journal | features | critical photo | telecasts | beauty in all creatures
belleza crítica | q & a | boutique | i love cb | links | about this site | message board
| 09.24.2007 | Monday
• RUSSIAN VICTORIES : The new Beauty of the World is Russia's Elena Potana who was crowned in Yichang
city in the Chinese province of Hubei last Friday. The first runner-up is Veronika Deberdeyeva of Uzbekistan
and the second runner-up is Natalia Margarita Muñóz Monge of Ecuador. The pageant was co-produced by
Azerbaijan and China officials. It was reported that the audience during the finals consisted mostly of
the candidates' relatives and pageant staff, and that the Chinese organizers blame poor communication among the officials
from the two countries. Meanwhile, another Russian beauty, Yulia Gragunova, won Miss Global Beauty Queen
2007 in China last weekend. It seems that China-based pageants are favoring Russian beauties. Earlier in July, Olga Zarubina
won the Miss Tourism Queen International title in Zhengzhou. We'll see if the Russians
will continue their winning streak in Miss International and Miss World, also to be held in China in October
and December respectively.
• SUSPENSE : Miss Universe fans are still wondering when next year's pageant will take place.
News reports have surfaced in the Internet indicating that Vietnam might be the next host country, but
details are still sketchy. The Khanh Hoa province vice leader Le Xuan said Wednesday that he was confident Vietnamese
organizers would meet the Miss Universe pageant’s requirements and host the 2008 competition.
Le Xuan said that Hoan Vu Corp., Miss Universe’s Vietnamese organizing partner, plans to build a
new 7,500-seat theater and would begin construction as soon as the central government ratified its proposal.
Than also said that government funds would not be spent on the event, but according to Hoan Vu Corp.,
the firm will be able to cover the cost of the show. MUO has stated that only once the government has
approved the project and local organizers have proved their ability to meet budget and facility requirements
would the MUO panel officially sign a contract to hold the event in Vietnam. (Reported by Xuan Hoa –
Translated by Trong Nhien).
• UNFULFILLED : The Nuestra Belleza Mexico 2008 pageant will take place on Saturday, but it appears
that there will be fewer delegates this year. The states of Oaxaca, Tlaxcala, Tabasco, Guerrero and
Hidalgo will not be represented, not because there are no pretty women but that these five states
did not fufill the requirements, says Lupita Jones, the pageant director. The candidates must
possess these qualities: must be between 18-23 years of age, at least 5'6" tall in stocking feet, must
be Mexican citizens, must have beautiful face and fit body, and must have a basic knowledge of English.
Meanwhile, all thirty-four contestants are gearing up for the big night, and one of the favorites to
win is Lupita González from Jalisco who bears a strong resemblance to Jones. Info courtesy of Televisa.
• CAITLIN HAS THE LAST LAUGH : Miss South Carolina Teen Caitlin Upton has proved there's no such thing
as bad publicity after signing a lucrative deal with Donald Trump's modeling agency that could see her earn up
to $30,000 a day. The 18-year-old became famous for all the wrong reasons when more than 15 million people
logged on to YouTube to watch her embarrassing performance in the Miss Teen USA pageant. Upton, who was a favorite
to win the pageant before her fumbled answer, then agreed to answer the question again on NBC's Today Show,
saying "I'm not the girl who answered that question in a silly way. I'm a strong independent woman who
knows what she wants in life". Upton is now enjoying the same privileges as the pageant winner -
living in the Trump Apartments in New York with modelling assignments likely to be in Milan, Japan and Australia,
wistv.com reported. "My lifelong dream has been to travel the world and pursue my modeling career.
Randomly, that (answer) has offered me that opportunity," she said.(Ninemsn, Australia, 9/20/2007)
• MAGALI'S NEW TROUBLES : Magali Febles, the national director of Miss Puerto Rico Universe, is embroiled
in yet another controversy. Candid photos of her, Miss PRU contender Ingrid Rivera, and Magali's
teenage son had been posted on the Miss Puerto Rico Message Board this past weekend. The photos show
Rivera in affectionate poses with the son (on the plane, on a water ski jet, in a sofa), as well as a photo
of the three taken inside a lobby of a hotel. A reliable source told me that the photos had been posted anonymously on
the MPR board. Well, it seems that Magali visits the board ever so often, and
when she discovered that the photos had been posted, she hastily wrote an angry e-mail to the moderator who
made a screen shot of the e-mail and posted it on the board.
