LEGAZPI CITY -- Former beauty queen and television host Miriam Quiambao, whose parents are both Bicolanos, visited on Wednesday children here who had been displaced by the restive Mayon Volcano and read them storybooks.
Not many people know that Quiambao, a first runner-up in the 1999 Miss Universe beauty pageant, has been advocating the causes of World Vision, a child-focused relief and development international organization, since April last year and has been one of its active supporters and volunteers since 2001.
Besides being World Vision's ambassador on child labor conveying relevant issues to the media, Quiambao also finds time to immerse herself in relief operations despite her celebrity status.
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| MTV's Susie Castillo will chat up the stars at the Video Music Awards
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Susie Castillo ought to be able to handle it. The hot, 26-year-old host of the network's popular countdown show, "Total Request Live," will be stationed backstage for a simultaneous online version of the show, "Overdrive," beginning at 8 p.m. on MTV.com, doing on-the-spot, streaming live interviews. As the 22nd annual awards show - this year hosted by Jack Black - returns to New York after a few years in Miami, Castillo's ready for anything. "It's going to be everything that happens behind the scenes," she says. "It's totally live! You really never know what's going to happen. The artists have all been warned. Quite literally, I could be in the hallway talking about what's been going on, and Beyoncé might be heading to the bathroom and I might stop her and ask her some questions!" But the quick-thinking Castillo knows that ad-libbing is part of the fun. In fact, the bilingual Puerto Rican and Dominican Massachusetts native - who won the Miss USA crown in 2003 - claims acting as her first love. After guest roles on TV sitcoms like "Half & Half" and "My Wife and Kids," she recently filmed her first movie part - as a reporter - in Disney's upcoming live-action adaptation of the cartoon favorite "Underdog." More at the Source |
For male model Jake Wall the best part about winning the first series of Torvill and Dean's Dancing on Ice last night was that he didn't get injured.
"How good is this?" asked the 23-year-old former carpenter following his victory.
"I've been lucky, I have only come off with a few bruises and scratches."
The boyfriend of former Miss Universe and television presenter Jennifer Hawkins beat Today co-host Karl Stefanovic in an ice dance-off.
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SYDNEY schoolboy Jordan Avramides was "a bit bummed" when Jennifer Hawkins took up Bathurst lad Daniel Dibley's invitation to go to a school formal.
Jordan had also written the beauty queen a letter but had been rejected because Hawkins had filming commitments.
Enter Hawko's understudy, Miss Universe Australia 2006, Erin McNaught.
McNaught, 24, is now off to the Trinity Grammar School Year 10 formal in November as Jordan's date - and the 16-year-old is "totally'' stoked.
"I know her from the watching the news and seeing all the stuff about the photos,'' Jordan said of the topless shoot which earned the Miss Universe contestant the nickname "McNaughty''.
"She's cute. Let's hope she's a nice one too,'' he said. "My mates are on the formal committee and they choose the tables so they're loving it. Dad's pretty happy too. He's baggsed driving us there.''
The only hurdle was the girl he'd already invited before McNaught agreed to step in.
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AUSTRALIA'S Miss World contestant is likely to return home to a television career after competing in the international pageant.
The Nine Network has already shown interest in 20-year-old Sabrina Houssami, and is believed to want her to join the travel show Getaway.
It scheduled several screen tests for the student before her departure for Poland to compete for the crown.
A Getaway gig would pit her against former Miss Universe Jennifer Hawkins, who is a presenter on Channel 7's The Great Outdoors.
"I would happily move into television if that opportunity arises, although I would also want to complete my university studies,'' Ms Houssami told The Sunday Telegraph.
The Miss World pageant, which traditionally has a theme involving world peace, will take on even more meaning for Ms Houssami, a Muslim Australian whose family was affected by the recent violence in the Middle East.
"Some of my family were caught up in the recent fighting,'' she said.
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THE beauty pageant is back and more popular than ever.
