I don't have a VHS tape recorder but the whole Miss Universe 2007 pageant is
available for viewing on YouTube and I think Veoh, so I'm going to watch it again and post my comments on the contestants
and how they did.
First of all I immediately downloaded all 3 songs in the RBD swimsuit show medley, a lot
of people don't know the names of the songs but I do (hahaha) - "Carino Mio," "Wanna Play", and "Money Money", which I know
started when Tanzania (TANZA-NEEE-AH, not TAN-ZANY-YAH as I learned) came out. It's funny I think I learned how to pronounce
many countries' names from watching Miss Universe. I know that I can say all the states in alphabetical order (with
DC coming in between Delaware and Florida, lol) and that I learned from Miss USA, so if I ever go on a show one day when they
ask if you have a strange fascinating talent, I can do that and maybe win major moo-lah, lol.
Okay, so the big thing coming out of this pageant was Miss USA's fall and I remember when
I saw that on the actual night, I gasped, and couldn't believe a girl had fell - I never saw that happen before. Not
even a stumble on the steps. If I was walking down a staircase during evening gowns, I would probably do a Cinderella
and have to step back into my shoe when it came off, but I had never seen such a bad fall like Miss USA had. But did
you see how she got right back up again on her two feet and acted like nothing happened. Her heart must have been beating
really fast and you could feel her sadness and shock even with her perky facial expression. It's like she wanted to
say "Hey, It's okay... Hi!" I thought Rachel handled the whole fall episode with such class and poise and the judges, seeing her
great recovery, clearly gave her a decent score considering her fall, which if this was the Olympics would have been
a much lower score because those judges aren't so sweet, even if you get right back up again and act like nothing happened.
The nightly news had the fall on it and I even saw like Access Hollywood or one of those
tabloid 'n' trash shows (you know the kind that has a Paris Hilton recap every night) air the footage of the fall... those
flash photographers must have been really good because they managed to get her during the fall, which is kinda sleazy because
they wanted to capture a beauty queen in a very embarassing moment. It's kind of nasty to do that to Rachel, although
the press from Rachel's fall made headlines the next day. The year before the headline was another girl falling down
- Zuleyka Rivera fainting because of the excitement and her heavy gown, which supposively weighed a ton.
I did have a predix list before the pageant, and here were my favorites.
I didn't know how they were going to do it (Top 15 or Top 12 or Top 10?) and it changes so every year so I just did 10 girls
and 5 alternates.
This list is not in any order:
1. Philippines - Anna Theresa Licaros (there was something about her on some
site trying to get people to vote for her as Most Photogenic, and I think Anna did win that award)
2. Korea- Honey Lee - I loved Honey the second I saw her and knew she'd be a great Miss
Universe. I also loved that it was Miss Korea, which was new because usually Korea never makes it. In fact, I
may be wrong, but I think the last time Korea made it was in 1988 when they had four Asian girls in the Top 5.
3. Thailand - Farung Yuthithum- I was thinking about going to Thailand for
my surgery, but then they had that whole coup d'etat thing and my grandmother got nervous, but she liked Miss Thailand I did
too.
4. Antigua and Barbuda - Stephanie Winter. She didn't make it and I have no idea how
far down she was after the prelims, but I liked her headshot, so...
5. USA - Rachel Smith. I had liked Rachel from 2002 when Vanessa
Semrow won. Rachel didn't even make the Top 5 then but I liked her in that unique orange gown she wore and before Miss
Teen USA 2002, she was my favorite to win that. Actually 2002 was the last Teen pageant I saw before I went to KidsPeace.
I saw 2002 with Momma, but 2001 with Mommy. So I have only seen 2 teen pageants. I'm going to see this next one coming up, but ironically, they're cancelling it. Anyway, I wish Rachel kept her prelim gown, it was a beautiful, feminine lavender gown. I didn't really like her TV gown.
6. Honduras - Wendy Salgado. This girl was so pretty, I don't know why she didn't make it. She had a very elaborate national
costume, but her evening gown was too Drag Queens from Vegas so maybe that's why she didn't make it.
