By Jetset Alejandro
This review may well be summed up with the words FED UP. But the words may mean differently because the letters in the two words incorporate the adjectives Fun, Excitement, Disenchanting (or Dismaying and Disappointing), Unpleasant and Powerful in this edition of the Miss Earth Beauty 2011 Pageant.
Held again in Manila because the intended host Thailand is experiencing the enormous cascades of Mother Nature, in a span of two weeks with the least preparations, Miss Earth was staged last December 3, 2011 at the University of the Philippines Theater to almost a success. Let me group my review in the following manner:
2. HOSTS: Jason Godfrey and Sonia Couling were adequate hosts. There were fumbles and some uneasiness as they seem not to jell with each other. There was even a part in the contest where Sonia has to pull the arms of Jason to call his attention to what she was saying. But above all, Jason and Sonia were 2 notches higher than previous hosts to the pageant.
3. QUESTION PORTION: Take note I did not include the answer portion here. Although the candidates will answer just one question, they were translated into their language so that the candidates will easily understand the context of the question. This is quite ingenious.
Miss Earth 2011 Coronation Night hosts, Jason Godfrey and Sonia Couling.
1. MISS EARTH DECLARATION: This year, the pageant introduced the “Miss Earth Declaration,” a manifesto in which the candidates pledged support for a common environmental mission to be implemented in their respective countries. I find this concept unique and at least you could see that this Miss Earth Beauty Pageant has a vision and a goal to achieve.
2. STAGE: The stage was designed like the Puerto Princesa Underground River in Palawan. I have seen the UP Theater and has been there so many times and I am impressed with the way they built up the stage and made it appear so grand. Another remarkable feat.
3. JUDGES: There is an impressive cast of judges for this years’ Miss Earth. They are as follows: a.) Zubin Gandevia – Television Executive, Chief Operating Officer of Fox International Channels in Asia Pacific and Middle East; b.) Jean-Pierre Grivory – Perfumer, President Director General at Cofinluxe S.A. in France, creator of the world-famous Salvador Dali perfumes; c.) Philippe Charriol – Designer, Founder nad CEO of the Charriol Group, makers of Philippe Charriol Watches; d.) Nguyen Cong Khe – Newspaper Editor, Chairman of Thanh Nien Media Corporation, Director of the Ngyen Thain Binh Scholarship, Chairman and founder of the Vietnam Talent Fund; e.) Jacintor Ng Jr. – Entrepreneur, Director of Quantuvis Resources Corporation; 6.) Hon. Luis Crisologo Singson – Politician, Governor of the Province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines; 7.) Daniele Ponzi – Lead environmental specialist of the Asian Development Bank; 8.) Vivien Tan – Singer from Singapore, Host of Star Asia Travel , an Asia wide travel program for Star TV; 9.) Vivienne Tan – Environmental advocate, educator and social worker; 10) Patrick Durst – Senior forestry Officer for Asia and the Pacific of the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations; 11.) Dave and Anthony Semerad, both college basketball players. There were voices in the wild arguing why so and so were selected as part of the board of judges. For me this retinue of pageant judges is so distinguished and need I say more? At least I did not see, Lorraine Shuck or Mr. Ramon Monzon sitting as the chairman of the board of judges.
3. JUDGES: There is an impressive cast of judges for this years’ Miss Earth. They are as follows: a.) Zubin Gandevia – Television Executive, Chief Operating Officer of Fox International Channels in Asia Pacific and Middle East; b.) Jean-Pierre Grivory – Perfumer, President Director General at Cofinluxe S.A. in France, creator of the world-famous Salvador Dali perfumes; c.) Philippe Charriol – Designer, Founder nad CEO of the Charriol Group, makers of Philippe Charriol Watches; d.) Nguyen Cong Khe – Newspaper Editor, Chairman of Thanh Nien Media Corporation, Director of the Ngyen Thain Binh Scholarship, Chairman and founder of the Vietnam Talent Fund; e.) Jacintor Ng Jr. – Entrepreneur, Director of Quantuvis Resources Corporation; 6.) Hon. Luis Crisologo Singson – Politician, Governor of the Province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines; 7.) Daniele Ponzi – Lead environmental specialist of the Asian Development Bank; 8.) Vivien Tan – Singer from Singapore, Host of Star Asia Travel , an Asia wide travel program for Star TV; 9.) Vivienne Tan – Environmental advocate, educator and social worker; 10) Patrick Durst – Senior forestry Officer for Asia and the Pacific of the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations; 11.) Dave and Anthony Semerad, both college basketball players. There were voices in the wild arguing why so and so were selected as part of the board of judges. For me this retinue of pageant judges is so distinguished and need I say more? At least I did not see, Lorraine Shuck or Mr. Ramon Monzon sitting as the chairman of the board of judges.
