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| 12.31.2007 | Monday
Special awards were given to Mister Venezuela (One Men Show Photogenic Award),
Mister Guatemala Gudiel Osberto Rivera Mansilla (MSO Congeniality Award), Mister Brazil (MSO Spirit Award), and Mister
Lebanon (National Costume Award). The Best National Director Award was presented to Rafael Robert Delfin of the
United States (yes! LOL!) Mister International is co-organized by Alaric’s Productions Company and Alam Mutiara.
Sponsors include: Galen, “Official Trophy and Jewelry” sponsor; Edric Ong, “Official Fashion” sponsor; Carrie Models
International, “Official Modeling Agency”; SgFitness.com, “Official Body Sculptor”; Mate, “Official Swimwear” sponsor;
SportsmenAsia, “Official Sportswear” sponsor; Bronz Tanning Salon, “Official Tanning Solarium”, Thomas D’esthetique,
“Official Men’s Salon”; Nutrition Park, “Official Nutrition Megastore” sponsor and iWhite, “Official Teeth Whitening System”.
Info courtesy of Alan Sim, President of MSO. (***This entry was added to the Journal at 5:45 PM, 12/31/2007, Boston time)
• SWEET BEAUTY : The new International Queen of Sugar Cane is Mirelly Barzola González of Ecuador who was crowned
Saturday in Cali, Colombia. Her court includes Negaira Roa Olier of Colombia (Virreina), and Laritza Fontella of
Cuba (Princesa). The three finalists are the three Marias: Maria Lourdes Caldera of Venezuela, Maria Amalia Matamoros of
Costa Rica, and Maria Celeste Cavallo of Argentina. Nineteen countries from Latin America competed in the pageant, although
it would have been nice if other sugar-cane producing countries (outside of Latin America) had also competed, like India, China,
USA, Thailand, Indonesia, Pakistan and Australia!
• SAFE : After suggestive pictures sparked outrage and debate from Paris to her native Indian Ocean island of
Reunion, beauty queen Valérie Bègue was told Friday she could keep her Miss France title.
The 22-year-old student risked losing her award after a French scandal magazine printed pictures showing
her lasciviously licking yoghurt off a wall and lying in a bathing suit on a cross.
Geneviève de Fontenay, the formidable 75-year-old who has
run the Miss France contest for more than 50 years, said she still found the photographs shocking
but had agreed not to take the matter further. "I am happy to keep my title and I want to thank all
those who helped me," said Begue, whose plight unleashed a campaign of support on her home island.
A compromise agreement was signed at the close of a meeting also
attended by representatives of Endemol, the Dutch-based independent TV and events producer behind shows such
as Big Brother which owns the Miss France title rights. It stipulates that Begue cannot take part in any
international beauty competitions as long as she bears the Miss France crown. Nor, for the moment, will
she be allowed to participate in regional forums to select next year's French "Miss."
De Fontenay had earlier demanded Begue be immediately stripped of
her crown, awarded through a combination of judging and television viewer votes earlier this month.
But Reunion rallied on Begue's behalf, with politicians and even the Bishop of Reunion leading the
call for their island queen to keep her crown. "Reunion has suffered enough in recent months, it didn't
need another poke in the eye," said French overseas secretary Christian Estrosi, praising Friday's decision.
Reaction back on the island was more muted, though, with the mayor
of Saint-Leu, Begue's Reunion hometown, applauding a "just decision" but qualifying as "regrettable and unjust"
the ban on international competition. For its part, the committee backing Begue of politicians, business
figures and former Miss Reunion winners said the decision "compromised" the title's worth.
Begue, who has launched judicial proceedings against Entrevue magazine which published the photographs,
promised to give any damages she received to two charities. (AFP, 12/28/2007)
• THE RIGHT GIRL : In an interview with France Soir last Friday, Geneviève de Fontenay stated
that Laura Tanguy, Miss Pays de Loire and Bègue's second runner-up, will represent France in international
competitions. De Fontenay said Miss New Caledonia,Vahinerii Requillart, who is the first runner-up, would be "normally"
sent to international competitions, but she did not explain the reason for Tanguy's selection or Requillart's rejection.
However, critics argue that De Fontenay must have some racist streak for not allowing a non-white girl like Requillart
to compete internationally. De Fontenay denies that she is a racist and declared that "Miss France has always been
multi-racial" and that she wishes that "a Miss France of Arab origin be crowned" before she dies.
France Soir also interviewed Bègue's mother, Marie-Jeanne Bègue, who felt
great relief after the decision was made for her daughter to keep her crown. Regarding the controversial photos taken of
her daughter, Marie-Jeanne stated that if Valérie had given permission for the photos to be published, then she would not
have participated in any beauty pageant. She also said that she understands De Fontenay's attitude as a fellow mother,
but that De Fontenay should also live with the times. (France Soir, 12/29/2007)
The second poll question was: "Should Geneviève de Fontenay step down as the President
of the Miss France Committee?" 65% of the readers said yes, and 35% said no. One supporter vigorously defends De Fontenay:
"I don't understand why she should step down as president. Candidates are the ones who give bad reputation, not her." Another supporter
wrote, "I applaud Geneviève in her efforts to keep her pageant clean and lovely." Many others think that De Fontenay bends
the rules to satisfy her own whims. One poster wrote, "If the 1st runner-up is not going to get the crown then exactly who is?
What's even the point of ranking the runners-up and semi-finalists in that case? This seems very fishy. It was evident that
De Fontenay did not like the results (just look at her facial expressions during the Miss France coronation) and I'm
beginning to think that this is a plan devised by De Fontenay to crown the lady whom she feels is 'worthy' of the title."
