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| 03.26.2007 | Monday
Completing the top ten were Lauren Barnette (Virginia),
Heather Anderson (Utah), Chanel Wise (Hawaii), Magen Ellis (Texas), and
Amber Seyer (Missouri). Rounding up the top fifteen were Ashley Zais (South Carolina),
Elizabeth McNulty (Louisiana), Caitlin Morrall (Wisconsin), Kelly Best (Michigan) and
Erin O'Kelley (North Carolina). Stephanie Trudeau of Montana was voted Miss Congeniality
and Rebecca Moore of Alabama was selected as Miss Photogenic.
I am so happy that Smith won the title, and I wouldn't be surprised
if she won Miss Universe 2007. She led the Critical Beauty poll just two points ahead of California's Meagan Tandy.
She clearly ruled the stage and earned the highest points in both the evening gown (9.522) and swimsuit (9.283) competitions.
Not only is she beautiful, but she is also smart - a
magna cum laude from Belmont University. She has also been selected by Oprah Winfrey to volunteer for one
month as a teacher in Oprah's newly opened all-girls school in South Africa.
There were a few shockers, like the elimination of popular South Carolina
and the inclusion of Kansas (in her thrift-shop special of a gown) in top five. Besides Smith, the only
other gal whom I thought was worthy of the Mikimoto crown was Utah's Heather Anderson whose catwalk skills and
magnetic stage projection could easily rival that of the Latin delegates.
I am glad that the points system was brought back for the televiewers
to see on their TV screen; however, the co-hosts Nancy O'Dell and Tim Vincent had failed to even make
the least reference to it. I would have liked to see the individual scores from each judge, like they used to do
in the 1990s. It seems that the judges were rather parsimonious with their scores, but by giving Smith the highest
scores, it was clear that she was their pick for the title.
It was clear, too, that MUO exploited outgoing queen Tara Conner by incorporating her
in virtually every aspect of the show - to the point that it was almost annoying. I watched the live telecast
with other friends during a potluck party; some of us expressed contempt towards the idea of her hogging the
camera, and some - like myself - felt that she had become a pitiful protagonist in her own tragicomedy. But in all
fairness to Conner, I think she managed to inject a good doze of grace and dignity in spite of the multitude of
injurious attacks on her character. Trump succeeded in "saving" her, and only time will tell if she has
completely saved herself from her demons. A snapshot of Trump alongside Smith shows a very happy boss; he knows
that Smith - a magna cum laude and a volunteer at heart - hardly has any demons to fight - at least during her reign.
Watch the pageant in Youtube.
• MORE CORONATIONS : The new Miss Ecuador is Lugina Cabezas, 19, who was crowned last Thursday in Quito.
She beat favorite Valeska Saab, a former Miss Maja World, and Marcela Ruete, a former Reina
Sudamericana. (El Universo, Guayaquil, 3/24/2007)
- The new Mister Spain is Luis Muñoz Sánchez, 22, of Madrid who was crowned Friday in Castellón.
Hugo Gómez, 23, of Coruña was first runner-up and Alberto Ribes, 25, of Castellón was second
runner-up. (Terra, Spain, 3/24/2007)
- The new Miss Thailand Universe is Farung Yuthithum, 19, who was crowned in Bangkok yesterday by
Miss Universe Zuleyka Rivera.
- The new Miss Dominican Republic is Massiel Taveras, 22, of Santiago who was crowned Thursday.
She was crowned by her predecessor Mia Taveras who also comes from Santiago but is not related
to the new queen. Massiel is the sister of Isaura Taveras who competed in the national pageant
in 2004 and placed second. (Diario Libre, Santo Domingo, 3/23/2007)
• QUEEN OF ILLEGALS : Sonia de Falcone, Miss Bolivia International 1988, has been accused by the U.S.
government for hiring illegal immigrants to work for her. Falcone pleaded guilty and agreed to
return to Bolivia rather than face criminal charges in the U.S. Falcone hired a man as her
servant and chauffeur, as well as the man's wife to be the housekeeper. The couple's son was also
employed as an errand boy and another woman was hired to be a nanny. Falcone's three children were
all born in the U.S. and she has been married to French businessman Pierre Falcone who lives abroad (he was
involved in arms trafficking to Angola with the son of former president of France, François Mitterand).