The Miss Earth 2011 stage
4. TOP 8. The evening gown competition. Let us see the girls who qualified one by one here.
a.) Miss Crimea sashayed in a yellow-sequined gown which was accentuated with flowers at the waist line. She was resplendent in the gown but I did not like the flower accents.
b.) Miss Ecuador was in a white-sequined gown. Miss Ecuador was very bubbly and effervescent onstage. It felt like a turn-off for me because I see actuations like her in Miss Gay Beauty Pageants.
c.) Miss Mexico was equally dazzling in the gown that she won for in the Best in Long gown. It was a lace see-through gown and she mesmerizes everyone as she walked the stage.
d.) Miss Philippines in a red gown corset style ensemble. She adequately carried herself in the gown competition.
e.) Venezuela is in a fuschia pink gown. She was glittery so to speak as she used a glittery gown but she managed to shine all throughout the gown segment.
f.) Bosnia and Herzegovina used a bustier yellow gown which was accentuated with a corded lace at the waistline and a corded flower ensemble at the left side of the waist. Miss Bosnia and Herzegovina however did not shine through this portion of the pageant.
g.) I feel that Zimbabwe‘s gown complemented her color. But however, the lighting and camera focus did not do her any justice. More so, she felt uneasy while doing her turn in the stage with her evening gown. She almost tripped.
h.) Miss Brazil used a shimmering silvery gown with golden embellishment. She clearly upstaged everyone with her repartee in this portion of the pageant.
1. PRODUCTION NUMBER: The candidates were clad in Amazon costumes (I was told, different Filipino designers conceptualized and did the costumes of the candidates.) as they gyrated and danced onstage. The presentation was exceptionally beautiful and all the girls were bubbly and enjoying themselves to the beat of the music. I noted one candidate fell down but eventually stood up and continued dancing as if nothing happened. Impressive. That is what you call a professional performer. And to realize further that it was Miss Philippines who fell down and eventually copped a slot in the final 4. Hmmmmm….Another impressive and exciting performance is that of Miss South Africa who showed how good a gymnast she is with Miss USA, Ukraine and Japan showcasing their terpsichorean skills. The costumes, the performances and the showmanship were truly remarkable. It was a grand party celebration.
2. INTERMISSION NUMBERS: The performers were superb including Christian Bautista. It added effect to the show.
1. CAMERA AND LIGHTING FOCUS – With a very lively and bubbly production number comes with the camera panning from one portion of the stage to another, we could see that it jars the screen and sometimes becomes out of focus. The lighting was a disaster. The dark stage effect which would eventually focus on the candidates performing on stage is not effective. One dark effect is enough. The TV is so dark that one’s appreciation to the whole proceedings was dampened. What is worst really is the dimming of the lights during the evening gown competition. Was it intentional to do that with Miss Zimbabwe? Enchanting production number but not totally because of camera and lighting focus. Hence, the disenchanting tag.
2. TOP 16. The Top 16 candidates were announced. As the candidates were announced one by one, people’s breaths were suspended as they waited for their favorite Miss Czech Republic to be announced. Not until the last semi-finalist name was called, Czech Republic and India fans were dumb founded how their candidates were eased out from the Top 16. It was gloom and further gloom among the pageant fans expecting for these two candidates to slug it out in the Top 16. Let us make a review of who were the candidates called to the Top 16; Ukraine, Paraguay, Japan, Portugal, Sweden, Brazil, Venezuela, Chinese Taipei, Crimea, Zimbabwe, Thailand, Slovenia, Mexico, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ecuador and Philippines.
