COVER STORY: LEILA LOPES

THE QUEEN OF THE UNIVERSE FOR 2011
By Raphael Porciuncula

Much has been written about Miss Leila Lopes , Miss Universe of 2011. It has been said that Angolans cheer lustily during football games but on September 13, 2011, they cheered boisterously and with so much excitement not because they won in a game of sport but because, a young beautiful lass from their country won the title “Miss Universe.” She competed in the pageant with aplomb as she showed how elegant and intelligent she is to convince the jury to crown her as the 60th Miss Universe.


Leila can’t believe she is the new Miss Universe as she seemed dazed and bedazzled of the fate that befell her that momentous day. She thanked the Angolan and Brazilian people and the people who rooted for her during the telecast all over the world.


She was a dark horse so to speak as international pundits casted their votes on a possible win by Misses Venezuela, Puerto Rico, China, Ukraine and even the candidate from the Philippines. But she charmed them all and went all the way of being crowned as the new Queen of the Universe.

Leila Lopes during the Miss Angola UK and Miss Angola 2011 pageant.

Leila was born in Benguela, Angola and is borth to Cape Verdean parents. She was able to qualify as the representative of Angola to the Miss Universe Beauty pageant when she won the title of Miss Angola in the UK as this allowed her to participate in the Miss Angola 2011 beauty pageant. She was chosen as Miss Photogenic in their national pageant. Leila’s saga in beauty pageants started when she was 17 years old. She was said to have conducted beauty pageants among young girls when she was still in her native Angola and soon enough she is doing the competition herself. A quick look on the saga of Leila in her search of the crown for Miss Universe showed her competing amongst the hopefuls in Miss Angola, UK. She was a tall 5’10” lithe like figure who towered among the other girls not only with her height but also with her innate charms. She exuded a certain feisty but loveable attitude with such a very sweet smile. Her smile never wavered. She might be nervous but her smile radiated her sincerity and thus, it has a calming effect and thus acquiring a winnable aura. Her swimsuit performance in her national competition is simply disarming. Her evening gown was very similar to the gown she used during the Miss Universe competition although it was much simpler. The gown she used in the Miss Universe beauty pageant was more elaborate in feather trappings, sequences and beads. Leila was unquestionably the best in her national competition and thus it is not a surprise that she stood out among the rest of the 88 candidates in Brazil during the finals of the Miss Universe 2011.

Leila Lopes during the Miss Universe 2011 pageant in Sao Paolo, Brazil.

Soon after she was crowned, she was surrounded with controversies that she falsified her documents to be able to join the Miss Angola beauty pageant according to an expose from an Argentinian newspaper. A statement from Leila said that she never falsified her papers and that she legitimately joined the pageant.

Leila has so far been a very good role model for Miss Universe. She had been admired greatly for her great demeanor and that she is well-loved in all the gatherings she had joined so far. She has travelled a lot to the different places like Brazil, Singapore, Indonesia, Angola, Bahamas, Gabon, Jamaica, South Africa and Germany. She wants to scatter the goodwill that a Miss Universe carries with her. She wants to reach out and work for poor kids and elderly as she did in her country. And being Miss Universe, she will be able to do much more.

MR. INTERNATIONAL 2011, CESAR CURTI

BRAWN AND BEAUTY
By David Natanawan

In the past two issues of this magazine we have featured women and pageants related to women. This time we will feature a male personality. What a better way to start our Valentine’s issue as we feature the new Mr. International 2011 Cesar Augusto Curti from Brazil.

If Cupid has grown up into a mature man, he can be trapped into the body of Cesar Curti. And this would definitely not only give a woman the desire to love Cupid who has grown up into a man that is Cesar Curti. Cesar was born on March 19th, 1987 in Ribeirao, Preto, Brazil. Since childhood he has always showed a natural talent in the acting, musical and sports arena. With his skills he excelled in school in acting and writing for theater. He had also made an indelible mark in the field of music both in voice and guitar. He has also excelled in different kinds of sports most especially in the martial arts. He has encompassed a holistic approach to life indeed.

Aside from venturing into music and acting, Cesar is a model who travels the world in search of new achievements in the publicity and advertising industries. He has participated in many publicity campaigns for important brands such as: Nokia, Nivea, Gudang Garam, Nestle and Head and Shoulders. He has also participated in fashion shows for well known brands such as: Giorgio Armani, Vivienne Westwood, Jean Paul Gautier, Calvin Klein, Louis Vuitton and more. His versatility allows him to excel in both commercial and authentic fashion.

Cesar who has a Japanese blood (her mom is Japanese) making him one of those successful Brazilian/Japanese who has ventured into modeling, acting and music. His strongest attributes are discipline and willpower, which enable him to be unique and a determined professional. As if venturing into these fields is not enough, he joined the Mr. Brasil 2011 pageant and ended up second runner-up to eventual winner Lucas Malvacini. Being a second runner-up, he was sent to represent Brazil at Mr. International pageant last December 2011 held in Bangkok, Thailand. He was one of the favorites aside from Mr. Czech Republic, Sweden, Denmark, Indonesia and Mexico. And eventually, Cesar won the coveted Mr. International 2011 title making him the second Brazilian after Alan Martini who won in 2007.

Cesar Curti during the Mister Brasil 2011 pageant where he ended up 2nd runner-up.

Cesar Curti during the Mister International 2011 pageant held in Bangkok, Thailand where he won Brazil’s second Mr. International title.

With this success from different fields, Cesar has remained to be humble and his feet always planted on the ground. Being the first male personality to be featured in this magazine it is but proper as he has been the epitome of true success and living his dreams to become a musician, actor, model and international pageant king. Making him not only brawn but has beauty in his heart.

Measurements: 

Height: 1.87m. | Weight: 80kg. | Chest: 101cm. (40in) | Waist: 81cm. (32in) | Hips:  97cm. (37in) | Hair color:   Dark Brown | Eye color:  Brown | Ethnicity:   Pan-Asian (Brazilian/Japanese) | Shoe size:  43

Special skills: Football, Singing, Dancing salsa and Hip hop, Playing guitar, Martial arts, Volleyball, Handball, Stunts, Swimming and Playing percussion.

Hobbies: Traveling, Reading, Music, Movies, Sports, Hiking, Photography and Writing.