Falcone's friends were quick to come to her defense. Gloria de Limpias, the director of Promociones Gloria,
stated that the ex-beauty queen had come to an agreement with the U.S. government, that she is tired
and wants to close this chapter of her life. She said that Falcone was not expelled and volunteered to
leave the U.S., but that she can enter and exit the country. Designer Rosita Hurtado said that
Falcone is a victim of a vicious campaign to malign her, since no evidence was found linking her husband
to the arms trafficking charge. (El Mundo, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, 3/23/2007)
• LOSING WEIGHT : Inés Maria Calero, Miss Venezuela 1987, and now competing in the Venezuelan
version of "Dancing With The Stars," risks of losing her job as a model and spokesperson for the clothing
company that caters to plus-size women. Ever since she started training for the dance competition,
Calero has lost more than five pounds; the owners of the clothing company said that she has
lost her roundness as well, although Calero thinks she is still round. To maintain her jolly figure after each dance performance,
she indulges herself in boxes of chocolate, a whole chicken, a serving of sausages, three servings of yucca and French fries with
tomato sauce and mayonnaise, and very rich desserts. (El Aragueño, Maracay, 3/23/2007)
A hefty Inés reminds me of U.S. comedienne Jennifer Coolidge of
"Legally Blonde" fame. In her beauty queen heydays, Inés was a true glamazon. Her coronation was quite memorable -
not because she won, but because of the sloppy and careless manner in which Bárbara Palacios crowned her and
put on her sash (it was upside down!) The finalists rushed up to congratulate Inés even before her sash was
correctly repositioned. See the coronation in Youtube.
• RECYCLED QUEENS : Beauty czar Osmel Sousa usually does not allow repeat contestants in
the Miss Venezuela pageant, but effective this year, Osmel will. The reason: beautiful women in Venezuela
are getting more and more scarce. Among former MV contestants that Osmel wants to return include
Liliana Campa (Miss Aragua 2005), Solsiret Herrera (Miss Monagas 2002), Dominika
Van Santen (Miss Península Guajira 2005), Rossy Rincón (Miss Amazonas 2003), Ana Indira Sánchez
(Miss Bolívar 2003), Lorena Brajkovich (Miss Guárico 2005) and Carlen Farías (Miss Amazonas 2005).
(El Aragueño, Maracay, 3/23/2007)
• CHANGES IN MISS SWEDEN : An interesting article mentions some changes in the selection process and image of
Miss Sweden. First of all, it states that Miss Sweden "is the only beauty pageant in the world that advertises
in the want ads." Panos Papadopoulos says that even men can apply, but "men do not get very far, because
the main purpose of the contest is to choose Sweden's representative to the Miss Universe pageant." He also
insists that Miss Sweden "is not a beauty pageant at all, not in the traditional way." Question to Panos: If
it is not a beauty pageant, even in the traditional way, then why even bother sending a delegate to Miss Universe
which is strictly a beauty pageant? (ABC News International, 3/25/2007)
This year's Miss Sweden delegates will be required to undergo a series of
leadership contests and seminars, in the same vein as its American counterpart - the scholarship and talent-based
Miss America pageant. Another odd change: Miss Sweden has no crown — and no tiara or sash, except the one given
to her when she competes in Miss Universe. How could that be? Without anything to identify her as Miss Sweden, she's
just like any ordinary girl in the street. Oh, Panos! What's wrong with you?
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, April 2, 2007.
