Beauty In Pageants

Venezuela is losing its Miss World Charisma

2009-12-22T19:17:00.001+08:00

With 17 titles - 6 Miss Universe, 5 Miss World, 5 Miss International and 1 Miss Earth - without a doubt, Venezuela is the the leading powerhouse in beauty pageants!

This decade was very fruitful for this South American nation.

In Miss Universe, they only missed the semifinals twice - 2004 and 2006. But these exclusions were rewarded by back to back titles in 2008 and 2009. Aside from that, all remaining placements of Venezuela were in the Top 5.

Venezuela had some struggles in the first years of Miss Earth. In 2005, Alexandra Braun became the first Venezuelan to enter the semifinals and eventually won. Since then, Venezuela has placed every year.

Miss International proved to be the best pageant for Venezuela this decade - winning 3 titles, 1 first runner up and 4 semifinalists - are proofs that Venezuela occupies the number one spot for the Tokyo-based pageant.

Miss World - this decade they had 5 placements - and the highest was in 2002 - Goizeder Azua's Top 10 finish! Compared to their performance in the 90's, it was really poor. Two winners (1991 and 1995), one 1st runner up (1999), three 2nd runners up (1990, 1992, 1994) and two 4th runners up (1993 and 1996). They only missed the Top 10 in 1997 and 1998 - and the reason was because Venezuela didn't send their national winners to Miss World. This decade, Venezuela did not even make it to the final cut.

What could have been the reasons?

Vanessa Cardenas, Andriena Prieto and Goizeder Azua were not crowned in Miss Venezuela finals instead, Osmel staged a small pageant for Miss World Venezuela 2000 - 2002. Among the three, Goizeder was the most refreshing beauty - something that Miss World is looking for.

In 2003, Miss World Venezuela was back in the top prizes - Valentina Patruno won and became a semifinalist in Miss World 2003.

Andrea Milroy and Susan Carrizo failed in 2004 and 2005. Their beauties aren't really suited for MW.

The Miss World Organization announced that Miss World 2006 would be held in Poland on September 30, three months ahead of schedule. The Miss Venezuela Org. decided to return to the "emergency" system used in 2000-01 and hold a special pageant, Miss World Venezuela 2006. Federica Guzman was the undisputed favourite for the national title, causing the usual controversy, but her performance at Miss World broke the failure streak of her country to classify into the semifinals since the participation of Valentina Patruno in 2003.

Claudia Suarez and Hannelly Quintero continued the streak. But Milagors Veliz broke it again!

Why? Claudia and Hannelly were young and beautiful, Milagros was a bad choice - she was a complete opposite of the two.

The main reason why Venezuela is losing its force in Miss World is because MVO gives a higher importance to Miss Universe than Miss World. And most of the times, their MU delegates were better than their MW representatives. But Julia was kinda fair not to exclude beautiful ladies like Valentina, Federica, Claudia and Hannelly.

Julia doesn't want to be second.

Expect this, if Miss Vnezuela Organization will not do something with it, don't expect the 6th Venezuelan Miss World to be crowned.

Julia is not Eric Morley. Now that the rivalry between Trump and Morley is getting more intense, Venezuela will never advance in the final 5 of Miss World.

For Miss Venezuela Organization - simply send a woman who is beautiful, sweet, young - not a drag queen nor a too polished woman that is more of a Miss Universe material.

Text from Miss Cosmopolitan.

Miss World 2009 Kaiana Aldorino is welcomed like a hero

2009-12-20T19:59:00.000+08:00

You probably have seen already the warm reception of the newly crowned Miss World 2009 Kaiana Aldorino when she went home to Gibraltar after winning the title. Oh, my God, the beauty queen was received like a hero. The people of Gibraltar welcomed her so warmly and they thronged the streets to get a glimpse of their beauty queen when she was paraded around the country. There was a rain shower of confetti. Flags of Gibraltar were waved in all corners. People were so happy. This is indeed one of the proud moments this tiny British territory has in the decade - thanks to Julia Morley of Miss World Organization for giving her the title.

I don't know if this is true but according to someone, the car used to parade Kaiana was the same car used by Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana during their honeymoon. Maybe someone out there can confirm this rumor.

Bolivia's Juan Bruno Kettels Torrico Wins Mister International 2009

2009-12-20T03:01:00.002+08:00

A Bolivian student beat off heart throbs from around the world to win an international male beauty pageant in Taiwan on Saturday.

Bruno Kettels, 20, won out against 30 other hopefuls to take the Mister International crown.

Kettels, an engineering major, was crowned in front of an audience of 400 in a hotel in the island's central city of Taichung after walking down the catwalk in swimwear and evening wear. He was also interviewed.

"He's confident and he presents himself with style," said Alan Sim, president of the Mister Singapore organisation which created the pageant.

