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| 06.28.2006 | Monday
• DETHRONED : FOX News reported last night (U.S. East Coast time) that the new Miss Australia,
Canberra-born Erin McNaught, has been stripped of her title. Less than three weeks ago, McNaught charmed judges
with her stunning personality to win the crown.However, it is the display of another
form of her talent in the pages of a men's magazine that has led to calls for her to be dislodged from the throne.
The director of the pageant denied judges had made a mistake in picking the 24-year-old
and insisted she would still go on to represent the country at the international competition
in Los Angeles next month. Erin's mother, Lin McNaught, said the pictures were
taken long before this month's Miss Australia competition in Melbourne and
that organizers had known about them at the time of her entry.
This did nothing to ease the anger of one judge,
Jonathan Westbrook, of Perth, who said neither he nor his colleagues had known
about the topless shots. An angry Westbrook accused McNaught of "dragging the contest
into the gutter". Westbrook said that McNaught should have been disqualified and
that the title should have been handed to another entrant, Perth's Leah Fuhrmann.
Westbrook was joined in his criticism by the coordinator of the show, Deborah Miller.
Both said the winner had also failed to turn up for sponsorship commitments in
Melbourne last week and did not deserve either the $5000 prize or $20,000 tiara.
Pageant director Jim Davie is reported to have said the photographs in no way broke
competition rules and that McNaught, a science degree student now living in
Queensland, was still going to Los Angeles. (FOX News, 6/26/2006; Canberra News, 6/26/2006
FOX News also reported that McNaught will
be replaced by her first runner-up, Leah Fuhrmann.
• SWAN SONG : I watched "Uncovered: The Hidden Lives of Miss USA" last Wednesday night
on E! Entertainment channel. Here are just a few observations. First of all, unlike the past "behind-the-
scenes" of Miss USA pageant in which the MUO staff kept a low profile, the 2006 version
gave virtually equal airtime to both the MUO staff and the featured candidates. Second,
the subtitle of the segment - "Hidden Lives" - is really a misnomer: true pageant fans already
know that beauty queens fill up their bras with "chicken cutlets" to produce a sexy cleavage, or
that they starve themselves a few days before the swimsuit competition, or that they lack vital
sleep due to long rehearsal hours and other stress-related activities. Third, the MUO staff
are the real stars of the show: they're the ones who provide the chaos, the comedy, and the drama.
The show should have been called "Uncovered: The Hidden Lives of the MUO Staff."
There were some "bloody" moments as well.
Miss Michigan USA Danelle Gay falls in a hole on the stage and cuts herself badly,
while the camera zooms to her bleeding leg. Miss New Mexico USA Onawa Lacy reveals
a tattoo above her crotch with Chinese inscription that translates to "Love is Pain." Shugart
is slightly baffled as the make-up crew struggles to "erase" the tattoo before the swimsuit
photo session. And one bizarre moment: a goofy-looking young man stands by the door of Conner's room
while Cooley is lounging in bed. Cooley keeps staring at the man, then realizes that he must
be Conner's boyfriend. Then Cooley lectures the boyfriend that he and Conner may not be able
to see each other on a regular basis. Cut to Ogata who says, "I'm not saying that they have
to break up, but 9 times out of 10, the winners always break up with their boyfriends." Cut to
Conner: "I've been dreaming about this (title) since I was 13 and I'm not going to let
anything stop me." Cooley nods her head. The goofy-looking boyfriend does not utter a word.
It is refreshing to see a behind-the-scenes show
that discloses the humanity of the MUO staff. The negative things that I've read on other
message boards about Esther Swan are truly appalling, and unforgivable. Without Swan,
MUO would not be able to run smoothly, and everyone does work hard contrary to what has been
depicted on the show. In Trumpland, there's no room for laziness or irresponsibility, since
everyone knows that they can be easily replaced (remember Oxana Fedorova?) And just
a suggestion to MUO: when you do another behind-the-scenes show next time, please make sure to
include pageant fans (like me or William Prendiz de Jurado! LOL!) in the show; these people
are your most loyal supporters, not the sponsors.
• CONGRATULATIONS to Alex Quintero, Colombian-born beauty queen maker who
works in the Katty Pulido International modeling agency in Weston, Florida.
