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| 05.31.2010 | Monday
Prosecutors say she recruited other young models to travel, often as first class
passengers, from Argentina to the Mexican city of Cancun and on to Europe carrying cocaine. The Argentine press,
who have dubbed her "Narco Queen", say she moved to Mexico in 2005 where she became romantically involved with a
well-known drug trafficker known as The Monster. She is believed to have moved to Argentina in 2009.
An arrest warrant was issued for her after a 21-year-old model was found carrying 55kg of cocaine boarding a flight
to Cancun. The woman's arrest led to six more alleged gang members, who reportedly told police they had been recruited
by Sanclemente. A lawyer for sanclemente said she had not turned herself in when her arrest warrant was issued because
she feared she could be attacked or raped in jail. (BBC News, 5/27/2010)
• IT'S VEGAS : The 2010 Miss Universe Pageant is to air live on NBC and Telemundo from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas,
organizers said. NBC, producer Donald J. Trump and Paula M. Shugart, president of the Miss Universe Organization,
Tuesday announced the event has been scheduled for Aug. 23. Miss Universe 2009, Venezuela's Stefania Fernandez, will crown her
successor at the conclusion of the 2-hour telecast. She has spent her reign traveling all over the world as an advocate for
HIV/AIDS education, research and legislation. The woman crowned Miss Universe 2010 will continue to do the same.
"Las Vegas is so fabulous, we had to come back again for the Miss Universe pageant," Shugart
said in a statement. "The world will be watching as women from all around the globe descend on Mandalay Bay to compete for the
crown and the title."
"Las Vegas was built to host special events and attracts millions of visitors from around the
world each year," added Cathy Tull, senior vice president of marketing at the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
"We are delighted to host the 2010 Miss Universe Pageant and look forward to showcasing the destination to our guests
and the television viewers that will be joining us for this global event." (UPI, 5/25/2010)
• THE NEW MISS UNIVERSE KOSOVO is Keshtjella Pepshi, 22, from Junik who was crowned in Pristina Sunday night. Watch as
she is crowned by Marigona Dragusha who was second runner-up in Miss Universe 2009.
• THE NEW MISS INDIA UNIVERSE is 21-year old Ushoshi Sengupta from Kolkata who was crowned May 28th. The pageant
was produced by I Am She, the new company owned by former Miss Universe Sushmita Sen who is the new franchisee
for India.
• THE NEW MISS SINGAPORE UNIVERSE is Tania Lim who was crowned May 28th. The first runner-up is Annabel Tan
and the second runner-up is Raine Ng.
• THE NEW MISS BIKINI INTERNATIONAL is Diana Irina Boanca of Romania who was crowned May 29th at the Beauty Crown Stadium,
in Sanya, China. The runner-ups, who received seasons' titles, were Kasey-Lee Brunker of Australia (First Spring Lady),
Luneidy Ramos Venezuela (First Summer Lady), Zhao Qian of China (First Fall Lady), and Diana Kubasova of
Latvia First Winter Lady).
• NEW NIGERIAN QUEEN : Fiona Amuzie Afora was crowned the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria 2010 on May 23rd at the Expo Hall
in Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos. 30 contestants competed for the title. Afora, who comes from Plateau, will represent
Nigeria in Miss World 2010. The first runner-up was Ngozi Odaloni from Niger who will compete in Miss Universe 2010,
and the second runner-up was Chinenye Charity from Ekiti who will compete in Miss Tourism Queen International 2010.
Fakih's answer to this is she and her family respect all religions but are not defined by them:
"Yes, we're a Muslim family, but we're also very cultured and we have a mixture of different religions. For example, my brother-in-law
is Catholic, and my sister converted and my nephews are baptized. I have an uncle who just graduated and currently he's a priest.
He's going to be transferred from Ohio to New York shortly, so I can't wait to see him and my cousins... I even have two cousins
here in New York City who are Jewish. As you can see, my family is just an amazing melting pot of wonderful religions and faiths."
A graduate of a Catholic high school, she says, they celebrate Christmas, Easter and Ramadan at home. She may not be Miss Religion,
but she and her family certainly cover the cultural/spiritual sense of "religion" exemplified by many Americans today:
Inter-married and unconcerned with doctrinal divides. (USA Today, 5/28/2010)
• NEXT JOURNAL UPDATE : This site will be on hiatus for two weeks. The Journal will be updated on June 14, 2010.
PHOTO CREDITS: BBC News, Associated Press
| 05.24.2010 | Monday
The blogger's accusation "was completely made up out of her own prejudiced mind,"
she said. Contrary to some reports, she said, her family did not live in Southern Lebanon, the hub of Hezbollah.
"We lived in the mountain area of Lebanon, which is predominantly Christian-based," she said. "The majority of my family
is diverse. It's Muslim and Christian." Fakih said religion should not be a question for Miss USA winners.