Kettels, who succeeded last year's Ngo Tien Doan of Vietnam, won 5,000 dollars and sponsorship contracts worth up to 45,000 dollars. He will also travel the world to promote AIDS awareness and other charity causes, Sim said.

The first and second runners-up are Hector Soria of Spain and Marcelino Gebrayel of Lebanon. The third and fourth runners-up are Maxime Thomasset of France and Sebastian Strzepka of Poland.

Official Winners of Mister International 2009

2009-12-20T06:28:00.001+08:00

The winner of Mister International 2009 is Mister Bolivia Juan Bruno Kettels Torrico. I would like to correct what I have written earlier here that there were 33 hunks who competed in the pageant. The number was only 29. Here is the official list of those who made the finals and semi-finals.

Mister International 2009 - Juan Bruno Kettels Torrico of Bolivia
1st Runner-up - Hector Soria of Spain
2nd Runner-up - Marcelino Gebrayel of Lebanon
3rd Runner-up - Maxime Thomasset of France
4th Runner-up - Sebastian Strzepka of Poland

Finalists:

Thomas Ladangh of Belgium
Nelson Lee of Singapore
Peter Klinc of Slovenia
Terry Shih of Taiwan
Luis Nuzzo of Venezuela

Semi-finalists:

Holly Feriston of Indonesia
Francis Xavier Usanga of Ireland
Henri Quiles of Puerto Rico
Josh Tolin of USA
Le Xuan Vinh Thuy of Vietnam

Special Awards:

Mister Photogenic - Le Xuan Vinh Thuy of Vietnam
Mister Congeniality - Luis Nuzzo of Venezuela
Mister Spirit - Nelson Quintas of Angola
Best National Costume - Terry Shih of Taiwan

I got 4 out of the 5 hunks I have predicted to make enter the finals. Only Michael Manansala of the Philippines did not make it. Read the blog entry here.

Best contestants for Mister International 2009

2009-12-17T22:50:00.001+08:00

After the big four grandslam pageants for women, Misses Universe, Earth, International and World, comes the parade of male pageants. On December 19, the 4th Mister International will be decided in Taichung, Taiwan. There are 33 confirmed hunks from all over the world who are participating in this event. The outgoing winner is from Vietnam, Ngo Tien Doan, who won the title last year also in Taiwan.

There are limited press coverage and pictures of the contestants available for fans. I have not seen all the delegates. So far, five hunks have already caught my attention and one of them might win Mister International 2009. In random order, here they are:

Belgium - 21-year old Thomas Ladangh is a look-a-like of Hollywood matinee idol and High School Musical leading man, Zac Efron. I am not a big fan of white guys but among all the European contestants including the guy from the US, Thomas is a stand-out. His boy-next-door image is undeniably appealing. His greatest asset are his eyes.

France - Maxime Thomasset is not a newbie in male pageants. He was a semi-finalist at Mister Universe Model 2009. He is my second best choice among the white guys because he seems a man to me. In contrast with the "feminine" looks of Mister Belgium, Maxime exudes a manly aura.

Indonesia - Holly Feriston, 21, has sharp eyes that can easily melt the hearts of the judges. Like Mister Belgium, his best asset are his eyes though Holly is an inch better because the model from Malang, Indonesia has a better and toned body. His waterloo is his height. He looks short.

Philippines - 23-year old Michael Manansala shines from this year's batch because of his attitude - he has a jolly personality. He emits positive aura. Michael also knows how to project on camera. At the costume presentation, I have observed that he is the only guy who put a little drama on his presentation. Besides, you can easily notice him in the crowd because of his bald head.

Vietnam - Le Xuan Vinh Thuy is only a cute guy but has the best body in the competition. It will not be surprising if he gives his country a back-to-back win in this pageant. What I don't like about this hunk is his hair. It distracts someone from appreciating his almost-perfect features. He should trim it down. Vinh Thuy has the best eyes though.

Kurara Chibana, now a reporter

2009-12-17T19:48:00.000+08:00

What's up with Kurara Chibana, the Japanese sweetheart who captured our hearts during the 2006 Miss Universe?

We have learned from a report in the Philippines that after becoming a runner up of Puerto Rico's Zuleyka Rivera at the 2006 Miss Universe pageant in Los Angeles, USA, Kurara shifted her career to television industry. She is now a reporter of a certain Japanese program. Aside from that, the beauty is also active as a volunteer with United Nations - World Food Programme.

Kurara went to the Philippines for the first time to witness the effect of the recent flood, Ondoy, which devastated the whole country. Her purpose is to raise awareness about the victims of the flood who after 3 months are not yet fully recovered. She hopes to urge her countrymen to offer help to the victims.

