31 Outubro 2008

Miss México es la nueva Reina Hispanoamericana

Titular

La hermosa representante de México Laura Zúñiga de 23 años y 1.74 metros de altura, se coronó como la nueva soberana de la belleza hispana, dejando de lado a las grandes favoritas del certamen. La joven se perfilaba entre las destacadas del grupo por su gran belleza característica de la mujer mexicana, pese a no haber conseguido ningún título en los previos, resultando la ganadora del máximo título del certamen de belleza Reina Hispanoamericana 2008.
“Gracias a todos por el cariños brindado y me los llevo a todos en el corazón, los quiero mucho, gracias Bolivia”, señaló la emocionada ganadora, quien dedicó su triunfo a su familia.
La ganadora se disputo el título con la brasileña Vivian Noronha quien se quedó con la corona de virreina.
El cuadro de finalista estuvo compuesto por Miss Perú, Annmire De Hainaut (quinta finalista); Miss Venezuela, Ligia Hernández, (cuarta finalista); Miss Bolivia, Dominique Peltier (tercer finalista); Miss Uruguay, Paula Díaz (segunda) y Miss Paraguay, Gabriela Rejala (primera finalista).
El certamen organizado por Promociones Gloría, se llevó a cabo en la Manzana Uno, escenario donde las 19 hermosas candidatas se presentaron en diferentes cuadros coreográficos de mucho colorido y alegría, en una noche llena de mucho calor humano con la presencia del pueblo cruceño que tuvo la oportunidad de apreciar totalmente gratis a las mujeres más bellas de Hispanoamérica.

PARA COMENTAR
* REINA SIN CORONA
Massiel Taveras se fue del certamen olvidándose de entregar la corona a su sucesora, tal parece que la ex reina no se hace a la idea de perder el trono. Al darse cuenta del olvido, la dominicana regresó al escenario y entregó la corona a Miss México, quien con la alegría no se percató del detalle y emocionada saluda al público ya como Reina Hispanoamericana

• SE LUCIERON
Las candidatas se lucieron con sus coloridos y llamativos trajes típicos, cada una de ellas enseñaron hermosos diseños muy representativos de su país, el público quedó maravillado en la primera aparición que hicieron en el escenario.

• NADA QUE ENVIADIAR
El certamen de Reina Hispanoamericana se lució con el espectacular escenario creado por Quito Velasco, la escenografía no tenia nada que envidiar a otros eventos de belleza mundiales, pues tenía de fondo la Catedral y el cielo más puro de América.
• REPITÍO EL VESTIDO
La Miss Venezuela, Ligia Hernández, lució en su presentación en traje de gala el mismo diseño con el que fue elegida Miss Elegancia, pese a llevar un atuendo sentador. A muchos no los gustó ver repetir el vestido, pues en la gala se espera que la candidata sorprenda con su creación.

• LA MÁS AMIGUERA
Miss Haití, Widline Barthelemy, pese a no dominar el español, la morena se hizo entender para ganar la amistad de sus compañeras quienes le otorgaron el título de Miss Amistad y Simpatía. La miss, más conocida como Kiki, se sintió orgullosa y emocionada con su título.

• PERU!!!
Fue una sorpresa para muchos, Miss Perú quedó entre las 10 finalistas. Annmirre De Hainaut no perfilaba entre las favoritas y dejó a un lado a las que entraban en el grupo de favoritas.

• DESCONTENTA
La sorpresa de la noche fue Miss Venezuela, una de las favoritas del certamen, quien se ubicó como cuarta finalista. La miss no ocultó su descontento, pues al ser nombrada dijo “no puede ser” y salió del escenario.
• FOLCLORE
El grupo cochabambino, María Juana, le puso la nota folclórica a la velada. Sus ritmos de morena elevaron los apagados ánimos del público.
• CON BARRA
En la presentación de los jurados al ser nombrada Jimena Antelo, el público no reparó en silbidos y piropos para la guapa presentadora.
• SIN BAÑOS
El evento no contó con la habilitación de baños públicos, la gente debió aguantarse las ganas del llamado de la naturaleza.
• QUERIDA
Miss Bolivia, Dominique Peltier, recibió el cariño de su gente, en sus pasarelas el público aplaudió y apoyó a la reina de belleza, anfitriona del certamen.
• ENREDADAS
Las conductoras del certamen, Angélica Mérida y Susana Barrientos sufrieron en varias oportunidad enredos con las palabras, dijeron: ‘dos mil noches’, ‘chou’ y ‘en el segundo peso’, entre algunas palabras que se les fueron de la boca. Al parecer el surcito de la noche les entreveró la lengua.

http://www.elmundo.com.bo/

México lindo y querido. Hispanoamérica es de Laura
Grandioso. Fue un espectáculo popular, en la Manzana Uno

¡Que viva México! La representante de México, Laura Zúñiga, una modelo de 23 años y 1,74 m, ganó esta madrugada la corona de Reina Hispanoamericana. El concurso se desarrolló en la Manzana Uno. En segundo lugar quedó la Miss Brasil, Vivian Noronha, y en tercero, Miss Paraguay, Gabriela Rejala.



Fue un regalo para el pueblo. La Manzana Uno se llenó de gente desde temprano, todos querían ser testigos de la elección y coronación de la Reina Hispanoamericana 2008. Al final de dos horas de espectáculo, la mexicana Laura Zúñiga obtuvo el título, secundada por la brasileña Vivian Noronha.
Promociones Gloria se lució con la buena organización del evento de belleza. Diecinueve muchachas de todo el continente americano pasearon sus encantos en el escenario, montado a un costado de la catedral. Las delegadas de México y Brasil tuvieron tanta barra como la de Bolivia, aunque la brasileña, casi al final, se metió al bolsillo al público al pedir que sigan luchando por sus derechos y la democracia.
El certamen presentó a las misses en trajes típicos (con la panameña como triunfadora), de baño y de gala. La mexicana sorprendió con un auténtico Roberto Cavali, que en el programa televisivo Buscando a la nueva banda Timbiriche lució su coterránea, la actriz Galilea Montijo. En este cuadro, varias candidatas vistieron diseños de modistos nacionales, como Rosita Hurtado y Ernesto Barahona.
Para amenizar la noche, un tanto ‘friecinga’, estuvo el grupo cochabambino María Juana con dos temas que fusionaban géneros foráneos con folclóricos. El público se entretuvo con ellos y sus bailarines, más que con los videos publicitarios.
Los nervios por saber quiénes eran las siete finalistas se acrecentaron casi a la medianoche. Los maestros de ceremonia, Angélica Mérida, Susana Barrientos y Pablo Llanos, los dieron a conocer en medio de fanfarrias: Paraguay, México, Brasil, Venezuela, Uruguay, Bolivia y Perú.
Tras las preguntas del jurado, formuladas por Pablo Llanos, vino el veredicto final. Primera finalista Paraguay, virreina Brasil y reina México.
Seguro que en ese momento Laura Zúñiga recordó que hizo bien el día que decidió salir de su pueblo, en Sinaloa, para probar suerte como modelo en Ciudad de México. Tenía un título bajo el brazo, licenciada en Educación Preescolar, y quería hacer feliz a sus padres. “Siempre hay que tener fe en lo que hacemos para que las cosas se te puedan dar”, afirma. “No me arrepiento de los sacrificios que hice, fue por el bien de mi familia”.

Decite voj

A Massiel le costó dejar la corona
La Reina Hispanoamericana saliente, Massiel Taveras, puso la banda a su sucesora y ‘se mandó cambiar’. Cuando se dio cuenta de que no había más corona que la que llevaba puesta, regresó al escenario y se la entregó a la ganadora. La pobre mexicana posó algunos instantes sin ningún símbolo real.

La sorpresa del espectáculo
La Reina del Carnaval 2008, Gloria Mariana Limpias, presentó, primicialmente, el primer corte de su CD, Crazy. Las aspirantes a la corona bailaron ese tema en su presentación en traje de baño. La madre de la cantante, Gloria de Limpias, organizadora del certamen, brotó pecho en primera fila.

Un 2008 ‘anochecido’
Susana Barrientos tuvo varios desaciertos en sus comentarios como maestra de ceremonia. Por ejemplo: dijo que Haití era un país invitado por no ser de Hispanoamérica, es decir, donde no se habla español sino inglés, cuando en esa nación los idiomas son el creole haitiano y el francés. Además, la ex reina de belleza se olvidó de Brasil. Pero lo que hizo reír al público fue su “dos mil noche”, por decir dos mil ocho.

¡Qué abertura!
Alejandra Ramírez, Miss Colombia, mostró demás en su traje de gala. El tajo de su falda fue demasiado pronunciado y, al bajar por las gradas, mostró su ropa íntima a todo el público. Por supuesto que hubo aplausos y silbidos como piropos para ella.

Segura y emocionada
Paula Díaz, Miss Uruguay, se mostró supersegura y con un dominio de pasarela impresionante, pero se rompió cuando supo que era finalista y no pudo contener no sólo las lágrimas, sino también el sollozo. Miss Venezuela le limpió el maquillaje corrido.

Venezuela repitió vestido
Con él ganó el título de Miss Elegancia, pero no fue por ello que Miss Venezuela, Ligia Hernández, se volvió a poner el vestido en la noche final. Al parecer, según explicó, por los correteos de los últimos días perdió peso y el que debió ponerse en la gala final le quedaba grande.

Termómetro real

Decoración
Quito Velasco aprovechó la belleza arquitectónica de la catedral y la enmarcó con un escenario simple y exacto

Público
Llenó la Manzana Uno, pero aplaudió pocas veces y abuchearon los comerciales

Jurado
Bien por México. Venezuela debió ocupar mejor lugar y El Salvador clasificar

Candidatas
Se las vio bien. Se notó la falta de ensayo en el lugar: unas se quedaban más tiempo frente al público

Espectáculo
Si en vivo se vio muy bien, en televisión fue mejor. Hubo cuadros y cortes comerciales largos

Carismática
La virreina, la brasileña Vivian Noronha, en su presentación en traje de baño

Sensible
La Miss Uruguay, Paula Díaz, fue la más sorprendida con su clasificación. Lloró de felicidad

Anfitriona
A la boliviana Noemí Peltier se la notó más ‘canchera’ que para el reinado nacional. Fue tercera finalista



http://www.elmundo.com.bo/

Miss Kosovo at Miss Earth beauty pageant


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Friday, 31 October 2008
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Miss Kosovo at Miss Earth national costume show
The Republic of Kosovo is participating for the first time with the other 90 nations at the international beauty pageant Miss Earth, which is being hosted in Philippines.
Yllka Berisha, the winner of Miss Kosovo 2007, is in Philippines representing the newlyborn nation at Miss Earth 2008.

Miss Earth is one of the three largest beauty pageants in the world in terms of the number of national level competitions to participate in the world finals along with Miss World and Miss Universe.

The reigning Miss Earth titleholders dedicate their year to promote environmental projects and to address issues concerning the environment. The final night of this event will take place on November 9, 2008 in Manila, Philippines.

Miss Kosovo is being sponsored by Agnesa Vuth

http://www.newkosovareport.com/

30 Outubro 2008

USA

ProjectOVC Halloween Masquerade Ball and Fundraiser
NEW YORK - OCTOBER 29: Miss USA Crystle Stewart attends the ProjectOVC Halloween Masquerade Ball and fundraiser at Imperial on October 29, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Jeffrey Ufberg/WireImage)


Los Angeles Confidential Magazine's "Men's Issue" Launch Party
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 29: Miss USA 2007 Rachel Smith attends Los Angeles Confidential Magazine's 'Men's Issue' launch party at Craft on October 29, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic)

Mexico

Lunas del Auditorio - Red Carpet
MEXICO CITY - OCTOBER 29: Miss Universe Mexico 2008 Elisa N?a attends the red carpet for Lunas del Auditorio at Auditorio Nacional on October 29, 2008 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Victor Chavez/WireImage)

Pilar Velasquez foi a vencedora do concurso Miss MS

Divulgação


Crédito: Divulgação

Mato Grosso do Sul escolheu nesta terça-feira (29) a Miss MS, que representará o Estado no concurso da Miss Brasil. Quinze candidatas de várias cidades participaram da festa. As candidatas desfilaram em trajes de gala e banho. Camila Marques, de Chapadão do Sul, foi eleita Miss Elegância, e Morgana Vicente, de Caracol, a mais simpática. Apenas cinco candidatas foram selecionadas para a final.

Na última etapa, as finalistas responderam perguntas de conhecimentos gerais, o que contou pontos na decisão do título. O segundo lugar ficou para Três Lagoas. E a mais bela do Estado é de Campo Grande. A estudante de Jornalismo Pilar Velasquez foi a vencedora do concurso.

Fonte: TV Morena

Miss Jamaica readies for Miss World

published: Wednesday | October 29, 2008


Brittany Lyons

Miss Jamaica World 2008, Brittany Lyons, is in preparation for the Miss World pageant in South Africa this year.

The beauty queen completed a photo shoot last Tuesday at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel, New Kingston, and the photographs will be posted on the contest's official website.

Lyons, who was photographed by Monique Gilpin, the official photographer of the 2008 Miss Jamaica World pageant - wore a blue gown designed by Uzuri International and a gold swimsuit by The Mushroom.

She also chose a red dress from her collection to complete the ravishing look of the photos.

Lyons was photographed in the opulent lobby, the large scenic pool area and the secluded gardens of the hotel.

The Miss World pageant will take place on Saturday, December 13, 2008, at the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Lyons is set to unveil her wardrobe to media and family today.

- Alicia Roache

http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com

Japan

rcus
TOKYO - OCTOBER 28: (L-R) Miss Universe 2007 Riyo Mori, Miss Universe Japan 2008 Hiroko Mima and Miss Japan 2006 Kurara Chibana attend Etro Circus at Yoyogi Gymnasium October 28, 2008 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Jun Sato/WireImage)

France

Salon Du Chocolat Opening Night
PARIS - OCTOBER 28: All the Miss France (L to R) Laetitia Bleger and Valerie Begue and Alexandra Rosenfeld and Rachel Legrain-Trapani attend the opening of Salon Du Chocolat at Porte de Versailles on October 28, 2008 in Paris, France. (Photo by Marc Susset-Lacroix/WireImage)


Miss France 2008 Valérie Bègue, MF 07 Rachel Legrain-Trapani, MF 06 Alexandra Rosenfeld, MF 01 Elodie Gossuin


With MF 04 Laetitia Bléger

29 Outubro 2008

Laura Dundovic returns to Melbourne for the carnival



Staff writer

October 29, 2008 12:00am

SHE was crowned Miss Universe Australia in Melbourne in May, now Laura Dundovic is heading back to where it all began for her first Spring Racing Carnival.

But it won't be all swanning around for the beauty queen - she'll earn her keep judging Fashions on the Field on Oaks Day and starring as a guest style commentator during Channel 7's racing coverage.

On Stakes Day, she'll be roaming Flemington as a fashion spotter, recruiting snappily dressed teens for junior Fashions on the Field.

One of the prizes is a "meet-and-greet" with the stunner herself.

"I'll be searching for teenagers who look like they belong at the track, but they've still got to look young and fun," Dundovic said.

"They don't need to have spent heaps of money.

"Getting mum's help is OK, too.

"As a kid, I was very stubborn and threw a tanty if mum put me in something I didn't like."

But there'll be no hissy fits about frocks for the races next week.

Designer Charlie Brown is custom-making Dundovic's race-day ensembles as part of the brunette's contract as the face of the fashion brand.

news.com.au

Late as usual for Miss World 2008?


17:00' 28/10/2008 (GMT+7)

VietNamNet Bridge – As of Monday, October 27, Vietnam was still absent from the list of Miss World 2008 participants. 100 countries have confirmed their attendance at the 58th Miss World pageant, to be held on December 13 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Vietnam has participated in the pageant since 2002. However, 4 of its 6 representatives have experienced difficulties at the contest due to last-minute hassles.

Thien Ly (L) and Hoang Yen (R), two potential Vietnamese candidates for Miss World 2008 in South Africa. (File Photo)

Miss Vietnam 2004, Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen, was 10 days late for her pageant; Miss Vietnam 2005, Vu Huong Giang, experienced problems in visa procedures, and was also late. Miss Vietnam 2006, Mai Phuong Thuy, lost her luggage on the way to the contest and missed a few minor contests. Miss Vietnam 2007, Dang Minh Thu, missed the talent contest entirely due to lack of time for preparation.

Now it’s looking like one of the two potential Vietnamese candidates for the 2008 contest, Hoang Yen or Thien Ly, might also arrive at Miss World 2008 late…as usual.

Earlier, Tran Thi Thuy Dung, crowned Miss Vietnam 2008, was told she would not be allowed to participate in the pageant because she has not graduated from high school.

Vietnam ranked 46th in the Grand Slam Rankings after Miss Universe 2008 and will be the host of Miss World 2010, which is expected to be held in the coastal city of Nha Trang.

Son Ha

http://english.vietnamnet.vn/

Miss Tanzania presume de ser de la tribu de Obama

  • Tiene familia keniana de la tribu Mjaluo, la misma de la que procede el candidato demócrata.
Miss Tanzania presume de ser de la tribu de Obama
Cartel de la campaña de Obama. REUTERS

Manila.- La belleza que representa a Tanzania en el certamen de belleza Miss Tierra 2008, Miriam Odemba, asegura que se siente orgullosa de pertenecer a la tribu de la que proceden los antepasados del candidato demócrata a la presidencia de Estados Unidos, Barack Obama.

Odemba, que se encuentra en Filipinas para participar en el concurso, dijo que, al igual que Obama, su padre tiene familia keniana de la tribu Mjaluo, la misma a la que pertenecen los antepasados del político estadounidense.

Miss Tanzania dijo que, además de admirar a Obama, ha hecho en su país campaña por el aspirante del Partido Demócrata desde que presentó su candidatura a presidente del país más poderoso del mundo.

La final de Miss Tierra 2008 tendrá lugar el próximo 9 de noviembre y en ella competirán representantes de más de 90 naciones por un título que está ligado a la defensa y cuidado del medioambiente.

(Efe)

gaceta.es

Miss Earth 2008 : regardez notre galerie photo

Article Picture
Envie de voir toutes nos galeries photo ?
Les plus belles jeunes femmes de la planète sont arrivées à Manille, aux Philippines, pour tenter de remporter le concours de beauté et d’environnement qu’est le concours Miss Earth. Elles sont 85 en tout à avoir rallié les Philippines, où elles ont posé ce 28 octobre en bikini pour leur présentation officielle. Le sacrement aura lieu le 9 novembre. Elles devront alors faire montre d’engagement en proclamant haut et fort leurs activités pour la protection de l’environnement.

> REGARDEZ LA GALERIE PHOTO

http://www.rtlinfo.be/

28 Outubro 2008

Miss Teen USA Stevi Perry

8th Annual Halloween Pet Costume Party Benefiting New York Human
NEW YORK - OCTOBER 27: Miss Teen USA Stevi Perry attends the 8th annual Halloween pet costume party benefiting the Humane Society of New York at Mansion on October 27, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Charles Eshelman/FilmMagic)

Miss Earth 2008



Miss Earth 2008 contestants pose for photographers during media presentations in Manila October 28, 2008. Eighty-five beauties from around the world declared their personal environmental campaigns, with the theme for this year's competition focused on "green lifestyle". Pictured from left to right are Miss China Zhou Yingkun, 22, Miss Macau Qian Wei Na, 22 and Miss Thailand Piya Porn Deejing, 20. REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco (PHILIPPINES)


Sara Franceskin, left, from Slovenia and Bojana Traljic of Serbia, candidates for the Miss Earth 2008 beauty pageant, blow kisses to the crowd as they are presented to the media Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008 in Manila, Philippines. Eighty-five candidates from around the world are vying for the Miss Earth title which boasts of the only beauty pageant with a cause to save mother earth. Coronation night is on Nov. 9. In background at right is Alisa Zlatarevic of Bosnia Herzegovina. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)


Rudina Suti of Albania, left, and Rachel Smith of Australia, candidates for the Miss Earth 2008 beauty pageant, hold a message prior to a media presentation ceremony Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008 in Manila, Philippines. Eighty-five candidates from around the world are vying for the Miss Earth title which boasts of the only beauty pageant with a cause to save mother earth. Coronation night is on Nov. 9. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)



Miss Earth 2008 contestants pose for photographers during media presentations in Manila October 28, 2008. Eighty-five beauties from around the world declared their personal environmental campaigns, with the theme for this year's competition focused on "green lifestyle". REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco (PHILIPPINES)


Miss Earth 2008 contestants display placards during media presentations in Manila October 28, 2008. Eighty-five beauties from around the world declared their personal environmental campaigns, with the theme for this year's competition focused on "green lifestyle". REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco (PHILIPPINES)



Candidates for the Miss Earth 2008 beauty pageant display messages as they are presented to the media Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008 in Manila, Philippines. Eighty-five candidates from around the world are vying for the Miss Earth title which boasts of the only beauty pageant with a cause to save mother earth. Coronation night is on Nov. 9. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)



Candidates for the Miss Earth 2008 beauty pageant display a message while holding tree saplings as they are presented to the media Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008 in Manila, Philippines. Eighty-five candidates from around the world are vying for the Miss Earth title which boasts of the only beauty pageant with a cause to save mother earth. Coronation night is on Nov. 9. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

Yahoo.com

Miss Brasil Mundo homenageará Chico Mendes

RIO BRANCO - A Miss Brasil Mundo 2008 Tamara Almeida e a ong Amigos da Terra - Amazônia Brasileira lançaram, em Xapuri (AC), uma iniciativa internacional para homenagear o líder seringueiro Chico Mendes no vigésimo aniversário de seu assassinato, em dezembro de 1988.

A brasileira Tamara Almeida disputará em dezembro, em Johannesburgo, o título de Miss Mundo. A imagem do Brasil será representada pelo legado de Chico Mendes, com um vídeo de 10 minutos e uma série de outras iniciativas que serão anunciadas mais adiante.



