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| 06.25.2007 | Monday
Miss USA Rachel Smith Visits the White House
Yesterday in Chicago, Smith attended the CONCACAF Gold Cup championship soccer match between U.S.A and Mexico.
U.S.A. won with a 2-1 victory. This must be a very happy news - and somewhat a redemption for Smith who was booed in Mexico during the Miss Universe
pageant. The U.S. team was also booed by the Mexican fans during the soccer match, and reports indicate that the Mexican coach
and players complained about the results and showed total poor sportsmanship by refusing to shake hands with the winning U.S. team.
• NEW FILIPINA QUEENS : Two college students were crowned Mutya ng Pilipinas in a four-hour beauty pageant
at the Olongapo Convention Center which started last Friday night and ended early Saturday morning.
Zephora Mayon, 18, of Las Piñas, Metro Manila, was named 2007 Mutya ng Pilipinas Asia-Pacific International,
while Ana Marie Morelos, 17, was crowned Mutya ng Pilipinas Tourism International. Mayon
will represent her country in the Miss Asia-Pacific International in a place to be announced soon. Morelos will
compete in the Miss Tourism International in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Mayon was crowned by her predecessor
Kirby Ann Basken who is also the current Miss Norway Universe. (Manila Bulletin, Philippines, 6/24/2007)
• REUNITED : The Miss Continente Americano 2007 pageant has kicked off in Guayaquil, Ecuador and the pageant
reunited several Latina delegates who had competed in Miss Universe 2007. Among these delegates include
Uma Blasini of Puerto Rico, Wendy Salgado of Honduras, Eileen Roca of Colombia, Verónica
González of Costa Rica, Lugina Cabezas of Ecuador, Lissette Rodriguez of El Salvador, Alida Boer
of Guatemala, Xiomara Blandino of Nicaragua, Sorángel Matos of Panama, and Jimena Elías of Peru.
The new queen will be crowned on June 30th by the ongoing queen Mia Taveras of the Dominican Republic.
Visit the official website for more information.
• RETURN TO PANAMA : Twenty-one years after she was crowned Miss Universe in Panama, Barbara Palacios, now 43,
returned to the country last week to promote Barbara Palacios LifeStyle - her successful line of beauty products, clothing and accessories and
to negotiate opening one of her stores in Panam City. She stayed at the Sheraton Hotel, the very same hotel where
the 1986 delegates were lodged, but this time she came with her husband and her children. (Panamá América,
6/24/2007)
"My mother, my older brother and two younger brothers were all in illegal
custody." The film "Miss Anara," made by minor Bollywood director Yogesh Bhardwaj, was released nationwide
Friday -- but not in Gupta's home region Jammu, part of India's northermost Jammu and Kashmir state. Activists
from the Hindu Shiv Sena group, concerned about the effect of the film on Jammu girls, threatened cinema owners
with arson if they screened it. "The way Anara Gupta is becoming famous in films, Jammu girls will think they should
act in blue films and become famous," said activist Anand Sharma.
After three years of investigation and the examination of the CD in forensic laboratories, police are yet to
confirm whether the woman in the film is Gupta. "I don't know why they are still doing the investigation," said Gupta.
"I think they are dragging out the case to protect their officers."Pornography is strictly forbidden in India,
and even on-screen kisses by Bollywood stars are severely frowned upon. (The Sunday Times, Sri Lanka, 6/24/2007)
• ON JAPANESE BEAUTY : The success of Japanese contestants in the Miss Universe contest in recent years
has reminded Japanese beauty experts how concepts of beauty in this country differ from those elsewhere -
and demonstrated that Japanese women are perfectly able to adapt to the demands of a global audience.
Osaka Shoin Women's University Prof. Hiroto Murasawa, who specializes in beauty and cosmetics, said that when
he first saw Miss Universe Riyo Mori, he thought she did not look Japanese. "Watching her on TV during the finals,
I thought she projected a very non-Japanese air. She comes across as a mature, independent woman who is very adept
at expressing herself," he said.
Murasawa says Mori's manner stands in sharp contrast to most young Japanese women.