• SHE SHOULD RESIGN : No, not Valérie Bègue, but Geneviève de Fontenay. This was the statement made by
L’Association internationale des concours de beauté pour les pays francophones (International Association of Beauty Pageants
for French-Speaking Countries) based in Montreal and directed by Michel Le Parmentier, De Fontenay's old nemesis. "None of
photos taken in Entrevue magazine were naked or pornographic," according to the group's official statement. (Clicanoo,
Reunion, 12/27/2007)
• FRANCHISE REACQUIRED : A reliable source informed me that the Peruvian franchise of Miss World has been
taken away from Jesús Ochoa and has been reawarded to Tito Paz. Ochoa was embroiled in a scandal last June
when the Miss Peru World pageant was nearly cancelled after allegations of sexual harassment, favoritism and racial
discrimination were brought up by several candidates who ended up withdrawing from the pageant. Ochoa and Paz used to
run the Reinas del Perú, but Paz left the organization after learning about Ochoa's selfish interests. Paz is delighted
that MWO president Julia Morley has given back the franchise to him. Paz has rejoined Percy Luzio's
Corporación Nacional de la Belleza. Luzio will direct Miss Peru Universo pageant whereas Paz will direct the Miss World Peru
pageant.
• NEXT UPDATE : Happy New Year to everyone! The Journal will be updated again next Monday, January 6, 2008.
Photo credits: Mister Singapore Organization, France Soir, Priscilaperales.com
| 12.24.2007 | Monday
De Fontenay also criticized Bègue's selection as Miss France : "She's not worthy.
I don't understand why she had the nerve to present herself knowing what she had done and being aware of Miss France's
ethics. How did she win the votes of the viewers in these conditions? Reunion does not deserve this
and neither do us!"
Bègue claims that the photos were taken three years ago, were stolen, and were never meant to be
published. She said that she was not even paid for the pictures. She refuses to step down and feels
that she will probably be dethroned, but this decision will depend on Endemol, the production
company that owns Miss France. De Fontenay: "If she doesn't resign, then I will have to go." Every year, applicants
to Miss France must sign a contract stipulating that they have never posed nude, half-naked, or have done
suggestive poses. In a radio interview with Jean-Marc Morandini, De Fontenay stated that the first runner-up
Vahinerii Requillart,19, of New Caledonia, may not necessarily succeed Bègue if she resigns or is dethroned.
The replacement will be decided by the Miss France Committee this week.
Yesterday, about three hundred people rallied in Bègue's native
Réunion to show support for their queen. Many were outraged by De Fontenay's attitude. Even the island bishop
Gilbert Aubry supports Bègue: "Valérie is a victim who needs help. I don't have to forgive her because
she didn't offend me." However, he stated that the image of Bègue in swimsuit floating on a cross in the swimming pool
may shock some Christians. Ironically, critics accuse De Fontenay of "crucifying" Bègue in public instead
of supporting her, and that she should be the one who should resign because she is out of touch with
reality. Critical Beauty launched a new poll
that poses the question, "Should Geneviève de Fontenay step down as the President of the Miss France Committee?" Meanwhile,
a French-language petition to keep Bègue as Miss France is circulating on the Internet.
Personally, I don't find the photos offensive at all (but then again, nothing
offends me anymore, except Islamofascists who want to take over the world! LOL!). I mean, really, is anyone (man or woman)
offended by Valérie's photos wearing a wet tanktop barely showing her nipples? If she attends Mass looking like
a wet poodle, then she will certainly offend many churchgoers, but these pics were taken outdoors (presumably she was
taking a shower). The photo of her licking condensed milk might appear sexually suggestive, but has anyone considered the
idea that the image could be promoting environmental awareness or resourcefulness? "Don't let good milk go to waste."
"Miss France cleans up spilled milk." LOL! And here's something bizarre: if you magnify the photo, notice the image
on the can. It looks like De Fontenay's silhouette, complete with horns and all! Hahahaha!!! Likewise, some might be offended by her "crucified Christ" position, but has anyone considered the idea that
Christ was not the only person crucified in history? A picture is worth a thousand words. Has anyone thought that perhaps
Valérie was emulating Christ instead of mocking him? For Chrissake!!! Oooops! Did I just offend anyone when I said that? LOL!
This is not the first time that a Miss France was involved in a photo scandal.
Miss France 2004 Laetitia Bléger was barred from wearing her crown and sash for six months after posing
half-naked for Playboy. Bléger was never dethroned.
• DRUNKEN BEAUTY : Priscila Perales, the current Miss International from Mexico, was stopped by the police
around 3 a.m. Thursday in San Pedro Garza García, a neighboring town of Monterrey, the capital of the state
of Nuevo León where Perales comes from. Perales was driving her BMV accompanied by her boyfriend. The couple
had just left a party. She was taken to a civil court, was fined, and then freed. The news agency Notimex
reported that Perales had 0.09% BAC (blood alcohol content). In Mexico, anyone who has 0.08% BAC is considered
inept for driving. Witnesses stated that the beauty queen was wearing an elegant black dress as she stepped
out of her car, though a bit ditzy. However, she remained civil and friendly with the authorities.
(Associated Press, 12/21/2007; El Siglo de Torreon, Mexico, 12/21/07).
No word yet from the Miss International organizers whether Perales may
be dethroned or not; however, Critical Beauty has launched a new poll that raises this very same question. Perales was a top ten semifinalist in Miss Universe 2006. If I am not mistaken, I believe Perales
is the first Miss International titleholder to have ever been involved in a scandal.