Quintero obtained the exclusive right from the owner of the Miss World Colombia
organization, Edgar Botero, to organize a pageant in South Florida to choose
a representative from around the States to represent the Colombian-American
community in the Miss World Colombia Pageant to take place next year in Bogota. The
local winner will be crowned as the new Miss World Colombia USA. Katty Pulido
International encourages all Colombian-American girls born or with Colombian ancestry
who believe have the qualifications to compete in a beauty pageant to contact
the agency at info@kattypulido.com or
to Alex Quintero at rojasalex123@hotmail.com.
(Thanks to Mario Bermudez for this info)
• TRAGIC : Patsy Ramsey, who was thrust into the national spotlight by the unsolved
1996 slaying of her daughter, 6-year-old beauty pageant contestant JonBenet, died Saturday
following a long battle with ovarian cancer, her lawyer said. She was 49.
Ramsey was diagnosed with the disease in 1993 and suffered a recurrence several years ago,
attorney L. Lin Wood said. She died at her father's home in Roswell, Georgia, a suburb of
Atlanta, with her husband, John, at her bedside. In 1977, Patsy Ramsey was crowned
Miss West Virginia. (CBS News, 6/24/2006)
• THE D.C. EXPERIENCE : I still can't get over the Pitoy Moreno fashion show that I attended
over a week ago. I have always admired Pitoy's work, but I have never imagined that I
would finally get to meet him in person. But what made the event more special was the presence
of ex-beauty queens and the special participation of Precious Lara Quigaman, the
current Miss International.
I didn't hear about the event until Karen Agustin
had e-mailed me less than two weeks previous to the event. Initially, I thought that the
tickets were free, but later I found out that they weren't. Then I discovered that the proceeds
would go to a worthy cause, and that I would get to meet Pitoy and hang out with his model
beauty queens. There were just a few things that bothered me about the affair. First, I could
hardly eat anything off the pre-fixed menu with three courses. The appetizer consisted of a
dish called lumpiang ubod (vegetable and crab crepe), in miniscule serving. As a vegan,
I couldn't eat the crab meat, so I meticulously separated it from the other ingredients (veggies,
crisp noodles, crushed peanuts). The entrée was filet mignon stuffed with sausage, and with jasmine
rice and Asian vegetables on the side. Of course, I ate the rice and the veggies. I could
live without the appetizer and the entrée, but I certainly could not live without dessert -
in this case - a Ritz-Carltonized version of the popular Filipino dessert halo-halo -
which was horrible. It consisted of a mould of three-tiered ice that had been hollowed out
in the center which was then filled with milk and papaya and mango cubes topped with a slice of
starfruit. Real halo-halo
should have crushed ice, milk, ice cream (optional), and at
least seven tropical fruits.
Second, for an event that was supposed to be formal, I
was appalled by some guests who were considerably underdressed for the occasion. Some
men were wearing business suits as if they were going to work, and some were wearing no ties
at all. Even some of the women were wearing trousers or outfits that would be more appropriate for a
church social. Third, after the event some guests decided to take home the table centerpieces
with them, which was really tacky. And fourth, security backstage was non-existent. My friend
Al and I were able to sneak our way into the hallway behind the stage where Karen Agustin
saw us. She immediately gave us a warm kiss and a hug and then took us to the dressing room
where we were introduced to Precious Lara, Maan Bayot (Binibining Pilipinas
International 2004) and Isabel Roces, a top Philippine model. Al had his picture
taken with Pitoy nibbling on a piece of meat! LOL!
Al and I took the cab back to our hotel, changed,
and then went to McDonald's for some French fries and apple/walnut salad. Since I hardly
ate at the fashion event, the fries and the salad tasted so good! After our late snack,
we took the cab to meet with Karen at her hotel lobby; it was already past 2 a.m. She wanted
desperately to go out to a club, but all the clubs were already closed. So we stayed at
the hotel lobby chatting along with two Pitoy models - a male model named Ariel and 17-year-old
ingénue Shana Bridget Watts whom Al and I convinced to join Binibini in a few years.
