Miss Universe 2011 Scandal: Miss Kosovo's lesbian kiss

From Miss Colombia's wardrobe mishap to China's meet-up with a preliminary judge, another contestant is joining the bandwagon of controversies on this year's Miss Universe pageant.

A photo is currently circulating the web, showing Miss Kosovo 2011 Aferdita Dreshaj kissing another girl.

Aferdita Dreshaj is a 24 year-old singer of Albanian descent. She was born in New York City and was crowned Miss Kosova 2011 in Pristina last January 15, 2011.

Considered a front-runner since the start of the pageant, Aferdita Dreshaj is poised to continue the streak of successful women representing Kosovo in the Miss Universe pageant.

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Miss Universe 2011 Scandal: Miss China mingles with preliminary judge

What is happening with the Miss Universe Organization?

Pictures came out, as posted in Ines Ligron's blog, revealing that Miss China Universe 2011 and Miss China Universe national director meeting up with Alvaro Garnero, one of the selected preliminary judges of the pageant.

Ligron, the national director of Miss Japan Universe, questioned the said incident; asking if is it fair for one of the candidates meeting one of the judges who will be responsible in making the first cut of the competition.

According to her, several national directors have asked her to raise this issue, keeping mum out of fear that it may hurt the chances of their representatives. She also questioned how come Miss China has an official hair dresser and make-up artists as other candidates having none.

For the spirit of fairness in the competition, I believe that Alvaro Garnero should be removed among the list of preliminary judges. Miss China is an outstanding candidate to begin with, and this issue might tarnish her possible inclusion in the Top 15.

MUO should also look into the bigger picture out here. If Miss China makes the cut, many pageant aficionados might question the credibility and integrity of the Miss Universe pageant which was long known as the planet's most transparent beauty tilt.

Members of the organization should realize that Miss Universe' long reputation of integrity made it what it is today --- the world's most important and prestigious beauty tilt.

Alvaro Garnero, by the way, is a scion of an ultra wealthy dynastic family in Brazil.

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ABS-CBN to air own version of 'The Voice'?

ABS-CBN, the country's most watched network in primetime, is said to have bought the rights of The Voice, the new hit singing reality show aired in the US via NBC.

According to unverified reports, the Kapamilya network has already bought the rights to produce the Filipino version of the reality singing competition.

The show which is based from the Dutch show The Voice of Holland, created by Dutch media mogul John de Mol, the same mind behind the phenomenal global franchise of Big Brother.

The show gain worldwide fame after the US version aired on NBC last April, with Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine, Blake Shelton and Christina Aguilera as mentors. Averaging 12 million viewers, The Voice was renewed for a second season , debuting early of 2012.

If true, The Voice will join ABS-CBN's roster of successful and top-rating franchises like Big Brother, Got Talent, Deal or No Deal, The Biggest Loser and MasterChef.

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Chances of Miss Philippines Shamcey Supsup

As the finals night comes closer, the excitement has intensified with various pageant blogs and websites already releasing their Top 15 picks.

Pageant aficionados are now very busy analyzing candidates based on their candid photos, glam shots and web interviews to determine who among the 89 gorgeous ladies are shoo-in for the dreaded first cut. Obviously, I'm one of them.

Of course, my sentimental favorite, Miss Philippines Shamcey Supsup is doing a great job in Sao Paulo. She is currently making waves among the local and foreign media.

In fact, Miss Philippines has already been invited twice to join the group of ladies for an official MUO function.

First, she was handpicked, along with Brazil, China and Venezuela to grace the media briefing for Operation Smile. The four ladies were eventually named ambassadors for the 30-year old charitable organization, which incidentally started in the Philippines.

And recently, Miss Philippines was invited for the first part of the Miss Universe media junkie in Sao Paulo, together with 14 other girls. Noticeably, heavy favorites like USA, Venezuela, Brazil, and China were also chosen to grace the media event.

