TUESDAY, JUNE 3rd, 2003

Tonight is the night, and all 72 delegates will be onstage at last in front of the world

- Miss Iceland, Mauela Oks is out of the hospital and will be able to make an introduction in tonight's telecast! - Tonight's pageant hosts, Daisy Fuentes 'The Poor Man's JLo' and Billy Bush from NBC are in Panama. Fuentes has her own favorites: Puerto Rico, Antigua and Barbuda and Switzerland; Billy Bush looks towards Miss USA and Colombia. Singer Carlos Ponce and journalist Candela Ferro will be the voices for the simultaneous Spanish broadcast on America's premiere Hispanic television network, Telemundo. - Deomcracy of Dictatorship? The Panamanian President does not want to hear about any protests taking place today from either laborers or students who are not pleased that the government has spent so much money and put so much effort into a pageant which probably will not do much for tourism or the economy. So much for free speech! Some religious authorities have likewise called for protest of the pageant. - Miss Trinidad and Tobago, Faye Alibocas left journalists with her final thoughts in a well-known expression: "You should represent!" Faye has origins coming from China, Africa, India and Spain! - The sickness string seems to continue, after Miss Iceland and Miss India because Miss Spain, Eva Gonzales could not come to interviews yesterday due to a case of larinigitis. Hopefully she will be fine by tonight! - The Coronation Ball changed its venue last minute to the Balboa Convention Center at the Hotel El Panama. In addition, the press reports that people were still seen in line returning their tickets for a full refund. - For those of you in need of a Live Webcast, check the information in yesterday's news . *News bits translated from La Prensa, El Panama Americana and La Critica

Monday, June 2nd, 2003

What's wrong with Miss India?

- No telecast of the pageant in your country? The 2002 Miss World Pageant and the 2003 Miss USA Pageant were shown live on Telearuba, a 300k stream coming clear from the small island. With reasonable doubt, it should be expected to do the same for tommorrow's Miss Universe Pageant. Another option is Venevision, Venezuela's premiere channel which televises the Miss Universe Pageant live every year. the stream is not quite as good, but still clear and available in Realmedia and Windows formats. Just check the 'Transmision En Vivo' notice at the bottom of the page. - Here is a basic overview of the final show. Bond's 'Victory' will be played as the contestants dance and introduce themself in pre-taped segments, for example 'Victoria Tomozi, 21, Miss Hungary!' similiar to those done at Miss USA. When the pre-taped segment is over, the delegates will apparently be onstage in a different set of blue dresses (If I am not mistaken) to finish the opening number with a dance piece, probably with Bond performing another piece. For all of you National Costume lovers, they will be part of the show! The segment will be pre-taped and will apparently feature a Middle Eastern piece with the girls coming out in groups of 9 or 18 and being introduced by country name, similiar to the 'additional' presentation before the Miss USA semi-finalists were named! They will be belly dancing to this piece. The delegates, then dressed in some sort of pantsuits, will be cut down to 15 onstage, who will change into their evening gowns immediately and compete. Judges are specifically asked not to look at the gown, but rather how the girls look and their stage presence. The top ten will be named in their evening gowns and will immediately change into swimsuit. The scores will be combined, and the girls will jump to change in their evening gowns one last time for the cut to the final five, and those selected five will be asked an informal question and a formal question, and that is it for the pageant. Some details are not 100% clear, but this gives you some idea of tommorrow night's telecast. I also have no idea how Chayanne will fit into the scheme of things, or when Bond will be playing their other pieces. *News bits translated from La Prensa, El Panama Americana and La Critica

Saturday, May 31st, 2003

Sara Bassan's dresses for the final telecast are all ready to go!

- The Miss Universe Organization held a press conference apologizing to attendees of Thursday's Presentation Show, the reason being that a lot of guests who paid $50 or even $100 got up and left when they could hardly see a thing from their seats due to a lack of visibility. For the final night, starting from the back rows, the seats will be elevated to create an escalated effect, and the final rows will be moved to an area closer to the stage. Also, four giant television screens will be installed in the convention center, a request Jean Figali claims he made to Miss Universe President Paula Shugart, which she denies. About 800 tickets were returned during the Presentation Show were returned, which will obviously cut into overall profits for the government and the reaction sparked an emergency meeting. Despite claims that everything will be fine for the final telecast, long lines of people started coming to the ticket office the day after to start returning their final night tickets. Other complaints came from the fact that some women in the audience got paint on their dresses because some parts of the Center had just been freshly painted, on top of mosquito bites inside the arena. - La Prensa named their three favorite bodies of the pageant: Julie Taton from Belgium, Cindy Nell from South Africa and Diana Mantilla from Colombia. In addition, their overall 15 picks from the Presentation Show were: Panama, Stefanie de Roux; Argentina, Laura Romero; Brazil, Gislaine Ferreira; Leanne Cecile, Canada; Wu Wei, China; Katerina Smrzova, Czech Republic; Amelia Vega, Dominican Republic; Miyako Miyazaki, Japan; Marietta Chrousala, Greece; Sivan Klein, Israel; Na-Na Geum, Korea; Olesya Bondarenko, Russia; Cindy Nell, South Africa; Faye Alibocas, Trinidad and Tobago and Sanja Papic, Serbia and Montenegro. - Locals are excited about the pending arrival of final judge Deborah Carthy-Deu of Puerto Rico, who gave up her crown in Panama back in 1986. Already in Panama is ex-Miss Universe, Alicia Joseph Machado. Ms. Machado did not respond to questions about the viability of the current Miss Venezuela, saying that she could not tell because 'she does not know her.' - Miss Iceland, Manuela Oks fainted backstage during the Presentation Show and neither showed up in swimsuit or evening gown. She was feeling unwell in the hours before the Presentation Show, and now she is in the hospital for dehydration. Officials say she is in stable condition, and will probably still be able to appear in Tuesday night's telecast, merely as a 'guest' contestant, with no chance of being able to advance into the semi-finals. Deepest sympathies to Manuela for such a tragic occurrence. - Panamanian Designer Sara Bassán has created 72 outfits which the delegates will wear on the final night, when the top 15 finalists are named. The aqua-colored outfits are detailed with sequins and include layers at the bottom which are supposed to represent the waters of the sea. They are intended to look good on each type of body, skin tone, and so forth. - After 18 years, Miss Universe will return to Brazillian television giant Globo TV, possibly as a result of favoritism for Miss Brazil, Gislaine Ferreira. The Miss Universe Pageant has spent many years not being televised in Brazil due to a total lack of interest in beauty pageants. However, recently pageants are making a comeback with scandals in the past year. Leila Schuster, Miss Brazil 1993 will compere the telecast. *News bits translated from La Prensa, El Panama Americana and La Critica

