My FINAL 15

So after web surfing and assessing each and every photo and/or videos, I have accessible at this time, I am very disappointed with so many delegates. In terms of the swimsuit competition, a majority of the girls stood out, strutting their stuff. Some girls looked like they had gained a considerable amount of weight, and some just looked like they were there because they had to be there. The evening gown segment was a different story. Some girls looked great in their gowns, some looked hideous. I can name a handful of girls that I would label on their forehead a note exclaiming "What were you thinking?" Some gowns were so bland that I could pour salt on their dresses! Some girls were very couture and sexy. Saying that, here's my take on the prelims:

North America still continues to be a strong continent. I believe that both my home girl, Canada and USA will make the semi-final cut. Crystle Stewart has proven to be consistent from her arrival in Vietnam to the present. She was my favorite for the USA crown, and she has a very good chance of becoming Miss Universe 2008. Crystle is ready to win, and I am convinced that she will place no lower than 2nd Runner Up. As for Samantha Tajik, she definitely looks like a contender. Her body and gown presentation were flawless. She’s a unique looking girl, and her attempts to be make an impact are not going to ignored.

From Central America, Mexico is my main contender. She wants to bring a 2nd victory to her country, and Elisa Najera is the perfect fit for it, unlike Rosa Maria Ojeda. Elisa is a huge fan favorite for this year’s crown, and it will not surprise me if the title goes to her. She is a very beautiful girl, very tall, great hourglass figure. She is secured in the top 15. The only other girl that wowed me in this division was Panama’s, Carolina Dementiev. Although her presentations were good, she’s going to have to fight other strong competitors for a semis spot. But she too, has the potential to have made a positive final impact.

From the Caribbean, Puerto Rico is still my frontrunner as well as Jamaica. I loved Ingrid Rivera before all the stupid surgeries that made her look like an alien cat. She won the Puerto Crown for a reason and now she just looks horrible in some shots. I will continue to support her just because of my loyalty value. I think she can penetrate the semis, and possibly make the top 10, but as far as that goes-I don't think she will make the top 5. Do you remember back in 2004 when Miss Aruba, Zizi Lee was a frontrunner for the Miss Universe crown, because she was the 1st runner up in Miss World? History may repeat itself with Puerto Rico-there is a likely chance that this could happen, but the odds are against the odds. Puerto Rico is a favorite and I really do like her (Minus all of the shitty surgery). The only downfall that Jamaica’s April Jackson has is her body is not very fit at this point of the competition. She may lose some ground here, but on the contrary, her preliminary interview should definitely impress the judges.

From Africa, South Africa and Angola are the leaders in this category. Tansey knows how to work it and she will definitely be in the semis-no doubt about it. Angola is still the most exotic delegate from Africa, but she is a little timid. Does that show confidence or just BLAH?

South America is very competitive. Venezuela's, Dayana Mendoza is whom I would classify as a top 5 frontrunner. Consistent from the get go, there is no way in hell that the MUO organization is going to ignore this amazing delegate. Dayana has been the envy of many delegates. I hear all these rumors that she was high maintenance and over dramatic, but I don’t think that’s the point of why she’s there. She’s there to win, and that’s all she cares about-if it worked for Zuleyka Rivera, then it will work here. Taliana Vargas from Colombia is a fresh and stunning competitor. She bottled up all of her energy for the prelims to make an impact and I think that she's going to smell some TV time, come Sunday night. I would say top 10-5 material, depending on what the telecast judges are looking for. She is very charismatic on stage with a lot of energy. If the judges were looking for a fresh, natural girl-then we can secure Taliana a spot in the semis.

The Asia region is coming back with many fierce competitors. India’s, Simran Kaur Mundi is a pleasant surprise. When she was first crowned I wasn't very fond of her, but the photos that followed were very impressive. She won my vote after the Close Up interviews on the Miss Universe Website. Simran is the complete package. Aside from her weird evening gown choice, she will be a semifinalist as well. From Japan, Hiroko Mima is consistent. But I’m not so sure about a back to back victory. Trying to be different is one thing, but I think her image is a little overkill. Even Riyo was more balanced. I’m not really into the “Making a statement” presentation. This is not a fashion show-it’s a pageant. And we, as pageant enthusiasts have to remember that regardless of how MUO tries to modernize its production, it will always remain a beauty pageant. Aside from her efforts, Hiroko’s beauty cannot be denied. Korea’s, Sun Lee is also another one of Ines Ligron’s Angels. Now I must say that I find Sun more appealing than I do, Hiroko. Her presentation during the Vinpearl Bikini show was very impressive, and she brought all of that energy back to the prelims, having dealt with a food poisoning. That’s dedication to win. The Philippines, Jennifer Barrientos is also a very pleasant surprise. Her swimsuit presentation was perfect. Leading up to the preliminaries, she seemed to be a little shy, but the minute I saw her on stage-I was blown away. This girl exudes a lot of class, poise and a subtle confidence that commands a presence to the audience. Finally from Australia, Laura Dundovic should be in the semis just because she has proven to be determined to win the crown. She is very consistent, her body is sickly amazing, and she is also a very intelligent woman. Can she repeat the success of Jennifer Hawkins, who happens to be on the judging panel? It’s not a far fetched prediction at all.