O diretor da entidade, Roberto Smeraldi, esteve com a miss nesses últimos dias no Acre. Tamara visitou diversos projetos de uso sustentável da floresta e comentou: "no concurso de Miss Mundo agora não se premia apenas a beleza e sim o conjunto da pessoa, dando também muita importância ao engajamento social e à capacidade de transmitir recados importantes; é por isso que quero mostrar que há brasileiros engajados na luta pela floresta, uma imagem diferente do país do que sempre passa lá fora".

Em reunião com o governador Binho Marques, no palácio em Rio Branco, Smeraldi tratou de parcerias estratégicas com o governo da floresta (como é apelidado o governo estadual acreano) e da preparação da discussão sobre florestas na convenção de clima, além que do pacto que as principais entidades socioambientais propõem para pagamento de serviços ambientais e o desmatamento zero. O governador agradeceu a entidade pelas diversas parcerias com o governo do Estado e expôs os principais planos para favorecer a economia florestal e combater o desmatamento.

Fonte: Amazônia.org - A.L
http://portalamazonia.globo.com/

Andreia Rodrigues: “Quero um bom resultado”

Miss Mundo

Andreia garante que fará de tudo para trazer o título de Miss Mundo para Portugal
Andreia garante que fará de tudo para trazer o título de Miss Mundo para Portuga
l

A duas semanas de partir para a África do Sul, onde vai disputar o título de Miss Mundo, Andreia Rodrigues já sente um nervoso miudinho. A responsabilidade de representar Portugal não lhe sai da cabeça e, para que tudo corra bem, a modelo intensificou os preparativos para estar na melhor forma possível. Agora, as idas ao ginásio são ainda mais frequentes e as visitas à clínica de estética também. "Mudei o programa de treino e intensifiquei alguns tratamentos de estética", confidenciou a ex-apresentadora, que vai passar um mês na África do Sul.

Durante a sua estadia no continente africano, Andreia vai participar em acções de solidariedade e estará sujeita a inúmeras provas, onde espera marcar a diferença com a sua atitude. "Estive a ver fotografias das candidatas, mas não estou preocupada com o facto de serem mais ou menos bonitas do que eu. Voutentar marcar diferença pela atitude", conta a modelo que, apesar de não estar à espera de ser coroada a mais bela do Mundo, vai lutar por um bom resultado. "Estou a representar o meu País e, por isso, quero conseguir um bom resultado".

UM MÊS SEM O NAMORADO

Apesar de estar bastante entusiasmada por participar no concurso Miss Mundo, Andreia Rodrigues não esconde a tristeza pelo facto de estar longe do namorado. "Nunca estivemos tanto tempo separados e é claro que vai custar um bocadinho", lamenta a manequim da L’ Agence que, ainda assim, espera contar com o apoio do namorado no dia da grande final - 13 de Dezembro. "Ele ainda não sabe se pode ir, mas para mim era muito importante que lá estivesse", diz esperançosa.

http://www.correiomanha.pt/

Rute Lourenço

Miss Earth to boost Freeport’s tourism

Tuesday, October 28, 2008




CLARK FREEPORT -- The Miss Earth 2008 pageant will surely bring in more tourists and boost this Freeport’s popularity and potential as a staging ground for beauty pageants and glamour events.

This was declared by Clark Development Corporation (CDC) president and chief executive officer Benigno Ricafort after organizers of the Miss Earth 2008 chose the Clark Expo Amphitheater as the venue of the beauty pageant this coming November 9.

What's your take on the Mindanao crisis? Discuss views with other readers

“Any event done inside Clark is a great help in local tourism, but with Miss Earth pageant being held here we could expect more tourists from other countries, especially those who are going to cheer for their respective candidates,” Ricafort said.

The 8th Miss Earth beauty pageant will see to the participation of 85 candidates who have started to arrive in the country since October 19.

The pageant will be broadcasted live via ABS-CBN in the Philippines and in many countries worldwide via Star World, The Filipino Channel, and other partner networks. At the conclusion of the final night of the competition, outgoing titleholder Miss Earth 2007, Jessica Nicole Trisko of Canada, will crown her successor.

Ricafort added that Clark Freeport is one with the pageant’s environmental advocacies. Miss Earth is an annual international beauty pageant promoting environmental awareness.

Along with Miss Universe and Miss World contests, Miss Earth is one of the three largest beauty pageants in the world in terms of the number of national level competitions participating in the world finals. The reigning titleholders dedicate their year to promote environmental projects and to address issues concerning the environment.

Carousel Productions organized and launched the first Miss Earth beauty pageant in 2001. It was intended to actively promote the preservation of the environment. Ricafort added that environmental advocacies are easily promoted through international pageants like the Miss Earth pageant.

The candidates for this year include Albania - Rudina Suti, Argentina - Camila Solórzano, Armenia - Arpine Atoyan, Australia - Rachael Smith-Como, Bahamas - Garnell Storr, Belgium - Debby Gommeren, Bhutan - Tsokye Karchung, Bolivia - Carolina Urquiola, Bosnia & Herzegovina -Alisa Zlatarevic, Botswana - Nametso Ngwako, Brazil - Tatiane Alves, Canada - Denise Garrido, China - Ying Kun Zhou, Colombia - Mariana Rodríguez, Congo, D.R. - Olga Yumba, Congo Republic -Katissia Kouta, Costa Rica - Wendy Cordero, Cuba - Jessica Silva, Czech Republic - Hana Svobodová, Dominican Republic -Diana Flores, Ecuador - Andrea Carolina León, El Salvador - Claudia Linares, England - Caroline Duffy, Finland - Minna Nikkila, France - Charlotte Lagauzere, Georgia - Sopiko Svimonishvili, Germany - Dayana Schult, Ghana - Sara Adoley Addo, Greece - Ria Antoniou, Guadeloupe - Jennifer Desbouiges, Guam - Jennifer Neves, Guatemala - Heidi García, Honduras - Kenia Andrade, Hong Kong - Chen Yu, Peru - Giuliana Zevallos and the Philippines very own Karla Paula Henry, among others. (IOF)

www.sunstar.com.ph

27 Outubro 2008

Miss Universe Australia - Laura Dundovic

Lleyton Hewitt "Cure Our Kids" Press Conference - Sydney
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 27: Miss Universe Australia Laura Dundovic poses at the launch of fundraising auction site eSwap created by Lleyton Hewitt in aid of Cure Out Kids, a children's cancer charity, at Travelscene on October 27, 2008 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Gaye Gerard/Getty Images)


Lleyton Hewitt "Cure Our Kids" Press Conference - Sydney
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 27: Tennis player Lleyton Hewitt poses with Miss Universe Australia Laura Dundovic at the launch of his fundraising auction site eSwap in aid of Cure Out Kids, a children's cancer charity, at Travelscene on October 27, 2008 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Gaye Gerard/Getty Images)

Japan

(L-R) 2007 Miss Universe Riyo Mori, 2006
(L-R) 2007 Miss Universe Riyo Mori, 2006 Miss Universe runner-up Kurara Chibana and 2008 Miss Japan Hiroko Mima display the new mobile phones of Japan's mobile communication giant KDDI at a Tokyo hotel on October 27, 2008. AFP PHOTO / Yoshikazu TSUNO (Photo credit should read YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images)

26 Outubro 2008

“Quero ser Miss Brasil”


miss goiânia 2008 – Gracyelly Silva de Morais, 18, foi eleita a mais bela goianiense e concorre à faixa de Miss Goiás Raphael Silveira Especial para o DMRevista

Eram 9h30 da manhã de sexta-feira, feriado municipal pelo aniversário de Goiânia, quando chegamos à casa de Gracyelly Silva de Morais, eleita Miss Goiânia 2008. A residência, que fica numa chácara com várias casas (lá residem outras pessoas da família), no Setor Grande Retiro, região leste da Capital, é simples e inacabada e está em processo de reforma. Na porta, ao som de latidos e cacarejos ao fundo, somos recebidos por Danielly Cristiny, irmã da miss. “Entrem, por favor!”, diz, simpática.

Então surge Gracyelly, vestindo short branco e blusa listrada com decote. Loira, alta e de olhos castanhos-claros, sua fisionomia – à Ana Hickmann – chama a atenção: 1,83m de altura e 68kg muito bem distribuídos pelos seios, quadris e pernas. Sorriso estampado no rosto, a jovem ainda parece maravilhada com os últimos acontecimentos. A apenas quatro dias, Gracyelle foi eleita a mulher mais bela de Goiânia.

– Sou muito tímida, não reparem. Mas quando me envolvo numa conversa, me solto.

Acompanhada da irmã e da hospitaleira D. Elenilce, a mãe, cujos olhos transparecem o orgulho pela vitória da filha, aos poucos a jovem miss vai “se soltando” e conta como lida com as transformações pelas quais vem passando.

Talento
“Fui descoberta quase por acaso. Eu trabalhava como operadora de telemarketing numa casa de shows que promovia o concurso de Miss Goiás, em fevereiro. Lá, fui convidada por uma das organizadoras a me inscrever na seleção. Mas, como só tinha 17 anos, eu não pude”, afirma, sorrindo.

O concurso de Miss Goiânia 2008, realizado no último dia 22, no auditório da Área V da Universidade Católica de Goiás, foi composto por duas etapas. Na primeira, 21 candidatas subiram à passarela e, sob os olhares atentos de 12 jurados, desfilaram duas vezes: de vestido e de biquíni. O desempenho de cada uma foi avaliado e 10 garotas se classificaram.

Na segunda etapa, as concorrentes foram submetidas ao seguinte questionamento: “Para você, o que é ser uma mulher realizada?” As respostas contaram pontos para a decisão final. Gracyelle foi agraciada, diante de um salão lotado e sob aplausos, com o título Miss Goiânia 2008. Como premiação, ela ganhou uma sessão de fotos para compor um book artístico e a inscrição no concurso de Miss Goiás 2009, onde será a representante da Capital. A bela recebeu, ainda, o título de musa do Vila Nova Futebol Clube.

No site do Diário da Manhã (www.dm.com.br), que ajudou a escolher a musa da Capital, Gracyelly teve 652 votos, o que lhe garantiu a sétima colocação na votação on-line, que aconteceu entre os dias 19 e 22 de outubro.

Desde criança, Gracyelly se recorda que os parentes e amigos da família diziam que ela “levava jeito para ser modelo”. Gostava de fazer poses para fotos e se dava bem com todos os colegas na escola. “Algumas colegas me achavam metida demais”, se diverte. Ela conta que, somente após a adolescência, “ganhou” o corpo que hoje esbanja. Antes, ela se achava “feia, gordinha e desengonçada”.

Mudanças
Após ter recebido o prêmio de Miss Goiânia 2008, Gracyelly afirma que houve mudanças em sua vida, mas a bela não se revela iludida e demonstra responsabilidade. “Sei que a carreira de modelo é muito curta, por isso acho importante continuar os estudos.”

Atualmente, Gracyelly está trabalhando como recepcionista de uma empresa, cursando o ensino médio e se preparando para o vestibular de Arquitetura e Urbanismo.

E para encerrar o papo, a nova Miss Goiânia repete a frase que a tornou campeã: “Para mim, uma mulher só se sente realizada quando consegue atingir todos os seus objetivos, pessoais e profissionais.” E, com um semblante ainda tímido e ingênuo, porém convicto, confessa um desejo: “Quero ser Miss Brasil.” É esperar para ver.

Gracyelly Silva de Morais
Raphael Silveira
Especial para o DMRevista

DMRevista – Como se sente após ter sido eleita Miss Goiânia 2008?
Gracyelly Silva de Morais – Estou achando tudo isso muito engraçado [risos]. Nunca me achei bonita o bastante para ser modelo ou algo assim. Eu era gorda e baixinha, exatamente o contrário do que sou hoje. Ainda bem que mudei, né? [risos].

DMRevista – Você pretende investir na carreira de modelo?
Gracyelly – Ainda não pensei sobre o futuro. Quero que tudo aconteça naturalmente, sem equívocos ou precipitações. Procuro ouvir conselhos da minha família e dos profissionais da beleza, para melhor orientar meus próximos caminhos. Aproveito para agradecer ao Sidney Eustáquio e à Fátima Abranches [organizadores do concurso Miss Goiânia] pela oportunidade. No futuro, gostaria muito de ser atriz, é o meu sonho.

DMRevista – Quais suas referências no mundo artístico?
Gracyelly – Admiro Naomi Campbell, Natália Guimarães e Grazi Massafera. Procuro me inspirar nelas, mas não concordo com certas atitudes exageradas da Naomi [risos]. De tanto me compararem com a Ana Hickmann, pelas longas pernas que tenho, passei a acompanhar mais de perto o trabalho dela.

DMRevista - Qual parte do seu corpo gosta mais? E a que gosta menos?
Gracyelly – Gosto das minhas pernas, é claro. Elas são meu cartão de visita [risos]. Mas também acho que o meu sorriso é carismático e o considero como parte de mim. Agora, a parte que mais detesto em mim, sem dúvida, são os meus pés. Eles são grandes demais [ela calça 40 e usa scarpin 46].

DMRevista – Faria cirurgia plástica ou implante de silicone?
Gracyelly – Com certeza [risos]. Acho que as mulheres devem aproveitar os recursos estéticos disponíveis para “moldar” o corpo nas medidas em que desejarem. Eu faria uma cirurgia plástica de correção no nariz e colocaria silicone nos seios – cerca de 150 ml em cada – para dar aquela “turbinada” [risos].

DMRevista – Quais seus passatempos favoritos?
Gracyelly – Não sou muito de baladas. Gosto de ir ao clube, conversar com amigos, viajar, comer [“eu adoro comer”] e namorar. Gosto também de ouvir música e, como boa goiana que sou, adoro sertanejo. Bruno e Marrone e Victor e Léo são meus favoritos.

DMRevista – Quem é Gracyelly?
Gracyelly – Sou uma pessoa responsável e alegre. Às vezes, me acho um pouco tímida, mas também me considero extrovertida. Acima de tudo, sou uma pessoa amiga. Gosto de cativar as pessoas e fazer novos amigos. Acho importante valorizar nossas amizades. Elas dizem muito a respeito de nós mesmos. Acredito nisso.



http://www.dm.com.br/

Miss USA 2007, Rachel Smith

VH1 Save The Music Foundation and Esquire Magazine Host Benefit Concert
BEVERLY HILLS, CA - OCTOBER 25: 2007 Miss USA Rachel Smith arrives at the VH1 Save The Music Foundation and Esquire magazine benefit concert on October 25, 2008 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/FilmMagic)

Miss Earth 2008


A group of Miss Earth 2008 beauty contes
A group of Miss Earth 2008 beauty contestants enjoy the visit at the Puerto Princesa subterranean river national parka in Puerto Princesa city the capital of western Philippine island of Palawan on October 25, 2008. Candidates of Miss Earth visited the Puerto Princesa subterranean river national park a popular tourist site located in the city's pristine forest as part of Miss Earth environmental campaign. The winner of Miss Earth 2008 will be crowned on November 9, 2008 from among the 85 international contestants. AFP PHOTO/Romeo GACAD (Photo credit should read ROMEO GACAD/AFP/Getty Images)

Miss Earth 2008 beauty contestant Charlotte Lagauzere, 23, of France emerges after a dip in the water at Sabang beach in Puerto Princesa city the capital of western Philippine island of Palawan on October 25, 2008. Candidates of Miss Earth visited the Puerto Princesa subterranean river national park a popular tourist site located in the city's pristine forest as part of Miss Earth environmental campaign. The winner of Miss Earth 2008 will be crowned on November 9, 2008 from among the 85 international contestants. AFP PHOTO/Romeo GACAD (Photo credit should read ROMEO GACAD/AFP/Getty Images)

Candidatas a Miss Terra visitam as Filipinas

Apresentação faz parte da campanha ambiental do concurso.Vencedora do Miss Terra será coroada em 9 de novembro.

Do G1, com informações da France Presse

Foto: Romeo Gacad/AFP

Moradores de Puerto Princesa, nas Filipinas, admiraram neste sábado (25) a beleza das concorrentes a Miss Terra 2008, durante apresentação na praia de Sabang. As candidatas visitaram pontos turísticos ecológicos da cidade, como parte da campanha ambiental do concurso. A vencedora do Miss Terra será coroada em 9 de novembro (Foto: Romeo Gacad/AFP)         

g1.globo.com    

25 Outubro 2008

Miss India World 2006

Lakme Fashion Week - Day 5 - Runway
BOMBAY, INDIA - OCTOBER 24: Indian model and Former Miss India Natasha Suri showcases a design by Raakesh Agarvwal on the catwalk during Lakme Fashion Week 2008 day 5 held at NCPA on October 24, 2008 in Bombay, India (Photo by Chirag Wakaskar/WireImage)

Reina Hispanoamericana 2008

Luces

El certamen de belleza Reina Hispanoamericana continúa entregando los títulos previos a la final del certamen que se realizará el 30 de octubre.

La hermosa morena representante de Curacao, Jenyfeer Mercelina, inició con buen pie su participación en el reinado. En su primer aparición la candidata se llevó el título de Mejor Sonrisa otorgado por la Clínica Orest.
La miss conquistó al jurado calificador, a la cabeza del odontólogo Alejandro Unzueta, y personas expertas en el cuidado de los dientes, eligieron a la simpática morena.
“Me siento muy contenta de ganar el título de Mejor sonrisa, es un regalo importante como bienvenida. Recomiendo lavarse bien los dientes por lo menos tres veces al día y evitar comer dulces”, señaló la representante de Curacao.
La mejor sonrisa será beneficiada con tratamiento completo en la clínica Orest durante un año.
La misma noche se entregó el título de la Mejor cabellera, evento auspiciado por Sedal. La banda en esta oportunidad fue para la Miss República Dominicana, Mariel Sabogal, que con su larga y espesa cabellera negra oscura impactó al jurado calificador que estuvo compuesto por prestigiosos estilistas de la ciudad.
“Feliz y agradecida con el jurado por elegirme la Mejor cabellera, la verdad me sorprendió el título, este premio es un incentivo para ponerle más ganas y llevarme la corona, por segundo años consecutivo, a mi país. Yo me cuido el cabello con productos nutritivos y nada más, no utilizó nada casero, mi cabello es natural”, comentó la bella dominicana quien dedicó el título a su país.
Mariel fue premiada con productos completos de la línea Sedal y productos Gama con accesorios de cuidado para el cabello.
En la presentación se sumaron tres candidatas más al grupo de misses al reinado hispano, Miss Brasil, Vivian Noroña, la mencionada Miss Curacao Jenyfeer Mercelina y Miss Haiti, Widline Barthelemy, más conocida como Kiki. que con su estatura de 1.82 metros deslumbró en las pasarelas.
Continuando con el programa de actividades las misses participaron ayer en la elección del Mejor Rostro, en un evento auspiciado por la línea de cosméticos Yanbal, y hoy Tigo elige a la más fotogénica del grupo.
Mañana las misses continuarán con las distintas actividades previstas en su apretada agenda, con las filmaciones turísticas en el Mariposario de Guembé y además compartirán un delicioso almuerzo típico.

http://www.elmundo.com.bo/

24 Outubro 2008

Universe - USA

Hilary Duff Visits School With Nina Footwear & Blessings In A Backpack
NEW YORK - OCTOBER 24: Miss Universe 2008 Dayana Mendoza, actress/singer Hilary Duff, and Miss USA 2008 Crystle Stewart attend a Nina Footwear and Blessings In a Backpack event at P.S. 15, Roberto Clemente Elementary School on October 24, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)

Miss World Canada fights death penalty

Miss World Canada fights death penalty

By Laureen


Beauty may be only skin deep, but Nazanin Afshin-Jam, a 29-year-old St. Augustine's parishioner in Vancouver, has transformed her success as a beauty pageant winner into a truly meaningful victory, saving the lives of children threatened with execution in her native Iran.

Hossein Zabhi, Iran's Assistant Attorney General for Judicial Affairs, instructed all judges in the country Oct. 16 to stop sentencing convicted juveniles under 18 to the death penalty. He was bowing to international pressure from groups including Stop Child Executions, a human rights campaign founded by Afshin-Jam.

Afshin-Jam, who was crowned Miss World Canada in 2003 and was a runner-up to Miss World in the same year, told The B.C. Catholic that Iran was the only country last year continuing to impose the death penalty on children. According to Amnesty International, six juvenile offenders have been hanged this year.

Afshin-Jam founded a web site called Help Nazanin after learning that a Kurdish youngster, Nazanin Mahabad Fatehi, had been sentenced to death in Iran for stabbing a man who had attempted to rape her and her niece in a park in 2005.

Through Afshin-Jam's human rights campaign, 350,000 petitions were sent to the Iranian government and a new trial was granted. Fatehi, now an 18-year-old, was exonerated and released in January 2007.

Afshin-Jam knows quite a bit about what it's like to give up your human rights; when she was still a baby, her family members became political refugees in the aftermath of the 1979 Iranian revolution and her own father was sentenced to death.

"He was a manager for Sheraton Hotels," Afshin-Jam explained over a cup of tea at a Yaletown restaurant a few blocks from her apartment.

"When the new regime under the Ayatollah Khomeini came into power he was arrested and tortured because his hotel served alcohol and allowed dancing, which is strictly forbidden in Muslim practice. We were very lucky because a delay in carrying out the sentence gave him enough time to flee to Spain. My mother and sister and I followed about two months later but could take nothing with us, and we had to completely start over."

Afshin-Jam's parents eventually immigrated to Canada, where they hoped to be able to give their daughters a good education.

Afshin-Jam says she has been seriously interested in helping others since visiting a downtown soup kitchen when she was still a youngster with her St. Anthony's Parish CCD class in West Vancouver.

"I couldn't understand the kind of poverty I saw that day. Seeing first-hand the poorest of the city's poor turned into a defining moment in my life," she said.

"Driving home in the car, I noticed that my neighbourhood was filled with beautiful homes, and I began to wonder why some people have so much and others so little. I decided that some day I would try to find a way to help make things better, help people suffer less."

