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| 11.27.2006 | Monday
• THE NEW MISS EARTH is Hil Yesenia Hernández of Chile, (second from left) who was crowned Sunday night
at an open air event outside the National Museum in Manila, Philippines. Her court includes
Miss Earth-Air Amruta Patki of India (2nd place), Miss Earth-Water Catherine Untalan
of the Philippines (3rd place) and Miss Earth-Fire Marianne Puglia of Venezuela (4th place).
The other four quarter-finalists were the delegates from Poland, Panama, Czech Republic and
Egypt. Completing the semifinals were the delegates from the Slovak Republic, St. Lucia, France,
Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bahamas, USA, Spain, and China. This is the fourth consecutive year
that a Latin American country has won the title (Honduras in 2003, Brazil in 2004 and Venezuela
in 2005).
Special awards were given to China (Miss Talent), Italy
(Miss Frienship), Canada (Miss Photogenic), Venezuela (Best in Swimsuit), India (Best in Gown),
and Samoa (Best National Costume). The event was hosted by Ariel Ureta, entertainer
Ginger Conejero and Miss Earth 2004 Priscilla Mereilles. Eighty-two countries
participated in the pageant that enters its sixth year and focuses on global warming. Ironically,
Chile was supposed to have hosted the pageant, but Carousel Productions dropped Chile two
months earlier because the sponsors in Chile could not fulfill their obligations. Some pageant fans
have suggested that Chile's victory is a "compensation" for having lost the rights to host
the pageant this year - but does this mean that Chile will host next year anyway? See pictures
from the coronation night in the OPMB website.
• THE NEW MISS BIKINI INTERNATIONAL is Julia Liptokova of Slovak Republic who was crowned
in Xiamen, China yesterday. Her court includes first runner-up Yang Lei of China,
second runner-up Miriam Tulppo of Finland, Petra Cubonova of Czech Republic, and fourth
runner-up Daniela Stucan of Argentina who was Miss Earth-Fire 2001. Completing the top fifteen were the delegates from
Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Philippines, Romania, Tanzania, USA and
Venezuela. Check the official website. Thanks to Henrique
Fontes for this info.
• THE NEW MISS PUERTO RICO UNIVERSE is Uma Blasini, a six-foot 24-year-old blonde
representing the municipality of Guayanilla. Blasini, a volleyball player and a
cancer survivor, was crowned last Wednesday night at San Juan's Puerto Rico
Convention Center. Her court includes first runner-up Sofía Alvarez of Coamo,
second runner-up Yara Lasanta of Barranquitas, third runner-up Amanda Soto of
Patillas and fourth runner-up Lourdes Díaz of Santurce. This is the second time
Blasini competed in the national pageant; in 2005, she represented San Juan and
reached the finals. Her real first name is Wilma, but decided to change it to Uma because
she has been frequently told that she resembles American actress Uma Thurman. The show was
graced by the current Miss Universe from Puerto Rico Zuleyka Rivera who had shed
some extra pounds and who gave a rather lackluster dance performance.
(Primera Hora, 11/23/2006)
• PAGEANT REVIVED : The Miss Young International pageant, which saw its last event in 1983,
has been "revived" by a Philippine committee headed by Romulo Ancheta, Jr. In its 2006
version which took place Saturday night, Miss Venezuela won the title, but what is odd
is that no one even knows the name of the winner, much less the contestants - all ten of them.
In its official website,
you will see thirty-five countries mentioned, but there is no bio data for each
contestant - which makes you wonder whether the photos are authentic. Notice, too, that
there were supposed to have been representatives from non-countries such as Central Peru,
Crimea and Australasia, and that the exiting titleholder is Ronalyn Ancheta, who
is rumoured to be Romulo's younger sister.