Friday, May 30th, 2003

A group of delegates during last night's Presentation Show

- There was a protest yesterday during the day, with students throwing rocks and bottles in protest of the Miss Universe Beauty Pageant. Many Panamanians still see it as a grand waste of money, but President Mireya Morosco still contends that Panama will benefit for years to come. - During the Presentation Show, the most applauded delegate was Miss Panama as expected. Following her were Miss Colombia, Miss Brazil, Miss Canada and Miss Dominican Republic. Miss People's Republic of China, Miss Chinese Taipei, Miss Peru and Miss Nicaragua were among others with a large number of supporters present. The most applauded delegates were: Brazil, Colombia, Dominican republic, USA, Venezuela, India, Nicaragua, Israel and Spain. - Journalists are in Panama from many countries, and are making all their own predictions. Here are some of them: Marcio Bonfom, Brasil: Trinidad and Tobago, Brazil, Spain, Greece and Angola; Angel de Leon, Puerto Rico: Puerto Rico, Brazil, Czech Republic, South Africa and Spain; Sebastian Marquez, Puerto Rico: Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, South Africa, Peru and Guatemala; Osvaldo Ramirez, Mexico: Brazil, South Africa, Dominican Republic, Mexico and Spain; Katherine Vizcaino, Panama: Panama, Pery, Dominican Republic, Turkey and Brasil; Sasha Mesovic, slovenia: Slovenia, Venezuela, Spain, Brazil and Panama. - Miss France, Emmanuelle Chossat decided to be not so diplomatic when openly stating that the press is very biased towards the 'Latina' candidates and Misses Canada and USA, but that she is an original woman and feels secure with herself regardless. Miss France and Miss Spain both have a tattoo, coincidentally. - The Presentation Show did not go without its complaints by people who attended. First of all, the announced performers Sammy and Sandoval did not perform, but rather the group Fusion. The most upset were those with $50.00 seats, who could not see a single thing at all aside from the faces of the girls right up front. Out of desperation, some of the people either stacked chairs on each other to elevate themselves, stood on foot in the aisle, or simply left. - The Czar of Venezuelan beauty, Osmel Souza, arrived in Panama on Wednesday to attend the Miss Universe Pageant and bring his delegate her final dresses. According to him, Mariangel ruiz was not his favorite to win the Miss Venezuela title, as there are 6 others he preferred more. *News bits translated from La Prensa, El Panama Americana and La Critica

Thursday, May 29th, 2003

The set design by Shaffner and Stewart, designers' of last year's set

- The Presentation Show will start tonight at 8:00 P.M. at the Figali Convention Center. However, they will have an opportunity to privately preview the contestants before the show. The girls will appear alphabetically in swimsuit and evening gown, and the judges will take notes but not give points. The delegates will compete individually onstage at night, when points will be given. To elect the fifteen semifinalists, the panel will deliberate after the presentation show, to come up with a consensus about which delegates should be placed in the top fifteen. As was done last year, interviews will be held the day after the Presentation Show. The preliminary judges are supposed to be looking for 'face' value, and also trying to avoid 'barbie doll' types, meaning overly fake, 'plastic' contestants. The holding of the interviews after the Presentation Show and up-close preview is most likely intended to put a greater focus on beauty than intelligence in the pageant, a step away from the late 90's 'smart queens', when many delegates would impress judges in an interview beforehand and probably influence their scoring for the beauty portions of preliminary judging. The final judging panel includes a fashion designer, two supermodels, three television personalities, a journalist and a beauty queen. The composition of the judging panel has been changed lately in the hopes of crowning a contestant who would more easily fit into the world of fashion and entertainment. The reigning Miss Universe, Justine Pasek, was a career model before she was crowned and had the opportunity to model in numerous advertisements and fashion shows with her title. Her international look has been one of the key factors in her promotional capabilities. - Final judge María Celeste Arrarás has been talking with the press already, saying that she has not seen photos of the girls to avoid forming an opinion. She says the qualities she will look for are attractiveness, good character, maturity, mental agility and stage presence. - About 50 supporters each have already arrived for Miss Colombia, Diana Lucilla Mantilla and Miss Puerto Rico, Carla Tricolli. Hundreds will be in attendance for the sole purpose of supporting Miss Panama, Stefanie de Roux, who does not seem to feel the pressure of competing in her home country with an incumbent Miss Universe, and has rather focused on being a good host delegate. She says that some of the girls will be staying behind to explore more of Panama while the others leave, and she will help them on their way. Miss Aruba, Malayka Rasmijn is apparently frustrated with being constantly asked by monolingual journalists to translate for them (for delegates who do not speak Spanish). La Prensa criticized local pageant organizers for not hiring a translation service for the journalists. - Good luck to all 72 delegates in tonight's Presentation Show. May all of you have some luck in managing to turn the heads of the judges! I will be making a group-by-group Final Review of the delegates in the days before the pageant. *News bits translated from La Prensa, El Panama Americana and La Critica

