Author:
Joseph Vitug
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Date Posted: 13:29:15 10/14/07 Sun
31. LATVIA – Laura Fogele. Like Miss Australia, she possesses a refreshing beach-blonde look that would make her a more serious contender in other pageants, but may not be to the Japanese tastes. Still, she is still someone worth reckoning.
32. LEBANON – Grace Bejjani. There were reports that this lady is supposedly one of the serious contenders for the semifinals. I do agree she stands out with her big wavy brunette tresses and statuesque height, but face-wise, her features are not to my liking. Are they pretty enough for Japanese tastes? We’ll see…
33. LIBERIA - Harriette Thomas. Her figure isn’t as slim and sleek as say, Miss Ethiopia, but she is a highly attractive black girl who would make a creditable impression.
34. MALAYSIA - Yennie Lim Nee. To her credit, she is a cut above the usual mediocre Malaysian delegate sent to most pageants, but she’s no Winnie Chan (a highly favored delegate back in 2005 but failed to make the final cut). She is likely to make a creditable impression.
35. MARGARITA ISLAND - Jennifer Maduro. I don’t understand the justification for making this island off the province of Nueva Esparta a separate entity from Venezuela—as far as I know, this island doesn’t even at least been given some kind of autonomous status by the Venezuelan government, it’s merely one of the parts of the province of Nueva Esparta. Yet this entity has already been frequently represented and featured in many lesser international pageants. Well, because of that fact, at least this entity has a better justification of being represented instead of, say, Latin Mexico and Native American Indian four years ago. Now, what about the merits of this lady? She doesn’t seem to deliver on the headshot on Global Beauties and her features are a bit too exotic for Japanese tastes. I think the most she can hope for is a creditable performance.
36. MEXICO – Priscila Perales. Many pundits would believe that based on her Miss Universe 2006 semifinal performance (though same pundits would say she deserved better) that she is the favorite to win it all. Well, she still looks almost as gorgeous as her Miss Universe stint, the press presentation photos show something that might be a cause of concern—I wonder if it was a deliberate strategy or she just let her self go a little bit, but her figure is now more in the earth mother voluptuous mode of a Natalia Guimarães. I know it’s about time to make the word “voluptuous” return to being a good word, but I’m not really sure Japan has gotten that memo yet. She still got what it takes to impress the judging panel, and I’m sure she’s going to rock the cultural speech round and deliver it in flawless, accentless English.
37. MONGOLIA - Gerelchuluun Baatarchuluun. Mongolia has been fielding great lookers to this pageant, and this one is no exception (wonder why they couldn’t do the same thing with Miss World). I thought she could be a shoo-in for the finals, but she seems to be losing buzz as the days wore on, as attention seemed to be more focused on Miss Vietnam. I hope the judges look upon her with favor and grant her a semifinal slot.
38. NEW ZEALAND – Kyla Hei Hei. She has the kind of catchy name that could be loudly chanted in say, a fully packed rugby match (Kyla! Hei! Hei!). Her looks, though undeniably attractive, is not really the sort that gets me thrilled and excited as her name had the potential to create.
39. NIGERIA - Sokari Akanibo. There are only three pictures I’ve seen of this lady so far—a group shot at the Sankeien garden in Yokohama, where her face was obscured; a faraway complete group photo; and a candid shot with Miss Paraguay with a distracted, sour expression. I also wonder based on published statistics if she’s really only 1.78m (5’10”) as on those available photos she seemed much taller—maybe she’s actually 1.87m (6’2”). I doubt if her very native African looks would go well with Japanese tastes—the only people I could think of who would classify her as gorgeous would be those who probably think the Williams sisters of tennis are the epitome of beauty, but said Williams sisters make up for their strong, masculine looks with a standout sense of style, which isn’t a key characteristic of this lady.
40. PANAMA - Stephanie Joan Araúz Shaw. We have seen way better contenders sent by this country before, including Miss International 1998 Lia Borrero and last year’s 1st runner-up, Mayte Sanchez. She’s just too plain looking to my eyes, and will face an uphill battle to make inroads into the finals.
