Miss Universe says 'no' to wearing fur

TOKYO (AFP) — Miss Universe, Riyo Mori of Japan, vowed Tuesday not to wear fur and declared herself an animal lover after a protest campaign by animal rights activists.

"I will say this out loud: I will not wear fur," Mori told AFP. "I love animals and I agree with those who oppose wearing fur products."

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) launched a campaign last week to press Mori to renounce fur, angered that she went on the catwalk with a full-length fur coat.

Mori and other contestants wore the fur coats during the final round of the preliminary pageant in Japan to select the national candidate, the Miss Universe Organization said.

"At that time I wasn't expecting to face this issue so soon as Miss Universe," Mori said.

But Mori said she felt the need to speak out about after being crowned Miss Universe in Mexico City earlier this year.

"I am invited to Fendi's show in China next week and I was encouraged to pick a coat because it will be very cold when I travel there," she said, referring to the Italian fashion house.

"The entire Fendi collection of winter coats which was offered to me to pick from was fur, but I said I would not wear one made with fur," she said.

"I will wear a white jumper that will be lent by Fendi."

PETA is famous for its publicity stunts and for targeting celebrities who wear fur and companies that sell it.

The US-based rights group wrote Mori a letter asking her to "prove that your beauty is more than skin deep" and encouraged its members to send her emails.

Ines Ligron, Miss Universe Japan national director who helped train Japanese contestants, said she encouraged Mori and other candidates to wear the fur coats in the preliminary contest.

Supporting Mori's decision to decline a Fendi fur coat, Ligron said: "She refused even though she was kind of pressured to wear fur."

Mori, 20, has said she wants to use her tenure as Miss Universe to fight HIV and AIDS and that she hopes one day to perform on Broadway.

She added she also wants to draw the attention of pet lovers in Japan, some of whom go to extremes to put name-brand outfits on their dogs and cats.

"I wonder how many children in Africa would starve to death while some people here spend a lot of money on their pets," she said. "We have to think about more than just what's right in front of us."

Source: AFP

THE REIGNING MISS UNIVERSE ARRIVES IN ST.KITTS

Yes this is correct - St. Kitts!

Miss Universe & the Steel Orchestra. (Photo by Saju N’Galla)

Basseterre, St. Kitts, 5th October, 2007 – St. Kitts continues to welcome the world and the universe to its shores, as the, the reigning Miss Universe Miss Riyo Mori, arrived on the island yesterday.

Mr. Eversley Liburd, CEO of the 2nd Annual St. Kitts Fashion Weekend, extended an invitation to the recently crowned Miss Universe® to be a special guest of honour at the event, which takes place from October 5-7, 2007.

Miss Universe warmly accepted and plans were put in place by the St. Kitts Tourism Authority for her journey to the island and her experience there. She was greeted and welcomed by Minister of State in the Ministry of Tourism, Hon. Richard Skerritt who introduced her to Calypso Rose, who arrived on island simultaneously. Calypso Rose is due to perform at the launch of National Carnival(Saturday 6th October). Both Miss Universe and Calypso Rose were presented with extravagant bouquets by Minister Skerritt.

Within hours of her arrival Miss Universe, attended a Welcome Reception in her honour sponsored by Marshalls Restaurant, Beaumont Park and Driftwood. In attendance were local dignitaries, designers, models and the management team of the 2nd annual St. Kitts Fashion Weekend. Miss Universe was all smiles as she mingled with her fellow guests and gladly took pictures with those who asked. She made time to take a memorable photo with a young group who provided wonderful music on their steel pans during the night.

Hon. Prime Minister Denzil Douglas & Miss Universe, Riyo Mori at a Welcome Reception held at Marhsalls, Frigate Bay.(Photo by Saju N’Galla)

Minister R. Skerritt & Miss Universe, Riyo Mori in the VIP Lounge at the R.L.B Airport (Photo by Garth Archibald)
Today Miss Universe will receive a full tour of the island and gain first-hand knowledge of St. Kitts’ scenic natural beauty, rich history and genuinely friendly people. This afternoon, she will speak to approximately 200 teenagers about her causes, which include raising HIV/AIDS awareness by focusing on women’s health and reproductive issues.

“We’re pleased to welcome the reigning Miss Universe to St. Kitts,” commented Richard “Ricky” Skerritt, Minister of State in the Ministry of Tourism, Sports & Culture for St. Kitts & Nevis. “As a symbol of success and strength for women across the world, she is certain to inspire and educate our youth. We hope that she will come to love our island during her stay with us and want to come back again.”

Riyo Mori expressed how happy she was to be on St. Kitts and in the Caribbean and was overwhelmed by the hospitality she received on her arrival and throughout. She finds the island breathtaking and has fallen in love with the St. Kitts Marriott Resort.