• TRUTHFUL BEAUTY : Turns out Miss Puerto Rico was right all along. Weeks after initial tests suggested she might have
made up her pepper-spray story, Ingrid Marie Rivera was vindicated Wednesday when police in the territory reversed
themselves and announced she was indeed targeted during the tiara contest. San Juan police said investigators even have
a suspect—a pageant volunteer whose identity is not being released until charges are filed. Detectives plan
to present evidence collected over the past three weeks to the district attorney, who will decide whether to pursue the case.
Pageant officials called the sabotage a "vile act" and suggested it was an
"inside job." Adding to the drama, organizers said they received a bomb threat on the first day of the competition,
and one of Rivera's bags, containing clothes and credit cards, was stolen. The police conducted a second round of
tests, which did reveal that Rivera's gown and bathing suit had been doused with pepper spray. "Miss Puerto Rico Universe
was speaking the truth. She was being sincere about the allegations," said Lieutenant Eddie Hernandez, a spokesman
for the San Juan Police. Detectives homed in on the volunteer, one of five who worked backstage during the event,
after conducting in-depth interviews with more than dozen people.
While police declined to discuss a motive, Hernandez speculated the perp did the
dirty work after contestants and their stylists left the dressing room. The pageant's director, Magali Febles,
promised to improve screening for volunteers in the future, noting they often get "some people who are very fanatical"
about the ladies. "We generate a lot of passion," he said. (Eonline.com, 12/20/2007)
He sought to prosecute the actress under IPC Sections 292, 292B, 293 and 294,
(all pertaining to obscenity in print, words and songs), 499 and 500 (which relate to defamation), besides Sections 3,
4 of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act and 2, 3 and 6 of the Young Persons Harmful Publication Act.
The notice will have to be returned by Jan 7. This is the second time that film stars have been attacked in Tamil
Nadu for "direct insults to womanhood". Last year, actors Khushboo, Shilpa Shetty and Reema Sen had been
dragged to court. (NewKerala.com, 12/19/2007)
• WHO IS SUSHMITA SEN NOW? Get to know this fascinating ex-Miss Universe in this revealing interview.
• SCANDAL ROCKS ETHIOPIAN PAGEANTRY : A reader wrote to me with some information regarding Gadol Ton Wilson,
the U.S.-born national director of Miss World Ethiopia. According to the reader, Wilson has been stripped of the Miss World
franchise after it was reported that he had allegedly made "dubious promises and illegal practices" that included
producing pageants held outside Ethiopia and sending the winners of these pageants to compete with local Ethiopian
contestants for the Miss World Ethiopia title (this practice is a violation of the Miss World residency requirements).
It is also reported that the winners never received the prizes they had been promised.
• A MEMORABLE RENDEZ-VOUS : This past Saturday afternoon, I had the honor to have met the parents of Natalie Glebova,
Miss Universe 2005 - Anna Glebova and Vlad Slezin. I already knew that Anna and Vlad had moved to Massachusetts, but
I wasn't sure exactly where. Vlad is a frequent reader of Critical Beauty. He called me because he was concerned about
some unfavorable comments about Natalie on the CB Message Board. The comments have already been removed. Since Vlad and Anna only live
less than an hour from my house, they kindly volunteered to visit my town, Milton. We met at Starbucks where we had coffee
and chatted for a couple of hours.
Anna and Vlad surprised me with some gifts, which included an Attaché USB Flash Drive containing
several digital photos that Vlad had taken of Natalie and her husband, Thai tennis superstar Paradorn Srichapan. You can
see some of the photos in this gallery. Anna and Vlad also presented me with
a copy of the Thai edition of Hello magazine with Natalie and Paradorn on the cover; a copy (signed by Natalie)
of the MUO Holiday greeting card featuring Natalie, Miss USA 2005 Chelsea Cooley and Miss Teen USA 2005
Allie Laforce; and a black baseball cap carrying the logo of Singha Beer (a major sponsor of Miss Universe) that
contracted Natalie as a corporate brand ambassador. I scanned all the pics of Natalie and Paradorn from Hello magazine
and you can see them in this gallery.
Anna and Vlad said that Natalie and Paradorn's wedding a few weeks ago was
unforgettable, and Natalie looked beautiful in her sky-blue wedding dress. They said that the newly wed couple may visit New York
next year in September when Paradorn competes in the U.S. Tennis Open. Anna and Vlad are incredibly warm and humble people
and they love Natalie very much. I am so happy to have met them and we promised that we would keep in touch with each other.
I wish Anna and Vlad Happy Holidays and I thank them for the wonderful presents they gave me!
• NEXT UPDATE : Merry Christmas to everyone! The Journal will be updated again next Monday, December 31, 2007
Photo credits: Entrevue, Pantene
| 12.17.2007 | Monday
At the press conference, several journalists criticized the new queen for
not being able to speak Dutch. Some even remarked that she is not a good representative of her country because
she only speaks one language. Poulicek believes that this is pure discrimination: "It is as if you eliminated
someoneone because of her origins, her religion, her education or her social status. It doesn't make any sense."
To satisfy her critics, Poulicek vows to learn Dutch from her Dutch-speaking boyfriend and from her mother
who is a language professor. (7sur7, 12/16/2007)
• THE NEW MISS RUSSIA is Ksenia Sukninova, a 20-year-old professional model who was
crowned in Moscow on December 14th. She will represent her country in Miss World and Miss Universe 2008 pageants. The current
Miss World Zhang Zi Lin, attended the coronation.
• THE NEW MISS ANGOLA is Lesliana Pereira, 20, who was crowned in Luanda on Saturday. Among the judges included
Natália Guimaraes, the current Miss Brazil Universe. One of Pereira's trip includes a trip to Brazil. (Angola Press,
12/16/2007).
