05/11/01: Miss Universe

[Freakapotimus]

Friday May 11 3:22 AM ET

Miss Universe Candidates Poised for Big Night
By Frances Kerry

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (Reuters) - Seventy-seven women from around the globe were poised on Friday for their big night -- the Miss Universe pageant that crowns the woman with the most beauty and ``savvy'' in a show business extravaganza that draws a huge global television audience.

The host was hoping its own Miss Puerto Rico, Denise Quinones, might win the title of 50th Miss Universe -- which would be a fourth crown for the island -- after an evening of glamour on the outskirts of the capital, San Juan.

``We'll all enjoy it, and Puerto Rico will win by just having the world look at the island,'' Quinones said on Thursday night.

The Caribbean island, a U.S. territory of 3.8 million people, prides itself on its strong national identity and its home-grown celebrities and has eagerly embraced the chance to parade its attractions.

Latin heartthrob Ricky Martin is making a rare visit home to perform two songs at the ceremony in the suburb of Bayamon, and Puerto Rican singer Marc Anthony and his wife, Dayanara Torres, Miss Universe in 1993, are among the judges. Supermodels Elle Macpherson and Naomi Campbell will co-host the show, which kicks off at 9 p.m. EDT on Friday and which organizers say will be seen by television audiences in about 130 countries.

The competition, which was launched in Long Beach, California, in 1952, by a swimsuit company, is run by the Miss Universe Organization, jointly owned by property tycoon Donald Trump and CBS Television.

Trump flew in on Thursday and told reporters he was looking forward to ``a really amazing'' event.

Pageantry was not the biggest of his businesses, but it was one ``I really enjoy,'' Trump said, adding that Puerto Rico had been so keen on organizing this year's event it was already lobbying to host next year's contest.

Friday's show is the culmination of three weeks of rehearsals and side competitions in San Juan, including the preliminary round last Sunday featuring the women in swimsuits and evening attire, and personality interviews with contestants this week.

'EXHAUSTING' SCHEDULE AHEAD OF SHOW

``It's exhausting for them. They're up until late every night and they have to look their best all day,'' said an organizer.

``I'm anxious but hopeful,'' said Miss Chile, Carolina Gomez, as the preparations continued on Thursday. Miss Venezuela, Eva Ekvall, admitted she found all the rehearsing ``very tiring.''

The women spent Thursday morning meeting with enthralled local schoolchildren and on Friday afternoon will do a rehearsal of the entire show ahead of the evening event.

All 77 women -- swaths of the globe such as China and many African countries are not competing -- are on show again initially on Friday evening, but then the winners of the first round are announced and the competition is down to the final rounds featuring the last 10 competitors.

The Puerto Rican public seems to favor mostly other Latin American candidates, among them Miss Peru, Viviana Rivas, and Miss Colombia, Andrea Noceti, although Miss Nigeria, Agbani Darego, is also seen as having a good chance.

While the pageant may look like pure show business, it is taken more seriously by some Latin American, Caribbean and Asian nations. For some developing countries, producing a winning beauty queen can be a source of national pride and a chance to put themselves on the map.

The show was the talk of the moment among workers taking a lunchtime break at a cafe in Old San Juan on Thursday. At a downtown mall, a kiosk was doing a brisk trade in Miss Universe souvenirs such as T-shirts, hats and programs.

Beauty pageants have traditionally faced criticism from feminists that they display women as objects, but the Miss Universe Organization has sought in recent years to stress it is seeking women with poise and ``savvy'' as well as beauty.

The woman who succeeds India's Lara Dutta, Miss Universe 2000, takes on a role that is not just looking good but involves becoming a spokeswoman for charitable causes such as combating HIV-AIDS.

[Slizor]

The french one used to be a man(apparently)

[Perdix]

I think beauty pageants are rather dumb. Especially child/infant pageants.

[kurten]

I have nothing against broads in swimsuits. Unless they're six.

Jean Bennet-Ramsey was lucky.