7. India - Puja Gupta. I LOVED India again this year, and I so
wanted her to be the next Lara Dutta, who my very own mother, god rest her soul, thought was so beautiful. Puja had
a really great evening gown pic here, but on TV she clung onto that dress and was so awkward in the walk that it destroyed
her chances of continuing, but Puja was a favorite. After Lara, I have a soft spot for Miss India so I usually look
out to see what India looks like.
8. Tanzania - Flaviana Matata. Like Hakuna Matata, I wonder if
there's some sort of connection to her name with the Lion King song, which also comes from African. Well I loved the
hair (I mean that she had none), and that set her apart. Flaviana is the first Miss Tanzania. Why has this country
never sent anyone before? Are they one of those dirt poor countries? Anyway, Flaviana had a really different look
and I love different looks, especially when a lot of the girls are just blah and blend. I liked her evening gown
in the prelims (this one) better than the plain white gown - Everybody and their sister has to wear white... and I love color!
9. Bahamas - Trinere Lynes. Kinda random, but I thought she had a pretty face,
and an elegant gown, but I guess she didn't do well because I don't remember seeing this girl anywhere. LOVED the earrings
she's wearing here.
10. Japan - Riyo Mori. I liked Riyo before. Her TV dress was better than the
prelim one. Riyo is a very beautiful Asian woman and I'm very happy she's Miss Universe, but during the telecast, I
kept thinking Korea, Korea, Korea. I still think Korea was perhaps stronger maybe, but Japan and Korea were kind of
equal to each other, so I'm really happy with either one as Miss U.
11. Italy - Valentina Massi.. She's got a great fashion-y kind of name
to be a model or designer. I always hope Miss Italy does well, but I can't remember the last time they made the
cut. Italy never seems to get very far, which I think is so odd because isn't Italy the fashion capital of the world?
And I am like 3/4 Italian myself, so I always want Italy to win it. I loved Valentina's "Eeeetttali!" in the opening
intros on TV.
12. AHHH...Mauritius! I loved how Sandra said her country's name...
I didn't know of this country until she said it... MORE-EEE-SHUSS. lol... Sandra was actually very high up on my list
because I loved her eyes and face. She stood out, to me, but not to the judges because she was not in the Top 15.
Even in the intros she was very charming.
13. France's Rachel Legrain-Trapani was also on my shortlist, and I liked
her "Frrannnncceee" sexy and seductive in the opening. It was cute and I thought Rachel would do better. She had
a very charming swimsuit picture and you might say the nose was too big but that added to her charm.
14. Greece- Doukissa Nomikou, what a great name, and I liked her picture too.
Whoever did these pictures did a great job. They really captured the exotic beauty of the delegates.
15. Hungary's Ildiko Bona (another interesting name) had a great headshot,
but the rest wasn't so good.
Here's how the ladies ranked in my predix:
Miss Universe 2007 - Honey Lee, Miss Korea
1st - Puja Gupta, Miss India
2nd - Flaviana Matata, Miss Tanzania
3rd - Sandra Faro, Miss Mauritius
4th - Wendy Salgado, Miss Honduras
Finalists:
6. Riyo Mori, Miss Japan
7. Farung Yuthithum, Miss Thailand
8. Rachel Smith, Miss USA
9. Anna Theresa Licaros, Miss Philippines
10. Rachel Legrain-Trapani, Miss France
Semifinalists:
11. Doukissa Nomikou, Miss Greece
12. Valentina Massi, Miss Italy
13. Trinere Lynes, Miss Bahamas
14. Stephanie Winter, Miss Antigua and Barbuda
15. Ildiko Bona, Miss Hungary
Needless to say, the European girls didn't do well this year.
This year was mostly Asia and Latin America girls. My predix list actually was kinder to the European ladies.
I think there was an overwhelming consensus to do something different this year - crown a non-Latin American beauty, which
may explain why Brazil was 1st RU and Riyo was crowned because Brazil did have the body and her evening gown was metallic
silver and I loved the color. Riyo's dress was exotic and very Asian with Japanese designs on it. Riyo is probably
the first Miss U in quite some time to be crowned in a black gown.
2000 wore red, 2001, 2002, 2003, wore white, 2004 wore goldish
yellow, 2005 wore white, 2006 wore a silvery color, and now we have Riyo in exotic black.