• THE NEW MISS MODEL OF THE WORLD is Iveta Lutovska, 20, of the Czech Republic who was crowned in Yuncheng,
China on December 12. The pageant is owned by Çevik Suha Alpayli, a Turk businessman who also produces
Miss Bikini of the World.
• MARKETING MISS AMERICA : The Miss America Pageant has a marketing problem. Ashley Hatfield, the reigning Miss Illinois,
polled her audience Wednesday at a luncheon at Turnberry Country Club in Lakewood for Women of the World,
a local nonprofit business organization. “Who here knows who Miss America is?” Hatfield asked. Not a soul in the
audience of about 50 women – employees and executives from local financial services firms, insurance companies,
Fortune 500 companies – knew the name of the country’s reigning Miss America, Lauren Nelson of Oklahoma.
And that’s the problem, according to Hatfield, a 24-year-old native of downstate Anna, who will head to Las Vegas
next month to compete for one of the country’s top pageant titles.
Organizers of the pageant, which is separate from the Donald Trump-owned
Miss USA competition, said this year’s contest would be “a renewed competition that will redefine what it takes
to be Miss America – a relatable and individual ‘it girl’ who can connect with today’s modern woman.”
Hatfield, along with 51 other finalists, recently filmed a reality show that will air in the weeks before the
Jan. 26 competion. “The basic premise is that it’s time for [the] Miss America [pageant] to have a reality check,
because [it’s] no longer relevant,” Hatfield said.
In January, the Miss America pageant brought in 2.4 million viewers, an all-time
low, and less than 10 percent of the pageant’s TV audience in the late 1980s. The competition’s increasing irrelevance
is partly because few Americans know what the pageant winners do with their platform, and partly because members
of its core audience – women – have become its chief critics. “The reason we’re no longer relevant is because women
have evolved,” Hatfield said. And they think pageants are all about evening gowns and bathing suits. Miss America
contestants spend the months leading up to the national competition traveling through their respective states, making
public speeches, talking to students, visiting hospitals, and raising money for the nonprofit Miss America Organization,
which donated $45 million in scholarships last year, Hatfield said.
The reality TV series “Miss America: Reality Check” premieres Jan. 4 at 10 p.m.
on TLC, and will air the next four Friday nights, leading up to the Miss America pageant at 8 p.m. Sat., Jan. 26.
The series brings all 52 contestants under one roof to “undo everything they have learned about pageant basics.”
(Northwest Herald, Illinois, 12/14/2007)
• WHAT'S UP WITH UMA : Uma Blasini's reign as Miss Puerto Rico Universe ended when she crowned the
new queen Ingrid Rivera last month. What is next on Uma's agenda? She has been accepted by an acting school
in Mexico which is operated by Televisa. The school has produced many talented telenovela actors. Uma begins
her acting classes in January. "I feel very happy to have been selected among so many talented people and I'm looking
forward to starting a new chapter in my life," said Uma. (Primera Hora, San Juan, 12/14/2007)
• AMERICAN VERSUS BRITISH WOMEN : An interesting article by American writer Tad Safran compares American and
British women in terms of beauty. Read here.
• INGRID MEETS THE DONALD : Read Bebe Glaser's latest entry!
• MISTER INTERNATIONAL 2007 : The last major competition of the year is Mister International 2007 which will be held
in Kuching, Malaysia starting December 20th. The new winner will be crowned on December 31st. The photos of some of this
year's delegates can now be viewed at the official site.
Alan Sim, the president of MSO (Mister Singapore Organization) which produces Mister International, reported that
so far there are twenty-three confirmed participating countries out of thirty that had initially expressed interest in coming.
The national director for Canada has not responded to any of Sim's messages, which forced Sim to eliminate
Diego Silva, the winner of Mister International Canada, and to replace him with Silva's
ex-competitor, Lawron Leung. The pageant is officially endorsed by Malaysia's Ministry of Tourism, and it will
be the first time that Malaysia will be holding a male pageant of such caliber. Alaric Soh, the Malaysia organizer,
reported that 80% of the tickets have already been sold.
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, December 24, 2007
Photo credit: 7sur7
| 12.10.2007 | Monday
The show reeked of pure Gallic elegance and classiness (something that the Trump and Morley pageants should imitate), and
it is certainly one of the best productions I have ever seen. The girls changed in several beautiful and fashionable outfits
and performed in classy production numbers, including the swimsuit segment where the girls wore a stewardess-inspired
one-piece sky-blue swimsuit complete with a hat. My favorite segment was the tribute to Christmas where the delegates posed like dolls in
their regional costumes. The pageant also featured a video montage of outgoing queen Rachel Legrain-Trapani where
she talks about her reign (no mention of her participation in Miss World or Miss Universe!). Miss France president
Geneviève de Fontenay, in her signature black and white ensemble, assisted with the coronation.
• THE NEW MISS TOURISM is Priyanka Shah, 24, of India, who was crowned last Friday in Sibu, state of Sarawak,
Malaysia. The finalists were Andrea Vidal of Venezuela (first runner-up), Lauryn Eagle of Australia (second runner-up),
Yea Bin Jeong of Korea (third runner-up) and Larisse Isaguirre of Mexico (fourth runner-up).
The remaining top ten were the delegates from Brazil, the United States, Colombia, Malaysia and Hong Kong China. Twenty-nine
contestants competed in this pageant that takes place every two years. The winner from 2005 was also from India.
The pageant is owned and produced by Alaric Soh.