Arrival of Miss Universe

Miss Universe, Riyo Mori & Mr. Eversley Liburd, CEO of the 2nd Annual St. Kitts Fashion Weekend(Photo by Garth Archibald)

Riyo Mori was crowned Miss Universe on May 28, 2007 at the age of 20. Hailing from Shizuoka, Japan, she left home at the age of 16 to study abroad in Canada and reached New York at 19 years old. Through her travels and studies, Riyo has been able to master adapting to different environments, the importance of learning foreign languages and the need for intercultural understanding. She aspires to use her reign as Miss Universe to spread a message of empowerment and independence to women all across the globe.

The 2nd Annual St. Kitts Fashion Weekend is part of the island’s Tourism Awareness Month of activities. St. Kitts Fashion Weekend will include a concert, food fair, wine tasting, beach event, farewell reception and the star-studded runway fashion show at the St. Kitts Marriott Event Center featuring fine clothing by designers from St. Kitts, the Caribbean and the world. Additional details for the 2nd Annual St. Kitts Fashion Weekend will be confirmed in the coming months. Visit www.stkittsfashionweekend.com for the most current information.

Located in the northern Leeward Islands of the Caribbean, St. Kitts offers a diverse tourism product developed from the destination’s natural beauty, cultural heritage and rich history. The island’s stunning variety of tourism attractions include hiking through the tropical rainforest, riding the scenic railway that connects the island’s sugar plantations, touring Brimstone Hill Fortress, the only man-made UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Eastern Caribbean, and the more traditional vacation pastimes such as water sports, golf, shopping, tennis, gourmet dining, gaming at St. Kitts’ exclusive casino or simply relaxing on one of the island’s sandy beaches. Guests can select from accommodations ranging from intimate plantation inns to larger hotels or resorts.

Source: SKN Vibes

MTV to debut Donald Trump's 'Pageant Place' reality series October 10

By Christopher Rocchio

MTV has announced Pageant Place, a new Donald Trump-produced reality series that will follow several beauty queens as they live together in a New York City apartment and represent their different crowns, will premiere Wednesday, October 10 at 10:30PM ET/PT.

Current Miss Universe Riyo Mori and Miss USA Rachel Smith as well as former Miss Teen USA Katie Blair will star in Pageant Place, which captured the beauty queens' daily lives during their respective reigns this past summer. Pageant Place's season will also eventually feature Hilary Cruz -- who was crowned Miss Teen USA 2007 last month -- moving in with Mori and Smith and adjusting to the spotlight that comes with being Blair's successor.

While the women coexisting together isn't new -- as they normally live together during their yearlong reign -- this will be the first time viewers will be invited inside to witness some royal cattiness.

In addition, The Donald -- who is co-owner of the Miss Universe Organization, which includes Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA -- will also make regular appearances on Pageant Place to keep the beauty queens on track and in check, similar to the way he handled the January controversy surrounding former Miss USA Tara Conner's underage drinking.

Instead of taking Conner's crown away, Trump announced she would keep her title and attend an in-patient substance abuse rehabilitation center. Conner -- now 21 years old -- will also be of part Pageant Place's cast and serve as the beauty queens' "unofficial peer advisor."

The previously announced eight-episode series is being produced via Trump Productions (which Trump launched last summer), Evolution Film & Tape, Inc. and the Miss Universe Organization.
In addition to Trump, Andy Litinsky (the former The Apprentice 2 contestant that Trump hired to run his own production company last year), Miss Universe Organization president Paula Shugart and Evolution's Douglas Ross, Greg Stewart and Kathleen French will serve as executive producers.

Source: Reality TV World

Despite Lesbian, Drug Scandal Miss USA Tara Conner Says No Changes

By Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith

Despite the scandals that plagued her reign last year, former Miss USA Tara Conner says if she had the chance to do it all over, "I wouldn't have done anything differently." Controversy became Conner's last name after reports surfaced that she turned into a party animal, had been sneaking men into the Trump Place apartment appointed for Miss USA, was drinking underage, tested positive for cocaine, and kissed Miss Teen USA Katie Blair in public.

Despite Lesbian, Drug Charges Miss USA Tara Conner Says No Changes

Conner escaped dethronement only after Miss USA pageant owner/exec producer Donald Trump decided to give her a second chance and she entered rehab last December.

"I know it sounds crazy," says Conner of not wanting to change a thing about the past year, "but we all make mistakes. No one in this world is perfect. I can sit here and try to beat myself up about being the one who did go out too much, but all of these mistakes have formed the person I am today, who is someone I'm very proud of and have a lot of respect for."