Afshin-Jam graduated from Kitsilano High School, where she had started a global issues club and participated in a mock United Nations. She also trained as a pilot licensed to fly both powered aircraft and gliders, achieving the highest rank in the Royal Canadian Air Cadets, that of Warrant Officer First Class.

At the University of B.C., Afshin-Jam earned a degree in political science and international relations and then joined the Red Cross as a global youth educator visiting high schools and teaching about land mines, children affected by war, cycles of poverty and disease, and natural disasters.

She also began to notice that sports stars and other celebrities have a far easier time drawing attention to their causes than the average person.

"People pay more attention when a cause is backed by someone with a high profile. It's not being famous that's important; it's what you can achieve with fame. When I discovered that the Miss World competition had already raised over $400 million for children, and that their motto is `beauty with a purpose,' I got very excited because they support young women making a difference in the world. I decided to send an application."

Although entering a beauty pageant is not typically supported by Iranian families, said Afshin-Jam, her mother, who is Catholic, and her, father who is Muslim, were behind her and had faith in her all the way.

Afshin-Jam says she thoroughly enjoyed the pageant experience, especially meeting the other contestants.

After being crowned Miss World Canada, she went on two weeks later to the international Miss World contest in China, where she ranked second behind the winner, Miss World Ireland, who happened to be her roommate and has remained a close friend.

Afshin-Jam began to travel widely and was invited to speak on many causes, such as raising aid for victims of the tsunami in India and Sri Lanka, for the earthquake victims of Bam in Iran, and supporting women who are fistula patients in Ethiopia. She has been invited to address audiences at prestigious venues such as Oxford University.

"The Iranians asked me speak on behalf of those who had suffered in the quake," said Afshin-Jam. "Many things changed for women in Iran after the revolution and there was a lot of repression of rights. Today there is resurgent interest in restoring the equality of women, which actually had a long history in the country."

Just before learning about the plight of Nazanin Fatehi, Afshin-Jam wrote and produced an album of songs which helped her to publicize various causes and later helped her draw attention to the fact that Iran was still sentencing children to death. Through her on-line Help Nazanin web page thousands of people signed the petition which resulted in a new trial for the girl. The two have never met, said Afshin-Jam, but communicate by e-mail, and they are consulting on a book about Fatehi's experiences.

"When she was freed, many parents in Iran called me to help get their son or daughter released," said Afshin-Jam. "There are 140 minors currently on death row in Iran, and as Amnesty International has reported, six have been executed this year. We have managed to save half a dozen in 2008 through international pressure, but we need more people involved. We are not just interested in saving one or two, but in changing the law to save them all."

Afshin-Jam has been awarded the Hero for Human Rights Award from the Youth for Human Rights International and Artists for Human Rights at the United Nations headquarters in New York. Last February she was appointed by the prime minister's office to the board of directors of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation.

In September, just after she had made a presentation on child executions to the World Union of Catholic Women's Organizations in Winnipeg, Afshin-Jam organized Ahmadinejad's Wall of Shame, a rally staged outside the United Nations in New York City to highlight the execution of children.

The wall featured photos and stories of children executed in Iran, and petitions were available urging immediate changes to Iranian law.

"We had people bussed in from Los Angeles to Toronto. A Christian pastor and two ex-political-prisoners spoke. We were very pleased with the response from the media and from others. I am really praying that we will be able to see these laws passed for good," said Afshin-Jam.

Stop Child Executions was among 300 other non-government organizations from 82 countries which called on the UN General Assembly in its recent annual debate on the Rights of the Child to take urgent action to end the death penalty for minors.

Afshin-Jam's dream is to make child execution a thing of the past everywhere in the world, and she will not rest, she said, until she makes it come true.

"We look forward to Iran abiding by this recent announcement," she said, "and seeing these changes fully implemented into law."


http://bcc.rcav.org/

Natália Guimarães janta com Miss Minas Gerais

A Miss Brasil 2007, Natália Guimarães, jantou com sua mãe Eliane Moreira e sua amiga Rayane Morais, a Miss Minas Gerais, na churrascaria Porcão, na Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, na noite desta quarta-feira.

Natália e Rayane deixaram o restaurante aos risos e depois posaram para os fotógrafos presentes no local.

Na saída, Natália disse aos presentes: "essa aqui ainda vai ser a nossa Miss Brasil".


Fotos: Douglas Ziegler/Photo Rio News

http://www.titinet.com.br

Miss Brasil apresentará vídeo sobre o Acre no Miss Mundo


Imprimir E-mail
Tatiana Campos
23-Oct-2008

Documentário terá 10 minutos e contará pontos para a classificação de Tamara Almeida a Miss Mundo Brasil eleita em julho

miss_foto_gleilson_miranda_02.jpg

O Acre estará representado no concurso internacional Miss Mundo 2008 através de um vídeo que conta a luta pela preservação da floresta e os ideais de Chico Mendes. Pela primeira vez na história da competição, uma miss levará um projeto ambiental para apresentar o público. Tamara Almeida, Miss Mundo Brasil, está no Acre gravando um documentário em parceria com a Ong Amigos da Terra e o Governo do Estado. Na manhã de hoje ela apresentou o objetivo do trabalho à imprensa.

"Geralmente o foco apresentado pelas misses é o lado social em relação aos pacientes com Aids. Nunca nenhuma miss apresentou um projeto ambiental, e o meio ambiente é uma preocupação existente no mundo inteiro. Eu escolhi o Acre pela luta de Chico Mendes e do povo acreano pela preservação da floresta. O Estado tem uma história bonita, de lutas, e se orgulha em contá-la. Nessa parceria todos saem ganhando", disse Tamara.

O Miss Brasil aconteceu em 24 de julho, em Angra dos Reis (RJ). Tamara é a representante brasileira no Miss Mundo e embarca para a África do Sul em novembro. Durante um mês as candidatas serão testadas em concursos de biquíni, esporte, passarela, entrevistas. "Tudo conta pontos para a classificação final. Das 110 candidatas serão escolhidas 5 e uma delas será a Miss Mundo. No dia da premiação é apenas uma pequena parte do que as candidatas enfrentam. No palco elas respondem a apenas uma pergunta, mas antes elas são sabatinadas sobre vários assuntos, e tudo com pontuação."

O vídeo sobre o Acre e a luta de Chico Mendes pela preservação ambiental será exibido dentro da categoria Beleza com Propósito.

http://www.agencia.ac.gov.br

23 Outubro 2008

Miss Universo exhorta "a abrir el corazón" a los enfermos

Mendoza recorrió varias habitaciones del Hospital San Jorge de la capital de Puerto Rico (Richard Drew/AP)

02:13 PM San Juan.-La Miss Universo 2008, la venezolana Dayana Mendoza, dijo hoy que todo el mundo debería "abrir más el corazón" para ayudar a las personas con problemas de salud.

Mendoza recorrió varias habitaciones del Hospital San Jorge de la capital de Puerto Rico, especializado en pediatría y oncología, junto a Miss Estados Unidos, Crystle Stewart.

"Deberíamos de poner todo el corazón y darnos cuenta que ellos (los niños) son el futuro del mundo y de Puerto Rico. Sería bonito ayudar", dijo Mendoza, quien visita Puerto Rico por primera vez.

Mendoza y Stewart están en la isla desde el martes para participar hoy en la final del certamen de Miss Puerto Rico Universo 2009, que se celebrará en el Centro de Convenciones de San Juan.

Una de las pacientes visitadas por las reinas de belleza fue Karely Robles, quien vio truncado su sueño de competir para representar a Puerto Rico en el concurso de Miss Universo cuando el lunes pasado tuvo que ser hospitalizada a causa de tener tres piedras en el riñón.

La joven, de 20 años y estudiante de psicología, aún no ha expulsado las piedras y padece de inflamación en varios órganos, líquido de exceso en la vejiga y un soplo cardiaco.

Robles sostuvo que "todas" las participantes a la corona de Puerto Rico son sus favoritas, porque "son hermosas y genuinas, y brillan por luz propia" y aseguró que participará en el certamen del próximo año.

Robles fue la última paciente que Mendoza y Stewart visitaron. Al arribar a la habitación, las jóvenes se abrazaron y reconocieron mutuamente la belleza de cada una, mientras que la beldad venezolana le recalcaba a la boricua que tuviera "fortaleza, fe y paciencia".

Mendoza le colocó a Robles la cinta de Miss Universo, lo que la joven puertorriqueña describió como un momento "genial", reseñó la agencia de noticias Efe.

"No esperaba (la visita). ¡Ay Dios mío, qué mujeres bellas! Y Dayana, tan bella y genuina. Ponerme esa cinta y sin participar al final, me sentí Miss Universo", expresó Robles emocionada.

http://caracas.eluniversal.com/

Miss Puerto Rico 2009 Mayra Matos

Miss Puerto Rico 2009 Mayra Matos reacts after winning the crown in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008. Matos, contestant of the coastal town of Cabo Rojo, will represent the Caribbean island in the Miss Universe next year.


Miss Puerto Rico 2009 Mayra Matos reacts, as first runner-up Jennifer Colon, right, looks on, after winning the crown in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008. Matos, contestant of the coastal town of Cabo Rojo, will represent the Caribbean island in the Miss Universe next year.


Miss Puerto Rico 2009 Mayra Matos, center, is crowned by her predecessor Ingrid Rivera, right, and Miss Dominican Republic Marianne Cruz in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008. Matos, contestant of the coastal town of Cabo Rojo, will represent the Caribbean island in the Miss Universe next year.

Miss Puerto Rico 2009 Mayra Matos waves to the audience after being crowned in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008. Matos, contestant of the coastal town of Cabo Rojo, will represent the Caribbean island in the Miss Universe next year.


Photo credit: Andres Leighton/AP


Miss Puerto Rico 2009 Mayra Matos models in a swimsuit during the beauty pageant in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008. Matos, contestant of the coastal town of Cabo Rojo, will represent the Caribbean island in the Miss Universe next year.


Miss Puerto Rico 2009 Mayra Matos smiles to the judges during the opening of the beauty pageant in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008. Matos, contestant of the coastal town of Cabo Rojo, will represent the Caribbean island in the Miss Universe next year.


Photo credit: Andres Leighton/AP

Miss Puerto Rico 2009 Mayra Matos models in her evening gown during the beauty pageant in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008. Matos, contestant of the coastal town of Cabo Rojo, will represent the Caribbean island in the Miss Universe next year.


Yahoo

De Cabo Rojo la nueva Miss Puerto Rico Universe

Mayra Matos, de Cabo Rojo, se coronó como la nueva Miss Puerto Rico Universe. (Primera Hora / Pipo Reyes)


Aixa Sepúlveda Morales / Primera Hora


La candidata de Cabo Rojo, Mayra Matos, se coronó como la nueva representate de la belleza boricua.

La primera finalista lo fue la representante de San Juan, Jennifer Colón. El cuadro de las seis finalistas lo completaron Santurce (segunda finalista), Adjuntas (tercera finalista), Cataño (cuarta finalista) y Vega Baja (quinta finalista).

El cuadro de las 12 semifinalistas de Miss Puerto Rico Universe 2009 lo había completado Barceloneta, Río Grande, Hatillo, Bayamón, Juana Díaz y San Lorenzo. Previamente, hubo un grupo de 20 semifinalistas en las que también estuvieron Caguas, Carolina, Naguabo, Salinas, Arecibo, Guaynabo, Corozal y Ponce.

Contenta Perza

La alcaldesa de Cabo Rojo, Perza Rodríguez, se sintió sumamente alegre y satisfecha con la victoria de la caborrojeña.

"Hizo despliegue de su belleza, su conocimiento e intelecto. Ha sido una niña excelente", expresó Rodríguez a PRIMERA HORA poco después de que fuera coronada la nueva reina de belleza.

Rodríguez nos adelantó que tan pronto le permitan llevar a Matos a Cabo Rojo será recibida como se merece.

La gala final comenzó a las 7:40 de la noche con la versión de Marc Anthony del tema “Preciosa”, desde el Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot, en Hato Rey. Las 70 concursantes entraron al escenario vestidas de jíbaras, portando la bandera puertorriqueña. La última en aparecer fue la reina saliente, Ingrid Marie Rivera.

Después de la presentación de los animadores Zuleyka Rivera, Rodolfo Jiménez y Braulio Castillo, hijo, las chicas realizaron el baile de apertura vestidas con unos coquetos atuendos en dorado y plata, de los diseñadores Adam y José Alfredo. Ingrid también las acompañó en la coreografía de Danny Lugo.

Las primeras de la noche en ser llamadas al frente fueron las cinco finalistas del reality show “Por la corona”, que se celebró por el canal 4: Alexandra González (Salinas), Glorimar Serrano (Caguas), Krizia Lugo (Naguabo), Chantee Díaz (San Lorenzo) y Gloria Almonte (Carolina).

De inmediato el sobre que contenía los restantes 15 pueblos, seleccionados por el panel de jueces de la competencia preliminar, fueron revelados. Los reguetoneros Ángel& Khriz hicieron su intervención musical, mientras las semifinalistas se preparaban para su competencia en trajes de baño. Las 20 semifinalistas retornaron al escenario para la competencia de gala. Después de esta evaluación, se revelaron los nombres de las 12 semifinalistas.

La delegada de Río Piedras (Elia Enid Colón) fue reconocida nuevamente con el premio de superación, mientras que la de Hatillo (Jean M. Maldonado) obtuvo la distinción de Miss Fotogenia.


Mayra Matos, de Cabo Rojo, se coronó como la nueva Miss Puerto Rico Universe. (Primera Hora / Pipo Reyes)

primerahora.com










Miss Universe Canada girls enjoy Atlantis



Atlantis, Paradise Island - Atlantis, Paradise Island - Miss Universe Canada, Miss Samantha Tajik, and Miss Universe Vancouver, along with Miss Universe Toronto enjoyed a weekend at Atlantis over the October 18/19th weekend. The girls also enjoyed an Atlantis Live concert with Canadian rocker, Alanis Morissette on Saturday night.

They enjoyed the beach, Cain pool at The Cove and an evening out at the famous Aura Nightclub.

miss_universeCdaANIMATE_1_L.gif
SLIDESHOW: The Miss Universe girls enjoy the gorgeous beaches at Atlantis resort, Paradise Island. Photos: Tim Aylen.

Miss Universe Canada, Samantha Tajik (in black bikini) is a very energetic individual with a genuine passion for mankind. Born in Iran, Samantha moved to Canada at the age of two, and grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia with her parents and younger brother. She later moved to Toronto, where she commenced her modeling career and studied cosmetology. Samantha has achieved great success in the world of pageantry and feels at home on the stage.

Samantha enjoys, traveling, skating, keeping active, and dancing. One of Samantha's attributes is that she posses great leadership skills. She has been able to create many social events in Toronto's competitive entertainment industry by managing and directing. Being a young woman and entering the difficult and demanding world of business, Samantha has shone and displayed an ambitious and fearless business woman. Being aware of where she is going and how she is getting there, Samantha always put her fears aside and faced the music with her heart at her sleeve. She has always been able to shine brightly among others, always remembering that the only thing to fear is fear itself.

A true perfectionist, Samantha is very committed to her responsibilities and role as Miss Universe Canada, attending numerous events and assisting with various charities. She recently returned from Nicaragua where she visited projects of the American-Nicaraguan Foundation, and hopes to create awareness for the needs of children in that country.

An avid sportswoman, Samantha has volunteered her time for numerous charities including the Canadian Cancer Society, Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, Canadian AIDS Society, UNICEF Canada, Against Gun Violence, and the Brazilian Ball 2007 and 2008.

All Photos: Tim Aylen Photography

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SLIDESHOW: The Miss Universe girls from Canada enjoy Cain at The Cove. Photos: Tim Aylen

Miss Toronto, Aleksandra Malkin, was the 2nd Runner Up for Miss Universe Canada. Aleksandra Malkin is an ambitious, strong minded and loving individual who is dedicated to the people she loves and the goals she sets for herself.

Aleksandra was raised in Israel and had immigrated to Canada at the age of ten. Not only did she manage to adapt and acquire the language beautifully in less than a year but also she is grateful for the loving and multicultural country of Canada whom she is proud to call her home.

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SLIDESHOW: The girls enjoy Aura Nightclub, Atlantis, and help spin tunes in the DJ booth. Photos Tim Aylen

Miss Vancouver, Lina Lombana was the 3rd Runner Up for Miss Universe Canada.

http://www.thebahamasweekly.com/

Miss perde título por posse de drogas e 'calote' em restaurante

Norte-americana Lindsey Evans era a Miss Louisiana Teen. Polícia encontrou maconha na bolsa da garota de 18 anos.

Do G1, em São Paulo

Ampliar Foto Foto: Divulgação
Foto: Divulgação

Presa depois de 'calote' e posse de drogas, Lindsey perdeu a coroa de Miss Teen (Foto: Divulgação)

A norte-americana Lindsey Evans, de 18 anos, não é mais a dona da coroa de Miss Louisiana Teen. Ela se envolveu em dois acontecimentos neste final de semana que, segundo a RPM Productions, são incompatíveis com a imagem que uma Miss deve ter.

Lindsey e as amigas deixaram um restaurante sem pagar a conta de US$ 46,07. Logo depois, ela voltou para buscar a bolsa que havia esquecido, mas foi surpreendida pela polícia. Na bolsa da Miss havia uma quantidade não revelada de maconha.

"Devido a acontecimentos recentes, Lindsey foi afastada de suas obrigações como Miss Louisiana Teen 2008", afirmou Paula Miles, presidente da RPM, em comunicado enviado ao site "TMZ".

g1.globo.com

Miss Pakistan runner up set to take off at Miss Earth 2009

Nosheen Idrees
22/10/2008

PAKISTAN'S bikini model Nosheen Idrees is all set for Miss Earth pageant taking place in the Philippines!

The twenty-two-year-old from Jhelum, Pakistan was crowned the third runner up for the Miss Pakistan World pageant in May.

A student of communications at the University of Sheffield, Nosheen hopes to bring back a title that can put Pakistan as a country that has the most beautiful women in the world.

She said: "Pakistan is a country where the most beautiful women exist and it’s a shame that it’s not recognised for it."

The young beauty says she wants to change the perception of how the world looks at Pakistan and hopefully spread the message of peace for her country and be an ambassador for the youth.

President of Miss Pakistan World, Sonia Ahmed said she was pleased Pakistan had reached 20 international pageants in five years.

"The main mission is to continue with the effort to get Pakistan recognised as the country with some of the most beautiful women in the world."

http://www.theasiannews.co.uk

Miss Universo Dayana Mendoza en Puerto Rico

Mendoza tendrá una cena privada esta noche con la organización Miss Puerto Rico Universe. (Archivo / AFP)

martes, 21 de octubre de 2008
Actualizado hace 1 días
(05:05 p.m. )

Prensa Asociada

Miss Universo 2008, la venezolana Dayana Mendoza, arribó hoy a Puerto Rico, donde participará en varias actividades relacionadas al certamen local en el que se escogerá a la sucesora de Ingrid Marie Rivera, la Miss Puerto Rico Universe saliente y recordada por la controversia del incidente de gas pimienta, ocurrido el año pasado.

Mendoza tendrá una cena privada esta noche con la organización Miss Puerto Rico Universe y algunos auspiciadores del certamen, cuya final es el miércoles en el Coliseo de Puerto Rico a las 7:30 de la noche.

Mañana, Mendoza visitará el Hospital del Niño San Jorge y a las 7:00 de la noche desfilará por la alfombra magenta previo a su participación en la final, en la que participará como animadora la Miss Universo 2006, Zuleyka Rivera.

"Mendoza regresa a Nueva York el jueves a primera hora", dijo la portavoz de la organización, Yolanda Rosaly.

También tendrá una participación Crystle Stewart, Miss Estados Unidos 2008.

La portavoz del certamen dijo que todavía no se ha definido si Mendoza coronará a la nueva reina puertorriqueña o si le colocará la cinta de Miss Puerto Rico Universe 2008.

La presencia de Mendoza en la Isla despierta pasiones entre los llamados misiólogos, pues Puerto Rico y Venezuela son los dos países con más soberanas universales, después de Estados Unidos que encabeza la lista con siete reinas.

Puerto Rico y Venezuela tienen cinco cada uno.

Las puertorriqueñas que ostentaron la corona de Miss Universo son: Marisol Malaret (1970), Deborah Carthy Deu (1985), Dayanara Torres (1993), Denise Quiñones (2001) y Zuleyka Rivera (2006).

Por Venezuela, se alzaron con la corona Maritza Sayalero (1979), Irene Sáez (1981), Bárbara Palacios (1986), Alicia Machado (1996), y Mendoza (2008).

El espectáculo musical del certamen de Miss Puerto Rico Universe 2008 estará a cargo del dúo de reggaetón Rakim y Ken-Y, intérpretes de "Ven báilalo", Angel y Khris y el trío mexicano Reik.

Las 20 semifinalistas ya fueron seleccionadas y sus nombres se darán a conocer el miércoles.

A ese grupo ya entraron, Miss Caguas, Glorimar Serrano; Miss Carolina, Gloria Almonte Colón; Miss Naguabo, Krizia Lugo Astacio; Miss Salinas, Alexandra González; y Miss San Lorenzo, Chantee Nichole Díaz.

Las cinco concursantes obtuvieron su pase a la final tras obtener las puntuaciones más altas, producto de votaciones del público a través de mensajes de texto, durante el programa de televisión de realidad simulada "Por la corona", que se transmitió durante las pasadas 10 semanas.

http://www.primerahora.com/

22 Outubro 2008

Miss USA 2008 Crystle Stewart, Donna Karan and Miss Universe 2008 Dayana Mendoza

2008 Golden Heart Awards
NEW YORK - OCTOBER 20:Miss USA 2008 Crystle Stewart, Donna Karan and Miss Universe 2008 Dayana Mendoza attend 2008 Golden Heart Awards at the IAC Building on October 20, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/WireImage)

Miss Belgique 2009 se cache parmi elles

Les visages des vingt prétendantes au titre de Miss Belgique 2009 ont été dévoilés hier soir, lors d'une soirée pleine de charme au Carré à Willebroek.

