BEAUTY WORLD CUP

Miss Universe 2011 Live Stream

2011-09-12T18:21:00.001-07:00

Watch live streaming video from missuniverse at livestream.com

Miss Universe 2011 - Personality Interview - Miss Hungary

2011-09-12T12:34:00.001-07:00

Miss Universe 2011 - Personality Interview - Miss Nicaragua

2011-09-12T12:33:00.001-07:00

Miss Universe 2011 - Personality Interview - Miss Philippines

2011-09-12T12:31:00.001-07:00

Miss Universe 2011 - Personality Interview - Miss Malaysia

2011-09-12T12:30:00.001-07:00

Miss Universe 2011 - Personality Interview - Miss USA

2011-09-12T12:26:00.001-07:00

Miss Universe 2011 - Personality Interview - Miss Great Britain

2011-09-12T12:19:00.001-07:00

Miss Universe 2011 - Personality Interview - Miss India

2011-09-12T12:15:00.001-07:00

Miss Universe 2011 - Personality Interview - Miss Canada

2011-09-12T12:14:00.001-07:00

Miss Universe 2011 - Personality Interview - Costa Rica

2011-09-12T12:13:00.001-07:00

Miss Universe 2011 - Personality Interview - Miss France

2011-09-12T12:11:00.001-07:00

Miss Universe 2011 - Personality Interview - Miss Australia

2011-09-12T11:38:00.000-07:00

Miss Universe 2011 - Top 10 Swimsuit Picks

2011-09-12T11:36:00.000-07:00

Miss Universe 2011 - Top 10 Swimsuit Picks

Here is our Top 10 picks in the Miss Universe 2011 Swimsuit competition which was held during the preliminaries held last September 8, Thursday, at Credicard Hall in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Miss Greece

Miss Philippines

Miss Malaysia

Miss Brazil

Miss China

Miss Puerto Rico

Miss France

Miss Australia

Miss Paraguay

Miss Chile

Images courtesy of Miss Universe L.P., LLLP

© 2011
http://www.showbiznest.com
All Rights Reserved

Miss Universe 2011 - Top 15 Evening Gown Picks

2011-09-12T11:34:00.000-07:00

Miss Universe 2011 - Top 15 Evening Gown Picks

Here is our Top 15 picks in Miss Universe 2011 Evening Gown competition which was held during the pageant's preliminaries last September 8, Thursday, at Credicard Hall in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Miss Philippines

Miss Venezuela

Miss Colombia

Miss Puerto Rico

Miss Angola

Miss Paraguay

Miss Ukraine

Miss Dominican Republic

Miss China

Miss France

Miss Mexico

Miss Trinidad & Tobago

Miss Australia

Miss Greece

Miss Malaysia

Images courtesy of Miss Universe L.P., LLLP

© 2011
http://www.showbiznest.com
All Rights Reserved

Miss Universe 2011 Preliminaries - Live Stream

2011-09-08T21:40:00.001-07:00

Watch live streaming video from missuniverse at livestream.com

Cynthia de la Vega Stripped of Miss Mexico World Title

2011-08-10T10:43:00.000-07:00

Cynthia de la Vega is supposed to be the representative of Mexico in the upcoming Miss World beauty pageant...
for winning first runner up in the Miss Mexico pageant in September 2010.

Unfortunately, the 19-year-old beauty has gained six pounds with three months to go before the Miss World pageant in London that's why she was stripped of her title last month.

Although De la Vega admits to gaining weight, she was shocked by the decision of her directors to replace her because she was never aware of a clause in her agreement about the weight requirements for the competition.

The pageant organizers Nuestra Belleza Mexico, on the other hand, have denied that weight gain is the reason for de la Vega's ousting.

They said de la Vega lost the title becaue of "lack of dedication and discipline" and because she “did not comply with the recommendations and goals agreed upon for her preparation.”

Riza Santos Named Miss World Canada 2011

2011-05-21T21:07:00.000-07:00

Remember PBB housemate Riza Santos? She just won Miss World Canada!

Riza Santos, Miss Earth Canada 2006 and the second big placer of Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Edition in 2007, was named Miss World Canada 2011 at the River Rock Show Theater in Richmond, Canada. The 24 year-old Filipino-Canadian beauty who lives in Calgary will be representing Canada in the Miss World 2011 in London on November 8, a tough job since Canada has just won Miss World last year.

During her stay in the Philippines, we've seen Riza on ASAP, Love Spell, Palos, Lovebooks Presents, I Love Betty La Fea and as one of the hosts of the Miss Earth pageant in 2008. She also appeared in films like "When Love Begins," "Ikaw Pa Rin" and "Dobol Trobol."

(Cross-published in Starmometer)

Raya Mananquil Strips Down for New Pro-Vegan PETA Ad

2011-04-20T04:57:00.001-07:00

Supermodel and Gen M Judge Urges, 'Go Green—Go Vegetarian'

Manila — Top model Raya Mananquil—who is also a judge on ETC's Gen M (which has just been picked up for a second season)—has stripped down to a green bikini for a new Earth Day–themed ad for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Asia. In the ad, the longtime vegetarian dons a pair of leafy "wings" and cradles a baby pig below the words, "Go Green. Go Vegetarian."

"I encourage everyone to go vegetarian to stop abuse and cruelty to animals all around the world," says Mananquil. "And a vegetarian diet is a great way to help the environment, so what better time to start than Earth Day?"

"Raya Mananquil knows that going vegetarian is the best thing that people can do for animals, the environment, and their own health," adds PETA Asia Director Jason Baker. "The easiest way for everyone to fight climate change this Earth Day is to kick the meat habit."

A recent U.N. report determined that the meat industry is "one of the … most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global" and recommends that the meat industry be "a major policy focus when dealing with problems of land degradation, climate change and air pollution, water storage and water pollution, and loss of biodiversity":

· Land degradation: Animal grazing has been responsible for loss of topsoil and eventual desertification in many parts of the world; after animals destroy the land's protective vegetation, wind removes the soil and converts formerly productive rangeland into desert.

· Climate change: Satisfying the world's appetite for animal flesh requires fuel to produce fertilizer for the crops that are fed to animals, gas to run the trucks that take the animals to slaughter, electricity to freeze their carcasses, and much more. It takes more than 10 times as much fossil fuel to make one calorie of animal protein as it takes to make one calorie of plant protein. In fact, researchers at the University of Chicago in the U.S. have concluded that switching from a meat-based diet to a vegan diet does more to fight climate change than switching from a standard car to a hybrid does.

· Water storage: Each day, animal agriculture consumes 2.5 trillion liters of water—enough for every person in the world to take eight showers.

· Water pollution: Waste, antibiotics, and pesticides from factory farms and slaughterhouses contaminate water sources. Farmed animals produce 13 billion metric tons of excrement a year—that's 48 times as much as the world's human population produces.

· Loss of biodiversity: Forest lands in China and South America are being destroyed to clear space for grazing or to grow food for farmed animals.

And factory farming causes immense animal suffering. In today's industrialized meat and dairy industries, chickens and turkeys have their throats cut while they're still conscious, piglets have their tails and testicles cut off without being given any painkillers, fish suffocate or are cut open while they're still alive on the decks of fishing boats, and calves are taken away from their mothers within hours of birth.

In addition to being kinder to the environment and to animals, a diet that excludes meat, eggs, and dairy products can lower the risk of heart disease, cancer, strokes, diabetes, obesity, and acne in adults as well as allergies, ear infections, and juvenile-onset diabetes in children. Ninety percent of Filipinos are lactose-intolerant, and avoiding dairy products can help people's bodies work more efficiently. A healthy vegan diet can also help anyone stay slim.

Mananquil is part of a long list of international stars—including Geneva Cruz, Pamela Anderson, Natalie Portman, Sir Paul McCartney, Maggie Q, and Barbie Hsu—who have kicked the meat habit.

For more information, please visit PETAAsiaPacific.com.

Voting for the Final 20 of '100 Sexiest Men in the Philippines for 2011' is Now Open!

2011-04-11T11:06:00.001-07:00

Voting for the Final 20 is now open!

In 2007 it was Sam Milby. In 2008 it was Piolo Pascual. In 2009 it was Aljur Abrenica. And in 2010 it was Coco Martin. Who will be the Sexiest Man in the Philippines for 2011? You will decide.

Last April 7, we revealed the Final 20 male celebrities vying for the title "Sexiest Man" in the country. The poll is now open and you don't need to spend a single centavo to cast your vote!

HOW TO VOTE

1. Go to Starmometer's Facebook Page (www.facebook.com/starmometerblog).

2. Proceed to the "Photos" section and click the album entitled "100 Sexiest Men in the Philippines for 2011 - THE FINALS". The pictures of the 20 finalists will be displayed.

3. Click the image of your favorite celebrity to enlarge the photo.

4. Under the photo, click on the word "like" to vote.

5. Please take note that you must be logged-in to your Facebook account and you must be a fan of Starmometer's Facebook Page in order to cast your vote. If you're not registered as a fan, the word "like" below the image will not appear.

6. You can vote for one celebrity or more than one if you have many favorites in the Final 20.

7. The poll will close on the midnight of April 23, 2011. The ranking of the Final 20 will be revealed on April 24 when this year's winner of the title "Sexiest Man in the Philippines" will be announced.

VOTE NOW!

You can download the video for your mobile phones here: http://rapidshare.com/files/457185561/100_Sexiest_Men_in_PHL_Final_20.mp4

Miss Earth 2010 - Swimsuit Competition

2010-12-04T06:40:00.000-08:00

Check out the Top 14 compete in Swimsuit competition.

Miss Earth 2010 - Top 7 Finalists Announced

2010-12-04T06:37:00.000-08:00

The Top 7 candidates vying for the 10th Miss Earth crown have just been announced. Check it out!

FINAL SEVEN
(in order of announcement)

1. India
2. Venezuela
3. Ecuador
4. South Africa
5. Puerto Rico
6. Thailand
7. Japan

Miss Earth 2010 - Top 14 Semifinalists

2010-12-04T05:56:00.000-08:00

The Top 14 semi-finalists for Miss Earth 2010 have just been announced. Check it out!

Here are the Top 14 semifinalists in order of announcement:

Ecuador, Jennifer Pazmiño
Thailand, Watsaporn Wattanakoon
Netherlands, Desiree van den Berg
Puerto Rico, Yeidy Bosques
Russia, Viktoria Shchukina
Ukraine, Valentina Zhytnyk
Vietnam, Lưu Thị Diễm Hương
South Africa, Nondyebo Dzingwa
USA, Danielle Bounds
Italy, Ilenia Arnolfo
Czech Republic, Carmen Justová
Japan, Marina Kishira
Venezuela, Mariángela Bonanni
India, Nicole Faria

Miss Earth 2010 Hot Picks

2010-12-04T05:32:00.000-08:00

Check out our Top 15 picks for the Miss Earth 2010 crown.
The Miss Earth 2010 Coronation Night is happening on December 4, 2010, 8:00 p.m. in the evening, at the Vinpearl Resort Amphitheater in Nha Trang, Vietnam. It will be televised on international and local channels such as Star World, VTV (VTV1 and VTV4), ABS-CBN Philippines, The Filipino Channel and other local networks from over 50 countries.

This year's board of judges are the following:

Ella Bella - staff of Educational Organization in South Africa, also a youth ambassador for the Environment program of the United Nations.
Nenad Bratic - a famous architect of Aedas Interiors Company (Hong Kong).
Marie J.Y.E. Collart - an actress, journalist and is currently a spokesman for the American channel and French Stars.
Rachel Grant - Hollywood actress, now living in America and England, played in the movie about 007 Die another day and a number of Italian films, the UK and is known advertising faces in Europe, and Asia. Today, she is both activist for ecological environment as well as a participant in charity for cancer patients.
Karla Paula Henry - Miss Earth 2008, she is the first Asian and the first Miss Philippines to win the title.
Michael Jeffrey Rosenthal - famous photographer shooting for the stars in Hollywood. He was invited as judge of the U.S. television program America's Next Top Model.
Eddy Tan - Star World Group Chairman, FX, Channel V, TVN & Nat Geo Music Asia (this is part of Fox International Channels Asia).
Phạm Châu Sanh - Head of the Culture, External Relations and UNESCO under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam
Hoàng Đại Thanh - Editor-in-chief of Thời Trang Trẻ Magazine.
Nguyễn Quỳnh Như - A Vietnamese Fashion Designer.

The hosts of the said event are AXN's Oli Pettigrew, American recording artist Marie Digby and Vietnamese star Jennifer Pham.

Irish international pop star Ronan Keating is the guest performer.