Renewing the fascination in the glamour quests is the recent success of Australia's Miss Universe contestants Jennifer Hawkins and Erin McNaught.
Selina Macdonald from Procon Leisure International – organisers of Bartercard Miss Indy, Ralph Australian Swimwear Model of the Year and the Face of Champ Car pageants – said there had been a 15 to 20 per cent increase in entrants.
"There is a lot more interest because girls know that it can platform them into an Australian, or even an international, modelling career," she said.
Ms Macdonald believed Hawkins' down-to-earth and girl-next-door image also helped lift the profile of pageants.
"I think with competitions, people had the perception of that bottle blonde and that has changed thanks to the Miss Universe contestants," she said.
"Jennifer Hawkins is a beautiful Australian lady. She's not too thin and she's very natural – she's everything that the girls want to be."
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Before the players took to the court, they hit the red carpet.
The American doubles team of Bob & Mike Bryan – the defending champions and winner of four Grand Slam titles – and 2004 Wimbledon singles titleist Maria Sharapova were the main guests of honor at the Manhattan Automobile Company days prior to the start of the 2006 U.S. Open. Others joined the tennis stars at the rooftop party, including model Carol Alt, Miss Teen USA Katie Blair, Miss USA Tara Conner, and Channing Frye and David Lee of the New York Knicks.
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WARSAW, Poland (AP) - A white scarf was discretely added over an artist's depiction of a mermaid with an exposed breast on a poster advertising the 2006 Miss World contest, after officials in Warsaw's conservative administration deemed it too suggestive, the artist's agent said Wednesday.
Rafal Olbinski obligingly placed a white scarf with the Miss World inscription across the offending body part, said his agent, Piotr Reichel. He "agreed to make the change at the request from the Warsaw promotion office," the agent added.
This year's Miss World contest is to be held in the Polish capital on Sept. 30.
The city's symbol is a bare-breasted mermaid holding a sword and shield. Olbinski's poster originally showed a mermaid on a seesaw, the strap from her red top slipping over her shoulder to reveal one of her breasts.
Tadeusz Deszkiewicz, head of Warsaw city hall's promotion bureau, told The Associated Press that there is "no doubt that Olbinski's original version was strongly erotic and we did not want to attach such aspect to the Miss World contest."
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August 26, 2006 12:00
YOU could call Daniel Dibley the luckiest kid in Australia.
When his mates ask him who he is taking to the Year 12 formal he can, without a word of a lie, tell them Miss Universe, Jennifer Hawkins.
In a victory for studious kids nationwide, the 17-year-old Bathurst High School student yesterday became the coolest dude in school after Hawkins answered his letter of invitation - and said yes.
"I didn't tell anyone I was doing it so it's a surprise to me and everyone Ms Hawkins said yes,'' the single school captain said yesterday.
"I like to think outside the square and I thought Ms Hawkins was a prominent figure, especially to the men, that she'd be a good formal partner.''
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August 24, 2006
NEW YORK - Former Miss Canada, Miss World runner-up and pop singer Nazanin Afshin-Jam will receive the "Hero Award for Human Rights" and deliver a speech this Friday, August 25, at the United Nations headquarters in New York. The award presentation will be made by actresses Anne Archer and Jenna Elfman, and will be followed by an Artists for Human Rights Concert, an outdoor event open to the public, in Union Square Park (14th & Broadway) from 7 p.m.-9 p.m. Admission is free and all are welcome.
Ms. Afshin-Jam is being recognized by Artists for Human Rights (AFHR, http://www.artistsforhumanrights.org) in co-operation with Youth for Human Rights International (http://www.youthforhumanrights.org) and the International Foundation for Human Rights and Tolerance. Her recognition comes for the campaign she initiated to help save the life of a 17-year-old Iranian girl, Nazanin Fatehi, who was sentenced to death by hanging for having defended herself and her 16-year-old niece from three men who attempted to rape them.