From Europe, the girl who impressed me the most was Claudia Moro from Spain. She worked the stage like a ramp model, and both her presentations were flawless. Without a doubt, I see her entering the semis. Belgium’s, Alizee Poulicek is another frontrunner from the European division. She has lagged a little bit, but overall her performance in the prelims, were above satisfactory, and I think she may have a spot in the semis as well. Her amazing legs should be insured!

All in all there are a number of girls I was pulling for, that made really bad decisions during the preliminaries. I was hoping that Norway and France opted to change their evening gowns. For such a beautiful girl, Mariann’s choice for a tacky white gown like that was less than adequate. She still remains to be the most beautiful face of the pageant. France’s, Laura Tanguy started to lose momentum after a couple of weeks-and she really never recovered. Dominican Republic’s, Marianne Cruz was on my list, up until the evening gown. A BIG NO! This may hurt her chances of what could've been a semi-finalist position. There are many others that I can name, but it gets tiring. Miss Universe only happens once a year and we’re always hoping for an amazing competition with delegates that all want to win. It’s odd that I had already started to hear about girls not trying anymore, because they were homesick-even before the preliminaries. I can understand how it could take a toll on a person, but why enter in the first place?

With my analysis, this is what I would like to see on July 13th:

1. VENEZUELA
2. USA
3. MEXICO
4. PUERTO RICO
5. SPAIN
6. COLOMBIA
7. SOUTH AFRICA
8. INDIA
9. CANADA
10. AUSTRALIA
11. KOREA
12. BELGIUM
13. PHILIPPINES
14. JAPAN
15. ANGOLA

In fairness, I think that all the girls who wanted it, did their best to shine. And since there’s only a top 15, the judges really have to pay attention to DETAIL of every aspect of the competition. So even if there are frontrunners on each message board-it’s up to the delegate to make an impression. If they waiver on one event, excel at another, and falter on the last one, that will determine their fate in the competition. These girls have to excel in everything they are put to the test to.

All I can say is that I hope the girls that deserve to make the cut are in, because they’ve been working at it for a long time. They’ve prepped themselves for this event and are determined to win.

MY TOP 25 BEFORE PRELIMINARY SHOW

So I've assessed all of the girls, from pre pageant to picture to close ups. It's going to be a couple of hourse before all of the preliminary photos are up, so with that said, here are my top 25 girls that I think will surprise the shit out of everyone:

1.USA
2.VENEZUELA
3.MEXICO
4.PUERTO RICO
5.NORWAY

6.SOUTH AFRICA
7.AUSTRALIA
8.DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
9.PANAMA
10.COLOMBIA

11.ANGOLA
12.RUSSIA
13.INDIA
14.SPAIN
15.TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

16.PHILIPPINES
17.JAPAN
18.KOREA
19.CZECH REPUBLIC
20.IRELAND
21.SLOVAK REPUBLIC
22.CANADA
23.UKRAINE
24.KAZAKHSTAN
25.BELGIUM

These girls have proven to me, atleast, that they are consistent and display a fun naturaly beauty. I know some of these girls have had extensive plastic surgery-a lot of this has to do with their personalities and overall beauty. Philippines entered my top 25 after a huge improvement. South Africa entered my top 10 after amazing ramp skills. Japan slipped because of the fact that she's trying to be daring and in chic...but then it's just going to be a repeat of Riyo-without the victory. France left my list because of no will to win the crown....I have to see how fierce these girls were during the prelims, to make my final judgement!

I'll see you soon!

AHHHHHHH!!! Miss Universe Fever. We're less than a week away from the preliminaries, and that's pretty much all I can think about....as far as Miss Universe goes. So we have some clear frontrunners for the semi-finals.

VENEZUELA, INDIA, USA, and MEXICO.

These girls are putting up a major fight for a spot, and I forsee all of them in the top 15. Venezuela in my opinion, is probably the most competitive as far as wanting to win the crown. She is still my frontrunner for the Miss Universe title. India, has placed in both of the mini competitions so it will be interesting how far she goes. The only thing that bothers me about her, is the nose-but that's just my opinion. USA has proven to be very consistent as well. She always looks amazing for photographers, and knows how to work it-no doubt, she should make the top 5. Mexico pulled a big surprise as the winner of the Vinpearl swimsuit competition. She is very classy and also a consistent delegate.

Close behind would be the delegates of COLOMBIA, ANGOLA, KAZAKHSTAN, KOREA, NORWAY and TRINIDAD & TOBAGO.