TOP 15 PICKS

Shoo-ins: I think Asia is ready for its second Miss Earth Queen. Miss Vietnam has a hometown advantage and we have to consider that Luu Thi Diem Huong is really a strong candidate. Miss India, on the other hand, can easily rock the final question and answer portion if she makes it that far. Or perhaps the crown will stay in Latin America with Miss Ecuador and Miss Venezuela as the possible contenders.

Strong Alternates in the Top 15: Philippines, Thailand, Bolivia, Curacao, Puerto Rico, Northern Ireland, Slovenia, Guam, Nepal, Nicaragua, Poland, Crimea, USA, China, Germany, Chile, Slovenia, England and Netherlands.

Images courtesy of Miss Earth.

Miss Earth 2010 Photogenic Voting is On!

2010-11-24T05:59:00.000-08:00

The public will decide who will win Miss Photogenic in Miss Earth 2010.

Vote for the Most Photogenic candidate for Miss Earth 2010 by selecting a candidate and clicking the "Submit your Vote" button at the end of the page. Voting ends on 11:59 p.m. of November 30. The system will accept one vote per IP address per day. Click HERE to proceed to the voting page.

Vietnam Wins Best in Swimsuit in Miss Earth

2010-11-21T20:13:00.000-08:00

Host country takes the highly-coveted Best in Swimsuit award.

Hometown girl Luu Thii Diem Huong, otherwise known as Miss Vietnam, bested all the other delegates of the ongoing Miss Earth 2010 pageant to bag the Best in Swimsuit award. She won a cash prize of US$ 5,000.00 and jewelry from PNJ. This also sealed Vietnam (in my opinion) as one of the front-runners to win the 10th Miss Earth crown.

Joining Miss Vietnam in the Top 5 of the swimsuit competition are:Mariangela Bonanni of Venezuela, Jennifer Pazmino of Ecuador, Iman Kerigo of Norway and Carmen Justova of Czech Republic.

Here are the winners of Best in Swimsuit in Miss Earth since 2001:

2001: Kazakhstan
2002: Colombia
2003: France
2004: Paraguay
2005: Venezuela
2006: Venezuela
2007: Venezuela
2008: Mexico
2009: Philippines

Images courtesy of Missosology.

Slovak Republic is Manhunt International 2010 Winner

2010-11-21T20:09:00.000-08:00

Peter Menky of Slovak Republic has just been elected the winner of Manhunt International 2010 in Taiwan.

Mr. Slovak Republic Peter Menky is 23 years old and stands 1.89m. tall.

OFFICIAL RESULTS:

MANHUNT INTERNATIONAL 2010:
Slovak Republic, Peter Menky

FIRST RUNNER UP:
Gibraltar, Bogdan Brasoveanu

SECOND RUNNER UP:
Brazil, Marlon De Gregori

THIRD RUNNER UP:
USA, Daniel Guerra

FOURTH RUNNER UP:
Taiwan, Jerry Chang

TOP 16

Bosnia and Herzegovina
China
India
Indonesia
Lebanon
Panama
Singapore
Slovakia
South Africa
Sweden
Turkey
Venezuela

SPECIAL AWARDS:

Mr. Internet Popularity: India Ahran CHAUDARY
Best National Costume: China
Mr. Alishan (sponsored by Alishan Mayor): Nicaragua
Mr. Photogenic: Slovak Republic
Mr. Physique: Singapore
Mr. Friendship: Korea
Mr. Personality: England
Best Runway Model: Gibraltar

Image courtesy of ERM World

Great Britain is Mr. International 2010

2010-11-21T20:07:00.000-08:00

Crowd favorite–Ryan Terry from Great Britain–has just been elected Mr. International 2010.

OFFICIAL RESULTS

MISTER INTERNATIONAL 2010:
Great Britain, Ryan Terry

1st Runner Up:
Brazil, Caio Lucius Ribeiro

2nd Runner Up:
Spain, Luis Alberto Maicas

3rd Runner Up:
Indonesia, Thomas Sebastian

4th Runner Up:
Greece, Leonides Sulai

TOP 10:

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Adis Topalovic
Chile, Gustavo Garcia
France, Jordan Haag
Namibia, Barnabas Weyulu
Turkey, Efecan Dianzenza

TOP 15:

Austria, Juergen Aschauer
Belgium, Tuur Roels
Bolivia, Marco Antonio Rogriguez
Philippines, Raphael Carlos
Venezuela, Francisco Sanchez

SPECIAL AWARDS:

Best Body – Great Britain, Ryan Terry
Best in National Costume – Indonesia, Thomas Sebastian
Mister Photogenic – Sri Lanka, Singapullige Yasitha Dilshan Perer
Mister Congeniality – Honduras, Maynor Sandoval

Image Courtesy of Belleza Venezolana

Japan Wins Best National Costume in Miss Earth

2010-11-14T07:59:00.000-08:00

Marina Kishira of Japan was declared winner of the Miss Earth 2010 National Costume competition.

Miss Japan, who was also named Miss Sea Links City, takes home a prize of USD 5,000.00 during the event held in Phan Thiet on Saturday.

Making it to the Top 5 of the National Costume competition were:

Miss Ecuador

Miss Brazil

Miss Mexico

Miss South Africa

Manhunt International 2010 Kicks Off in Taiwan

2010-11-12T00:52:00.000-08:00

53 gorgeous men from around the world are currently in Taiwan to compete for the 14th Manhunt International pageant.
Outgoing titleholder Abdelmoumen El Maghraouy of Morocco will crown his successor in Kaoshiung, Taiwan on November 20, 2010.

Here are the contestants this year:

Australia, Stephen Musca
Belgium, Bram Demeyere
Bolivia, Sergio Bascope
Bosnia & Herzegovina, Voljen Gubeljic
Brazil, Marlon de Gregori
Canada, Dax Gramuglia
China, Wang Zichao
Colombia, Juan Felipe Quiroz Vargas
Costa Rica, Juan Pablo Brenes
Cuba, Yoan Gonzalez
Czech Republic, Jan Hájek
Denmark, Kristian Greiff
England, Vaughan Bailey
Germany, Marco Beer
Gibraltar, Bogdan Brasoveanu
Greece, Apostolos Ntokos
Hawaii, Kash Kiefer
Hong Kong, Zhang Zhaoyu
India, Ahran Chaudhary
Indonesia, Obert Sharon Christian
Iran, Mohammad Mehdi Rokni
Japan, Yudai Kawano
Korea, Park Hyun Woo
Latvia, Janis Verners
Lebanon, Mrad Mouawad
Macau, Xie PengJu
Malaysia, Tim Ang Sau Fong
Malta, Tyrone Laudi
Mexico, Hugo Rodriguez Rubio
Mongolia, Dulguun Gantumur
Namibia, Tshita Luis Munana
Nepal, Kanij Koirala
Netherlands, Joshua Krishnadath
New Zealand, Kristian Bray
Nicaragua, William Rodriguez
Nigeria, Chidiebere Ononuju
Pakistan, Muhammad Abrar Khan
Panama, Enrique Lukowsky
Philippines, Carlo Morris Galang
Poland, Mariusz Dobosz
Puerto Rico, Joel Rod
Serbia, Milovan Durovic
Singapore, Jovin Koh
Slovak, Republic Peter Meňky
South Africa, Jacques Fagan
Spain, Antonio Million
Sri Lanka, Leen Alexander
Sweden, Calle Eriksson
Taiwan, Jerry Chaung
Tanzania, Mario Mohammed Mpingirwa
Thailand, Nathakorm Srivichai
Turkey, Yahya Demir
USA, Daniel Guerra
Venezuela, Henry Bolivar
Vietnam, Hoàng Gia Ngọc

Iran, Mongolia and Namibia will compete in Manhunt International for the first time.

Here are the previous winners of the pageant since its inception in 1993:

1993 - Thomas Sasse, Germany
1994 - Nikos Papadakis, Greece
1995 - Albe Geldenhuys, South Africa
1997 - Jason Erceg, New Zealand
1998 - Peter Eriksen, Sweden
1999 - Ernesto Calzadilla, Venezuela
2000 - Brett Wilson, Australia
2001 - Rajeev Singh, India
2002 - Fabrice Wattez, France
2005 - Tolgahan Sayisman, Turkey
2006 - Jaime Augusto Mayol, USA
2007 - Jeffrey Zheng Yu Guang, China
2008 - Abdelmoumen El Maghraouy, Morocco

No pageant was held in 1996, 2003, 2004 and 2009.

No country has won twice since 1993. The best performing country in this pageant is India having won the title in 2001 and landing 2 first runner ups and 3 fourth runner ups.

Image courtesy of Manhunt International

Mister International 2010 Kicks Off in Indonesia

2010-11-12T00:50:00.000-08:00

A record of 52 contestants around the world are vying for the 2010 Mister International title which is happening in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The finals of the 5th Mister International pageant will be held at Central Park in Jakarta, Indonesia on November 20, 2010. 52 contestants will compete for the title, the highest number of contestants since the pageant's inception in 2006. Mister International 2009 Bruno Kettels from Bolivia will crown his successor at the end of this event.

Here are the 52 expected contestants:

Australia, Tim Boulenger
Austria, Juergen Aschauer
Azerbaijan, Elnur Tagviev
Belgium, Tuur Roels
Bolivia, Marco Antonio Rogriguez
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Adis Topalovic
Brazil, Caio Lucius Ribeiro
Chile, Gustavo Garcia
Colombia, Juan Pablo Mejia
Costa Rica, Alexander Vega Hidalgo
Czech Republic, Jan Pochobradský
Denmark, Marc Ciano Marra
Ecuador, Alessio Cuneo
El Salvador, Kerim Handal
France, Jordan Haag
Great Britain, Ryan Terry
Greece, Leonides Sulai
Guatemala, Mario Gilberto Marroquin
Honduras, Maynor Sandoval
India, Akash Charan
Indonesia, Thomas Sebastian
Ireland, Darragh Hayes
Kazakhstan, Yuriy Litvishkov
Korea, Kim Gi-Jong
Kosovo, Leonard Barisha
Lebanon, Mohamad Arabi
Madagascar, Lovasoa Razadindrazaka
Malaysia, Kubendren Sewalinggam
Namibia, Barnabas Weyulu
Netherlands, Harjot Singh
Nicaragua, Yasser Espinoza
Nigeria, Arinze Chiemeziem
Pakistan, Fahad Hussain
Panama, Francisco Navarro
Philippines, Rapahel Carlos
Puerto Rico, Alexander González
Singapore, Tay Yuanqio
Slovak Republic, Adam Barabáš
Slovenia, Marko Janko
Spain, Luis Alberto Maicas
Sri Lanka, Singapullige Yasitha Dilshan Perera
Switzerland, Sebastian Gabriel Bossert
Thailand, Chaiwat Thongsang
Turkey, Efecan Dianzenza
Ukraine, Petro Matsak
USA, Nick Burrell
Venezuela, Francisco Sánchez
Vietnam, Truong Ngoc Tinh

Photo Credit: Mister International

India Bags Talent Prize in Miss Earth

2010-11-09T22:37:00.000-08:00

Miss India Nicole Faria bested 17 other finalists in the talent competition of Miss Earth 2010.

The talent competition is the first event in the list of Miss Earth preliminary activities for this year. It was held last night, November 10, at the Diamond Place in HCM, Vietnam.

18 short-listed contestants competed in the said event and bagging the prize is no other than Miss India, Nicole Faria.

Making it to the Top 5 were Miss Crimea, Anastasiya Sienina; Miss Vietnam, Luu Thi Diem Huong; Miss Japan, Marina Kishira; and Miss Singapore, Maricelle Wong.

The Top 18 candidates who competed in the event were Misses Japan, Jamaica, Italy, Guatemala, Singapore, Brazil, England, Ireland, Guyana, India, Thailand, Botswana, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Guam, South Africa, Tonga, Crimea and the host Vietnam.

Winning the talent competition has no bearing in the selection of semifinalists in Miss Earth but it will surely give the winner the attention she needs to be recognized. Apparently, Miss India is one of the early favorites in Miss Earth.

Image courtesy of Global Beauties.

Ms. Philippines-Universe 2009 Now Stars in Her Own Soap

2010-11-09T21:52:00.000-08:00

Bb. Pilipinas Universe 2009 Bianca Manalo lands her first lead role through ABS-CBN's TV version of Pablo S. Gomez's Juanita Banana.

Despite being a newbie in the acting arena, Bianca showed that she can stand out from the rest of the pack. Her performance in Maalaala Mo Kaya with Rayver Cruz gained considerable attention for the actress.

