Miss Ecuador 2009 Winners

Ecuador crowns three beauties for international events

Sandra Vinces, a 18-year old student and model from Portoviejo (Manabi) was crowned Miss Ecuador 2009 at the conclusion of an event televised live from Mantas. Vinces is 1.78 m tall and will represent Ecuador at the Miss Universe 2009 pageant in the Bahamas.

Crowned as Miss Ecuador World, was 21-year old Gabriela Ulloa from Esmeraldas. The 1.80 m beauty is a student of journalism and will compete at the Miss World 2009 pageant next December, in South Africa.

Isabella Chiriboga was named Miss Ecuador International. She is a 20-year old student of Tourism Administration and stands 1.73 m tall. She will represent Ecuador at the Miss International 2009 pageant in Japan and Macau next November.

Diana Sanchez and Yuliana Delgado ended as 1st and 2nd runner-ups. 21 contestants competed in the annual event organized by Gamavision.

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A Gallery of Black Beauty Queens

Black is beautiful. With the election of Barack Obama as the (44th) first Afro-American President of the United States, black will be the brightest color not only in the (still) Land of Milk and Honey but beyond.

Inspired by Obama’s landmark victory, Funfare asked its “other beauty expert” Celso de Guzman Caparas (now working in Saudi Arabia) to make a list of Black Beauty Queens.

Here they are:

• Oprah Gail Winfrey — As 1971 Miss Black Tennessee, Oprah represented the state in the 1972 Miss Black America pageant. She was also 1971 Miss Fire Prevention of Nashville. An Emmy award winning television host/producer, Oscar and Golden Globe nominated best supporting actress, media mogul and philanthropist; Oprah received the highly coveted Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in 1998. She was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 Most Important People of the Century and the only person to be listed five times in its annual list of 100 Most Influential People (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008).

• Vanessa Lynn Williams — Representing New York, Vanessa was the first woman of African-American descent to be crowned Miss America (1984, 63 years after Miss America pageant’s inception), only to resign after Penthouse magazine published her nude photos taken before the pageant. Vanessa kept her bejeweled crown, scholarship money and is officially recognized by the Miss America Organization as Miss America 1984. Her successor, Suzette Charles of New Jersey, is also black. Vanessa became an award-winning singer-songwriter, film and stage actress.

• Halle Maria Berry — She was Miss Teen-All American in 1985, Miss Ohio USA in 1986, first runner-up to Miss USA Christy Fichtner in 1986 and among the Top 6 finalists in 1986 Miss World (the first African-American entrant from USA). Halle made history as the first and only black woman to win the Oscar Best Actress (Monster’s Ball, 2002). She’s Esquire magazine’s 2008 Sexiest Woman Alive.

• Misses Universe — Janelle Penny Commissiong of Trinidad & Tobago (1977, also Miss Photogenic), Chelsi Mariam Pearl Smith of USA (1995, also Best In Swimsuit; she was Miss Congeniality in 1995 Miss USA), Wendy Rachelle Fitzwilliam of Trinidad & Tobago (1998, also Best National Costume) and Mpule Keneilwe Kwelagobe of Botswana (1999).

Chelsi was also the 1994 Miss South East Texas, a semi-finalist in the 1994 Miss Texas pageant, 1995 Miss Galveston County and 1995 Miss USA. Janelle, Wendy and Mpule were honored on commemorative stamps by their respective countries. Wendy recorded a jazz album and was admitted to the bar in 2000.

• Misses World — Jennifer Josephine Hosten of Grenada (1970), Giselle Jean-Marie LaRonde of Trinidad & Tobago (1986, also Queen of Americas), Lisa Hanna of Jamaica (1993, also Queen of Caribbean Isles) and Ibiagbanidokibubo “Agbani” Asenite Darego of Nigeria (2000, also Queen of Africa).