"Religion does not identify me, I would like to say that," she said. "My family is more of a spiritual family rather
than religious. We've never been religious, we've been never known to be religious, and on top of everything,
we celebrate Christmas." Fakih attended a Catholic high school in New York, she said. "We are Muslim," she said.
"However, we appreciate and admire all faiths."
The reaction to Fakih's selection was cause for celebration for many in Lebanon, a country she visited just a
few months ago. "I want them to know that the United States is not what they see on TV," she said. "It is still a country of
freedom and opportunity." Fakih said she has been invited to visit Lebanon and meet with leaders there, including
President Michel Suleiman.
Is Rima really a Muslim? This lengthy article written by a practicing Muslim woman says otherwise.
• ABOUT THE POLE DANCE PICS : The newly crowned Miss USA, Rima Fakih, explained on Fox & Friends Thursday why she was
photographed on a stripper pole in 2007. The photos were released by the Detroit morning radio show "Mojo in the Morning" less
than 24 hours after Fakih beat out Miss Oklahoma, who lost the title after answering a question about illegal immigration.
"It wasn't pole dancing," Fakih said of the photos. "It was more of a ... promotional event." "Have you ever done those pole
dancing classes?" she asked the show's hosts. "That's what it was. My friend who was a DJ at the station said 'Why don't you
get up there?'"
Fakih, 23, said she complied, "and a few pictures were snapped, and, of course, they don't
look the best angle as I normally [do]." When asked how she would have answered the question posed to Miss Oklahoma,
Morgan Woolard, on illegal immigration, Fakih said she would have taken a "neutral" stance, "being from a family that
are immigrants to this country." Woolard said on the live Miss USA telecast that she thought Arizona had the right to enact a
law that allowed police to ask people who they suspected to be illegal immigrants to produce proof of citizenship. Fakih, who
was born in Lebanon and immigrated when she was seven, also said she hoped her background would help her in the Miss Universe
contest in August, where she will be representing the United States. "I think [the U.S.] have the ethnic background this time
[to get to the finals]," she said. (FoxNews, 5/20/2010)
• THE NEW MISS TOURISM INTERCONTINENTAL is Myriam Abreu, 22, of Venezuela who was crowned May 20th in Miri,
Malaysia. In the photo above, she is flanked by (l-r) third runner-up from Belarus, first runner-up Kelly McGuire of Australia
Abreu, second runner-up Amy Diaz of USA, and fourth runner-up from Thailand. The remaining semifinalists were the representatives
from Malaysia, the Philippines, Brazil, Tunisia and Latvia. Over thirty countries participated in the pageant which was held only for the second time since 2003.
• THE NEW MISS ICELAND is 19 year-old Fanney Ingvarsdottir who was crowned last Saturday night at Broadway Center
in the capital city of Reykjavik. She will now represent Iceland in Miss World 2010. The first runner-up was Iris Telma Jonsdottir
nd the 2nd runner-up was Iris Björk Johannesdottir.
• GROSS ERROR : Two weeks ago, Sandra Marinovic was crowned Miss Universe Slovenia 2010. However, pageant officials
discovered that the results had been been announced in reverse order, and that the second runner-up Marika Savšek
should have been crowned the winner. Marinovic and Savšek had to switch places, so the woman so is representing Slovenia
in Miss Universe 2010 is Savšek. Watch Savšek's coronation.
• PERUVIAN BEAUTIES : The new Miss Peru Universe is Giuliana Zevallos, 22, representing Loreto. The new Miss Peru World is Alexandra Liao
of Lima. Both women were crowned during a festive ceremony in Lima Saturday night. Watch their coronation. The 1st runner-up was Elizabeth Aedo
of Lambayeque and is expected to compete in Miss Tourism Queen International. Zevallos had competed in Miss Earth 2008 but did not place.
• THE NEW NUESTRA BELLEZA LATINA is Ana Patricia Gonzalez, 22, of Sonora, Mexico who was crowned Saturday night on Univision's
studio in Miami.
• THE NEW MISS BOTSWANA is 19-year-old Emma Wareus who was crowned last week in Gaborone. She will represent Botswana
in Miss World 2010. Last year, she placed second in the national competition.
• PAGEANT RESUMED : At 3:30 pm on Sunday May 23rd, amidst much problems, the Miss Azerbaijan organizers decided to hold the pageant after all,
as reported by Azeri media Lent.Az. But a series of situations did not allow access to the press. Organizers postponed the pageant
on May 22nd, and invited the media to a press conference to discuss details. Such conference was never held, and on Sunday the pageant
was back on again. Lent.az also stated that press accreditation was irregular and photographers were not allowed inside the venue.
The article also mentioned that Romanian pop duo Morandi - scheduled to perform - and Miss Universe Stefania Fernandez would be present
at the event, but neither arrived. The winner of the competition, who will compete in Miss Universe 2010, was 21-year old
Gulnara Alimuradova from Baku. The first runner-up was Nigar Aliyeva, and the second runner-up was Malik Farmanova.