The next day at around noontime, we met Karen again
at her hotel lobby where she and the other models had convened to wait for the details
of their modeling stint for the day. They were supposed to take photo shoots all over D.C. wearing
Pitoy's costumes, and with temperatures reaching the 90s, some of them were feeling reluctant
doing it. Who could blame them? It was bad enough that they didn't have a lot of free time
to do whatever they wanted; now, they had to force themselves to pose in sweltering heat
wearing layered haute couture garments. Such is the life of a model. Al and I surprised Karen
with a framed photo of her wearing the sexy red evening gown that she had worn in Miss Universe;
next to the photo is a paper doll version that Eric Siow had drawn for her as a gift.
She was very touched! Minutes later, Precious came down and sat in the chair next to mine. She had the "morning look," with hardly any make-up on.
She showed me her Miss International sash, which looked a little worn out. Acting like a silly
fan, I borrowed her sash and had a picture taken of me wearing it! LOL!
I posted a three more pics from the event on the CB Message Board.
I will publish the rest of pics on the July edition of CB Magazine, so watch for it!
• OF CACAO AND FLOWERS : From July 21 to 25, the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador will host
two beauty pageants: the Reina Internacional del Cacao and the Reina Mundial de las
Flores. The latter is not to be confused with Reina Internacional de las Flores, a
Colombian-based pageant that was cancelled three years ago due to lack of sponsorship.
Both pageants will take place at Hotel Oro Verde and will be organized by the
Corporación Queen of Ecuador, Inc. headed by César Montece, who also
hands out numerous minor international titles during a festival of beauty. (Thanks to
César Montece for this info.)
• BELLEZA CRITICA : Lee
la entrevista en español con la bellísima Priscila Perales, la representante mexicana
al Miss Universo.
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, July 3, 2006.
Photo credits: Pbase.com, Critical Beauty
| 06.21.2006 | Wednesday
• OZ CONTROVERSY : First, it happened in Mrs. World. Now, it is happening in Miss Australia Universe.
An Aussie newspaper reported that the first runner-up Emma Newcombe and second
runner-up Leah Fuhrman had to switch sashes because the placings "were read out
in the wrong order." Jim Davie, the pageant's national director and licensee, knew
of the mix-up but remained silent. However, one of the judges Jonathan Westbrook
was able to confront Davie who told Westbrook that "couldn't change the official results
because they had been signed off by the auditor for dispatch to Miss Universe HQ."
During the Mrs. World pageant in St. Petersburg,
Mrs. Costa Rica was mistakenly crowned as the winner, but the mix-up was resolved immediately
on stage. Even though the crown was initially placed on the wrong head, host Alan Thicke
read the official results correctly, unlike the host of Miss Australia Universe Pete Lazer
who is accused of "fluffing" the envelopes. Poor Newcombe. It's bad enough that
there is no guarantee that she might replace Erin McNaught in case the latter
is unable to fulfill her duties as the Queen of Oz. And it's even worse to think that
Fuhrman might go to Miss Universe if indeed McNaught could not make it! (The Age,
Australia, 6/19/2006)
• MOST PROBLEMATIC QUEEN? First, it was her catfight with her predecessor Andrea Abudinen
over a love triangle involving Abudinen's boyfriend. Then came her romance with "el Molotov,"
the American-born lead singer of a Mexican rock group. Then Promociones Gloria threatened
to dethrone her for her supposed lack of commitment to her royal duties. Now, Miss Bolivia
Universe Desirée Durán wants the world to know that she does not like scandals.
Furthermore, she rejects all notion that her chances of winning Miss Universe may be threatened by
the scandals. Like any true Latina beauty queen who is full of self-confidence and determination,
Durán boldly states, "I will be Miss Universe! And after a year, I will go to Hollywood to be
an actress." (El Deber, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, 6/18/2006)
I do not recall of any Miss Universe contender (or any
other pageant contender for that matter) who had been involved in a string of scandals
before competing, and then either won or entered the finals. Will Durán indeed be Bolivia's
first Miss Universe? Some observers have compared her to Amelia Vega, Miss Universe
2003 from the Dominican Republic, who had gained a reputation for being bitchy
and arrogant while competing in Panama. Physically, Durán and Vega could also pass up for twins.