“There's something that I can do. And there’s something that we can do even though we live in Japan,” she said.

Chelsi Smith, Miss Universe 1995, looks too heavy

2009-12-16T08:18:00.002+08:00

Believe it or not but the woman on the picture is a former Miss Universe. She is Chelsi Smith, the sixth Miss Universe winner from the USA. She won her title in 1995 in Namibia over India's Manpreet Brar. I can't believe her transformation. She looks too heavy no matter how she tries to camouflage it with her black outfit.

This is Chelsi Smith when she was crowned Miss Universe 1995. In her right is Miss India, Manpreet Brar, First Runner-Up and to her left is the Second Runner-up Lana Buchberger of Canada.

Miss World's Mother says "I can't believe it. What have you done to us?"

2009-12-15T20:47:00.001+08:00

"I can't believe it. What have you done to us? Our lives have changed."

These are the words coming from the mother of the new Miss World, Kaiana Aldorino of Gibraltar.

Ksenia Sukhinova, Miss World 2008 from Russia, reported this in her twitter account last December 12th. The second Russian beauty queen to capture the Miss World crown also added that Kaiana witnessed for the first time how his father cried.

But wait. These reactions from Kaiana's parents are not related to the allleged nude photos of Miss World 2009. Read that again. I said ALLEGED and not confirmed naked pictures of Kaiana. I have posted in this article the said pictures in contention and it generated lots of private messages addressed to me. Most of these letters are accusing me that I was telling my readers that the nude pictures are that of Kaiana. For the record, I am not guilty. I only asked everyone to judge it for themselves. Personally, after studying these photos, I have concluded that Kaiana was not the girl on those said photos but I can't deny there is a strong resemblance.

Moving on to my topic, the parents of Kaiana are very proud of her victory. According to Ksenia, "there were also reports that fireworks were set off across Gibraltar in celebration of the new Miss World."

Since 1959, Gibraltar, an island off the coast of Spain with around 30 thousand people, has been sending representatives to the pageant. Kaiana's victory marked their first entry to the finals of the pageant after 41 years and also their first major victory in a grandslam pageant. Gibraltar is a British territory but was a former Spanish land.

Right after her coronation, Kaiana's phone hasn't stopped ringing in the dressing room with messages of congratulations. "I only just remembered I am going to the World Cup Final! As if winning Miss World wasn't enough," Kaiana said.

All the infos here are taken from Ksenia Sukhinova's twitter. Thank you, Ksenia.

Miss Universe Stefania Fernandez's new hairtsyle

2009-12-16T01:13:00.000+08:00

Miss Universe 2009 Stefania Fernandez of Venezuela decided to cut her hair. She was seen in Paris, together with Miss USA 2009 Kristen Dalton, with her shorter hair. What can I say? The new hairstyle perfectly suits her beauty. She now looks more beautiful and younger to me. Look at her in that picture above right before she was crowned as Miss Universe in Bahamas and compared her looks with this picture below.

Voila! She is definitely more stunning now. Agree? Oh, well, I just love her more now. And because of this, I am not going to complain anymore why Venezuela had a back-to-back victory. As days pass by, Stefania is winning my heart.

SCANDAL???? Miss World 2009 Kaiane Aldorino Nude Photos?

2009-12-14T16:22:00.001+08:00

Last Saturday, we witnessed the coronation of Kaiane Aldorino as the new winner of Miss World. The pageant was held in Johannesburg, South Africa. Kaiana became the first woman from this British territory to win a grandslam pageant.

But I am not going to talk about the pageant in this post. I gonna show you some alleged nude pictures of Kaiana. The girl looks like Kaiana but it's up to you to judge. Here are the pictures. I write more about this later so come back and check.

Miss India Pooja Chopra might withdraw from Miss World 2009

2009-12-10T01:19:00.000+08:00

I've got a report about some fans who are worried that Miss India Pooja Chopra might withdraw from the Miss World 2009 pageant. The competition is taking place in South Africa and in 3 days, the winner will be crowned by the reigning Miss World Ksenia Sukhinova of Russia.

I was informed that Pooja sprained her ankle very badly two days ago. She was sent to the hospital for x-ray. Medical reports say she was not fractured but a cast was put on her leg.

So, does this mean Miss India will walk with the cast on the finals if she is not withdrawing? Sources who are closed to the beauty queen confirmed that the Indian beauty is not withdrawing.

Miss South Africa Tatum Keshwar Brings Miss Universe to Miss World

2009-12-07T18:29:00.001+08:00

Everybody, let's take a look back at the last Miss Universe pageant that was held in the Bahamas. Let me refresh your memory about the dress for the opening number. But focus your attention on Miss South Africa Tatum Keshwar. Notice that graceful catwalk with the floral white dress? You only see that on Miss Universe 2009.