In the e-mail, Magali condemns the moderator for allowing posters to
insult her because of her race, her nationality (Dominican), her physical appearance, and that
they never post good things about her. She demands that the moderator take down the pics especially
when her son (who is a minor) is involved. She is threatening to sue the moderator for using
the "Miss Puerto Rico" title as part of the board's name, because she said that she owns the title and
is trademarked by her company. In retaliation, the moderator is threatening not to cover the Miss PR Universe
2008 pageant, because "we will not promote an event organized by someone who does not value the hard
work done in Miss PR Unofficial Website & Message Board since 2002."
The photos have already been taken down, but the screen shot of
Magali's e-mail still remains. Critics believe that Ingrid's close friendship with Magali will eventually
make her win the Miss PR Universe 2008 title. In her column, gossip
columnist Milly Cangiano writes that some of the contestants
have not paid their fees because they are still wondering whether they have any chance of winning or
whether they should wait for next year, all because of Ingrid. Likewise, several sponsors will not pay
if there is no pageant. Lastly, several contestants are complaining that Ingrid was the first to be informed
of the complete calendar of activities, and that they were not given time to prepare adequately for
their initial presentation to the press.
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, October 1, 2007
Photo credits: Miss Brasil Mundo, Televisa
| 09.17.2007 | Monday
Despite a colorful, four-hour long production, the pageant
did not go without controversy. Minutes after the new queens were crowned, a young man jumped on stage, seized
the crown from Quintero's head, and placed it on his. Just before he attempted to sit on the throne, security personnel
grabbed him and removed him off the stage. See that bizarre incident in YouTube.
The prankster was later reported to be Yendrick Sánchez, who had sneaked in the stadium with another
friend Juan Salas. The two men claimed that they like sneaking in events and approaching celebrities; Sanchez
was able to sit in the VIP area right behind Osmel Sousa. Originally, Salas was supposed to have jumped
on stage, but Venevisión security personnel - who had photos of Salas - had been instructed to watch for him. This
year, Salas's intention was to grab Miss Venezuela's crown and to offer it to the woman with whom he was obsessing - Anita -
the same woman to whom he made declarations of love when he jumped on the piano of guest entertainer Franco D'Vita
in Miss Venezuela 2005 pageant.
Since Salas was being heavily observed by the security guards, Sánchez took
advantage of the occasion to steal a scene. He said, "I didn't want to damage the crown. I only wanted to put it on Miss
Zulia's head, but it fell on the floor and it was bent. The guards pushed me all the way to the dressing room. They beat me,
but military personnel interceded for me. They took me to jail where I stayed until Friday night." Even though Sánchez
did not succeed in taking home a Miss Venezuela crown, he is planning on taking home an Oscar trophy next March. Someday, he
also wants to run naked on the White House lawn while carrying a Venezuelan flag.
Venevisión reported that the show attracted 66% of the televiwers.
You can view the coronation of the winners in YouTube.
(Cadena Global, Venezuela, 9/14/2007; Panorama, Maracaibo, 9/16/2007)
• ANOTHER FEATHER IN HER CAP : Linnea Aaltonen, 19, who represented Finland in Miss Earth 2006,
was crowned Miss Finland World last night. She will compete in Miss World 2007. The first runner-up is
Laura Vienonen and the second runner-up is Minna Nikola. Info courtesy of Michael Knittel.
• THE NEW MISS POLAND is Barbara Tatara from Lódz, who was also chosen as Miss Polonia Webs and
Fans 2007. She will compete in Miss Universe 2008. Her court includes first runner-up Anna Tarnowska
and second runner-up Ewelina Sienicka. Info courtesy of Dawid Baraniak.
• A WRONG VENTURE : For deposed 2005 Miss Ventura County winner Hilary Gushwa, beauty never got uglier -
or messier. The Camarillo beauty queen stripped of her crown over a drunken wedding has waged a tug-of-war
with pageant officials who have accused her of stealing her tiara. And she defended her honor Friday amid
allegations that a rival beauty-pageant mom and contest official had abused her law enforcement
privileges while trying to repossess the crown. "I have survived much more difficult situations in my life
than some angry beauty-pageant mother who is upset that her daughter lost a competition," said Gushwa,
24, a Cal State Northridge coed.
The dispute began two years ago when the pianist philanthropist,
in a glistening gown, won the Miss Ventura County crown. Only a week before the October 2004 contest, the
stately redhead had a quickie wedding in Las Vegas - later annulled - in violation of pageant rules.