• PROMOTED : Preeti Desai, 25, of Indian origin, replaced Danielle Lloyd
as the new Miss Great Britain when Lloyd was dethroned for reportedly dating one of
the pageant's judges and for posing nude for Playboy. Desai was voted the new Miss Great
Britain earlier this month by readers of the popular tabloid The Sun. Desai will now represent her country
in the Miss Universe 2007 pageant. Desai's parents, who run a fireworks display business,
embody the familiar Asian immigrant success story - a success story that Preeti has taken
to another level. "I am Indian, i'm not white and everybody could see that. I'm proud of it
and proud to be British as well,” says Preeti. (CNN-IBN, 11/25/2006)
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, December 4, 2006.
Photo credits: Associated Press, Reuters
| 11.20.2006 | Monday
• BAY STATE QUEENS : The new Miss Massachusetts USA is Despina Delios, 22,
representing the city of Lynn. Her court includes first runner-up Monica Pietrzak,
second runner-up Jacqueline Bruno (who was Miss Teen Massachusetts 2003), third
runner-up Monique Jones and fourth runner-up Kelly Donovan. It was Delios's
first time to compete in any pageant. The new Miss Massachusetts Teen USA is Kathleen McNiff, 15, from the town of Groton. Her court
includes first runner-up Alyssa Riley, second runner-up Lauren Tangard, third
runner-up Suzana Deronjic, and fourth runner-up Brina Muñoz. The pageant
was held last night at the Quincy Marriott Hotel outside Boston and was co-hosted by
Cristina Nardozzi, Miss Massachusetts USA 2005.
After posing for the press, the new queens were taken to the coronation ball to meet with their families, friends and supporters.
Special thanks to state director Laurie Clemente for her warmth and hospitality, and
to the entire staff of the Miss Massachusetts USA committee for a job well done.
• WHERE'S THE PROTEST? This year marks the first time that Tibet is competing in the
pageant and the candidate is Tsering Chungtak is proudly wearing her sash as "Miss Tibet" and
not as "Miss Tibet China." But where is the outcry from the Chinese government? Why is it
not protesting the presence of Miss Tibet or clamoring for its withdrawal from the pageant, like
what it did two years ago when Tashi Yangchen was barred entry to two pageants
(Miss Tourism World and Miss Tourism Intercontinental) in 2005 when she refused to wear
a "Miss Tibet-China" sash.
Has the Chinese government finally given up on
persecuting Tibetan beauty queens? It is virtually impossible to disconnect Tibet from China
without mentioning the latter's "crimes" committed against the former. In her Miss Earth bio,
Chungtak does not shy away from condemning China. She states, "Many environmentalists
have voiced strong concerns about China’s callous disregard for Tibet’s environment,
among which are deforestation, unrestrained mining and poaching of endangered species."
During the 2003 pageant, Miss Afghanistan Vida Samadzai
angered her Islamofascist detractors by wearing a red bikini, but the protests seemed to have
dissipated as more and more delegates from Islamic countries are joining the pageant -
though it is important to mention that some of these delegates were selected in exile, as
in the case of Miss Tibet or Miss Pakistan Sehr Mahmood.
For a comprehensive
coverage of the pageant, visit Missosology.org.
• EXEMPT : The current Miss Israel Yaël Nezri, 18, has been exempted by her military superiors
from carrying an automatic rifle during her military service. Her reason: to protect
her legs from eventual bruises or wounds. She said that she did not want to compromise
her career as a model by showing marks on her legs, according to The Jerusalem Post.
(TSR.ch, 11/19/2006).
• BEING SUED : Former Miss Great Britain Danielle Lloyd is being sued by bosses
who say she brought the contest into disrepute. The 22-year-old was stripped of her crown
after revealing in a magazine she was already dating one of the judges, footballer
Teddy Sheringham, when she won the contest. She also posed topless in Playboy,
which breaks one of the contest's golden rules and continued to call herself "ex-Miss Great
Britain" after being sacked. Now Miss GB Ltd have issued a writ accusing her of "deceitful
conduct" and demanding she pay back money earned from the "exploitation" of her title and
pay damages for breach of contract. Danielle, from Liverpool, has admitted she knew the
photos would cost her the crown, but said she couldn't resist the six-figure check.