The pageant is without controversy. The delegate from Tibet was forced to
withdraw when Chinese officials pressured the organizer that the sash should be "Tibet-China." Several of the delegates complained
that Miss Australia always dressed up scantily while flaunting her voluptuous body to male admirers - which explains the
resentment from some of the contestants who claimed that the Aussie beauty should not have been in the finals. However,
virtually all of the delegates were shocked their favorite, Devinca Anya Sanya of Indonesia, was excluded from the
finals. Info courtesy of Alan Sim, president of the Mister Singapore Organization, who judged the pageant.
• THE NEW MISS SOUTH AFRICA is Tansey Coetzee, a 23-year-old college graduate from Johannesburg who was crowned
Saturday night in Sun City. She will represent her country in Miss World and Miss Universe 2008 pageants. Her first
runner-up is Avumile Qongqo and the second runner-up is Manisha Pillay. In her bio, Coetzee states that her
role model is Oprah Winfrey: " “She’s an inspiration to all, I admire her bravery to beat all the odds and to do
great things for herself and others.” Info courtesy of the Miss South Africa website.
• THE NEW MISS BIKINI INTERNATIONAL is Lourdes Katherin Marquez of Venezuela. She was crowned at Shanghai's
International Gymnasium last Saturday. Her court includes first runner-up Gabriela Korinkova of the Czech Republic,
second runner-up Vlada Yevsyeyeva, of the Ukraine, third runner-up Dimitra Tania Papanikolaou of
Greece, and fourth runner-up Xu Yi Jun, of China. Info courtesy of Global Beauties.
Silva hired a lawyer, booked an appearance on "Ellen" and won support from a Los Angeles Times newspaper columnist
who murmured in print of hanging chads. Silva, 24, lives in L.A.'s Koreatown and is of Ecuadoran and Mexican descent.
Was she too ethnic? Too urban? Did judges find some dirty secret in her past at the last minute? California pageant executive
director Keith Lewis stared out at cameras in a Beverly Hilton conference room hoping to tamp down speculation.
"This was a human error. We have apologized for it," he said.
"I believe in the integrity by which we must stand. I'm here today to right that wrong of crowning the incorrect person."
To that end, last year's winner Meagan Tandy emerged wearing a black dress and placed a tiara on Beezley's head to the sound
of cheers from her parents and brothers. "It is bittersweet," Beezley said of her win. "I just want her to know that it was not my
fault nor her fault. This has been very hard for the both of us."
At any rate, it's another hit for Donald Trump's Miss USA pageant, which in the last year has seen state-level winners
lose their titles for appearing in risque pictures and getting pregnant. Trump personally gave the overall winner, Tara Conner,
a second chance after she was seen boozing at New York City clubs and agreed to enter rehab.
Judges approached Lewis immediately after the Nov. 25 pageant finals in Los Angeles,
concerned their votes hadn't been correctly tallied. He asked for a recount and it turned out the points assigned to
finalists had been reversed. He said he broke the news to Silva in a "lengthy, heartfelt, truthful" conversation, then t
he two of them called Beezley. Beezley interrupted her waitress shift at DiNapoli's Firehouse Pizza restaurant in Barstow
to take the call from the two of them on speakerphone. Beezley said Silva told her about the error and congratulated her,
saying: "I do not want this crown and sash if I didn't rightfully win it."
"Everything's inaccurate and it's not consistent," Silva told Ellen DeGeneres during
an "Ellen" show broadcast Thursday. "All I could do was shake and cry, just cry in my mom's arms." Beezley's mother
Christine Parrish said she was upset about speculation her daughter, was bumped up because she appears less ethnic.
"I heard somebody calling her a whitey! It's sad," she said, noting Beezley is one-fourth Filipino, had won a pageant in Mazatlan,
Mexico and judged a pageant in the Phillipines. Beezley, who hid her shaking hands behind a desk after being crowned,
was disappointed she and Silva would be lumped in with other scandals in Trump's pageant empire. "The thing is, we didn't
do anything wrong," she said. "We're both innocent in this case. It's crazy."
Beezley, who attends Barstow Community College, will represent California in April
in the Miss USA pageant and hopes to become a correspondent for "Access Hollywood." There was also a happy ending for Silva.
DeGeneres crowned her Miss Ellen and gave her a yearlong modelling contract and year's worth of styling by Ken Paves or Prive hair salons.
(Associated Press, 12/8/2007)
My comment: It was stupid of Lewis to have allowed Silva to keep her crown and sash.
Now, she's appearing on talk shows and in public wearing the crown and sash and confusing everyone!
• MISS WORLD POLL RESULTS : CB asked the question, "From a scale of 1 to 10 (with 1 as the lowest, and 10 as the highest),
how would you rate the Miss World 2007 show that was broadcasted live from Sanya, China on December 1st?" Here are the results.
6 (17%), 1 (16%), 3 (13%), 8 (11%), 2 (10%), 4 (10%), 7 (9%), 5 (8%), 9 (3%) and 10 (3%). However, many
comments made by readers reflected the long-time rivalry between Miss Universe and Miss World, it seems that more
pageant fans prefer Miss Universe over Miss World. However, a poster named "Rea Perlman" makes a vigorous defense
of Miss World:
Miss Worlds are also usually very well styled and groomed during their reigns
unlike the tawdry, Wal-mart looks that MUO have sported and till sport. Julia has fast-track events that reward a
lady in a particular field: beach beauty, sport, talent, model and beauty with the purpose. I know that many feel
these winners are pre-determined but you can't argue that the winners aren't deserving of the titles. Julia wouldn't
allow someone who is fat and untoned to win Beach Beauty for instance. MUO doesn't reward any contestant for anything.