Another girl I didn't really notice was Brazil, but now looking back she was
a good contestant, and I can see why she made it to 1st RU, but on TV night I didn't like her because I thought she was too
cocky. It always seemed she was looking at the score, but I don't even know if they can see the scores. She was
very flirty and fun, kind of like she was high, and her strange personality kinda made her really goofy in my eyes, but now
looking back she was probably having a lot of fun and her natural personality came out. According to press after the
pageant though Brazil was nasty and was really bitchy after not winning. I remember one article said she just ran off
and didn't bother to go to the after party or anything, like she was a sore loser.
I actually didn't like Venezuela's picture, but now that I look it again she
has really intense (blue? green?) eyes and kinda reminds me of the actor that played Gwen Araujo from Lifetime so I probably
would have liked her, but for some reason, I didn't look at her swimsuit picture and then you really see her face the way
it looked on TV. Once she was on TV, I liked her, and definitely would have had Ly on my list. Ly was beautiful
and actually one of the most beautiful Miss Venezuelas I've seen. She had lightened her hair a lot because she had jet
black hair at her national pageant.
I got a kick out of Miss Australia having the same last name as one of my few good friends,
Tom Busteed because Busteed has got to be a rare name...it is here, but maybe more common with the Aussies.
On with the show...
This was the first pageant I had watched on TV in its entirety since Miss Teen USA 2002, five,
count them, five years ago! Which explains how after this pageant I have since been in a pageant phase... it happens
all the time after any TV event. After the Oscars, I come an Oscar nut... I need a life, yes I know.
Okay, so the pageant is in Mexico, which is a BAD BAD place for it because the Mexican audience
is rude and booes a lot, like they did in 1993 when Kenya Summer Moore was Miss USA. I probably saw that pageant but
I don't remember real well.
The pageant began like it does every year with the "Parade of Nations". I didn't like
that deep-voiced guy screaming at the girls "Let's go! Let's go!" like they were chattel. Then the girls just started
walking up to the camera to the sounds of Nelly Furtado's "Say It Right". They wore their national costumes, said their
name, age, and country. Angola was cute. What the hell was Bahamas wearing? I liked Barbados. Aruba
had quite a headdress on. How did she walk in that thing? China was adorable. Colombia had a flame on her
head. Costa Rica's blue butterfly wings were pretty. Croatia looked like she was one of those girls at a race
track and waves a flag to start the race. Denmark thought she was all that. She and Czech Republic were Top 15
semifinalists, but I would have said No to that. They weren't standouts.
Greece waving as the hairspray was cute. Egypt was growl, pretty fierce with the Egyptian
hand thing. She looked too angry. El Salvador was sweet, as she bowed her head down and then rose it up to say
"El Salvador". I LOVED Estonia and could have watched her over and over again here. It was just how she said it,
very sultry and she said "Victoria Asofska"... which is not the right spelling. Finland was blah. I loved
France and Georgia's accents. Germany was too cutsy-cutsy and her braids make her look like a caricature. Greece
spoke as if she wanted to spread grease all over her body. A lot of the girls sounded as if they were speaking lines
from Skinemax movies, which I loved because it was very sensual. Greece's body armor Grecian goddess costume was cool.
India looked absolutely ravishing in that Indian pink and orange dress. It was kind
of like something Princess Jasmine would wear. And then there was Italy who was so cute in her dress that was the Italian
flag. Then we were introduced to Zahra Redwood, Jamaica and I liked how she did that. Our Miss Universe,
said Riyo, Mori, 20, Japan, with those pauses. She didn't have the best intro and didn't seem all that excited.
Kazakhstan was barely audible. And then there was Honey, my choice for winner, and she had a much better intro
than Japan. And God Bless Lebanon, how did that girl keep that cone on her head.
Mauritius looked like she had this 1970's-ish hairdo and she flipped her hand by her head
as she said in a low, sultry voice, "Mauritius." Nicaragua looked as if she was a member of the cast of Broadway's The
Lion King. And I got a kick out of Paraguay, or shall we say Brooklyn, who was all up in our face as if she was
ready to rumble!
Then came a rather blah bunch of "S"'s, European and former Soviet states. Poor St.
