Tanisha Vernon is Miss Belize Universe and Larriean Samuels is Miss Belize Earth

The Miss Belize pageant was held this past Saturday in Belize City and Tanisha Vernon won the title. She will now represent Belize at the Miss Universe pageant in 2008. Yesterday she paid us at visit and told us she is all excited about her new title.

Tanisha Vernon,Miss Belize Universe:

“Right now I’m overwhelmed with enthusiasm. I’m feeling wonderful. It’s definitely an honor to be given this position. And it’s not only a position but it’s a job that you have to maintain and I hope at the end, I can represent my country to the fullest. I think my maintenance of confidence and my hard work and I always kept it in my mind that I’m in it to win it. I maintained my objective and that’s basically what helped me to pull through.”

Vernon told us also that during her reign she plans to work very much with community groups.

Tanisha Vernon,Miss Belize Universe:

“My plan of action is to be more active in my community, work more in Alliance with AIDS. It’s an organization that deals with HIV/AIDS. I noticed that it’s a universal problem worldwide and Belize is one of the Central American country that has one of the highest percentage of HIV/AIDS. And to be apart of that,it’s definitely a task. I mean I have friends and relatives that died from this disease and so I’m faced with it first hand; not only behind the scenes but I see the up close and personal effect that it has on people’s lives. Also with orphanage, being more active in schools, probably reading to the children,help with future pageants at the tertiary and secondary level, and give motivational speeches to those young ladies that probably want to be or vie for the title next year in 2008.”

Love News also spoke with new Miss Belize Earth, Larriean Samuels. Samuels said she is honored to be an ambassador for Belize and that during her reign will try to fulfill all her responsibilities.

Larriean Samuels,Miss Belize Earth:

“It was a very exciting and a little bit nerve-racking experience, and I am very honored to be an ambassador of this country. It’s more of a prestige job I would say,that not any women has the opportunity to do here in Belize. I was very determined and very hungry. I took instructions very well, advice I listened and I executed and I would definitely say that that helped me to win the pageant and being very focused.At this moment I am open. During the course of my reign I’m sure there will be many opportunities that are open. I will experience and I will be aware of things that I didn’t know before and from then I would choose but right now at this moment I am interested in business but in dealing with the environment and everything you never know where your passion may change to a whole 360.”

In the case that either Vernon or Samuels cannot fulfill their duties the first runner up Jesse Medina will take up the post. Medina plans to assist in community service and promote the tourism sector in Belize.

Source: Love FM

Local Beauty Presents Bulgaria on Miss Summer International 2007

The Bulgarian beauty Galena Dimova, ‘Miss Bulgaria - Universe' 2005 will present the country on the international beauty contest ‘Miss Summer International 2007'.

The competition finals will take place in the luxurious Italian resort ‘Forte Dei Marmi', near to Pisa, on September 26-28.

Galena will compete for the crown with 15 more belles from all around the world.

Special guest and member of the jury will be Eleonora Mancheva, ‘Mrs. Universe 2007'.

Source: News Bg

Miss Polonia, 2007, as metaphor?

By Peter Gentle

Twenty three year old Barbara Tatara from Lodz, central Poland, was crowned Miss Polonia 2007 last Saturday night at the Congress Hall in the center of Warsaw.

Barbara, a brunette, is a language student and her vital statistics are (in centimeters) 86-66-85 and is 176 centimeters tall.

That’s what the press release said, anyway. I love that expression – ‘vital statistics’ I wonder what Miss Polonia’s ‘non-vital statistics’ are: her IQ, perhaps?

But Miss Polonia should not be confused – as I did – with Miss Poland – who is a completely different ‘Miss’ in a completely different, rival contest.

The winner of Miss Polonia contest goes on to compete for the Miss Universe contest – which is basically an American run competition owned these days by none other than Donald Trump.

The winner of Miss Poland, on the other hand, goes on to compete for the Miss World contest – which is a British based organization.

Last year’s Miss World contest, you may remember – if you have an interest in this sort of thing – was held in Warsaw. The Warsaw authorities took the whole thing very seriously, as I remember, even claiming that putting on such a worldwide event like Miss World would show Planet Earth that Poland was capable of staging such a huge event.

Like the Euro 2012, one presumes – which will be held in Poland and Ukraine in 2012. So far the preperations have been, well a bit of an own goal so far, as it is generally thought that Poland has fallen behind with the planning of the massive infrastructure work that needs to be in place in only five years.

But back to Miss Universe

Quite why the Miss Universe contest is always won by a female from Planet Earth has always been a mystery. Maybe it’s just a case of interstellar discrimination? What about widening out the contest - make it more ‘accessible’ and ‘inclusive’, and include, well, young ladies from other galaxies?