Then comes the aspect of prizes. MUO states their prize list online because TRUMP IS A BLOODY MULTI-BILLIONAIRE!
Julia isn't. So, while it may look shady on her part (and I agree that she should state the prizes on her site)
I also understand why she doesn't as she doesn't have external revenue like Trump does to fund her prizes.
Basically, I just think fans should take a look at MUO for what they really are. Just because they are owned
by Trump doesn't make them more professional, honest or better than Julia and her Miss World Pageant. As for Miss China
winning Miss World, people claim it's rigged. Well, Miss China is the best rep. that her country has ever sent and to
think how little time she had to prepare is amazing. The upcoming Olympic Games in China probably played a huge part
in her victory but shall we go back to Miss Universe 2001 when it was a Puerto Rican variety show?
The moral of the story is Julia shouldn't be singled out as a monster when it is evident
that MUO is no better.
• IS JULIA MORLEY A PIMP? That is the question that is raised by many pageant fans who are reacting with disgust
to a posting in several message boards. This posting alludes to an ugly incident in Miss World involving several
candidates who had been sexually harassed by drunken and lascivious Chinese men during a dinner party. This unfortunate
situation is substantiated by Miss Norway Lisa Marie Moen Jünge in her blog in Norwegian (see the November 22 entry entitled,
"En Laaang Oppsummering."), and suggests that security in Miss World is poor. A reliable source also informed me
that Miss Sierra Leone Fatima Turay had been caught stealing from the other contestants and that nothing was done to
reproach or discipline her.
• BORICUA BEAUTIES : The new Miss Teen World Puerto Rico is Charlene Mercado Millán, 17, left, from the municipality of
San Germán. She was crowned Saturday night and will compete in Miss Teen World 2008 in Toronto. Arleene Santiago Figueroa
was crowned Miss Teen Puerto Rico Mundial and will compete in Miss Teen Mundial 2008 in Peru. Jenitza Cintrón Santiago was
crowned Miss Teen Puerto Rico Continentes and will compete in Miss Teen Continentes del Mundo 2008 in Peru. Itzaira Vélez Pardo
was crowned Miss Teen Universe and will compete in Miss Teen Universe 2008 in Guatemala. Info courtesy of CB's Héctor Joaquín
Colón González who judged the pageant.
• RIGGED? During the final question segment in the Miss Puerto Rico Universe 2008 pageant held last November 23rd,
did Ingrid Rivera already know in advance what her question was going to be? It appears so, at least according to a popular Puerto
Rican talk show featuring a gossippy puppet called "La Comay." Through
repetitive freeze-frames and slow motions, La Comay analyzed the segment
which you can view in YouTube (fast forward to 4:20). It appears that instead of picking one question out of the bowl, Ingrid
picks all three questions which she hands to the emcee Osvaldo Rios. Rios reads the first question and puts it back into
the bowl; he does the same with the second question. Then he reads the third question to Ingrid. La Comay suspects that
Ingrid's question had already been preselected, and this gave Ingrid more than enough time to produce a good answer.
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, December 17, 2007
Photo credits: Reuters, Miss Teen World Puerto Rico
| 12.3.2007 | Monday
• THE NEW MISS WORLD is Zhang Zilin, 23, of the People's Republic of China, who was crowned in her own
country last Saturday night in Sanya's Beauty Crown Theatre. Zilin is a Beijing secretary who was born
in the northern industrial city of Shijiazhuang. The first runner-up is Micaela Reis, 18,
of Angola and the second runner-up is Carolina Moran of Mexico. The other two finalists are
Annie Oliv of Sweden and Valene Maharaj. Zhang is the first participant from the Far East
to have won the coveted title; she's also the first winner to come from a country led by a communist party. Over
100 countries competed in this year's pageant which was held in Sanya for the fourth time. Organizers said that the telecast was
watched by a global television audience of two billion people. This year's competition took place on World AIDS Day,
as organizers said they wanted to use the pageant to help raise awareness about the ongoing fight against the disease.
A blog by Zhang on the Web portal Sina.com had over 1 million
hits as of Sunday, with many fans posting their congratulations. "You've brought honor to our country! We're all
happy for you! We're proud for China!" wrote a fan named "Tango." Zhang exclaimed, "I'm the first Chinese to
win the title and more importantly I won in my own country,” said Zhang, resplendent in a sparkling,
pale pink dress as she addressed the media on her first full day on the job as Miss World 2007.
There were quite a few surprises. Ada Aimee de la Cruz, of the Dominican
Republic, who had been the leading choice of British bookmakers, only made it as a semi-finalist. There was also
a tie between Valeska Saab of Ecuador and Ka Yi Cheung of Hong Kong China - both women were awarded
the Beauty With the Purpose award and automatically advanced to the semifinals. Jurgita Jurkuté of Lithuania,
a heavy favorite, failed to crack the finals. It was reported that Jurkuté had been seen by MWO Chairperson
Julia Morley dancing with a man, which killed her winning chances. She also informed the MWO staff
that she had accepted an offer to host her own TV show in her country. The remaining semifinalists were
the representatives from the United States, Ghana, Austria, Grenada, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Malaysia and Venezuela.
• WORLDLY COMMENTS : I saw bits and pieces of the live telecast of Miss World on a Vietnamese online channel, but
the streaming was so bad that I was getting impatient. Then I was chatting with a friend via MSN Messenger who
gave a me a link to a Pakistani TV site that offered a continuous and smooth broadcast. The pageant was not
shown live on U.S. television, and it will probably take another week or two before the delayed broadcast is shown
on cable, just like last year and the year before. The stage looked phenomenal from a distance, the hosts were
substantially good, and the performers were passable, but the overall pace of the show was slow and anti-climactic.
