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| 02.25.2008 | Monday
• A NEW SCANDAL? Geneviève de Fontenay will have another reason to loathe Miss France Valérie Bègue. Bègue,
who has survived more or less the scandalous photos that featured her licking condensed milk and floating on a cross in a pool,
is apparently at the heart of a new scandal as revealed by the magazine Choc. Last week's edition of the magazine
featured new sexy photos of the now infamous Miss France. The photos, which were carefully edited, are hardly vulgar, but they
show a topless Bègue. You can see the photos here.
It is not really clear when the photos were taken, but the magazine stated that
the photos were taken when Bègue was a "mineure" ("minor"). De Fontenay is livid, of course, and continues to condemn Bègue:
"This girl is not reliable. She should not have represented Réunion. She's an angel and a demon, a pervert and a liar." Miss France
contestants are required to sign a contract stating that they have never posed nude or semi-nude. Bègue's
mother herself wishes that her daughter gives up her crown to save her from more humiliation. (Come4News, 2/22/2008)
• THE NEW MISS NICARAGUA is Thelma Guisselle Rodríguez Flores, 18, of Chinandega, who was crowned
Saturday at the Ruben Darío National Theater in Managua. Fifteen young women competed in the pageant.
The first runner-up is Karina Gordon of Bluefields and the second runner-up is Gwendolyne Garcia of
Managua. Rodríguez will represent her country in Miss Universe in Vietnam. (La Prensa, Manague, 2/24/2008)
• TALENTED BEAUTIES : The Miss World Puerto Rico 2008 pageant took off last week and CB's Héctor Joaquín Colón González has been
selected as one of the judges. Héctor is also covering the pageant for Belleza Crítica. During the Saturday prelims, a talent
competition took place and three winners were chosen: Leiry Marie Ruiz, Miss Villalba; Melissa Cabral, Miss Guaynamo;
and Miriam Yvette Pabón Carrión, Miss Juncos. Check BC's coverage for photos from the event.
• BIG BUTT IS BEAUTIFUL : "Beauty, it seems, is still in the eye of the beholder. Especially in Africa, where differing body sizes have spawned
a craze for large-bottomed women that runs contrary to all European notions of beauty. The craze has led to a spate
of women taking black market treatments to increase the size of their rears." Read more.
• MISS WORLD IN MOROCCO? A delegation from the Miss World Organization, led by its president Julia Morley, visited the
city of Marrakech in Morocco to study the possibility of holding the Miss World 2008 finals there. Four other countries are
bidding to host the pageant - the Ukraine, Korea, Turkey and Greece. "If the pageant is held in Morocco, the girls will be
wearing caftans instead of bikinis as a means to respect the country's conservative culture," stated Morley during
a press conference last Thursday. The organizers do not wish to repeat the terrifying incidents in Nigeria in 2002
during which a bloody feud took place between Muslims and Christians. (Made in Marrakech, 2/22/2008)
• NO UNVEILED WOMEN ALLOWED : "A beauty salon for veiled women has provoked the wrath of secularist Egyptians." Read more.
• NORWEGIAN BELLES : Check out this year's contestants in Miss Norway.
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, March 3, 2008.
PHOTO CREDIT: Miss Ukraine Universe, Getty Images
• RESTRUCTURING : Magali Febles, the director of Miss Puerto Rico Universe (MPRU), has restructured
the application process of aspirants by exempting them from paying the entry fee. Instead, Febles stated that
beauty salons in Puerto Rico will be the primary promoters of the aspirants. In this manner, the candidates
will be more prepared and at the same time will honor the people in charged of their preparations. Each salon
must send at least two delegates and no more than five. A casting will be conducted during which the delegates
will be divided in districts followed by the final selection. Young women who wish to compete must present
themselves in salons that are associated with MPRU. Febles's goal is to increase the number of delegates to 80.