But I digress. Barbara Tatara from Lodz, (vital statistics 86-66-85…etc…) is the latest in a long line of winners going back to 1929, when the first Miss Polonia contest took place. The winner way back then was one Miss Władysława Kostakówna (photo).

I can find no records of her vital statistics …etc… but I have a photograph which I am looking at now. A real 1920s looker was our Władysława: Big dark eyes, tiny red mouth with a slightly curly bob haircut. And she was apparently the daughter of a countess, no less.

The contest ran from 1929 until 1937. And then there was a long break.

During the war there was no contest for obvious reasons.

But, interestingly, the communists who took over in Poland after the war weren’t interested in the Miss Polonia contest either.

Until that is, 1957, when the contest started up again. 1957, is of course, the year after 1956 – the year historians usually mark the end of Stalinism in Poland, Krushchev’s letter etc.

Perhaps, then, that anti-Miss Polonia – ism is in fact a facet of Stalinism? Stalinists didn’t like beauty contests for maybe two reasons. They were:

a) against the goal of social equality and homogeneity, etc, and

b) an affront to Socialist Realism in all art and culture. And if the architecture of the time is anything to go by, then Stalinism was a friend of the ugly, and contests with beautiful people walking up and down catwalks would be certainly not be in the Stalinist style book.

But the new Miss Polonia only survived three years of the Stalinist thaw – and from the beginning of the 1960s to 1982 there was no Miss Polonia contest once again.

But why? What had the new communist authorities got against Miss Polonia?

I have no idea. But maybe it was that every time they put the crown on these women’s heads – and it happens in all beauty contests all over the world - and they lead them to the microphones to say a few words, the new beauty queens always say the same thing, tearfully, when asked what they want to do in the next 365 days of their reign.

“I want to travel the world and..[sob] …do lots of work for charity.”

Every year they say same the thing.

Well, in communist Poland, they wouldn’t be allowed to say that. Because

a) they couldn’t do any work for charity as, in communist times, there were no charities and officially there was no need to have any: and

b) they could only travel the world if they could get a visa. Maybe ‘travel the old Soviet bloc’ might have been a more realistic ambition.

So the communists back then probably banned the contest to stop any young ladies getting any funny ideas: travel the world, do work for charity…

Notice, however, that year the contest started up yet again - in 1983 - was just after the end of martial law in Poland.

So did they start Miss Polonia up again as a sop to the workers? You can understand the thinking back then: communist authorities preside over an economy that has collapsed. They can’t buy off the workers any longer with cheap credits from abroad, like they did for a brief time in the 1970s. So what had they got left?

Well, Miss Polonia, of course. ‘That will put an end to the militant discontent of the Solidarity movement’, you can here them thinking.

Except it didn’t, of course. Which takes us into the current day when Barbara Tatara from Lodz, - vital statistics 86-66-85…etc…, was crowned Miss Polonia 2007 last Saturday night at the Congress Hall – the Stalinist, socialist realist structure that dominates the center of Warsaw.

Source: Polskie Radio

Lara Dutta has injured herself during the shooting

Lara Dutta was shooting for an ad film at the Kamalistan Studios, where she has injured herself badly. A source informs, "The shot required Lara to run around. The concept of the ad was such that the flooring had to be of green color. There was an iron plank on the floor as well. Incidentally that was of green color too. It was because the plank synchronized well with the flooring. However, during the running sequence she failed to notice it an tripped over, badly injuring her knees and spraining the ankle in the process."

Source: Bollywood Premiere

Thinking about your ensemble for the Spring Racing Carnival? Don't worry - you don't need to be a thoroughbred like former Miss Universe Jennifer Hawkins to turn the heads of the colts on-course.

That's because flowing maxi dresses are set to make a big comeback this season.

Hawkins visited Brisbane today, talking fashion and meeting hoards of fans at the Myer store at Chermside.

As the face of the Myer Spring/Summer collections, Hawkins had a few hot tips to share when it came to staying chic for the carnival.

Simple sixties elegance with a hit of feminine charm was the season's forecasted fashion themes; Hawkins herself epitomising the trends in two different spring frocks from the new Myer range.

Both ensembles were entirely girly, with sky high hemlines and fabulous heels.

The fresh and flirtatiously glamorous look also translated to hair and headwear - with Hawkins herself admitting she was not a fan of fascinators, which were popular in 2006.

A great hat or a head of flawless hair were her suggestions for the style savvy, a point reiterated by stylist Steven Mena, who created Hawkins' look for the day.