Wednesday, May 28th, 2003

A cocktail party was thrown for the girls by Panama's Cable and Wireless

- The preliminary panel of judges is in Panama and held a press conference with the media. Among them are American judges Robert Procop of 'Diamonds on Rodeo', David Thomsen, the producer of 'Extra', Art Arellanes, television producer, Marcellus Wiley, NFL Football Player, and Tom Juarez, a Texan fashion designer; Alex Beauchesne, a Canadian-born, New York-based fashion photographer; Natascha Pavlovich, who immigrated from Yugoslavia to American as a child and then went back only to be crowned 'Miss Yugoslavia,' from which she ended up a semi-finalist at Miss Universe 1991. She is now based in the U.S.; Wendy Fitzwilliam, Miss Universe 1998 from Trinidad and Tobago who currently resides in New York. The only non-U.S. based judge is Lorena Castillo, a well-reputed journalist in Panama. - Tommorrow may be the Presentation Show, but according to La Critica, the first job of the judges will be to interview all 72 contestants one-on-one, either Wednesday or Thursday. They will take everything into consideration when selecting the top fifteen finalists who will compete in front of the final judging panel. The preliminary interviews at Miss USA were held before the Presentation Show, a switch from other years where the process was reversed. - Tommorrow's Presentation Show will be hosted by the reigning Miss Universe, Justine Pasek, along with local personalities Madeleine Legnadier and Carlos Mastellari. Sammy and Sandra Sandoval will perform some locally-styled music for the audience. The event will be shown live on Panamanian Television. - The final judges will be: Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavali; Miss Universe 1985 from Puerto Rico, Deborah Carthy Deu; María Celeste Arrarás, a Puerto Rican journalist who works with the Telemundo show 'Al Rojo Vivo'; Fernanda Cabarec, a Brazillian model; Audrey Quock, a well-known supermodel from New York; Mathew St. Patrick, Actor from acclaimed HBO series 'Six Feet Under'; Richard Johnson, a New York Post Journalist who has judged before and written about the experience in his newspaper; and Peter Reckell, a star of NBC's 'Days of Our Lives'. - The Moon Light Restaurant hosted a Cable & Wireless Panamá Dinner for the delegates and high-ranking dignitaries last night. The event started one and half hours late, and the open-air climate proved to hot for many of the delegates. The delegates were given a special, restricted area to enjoy their dinner in, but when they made an entrance into the public area, many of the men wanted to take their photos. The restaurant turned out to be a bit too small for all of the people present. - Miss Universe will be televised in the P.R. of China for the first time ever. Xing Kong, a subsidiary of Asian Group Star TV, is a new, small channel, similiar to the Indian Broadcaster, Zee English, which is a small, new subsidiary of Zee Television with only a 2% market penetration. Nonetheless, it does mark the gradual movement of pageantry into the Chinese scene. *News bits translated from La Prensa, El Panama Americana and La Critica

Wednesday, May 28th, 2003

A cocktail party was thrown for the girls by Panama's Cable and Wireless

- The preliminary panel of judges is in Panama and held a press conference with the media. Among them are American judges Robert Procop of 'Diamonds on Rodeo', David Thomsen, the producer of 'Extra', Art Arellanes, television producer, Marcellus Wiley, NFL Football Player, and Tom Juarez, a Texan fashion designer; Alex Beauchesne, a Canadian-born, New York-based fashion photographer; Natascha Pavlovich, who immigrated from Yugoslavia to American as a child and then went back only to be crowned 'Miss Yugoslavia,' from which she ended up a semi-finalist at Miss Universe 1991. She is now based in the U.S.; Wendy Fitzwilliam, Miss Universe 1998 from Trinidad and Tobago who currently resides in New York. The only non-U.S. based judge is Lorena Castillo, a well-reputed journalist in Panama. - Tommorrow may be the Presentation Show, but according to La Critica, the first job of the judges will be to interview all 72 contestants one-on-one, either Wednesday or Thursday. They will take everything into consideration when selecting the top fifteen finalists who will compete in front of the final judging panel. The preliminary interviews at Miss USA were held before the Presentation Show, a switch from other years where the process was reversed. - Tommorrow's Presentation Show will be hosted by the reigning Miss Universe, Justine Pasek, along with local personalities Madeleine Legnadier and Carlos Mastellari. Sammy and Sandra Sandoval will perform some locally-styled music for the audience. The event will be shown live on Panamanian Television. - The final judges will be: Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavali; Miss Universe 1985 from Puerto Rico, Deborah Carthy Deu; María Celeste Arrarás, a Puerto Rican journalist who works with the Telemundo show 'Al Rojo Vivo'; Fernanda Cabarec, a Brazillian model; Audrey Quock, a well-known supermodel from New York; Mathew St. Patrick, Actor from acclaimed HBO series 'Six Feet Under'; Richard Johnson, a New York Post Journalist who has judged before and written about the experience in his newspaper; and Peter Reckell, a star of NBC's 'Days of Our Lives'. - The Moon Light Restaurant hosted a Cable & Wireless Panamá Dinner for the delegates and high-ranking dignitaries last night. The event started one and half hours late, and the open-air climate proved to hot for many of the delegates. The delegates were given a special, restricted area to enjoy their dinner in, but when they made an entrance into the public area, many of the men wanted to take their photos. The restaurant turned out to be a bit too small for all of the people present. - Miss Universe will be televised in the P.R. of China for the first time ever. Xing Kong, a subsidiary of Asian Group Star TV, is a new, small channel, similiar to the Indian Broadcaster, Zee English, which is a small, new subsidiary of Zee Television with only a 2% market penetration. Nonetheless, it does mark the gradual movement of pageantry into the Chinese scene. *News bits translated from La Prensa, El Panama Americana and La Critica

Tuesday, May 27th, 2003

A costume inspired by the sea led 8 Panamanian judges to vote in favor of the Dominican Republic's Amelia Vega

- Miss Dominican Republic, Amelia Vega picked up the Best National Costume award with her sea-inspired fantasy outfit. Second place was a tie between Miss Panama, Stefanie de Roux and Miss Peru, Claudia Ortiz de Zevallos. All were local favorites beforehand, most likely reflecting the tastes of a local judging panel, consisting totally of Panamanian judges. The opening was done by the National Folkloric Dance Company and was held in the Balboa Convention Center. - Among the most applauded delegates were those of Brazil, a Carmen Miranda inspiration; Guatemala, who put together all of the typical costumes of Guatemala into one; Korea in a traditional Korean national costume; Canada, in the largest costume of the competition inspired by the Canadian flag colors. - Some of the delegates got applause from the audience for having a great presentation onstage: Spain danced like a flamenco dancer, Japan imitated the Japanese ninja, and Argentina likewise imitated a dancing style, all of which achieved the desired applause from the audience. The costume of Miss USA was not well-received by the public in the theater. - Miss Ireland had trouble with her costume, when part of it left her busy exposed, and Miss Venezuela tripped more than once because her heels got stuck on her dress. - Bond will open the Miss Universe Pageant will 'Victory,' one of their many classsical-modern fusion pieces. The song was used at Miss World 2000 for the last parade of the semi-finailists onstage, and has been their biggest hit to date. - Miss Colombia's mother, Olga Lucía Prada Mantilla, won the title of 'Miss Santander' back in 1977 and represented Colombia at the Miss International Pageant. - What are the judges looking for? Well, final panelist María Celeste Arrarás already made a live statement that she is looking for intelligence, not a plastic beauty. She says that she might vote for a girl who is not necessarily the most beautiful, because she finds the inner factor to be more important. In addition, she said that she wants someone attractive, but that most of them are attractive anyway, which is why intelligence becomes an easier way to select. *News bits translated from La Prensa, El Panama Americana and La Critica