Alizée Poulicek devra rendre sa couronne et sa banderole le 23 décembre prochain, au Spiroudôme de Charleroi. Avant cela, les vingt plus jolies du pays auront un agenda bien rempli. Un Mental Coach les suivra tout au long de leur parcours et elles bénéficeront également de cours shiatsu... et de langues! Elles suivront une formation aux médias, elles apprendront à défiler avec un port de reine et tout cela, et bien d'autres choses encore, sous le soleil de l'Egypte.

Comme chaque année, les vingt belles du pays partiront pour une semaine à l'étranger, le temps de faire des shootings de rêve sous le soleil... Le rêve ne fait que commencer pour les demoiselles.

Dé.L.


http://www.7sur7.be/7
21/10/08 22h11

Dundovic's career heading skywards

October 21, 2008 12:00am

Laura Dundovic

Hot stuff ... Laura Dundovic / Picture: Ralph / Photography by Frank Briscoe

HER modelling career is going through the roof and mimicking that of Jennifer Hawkins.

Current Miss Universe Australia, Laura Dundovic, has revealed that following in the footsteps of Hawkins hasn't always been easy -- particularly at the finals of the international beauty pageant in Vietnam earlier this year.

"All the girls were stressing that Jennifer Hawkins was there because they thought she was going to make me win,'' she told Ralph magazine.

"The other side is, maybe that means I'm going to lose.''

The Hills hottie has certainly come out on top today.

Along with taking the cover of the lads mag this month she's just shot her first Charlie Brown campaign, for the designer's optical range.

She's also put her best foot forward, becoming the face for US shoe giant, Steve Madden, in Australia.

http://www.news.com.au/

Miss queria dormir mais


Natália Anderle confessa que colocou próteses de silicone e fez retoques para disputar o Miss Brasil

Fred Leão
Da editoria do DMrevista

Em Goiânia para lançar uma linha de sandálias, a Miss Brasil 2008 Natália Anderle, 22, virou atração por onde passou, mesmo quando as pessoas não sabiam de quem se tratava. Na chegada ao Buriti Shopping, onde se realizaria o evento, uma pequena multidão se somou à equipe da imprensa. Muitos questionavam entre si “Quem está vindo aí? E ao saberem que era a mulher eleita como a mais bonita do País, indagavam qual seria o nome da bela, que surgiu de vestido florido, faixa de miss e cabelos esvoaçantes.

O ar de celebridade se propagou quando Natália deu uma volta pelo shopping acompanhada por seguranças, assessora, fotógrafos e curiosos. Nos corredores, comentários
de admiração e até exclamações de desdém, típicos do
público feminino.

A entrevista, com cada minuto controlado pela assessora da moça, aconteceu em clima de muvuca, com as pessoas detrás da faixa de isolamento tentando tirar fotos com o celular. Simpática, a moça distribuiu autógrafos
e calçou a sandália que
veio divulgar.

Econômica nas respostas, ainda assim foi possível bater um papo e arrancar da gaúcha, que nasceu em Roca Sales, mas inicialmente disputou a faixa pela cidade de Encantado (RS), pequenas confissões, como, por exemplo, as cirurgias plásticas que fez antes de participar do concurso. Da fase famosa, só lamenta ter de acordar muito cedo e dormir pouco.

DMRevista – O que mudou na sua vida após o concurso?
Natália Anderle – Minha vida mudou bastante. Eu vim de uma cidade pacata, com rotina de uma pessoa que trabalhava e estudava. Antes eu só tinha o trabalho, fazia desfiles de vez em quando. Como modelo, eu atuo desde os 15 anos, mas nada de significativo.

DMRevista – Em que você trabalhava antes?
Natália – Eu trabalhava como cosmetóloga e estudava.

DMRevista – Desde pequena participava de concursos de beleza?
Natália – Eu já participei de alguns concursos na minha cidade (Roca Sales - RS), fui Miss em Encantado (interior do Rio Grande do Sul) e depois Miss Rio Grande do Sul.

DMRevista – O que faz uma miss durante o reinado?
Natália – Uma série de coisas. São muitas viagens, eventos beneficentes, publicitários, campanhas, fora os programas de rádio e TV.

DMRevista – Existe um trabalho social feito por você?
Natália – Tem todo um trabalho social, eventos de caridade. A gente tem o poder da imagem e isso é bom para ajudar as pessoas que precisam.

DMRevista – Já se acostumou com a rotina corrida de uma pessoa famosa?
Natália – A gente tem que se adaptar. Eu não digo que é ruim, mas é menos bom. Não dá tempo pra nada, a gente corre muito, mas tem de aproveitar a oportunidade.

DMRevista – Qual é a melhor parte de ser miss? E a mais chata?
Natália – A melhor são os amigos que se faz, os lugares pra onde viajo. A pior parte é ter que dormir pouco e acordar cedo.

DMRevista – Vai tentar a carreira artística, fazer trabalhos na TV?
Natália – Propostas existem, mas ainda não sei o que vou fazer depois do reinado. Vamos ver o que vai acontecer. O desejo existe. Só o fato de ser miss já foi meio inesperado na minha vida, mas eu acredito que se surgir uma boa oportunidade eu vou encarar.

DMRevista – Você é a primeira pessoa de Roca Sales (cidade onde Natália nasceu) a se tornar uma celebridade?
Natália – Sim, nunca teve ninguém famoso lá.

DMRevista – Como foi a reação da cidade após a vitória no concurso?
Natália – Foi um fato inédito, tanto em Roca Sales quanto em Encantado, município que representou no Miss Rio Grande do Sul. As pessoas me tratam com muito carinho. Sempre que vou lá a população se mobiliza, vira ponto turístico.

DMRevista – Como estão as viagens?
Natália – É ótimo. Conheço muita coisa, muita gente e aprendo muito. Com isso eu aumento minha bagagem de conhecimentos e experiências.

Qual o lugar mais longe para onde você já foi?
Natália – Fui para o Vietnã, do outro lado do mundo, no Miss Universo.

DMRevista – Qual a Miss Brasil do passado que você mais admira?
Natália – Seria injusto falar de uma só.

DMRevista – Cite várias então.
Natália – Renata Fan e Vera Fischer.

DMRevista – Seu corpo é natural ou conta com incisões cirúrgicas?
Natália – É normal, né, para uma miss. Quando eu fui eleita no meu Estado, não tinha nem um procedimento cirúrgico, só tinta no cabelo. Mas depois, para me preparar para o Miss Brasil, eu fiz umas coisas, como prótese de silicone nos seios e alguns retoques.

DMRevista – Está namorando?
Natália – Não, estou solteira.

http://www.dm.com.b

20 Outubro 2008

2009 Miss Universe Japan Kickoff Press Conference


TOKYO - OCTOBER 20: 2007 Miss Universe Riyo Mori attends the 2009 Miss Universe Japan Kickoff Press Conference at KDDI Designing Studio on October 20, 2008 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Jun Sato/WireImage)



Miss Universe Japan 2008 Hiroko Mima (Photo by Jun Sato/WireImage)



Miss USA's cancer scare prompts education campaign

By DIANE COWEN Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle

photo
Robert Seale For the Chronicle

Crystle Stewart, of Missouri City, has taken on breast cancer awareness as the theme of her year as Miss USA.


Crystle Stewart had a nickname suitable to her life right now, it would likely be "The Body." The 26-year-old Missouri City resident and University of Houston graduate is the reigning Miss USA, and is known for winning, hands-down, every swimsuit competition she's been in. This beauty is also smart, confident and healthy. Not long ago she had a breast cancer scare — a biopsy showed that a lump was benign — and she's taken on breast cancer awareness as the theme of her year as Miss USA. She took time recently for a photo shoot at The Endeavour luxury high-rise in Seabrook and talked with Chronicle Health editor Diane Cowen.

Q: How did you get interested in beauty pageants?

A: I was at the mall and ran into a friend who used to compete in pageants. She encouraged me to do it. I never in a million years thought I'd compete, let alone win.

Q: You won on your first try?

A: No, I competed in the Miss Houston pageant before and was a runner up a few times — but I won the swimsuit contests. Eventually I won Miss Texas USA (in July 2007) and then Miss USA (in April 2008). (She also placed in the top 10 in the Miss Universe pageant in July 2008.)

Q: So you always knew you had a great body?

A: It's funny, but I didn't. My friend had asked me "How's your body?" and all I could say was "I don't know." I ran track in high school so I guess I was in shape. But I got in a swimsuit, and every year I won.

Q: Have you always been fit?

A: I've always been slim, I can say that. Running track helped my muscle definition.

Q: Do you work out?

A: I try to work out twice a week, for strength and endurance. I do leg presses and calf presses, bicep and tricep curls and exercises for my chest.

Q: Any cardio?

A: I do about five minutes of cardio. I have a hard time gaining and maintaining my weight, and I don't want to burn too many calories.

Q: How much do you weigh?

A: 125 pounds. And I'm 5 feet, 9 inches tall.

Q: Do you think you're too thin?

A: I have curves, they're just smaller. Hey, I competed in the swimsuit pageant and won. It's all in the eyes of the beholder.

Q: But you said you struggle to gain or even maintain weight. Do you want to gain now?

A: I would like to gain 10 pounds.

Q: So what are you doing about it?

A: I eat a lot, but I want it to be healthy. I eat nuts and peanut butter. Pasta. I eat three meals and two snacks a day. I probably eat 4,500 calories a day. That's to put weight on.

Q: You read about pageant contestants getting all kinds of work done: breast augmentation, liposuction, nose jobs, teeth bleaching. Did you get anything fixed?

A: This is all me. Oh, I did get my teeth bleached.

Q: On to more serious questions. Tell me about your breast cancer scare.

A: When I was 21, I did a self-breast exam and felt a lump, maybe smaller than a dime. I checked again the next day and it was still there. I went to the doctor and she felt it, too. She did an ultrasound and it was solid. I left there pretty scared and my doctor advised getting a biopsy to make sure it wasn't cancer. I had the lump removed and, fortunately, it was benign.

Q: So now it's your platform?

A: Yes, I was 21 and didn't know much about it then. I certainly didn't think it was something for 21-year-olds or for African-Americans. I'd like to talk about it and inform people to be aware. Test yourself and be aware of your body no matter your age or ethnicity.

Q: What else have you learned about it?

A: In African-American women it's very prevalent, higher than any other ethnicity. If you catch it earlier, there's a better chance you'll survive. A lot of women don't do self breast exams or get mammograms and when they do find out they have cancer it's too late. Black women have a higher incidence of death because there's is diagnosed later.

Q: What else will you tell people?

A: Everywhere I go I talk about self breast exams. I'm tyring to get a cute slogan. I'm thinking about: Take the test and check your breast.

Q: I'm sure young girls see you as a role model. What do you talk to them about?

A: I urge them to be comfortable with who they are. If you like your eyes, use those so people don't notice other things. Or let your flaws be what make you unique.

Q: What else?

A: To remember that beauty comes from within. I've met a lot of beautiful women, and after I get to know them, they're not so beautiful.

diane.cowen@chron.com

Alizée Poulicek


La différence entre une miss France et une miss Belgique ? J'entends dire "l'accent" à ma gauche… Non, ce n'est pas ça. A ma droite, "la miss belge a le droit de boire de la bière"… Non plus.

Mais enfin, regardez donc Alizée Poulicek, miss Belgique 2008, en cours de mandat! Si, côté français, une miss se doit d'avoir froid aux yeux et donc de bien couvrir le reste, pour ne pas se laisser aller à des photos trop olé-olé, chez nos voisins Belges, on encourage en revanche le réchauffement climatique !

Cette charmante demoiselle de 21 ans posait récemment pour un magazine local, qui n'aurait sans doute pas réveillé l'Inquisition pour punir Valérie Begue, si cette dernière s'était présentée en Belgique. Bref, le comité miss France a des valeurs, le comité miss Belgique a des ardeurs !

Et quand on pense que la seule polémique à avoir accompagné le sacre de cette jeune femme bien coquine, c'est qu'elle maîtrisait mal… le néerlandais (ce qui a provoqué un tollé en Flandre) !

Peu importe le jargon, pourvu qu'on ait l'ivresse…

Guillaume Joffroy

http://www.purepeople.com/

Best Buddies Ball

Brett Branford, a Best Buddy, stands between Miss Universe, Dayana Mendoza, and Miss Teen, Stevi Perry, before the auction fundraiser begins. The 20th annual ball raised its biggest haul ever, with $3.35 million in ticket sales and auction revenue. Kenny G's saxophone went for $9,000.
Brett Branford, a Best Buddy, stands between Miss USA, Crystle Stewart , and Miss Teen, Stevi Perry, before the auction fundraiser begins. The 20th annual ball raised its biggest haul ever, with $3.35 million in ticket sales and auction revenue. Kenny G's saxophone went for $9,000. (Photos By Melina Mara -- The Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/

19 Outubro 2008

Un dimanche à Dreux avec Miss France


Publié le 19 octobre 2008 - 17:42
DIMANCHE À DREUX. Souvent disponible pour le public, Valérie Bègue a signé des centaines d'autographes.
Si Valérie Bègue n'a pas énormément couru sur le circuit drouais, elle n'a, en revanche, pas cessé de répondre aux sollicitations en coulisses.

Suivre Valérie Bègue sur la piste d'un circuit ne constitue pas une mission inaccessible. Il faut reconnaître que Miss France ne fait que découvrir la discipline. Alors, au volant de sa Peugeot 206, elle apprend. Dans la douleur.

Par exemple, dimanche matin, au warm-up, elle a entamé sa journée de rallycross par une sortie de piste. Deux heures plus tard, deuxième manche de Division 2. Valérie Bègue jaillit bien de la ligne de départ et puis... la tuile. « Ce n'est pas moi, c'est la voiture. J'ai réussi à passer la première mais pas les autres vitesses. Un truc s'est cassé dans le moteur », a-t-elle pesté. Le truc, c'est un guide-câble de commande de la boîte de vitesse.
Troisième manche, en début d'après-midi. Miss France 2008 ne termine pas sa série à la dernière place. « Quatrième, c'est beau ! Je ne me suis pas fait larguer, j'ai même doublé dans le tour joker. Je suis contente. Je n'ai pas été trop ridicule. J'aimerais tant refaire une course. » La finale C se déroulera sans elle.

Séances photos
Peu importe. Elle n'a pas eu le temps de s'ennuyer. À peine est-elle descendue de la voiture, à peine un verre d'eau avalé, elle est rappelée par ses fonctions. Et les sollicitations. Suivre Valérie Bègue devient alors une tout autre histoire. Bien plus compliquée. Accompagnée en permanence de son attachée de presse, d'un « chaperon » de la société Miss France, d'un photographe d'une agence de presse et d'une maquilleuse, elle a assuré deux longues séances de dédicaces. « Les gens sont sympas avec moi. » Peu avant 15 h 30, elle est ensuite passée entre les mains de sa maquilleuse. Au programme, des séries de photos avec sa voiture et en combinaison. Le soleil commence à descendre sur le circuit de l'Ouest parisien.

Valérie Bègue n'en a pas terminé avec son dimanche à Dreux. Cette fois, elle s'enferme dans un camping-car pour préparer la cérémonie des remises de récompenses. Elle en ressort en robe et avec évidemment l'écharpe de Miss France pour aller féliciter les vainqueurs. Une journée éreintante. Pour elle et son entourage.

Nicolas Da Cunha

http://www.larep.com/

At home with the Misses: How 3 beauty queens share one apartment

BY CORINNE RAMEY
DAILY NEWS WRITER

Sunday, October 19th 2008, 3:57 AM
From left: Miss USA, Crystle Stewart; Miss Universe, Dayana Mendoza, and Miss Teen USA, Stevi Perry. Click to see more photos of the beauty queens in the apartment they share. Mendez/News

It's the stuff sitcoms are made of: Three beauty queens living in an apartment in the big city.

Only for Dayana Mendoza, Crystle Stewart and Stevi Perry - better known as Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA - it's reality.

Since being crowned, the trio has shared a three-bedroom apartment in a full-service luxury midtown high-rise - a perk at least as nice as a tiara.

They say they've bonded like long-lost sisters, but while there haven't been any big catfights, they do bicker from time to time.

One morning, Miss USA rolled her eyes at Miss Teen USA as she used a napkin as a plate for her breakfast scone so she wouldn't have to wash a dish.

Piqued by the scorn from her fellow pageant winner, Perry responded with a little gossip about Stewart.

"Did you know that she almost caught the house on fire?" she says, referring to an incident involving a chicken pot pie and the microwave.

The bachelorette pad reflects the two worlds its temporary tenants occupy - half teddy bear, half evening gown.

In Mendoza's room - the pink one - a collection of stuffed animals is on display, and Emilio, her teddy bear, has a place of honor on her bed. The 22-year-old Venezuelan uses a MacBook Pro for Skype "dates" with her boyfriend.

Texas-born Stewart - the oldest of the bunch at 27, dubbed "mom" by Perry - has the blue bedroom with an impeccably organized closet filled with evening gowns.

The green room belongs to Perry, 18, and she's decorated it with a collage from her boyfriend and an "I love my Miss Teen USA" note from her mom in Arkansas.

The fridge is stuffed with food from Fresh Direct: Eggos, bags of salad, yogurt and ice cream.

The women say they're learning how to cook - Perry supposedly makes a mean potato soup - but they're also known to toss a frozen pizza in the oven.

Mendoza said that when Perry moved into the apartment, she gave the teenager the lay of the land.

"I told her, 'This is the apartment, this is Fresh Direct, this is how we eat, this is how you take the trash out,'" she said.

"We're all sisters here in the house," Perry said. "We all have the same job. We have this bond that we share and we always will."


At home with the Misses: How 3 beauty queens share one apartment


http://www.nydailynews.com/

Miss Belgian Beauty 2008-2009, c’est elle

La jeune Yoni Mous, originaire d'Edegem, a été élue cette nuit Miss Belgian Beauty 2009 lors d'une cérémonie qui s'est déroulée au Casino de Knokke-Heist. Elle succède ainsi à Nele Somers.
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La première dauphine est Stéphanie Michiels, une jeune femme de 24 ans de Gand, et la deuxième est Sylvie Dewitte, une habitante de Louvain âgée de 22 ans.

La nouvelle Miss Belgian Beauty étudie la kinésithérapie et aime nager, danser, skier et faire du vélo. Elle a reçu comme prix la somme de 12.500 euros et une voiture.

La jeune Kimberley De Plucker, également sélectionnée dans la dernière ligne droite, n'a finalement pas pris part à la finale car elle souffrait de migraine, selon Ignace Crombé, l'organisateur.

Une autre finaliste, Wendy Volders, 24 ans, a été élue Miss Sympathie par les autres jeunes femmes en finale du concours.

http://www.rtlinfo.be

18 Outubro 2008

Hunt begins for WA Miss Universe



miss universe
THE HUNT BEGINS: Troy Barbagallo and Greg Erskine with Miss Universe Australia Laura Dundovic. Picture: Supplied

Brad Davidson

October 18, 2008 10:00am

IT'S no secret to Sandgropers that Perth is home to some of the most beautiful women on the planet - now it's just a matter of proving it.

The biggest ever Miss Universe search in WA kicks off tomorrow.

Organisers Troy Barbagallo and Greg Erskine will be taking registrations from noon in the city at Forrest Place.

They are seeking 50 state finalists-_ and lovers of cheesy questions won't be disappointed. The WA winner will seek to go all the way in the contest that made Jennifer Hawkins famous.

Mr Barbagello and Mr Erskine hope to make Perth the host city for the Australian and World Finals in years to come.

``We've got big plans for it,'' Mr Erskine said.

``We reckon we've got something to offer in terms of our girls over here and it's about time the world stood up and took notice.

``We're planning on starting it off with a registration day and then conducting at least another six or seven events after that which culminates in a big state final in February.''

State finalists will take part in regional heats in some of WA most iconic spots such as Broome and Margaret River.

http://www.news.com.au

Marit Woods Talks About Miss Earth Liberia 2008

(Oct 18, 2008) By: Staff Reporter





Miss Marit Woods, a 21-year-old Liberian model, leaves Minnesota on Sunday October 19, 2008, to represent Liberia in the 2008 Miss Earth pageant in Manila, Philippines.

The contest, which brings together national beauties and talents between the ages of 18 to 26, is also part of a bigger effort to promote global environment causes.


Since her selection in August, Marit has launched a series of events to solicit community support, all of which have now crystallized into a huge momentum around her candidacy and widespread public endorsement of her participation in the forthcoming pageant.

Last month, Marit organized an “Open and Closed Auction” at Vicky’s Restaurant in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. The event, she said, was part of an effort to raise funds to underwrite the cost of her trip to Philippines.

On October 5, she was featured in a star-studded event at Klub Afrika, a local African club in Minnesota. With a crowd twice the size of the club’s regular attendance, Marit succeeded in making a case why her participation in the contest is likely to contribute to environmental and health issues that remain at the heart of our common humanity. (See Marit in Pictures below)

The occasion, interspersed with performances by Liberian singer Vee Washington and Ghanaian Dancer Christian Adeti, provided a unique moment for Marit to highlight the issues that have long struck her, especially as an emerging advocate on topics that have come to spur and define discussions on health and the environment.

“It saddens me daily to realize that on a daily basis the basic necessity that all citizens within a country deserve is not accessible to all. As Miss Earth Liberia 2008 my objective is to educate Liberians and others around the world on how to keep their water resources safe and sanitized. Using this knowledge they can come together and approach their elected government officials to change practices and laws that are preventing sanitized water from being available to all”, Marit said, with a passion unparallel in its authenticity.

Carousel Productions, Inc. the organizer of the pageant, is reported to have said: ”…Beauty queens would be good and effective advocates of worthy causes”.

Marit could not agree more. For her, the pageant is only a means to a greater end. She is quick to point out that the event itself provides an important platform for her campaign, to pursue goals that are clearly critical to the health of the world, especially third world countries.