Lucia. They never win. Tanzania was hard to understand and was that a skull she was holding? lol... Turks
and Caicos are another Caribbean country that sends delegates every year and gets nowhere. However, Trinidad and Tobago
has done really well, with two Miss Universes, Go figure, but there wasn't any Miss T+T this year! Rachel as Elvis was cute.
Now the set was totally a rip-off of Chicago's "He Had It Comin'" set and I was expecting
to see Catherine Zeta come out and gyrate her hips with the girls as the inmates of the Mexico Women's Prison, but it
didn't happen, lol.
Mario Lopez (yet again) and Vanessa Minnillo (ehhh is what I have to say about her) were our
usual boring hosts. Thank God they kept Nancy O'Dell out of Mexico. Her and Billy Bush (a.k.a. He Who Should Not
Be Named) were OVER-KILL. Billy makes me think of our evil dictator back home, who is his uncle I think. Of course
US politics and how badly Bush is running us this country into the ground made Miss Universe news as well as the Mexican audience
booed poor Rachel, who has nothing to do with politics in Washington. Anyway, I'm tiring of seeing these same old people
and the hosts have just been terrible. I miss Bob Barker, Dick Clark, and Bob Goen, three great hosts. Note they
were older, but so debonair, and that's exactly what Miss Universe needs.
Alas, no "You are My Star" and no Little Sisters, who have never returned since the pageant
heydays of the 80's and 90's. That's why they were the heydays because of those adorable little girls and that sweet
little song they used to sing. Donald Trump has destroyed these pageants in the 10-or-so years he's owned them.
When CBS aired them, they were really good. Today they can't hold a handle, which explains why the ratings go down the
toilet every year.
Every year the host and hostess say the same things. The hostess says to the host "Aren't
these girls hot?" And the host is like "I'm horny." But Mario is classy at least and behaved better than some
people have. Thank Jesus Billy Bush didn't host it because honestly I would have turned off the TV until he was gone.
Then Miss Universe 2006, Zuleyka Rivera, came out in a gorgeous light green
dress and bouncy hair. LOVED when she said "Buenos noches" and that wink at the camera... Her eyes looked much lighter
in color in this dress, but maybe it was color contacts or just the light. Zuleyka is so stunning. She was happy
at this point in the pageant but as we will see by the end she had had enough and dropped Riyo's crown to let it fall.
I think she was unhappy at how rude this audience was to her roommate, Miss USA.
(Also on a tangent: Rachel, Riyo, and Miss Teen USA (forgot her name) live together in a
Trump-funded apartment in Manhattan, which is kinda weird because Miss Universe shouldn't be so attached to the USA pageants
if it is going to be impartial.)
As Mario was talking and I wondered how he'd look in a swimsuit competition
(hmm hmm good like Campbell's Soup), it was time to announce the Top 15. Venezuela's Ly Jonaitis (cool name) was first.
Next was Thailand's Farung Yuthithum, and I loved her big hair. Zaklina Sojic, Miss Denmark, was third. Fourth
was Nicaragua, Xiomara Blandino, who seemed, even if she didn't make a real impression, to be having good fun all night.
Joining the list was Angola's Micaela Reis with her sexy staring at the camera. Slovenia's Tjasa Kokalj who was just
not worthy. USA's Rachel Smith was next. I wondered when Rachel was at Teen '02 if she ever thought she'd be up
on the Miss Universe stage. It's interesting how you could not make it to the top 3 or 5 Teen but win Miss USA.
This happened many times like Kim Pressler, who I don't even think placed at all and then she won Miss USA. Then again,
she was one of the 3 Miss USAs not to place at Miss Universe, but Rachel was not going to have that problem. Still,
I didn't think she was strong enough to clinch the crown. Miss Brazil, Natalia Guimaraes, was called next. Then
some of my favorites were announced, starting with Puja Gupta, Miss India. Vanessa said "You wished for it and you've
got it", and the audience cheered for their hometown girl, Miss Mexico, Rosa Maria Ojeda Cuen (interesting name). Mario
announced that Riyo Mori, Miss Japan, made the cut and I loved her friends in the audience jumping up and down all
night waving those shiny Japanese things. Don't you just love that name- Riyo Mori? I do. Ukraine,
Lyudmila Bikmullina, was next and she had to be the lowest in scores because she was kind of again, hate to overuse the word,
but blah. Around the world with Tanza-neeah! The people of Tanzania must have loved that Flaviana Matata, the
first Miss Tanzania, made the Top 15 the first time they sent a delegate, like Botswana's Miss Universe from 1999. Yes,
let's invite, Korea too.. Honey Lee gave the air kisses and the nod of the head to the camera kinda like she knew she was
gonna make it. And finally, Czech Republic's Lucie Hadasova was Numero Quince, and she was the cutest out of those 4
girls from Europe (Ukraine, Slovenia, Denmark, Czech Rep.) that Trump picked out...allegedly, as Kathy Griffin would
say. Trump must have bad taste because none of those girls made the next cut.