Colombia to me, is the most natural looking delegate in terms of facial beauty and overall body type. Angola is the most exotic African delegate, and she deserves a spot in the semis because of that. Kazakhstan was a surprise to me, as I really didn't expect much from her. But after the Vinpearl competition-she truly can model. I loved Korea's performance in the Vinpearl contest. A lot of people would say she overdid it, but I disagree. She reminded me of a Victoria Secret Model with a lot of bounce. Great confidence. Norway by far, is the most facially beautiful delegate this year. She has had NO PLASTIC SURGERY, and with a face like that-I appreciate her beauty. Finally, Trinidad is going to knock everyone's socks off. I can see her pulling an upset in the top 5 because she really is beautiful. I love her exotic mix.

I will post my top 15 before the prelims, very shortly!

CHARLENE'S PICKS (Before prelims)

My bestfriend Charlene also loves Miss Universe.....These are her Top 15 Picks: (From Top Left)
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (8.64)/AUSTRALIA (8.79)/ PUERTO RICO (8.74)/ FRANCE (8.60)/ ANGOLA (8.67)/BOLIVIA (8.61)/PHILIPPINES (8.61)/ KOREA (8.78)/ RUSSIA (8.76)/ JAPAN (8.75)/ ECUADOR (8.69)/TRINIDAD & TOBAGO (9.06)/USA (8.91)/ VENEZUELA (8.88)/ CANADA (8.81)

Great Choices!

When Will the Philippines pull a "Miriam"?

Miriam Quiambao is by far, the most gorgeous Miss Philippines to grace the Miss Universe stage in more recent times.....followed by Nina Ricci Alagao. If only Miriam didn't let her nerves get to her, she would've been Miss Universe 1999. Julie Moran and Ali Landry were both surprised that Nina didn't make the finals either in 2000. She was the perfect formula to have another semifinalist in 2000, but somehow she was overlooked. Filipina women are known to be one of the most exotic and beautiful women in the world. Since Filipinas are a mix of both Asian and Spaniard blood, they can be very unique looking. Since the beginning of the 2000's, the Philippines has sent some worthy contenders (eg: Zorayda Ruth Andam, Maricar Balagtas, Lia Ramos)...but more recently, the wardrobes and the styling of the Philippine delegate has been poorly outdated, and even more embarrassing, recycled clothing from almost a decade ago. My personal opinion is that even if these girls were to shop at H&M or even make their own clothes that are up to par with the present, they would do a better job with representing. The wardrobes are absolutely ghastly, and therefore the girl isn't noticed as a fashion forward delegate. Unlike Miss Japan (who is always so chic and in style) the organization tends to use pageant patty style evening gowns and outfits that don't quite coordinate together. since I am Filipino, I do sometimes wish that the Filipina will once again make an impact at Universe, but that's not going to happen until something is done with the organization behind the girl. I really do like Jennifer Barrientos, and I can only hope that the preliminary judges see her for her natural and sweet beauty instead of the tacky crap that she'll be wearing.

TOP 5 BEACH BEAUTY

The Beach Beauty mini competition was held on Wednesday, July 2nd. In a fierce competition of amazing beach bodies, Miss Mexico, Elisa Najera came out as the eventual winner. Does she deserve the win? I guess. I mean she's a little disproportionate, but overall she's in fit shape. I would've rather seen Taliana Vargas or Crystle Stewart win the presentation, but I guess fitness shape is in the eye of the beholder. This win for Mexico may secure her a spot in the top 15, but maybe not. Elisa is very consistent, and even if she didn't win this mini contest, I have have no doubts in my mind that she would still make her way to the final telecast. Congratulations to Elisa Najera!!!!!!

MY FAVORITE FOR THE CROWN

5 Simple words can explain why I choose Dayana Mendoza as my favorite for the crown. GORGEOUS, SEXY, SPUNKY, PERSONALITY, CONFIDENT.

This girl amazes me everytime I see her. In every photo, she exudes an aura that is so sexy and confident that to me, is a shoe in for the final 5. She is always fashion conscious-she poses in every single photo, whether it be dramatic or casual. She has an amazing body, and she is just an overall "super delegate". Venezuela wanted to win this year, and they chose a girl with a fighting chance to capture the 5th crown for this powerhouse country. I've read on so many message boards, that she's just an immature, over-dramatic delegate wanting all the attention for herself. I disagree. When Zuleyka Rivera was overhyped in 2006, the Venezuelans didn't criticize her...but now that Dayana is the favorite the Puerto Ricans are saying nothing but negative things about Dayana. They think that she is plastic and over-dramatic. But if you look at Ingrid Rivera she's no natural beauty either. In my opinion she looked better before her surgery. But to be fair, Ingrid is beautiful as well, but the edge goes to Dayana Mendoza....the 2008 favorite for Miss Universe!!!!!!!!