• SHE MAY VISIT LEBANON : In the town of Srifa in south Lebanon, the news was no ordinary news. Their own Rima Hussein Fakih
has won the title of Miss United States 2010 and has possibly become the first Arab American to win the title of the pageant.
Sweets were being passed around and congratulations were being offered as The Daily Star met the beauty queen’s family at her uncle’s
house in Srifa on Monday. “My father expected this result, especially after Rima won the title of Miss Michigan last September.
She is a very self-confident girl,” said Fakih’s sister Rana, who lives in Lebanon with her family. Family members passed around
pictures of the beauty queen before and after winning the title, while her sister explained how Fakih spent her childhood travelling
between Srifa in the south and Souq al-Gharb near Aley until the family decided to move to the US in 1993. The family first settled
in New York then moved to Dearborn, Michigan, where the 24-year-old pageant winner earned a college degree in economics from the
University of Michigan.
“She has won many titles,” said Rana. “In 2008 she was crowned Miss Lebanon Emigrant and
she participated in the Face of the Universe pageant in Ghana.” The event had significant importance in Fakih’s native village
as locals say the victory defies stereotypes that portray Shiite Muslims as radicals. Rana said their father has taught her to
be proud of her nationality and to rely on her inner beauty as well as her appearance. “Rima will never forget her country.
On the contrary, she will grow more attached to it,” the sister added, revealing that the beauty queen might visit Lebanon
in June. (Daily Star, Lebanon, 5/19/2010)
Malova wound up on the Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement's radar after her upper West Side shrink,
Catharine Fedeli, reported that several prescription forms were missing from her pad following an appointment with Malova
in late February. The state narcotics cops told pharmacies in Malova's neighborhood to keep an eye out for the hot prescription forms.
And then early last month, a pharmacist from the pharmacy where Malova was busted Tuesday told cops she had used a similar
prescription to obtain pain pills. Malova, who lives near the pharmacy where she was busted, was actually a physician in Russia,
though she does not have a medical license in New York. She competed in Miss Universe 1998 where she was a semifinalist. (New York
Daily News, 5/20/2010)
• THE SEARCH FOR MISS UNIVERSE AUSTRALIA 2010 is getting hotter! Read all about it in Peter Sereno's coverage in Facebook.
• NEXT JOURNAL UPDATE : Monday, May 31, 2010.
PHOTO CREDITS: Miss Universe Organization, Dayak Borneo, NY Daily News
| 05.17.2010 | Monday
• THE NEW MISS USA is Rima Fakih, a 24-year old brunette from Dearborn, Michigan, who was crowned Sunday
at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. In the photo, she is crowned by her predecessor
Kristen Dalton. Fakih's court includes first runner-up Morgan Elizabeth
Woolard of Oklahoma, second runner-up Samantha Evelyn Casey of Virginia, third runner-up Jessica Hartman
of Colorado, and fourth runner-up Katherine Whittier of Maine. Completing the top 15 were the delegates from
Arkansas, Kansas, Wyoming, Pennsylvania, California, Tennessee, Missouri, Alabama, Nebraska and Mississippi.
Nebraska's Belinda Renee Wright won the Miss Congeniality award, roughly one week after her father was killed
in a farm accident. Alabama's Audrey Moore won Miss Photogenic after an online fan vote. When asked how she felt about
winning the crown, Fakih said, "Ask me after I've had a pizza." Fakih nearly fell while finishing her walk in a long,
strapless gown because of the length of its train, but she made it without a spill and went on to win.
I watched the show in the comfort of my living room, and in high definition - thanks
to my new, awesome Plasma TV. I am impressed with the overall production. The stage looked fabulous - very glitzy yet
not overdone. Everything was fast-paced and there was hardly a dull moment, even when country singer Trace Adkins
was serenading the girls during the evening gown competition (country music usually bores me to tears). There were some
surprises; I was hoping my favorite Nicole Johnson of California would win, but she failed to even crack the top
five, no thanks to the judges who gave her an unfairly low score in her evening gown (8.317) despite a fashion-forward
beautiful one-sleeved white gown with matching six-inch clogs. The biggest surprise was Colorado which didn't even make
my list. I was also hoping Wyoming's Claire Schreiner would make the top 5, but this year has proven to be so
competitive that there was no clear winner from the very beginning.
The pageant was without controversy. During the final question & answer segment,
judge Oscar Nuñez was booed as he asked Woolard (Miss Oklahoma) about Arizona's new immigration law. Woolard said she supports
the law, which requires police enforcing another law to verify a person's immigration status if there's "reasonable suspicion"
that the person is in the country illegally. She also said she's against illegal immigration but is also against racial profiling.
You can view the entire Q & A segment on YouTube
and see for yourself how the other contestants answered their respective question.