Unfortunately, they don't interview the girls anymore, but 15 is a lot to interview
so early.
After a bunch of filler tourism stuff for Mexico, the swimsuit competition set the stage on fire! RBD, a Mexican
pop group, performed 3 songs in a medley and it was great. One of the singers, Christian Chavez, came out recently as
gay, so being transgender, I like him and support RBD, who was very accepting and warm towards him. The Mexican audience
was chanting something as the swimsuit parade was about to begin...
SWIMSUITS
RBD sang "Wanna Play" first and Venezuela (8.971) looked breathtaking.
She should have got a much higher score. Thailand (7.940) wasn't as good as Venezuela but that score was very very low.
The judges were already being bitchy. Denmark (7.969) wasn't that great and Thailand was better. Nicaragua (8.171)
wasn't that bad and had a lot of energy and personality, and that made her stand out enough to put her in the top 10.
Angola (9.150) didn't really stand out here and no sexy stare in swimsuit but everywhere else she was looking at the camera
as if she wanted to kiss it. Slovenia (8.163) was so lackluster, she immediately seemed out of place. USA (8.995)
was okay, but she and Angola walked slower with the fast-paced music. Anyway, USA was fit. Brazil (9.560) was
graceful and had her head up high and gave smoochy-lips when she looked up at the camera.
I wondered how the judges got their scores done so quick in time to put
them up at the upper right hand corner of the screen by the time they were already at the end of the catwalk, which means
most of the scoring gets done before they've finished that walk.
India (8.548) had a lot of personality with a cute smile and a lot of movement.
I liked her and would have given her a 9. AS Mexico (8.527) came out, I realized there were a lot of very dark
haired brunettes, and when they made the second cut from 15 to 10, all of the blondes would disappear. Japan's whole
presentation was great with the tossing up of the head during her stance and she deserved her 9.599, the highest score, which
tells you these judges were not giving any 9.70's or 9.80's out. Some years the judges are just very generous, this
year they weren't so much.
Ukraine (7.900) was lacking that glow and the scores show it. Then the
music changed to "Money Money" and the African-ish sound of the music was perfect for the transition to Tanzania, who
seemed a little tipsy, but she wound up with a 9.223. Her catwalk was good. But she seemed a little
unexcited. Korea was FABULOUS. Just FABULOUS. That body was AB-solutely amazing. 9.458 was way too
low. She would have gotten a 9.99 from me. I loved how she backed into this pose where her breasts just flew up
and her abdomen just went straight down, showing off her perfect shape. Now, girls, this is a beauty queen. Czech
Republic (8.113) was sweet, but just sweet and again something wasn't there with a lot of these European blondes.
I loved how at the end all the 15 ladies came back out in the chorus line and
waited for RBD to rock it up at the end of the catwalk. Finally, RBD literally skipped back to the mainstage and the
girls did their Rockette line, but alas, no high kick at the end. It was a VERY energetic and pumped-up swimsuit
show, and I loved it.
After swimsuits were over, here were the scores:
Japan- 9.599
Brazil- 9.560
Korea- 9.458
Tanzania- 9.223
Angola- 9.150
USA- 8.995
Venezuela- 8.971
India- 8.548
Mexico- 8.527
Nicaragua- 8.171
Slovenia- 8.163 Czech Republic- 8.113
Denmark- 7.969
Thailand- 7.940
Ukraine- 7.900
So Japan was leading so far, and she would win. Brazil was second and
Korea was third. Korea placed 4th in the end. Venezuela would get into the Top 5 because of her performance in
evening.