Photo credits: Reuters, El Aragueño, tv.zap2it.com
| 03.19.2007 | Monday
• A WEEK OF CORONATIONS : New national queens were crowned during the past week. They include the following:
- Miss Costa Rica Verónica González, 23, who was crowned last Friday. She will go to Miss Universe. Her court includes first runner-up Andreína Chaves Aguilar and
second runner-up Laura Zamora Chang. The winner won a new car, a university scholarship, wardrobe, jewelry,
a gym membership, and other things. (La Nacion, San José, 3/17/2007)
- Miss Bulgaria Julia Jurevich, 17, who was crowned in Plovdiv last Friday. She will
go to Miss World. Her court includes first runner-up Gergana Kochanova, 20, who will go to Miss
Universe, and second runner-up Karina Karcheva, 22, who will go to Miss Europe. Forty women competed
in this year's pageant. Info courtesy of Paul Palmero.
- Miss Paraguay Universe is Maria Jose Maldonado, a 21-year-old law student who was crowned in Asunción
last Saturday. Miss Paraguay World is Maria de la Paz Vargas and Miss Paraguay International is Daiana Ferreira.
- Miss Nicaragua Xiomara Blandino, a 22-year-old architecture student who was crowned Saturday night in Managua.
Her court includes first runner-up Tatiana Pilarte of Granada, and second runner-up Daniela Lacayo from Managua.
- Miss World Canada is Sara Ghulam, 17, of Pickering, Ontario. She was crowned Sunday night
in Toronto. She also won the Talent award. The first runner-up was Alyson Lozoff, 21,
from Montreal; the second runner-up was Maria Vdov, 19, from Niagara Falls; the third runner-up was
Leah Ryerse, 18, from Stoney Creek, Ontario; and the fourth runner-up was Genevieve Poirier,
23, from Gatineau, Quebec. Info courtesy of Miss World Canada.
• SHALOM QUEEN : She may be the 2007 beauty queen, fulfilling her childhood dream and the dream of many other Israeli girls,
but she’ll soon be heading out with a busload of hundreds of other 18-year-olds to her army base because she is just like e
very other Israeli teen. Liran Kohner, from a Tel Aviv suburb, was crowned Miss Israel 2007 on Tuesday night and will
soon trade in her scepter for gun as a recent high school grad. The beauty pageant, which was organized by the woman's
weekly magazine La’isha, (Woman) held its 57th annual contest at the Congress Center in Haifa. (Israel Today, 3/17/2007)
• CROWN RELINQUISHED? Miss Jamaica World 2006 has announced that she will relinquish her beauty pageant crown after
becoming pregnant rather than have an abortion. Sara Lawrence wrote in a statement, “Having taken a deeply personal
decision to face up to my responsibilities as one who expects to become a mother later this year.”
She wrote, “I believe with all that is within me that it is my moral obligation to do what I believe to be ethically correct
and follow what I believe in my heart to be right.” The Jamaica Observer reports that Lawrence’s decision has sparked a
debate over abortion in Jamaica. Jamaica Bureau of Women's Affairs, Faith Webster, told the paper that the decision
is a reflection of the success of the “choice” campaign for abortion in that country.
“She had a choice and she made that choice. We just have to give people their choice,
which is what it's all about, the woman's choice.” Calling her pregnancy the result of “an error of judgment,”
the Miss Jamaica World pageant authorities said, “There was another way out of the predicament that Sara found herself
to be in and many, perhaps most, young women would have chosen that path.” Mickey Haughton-James, the pageant
promoter said, “As is typical of her she is doing so in a forthright manner, with class and in keeping with her
moral dictates.”(Lifesite, NY, 3/17/2007)
Julia Morley, the chairman of Miss World Ltd., stated the Lawrence
would not be stripped of her title as Miss World Caribbean. "Julia strongly supports Sara and has no intention of
stripping her of the Miss World Caribbean title leaving it up to me, she has strongly hinted that she
would like me to do the same with the Miss Jamaica title," said Haughton-James, Miss Jamaica World franchise
holder.
"She is a warm, compassionate, kind, caring girl and I truly believe
that we must accept that she has made her statement with grace and truth. It is not for us to in any way
condemn her but to give our full blessing and to assist and support her," Morley said in a letter to Mr. Haughton-James.
She continued: "Since she is pregnant, she needs our love and good wishes which she certainly has from all of us here.