Fakih is the third woman from Michigan to be crowned Miss USA, after Carol Gist
in 1990 and Kenya Moore in 1993. According to Free Press writer Niraj Warikoo, Fakih, a Lebanese immigrant,
told pageant organizers her family celebrates both Muslim and Christian faiths. She moved to the United States as a baby and was raised in New York, where she attended
a Catholic school. Her family moved to Michigan in 2003. Pageant officials said historical pageant records were not detailed
enough to show whether Fakih was the first Arab American, Muslim or immigrant to win the Miss USA title. Fakih's family is itself
a blend of cultures and religions, including both Christians and Muslims. Though Muslim, Fakih's parents celebrate
Christmas and have a painting of Jesus in their home. However, news of her winning - as well as her Lebanese and Muslim connections -
have already provoked some U.S. conservative pundits such as Debbie Schlussel
to suggest that she may be a supporter of the terrorist group Hezbollah. Schlussel thinks that Fakih's victory was rigged
by Miss USA owner Donald Trump because one of the pageant's major sponsors is Farouk Systems, owned by Palestinian
terrorism supporter Farouk Shami. Interesting. Read Schlussel's commentaries.
To me, Rima's victory represents the advancement of women of Arab or Muslim background in
mainstream American society. I have always been very critical - and my close friends can attest to this - of Muslim women being treated
as second-class citizens or subhumans in predominantly Islamic countries where beauty pageants are condemned and considered
anti-Islamic. I can only hope that Rima will inspire more women from constricting background to rise above circumstances to fulfill
their dream.
• THE NEW MISS MALAYSIA UNIVERSE is Nadine Ann Thomas, a 23-year old event and talent coordinator, who was crowned
on May 15th. The first runner-up went to Mourhrna Anneta Reddy, a model and law graduate while Vera Hui, a
stewardess, was the 2nd runner up. Thomas will represent Malaysia in the 2010 Miss Universe pageant in August.
• THE NEW MISS UNIVERSE SLOVENIA is 23-year-old Sandra Marinovic who was crowned May 14th in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
The first runner-up is Tjaša Resnik and the second runner-up is Marika Savšek.
• THE NEW MISS WORLD CANADA is Denise Garrido from Bradford, who was crowned at the Chandos Pattison Auditorium
in Surrey on May 7th. She will represent Canada at the Miss World 2010 contest. The first runner-up is Lacey Budge
and the second runner-up is Roonam Puni. Garrido was also Miss Earth Canada 2008.
• MAGYAR MAIDENS : Ágnes Dobó, 22 (photo, center) was crowned A Királyno 2010 (Miss World Hungary) on May 13th in Budapest.
She will represent Hungary in the Miss World 2010 pageant in November. Timea Babinyecz (photo, left), a 19-year old student
from Szeged, won the title of Miss Universe Hungary and will compete in the Miss Universe 2010 pageant.
Jennifer Kalo (photo, right) was crowned Miss Earth Hungary. The 22-year old student of psychology and will travel
to Nha Trang, Vietnam to compete for the title of Miss Earth 2010 to be held on December 4th.
• THE NEW BEAUTY OF THE WORLD is Baiba Freliha of Latvia who was crowned in Beijing, China on May 11th. USA's Ashley Ruiz
placed third runner-up. The other finalists were China (first runner-up), Ethiopia (second runner-up) and Sweden (fourth runner-up).
• VENUS GETS HER PASSPORT : The Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is set to issue a Philippine passport
to dethroned Binibining Pilipinas Universe Ma. Venus Raj. In a text message sent to reporters, Foreign Affairs
department spokesman Eduardo Malaya decided to make the move after an evaluation committee recommended its issuance.
“The committee stated that on the basis of documents presented by Ms. Raj, it is well-established that she was born
to a Filipino mother and following the jus sanguinis rule on matters of citizenship acquisition, she is a Filipino
citizen who is entitled to a Philippine passport,” Malaya said. “The passport will be issued in the next few days,”
Malaya added. The Bb. Pilipinas Charities Inc. (BPCI) took back Raj’s crown in April after learning of inconsistencies
in the beauty queen’s birth records. The BPCI, however, decided to give Raj’s a chance to reclaim her title provided
that Raj obtains a valid Philippine passport. Should she regain her crown as expected, Raj will represent the Philippines
in the 59th edition of the Miss Universe pageant to be held in the Unites States this August. (Manila Times, 5/14/2010)
• MALE PAGEANT STRIPPERS : School officials are trying to figure out what to do about a student talent show at
Paramount High School in Paramount, California that turned into a striptease when some male performers stripped
down to their underwear or Speedos and pranced about. Some parents complained when a video of the striptease turned up
on the Internet, complete with other students throwing money at the male strippers. Student Christian Dominguez said
he made an impromtu decision to turn the “Mister Paramount Pageant,” put on by seniors, into a strip show.