After swimsuits, Mario and Vanessa announced the Top 10. Brazil was first.
Natalia volunteers her time for an organization that raises money for down syndrome. India was next and Vanessa said
Puja considers herself a successful communicator and problem solver who is extremely independent. Japan's Riyo Mori
was called next. She is a curious person who believes that there is a great need for intercultural understanding in
today's world (Very true). Angola's Micaela Reis (pronounced Mick-a-alla Reish) is passionate about music and writing
and wants to be a judge. Venezuela's Ly Jonaitis is a sponge and is interested in history. USA volunteered at
Oprah's leadership academy in South Africa. Honey Lee of Korea likes scuba diving and horseback riding. Three
more to go... Tanzania adores fashion and enjoys playing soccer. Nicaragua's Xiomara Blandino holds a black belt in
tae kwon do. And rounding out the top ten was Mexico, and thank God she made that because the crowd would have had a
fit if she wasn't in the top 10.
After the top 10 announcements, there were little segments for each girl. India looked
stunning in her segment. Riyo Mori is a dancer and was dancing with Miss Georgia, which is cute. Japan wants to
dance on Broadway ever since she was little. Angola is the face of the HIV in her country and works with children, who
are the future. Venezuela with the mask was cute. USA was holding a really cute animal, but I don't know what
it was. Korea has performed at Carnegie Hall and made four albums! Nicaragua looked very different in her clip!
Was that the same girl? Mexico was dubbed in English, so we never got to hear her real voice.
EVENING
Sean Paul and Keyshia Cole's "Give it all to me" was the theme song of the evening
gown competition. The top ten would compete here for a place in the top five. None of the girls that didn't
make it had any interesting dresses, again a lot of white, TOO MUCH white. Brazil came out first and I LOVED her facial
expressions here. Her gown was gorgeous and she got a 9.599, which was Japan's swimsuit score. But it seemed she
was looking for her score because her eyes were fixated on one place, possibly where the TV screen was. India was very
awkward and her face was trying too hard to be sexy I guess. It just wasn't good enough and Puja got a 7.825, the lowest
score. Japan looked delicious and I loved how she lifted up her dress and then just took her hands and let it go at
the end of the catwalk. She got a low score of 8.943, which is tooo low. Angola gave us the sexiest looks
of the pageant and I liked her eyes here. Her score of 8.363 was too low too! Venezuela was just dazzling.
Ly was gorgeous and she knew it. She got a 9.510 for this performance. And then unfortunately USA had her
fall here, but got right back up again and received a 8.754 from the judges, which is pretty decent. After USA's fall,
Korea came out with devilish eyes as if to say "She fell and I'm getting into the top 5." But maybe it's just my imagination.
Anyway, Korea's gown was stunning, she's beautiful, her walk with the hand on the hip was very good, and she deserved the
9.183. Her face is just gorgeous. Flaviana from Tanzania came out in a simple white gown, but her smile seemed
kinda forced. Her 8.488 was a disappointment for her and for us and she was out of the top 5 just like that. Nicaragua
came out in this pretty gown with a glittery butterfly in the middle, but she got a 7.674, which was even lower than India.
Now Mexico was not bad and I liked her turns. Her walk was slow and very sweet, but she wound up with a 7.850, which
was very low. Then all the girls came out and it was clear many of them would just not go any further. To quote
Mario, they were "Magnifico!"
Even as they turned around the edge of the catwalk, Japan lifted up her dress
to make another impression on the judges. And then Riyo stands out again- by excitedly clapping her hands, blowing a
kiss, and kind of embracing the TV audience. She had a friendly personality the whole time and we saw it.
And Venezuela reminded me of Catherine Zeta Jones, which is funny because I already said it felt like
Catherine would go perfect with the "Chicago"-inspired cages in the background.
A recap of the scores in evening:
Brazil- 9.599
Venezuela- 9.510
Korea- 9.183
Japan- 8.943
USA- 8.754
Tanzania- 8.488
Angola- 8.363
Mexico- 7.850
India- 7.825
Nicaragua- 7.674
Three of the top 5 here in evening, Brazil, Korea,
and Japan all made the top 5 in swimsuit. The other two, Tanzania and Angola, got too low of scores to make it.