With her well-defined jaw and large mouth, she looks strong. On top of that, her makeup for the finals made her look striking,
even a little showy. That contrasts with the way that many Japanese women try to avoid standing out, even
trying to seem invisible. Mori's facial expressions and gestures suggest that she is not someone who
hesitates to say what she wants.
"She might not have been chosen [as a beauty queen] by Japanese standards,"
he said. "I don't think she was chosen for her Japanese qualities, but for other things."
Standards of beauty vary from one country to another, just as languages and customs do, according to Kazuyuki Yamamuro,
editor in chief of Woman's Wear Daily Japan, who is one of the judges at the Miss Universe Japan contest.
"Those who make their name overseas are different from those who are popular among Japanese," Yamamuro said.
He draws a parallel between fashion and beauty. Some clothes, such as kimono, have a loyal following but may
lack global appeal compared to brands such as Chanel and Gucci, Yamamuro says, adding that it's the same for
beauty contestants: Those who want success outside Japan have to be responsive to global tastes.
Such cosmopolitan women, including Mori, draw world attention to Asian beauty.
"It's a big feat to triumph over Anglo-Saxon looks as the standard of beauty," he said. He says Asian beauty used to
be seen as one small element of global beauty. However, with Japanese women scaling the pinnacle of beauty by doing
well in Miss Universe, Asia has became a crucial market in the fashion business, he said. "Amid the globalization
of politics and economics, the fashion industry is going down the same path," Yamamuro said. (Daily Yomiuri Online,
6/24/2007)
• WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO MISS AMERICA? "If this year's Miss America pageant has a site location and television sponsor,
pageant officials are keeping them private. As of Friday, pageant officials had not revealed where this year's Miss
America pageant might take place or if it will appear on television. In October 2004, ABC television dropped the pageant
after televising it for seven years. ABC officials decided not to renew the pageant's contract after its September 2004
event drew a record low 9.8 million viewers, according to foxnews.com. It was the first time since 1954 the pageant was
without a television home." Read more.
• TRAGIC STORY : "The brutality of the former beauty queen's killing has sent shock waves of revulsion through a town
which, in recent years, has become numbed by the steady encroachment of drug- related tragedy." Read more.
• WHAT'S UP WITH AURORA : Aurora Pijuan brought the Philippines its second Miss International crown in 1970.
This now divorced beauty queen and mother of grown children is now happily single, a health buff, and is now an activist
who educates people about the dangers of smoking. Read more.
• BEAUTY IS NOT ENOUGH : "Nigeria has come a long way and so has its women. As Nigeria has emerged from the dark waters of
ignorance to some civilization, so Nigerian women have evolved from the docile house wives who kneel down to give their
hubbies their meals, to the strong, assertive often well positioned women of today’s Nigeria." Read more.
• POLL RESULTS : Last week, Critical Beauty launched a poll asking readers if they approve Miss Spain Organization's
decision to accept unmarried women and transsexuals. 56% said NO, 36% said YES, and 8% were NOT SURE. Poster "Guillermo"
commented: "I think raising a child is more important than parading in a bikini in high heels. Raising children is tough work,
and it involves the help of 2 parents. As much as I like pageants, let's be honest, they're superficial. A young lady who
side steps her responsiblities as a mother to go join a beauty pageant, would concern me so much so that I might be willing
to called the Child Welfare Agency in Spain for neglecting her responsibiities as a mother."
And one by "Mabel Rabinovitch" who wrote: "Trannies have their own pageants like Miss Tiffany.
If trannies are allowed to go for the title of Miss Spain then why stop there? Include homosexual men in/not in drag. After all,
I'm sure many men have more grace and poise than the women who compete. Pageants are contests that try to assess the beauty
of individuals within a certain grouping. Has there ever been a pageant where women, men and barnyard animals all compete
at the same time? No."
• CONTEST : Critical Beauty has launched a contest to find the best design for Mister USA 2007's national costume!
If you think you've got what it takes to win the contest, submit your entry by July 31, 2007. Read more.