Lisa appeared in How Stella Got Her Groove Back and hosted a talk show called Our Voices. Agbani was a semi-finalist in the 2001 Miss Universe pageant, named 2001 Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria and joined the Face of Africa. Except for Lisa,all were honored on commemorative stamps by their respective countries.

• Miss International — Jeymmy Paola Vargas of Colombia won in 2004, the first and only black winner of this pageant. Jeymmy was also 2004 Reina Internacional del Café.

• Miss Earth — Winfred Adah Omwakwe of Kenya originally won as 2002 Miss Earth–Air (first runner-up). She ascended to the throne when 2002 Miss Earth winner, Dzejla Glavovic of Bosnia & Herzogovinia, was stripped of her title for failing to fulfill her duties.

• Miss Asia Quest — Eva Regina Arni of Papua New Guinea won in 1975, the first and only black to ever wear the crown in Miss Asia’s 40-year history. Then, she represented her country in the 1976 Miss Universe (won by Rina Messinger of Israel). In 1976, Eva did a movie with Joseph Estrada and Rita Gomez, titled Alas Singko ng Hapon Gising na Ang Mga Anghel.

• Misses USA — Carole Anne Marie Gist of Michigan (1990), Kenya Summer Moore, also of Michigan (1993), Lynnette Cole of Tennessee (2000), Rachel Renee Smith, also of Tennessee (2007) and Crystle Danae Stewart of Texas (2008).

Carole was first runner-up to 1990 Miss Universe Mona Grudt of Norway. She is a professional singer based in Midland and co-hosts a gospel show for the WORD network.

Kenya placed fifth runner-up to 1993 Miss Universe Dayanara Torres of Puerto Rico. She’s now an actress (film and television), model and author.

Lynnette placed fifth in the 2000 Miss Universe pageant (won by Lara Dutta of India). She was also 1995 Miss Tennessee Teen USA, third runner-up and Miss Photogenic at 1995 Miss Teen USA. She’s now a successful television host for NBC, CMT, ESPN, MTV, VH-1 and directs a preliminary for Miss Tennessee Teen pageant.

Rachel was fourth runner-up to 2007 Miss Universe Riyo Mori of Japan. She also won as third runner-up in the 2001 Miss Tennessee Teen USA before capturing the title in 2002. She was one of the semi-finalists and Miss Photogenic in the 2002 Miss Teen USA.

Crystle was one of the 10 semi-finalists in this year’s Miss Universe pageant won by Dayana Mendoza of Venezuela. She joined the Miss Texas USA pageant four times before she finally bagged the crown (semi-finalist in 2003, third runner-up in 2005, and first runner-up in 2006 and 2007).

• Misses America — Aside from Vanessa Williams and Suzette Charles, other black women who won as Miss America were Miss Missouri Debbye Lynn Turner (1990); Miss Illinois Marjorie Judith Vincent (1991), and Miss South Carolina Kimberly Clarice Aiken (1994).

Suzette became a singer, recording artist and television actress. Debbye hosted and produced television shows and is a national correspondent for CBS-TV’s The Early Show. Marjorie became a television news anchor.(philstar.com)

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Miss Bulgaria 2009 named

Antonia Petrova, 24, from the town of Pernik, was named Miss Bulgaria 2009 at a ceremony held in Sofia on March 15 2009.

She won the crown of the most beautiful Bulgarian after a text vote. Besides the crown, Petrova also won a brand new sedan and a laptop. She would also take part in the Vip Brother 3 reality show that starts on March 16 2009.

This year, the show has its focus on raising funds for various charity causes and this is what Petrova will have to do together with 16 other Bulgarian public figures.

During the contest, Petrova said she wanted to prove that a smart woman can also be beautiful. She has a degree in international economic relations and has spent several years studying in Moscow on a scholarship. She is also about to obtain a second degree in international law.

Elitsa Lyubenova came second after Petrova, with Rouslana Kaneva third.