Monday, May 26th, 2003

Miss USA, Susie Castillo, has the highest security of all delegates.

- El Panama America wrote a discussion on what type of figure the Miss Universe Pageant looks for these days, emphasizing that the 'twiggy' look (Anorexic supermodel style) is out, while women who build their bodies with proper nutrition and fitness training are getting more appreciation. The Miramar Spa had its trainers do a fitness evaluation of all of the delegates, they awarded a 'Miss Fitness' title to Miss USA, Susie Castillo. She was given the recognition because of her 'perfect symmetry, her flat and toned abs and the tone in her shoulders, arms and legs. They acclaimed her for spending little time in the gym, but making the best use of it by supplementing cardio exercise with weights and good nutrition. Other mentioned delegates were Miss Canada, Leanne Cecile, who is said to have well-defined and toned muscles, and she was followed by Miss France, Emmannuelle Chossat, for being toned, although her muscles are not as well-defined. They also mentioned Miss Peru. Commendations were given to Misses from Greece, Czech Republic and Israel for having good bodies due to swimming, aerobics and possibly weights. On the other hand, the main trainer mentioned delegates such as Colombia, Puerto Rico and Brazil as not seeming to have a constant exercise and nutrition plan like the aforementioned, but probably belonging more to the 'twiggy' era. - Miss USA told the press that she is a great believer in 'inner beauty,' citing that a woman who has physical beauty but lacks any internal qualities, such as intelligence, can never be a winner for her. She stated her relationship with Ms. Universe, Justine Pasek, to be amicable, since both of them are already roommates. She also said that she represents all of the people of the world, because the United States is a melting pot of all nationalities. In the meantime Miss Germany, Alexandra Vodjanikova spoke about her visit to Iraq, for peace purposes. She said that she was not given any explanations by the government officials who met her there, but rather was merely told it was good that she came. She said she felt terrible watching the news and seeing the destruction of places she had visited in Iraq. Tonight, the 2nd broadcast event of the pageant will take place: The National Costume Competition which will be held at the Balboa Convention Center. According to the Miss Universe Organization, the greatest attention will be paid to the use of color in the costumes. When Miss Universe was last held in Panama, their own Gilda García de López won the competition in a traditional Pollera worth over $10,000.00! We'll see if Stefanie de Roux can pull off the same so many years later. - While the opening number was being shot, many delegates were found sneaking off to the sides of the boat to get a moment's rest, even using the facilities of the nearby cultural institute to sleep in. Meanwhile, the final set for the pageant will be installed on Wednesday, in time for Thursday's Presentation Show. The set, already displayed in many web sites, is light and earthy in its style, 120 feet wide and 80 feet tall with a 30 foot catwalk. The $340,000 set includes a giant screen in the middle of the set, which will be used to transmit images of Panama throughout the telecast. - Notice to all: The Presentation Show on Thursday will not only be televised LIVE on local Panamanian television, but also on Telemundo International, which is available in several countries. Check your listings! Note: It is unknown which countries Telemundo will air this in, in what form it will be done, and when. The Panamanian Telecast will be live on local tv channel RPC (Whose internet broadcast seems to be dead, unfortunately). If anyone can update this information, feel free *News bits translated from La Prensa, El Panama Americana and La Critica

Sunday, May 25th, 2003

Spain's Eva Gonzales was so touched by the chanting of her country's name during the parade, that she decided to cry...again.

- Thousands of Panamanians gathered in the street to applaud the 72 Miss Universe Delegates during the street parade. Delegates such as Canada and Dominican Republic took the Panamanian flag with them during the parade to show their appreciation for the hospitality form their gracious hosts. Even the ones who did not speak Spanish exclaimed phrases such as "Gracias" and "Viva Panama!" to the delight of the audience audience. Some of the girls, like Jamaica and Israel, even began to dance in the cars, much to the pleasure of the audience. Numerous people on the street had made posters for their sentimental favorite, Miss Panama, and Miss Spain even began to cry when she heard people screaming her country's name. - Miss Chinese Taipei, Szu-Yu Chen addressed reporters in tears about how she would like her country to be addressed as 'Taiwan' or even the 'Republic of China' as was done in the past, but that she can not do so because the Chinese government does not allow recognition of nationalist China. - Miss Argentina, Laura Romero met a Panamanian friend through the internet and met him/her when she arrived in Panama, but never told him/her that she was part of the Miss Universe Pageant. - La Prensa made fun of Miss Japan, Miyako Miyazaki for having a set of note cards with questions and answers when she spoke with the press. - During a press event to talk with the girls, the most photographed delegates were from: Venezuela, Brazil, USA, Colombia and Spain. Miss Panama went with Philippines and Peru to shoot a scene for the opening number. - Miss Venezuela, Mariangel Ruiz, denied allegations that the Panamanian President, Mireya Morosco, had given the money that had been used to allow her participation in the pageant. She also made sure to deny all allegations that her dilemma in getting to the pageant was merely a stunt used for publicity and to help her in the competition. - Miss Nigeria, Celia Bissong mentioned that her goal in Panama is to change the negative image of Nigeria which came into place for the world after the two Miss World coincidents: The stoning sentence for Amina Lawal and the riots which forced the Miss World Pageant to move to London. *News bits translated from La Prensa, El Panama Americana and La Critica

Friday and Saturday, May 23rd-24th, 2003

Sara Bassan had the opportunity to dress delegates from the Dominican Republic to Egypt.