She admits that her contribution is not the “long-awaited” solution to the global environment and health problems but that, in a way, it adds onto other efforts aimed at making things little bit better for those who have suffered as a result of inaction.

“In some countries the need for sanitized water is vital. Clean drinking water is not accessible to all. Clean water should not be a commodity that is accessible to a select few. We need to act in our own little ways”, she added. “Sanitized water is vital to our health and well-being”.

Drinking unsanitary water, she further explained, can lead to water-borne diseases such as “diarrhea, dysentery, cholera and infectious hepatitis”. Click Here to See Marit Woods in Pictures…

Editor’s Note: Marit Woods is the daughter of Samuel Kofi Woods, a life-long Liberian Human Rights Advocate. He is also Liberia’s Labor Ministry. The organizers could not immediately release detailed information on the participation of other contestants prior to the publication of this story. The Liberian Journal wishes Marit Woods the best of luck.
http://www.theliberianjournal.com/

Miss Campinas 2009

Candidatas a miss Campinas se apresentam e m e vento
As vinte e duas jovens vão concorrer ao prêmio de R$ 2 mil e serão avaliadas por itens como beleza e simpatia

17/10/2008 - 19h51 . Atualizada em 17/10/2008 - 23h07

Agência Anhangüera de Notícias


Candidatas posam para foto
(Foto: Valdeci de Camargo)
Jocasta, a atual Miss Campinas
(Foto: Valdeci de Camargo)

As candidatas a miss Campinas foram apresentadas na Estação Cultura ontem à noite. As vinte e duas jovens que irão concorrer ao prêmio de R$ 2 mil, serão julgadas por onze jurados, que irão avalia-las por itens como beleza, simpatia e comunicabilidade.

O concurso para a escolha da mulher mais bonita de Campinas ocorrerá no dia 23 de outubro, no Clube Bonfim, Rua Bento da Silva Leitão, 330, Jardim Chapadão, a partir das 20h. O ingresso será um quilo da alimento não-perecível, que será destinado ao programa municipal de segurança alimentar. Para participar do concurso Miss Campinas é preciso ter idade entre 18 e 25 anos e ser residente na cidade.


http://www.cosmo.com.br

17 Outubro 2008

Un parti d’extrême droite profère des insultes racistes contre Miss Suisse

ATTAQUES | Sur internet, l’Yverdonnoise Whitney Toyloy est comparée à un «abcès» par un membre du Parti des nationalistes suisses (PNOS). Une procédure pénale a été ouverte.

© MICHEL DUPERREX | ​Whitney Toyloy ne communiquera pas au sujet des attaques racistes dont elle a fait l’objet. Le comité de Miss Suisse désire en effet éviter toute polémique et ne pas faire de pub au groupe politique concerné.

NADINE HALTINER | 16.10.2008 | 00:01

«Elle incarne l’abcès qui est déjà en train de dévorer la Confédération libre et indépendante.» Voilà comment Dominic Lüthard, membre du Parti des nationalistes suisses (PNOS), dépeint Whitney Toyloy dans un article publié le 11 octobre sur le site internet de sa section de Langenthal (BE). Des propos que les autorités bernoises n’apprécient guère. Hier, elles ont ouvert une procédure pénale contre le parti d’extrême droite. Elles invoquent une éventuelle violation de la norme pénale antiraciste.

Sur la page de garde du site, l’homme n’hésite pas à fustiger vertement la nouvelle Miss Suisse et sa dauphine. En ligne de mire: leur couleur de peau métisse et leurs origines internationales. «A la première place, nous avons Whitney Toyloy, la Suissesse noire qui a vécu à Singapour, en Espagne et aux Etats-Unis. Bref, typiquement suisse! A la deuxième place, nous avons hérité de Rekha Datta, qui a des origines indiennes. Deux personnes qui n’ont pas de racines suisses. Et celles-ci doivent représenter le pays? Non.»

Whitney ne s’exprime pas

Whitney Toyloy, qui disait vouloir incarner la Suisse multiculturelle, est-elle blessée par ces propos? Peut-être. Mais la Vaudoise ne communiquera pas, prévient le comité de Miss Suisse. «Nous voulons éviter toute polémique, explique Christoph Locher, son directeur. En plus, nous ne souhaitons pas faire de pub à ce groupe politique.» Le père de Whitney ne s’exprimera pas non plus. Joint hier, nous lui avons appris l’existence de ces critiques. D’un ton ferme mais poli, il a préféré éviter tout commentaire.

Nul ne sait si sa fille portera plainte. Le comité de Miss Suisse assure de son côté qu’il n’en fera rien. Il préfère laisser faire la justice. La procédure pénale, ouverte d’office par le Service régional des juges d’instruction de la région Emmental-Oberaargau, devra déterminer si les propos de Dominic Lüthard tombent bel et bien sous le coup de la norme antiraciste, au sens de l’article 261 bis du Code pénal.

Jusqu’à présent, cet article a surtout été invoqué pour poursuivre des négationnistes. Rarement pour des propos tenus envers des personnes précises. Mais pour Charles Poncet, l’aboutissement judiciaire ne fait aucun doute. «Ces propos sont dégueulasses, s’offusque l’avocat genevois. Ils remplissent les trois critères permettant de conclure à une discrimination raciale. Premièrement, ils sont tenus dans un espace public, deuxièmement ils peuvent être considérés comme un appel à la haine raciale, troisièmement, ils portent atteinte à la dignité humaine, parce qu’ils comparent les personnes de couleur à des «abcès».»

Propos pas retirés

Un avis partagé par Tom Frischknecht, spécialiste bernois en droit pénal. Cité hier par la Berner Zeitung, il estime que Dominic Lüthard pourrait être condamné à une peine pécuniaire pouvant aller jusqu’à maximum un million de francs. Une menace qui ne fait pas reculer l’intéressé. «J’ai consulté des avocats avant d’écrire ces lignes et je sais que je ne risque rien, affirme le nationaliste. Je ne retirerai donc pas mes propos de notre site tant qu’il n’y aura pas condamnation.»

Le parti d’extrême droite, surtout actif en Suisse alémanique, n’en est pas à son coup d’essai. Plusieurs de ses adhérents – une centaine au total – ont déjà été condamnés pour des propos racistes. Lors de l’élection de Ricardo Lumengo (PS/BE) au Conseil national en 2007, la formation, qui veut «une homogénéité ethnique et culturelle du peuple», avait fustigé le fait qu’un noir puisse représenter le pays.

http://www.24heures.ch/

In another first, Vietnam to host Miss World 2010



Miss World 2007 Zhang Zi Lin from China at Wednesday’s press conference.
Vietnam has a lot of work to do over the next two years to prepare for its first-ever Miss World pageant, the event organizer told a press briefing in Ho Chi Minh City Wednesday.

The national government and Khanh Hoa Province authorities have granted the Rare Antibody Antigen Supply, Inc. (RAAS) the right to hold the Miss World 2010 competition in Nha Trang, the seaside resort city which hosted the Miss Universe contest in August.

RAAS Chairman Hoang Kieu Wednesday unveiled the master plan for the venue of the 2010 event, the state-of the-art RAAS Island 1,000 Stars Underwater Resort and Spa at Dam Bay (Bay Lagoon) on Hon Tre Island off Nha Trang.

The island will include a complex called Miss World Village with 202 houses, each representing a country, divided into six continents surrounding an S-shaped Vietnam, as well as a luxurious shopping malls and recreational areas.

If everything goes as smoothly as the patriotic businessman desires, the project will help Vietnam become a must-see wonderland for tourists and investors alike.

A series of firsts

For the first time ever, audiences at a Miss World pageant will not have to buy tickets.

“No tickets will be sold to any event organized by RAAS,” Kieu told the press conference at the Sheraton Saigon Hotel. “Tickets will be distributed to sponsors who will use them for promotional activities.”

Sponsors of the pageant will assist RAAS with charity projects, including providing 1,700 houses to disadvantaged people in 45 provinces and building bridges and schools.

RAAS plans to include unprecedented environmentally friendly activities in the upcoming Miss World contest. In one planned event, contestants will set free one million ocean creatures. A 300-hectare “green” beachfront reservation will also be set aside on RAAS Island.

Kieu said Miss World Organization had also authorized RAAS to organize a new pageant, Miss World Vietnam. The first Miss World Vietnam contest will be held in Nha Trang in 2009.

The businessman said he had asked the government to allow Miss World 2010 contestants from some 130 countries to join a parade to celebrate the 1,000th years of Thang Long citadel-Hanoi.

The main activities of the beauty contest, expected to be held over one month beginning in September 2010, will be held in Nha Trang, Hanoi, HCMC and Tien Giang Province.

Reported by Luu Hong

http://www.thanhniennews.com/

16 Outubro 2008

Queen of hearts

Miss Universe 1994, Sushmita Sen looks elegant even sans make-up. In her classy office in a Mumbai suburb, the suave actress talks passionately about her dream project, Rani Laxmibai, with which she takes to production and direction and essays historical character, besides her rendezvous on television

Your hands seem too be quite full with working on your film and on television. What else do you have in your kitty presently ?
I have the last ten days of shooting left with Shah Rukh Khan for Dulha Mil Gaya. Then there is Karma Confessions And Holi which is ready for release in Hindi. Then there is David Dhawan’s fun film Do Knot Disturb with Govinda, Lara Dutta and Ranvir Shorey. My acting career was full of disasters, flops and non-commercial sensibilities and I am very grateful to the film industry for giving me a second chance. But now I have learnt from my mistakes and have decided to move on with a vengeance.

You seem to be enjoying your stint on television right now. Are you planning to do more TV?
I doubt it. For five years I have been offered TV but I didn’t find anything interesting. Also the fact that it generally takes away too much of one’s time was keeping me way from it. When Colors came to me with Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena, they promised me that it would be for a very short period of time. I also thought it was a unique concept of getting actors and cricketers to perform for a show. The money offered was also very good (laughs). I was all for it but not before getting some facts right from the beginning. I had heard a lot about contestants landing up in hospitals on the reality shows and fights happening on the sets. The channel convinced me and asked me to be myself and just do what I wanted to on the show. I am enjoying it because amidst all the other shows, in this the judges are actually rooting for the contestants. It is very encouraging and I am having a blast doing it and so is Wasim Akram. He is actually mesmerised by the beautiful women from TV dancing. I tease him a lot about it.

Of all the performers, which cricketer did you like the best?
Sreesanth is a superb dancer, a choreographer’s delight. Harbhajan Singh has great spirits with no inhibitions on the show. Dinesh Karthik is a ‘sweetheart’ of a man. Irfan Pathan has two left feet but is very cute. Vinod Kambli is a terrific performer and full of life. He likes to give his 110 per cent to his dance. The rest of the team is also very good. Shama Sikander is a gorgeous woman. Watching all of them perform is like watching a film. The women keep encouraging their partners. They are so comfortable in each other’s company that I keep telling them that they will end up having affairs with each other! They have terrific chemistry among themselves.

From Miss Universe and to acting in films, you have now taken a huge plunge. What prompted you to produce a film on a historical subject for your own production house?
After reading a book on Rani Laxmibai, I was intrigued by the queen’s life and I wanted to get to know her more. I also learnt that she was born on November 19 and so we share our birthdays (laughs) I decided to make a film on Rani Laxmibai because I wanted to watch it myself.

Initially, I just wanted to play Laxmibai but as the research progressed and I got to know her better, I realised that to make the film appropriately one would have to have complete control over its production values. So I decided to produce the film myself.

Since it was to be made on a huge canvas and with an enormous budget for global viewing, I decided to take great care right from the pre-production stages so as to avoid problems later. That is when I decided to storyboard the entire film and see it in shots.

As of now, the second half of the storyboarding is on. We have to also obtain permissions from the Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh governments because we are treading on facts about Gwalior and Jhansi of those times besides needing authorisation to shoot with animals so that we have a non-conflict film.

Such a subject requires vast research as well .
Fortunately, India has several institutions for research on period films . We also had to be careful as some states may have issues about certain things. As we went ahead, we realised that only two per cent of Laxmibai’s life was on record; those were the years of mutiny - 1857 and closer. Everything else about her life differs between various historians.

Have you decided on the rest of the cast?
I have not yet worked on it as the people who I want on board are all busy for almost a year. That is another reason we are going slow. I have 26 actors to cast in the film of which five are British. Besides there were some people who do not form the basis of the story yet are important factors in Laxmibai’s life . Hence my film would almost be like the showcase of the film industry with some fabulous actors walking in and enacting their part and leaving.

Moreover I want to approach people, including the distributors and people who are going to be funding the film, with a bound script .

How are you planning to do that?
Presently my production company is working on the other two films that we are planning. One is a comedy while the other is a thriller. Since I am debuting as the producer, I want to take my films to corporates or to the film industry as a three-film deal, Rani Laxmibai being one of them. Since Rani Laxmibai, the film is very close to my heart, people have begun to look at it as the only film I am making. But being only fair to my production company, it will have to take a backseat, so I will start the other two films as they will be completed faster. The tie-ups will happen in conjunction with all the three films that will release one at a time. Rani Laxmibai is a dream. I want to do my best as I can’t make it twice. This is my passion now.

Where are you planning to shoot Rani Laxmibai? And which are the characters that you have incorporated in the film?
I have thought of 16 places in all, including Morocco, Jhansi, Orcha and China. As for the characters, there are some important people who made a difference in Laxmibai’s life. Rajguru, the astrologer, who had predicted that she, a court man’s daughter, would be a queen one day, is an important character as he is the voice of her destiny. Then there are people like Tatya Tope, Bajirao Peshwa, Bajirao Peshwa the second, Gangadhar Rao (her husband) Motibai and her son.

Like you said, a lot of Laxmibai’s life is not chronicled. So on which span of her life would you be concentrating ?
The film is not being called Jhansi Ki Rani, which is how she is popularly known as. My film is titled Rani Laxmibai.I am not making a film on Laxmibai, the queen, or referring to her state or talking about her as the administrator. My film tells the story of the woman that she was besides being the above things. The film will showcase her life from birth to death, the entire span of which is just 29 years. It will also show that whatever happened in the 19th century has so much relevance today.

Will you be undergoing some special training for the role?
Twelve people will have to undergo horse training since they are going to be on horseback most of the time in the film. As for me, the training is going to be a little more severe as I have to learn to ride the horse bare-back. It is well-known that Laxmibai used to hold the reins of the horse with her teeth and ride . There are other trainings like the use of nanchakus, swords and the different kind of martial arts from the states of MP and UP that will have to be incorporated as well.

You are making a very big project. Is there any kind of apprehension when you think of it?
Every time, my entire team and I experience any kind of fear, whether it is the budget, my wish-list of stars or anything for that matter, we look at each other and say ‘We are making a film on a fearless woman, the last thing we are going to do is experience fear ourselves thinking of it’. That is what we have all learnt because we know it is not an easy task that we have undertaken. I am very glad that my entire team has been enthusiastic about the project because one cannot make a film of this scale alone. You need to be fascinated by that period.

You said you read a book on the queen’s life. Which was it?
It is called The Rani and is written by Jayshree Mishra. When it was released some time back, it created huge controversy because the writer has cited the love story of the queen with an English officer. My film will not have that element but since the book contains a lot of good research material that suited our film, we have bought the rights of the book

Have you decided on the release date for the film?
I plan to release Rani Laxmibai on November 19, 2010 to coincide with my birthday. Fortunately it is a Friday.


http://www.screenindia.com

15 Outubro 2008

Miss Universe 2008 Dayana Mendoza


NEW YORK - OCTOBER 14: Miss Universe 2008 Dayana Mendoza attends the Fiesta 2008 hosted by Casita Maria at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel on October 14, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Will Ragozzino/Getty Images)

Miss Earth SA eyes title



Matapa thrilled over her first overseas trip

Miss Earth South Africa, Matapa Maila was over the moon yesterday as she prepared to fly to the Phillipines for a month for the Miss Earth pageant.

“I am so happy, it is unbelievable that I will be overseas for the first time in my life.”

The 23-year-old University of South Africa part-time student from GaMothapo in Limpopo was bidding farewell to the media at Johannesburg Zoo yesterday.

“This is a great honour and privilege that not everyone gets, and I am thankful that I got this opportunity,” a jubilant Maila said.

Coming from a humble background and raised by a single parent, her mother, Maila said she was happy to represent the country.

The pageant has been taking place in the country for the past five years, while it has been running globally for the past eight years. Sponsored by Consol, the pageant was created to highlight the role of young women in the present global crisis and the destruction of the environment.

Since she won the title in June, beating 16 other hopefuls, she has been going around the country spreading the message of environmental awareness.

She has been conducting workshops, planting trees and was involved in the rehabilitation of penguins with the SA Sustainable Seafood Initiative.

Her best moment was when she joined former president Nelson Mandela to plant trees in Soweto during Arbour Week last month.

“It was fun teaching pupils how to care for the environment and meeting people who care about our earth,” she said.

http://www.sowetan.co.za/

Miss Earth France

CONCOURS DE BEAUTÉ. La Bazeillaise, Charlotte Lagaüzère, a été élue miss Earth France 2008. Elle sera l'ambassadrice française en Indonésie, le 9 novembre, face à une centaine de concurrentes>

International. Charlotte Lagaüzère ambassadrice de la beauté Française au Concours de Miss Earth 2008 à Manille le 9 novembre prochain photo michel capelle
Charlotte Lagaüzère ambassadrice de la beauté Française au Concours de Miss Earth 2008 à Manille le 9 novembre prochain photo michel capelle

Il y a quelques mois, si une bonne fée avait prédit à Charlotte Lagaüzère qu'elle se présenterait à un concours mondial d'élégance et de beauté, qui plus est à Manille, elle aurait à coup sûr éclaté du rire cristallin qui fait une partie de son charme.

Une annonce Internet et un voyage à Paris avec son ami Yannick qui la décide à relever ce challenge, et la voilà inscrite au concours de Miss Earth France. Dès lors, tout s'enchaîne. Au milieu de 120 candidates inscrites dans trois catégories, elle suit une préparation rapide, basée sur le parcours à effectuer devant le jury. C'est déjà l'heure de l'épreuve officielle au Qin Palace Élysée. Sous les projecteurs, Charlotte, jeune fille réservée, garde la tête froide et ne s'étonne de rien, même si autour d'elle, certaines concurrentes sont issues du milieu de la mode.

Le stress n'atteint pas Charlotte. La tension ne viendra qu'au moment du résultat final. Car son numéro, le 34, n'était pas cité. Logique. Celui de la petite bazeillaise, parfaite inconnue, ne devait être cité qu'en dernier puisqu'en fait, c'est le n° 1. Charlotte avec sa robe noire, achetée cinq ans plus tôt pour un réveillon, et un simple maillot de bain se voit remettre la fameuse écharpe et la Couronne de Miss Earth 2008. Énorme ! Elle qui croyait ce concours arrangé...

Un corps d'athlète.

Pour ceux qui connaissent Charlotte, cette victoire n'est pas usurpée. La nature l'a gratifiée d'une beauté naturelle (1.81 m pour 57 kg, une silhouette sculptée par la pratique de l'athlétisme).

Charlotte Lagaüzère aurait pu orienter sa carrière vers d'autres horizons, mais elle a décidé, très jeune, que son cursus scolaire et professionnel serait lié au sport. Dès 15 ans, elle quitte le giron familial pour intégrer le Lycée Victor-Louis de Talence, en section sport études d'athlétisme où elle deviendra championne de France scolaire par équipes en relais 4x100 m en 2003. Durant ces années de lycée, Philippe Leroux a su développer en elle des qualités de gagneuse et de gestion du stress.

Après son bac scientifique, elle s'est installée à Biarritz, où elle fait ses études. Mais sa deuxième année de master en management et gestion des entreprises sportives risque d'être un peu perturbé, mais dit-elle « avec Internet, je rattraperai rapidement les cours auxquels je n'aurais pas assisté ».

Charlotte trouve ses ressources morales de son atavisme. N'est-elle pas la petite fille de Fernand Lagaüzère, maire honoraire aujourd'hui de Sainte-Bazeille, à l'origine de tant de bouleversements dans sa commune. Son père, Gilles, lui aussi s'implique dans la vie communale comme adjoint au maire et dans la vie communautaire. Sa force, elle la puise dans ce terroir bazeillais où elle aime retrouver le cocon familial.

Un projet avec les enfants.

Miss Earth, c'est Miss Terre en anglais. Et la démarche est loin d'être anodine. Avant l'ultime épreuve, Charlotte Lagaüzère devra développer un projet qu'elle présentera à Manille au cours des colloques et manifestations organisés sur le thème de l'écologie et de la protection de la planète.

La nature, c'est l'une des passions de Charlotte. Son projet est simple : « C'est tout petit qu'il faut avoir les bons réflexes. Alors, je voudrais créer un programme qui serait développé au sein des écoles pour orienter une démarche intellectuelle visant à reproduire les gestes écologiques simples, l'écologie au quotidien.

Les pistes sont nombreuses pour protéger la planète, il suffit de les intégrer dans la vie de tous les jours par des actions auxquelles les jeunes seront intéressés et associés dans le cadre de leur temps d'étude ou dans le cadre d'animations extra-scolaires ». Elle a également développé un site internet : www.charlotte.model. free.com

Une battante.

Un mois à Manille, c'est la première récompense pour notre ambassadrice où elle retrouvera une centaine de concurrentes qui se prépareront pour la grande soirée. Mais après trois semaines, seule, elle aura le plaisir de retrouver son ami Yannick et sa mère à l'heure de la grande soirée internationale. Seule l'organisation du concours l'intrigue : « Je vais cette fois mettre tous les atouts de mon côté. Même si ce monde de sunlights et de paillettes ne me correspond pas vraiment, je suis une battante et j'essaierai tout en gardant ma dignité et mon honnêteté d'être proclamée Miss Earth 2008. »

Après ce rêve merveilleux, même si le carrosse redevient citrouille, Charlotte retrouvera son attitude de jeune fille studieuse. Ce concours laissera une trace indélébile et, à 23 ans, elle reconnaît ne rien vouloir changer à son avenir professionnel, sauf si... des propositions se faisaient jour.

