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Date Posted:23:52:01 11/17/09 Tue
I LOVE THE CROWN NOW THAT I'VE SEEN IT UP CLOSE. Materials, stones and gems came from more than 80 countries and cost $150,000.00
CZECH REPUBLIC - MISS PHOTOGENIC WINNER
MISS KOREA - SPECIAL AWARD WINNER
MISS POLAND - SPECIAL AWARD WINNER
MISS PHILIPPINES and MISS MALAYSIA
EVENING GOWN REVIEW by Mr. Vitug ~
A GLAMOROUSLY SEXY NEW TWIST!
MISS EARTH 2009 EVENING GOWN COMPETITION AND NEW CROWN UNVEILING: A GLAMOROUSLY SEXY NEW TWIST
by Joseph Vitug
The PAGCOR Casino near the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Paranaque again played host to the Miss Earth Evening Gown Competition. But this year, there was a new twist: this was the first time ever that all the delegates were not on hand to be judged as they paraded in their evening gowns. Instead, there were preliminary rounds held as the three groups of delegates toured around the Philippines, and the best five of each group would then be competing against each other for this final round for the special award.
But before the competition went underway, they decided to allow this event to coincide with the launching/unveiling of the new Miss Earth crown designed by Ramona Haar. There was a little attempt at pomp and ceremony to launch the new crown, and the proceedings were hosted by famous Filipino-British football player and model Phil Younghusband. It began with a still video conveying messages about ecology and environment, and how the crown was created from recycled silver and gold and embedded with jewels mined or farmed from various countries in the world (80 countries, as it was declared). This was then followed with a song number from Faith Cuneta, who sang an adequate rendition of Des’ree’s inspirational 1994 smash “You Gotta Be.” This was then followed by a parade of local male models in black suits parading some gemstones. Then, another song number, this time from renowned belter Dessa, who performed her own reverent take of the 1988 Olympic theme song from Whitney Houston, “One Moment In Time”. Finally the crown was unveiled, with the reigning Miss Earth Karla Henry holding the crown aloft on the red pillow, and a turnover ceremony was held with designer Ramona Haar present to hand over the crown to Carousel Productions’ Executive Vice-President Lorraine Schuck. Have to admire the effort to integrate all those jewels into a single crown, and it actually worked.
Then, the usual concession to the sponsors enfolded as the sponsors (the Jubilee Presidents’ Foundation of the Rotary Club of Makati and PAGCOR) delivered speeches about their environmental projects and held their own evening gown fashion show. Finally, the main event unfolded as Miss Earth-Water 2006 and now director of the Miss Earth Foundation Cathy Untalan stepped in looking resplendent in a black lace gown to get the evening gown proceedings underway. Similar to the final swimsuit competition, they first presented the ladies who did not make the Top 15. However, instead of the ladies introducing themselves with a microphone, the host made the introductions and the ladies paraded their evening gowns briefly as Cathy introduced them by name and country. Take note after looking at the photos of the preliminary evening gown events of Groups 1 and 3 and witnessing the preliminary contest of Group 2 at posh mall Greenbelt 5 in Makati, the majority of the delegates did not wear their competition gowns. Also conspicuously absent onstage were media favorites Mz. Latvia (Diana Kuvasova) and South Sudan (Mary Deng Kudum).