- Hype over Miss Dominican Republic, Amelia Vega continues, as La Prensa did a write-up up on her not only commenting on her beauty but how she is such a mature, well-adjusted young woman as well. Her mother represented her country in Miss World 23 years ago! She said she has spent 8 months preparing in everything from stage presence to art and culture education. - Relations between the pageant and media continued to sour, as a photographer for the Puerto Rican daily Primera Hora had her credentials broken because she had once taken a photo while the girls were eating. In addition, many reporters were disgusted by how the organization has only allowed certain ones into their events. In protest of what they consider to be poor practices, many press members did not attend a press conference called by the pageant in the hotel. The pageant promised to restore credentials to the photographer. - According to an interview with Nour Al-Samary, Miss Egypt at the pageant, the Miss USA style of introductions will be used for the final telecast. Delegates will be wearing sexy white outfits with floral patterns for this opening number, which will be taped in an architectural landmark and on a yacht going through the Panama Canal. Each delegate will state her name, age and title. In the case of some delegates, such as Canada, the title must be followed by Universe. The crowd was packed for Thursday night's fashion show, where the seating was general, meaning people had to find themselves a seat, leading some to even stand to watch the show. An incredible applause met Miss Dominican Republic, Amelia Vega who opened the show in a heavenly design by Sara Bassan. Miss Peru, Claudia Ortiz and Miss France, Emmannuelle Chossat were applauded and given praise for their work in loose, white gowns by Jurandir de Oliveira. For the sensual creations of Jaime Luna, Miss Brazil, Miss Venezuela and Miss Iceland were named as the best delegates on the runaway. Eye-catchers in the romantic creations by Annabelle Quintero were Miss Czech Republic, Thailand and Canada. In the group for designs by Moisés Sandoya, the press dished out praise to Barbados and Colombia, but in the ethnic collection by designer Federico Visuetti, it was the big moment for Miss Spain, Eva Gonzales, who received a thunderous applause and was mentioned for her catwalk skills and overall look. Miss Ecuador, Andrea Jacome, closed the fashion show. Another newspaper mentioned also agreed, of course, on the incredible performance of Miss Panamá, Stefanie De Roux as well as delegates from Brazil, Colombia, Spain, Venezuela, Peru and Dominican Republic. The big surprise of the night was Yaowalak Traisurat, Miss Thailand, who apparently received one of the most positive audience reactions of the night, whereas only days earlier she had been named as a delegate who shouldn't require any attention. - Miss Israel, Sivan Klein denied rumors that she had rejected a dress design by Annabelle Quintero because she wanted something 'more sexy', saying that she agreed to whatever dress she was given. Miss Bolivia, Irene Aguilera spoke with La Critica about her social work, claiming that she taught laborers' children to read and write when she was younger, is working on 12 books for orphans and children of little means, and enjoys riding on buses to be with the 'common people.' - The internationla dinner and auction took place last night. All national gifts began with a base price of ten dollars, and only ten were presented for a 'vocal' auction. These were the gifts from Puerto Rico (510 dollars), Guatemala, Chinese Taipei, China, Germany, Estonia, Trinidad and Tobago, Serbia and Montenegro, India (575 dollars) and of course, Panama. Miss Panama's gift fetched $425.00, and it was a religious symbol done in gold. Miss Puerto Rico brought a religious painting, while Miss India had taken a painting from the Mughal Era. Miss Trinidad and tobago's sculpture was purchased by a legislator for 400 dollars. Other gifts included dolls, necklaces and books. - Miss Venezuela, Mariangel Ruiz spoke to the press about her experience so far. She thanked Mr. Cisnernos for his aid to her cause, and said that it was a 'Tear of God,' a result of the national outcry from the Venezuelan people, that had allowed her to participate in the pageant. She made positive comments about everything else about the pageant so far. *News bits translated from La Prensa, El Panama Americana and La Critica

Thursday, May 22nd, 2003

The ladies enjoys a yacht ride on the Panama Canal.

- Ecuadorian papers seem to be fully assured that Quito, Ecuador will be the venue for Miss Universe 2003. Earlier, rumors were thrown out that the pageant might be held in Sydney, Australia, when the chances of China hosting the pageant became unlikely. Miss Universe officials received a well-organized reception in Ecuador to inspect facilities and proposals made by government outlets, such as tourism ministries. The Mayor of Quito, Paco Moncayo, claims to have received official correspondance from the pageant's offices yesterday confirming Quito's rights on the pageant, beating out three European cities. As of now, this has not been reported in the international press nor announced officially by the Miss Universe Organization, so confirmation is truly pending. - Miss Venezuela, Mariangel Ruiz, arrived and was quickly escorted to security agents of the pageant, much to the disappointment of journalists, curious locals and Venezuelans in Panama who came to see her. She later gave a short press conference. There has been criticism in the media about the hard-handed measures taken by the security personnel, often abusive to the media. The media has also been upset with local pageant organizers and the Miss Universe staff, who have apparently been displeased by any criticism shown against the pageant. Yesterday, they called the media in the hotel lobby to see the girls and took a secondary door as a means to avenge this. - La Gaviota, a special yacht, was set up for the contestants to take a tour of the Panama Canal yesterday morning for shootings. According to press photos, this will be part of the opening number to be shown on the live telecast. - Mireya Moscoso, President of Panama, greeted the 71 delegates (not including Venezuela) at the 'Casa Amarilla' for a special dinner event last night. He said after seeing them all, declaring his favorite would be impossible. The women danced with legislators and diplomats, businessmen and politicians. - A special cocktail party was given to the delegates by the Panama Canal Commission. In the buffet: Roast pig, salmon, black beans and rice, ham, cheeses and variety of desserts. Publications noticed the girls could not enjoy much of it, but tried little bits to maintain their figures - Why do they want to win? Among the respondees was Miss Greece, who said it would be an honor and an enriching experience, but that she wants to be herself. - Man the catwalk! All the buzz in Panama's fashion world today is about tonight's Miss Universe Fashion Show *News bits translated from La Prensa, El Panama Americana and La Critica

Wednesday, May 21st, 2003

Miss Spain and Miss Colombia smile together for the cameras.

