AUGUST 2010

| 09.06.2010 | Monday

• DISAPPOINTED : Although Miss USA Rima Fakih didn't become Miss Universe last August 23rd, her fans were still proud of her as they gathered in her hometown of Dearborn, Michigan to cheer her on. She's a tremendous success, not only for her, but for the whole community," Dr. Daw Alwerfalli, 63, of Dearborn said as he watched the pageant with his family. With a table of Middle Eastern food before them as they broke fast for Ramadan, the Alwerfalli family was excited to watch the pageant at Assayad Restaurant on Warren Avenue, the main commercial road in the heart of Arab America. "Yeah, Rima!" Daw's wife, Diana Alwerfalli, said as Fakih appeared in her gold eagle costume during the show's opening. A few minutes later, they were deflated as Fakih didn't make the top 15. Jimena Navarrete of Mexico went on to win. "I'm disappointed," Diana Alwerfalli sighed after Fakih didn't advance. "She's so beautiful."

      Still, the Alwerfallis said Fakih is a winner anyway, considering she's Miss USA, the first Arab American and Muslim to win the crown. "She's a role model for the community, an inspiration," Dr. Alwerfalli said. "She's opened the doors for Arab Americans. She's part of the next generation. The sky is the limit for Arab Americans." "She's smart, educated, very pretty and very down to earth," Diana Alwerfalli added. "She kept in touch with her friends even after she got the crown, which shows how genuine she is. "She can do anything." (Freep.com, 8/24/2010)

• ENGLISH ROSE : A 21-year-old law student from Nottingham has been crowned as the new Miss England. Jessica Linley (above, being crowned) beat 60 other contestants to take the title at the annual pageant in Birmingham on Wednesday. She will now represent England at the Miss World contest which will take place in China next month. Linley said: "I want to do the best by everybody and truly make a difference to peoples' lives." Before the final, she said if picked as winner she would take some time off from her studies at Nottingham University "so I could give everything I have" at the Miss World contest. Judges at the Miss England ceremony included former winner and reality TV star Danielle Lloyd, and Coronation Street actor Ryan Thomas. The first runner-up is Jamie Lee Faulkner, also 21, from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, who competed as Miss Champneys, and the second runner-up is Amy Jackson,, 18, an aspiring actress representing Liverpool and who was Miss T een World 2009. (BBC, 9/2/2010)<

• THE NEW MISS UKRAINE is Ekaterina Zakharchenko who was crowned on September 4th at the Ukraina National Palace of Arts in Kiev. She comes from Odessa and is 21 years old. She will represent Ukraine in Miss World 2010 pageant. The first runner-up is Natalia Sitnikov and the second runner-up is Julia Strategopulo.

• THE NEW MISS POLAND is Agata Szewiola, 21, who was crowned August 30th. She will represent Poland in Miss World 2010.

• BONAIRE IS BACK! Benazir Charles was crowned Miss Bonaire 2010/2011 at the finale held September 4th. Benazir is 17 years-old and she will represent her territory in Miss World 2010 pageant and Miss Universe 2011 pageant. Bonaire has not competed in Miss Universe since 1998.

• THE NEW MISS WORLD PANAMA is Paola Vaprio who was crowned August 26th. Paola is the younger sister of Anna Vaprio - Miss World Panama 2005. Paola Vaprio is 23-year-old and stands 5’9”. She will represent Panama in Miss World 2010 pageant in Sanya, China this October.

• THE NEW MISS SLOVENIA WORLD is Sandra Adam, 20 who was crowned August 29th in a glittering, televised gala ceremony. The first runner-up was Ajda Sitar and the second runner-up was Sandra Skutnik.

• MONGOLIAN APPOINTEE : 23 year-old Sarnai Amar was appointed to represent Mongolia in Miss World 2010 beauty pageant in Sanya, People's Republic of China on October 30. Sarnai Amar is from Ulaanbaatar and she stands 5'10" tall. She is the former Miss World University 2008 winner.

• ARGENTINE BEAUTIES : The new Miss World Argentina 2010 is Miss Chaco, Carla Corradi, 22 (photo). She won the title on August 28th at the Sofitel Luxury Hotel in Buenos Aires. Also elected were Miss International Argentina 2010, Miss La Pampa, Mariana Arambarry; and Miss Earth Argentina 2010, Miss Tucumán, Isolina Boero. The brand new Miss World Argentina is the author of one of the two winning projects 'against human trafficking', which the contestants had to submit as a condition to become the beauty that next October will represent her country at Miss World 2010, in the Chinese island of Sanya. Corradi's project "offers numerous activities, including workshops of expression, so that women who were victims of these bands can be reintegrated into society." Corradi told the agency Efe that "This can happen to any woman in the country, regardless of her social status. That's why we get into the issue and help those who fall into these networks, many times, after being tricked into an attractive job offer." (Whatsonsanya.com, 8/29/2010)