Now let's get to the nitty-gritty about the results. China won for several
factors. First, she possesses the traits that MWO is looking for - grace, elegance, beauty, sweetness, and humility. MWO will
never choose a girl who has a strong personality, who complains or who will give them trouble; China seems to be
a girl who's good in following orders; after all, she's a secretary! Second, it is not coincidental that her winning
is a prelude to a much bigger international event - the 2008 Summer Olympics - that will take place in Beijing.
Morley can make millions by peddling Zhang to the Olympic sponsors; I can see her carrying PRC's flag as she leads
the Chinese team into the stadium. This is no different from when Amelia Vega won Miss Universe in 2003 and appeared
three months later in the Pan American Games held in her home country, the Dominican Republic. Third, China's winning
is MWO's way of thanking the Chinese for having spent millions of dollars in hosting the pageant for four years.
And what about the other girls who placed? Angola made it - not because of her beauty
- but because MWO needs a mouthpiece in Africa to promote HIV/AIDS
awareness. This is not surprising, since her bio states
that "she is an ambassador of hope for people whose lives have been affected by HIV." When Sweden was called
as a finalist, you could hear a pin drop in the theater. One can only assume that Sweden is Morley's "pet" this year, since she
hardly registered as one of the favorites. Puerto Rico's inclusion did not have anything to do with merit as much as
it had to do with favoritism, thanks to Wilnelia Merced, the only Miss World so far from Puerto Rico, who happens
to be one of Morley's good friends and business associates. I don't know about you, but the more outstanding girls this year
(Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Venezuela, Malaysia, Grenada) were shut out in favor of less beautiful girls who made the top 5.
Yes, dear readers, the only way your girl can advance in Miss World is through
connections, either with Julia Morley herself, or with past titleholders who have become Julia's good friends. It sounds
corrupt, but that's reality. It's all about getting to know the right people and sucking up to them if necessary.
• NO PEPPER SPRAY : Police probing allegations that someone put pepper spray on a Puerto Rican beauty contestant's
clothing said Saturday they would investigate whether anyone lied to them after tests found no traces of the substance
on the woman's belongings. Miss Puerto Rico Universe Ingrid Marie Rivera and pageant organizers claimed that
someone had laced her makeup and doused her clothing with a chemical they believed to be pepper spray during the
November 23 contest in an attempt to knock her out of the running. The 24-year-old from the town of Dorado said she broke out
in hives and swelling during the pageant and was forced to ice down her face and body backstage during the event.
On Friday, the Caribbean island's Forensic Sciences Institute said the brush
and gown, delivered to police four days after the pageant, contained no traces of capsicum, pepper spray's active
ingredient. They did not test for other chemicals. "I guess she has a lot of explaining to do," police spokesman
Stephen Alvarez said on Saturday. Magali Febles, the director of the beauty pageant,
insisted that the sabotage took place and said she would ask authorities to test for other substances. Meanwhile,
Febles fired the chief of security Emmanuel Meléndez. (Reuters, 12/1/2007)
• IS SUSHMITA BEING TWO-TIMED? "Sushmita Sen has had her fair share of linkups, and her latest beau, circles say,
is Mudassar Aziz, who is directing her in the movie Dulha Mil Gaya . The film has been presented by actor Anuj
Saxena's Maverick Productions. The duo has been constantly spotted hand-in-hand at various occasions.
Ask Mudassar and he is quick to reply, "I don't want to comment about what has been written about us.
Sushmita is a good friend and will always be part of my films." Read more.
• SEXUALLY HARASSED BY DAD : "The shocking story of a former Miss Jammu who was allegedly sexually harassed by her own father,
has rocked the conservative society of Jammu and Kashmir. The police have arrested her father, a BSF constable,
who had lodged a missing report in the police station and later alleged that she was kidnapped by a Delhi resident." Read
more.
• TWENTY YEARS AS A MODEL AGENT : "Mary Therese Friel traveled the world several times over when she
was Miss USA 1979 and then a model with the renowned Ford Agency. But when she wanted get off the celebrity
merry-go-round, there was just once place to be: her hometown." Read more.
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, December 10, 2007
Photo credit: Reuters,
NOVEMBER 2007
• THE NEW MISTER INTERNATIONAL is Alan Bianco Martini Malgioglio, left, a 28-year old model and banker from Sao Paulo who was crowned
in Kuching, Malaysia on December 31st at the Sarawak Chamber Ballroom. His court includes Mister Korea Oh Jong Sung
(first runner-up), Mister Greece Aristotellis Spyridon Bolovinos (second runner-up), Mister Venezuela Alberto Garcia (third
runner-up) and Mister Lebanon Bassel Abou Hamdan (fourth runner-up). The remaining top ten are Mister Costa
Rica Berni Madrigal, Mister India Nikhil Darwan, Mister Latvia Armands Berzins, Mister Singapore Gabriel Goh, and Mister USA
Jacob Hill. Seventeen countries competed in the second edition of the pageant that was held for the first
time in Malaysia.
During a press conference last Friday, Sylvie Tellier (center, the new director of Miss France Committee)
announced
that Valérie Bègue (left) can keep her crown, despite great reservations from Geneviève de Fontenay (right).
• CB POLL RESULTS : Last week, Critical Beauty asked readers their opinion about two scandals. The first question was
this: "Should Priscila Perales (left) be dethroned as Miss International 2007?" (after she was accused of drunk driving). 58% of
the readers said yes, compared to 48% who said no. Most readers agree that Perales was being highly negligent with her
drunkenness, while many others call for compassion and sympathy towards the beauty queen. One poster wrote: "According to
the Miss International Website, the winner is expected to serve as "Ambassadors of Peace and Beauty", showing tenderness,
benevolence, friendship, beauty, intelligence, ability to take action, and, most importantly, a great international sensibility.