- Miss Venezuela, Mariangel Ruiz will be arriving in Panama on a private jet at 3:00 in the afternoon today. Osmel Sousa, the 'King' of Venezuelan beauty, will be bringing her extra luggage and final night gown when he joins her later on. She will be rooming with Miss Costa Rica, Andrea Ovares - Mireya Moscoso, President of Panama, joined Miss Universe, Justine Pasek, and Jean Figali of the Figali Group at the Figali Convention Center, venue for the pageant, for its official inaugration. The venue was constructed in 3 months by laborers who worked 24 hours a day, at the high cost of $10 million. The rent for the entire month is $600,000, in order for rehearsals, preliminaries and of course, the final gala. On the 23rd, the set itself will come via ship from Los Angeles. California - The delegates will get to visit the Panama Canal today, but the focus on the press is how local designers are preparing to attire their given delegates for tommorrow night's fashion show. The event will be the first officially televised event of the pageant. - Donald Trump, 50% owner of the Miss Universe Pageant, will be arriving on June 2nd. - In response to the publicity over the so-called 'fight' between Miss Colombia and Miss Spain, both delegates hugged each other and laughed in front of the cameras to throw off such rumors. Meanwhile, Miss Spain is always known to be constantly in a public telephone booth, calling up her friends and family back in Spain. - A Dominican group is organizing for the street parade, where they will come in a caravan plastered with posters of their delegate Miss Dominican Republic, Amelia Vega. Meanwhile, Miss Aruba has been an incredible help to pageant staff by her ability to speak six languages. - The foreign press has started to arrive in Panama. A publication from Puerto Rico, Colombia and the Dominican Republic have already set themselves up. - The press made some comments on the ecological gala, mentioning Miss Korea as the most eye-catching dresser, with notable mentions to Ireland, Singapore, Trinidad and Tobago, India, Turkey, Russia, Panama and Japan. Of course, they did not forget to mention Colombia and Spain on that list, as well. - The crown by Mikimoto was unveiled yesterday by Justine Pasek and will be displayed until June 3rd at Mercurio Jewellers, until, of course, the $200,000 showpiece goes onto a new head. - The official Miss Universe Web Site has posted official headshots, national costume photos and swimsuit photos of all 71 delegates already in Panama. *News bits translated from La Prensa, El Panama Americana and La Critica

Tuesday, May 20th, 2003

Delegates were given a party by a local Toyota distributor.

- The Panamanian press has reported that there is a volatile relation between roommates Miss Colombia, Diana Lucia Mantilla and Miss Spain, Eva Gonzales. When the latter was seen slightly limping, some even speculated that it happened in a fight, but Miss Colombia denied it, and Miss Spain merely said she had an accident with a chair. Miss Spain is a heavy smoker, while Miss Colombia hates the smell of cigarettes altogether, the main root of the confict. - Many of the candidates are fearful, or even displeased, over the slated arrival of Mariangel Ruiz, Miss Venezuela. Nonetheless, Paula Shugart has said that the organization is not breaking any rules for accepting her late, and that she is very pleased that they could send a delegate. The President of Organizacion Cisnernos (Gustavo Cisnernos), owners of the Miss Venezuela Pageant, reportedly found some way towards financial clearance, and thanked the Panamanian President, Mireya Moscoso, probably for urging him to make the decision, but some speculate that there may be more involved. - Yesterday's Event was thrown by a Japanese car distributor, Roberto Perez. According to the press, the favorites of the attendees were: Colombia, Diana Mantilla; Dominican Republic, Amelia Vega; Spain, Eva Gonzales; Panama, Stefanie De Roux; and Japan, Miyako Miyazaki - Miss Spain, Eva Gonzales displayed a sense of humor to journalists yesterday. When asked how she liked Panama, she gave a quip response, "What should I tell you? If I liked the hotel reception better or the room?" She also said that she does not expect to win, because there are so many more beautiful young women competing for the title. - Miss Colombia, Diana Mantilla, receives constant praise from the press for not only being kind, but for distributing a CD to journalists where she sings "Soy Colombiana" (I am Colombian). The press absolutely loves her, and especially enjoys speculating about a relationship she might have with the businessman who accompanied her to the pageant. - Politics, never! Miss China, Wu Wei and Miss Chinese Taipei, Szu-Yu Chen, have a cordial relation and spend time together, despite the hatred the nations have for each other in reality. Press outlets continue to adore Miss Chinese Taipei (Who they still refer to as 'Taiwan) for her fun, smiling and outgoing nature. She was the first to arrive and even went to the city of Colon to get lessons in Salsa. - If The Panamanian press has clearly highlighted its preference for certain delegates, it can also be quite harsh towards some others. The following were mentioned as the ones 'Who don't call anyone's attention": Miss Namibia, Miss Hungary, Miss Thailand and Miss Belize. *News bits translated from La Prensa, El Panama Americana and La Critica

Monday, May 19th, 2003

Miss Universe, Justine Pasek, moved the audience to tears with her speech during last night's AIDS vigil.