I have no intention of removing her title. I think we should all stand together on this matter and while this obviously
is not a normal situation, it would be ridiculous not to realise these things do happen and we must realise that in
the 21st century it is more likely to happen." (Jamaica Gleaner, 3/17/2007)
• UGLY PAGEANT : Coming up next month in Iceland will be a beauty contest called 'untamed beauty' for ugly people,
to challenge the notion of what constitutes being sexy. The organizers of the upcoming pageant are asking all those 20
years old and above with shapeless boobs, cellulite structure and scary body parts, to participate in the show.
The 'contestants do not have to undergo weight loss or gain programme for the show'. The show's head, Matthildur Helgadottir said that anyone, irrespective of gender and the flaws in their
body could participate in the contest. Helgadottir added that loose breasts mean that the person has lived
life to its fullest. "You can have one leg, be a man, woman, whoever. Saggy breasts mean you have lived your
life," The Sun quoted Helgadottir, as saying. (Dailyindia.com, 3/17/2007)
• WHAT'S WRONG WITH THEM? : I don't know about you guys, but have you noticed that the reigning Miss USA
Tara Conner has gained weight and is now sporting six tattoos (on her feet, arms and God knows where else).
The fact that she's also wearing her hair in bangs only stresses the plumpness of her face. Usually, outgoing queens
tend to appear more beautiful (and presentable) than the day they were crowned, but I think Tara is an exception.
She has become unpleasant to look at, like Kelli McCarty, Miss USA 1991 from Kansas whose victory was
questionable and then she ended up appearing in soft-porn movies. A true trailer-trash story.
The same can be said of the current Miss Universe Zuleyka Rivera. I was reading a Spanish-language article
a few days ago in which she stated that her current form (overweight) is her real form; she said that the body
she had while competing in Miss Universe was the body that was required for the pageant, and that she was doing everything
for the glory of Puerto Rico. Whatever. I guess now that she is fat, she is no longer interested in glorifying Puerto Rico
or MUO except herself. Is she taking cue from Alicia Machado? In all fairness, Alicia looked better plump than
Zuleyka, and Alicia heeded to Trump's order to lose the weight before crowning her successor. Will Zuleyka do the same? I hope so.
But I really think that Zuleyka has some eating disorder; the argument - that a Miss Universe's schedule is busy and
that she has little time to exercise - is a load of crap. Look at the titleholders before Zuleyka from 1997 to 2005 - they
all had hectic and stressful schedules but virtually all of them maintained their winning forms.
• AND SPEAKING OF BEING THIN, Alicia Machado, 29, is traveling to Honduras tomorrow to promote yet another
weight-loss product called Reduce Fat Fast as part of her Central American tour that will also take her to Costa Rica,
Guatemala, Panama and El Salvador. (Diário 2001, Caracas, 3/17/2007)
• WHAT'S UP WITH AMELIA : Miss Universe 2003 Amelia Vega will be hosting a reality show for ten weeks entitled, "Suegras"
("Mothers-in-Law") which will be aired in Azteca America network. Amelia's task is to advise, orient and coordinate the young women and men and their mothers inside
a big house outside Miami. She will also assist all 24 participants in preparing for their trials and tribulations;
sometimes she will be their friend and sometimes their moderator. But her most important role is to help each young woman
to find her future husband. (La Prensa, Honduras, 3/17/2007)
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, March 26, 2007.
Photo credits: Reuters, El Nuevo Dia
| 03.12.2007 | Monday
"I am not a racist and I do not condone racist behaviour of any kind and wish to
apologise to Samantha Mumba and the Radio Clyde listeners personally. "I am new to this job and have learnt that sometimes
flippant remarks can be perceived in a negative manner. There was no malice or premeditated thought here, just a simple
mistake and for that I am truly sorry."
McLean, from Ellon, Aberdeenshire, secured a contract to present the show
with regular host George Bowie after a guest slot at the Clydebank-based station. Publicist Ejay McEwan claimed
her client has had an exemplary record during her reign and pointed to extensive charity work. She added: "We are
quite sure that Nicola meant no harm or offence by her remark. "She will unfortunately learn the hard way that
comments such as this will not be tolerated in today's society and I imagine that she will suffer as a result.