Bianca's natural comic antics displayed while playing Gigi in Magkaribal could have convinced the ABS-CBN management to launch the beauty queen-turned-actress as a lead star in a series.

"Sobrang blessed lang po talaga siguro ako na nabigyan ako ng break na ganito," an ecstatic Bianca said during the press conference held yesterday, November 8, at the 13th floor of the ABS-CBN building. "Masarap po sa pakiramdam ang pagkatiwalaan ng isang proyekto lalo na po na baguhan pa lang ako."

She added, "The whole Juanita Banana team is very supportive kaya di rin naging masyadong mahirap for me to adjust. Ang saya-saya namin sa set. Magaan ang pakiramdam, parang yung feel din ng kuwento ng Juanita."

Bianca is paired with Rodjun Cruz and Matt Evans, both of whom are very happy to be teamed-up with the beauty queen.

Matt said during the presscon, "By nature, kasi nakakatuwa na si Bianca. So, paano pa kaya kung magkasama kami, di ba? I'm sure this whole project will be a fun experience."

For his part, Rodjun revealed, "Baguhan din ako kaya naman excited ako na nabigyan kami ng break ni Bianca after ng stint namin sa Magkaribal."

Three days after its pilot (October 28), Juanita Banana was able to register a rating of 18.6%, outperforming its rival program Little Star on GMA-7 which garnered a score of 8.2 percent according to the national ratings result by Kantar Media.

This allowed the newest afternoon series to enter the Top 10 programs nationwide.

"Akalain ko ba na maghi-hit ang show namin!" enthused Bianca. "Kaya nagpapasalamat po talaga ako sa pagbibigay sa akin ng break na ito."

Juanita Banana is a remake of a 1968 movie that tackles the story of Juanita and Prince Rikitik. It is a fantasy comedy flick based on the Pinoy folk belief that catching a teardrop from a banana tree's heart will give a person magical powers.

Juanita then was played by Rosemarie Sonora, while Prince Rikitik was played by Ricky Belmonte, who happens to be Rodjun's uncle.

Bianca Manalo's Juanita Banana airs weekdays after Pilipinas Win na Win on ABS-CBN.

European Candidates are Early Favorites in Miss Earth 2010

2010-11-08T02:41:00.000-08:00

Delegates from around the world have arrived in Vietnam to compete for the 2010 Miss Earth beauty pageant and European beauties seem to get the first attention.
Latin American countries are dominating this year's world of pageantry with Mexico winning Miss Universe, Venezuela winning Miss International, Puerto Rico winning Miss Intercontinental but with the exception of Miss World where the winner is from USA, which I must say is also part of the American continent.

All eyes are now on the last important pageant of the year--the Miss Earth Beauty Pageant--where beauty, brains and responsibility are the three key factors in selecting their queen.

Will Asia, South Africa or Europe finally have a Grand Slam beauty queen this year or the winner will still come from the Americas?

All I can say, for now, is that the early frontrunners for the Miss Earth crown are from Europe! Here they are:

BELGIUM, Jessica van Moorlegh, 18 y/o, 5.7"

CZECH REPUBLIC, Carmen Justová, 19 y/o, 5.9 1/2"

NETHERLANDS, Desiree van den Berg, 23 y/o, 5.9 1/2"

SERBIA, Tijana Rakic, 22 y/o, 5'11"

SLOVAK REPUBLIC, Tímea Szaboová, 20 y/o, 6'

SLOVENIA, Ines Draganovič, 19 y/o, 5' 81/2"

Other early favorites include Misses Australia, Vietnam, Ecuador, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Nepal, Russia, South Africa and India.

But of course, the pageant is only beginning and our list of favorites will totally change as each candidates' personality, wit, talent, fashion sense and environmental awareness are discovered.

Miss International 2010 and Her Court

2010-11-08T00:08:00.001-08:00

Miss International 2010 and her court (L-R):
Piyaporn Deejing of Thailand (1st Runner-Up), Elizabeth Mosquera of Venezuela (Miss International 2010) and Yuan Xiyi of China (2nd Runner-Up). Photo courtesy of Thaimiss.com

Elizabeth Mosquera accomplished the 6th Miss International crown for Venezuela. She's the 50th Miss International Queen to date.

Puerto Rico Wins Miss Intercontinental 2010

2010-11-07T23:41:00.000-08:00

Puerto Rican beauty Maydelise Columna bested more than 60 candidates to win the Miss Intercontinental 2010 pageant.

Official Results

MISS INTERCONTINENTAL 2010:
Puerto Rico, Maydelise Columna

1st Runner Up:
Peru, Karen Susana Schwarz

2nd Runner Up:
Bahamas, Anastagia Pierre

3rd Runner Up:
Dominican Republic, Olga Lidia Navarro Santos

4th Runner Up:
Colombia, Macrielena Vlez Sanchez

TOP 15 SEMI-FINALISTS:

Bonaire, Benazir Berends Charles
Greece, Paraskevi Chatzigianni
Jamaica, Kerry Moxam
Moldova, Natalia Ivanova
Paraguay, Maura Rojas Cantero
Philippines, Christi Lynn McGarry
Poland, Izabel Wilczek
Samoa, Danielle Lelo
Ukraine, Liliya Penova
Venezuela, Flory Diez Estrada

SPECIAL AWARDS:

Best in National Cosume - Peru, Karen Susana Schwarz
Miss Photogenic - Colombia, Macrielena Vlez Sanchez
Best Body - Argentina, Micaela Bianchi Lopez

Miss Earth 2010: Top 20 Talent Competition Finalists Named

2010-11-07T08:41:00.000-08:00

The 20 finalists for the Miss Earth 2010 Talent Competition named.

It was announced during a press conference attended by Carousel Productions officials, Thanh Nien representatives, Miss Earth 2009 Larissa Ramos and some candidates; that the Miss Earth 2010 Talent Competition is happening on Tuesday, November 9, at the Diamond Place in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Twenty finalists has been chosen to compete on the Talent Show.

The 20 talent finalists are Misses Australia, Bolivia, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, French Polynesia, Guam, Guatemala, Jamaica, Kenya, Korea, Mauritius, Mexico, Netherlands, Panama, Philippines, South Africa, USA, Thailand and Vietnam.

Source: Miss Earth Official Website

2010 Miss International - Complete Results

2010-11-07T07:13:00.000-08:00

MISS INTERNATIONAL 2010:
Miss Venezuela, Elizabeth Mosquera

1st Runner Up:
Thailand

2nd runner-up:
China

THE TOP 15 SEMIFINALISTS

China
france
india
Korea
Philippines
Serbia
Thailand
Venezuela
Costa Rica
Germany
Japan
Peru
Puerto Rico
Spain
Turkey

SPECIAL AWARDS

Miss Expressive: PHILIPPINES

Miss Active: MONGOLIA

Best Figure: LITHUANIA

Miss Elegance: JAPAN

Best National Costume: BRAZIL

Miss Talent: PHILIPPINES

Miss Chengdu Garden Hotel: UKRAINE

Miss Photogenic: MEXICO

Miss Friendship: INDONESIA

Miss Goodwill Ambassador: MAURITIUS

Miss Internet: CHINA

Venus Raj's Cream Silk TV Commercial

2010-11-04T23:45:00.000-07:00

Check out the Cream Silk tv commercial of Miss Universe 2010 fourth runner up, Venus Raj:

Miss Earth 2010 Kicks Off

2010-11-04T22:02:00.001-07:00

The 10th edition of the Miss Earth beauty pageant is now happening in Vietnam!

The competition started yesterday in Vietnam, November 4, as more than 80 delegates from around the world are expected to arrive. Miss Earth 2009 Larissa Ramos of Brazil, and beauties from Jamaica, Mauritius, Guam and Mexico graced the press conference to officially open the 2010 Miss Earth pageant and its month-long activities.

The 10th Miss Earth will be crowned on December 4, 2010 at Vinpearl Land, Nha Trang in Vietnam. It will be broadcast by STAR World, VTV, ABS-CBN, The Filipino Channel, and other partner networks (to be announced).

The Miss Earth winner will serve as the spokesperson for the Miss Earth Foundation, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and other environmental organizations.

Here is the list of expected delegates competing for the 10th Miss Earth crown:

Expected Delegates:
(count: 92)

Albania, Esmira Ramollari
Argentina, Isolina Boero
Australia, Kelly Louise Maguire
Bahamas, Jaquelle Plakaris
Belgium, Jessica van Moorleghem
Belize, Natasha Nicole Acosta
Bolivia, Yovana O’Brien
Bonaire, Benazir Charles
Bosnia & Herzegovina, Ema Golijanin
Botswana, Onalenna Gaopalelwe
Brazil Luisa de Almeida Lopes,
British Virgin Islands, Sheroma Hodge
Cameroon, Essame Estelle Crescence
Canada, Summer Anne Ross
Cayman Islands, Samantha Widmer
Chile, Pamela Soprani
China, Ding Wen Yuan
Chinese Taipei, Hsing Jung-Lui
Colombia, Diana Marin
Costa Rica, Alejandra Álvarez
Crimea, Anastasiya Sienina
Czech Republic, Carmen Justova
Denmark, Sandra Vester
Dominican Republic, Wisleidy Osorio
Ecuador, Jennifer Pazmiño
El Salvador, Sarai Calderon
England, Sandra Marie Lees
Ethiopia, Rahel Woldekirkos
France, Morgane Valade
Georgia, Taliko Shubitidze
Germany, Reingard Hagemann
Ghana, Golda Dayi
Greece, Eleonora Bretz
Guadeloupe, Venise Taret
Guam, Naiomie Jean Santos
Guatemala, Sue Ellen Castañeda
Guyana, Soyini Fraser
Honduras, Alessa Games
Hungary, Agnes Dobo
India, Nicole Faria
Indonesia, Liza Elly Purnamasari
Ireland, Alesha Gallen
Israel, Gal Erez
Italy, Ilenia Arnolfo
Jamaica, Kai Ayanna McDonald
Japan, Marina Kishira
Kenya, Miano Isabell Wangui
Korea, Kim Hye-young
Kosovo, Morena Taraku
Latvia, Eva Caune
Lebanon, Jihane Nehme
Luxembourg, Laureta Bardoniqi
Macedonia FYRO, Jasna Filipova
Madagascar, Alexandra Randrianarivelo
Malaysia, Appey Rowena
Malta, Christine Mifsud
Martinique, Christine Garçon‎
Mauritius, Anne-Lise Ramooloo
Mexico, Claudia Lopez Mollinedo
Nepal, Sahana Bhajracharya
Netherlands, Desiree van den Berg
New Zealand, Lisa Davids
Nicaragua, Junieth Rosales
Nigeria, Inara Isaiah
Northern Ireland, Judith Keys
Norway, Iman Kerigo
Pakistan, Annie Rupani
Panama, Nicolle Morrell
Paraguay, Yohana Benitez
Peru, Silvana Vásquez
Philippines, Kris Psyche Resus
Poland, Beata Polakowska
Puerto Rico, Yeidy Bosques
Romania, Andreea Dorobantu
Russia, Valentina Kolesnikova
Scotland, Cora Buchanan
Serbia, Tijana Rakic
Singapore, Maricelle Rani Wong
Slovak Republic, Tímea Szaboová
Slovenia, Ines Draganovič
South Africa, Nondyebo Dzingwa
Spain, Celia Eugenia Calvo
Sri Lanka, Dilrufa Mohamed
Switzerland, Liza Andrea Küster
Tahiti, Mihiatea Ruta
Tanzania, Rose Shayo
Thailand, Watsaporn Wattanakoon
Turkey, Döndü Şahin
Ukraine, Oleksandra Nikitina
USA, Danielle Bounds
Venezuela, Mariángela Bonanni
Vietnam, Lưu Thị Diễm Hương
Wales, Louise Hinder

Delegates to be Announced:
(Hope they join despite tension between RP and HK)

Macau
Hong Kong

Debuts:

Crimea, Guyana, Madagascar, and Sri Lanka will compete in Miss Earth for the first time ever.
Withdrawals:
Cuba – Was not allowed to compete unless they held a national pageant in their own country (Cuba selected their delegate in the United States).
Pakistan – Was not allowed to compete unless they held a national pageant in their own country (Miss Pakistan 2010 took place in Canada).
Hungary – Original Miss Earth contestant Jennifer Kalo ended up competing at Miss World 2010 due to Agnes Dobo injury.
Sweden – Lack of funding and sponsorship.
Turks & Caicos – No national pageant held; lack of funding and sponsorship.

Krista Kleiner a Shoo-in for the Miss International Crown?

2010-11-03T02:26:00.000-07:00

Miss Philippines Krista Kleiner is favored by beauty experts as one of the stronger contestants to win Miss International 2010.