Auteur : Michel Capelle
http://www.sudouest.com/

Miss Vietnam International

Vietnam Culture et sports Informations


Cao Thùy Duong au concours Miss Internationale - 15/10/2008
La Miss Cao Thùy Duong (lauréate du concours sport) vient d'être choisie pour représenter le Vietnam au concours de beauté Miss Internationale 2008 qui aura lieu du 19 octobre au 8 novembre au Japon et à Macao (en Chine) en compagnie de 67 autres reines de beauté.

Le concours Miss Internationale a vu le jour en 1960 à Long Beach, en Californie (aux États-Unis). Il fait partie des 5 concours de beauté mondiaux prestigieux. Sa gagnante est un symbole des femmes participant au maintien de la paix ou à des activités sociales. La gagnante devient également une ambassadrice de la paix et de la beauté durant son règne. Depuis 2002, le Vietnam y participe.

Selon Thuy Hang, directrice de la compagnie Elite Vietnam pour le Nord, le comité d'organisation a envoyé une liste des mots usuels en 3 langues (anglais, chinois et japonais) aux candidates pour favoriser la communication entre elles tout au long du concours.

Cao Thùy Duong, un mannequin de 21 ans chez Elite, présente des mensurations idéales (89-61-89). Sa compagnie garde les droits d'auteur sur l'envoi d'une de ses filles aux concours internationaux.

La belle Vietnamienne a déjà remporté le prix Miss Talentueuse et figure dans le top 10 de Miss Sportive de 2007. En plus, elle a obtenu le prix Super-mannequin Elite du concours Top model Casting de 2007. Diplômée de l'École d'éducation physique et du sport de Yên Bai, elle a même décroché une médaille d'argent au Championnat national junior de vovinam.

Pour son séjour, Cao Thùy Duong prévoit quelques démonstrations de vovinam, art martial traditionnel du Vietnam. Mais son temps sera surtout consacré aux techniques de maquillage, de marche et de représentation sur scène et aussi à la préparation minutieuse des vêtements. Trois stylistes - Hoàng Hai, Kelly Bùi et David Minh Duc - sont à ses côtés pour l'assister.

Thu Trang/CVN
(15/10/2008)
http://lecourrier.vnagency.com.vn

Local model eyes Miss Int’l crown
11:56' 15/10/2008 (GMT+7)

VietNamNet Bridge – Twenty-one-year-old model Cao Thuy Duong will represent Viet Nam at this year's Miss International contest.

Cao Thuy Duong wins Miss Talent of the Miss Viet Nam Sport in 2007. (Photo: SGGP)

The beauty pageant, which gathers 67 beauties from different countries and territories, will take place in Japan, Hong Kong and Macao from October 19 to November 8.

Duong won the Miss Talent due and was among the top 10 finalists of the Miss Sport 2007 in Viet Nam. She said she is preparing for this contest by improving her English skills and knowledge of culture and history.

She is also practising other important skills, including performing, communicating, and doing her make-up.

"I also have practised some martial arts to perform in the exchange programme during the pageant," said the beauty, who graduated from the Yen Bai Sports College.

During the beauty contest, Duong will present evening dresses by designer Hoang Hai, while her ao dai (traditional dress) will be made by designer David Minh Duc.

Duong, who works as a model with the international modelling agency Elite, will leave Viet Nam on Saturday to join the other contestants in Japan. Duong competed in the same pageant last year and won the Miss International Image title, thanks to on-line votes from the audience.

The Miss International contest was first held in 1961 in Long Beach, California and now is one of the five most prestigious beauty contests in the world.

(Source: Viet Nam News)

http://english.vietnamnet.vn/

Miss World 2007 returns to launch global pageant in Vietnam


Miss World 2007 Zhang Zi Lin and RAAS CEO Hoang Kieu at Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat Airport Tuesday.

Miss World 2007 Zhang Zi Lin arrived in Ho Chi Minh City Tuesday to attend a Miss World 2010 press conference today.

Accompanied by Miss World Organization Event Director Stephen Morley and Miss Asia USA 2006 Jennifer Pham, Zhang will appear at the 4:30 p.m. conference at the Sheraton Saigon Hotel.

Organizers will outline the organizational plan for the beauty contest, which will be held in the central beach town of Nha Trang.

Many activities associated with the Miss World event are expected to be held in other cities and provinces throughout Vietnam.

A new resort, named 1000 sao duoi nuoc (One thousand stars under the water) will be built in Nha Trang for the pageant, organizers said.

Vietnam secured the right to hold the contest after signing an agreement in July between the RAAS Group and the Miss World Organization.

Zhang came to Vietnam in June with Miss World Organization Chairwoman Julia Morley and RAAS CEO Hoang Kieu for some charity events and to study Vietnam’s ability to host the pageant.

She will leave Vietnam tomorrow.

Reported by Tri Nam

http://www.thanhniennews.com/

Vietnam Culture et sports Informations


Les détails de Miss World 2010 seront donnés aujourd'hui à Hô Chi Minh-Ville - 15/10/2008
La Miss World en titre, la Chinoise Zhang Zilin ; Stephen Morley, directeur chargé de l'organisation des activités de l'organisation Miss World ; Hoàng Kiêu, directeur général du groupe RAAS, partenaire dans l'organisation de l'édition 2010 ; et Jennifer Pham, Miss Asie des États-Unis, sont arrivés hier à Hô Chi Minh-Ville.

C'est la troisième fois que la Miss Zhang Zilin débarque au Vietnam. Très occupée, elle ne pourra que participer, aujourd'hui à Hô Chi Minh-Ville, à une cérémonie où le comité organisateur de Miss World 2010 recevra l'autorisation, avant de s'envoler. Le comité d'organisation, la Miss Zhang Zilin et des responsables de la province de Khanh Hoà (Centre) y donneront des éclaircissements sur l'organisation de l'édition 2010 qui aura lieu dans la ville vietnamienne de Nha Trang.

L'entrée "sera gratuite" pour tous ceux qui veulent venir, a déclaré à la presse un représentant du comité d'organisation. Miss World "étant pour tous, pourquoi les spectateurs doivent-ils payer ?", a expliqué pour sa part le patron du groupe RASS. En dehors des 10 millions de dollars qu'il verse pour devenir l'organisateur de Miss World 2010, cette société couvrira tous les besoins financiers de ce concours.

Le Comité populaire de Khanh Hoà vient de créer 5 sous-commissions spécialisées dans la logistique, la communication, l'accueil, etc. À la demande de Hoàng Kiêu, la construction d'une zone d'écotourisme, baptisée "Resort et Spa 1.000 étoiles sous-marins", est prévue à Dâm Bây, sur l'île de Hon Tre, près du site touristique Vinpearl. Cet établissement 5 étoiles sera implanté sur 569 ha, dont 395 sur terre et 174 au ras de la mer. Le complexe comprendra 195 villas reproduisant les caractères culturels et architecturaux de chaque pays participant. Sont planifiés un grand hôtel sous-marin, 12 plages, 20 restaurants flottants et une scène de 8.000 places.

En juillet dernier, l'organisation Miss World a rendu publique à Hô Chi Minh-Ville sa décision de sélection du Vietnam pour l'édition 2010 de Miss World.
Le patron de RASS, Hoàng Kiêu, s'engage à réserver les intérêts dégagés de l'organisation du concours Miss World 2010 aux opérations humanitaires au Vietnam.

Câm Sa/CVN
(15/10/2008)
http://lecourrier.vnagency.com.vn/

Beauty and lost innocence

Miss Vietnam 2008 Nguyen Thuy
By Kim N.B. Ninh
Published: October 14, 2008


Vietnam may be experiencing the highest inflation rate in the last two decades, a whopping 28 percent year-on-year in August, but of late the country is consumed with a different crisis.

The latest beauty to be crowned Miss Vietnam on Aug. 31, 18-year-old Tran Thi Thuy Dung, was discovered to not have finished secondary school, contrary to the government's beauty contest regulations.

On the surface, the ingredients of this still unfolding scandal are rather mundane. It turns out that the rules established by the Miss Vietnam organizing committee were different from those of the Ministry of Culture, asking for contestants to have achieved "the level of high school and higher" rather than the government's requirement of a high school graduation exam.

Under furious media questioning, the organizing committee stuck by its guns, stating that although its regulations did not meet legal standards, the new Miss Vietnam did nothing wrong. Under more media investigation, there are now questions about whether Miss Vietnam's school records might have been doctored to show that she has completed 12th grade even though she left in the middle of the school year.

The extent of media and public uproar over this are astounding. In part, this is because beauty contests are no mere beauty contests in Vietnam. The first Miss Vietnam beauty contest in socialist Vietnam was organized by the Tien Phong newspaper in 1988, 20 years ago this year.
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I was in Vietnam in 1988 and remember well the excitement that first contest generated. The celebration of beauty was in itself a radical act in a system based on the ideology of labor and the common man. Being the same as everyone else was regarded as both a virtue and a necessity.

But by choosing one over all the others, that first beauty contest was a potent reminder in a closed environment that excellence is defined by being the best, and identified through competition.

Vietnam has changed dramatically since then. The story of this country's emergence in the past decade as one of the most dynamic economies in the world, with a tremendous poverty-alleviation record, is a remarkable one.

It is an achievement driven by the conviction of many Vietnamese that too much time has been lost to wars, ideological conflicts and fate, hampering the country's development and modernization.

The sense of urgency is palpable, and Vietnam's persistent efforts to accede to the World Trade Organization, achieve Permanent Normal Trade Relations status with the United States and host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting, all at the end of 2006, were truly a culmination of a national desire for the country to take its place in the world.

Development is often equated with modernization in Vietnam. The modernizing impulse is itself a historical legacy in a country marked by colonization; being branded as uncivilized allowed another the right to inflict violence. Modernization, therefore, permeates many government campaigns and policies, intellectual discourse and trends, and public views and interests even if they are conflicting.

To be modern is to be able to take part in the global community and be recognized as outstanding - or at least as capable. In this context, over the past 20 years beauty contests have become a channel where that modernizing impulse intersects with a growing public appetite for entertainment. The explosion of beauty contests in Vietnam in recent years is a clear indication.

The trend was capped this year when Vietnam hosted the Miss Universe 2008 contest in July. The experience with accomplished global beauties, their rigorous training and a well-known professional international beauty contest led to many discussions about the shortcomings of Vietnam's own fledging beauty contest industry.

Certainly national pride plays a role; the new Miss Vietnam is supposed to take part in the Miss World contest later this year. But the many beauty contests are beginning to lose their appeal, and this latest scandal only adds to a growing public concern about fast-changing values in a market economy.

The innocence of that first beauty contest (among the prizes was a bicycle for the beauty queen which was later stolen) is being replaced by cynicism.

As the Vietnamese writer Ky Duyen commented on the Web newspaper Vietnam Net (http://vietnamnet.vn), the beauty contest scandal is one of a number of recent cultural scandals in Vietnam in which fraud and deception are prominent. So many things could be bought for personal gains.

For Ky Duyen, the sad truth is that "culture and education, which both drive social development and determine the unique character of a nation and of a society, are perhaps not capable of their responsibilities."

Vietnam is in a sober mood, no doubt affected by the global downturn and its own inflation woes. A beauty contest scandal has actually triggered more critical reflections about where the country is heading.

Vietnamese do not doubt the tremendous positive impacts of the economic reform process on their lives, but it is also a sign of maturity for many to be asking how best to address the social and cultural lags in the breakneck shift to market economy that affect the society as a whole. In this regard, modernization has costs and is not so easily defined.

Kim N.B. Ninh is the Hanoi-based country representative of Vietnam for The Asia Foundation.

http://www.iht.com/

14 Outubro 2008

Miss Brasil 2008 faz ensaio para revista masculina


A modelo gaúcha exibiu o que a fez conquistar o título
Publicado em: 14/10/2008 09:35 Terra
Foto: Divulgação
Miss Brasil 2008 faz ensaio para revista masculina

Natália Anderle é a protagonista da sessão Minha Primeira Vez da revista Maxim deste mês.

Em um ensaio fotográfico para a publicação, a modelo gaúcha exibiu as qualidades físicas que a fizeram conquistar a posição de Miss Brasil 2008.

Em uma imagem, Natália dá ainda mais destaque aos seus seios, pois puxa a blusinha regata que veste para baixo.



http://www.tribunadonorte.com/

Miss Puerto Rico Universe 2009

Aseguran su puesto “por la corona”
lunes, 13 de octubre de 2008



En primera fila, las semifinalistas que aseguraron su pase a la noche final del certamen Miss Puerto Rico Universe que tendrá lugar el 22 de octubre. (Para Primera Hora / Israel González)

El reality show “Por la corona” (Wapa) culminó el sábado con la selección de cinco candidatas que adquirieron un pase automático al cuadro semifinal del certamen Miss Puerto Rico Universe 2009, que ocurrirá el próximo 22 de octubre en el Coliseo de Puerto Rico, en Hato Rey.

Una emisión de dos horas, animada por la ex reina de belleza Joyceline Montero y transmitida en directo a las 8:00 de la noche desde el estudio Luis Vigoreaux de la estación televisiva ubicada en Guaynabo, culminó con el triunfo de Alexandra González (Salinas), Glorimar Serrano (Caguas), Krizia Lugo (Naguabo), Chantee Díaz (San Lorenzo) y Gloria Almonte (Carolina). Las delegadas fueron seleccionadas por el público televidente mediante votación a través de mensajes de texto.

Por ya formar parte del conjunto de semifinalistas para la noche del concurso, las seleccionadas no tendrán que someterse a la competencia preliminar.

El quinteto salió airoso de un conjunto de 12 que completaban Mónica Pastrana (Arecibo), Darling Cruz (Las Marías), Angélica Colón (Juana Díaz), Edlyn Pérez (Coamo), Stephanie Figueroa (Bayamón), Dariana Santiago (Lares) y Jean Maldonado (Hatillo).

Durante el programa, que contó con tres intervenciones musicales de la banda de rock nacional black:guayaba, la conductora entrevistó, además, a los fotógrafos Dino Velvet y Francisco Parra; la estilista Jessica Palm; la actual Miss Puerto Rico Universe, Ingrid Marie Rivera; la tenedora de la franquicia del certamen nacional, Magali Febles; el coreógrafo Danny del Río y la actriz Sara Pastor, quien impartió talleres de proyección a las concursantes.

En un momento jocoso, el jurado integrado por la actriz Sully Díaz y los periodistas Omar Matos y Leo Fernández, intercambió roles con las muchachas y se sometió a preguntas formuladas por ellas.

Mientras las candidatas Shamari Vázquez (Juncos), Kimberly Guzmán (Mayagüez), Cindia Maldonado (Villalba) y Zujeily Rivera (Humacao), quienes fallaron en diversos temas, al ser cuestionadas por los jueces durante el transcurso del programa, fueron entrevistadas y aclararon haber hecho “la tarea” de informarse acerca de la persona de la Madre Teresa de Calcuta, los lugares turísticos de la Sultana del Oeste, los exponentes de la música campesina y el calentamiento global, respectivamente.

Carolina ha sido objeto del prejuicio

En un aparte con PRIMERA HORA, Gloria Almonte (Carolina), nacida y criada en el Bronx (Nueva York), lamentó el hecho de que no la consideren como puertorriqueña por no haber sido parida en la Isla.

“Mi pueblo no me está apoyando mucho porque dicen que porque no nací aquí no soy una verdadera puertorriqueña. Pero en el Bronx, dondequiera que voy, me dicen puertorriqueña”, narró la semifinalista.

La joven de 25 años, quien tiene una amplia experiencia en certámenes de belleza, ganó en el 2007 el certamen Miss New York USA. “Lo que me da risa es que cuando gané me llamaron de Puerto Rico y se querían dar por el pecho diciendo que la primera puertorriqueña ganó, que fue cierto... Y ahora que llego a Puerto Rico, me dicen americana, que no hablo español. Si no hablo español no puedo estar aquí compitiendo, que lo hablo con un acento es algo diferente”, explicó con buen dominio del idioma castellano.

En ese contexto, se comparó con las figuras de Jennifer López y Marc Anthony, quienes ahora que son famosos, son identificados por los medios y el público como boricuas, aunque no nacieron en Puerto Rico.

Es por esto que ha sentido el prejuicio en carne propia. “En Nueva York no soy americana y aquí no soy puertorriqueña. Pero yo me considero una puertorriqueña nacida y criada en el Bronx”, acotó.

Naguabo casi se desmaya y San Lorenzo tuvo sus dudas

Krizia Lugo (Naguabo), por su parte, se confesó “contenta” consigo misma y su equipo de trabajo. Además, relató que por poco no pudo participar de la noche final de “Por la corona”.

“Me bajó el azúcar, me dieron mareos y náuseas, y me sentía sin aire, pero resolvimos rapidito y pudimos salir al aire”, detalló.

Entretanto, Chantee Díaz (San Lorenzo), consideró que “aunque he sentido el apoyo de personas que conozco y que no conozco, tenía mis dudas (de salir airosa), porque las 12 podían dar la talla”.

Alexandra González (Salinas), quien tuvo que enfrentar su miedo a hablar en público durante la emisión del reality show, se confesó “bien contenta porque no me lo esperaba, ya que yo tuve dificultades... Pero estoy bien contenta porque lo veo como una ventaja pero a la misma vez sé que tengo que dar lo mejor de mí”.

Glorimar Serrano (Caguas), a su vez, dijo a este diario estar “sumamente satisfecha de estar más cerca de esa corona que tanto yo anhelo y poder representar a mi ciudad de Caguas y a Puerto Rico. Pero ahora me siento más tensa porque me tengo que preparar más y hacer un papel excelente y prepararme para mi proyección en la noche final”.

Quiénes son

Estas cinco chicas están cerca de hacer su sueño realidad de convertirse en la nueva soberana que represente a Puerto Rico en el certamen internacional de Miss Universe. Pero cualquier cosa puede suceder pues otras 73 participantes siguen en carrera por la corona.

Miss Carolina - Gloria Almonte Colón

Edad: 25 años

Estatura: 5’9

Medidas: 34/26/34

Comida favorita: Todos los fast foods

Miedo: A morir sin llegar a (cumplir) mis metas

Educación: Bachillerato en Comunicaciones y Actuación de la Universidad Five Towns de Nueva York

Miss Naguabo - Krizia Lugo Astacio

Edad: 20 años

Estatura: 5’9

Medidas: 36/25/36

Comida favorita: Chuleta frita y arroz con salchichas

Miedo: A las cucarachas

Educación: Estudiante de tercer año de Química Industrial de la UPR de Humacao

Miss Salinas- Alexandra González

Edad: 19 años

Estatura: 5’8

Medidas: 36/26/36

Comida favorita: Pasta en salsa rosada

Miedo: A las alturas

Educación: Bachillerato en Mercadeo de Modas de la Universidad de Miami

Miss Caguas- Glorimar Serrano

Edad: 18 años

Estatura: 5’7

Medidas: 33/23/37

Comida favorita: Internacional

Miedo: Al fuego, a las cucarachas y a las arañas

Educación: Cosmetología

San Lorenzo- Chantee N. Díaz

Edad: 20 años

Estatura: 5’9

Medidas: 33/24/35

Comida: Sushi y pastas

Miedo: A los lagartijos

Educación: Tercer año de Educación Especial de la UPR de Río Piedras

http://www.primerahora.com/

Abandona política concurso Miss Chinese International por críticas

Yuan Jing has been accused of conduct unbecoming a lawmaker after entering a Chinese beauty pageant.


Yuan Jing, de 22 años y legisladora de la Asamblea Popular de Jiangsu, anunció su participación la semana pasada; en votaciones preliminares se colocó como segunda favorita


EFE
El Universal
Pekín, China Lunes 13 de octubre de 2008
08:01 Una joven política comunista china decidió retirarse del concurso Miss Chinese International después de que muchos ciudadanos criticaran su participación, informó hoy la agencia oficial Xinhua.

Yuan Jing, de 22 años y legisladora de la Asamblea Popular de su provincia, Jiangsu (este), anunció su participación la semana pasada, y en las votaciones preliminares se colocó como segunda favorita a ser la china más bella del año.

Sin embargo, poco después, la joven anunciaba su decisión de retirarse del concurso, alegando estar "muy ocupada", aunque el anuncio coincidió con una ola de críticas a su participación, especialmente en foros de internet.

"Se supone que ha de ayudar a que la gente mejore sus vidas, no luchar por una corona de miss", señalaba uno de los internautas en Sina.com, el portal más popular de China.

El concurso se celebra en Hong Kong, será emitido por la televisión TVB y pueden participar chicas de China o aquellas extranjeras cuyos antepasados sean de origen chino.

Yuan, también miembro del Comité Central de la Liga de las Juventudes Comunistas, fue criticada por dar a conocer su posición política en la ficha de participación en el concurso, pero ella alegó que simplemente quería darse a conocer entre los votantes.

"Además, las participantes intentarán ganar votos por todos los medios, ¿por qué no puedo hacerlo yo también", añadió en su blog personal.

http://www.eluniversal.com.mx

13 Outubro 2008

Andreia Rodrigues apresenta Portugal em Miss Mundo 2008




A modelo e apresentadora Andreia Rodrigues vai representar Portugal representante portuguesa no concurso Miss Mundo 2008 que se realiza na África do Sul em meados de Dezembro, informa o jornal 24 horas.

«Neste momento não posso adiantar muita coisa porque, apesar de a minha presença estar confirmada, ainda estamos em vias de assinar o contrato, e a organização do Miss Mundo proibiu-me de falar sobre todo o processo», disse.