Before I proceed with the 15 evening gown finalists, I would like to give my notes on the non-finalists who made a major impression with their brief presentations: Miss Cuba (Jamilette Gaxiola) shimmered brightly in her brightly sequined white evening gown—it was mildly surprising that reports were wrong that she made the cut in her group as it turned out it was Miss Ukraine instead; Miss Dominican Republic (Mariel Garcia) showed that blue can compliment her dark complexion looking chic in a form-fitting gown; Miss El Salvador (Mayra Aldana) was provocatively sexy in a low-cut V-necked flouncy gown; Miss France (Magalie Thierry) may have sported a poufy white monstrosity, but she strutted with aplomb in it and showcased that she knew more catwalk tricks beside the patented Riyo Mori Flash and Taliana Twirl; Miss Honduras (Alejandra Mendoza) was surprisingly impeccably elegant in her clean white number; Miss Kosovo (Elza Marku) channeled a little bit of Miss Universe 2009 2nd runner-up Gona Dragusha with her updo, but her pink gown with bare sides was probably a tad more risque than what Audrey Hepburn would’ve worn, but nevertheless it was a gorgeously sexy number; Miss Martinique (Pascale Nelide) was simply vibrant in her sequined red number; and Miss Puerto Rico (Dignelis Jimenez) was elegant yet provocative in a sheer pink number with strategically placed sequins.
An additional note that I would leave as a blind item: one cellar-dwelling delegate forgot to step forward when she was initially introduced by Cathy Untalan, apparently oblivious to what was going on around her–the delegate after her then did her stuff before she last-minutely then stepped forward to do her turn at the front of the stage. Hint: she alphabetically came after a delegate who was a conspicuous no-show that evening.
The 15 evening gown finalists were presented alphabetically, and they descended down a center stairstep with eight gentlemen associated with the Rotary Club escorting them while they navigated the steps. All 15 finalists proved deserving of belonging to the hallowed club, and fortunately none of them copied the so-called “patented gown moves”–they gave their own unique stamps instead. Let’s start with…
BRAZIL – Larissa Ramos. She sported a gorgeously sexy aqua sequined number showcasing revealing cleavage. She stirred up a major rise in collective temperatures with her presence.
COLOMBIA – Alejandra Castillo. Some keen observers noted that her gown was patterned similarly to Karen Agustin’s red Barraza number back in Miss Universe 2002, but it was still distinctive enough for her to make a smolderingly elegant impact.
GUAM – Maria Luisa Santos. From the black gown she wore in Subic, she changed into a one-shouldered white sequined number (think Michelle Obama’s inaugural dinner gown and Miss Universe 2009 1st runner-up Ada de la Cruz). With her updo, she looked impeccably elegant.
INDIA – Shriya Kishore. She strutted confidently about in her aqua-blue number like Bollywood royalty—all we needed was a dashingly handsome Bollywood actor miming a serenade to her.
ITALY – Luna Voce. She moved very simply and her light lavender gown was a simple design compared to the rest of the competition, but she did convey a classically elegant presence.
KOREA – Park Ye-Ju. She changed from her pink gown to a provocatively low-cut and revealing green gown. She had to adjust her shoulder sleeves a bit, and there was a potential for a wardrobe malfunction as I thought there was only an inch remaining before we could see nipples.
MEXICO – Natalia Quinones. She changed from her flowy pink gown back in Subic to a one-shouldered yellow satin gown with floral accents—unfortunately this was a bad strategy as this gown was the weakest of the bunch; it was too pageant-patty and dated for my taste.
PARAGUAY – Gabriela Rejala. She switched from her chocolate gown back in Subic to a white beaded number with sheer midriff. The gown was actually better-looking than her previous number, but it was also punishing for her current figure, emphasizing her voluptuousness to the max—maybe she is making a statement that there should be room for larger, curvier ladies out there instead of fashion’s emphasis on size 2 or lower.
PHILIPPINES – Sandra Inez Seifert. As expected she again sported the Michael Cinco rainbow-sequined confection with intricately flouncy, feathery chiffon accents at the skirt area. And she again made an indelible impact with it, and to my eyes, yes, it’s the most unique-looking gown of the group. My take on the eventual verdict? Read on…
POLAND – Izabella Wilczek. She displayed surprisingly strong runway chops showcasing her red evening gown with long chiffon train. She lifted the train up at the back, but it wasn’t the Riyo Mori Flash but a unique move, and she was an awesome diva walking in it. If we talk about dramatic catwalks, she was in a close match with another lady clad in red.
SPAIN – Alejandra Echevarria. She sustained her status as a favorite clad in a low-cut V-necked green gown with fish-scale golden sequined embroidery patterns on her skirt.