The 50th Miss International pageant is happening this Sunday, November 7, at the Sichuan Province Gymnasium in Chengdu, China.

A record of 70 contestants are competing for the crown this year, and one of them is our very own Krista Kleiner who is considered by beauty experts around the world as a "shoo-in" for the title.

In the first leaderboard released by pageant website Global Beauties, Krista was their top pick for the crown. However in their latest hot list (October 30), Krista dropped to no. 5 which is still good. In Missosology, another popular pageant website, Krista is running in 2nd position.

Last year, Melody Gersbach was among the Top 12 finalists. She died in a car accident last August 21.

In 2008, Patricia Fernandez was also among the Top 12 finalists and last 2005, Precious Lara Quigaman won the 4th Miss International crown for the Philippines.

Will Krista bring home the 5th Miss International crown for the country this Sunday?

Krista's Send-off Video courtesy of Mabuhay Beauties:

Alexandria Mills from USA Wins 60th Miss World

2010-10-31T01:12:00.000-07:00

Miss United States Alexandria Mills bested 114 other candidates to win the 60th Miss World crown.

Official Results:

MISS WORLD 2010:

UNITED STATES, Alexandria Mills

1st Runner-up:

Botswana, Emma Wareus

2nd Runner-up:

Venezuela, Adriana Vasini

3rd Runner-up:

Ireland, Emma Britt

4th Runner-up:

China, Xang Tiao

5th Runner-up:

Norway, Mariann Birkedal

6th Runner-up:

Italy, Giada Pezzaioli

TOP 25 SEMI-FINALISTS:

BAHAMAS, Braneka Bassett

CANADA, Denise Garrido

COLOMBIA, Laura Palacio

FRANCE, Virginie Dechenaud

FRENCH POLYNESIA, Mihilani Teixeira

GERMANY, Susanna Kobylinski

KENYA, Natasha Metto

MONGOLIA, Sarnai Amar

NAMIBIA, Odile Gertze

NETHERLANDS, Desiree van den Berg

NORTHERN IRELAND, Lori Moore

PARAGUAY, Egni Eckert

PUERTO RICO, Yara Lasanta

RUSSIA, Irina Sharipova

SCOTLAND, Nicola Mimnagh

SOUTH AFRICA, Nicole Flint

ST. LUCIA, Aiasha Gustave

THAILAND, Yuwaret Sirirat Rueangsri

Continental Queens of Beauty:

Queen of Americas: United States

Queen of Europe: Ireland

Queen of Africa: Botswana

Queen of Asia & Oceania: China

Queen of Caribbean: Puerto Rico

FAST-TRACK WINNERS

Beach Beauty: PUERTO RICO, Yara Lasanta

Top Model: NORWAY, Mariann Birkedal

Talent: IRELAND, Emma Britt Waldron

Sports: NORTHERN IRELAND, Lori Moore

Beauty with a Purpose: KENYA, Natasha Metto

Miss Puerto Rico Wins Beach Beauty Event in Miss World

2010-10-20T02:11:00.000-07:00

Miss Puerto Rico Yara Liz Lasanta Santiago is the first semi-finalist in Miss World
2010 by winning the Beach Beauty fast-track event.

Miss World's Beach Beauty competition, the first of 5 fast-track events, happened today at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Sanya, China. The 40 semi-finalists for Beach Beauty competed for the title vying for the first slot in the Top 25.

The Top 40 were trimmed down to the Top 20. The 20 were trimmed down to Top 5 where Puerto Rican beauty Yara Liz Santiago emerged as winner.

The Top 5 are (from left to right) Miss China Xiao Tang (4th), Miss United States Alexandria Mills (2nd), Miss Puerto Rico Yara Lasanta (Winner), Miss Norway Mariann Birkedal (3rd) and Miss French Polynesia Mihilani Teixiera (5th).

Meanwhile, our very own Czarina Gatbonton is hoping to win the "Beauty with a Purpose" fast-track event in Miss World
2010 in order to secure a spot in the Top 25.

Here is Czarina's entry in the special competition:

Image courtesy of Miss World Organization.

115 Contestants Compete in Miss World 2010

2010-10-20T02:09:00.000-07:00

A record of 115 contestants from various parts of the globe are currently in China to compete for the 60th Miss World crown.

Miss World is currently the oldest and biggest beauty pageant in the world as it celebrates its 60th year with a record of 115 participants. The coronation night is happening on October 30, 2010 at the Crown of Beauty Center in Sanya, China.

Here is the complete list of contestants this year:

ALBANIA, Arnita Beqiraj
ANGOLA, Ivaniltan Jones
ARGENTINA, Mariana Arambarry
ARUBA, Kimberly Kuiperi
AUSTRALIA, Ashleigh Francis
BAHAMAS, Braneka Bassett
BARBADOS, Danielle Bishop
BELARUS, Lyudmila Yakimovich
BELGIUM, Cilou Annys
BELIZE, Jessel Lauriano
BOLIVIA, Maria Teresa Roca Cordova
BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA, Snežana Prorok
BOTSWANA, Emma Wareus
BRAZIL, Kamilla Salgado
BULGARIA, Romina Andonova
CANADA, Denise Garrido
CAPE VERDE, Joseline Fontes
CAYMAN ISLANDS, Cristin Joy Alexander
CHINA PR, Xiao Tang
COLOMBIA, Laura Marcela Palacio Restrepo
COSTA RICA, Dayana Aguilera
COTE D'IVOIRE, Ines Da Silva Batista
CROATIA, Katarina Banic
CURACAO, Angenie Simon
CYPRUS, Andrea Kkolou
CZECH REPUBLIC, Veronika Machova
DENMARK, Natalya Averina
ECUADOR, Ana Galarza Anazco
EGYPT, Sara Khouly
EL SALVADOR, Maria Gabriela Molina Rochac
ENGLAND, Jessica Linley
ETHIOPIA, Hiwot Assefa Tesfaye
FINLAND, Anne-Marie Nurminen
FRANCE, Virginie Dechenaud
FRENCH POLYNESIA, Mihilani Teixeira
GEORGIA, Dea Arakishvili
GERMANY, Susanna Kobylinski
GHANA, Mimi Areme
GIBRALTAR, Larissa Dalli
GREECE, Diamanto Gasteratou
GUADELOUPE, Ericka Aly
GUATEMALA, Ana Lucía Mazariegos Florentino
GUYANA, Aletha Shepherd
HONDURAS, Marilyn Medina
HONG KONG, Sau Man Cheung
HUNGARY, Jennifer Kalo
ICELAND, Fanney Ingvarsdottir
INDIA, Manasvi Mamgai
INDONESIA, Asyifa Syafningdyah Putriambami Latief
IRELAND, Emma Britt Waldron
ISRAEL, Shavit Wiesel
ITALY, Giada Pezzaioli
JAMAICA, Chantal Alicia Raymond
JAPAN, Hiroko Matsunaga
KAZAKHSTAN, Asselina "Assel" Kuchukova
KENYA, Natasha Metto
KOREA, Kim Hye-young
LATVIA, Ludmila Voroncova
LEBANON, Rahaf Abdallah
LESOTHO, Karabelo Mokoallo
LITHUANIA, Gritė Maruškevičiūtė
LUXEMBOURG, Shari Thuyns
MACAU CHINA, Cherry Ka I Ng
MACEDONIA FYRO, Stefani Borsova
MALAWI, Ella Kabambe
MALAYSIA, Nadia Min Dern Heng
MALTA, Francesca Gaspar
MARTINIQUE, Tully Fremcourt
MAURITIUS, Dalysha Doorga
MEXICO, Anabel Solis Sosa
MOLDOVA, Daria Zaiteva
MONGOLIA, Sarnai Amar
MONTENEGRO, Milica Milatovic
NAMIBIA, Odile Gertze
NEPAL, Sadichha Shrestha
NETHERLANDS, Desiree van den Berg
NEW ZEALAND, Cody Yerkovich
NIGERIA, Afoma Amuzie
NORTHERN IRELAND, Lori Moore
NORWAY, Mariann Birkedal
PANAMA, Paola Vaprio Medaglia
PARAGUAY, Egni Eckert
PERU, Alexandra Liao Tipacti
PHILIPPINES, Czarina Catherine Gatbonton
POLAND, Agata Szewiola
PORTUGAL, Catarina Aragonez
PUERTO RICO, Yara Lasanta Santiago
ROMANIA, Lavinia Postolache
RUSSIA, Irina Sharipova
SCOTLAND, Nicola Mimnagh
SERBIA, Milica Jelic
SIERRA LEONE, Neyorlyn Williams
SINGAPORE, Anusha Rajaseharan
SLOVAKIA, Marina Georgievova
SOUTH AFRICA, Nicole Flint
SPAIN, Fatima Jimenez Triguero
SRI LANKA, Fallon Ranasinghe Dona
ST KITTS & NEVIS, Fatisha Imo
ST. LUCIA, Aiasha Gustave
SURINAME, Jo-Ann Maria Sang
SWEDEN, Daniela Karlsson
TANZANIA, Genevieve Mpangala
THAILAND, Yuwaret Sirirat Rueangsri
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO, Davia Chambers
TURKEY, Gizem Memic
UGANDA, Hazmie Nansubuga
UKRAINE, Ekaterina Zakharchenko
UNITED STATES, Alexandria Mills
URUGUAY, Eliana Sabrina Olivera Gonnet
US VIRGIN ISLANDS, Carolyn Carter-Heller
VENEZUELA, Adriana Vasini
VIETNAM, Nguyễn Ngọc Kiều Khanh
WALES, Courtenay Hamilton
ZAMBIA, Zindaba Hanzala
ZIMBABWE, Samantha Tshuma

Returning countries and territories include St. Kitts & Nevis, Cape Verde, Macau, Lesotho, Malawi, United States Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, and St. Lucia.

Countries who withdrew from the competition this year are Austria, Chinese Taipei, Dominican Republic, Liberia, and Slovenia.

Here is the schedule of the 5 Fast-track events, the winner for each event will automatically advance in the semi-finals come coronation night:

October 16 - Beach Beauty
October 19 - Miss Sport
October 23 - Top Model
October 26 - Miss Talent
October 30 - Miss Beauty With a Purpose

The Beach Beauty Fast Track event is currently happening right now. The Top 40 competing in this event are:

ARGENTINA, Mariana Arambarry
AUSTRALIA, Ashleigh Francis
BAHAMAS, Braneka Bassett
BARBADOS, Danielle Bishop
BOLIVIA, Maria Teresa Roca Cordova
BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA, Snežana Prorok
BOTSWANA, Emma Wareus
CAPE VERDE, Joseline Fontes
CAYMAN ISLANDS, Cristin Joy Alexander
CHINA PR, Xiao Tang
CZECH REPUBLIC, Veronika Machova
FRANCE, Virginie Dechenaud
FRENCH POLYNESIA, Mihilani Teixeira
GHANA, Mimi Areme
GUADELOUPE, Ericka Aly
HONG KONG, Sau Man Cheung
HUNGARY, Jennifer Kalo
INDIA, Manasvi Mamgai
ISRAEL, Shavit Wiesel
ITALY, Giada Pezzaioli
LITHUANIA, Gritė Maruškevičiūtė
LUXEMBOURG, Shari Thuyns
MARTINIQUE, Tully Fremcourt
MOLDOVA, Daria Zaiteva
MONGOLIA, Sarnai Amar
NETHERLANDS, Desiree van den Berg
NEW ZEALAND, Cody Yerkovich
NORWAY, Mariann Birkedal
PARAGUAY, Egni Eckert
PUERTO RICO, Yara Lasanta Santiago
RUSSIA, Irina Sharipova
SCOTLAND, Nicola Mimnagh
SRI LANKA, Fallon Ranasinghe Dona
ST. LUCIA, Aiasha Gustave
THAILAND, Yuwaret Sirirat Rueangsri
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO, Davia Chambers
TURKEY, Gizem Memic
UKRAINE, Ekaterina Zakharchenko
UNITED STATES, Alexandria Mills
ZIMBABWE, Samantha Tshuma

The winner of this event will be the first semi-finalist for this year.

The Philippine delegate for this year is 19-year-old Czarina Catherine Gatbonton:

Miss World is the only grand slam pageant the Philippines have not won yet. The country first participated in 1966 and our best placement ever was in 1973 when Evangeline Pascual won 1st runner up. Will Czarina win the first Miss World crown for the country?

Images courtesy of the official Miss World website.