41. PARAGUAY - Daiana Natalia Ferreira da Costa. There are so many pictures taken of this girl, but I feel there are better lookers who deserve more coverage than her. That is as diplomatic as I could go because I’m just dying to be more blunt and bitchy about what I think about her prospects and what subtitle I could give that photo of her in a red t-shirt, a Dolce & Gabbana belt, and blue jeans jazzed up with an ukiyo-e art motif standing on a chair beside a disinterested Miss Nigeria.
42. PERU - Luisa Fernanda Monteverde Manrique. What I find mildly surprising is that this staunchly Latina country fielded a blonde this year. If only she is as pretty as, say, Miss Dominican Republic. Her best prospect for this pageant is a creditable performance.
43. PHILIPPINES - Nadia Lee Cien de la Cruz Shami. There are local pundits talking that she can repeat Precious Lara Quigaman’s feat back in 2005 and win it all. I have to agree that she does possess several of Lara’s winning qualities, and she has a strong winning track record in local and national pageants to back it up. I am confident she has the competitive drive to keep up with the best competitors the world has to offer and pull off another strong showing. She possesses the stage chops that is a key factor to make an impression with the Japanese panel. She does have a nice lean and trim swimsuit figure to also keep up with buffed hardbodies out there. Plus, judging from her emotional and spontaneous interview at this year’s Bb. Pilipinas and her experience in radio broadcasting, she is also likely going to give a rocking spontaneous cultural speech that is likely to have maximum impact. And, yes, she is way prettier than, say, Denille Lou Valmonte last year.
However, throughout her stint in local and national pageants, her looks tend to be underrated by local pundits, and her victories tend to be viewed with a sense of surprise. Her makeover, where she is coming across as a hybrid of Miss International 2004 semifinalist Ma-an Bayot and Miss World contestants Katherine Annwen de Guzman (2000) and Anna Maris Igpit (2006), will only magnify that impression. To be honest, the heavy makeup she has been sporting tend to emphasize the Annwen and Igpit parts of her features and diminish the Ma-An Bayot potential, when it should be the other way around. Now, don’t get me wrong—Annwen and Igpit are among the most gracious ladies I have ever met, and I have nothing but the highest regard for them, but their looks are not the sort the Japanese people tend to gravitate towards. I liked Nadia’s looks the best during the Bb. Pilipinas press presentation, where she turned out to be such a refreshing surprise for me. Despite that quibble, though, I am still very confident on our prospects in making the final cut, but to win it all is going to be a tight battle.
44. POLAND – Dorota Gawron. Among the Miss Universe 2007 alumni seeing action here, she was the one who made the relatively weakest impression among the three in Mexico (still she was a competitive contender), but ironically, she is now the one with the best prospects for this pageant. Nothing really changed much with her, she just stayed the same slim pretty blonde girl (though with a passing resemblance to Mirna of the Amazing Race’s Charla and Mirna fame) that we saw in Mexico. I suppose it’s because Miss Guatemala just seemed to lose her charismatic spark and Miss Serbia decided to experiment with the Natalia Guimarães strategy that this lady now overtook them. Let’s see how far she will go…
45. PUERTO RICO - Haydil Rivera Escobales. Like Miss Dominican Republic, this blonde lady looks more attractive than her initial headshot in Global Beauties would suggest, and she is one of the serious contenders for a semifinal slot.
46. REPUBLIC OF CONGO - Jolette Sven Wamba Miylou. There are two photos I’ve seen so far of this latecomer and all I could note is that she straightened her hair compared to the headshot on Global Beauties. She is reasonably attractive, but again her best prospect is a creditable performance.
47. RUSSIA - Aleksandra Mazur. In my opinion, this girl has the most gorgeous face in this year’s pageant. It’s as close to Oxana Fedorova-level perfection that we’ve encountered in recent years. But I just wonder why aren’t people hyping her as a front-runner as they were Miss Spain? Yes, there might be some not-so-flattering angles taken of her as of late, but then again, does anyone recall Poland’s Malgorzata Rozniecka six years ago?*5 Her meek and subdued persona back at last year’s Miss World (along with intense competition with the eventual winner, Taťana Kuchařova of the Czech Republic and several others in her continental group) may have prevented her from making the cut, but is she still that meek and lacking in personality now? I suppose the final reckoning will be how she does onstage during the finals, and how well can she deliver her cultural speech.