She now claims the magazine got it wrong and she was not dating Sheringham last Christmas.
Yesterday, her spokeswoman called the Miss GB claims "preposterous" and publicity-seeking.
(Mirror.co.uk, UK, 11/19/2006)
• TRAGEDY : The death of an anorexic model who weighed just 88 pounds has shocked
fashion-conscious Brazil, where many young women dream of becoming the next Gisele
Bundchen. Read more.
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, November 27, 2006.
Photo credit: Critical Beauty
| 11.13.2006 | Monday
Fifty-two delegates participated in this year's pageant that was hosted by Japan (preliminaries) and China (finals). A new crown was introduced,
thus permanently putting away the dome-shaped, cushion-supported pearl-studded crown that
has been used for nearly forty years. Surprisingly, the French overseas department of
Guadeloupe entered the semi-finals of a grand slam pageant for the first time. And also
for the first time in the history of the pageant, USA did not send a representative. Perhaps
the most shocking of all is the exclusion of Hiltja Mueller of Germany, despite
having won the best performance during the preliminaries, and that of Karoliina Yläjoki
who was voted Miss Photogenic-China.
• SCHOLARLY BEAUTY : Cristiana Frixione, who represented Nicaragua in Miss Universe
last July, was crowned the new World Miss University in Seoul, Korea last Saturday.
Her court includes the delegates from Brazil (first runner-up), China (second runner-up),
France (third runner-up), and Korea (fourth runner-up). Is it just me, or does anyone
else think that there's a striking resemblance between Miss China's costume and the purple
terrycloth worn by one of the Teletubbies?
• EARTHLY DELIGHTS : The Miss Earth 2006 pageant kicked off last week in Manila with the
official presentation to the press of over seventy delegates in their green bikinis.
Carrying placards with environmental slogans ("Please save Mother Earth," "Stop Global Warming,"
"Recycle Now," etc.), the delegates sashayed around the pool of Traders Hotel Manila and
posed in front of photographers and the ogling public. Among the beauties that received
thunderous applause were Miss USA Amanda Pennekamp, Miss Venezuela Marianne Puglia,
Miss India Amruta Patki, Miss Chile Hil Hernandez, Miss Korea Park Hee-Jeong,
Miss Philippines Catherine Untalan and Miss Canada Riza Santos who is of Filipino
ancestry.
The first leg of the competition - the swimsuit prelims -
took place last weekend. The delegates were divided into three groups, and the top five
selected from each group will get to compete for the best swimsuit award. Like in past years,
this year's pageant features crossovers from other pageants, particularly from Miss
Universe: Poland's Francys Sudnicka, Egypt's Meriam George, Panama's Stephanie
de Roux and Ethiopia's Dina Fekadu Mosissa. The pageant was supposed to have taken place in Chile, but the organizers in Chile failed to meet
the requirements in time; Carousel Productions - in less than two months - managed to
pull everything together just in time for the finals to be held at Manila's National Museum
on November 26th.
• GETTING RECOGNIZED : One of the contestants in this year's Miss Earth pageant is
Sehr Mahmood, 18, representing Pakistan. Born in Karachi, Mahmood was crowned Miss Pakistan World less than
two weeks ago in and now this teenage beauty has the challenging task to show the world
that Pakistan - despite its strict Islamic culture - is also a country of beautiful
and modern-thinking women. Sonia Ahmed, president of Miss Pakistan World, stated:
"Pakistani women are the most beautiful in the world, but since Pakistan is not
discovered yet; more emphasis is not laid on this issue. But in the coming years we
will prove it to everyone. Pakistan is a country of rich diversity in looks,and is
waiting to be discovered." (India PRwire, India, 11/12/2006)
• FALLEN QUEENS - PART II : And now, for something uplifting... really. Lourdes Arévalos,
the current Miss Paraguay and third runner-up in Miss Universe 2006, slipped on the runway
during the Asunción Fashion Week and landed on her derrière, with her legs wide open and up
in the air. She was wearing a champagne-colored dress and black stockings, but unfortunately she
lost her balance due to her high stiletto heels. Just like any true
beauty queen, Arévalos - with the help of a male spectator - quickly got up to regain
her composure. A real trooper, the beauty queen laughed off her accident and proceeded
to finish her catwalk, much to the delight of the audience who gave her a strong applause.