Czarina Gatbonton Competes for the 'Beauty with a Purpose' Fast-Track Event in Miss World 2010

2010-10-20T01:06:00.000-07:00

The Philippine delegate, Czarina Gatbonton, is hoping to win the "Beauty with a Purpose" fast-track event in Miss World
2010 in order to secure a spot in the Top 25.

Here is Czarina's entry in the special competition:

Miss Earth 2010 Contestants

2010-09-29T00:39:00.000-07:00

Now on its 10th year, the third most prestigious beauty pageant in the world is going to be held outside the Philippines for the first time!

Vietnam's hosting of the 10th Miss Earth pageant was officially announced during a press conference held at the White Palace in Ho Chi Minh City on August 25.

Aside from the invited media delegation; the Vietnam hosting committee, Vinpearl Land representatives, Carousel Productions officials, sponsors and the reigning Miss Earth Larissa Ramos of Brazil were present in the said event. Former Miss Philippines Sandra Seifert, reigning Miss Philippines Kris Psyche Resus and some Vietnamese fashion models were also invited.

Miss Earth 2010 will officially start on November 4. The month-long event will include exciting activities in Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang, Phan Thiet, Hoi An and other locations. Besides the environmental activities, the candidates will have a national costume show, swimsuit and evening competitions.

The finale and coronation show is scheduled to take place on December 4, 2010 at Vinpearl Land, Nha Trang, Vietnam.

As of September 26, 2010, Here are the 81 confirmed delegates to participate in the pageant as of September 26:

Albania, Esmira Ramollari
Argentina, Isolina Boero
Bahamas, Jaquelle Plakaris
Belgium, Jessica van Moorleghem
Belize, Natasha Nicole Acosta
Bolivia, Yovana O'Brien
Bonaire, Benazir Charles
Bosnia & Herzegovina, Ema Golijanin
Botswana, Onalenna Gaopalelwe
Brazil Luisa de Almeida Lopes,
British Virgin Islands, Sheroma Hodge
Cameroon, Essame Estelle Crescence
Canada, Summer Anne Ross
Cayman Islands, Samantha Widmer
Chile, Pamela Soprani
Chinese Taipei, Hsing Jung-Lui
Colombia, Diana Marin
Costa Rica, Alejandra Álvarez
Crimea, Anastasiya Sienina
Czech Republic, Carmen Justova
Ecuador, Jennifer Pazmiño
El Salvador, Sarai Calderon
England, Sandra Marie Lees
Ethiopia, Rahel Woldekirkos
France, Morgane Valade
Georgia, Taliko Shubitidze
Germany, Reingard Hagemann
Greece, Eleonora Bretz
Guadeloupe, Venise Taret
Guam, Naiomie Jean Santos
Guyana, Soyini Fraser
Honduras, Alessa Games
Hungary, Agnes Dobo
India, Nicole Faria
Ireland, Alesha Gallen
Israel, Gal Erez
Italy, Ilenia Arnolfo
Jamaica, Kai Ayanna McDonald
Japan, Marina Kishira
Korea, Kim Hye-young
Latvia, Eva Caune
Luxembourg, Laureta Bardoniqi
Macedonia FYRO, Jasna Filipova
Madagascar, Alexandra Randrianarivelo
Malaysia, Appey Rowena
Malta, Christine Mifsud
Martinique, Christine Garçon‎
Mauritius, Anne-Lise Ramooloo
Mexico, Claudia Lopez Mollinedo
Nepal, Sahana Bhajracharya
Netherlands, Desiree van den Berg
New Zealand, Lisa Davids
Nicaragua, Junieth Rosales
Nigeria, Inara Isaiah
Northern Ireland, Judith Keys
Norway, Iman Kerigo
Pakistan, Annie Rupani
Panama, Nicolle Morrell
Paraguay, Yohana Benitez
Peru, Silvana Vásquez
Philippines, Kris Psyche Resus
Poland, Beata Polakowska
Puerto Rico, Yeidy Bosques
Romania, Andreea Dorobantu
Russia, Valentina Kolesnikova
Scotland, Cora Buchanan
Serbia, Tijana Rakic
Slovak Republic, Tímea Szaboová
Slovenia, Ines Draganovič
South Africa, Nondyebo Dzingwa
Spain, Celia Eugenia Calvo
Switzerland, Liza Andrea Küster
Tahiti, Mihiatea Ruta
Tanzania, Rose Shayo
Thailand, Watsaporn Wattanakoon
Turkey, Döndü Şahin
Ukraine, Oleksandra Nikitina
USA, Danielle Bounds
Venezuela, Mariángela Bonanni
Wales, Louise Hinder

Upcoming National Pageants to be Held:

Australia - October 7, 2010
Bhutan - October 9, 2010
Dominican Republic - September 27, 2010
Indonesia - October 3, 2010
Sweden - October 2010

Delegates To Be Announced:

Azerbaijan
China
Cuba
Denmark
Ghana
Guatemala
Hong Kong
Lebanon
Kenya
Kosovo
Macau
Singapore
Vietnam
Zambia

Debuting Countries:

Azerbaijan, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Crimea, Guyana, and Madagascar will compete at Miss Earth first time.

Returning countries and territories:

Mauritius last competed in 2005.
Cayman Islands, Chile, Ireland and Macedonia last competed in 2006.
Belize, Cameroon, Norway, Vietnam and Zambia last competed in 2007.
Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Botswana, Ethiopia, Germany, Nicaragua and Romania last competed in 2008.

RP is Mrs. Intelligence in Mrs. Universe 2010

2010-09-29T00:04:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Philippines-Universe Maria Muriel Moral, 46, from Bicol (Camarines Norte),
was awarded the first-ever Mrs. Intelligence title at the recent Mrs. Universe 2010 contest
held in Vilnius, Lithuania. Mrs. Finland Jennika Hannussari won the crown. Her runners-up were Mrs. Dominican Republic (first), Mrs. Greece (second), Mrs. Venezuela (third) and Mrs. Armenia (fourth). Moral was 1988 Bb. Pilipinas-Maja who won Miss Maja Simpatica and Best in National Costume in the 1988 Miss Maja-International contest. She’s married to businessman Joeffrey Pandi by whom she has two sons.

Manila declared Venus Raj an Adopted Daughter

2010-09-26T19:02:00.000-07:00

Miss Universe 2010 4th Runner-Up Maria Venus Raj is now an adopted daughter of Manila.

As reported by GMA News, the Manila government passed a resolution principally co-authored by councilors Josie Sicar and Nino dela Cruz that declared so.

Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim along with other city officials and councilors, welcomed Raj last Sept. 14 when she paid a courtesy visit. The beauty queen from Bohol was welcomed by former Miss International Gemma Cruz-Araneta, Tourism and Cultural Affairs Bureau head; Renato dela Cruz, city legal officer lawyer; and Ric de Guzman, Lim’s chief of staff and media bureau chief.

During the presentation of the resolution, the Manila government officials, headed by Lim, presented Raj with a key to the city. Lim, who was visibly proud of Raj’s achievements, declared, “For the hearts of many Filipinos, Raj is our Miss Universe.”

Philippines is No. 7 in the World of Beauty Pageants

2010-09-18T09:23:00.001-07:00

The fourth runner up finish of Venus Raj in the recently-concluded Miss Universe 2010 pageant put the Philippines in 7th place of the world's beauty pageant ranking.

Pageant website globalbeauties.com has been ranking more than 150 countries based on their performance in major beauty pageants in the world: Miss Universe, Miss World, Miss Earth and Miss International. They give points to each winning, runner-ups and semi-final placements from each country and consolidate their totals to determine their ranking.

The Philippines ranked 8th in 2009 but after the fourth runner up finish of Venus Raj in the Miss Universe pageant, RP climbed one notch to no. 7 behind pageant leaders Venezuela, USA, India and Mexico:

The ranking changes after each one of the grand slam pageants conclude.

The next update is after the 50th Annual Miss International pageant on November 7 which is happening in China. RP's bet for the said pageant is Jay-R's girlfriend Krista Arrieta Kleiner.

Mexico Wins Miss Universe 2010

2010-08-23T21:12:00.000-07:00

Jimena Navarrete became the second Mexican to win the Miss Universe crown.

The first was Lupita Jones in 1991 which was also held in Las Vegas.

Miss Universe 2010: Mexico, Jimena (Ximena) Navarrete Rosete
1st Runner Up: Jamaica, Yendi Phillipps
2nd Runner Up: Australia, Jesinta Campbell
3rd Runner Up: Ukraine, Anna Poslavska
4th Runner Up: Philippines, Maria Venus Raj

Special Awards:
Miss Photogenic - Thailand, Fonthip Watcharatrakul
Best National Costume - Thailand, Fonthip Watcharatrakul
Miss Congeniality - Australia, Jesinta Campbell

Miss Universe 2010 - Final 5 Question and Answer

2010-08-23T21:00:00.000-07:00

Watch the Top 5 of Miss Universe 2010 hurdle the final question and answer...

Miss Universe 2010 - Top 5 Announced

2010-08-23T20:46:00.000-07:00

Check out the Top 5 finalists of Miss Universe 2010...

Mexico 8.913
Jamaica 8.884
Australia 8.841
Ukraine 8.743
Philippines 8.714

Albania 8.693
Ireland 8.548
South Africa 8.420
Guatemala 8.286
Puerto Rico 7.971

Here's the evening gown competition:

Miss Universe 2010 - Top 10

2010-08-23T20:10:00.000-07:00

The 15 semifinalists of Miss Universe 2010 competed in swimsuit competition. The top 10 who received the highest scores and who also advanced to the next round are...

The Top 10 in order of announcement:

Ireland
Albania
Philippines
Jamaica
Mexico
Ukraine
Puerto Rico
South Africa
Guatemala
Australia

The Top 15 in Swimsuit based on scores:

1. Jamaica - 9.42
2. Mexico - 9.26
3. Philippines - 8.95
4. Ireland - 8.78
5. Jamaica - 8.54
6. Puerto Rico - 8.44
7. Ukraine - 8.33
8. South Africa - 8.22
9. Albania - 8.22
10. Guatemala - 8.07
11. Russia - 7.84
12. Colombia - 7.64
13. France - 7.58
14. Belgium - 7.57
15. Czech Republic - 7.42

Miss Universe 2010 - Official Top 15 Semifinalists Announced

2010-08-23T19:21:00.000-07:00

The Miss Universe 2010 official 15 semifinalists have just been announced.

The 15 semifinalists in order of announcement:

Puerto Rico
Ukraine
Mexico
Belgium *
Ireland
South Africa
France
Australia
Jamaica
Russia
Albania
Colombia
Guatemala *
Czech Republic *
The Philippines

Our fearless forecast was right on! We guessed 12 out of 15! Sash factor countries such as Venezuela and USA missed the cut this year.

* Surprise entry are Belgium, Guatemala and Czech Republic.

Swimsuit competition is up next.

Miss Universe 2010 - Top 15 in Swimsuit

2010-08-21T03:01:00.000-07:00

Check out our Top 15 picks during the Miss Universe 2010 swimsuit competition.

Miss Philippines Int'l 2009 Gersbach Dies in Road Accident

2010-08-21T02:17:00.001-07:00

Bb. Pilipinas International 2009 Melody Gersbach dies in a car accident around 11 a.m. today, August 21, 2010, at Bula Town, Camarines Sur.

Melody Gersbach, together with her make-up artist Alden Orense, and driver were on their way to Naga City for the Miss Bicolandia beauty pageant when their Toyota Innova collided with a passenger bus at around 11:00 a.m. The three died on the spot.

The driver of the bus identified as Wilson Pontillas has surrendered to the police in nearby Pili town.

Gerbach represented our country in the 2009 Miss International pageant where she was among the 16 semi-finalists.

Greece Wins Miss Teen World 2010

2010-08-20T21:10:00.000-07:00

The beautiful teenager from Athens, Greece took the title of Miss Teen World 2010 in Houston, Texas on August 13, 2010.

Anastasia Sidiropoulou from Athens, Greece bested 23 other contestants to win Miss Teen World 2010 which was held on August 9 - 14, 2010 at Hilton Hotel, in Houston Texas, USA.

Channing Smendziuk from Canada was first runner-up.

The Philippines was well represented by Sabrina Watts, a 17 years old Fil Am ramp model who hails from Marilao, Bulacan. Sabrina was born to Johnny Joe Watts Jr., a black american retired Navy and currently a Merchant Marine and Maria Robina Cacayuran a Filipina entrepreneur.

Sabrina has just finished her high school education at St. Mary's College, Meycauwayan, Bulacan.

Watch the video here:

12 Most Interesting National Costumes in Miss Universe 2010

2010-08-18T08:48:00.000-07:00

Check out the 12 most interesting national costumes during the Miss Universe national costume event in Las Vegas, Nevada August 16, 2010.