How could be Law Breaker be a role model of International Peace and Beauty? I thought that the ultimate goal of the Miss
International beauty pageant is to promote world peace, goodwill, and understanding!" And another poster wrote that
Perales should have taken advantage of the publicity to further promote herself, in the same way that Trump's scandalous
queens did.
• ADIEU, VALERIE? Valérie Bègue, 22, left, of Réunion, who was crowned Miss France last December 8th,
risks losing her title after a male-oriented magazine Entrevue published several photos of her
in suggestive poses, including one in which she appears to be licking condensed milk and another one in which
she is posing as the crucified Christ in a swimming pool. You can see the pics in this
site. Geneviève de Fontenay, president
of the Miss France Committee, demanded that Bègue submit her resignation and stated that Bègue has
damaged the image of Miss France, who is supposed to be glamorous and elegant. She stated: "Every year, I struggle to make sure that the election is
worthy of France. I don't want to see her (Bègue) anymore. I wouldn't want to be seen walking down the streets
with a girl like that. She's better off staying in her island. I cannot accept it. It's a tsunami. I am hurt and terribly disappointed. We must remain firm this time;
the mistake is very serious, disconcerting."
• HONEST BEAUTY : Former Miss Universe and Bollywood actor Sushmita Sen, left, is the latest star in the crosshairs
of culture cops in Tamil Nadu. The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has issued a notice to the actor on a
petition that termed her comments propagated through newspapers and television "lewd". Lawyer Girish Kumar,
in his petition, said the Tamil newspapers had quoted the actress in a television interview saying: "No Indian has
chastity or virginity any more. Having pre-marital or post-marital affair(s) is nothing wrong in the society nowadays." 
• THE NEW MISS BELGIUM is Alizée Poulicek, 20, left, who was crowned last Saturday in “Lotto Arena” in Antwerp in a live TV show.
She originates from Liège. Her court includes first runner-up Fabienne Kabeya and second runner-up Jade van de Walle. Poulicek
will represent Belgium in Miss World and Miss Universe 2008 pageants. She is the fourteenth French-speaking woman
to win the title, in a country dominated by the Dutch-speaking Flemish. During the final question segment,
Poulicek was asked a question in Dutch which she did not understand, thus causing the audience to boo her.
"I didn't appreciate it. I felt humiliated. They didn't give me a chance. When I left the stage at that moment,
I thought that I had lost." Fortunately, the other girls gave her moral support.
• THE NEW MISS FRANCE is Valérie Bègue,, 22, representing the overseas department of Réunion. Bègue was crowned
last Saturday night in Dunkerque in Normandy via a live telecast. She was selected both by the judges and the televiewers.
Her court includes first runner-up Vahinerii Requillart from New Caledonia, second
runner-up Laura Tanguy from Pays de Loire, third runner-up Vicky Michaud from Bourgogne, and fourth runner-up
Azemina Hot from Côte d'Azur. Bègue is the second woman from Réunion to have won the national title since 1976. You
can view the entire show in the official Miss France website.
• WILL THE REAL MISS CALIFORNIA USA, PLEASE STAND UP! In the business of crowning beauty queens, there's one thing
you'd think they'd get right: crowning the right beauty queen. Miss California USA organizers say they got that
wrong but corrected themselves Thursday by crowning Miss Barstow, Raquel Beezley, a 21-year-old waitress they said
rightfully earned the title. And they tried to put an end to a kerfuffle that began last month when they crowned
Miss Los Angeles, Christina Silva, only to backtrack days later, blaming a vote-tabulation error.
The pageant let Silva, now listed as second runner-up, keep all her accouterments -
the sash, the crown, the necklace - and gave her $1,500 entry fee back. But Silva now says she felt unfairly pressured
to relinquish her title and feels something is fishy about the "accountant error" reason supplied by organizers.
I find it very hypocritical of people to always be accusing Julia Morely of rigging the votes when it's clear that
MUO is no innocent company either when it comes to this regard. Why is it so easy to blast Julia for being a
scammer when MUO is even worse. Julia also takes heat for being boring and uncreative. Well, let's take a look
at how creative and fair MUO is: MUO charges its national franchise holders an arm and a leg for franchise fees!
MUO has under the table ties with the national directors of Canada, Japan and Puerto Rico. Coincidentally, these three
countries have won the last three Miss Universe titles! Yet, nobody thinks this is rigged?! No one questions this at all?
The judges selected for Miss Universe talk to one another during the competitive segments of the show. Check YouTube
videos for proof! Isn't this illegal? We don't even get to see the contestant's individual votes. All we see is an
"average score", which can be fabricated for all we know. During Miss Universe 2007 in Mexico, all the European
delegates were cut after the swimsuit round. All the African delegates were cut after the evening gown round.
Coincidence?! The judges didn't want an Asian (Riyo Mori of Japan) to win. Paula Shugart and MUO wanted an Asian to win.
But nobody sees this?! MUO selected winners to fit the character molds that were required for their horrible show,
"Pageant Place!" Not only that, they subject their queens to embarrassing situations on the show and completely
take the grace, elegance and altruism of a beauty queen and flush it down the toilet. Julia's queens have always
kept an air of class, dignity and poise throughout the reigns. You'll never see them on "The Howard Stern Radio Show"
talking about dildos and such like MUO subjected Oxana Fedorova to.
Has Miss World turned into a world of forced prostitution and theft? 