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Los Angeles, CA (AHN) - Reality hit show "Meet The Barkers" stars, Travis Barker and Shanna Moakler, recently announced they were ending their marriage The couple announced they had split earlier this month. Shortly thereafter, rumors began circulating that the former Miss USA had been unfaithful to her husband.
According to Us Weekly, a close source to Shanna said, "When he found out, he flipped and told her he wanted a wife, not a Hollywood socialite."
However, Shanna's infidelity was not the real reason behind the split, adds the source. The source says the real reason behind the split was Shanna's participation in the upcoming ABC hit show, "Dancing With The Stars."
On August 14, Travis posted a mySpace blog on his page claiming he first heard about his wife's participation in the celebrity dancing competition through his real estate agent.
Shanna denies reports she was unfaithful to her husband, telling Us Weekly, "I'm seriously concerned for his mental well-being. Perhaps the lifestyle that he leads is taking its toll. For the sake of our children, I hope he seeks help."
The couple have three children together, Atiana, 7, Landon, 2, and Alabama, eight months.
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August 20, 2006 12:00
THE man planning to sue Jennifer Hawkins for up to $1 million said she'd still be a cheerleader if not for him.
Grant Dwyer said he will file papers in the NSW Supreme Court seeking 20 per cent of the former Miss Universe's earnings from the time she won the pageant until 2008.
He also plans to sue her boyfriend, Jake Wall, for 20 per cent of his earnings after "transforming him from Jake the chippy into Jake Mr Universe''.
"She would still be doing promo work and cheerleading if it wasn't for me,'' Mr Dwyer said.
The couple's manager, Sean Anderson, said neither Hawkins nor Wall had ever had any association with Mr Dwyer despite his role in the Miss Universe competition and said his claims had no validity.
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| Published: Thursday, 17 August, 2006, 11:29 AM Doha Time |
TEEN QUEEN: Katie Blair of Billings, Montana reacts after being crowned Miss Teen USA 2006 at the conclusion of the live NBC broadcast of the 24th annual competition in Palm Springs Convention Centre in California on Tuesday night. Blair will spend her year-long reign making special appearances on behalf of the Miss Universe Organisation, its sponsors and affiliated charities
August 19, 2006 12:00
SHE was a bubbly six-year-old who loved to dress up, sing and dance.
Her dream was to be the next Shirley Temple. But JonBenet Ramsey is instead destined to be remembered for her mysterious and violent death.
Since she was found strangled and beaten in the basement of her family home in Boulder, Colorado, 10 years ago, images of the miniature beauty queen have become haunting.
The mystery of her murder is far from over and questions of parental responsibility have still not been fully answered.
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(Shanghai Daily) Updated: 2006-08-21 07:18 Police in Nanjing are probing a news report that Chinese candidates for the Miss Earth beauty pageant were arranged to serve as restaurant hostesses on the sidelines of the contest in the Jiangsu provincial capital. Officers said they would investigate who arranged the service and whether the beauty candidates offered sex services, the Modern Express newspaper reported yesterday. Thirty contestants for the East China final of the beauty pageant reportedly entertained patrons at Shijiyuan restaurant and hotel for dinner and an after-meal chat in VIP rooms on Wednesday. Shijiyuan set the minimum price for each diner in a VIP room at 1,500 yuan (US$188), the news report said. The 30 beauty candidates stood in the lobby as customers selected their dining partner. In less than 30 minutes, all orders were placed, the Nanjing-based newspaper said. Six women reportedly served a table of seven diners in a VIP room. The seven property company executives reportedly paid more than 20,000 yuan (US$2,500) for dinner. A 17-year-old contestant from Jiangsu said shortly before the dinner an official of the contest's East China organizing committee told the participants to dress up. The official then led them to the restaurant lobby. A restaurant executive told the newspaper that the organizing committee agreed some of the dinner money would cover the cost of rooms for the candidates and the committee. Diners reportedly paid tips directly to the restaurant. Diners were allowed to take pictures with beauty contestants, but no body contact was allowed, according to a deal between Shijiyuan and the organizers, the report said. One beauty contestant withdrew from the pageant after the dinner. Zhang Bei, vice director of the organizing committee, reportedly said the candidates "overreacted," as two others withdrew on Friday. |
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Mumbai: Former Miss Universe and Bollywood actress Sushmita Sen will star alongside Richard Gere in a Hollywood film to be shot in Argentina, a newspaper said on Tuesday.