"But Nicola is resilient, hardworking and genuine and I am sure she will appreciate the error of her ways
and bounce back in time." A spokeswoman for the station's owners, Emap, said two complaints were received from
listeners about the comment. (Scotland on Sunday, 3/11/2007)
• PANAMA WILL BE THERE : Contrary to rumours stating that Panama will not be present in this year's
Miss Universe pageant, a group of beauty experts handpicked Diana Patricia Brocé Bravo, a 22-year-old
finance graduate. The national pageant was scrapped last year due to the World Cup and the reality show,
"Bailando por un sueño," - both produced by Medcom - and that television viewership plummeted.
This is not the first time that Panama has selected a representative without a pageant;
in 1989, Gloria Quintana was handpicked to go to Miss World. Brocé will be presented to the public
this week and she will be crowned by her predecessor Alessandra Mezquita (La Prensa,
Honduras, 3/1/2007)
• TNT WILL NOT BE THERE : For the first time in fifteen years, Trinidad and Tobago will be absent in this year's
Miss Universe and Miss World pageants. According to national director Peter Elias, he has not
received any financial support in organizing this year's pageant. He claims that he had written
to hundreds of companies and various state agencies asking for their support, but without success.
He added, “I have been doing this for 15 years and I feel I have been doing a good job but maybe it is bigger than me.
What is needed is a country effort. I cannot continue to use personal funds to prepare this country’s
representative as I did with Kenisha nor am I a magician to make a winner today for tomorrow.
It actually takes months to get the Miss Universe delegate ready for the competition."
(Trinidad News, Trinidad & Tobago, 3/8/2007)
• THE NEW MRS. WORLD is Diane Tucker, 29, of Arizona, competing as Mrs. America. Tucker was
crowned on March 8th in Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi. Her first runner-up is Vanessa Álvarez
of Guatemala, followed by the delegates from Estonia, China, Kenya and South Africa. Thirty married women from around
the world competed in the pageant.
• THIS QUEEN HAS STOPPED DANCING : Yvonne Ryding, Miss Universe 1984, and her partner Tobias Wallin
were eliminated last February 23rd from the dance competition, "Let's Dance." You can watch the couple dance the
waltz on this site. Thanks to Inger Hansson for this info.
• DEPRESSED : Ly Jonaitis, Miss Venezuela, is in bad spirits because she is still lacking the national costume,
gowns, and wardrobe that she will be needing for the 2007 Miss Universe which will take place in Mexico City in less
than two months. Is it possible that Osmel Sousa is too busy assisting girls from other countries? Meanwhile,
it is also reported that there will be only ten semi-finalists instead of fifteen or twenty. (El Aragueño, Maracay, 3/9/2007)
• WITHDRAWS : Angelina Fares, 17, who would have been the first contestant from the Druze religion
to compete in Miss Israel 2007, decided to withdraw from the competition following death threats from
extremist members of her religion. She said, "My life is much more important than a contest, but it's
very difficult for me to give up my dream." Fares had hope to become the first Miss Israel from the
conservation Druze Arab minority. Fares’s story has dominated the Israeli media as a high-profile example
of a foiled “honour killing”, where a woman is murdered by members of her own family for supposed sexual
offences that have somehow brought shame to the family. Last year, seventeen Palestinian women were reported
killed in honour crimes, twelve in the Gaza Strip and five in the occupied West Bank. In Israel, seven women
were similarly killed for “crimes” ranging from having sex before marriage to being the victim of rape.
(Times Online, UK, 3/9/2007)
• BANNING THIN MODELS : When the Spanish capital Madrid decided to replace the thin beauty ideal with that of curvy
“real” women, it was the kind of move that millions of women around the world appeared to have silently waited for.
Madrid’s measures to ban very skinny fashion models and to promote healthy images of beauty and eating habits have
sparked widespread international interest, a spokesman for the regional government says.