Interesting to note that prior the start of the Miss Universe season, Miss Philippines is nowhere to be found in any pageant sites Top 15. But upon arrival, Shamcey's sweet aura, fierce look and warm personality; took her to most pageant fave lists. In fact, according to several websites, Miss Philippines is one of the most consistent candidates in pageant, giving beautiful candid photos day by day.

But honestly, I was disappointed with Miss Philippines' web interview. I was expecting more from her, though the personality is already there, I find the substance of her answers lacking. I was hoping that she could have given the best answers to simple questions, given her outstanding academic background.

Nevertheless, I could definitely say that Miss Philippines is still a force to reckon in this year's pageant. She's beautiful, elegant, fierce and smart --- a complete package for the Miss Universe crown.

However, her inclusion in the Top 15 will be cemented only with a strong and commendable performance come this September 8 in the Preliminary competition.

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Miss Philippines named Operation Smile Ambassador

Miss Philippines Shamcey Supsup, together with Misses Brazil, Venezuela and China, were chosen to join Miss Universe 2010 Ximena Navarette in an activity of the MUO and Operation Smile.

They visited Sao Luiz Hospital in Brazil, and met beneficiaries of the Operation Smile project.

Joining Ximena (middle) and Shamcey (2nd from left) are Miss China Zilin Luo (leftmost), Miss Venezuela Vanessa Goncalves (2nd from right) and Miss Brazil Priscila Machado (rightmost). The four were named ambassadors for Operation Smile's cause.

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Shamcey Supsup: Assessment Post-arrival

Twenty-five year old Shamcey Supsup from General Santos City, the Philippines’ bet for the crown, is currently making waves in the 2011 Miss Universe pageant in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

I must admit I had have my share of doubts with Ms. Supsup representing the country in the Miss Universe pageant after the phenomenal and successful 4th runner up finish of last year’s rep. After all, she’s no Venus Raj.

From my previous post, I felt Shamcey isn’t as fierece as MJ Lastimosa, and definitely isn’t a catwalk diva like Venus Raj. But she’s Shamcey Supsup, Miss Philippines 2011, and she doesn’t need to emulate other beauty queen to be successful in the pageant.

Shamcey’s strength is her beauty. She’s a classic beauty which transcends race, color and generations. Upon arrival and up to this writing, Shamcey hasn’t had any bad candid photo. She exudes freshness and vibrancy. Her smiles are warm and soothing, far from the awkward smile she sported during the national pageant months ago.

Her styling is also quite good, far from the over the top styles of previous Miss Philippines. Her body is competitive --- not the best among the candidates but is toned, sexy and curvaceous up in a fighting form. Through her movements, insofar as the photos speak, Shamcey is well-trained. Her movements are seemed to be calculated, far from the spontaneity of other Asian candidates, much like the Latina divas of Venezuela and Mexico.

I must say Shamcey has strong chances this year. She may not be an early favorite, but she’s slowly killing other over-hyped Photoshop queens.

Further assessment will be given after her preliminary performance in the swimsuit and evening gown.

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Venus Raj: A Year Later after the Miss Universe glitz

Ending the ten-year drought of the Philippines in the Miss Universe pageant is no small feat for a simple girl from the Bicol Region who clinched the national title --- not without all the controversies of course.

During the Q and A portion of the Miss Universe 2010 pageant, Venu Raj once again hit the headlines with her controversial baffled answer to the question of "What is the biggest mistake you've done in your life?".

And it didn't end it there. As she is about to pass the Miss Philippines Universe crown to her successor early this year, the ever controversial beauty queen once again divided the nation whether to love or hate the orange-colored gown and the Nazareno-inspired bouffant.

Currently hosting ABS-CBN's early morning show, Venus Raj has become more beautiful and radiant as days pass by. A guesting in KrisTV made the host (Philippines' Queen of Talk) to comment how greatly improved she is.

The picture above was taken in the recent Philippine Fashion Ball. Venus Raj is truly an enigma of a true beauty queen --- regal, classy and elegant.

One year later, Venus Raj is living the beauty queen dream of glitz and glamous. She indeed has come a long way.

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