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, July 2, 2007
Photo credits: Reuters, The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)
Ochoa took over the Reinas del Perú organization when Ernesto Paz, its
co-director, decided to quit as soon as he learned of Ochoa's greed for power and Machiavellian tactics. In an
interview with a local paper, Paz stated: "This is the worst organization that I have ever seen. I don't doubt if
they will lose the international franchise due to those scandals or receive sanctions." Former Miss Peru World
Marina Mora echoes Paz's sentiments: "It's sad that a beauty pageant is tainted by accusations of racism
and sexual harassment." (Correo, Lima, 6/15/2007)
• SEE YA IN SANYA...AGAIN : The 57th Miss World beauty pageant will be held at Sanya, a tropical coastal city in
the southern island province of Hainan, on December one, the organizers said. The pageant has returned to the resort city,
after a gap of two years, which played host to the competition from 2003 to 2005. Chairperson of the Miss World Organization,
Julia Morley said her organization and the vice mayor of Sanya, Li Boqing signed an agreement on Friday.
Sanya is a stop on the torch relay for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, and together with the return of the beauty
pageant can spark people's enthusiasm for the Olympic Games, Li was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.
Li said Sanya plans to organise a delegation consisting Miss World beauty contestants to promote the city of Sanya and Olympics.
Miss World pageant is an international beauty pageant founded in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951.
After Morley died in 2000, his widow, Julia, succeeded him and is now executive chairperson of the organising agency.
(Hindustan Times, India, 6/16/2007)
• MOTHERS WELCOME : The Miss Spain beauty contest has changed its rules to allow transsexuals and mothers to compete
for the title for the first time in order to avoid any discrimination among candidates, organizers said Friday.
"Transsexuals and mothers will be able to compete in the next edition," an organizer of the Miss and Mister Spain
contest told AFP. The move comes after the contest's decision to dethrone a 22-year-old beauty queen in February
when it emerged she had a young son sparked criticism of the pageant's organizers from the press and the government.
Anna Bustillo, who won the title of Miss Cantabria, a region in northern Spain, in January making her eligible to
go on for Miss Spain, said she was being discriminated against because fathers could compete for Mister Spain.
Pageant organizers justified their rules at the time, arguing that fathers, unlike mothers, "do not undergo substantial
physical changes that would impede them from carrying out duties such as travel and taking part in parades that
are required of pageant winners."
They decided to change the rules as well to allow transsexuals to compete
in both the Miss and Mister Spain contest in the wake of a new law which came into effect in March that allows
transsexuals to change their name and official gender without the need for a surgical operation. "Of course, their
morphology must match their civil status," the pageant organizer said. (AP, 6/15/2007)
My take: Bravo for the Miss Spain organizers for changing its rules and by breaking
the double standard. Maybe the Mister Spain organizers should also change its rules as to include female-to-male
transsexuals who are unmarried and have kids. And what are the chances of Miss Universe or other international pageants
yielding to Miss Spain Organization's courageous new policies? Zilch. Zero. Nada. Niente. Why? Because unmarried
mothers and chicks-that-used-to-have-dicks are still not respected by pageant organizations that are run by traditionalists -
who - by the way - put huge significance on exclusivity.
• GISELE WHO? The week-long Fashion Rio ended last Friday in Rio de Janeiro and it featured Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen
and Miss Brazil and Miss Universe first runner-up Natália Guimarães. Even though she did not win the universal
crown, Guimarães proved to the best catwalker at the fashion event, easily outshining Bundchen. Guimarães received thunderous applause
from the audience as she modeled clothing by TNG, says the magazine Istoé Gente. The beauty queen is also gaining
much popularity in her country and is getting a lot of interviews. (El Deber, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, 6/15/2007)
• DEAF AND BEAUTIFUL : Sophie Vouzelaud, who placed second to Rachel Legrain-Trapani in Miss France 2007,
will now represent France in Miss World 2007, according to Société Miss France. Legrain-Trapani was supposed to go to
Miss World, but decided to relinquish the position to give her colleague a chance to shine: "I represented France in
Miss Universe. Miss Limousin (Vouzelaud) also deserves to compete herself in an international competition." (AP, 6/15/2007)
• THEY DON'T LIKE HER : Riyo Mori may have won the title of the most beautiful girl in the universe,
but this does not mean that she is liked by everyone, including by some people in her native Japan. Says one
Masato Nakagami: "Just by looking at her, I thought I've seen better looking women. In the final, I
think it was between Miss Brazil and her, and I could be biased as I like Latin women, but Miss Brazil should've won.