The Ventura County Scholarship Association, which runs the competition, then stripped her of her title
and sued her for $5,000, alleging that she'd misrepresented herself as single so she could compete.
The association was awarded $3,121 by a Ventura County Small Claims which Gushwa paid. Then last month,
the association filed a theft report against her for failing to return her crown, commemorative
ring and $2,600 in prizes.
Pageant officials claimed she'd perjured herself in court by
telling a judge she'd been too drunk and medicated to remember nuptials with her longtime boyfriend.
"Only girls that are entitled to it are deserving to own the crown," Jackie Youngern, an association committee
member, told the Ventura County Star this week. "This program runs on trust, and she's broken that trust."
Only what Youngern didn't disclose was that her daughter had competed against Gushwa for the crown.
Or that she worked as a specialized peace officer for the Ventura County District Attorney's Office,
which has declined to bring charges against Gushwa. Ron Bamieh, an attorney for Gushwa, said not only
did Youngern make false accusations against his client, she misused her badge to "intimidate witnesses,
obtain statements and solicit clerks at government offices to obtain records" on the deposed beauty queen.
As for her Miss Ventura County tiara? Gushwa said she gave it to a
girl suffering from lymphoma and will donate the remaining proceeds to her charity.
"The girl I gave it to is a true beauty," Gushwa said, "and I pray that she wears it in
good health for the rest of what I hope is a very long life." (Los Angeles Daily News, 9/15/2007)
• FORGET BOLLYWOOD : Beauty queen Sara Jane Dias has said that she wanted to follow in the footsteps of
Persis Khambatta and make a place for herself in Hollywood. Unlike most of the former beauty queens who
end up straight in Bollywood, Dias, the Femina Miss India-World, 2007, wants to make it big in Hollywood.
"I am not really interested in Bollywood. What attracts me is Hollywood," she said. The former VJ of Channel V
says that she is looking forward to a career similar to Persis Khambatta, 1965 Miss India winner who entered
Hollywood and did some good movies. Dias, who is a known golf enthusiast, said that she was looking forward
to the upcoming Miss world pageant to be held in China this November. (Sahara Samay, India, 9/14/2007)
• MISS EARTH DEBUT : The Central American country of Belize will compete in Miss Earth for the first time
this year. Leila Pandy, who was crowned Miss Belize in 2003 and represented Belize at Miss Universe 2004
and won Miss Costa Maya in 2003, was designated by Pageant Belize Ltd. as the first Miss Belize Earth.
Pageant’s Belize Director Margaret Johnson says that the time is right for Belize to increase its
participation in international pageants. Competing at Miss Earth for the first time this year, says
Johnson, is the beginning of a new and exciting thrust in the Pageants Belize developmental plan.
(Belizean - Only in Belize! Belize City, Belize, 9/14/2007)
• TAKING IT OFF? Jacqueline Bracamontes, Nuestra Belleza México 2001 turned telenovela actress
and spokesmodel, could pose nude for Playboy México. Bracamontes said that she has been communicating
for several months with the editors of the magazine, although she still does not know whether she will accept
the offer or not since her family would not approve of it. The former beauty queen said, "If I had to do it, it would have to be a tasteful
photo shoot, perhaps on the beach, I don't know." (El Aragueño, Maracay, 9/14/2007)
• IN LOVE : Ex-Miss Universe Dayanara Torres has a new man in her life - Puerto Rican-born actor
Amaury Nolasco of the hit series "Prison Break." An online site captured the lovebirds strolling
on Champs-Elysées, taking photos of each other at the Arc de Triomphe, and hanging out in a café. See the videoclip!
• CZECH THEM BIG : "Beauty pageants are by no means just a Czech phenomenon, but the do enjoy a popularity here
unparalleled in most of Western Europe. There are scores of different Miss competitions, from the big nationals
like Miss Ceske Republiky and Ceska Miss, right down to the more specific titles of Miss Deaf Czech Republic,
Miss Roma Czech Republic, and Miss Orphan Czech Republic, to name but a few." Read more.
• BUTCHER QUEEN : "Becoming Miss Navajo Nation doesn't involve a swimsuit. Instead, the pageant tests sheep-butchering
skills. "I've never really been a beauty pageant type of person," Jonathea D. Tso, 25, the newly crowned Miss Navajo,
said." Read more.