THAILAND – Rujinan Phansreetum. Clad in a red sequined number, she spun and twirled about with dramatic flair, but she was neither imitating the Taliana Twirl nor the Dayana Spin. It was more of a more earlier vintage model done by Latin beauty queens about a decade or so ago, but still has astounding impact—in my opinion, she was neck-and-neck with Miss Poland in the catwalk category.
UKRAINE – Karina Golovata. Her one-shouldered black gown was ostensibly simple, but there was drama with the sheer panels at the front and back—for maximum effect, the wearer of this gown was not supposed to wear any underwear, or attempt to create that illusion by wearing a flesh bodystocking; my bet was she did the former.
U. S. A. – Amy Diaz. She smoldered about wonderfully in her rose embroidered white evening gown, though she was overshadowed by the smolderingly provocative sexiness of the gowns sported by Mz. Brazil, Korea, and Ukraine, and the fierce catwalks of Mz. Poland and Thailand.
VENEZUELA – Jessica Barbosa. The skirt portion of her strapless silvery green sequined gown was similar to the intricately leafy fabrics on Miss Philippines’ gown, but the design on the bodice was more of a lovely conventional beaded and sequined pattern than what Sandra Seifert wore. She potentially could’ve pulled forth an upset and outdo Sandra, but a minor wobble of an otherwise flawless presentation as she walked to the front of the stage may have spelled the difference that led to the eventual final verdict.
As usual, sponsors’ prizes were handed out. Miss Philippines won Miss Jubilee Presidents’ Foundation, Miss Dominican Republic won Miss AVSCOR, Miss Poland won Miss HDR Management, and Miss Korea won two sponsors’ prizes—Miss Eagle Express and Miss Asei.
Four special awards were likewise formally awarded. First, the National Costume Award was formally presented to Miss Tanzania (Evelyne Almasi). Miss Photogenic, voted online at the Miss Earth website and on a Miss Earth Facebook account, was deservingly awarded to Miss Czech Republic (Tereza Budkova). Miss Friendship went to Miss Switzerland (Graziela Rogers). We discovered after the show how tight the Group 3 ladies turned out to be as they exuded extreme enthusiasm congratulating the Miss Congeniality winner and posing for group photos.
Finally, the Evening Gown Award went to Miss Philippines, Sandra Seifert. In my personal opinion, Sandra deserved to win this award, even more than the Best in Swimsuit Award that she won a couple of days earlier at Fontana Resort at Clark. Does this secure her status as THE frontrunner for the Miss Earth crown? Possibly, but take note that there are no guarantees in this pageant—two years ago, Miss Venezuela Silvana Santaella won the same two awards (along with a whole host of sponsors’ prizes), but she didn’t end up winning the grand prize at the end. Still her path to securing at least an element remains on track.
Thanks to CB for the pictures.
HONDURAS, BAHAMAS, MARTINIQUE
MISS SINGAPORE BLOG ~
It’s Tough Being Beautiful
November 18, 2009 · No Comments
will tell you honestly now. It takes work to be beautiful. And the saying that there are no ugly women only lazy women holds very very true.
The person who said it must have been a beauty queen of some sort.
The last time we were so sleep deprived was the time we travelled 8 hours on the bus from Subic to Mamburao. If my sleep-deprived-working-in-safe-mode brain still serves me well that is.
We had our final long gown competition last night in Pagcor and Sandra, Miss Philippines, definitely had the most outstanding gown among the top 15 finalists. We were blown away the moment she stepped on stage. Alongside Best in Swimsuit, she thus also bagged Best in evening Gown.
3am and we leave for the airport to Iloilo. A convoy of buses carrying girls in states of unconciousness blazes through the surprisingly still busy streets of Manila. We arrive at the airport and everyone files out. You’d think that a bunch of Hollywood celebrities have arrived since almost 80% sport large sunnies. But really we’re all hiding behind our oversized shades trying to conceal our fatigue.