I think Mori said something like 'I am looking forward to my future,' and I was really taken by surprise.
She seems to be extremely confident of herself, maybe a bit too much. And lastly, I think she is too skinny.
She should put on some weight." Read what other Japanese think of Riyo.
• MEMORABILIA : The Miss America Organization, one of America's leading achievement programs and the world's
largest provider of scholarship assistance for young women, is offering pageant aficionados the opportunity
to buy program books as pageant memorabilia. The program books are being auctioned off as sets from each decade.
They are in excellent condition and will be shipped directly from the Miss America Organization. You may bid on
them now on E-bay!
• WHO WEARS IT BEST? Above is a collage of the now-famous multi-colored long-sleeved Gucci gown that Riyo Mori (farthest
left) wore on the night she was crowned Miss Universe. Obviously, other people had worn it before her, such as TV
talk show host Oprah Winfrey, last year's Miss Universe Japan Kurara Chibana, and actress Gwyneth Paltrow.
And recently, a Thai ladyboy wore a similar gown while imitating Mori during a singing act. Who do you think wears it best?
I think the ladyboy has so much panache that s/he wins hands down! LOL!
• THE END : Four years ago, former Miss Philippines World Ruffa Gutierrez fell in love with and married Turkish playboy Yilmaz Bektas.
The couple produced two daughters and the family would divide their time living in Istanbul and Manila.
Everything was going well until Gutierrez reported that Bektas has been physically and verbally abusive to her,
which resulted in the couple's separation and Gutierrez's decision never to return to Turkey with her daughters.
In a lengthy message sent to Ricky Lo, an entertainment columnist for the The Philippine Star, Bektas
admitted that he was the guilty party, that Gutierrez had been "a good wife, good mother and good human," and that
he was "the wrong one." (The Philippine Star, 6/17/2007)
• HONEY'S THE FAVORITE : Last week, a CB poll asked readers this question, "Who should have won Miss Universe 2007?"
Out of 688 votes, Korea's Honey Lee gained the most (232), followed by Venezuela's Ly Jonaitis (106),
then Brazil's Natália Guimarães (104) and by USA's Rachel Smith (70). Several readers commented that
Lee's winning chances were spoiled by her interpreter's poor translation. Poster "Arios" explained it best:
"Miss Korea should have been Miss Universe 2007. I said that because her failure in getting the title was not her fault,
but it was the translator's fault. He did a very poor job, He mistranslated Miss Korea's final sentence. He translated
that the superpower that miss korea wanted was to have a power that would make her wallet never dry. But this was wrong,
because the true meaning was, 'I want to have a power that make my wallet never dry, so I can keep on helping other
people who deserved it'. I think that it's surely a very good answer - 'helping others'. And the other reason
why she should have been Miss Universe 2007 is that she is the most beautiful contestant ever, very elegant,
sparkling and natural. Not like the Latinas who all looked fake."
• MAKING MEN BEAUTIFUL : "There's no doubt about it - men are spending more on their personal beauty regime.
Facials, manicures and serums are no longer limited to women, as their other halves realise the importance of
paying more attention to their skins." Read more.
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, June 25, 2007
Photo credit: La República & various Internet sites.
What does she think of the other finalists? "Brazil should have won instead of
Japan. Japan had more fashionable things, but she was not always elegant. Korea is more beautiful and more authentic than
Japan; she meditated a lot and possessed incredible inner peace and projected beautiful energy. She was a superangel. But
Japan was more sexy and that's what made her win. Venezuela was one of my five favorites because she's beautiful, elegant,
mature and carried herself well. I did not choose her as Miss Universe due to the political problems in her country."
New America Media, News Feature, Elena Shore, Posted: Jun 10, 2007
Editor’s Note: Miss USA’s tumble at the Miss Universe pageant in Mexico has taken on a life of its own in
Spanish-language blogs triggering discussion of hot-button issues like immigration, the wall and regional politics,
writes Elena Shore. Shore monitors Spanish-language media for New America Media.