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, September 24, 2007
Photo credit: Miss Venezuela
| 09.10.2007 | Monday
• TOURISM AND ETHIOPIA : The organizing committee of Miss Tourism of the Millennium Special beauty pageant
sent a press release announcing that the Miss Tourism of the Millennium® pageant is scheduled to take place
in Addis Ababa Ethiopia from October 12 to November 4, 2007. This special event will coincide with the
New Ethiopian Millennium Celebrations and at least 50 countries are expected to attend. There are no franchise
or registration fees to countries who wish to participate in this pageant which is coordinated by the Ethiopian
Ministry of Culture and Tourism. For more information visit the official website.
Info courtesy of Azab Nega, Public Relations coordinator.
• ENVIRONMENT AND VIETNAM : Miss Earth 2006 Hil Hernández from Chile is scheduled to visit Ho Chi Minh
City to attend the International Travel Expo from October 5-7. She will spend around 5 days in the city
and take part in community events as well as exchanges with audiences. Three other beauty queens from Singapore,
the Philippines and Vietnam are also scheduled to participate in the fair. Hernández became the first Chilean
to be crowed Miss Earth. (VietNamNet Bridge, Hanoi,Vietnam, 9/7/2008)
• THE NEW MISS PUERTO RICO INTERNATIONAL is Haydil Rivera Escobales, a 5'10" beauty who was
Miss Teen World 2005. Rivera was handpicked by the new franchise owner, Creative Options, managed by
lawyer Tony Colón and anthropologist Fernando Oquendo. CB's Héctor Colón González has been
hired by Creative Options to coach and to train Rivera for the Miss International 2007 pageant which will
be held in China and Japan later in October.
• GETTING STRICTER : Raimundo Angulo, the president of the Miss Colombia organization, has recently
imposed stricter rules on the candidates. Of the twenty-three hopefuls who have so far signed up
to compete, no one is one-hundred per cent sure if she will actually participate in the country's most important pageant.
Angulo has ordered his staff of lawyers to carefully examine each contender by assuring that none has faults or
skeletons in the closet. Angulo now requires that the candidates should have never posed in underwear or
two-piece swimsuit in magazines or catalogues. They will also have to prove that they have been residents for a minimum
of three years of the departments that they are representing. They must be between 18-25 years old, single, without
children, and natural-born females. They must also not have any criminal or judicial record.
In contrast to Osmel Sousa who favors plastic surgery, Angulo prefers his girls "made in bed, and not
in a surgeon's clinic." (El Heraldo, Barranquilla, 9/8/2007)
• SEASHELLS IN THE SEYCHELLES : The Seychelles has been chosen as the venue to host the 36 th edition of the
Miss Intercontinental Beauty Pageant 2007 on October 13th, the President Luis Pitty from World Beauty
Organisation (WBO) announced last week. The Miss Intercontinental Pageant began on the island of Aruba and for
many years was a main event in the calendar of events to promote tourism on that island. From there it has
also been hosted in Africa, South America, China and held in Germany for the first time in 1991. Last year, the pageant
was held in the Bahamas and the Seychelles was represented by Miss Seychelles Islands 2006, Wendy Boniface.
WBO European Director Detlef Tursies said : "The natural beauty and environment of the Seychelles
has convinced us to host this international pageant here as this event will be broadcast worldwide and
will generate more interest for visitors to come here once they have seen the scenic landscape of these islands".
Information courtesy of WBO.
• THE NEW MODEL OF MODELS is Cristina Fedorca, 17, of Romania, who was crowned in Madrid
last Thursday. Models from twenty-two countries - mostly from Latin America - participated in the event.
Fedorca wins a modeling contract with Model of Models agency in Spain. (El Aragueño, Venezuela, 9/8/2007)
• FOR INDIAN MEN : "In the last few years, the Indian male has become much more conscious and aware about his persona
and personality. Indian men are definitely looking to get the best out of life." Read more.
• HIS PREDICTIONS : The new Miss Venezuela will be crowned on September 13 and no one knows for sure who will
win the coveted crown, except for columnist José Gregorio Ortiz. In his latest column, Ortiz makes his
predictions: Miss Amazonas Dayana Mendoza will be crowned Miss Venezuela, Miss Cojedes Hanellys Quintero
will be chosen as Miss Venezuela World, and Miss Miranda Miriam Abreu will be selected as Miss Venezuela International.