After failing to get a title at Miss U, Tatum decided to try her luck at Miss World 2009 which is currently taking place in her home country. She is definitely hoping of getting the title this time around - on her second try. Let's check on how she is doing right now.

Oh, nooo! Have you noticed that? Look at that floral white dress. Was that the one she wore at Miss Universe? I guess so! Then I was wrong that the dress is exclusive only for Miss Universe.

Does Tatum think she's still competing at Miss Universe and not on Miss World? Or does she run out of dresses? She did not only bring herself from Miss U to Miss World but also the dress she wore from the previous pageant.

Donald Trump and Julia Morley, what do you wanna say about this?

Miss France Chloe Mortaud Leaves Miss World 2009

2009-12-06T20:13:00.000+08:00

After coming back from a long vacation, a friend has told me that Miss France World 2009 (also Miss France Universe 2009 and a finalist in Miss Universe 2009 in Bahamas), Chloe Mortaud had left Miss World 2009 pageant that is currently taking place in South Africa. That is barely one week before the finals on December 12th.

But don't panic, Chloe fans! She did not withdraw from the competition (Well, if you read my statement in that way.) but she only temporarily left the pageant last night to crown the winner of Miss France 2010 which was won by Malika Menard from the region of Normandy.

This decision from Miss World organization headed by Julia Morley has proven one thing, as noted by a friend, that pre-pageant activities are not important. Do you share the same view?

Well, Chloe is one of the favorites to win the title of Miss World 2009 because of her experience and placement at the 58th Miss Universe edition in Bahamas last August. But she is facing stiff competitions from Perla Beltran of Mexico and Jennifer Colon of Puerto Rico.

Who knows Chloe might be one of those beauties who snatched a crown from crossing over from Miss Universe to Miss World?

Russia's Victoria Radochinskaya wins Mrs World 2009; 2 bets from Vietnam shocked fans

2009-11-25T20:06:00.001+08:00

I have finally watched the coronation night of the Miss Earth 2009 pageant in Boracay, a famous island and beach resort in the province of Aklan, south of Manila in the Philippines. I have a lot of things to say but I gonna reserve it for my next blog entry. Instead, I will talk about the results of the just-concluded Mrs. World 2009 that took place in Vietnam.

Mrs Russia Victoria Radochinskaya amazingly captured the title of Mrs World 2009 in Vung Tau, Vietnam on the same day Miss Earth 2009 crowned its winner. She was crowned by Ukraine's Natalya Shmarenkova, the winner in 2008. This is the second time a Russian representative was favored to win the title after Sofia Arzhakovskaya clinched the top honor in 2006 in a very controversial pageant in her home country, in St. Petersburg in particular.

Victoria is a 31-year old mother of one. She has been married for 8 years. She recieved a crown of white golds that was decorated with 63 rubies. The crown is valued at $100,000.

Mrs USA Andrea Robertson was first runner-up and Mrs Vietnam Hoang Thi Yen was the second runner-up.

Most fans are not convinced about Mrs USA and Mrs Vietnam. As they claim, it's not surprising to see the two married beauty queens having awards simply because of two factors: first - the pageant is owned or based in the US; second - the pageant was held in Vietnam.

It is also very odd to see two Vietnamese representatives in the pageant. It is something very questionable. Pageant fans are actually shocked upon learning this. But Joyce Ann Burton, Miss Philippines Universe 1985, has an answer.

In Joyce's blog (www.adventuresofabeautyqueen.wordpress.com), she noted that when she asked the National Director of Mrs World (probably for Philippines), Mr. Ovette explained that one of them represented Vung Tau, the city where the pageant was held, and one of them is representative of Vietnam as a country.

Why would a pageant of international calibre would allow this?

Mrs India, Mrs Brazil and Mrs Poland made the Top 6. On the other, Top 12 includes representatives from the Philippines, Malaysia, Costa Rica, South Africa, England and Cote d'lvoire.

The Best in National Costume was awarded to Mrs Hong Kong.

75 married ladies from all over the world competed for the title.

Mrs World 2010 will be held in Korea.

Miss Brazil Larissa Ramos Wins Miss Earth 2009

2009-11-22T23:21:00.001+08:00

Brazil, a country of beauty pageant fanatics, made another history by becoming the first country to win two crowns at the Miss Earth pageant with the conclusion of this year's pageant in Boracay, Philippines.

Miss Brazil Larissa Ramos was proclaimed Miss Earth 2009 although she did not give the best answer to the final question-and-answer which determined her as the winner and the runners-up.

The Final 8 were presented with a photo and each were asked to interpret it. This is actually an old format. According to my friend who witnessed the pageant in Boracay, Miss Philippines Sandra Inez Seifert gave the most intelligent answer but she ended up with the Miss Earth Air title only or the 1st runner-up. I was actually right that the 1st runner-up was the highest she could get because of Karla Paula Henry's victory last year.