When Miss USA slipped and fell at the Miss Universe pageant in Mexico last week, some members of the mostly Mexican
audience booed her and began to chant, “Mexico! Mexico! Mexico!” The reaction prompted Donald Trump to call the incident
a reflection of Mexicans’ sentiment toward U.S. immigration policy.
Long after the story made headlines in the international press, it took on a life of its own in Spanish-language blogs.
As the video clip of Miss USA’s fall made the rounds in blogs this week, it went from being a source of entertainment
to a subject of debate, as viewers voiced their opinions on the incident and its political ramifications.
In her syndicated column, Univision anchor Maria Elena Salinas wonders why members of the crowd booed the young
American. Perhaps they felt that Miss Mexico should have been one of the finalists instead of Miss USA, she writes.
Some say the motive was political. She quotes one Mexican analyst as saying, “Her presence reminded them of the absurd
wall being built along the border. This was a demonstration of their rejection of the foreign policy of the United States.”
Whatever the reason, Salinas writes, the incident sent a message about Mexicans’ lack of respect and tolerance to an
audience of 600 million people in 180 countries.
The political consequences of the incident did not escape the attention of Spanish-language bloggers.
“Now the people who are going to suffer that xenophobic act are Mexican immigrants in the United States,”
writes Gazoo Star on the Puerto Rican blog Letrina (The Latrine), whose motto is “because the world is s**t”.
“It will perpetuate hatred and Americans will get even with them in their own country.”
On the blog Ocio Inadecuado (Not Enough Free Time), whose tagline is “people who don’t have anything to do,” Marc
writes, “Maybe Bush will use this as an excuse to bomb Mexico for laughing at his little white girl.”
Keidy, from Honduras, writes, “I don’t think everyone in the USA is to blame for what the president is like.
We all deserve respect…The truth is she didn’t deserve that.”
While numerous bloggers on Cachacero (whose motto is "a little of everything") laughed at Miss USA’s fall,
others from Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Ecuador, Chile and Mexico expressed their support for the
contestant, condemning the reaction of the crowd and congratulating her on her quick recovery and the dignified way
she handled the situation.
On the Spanish-language blog site Yahoo Telemundo, the conversation turned to the complicated relationship between
Mexico and the United States.
“How is it possible to treat someone from that nation well in Mexico?” one blogger asks. “They have treated us like
garbage, they have stolen our land, and now they even built a damned wall. They deserve this and more.”
But beneath this anti-U.S. sentiment lies ambivalence and even hypocrisy among Mexicans, other bloggers argue.
One Mexican blogger, calling himself Tu Madre (Your Mother), noted Mexicans’ conflicting sentiments toward the United
States: “People booed because in Mexico we keep believing that the U.S. is the cause of our problems,” he writes,
“but we all buy Nike, McDonald's, Gap and all the rest.”
Another blogger adds that the root of this hatred is the economic disparity between the two countries. Members of
the crowd booed Miss USA, he writes, “because Mexicans hate Americans, because just north of them is a world power
while they are dying of hunger.” At the same time, he adds, “all Mexicans want to be American.”
According to blogger Lyn, the crowd’s behavior shows that Mexicans are just as prejudiced as they think Americans
are: “They shouldn’t have treated her that way, because we'd be just as racist as the USA.”
Meanwhile, several bloggers commented on the irony that, according to them, Miss USA looks Latina. This led one
observer to note that, with so many Latinos living in the United States, anti-U.S. sentiment in Mexico isn’t as clear-cut.
Writing from the United States, blogger Cety71 writes that when Mexicans boo the United States, they are booing a
nation of immigrants. “As much as they hate the U.S., Mexicans are the ones who have immigrated there the most…
There are many Mexican families that receive money from a relative they have here in the U.S… There are few people who
don’t have Hispanic blood, who in some generation haven't had a Latino relative.”
More than any other country in Latin America, another blogger writes, Mexicans have a history of identifying with
their indigenous roots. “Some people still have this mentality of victims and victimizers, of xenophobia
('everything outside is bad'), and, above all, of hatred for Americans and Spaniards.”
But, he adds, “this group is not representative of the modern Mexico. The majority of Mexicans felt very
ashamed of the booing and a forum like this is proof of that.”