“Media from as far as South Korea, Australia, the United States and Argentina have contacted
us,” the spokesman told the Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa. A decision by Madrid’s top fashion show to exclude very thin
models has been imitated by shows in Milan, London, New York and the Spanish cities of Barcelona and Valencia,
though they have not adopted rules as strict as those in Madrid, he explained. “We are pioneers” in what is
evolving into an international movement, the spokesman says.
The first step was taken by the Pasarela Cibeles, Madrid’s top fashion show, in September.
The show excluded five would-be models for being too thin, setting the minimum body mass index - calculated on a
height-weight ratio - for models at 18. A model measuring 1.75 metres, for instance, must thus weigh at least
56 kilogrammes. That corresponds to the minimum level set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for a person to be considered healthy.
(The News, Pakistan, 3/11/2007)
• REDEFINING BEAUTY : "The beautician from Chairman Mao's hometown looks at herself in the mirror and bursts into tears of joy.
Forty pounds lighter, jaw slimmer, eyes and nose refined, breasts lifted, 30-year-old Chen Jing has been through
an extreme makeover for the Chinese reality show Lovely Cinderella." Read more.
• MISS USA 2007 : The Fadil Berisha glamour shots are up.
Read CB's initial report on the pageant as reported by William Prendiz de Jurado.
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, March 19, 2007.
Photo credits: Scotland On Sunday, El Universal
| 03.12.2007 | Monday
You may view clips from the pageant in Youtube.com, starting with a fabulous opening
number featuring the theme of Asian royalty. I must say that the stage is grand and colorful, though it feels
a little odd to hear the girls singing and dancing to Christina Aguilera's megahit "Beautiful" while dressed up in
Thai-inspired costumes. Miriam Quiambao's hosting skills have tremendously improved, but she continues to pronounce
the word "excited" as [eg-ZIGH-ted] instead of the correct American pronunciation [ek-SIGH-ted]. The evening gown competition,
as in the past 20 years, was quite dreadful; not because of the girls, but because we've seen these gowns by Cumbia recycled so many
times and most of them are unflattering to the girls' lovely figures. Just a few hours after their coronation, the triple winners and their runners-up were interviewed in a variety show in which the
host asked them if they would be willing to undergo cosmetic surgery to increase their winning chances like just
what the Venezuelan and Puerto Rican beauties are doing. All three winners unanimously said, "No." Gosh, I just hope
Margaret Wilson should at least have that unattractive scar on her lower abdomen removed.
• THE NEW MISS UNIVERSE CANADA is Inga Skaya, 21, of Toronto who was crowned last night at Casino de Montréal.
Her court includes first runner-up Ramona Amiri (who was Miss World Canada 2005), second runner-up Tereza Shmid,
third runner-up Samantha Tajik and fourth runner-up Laura Salazar. Except for Amiri, all four women are foreign-born;
Skaya was born in Moscow, Russia. Read her profile here.
• WHAT HAPPENS NEXT : Miss USA Tara Conner plans to stay in New York after her reign as Miss USA ends March 23.
She might return to her home state to attend the Kentucky Derby, but she won't be sipping any mint juleps,
she told the Lexington Herald-Leader. "I'm always going to be an alcoholic addict," Conner, 21, said.
"It's something I'm going to have to live with. I'm going to have to take actions every day to keep a good,
healthy recovery." Conner endured intense scrutiny after reports she was frequenting New York bars. She
underwent rehab for her drinking. She said her family will be with her at the pageant in Los Angeles.
She may return to Kentucky for a week after the pageant, she said. She's been on the media circuit, talking
about her experience. "Rehab for me was basically like an awakening," she said. "I had troubles.
We all have issues we have to deal with. ... It humbled me a lot. It taught me how to be honest.