“I had a bow tie, I had Speedos and I was like, ‘I think I have something good to do,’ and I had the song ‘Pony,’ so
I started stripping,” he told ABC7. “It was for entertainment, to pump up the class for 2010.” Some students said they
thought the strip show was harmless fun, while others said they felt uncomfortable. The Paramount Unified School District
issued a statement saying the strip show was “inappropriate.” “We are reviewing who arranged and managed the acts
and there continues to remain questions regarding the program. We have deemed it inappropriate. We do not
believe the behavior meets the standards of what we expect in the students at Paramount High School.” (Los Angeles
Wave, 5/14/2010)
• PAGEANT PRODUCER IS A SEX OFFENDER : Berkley Little, 52, of East Hartford, and the former producer of the
Miss Connecticut Scholarship pageant, is awaiting sentencing on charges that he engaged in sexually explicit
conversations online with a 15-year-old. Little was arrested last August after getting caught in an undercover police
sting targeting sexual predators on the Internet. Little opened a Yahoo chat with a state police investigator whom
he believed to be a 15-year-old girl, had a sexually explicit conversation, suggesting a meeting to have sex,
and then sent the police officer an obscene picture of himself, according to an arrest-warrant affidavit.
Little admitted to police, according to the arrest affidavit, that he would sometimes chat with underage girls online,
but that he never met them in person. He said, however, he has had sexual rendezvous with older women he met online.
He said he has received pictures from minor-aged girls and sent sexually explicit pictures to five different
under-aged girls. He said he never met them in person because he was afraid of getting caught. He also told police
he never had any sexual conversations with girls from the pageant. (Theday.com, Connecticut, 5/16/2010)
• NEXT JOURNAL UPDATE : Monday, May 24, 2010.
PHOTO CREDITS: Associated Press, Worldshowbiz.info
| 05.10.2010 | Monday
• THE NEW MISS BAHAMAS is Braneka Bassett, 20, a professional model who was crowned last night at the Imperial
Ballroom of the Atlantis Resort. She will now represent the Bahamas in both Miss Universe 2010 and Miss World 2010 pageants.
The first runner-up is Anastagia Pierre, 21, who was also crowned as Miss Bahamas Intercontinental and will
compete in Miss Intercontinental 2010. The second runner-up is Janay Pyfrom, 22.
• THE NEW MR. UNIVERSE MODEL is Tarik Kaljanac of Bosnia & Herzegovina who was crowned in Punta Cana, Dominican
Republic last Saturday. Completing the top five are first runner-up Leo Opazo of Chile, second runner-up
Tuur Roels of Belgium, third runner-up Edgar Moreno Muñoz of Venezuela, and fourth runner-up
Christos Christodoulides of Cyprus. Photos from the competition can be viewed in Belleza Venezolana.
The remaining semifinalists were the representatives of France, Canada, Brazil, Honduras, Puerto Rico, Saona Island,
Argentina, Denmark, Dominican Republic and Switzerland. France, Denmark, Chile, Venezuela, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Belgium
had posed nude all together with nothing but
a small towel to cover their crotches. This surely helped them advance in the competition!
• THE NEW MISS WORLD CANADA is Denise Garrido, 23, who was crowned at the finale held at Chandos Pattison Theatre on May 7th.
She will now represent Canada in Miss World 2010 to be held in Vietnam later this year. The first runner-up is Lacey Budge
and the second runner-up is Roonam Punni. Garrido was Miss Earth Canada 2008.
• THE NEW MISS UNIVERSE GREAT BRITAIN is Tara Hoyos-Martinez, a 19-year-old student of medicinal and biological
chemistry, who was crowned in a pageant held in Birmingham last Sunday, May 2nd. Born in both Colombian parents, Tara will
represent Great Britain in the Miss Universe 2010 competition. She is the first woman of Latin descent to be crowned
Miss Universe Great Britain.
• THE NEW MISS TIFFANY UNIVERSE is Thailand's Nalada Thamthanakom who was crowned May 7th in a contest held in the beach resort
town of Pattaya, nearly 90 miles southeast of Bangkok. The contest aims to promote a positive image of transvestites.
• TOO SEXY? The Miss USA annual beauty pageant is gearing up to showcase some of the most “beautiful” women in the
nation. One controversy is turning heads and stirring up a debate in regards to Miss USA’s photo shoots.
According to TMZ reports, they posted photos of a few Miss USA contestants that are quite controversial in regards to
how sexy is too sexy, by means of Miss USA competition? Not that the women don’t look beautiful in these photos, but
this would be a typical photo you’d see on the cover of Maxim. Writer Charissa Woodrow asked, "Are these risqué photos promoting too much sex and
promiscuity rather than capturing the “beauty within”, as well as having intelligence to represent America through
humanitarian projects?" She also commented, "Miss USA, so I thought, was an individual who, yes is beautiful both in
and out, but brought leadership, intelligence and strength to represent the nation and presented herself as a role
model for young women in America – But where do you draw the line? So are these pictures a fair representation for
America’s beauty pageant in the 21st Century?" Hmmmm.... what do you think?