A manequim e apresentadora foi escolhida para desfilar na final do concurso de beleza sem que tenha havido o habitual concurso de apuramento de finallistas em Portugal. «É mais um desafio para mim e uma honra. Espero que Portugal esteja bem representado», disse ao jornal.

http://port.pravda.ru

12 Outubro 2008

Miss Tibet 2008 Crowned


Phayul[Sunday, October 12, 2008 23:21]
By Phurbu Thinley

Miss Tibet 2008 winner Sonam Choedon (Photo: Tenzin Dasel/Phayul)
Miss Tibet 2008 winner Sonam Choedon (Photo: Tenzin Dasel/Phayul)
Dharamsala, October 12: 18-year old Sonam Choedon from Lithang, in eastern Tibet, was crowned Miss Tibet 2008.

Sonam won the title after going through four rounds of competitions, which included Evening Gown, Talent, Traditional Costume, and Interview, at the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA) here this evening.

A panel of two judges, Dr Rashmi Ramoul, a lecturer at the Government College for Teachers' Education, and Natasha Mendes, a belly-dance teacher from Brasil, elected the winner.

Sonam was crowned Miss Tibet by Tenzin Dolma, Miss Tibet 2007.

This new beauty queen, who speaks fluent Tibetan and Chinese, came into exile in India in December 2007 to seek “better opportunities to study”. She likes dancing, reading and studying languages and hopes to become a dance teacher someday.

Sonam edged out the only other contestant Jamyang Chentso, the 22-year old from Bir, Himachal Pradesh in India.

Miss Tibet contestants, Sonam Choedon (left) and Jamyang Chentso walking on the ramp in evening gown (Photo: Tenzin Dasel/Phayul)
Miss Tibet contestants, Sonam Choedon (left) and Jamyang Chentso walking on the ramp in evening gown (Photo: Tenzin Dasel/Phayul)
Chentso works as a receptionist in a country club in New Delhi and likes playing basketball, swimming and dancing. She believes “Miss Tibet symbolizes Tibet as a nation”.

The new Miss Tibet was presented 100,000 rupees and the runner-up with 50,000 rupees.

The organizer Lobsang Wangyal thinks Tibetan women are still shying away from taking part in the pageant and insisted that they needed more courage and confidence to come forward.

http://www.phayul.com/

Miss Venezuela International

Entrevista // Dayana colmenares, Miss Venezuela Internacional
"Mis armas están escondidas"

"Los mejores consejos que me llevo para el Miss Internacional, me los dio Dayana Mendoza. Ella me dijo que disfrutara el concurso"

Dayana Colmenares representará a Venezuela en el Miss Internacional en China el 7 de noviembre (Nicola Rocco)

Dayana Colmenares está haciendo maletas. La bella morena clara de 1.75 m de estatura partirá este miércoles a Macau, China, donde el 7 de noviembre se enfrentará a más de 80 mujeres por la corona de Miss Internacional. La joven maracayera asegura que mantiene sus armas escondidas y que las desenfundará solamente cuando sea necesario.

-¿Qué fue lo más difícil de su preparación?

-Aprender a arreglarme el cabello porque es totalmente liso y ahora lo voy a usar ondulado. Pero se me hacen fáciles las clases de maquillaje y oratoria. Antes odiaba el gimnasio. Pero ahora lo amo. Mi entrenador (Richard Linares) me decía: "Dame 20 días. Cuando veas la diferencia, tú decides si vienes o no". Ahora, quiero ir todos los días.

-¿Cuál es el mejor consejo que le han dado?

-Los mejores consejos que me llevo para el Miss Internacional me los dio Dayana Mendoza. Ella me dijo: "Dayana, disfruta el concurso. Recuerda es la primera y la única vez en tu vida que vas a ser Miss Venezuela en el Miss Internacional. Podrás ir mil veces al concurso, pero solamente a verlo. Podrás ir a China, pero nunca más podrás ir como Miss Venezuela a Miss Internacional".

-¿Cuántas maletas llevará?
-Cinco o seis. Todavía no están hechas.

-¿Cómo será su vestido en la noche final?

-Todavía no lo sé. Llevaré varios trajes de Gianni Straccia, Justo Gómez y José María Almeida. Me han tomado las medidas pero no sé cómo son los vestidos. El traje típico que voy a usar es el rojo de Amazonas que llevó Dayana en el Miss Universo. Me quedó perfecto.

-¿Cuál será su mejor arma para resaltar entre todas las concursantes?

-Mis armas están escondidas. Mis armas son como mis vestidos, mis accesorios y mis peinados... Solamente las voy a sacar en el momento que sea necesario.

-¿Cuando Dayana Mendoza ganó el Miss Universo pensó que eso le afectaría negativamente en su concurso?

-No. Yo me emocioné cuando ella ganó. Yo pienso que como todo el mundo sabe que Venezuela es Miss Universo, cuando yo llegue a China todo el mundo va a saber quién es Miss Venezuela y quizás eso me favorezca.

-¿Con quién viajará a China?

-Me voy sola. Pero existe la posibilidad de que mi novio y mi papá vayan a la final del concurso, pero todavía no es seguro.

-¿Cómo ha tomado su novio su participación en un concurso de belleza?

-Él está contento. Tenemos más de seis años juntos. Es ingeniero mecánico y no tiene nada que ver con el medio artístico. Siempre me apoya muchísimo. Yo soy de Maracay y un día que estaba triste, vino a Caracas y de sorpresa me trajo mis dos perritas.

-Ya incursionó en la animación en programa de Sun Channel ¿seguirá esa carrera? Azul profundo

-A mí me encantó estar en ese programa. Quizás siga con la conducción de un programa. Tengo un par de propuestas, aquí en Venezuela. Pero todo va a depender de lo que pase en el Miss Internacional.

Soniberth Jiménez
EL UNIVERSAL

http://www.eluniversal.com/

TV contest tries to change the face of beauty


In a new TV search, Gok Wan wants to judge women on confidence, intellect and natural looks. Amelia Hill reports on the contest between artificial and unvarnished attraction

When the first Miss World contest was held in 1951, female beauty was a conservative concept. To even dream of entering, the competition rules stated, women must be aged 17 to 25, 5ft 7in tall, weighing eight or nine stone, with a waist from 22 to 24 inches and hips of 35 to 36 inches.

A 'lovely face', 'good teeth', 'plenty of hair' and 'perfectly shaped legs from front and back' were basic necessities. Intelligence and character were, initially at least, deemed irrelevant, but entrants had to pass a more 'careful inspection for such defects as slightly knocked knees'.

Next week, television viewers will witness the start of a nationwide search that aims to redefine the meaning of beauty. In what is more of a make-under than a make-over, women will be judged on their confidence, sex appeal, spirit and brains, and only additionally on their appearances. More than 7,000 women, of varying shapes and sizes, have applied to win the title of Channel 4's Miss Naked Beauty; only one can win.

The contest demands that entrants shed every last vestige of aesthetic artifice - from make-up and punishing 'corrective' clothing to hair dye, piercings and nail polish, and learn to love their unvarnished, unadorned selves.

Contestants will then to have to prove their intellectual credentials and dedication to the 'natural beauty' cause by devising a campaign to help women of all shapes and sizes redefine their idea of beauty. The winning campaign - which must be explained to a panel comprising The Observer's Kathryn Flett, founding editor of men's mag Loaded, James Brown, and fashionista Mica Paris - will be put into action over the next year and written about by the winner in a regular magazine column.

Fashion stylist Gok Wan, who is co-presenting the programme with musician and actress Myleene Klass, says this modern-day beauty contest is desperately needed. For some contestants, he said, the challenge of leaving their house without first subjecting themselves to a punishing grooming schedule was too much. Others, however, leapt at the chance to peel back the heavy layers of make-up they had worn for many years.

Although more than 50 years of feminism have passed since the first Miss World, Wan says women still suffer from 'beauty fascism' controlled by an industry that holds up 'mad, fake, unachieveable ideals' that make women so miserable they resort to increasingly desperate measures to conform.

'I'm flabbergasted by the increasingly restricted, stereotyped and narrow image of what beauty has become for women,' he said. 'Even magazines that purport to show a "natural beauty" achieve it by airbrushing out that woman's unique features then airbrushing her back in again.

'When I was doing How To Look Good Naked, I was shocked by the lengths to which women went to attain a preconceived idea of beauty. They created armour for themselves by slapping on loads of make-up, they damaged themselves terribly with plastic surgery, fake tans, fake nails and hair extensions. Their efforts to achieve this impossible ideal was endless and it was madness.'

Wan added: 'I'm not dissing make-up; I love the fashion and beauty industries. I just want women to realise that they don't have to conform to these stereotypes to feel sexy and gorgeous. It is only when a woman realises how beautiful she is in her natural state that she will be able to freely choose how much make-up she wears and when she wears it.'

Klass agreed to co-present the show because, she said, she spent years unable to leave the house without make-up. 'The more I started working, the more my weight and the way I looked became an issue,' she said. 'I'd be told I had got a job, but only if I could lose a stone in two months. I wore make-up so thick every single day for four years that it was like a mask. I imagined that no one could possibly like me if I wasn't wearing that mask, because I didn't like myself without it,' she said. 'I was unable to leave the house without it.'

One of the women who applied to be Miss Naked Beauty, which begins on Channel 4 on Tuesday 21 October, was Shona Collins, a 20-year-old classics student at Bristol University.

'According to the fashion industry, I'm very far from what a beautiful woman should look like,' said Collins. 'I'm 5ft 4in, a size 12 to 14 - depending on the day and the shop - and have prominent teeth because of a brace I wore as a child which pushed them forward.

'This argument that real beauty lies within is not a new argument but it is a very pertinent one,' she said. 'At university, I'm surrounded by beautiful, intelligent women who are miserable about the way they look. There is still a huge emphasis on how women look and the pressure on us is ridiculous.'

Sue Murphy, head of features at Channel 4, said she commissioned the programme in a bid to reintroduce feminism to her younger viewers 'by stealth'. 'Feminism has gone out of fashion,' she said. 'The beauty debate in recent years has become polarised, and the new generation of women are afraid to call themselves feminists or learn about its politics; a fear that has left them without the tools they need to stand their ground against the pressure.

'It occurred to me that I could subvert the traditional beauty contest format with the message that there's not one image of beauty perfection. I wanted to get across the message that if women strive to achieve that impossible image, they will be unhappy.'

But Wendy Steiner, author of The Trouble With Beauty, believes the battle is an unwinnable one. 'The argument that women shouldn't be judged on their outward appearance is an old one that has largely been absorbed, but it hasn't won over the majority of the population because it's ultimately simplistic and potentially hypocritical,' she said.

'It's naive to pretend beauty doesn't matter: there is strong proof that beautiful people have an easier passage through life. They get the better job, are paid more, get more successful husbands. Beauty, whether natural or artificially enhanced, is unevenly distributed across the population and a beauty contest is the epitome of this inherent unfairness in life ...'

But Julia Morley, widow of Miss World creator Eric Morley and now chair of the competition, has defended the original concept. 'Women's lib said it was wrong for women to look glamorous and beautiful,' she said. 'But Miss World is fun, it is fashion. We should have some spectacular, family shows.'

http://www.guardian.co.uk/

11 Outubro 2008

Priyanka Chopra, Miss World 2000

Former Miss World and ollywood star Priy
Former Miss World and ollywood star Priyanka Chopra waves upon her arrival at the opening at the opening ceremony of the Middle East International Film Festival (MIFF) in Abu Dhabi, October 10, 2008. AFP PHOTO/MARWAN NAAMANI (Photo credit should read MARWAN NAAMANI/AFP/Getty Images)

Miss Republica Dominicana Earth

Diana González Flores Miss República Dominicana tierra 2008
Imágenes
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8:55 PM -

SANTO DOMINGO.-La beldad criolla, Diana Flores, anunció hoy que representará a la República Dominicana el próximo 10 de noviembre en la ciudad de Manila, Filipinas, en el concurso “Miss earth Internacional en el que también participarán representantes de más de 95 países.

Además, desde este octubre y hasta noviembre, Diana Flores, estará representando nuestra nación en Ecuador, México, Guatemala, España, Puerto Rico, Honduras y Estados Unidos como país invitado de honor.

La belleza dominicana fue electa como “Miss República Dominicana Tierra 2008”, durante el certamen que lleva este nombre y que esta vez fue dedicado a la preservación del Medio Ambiente y el Eco Turismo, tanto en nuestro país como a nivel mundial, bajo el lema “Salvemos Nuestro Planeta”.

En este sentido, ya la reina dominicana estuvo participando hace poco en una jornada de limpieza que se realizó en el Parque de la Av. Venezuela en la Zona Oriental con el objetivo de concienciar a la humanidad en aras de que las generaciones venideras puedan disfrutar de una naturaleza sana que nuestro Señor creador nos brinda a todos.

En dicha jornada de limpieza se hizo acompañar del síndico de la Zona Oriental, Juan de los Santos, del director del Medio Ambiente de Santo Domingo Este, Carlos Gómez, del licenciado Rafael Montero, de estudiantes del Colegio San Francisco de Asís y de los modelos de la Escuela de Juan Rojas.

Refiriéndose al tema, durante la rueda de prensa que ofreció a las 6 de la tarde en el prestigioso restaurant Vizcaya de la Av. San Martín agregó “por tal razón debemos proteger y valorar el entorno en el cual nos desarrollamos para tener un mundo menos contaminado el cual sólo se logra con la ayuda de todos los ciudadanos”.

Otras actividades que Diana González Flores ha realizado en lo que lleva de su reinado han sido: un eco-feria en protección de la reserva científica Loma Quita Espuela. También participó en una caminata por la paz y la preservación del Medio Ambiente.

Asimismo, ha grabado capsulas ambientales y ha ofrecido charlas en diferentes centros educativos en pro-al Medio Ambiente.

En la rueda de prensa le acompañaron en la mesa de honor los señores Carlos Gómez, director de Medio Ambiente y el ingeniero Rafael Montero; la reconocida comunicadora Idelsa Núñez, su encargado de imagen Paula Soto y Juan Rojas de la Escuela Modelo que organizó el certamen en el cual resultó triunfadora.

DATOS BIOGRÀFICOS DE DIANA FLORES

Nació en los Estados Unidos, el 26 de agosto del 1990. Desde muy niña vivió en la República Dominicana obteniendo la nacionalidad Dominicana. Hija de los esposos, licenciado Juan Luís González R., y de la señora Lidia Altagracia Flores de González, residente actualmente en Santo Domingo.

Desarrolló sus estudios primarios en el Colegio Maternal Viví y secundarios en el Colegio San Francisco de Asís, permaneciendo en el circulo sobresaliente. Ha realizado cursos en inglés en el Colegio Domínico-Americano. Estudió locución en la Escuela Nacional de Locución Otto Rivera. Con Vanesa Angulo dance; barbizon primeros estudios de modelaje y Agencia y Escuela de Modelos Juan Rojas, modelo profesional.

Participó además en el concurso internacional Miss Caribean PJD2 quedando dentro de las finalistas.

Desde niña ha sentido gran admiración por la naturaleza, la cultura, el ballet, modelaje y gusta de aprender cosas nuevas. A los 18 años es coronada como Miss República Dominicana Tierra 2008.

OBJETIVOS PERSONALES

Entre sus objetivos personales, se resaltan: lograr disminuir la contaminación ambiental. Ayudar a las instituciones que trabajen con personas de VIH-Sida. Embarazos a destiempo en las adolescentes; niñas con retraso en el aprendizaje y poder ser miembro de esas instituciones y ayudar al igual que ellos.

Lograr ser un gran ejemplo a seguir para los jóvenes. Hacer un buen trabajo por su país, ya que necesita personas que cambien las injusticias que se cometen contra el Medio Ambiente. Realizar proyectos en pro-al Medio Ambiente, campañas y charlas en diferentes centros educativos. Finalmente, estudiar Turismo y Comunicación Social y aprender nuevos idiomas.

http://www2.elnuevodiario.com.d

SBT contrata Miss Mundo Brasil 2008

tamara almeida por bressane.
O SBT acaba de contratar a mineira Tamara Almeida, que é Miss Mundo Brasil 2008.

Ela será a garota do tempo do Jornal do SBT Noite, apresentado por Carlos Nascimento e Cinthia Benini.
Para a colunista Patrícia Kogut, Tamara diz: "Meu quadro será muito original, além de notícias sobre o tempo em todo o Brasil, os telespectadores poderão interagir".
Ela já está morando em São Paulo e a estréia, em rede nacional, está prevista para a próxima semana.


http://natelinha.uol.com.br/

10 Outubro 2008

Miss Suisse quitte son école pour vivre son règne

par Didier Bender

Whitney Toyloy a pris congé vendredi de ses camarades de classe et de son gymnase d’Yverdon. Elle va se consacrer entièrement à son statut de Miss Suisse 2008.

Withney Toyloy entourée de ses camarades de classe. (Photos: Keystone/Dominic Favre). (Photo: Keystone/Dominic Favre)

Habillée d’un petit chemisier blanc et entourée de ses camarades de classe, Whitney Toyloy a eu droit à une mini-réception de la part de la direction de son école. Entre deux séances de shooting et avant un prochain voyage à l’étranger, la belle métisse a avoué sa tristesse à l’idée de prendre congé de ses petits camarades d’étude. «Ce n’est pas facile pour moi de les quitter parce que je n’ai jamais eu une classe comme cela durant ma scolarité », a glissé Miss Suisse avant d’aller partager un repas avec ses futurs ex-camarades de classe.

«Je suis fier d’elle», raconte Sébastien, 18 ans. «Je suis de tout cœur avec elle. Elle est toujours elle-même, authentique». Delphine y va aussi de ses encouragements. « Je le souhaite tout le bonheur du monde. C’est sûr que ce sera une très belle expérience pour elle».

Avant d’obtenir les faveurs d’un baiser de la belle Whitney, Jean-Jacques Rochat, directeur du gymnase, est allé de son discours. «Vous avez démontré une grande ténacité dans votre projet» s’est félicité le directeur. Avant d’envisager, le futur scolaire de la belle gymnasienne, avec optimisme. «Vos excellents résultats de 2e année nous permettent de fonder les meilleurs espoirs pour une poursuite sans difficulté de vos études dès votre retour.» Anne-Catherine Lyon, cheffe du DFJC, a tenu à apporter les félicitations du Conseil d’Etat. «Ce qui a touché le collège gouvernemental, c’est que vous véhiculez des valeurs extrêmement positives et que vous revendiquez, avec fierté, votre métissage», a souligné la Conseillère d'Etat.

La larme à l’œil, Whitney a donc définitivement quitté les bancs d'école pour aller défendre son statut de Miss Suisse. Armée de son charme naturel et d'un sourire ravageur.

http://www.20min.ch/

Homenaje a Luz Marina Zuluaga por Bodas de Oro


Sus amigos más cercanos le rindieron hace en julio un homenaje con motivo de las Bodas de Oro como Miss Universo.


La ex reina recibirá hoy un homenaje a partir de las 7:00 de la noche. La Alcaldía de Manizales y la Gobernación de Caldas serán los encargados. Reconocimiento.


Mauricio Aristizábal
Redactor/LA PATRIA
Manizales

En 1958 los hogares colombianos se alegraron al escuchar una noticia en la radio. La transmisión en directo desde Long Beach (Estados Unidos), anunciaba que el título de Miss Universo había sido obtenido por la manizaleña Luz Marina Zuluaga.

En los 50 años que han transcurrido, la ex Miss Universo no ha perdido su elegancia, su sencillez y voluntad para trabajar en eventos por diversas causas.

Hoy la Alcaldía de Manizales y la Gobernación de Caldas le rendirán un homenaje a Luz Marina Zuluaga de Vélez en la Catedral Basílica a partir de las 7:00 de la noche.

De acuerdo con Mónica Ochoa, Jefe de Protocolo de la Alcaldía, el homenaje a Zuluaga de Vélez contará con la presencia de Taliana Vargas, actual Señorita Colombia y Virreina Universal de la Belleza; Raymundo Angulo, Director del Reinado Nacional de Belleza; Marcela Muñoz, Señorita Caldas 2008, y las primeras damas del Municipio y del Departamento.

"El evento comenzará a las 7:00 de la noche en la Catedral y se le hará entrega a Zuluaga de Vélez de notas de estilo por parte del Concejo de Manizales, el Alcalde le impondrá la banda y el Gobernador el Escudo de Caldas en categoría de Gran Estilo", concluyó Ochoa.

Los expertos hablan del homenaje a Luz Marina Zuluaga

Gustavo Piedrahita, Peluquería DKCh

Es un homenaje muy merecido porque es una de las mujeres lindas representativas de Colombia porque es muy carismática. Haber sido la única Miss Universo colombiana es un honor y todavía se mantiene muy hermosa. Ella ha participado en muchos eventos y nunca se ha cansado de hacerlo, además de llevar en alto el nombre de la ciudad y del país.

Olga Rivas de Jaramillo, experta en protocolo y etiqueta

Me parece sensacional y super merecido porque ella ha llevado es corona durante estos 50 años con la altura de una dama, con mucho respeto hacia la mujer colombiana y caldense en particular. Yo como mujer me siento muy satisfecha con verme representada por ella.

Inés de la Cruz Arbeláez Hoyos, Señorita Caldas 1977

Es muy merecido porque ha sido una mujer muy especial para Caldas y para Colombia, además el homenaje va a ser muy emotivo.

Gloria Armel Jaramillo, Señorita Caldas 1957

Es lo máximo porque se lo merece por haber sido una mujer con todas las condiciones y toda la altura, además porque es la única Miss Universo que hemos tenido.

Mariana Cárdenas Gómez, Reina de la Feria 2009

Muy merecido porque ella es una mujer muy sencilla y tiene trato con todas las personas sin importar su edad, condición social o lo que sea. Siempre tiene una sonrisa para con todo el mundo y está dispuesta a trabajar por todas las causas. Nunca se le subió a la cabeza lo que fue y lo que es.


Marcela Muñoz, Señorita Caldas 2008

Es un honor para mí haber sido elegida Señorita Caldas justo el año en que se cumple el aniversario 50 de Luz Marina Zuluaga como Miss Universo. No tengo la fortuna de conocerla personalmente, pero creo que es una mujer muy elegante y es un orgullo que haya conservado por tanto tiempo este título.