I guess, Carousel Productions, the owner of the pageant, succumbed to the pressure of some rabid fans who dilligently campaigned against the Philippine bet by bashing her and the pageant organizers. If a contestant really deserves the title or gives the best answer at the final stage, why don't you give her the crown?

Miss Earth 2004 Priscilla Meiralles was one of the 3 non-Filipino judges. With the victory of Larissa, will these same bashers use this angle to pull down the integrity of the pageant. I don't think so. For those who are not aware of what I am implying, rabid fans kept on protesting about the Filipinos who make the majority of the panel of judges every year. They claim that the victories of Karla Paula Henry at Miss Earth 2008 and Jessica Trisko who has Filipino heritage at Miss Earth 2007 were mainly because of the presence of Filipino judges.

The other two non-Filipino judges out of nine were Miss Earth Vietnam 2004 Bui Thuy Hahn and Miss Earth Kosovo 2003 Teuta Hoxha.

Miss Spain Alejandra Echevarria who I predicted will win was Miss Earth Fire or 3rd runner-up. Completing the list is Miss Venezuela Kessica Barbosa who was named Miss Earth Water or 2nd runner-up.

An earlier report that there will be Top 18 turned out to be a hoax since there were only Top 16. All ladies competed at the evening gown and swimsuit portions before they were trimmed downed to Top 8.

Singapore and Northern Ireland placed for the first time as semi-finalists.

Here is the complete list:

Miss Earth 2009 - Larissa Ramos (Brazil)
Miss Earth Air or 1st Runner Up - Sandra Inez Seifert (Philippines)
Miss Earth Water or 2nd Runner Up - Jessica Barbosa (Venezuela)
Miss Earth Fire or 3rd Runner Up - Alejandra Echevarria (Spain)

TOP 8 or Finalists:

Miss Colombia - Alejandra Castillo Munera
Miss Martinique - Pascale Nelide
Miss Poland - Izabela Wilczek
Miss Thailand - Rujinan Phanseethum

Top 16 or Semi-finalists:

Miss France - Magalie Thierry
Miss Georgia - Nona Diakonidze
Miss India - Shriya Kishore
Miss Korea - Park Ye-ju
Miss Northern Ireland - Kayleigh O'Reilly
Miss Paraguay - Gabriela Rejala
Miss Singapore - Valerie Lim
Miss South Africa - Chanel Grantham

Heavy favourites like Miss Cuba Jamillette Gaxiola, Miss Mexico Natalia Quinonez, Miss USA Amy Diaz and Miss Italy Luna Isabella Voce failed to advance.

Miss Earth 2009 Winner - Miss Spain Alejandra Echevarria?

2009-11-22T17:54:00.001+08:00

The final stage for the Miss Earth 2009 pageant at Boracay Resort and Convention Centerin the Philippines.

Today is the big day for Miss Earth 2009 pageant when the new winner will be crowned at Boracay Ecovillage Resort and Convention Center in the Philippines.

In less than 4 hours, we will see if the most anticipated back-to-back win for the Philippines with Sandra Inez Seifert happen. Or will the overrated Cuba's Jamillette Gaxiola and Venezuela's Jessica Barboza live up to the expectations.

Sandra started the competition with fire. Her Best in Swimsuit and Long Gown Awards are validation to this. Unfortunately, these awards have no bearings come tonight's final.

I just would like to address those people who are questioning the victory of Sandra. I have seen the videos and I can say Sandra was deserving to win the Best in Evening Gown. She had the most unique gown. The other gowns are equally beautiful but you usually see them in beauty pageants. The moment Sandra was flashed in the screen with the so-called rainbow gown, I was really mesmerized which I didn't feel with the others. In fact, she deserved the Best in Long Gown more than the Best in Swimsuit.

At the preliminary swimsuit competition, Sandra may not have the best body among all the finalists but she was oozing with charisma. She was so energetic in her presentation. She was simply glowing. I guess these are the factors the judges saw on Sandra which eventually convinced them to give the title to her.

But relax and sit back, folks. The pageant has not even started. It's not yet over 'till it's over. Like what I have said earlier, the awards that were given to Miss Philippines have no bearings tonight. These awards only cemented Sandra's fate as one of the finalists - that is for sure - but all the ladies who will be included in the Final Top 18 will start the night again with equal chances. They will all start from scratch.

Just take a quick look on what happened during the Miss Earth 2007. Venezuela's Silvana Santaella bagged these two major awards also during the preliminary competition but she ended up Miss Earth-Water or second runner-up only.