Miss Philippines Venus Raj in National Costume

2010-08-17T07:43:00.000-07:00

Miss Philippines Maria Venus was among the most applauded during the Miss Universe 2010 National Costume Presentation Show held last night at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

83 Contestants of Miss Universe 2010

2010-08-16T10:11:00.000-07:00

Albania Anxhela Martini
Angola Jurema Ferraz
Argentina Yesica Natalia Di Vincenzo*
Aruba Priscilla Nicole Wai-Yien Lee
Australia Jesinta Campbell
Bahamas Braneka Bassett*
Belgium Cilou Annys*
Bolivia Claudia Arce Lemaitre*
Botswana Tirelo Ramasedi
Brazil Debora Moura Lyra*
British Virgin Islands Josefina Nunez
Canada Elena Semikina*
China Wen Tang
Colombia Natalia Navarro Galvis
Costa Rica Marva Wright Ureña
Croatia Lana Obad
Curacao Safira de Wit
Cyprus Demetra Olimpiou
Czech Republic Jitka Valkova
Denmark Ena Sandra Causevic
Dominican Republic Eva Carolina Arias Viñas
Ecuador Lady Fernanda Mina Lastra
Egypt Donia Hammed
El Salvador Sonia Cruz
Finland Viivi Pumpanen
France Malika Ménard*
Georgia Nanuka "Nana" Gogichaishvili
Germany Kristiana Rohder
Ghana Krystle Awurama Simpson
Great Britain Tara Vaitiere Hoyos-Martinez
Greece Anna Prelevic
Guam Vanessa Laguana Siguenza Torres
Guatemala Jessica Maria Scheel Loyola*
Guyana Tamika Henry
Haiti Sarodj Bertin Durocher*
Honduras Kenia Melissa Martínez Sambulá
Hungary Timea Babinyecz
India Ushoshi Sengupta
Indonesia Qory Sandioriva
Ireland Rozanna Purcell
Israel Bat-El Jobi
Italy Jessica Cecchini
Jamaica Yendi Amira Phillips*
Japan Maiko Itai
Kazakhstan Assel Kuchukova
Korea Kim Joo-ri
Kosovo Keshtjella Pepshi
Lebanon Rahaf Abdallah*
Malaysia Nadine Ann Thomas
Mauritius Dalysha Doorga*
Mexico Jimena Navarrete Rosette
Netherlands Desiree van den Berg*
New Zealand Ria van Dyke
Nicaragua Scharllette Allen Moses
Nigeria Ngozi Odaloni
Norway Melinda Victoria Elvenes
Panama Anyoli Amorette Ábrego Sanjur*
Paraguay Johanna Maria Belén Benítez Olmedo
Peru Giuliana Zevallos Roncagliolo*
Philippines Maria Venus Bayonito Raj
Poland Maria Nowakowska*
Puerto Rico Mariana Paola Vicente Morales
Romania Oana Paveluc
Russia Irina Igorevna Antonenko
Serbia Lidija Kocic
Singapore Tania Lim Kim Suan*
Slovak Republic Anna Amenova
Slovenia Marika Savsek
South Africa Nicole Flint*
Spain Adriana Reverón Moreno*
Sri Lanka Ishanka Dilrukshi Madurasinghe
Sweden Michaela Savic
Switzerland Linda Fah
Tanzania Hellen Dausen
Thailand Fontip Watcharatrakul
Trinidad & Tobago LaToya Woods
Turkey Gizem Memic*
Ukraine Anna Poslavs’ka
Uruguay Stephany Ortega
U.S.A. Rima Fakih
U.S. Virgin Islands Janeisha John*
Venezuela Marelisa Gibson Villegas
Zambia Alice Rowlands Musukwa

* Cross-references to some of the other pageants

Argentina Italia nel Mondo 2006 (semi-finalist)
Bahamas World 2010
Belgium World 2010
Bolivia Earth 2010
Brazil Top Model of the World 2008 (winner)
Canada Coffee 2008, International 2008 & Bikini International 2010
France World 2010
Guatemala Earth 2007
Haiti Intercontinental 2005
Jamaica World 2007 (semi-finalist & Top 3 Beach Beauty)
Korea World 2009 (semi-finalist)
Lebanon World 2010
Mauritius World 2010
Netherlands World 2010
Panama Miss Model of the World 2009 (Top 30)
Peru Earth 2008
Poland International 2010
Singapore Tourism Pageant 2007 & Beauty of the World 2009
South Africa World 2010
Spain Earth 2008 (Top 8)
Turkey World 2010
U.S. Virgin Islands America 2008

Venus Raj Looks Stunning in her MU Swimsuit and Glam Photos

2010-08-16T09:55:00.000-07:00

Ma. Venus Raj is definitely the Philippines' best delegate to the Miss Universe pageant since Miriam Quiambao!

Mark my word. The Philippines will finally enter the semi-finals of Miss Universe after a decade of shut out in the prestigious beauty pageant. This fearless forecast, of course, will come true only if no politics or racism cloud the 59th edition of the Donald Trump franchise.

Our very own, Ma. Venus Raj is in her full fighting form to capture the third Miss Universe crown for the country. Her glam photo taken by Fadil Berisha below is no less than stunning:

And here is her swimsuit portrait:

I'm just keeping my fingers crossed for the evening gown.

Images courtesy of Miss Universe L.P., LLLP

Top 5 Miss Universe Evening Gown Portraits

2010-08-16T09:53:00.000-07:00

Miss Universe has released the evening gown portraits of its 83 contestants. Check out our Top 5 picks!

Miss Russia - Irina Antonenko

Miss Mexico - Jimena Navarrete

Miss Albania - Angela Martini

This one's a little out of the box...

Miss Ireland - Rozanna Purcell

This one's a little simple but fresh and free-spirited...

Miss Jamaica - Yendi Phillipps

Photos courtesy of Matt Petit / Miss Universe L.P., LLLP

Miss Philippines Interview Video

2010-08-16T09:22:00.001-07:00

The casual interview videos of the 83 Miss Universe contestants can now be seen on YouTube. Check out the interview video of our very own Venus Raj!

Just like with the other candidates, our very own Venus Raj was asked "What piece of advice would you give to a man?", "What is the best gift you have ever received?", "What is the worst date you have ever been on?" and make an impression on the following: lion, car starting, rocket launching, sheep, cow and robot.

Watch Venus Raj's casual interview video here:

Miss Philippines Among Early Favorites in Miss Universe

2010-08-08T20:56:00.000-07:00

Miss Philippines, Ma. Venus Raj, is among the early favorites in Miss Universe 2010.

Pageant website Globalbeauties.com has released their very first leaderboard for Miss Universe 2010. They ranked the Top 25 from more than 80 candidates this year based from the points given by a group of international pageant enthusiasts.

Their Top 5, which they call "The Fab Five" include Miss Russia, Miss Mexico, Miss Colombia, Miss USA and of course, Miss Philippines:

Another pageant website, Missosology.org, has Miss Philippines at no. 1 in their list followed by Miss USA (#2), Miss Venezuela (#3), Miss Russia (#4) and Miss Ireland (#5):

The official Miss Universe website, on the other hand, is having a survey via an online popularity poll where the global community can give ratings on their favorite contestants, 5 being the highest and 1 being the lowest score.

This early, Ma. Venus Raj is at no. 1 and the only candidate who got a 3+ rating. Among the 83 Miss Universe candidates, she now has a rating of 3.58 followed by Miss Brazil Debora Lyra, 2.83; Miss Colombia Natalia Navarro, 2.77; Miss Venezuela Marelisa Gibson, 2.77; and Miss Mexico Jimena Navarrete with 2.76.

Dominican Republic Wins Miss Global Teen 2010

2010-07-05T18:29:00.000-07:00

19-year-old Mayte Brito Medina from Dominican Republic was crowned Miss Global Teen 2010 during the pageant finale last Saturday at Campo Grande in Mat Grosso do Sul, Brazil.

Miss Global Teen 2010: Dominican Republic, Mayte Brito Medina, 19

TOP 3

1st Runner Up:
Egypt, Tara Emadt, 17
2nd Runner Up:
Canada, Chelsae Durocher, 19

TOP 6:

3rd Runner Up:
Belgium, Kathleen Luyts, 18
4th Runner Up:
Venezuela, Rosanna Medina, 17
5th Runner Up:
Portugal, Mariana Santos, 17

SEMI-FINALISTS:

Colombia, Angelis Romina Behaine Mogolion, 19
Guatemala, Christa Garcia, 18
Netherlands, Vivian Andrea Louisa Maria Den Dekker, 18
Peru, Estefani Mauricci, 17
Philippines, Mariella Castillo, 18
South Africa, Lisa De Bique, 18
USA, Caroline Rodriguez Lassance, 19

CONTINENTAL TEEN QUEENS:

Africa: Egypt, Tara Emadt, 17
Americas: Canada, Chelsae Durocher, 19
Asia: Philippines, Mariella Castillo, 18
Caribbean: Dominican Republic, Mayte Brito Medina, 19
Europe: Belgium, Kathleen Luyts, 18

SPECIAL AWARDEES:

Miss Talent - USA, Caroline Rodriguez Lassance, 19
Miss Photogenic - Poland, Monika Suchoka, 17
Miss Congeniality - Portugal, Mariana Santos, 17
Miss Personality - Denmark, Agnes Josefin Helka, 17
Achievement Award - Bahamas, Shamika Rolle, 17
Miss Fair Play - New Zealand, Nicole Tulinukuafe, 16
Teen Face of the Year -
Bolivia, Alexia Laura Viruez, 15
Beautiful Smile - Brazil, Thuanny Rodrigues Ferreira, 16

NON-WINNERS:
Argentina, Myrna Dotti, 19
Ecuador, Maria Fernanda Perez, 17
El Salvador, Nidia Rivas, 17
Paraguay, Romina Gisel Britez Acosta, 18

Gibraltar Wins Miss World 2009

2009-12-12T17:08:00.000-08:00

23-year-old Kaiane Aldorino became the 59th Miss World during the coronation night which was held on December 12, 2009 at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa.

112 contestants from all over the world competed for the crown, marking the biggest turnout in the pageant's history. Miss World 2008, Ksenia Sukhinova of Russia, crowned her successor, Kaiane Aldorino of Gibraltar, at the end of the event.

Here is the outcome of Miss World 2009:

Miss World 2009:
GIBRALTAR, Kaiane Aldorino

1st Runner Up:
MEXICO, Perla Beltrán

2nd Runner Up:
SOUTH AFRICA, Tatum Keshwar

TOP 7 FINALISTS

COLOMBIA, Daniela Ramos
PANAMA, Nadege Herrera
CANADA, Lena Ma
FRANCE, Chloé Mortaud

TOP 16 SEMIFINALISTS

JAPAN, Eruza Sasaki
SIERRA LEONE, Mariatu Kargbo
INDIA, Pooja Chopra
KOREA, Kim Joo-ri
MARTINIQUE, Ingrid Littré
POLAND, Anna Jamróz
BRAZIL, Luciana Bertolini
VIETNAM, Trần Thị Hương Giang
KAZAKHSTAN, Dina Nuraliyeva

FAST TRACK EVENT WINNERS

-Japan (Sports Winner)
-Canada (Talent Winner)
-Sierra Leone (Talent Winner)
-Mexico (Top Model Winner)
-Gibraltar (Beach Beauty Winner)
-India (Beauty with a Purpose Winner)

CONTINENTAL QUEENS OF BEAUTY

Beauty Queen of Africa: Tatum Keshwar (South Africa)
Beauty Queen of Americas: Perla Beltrán (Mexico)
Beauty Queen of Asia & Oceania: Trần Thị Hương Giang (Vietnam)
Beauty Queen of Caribbean: Ingrid Littré (Martinique)
Beauty Queen of Europe: Kaiane Aldorino (Gibraltar)

Miss World 2009 Crowning Moment

2009-12-12T16:25:00.000-08:00

Miss Earth 2009 Post Pageant Pictorial

2009-11-24T08:09:00.001-08:00

Brazilian beauty Larissa Ramos and her runner-ups posed in their bikinis and crowns on the beautiful beach of Boracay.

To say that the following photos are beautiful is an understatement.

Miss Earth 2009 is Larissa Ramos (Brazil). Miss Air is Sandra Seifert (Philippines). Miss Water is Jessica Barboza (Venezuela). Miss Fire is
Alejandra Echeverria (Spain).

Images courtesy of Miss Earth.