The candidates will only be responsible for their wardrobe and other personal expenses. (Primera Hora,
2/11/2008)
The upside about this new policy is that it will allow more girls from
lower-income backgrounds to compete. The downside is that the majority of applicants may not always be
attractive.
• PUERTO RICO IN 2009? Donald Trump might be bringing back the Miss Universe pageant to Puerto
Rico in 2009. "Here, pageants have broken attendance records," exclaimed the owner of the pageant during
a visit to the Enchanted Isle to promote his new, luxurious golf complex in Rio Grande's Coco Beach.
The reigning Miss Puerto Rico Universe Ingrid Rivera greeted Trump at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel where
a press conference was held. Trump told Rivera that she has a good chance of winning the 2008 crown and
that it would great if she could crown her successor in her country in 2009. (Primera Hora, 2/14/2008)
• IT'S A GIRL: Ex-Miss Universe Alicia Machado revealed in the variety show, "Noche de Estrellas"
that she's expecting a baby girl. However, she still has not divulged who the baby's father is despite
pressure from the show's producers. She stated, "I didn't reveal him to a magazine that offered me a million
dollars, even though the money was tempting. What makes you so sure that I will reveal him to you." Alicia
also said that she is extremely happy with her pregnancy. (El Mundo, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, 2/13/2008)
• DIVORCED : One of Hollywood’s most famous on-again, off-again couples, Travis Barker and Shanna Moakler,
keep up with the MTV reality show curse as Barker announced he and Moakler officially divorced “a few days ago.”
While attending the 5th annual Toots Jam Benefiting Rock the Vote at West Hollywood’ Key Club over the weekend,
the Blink 182 drummer told People magazine that he’s “no longer with her [Moakler]. We were actually divorced a few days ago.”
The rocker married the former Miss USA four years ago and the couple soon became the focus of MTV’s reality show
“Meet the Bakers.” In August 2006, the two announced their separation but by March the following year, Moakler
admitted she was still madly in love with her husband. Their brief reconciliation lasted till July, when Barker
and Moakler headed back to splitsville, although they were still spotted together on various occasions.
According to documents obtained by TMZ.com, Barker filed for divorce on August
8, 2006, citing “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for their separation. Dated February 8 and filed in
Los Angeles Superior Court, the papers show Barker and Moakler have been granted joint legal and physical
custody of their two children, four-year-old son Landon and two-year-old daughter Alabama. Asked if he’s seeing
anyone new, Barker said, “I have a beautiful daughter at home, a beautiful son at home. That's where my head
is at right now. I don't have time for anything else.” In the meantime, Moakler served as host of the CW's
mother-daughter beauty pageant series, “Crowned: The Mother of All Pageants.” (eFluxMedia, 2/13/2008)
• LOVELY FILIPINAS : The official Binibining Pilipinas website has not yet been updated, but you can check out this year's
canidates in this Flickr gallery courtesy of OPMB.com.
• READ Juan Prado's summary of the 1973 Miss Universe telecast.
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, February 25, 2008.
PHOTO CREDIT: Donaukurier.de
Rees was charged with speeding, driving with a suspended license, operating a
motor vehicle with suspended license plates, failure to produce proof of insurance and resisting a police officer,
police said. She was released without bail and is due to appear in Las Vegas Justice Court on March 8.
Torres said Rees was alone when she was stopped while driving her car. He and police said there was no indication she
was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. (Star-Telegram, 2/7/2008)
• RAGING QUEEN : The reigning Miss Fayetteville (North Carolina) will be allowed to keep her crown, although at least one pageant
official said she should resign. Jenna Racine Walters was charged with aggressive driving in a Nov. 9 incident
in which witnesses told Southern Pines police that a car sped through traffic on U.S. Highway 15/501, weaving into
oncoming traffic lanes. Witnesses told police that Walters, 21, hit and yelled at another woman and damaged the woman's car.
Walters' reign as Miss Fayetteville runs through March 29.