Like what I have said in my entry yesterday, I would have love to come up with my prediction of the Final Top 18 but since I was just fully updated with this year's pageant few days ago, I am afraid I will be very biased with my list. For sure, I will only be basing my judgment on the pictures which is not fair to do. But in case you are interested to know my bias opinion, I will tell you that I have the feeling that Miss Spain's Alejandra Echevarria will take the crown.

We will see.

Beauty In Pageants is Back

2009-11-22T00:16:00.002+08:00

Contestants of Miss Earth 2009 pageant during the filming at the famous world-class Boracay in the Philippines. The new Miss Earth winner will be crowned on Sunday, 22 November 2009, by Miss Philippines Karla Paula Henry.

Beauty In Pageants has not been updated for 3 months and 9 days to be exact. The last blog entry we have posted was on 12 August by Kuh Chara, at the heights of the 2009 Miss Universe pageant in Bahamas which was won by Miss Venezuela Stefania Fernandez.

Now, that I am back with my favourite hobby and that is blogging on beauty pageants, I am very happy to tell everyone that I missed you all. It was actually almost six months that I never posted anything in my blog because of the accident I was involved with.

And, I also would like to thank everyone for the support you have given on this site. Some of you remained regular visitors despite of having no fresh updates from us for more than 3 months. Kuh had to leave blogging for more important things and I don't know if he's coming back. I can't tell. For the benefit of my new readers, it was Kuh who continued writing on this blog for almost 3 months when I can't do it because of the accident.

It's a good thing I am over with my ordeal - hospital and jail. So, now I can concentrate on bringing you up the latest news, gossips and comments about the latest beauty pageants on earth. I will try to introduce some changes in my site for the next few days and hopefully, everyone would still remain loyal. I owe to all of you the success of this blog.

I just want to tell everyone about this one big opportunity I missed for a lifetime -bigtime!

I was surprised to learn that the more than hundred delegates of the Miss World 2009 pageant visited Abu Dhabi for a fashion show. They were in the capital of United Arab Emirates for 3 days, I guess. They left the country for South Africa on 14th November. Here's the most depressing part of the story. I was released out from jail (because of the accident)of Dubai on 15th November. I missed the chance of covering the event. As a beauty pageant fanatic, I should have given you personal updates and tidbits about the Miss World 2009 pageant here if only I was released earlier. Sigh!

Anyways, I am excited about the upcoming Miss Earth 2009 pageant to be held at the famous Boracay Beach in the Philippines on November 22nd and the Miss International 2009 pageant in China on November 29th. Unfortunately, I can't give you my predictions on who will most likely penetrates the Final Top 15 or Top 18 because I have little information about the ladies. I am hoping I can do this with Miss World 2009.

So, stay tuned.

Watch VIDEOS of the Miss Universe 2009 swimsuit presentation

2009-08-12T01:49:00.004+08:00

Watch videos of the Miss Universe 2009 contestants during the swimsuit presentation in Bahamas.

WATCH the VIDEO footage of the Miss Universe 2009 national costume competition

2009-08-11T22:31:00.004+08:00

Thanks to joancute for this video. Miss Bahamas is getting a lot of cheers from her countrymen.

Mutya ng Pilipinas 2009 Winners

2009-08-11T23:57:00.001+08:00

Mutya ng Pilipinas 2009 crowned its winners last Sunday, August 9, in Quezon Province in the Philippines. Jane Banares who was representing Bicol and Jacqueline Schubert of Northern Germany were the overall winners.

Banares is Mutya ng Pilipinas International while Schubert is Mutya ng Pilipinas Tourism International.

Ana Baladad who was representing the Filipino community in Texas, USA, was proclaimed the winner of Mutya ng Pilipinas Overseas.

A question was raised about the title of Baladad. How could she be declared Mutya ng Pilipinas Overseas if she was not even a semi-finalist?

First and Second Runners-up of the pageant were Samantha East of Toronto, Canada and Jennielyn Natividad of Quezon City.

The semi-finalists were Athena Mae Imperial, Rene McHugh, Dominique Lagrimas, Mae Lanie Chan, Jo Ann Peria, Karen Nacario, Mary Ann Buenaventura and Jenroe Gubat.

For more information on the winners of the special awards, visit Joyce Ann Burton's blog.

The winner of Mutya ng Pilipinas previously goes to compete at Miss Asia-Pacific International. The last time this pageant was staged was in 2005 in China.

Miss Philippines Looks like Miss Japan

2009-08-11T10:00:00.003+08:00

Do you remember Kurara Chibana, first runner-up at Miss Universe 2006 in Los Angeles? She is actually the first one who always comes to my mind every time I see Miss Philippines Pamela Bianca Manalo in this hairstyle. I've already noticed this resemblance when Binbibining Pilipinas released Bianca's photos at her send-off party for Colombia.