The finalists will be: Miss Vargas Anyelika Pérez, first runner-up; Miss Sucre Andrea Mathies, second runner-up;
and Miss Trujillo Luna Ramos, third runner-up. We'll just have to wait for the official results to see how
accurate Ortiz's predictions are. (El Aragueño, Venezuela, 9/7/2007)
• ASK THE SAME QUESTION, PLEASE : Last week, CB conducted a poll asking readers this question: "What is your take on
the final Q & A segment?"
Here are the results: "Each finalist should be asked a different question." (25%); "All finalists should answer the same question."
(53%); and "The final Q & A segment should be permanently eliminated." (22%).
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, September 17, 2007
Photo credit: Yahoo News
| 09.03.2007 | Monday
• THE AFTERMATH : Miss South Carolina Teen Lauren Upton's "dumb blonde" response in last week's
Miss Teen USA's telecast generated extensive media coverage including numerous YouTube spoofs, many of
which border on the absurd or are totally unhumorous. But I have to say that one spoof cracked me up:
this animated response. Upton later appeared
in the "Today" show where she was given a second chance to respond to the final question. Whether or not
she redeemed herself is anyone's opinion. Take a look at
her attempted self-redemption. You can tell that the creators of these spoofs do not know much
about pageants. Why? Because they always refer to "Miss Teen South Carolina" instead of the correct
title "Miss South Carolina Teen."
• ALICE IN NOWHERELAND : Last month, Alice Panikian, Canada's rep to Miss Universe 2006, was
crowned as Canada's rep to Miss International 2007 to be held in China and Japan in October. Now it seems that Panikian
will not go to China after all due to her educational commitment. The Miss International 2007 pageant is supposed
to run for nearly four weeks, but Panikian says that she cannot afford to be gone for so long. Replacing her
is Justine Stewart, a country singer and songwriter from Victoria, British Columbia who had competed in
Miss Universe Canada 2007 last March.
• THE NEW MISS JAMAICA WORLD is Yendi Phillips, a 21-year-old, 5'10" beauty who was crowned last August 26th.
Her court includes first runner-up Rosina Casserly and second runner-up Jodi Shaw. Phillips succeeded
Sara Lawrence, who relinquished her crown in March after announcing that she was pregnant.
• THE NEW MISS VIETNAM WORLD is Ngo Phuong Lan, a 20-year-old student from Switzerland. She will represent
Vietnam at the 57th Miss World competition to take place in Sanya, China, December 1st. She was crowned at the
outdoor theatre of Vinpearl resort on Hon Tre Island, very near the beaches of Nha Trang city where Miss Universe 2008
pageant could be held. Thirty-seven girls of Vietnamese origin - from all around the world - competed in the national
search. Info courtesy of Donald Nguyen.
• THE NEW MISS TURISMO LATINO is Diana Carolina of the Dominican Republic who was crowned last Saturday
in Guayaquil, Ecuador. It was reported that the pageant was badly organized; many events that were originally
planned never actually happened, leaving the candidates without much to do. One unsavory incident included
a trip to La Troncal; when the candidates arrived there, it was the last day of the town festival and the public rest rooms
were filled with excrement and urine, and without privacy. The town is also considered dangerous and the candidates
risked getting hurt or kidnapped. Other mishaps: they were denied a lunch buffet which was supposed to have been included in the
franchise fee that they had paid, the much-awaited fashion show never took place, the organizer always screamed
at them, and they were never taken to the mall to go shopping. Some of the girls left without their prizes. Info
courtesy of Edwin Rosario's blog.
• FIRST THE WORLD, THEN THE UNIVERSE : Ingrid Rivera, who represented Puerto Rico in Miss World 2005, placing
third and winning the Miss World Caribbean title, signed up for Miss Puerto Rico Universe 2007 pageant representing
the municipality of Dorado. After learning Rivera's inscription, one candidate Mayra Matos, a former Miss
Teen International, dropped out of the competition. Info courtesy of Héctor Colón González.
Osmel Sousa, the director of Miss Venezuela, scolded the girls for
looking like Playboy models instead of beauty queens. One candidate - Josephine Karam, Miss Nueva Esparta -
had lost 27 pounds to enter the pageant but gained 7 pounds in the last two weeks. They put her in a special diet
consisting of pineapple, chicken, lettuce, tuna, cucumber and mineral water. You can view the entire telecast
in YouTube. Watch the opening number as the girls come out to Justin Timberlake's "Sexyback".