*5 Malgorzata appeared like a disappointment in the Japan activity photos that year, but she ended up the winner of the Miss International pageant nevertheless.
48. SERBIA – Teodora Marcic. She was a rumored Top 15 placer at this year’s Miss Universe pageant who was booted out to make way for a few Trump Choices. I know she has a slight disadvantage going into this competition as her facial features are not the sort that the Japanese favor, but little did I know that when she showed up in Japan, her figure had become more voluptuous instead of tight-and-buff. Sure, it worked for Natalia Guimarães, but we’re dealing with a different set of aesthetic standards right now, and as I mentioned in my comments on Priscila Perales, I don’t think the Japanese had received the memo about the “make voluptuous good again” campaign.
49. SINGAPORE - Christabelle Tsai. Well, Genecia Luo is better looking than this girl, but still we have to give her credit as she’s reasonably attractive.
50. SLOVAKIA - Kristina Valuskova. Her headshot on Global Beauties made me imagine how “Umbrella” singer Rihanna would look like if she were a white girl. But subsequent photos made me realize that she doesn’t really look like Rihanna. She did receive a lot of compliments from pageant fans and pundits, and I agree with those compliments, but I think between her and Miss Czech Republic the latter has the edge.
51. SPAIN – Nerea Arce Aldea. This lady possesses a beauty that is so subtle that it doesn’t make your jaws drop like when you would look at Oxana Fedorova, but when you linger and look more closely you get mesmerized and enthralled. She exudes an aura of glamour and elegance in every photo taken of her, even in the most casual, simple shots. In my opinion, the only obstacle standing between her and the Miss International title is the cultural speech round, as she has to contend with the expected eloquence of Mz. India, Mexico, and the Philippines, not to mention the potential heartstrings being tugged as Miss France (and/or Miss Venezuela) does sign language.
52. SRI LANKA - Aruni Rajapakse. Though it’s an uphill battle for her to make serious inroads into the semifinals, we have to give credit that this lady is undeniably attractive.
53. SURINAM - Chantyn Melissa Maria Ramdas. It’s nice to see this country represented in this pageant for the first time since its only previous stint in 1971. This lady with frizzy curls has exotic features that would probably appeal the mercurial tastes of a Chinese panel but not a Japanese one.
54. TAIWAN - Hung Tzu-Wei. Who would’ve known? A Taiwanese delegate who looks better than the mainland girl? Yes this rare phenomenon has occurred as this contestant looks (marginally) better than Miss China. Still, with an extremely competitive group of Asians, it’s a challenge for her to make serious inroads.
55. TANZANIA - Jamilla Munisi. Among the African delegates this year, this lady is touted as the best of them all. I have to agree with them, but to be in serious contention for the finals? I wouldn’t go that far, though this lady does have strong merits. We have seen better Tanzanians in other pageants already (i.e. Flaviana Matata, Nancy Sumari, and Rehema Sudi, to name a few) and she pales a bit in comparison to those worthy ladies.
56. THAILAND - Chompoonek Badinworawat. Like Tanzania, we have seen better looking Thais sent to this pageant—last year’s semifinalist Vasana Wongbuntree (who later became 1st runner-up at this year’s Miss Tourism Queen International) is a case in point—but we have to give her credit for putting her best foot forward whenever she appears.
57. TURKEY - Asli Temel. I didn’t notice her too much on the photos from the press presentation, but she’s starting to make a stronger impression that she is one of the likeliest to land a semifinals slot. She’s got great looks and a statuesque frame in her favor.
58. UKRAINE - Mariya Varyvoda. She has the undeniably pretty features and slender frame that the Japanese (and pageant fans and pundits of other nationalities) appreciate. Another likely contender for the semifinals.
59. UNITED KINGDOM - Samantha Freedman. This very attractive blonde would’ve been a worthwhile contender if it weren’t for one factor—at 1.65m (5’5”) she’s the shortest contestant in this year’s pageant.
60. UNITED STATES – April Strong. The headshot on Global Beauties seems to show a worthwhile contender who may face an uphill battle to gain a finalist slot, but would garner credits anyway. The photos in Japan, though, seems to show a girl with so many unflattering features (centered around her nose) that she is this close to belonging in the same bin as Mz. Nigeria and Paraguay. She needs to be careful about those camera angles as her features are such that most of the time she wouldn’t look good.