Will Pamela Bianca duplicates the fate of Kurara? Will she become the second most beautiful lady in the universe for 2009? What do you think?

The best Miss Universe 2009 candidates during the swimwear and national costume events

2009-08-11T22:15:00.000+08:00

Michelle Malcolm, a broadcast journalist in Bahamas, is joining the 84 candidates competing at Miss Universe 2008 in their daily activities. She is posting her regular updates about the pageant and her comments on the girls at Critical Beauty.

Michele attended the the swimsuit presentation last Sunday and the national costume parade last Monday. She made a lists of the ladies who impressed her both for the swimsuit and the national costume.

I am posting here her list for you to read.

Below are the ladies who caught her eyes during the swimwear presentation in alphabetical order:

Angola – great body, strong catwalk
Australia – fabulous body, beautiful face, good catwalk
Bahamas – the home town girl received a thunderous round of applause for her strong catwalk skills
Brazil – pretty face, great body
Canada – fabulous body! Not an ounce of fat anywhere!
Cayman Islands – great body, strong catwalk
Colombia – great body, sexy catwalk
Czech Republic – very good body, and oh that face!
Dominican Republic – very great body, excellent catwalk
France – good body, very outgoing and sexy on the runway
Great Britain – Loads of personality, good body
Honduras – fabulous body, fabulous catwalk, beautiful face
Hungary – beautiful face, great body, but needs work on the catwalk
Iceland – very good body, great catwalk Jamaica – beautiful face, nice body
Japan – great body, strong catwalk
Mexico – good body, lots of personality, good catwalk
Netherlands – very good body!
Nicaragua – great body, fun to watch on stage
Norway – fabulous body!
Puerto Rico – fabulous body, great catwalk skills
Russia – great body, amazing face, very sexy catwalk
Slovak Republic – good body, very good catwalk
South Africa – great body, legs for days!
Spain – very good body
Sweden – fabulous body, pretty face, catwalk skills could be stronger
USA – fabulous body, arguably the best in swimsuit at this competition!
Venezuela – great body, classic beauty

And below are the ladies who impressed her during the national costume parade in alphabetical order:

Angola, who wore a traditional dress showing scenes of everyday life in Angola
Bahamas, whose costume depicted the sun that covers The Bahamas
Bolivia, inspired by a dance of her country
China, a dramatic warrior
Colombia, a colorful traditional dress
Czech Republic, a gown with a butterfly motif
Ecuador, representing a bountiful harvest
El Salvador
India
Jamaica
Kosovo
Mexico
Namibia
Nicaragua, which represented the fury of a volcano
Panama, representing Diablo in pheasant feathers, glass and crystals
Peru
Philippines, a colorful twist to the traditional Filipiniana
Thailand, a combination of the Thai Hill Tribe and traditional costume
Ukraine
Venezuela, an exquisite costume which reminded me of the film My Fair Lady

She added that there judges presented at the national costume event. They will be the one to pick up the winner of the Best in National Costume. The judges include President of the Senate of Bahamas, Lynn Holowesko; the CEO of Mailboxes Etc. in the Bahamas and the Caribbean, Mr. Gershin Major; Founder of the Bahamas International Film Festival, Leslie Vanderpool; artist John Edward Cox; Junkanooer Kishlane O’brien; entrepreneur Elaine Pinder; and retail executive Rochelle Walker of Solomon’s Mines.

Michelle also added that the candidates who have the biggest fans or supporters in every event are Miss Bahamas Kiara Sherman (of course), Miss Philippines Pamela Bianca Manalo, Miss China Jing Yao Wang and Miss Venezuela Stefania Fernandez.

Does Ines Ligron honestly think Emiri Miyasaka won't win the Miss Universe crown?

2009-08-11T18:05:00.000+08:00

I am copying Ines Ligron's blog on her updates of the ongoing Miss Universe 2009 in the Bahamas. While I was reading the article, a theory was formulated in my mind. It looks like Ines is now considering defeat and she thinks probably that Emiri Miyasaka won't win the crown. Well this is only my opinion but read this line from her blog.

...and now to open my mind to you with honesty… Emiri said: “Ines, I want you to know that it will be very difficult for me to win this year, there are so many amazing women here but I am doing my best and enjoying every moment as I am deeply proud to be wearing the Japan sash.”.

It seems that Ines is trying to condition the mind of her readers who must have believed her in the past days when she was saying Emiri was the girl to beat. Now, Ines is surely singing a different tune.

Ines also added that among all the contestants from Asia, she still has to meet Misses Philippines and Guam yet because the security is so tight. The contestants are not allowed to meet many of the gilrs.

Here is the full entry (unedited)from her blog:

~~UPDATES FROM INES LIGRON:~~

EMIRI AT THE SWIMSUIT FASHION SHOW YESTERDAY. Stunning!