Incidentally, Vega just moved to Hollywood to consider various acting offers and to
promote Cover Girl products for teenage Hispanic girls.
• IT'S A MAN'S WORLD : The organizers of the Mr. World contest announced that the
pageant will take place in Sanya (China) on December 9th. The contest was postponed
for three years, but the organization (the same one who runs Miss World) decided to
restore the event and expects the participation of at least eighty countries.
(El Deber, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, 6/18/2006)
• TV ALERT : E! Entertainment Television will broadcast "Uncovered: The Hidden Lives of Miss
USA. An Exclusive Behind-The-Scenes Look at the Chaos, Comedy and the Drama at the 2006
Miss USA Pageant." The show premieres tonight at 9 p.m. (U.S. East Coast time). The show
will feature Tara Conner, Miss US; Chelsea Cooley, Miss USA 2005, and the 2006
Miss USA Contestants. Read more.
Also, don't miss "Treasure Hunters," the new reality show on NBC
that pits several teams who travel all over the world to find a treasure th
• TEST YOUR PAGEANT IQ : Mine is a perfect 10! Hehehe! Here's the multiple-choice test.
• NEXT UPDATE : The Philippine cultural event that I attended last Saturday at the Ritz-Carlton
Hotel in Washington, D.C. was a phenomenal success. I posted three pics from the Pitoy Moreno fashion show on the
CB Message Board. I will talk more about the event in next Monday's update, along with more
photos, so stay tuned!
Photo credit: La República (Lima)
| 06.12.2006 | Monday
• DIAMONDS FIT FOR A QUEEN : The Miss Bahamas Organization (MBO)recently announced that this year's
Miss Bahamas World winner will receive a custom-made diamond-studded crown designed by
George Wittels, the renowned Venezuelan jeweler who crafted the Miss Venezuela
crowns. MBP established partnership with Diamonds International who is the pageant's official
jeweler and one of the major sponsors. The new Miss Bahamas World will be crowned on July
8th at the Rainforest Theatre in Nassau. All contestants will receive Diamonds International
gift packs and will automatically be placed on the Diamonds International VIP customer list,
which affords them special discounts on selected fine jewelry and timepieces carried at
Diamonds International.
Head of the Miss Bahamas Organization® Michelle Malcolm commented,
“Diamonds International is truly proving in very tangible ways that Diamonds ARE a girl’s
best friend... particularly the girls who are vying to be crowned Miss Bahamas World.
The Miss Bahamas Organization looks forward to a long and fruitful relationship with
Diamonds International as we embark on our premiere Pageant. With their support, we are
anticipating putting on a spectacular event that will restore pageantry in The Bahamas
to its rightful place and give the Bahamian audience a night to remember!” (Thanks to
Michelle Malcolm for this info).
• BARBARA - A SNOB? Venezuelan gossip columnist Chepa Candela wrote that Miss Universe 1986
Bárbara Palacios, who is now a successful jewelry designer and entrepreneur, may not
attend the 20th crowning anniversary planned for her by Venevisión. Why? Because other beauties
from her Miss Venezuela 1986 batch will also be honored including Maité Delgado who has
gone on to become a big television presenter and hostess of many Miss Venezuela pageants.
When Palacios learned that the honor would not be exclusively for her, she invented faux excuses
not to attend which infuriated some pageant fans who accuse her of being ungrateful.
(Diário 2001, Caracas, 6/6/2006)
• FALLEN QUEENS : And now, CB pays homage not to dead beauty queens, but to beauty queens
who have lost their regal poise by accidentally tripping, slipping, or falling down. Yes,
dear readers, even the most poised beauties can lose their balance and succumb to the
force of gravity. Call it lack of hindsight, nervousness, or pure clumsiness. Many of us
still remember Jennifer Hawkins, Miss Universe 2004, who slipped while descending
some stairs and landing on her butt. Flashback to Miss Universe 1998 when Miss Ghana Francisca
Baafour Awuah - ignoring stage protocol - lunges at Miss Trinidad & Tobago Wendy Fitzwilliam
three seconds after her country's name was announced as the winner. During the same year in Miss
World, Ghana's representative Efia Owusua Marfo fell on the stage and landed on
all fours. Sometimes, a fall could actually increase a candidate's chances of winning, such as in the case of
of Miss Philippines Miriam Quiambao who fell on her side during the gown prelims in Miss
Universe 1999; she ended up placing second in the finals. And most recently, Miss World Unnur Birna
fell flat on her face
during the Miss Iceland 2006 pageant.