It taught me to be the genuine Tara. I didn't know who she was." (Cincinnati.com, 3/2/2007)
• THEY WANTED HER DEAD : Two men were arrested in Israel for allegedly planning to kill the country's
first beauty pageant contestant who belonged to the Druze religion. Police in Carmiel, Israel,
said the two men, Jalal Hammoud and Zayed Hammoud, planned to kill Angelina Fares because they believed
her participation in the Miss Israel beauty pageant "would defile the honor of the Druze community,"
YNetNews reported Thursday. Jalal Hammoud stands accused of stealing a weapon from an Israeli soldier
and giving it to Zayed, his cousin, to commit the crime. Police said they are carrying out an
investigation into who may have hired the cousins to commit the crime. (Post Chronicle, 3/2/2007)
As the first Druze to participate in the Miss Israel beauty pageant, to take place on April 13, Angelina
has raised mixed feelings among her community. Sheikh Muwaffak Tarif, the spiritual leader of the
Druze community in Israel, said a few days ago that he would make one last attempt to dissuade the girl
from taking part in the contest, by having a heart-to-heart talk with her and her family. "With all due
respect to progress, there is a limit. It is unacceptable for a young girl to take part in a beauty pageant
and appear in a bathing suit. This is against our tradition and religion," said Tarif.
On the other hand, support of Angelina could also be found among the community.
Former MK Asaad Asaad, who is currently the chairman of the Druze movement for peace and understanding,
said, "We live in a democratic country. We should let people evolve; we shouldn?t be sticking our nose in their
business. I wish this was the community's only problem. There are drugs, there is violence, there are runaway
teens, and unfortunately, there is even prostitution." Head of Sajur Local Council Naif Ibrahim said,
"There are many beautiful Druze girls, and if she makes it, good for her. I support the merging of Druze in
all aspects of life, including beauty contests." Angelina's former high school principal Nizam Dahar
said, "We are a traditional society, but it's every individual's right to act as they please. If her
parents agree, congratulations." (Israeli Insider, 3/1/2007)
• WEIRD PROPOSAL : A feared Chechen warlord has given two horses, two chickens and a goat to a
beauty queen to try and make her one of his wives. President Ramzan Kadyrov was proposing to Caroline
Varkaik, Kenya’s contender at next month’s Mrs World contest in Russia. Looking briefly surprised,
she clasped Mr Kadyrov in a bear hug and promised to return in a year. Mrs. World contestants were touring
Russia ahead of the finals, to be held in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on March 8. They were whisked to
Chechnya in a convoy of 15 black Porsches, with armed soldiers positioned every 500 yards along the
30-mile road to protect from rebel attack. Supposed to be more wholesome than its Miss World counterpart,
the pageant has been mired in scandal of late. (Ananova.com; Daily Times, Pakistan, 3/1/2007)
• GOOD BREAK : Yara Lasanta, who placed third in Miss Puerto Rico Universe 2007, is one of ten
beauties who have been selected by Univisión during a casting yesterday in the Enchanted Isle to
compete in "Nuestra Belleza Latina," beauty pageant/reality show. Lasanta and her group will join fifty
other young women to vie for the title and opportunity of a lifetime: a contract as Univision’s
newest on-air personality and the chance to win more than $200,000 in cash and prizes.
Participants must be female between the ages of 18 – 27, fluent in Spanish and, if chosen as a finalist,
must be available to reside in Miami during the length of their participation in the program. Thanks
to Héctor Colón González for this info.
• BEAUTY OBSESSION : "China has begun embracing many Western traits, including consumerism, a love of fast food and, recently,
an obsession with physical beauty. Chinese women are injecting themselves with a toxic gel called hydrophilic polyacrylamide
to enhance their breasts, and are using an average of three different skin-whitening creams in order to become more beautiful."
Read more.
• THIS IS HILARIOUS! LOL! : Russian man pretends to be sexy girl to win beauty contest. Read all about it here.
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, March 12, 2007.
Photo credit: Missosology.org
FEBRUARY 2007
• THE NEW MISS USA is Rachel Smith, a 21-year-old journalism graduate from Clarksville, Tennessee, who was crowned
Friday night at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. Her court includes Danielle
Lacourse of Rhode Island (first runner-up); Cara Renee Gorges of Kansas (second runner-up); Meagan
Yvonne Tandy of California (third runner-up); and Helen Salas of Nevada (fourth runner-up).