Lyubenova will represent Bulgaria at the Miss Universe contest scheduled for August at the Bahamas, while Kaneva will take part in the Miss Beauty of the World contest. The fourth runner-up, Polina Gergousheva will represent Bulgaria in the Miss Tourism Planet contest. (sofiaecho.com)

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Isabel Allende on stage — a magical translation

When Cuban-American playwright Caridad Svich was approached to adapt “La Casa de los Espíritus” (“The House of the Spirits”), she reread the magical-realism classic in both English and Spanish.

But in the end, Svich didn’t use any of the original text in her Spanish-language theater adaptation, which is playing at Repertorio Español on E. 27th St.

“This is another beast entirely,” says Svich, who calls her work a new play based on the novel. “It is very much my response.”

“La Casa de los Espíritus” catapulted Chilean author Isabel Allende into literary fame when it was first published in 1982 in Spanish. It has since been translated into 20 languages.

“It’s a novel most people adore,” says Svich of the epic book that covers three generations of women and decades of history.

The story follows the life of the Trueba family during decades of social and political disorder in an unnamed Latin American country not unlike Chile.

“I first read the novel in high school, and I thought it was amazing,” says Svich, who lives in New York. “ Then, the movie: Meryl Streep, Jeremy Irons, Wynona Ryder… very Latino cast!” she laughs, referring to the 1993 film.

“I was thinking there was something it hadn’t captured, even though it had all these amazing actors, and felt sad about it. ... I put the book away, I put everything away related to the book.”

Until director José Zayas approached the award-winning playwright, whose work has been staged in the U.S. and abroad, about doing her first work for the theater in Spanish.

The novel was first adapted for the stage in the 1990s in Britain, and in 2007 in Seattle. The former lasted seven hours and was performed over two nights.

Svich was keen on keeping her play under three hours, which meant “eliminating things that I love, and cutting corners. ... Nothing against expansive theater, but after a certain while, people need to leave.”

The result is a powerful new play.

Where Allende’s novel is heroic, eloquent and, of course, magical, Svich’s play is raw, original and provoking.

In addition to the key characters and subplots — as well as songs she wrote herself — Svich incorporates surveillance video and film projections to evoke the oppression of the dictatorship.

The play also serves as an inadvertent tribute to Hispanics in New York, since Repertorio’s version showcases the range of flavors and accents that color Spanish in the city.

Though lead actors Nelson Landrieu and Beatriz Córdoba — who play Esteban and Clara Trueba — hail from Uruguay and Argentina, countries that are linguistically similar to Chile, other actors have different backgrounds.

Rosie Berrido and Selenis Leyva, who play Férula Trueba and Tránsito Soto, respectively, were born and raised in New York City. And Puerto Rican-born Denise Quiñones, a former Miss Universe, plays Alba Trueba, and narrates the whole play from a torture chamber, where she is held captive.

“Denise has a very soft Caribbean lilt; she created neutral ground for us,” says Svich.

Asked who would play the Truebas should her play move from the stage to the big screen, Svich laughs and says, “I would definitely want an all-Latino cast. No dream actors in mind ... unless Javier Bardem were to step up to play Esteban Trueba.” (nydailynews.com)

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Mrs. World in Vietnam

Duc Hanh meets Doan Thi Kim Hong, the first ever Vietnamese representative at the Mrs World pageant, who is now helping to bring the contest to Vietnam

Young, long legged single girls can’t hog the limelight all for themselves. Mrs. Vietnam, a beauty pageant for more mature women, which will be held in Vung Tau this September, aims to find the most talented and beautiful career woman in all of Vietnam. The lucky winner won’t be going far as she will be representing her country at the Mrs. World pageant, also to be held in Vung Tau, in November.

Doan Thi Kim Hong was the first woman to ever represent Vietnam at a Mrs. World pageant in India back in 2005. Kim Hong, the Chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City-based CIAT’s (Advertising & Trade Fair Joint Stock Company) Management Board, didn’t win the overall prize but she was declared Mrs.