Brazil Wins Miss Earth 2009

2009-11-24T08:03:00.000-08:00

MISS EARTH 2009:
Brazil, Larissa Ramos

MISS AIR 2009:
Philippines, Sandra Inez Seifert

MISS WATER 2009:
Venezuela, Jessica Barboza

MISS FIRE 2009:
Spain, Alejandra Echevarria

TOP 8

Thailand, Rujinan Phanseethum
Brazil, Larissa Ramos
Poland, Izabela Wilczek
Martinique, Pascale Laurie Nelide
Spain, Alejandra Echevarria
Venezuela, Jessica Barboza
Philippines, Sandra Inez Seifert
Colombia, Alejandra Castillo Múnera

TOP 16 Semi-finalists
(in order of announcement)

Poland, Izabela Wilczek
Korea, Park Ye-ju
Brazil, Larissa Ramos
Colombia, Alejandra Castillo Múnera
Thailand, Rujinan Phanseethum
Spain, Alejandra Echevarria
Northern Ireland, Kayleigh O'Reilly
Philippines, Sandra Inez Seifert
South Africa, Chanel Grantham
France, Magalie Audrey Thierry
Georgia, Nonna Diakonidze
Singapore, Valerie Lim
Martinique, Pascale Laurie Nelide
India, Shriya Kishore
Venezuela, Jessica Barboza
Paraguay, Gabriela Mercedes Rejala

Preliminary Awards:

Best in Swimsuit:
Philippines, Sandra Inez Seifert

Best in Evening Gown:
Philippines, Sandra Inez Seifert

Best in National Costume:
Tanzania, Evelyne Almasi

Miss Photogenic:
Czech Republic, Tereza Budková

Miss Talent:
Tahiti, Niuriki Teremate

Miss Friendship:
Switzerland, Graziella Rogers

Sponsor Awards:

Best in Eco-Design Wear:
Jamaica, Jennae Dawn Jackson

Best in Eco-Bag Design Wear:
Czech Republic, Tereza Budková

Best in Use of Indigenous Products Wear:
Albania, Suada Saliu

Miss Fontana Resort:
China, Yan Xu

Miss Golden Sunset Resort & Spa:
Cuba, Jamillette Gaxiola

Miss Discovery Suites Award:
Spain, Alejandra Echevarria

Miss Eagle Express:
Korea, Park Ye-ju

Placenta Award:
Puerto Rico, Dignelis Jiménez

Pasigandahan Award:
Guam, Maria Luisa Santos

Miss Gandang Ricky Reyes Award:
Spain, Alejandra Echevarria

Miss Asei:
Korea, Park Ye-ju

Miss Perwoll:
Venezuela, Jessica Barboza

Miss AVSCOR:
Dominican Republic, Mariel Aracelis Garcia

Miss HDR Management:
Poland, Izabela Wilczek

Miss Jubilee Presidents’ Foundation:
Philippines, Sandra Inez Seifert

VIDEO LINKS:

Miss Earth 2009 - Opening

Miss Earth 2009 - Announcement of the Top 16 Semifinalists

Miss Earth 2009 - Top 16 Swimsuit Competition

Miss Earth 2009 - Top 16 Evening Gown Competition

Announcement of the Top 8

Top 8 Question and Answer Portion

Announcement of the Winners

Miss Earth 2009 - Coronation

2009-11-22T09:51:00.000-08:00

Miss Earth 2009 - Final Question and Answer

2009-11-22T08:27:00.000-08:00

Miss Earth 2009 - Announcement of the Top 8

2009-11-22T08:19:00.000-08:00

Miss Earth 2009 - Top 16 Evening Gown Competition

2009-11-22T07:48:00.000-08:00

First Batch:

Second Batch:

Miss Earth 2009 - Top 16 Swimsuit Competition

2009-11-22T07:11:00.000-08:00

Miss Earth 2009 - Top 16

2009-11-22T07:02:00.000-08:00

Miss Earth 2009 - Opening

2009-11-22T06:21:00.000-08:00

Miss Earth 2009 - Evening Gown Competition Group B Semi-finals

2009-11-10T05:46:00.001-08:00

Assorted Miss Earth Preliminaries Videos

2009-11-09T18:01:00.000-08:00

Miss Puerto Rico in National Costume Competition:

Miss Indonesia in National Costume Competition:

Miss Panama in National Costume Competition:

Miss Earth Favorites (News Report):

Videos courtesy of Mabuhay Beauties.

Miss Earth Contestants on ASAP '09

2009-11-09T09:53:00.000-08:00

10 selected Miss Earth contestants appeared on ASAP last Sunday with Billy Crawford performing Sean Kingston's "Fire Burning."

Featured candidates were USA, Ecuador, Italy, Belgium, India, Russia, Korea, Netherlands, Serbia and Philippines.

The Miss Earth 2009 Candidates

2009-11-08T20:57:00.000-08:00

Albania – Suada Saliu
Argentina – Gisela Menossi
Australia – Melinda Heffernan
Bahamas – Krystal Brown
Belgium – Isabel van Hoof
Bolivia – Dominique Peltier
Bosnia & Herzegovina – Lejla Adrovic
Brazil – Larissa Ramos
Canada – Lateesha Ector
China – Yan Xu
Chinese – Taipei Chen Yi-Wen
Colombia – Alejandra Castillo Múnera
Costa Rica – Malena Orozco
Croatia – Vinka Groseta
Cuba – Jamillette Gaxiola
Czech Republic Tereza Budková
Denmark – Patrica Tjornelund
Dominican – Republic Mariel Garcia
Ecuador – Diana Delgado
El Salvador Mayra Aldana
England – Kirsty Nichol
Ethiopia – Genet Denoba Ogeto
France – Magalie Thierry
Gabon – Marlyne Lea Ayenne
Georgia – Nona Diakonidze
Ghana Mariam Abdul Rauf
Greece – Triantafyllia Sarantinou
Guadeloupe – Marie-Ange Seymour
Guam – Maria Luisa Santos
Guatemala – Hamy Tejeda
Honduras – Alejandra Mendoza
Hong Kong – Wang Shan Shan
Hungary – Korinna Kocsis
India – Shriya Kishore
Indonesia – Nadine Zamira Syarief
Israel – Noy Michaelov
Italy – Luna Isabella Voce
Jamaica – Jenaae Jackson
Japan – Takada Tomomi
Kazakhstan Inessa Nazarova
Kenya – Catherine Muturi
Korea – Park Ye-ju
Kosovo – Elza Marku
Latvia – Diana Kubasova
Lebanon – Nicole Lichaa Khoury
Luxembourg – Theodora B?nic?
Macau – Jia Pei
Malawi – Queen Christie Tembo
Malaysia – Madeline Nandu
Malta – Alison Gallea Valletta
Martinique – Pascale Nelide
Mexico – Natalia Quiñónez
Nepal Richa – Thapa Magar
Netherlands- Sabrina Anijs
New Zealand – Catherine Irving
Nigeria – Modesta Alozie
Northern Ireland – Kayleigh O’Reilly
Pakistan – Ayesha Gilani
Panama – Geraldine Higuera
Paraguay – Gabriela Rejala
Peru – Leticia Rivera
Philippines – Sandra Seifert
Poland – Izabela Wilczek
Puerto Rico – Dignelis Jiménez
Romania – Roxana Ilie
Russia – Ksenia Podsevatkina
Samoa – Varuna Curry
Scotland – Sarah Finlay
Serbia – Dijana Milojkovic
Singapore – Valerie Lim
Slovak Republic – Lea Sindlerova
Slovenia – Maja Jamnik
South Africa – Chanel Grantham
South Sudan – Aheu Deng
Spain – Alejandra Echevarria
Sweden – Giulia Simone Olsson
Switzerland – Graziella Rogers
Tahiti – Niuriki Teremate
Tanzania – Evelyne Almasi
Thailand – Rujinan Phanseethum
Tonga – Mary Greatz
Turkey – Gözde Zay
Turks & Caicos – Alison Capron
Ukraine – Karina Golovata
USA – Amy Diaz
Venezuela – Jessica Barboza
Wales – Dominique Dyer

Tanzania Wins Best in National Costume in Miss Earth 2009

2009-11-08T09:51:00.000-08:00

Evelyne Almasi from Tanzania won the first award in Miss Earth 2009 - the Best in National Costume.

The 24 year-old African beauty (center), bested around 80 contestants by bagging the Miss Earth 2009 Best in National Costume award last November 4, 2009 at the Philippine Amazing Theater, Pasay City.

Miss Guam, Maria Luisa Santos, won Miss Pasigandahan, a title that advocates the rehabilitation of Pasig River. Miss Puerto Rico Dignelis Jimenez, on the other hand, won Miss Psalmstre New Placenta.

Image courtesy of Miss Earth.

Miss Earth 2009 Press Presentation Photos

2009-11-07T07:42:00.000-08:00

Images courtesy of Tony Santos

Miss Earth 2009 National Costume Competition

2009-11-07T07:41:00.001-08:00

Miss Earth 2009 Fever is On!

2009-11-07T07:33:00.000-08:00

The coronation night of the 9th Miss Earth pageant will take place on November 22, 2009 at the Boracay Ecovillage Convention Center as organized by Carousel Productions & ABS-CBN.

Miss Earth 2009 Schedule of Activities

Major Activities

November 4 (10AM) Press Presentation:
Valle Verde 6, Pasig City

November 4 (4PM) National Costume Competition:
Amazing Philippines Theater, Manila

November 14 (7PM) Final Swimsuit Competition:
Fontana Leisure Park & Casino, Pampanga

November 16 (7PM) Final Evening Gown Competition:
PAGCOR Grand Theater, Parañaque

November 17 (7PM) Final Talent Competition:
Coron, Palawan

November 22 (7PM) Grand Coronation Night:
Boracay Ecovillage Resort & Convention Center

Robinsons Mall Tour & Fashion Show

November 6 (4PM) Robinsons Place Dasmariñas
November 7 (4PM) Robinsons Nova Market
November 8 (4PM) Robinsons Place Metroeast
November 13 (4PM) Robinsons Galleria
November 14 (4PM) Robinsons Starmills, Pampanga

Preliminary Events

Nov. 7 GROUP 1 Pre-Swimsuit Competition:
Golden Sunset Resort & Spa Calatagan, Batangas

Nov. 8 GROUP 3 Pre-Swimsuit Competition:
Central Country Estate, Inc. The Lakeshore

Nov. 12 GROUP 2 Pre-Swimsuit Competition:
Legazpi, Bicol

Nov. 9 GROUP 1 Pre-Talent Competition:
Amana Water Park Resort, Pandi, Bulacan

Nov. 9 GROUP 3 Pre-Talent competition:
Bacolod

Nov. 10 GROUP 2 Pre-Talent competition:
Puerto Princesa, Palawan

Nov. 7 GROUP 3 Pre-Evening Gown Competition:
Subic

Nov. 8 GROUP 1 Pre-Evening Gown Competition:
Splash Mountain Resort Hotel, Los Baños Laguna

Nov. 9 GROUP 2 Pre-Evening Gown Competition:
Greenbelt 5, Ayala

Venezuela is the Early Leader of our Beautimometer Ranking for 2009

2009-08-24T09:16:00.000-07:00

Top 7 Countries after Miss Universe

1. Venezuela - 50 points

2. USA - 20 points
Dominican Republic - 20 points

3. Kosovo - 19 points

4. Australia - 18 points

5. Puerto Rico - 17 points

6. Thailand - 11 points
Brazil - 11 points

7. Czech Republic - 10 points
South Africa - 10 points
Switzerland - 10 points
France - 10 points
Colombia - 10 points
Philippines - 10 points

VENEZUELA

MU Winner - 50 points

USA

MU Top 10 - 10 points
Mister Universe Model Winner - 10 points

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

MU 1st Runner up - 20 points

KOSOVO

MU 2nd Runner up - 19 points

AUSTRALIA

MU 3rd Runner up - 18 points

PUERTO RICO

MU 4th Runner up - 17 points

CZECH REPUBLIC

MU Top 10 - 10 points

FRANCE

MU Top 10 - 10 points

SOUTH AFRICA

MU Top 10 - 10 points

SWITZERLAND

MU Top 10 - 10 points

ALBANIA

MU Top 15 - 5 points

BELGIUM

MU Top 15 - 5 points

CROATIA

MU Top 15 - 5 points

ICELAND

MU Top 15 - 5 points

SWEDEN

MU Top 15 - 5 points

THAILAND

Miss International GBQ Winner - 10 points
MU Miss Photogenic - 1 point

PHILIPPINES

International Beauty and Fashion Festival Winner - 10 points

COLOMBIA

International Queen of Coffee Winner - 10 points

BRAZIL

Top Model of the World Winner - 10 points
MTQI Miss Charm - 1 point

PANAMA

MU Best National Costume - 1 point

CHINA

MU Miss Congeniality - 1 point

GUINEA

MTQI Disco Queen - 1 point

SRI LANKA

MTQI Miss Talent - 1 point

BALI

MTQI Best in Swimsuit - 1 point

New Point System in our Annual Beautimometer Ranking

2009-08-24T08:58:00.000-07:00

Since we are ranking the best-performing countries in beauty pageants each year, here is our new points distribution:

MISS UNIVERSE

Winner: 50 points
1st Runner-up: 20 points
2nd Runner-up: 19 points
3rd Runner-up: 18 points
4th Runner-up: 17 points
Top 6 to 10 placement: 10 points
Top 11 to 15 placement: 5 points
Special Award: 1 point

MISS WORLD

Winner: 50 points
1st Runner-up: 20 points
2nd Runner-up: 19 points
Top 5 placement: 15 points
Top 15 placement: 8 points
Special Award: 1 point

MISS EARTH

Winner: 50 points
1st Runner-up: 20 points
2nd Runner-up: 19 points
3rd Runner-up: 18 points
Top 8 placement: 10 points
Top 16 placement: 5 points
Special Award: 1 point

MISS INTERNATIONAL

Winner: 50 points
1st Runner-up: 20 points
2nd Runner-up: 19 points
3rd Runner-up: 18 points
4th Runner-up: 17 points
Top 12 placement: 10 points
Special Award: 1 point

MISS TOURISM QUEEN INTERNATIONAL

Winner: 40 points
1st Runner-up: 15 points
2nd Runner-up: 14 points
3rd Runner-up: 13 points
4th Runner-up: 12 points
Top 20 placement: 4 points
Special Award: 1 point

OTHER NON-GRAND SLAM PAGENTS

Winner: 10 points
0 point for finalist/semi-finalist

Miss Venezuela Stefania Fernandez Wins Miss Universe 2009

2009-08-23T20:31:00.000-07:00

Miss Venezuela, Stefania Fernandez, wins Miss Universe 2009.

This is the second consecutive year that the South American country captured the Miss Universe crown.

Fourth Runner-up:
Miss PUERTO RICO

Third Runner-up:
Miss AUSTRALIA

Second Runner-up:
Miss KOSOVO

1st Runner-up:
Miss DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

WINNER:
Miss VENEZUELA

The crown stayed in South America. Europe, this year's strongest continent in Miss Universe, lost again. Asia was snubbed.

Miss Universe 2009 - Top 5 Question and Answer

2009-08-23T20:16:00.000-07:00

Miss Universe 2009 - The Official Top 15

2009-08-23T18:58:00.000-07:00

The Official Top 15 are:

PUERTO RICO
ICELAND
ALBANIA
CZECH REPUBLIC
BELGIUM
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
SWEDEN
KOSOVO
AUSTRALIA
FRANCE
SWITZERLAND
SOUTH AFRICA
USA
CROATIA
VENEZUELA

Miss Universe 2009 - Meet the 84 Contestants

2009-08-23T18:53:00.000-07:00

Minus Turks and Caicos who withdrew from the competition the day before because of dehydration.

Miss Universe Primer on Ruffa and Ai

2009-08-23T18:15:00.001-07:00

Miss Universe 2009 - The Frontrunners

2009-08-22T19:17:00.000-07:00

Australia; Rachael Finch

Dominican Republic; Ada Aimee De La Cruz

Mexico; Karla Carrillo

France; Chloe Mortaud

South Africa; Tatum Keshwar

USA; Kristen Dalton

Venezuela; Stefania Fernandez

Netherlands; Avalon Channel

Miss Universe 2009 - Our Top 15!

2009-08-20T21:58:00.000-07:00

In the past 10 years, the Miss Universe pageant is being dominated by delegates from the Latin American countries. This year could be an exception because Europe and Asia/Oceana performed very well in the preliminaries. But of course, it all depends on the taste of the panel of judges and how the ladies will perform come coronation night this Sunday.

Based on the preliminary videos for the swimsuit and evening gown competitions, including the interview videos, we came up with our own picks as possible shoo-in for the Top 15.

We're guessing the crown is being contested by four countries: Australia, the Netherlands, Dominican Republic and France. USA, Venezuela, Puerto Rico and Mexico may pull a surprise because of sash factor (these four countries have strong ties with the Miss Universe organization). Or it could be the year of the Black Horse which includes Czech Republic, Spain, South Africa and our very own Bianca Manalo.

In 3 days, we will see if our fearless forecast is right on. Check out our first and last TOP 15 FAVORITES in the Miss Universe 2009 pageant:

1. Australia, Rachael Finch

2. Dominican Republic, Ada de la Cruz

3. Netherlands, Avalon-Chanel Weyzig

4. France, Chloé Mortaud

5. USA, Kristen Dalton

6. Mexico, Karla Carrillo

7. Venezuela, Stefanía Fernández

8. South Africa, Tatum Keshwar

9. Philippines, Pamela Bianca Manalo

10. Czech Republic, Iveta Lutovská

11. Russia, Sofia Rudieva

12. Puerto Rico, Mayra Matos

13. Belgium, Zeynep Sever

14. Guatemala, Figueroa

15. Spain, Estíbaliz Pereira

Strong Alternates: Ghana, China, Kosovo, Guatemala and Indonesia

Miss Universe 2009 - Top 15 in Evening Gown Competition

2009-08-18T00:11:00.000-07:00

The 84 delegates of the Miss Universe 2009 pageant competed in the evening gown segment of the prelims. Check out our Top 15 picks!

1. France

2. Netherlands

3. Guatemala

4. Venezuela

5. Australia

6. Dominican Republic

7. India

8. Czech Republic

9. Mexico

10. China

11. USA

12. Puerto Rico

13. Italy

14. Colombia

15. Great Britain

And here is our very own Bianca Manalo:

Miss Universe 2009 - Top 15 in Swimsuit Competition

2009-08-17T18:09:00.000-07:00

The Miss Universe 2009 preliminary competition was held last August 15 in Bahamas. Check out our Top 15 picks in the swimsuit competition.

Miss Australia proved that she's not just a pretty face with a well-toned body as she nailed the catwalk in the swimsuit competition. Australia is no. 1 in our list with regards to the swimsuit segment.

Our no. 2 is the captivating Miss Netherlands followed by powerhouses Mexico and Dominican Republic, in 3rd and 4th place respectively.

Our very own Bianca Manalo catapulted herself as the no. 1 Asian delegate this year for her mesmerizing stage presence and excellent catwalk skills. She delivered and she surprised everyone. That's why she's no. 5 in our list.

The list will not be complete without USA (6th) and Venezuela (7th). It's a no-brainer to include the two not just for sash factor, but the two countries consistently deliver year after year.

Two black beauties occupied our 8th and 9th slots and they are Miss France and Miss South Africa. They both bring the possibility that a black delegate could win this year.

Two more Asians made it in our list: Indonesia (10th) , for her charisma and Thailand (14th) for her stunning body.

Europe is the strongest continent this year. With Netherlands as a shoo-in for the crown and France as the strongest black delegate, these countries performed well also: Spain, Belgium and Iceland.

1. Australia

2. Netherlands

3. Mexico

4. Dominican Republic

5. Philippines

6. USA

7. Venezuela

8. France

9. South Africa

10. Indonesia

11. Belgium

12. Iceland

13. Spain

14. Thailand

15. Russia

I thought Brazil, Puerto Rico, Hungary, Japan and Czech Republic are also front-runners this year, but they did not make it in our Hot 15 for swimsuit. Let's see if they delivered in the evening gown competition (coming right up).

Miss Universe 2009 - Preliminary Competition

2009-08-17T09:31:00.000-07:00

Sandra Inez Seifert is Miss Philippines Earth 2009

2009-05-10T09:46:00.000-07:00

Binibining Pilipinas 2009 reject Sandra Inez Seifert has just won the Miss Philippines-Earth 2009 crown!

Sandra Inez Seifert was the favorite of pageant enthusiasts to win the 2009 Binibining Pilipinas - Universe crown because they see a big potential in her that could end the 10-year Philippine drought in the prestigious Miss Universe pageant. Unfortunately, two days before the Binibining Pilipinas 2009 coronation night, Seifert was disqualified by the organizers (led by Stella Marquez Araneta) on ground that she was discovered to have posed for FHM magazine two years ago.

Although crushed by the incident, Seifert did not stop to fulfill her dream of becoming a beauty queen. She then joined Miss Philippines - Earth pageant. And just minutes ago, she was announced the winner at the 9th Miss Philippines coronation night at The Arena Entertainment and Recreational Center of the People, San Juan City besting 49 other contestants.

MISS PHILIPPINES-EARTH 2009 COMPLETE RESULTS

Miss Philippines Earth 2009:
Sandra Inez Seifert (Negros Occidental)

Miss Philippines Air:
Michelle Martha Braun (Aklan)

Miss Philippines Water:
Catherine Loyola (Sydney Australia)

Miss Philippines Fire:
Patricia Marie Tumulak (Quezon City)

Miss Philippines Eco Tourism:
Grezilda 'Adie' Adelantar (Victorias)

SEMI-FINALISTS (Runner-ups)

* Alexis Go (Manila)
* Tessa Gruger (Canada)
* Monique Teruelle Manuel (Bataan)
* Vanessa Johnson (Apalit)
* Kirstie Joan Babor (Alegria)

SPECIAL TITLES

Miss PAGCOR:
Grezilda 'Adie' Adelantar (Victorias)

Miss Science and Technology:
Patricia Marie Tumulak (QC)

SPECIAL AWARDS

Best in Swimsuit:
Sandra Inez Seifert (Negros Occidental)

Best in Long Gown:
Tessa Kruger (Canada)

Miss Photogenic:
Jane Annalyn Sy (Cainta)

Miss Talent:
Angelee Claudett delos Reyes (Olongapo)

Miss Congeniality:
Kirstie Joan Babor (Alegria)

Best in Cultural Attire:
Sandra Inez Seifert (Negros Occidental)

Gandang Ricky Reyes Awardee:
Sandra Inez Seifert (Negros Occidental)

Miss Ever Bilena:
Jane Annalyn Sy (Cainta)

Miss RCBC-e-Woman:
Sandra Inez Seifert (Negros Occidental)

Miss Golden Sunset:
Karryl Ann Lopez (Pasay)

Miss Magnolia Ice Cream:
Catherine Loyola (Sydney Australia)

Face Of The New Placenta:
Grezilda 'Adie' Adelantar (Victorias)

Video Link: Final Question and Answer

Miss Philippines Earth 2009 - Final Question and Answer

2009-05-10T09:17:00.000-07:00

Philippines Wins International Beauty and Model Festival 2009

2009-05-09T23:00:00.000-07:00

Miss Philippines April Love Jordan bested more than 40 candidates in the recently concluded 2009 International Beauty and Model Festival.

The grand finals of the said beauty pageant was held last May 3, 2009 in Kunming, Yunnan Province, China. Her court includes Lithuania’s Kuliesaite Laura, first runner-up; Colombia’s Natalia Ospina Acevedo, second runner-up; Gabon’s Ayene Ella Marlyne Lea, third runner-up; and USA’s Sylvia Christina Rita, fourth runner-up.

Miss Philippines-Earth 2009

2009-04-29T17:52:00.000-07:00

Miss North Carolina Kristen Dalton is Miss USA 2009

2009-04-20T10:50:00.000-07:00

Miss North Carolina USA Kristen Dalton was crowned Miss USA 2009 besting 50 other beauty queens.

The live pageant was televised Sunday night from Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

The 22-year-old aspiring motivational speaker and entertainer from Wilmington edged out first runner-up Miss California USA Carrie Prejean who had a YouTube moment during the question and answer portion with judge Perez Hilton.

"It feels really natural," Dalton said of her win. "I've worked to be here and this has been my lifelong dream and it's finally here. And whoever knew you could win in a turquoise gown?"

Here are the results of the Miss USA 2009 pageant:

Miss USA 2009:
NORTH CAROLINA, Kristen Dalton

1st Runner-up: CALIFORNIA
2nd Runner-up: ARIZONA
3rd Runner-up: UTAH
4th Runner-up: KENTUCKY

Top 10:

NORTH CAROLINA
ARKANSAS
TEXAS
WEST VIRGINIA
TENNESSEE

Top 15:

CONNECTICUT
IDAHO
GEORGIA
MINNESOTA
TEXAS

Special Awards:

Miss Congeniality: WYOMING
Miss Photogenic: WEST VIRGINIA