Board members for the Miss Fayetteville Pageant said Friday that there is
nothing they can do unless Walters is convicted of the charge. "It would be hard for me to watch her crown her successor,
but at the same time, she would have the right to do so," pageant board member Bob Smith said. Walters apologized
to pageant officials Wednesday. However, Smith said "the damage has already been done" and called for her to step down.
(WRAL.com, 2/9/2008)
• MISS USA GETS TO WORK : Swapping her evening gown and tiara for jeans, T-shirt and baseball cap, reigning Miss USA
Rachel Smith used a roof as her stage Saturday while volunteering with Habitat for Humanity on the Mississippi
Gulf Coast. Smith spent the day helping shingle the roof one of three new-construction homes in Gautier for residents
displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Smith, who will give up her title in April during this year's pageant in Las Vegas,
said she lobbied her schedulers to book time for Katrina relief here because she felt she hadn't done her part yet
and feels national attention on New Orleans has eclipsed needs elsewhere. Smith admitted that before this
trip, her own construction skills were limited to minor handiwork. But she said she learned new talents,
such as how to hammer a nail without bending it and without breaking a fingernail. "I'm working with professionals,
and I have the passion to do it," she said. "If I don't know how to do something, teach me."
(Biloxi Sun Herald, USA, 2/10/2008)
• MISS SPAIN IN D.R. : All fifty-two contestants in this year's Miss Spain pageant visited the Dominican Republic
last week to promote the pageant as well as the Caribbean country whose main economic source is tourism. The candidates
were received in a festiver atmosphere by the country's tourism officials. They were accompanied by the current Miss
Spain Natalia Zabala, Mister Spain 2007 and Mr. World 2007 Juan García, Miss Spain 2006 Elisabeth Reyes
and Miss Spain 2005 Verónica Hidalgo. The candidates will stay in D.R. until February 13th before they return
to Spain to compete for the national title which will take place on March 2nd. (Diario Libre, Santo Domingo, 2/8/2008)
• WHAT'S UP WITH BRENDA : Brenda Robles, Miss Puerto Rico Universe 1994, is expecting her fourth child.
Now 32, Brenda - who will perhaps remain as the most controversial Miss Puerto Rico of all time - is expected to deliver
a baby girl sometime in April. Last year in February, Brenda had a miscarriage. She decided to have another child because
her current husband Carlos Fernández does not have any. The last time she gave birth was eight years ago.
(Primera Hora, San Juan, 2/8/2008)
• SICK, ERR, SIKH PAGEANT : Sikh youths from across India walked the ramp as they competed for the coveted Mr. Singh title
at a pageant held at Shanmukhanad Hall in Mumbai on Friday. The main aim of the contest was to make modern Sikh youth
realize the importance of traditions which have been passed down by the gurus since centuries. "Several Sikhs have discarded
their turbans and cut their beards. Now we want to look smarter than the others. So we want to prove that with the
beard and turban they will get the entry in the glamour world," said P. Puran Singh, Organiser of Sikh Fashion Competition.
A total of twenty six participants were the part of the contest.
The pageant tested the contestants' confidence, grit, style, intelligence, panache,
and more importantly, their courage. Jatinder Pal Singh from Delhi won the Mr. Singh Pageant and walked away
with cash and a golden symbol of Sikh religion. Deepinder Singh and Pavneet Singh Chawla also from Delhi
were adjudged the First and second runners-up respectively. "Well you can see the silence but it's not silence but
celebration here. There is fantastic zeal and enthusiasm and we thank the organizers especially Puran Singh, Jaspal Sir,
Harpreet Ji and all our judges who have helped us to groom our self," said Jatinder Pal Singh. Ten more awards were given
in various categories and a special award was reserved for the best beard and the best turban. (NewKerala.com, 2/9/2008)
• TOPLESS, AGAIN : Last May, former Miss Universe Cecilia Bolocco was photographed topless
alongside an Italian male friend on the terrace of her house in Miami. The photo caused a huge scandal which
ultimately caused Bolocco and her husband, ex-president of Argentina, Carlos Meném to file for divorce.