Congeniality and also showed her strength and athleticism by winning the mountain climbing event. Each year the Mrs. World contest aims to find and honour “the model of a modern woman”. It’s easy to see how Kim Hong dazzled the judges as a beautiful mother with a highly successful career. Although, success in business means she barely gets a minute for our quick interview. Her mobile phone rings continuously, while assistants come and go with queries and messages as we chat.

Despite the interruptions, she remains composed, smiling radiantly throughout, as if the stress and strain of work is like water off a duck’s back. She appears younger than her age (she’s 40 years old) and at times it’s hard to imagine the woman in front of me is a single mother of a 12-year-old boy. “It was very hard to be the first Vietnamese woman to enter the Mrs. World Pageant,” she says.

“With the exception of my eldest brother, everyone I knew opposed my decision openly! They could not understand how a mother with a son could attend a beauty contest. “I overcame every comment, every sneer to enter the competition. Because I knew that the contest honours the model of a modern woman, who is accomplished in her career, and family.” The Mrs.

World beauty contest was inspired by a beauty contest for married women held in the US back in 1938. Over the years the contest had its ups and downs and was halted for several years before it was re-started in 1977. Married women, widows and even elderly women were allowed to enter the contest. “It’s very lucky that I won small prizes in the international contest as it filled me with self-confidence, determination and ambition to bring the Mrs.

World Pageant to Vietnam. Vietnamese women are very beautiful, charming and capable – why not have a contest like this for them?” says Hong. Three years after her own contest, Hong convinced Nguyen Dieu Hoa, a former Miss Vietnam in 1990, and now the director of Phoenix Commodities as well as a mother of three, to enter the Mrs. World Pageant 2008 in Russia.

“I was very happy to help Dieu Hoa get in the Top 5 at the contest,” says Kim Hong. “The success of Dieu Hoa also helped me a lot when trying to convince the Organisation Board of the Mrs. World Contest, Ba Ria-Vung Tau provincial authorities and Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to approve my company’s plan to host both Mrs. Vietnam 2009 and Mrs. World 2009 in Vung Tau.”

As a kid Kim Hong dreamt of becoming a doctor or a policewoman, but in the end she studied music and she started out as a music teacher in a secondary school, before becoming marketing manager for the Vietnam National Trade Fair & Advertising Company (Vinexad), then director of VCCI’s advertising company.

Thanks to her success at Mrs. World 2005, Kim Hong has turned CIAT into one of the top companies for consultation and event management in Vietnam. “People often think that a businesswoman does not have enough time to do their housework. But they are wrong. I inherited my kind-hearted, unselfish, devoted and patient character from my mother,” says Kim Hong, who is now also the head of the Mrs. World-Vietnam Organising Committee.

“She helps me a lot to overcome the despair of my marriage. I feel happy to live with my mother and my little son. I am happy to cook meals for my son and to take care of my mother after work. “Do I lack a man in my life? Oh no, I have a little 12-year-old man at home and I feel very happy and optimistic though my family situation may not be as perfect as other women’s.”

Kim Hong’s company has experience in beauty pageants after working on successful events such as Miss Ethnic Vietnam 2007 and Miss Universe 2008 in Nha Trang. Details about Mrs World 2009 can be found on www.mrsworld.com. “I believe that the contest will be a successful one,” says Kim Hong.

“I hope that through this contest I can promote my country’s wonderful scenery and friendliness of the Vietnamese people while honouring the beauty of Vietnamese women as well.” No doubt in regard to that last wish, she is leading by example.(english.vietnamnet.vn)

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The backstage fiasco of the inaugural Miss World St. Kitts/Nevis Pageant

An event, which was touted to be a history-making moment for five young ladies of the twin-island Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, eventually turned out to be a nightmare.

This, among others, was the sentiment expressed by some contestants who competed in the first ever Miss World St. Kitts/Nevis Pageant held at the Marriott Dome on Saturday, March 7.