Connor will be seen offering the benefit of her hindsight to 2007's reigning beauty queens, Miss Universe Riyo Mori, Miss USA Rachel Smith and Miss Teen USA Katie Blair, in MTV's Oct. 10-debuting reality series "Pageant Place," which chronicles what happens to a beauty queen after the win.

"I pretty much touched base on every issue you could touch base on," notes Conner, "so I'm an unofficial peer consultant there to try to keep them sane, help them look on the bright side of things and realize everything in life is temporary."

In retrospect, she says, "The crazy thing about it is that when I received the title, I didn't know what I wanted to achieve because of this disease, alcoholism, and all the 'isms' I fell into." In fact, she says now, "In no way did I think I would win and be put in this position, and when the first runner up got called, I thought, 'Oh, s---! What do I do now?' I was scared to death. I didn't realize how much went into it, how stressful it was. … I was only able to get three good sober months in as Miss USA, but it was still the best year of my life. It was the hardest year but still the best."

Source: National Ledger

Taking On the World

By Kirthana Ramisetti

“I don’t think of myself as a beauty queen,” Riyo Mori says as she kicks up her feet in the air, smiling charmingly while her hair is styled for the East West photo shoot. Over the past few months, the former dance student has attended star-studded events, auditioned for a hit primetime series and is set to star in a reality show. Yet, she still has an air of wonder about the myriad of ways in which her life has been transformed since winning the Miss Universe 2007 crown.

Her joy and gratitude for all she has experienced so far has not been dampened by a busy schedule of appearances and interviews. Mori even manages to look surprisingly fresh and lovely after hiking up five flights of stairs to the New York City photography studio on one of the hottest days of the summer. Kah Leong Poon, the photographer, notes that he could take her pictures as is—wearing a simple white T-shirt, jeans and stylish wedge heels that add an extra few inches to her 5 foot 8 inch frame. Mori may not consider herself a beauty queen, but she looks every bit the part.

Growing up in Shizuoka, Japan, the rising star says she never dreamed that she would one day be crowned the winner of an international beauty pageant—but her grandmother did. In fact, she told Mori that she wanted her to become Miss Japan before the age of 20.

“My grandmother encouraged me to apply for the Miss Japan contest,” Mori says. “She said I should try to make good memories.” Mori adds that she would have never thought to enter the pageant herself. Even when she arrived at the competition, she says, she still felt out of place. “When I entered Miss Japan last year, I felt, wow, those girls are so beautiful—I could never be one of them.”

Devoted to dance, her “love and passion,” from an early age, Mori was a fixture at her mother’s ballroom dance studio as early as age 4. But once she became a teenager, Mori was ready to leave home, eager to seek new experiences. “I was 16 when I moved because I wanted to learn dance outside of my mom’s studio. It was a safe place where I knew the people, and I wanted to challenge myself in a different environment.” She studied abroad in Ontario, Canada, and was enrolled in ballet school and high school simultaneously. Three years later, it was time to make the move to New York City, where she continued to pursue dance and quickly became enamored with the idea of joining the Radio City Rockettes.

“That was my big goal. I was reading a dance magazine at my ballet school two years ago, and I was trying to think of my future, because I’m too tall to be a ballerina. When I was on point shoes, I would be too tall to have any partner to dance with. And I found this article about the Rockettes, and I thought they are so glamorous and have beautiful costumes. I thought it was perfect for me because I have the kick!” she demonstrates by half-raising her leg with a laugh.

Mori had just achieved her New York ambitions—finding an apartment and receiving acceptance to the Broadway Dance Center—when she learned she had made it into the Miss Universe Japan finals, which she had auditioned for during summer vacation. Without hesitation, she returned to Japan to participate in the pageant. She won the title in March and her now whirlwind life was set in motion.

Mori then traveled to Mexico City in May for the Miss Universe pageant, one of 77 representatives from around the world. During the event, she received the highest score in the swimsuit category and won fourth place in the evening gown competition even though her dress, a kimono-inspired gown with flowing black fabric and floral design from Gucci’s spring/summer line, was a last-minute choice. Mori says she ultimately picked the dress for its comfort and because she felt she looked like a “black butterfly.” And when she won and took her first walk as the newly crowned Miss Universe, her choice of dress—eschewing traditional slinky gowns for a long-sleeved garment with ethnic flair—was refreshing for what it communicated about Mori and her affinity for her country.

She is the first woman from Japan to hold the crown in 48 years and only the second Miss Universe ever from the country. Despite the historic nature of her win, Mori’s memories of the night are a blur, especially when her name was announced as the winner. “To be honest, I don’t remember because I was so excited, so shocked. A few seconds later I think I realized what had happened, and I was so happy. Not only for me, but for my parents because we went through so much together. They were worried about me being in a beauty pageant because I quit my school in New York and everything to be there.”