Iloilo’s CPU was the venue for the talent competition tonight. It was a tough fight but Tahiti danced her way amidst other hiphop, traditional and song performances. She definitely wow-ed the audience and the judges with her nimble hips.
As I was watching the contestants, I did wish I had continued with dance more. Haha. I miss dance so much! Especially my loves jazz and hiphop. I could have been up there with a fighting chance. LOL.
But I’m so proud of Neu!! And so happy for her. She is such a sweetheart. Tonight she was excellent on stage. Not only were her moves fantastic she won the judges over with her beautiful smile. Yayyy!!! Group 3 for the win! So far we’ve got Best in Talent, Best in National Costume and Miss Congeneality to our group’s name. Wo00ot! I hope somebody from our group gets Top 4 spots.
Just a couple more days to Coronation before a new queen is crowned. It’s tiring but hang in there girls. This will probably be the only time in our lives we do something like this.
LONG GOWN (less TOP 15) - OPMB Worldwide gives you footage of all the delegates in their Long Gown. Although only 15 ladies competed for the Best in Long Gown for Miss Earth 2009 at the PAGCOR Theater in Philippines. All the rest of the candidates showed to the public their evening wear. Thank you to Carousel Productions Incorporated.
MY FAVORITE GIRL FOR THE MISS INTERNATIONAL CROWN ~ Melody Gersbach, Miss Philippines. Thanks to Boyet Blas and OPMB for the videos.
Preservation of the planet Earth is one of the most important considerations when the new Miss Earth crown was created. The masterpiece was designed by an ecologically minded Jewelry Designer, Ramona Haar, and Official Jeweler of the Miss Earth pageant.
To lessen the environmental impact that mining creates, the crown is made of 100% recycled precious metals comprising of 14K Gold and Argentums Sterling Silver. What sets this crown apart is the fact that the gemstones used both precious and semi-precious were donations from over 80 different participating countries. These are gemstones that each country is known for either as the origin or source. The gemstones were sent in various forms: faceted, cabochons, beads or rough. The designer travelled to Jaipur, India to have these gemstones individually cut and faceted to the required cut and sizes.
The Flower as the central design represents Mother Earth and as Ralph Waldo Emerson puts it "The earth laughs in flowers". The recurring spiral motif has always been associated with Maternal Power and Feminine Prestige which is the Essence of Miss Earth. The gentle curves symbolizes Unity and the Spirit of Cooperation.
The 2009 contestants wearing their official swimsuits in front of the preliminary judges. Photo by Etienne Schawnk
Each contestant from 80 countries around the world was judged during a "closed-door" preliminaries to select 18 semi finalists, who will vie for the coveted title of Miss Earth 2009. The contestants was scored based on their presentation (with no make-up) in Swimsuit, Evening Gown and Interview.
Unveiling of the new Miss Earth crown is tonight during the final of Evening Gown Competition to be held at PAGCOR Grand Theatre.
Date Posted:06:41:03 11/17/09 Tue
Quote:
Gotta get used to this sudden waking up and getting off the bus to head somewhere or do something. Was having a nice long snooze after a delish lunch when the bus stopped and we had to get off. Eyes half shut and in a semi-conscious I had no idea where or what we were doing. I thought there had been a turn of events and we suddenly had to stop for a tour. Turns out we had to get off to get on the boat to head to Mindoro. Right on schedule. But where did that 2 hour drive go to!?
The same thing happened before lunch. Haha. Bleary-eyed and eyes glued shut, we had to attend a luncheon at a very nice country club aptly named The Palms. We had to meet the mayor in our semi-conscious state. The great food, however, immediately woke us up.
Then there’s the ambushing when you are alone trying to shovel some grub into your mouth. People come up and ask for pictures. We really dont mind, but sometimes all we wanna do is eat in peace before we pass out. It’s a wonder they dont wonder where the growling dog is when they take pictures with us. For a beauty pageant, we girls sure are a hungry lot.