• WHY UGLY MEN ATTRACT BEAUTIFUL WOMEN : Researchers at Newcastle University in England say there is a genetic reason beautiful
women are drawn to such fellows: It’s a way of repairing the gene pool. The idea is that the classically beautiful man
lacks the durability of his uglier counterpart. His genes, and his ability to fight disease, are not as strong as they
are in homely fellows. Read more.
• THE NEW MISS GIBRALTAR is Danielle Perez who was crowned last Saturday.
“I never thought my name and number would be called out,” said Danielle Perez after being crowned Miss Gibraltar,
the quietly spoken young winner of this year's pageant. The first runner-up is Chantal
Santos and the second runner-up is Jordana Ryan. Perez will represent her country in Miss World to be
held in Sanya, China later this year. Thanks to Syed Yasir Kamal for this info. (Gibfocus, 6/10/2007)
• THE NEW MISS EARTH VENEZUELA is Silvana Santaella, a 23-year-old pageant veteran who was crowned last June 5th
by Sambil Models. Santaella represented the region of Paraguaná in Miss Venezuela 2003 where she placed first runner-up.
The following year, she was crowned Miss Italia Nel Mondo. Another recycled beauty, Francis Lugo, was voted
Miss Press and Sambil Model Continente Americano and will represent her country in Miss Continente Americano pageant.
The other finalists are Andreína Vilachá, Anabel Montiel (Miss Photogenic) and Karina Mendoza.
(El Aragueño, Maracay, 6/9/2007)
• BEAUTY QUEENS & POLITICS : "Former Miss World Lisa Hanna's foray into representational politics is certainly not the first
for a beauty contestant, but hers appears to be the most tumultuous. With the General Elections due by October this year, Hanna's selection by the
People's National Party (PNP) as representative for the vacant South East St Ann seat has drawn the ire of her potential
constituents." Read more.
• CHECK 'EM OUT : The sixteen finalists vying for
Miss Hong Kong 2007. The twenty-two finalists vying for
Miss Turkey 2007. And the ten ladies competing in the Miss
Aruba 2007 pageant.
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, June 18, 2007
Photo credit: Miss Universe Organization
• A FRUSTRATED LUPITA : Lupita Jones, Miss Universe 1991 and the national director of Nuestra Belleza México,
expressed frustration over the fact that the Mexican representative Rosa María Ojeda Cuen did not make the
finals in last week's Miss Universe 2007 finals. Jones speculated that Ojeda's chances were ruined by the booing
at Miss USA Rachel Smith by an unruly audience composed mainly of Mexicans. Jones stated, "I am very sure
that the booing affected in some way the decision of the judges, if we consider that more than half of them were
Americans. If the Americans are seeing that their candidate is being attacked, what are they going to do? Naturally,
they would defend her." (Ehui, Mexico, 6/2/2007)
• SYMPATHETIC : Judge Tony Romo was empathetic when Miss USA slipped and fell during the Miss Universe pageant.
The Dallas Cowboys quarterback could definitely relate, considering he had a well-publicized slip-up, when he couldn't
handle the ball for a potentially game-winning field goal in January. "I can definitely understand when someone on a
national stage doesn't do exactly what they wanted," he said. "She performed well, she got up and did a good job."