Smith is a pageant veteran; she was Miss Tennessee Teen USA 2002 and made the top ten in Miss Teen USA 2002. Smith
is the second woman from her state to win the title; Lynnette Cole won in 2000.
- Miss Universe Japan is Riyo Mori, 19, left, who was crowned last Thursday. Her court includes second placer
Rei Hamada and Akiko Chubachi. Mori will attempt to surpass her predecessor Kurara Chibana's
near-win position in last year's Miss Universe. 
• YES TO GAY CIVIL UNIONS : Denise Quiñones, left, Miss Universe 2001 and now a rising star in off Broadway,
was asked about her opinion on same-sex marriage, in reference to Puerto Rico's current Civil Code which prohibits it.
Denise stated that "we have to recognize the reality that we live in, thus I support unions of same-sex
as well as heterosexual couples as well," according to a communiqué that Denise sent to the media from Los Angeles
where she was auditioning for TV and movie roles. She also supports the idea of including a person's sex change
in birth certificates for transsexuals and transgendered people. "Even though I do not live in Puerto Rico at this
moment, I have always represented the Island with love and dignity, wherever I am. I am now lending my support to
all of my lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered brothers and sisters," declared Denise.( El Nuevo Dia, San Juan, 3/15/2007) 
• SHE'S NOT A RACIST : Miss Scotland 2006 Nicola McLean (photo) yesterday apologized for calling black singer
Samantha Mumba a "monkey" on live radio.
But she insisted the remark made while presenting Friday's Clyde 1 breakfast show was not racist.
The 22-year-old beauty queen made the remark during a conversation about possible new judges for the X-Factor TV talent show.
After the Irish actress, singer and model was described as attractive, McLean said she "looked like a monkey".
The current Miss Scotland admitted the remark was foolish but maintained she is not a racist. "I was trying to be funny
and I meant absolutely no harm, nor did I intend to offend anyone by this comment," she added. 
• DANCING QUEENS : Nine Venezuelan ex-beauty queens will be competing with each other in the
new reality show, "Bailando con las reinas" ("Dancing With the Beauty Queens"). They are:
Jictzad Viña (Miss Venezuela 2005), Inés María Calero (Miss Venezuela 1987), María Fernanda León
(Miss Portuguesa 2002), Jaqueline Aguilera (Miss World 1995), Nina Sicilia (Miss International 1985),
Vanessa Peretti (Miss Miss Venezuela Internacional 2006), Tatiana Capote (Miss World Venezuela 1979),
Pilín León (Miss World 1981) and Susana Duijm (Miss World 1955). Whoever wins will get to contribute their
money prize to their favorite charitable organization. Calero (photo) has received criticism due to her
overweight problem which makes her preparations more challenging. And not only that, but she was seen with
her husband Miguel Moly verbally insulting a poor waitress in a restaurant after the latter had failed
to satisfy the couple's complaints (cold food, missing condiments, lukewarm drinks). (El Universal, Caracas, 3/10/2007) 
• TOP PINAYS : The Binibining Pilipinas 2007 pageant was held last Saturday night in Manila's
Araneta Coliseum. The lucky winners in the photo from left to right are Nadia Lee Shami, 18, a part-time student,
model and radio broadcaster (for Miss International); Margaret Nales Wilson, 17, part-time model, actress, and
Music TV video jockey (for Miss World); and Anna Theresa Licaros, 22, a broadcast communications graduate and
now a law student (for Miss Universe). The first runner-up is Leizel Verses and the second runner-up is Abigail
Cruz. Thirty young women competed in the nationally televised pageant that proved to be one of
the most competitive in many years. Among the judges included foreign ambassadors, politicians, actors,
Ruffa Gutierrez (Bb. Pilipinas World 1993), Precious Lara Quigaman (Miss International 2005)
and Charlene Gonzalez (Bb. Pilipinas Universe 1994). Co-hosts were Paolo Bediones and Raymond Gutierrez
(Ruffa's younger brother), and color commentators were Gionna Cabrera (Bb. Pilipinas Universe 2005) and
Miriam Quiambao (Bb. Pilipinas Universe 1999).