La gente opinó acerca del homenaje que recibirá Luz Marina Zuluaga

Diana Marcela Castro, estudiante

Está muy bien que destaquen a las personas que han sido líderes en Manizales.


Celina González, ama de casa

Me parece bien que le hagan el homenaje porque es la primera y única Miss Universo de Colombia. Además no le pasan los años y se conserva muy bonita.


Esteban Matijasevic, comerciante

Hay que tener en cuenta que tiene los méritos por ser la única colombiana que ha obtenido el título, entonces es justo el reconocimiento.


José Wilson Mejía, mecánico

Como manizaleños nos debemos sentir muy orgullosos porque en 50 años no ha perdido su trono. Esperamos que ahora en Cartagena la señorita Caldas logre el título y también pueda traernos otra vez el Miss Universo.

http://www.lapatria.com/N

Miss USA 2007 Rachel Smith

Gen Art & Soy Joy Presents "Fashionably Natural"
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 09: Miss USA 2007 Rachel Smith attends Gen Art & Soy Joy Presents 'Fashionably Natural' fashion show to kick of Los Angeles Spring 2009 Fashion week hosted by Maggie Gyllenhaal, on October 9, 2008 at the Petersen Automotive Museum, Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

Miss Earth

Miss Earth 2008 Green Environmental Protection Chinese Region In Nanjing
NANJING, CHINA - OCTOBER 9: (CHINA OUT) Miss Earth 2007 Jessica Nicole Trisko from Canada poses during the Miss Earth 2008 Green Environmental Protection Chinese Region pageant final on October 9, 2008 in Nanjing of Jiangsu Province, China. (Photo by China Photos/Getty Images)


Zhou Yingkun, newly crowned as the Miss Earth 2008 China, poses during the Miss Earth 2008 Green Environmental Protection Chinese Region pageant final on October 9, 2008 in Nanjing of Jiangsu Province, China. (Photo by China Photos/Getty Images)

09 Outubro 2008

Vietnam may or may not be at Miss World



Vo Hoang Yen (L) and Duong Truong Thien Ly (R) may represent Vietnam at the next Miss World pageant, if they are chosen by organizers. Miss Vietnam Universe 2008 Nguyen Thuy Lam (C) has declined the nomination due to a busy schedule.
The organizers of Miss World 2008 are deciding whether or not they will choose a Vietnamese beauty queen to represent her country at the event.

Elite Vietnam, the company authorized to nominate the country’s contestants to Miss World, said it was unsure whether either one of Vietnam’s two nominees would be chosen as the deadline is almost up and all of the contest’s spots may have already been filled.

The company has nominated the three finalists of Miss Universe Vietnam 2008.

But the event’s first place winner, Nguyen Thuy Lam, has said she is too busy to vie for a spot at Miss World, citing her studies and the upcoming release of a studio album as the reasons.

Miss Universe Vietnam’s first runner-up Vo Hoang Yen and second runner-up Duong Truong Thien Ly have now had their names submitted to Miss World for consideration.

Miss World 2008 will take place November 16 to December 12 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Department of Performing Arts approved Elite’s nomination of the Miss Universe Vietnam winners last Monday.

The body had previously disqualified the winners of Miss Vietnam 2008 from participating in Miss World after Miss Vietnam organizers were accused of violating event regulations by allowing contestants – including the event’s winner Tran Thi Thuy Dung – to participate without a high-school diploma.

Reported by Da Ly

http://www.thanhniennews.com/

Adriana Reverón prepara las maletas para el Miss Tierra

La que fue Miss Tenerife y 1ª dama de Miss España 2007 presentó ayer en Madrid los trajes que llevará al certamen de belleza que se celebrará en Filipinas a comienzos de noviembre. La tinerfeña lucirá cuatro vestidos del andaluz Manuel Odriozola y otro de flamenca de Pilar Vera.
8/oct/08 07:14
Adriana Reverón por Adasat Photography.

M. BARROSO, S/C de Tenerife

Adriana Reverón, Miss Tenerife y 1ª dama de Miss España en 2007, presentó ayer en Madrid los trajes que lucirá en el certamen de Miss Tierra, que tendrá lugar el próximo 9 de noviembre en Filipinas. La joven tinerfeña desfilará en este concurso de tintes ecológicos, que busca promover la defensa del medio ambiente, con cuatro vestidos del diseñador andaluz Manuel Odriozola (colaborador oficial de Miss España) y un traje de flamenca de Pilar Vera. Las joyas serán de Liska y los zapatos de Sacha London, todos ellos patrocinadores oficiales de Miss España.

Adriana Reverón, que actualmente se recupera de una intervención quirúrgica, aseguró que se encuentra bien y que piensa estar en forma para su viaje a Filipinas en sólo dos semanas. "Me hubiera gustado tener más tiempo para prepararme mejor física y psicológicamente, pero las cosas han surgido así y hay que aceptarlo".

La joven, de 22 años, se encuentra muy ilusionada y con ganas de vivir una experiencia que la llevará a recorrer, durante varias semanas, la isla asiática en compañía de casi un centenar de jóvenes del resto del Planeta. Junto a Adriana, también presentaron sus vestidos Alejandra Andreu, 2ª dama de honor de Miss España 2008 y Ana Montabes, Miss Jaén 2007, que representarán a España en el Miss Internacional 2008 y en el Reinado Internacional del Café 2009, respectivamente.

La tinerfeña, natural de Los Cristianos, ha vivido un año de cambios tras ser elegida 1ª dama de Miss España. Se ha marchado a la capital de España, donde compagina sus estudios de aparejadora e idiomas con sus trabajos en el campo de la moda.

Admite que no siempre es tan bonito como lo pintan: "Al hecho de estar lejos de casa hay que sumar la dura competencia que hay en los cástings interminables que se suelen celebrar para distintos trabajos, ya sea en fotografía, en publicidad o en pasarela".

Su último trabajo fue en la Pasarela Lanzarote, el pasado fin de semana, que contó con la presencia del diseñador Custo Dalmau y la asistencia entre el público de la princesa Alexia de Grecia y su marido, Carlos Morales.

"Suelo acudir a todos los pases que me salen y el resto del tiempo aprovecho para estudiar y prepararme", comentó la guapa miss a EL DÍA.

En principio, estaba previsto que Adriana viajara al concurso de Miss Europa, pero el retraso en dar a conocer la fecha y el lugar de celebración motivaron que la organización la eligiera para representar a España en Miss Tierra.

http://www.eldia.es/

07 Outubro 2008

Aneta Sychrova Miss Intercontinental Czech Republic

Aneta Sychrova Represents Czech Republic At Miss Intercontinental Contest
PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC - OCTOBER 6: Czech model Aneta Sychrova, 21,poses for photos on October 6, 2008 in Prague, Czech Republic. Sychrova will represent Czech Republic against 60 candidates from all over the world at the 2008 Miss Intercontinental contest on October 25, 2008 to be held in Zabre, Poland (Photo by Jarmila Kovarikova/isifa/Getty Images)

Miss USA Crystle Stewart - Miss Universe Diana Mendoza


YMI Jeanswear 5th Annual Fashion Show And After Party
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 06: Miss USA Crystle Stewart attends the YMI Jeanswear 5th Annual Fashion Show and After-Party at the Music Box Theatre on October 6, 2008 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Amy Graves/WireImage)

YMI Jeanswear 5th Annual Fashion Show And After Party
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 06: Miss Universe Diana Mendoza attends the YMI Jeanswear 5th Annual Fashion Show and After-Party at the Music Box Theatre on October 6, 2008 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Amy Graves/WireImage)

Miss Petite

Jovens até 1,68 m podem se inscrever para Miss Petite

Candidatas entre 14 e 23 anos vão competir em duas categorias.
Final do concurso está prevista para acontecer dia 26 de outubro.


Do G1, em São Paulo

Suelen Kempinski e Jéssica Donanski, vencederas da última edição, se preparam para passar a faixa (Foto: Divulgação)

Engana-se quem pensa que só mulheres altas têm a chance de conquistar títulos de beleza. O concurso Miss Petite tem como pré-requisito fundamental a altura da candidata: 1,68 m, no máximo.

Previsto para acontecer em 26 de outubro, em Balneário Camboriú (SC). As concorrentes podem se inscrever até o dia 20.

As jovens vão competir em duas categorias. Quem tem entre 14 e 17 anos disputa o título de Miss Petite Teen 2009. Já as de 18 a 23 anos buscam a faixa de Miss Petite 2009. As candidatas desta categoria podem, inclusive, ser casadas e ter filhos.

http://g1.globo.com/

Pinay beauties' edge over Latin ladies: Warmth

abs-cbnNEWS.com | 10/07/2008 5:35 PM
(L-R) Bb. Pilipinas International Patricia Fernandez, Bb. Pilipinas World Danielle Castaño and Bb. Pilipinas Universe Jennifer Barrientos talk to "Mornings@ANC" host Ginger Conejeros

For years now Latin ladies have dominated the world of international beauty pageants but Filipino beauties are unfazed.

Reigning Binibining (Bb) Pilipinas Universe Jennifer Barrientos, Bb. Pilipinas World Danielle Castaño and Bb. Pilipinas International Patricia Fernandez said Filipino beauties are unique.

In an interview on “Mornings@ANC,” the three women said Filipinas have their own style.

“We show more warmth and friendliness,” Fernandez said.

It is not easy being a beauty queen though. Before they can represent the country in international competitions, the winners of the prestigious beauty contest are required to undergo rigorous trainings.

Barrientos emphasized the importance of preparing for the competitions.

“The secret is how you prepare and how you keep the power within. It’s how you concentrate, keep your focus,” she said.

Castaño, on the other hand, said: “Just finish school first before you go into something like beauty pageants and then that’s when you focus. If you want something and just keep dreaming, just be strong and you’ll succeed.”

The hard work though pays off even if the country’s representatives fail to bring home the crown.

Barrientos, who represented the country in Miss Universe 2008 held in Vietnam, for instance, said because of the experience she got to meet new friends from other countries.

“The whole experience was very fun. I got to meet new people, new friends from other countries. And I got to experience all of the things that other beauty queens experienced,” she said.

Fernandez and Castaño are set to compete in Macau and South Africa, respectively, in the coming months.

“I really pray that I will be able to bring honor to our country but, of course, I could only prepare,” said Fernandez who is leaving the country next week for the Miss International competition in November.

For Castaño, she said she has been undergoing trainings to prepare her for the Miss World pageant in December.

Ever wondered what’s up with beauty queen hand wave? The three beauties said it is for picture taking.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/


Miss Suisse 2008, Withney Toyloy

Il s'agissait du traditionnel shooting de la marque de lingerie suisse Beldona. photos: David Biedert/tilllate.com

http://www.20min.ch/

Gemma set for Miss Earth contest

Tuesday, 7 October 2008

Gemma Walker will travel to the Phillipines for the 2008 Miss Earth finals

Martin McKeown

Gemma Walker will travel to the Phillipines for the 2008 Miss Earth finals

    06 Outubro 2008

    Rosanna: Looking fabulous


    SIZZLING: Model Rosanna Davison will feature in the Fabulous Food Adventures

    And that's just the food as former Miss World Rosanna joins team on TV cookery show

    By Lorna Nolan

    Monday October 06 2008

    FANS of beauty queen Rosanna Davison can expect to see the model in a new role in the coming weeks. The former Miss World will add a new credential to her CV when she turns up on hit UTV show The Fabulous Food Adventures.

    The model spent two days last year travelling around county Armagh with GAA All-Star and Celebrity Jig's and Reels competitor Oisin McConville, visiting the artisan and organic food producers in the region.

    The shoot also featured celebrity chef Antony Worrall Thompson, who used the produce sourced to design a signature dish for the county.

    Rosanna's episode rounds off the series and will go out on UTV on October 23.

    According to Rosanna: "It was a wonderful couple of days. We went out and about and sourced all the local produce and Anthony cooked it all up.

    "We went to various farms including places with organic free-range produce which was great because it's environmentally friendly," she told the Herald.

    The six-part Fabulous Food Adventure series has a host of celebrity chefs making an appearance, with Paul Rankin, Nick Price and Jenny Bristow and Micheal Dean all turning up in various sequences.

    Heritage

    Deirdre McNally, producer of Edge films, the company behind the series, said it was one of the most heart-warming productions she's ever worked on.

    According to Deirdre: "It's a celebration of the wonderful food producers and the dedication and craftmanship of those who use them to make their products.

    "Basically the whole idea was to bring it back to the kitchen and give viewers a chance to get to know personalities better while enjoying a little bit of cultural heritage," she added.

    Deirdre and her team also lined up a host of big name celebrities to take part in the series.

    "We've had actors Liam Cunningham, Aidan Quinn, Barry McGuigan, food critic Tamasin Day Lewis, Emma- Louise Johnston, and next week's episode will see Linda Martin being sent off around the country in search of produce.

    "She met up with Aidan Quinn and the two of them made pesto together," she added.

    - Lorna Nolan
    http://www.herald.ie/

    Lara Dutta gets desperate



    When she first came into limelight as Miss India and then Miss Universe, Lara Dutta seemed to be a terribly intelligent dame. But after eight long years it seems she just doesn’t know how to play her cards right.

    Priyanka Chopra who came second to her at the pageant that year (2000), went on to become Miss World, made her debut alongside Lara in 2003 and left her miles behind. PC has worked in big films and with almost every big hero in town, while Lara seems to be stuck in the same place! After working in flop movies and doing bit parts in multi-starrers what more could she expect anyway?

    Even Katrina Kaif, her non actress co-star in ‘Partner’ is hotter property and is in a better position in Bollywood now.

    Maybe Lara’s still hot and has the grey matter, but somehow something is going wrong somewhere.

    Looks like Lara is now trying to hard to stay afloat by talking non stop about her upcoming movie ‘Blue’ and her new natural beach look in the movie.

    Apparently Lara plays a Scuba diver in the aqua adventure thriller produced by Ashtavinayak and shot mostly along coastlines, on sea, and under sea. She underwent special training in Scuba diving for her role in the film.

    Director Anthony D’Souza and the production team didn’t stop at that( obviously after spending a lot in the movie, they want it to be a super hit). To give Lara special beach look for her character, they hired Hollywood make-up artist Nikoletta Skarlatos, who did Keira Knightley’s look in ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’.

    The buzz is that Nikoletta along with Clarabelle Saldhana did Lara’s make-up for underwater scenes and also transformed Lara from a demure diva to a sultry beach girl.

    Since then Lara has not stopped raving about how great it was for her to work with Nicolleta, how she picked up a lot of make-up techniques from her and blah blah blah. And not just that, she’s been going around town telling everybody who’s willing to listen that the international crew compared her with the sexist woman in the world Megan Fox, how good it made her feel and stuff like that.

    Now the movie has Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt, Zayed Khan and also Katrina Kaif who has a super expensive item number.

    Looks like its Lara’s way of trying to get noticed. Now we know why she’s been talking a lot about ‘Billo Barber’ with SRK and Irrfan Khan as well. She somehow wants to avoid getting lost in the crowd in the only two big movies she has! -(SAMPURN)

    http://www.realbollywood.com

    05 Outubro 2008

    Miss Universe Dayana Mendoza

    Power of Shopping Day to Benefit YouthAIDS
    MCLEAN, VA - OCTOBER 04: Miss Universe Dayana Mendoza at the Power of Shopping Day to benefit YouthAIDS at Tysons Galleria on October 4, 2008 in McLean, Virginia. (Photo by Paul Morigi/WireImage)

    From Miss World to Canadian diplomat


    Jennifer Hosten in Ottawa to launch memoirs of her adventurous life

    Bruce Deachman, The Ottawa Citizen
    Published: Sunday, October 05, 2008

    Beyond Miss World:

    An Autobiography of Jennifer Hosten,

    Miss World 1970 will be launched on Wednesday in Exhibition Room A of Library and Archives Canada,


    When Jennifer Hosten moved to the Ottawa area from the Caribbean in the winter of 1973, her arrival turned a lot of heads.

    Never mind that she was from the spice island of Grenada and a bit of exotica herself for her neighbours in Osgoode, where she and her first husband, David Craig, initially settled. But she had also been crowned Miss World just over two years earlier, having won a contentious pageant in London's Royal Albert Hall that featured two Miss South Africa entrants (one black, one white), an onstage protest by angry feminists throwing flour and firecrackers and heckling host Bob Hope, and allegations that Miss Sweden, the odds-on favourite heading in but third-place finisher coming out, deserved to win.

    The point was exacerbated by the fact that the judging panel included, along with country singer Glenn Campbell, author Joan Collins and others, Grenadian prime minister Eric Gairy, who commented, "The last time Miss United Kingdom was voted Miss World, there were five British judges on the panel, so why all the fuss now?"

    Miss Switzerland, meanwhile, was quoted as saying of the then-22-year-old Hosten, "I have nothing against coloured girls, but how Miss Grenada could win, I don't know."

    "I didn't know about the controversy until the final night," Hosten recalled in a telephone interview this week from Grenada. "I didn't even know the prime minister of Grenada was going to be a judge. I had no clue!"

    Yet Hosten, who was a airline flight attendant in 1970 when a passenger -- Miss Guyana -- suggested she enter the Miss Grenada contest, was, and remains, a staunch defender of beauty pageants as ultimately empowering for women. Her fame as Miss World no doubt played in Gairy's decision to recommend her in 1978 for a posting at the United Nations in New York -- a position she declined -- and another soon after, which she accepted, as Grenada's High Commissioner to Canada.

    "The first time they asked me," she recalled, "the idea was an exciting one, but I did have some reservations.

    "But I had already seen myself as an ambassadress to Grenada," she added, "through my international travels, and had many opportunities to talk and was quite used to just winging it."

    But diplomats, she concedes, rarely just "wing it," and so she undertook a six-week course in diplomacy before becoming Grenada's spokesperson in Canada.


    Apart from her High Commissionership, Hosten's career has also included positions with both Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), and other Canadian and Caribbean organizations. She received her Master's degree in political science from Carleton University, writing her thesis on how the North America Free Trade Agreement impacted countries in the Caribbean, and to this day she remains a strong and vocal advocate of regional integration there. From 2002 to '04, she served as a Canadian diplomat in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

    These experiences are all recounted in Hosten's new autobiography, Beyond Miss World, which she and her second husband, Shaun Sarsfield, spent weekends and holidays co-writing over the past six years. She'll be in town to launch the book on Wednesday at Library and Archives Canada.

    Not surprisingly, perhaps, given the temperate climate of her birthplace of St. George's, Grenada, she had reservations about moving to Ottawa. She'd spent a few months in Canada in her late teens -- her mother was born in Canada -- when she moved from the Caribbean to Montreal and worked for the CBC.

    "I wanted to see what Canada was like," she recalled, "because of my mother. So I emigrated to Canada and became a landed resident."

    A few transit strikes later, however, she returned to Grenada.

    "I was a little dubious about the climate in Ottawa," she said of her return in 1973, when her Canadian husband's desire for a house on a farm brought them here from Barbados. "Canada is such a beautiful country, but I have to admit those early winters were daunting. I often say to people, 'My life is not as glamorous as anybody might think.'"

    Hosten's autobiography includes both the exciting and the mundane. In one chapter, for example, she recounts how, living in the country outside Ottawa, she'd park her car near the end of the long driveway in winter and take a snowmobile out to start it before morning light.

    In another, she tells of witnessing both brutal and brutally sad events in Bangladesh. She vividly describes surviving a devastating hurricane that ripped through Grenada in 2004, as well as the much more pedestrian task of rebuilding a house in its aftermath.

    Hosten's a diplomat to the end, though, and readers will be hard-pressed to find much, if any, dirt in the corners of her book. This is no tell-all tale of catty beauty queens and diplomatic rows. While her time as Grenadian High Commissioner to Canada, for example, included the 1979 coup that saw Gairy deposed by an armed revolution led by Maurice Bishop, Hosten floats effortlessly and without judgment from one regime to the next.

    She and her husband now divide their time between Grenada, where they run Jenny's Place apartments and guest houses, and Ottawa. In April, they sold the house they'd lived in for the past decade in Manotick, and are currently looking for new digs. And while Hosten admits that her daughter, Sophia, is urging her to move to Toronto where she now lives, Ottawa retains a strong pull on her.

    "I spent all those years there and raised my children there," she said, "and got to be very much a part of the Ottawa community and society.

    "I have so many ties in the Ottawa area, still, and, of course, it's such a beautiful city."

    http://www.canada.com/

    Mss Líbano, en apuros por unas fotos


    Miss Líbano, en apuros por unas fotos
    • Rosarita Tawil, de 23 años ha sido coronada Miss Libano.
    • Unas fotos suyas en 'topless' han suscitado el interés de la prensa.
    • "Ha causado estupefacción en el mundo árabe", dice un comentarista.

    Fue la ganadora del concurso de Miss Líbano celebrado recientemente, pero Rosarita Tawil, de 23 años y medidas esculturales, ocupa las portadas de los periódicos y los informativos de su país por algo bien distinto, informa el El Mundo.

    La publicación de las fotos íntimas ha causado un gran revuelo en el país árabe

    Recientemente, una persona anónima decidió que era buen momento para colgar en Internet fotografías de la joven en bikini y sin sujetador.

    Desde entonces, el asunto se ha convertido en el asunto preferido de los blogs locales y hasta de la prensa más seria; L'Oriente Le Jour, uno de los periódicos más importantes del país, no han dudado en tratar de esclarecer de dónde provienen las instantáneas.

    "Es la estupefacción total en el mundo árabe. Un terremoto en la 'blogosfera' árabe", llegó a escribir el responsable de mundomiss.blogspot.com dedicado a los concursos de bellezas.

    La joven ha preferido mantenerse al margen y usar las armas de la ironía: "Si llego a saber que se iban a ver tanto [las fotos] me las hubiera hecho mejor!", declaró a L'Oriente Le Jour. Rosarita Tawil será la representante del país árabe en el concurso de Miss Mundo que se ce