• CHANGES : All journal entries from January to August 2006 have now been reconstructed.
Entries from 2002 - 2005 have been eliminated. Also, reviews of Miss Universe telecasts from
1997 to 2004 (except 2001) have been republished. The Magazine section has been deleted, since it
was taking too much space; however, a few selected interviews (and soon, articles) have been
republished in the Features section.
My goal is eventually to make Critical Beauty a clutter-free and easy-to-navigate website.
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, November 20, 2006.
Photo credits: Associated Press, World Miss University, Teletubbies.com, moda.terra.com.br
| 11.06.2006 | Monday
Contest organizers were also
displeased after recent publicity related to Playboy magazine, which said she would be
posing topless in the next edition. "Following recent claims in the press and magazines
and the publicity given on the Playboy website for their next issue, we have sadly decided
to strip Danielle Lloyd of her title as 'Miss Great Britain 2006' effective immediately,"
said a statement. "We are very sad that this action has been necessary and we wish her the
best for the future." (The Scotsman, 11/3/2006)
Sheringham branded as "complete rubbish" claims that
he was seeing the Miss Great Britain winner before judging the contest. He added: "It's obviously
a mistake. Why would she say something like that? It's not true. "I met her on the day of
the competition. It's rubbish that we spent last Christmas together." Sheringham was the only
judge to vote for Danielle in February's contest but rejected accusations that he
fixed it for her. He added: "Of course I didn't influence the competition in any way.
It's a public vote and the public chose her." (Mirror.co.uk, UK, 11/4/2006)
• TRAGEDY : Marwin Marcano, who participated in Mister Handsome Venezuela 2005 pageant
representing the state of Monagas, was killed Wednesday night by a gunfire outside his home in
Maturin. Marcano was parking his car on the driveway when a man came out of nowhere and
shot him seven times. Marcano's parents rushed him to a private clinic, but Marcano died
a few minutes later due to severe loss of blood. He was 26. Preliminary police reports indicate
that Marcano was dating a woman who was romantically involved with his supposed assassin. It was
also reported that the killer had accomplices. (El Aragueño, Maracay, 11/3/2006)
Now, Rivera seems to be repeating Universal history
by putting on some extra weight. Her detractors claim that she is also an eating
machine, but her supporters argue that Rivera's schedule is so hectic that she rarely has time
to exercise, which is so true. It's interesting to note that Natalie Glebova was able
to maintain her figure despite her equally intense and hectic reign last year. Glebova once mentioned
in an interview that she carried a portable gym everywhere she went; not only that, but Glebova's
metabolism is probably better than Rivera's or that her willpower is stronger. Someone suggested
that Rivera should abide by the culinary customs of each country that she visits and that she should not
refuse any food offered to her, because rejecting the food would signify that she is already
rejecting the country's culture. This is pure baloney. As Miss Universe, and above all as someone
to whom people look up to as model of good health and fitness, Rivera should learn how to
politely say no or simply to regulate her regimen. And now that the holidays (Thanksgiving,
Christmas and New Year) are quickly approaching, one wonders if Rivera could get any bigger or
quickly regain an hour-glass figure. How exactly would she want to look like on the annual
MUO Holiday greeting card? This or this?