CB recognizes these beauties who, despite their
lack of balance or unintentional stupidity, got back on their feet and proceeded to face
the world with their heads held high.
• NEXT UPDATE : This weekend, I will be attending a Philippine cultural event in Washington, D.C.
featuring a fashion show by the great Filipino designer Pitoy Moreno. Among the beauty queens
that will be modeling Moreno's clothes are Karen Agustin (Binibining Pilipinas 2002 and
Philippine Coffee Queen 2004), Maan Bayot (Binibining Pilipinas International 2004), and
Precious Lara Quigaman, the current Miss International. This journal will be updated on
Wednesday, 6/21/2006.
Photo credits: FHM, Alex Quintero (Katty Pulido International)
| 06.05.2006 | Monday
• NEW QUEENS : The new Miss Côte d'Ivoire (never say "Ivory Coast!") is Diomande Alima, 19,
who was crowned in Abidjan last Friday night and will go to Miss World. Her court includes first runner-up Kobou Koussou Diane
and second runner-up Traore Salimata. The pageant was graced by Miss France
2005 Cindy Fabre. The new Miss Belarus is Yekaterina Litvinova, 22,
a student of Belorusian-Russian University from Mogilyov who was crowned last Friday
in the capital city of Minsk. It is not known if Litvinova will be sent to
an international pageant. The new Miss Gibraltar is 21-year-old Hayley O'Brien
who will go to Miss World. And finally, the new Miss Italy World is 17-year-old
Elizaveta Migatcheva of Russian extraction. (from Miss News).
• SEX AND THE STUDENT : A first-year high school teacher and former Miss Texas
contestant (for Miss America 2002) faces up to 20 years in jail after an 18-year-old student told police he had sex
with the 25-year-old woman several times at her apartment in Austin Ranch.
Amy McElhenney, who taught Spanish and was a cross-country coach at the Lewisville
ISD school in Carrollton, is charged with having an improper relationship with a
student, a second-degree felony. She was arrested on May 25, the last day of school,
posted $5,000 bail and was released. While McElhenney denied having a physical or
sexual relationship with the teen, she told police she felt their relationship was
inappropriate, police said. McElhenney was charged under a law that outlaws sexual
relationships between educators and students even if the sex is consensual and the
student is of legal age. In Texas, the age of consent is 17. (KHOU, Texas, 6/3/2006)
• SPANISH ADVENTURE : Four Latina beauty queens are currently in Spain to promote
a new modeling competition called Top Model Latina 2006. The beauties include Cynthia
Olavarría, Miss Puerto Rico Universe 2005; Johanna Fernández, Miss Costa Rica
Universe 2005; Gretel Stehli, Miss Bolivia International 2005; and Mariela Candia, Miss
America Latina 2005 from Paraguay. They are joined by Patricia Gayán, the winner of
Top Model Latina España 2006. (Thanks to Promociones Gloria for this info)
• COMMENTARY ON MRS. WORLD : Last Saturday night, I watched the delayed - and edited -
telecast of Mrs. World 2006 pageant that took place in St. Petersburg, Russia last April.
I can only talk about what I saw on television, and leave everything else to the contestants
themselves to discuss how the pageant had been organized. I don't know how the original, live
show went, but the version showed by WE (Women's Entertainment) network on American television had the following
structure: it began with the presentation of the Miss Congeniality award to Mrs.
Bolivia Gina De Alza, a 46-year-old and married for fifteen years, followed by the parade of nations with
the delegates introducing themselves in their national costumes. I couldn't make heads or tails
out of Mrs. America's costume that looked more like a sexy evening gown with a slit exposing
her legs; Mrs. Guyana was wearing what looked like an Indian sari, and she
was followed by Mrs. India wearing a sari. The least original costume was worn by Mrs.