Miss USA Rachel Smith slipped during the evening gown competition and finished fourth runner-up in the pageant
Monday night in Mexico City. "But she composed herself really well," he said. "I gave her a little bit, probably, a
better number just because of the way she composed herself when she got up." (Austin American-Statesman, TX, 6/2/2007)
• OTHER LATINAS SPEAK OUT: First, it was Miss Brazil Natália Guimarães who said that Miss Japan Riyo Mori should
not have won because "she had the best lobby" and "she was not the most prepared." Then Miss Argentina Daniela Stucan
thinks that Mori's victory was caused by a conspiracy of Asian countries. Now, a third Latin delegate, Bolivia's
Jessica Jordan told the press that "there were prettier girls" than Mori and believes that she should have
been among the top fifteen semifinalists. "For me, the crown was between Brazil and Venezuela, but the jury chose
another girl and everyone had their own taste." When asked how she would evaluate Jordan's participation, Bolivia's national
director Gloria Limpias said that Jordan excelled in all categories, but that it was also a question of luck. Limpias
also acknowledged the fact that she failed to promote Jordan at the same level as she promoted Désirée Durán
last year. (El Nuevo Dia, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, 6/2/2007)
Meanwhile, Miss Costa Rica Verónica González thinks that Korea's Honey Lee
was more beautiful than Mori whom she considers more of a model than a beauty queen. (Al Dia, San José, 6/2/2007)
• HOPELESS: Miss Mexico Rosa María Ojeda believes that Mexico will never win the Miss Universe crown again
while the people in charge of the pageant continue to be Americans. She said, "Favoritism is so obvious. Miss USA's
fall, the booing she suffered at the Angel of Independence Plaza, the booing at Donald Trump who claimed that he
had never been treated that way... I feel that all of that affected my performance." (Al Dia, San José, 6/2/2007)
• SHE NEEDS A VACATION : Chileans are asking Cecilia Bolocco, Miss Universe 1987 and wife of former Argentina
president Carlos Menem, to take a sabbatical leave, according to a poll conducted by the newspaper El Mercurio. 71% of the pollsters recommend that Bolocco
ought to take a vacation after a high-profile scandal involving topless photos of her alongside Luciano
Marocchino. The polls, however, do not mean that the Chileans believe that Bolocco should have to quit
her job as a TV hostess. But the Chileans do believe that the image of the former universal queen has been severely
damaged and that she ought to distance herself from public life for the time being to avoid further scrutiny
of her private affairs. A few days ago, a new revelation surfaced that suggested that Bolocco might have been
a victim of a plot by Marocchino and Angel Mora, the paparazzo who took the scandalous photos. The two men
were seen dining together in a Miami restaurant days before the photos were taken. (El Dia, Argentina, 6/2/2007)
• POOR RATINGS : Despite good media publicity, the Miss Universe 2007 telecast on NBC failed to generate
good ratings, according to the Nielsen Media Research group. The telecast proved to have the lowest rating in
the pageant's 55-year history. It was watched by 7.1 million viewers and was beaten by a rerun of the CBS
situation comedy, "Two and a Half Men" which attracted 10.6 million viewers. The ratings also fell by 26 per cent
compared to last year's telecast. TV Guide wrote: "We suppose that with so many celebrities living
their lives without underwear, a swimsuit competition is no longer attractive as it used to be." (El Diario, 6/3/2007)
• ZULEYKA'S DISMAL LAST MOMENTS : El Nuevo Dia writer Patricia Vargas wrote in her latest blog
that Zuleyka Rivera concluded her reign in a bad note, as reflected by her cold reaction towards
Riyo Mori's victory. An MUO staff member told Vargas that Zuleyka had not spoken to any of them
in a long time, and that they were dying for a new queen because they could no longer stand working with
Zuleyka. Vargas did not give details as to how the relation between MUO and Zuleyka deteriorated, but she
did criticize Zuleyka's coldness towards Riyo: "Regardless of how she was feeling, things should
be done with elegance, and above all with respect for the public and for the person that you are crowning -
who was innocent." (El Nuevo Dia, San Juan, 6/1/2007)
• MISLED : "On Monday evening, May 28th, 1 billion television viewers gathered around their TV sets to watch a new beauty
crowned Miss Universe on the popular annual pageant. Unfortunately, viewers were also publicly misled during the program
when Cozumel, Mexico was positioned as having the second largest barrier reef in the world." Read more.
• RETURN : In an e-mail sent to several pageant sites including Critical Beauty, Peter Elias, director of the Miss Trinidad & Tobago pageants,
stated that Trinidad & Tobago will be back in Miss Universe next year. Elias attributed the absence of his country's delegate this
year to lack of sufficient funding and support.
• QUEEN OF PEACE : A former Lebanese beauty queen and a media personality, who moved to Dubai recently in the
wake of the recent bloodshed in her country, is determined to send a message of peace to the warring factions back home.
In an interview with Khaleej Times, former Miss Lebanon Sawsan Al Sayyed shared her views on the
uncertainty prevailing in Lebanon and and her plans to contribute to peace-making efforts.