And at the reception gala dinner wearing my favorite Versace gown of this season, with a Loewe clutch bag. people at the dinner commented that she was one of the biggest standouts of the evening. Emiri told me today, when I woke her up at 7:30 am before her breakfast time, that she is spending time right now mostly with Miss France, also Miss Switzerland, Bahamas and Miss Hungary. She says that she is the funniest girl and a good person. BUT she says that the security is very tight and that they don’t get to meet many of the delegates. Emiri is on the 10th floor and half of the girls are on the 9th and half on the 10th also Emiri hasn’t had a chance to spend time with some delegates and get to meet them. I asked her if she met all the Asian delegates but she said she has not yet met Miss Philippines and Miss Guam.

She said that many of the girls are on a very tight schedule and have no time for talking pictures because they are asked to run from place to place. Emiri says that she handles her extremely full schedule with excitement that she is having a great time, her room is huge and with ocean view and she said that she is very lucky to have the best roomate as she is always in a good mood and so genuine and with a big heart.

She said that during the fashion show yesterday, none of the girls could see the others on stage as it was very fast moving and the 84 girls were on stage without cameras backstage for the others to see it. That everyone comments among the crew that this year has the most beautiful delegates ever.and now to open my mind to you with honesty… Emiri said: “Ines, I want you to know that it will be very difficult for me to win this year, there are so many amazing women here but I am doing my best and enjoying every moment as I am deeply proud to be wearing the Japan sash.”.

I told Emiri, it does not matter if she wins, what matters is that she is doing her best and that I know well that this is exactly what she is doing right now. What is important is that Japanese women can be represented at a prestigious and world famous competition like Miss Universe being in the spotlight. In the past Japanese women moved away from the spotlight and lost confidence in their power, they tended to think that western beauty was superior to theirs. When I arrived in Japan, advertising campaigns were always featuring a caucasian woman and Japanese talent were paid half the fee compared to white women. I felt that this was wrong. Japanese women after the previous success have gained confidence and now they know that they are considered uniquely beautiful in the eyes of the world and that is what matters to me from now on, because it is the reason I have being doing this job for the past 12 years. I told Emiri to keep her beautiful energy and the sweetness that make her who she is, this is the best way for her to reflect who Japanese women are.

As I write, Emiri is getting ready to go for the pre-taping of the National Costume segment for the live telecast. We spoke about her costume and the way that she will wear it at the end. I will give more detailks when the pictures appear on the Miss Universe website.

Much love and wishing the best of luck to any delegates reading my blog. Emiri told me that many of them commented they are reading it in the lounge on their floor with computers at their disposal. I know I am the only Director having a blog and I feel the responsibility of what I write, also I am asked several times in the comments on my blog to give my opinion about certain delegates but I believe the reason each girl is wearing a sash at Miss Universe right now is because she is unique. Also do not try to copy or compare yourself to any other person, because each human being has a unique soul and beauty comes from the inside (oops, and how much you worked at the gym… LOL!).

Emiri Miyasaka's altered national costume

2009-08-11T17:45:00.000+08:00

Now it can be told that Ines Ligron, the controversial director of Miss Japan Universe, gave in to pressure from fans and Japanese people who were offended over Emiri Miyasaka's atrocious national costume showing her crotch.

Last night, Emiri showed in her costume with a little modification. Her pink panty is no longer showing. I guess the Japanese people are now happy with this development.

The original costume

Miss U delegates parade in National Costumes

2009-08-11T17:04:00.001+08:00

Last night, Monday, August 10, the 84 contestants of Miss Universe 2009 paraded in their national costumes. As expected, it was an exciting event seeing all the ladies in their colourful costumes. But I just saw them in pictures. I am not in Bahamas. LOL

I was impressed with Miss France Chloe Mortaud, Miss China Jing Yao Wang, Miss Venezuela Stefania Fernandez, Miss Philippines Pamela Bianca Manalo, Miss Panama Diana Broce, Miss Bahamas Kiara Sherman, Miss Puerto Rico Mayra Matos, Miss Ecuador Sandra Vinces and Miss Egypt Elham Wagdi. They all look fabulous wearing their costumes.

Miss Bahamas in National Costume

Miss China in national costume

Miss Ecuador in national costume

Miss Egypt in national costume

Miss France in national costume

Miss Philippines in national costume

Miss Puerto Rico in national costume

The ladies who did not impress me with their national costume are Miss Canada Mariana Valente, Miss USA Kristen Dalton, Miss Germany Martina Lee, Miss Netherlands Avalon-Chanel Weyzig.

Miss Canada in national costume

Miss Germany in national costume

Miss USA in national costume

You can now view the other national costumes in this LINK. I am still looking for the others so keep on visiting here.