Great Britain who sported a short sleeveless dress splattered with Union Jacks. And I don't
know why Yugoslavia was represented at all, given that this name has ceased to exist since
February 4, 2003. The most original costume
award was given to Mrs. Kenya Carolyn
Verkaik, while the best costume award was handed to Mrs. Russia Sofia Arzhakovstaya, a 19-year-old
stunning young woman who happens to be a pole dancer!
The costume segment was followed by the selection of
the ten semi-finalists who were called in this order: Guyana, Portugal, Philippines, Thailand,
Russia, Poland, America, Costa Rica, Spain and Ukraine. Then host Alan Thicke announced
that there had been four bonus competitions (hockey, bowling, cooking, dancing) and that the two
women who scored the highest points would be the eleventh and twelfth semi-finalists. China
and Finland join the original top ten. Then, all twelve semi-finalists change into their swimsuits.
In the style of a reality show, three women at the bottom of the list are called: Thailand,
Portugal, Guyana. Thicke says goodbye to the last two women. Backstage, the remaining non-finalists
are being instructed - much to their dismay - to vote off someone from the semi-finals. An
outspoken Mrs. South Africa Mariette Chippindall - hats off to her for acting like
a mother hen protecting her young - urges everyone not to vote, and most of them did not vote.
After the introduction of the judges - that included
Pageantry Magazine publisher Carl Dunn and veteran singer/skin care entrepreneur
Connie Stevens - Mrs. Thailand and Mrs. Ukraine are called to
One of my pet peeves in international pageanty is
using fellow contestants to serve as interpreters. The Mrs. World pageant is not an exception
to this abominable practice. During the Q & A segment, Mrs. Bolivia translated for Mrs. Costa Rica
while Mrs. Singapore translated for Mrs. China. Now here's a funny moment:
while Mrs. China was reciting her response in Chinese, the camera zooms to some non-Chinese-looking
members in the audience clapping! One wonders whether these members really understood Chinese or that it
was a question of bad television editing! Mrs. Bolivia might be the friendliest, but her English
was rather mediocre, so imagine
the largely non-English-speaking Russian audience remaining utterly clueless as to what Mrs. Bolivia was
saying. Then there was this young Russian-speaking woman interpreter who, in a skimpy black outfit and her right hand posed on her hip most of the
time, translated for Mrs. Poland and Mrs. Russia. Instant cheers from the audience. I don't know why Mrs. Kenya did not originally
make the original top ten, but I found her very eloquent, personable, chic and intelligent.
When asked about her greatest achievement, she said that she was able to save twelve girls from
being married off to older men ("when the girls were just 9 years old") and from the horrible
practice of female circumcision. Hmmm... one wonders what she thinks of Mrs. Russia, 19, being
married to a 58-year-old Russian businessman!
Thicke announces the official results: Poland (5th runner-up),
China (4th runner-up), Kenya (3rd runner-up), Finland (2nd runner-up), Costa Rica (1st runner-up),
and Russia (Mrs. World). A few disgusted delegates walk off the stage. Then a little girl dressed
up as a cherub and carrying the crown is hoisted down on a pulley; a woman pageant staff member -
believed to be pageant coordinator Bathsheva Baiba - takes the
crown from the cherub and mistakenly crowns Andrea Bermúdez Romero (Costa Rica) as the winner while the real winner
(Russia) lingers on stage with a puzzled look. The contestants
are happy with the results and rush to congratulate Bermúdez. Suddenly, a male staff member - who
might have been Mrs. World vice-president Bob Mazza - intercepts Bathsheva and scolds her: "Bathsheva, what have you done?!!! Mrs. Russia won! Not Mrs.
Costa Rica!!!" An unidentified pageant staff member tells Bermúdez to give up her crown and
sash to Arzhakovstaya. Bermúdez calmly, but emotionally walks off the stage accompanied by
Mrs. Bolivia and another contestant. Backstage, many of the women express their disgust. Mrs. South
Africa begs a cameraman to put off his camera, yet another cameraman secretly tapes
Mrs. South Africa's tirade. Then a shot of angry Mrs. Bolivia: "Each one of us here is professional.
We leave our family, we leave everything to come here. Not to see this!"