• HERE COMES MARIANNE : Marianne Puglia, 21, Venezuela's candidate in Miss Earth 2006,
is under a lot of pressure as she will attempt to succeed her compatriot Alexandra Braun,
the current Miss Earth. In a recent interview before leaving for Manila, Puglia revealed that
she is ready to win. Her weapon, she says, is her intelligence and a wardrobe consisting of
over forty impeccable gowns designed by several local designers. When asked if Miss Earth would
be her last pageant, Puglia states: "Yes, I need to stop, because I am going to win." When
asked if she had undergone cosmetic surgery, she admitted to having work done on her eyebrows,
nose and breasts. (El Norte, Barcelona, Venezuela, 11/4/2006)
• LESBIAN KISS : Karina Calmet, Miss Peru 1994 turned actress, shuns all criticisms directed towards
the controversial lesbian kiss that she had with actress and TV hostess Fiorella Rodriguez
in the movie "Talk Show." Calmet advises filmgoers that if they wish to see the movie, they have
to consider the context of the story and how the kiss relates to it, and not to think about
the kiss as something morbid. Calmet confessed that the kissing scene is the most difficult scene
that she has ever made in her carrer as an actress. (Cadena Peruana de Noticias, 11/4/2006)
• FORGET MANOLO BLAHNIK. BUY IMELDA MARCOS! "Her so-called shoe fetish, she insists, has been overblown.
"There's more to me than just shoes," she said. "At the time, Filipinos needed a star in the dark of
night. They needed a standard. That was my role, to show the way so everyone could become a star.
Because mass follows class, never the other way around." Imelda Marcos, widow of Philippine
dictator Ferdinand Marcos, has not stopped obsessing about shoes. Now, she has established
her own shoe line. Eat your heart out, Manolo! Read more.
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, November 13, 2006.
Photo credits: The Mirror, Miss Universe Organization, Associated Press, Getty Images
OCTOBER 2006
• BEAUTY IS BLIND : A blind girl, left, smiles after winning the crown of Miss Gujarat 2006
at a fashion show on the outskirts of the western Indian city of Ahmedabad yesterday.
A group of blind models paraded down the catwalk in the first fashion show of its kind
in India on Sunday in a bid to break stereotypes of disabled people in a country where
many face hardship and discrimination. (REUTERS/Amit Dave, India, 11/26/2006
In the photo, the new queen is flanked by her mentors Harrison Gonzalez (left) and
Steve Mocanu (right), both good friends of mine and correspondents for Turn For The Judges.
As members of the press, we had front-row seats directly behind the judging panel. Both Steve and Harrison
were ecstatic when their pupil won; I congratulated them and gave them each a big hug
for a job well done! Many in the crowd were disappointed that heavy favorite Jacqueline
Bruno did not win; frankly, I think the interview spoiled her winning chances (she
just wouldn't stop talking!), and her black strapless (and rather antequated) gown
only made her torso appear thicker. Another favorite Monique Jones - on her fourth try -
lost her composure by crying during the serenade given to the finalists by entertainer
Jeffrey Thomas. For some reason, Jones reminds me of actress Vanessa Williams's
character in "Ugly Betty" named Wilhelmina Slater, though much younger. There is no doubt
that Bruno and Jones will compete again next year as each girl put up a good fight.
• THE NEW MISS INTERNATIONAL is Daniel Di Giacomo, left, a 21-year-old blond from
Venezuela who was crowned last Saturday night in Beijing, China. She also won the Best in
Style award. Her court includes first runner-up Mayte Sanchez
of Panama and second runner-up Jang Yoon-seo of Korea. Completing the top twelve
were the delegates from China, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Thailand, Japan, Puerto Rico,
Guadeloupe, Spain and India. Di Giacomo's victory now makes Venezuela as the country
that has won the most number of crowns with five (1985, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2006) and proving
once again that Venezuela is still the most prolific producer of world-class beauties. 
• SACKED : Danielle Lloyd, 22, left, has been stripped of her title after revealing to
a magazine she was dating one of the judges before her victory. Lloyd said she had been in
a relationship with the pageant judge, English Premiership footballer Teddy Sheringham,
41, for more than two months before the contest in February. It had previously been claimed
that the two had only started their romance on the night of the pageant. Speaking to Eve
magazine, in an interview reported in British newspapers today, she commented about a
pair of shoes Sheringham bought her for Christmas, saying: "Teddy will never forget that
sight. We were still in bed when I opened the present."