The night saw not only the contestants complaining, but also members of the large audience who was first turned off by the late start. Of course, like any other pageant, there are minor glitches that cause a late start but, according to many patrons, minutes to 10 o’clock was just overbearing when it was known that the event was scheduled for 8:00 p.m.

According to one contestant, Donella Dias, who was not far from leaving the Dome moments before her Talent appearance, the organisers made fools of them on the night of the show. She claimed that nothing was properly organised, and even when it was 8:00 p.m. the swimsuits for the opening number were not distributed.

She went on to say that the organisers promised to provide everything for each segment, with the exception of the Talent which the girls had to provide for themselves. Dias pointed out that on the night of the pageant a number of promised items were not provided and the contestants had to resort to their own footwear.

Dias added that the hairstylist who was assigned to the contestants did not turn up and they all had to request the service of the one assigned to the models. She also stated that there was only one makeup artist for over 10 models and the five contestants.

SKNVibes also spoke with Tesia Burton, the Second Runner-up, who said there was a lack of communication between the organisers and the contestants. She said “only one girl knew everything” while the other contestants were left in the dark.

Burton, who did not appear on the stage in the Introductory segment, said it happened because she was not told by anyone that they were ready to start the show, as she was busy in the bathroom trying to get into her swimsuit.

She added that her swimsuit did not fit and she had to stretch it to make it wearable. “We did not get to fit our swimsuits before the night of the show after weeks of asking” she said.

Burton said that after the first appearance and with all the commotion backstage, she was totally upset, turned off and did not care what the outcome was. She did not want to reappear on the stage. She said the Public Relations Officer (PRO), Chevaughn Richards, kept putting the blame on the organiser, Eversley Liburd, while Liburd in turn blamed Richards.

Burton said that the only reason she decided to go through with the show was the thought of the people who were there to support her.

Richards however gave a totally different version of what transpired on that night. The PRO said she was surprised when she arrived at the Dome and found that the girls were not there, but at the hotel getting their hair and makeup done.

Richards said she was at the venue earlier that evening but had to leave to tend to some urgent business, which she stressed was not on her behalf, but was necessary. “I then however left specific instructions of which none were followed upon my return” she added.

“I worked very hard on this show. I did my part and had to pick up in areas that were not mine; but I am not pointing fingers at anyone although all are being pointed at me. Many shows experience problems. This is not the first, but the important thing is that in the end there was a show”.

She explained that everyone had a role to play and one person could not be blamed. She added that the contestants knew what they were responsible for.

When asked about the contestants not being able to fit their swimsuits until it was time to go onstage, Richards said it was a blatant lie and she is disappointed in the person(s) who said that.

“All of the contestants fitted their swimsuits starting from the Thursday prior to the pageant, with the exception of Sidamo Jones who could not make it down from Nevis. One contestant even fitted hers at my house,” she stated.

Commenting on the hairstylist who did not show up, Richards said, “These things happen at last minute. People sometimes decide not to show up for whatever reason, but that was not on our behalf.”

Richards however wished all the contestants best of luck in the future. She also congratulated the winner and the runners-up and hopes that the pageant gets better over the years, as this was the first.

Speaking with the organiser, Liburd told SKNVibes he had no comment to make except that every pageant has its hiccups.

“You just have to take what you have and make it work. There was indeed backstage drama and that would not have happened if persons did what they were supposed to do. I am already thinking about next year and that is what is important,” he said.

In many people’s opinion, Venetta Zaker deserves wearing the crown but the poor organisation of the show was a complete turnoff for them. Some patrons were very loud in their comments as they were heard saying, “Well ‘sa’ if ah knew this is what ah was coming to I woulda stay home.” Others said “thank God for the Okolo Dancers”, who brought some life to the first ever Miss World St. Kitts/Nevis Pageant. (sknvibes.com)

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