A new photo of a topless Bolocco was captured by the Argentine magazine Caras; this time, Bolocco was
sunbathing on the terrace of her Miami home accompanied by her son, Máximo who is four years old. She
was observed relaxing with books and cigarettes. (Diario Ojo, Lima, 2/6/2008)
• NEW FORMAT : As an attempt to attract more viewers to pageants, a Chilean TV production company
will organize a reality show to elect Chile's representatives to Miss Universe and Miss World. The show
will feature young women living together in a house and will be subjected to a 24-hour observation, thus
allowing them to reveal their true personalities. The show will also focus on the transformation
and preparation of the girls. (El Mundo, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, 2/7/2008)
• MEET THE FORTY DELEGATES for this year's Miss Norway.
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, February 18, 2008.
PHOTO CREDITS: Associated Press, Seattle Times
• TART TONGUE : Geneviève de Fontenay continues to criticize Miss France Valérie Bègue in public.
She says, "I will spend the entire year with Miss Pays de Loire (Laura Tanguy) and
I will not take care of Miss France. She can go wherever she wants. I don't want to see her ever again or be next
to her." Also, during the first regional pageant of the year that took place two weekends ago, De Fontenay
commented: "Bègue is not tall. She's flat-chested and she's ordinary." In an interview with TV Magazine,
De Fontenay expressed her contempt with this statement: "She should have resigned. When I think that she
is getting a Peugeot after getting a Twingo in Reunion, it's quite scary!" (L'essentiel, 1/31/08)
Earlier, Bègue defended her right to be Miss France. "The real Miss France
is me. Everybody must know that. A second Miss France is incoherent, illegitimate and disrespectful. You can't
take hostages those that voted for you. Madame de Fontenay is fueling discord instead of letting it go," said
Bègue who regrets not having contact anymore with the Hat Lady. "Soon, the regions will be organizing their
pageants to elect their representatives and the organizers may invite me. If Geneviève does not attend if I am
there, then that's her problem!" (TV Magazine. AFP, 1/30/2008)
• THE NEW MISS CZECH REPUBLIC is Eliska Buckova, 18, who was crowned Saturday. She will represent her
country in Miss Universe 2008 in Vietnam. In the above photo, Buckova (center) is flanked by her first runner-up Hana Svobodova, (left)
19, who will go to Miss Earth 2008, and her second runner-up Elisavet Charalambidu, (right) 22, who will go to
Miss Intercontinental 2008.
• MISS EX-ANOREXIC : Just three years ago, newly crowned Miss America Kirsten Haglund was eating tiny portions
of food and became so thin her concerned parents "dragged me to the doctor." Haglund was diagnosed with anorexia,
and the lack of nutrition caused her collar bones to stick out, her heart rate to drop and her relationships to suffer.
"I would feel fatigued walking up six stairs," said the 19-year-old Haglund,
a day after being crowned Miss America 2008. "I was a completely different person. It's not a pretty sight."
Haglund plans to spend her yearlong reign trying to raise awareness of eating disorders, promoting the pageant
and helping the Children's Miracle Network while maintaining a healthy lifestyle and exercise. "You have to have curves,"
she said proudly. "You can't look like a stick-thin model."
The aspiring Broadway star even ate the silver medallion chocolates left
on her pillow in her suite at the host site, the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. "Yes, oh my gosh, yes," she said.
"I love chocolate. Chocolates are a girl's best friend." The 5-foot-8 blonde said she doesn't disclose her weight
to avoid setting standards for youths obsessed with getting lighter. (Delaware Online, 2/1/2008)
• MISS USA IN SIN CITY : The 57th Annual Miss USA Pageant is putting its stilettos down at the brand new Planet
Hollywood Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip and NBC will air the competition live on Apr. 11, organizers announced Friday.