- Sunday night over 500 people participated in an AIDS vigil. Miss Universe, Justine Pasek, was teary-eyed when talking about the stigma attached to the disease. The contestants dressed in red and white and each one of them came onstage to light a candle, dedicated to victims of the epidemic. - Tonight, the delegates will attend a cocktail party sponsered by Toyota, dedicated to environmental preservation. - Today, the girls will be able to offer interviews with the Panamanian press outlets and foreign media in Panama for the first time. Tommorrow, they will visit the Panama Canal and will be special guests at a dinner by the Canal Administration. - What are the girls eating? The head chef at the hotel El Panama reported that the girls are given a variety of cereals, fruits, vegetables, juice, seafood and chicken, all prepared with the minimal amount of fat, usually by boiling or steaming. A Miss Universe supervisor is there to always check calories, protein content and so forth. - No-no to snacking! Eating is not permitted in the rooms, but if they do get hungry during the day they are allowed some water, yogurt and other low-calorie snacks - Gossip on the press lambasts Miss Ukraine, Litiya Kopytova, who is practically scared to be in public, and Miss Hungary, Viktoria Tomozi, who has even been referred to as spoiled by the make-up artists and hair-stylists. On the other hand, positive comments were made on the attitude of Miss Serbia and Montenegro, Sanja Papic, and Miss Greecem Marietta hrousala. - Miss Dominican Republic, Amelia Vega, commented on the fact that practically none of the other girls read newspapers or had bothered to find out anything about Panama, whereas she had made the effort. She says she will win 'With God's will" and poses for photos and signs autographs for anyone who approaches her. - Miss Taiwan, Szu-Yu Chen, has impressed the media with her talkative and cheerful attitude towards the press, but on the other hand, Miss China herself, Wu Wei, constantly keeps her head down when journalists or fans try to talk to her. Miss Korea, Na Na Geum, is reported to be the most withdrawn contestant of all. - Miss Spain, Eva Gonzales, is reported to be very extroverted in front of the tv cameras and even offered to teach journalists how to dance in the sevillian style. - Miss India, Nikita Anand, has not been adjusting well to the climate in Panama, especially with sharp changes between the mountanious region and the city where the girls travelled back and forth. - Miss Norway arrived, the last of all delegates, last night. She boarded a plane from Oslo to Amsterdam, then another plane to Memphis, Tennessee. In the middle of the flight, the plane lost power of an engine and had to land in Terranova, Canada, where she waited 24 hours for the return to Memphis. When in Memphis, she realized that her flight was to Panama City, Florida, and not Panama City, Panama. She stayed in a hotel overnight and then went to Houston and then to Panama City. - Global Beauties reports that there will be a top fifteen who will compete in the evening gown competition before the top ten competes in the swimsuit competition. - While the Miss Universe/Miss Venezuela organizations made official announcements that Mariangel Ruiz, Miss Venezuela 2002, would not be able to compete, rumors circulated that she was still packing and this was purely a publicity stunt done for sympathy. Following those rumors, reports have arisen that Mariangel will arrive in Panama mid-week to join the 71 other delegates. *News bits translated from La Prensa, El Panama Americana and La Critica

Sunday, May 18th, 2003

Miss USA, Susie Castillo received positive comments in the press for her new hairstyle and natural beauty, not requiring a lot of make-up.

- Six of the delegates (France, India, Colombia, Finland, Taiwan and Serbia & Montenegro) took a morning flight to Chiriqui, one of the tourist spots in Panama which will be highlighted for promotional purposes. They were given a reception with roses and music and will tour other parts of the country as well as part of their programme. - Niko's Cafe, staffed with 600 people working 24 hours a day, has been signed for the second time to provide about 10,000 meals a day to the pageant volunteers and security. It also provided the same service in 1986 - The contestants attended a welcome gala last night with the President of Panama. According to the press, the most applauded delegates were Diana Mantilla from Colomba, Marisol Gonzales from Mexico and Stefanie De Roux from Panama. Miss Colombia mentioned her sadness that Miss Venezuela, Mariangel Ruiz will not be able to participate. During the same event, Miss India Nikita Anand collapsed from the heat or low blood pressure and had to be taken away by paramedics. Singers gave a special song to Miss Bolivia, Irene Aguilera, because she celebrated her 24th birthday. - The Panamanian Press has mentioned the following favorites so far: Puerto Rico, Carla Tricoli; Colombia, Diana Lucia Mantilla; Argentina, Laura Romero; USA, Susie Castillo; France, Emmanuelle Chossat; Brazil, Gislaine Ferreira; and Japan, Miyako Miyazaki. They also mentioned some other contestants for beauty and natural style which included Singapore, Canada and Panama - The press also mentioned that excellent personality of Miss Taiwan, while viewing the European contestants as more offstandish to the press. - 71 Delegates is the official count, with Ashlea Talbot of Australia being chosen last-minute, and Bethsaida Smith of the British Virgin Islands never arriving to Panama. *News bits translated from La Prensa, El Panama Americana and La Critica

Saturday, May 17th, 2003

Miss Israel, Sivan Klein, did not feel the need to dress up, but felt embarassed upon arrival.

- Miss Universe, Justine Pasek, arrived from New York City last night. She said that after she gives up her crown, she wants to take a short break and then form her future plans. She says she has many offers, but nothing is concrete except her desire to go back to her University. She told the press about the first time she went around New York City by herself. She almost missed her connecting flight in Miami last night. - Miss Puerto Rico, Carla Tricoli, was accompanied by her own team and said that she is in Panama to regain the crown that Deborah Carthy Deu gave up in Panama in 1986. She will be joined by 50 supporters as the weeks go on, and is sharing a room with Miss USA, Susie Castillo, who is of Puerto Rican heritage and also arrived yesterday. Her national costume represent sugar cane, but some have mistaken it to be Marijuana, a fact some took seriously - Chayanne with be joining female quartet Bond to perform on the final night of Miss Universe. Interestingly enough, Chayanne performed twice during Miss World 2002 and Bong made their live exposure performance at Miss World 2000. - The delegates better learn the choreography, because those who learn it the fastest will get to go for filmings in various parts of Panama. - Hotel Caesar Park will accomodate Donald Trump and the judging panel, while Justine will stay in the Hotel Continental, apart from the delegates themselves. The girls began having their headshots and swimsuit shots taken, and will go the Convention center to rehearse - Miss Israel, Sivan Klein, almost did not get off the plain because of her informal outfit, a sleeveless top and jeans, feeling fearful. *News bit translated from La Prensa

Friday, May 16th, 2003

Colombia's Diana Mantilla was a big hit upon her arrival, most likely due to the fact that Panama was once part of Colombia.

