and evening wear. 
• THE NEW MISS GERMANY WORLD is 21-year-old medical student Anne Katrin Walter, photo, who was crowned Saturday night in Erfurt.
The first runner-up is Josephine Büttner, 23, of Thüringen and the second runner-up is Linda Leiste, 18, of
Brandenburg. 
• DOG CLONER AN EX-BEAUTY QUEEN : A woman who made news around the world when she had five pups cloned
from her beloved pit bull Booger looked very familiar to some who saw her picture: She is the same woman
who 31 years earlier was accused of abducting a Mormon missionary in England, handcuffing him to a bed
and making him her sex slave. Dog lover Bernann McKinney acknowledged in a telephone call to The Associated Press
on Saturday that she is indeed Joyce McKinney, photo, who in 1977 became a British tabloid sensation when she
faced charges of unlawful imprisonment in the missionary case. She jumped bail and was never brought to justice.
Miss Korea 2008 Na Re, center, and runner-ups of the 52nd Miss Korea Pageant smile and wave to the audience at the Sejong
Center for the Performing Arts Wednesday evening. From left, second runner-up Lee Yu-na; second runner up and Miss
Korea Natural F&P Seo Seol-hee; first runner-up Kim Min-jung; Na; first runner-up Choi Bo-in; second runner-up and Miss
Korea-Jin Air Chang Yun-hee; and second runner up and Miss Korea-Hankook Ilbo Kim Hee-kyeong. / Korea Times photo by Choi Hung-soo