"What happens in Vegas won't be staying in Vegas as the Miss USA telecast is viewed in more than 80 countries around the
globe on live television," Paula M. Shugart, president of the Miss Universe Organization, said in a statement.
The move comes just a week after the contest's older rival, the Miss America Pageant, was held in the same Planet Hollywood resort.
Strutting their stuff—whether in evening gowns or swimsuits—will be 51 lovelies
each representing the 50 states, plus Washington, D.C. The current Miss USA, Rachel Smith of Tennessee, took the tiara
last during a ceremony in Los Angeles. Perhaps the change of scenery will do for Miss USA what it did for Miss America.
(Eonline.com, 2/1/2008)
• REALITY RATINGS : After tallying the final numbers, more than 19.2 million people watched* TLC's telecast of the
2008 Miss America LIVE pageant over three airings, the original live airing and two repeat airings. In its first airing on TLC,
the program claimed the #1 spot on cable Saturday night among females between the ages of 18-34, increasing viewership
over 2007 by 90% among viewers ages 18-34, 95% among women ages 18-49, 96% among women ages 25-54 and 88% among women
ages 18-34. In addition, the median age for the telecast was 37, nearly 7 years younger than the live premiere in 2007
and 14 years younger than in 2006.
“We wanted to re-energize the Miss America brand in a way that made it more
relatable to today's young women,” said Angela Shapiro-Mathes, president and general manager, TLC. “We worked
closely with Sam Haskell and the Miss America Organization to give the pageant a new sensibility that was more
reflective of our audience and the amazing response we had to the live broadcast confirms that it resonated with the viewers.”
“The durability and relevance of an American icon was dramatically demonstrated
Saturday night though our new partnership with Angela Shapiro-Mathes and TLC. The resurgence of “Miss America” has
only just begun. It is the stuff dreams are made of,” stated Sam Haskell, III, Chairman of the Board of the Miss
America Organization. The Miss America Organization and TLC have a three-year deal for the Miss America pageant.
Broadcast live from Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, the Miss America LIVE! pageant was produced by
Tall Pony Productions for TLC. Miss America 2008 Kirsten Haglund was crowned and will serve as the Goodwill Ambassador
for the Children’s Miracle Network. (From Miss America website)
• KILLED : Anna Loginova combined glamour and grit as a successful model and owner of a all-women bodyguard
service in Russia, the Times of London reported. But neither beauty nor brawn could save her when she fell victim to
a carjacking in Moscow. The 29-year-old died from head injuries after being dragged at high speed along the street
as she tried to stop a man stealing her Porsche Cayenne car, according to the Times report. Witnesses said that the
thief pushed Loginova aside as she opened her car door near her home on Sunday. He jumped into the driver's seat and
slammed the door shut but she grabbed hold of the handle just before he sped away, reported the Times.
In an interview with Russian Maxim magazine in December, Loginova, (left) who appeared in
a scantily clad photoshoot, told how she had recently foiled another attempt to steal her car. She told the magazine:
“I stepped out of my car and closed the door when I suddenly saw a young man near me. He grabbed me by the arm.
“By reflex, I used a jujitsu technique. I twisted his arm and hit him on the face with my elbow. The guy obviously was
not expecting such a reaction.” She told the magazine that the man fled to a waiting car after she pulled out a gun and
aimed it at him. Loginova also told how she had got the idea to open an all-women security service after completing a
training course in extreme driving and attending a bodyguard school.
“A normal man gets sick and tired of male bodyguards around him all the time,” she explained to British Maxim magazine.
“Also, many restaurants now do not allow a guard inside. They can come in and check everything but then they are asked
to wait in the lobby. In contrast, you can take a female bodyguard inside, she will sit down at the table and nobody
would guess that she's a weapon herself — and can react appropriately in any dangerous situation.”