• MISS NEBRASKA OUT? Sadly last Saturday, Miss Nebraska USA Belinda Wright returned home after learning the awful
news of her father’s tragic death in a farming accident, but the scheduled events for the 50 other beauties continued.
55-year-old Harry Wright died Friday night when his skid steer ran into him, pinning him. Wright had been fixing fences
on his land in Scotia, Nebraska when the accident happened. According to her Facebook page, Belinda will return to Las Vegas in time
for the preliminaries, but will she be strong enough to concentrate?
• FIRST ABORIGINAL MODEL? The daughter of an aboriginal mother and a German father, Samantha Harris appeared
in 18 catwalk shows in Sydney last week as part of Australian Fashion Week, walking for Australian designers
such as Lisa Ho, Camilla, Dion Lee and Alex Perry. This month she will grace the cover of Australian Vogue, becoming
only the second aboriginal woman to do so, and the first for 17 years. The growing buzz around her has fuelled speculation
that the teenager from Queensland's Gold Coast could become the world's first aboriginal supermodel.
Kirstie Clements, editor of Australian Vogue, said choosing Harris, 19, for the cover was not about making a
political statement. She said that her "natural elegance" and confidence had made her an obvious choice.
"She's got that supermodel quality, she's very tall, she's got a beautiful body, she's got beautiful skin," she said.
"She's developed that intangible quality these girls have and happily she is indigenous as well."
Samantha started entering beauty pageants when she was four and began modelling
when she was 13. But it has not been an easy journey to the top. While other hopefuls were buying expensive clothes
to take to auditions, she and her mother Myrna had to rifle through the racks of second-hand shops to find clothes
they could afford. Mrs. Harris, a member of Australia's stolen generation, said that her daughter's path to success
had been a "struggle", but it was worth it. "It was a battle, we had no car, no transport, nothing, a lot of
the castings were in Brisbane and we relied on friends for accommodation," she said. "She never had nice clothes,
but I just ironed them up and her beauty shone through."
Samantha, who lists Naomi Campbell as a role model for her longevity in the
business, is thrilled with her new-found fame. As her career continues to thrive, she hopes to inspire other young
girls, aboriginal and non-aboriginal, to follow their dreams. "My success shows them they can do whatever they want,
they just have to try," she said. "If you think things are a bit tough, keep going and you will get there."
(Telegraph.co.uk, 5/9/2010)
• GETTING UGLY : The pressure of “surviving” makes the claws come out, and it’s not pretty. Former beauty queen
Amanda Kimmel (Miss Montana USA 2004) faced game play so fierce and manipulative while on "Survivor:
Heroes Vs. Villains," she forgot all of her pageant politeness. The former "Survivor: Micronesia" runner-up was
voted off the island last Thursday (Apr. 29) after getting into a brutal catfight with fellow contestant Danielle
DiLorenzo over a clue that lead to a hidden immunity idol. Kimmel admits that after wrestling DiLorenzo she
thought to herself, “What have I turned into?” She blames the fight on the cutthroat competition and her
own “desperation” because she knew it would seal her fate if she didn’t get immunity. Though she got the boot,
Kimmel is consoled by her slugging skills. She explains, “It was my first catfight. I feel ready now for more
since I have one under my belt.” (FlashNews, 5/3/2010)
• OZ BEAUTIES : Check out Peter Sereno's fabulous coverage of Miss Universe Australia 2010 in Facebook. Amazingly
stunning candidates!
• NEXT JOURNAL UPDATE : Monday, May 17, 2010.
PHOTO CREDITS: RPP, World Beauty Congress, Reuters, Amy Diaz Facebook
| 05.03.2010 | Monday
Tara began doing drugs to mask the pain and loneliness she felt. "I started using when
I was 14 years old," she recalls. "I had my first drink when I was 14." She adds: "It wasn't me moving to New York and becoming
Miss USA that put all this pressure on me. It wasn't that at all. I had the disease of alcoholism from the get-go."
Soon, Conner moved on to potent prescription painkillers like Vicodin. "I started taking Percocet, Xanax, Valium, Klonopin,
morphine pills, methadone [and] OxyContin," she recounts. "It consumed every minute of my day. There would be times where
I could do 30 pain pills in a day." One night, after Tara had been drinking and popping pills with friends, she found herself
alone with a man. Stoned out of her mind, Conner says she didn't protest when the man picked her up and carried her to his car
and raped her. "I didn't do anything about it," she recalls. "I just sat there. I was like: 'Wow. Everyone else hurts me. Now,
what are you going to do?'