“What I want most is to support the children. I am very disappointed because of what is happening in Lebanon.
I am so worried about my friends and my relatives back home. The situation has become really dangerous.
I dislike politics and I don’t trust politicians. We as media figures should do what they have failed to achieve.”
She added, “I am very upset because each summer some ill-willed people ignite trouble to disrupt the summer
tourism season. Instead of tourists coming to Lebanon, it’s the Lebanese who are seeking shelter in other countries.”
Owner of Al Sawsan Agency for modelling, Sawsan has exclusive rights to organize Miss Earth, Miss Asia, Miss Pacific and
Miss Intercontinental pageants. (Khaleej Times, United Arab Emirates, 6/2/2007)
• READ William's final report on the Miss Universe 2007 pageant.
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, June 11, 2007
Photo credit: Digital Chosunilbo
MAY 2007
President George W. Bush (3rd R) gathers with entertainers that performed in a celebration of black music
month in the East Room of the White House in Washington June 22, 2007. The entertainers are (L-R) singer KEM,
violinst Damien Escobar, performer Karina Pasian, violinist Tourie Escobar and Miss USA 2007,
Rachel Smith. REUTERS/Jason Reed (UNITED STATES)
• BARRED : Right-wing activists yesterday stopped cinemas in India's Jammu region from showing a film based
on the experiences of a former teen beauty queen accused by police of being a porn star. Anara Gupta,, left, now a
21-year-old law student and aspiring Bollywood actress, alleged that she and her family members were tortured
during 11 days in police custody in 2004. At the time she confessed to police that she had starred in the
pornographic film, but later retracted the confession saying she was forced to do so. "The film's goal was to show
how a confession was forced from me that I was on a pornographic CD," Gupta, who was Miss Jammu at the age
of 15 in 2001, told AFP from the Bollywood hub Mumbai.
| 06.18.2007 | Monday
• THE NEW MISS PERU WORLD is Cynthia Calderón Ulloa, who was crowned last Saturday in Trujillo, the hometown
of Miss World 2005 Maju Mantilla. Calderón is an 18-year-old student of foreign languages from the city
of Tacna. She was crowned by her predecessor Silvia Cornejo while the sash was put on by the pageant
president Jesús Ochoa, who directs Reinas del Perú, the owner of the Peruvian franchise of Miss World. The 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. There were
also some irregularities in the way the pageant was conducted, such as that the final question segment was eliminated
at the last minute and that no one knows the official standing of the other four finalists.
(La República, Lima, 6/17/2007)
| 06.11.2007 | Monday
• HER TURN TO SPEAK UP : Yet another Latin beauty cries foul over the results of Miss Universe 2007 pageant held in
Mexico last May 28th. In an interview with Cromos magazine, Miss Colombia Eileen Roca questioned the pageant's
judging system and wondered what kind of winner MUO was looking for. Unfazed by lack of humility, Roca stated:
"If I had thought that I was lacking something, then it would have been understandable if I didn't place, but that wasn't
the case. I was the best-dressed, the most elegant and I had one of the best bodies. Everybody was surprised.
My chaperone told me that she didn't know what had happened. Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico were both surprised and
told me, 'We couldn't believe that you didn't place.' Angola approached me and told me, 'One of those places is for you.'"
Miss USA’s Fall Echoes in Spanish-language Blogosphere
| 06.04.2007 | Monday
• VERY HAPPY : Lee Honey, left, fell short of her goal to take home the 2007 Miss Universe crown, "but I'm still happy," she said.
Lee returned home from Mexico on Friday, her impressions of ranking fourth place in the pageant still fresh.
While Lee failed to win the show in Mexico City on May 29, her fourth place finish means she still managed to present
the beauty of Korea to the world. "Even though no one believed in me or paid any attention when I was going to the
competition, my goal was to become Miss Universe," she said. Ultimately she's still not certain if she succeeded or
failed, she said. "But I did my best and I feel proud of myself for getting into the top five." Lee returned to her
home country with a red doll; a gift from the First Lady of Mexico. "I brought it back despite all the other stuff
in my baggage because I heard that it can mark my husband's face if he cheats on me," she smiled coyly. (Digital
Chosunilbo, 6/2/2007)