• NEPALESE ROYALTY : She came, she gave the answer that convinced the judges, and 19-year-old Sadichha Shrestha beat 17 other contestants to be crowned Dabur Special Hidden Treasure Miss Nepal 2010 on September 1 at the Army Officers’ Club. The one question that was put to all top five finalists was — in which three sectors would they invest for a more responsible youth in Nepal? In the three minutes given them to pen down their answers, Shrestha listed her three areas as — industries to provide Nepali youth a platform to show their talent, science and technology as she would love to see world-class scientists come out of Nepal, and grooming as this would help them present themselves better just as the 18 contestants in the pageant. Sahana Bajracharya was the first runner-up, while Sanyukta Timisina was the second runner-up. Shrestha won a cash prize of Rs 50,000 and a QQ3 Chery car. Along with the title, she has also become the brand ambassador of Nepal Tourism Year 2011 and World Wildlife Fund Nepal’s conservation ambassador. Shrestha will be representing Nepal in the Miss World pageant to be held in Sanya, China in December. Shrestha also took three other titles home — Miss Photogenic, Miss Smart Walk and Miss Personality. (The Himalayan, 9/1/2010)

• LIBERTY REIGNS AT SUDANESE PAGEANT : It's illegal for women to wear swimming suits in Nyamai Biliu's homeland of Sudan. The zebra-print knee-length dress she bought Friday isn't something she could wear, either. Modeling is unacceptable there. So is participating in beauty pageants. But Saturday, the 25-year-old Biliu did all of those things that she never would have been able to do in the African nation of her birth. She was one of 15 young women from across North America to compete in the Miss Sudan America pageant at the Washington Pavilion in Sioux Falls. "It's an opportunity that people back home don't have," Biliu said. And for her, this opportunity was about much more than beauty. It's about empowering young women and explaining that nothing is unattainable in America. "It's not just beauty from the outside, it's beauty from the inside and what we have to offer," Biliu said. "We just need to pursue our dreams and keep going for it." That's exactly the message pageant organizer Yar Kang hoped to relay to Sudanese women in America when she created the pageant in 2008 in Kansas City. This year, at the request of many family members, Kang moved the pageant to Sioux Falls as a way of bringing a little of Sudan, its culture and traditions to the place she and many of her 24 siblings call home. They found refuge in Sioux Falls after escaping from war-torn Sudan in the 1990s.

       Before becoming a mother of two, Kang pursued modeling. Now, she strives to mentor Sudanese women and help them achieve their dreams, whatever they might be. "In America, we do more than just be a wife," Kang said. "There are so many opportunities for girls in America to just go for it, and the key is education. They can be anything they want to be." Anyeth Aloung, 23, of Sioux Falls won the title of Miss Sudan America, a crown and $500. Kang said Aloung will complete community service activities this year and hopefully go on to represent Sudan in the Miss Africa and Miss Universe pageants. Pageant contestants ranged in age from 17 to 27. Some live in Sioux Falls, others traveled from as far as New York and Canada. (Argus Leader, 9/5/2010)

• ROZANNA GOES TO THE BIG APPLE : Miss Universe owner Donald Trump has offered Ireland’s Miss Universe entrant Rozanna Purcell a modeling contract in New York. The billionaire was so impressed by Rozanna that he swooped in soon after the competition and made the offer. The 21-year-old who was favorite to win, finished seventh in the Miss Universe pageant in Las Vegas last week. The lucrative deal will give Rozanna the opportunity to break into the American modeling industry. Speaking about the deal Rozanna’s mentor former Miss Ireland Andrea Roche told the Evening Herald, “It was an amazing night and she has now been offered contracts in Mexico as well as Colombia”. She added Rozanna had “something magical and special about her” and has a “big future”. (Irish Central, 8/25/2010)

• BEAUTY RACE : Beauty queens, home-shopping TV hosts and a daughter and birth mother recently reunited after 20 years are among the motley cast of characters who’ll scurry tirelessly around the planet during the upcoming 17th season of The Amazing Race on CBS. Among the more notable contestants: Miss Kentucky 2009 Mallory Ervin, competing with her father Gary; Jewelry Television host and Miss Oregon 2004 Brook Roberts, teamed with fellow TV host Claire Champlin; Internet comedian Kevin Wu (a.k.a., KevJumba on YouTube) and his father Michael; Princeton a cappella singers Connor Diemand-Yauman and Jonathan Schwartz; and birth mother and daughter Andie DeKroon and Katie Seamon. They’ll be a tired bunch by the end of the race. This season, premiering Sept. 26, will cover 32,000 miles through 30 cities on four continents. The show will make first-time visits to Bangladesh, Ghana, and the Arctic Circle. And for the first time, the team finishing first in the premiere episode will get a surprise, game-changing advantage, according to CBS. (Tim Nudd for TVwatch.people.com, 9/1/2010)

• LAID TO REST : Melody Gersbach, 2009 Bb. Pilipinas International, who was killed in a car accident along with two other people last August 21st, was finally laid to rest on August 28th in Angeles City, Pampanga in the Philippines. Gersbach made it to the Top 15 of the Miss International pageant held in China last year. In her eulogy, Miss Universe 2010 4th runner-up Venus Raj said it was Gersbach who pushed her to fight for her candidacy in the most sought after beauty title. (ABS-CBN, 8/28/2010)

• JIMENA'S PLANS : "For Mexican born Miss Universe, Jimena Navarrete, pageant life was ingrained in her Latin upbringing. Jimena (also spelled Ximena and pronounced “Him-eh-na”) is intent on using her new title of Miss Universe to clear up some misconceptions about her native, Mexico. We discussed the economic climate in Mexico as well as the education offered in her country." Read more.

• NEXT JOURNAL UPDATE : Monday, September 13, 2010.

PHOTO CREDITS: Daily Mail, Diario Norte (Argentina), Miss Poland, Miss Universe Organization, Miss Ukraine

Share |

---

© Copyright 2010. Critical Beauty.