61. VENEZUELA – Vanessa Jackeline Gómez Peretti. Despite her Italian sounding name, her features seem to be more of the exotic Caribbean mulatta type. It seems that besides the three-year winning pattern that Venezuela has been exhibiting since 1997, Venezuela seems to be beginning another trend by sending a dusky mulatta contestant—after Goizeder Azua’s victory in 2003, they fielded the exotic Eleidy Aparicio; after Daniela DiGiacomo’s victory last year, they fielded this exotic lady. We’ll see how the Venezuelan representative would look in 2010 to determine if this is indeed a trend.
There is also another factor that one needs to watch out for when looking at this lady—the fact that she’s deaf-mute like Miss France. Whether that will come into play during the selection of finalists remains to be seen, but one thing I can say is that she is the one I have the most difficulty assessing her prospects. Why? On the plus side, she has shown that she has a sexily buffed figure and undeniable stage presence, and her handicap and the effort to compete without using that handicap as a crutch to win the judges’ favor are excellent reasons to justify her inclusion into the semifinals. Also, among the dark-skinned delegates this year, this is probably your best bet if you are obliged to include a lady of color. But then again, you have to check her facial features as she’s probably too exotic for Japanese tastes—they would’ve preferred more classically pretty features of an Ana Maria Amorer (Miss International 1st runner-up 1995) if they wanted a dark Venezuelan. Oh, the agony!
62. VIETNAM - Pham Thi Thuy Duong. This latecomer seems to compensate by appearing in several photos of activities. She seems to exude a welcome spark of energy in her appearances, and some pundits are even saying she has a resemblance to the reigning Miss Universe, Riyo Mori. Whether that last factor would work in her favor remains to be seen, as news reports following Riyo’s victory shows the ordinary Japanese saying that Riyo’s looks don’t fit their notion of beauty. Does this also apply with the predominantly Japanese judging panel? I would prefer Mz. Mongolia and Philippines to advance over this lady, if you ask me…
This is now the time I trot out my leaderboard to recap how all 62 contestants stack up, as follows:
TOP CONTENDERS: RUSSIA, SPAIN
SHOO-IN: BRAZIL, INDIA, JAPAN, KOREA, MEXICO, PHILIPPINES
LIKELIEST: BELARUS, CHILE, CZECH REPUBLIC, MONGOLIA, TURKEY, UKRAINE
JE NE SAIS QUOIS FACTOR: FRANCE, VENEZUELA
EXCELLENT: AUSTRALIA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, GREECE, GUADELOUPE, GUATEMALA, INDONESIA, LATVIA, LEBANON, POLAND, PUERTO RICO, SERBIA, SLOVAKIA, TANZANIA, VIETNAM
VERY STRONG: ARGENTINA, ARMENIA, ARUBA, EGYPT, EL SALVADOR, LIBERIA, SRI LANKA
STRONG: BOLIVIA, CANADA, COLOMBIA, ECUADOR, ETHIOPIA, FINLAND, HONDURAS, HONG KONG, MALAYSIA, MARGARITA ISLAND, PERU, REPUBLIC OF CONGO. SINGAPORE, SURINAM, TAIWAN, THAILAND, UNITED KINGDOM
SASH FACTOR: CHINA
VERY GOOD: COSTA RICA, NEW ZEALAND, PANAMA
GOOD: GERMANY, USA
FAIR: NIGERIA, PARAGUAY
“FEARFUL FORECAST”: BELARUS, BRAZIL, CZECH REPUBLIC, FRANCE, INDIA, JAPAN, KOREA, MEXICO, PHILIPPINES, RUSSIA, SPAIN, TURKEY
IF TOP 15: CHILE, MONGOLIA, VENEZUELA
BUBBLING UNDER: AUSTRALIA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, GREECE, GUADELOUPE, GUATEMALA, INDONESIA, LATVIA, LEBANON, POLAND, PUERTO RICO, SERBIA, SLOVAKIA, TANZANIA, UKRAINE, VIETNAM
JUST ME!
JOSEPH
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New website for Miss world 2007
Wake up and Walk (the Bayle Walk)!
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Miss Mexico is Miss International 2007! Congratulations!