"Everyone thought I was professional and this sweet girl who showed up for what I needed to
show up for," she says. "Everyone thinks the pageant girls are Polly Purebred perfect. You can't make a mistake, but on the
inside, I felt dirty. I felt ashamed. I felt less than, not enough. I was never enough for me." When she was finally caught in
her web of lies eight months into her Miss USA reign, Conner was relieved. "Part of me was like, 'Wow, all of my skeletons
are out there,'" she says. "There's a freedom that comes with that." Tara, who has been sober for over three years now,
is happy with how her life is unfolding. "Every day I learn something new about myself," she says. "I'm allowing myself to feel.
I'm allowing myself to love. I'm allowing myself to feel pain where I wouldn't before." (Examiner.com, 4/28/2010)
• ALL-STAR LINE-UP IN MISS USA : The savagely funny sarcasm of red carpet vixens Joan Rivers and daughter
Melissa Rivers is set to spice up this year’s Miss USA Pageant broadcast live May 16 from Planet Hollywood.
The Fashion Police duo will be joined at Donald Trump’s glittering beauty pageant by country music superstar
Trace Adkins, who was here two weeks ago for the Academy of Country Music Awards. Trace will debut his newest record
“This Ain’t No Love Song” during the evening gown segment. Boys Like Girls will perform their new song
“Heart Heart Heartbreak” for the first time during the swimsuit competition. The 51 contestants are judged in the
three categories of swimsuit, evening gown and the always-interesting interview segment. Australian chef
Curtis Stone, currently on The Donald’s Celebrity Apprentice, is host with NBC’s Today correspondent
Natalie Morales. (Las Vegas Sun, 4/29/2010)
• RENEWED BY NBC : The NBC television network has renewed the broadcasts of the Miss Universe and Miss USA pageants
through 2013, Donald Trump said. "The Miss Universe Organization continues to outshine its competitors by showcasing the
most beautiful women in some of the most exotic locations around the world on the best television networks,” Trump
said in a prepared statement.” Last year, 'The 2009 Miss Universe Pageant' alone was seen in over 195 countries
worldwide and 'The 2009 Miss USA Pageant' was viewed in 100. There are very few live worldwide broadcasts that come
close to competing with Miss USA and Miss Universe."
"Las Vegas has proven to be the perfect location for our worldwide broadcast,"
Miss Universe President Paula Shugart said. "We look forward to continuing our relationship with Planet
Hollywood Resort & Casino and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority by making Las Vegas our home for the
years to come." (Examiner.com, 4/28/2010)
• NEW INDIAN WINNERS : Three new Indian beauty queens were crowned during the Pantaloons Femina Miss India 2010 pageant
last Friday. Manasvi Mamgai of Andheri was crowned PFMI World 2010 and will represent India in Miss World 2010. Neha Hinge
of Pune was crowned PFMI International 2010 and will compete in Miss International 2010. Nicole Faria of Bangalore was crowned
PFMI Earth 2010 and will compete in Miss Earth 2010 to be held in Vietnam in November. (Times of India, 5/1/2010)
• THE NEW MISS BELARUS is Ludmila Yakimovich, 22, from Grodno who was crowned April 30th in Minsk. The first runner-up is
Anna Kindruk and the second runner-up is Anastasia Harlanova.
• SARAH PALIN'S ARCHNEMESIS : Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin just can't escape her old archnemesis.
Twenty-six years after beating Palin for the crown of Miss Alaska, Maryline Blackburn is setting her sights on a
political title. Blackburn, a Democrat, will announce Thursday that she is challenging the Republican incumbent
Rich Golick for his seat on the Georgia House of Representatives, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Since becoming the first African-American to win Miss Alaska, Blackburn moved to Georgia shortly afterward and went
on to a career as a singer and actress. Palin, then the reigning Miss Wasilla and now a Fox News contributor,
finished as second runner-up in the 1984 pageant - but also took home the title of Miss Congeniality.
Palin parlayed that into a pretty successful career change of her own in politics,
culminating in her unsuccessful run as the GOP vice presidential candidate in 2008. The former beauty pageant rivals
found themselves on opposite sides in that campaign, too: Blackburn publicly supported Obama and sang at a pair of
inauguration balls in January 2009. "It was all about Obama, baby," Blackburn told the Daily News at the time. "Once
again I'm part of history." (NY Daily News, 4/28/2010)
• 'I AM SHE' UPDATE : As many as 30 beautiful women selected through a nationwide hunt have made it to the 'I Am She' contest -
the preliminary to the 2010 Miss Universe competition and the winner will represent India at the international pageant.
The I Am She platform is part of Sushmita Sen’s production company Tantra Entertainment, which was awarded the India franchise
to select participants by the Miss Universe Organisation in December. "Today, being the India licence holder for holding the
preliminary to ‘2010 Miss Universe’ pageant, 16 years after bringing the crown to India, feels like life has come full circle
for me," Sushmita Sen said in a press release. The 30 contestants will undergo three weeks of intensive training in
communication, diet, personal grooming, fashion, and fitness in advance of the May 28 finale. (Indo-Asian News Service, Mumbai, 4/29/2010)
• DENIAL : Former Miss Universe Alicia Machado is denying reports that a suspected major drug trafficker fathered her daughter.