Unquote:
FINALIST FOR MISS ZOMBIE EARTH ARE:
SINGAPORE
SCOTLAND
SOUTH SUDAN
PUERTO RICO
AND
NORTHERN IRELAND
MISS PHILIPINES IS ACTING LIKE A DIVA AND DOESNT WANT A ROOM MATE. SHE WANTS TO WIN EVERY AWARDS AND PUT THEM TOGETHER AND SLAP MRS. STELLA MARQUEZ DE ARANETA FOR DISQUALIFYING HER IN THIS YEAR BB. PILIPINAS.
Everyone's sleep deprived and walking around like zombies. Our flight out out Manila was at 4am. Hooooo! tweeted
Unquote:
Majority of the girls are complaining for lack of sleep. Miss Philippines doesnt have a room mate he he. She does not want to be disturbed. During the evening gown competition of her group, the show could not start and the girls had to wait for 3 hours waiting for MISS PHILIPPINES GOWN. Earlier this year she was disqualified at BB. PILIPINAS PAGEANT (the pageant that chooses reps to MW, MI and MW). The reason: she posed nude or semi nude showing her tits on men's magazine.
WHAT'S WRONG WITH MISS EARTH organizers? Last year the crowned Miss PHilippines who was overweight. This year it looks like Miss Philippines will win again winning the best in evening gown and swimsuit. Just because Philippines has been losing in Miss Universe and Miss World, they think that this is the perfect avenue to crown a Filipina? Come on, Philippines won Miss Universe 2x, Miss International 4x and near win in Miss World so why all these mess? at the expense of 80 delegates who have prepared hard and some of them have participated in honest to goodness environmental projects and the organisers are favoring a girl who was disqualified by MRS. STELLA MARQUEZ ARANETA for posing semi nude showing he tits in men's magazines?
Sige magalit na kau at puro naman kau WOW Philippines looks amazing, she has a great body, the best miss philippines ever and all those superlatives that you could imagin. These are the typical Filipino pageant fans you would see. But of course with exception to those sensible and fair Filipino pageant fans.
If u critisise Philippines, they would tell you that u have crab mentality, or a moron or basher or what have you. NO WONDER OTHER MESSAGE BOARDS are not paying attention to Miss Earth because Miss Philipens is highly favored at the expense of other deserving candidates.
Date Posted:22:39:59 11/16/09 Mon
WHAT MAKES MISS EARTH UNIQUE and DIFFERENT FROM OTHER CONVENTIONAL and TRADITIONAL BEAUTY PAGEANTS? Here are some of the reasons:
1.) The girls are judged all throughout the pageant. There are chaperons, staff, "secret judges", and even bus drivers who are tasked by the organizers to select their top 18. No favoritism from the pageant owners or whatever. The interesting part is that the girls are not aware of who they are.
2.) Special competitions for EVENING GOWN, Photogenic, Swimsuit and other special prizes that happened this past weeks HAS NO BEARING to the actual judging and selection of the top 18. This has happened in the past edition of Miss Earths wherein previous Miss Photogenics, special award winners, etc did not even made it to the top 16. So those whiners and bashers, please stop the sour-grape and wait til the actual pageant on Saturday.
3.) The girls are judged during a special and separate preliminary competition in evening gown, swimsuit and interview. The Girls are mandated NOT TO WEAR MAKE UP. I personally think that this is an awesome idea because Miss Earth is looking for the most natural beauties to be crowned Miss Earth.
Each contestant from 80 countries around the world was judged during a "closed-door" preliminaries to select 18 semi finalists, who will vie for the coveted title of Miss Earth 2009. The contestants was scored based on their presentation (with no make-up) in Swimsuit, Evening Gown and Interview.
AMAZING!!! THIS GIRL MIGHT SURPRIZE US ALL!!- MISS HONDURAS INTERNATIONAL -KENIA ANDRADE
THE MISS EARTH'S BEST IN EVENING GOWN GOES TO..