The entire pageant was obviously made up to be a
reality show, but without the knowledge of the contestants who felt that they had been
duped. Right from the beginning of the telecast, the voiceover announcer said, "And for the
first time in television history, you will see and hear things never before seen or heard
in an international competition." Cut to a videoclip of Mrs. Russia in tight jeans doing
a pole dance in a bar. Then the announcer exclaims, "Get ready for reality!' Cut to a contestant
with her hand to the camera saying, "This is not a reality show, okay!" Thicke himself
introduced the pageant as a "reality pageant" to the audience. Other memorable video
"reality" clips: Mrs. Thailand complaining about her roommate smoking too much ("I had to sleep in
the other room and I almost died because I do not smoke."); Mrs. America gulping down a glass of
liquor with Mrs. Russia cheering her; Mrs. Philippines bursting into tears inside a church; Mrs.
South Africa stating that Mrs. Russia hardly appeared during rehearsals; Mrs. Costa Rica sitting
on Mrs. South Africa's lap and saying, "I don't want the crown" while Mrs. Norway cusses
("They took off your crown! It's f---k--g [unintelligible]. I can't believe! I am shocked!")
The ten finalists were asked to return to the stage for a photo shoot, but several had already left.
Then Thicke calls for take two: "Let's shoot with Mrs. Russia getting the crown." Mrs. Costa
Rica's name is announced as the first runner-up, but she is nowhere on stage. Bathsheva
reappears and feigns her delight over Mrs. Russia's victory.
Much have been said about the fiasco, and so far the most
elaborate report has been written by Jake Rudnitsky (see his article on the CB Message Board
entitled, "Mother Russia Wins Again.") However, I wanted to hear the pageant organization's side of the
story, so last week I contacted the Mrs. World office and asked them if I could interview its owner David Marmel.
I am still waiting for a response. I have a feeling that I will never get a response just like
I never did from the owner of Miss Tourism World pageant John Singh who had been accused of
swindling OBE TV, the UK-based media consultant firm that provided the television broadcast
of the January 2005 pageant in Zimbabwe. Anyway, ever since Rudnitsky's article was published, he
has received letters of praise from Mrs. Canada herself Nicole Mackoway and another Mrs.
who is grateful for having missed the pageant. But Rudnitsky also received inflammatory
letters from Mazza and Marmel themselves! My God, the way these two men responded to Rudnitsky
- if indeed their letters are authentic - more or less reinforces the claims made by
several married beauties that both men are crude. Read the letters here.
And it seems that Marmel has been involved in scandals before; read this five-year-old posting
from the now defunct Pageant Central MB that refers to a lawsuit filed against Marmel by
a former Mrs. America.
Perhaps the strangest portion of the entire telecast was when the voiceover announcer enticed
married women viewers as potential contestants - this while the pageant fiasco was happening
right before their eyes!
Watch the coronation scene in Youtube!
• ALL ABOUT BIKINIS : "Six decades after its invention, the skimpiest garment ever
created for women to wear in public refuses to head for cover. The modern bikini, loved
and loathed by women in equal doses, still reigns supreme as the great Aussie cossie
everywhere from Brighton beach to the Big Brother house." Read more.
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, June 12, 2006
MAY 2006
Esther Swan, left, the Public Relations Manager, is depicted
as an abrasive and ruthless feminazi; Roston ("I wear many hats") Ogata, the amusing rotund
Director of Talent Development, jokes that no girl who has his size will ever win the swimsuit
competition; Scott Grossman, the choreographer, shows the girls how to sashay stylishly
rather than to dance professionally; Susie Dicker, Talent Development Manager, asks Chelsea Cooley
to surrender her BlackBerry and gently escorts her out of her dressing room to make way for the new queen;
and Paula Shugart, MUO President, assures that everybody is doing their job including
Swan whom she calls as "the Enforcer" in front of Tara Conner, the new queen.
Later, Al and I walked with Karen and the group to
their hotel which was two blocks away from the Ritz-Carlton. Karen invited us to her
room that she was sharing with Maan Bayot and Karla Bautista, Binibining Pilipinas
World 2004. Karen knocked on the door first to make sure if someone was there. No one answered.