• MEMORIES : Anna Theresa Licaros, who represented the Philippines in Miss Universe last May, shares her
Mexican experience with readers. It seems that Miss South Carolina Teen is not the only one who may be geographically
challenged!
• POLLS : Last week's CB took a poll and asked the question, "Of the three Trump beauties pictured above, who is the most
beautiful? Here are the final results. In the first place is Rachel Smith, (Miss USA 2007) with 252 votes, followed
by Riyo Mori (Miss Universe 2007) with 173 votes, and then by Hilary Cruz (Miss Teen USA 2007) with
134 votes. Of course, the poll is not scientific and merely reflects our readers' subjective opinions. Thank you all for
voting.
• MORE ON GLADYS : A pageant fan from Peru presented me with an awesome gift: a copy of the August issue Cosas
magazine featuring Gladys Zender and a lengthy, phenomenal article about her. I scanned the cover of the magazine
and images of Gladys for our readers to enjoy.
• THE WINNING DESIGN for Mister USA's costume : Is it a baseball uniform? A cowboy outfit? Or something else?
• NEXT UPDATE : Monday, September 10, 2007
Photo credits: El Mundo (Santa Cruz de la Sierra), Belleza Venezolana
AUGUST 2007
• THE NEW MISS BRAZIL WORLD is Regiane Andrade, 23, left, a model and student of Psychology from
Santa Catarina, who was crowned during a ceremony held in Sao Paulo on September 22nd. Her court
includes first runner-up Melanie Nunes Froncokwiak of Rio Grande do Sul who will represent
Brazil in Miss Tourism Queen International 2008, second runner-up Kelly Pedrita Giacomoni of
Paraná who will go to Miss Global Beauty Queen 2008, third runner-up Tamara Almeida of Espírito
Santo who will go to International Queen of Coffee 2008 in Colombia, fourth runner-up Mariana Bridi
of Sergipe who will go to Miss Bikini 2008, and fifth runner-up Rayanne Oliveira of Pernambuco
who will go to Face of the Universe in Ghana. Info courtesy of Miss Brasil Mundo.
• MISS VENEZUELA QUEENS : Three new queens were crowned last Thursday in the Poliedro stadium in Caracas
to represent Venezuela in three major pageants next year. Dayana Mendoza, a 21-year-old professional
model representing Amazonas (center) will go to Miss Universe, Hannelys Quintero, 21,
(Miss Cojedes, right) will go to Miss World, and Dayana Colmenares, 20, (Miss Carabobo, left) will go to Miss International. The first runner-up
is Mónica B'Sereni (Miss Araguas) and the second runner-up is Alexandra Serrano (Miss Táchira).
Completing the top ten are the delegates from Miranda, Barinas, Sucre, Trujillo and Vargas.
• COUNTRY MAMA : A 30-year-old mother of three from northern Wyoming is the new Mrs. America, contest organizers announced.
Mrs. Wyoming Kelly McBee, left, who works as a beauty consultant in the town of Worland, won the national crown Wednesday
in a ceremony at the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort, organizers said. "I'm in shock," she said. "I don't believe it."
The Mrs. America award "spotlights some of the most accomplished, contemporary, poised, articulate and attractive
married women," organizers said. First runner-up was Mrs. Tennessee Christina Ryan of Franklin;
second runner-up was Mrs. Nebraska Michele Strom of Omaha; third runner-up was Mrs. Oklahoma
Melissa Soto of Tulsa; fourth runner-up was Mrs. New Mexico Cortney Whitley
of Hobbs; and fifth runner-up was Mrs. California Kelly Stornetta of Fresno. (Yahoo News, 9/6/2007)
• DEPORTED : Former Miss Bolivia and U.S. resident Sonia Falcone, left, who had been accused of hiring illegal
immigrants to work for her, has been deported back to Bolivia by U.S. officials. She was ordered never to return
to the U.S. for ten years. Falcone will move to China where her husband, Pierre Falcone, lives; he was charged
of arm-trafficking by selling illegal weapons to Angola, reported the newspaper The Scottsdale Tribune. Sonia
Falcone had hired a married couple to be her chauffeur and housekeeper, another man to do odd jobs, and another
woman as a nanny. The original charges against Falcone stated that she lied in her application for citizenship and
that she had submitted fraudulent marriage documents to obtain an immigration application. Falcone lived with her
three children - all of whom are U.S. citizens - in a mansion that she built in 2001 and cost 10.5 million dollars.
(Associated Press, 8/30/2007)