2. INTERMISSION NUMBERS: The performers were superb including Christian Bautista. It added effect to the show.
2. TOP 16. The Top 16 candidates were announced. As the candidates were announced one by one, people’s breaths were suspended as they waited for their favorite Miss Czech Republic to be announced. Not until the last semi-finalist name was called, Czech Republic and India fans were dumb founded how their candidates were eased out from the Top 16. It was gloom and further gloom among the pageant fans expecting for these two candidates to slug it out in the Top 16. Let us make a review of who were the candidates called to the Top 16; Ukraine, Paraguay, Japan, Portugal, Sweden, Brazil, Venezuela, Chinese Taipei, Crimea, Zimbabwe, Thailand, Slovenia, Mexico, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ecuador and Philippines.
1. Ukraine – beautiful, good body and she did a pirouette turn during the swimsuit segment and she was awesome.
2. Paraguay – a personal favorite. She exuded with charisma, beauty and grace. And oh my, what a body – toned and with those abs. Her catwalk skills are unquestionable.
3. Japan – looks very pretty but her hip is a little wide and her legs seem to be short hence, the disproportion from afar.
4. Portugal – very pretty but not so good body physique.
5. Sweden – I missed this girl in my selection of personal favorites. I was probably so charmed with Miss Czech Republic that’s why. But looking at her closely, she was very beautiful with good body and very personable.
6. Brazil – this girl has it all. Beauty Diva. Haughty projection. Tall and with a beautiful body.
7. Venezuela – this is another “IT” girl. She is it. Good walk. Good body. I just did not like the way her hair was styled. She could have been more styled differently. But why is it that I am getting a Vanessa Goncalves aura from her. Look at the way she moved and projected. Are all Venezuelan girls trained the same way that they all look like clones?
8. Chinese Taipei – I love this beautiful faced girl. She is so vivacious onstage. But gifted with such a beautiful face, she should have toned her body well.
9. Crimea- although she is not in my list of favorites, this girl showed little punk onstage. Her body curves were wanting. Probably the first time candidate syndrome is at work here.
10. Zimbabwe – again this girl is not in my personal list. I probably would have glossed over her during the preliminary presentations. I was really wondering why the fans love her. Well, they have a reason. On closer look, this girl is so saccharine sweet in her demeanor without trying to. Her projection onstage is so captivating and thus, I am not surprised why she made it to the Top 16.
11. Thailand – tall and voluptuous. She knows her good angles. I am really wondering why she made it this far. Was it because her country should have been the host and thus the apparent sash factor playing out here?
12. Slovenia- she is pretty though. But I am still wondering how she qualified for a Top 16 slot. Her body is not toned and that she seemed so uncomfortable strutting onstage. Or she is having a stage fright that time?
13. Mexico – oh oh. What a dusky beauty. Tall, well-toned, good catwalk, what more could you ask for? She is one of my favorites for the crown.
14. Bosnia and Herzegovina – Beautiful girl but I find her to have strong facial features so in the listing of my choices, I went for sweet looking faces like England and Guam. But this girl has a good body, good ramp skills and good overall projection.
15. Ecuador – she is overacting. I think she knows that she is a top favorite. She glided on stage as if she owns it. She has good catwalk skills and projection but her body does not speak well for her. She lacks the curves that Brazil and Venezuela have.
16. Philippines - Great presentation Athena. I have this theory to make. Let us discard the sash factor hypothesis in Athena’s inclusion to the Top 16. I believe that Athena is a demi-god. In Greek Mythology, Athena is the Greek Goddess of wisdom, war, the arts, industry, justice and skills. She was the favorite child of Zeus. Since our Athena here, in this case Athena Imperial lives in the Philippines, she could have been sired by a Greek God through a mortal. And since Athena is a favorite of Zeus, the gods have bestowed the best placement for their favorite.
Now based on this swimsuit round and presentation, my personal choices to enter the round of eight are the following: Paraguay, Sweden, Brazil, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Mexico, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Ecuador.