Venezuela pulled 2nd highest in evening, assuring her a spot in the top five, and USA, who never got above a 9, made the cut
here. I'm sure the Mexican audience was not happy Miss Mexico was not going to be in there and boy did they make their
disapproval known during the interviews.
There's been a real push away from the elegance of the evening gown competition
in favor of a faster-paced supermodel catwalk, which started I think in 2001. After just having watched Miss USA 1996 evening gown, with a beautiful violin and piano accompiament, I miss the old days. Why don't they get an orchestra to play lush
romantic classical music? Would that be too much to ask?
Miss Philippines, Anna Theresa Licaros, was chosen Miss Photogenic (and she
was pretty) and Miss Congeniality, or the "best amiga" was China. I hate it when they just say the country.
Vanessa was like "Congratulations, China". Can't they call her MISS China. She's a beauty queen not the country
of China.
Then it was time for 10 to become 5 and the audience was moaning and groaning. First
up was Miss Venezuela, who calmly walked to her spot. Miss Korea was also very calm and collected. Brazil gave
more of a reaction. USA was happy to make it, making a "Thank You Jesus" expression with her hands, and probably thought
her night was over. Japan put her hands to her mouth when she heard her name and she may have thought it was over for
her too, but of course it wasn't and her cheering section went wild.
Now the audience began to become nasty and booed. The interviews were lousy and quick,
giving the top five barely enough time to speak and giving us not much to go by. They didn't have a top 10 interview
like they used to and they didn't have a sit-down one-on-one personal interview like they did in 2000, so you really don't
get to know the finalists and therefore, really don't care, and when you don't care, you flip the channel and this is all
part of why the ratings are always in the gutter. The pace of pageants these days has become too fast and they put in
all this filler nobody really cares about and instead of doing that, they should allow the delegates to speak. The show's
about them after all!
Venezuela was asked a question by Dave Navarro (and I don't know who he is but I think he
was romantically involved with Carmen Electra, who I don't know what she's really done either... these people are basically
staples of US Weekly and the other trashy magazines). He said "Hi Baby" and Ly said hi. He asked one of those
stupid sexist questions, "Would you rather have a man that is spontaneous and wild or a man that plays it safe?" I would
have loved for Ly to say, "Neither. I'm a lesbian." But no girl's ever said that. Judges assume these girls
are desperate for a guy to sweep them off their feet. The interpreter told Ly the question in Spanish and Ly seemed
pretty sure of her answer and began to speak en Espanol. She answered, "Beloved Mexico, Beautiful Mexico, The first
thing you need to do in a relationship is to feel it is a fair relationship, to have somebody that's good for you and somebody
that will be your companion. And I do believe in every relationship, you must have a little bit of give and take so
you can have the flame of passion." I hope the interpreter did a good job interpreting that answer because it seems
a little off. Once Ly finished speaking in the Spanish, the Mexican audience began to cheer, so her answer probably
was a lot better in the original Spanish.
Korea was asked by an Asian judge, James Kyson Lee of the show "Heroes", "If you can have
any kind of superpower, what would it be and why?" Now I thought this question was rather corny because his show is
about superpowers and it was like a plug for his show, but it is kinda a thought-provoking question. However, I
did like that he remembered Honey's name. Korea answered in Korean in a rather deep voice, "Well missionary work is
my dream and if I were to have a superpower, I would like to be able to use all my power and all my authority and money to
help the missionary work and people around the world and actually I would say a wallet that never dries up would be a good
superpower to have." Again, I wonder about the interpretation because in English this answer is not great. So
she lost the crown here then. Brazil's question came from Michelle Kwan, who knows a lot about losing herself.