So she let us in and we chatted in the lounge area in front of the TV set. Then a few minutes
later, Maan and Karla walked in. Al and I had never met Karla before, so Karen graciously
introduced her to us. Karla's photos do not do her justice at all, as I found her even more beautiful
in person; she's also articulate and sexy in her own way. When I asked her if she would be
interested in joining another pageant, she said maybe. Who knows, maybe I'll send her to
World Coffee Queen next year! One funny moment: Maan hollered out to Karen from the kitchenette,
"Pakainin mo ang mga bisita mo!" ("Feed your guests!") Karen immediately showed us an open
box on the table filled with junk food (bags of potato chips, cheese curls, M & Ms, and other
stuff that I could not eat.) So I just drank a cold glass of water that Maan had offered.
Then the phone rang. It was Precious (whom the girls call "Lara"). She asked for Karen.
She told Karen that she was already too tired to go out (it was already past midnight), and
that she was ready to retire for the evening. And just before Al and I left, Karen presented
each of us a 2006 calendar featuring 12 Filipina beauty queens, with Karen as Miss December.
She also gave us sampalok candy
and polvorón.
• THE NEW MISS PERU WORLD is Silvia Cornejo, left, a 19-year-old architecture
student representing the department of La Libertad. Cornejo was crowned last Saturday
night. The first runner-up is Darayi Tejada of San Martín and the second runner-up is
Brenda Aguirre of Lambayeque. Cornejo had been the favorite since the beginning
of the pageant, or at least that is the opinion of the parents of the other contestants who
claim that Cornejo's victory was fixed. One relative of the candidate from Pasco
said that the majority of the judges come from the north (La Libertad is in the northwestern
part of Peru) and that Cornejo had already been handpicked as the winner. Tito Paz,
the pageant director, denied such allegation and stated that the election process was clean.
(La Primera, Lima, 6/19/2006)
• NEW AUSSIE QUEEN : A Gold Coast model has been crowned the new Miss Universe Australia.
Erin McNaught, left, a 24-year-old part-time model and bar worker from Surfers Paradise,
won the coveted 2006 title from a host of aspiring beauty queens at Eden on the Park in
Melbourne last Friday night. McNaught, a brunette with olive skin, swayed the judges with her
personality and "well constructed answers" to their questions. She was also the top
favorite to win. First runner-up is Emma Newcombe of Colac and second runner-up is
Leah Furhman is third. Before joining the pageant, McNaught had posed for men's
magazines Ralph and FHM. (The Age, 6/10/2006; News.com.au, 6/11/2006)
• MODEL MAKER : Katty Pulido, a former associate of Osmel Sousa, has
moved to Weston, Florida and opened her own modeling agency called Katty Pulido International.
Before moving to Florida, Pulido had a successful agency in Maracay, Venezuela that was
responsible for the preparations of national queens such as Milka Chulina (Miss Venezuela 1992),
Alicia Machado (Miss Venezuela 1995 and Miss Universe 1996), and Ligia Petit (Miss Intercontinental
2001). This year in her Weston agency, Pulido and her associates are currently training the
Nicaraguan entry for Miss Universe, Cristiana Frixione, left. Canada's Alice Panikian
will also be trained starting June 18th. And watch out for two Pulido girls who are being
trained for Miss Venezuela 2006: Sofia Douzoglou and Carolina de Francisco. (Thanks to
Mario Bermudez of Florida for this info.)
• A CUP OF BEAUTY : In Germany last week, thirty-two young women competed in the
Miss World Cup beauty pageant. Each woman represented a country that has advanced
to the semi-final round of the 2006 World Cup soccer competition. TheWorld Cup of Beauty contest and vote for your
favorites.
• DEATH FOR HARDCORE CRIMINALS : Since she was crowned Miss Universe in 1973,
Margarita 'Margie' Moran Floirendo, left, has never been involved in any controversy until now.
Margie recently told a Philippine newspaper that she approves of the death penalty imposed on
people who commit heinous crimes. A member of the board of Habitat for Humanity, Margie
stated that "the heavier the crime, the stiffer the punishment should be." (Philippine
Daily Inquirer, 6/3/2006)