Now the real list showed the following: Crimea, Ecuador, Mexico, Philippines, Venezuela, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zimbabwe and Brazil. So based on my choices, I got 6 out of 8 going to the Long Gown competition. My note here is that the best bodies of the competition did not enter the Top 8. So what are the criteria for this round? Is it still the facial beauty? Or are gods at Mount Olympus playing their games and betting that their favorite girl will still win it all? I give Top 16 a disenchanting tag because 6 is a good batting average despite Mt. Olympus playful activities.
1. The TOP 4 is a cause for dismay. I have no question about the Top 3 choices in the person of Ecuador, Brazil and Venezuela. But Miss Philippines inclusion to the Top 4 is really a stinger. I do not have anything against Athena. I believe it is her luck that night. What I really could not understand is that Miss Mexico did not get into the Magic Circle when the Top 8 competition is supposed to be her strength as she was awarded the Best in Long Gown. I know that this is just a special award and might not have any bearing among the final judges choices but I believe, she did exceptionally well during this segment.
2. The ANSWER PORTION of the segment Question and Answer Portion is another disaster. The interpreter of Miss Venezuela botched her final chances to the crown. However, the judges should take into consideration what the interpreter had done. Why punish Miss Venezuela when in fact it is an interpreter’s fault. On the other hand, Miss Brazil made a lengthy answer and the interpreter did a very emphatic translation. Miss Ecuador made a very superficial answer while Miss Philippines tried to impress the judges with her knowledge about education and the environment. But her answer seemed lacking in sincerity. If I were to choose the winners, it would have to be Miss Brazil, then Miss Venezuela, then Ecuador and lastly, Miss Philippines. I guess, Miss Brazil did not get the nod of the judges because of her prima donna ways while Venezuela’s demeanor seemed like a façade always.
2. The ANSWER PORTION of the segment Question and Answer Portion is another disaster. The interpreter of Miss Venezuela botched her final chances to the crown. However, the judges should take into consideration what the interpreter had done. Why punish Miss Venezuela when in fact it is an interpreter’s fault. On the other hand, Miss Brazil made a lengthy answer and the interpreter did a very emphatic translation. Miss Ecuador made a very superficial answer while Miss Philippines tried to impress the judges with her knowledge about education and the environment. But her answer seemed lacking in sincerity. If I were to choose the winners, it would have to be Miss Brazil, then Miss Venezuela, then Ecuador and lastly, Miss Philippines. I guess, Miss Brazil did not get the nod of the judges because of her prima donna ways while Venezuela’s demeanor seemed like a façade always.
Miss Earth 2011 Top 4 Finalists
3. The DEPORTMENT of the Top 4. There seemed to be only 2 real people happy with the way the pageant resulted to. Of course, we expect Miss Ecuador to be obliviously happy and Miss Philippines who is so happy to be just in the Top 16 but was catapulted to the Top 4. When Miss Venezuela was announced as Miss Fire, there was a tinge of disappointment in her face which was practically caught on camera. Then after realizing it probably, she smiled and walk to her place as Miss Fire. It is the same thing with Miss Brazil. Her countenance surely showed how she felt so bad with the result of the contest. I was observing her until the camera closed its shutter and the facial expression never changed.
Miss Earth 2011 winners - From left to right: Miss Earth-Water 2011, Athena Imperial of the Philippines; Miss Earth 2011, Olga Alava of Ecuador; Miss Earth-Air 2011, Dreily Bennettone of Brazil and Miss Earth-Fire 2011, Caroline Medina of Venezuela.
The Miss Earth Beauty Pageant has become a very powerful venue to spouse and advocate environmental issues. In this year’s edition, there is an attempt among the candidates to learn and study their own countries’ attempt to save the last remaining frontiers of their environment. And true enough, they took education as a powerful tool to disseminate the need to protect and preserve the bounties of Mother Earth because in so doing, the future of nations rest on us today. Either we forsake the future and totally lose this planet we live in.
Despite my criticisms to the 2011 presentation edition of Miss Earth, I truly enjoyed it. That’s the power that you should retain for next year’s pageant in Vietnam. Unfortunately, I would not be around to attend the pageant as I used to do when I was still there in the Philippines.
Photo Credits: Miss Earth Organization
Photo Credits: Miss Earth Organization
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