Michelle asked "Is it better to live life following your heart or following your mind?" Natalia answered in Portuguese,
"I think in life there should be a balance, both the heart and the mind is important, but the most important thing of
all is to follow what you think is true to your heart and to the better of everybody. Thank you Mexico." This
was the best answer I think. USA was booed now, and she dealt with it very well. The rude audience began chanting
"Mexico! Mexico! Mexico" as judge Tony Romo tried to ask his question, "If you could go back and relive one moment
in your life, what moment would you pick and why?" I immediately thought to myself, Gosh that's easy, I'd say like a
half-hour ago when I just fell. lol But USA talked again about her experience in South Africa with the Oprah Winfrey
leadership academy and I wish she said something different because this is basically her big lifetime accomplishment and it
makes her seem as if this is the only thing she's ever done. USA said she was very passionate about education and being
in South Africa sparked her passion even more. The best part of her answer was her diplomacy towards the audience, adding
"Buenos noches, Mexico, Mucho gracias, mucho gracias." It was hard for her to answer because of all the booing, which
probably made her nervous. Japan was asked a question by Nina Garcia (who I have no idea again who she is), but she
asked Japan "What is the one lesson you learned as a child that still affects your life today?" With a smile and a wave,
Japan said "Hola Mexico" and it was very cute. Nina laughed. Japan nodded, and said "I have been dancing since
I was a child. I lived my life growing up among many students and teachers. I learned how to always be happy,
patient, and positive. And this is what I want to teach to the next generation." "Thank you," was how she ended
it. Japan broke up her answer into four fragments, which allowed her to keep talking longer. Sometimes you say
something and the interpreter makes it sound like you're finished, and you get cut off by the host, who just wants to zoom
zoom through everything, which is really annoying.
I thought Brazil gave the best answer in this final question (they just bypassed the interview
this year) and the English-speaking girls always have an edge. The best final question was Miss India, Lara Dutta, in
2000. Sinbad was hosting that year and all she did was kind of get Sinbad to give her the microphone without even asking
for it and once she took that microphone she won the crown. Lara can never be outdone by any of these girls because
Lara had an English accent that sounded kind of British and it's an accent Indian women have when they speak English.
It was so classy and made her seem so womanly, like a politician even.
Then Mario and Vanessa went through the "What happens to that lucky girl who
wins" part. Basically "She becomes Trump Property." lol, I joke... or do I? But she does get a lot
of good clothes and she'll never have an excuse to have a bad hair day all year or bad makeup day(-: She even gets a
scholarship to an acting program. Clearly the organization wants their winners to go on to become famous like Ali did,
but sometimes the 1st runner up becomes even more famous than all of the winners combined - like 1986 first runner-up
Halle Berry, who is a Hollywood goddess and the first black woman to ever win the Best Actress Oscar in 2002 for "Monster's
Ball"!
Here is Halle in 1986 as Miss Ohio, losing to Christy Fichtner,
Miss Texas at Miss USA 1986. Below is the picture of Halle, 16 years later, winning Best Actress at the Oscars.
Who can forget that emotional speech she gave?
But now it's time to take a final look at the top 5. I loved the music
here. Will it be Venezuela? Ly was stunning and I want those earrings! Korea's dress was great and she was
wonderful, and I hoped they had placed her higher. Brazil gave one of her flirty faces. USA didn't fit in there,
and I had a feeling she was going to be 4th. Japan looked simply divine with her angelic face and the floating of her
dress, as if there was a fan on her, but there wasn't. That was just Riyo's fabulousness coming out for those judges
to think about as they ranked the top 5 as 4th, 3rd, 2nd, 1st, and Miss Universe 2007.
I think Donald Trump was booed when he was introduced and then Zulekya came out in a black
gown. She seemed pissed off now. A different girl than the one in the gorgeous green gown before when she had
her first walk on stage. She gave a fierce supermodel look at the end of the catwalk and then walked back with a little
smile here and there. I liked her and wish her well in her future.
The official results:
4th runner up....
Miss USA
Rachel kinda knew it, but smiled and said "Thank you."
3rd runner up...
Miss Korea
She must have been shocked at this.
2nd runner-up....
Miss Venezuela
Ly was going back to her spot when they called her name and then she gave a
hand gesture as if to say "Hey..."
1st runner up was Brazil..
The new Miss Universe is:
Japan!!! And Riyo gave such a reaction as her eyes and mouth opened
real wide and she seemed so shocked to capture the crown... and I was so happy it was going to be her. She is so different
and the first "Asian" (as in Asian looks, not continent) to win since 1988 (when Thailand won). As the credits
began to roll (way too quick), Japan screamed "I love you!" to the camera at the end of the telecast.