Loginova said that her bodyguards were not all models but added that she believed “a girl should be a girl, not a Terminator”.
She traded on her striking appearance, advertising her service on the website of the Stilet private security company
dressed in sleek black clothing and carrying a Samurai sword. She was repeatedly rumored to have been the bodyguard in Russia of Kostya Tszyu, the super-lightweight world
champion boxer, after she was photographed standing behind him in the same outfit at a press conference.
She denied it, however, saying that she had simply been hired as a model at an event organized by a Russian newspaper.
(FoxNews, 2/1/2008)
• INCA GODDESSES : Check out this year's contestants for the 2008 Miss Peru Universe pageant.
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, February 11, 2008.
PHOTO CREDITS: Missosology.org, The Daily Mail (UK),
JANUARY 2008
• THE NEW MISS UKRAINE UNIVERSE is Eleonora Masalab, 19, left, who was crowned Friday at the Alta Expo in
Kiev where Masalab comes from. Masalab had competed in Miss Model of the World 2005 in China where she placed
second, and also competed in Miss Ukraine last year. British supermodel Naomi Campbell was one of
the judges. The pageant is directed by former Miss Ukraine Oleksandra Nikolayenko. You can view photos
from the pageant in this site.
| 02.18.2008 | Monday
• SCHÖNE FRÄULEIN : The new Miss Universe Germany is Madina Taher, left, a 21-year-old graphics design student from
Elmshorn (north of Hamburg), who was crowned Saturday at the Steigenberger Hotel in Bad Pyrmont. The first runner-up is Larissa Krumhoff, 21, of Wiesbaden
and the second runner-up is Kristine David, 21, of Meissen. Taher is of Afghan origin. Nearly 100 young
women competed in the pageant, each representing a postal code.
| 02.11.2008 | Monday
• FREEDOM : A former beauty queen who was stripped of her tiara after racy photos of her appeared on the Internet
has been freed from jail following her arrest on traffic offenses. Katie Rees, 23, a former Miss Nevada USA,
was held for about 12 hours at the Clark County jail after police said she was stopped while driving about 3 a.m.
Wednesday and became physically aggressive toward a Las Vegas police officer. Mario Torres, Rees' lawyer in Tampa, Florida,
denied Rees was aggressive, and said she chipped or lost a tooth when she was forcefully pushed against her vehicle.
"Based on the information I've received, the officer was very aggressive with her," Torres said. "They used aggression
against her." 
• APPLE OF OUR EYES : The reigning Miss Washington has returned from the Miss America pageant in Las Vegas —
"I'm Elyse Umemoto (left). How do you like them apples?" — where she almost won. Now that this
beauty queen is back in Tacoma, her main priority is: Eat. "There's a half-filled box of doughnuts in my kitchen.
The chocolate sprinkle ones went first," said Elyse, 23, who was crowned second runner-up. "I was training so hard for
what seemed like an eternity, and I could not wait to come home and have a chocolate doughnut." The self-professed "coffee
and Diet Coke fanatic" adhered to a strict diet in the months before the pageant, eschewing caffeine, flour, dairy and sodium.
Honestly, someone should give her a crown just for that. Now that she's home and has satisfied her cravings for Buffalo wings, lattes and lasagna,
she's turning her attention to the 500 e-mails and 200 Facebook friend requests she received in the 10 days she was in Las
Vegas. At least a few inquiries are on the subject of apples. Her recommendation: Golden Delicious.
(Seattle Times, United States, 2/10/2008)
| 02.04.2008 | Monday
She was dragged for several meters before letting go and slamming her head against
the pavement. She died before an ambulance arrived and police later found her car abandoned near by. Loginova rose to
prominence in Russia as a model for brands such as BMW and Chanel. But a passion for martial arts also led her to set
up a company employing women bodyguards, some trained by the former KGB, to provide security for wealthy businessmen
in the notoriously violent Russian capital.