One memory that does stand out from her crowning night: seeing her grandmother in the audience after Mori had fulfilled her wish. She had been crowned not only Miss Japan like her grandmother had hoped, but also Miss Universe, and she had done it all before her 21st birthday.

The crown has already afforded Mori two opportunities in a medium that is completely new to her: television. She received the chance to audition for a role in “Heroes,” as Masi Oka’s character’s love interest, an experience she describes as “kind of embarrassing, but challenging and fun because I have never acted before.” Acting, however, isn’t a factor on another TV show in which Mori will definitely be starring. Donald Trump and MTV have come together to produce a reality show, currently titled “Pageant Place,” about the three title winners in Trump-sponsored pageants living together in New York City during their respective reigns. Mori currently lives with Miss USA Rachel Smith and Miss Teen USA Katie Blair, and enjoys living with them, referring to her roommates as being like sisters. As for the show itself, which is expected to hit televisions by the end of the year, the concept of a reality show seems to hold both excitement and befuddlement. “I’ve never done it before, so I don’t know what to do.” She pauses, and then asks, “Kinda scary, because the cameras are always with us, right?”

Eager to try new things and open to every opportunity, Mori recognizes that life is now beaming toward a new direction. “If I was just a student in Japan, I’d just meet students and teachers. I’d never get to meet you guys!” she says as she raises her arms to indicate the various people in the room. She says encountering so many different people, from movie stars to hairstylists, is her favorite aspect of being Miss Universe.

She also embraces the fact that winning the title makes her a role model, especially to young girls from her native country. Mori has been blogging about her experience ever since making the finals of Miss Japan last year, and she will continue to blog during her reign as Miss Universe. “I want to let my fans know what I’m doing, because they don’t actually know what Miss Universe does.” (Read Mori’s blog at http://myblog.ask.jp/muj_riyo_mori/).

As for life after the Miss Universe ride ends, Mori already has some ideas, and says her goal is to open her own international dance studio in Tokyo and eventually get married and start a family.
“My mother raised me and my brother and also had a successful dance studio,” adds Mori, saying her mother is her inspiration. “She had to take care of her parents and she still raised us and had her school. And she never complained—she was always happy.” Mori hopes to influence other young women in the same way her mother has influenced her. “My mother taught me that women can have it all. You don’t have to choose between having a family or career. You can do both.”

For now, however, Mori looks forward to wherever life as Miss Universe takes her next, and she takes comfort in knowing that one thing will always remain constant. “I always have been myself—what you see is what you get.”

Source: East West Magazine

'Ball' looks forward to biggest day

By Lerpong Amsa-ngiam

Paradorn Srichaphan might have no matches to play for the rest of the season, but he has loads of off-court errands to keep him fully occupied before his wedding.

Still nursing a nagging wrist injury, the groom-to-be has so many things to do for the biggest day in his life when he will marry Canadian Natalie Glebova, the 2005 Miss Universe.

The guest list still has to be completed and the invitation cards printed, while the wedding venue has yet to be chosen.

Being so busy making arrangements, the former world No 9 has to delay returning to the tennis circuit.

"Everything is going just fine. We will have a normal wedding, nothing huge like everyone expects,'' said Paradorn, who has been taking a break to heal his tendonitis since March.

Rumours had spread through the Internet and tabloids that their romance had turned sour and the wedding might not happen. But the couple have just had a wedding photo-shoot in a studio, underlining their bonds are still strong.

"She is happy. We have lots of fun together,'' said Paradorn.

The day they will say "I do" is set for November 29 in Bangkok. VIP guests will include reigning Miss Universe Riyo Mori from Japan and two former top 10 players, Tommy Haas and Nicholas Kiefer from Germany.

Despite his absence from the upcoming Thailand Open, Paradorn plans to deliver wedding invitations to fellow players. For him, it's agony to skip the home tournament where he dreams of lifting a trophy in front of his fans.

"It's a pity that I have to give a pass it this year. But fans still have big names like Raphael Nadal and Novak Djokovic to root for. I suggest fans go and watch these guys,'' said the two-time semi-finalist of the country's only ATP Tour event.

As tennis is in his blood, "Super Ball" cannot help catching up with "who is hot, who is not" at the ongoing US Open, where he reached the fourth round in 2003.

"I miss the Tour and imagine that I was there. Hopefully, I can get back to the Tour as soon as possible." But the five-time ATP Tour winner is still nursing a wrist injury. "The wrist is coming along slowly. It's getting better, but I'm not going to play until next year. And I'm not going to rush,'' said the currently 110th-ranked player, whose earliest comeback event could be the Australian Open in January next year.

Paradorn believes he still has the game and the ammunition to return to the elite group. "It's a challenge to do well again after the injury. Hopefully I will get back into the top 50 again."

Source: The Nation