Soft curls, free form and a natural shape were his season predictions, recommending the hair conscious steer clear of stiff structure and dead straight styles.

Makeup was similarly unfussy, with Mena using neutral tones to craft Hawkin's smoky-eyed, sun-kissed, very natural look.

Of course, when opting for a barely-there face, the power of powder cannot be underestimated in maintaining that much desired dewy finish.

To this end, Mena recommended a fresh and shine-free look accompanied by a handbag packed with a trusted compact, eye pencil and gloss.

Hawkins was excited with the new season's trends and the upcoming carnival, which will go ahead in Brisbane despite the horse flu crisis.

And punters needn't worry this season when it comes to navigating race tracks (a minefield for the stilettoed fashionista) - because when it comes to shoes, wedged heels win by the length of the home straight.

Source: Brisbane Times.com

Jen's a homebody

By Nikki Parkinson

Jennifer Hawkins at the opening of the re-furbished Myer Chermside in Brisbane.

She loves our beaches but she’s passing all that up for a weekend at home in Sydney with her boyfriend.

Yes, glamorous Jennifer Hawkins, the former Miss Universe, television star and face of Myer, yesterday told Queensland that her favourite way to chill out was spending time with her boyfriend.

“I can’t wait to hang out with Jake,” Jennifer said, before officially opening the re-furbished Myer Chermside in Brisbane.

More than 200 VIP customers arrived at 7.30am, and waited more than an hour in the cosmetics hall for the store’s special guest to arrive.

Wearing a silk satin print dress by Australian designer TL Wood, Jennifer did a lap of the crowd in sky-high gold stilettos before taking to the stage.

“They’re not holiday shoes,” she said.

Jennifer’s girl-next-door good looks and sunny personality were as evident as they are each week on The Great Outdoors, the Channel 7 show with which she’s just re-signed for another 12 months.

She said the show enabled her to promote Australian designers overseas – and her Myer job gave her good access to those designers.

“When we’re shooting the clothes (for Myer) you do have a chance to look and have a little play around,” she said of her enviable wardrobe.

Jennifer also gave two thumbs-up to Queensland, having visited the state frequently with the travel show.

“I’ve been up and down the coast … I love the people here and the beaches here are glorious,” she said.

“I’ve been back a fair few times with The Great Outdoors, and I’ll be back again.”

Source: The Daily

Nikita Anand's ticket to Bollywood

Another Miss India loses her ‘dil’ to Bollywood.

After walking the ramp, modelling for print, and anchoring shows on fast cars and cricket on television, former Miss India Universe 2003 Nikita Anand could be said to be around in the glam biz for a while.

But there’s no chance she’s anchoring her nascent film career just yet. On the contrary, it’s set sail with her debut film, Dil Dosti Etc directed by the Cambridge-educated Bihari director Manish Tiwari, releasing at the end of the month.

“I signed the film in February 2006 and it has been a long wait. I took up kathak classes before I started shooting for the film as dancing is very key to the film plot in Bollywood. I even took up theatre workshops. It’s been a very new experience shooting for the film with my costars Shreyas Talpade and Imaad Shah. There’s a lot of waiting around and more importance is given to the camera set up and the lights than the actors!,” laughs Nikita.

Did her title help her get a foothold in the industry? “Being a Miss India has never been a disadvantage to me, despite there being a new one every year. It always helps,” she says. And what is her take on the philanthropic questions that they field as Miss Indias?

“It’s so funny that we Miss Indias are always subjected to ridicule about our so-called clichéd, charitable answers on looking after the world’s impoverished children and the like. But what beats me is that how the typical questions are overlooked. Why would we prepare ourselves to answer those questions if they stopped asking them? It’s ironical. If you wanted to be like Mother Teresa, you wouldn’t be posing in a bathing suit on a world stage. You would just go to her foundation and work quietly,” says the brazen Nikita.

Was it a natural progression for her to get into movies like the earlier Miss Indias like Aishwarya Rai, Priyanka Chopra and Sushmita Sen? “Well, some girls decide beforehand that when they win, the next step will be films. But I had not predecided that I will be an actress. I just thought that I wasn’t mentally prepared then, but I am now,” says the girl who “loves to mimic and pick up foreign accents”.

What kind of work is she looking for? “I just want to do quality work, but I don’t want to be a part of the filth that’s happening,” she says. Given that she shuttles between Delhi and Mumbai every fortnight, she’s even taken up a place in Mumbai now to make it that much easier to work in Bollywood. Serious about showbiz are we?

Source: The Times of India