Sen, who is among a small group of Indian actors with growing international recognition, had already signed up for the film, the paper quoted her as saying.
"And yes, Richard Gere plays the male lead," Sen told the newspaper, adding that US-based filmmaker Sutapa Ghosh would direct the Miramax production called The Expat.
"I'm looking forward to working with Sutapa and Richard," Sen said.
Sen would portray an Indian immigrant in the film, the report said. The newspaper did not say when shooting would begin or give a date for the film's release.
Hill’s mother, Mary Beth Hill, said from Florida that her daughter was one of the final 10 but was not in the final five. The crown went to Maria de Santis of New York, Hill said.
Maggie Hill, a 17-year-old Gilbert High senior, on Thursday won a preliminary competition showcasing talent. She did a rendition of “Think of Me” from the Broadway musical “Phantom of the Opera.”
The winner of Miss America’s Outstanding Teen, which is affiliated with the Miss America Organization, receives a $30,000 scholarship. The event will be broadcast on the cable network N, the nighttime network for teens, Oct. 28.
Jackson native Leah Beth Bolton hoped to make the top 10 going into Miss America's Outstanding Teen pageant Saturday night in Orlando, Fla.
And she did.
Then, she made the top five. By the end of the night Saturday, 16-year-old Bolton was named third runner- up in the overall pageant, which garnered her a $10,000 scholarship.
Bolton, who won the state title in March, was one of 52 contestants to compete Saturday in talent, on-stage question/sportswear and evening wear preliminaries for the Miss America's Outstanding Teen title, an offshoot of the Miss America scholarship pageant.| By Alexa Hinton, ahinton@nashvillecitypaper.com August 21, 2006 | |||
| City Confidential: Blaire Pancake Miss Tennessee Blaire Pancake can boast a near-perfect grade point average from her four years at the University of Tennessee. Her one slip-up is almost unforgivable for a beauty queen. “People always catch it — they can’t believe that a pageant winner got a B in walking class,” Pancake, 24, said. “The grade was based on attendance. I was late and [the professor] marked me absent. I lost that battle. So note to all college students: don’t be late to class. I learned the hard way.” Anti-tardiness may not be an official cause Pancake champions, but with her newly won crown, the Chattanooga native will spend the next five months as the official spokesperson for the state’s anti-drug and anti-child abuse campaigns. More at the Source |
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| Lanie Beetsma leaves tomorrow (Wednesday) for Tucson, Ariz., where she will compete for the title of Mrs. America. She was honored with a reception Saturday at the Grand River Area Family YMCA. C-T Photo/Catherine Stortz Ripley |
Orlando, FL - August 20, 2005 - Miss New York’s Outstanding Teen Maria DeSantis walked the runway as the second Miss America's Outstanding Teen on Saturday night in the Linda Chapin Theater at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL. This historic crowning moment marked her first steps on a journey that will take her across the country promoting scholastic achievement, creative accomplishment, community involvement and healthy living for our nation's youth.
Through an official partnership with the US Dream Academy, DeSantis will help improve the outlook of America's young people by increasing literacy through creative mentoring. She will also continue work on her personal platform of getting teens involved in the fight against cancer.
DeSantis, a 17-year-old Staten Island resident, attends Staten Island Technical High School. She studies AP courses in math, Russian, chemistry, English and macroeconomics in the most rigorous high school on Staten Island.