The Venezuelan beauty queen who was crowned Miss Universe in 1996 says in a statement issued Friday that the father of her child
is a "respected businessman" — and not alleged capo Jose Gerardo Alvarez Vazquez. Machado was responding to local media
reports saying she was had a relationship with Alvarez Vazquez, who was arrested this week in a shootout Wednesday in the outskirts
of Mexico City. She denies any link with him. Authorities say he is responsible for increasing violence in a cartel turf battle
in states near the capital. U.S. authorities hope to put him on trial there. (Associated Press, 4/23/2010)
• NEXT JOURNAL UPDATE : Monday, May 10, 2010.
PHOTO CREDITS: Fadil Berisha, Telemundo, Associated Press, AntonMotolko.com
APRIL 2010
• ARRESTED : A Colombian beauty queen has been arrested in Argentina on charges of leading a drug trafficking ring.
Angie Sanclemente Valencia, 31, is accused of persuading young women to smuggle cocaine from Argentina to Europe
via Mexico. Argentine police had been looking for her for more than five months before they found her in a youth hostel
in Buenos Aires. She has denied the charges. Her lawyer said she feared violence in jail. Sanclemente won the popular title
of Coffee Queen in 2000, but had to return it when it was discovered she was married, in breach of the beauty pageant's
rules. 
• DON'T CALL HER RELIGIOUS : Rima Fakih, the Lebanese-American, 'liberal Muslim' Miss USA from Michigan, has a fascinating
interview at the religion site Patheos revealing that she is - surprise surprise - pretty much like most 24-year-olds on the
spiritual front. She's a mash-up and she's proud of it: "I'm Miss USA, not Miss Religion USA." David Charles of Patheos
notes in the intro to his Q & A with Fakih that the young queen has taken some hits on the religion and role model front:
"Professional controversialists immediately wondered whether she was a spy for the radical Islamist group Hezbollah, or whether
her victory was due to affirmative action being played out in a beauty pageant."
• AMERICAN AS SHE CAN BE : Rima Fakih's beauty pageant sash declares that she is Miss USA, but journalists
want to find other labels for her. Questions about Fakih's ethnic and religious identity have been nearly as frequent
as questions about photos of her dancing against a stripper's pole. "I'd like to say I'm American first, and I am an
Arab-American," Fakih said. "I am Lebanese-American, and I am Muslim-American." Fakih, 24, was born in Lebanon,
but her family moved to New York when she was 7 years old. She later moved to Michigan, where she went to college.
The rarity of a woman born in the Middle East representing the United States in the Miss Universe pageant spurred
internet buzz. One rumor was that Fakih had family connections to Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shiite group that the U.S.
designates as a terrorist organization. "Absolutely not," Fakih told CNN's Octavia Nasr. "That is a stereotype and a
prejudiced statement made by only one reporter who had made that title before I was crowned Miss USA."
• ARRESTED : A former Miss Russia was busted for forging a prescription for Vicodin pills on a form that was filched from her
Manhattan shrink, authorities said. Anna Malova, (photo) a leggy blond beauty who held the pageant crown in 1998, was collared
Tuesday moments after a West Village pharmacy filled her phony prescription for 85 pills. The state Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement
was wise to her alleged scam and was waiting for her - and a local TV crew that had been tipped off had its cameras rolling for
the one-time starlet. Malova proved to be ever the fashionista - even in handcuffs. When she was pinched, she was wearing a black
fur-lined coat and skinny jeans and was toting a Burberry plaid umbrella. "I don't know what happened," Malova pleaded to the TV
news crew's camera.
• THE NEW MISS BRAZIL is Debora Lyra, (photo) 20, who represented Minas Gerais. She was crowned Saturday night in Sao
Paulo. She will now represent Brazil in Miss Universe 2010. Her court includes first runner-up Lilian Lopes Pereira
of Amazonas who will compete in Miss International 2010, second runner-up Maryla Bernardt of Paraná who will
compete in Miss Continente Americano 2010. The remaining finalists were Lidiane Matos of Distrito Federal
and Natalia Taveira of Paraíba.
• TARA'S CONFESSION : Former Miss USA Tara Conner, photo, appears on the outside to have a picture-perfect life, but her beauty
and fame masked a sad existence marred by self-abuse, drug addiction and alcoholism. Eight months after winning the Miss USA
title in 2006, Conner almost lost her crown when she tested positive for cocaine. Instead of firing her, pageant owner
Donald Trump gave her a second chance and sent her to drug rehab. Conner, 24, has been clean and sober ever since, but
spoke out about her years of underage drinking, self-inflicted injuries (cutting) and rape at the age of 14. Tara's rapid decline
into drug addiction began at 14, when her parents divorced and her grandfather died. "I feel like I was crying out for help,
but no one could hear me because everyone was so concerned with their own life," Conner said on the Oprah show April 28.