- Over half of the delegates are in Panama as of today. The contestants have started setting up shop at the official hotel, El Panama. Other delegates who arrived last night include Nicaragua, Brasil, Perú, Mèxico, El Salvador, Czech Republic, Guatemala and India. As a special treat, the arrivals were greeted with artists, music, children in folkloric costumery, and locals hoping to get a glimpse of the girls. - The girls have already gone to work, as they have been given a choice of swimsuits for their official swimsuit shots, provided this year by Endless Sun Swimwear. - Miss Colombia has the most well-received contestant yesterday, while the publication El Panama Americana noted that they were not highly impressed by the changes that Miss Puerto Rico, Carla Tricoli had undergone. - Another South American beauty, Miss Argentina Laura Romero stated to the press that she is in Panama to win the Miss Universe crown, and that she had entered pageants because they seek someone with education and culture. Meanwhile, Miss Brazil Gislaine Ferreira spoke to the Puerto Rican press about her admiration for Miss Universe 2001 Denise Quinones, and how she had had wanted the pageant to have been in Puerto Rico. - Miss Hungary Viktoria Tomozi will arrive today, and she will be met by the by the Hungarian ambassador's wife and Chancellor's wife at the airport. Meanwhile, someone who did not have a long journey to make was Panama's Stefanie de Roux, who arrived at the hotel with great pomp and splendour. * Information from El Panama Americana, La Prensa, Critica, Hoy Dia and other Panamanian News Publications

Thursday, May 15th, 2003

Miss Russia-Universe 2003, Olesya Bondarenko, poses for the press.

- It was a big day for Russian Pageantry today, as Olesya Bondarenko, a 24 year-old from Khabarovsk, was given the green light to contest the 2003 Miss Universe Pageant. She finished as First Runner-Up to the actual Miss Russia, Svetlana Korolyova, who won Miss Europe 2002. This decision came after one delegate was disqualified for being only 17, and the other was disqualified for posing nude in Playboy. - Arrivals: Miss Taiwan, Beverly Chen arrived last week for a special trip regarding SARS, but now the first delegates have hit Panama for the pageant and are being received at the airport. On Thursday, they will be: Miss Philippines, Carla Gay Balingit; Miss Argentina Laura Romero and Miss Japan, Miyako Miyazaki and more are expected tommorrow and throughout the weekend. - The girls will be in safe hands. Approximately 1,500 security guards are on hand under Servicio de Protección Institucional (SPI), a company that also guards Panamanian politicians. These guards will be on hand at the convention center, hotel and all activities. - All delegates will be subject to medical examinations when they arrive at Tocumen International Airport in Panama City, all according to World Health Organization guidelines. - Delegates from Colombia, Costa Rica, Thailand, Singapore, Curacao and Canada also arrived today. - Musical Group Bond will be performing at the final event while a Latin-theme performer will fill the other spot. The classical-remix quartet performed in Miss World 2000. - Miss Venezuela, Mariangel Ruiz, will not arrive in Panama for the Miss Universe Pageant. For the time being, talks are being held to see if Mariangel can be sent to the Miss World 2003 Pageant in place of Eva Ekvall, Miss Venezuela 2000. Miss Northern Marianas, Kimberly Castro will not be competing, and the Miss Universe Kenya Pageant was never held. Delegates from several countries still in the www.missuniverse.com roster such as Chile, Australia and Vietnam are not expected in Panama as no delegates have been chosen. At this time, Seventy-One delegates are expected (See the Delegates Page to see who they are).

Miss Universe Tidbits

Miss Panama, Stefanie De Roux, at a press conference.

As Miss Universe staff arrives in Panama to make preparations for the event, the official number they are expecting is a total of seventy-six delegates. It will be seen how many of that figure actually show up. The girls will immediately begin their stint in Panama with a long 'Welcome Dinner' and AIDS Vigil. Beginning Monday, they will go into rehearsals for most of the day, but at night they will get to enjoy private dinners, courtesy of pageant sponsers. On Tuesday, they will board a private ship to take a tour of the famous Panama Canal from the Pacific to Atlantic Oceans, which will be filmed by Miss Universe Cameramen to be used in the final event. They will also go to Las Bóvedas, an old fortress-style location, for the filming of the opening number. Among the artists being rumored for the final event are Los Rabanes, Alejandro Sanz and Chayanne.

Miss Taiwan Makes an Early Landing

Miss Taiwan, Beverly Chen, at the airport (El Panama America).

Beverly Chen Szu-Yu, a 23 year-old from Australia representing Taiwan at the Miss Universe Pageant, arrived in Panama yesterday, May 9th. She reports that she underwent all necessary screenings for passengers leaving from Asian nations due to the SARS scare in that part of the world. In her agenda is a visit to a Chino-Panamanian Institute of learning. She will be joined by the next contestant, Japan's Miyako Miyazaki on Wednesday night (5/14), while Thailand's Yaowalak Traisurat and Miss India, Nikita Anand will arrive on Thursday (5/15). Miss Taiwan, during a special conference held the next day, told the Panamanian people "Don't be afraid of me," and discussed the SARS issue further, such as how to avoid it. Hui-ping Chiang, her mother AND National Director, accompanied her on the trip. The actual bulk of girls are expected to arrive the next weekend (16th - 18th). Thanks to La Prensa and El Panama America

SARS Screening at Miss Universe

China's Wu Wei will be among the screened delegates

PANAMA CITY, Panama (AP) - Miss Universe organizers said Tuesday that all contestants - but especially those representing countries most affected by SARS - will have to show medical documents certifying they are healthy before they will be allowed to participate in the pageant. Seventy-four women from all over the world are expected to travel to the Panamanian capital, where the contest will be held in a yet-to-be-completed convention center June 3. At a news conference, Panama City mayor Juan Carlos Navarro said requiring medical certification from all contestants was an important way to ensure the virus won't spread to Panama. "Miss Universe won't represent the slightest danger to Panamanians,'' Navarro said. The mayor said all contestants would be required to show letters or other documents written in English and Spanish by doctors in their home countries at least two days before they arrive in Panama. The health certifications will be collected by Anti-SARS specialists the Health Ministry plans to station at the capital's airport, he said. Navarro said contestants arriving from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Canada and other areas most-affected by the outbreak of SARS would be required to provide even more prove they are not carrying the virus. But the mayor said he couldn't clarify exactly what proof that they are healthy contestants from those countries will be required to show. Navarro said that if an arriving contestant shows signs of having contracted SARS, she will be quarantined in a special clinic and may not be able to participate in the pageant. Contestants are expected to begin arriving May 15, the mayor said. Some 6,600 people worldwide have been infected with the SARS virus and 480 people have died because of it. Courtesy of AP Wires.

Pre-Pageant Review of the Delegates