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Date Posted: 23:39:21 10/22/05 Sat
Author: Homestretch
Subject: Homestretch

Normally I would write a "Homestretch" article detailing my assessments for each and every delegate in this pageant. But duties at my "day" job precludes me from completing it in time. So I would just make a few brief comments about the pageant itself and some of the delegates competing in it. Here goes...

It seems after the extravagant experiment of holding pageant events in both Japan and China, it's back to basics for this pageant. The pageant will again be held at a Tokyo hotel ballroom with a threadbare stage (only a big screen serves as this pageant's idea of "jazzing up" the stage), and hosted by veteran Masumi Okada. Initial word that this pageant would be held at the Aichi Expo turned out to be for naught, because the delegates only visited the venue as one of their activities before the finals.

I should also note that it seems this pageant is losing grip in terms of prestige--lesser pageants like Miss Asia-Pacific International and Miss Intercontinental seemed to be attracting more exciting and gorgeous contestants. Plus, they even outnumber the contestants attracted by this pageant this year--Miss Asia-Pacific attracted 53 contestants*1 and Miss Intercontinental attracted 63 contestants from 62 countries*2

*1 What is it about China that a beauty pageant would attract a record number of contestants? Miss World broke the mythical 100-contestant barrier when it began being held at Sanya, China. Miss Asia-Pacific and Miss Intercontinental's staggering numbers are double what these pageants would normally attract when they were held at the Philippines and Germany respectively. Even Miss International last year benefited from the "China" factor, as it attracted a record 58 contestants.

*2 Miss Intercontinental 2005 featured a pair of twins from Romania, both of whom made the semifinals.

It is not that this batch is very weak. There are still some stunners to look out for--particularly a major favorite from a powerhouse country who seems to be a near-lock for the crown, and a few possible usurpers to that throne. And none of these ladies are of the appalling quality of three longshots from last year's Miss Earth (thank goodness the winners chosen in Miss Earth last year were so babe-errific, and the telecast so entertaining and nearly seamless that they made us forget those three cellar-dwellers). So, let us look at them.

We should be grateful for the presence of the following ladies:

AUSTRALIA
BAHAMAS
CANADA (There are some angles where she resembles Food TV chef Rachael Ray; could she be a Miss Congeniality winner?)
HONDURAS
NEW CALEDONIA
NEW ZEALAND
USA (a far cry from 1st runner-up Amy Holbrook, lookswise)

The following ladies are attractive enough to garner some attention:

ARUBA
BOLIVIA
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (Her only main asset is her 1.83m height and nothing much else)
GERMANY
GREECE
HONG KONG
ISRAEL
KAZAKHSTAN (A chameleon who changes hairdos with various wigs--but usually this pageant doesn't normally reward chameleons; remember Miss Latvia 2001?)
MACAU
PARAGUAY
PERU
POLAND
PUERTO RICO
TANZANIA

These are some worthwhile contenders deserving of some attention:

ECUADOR
FINLAND
NEPAL (Strongest contestant so far from this country)
NORWAY
SINGAPORE
TAIWAN
THAILAND (If she didn't project such a blah and blase persona, she could've been a contender)
UNITED KINGDOM (Laura Shields is way better, but we know Amy is doing the best she can, but she is unlikely to equal her semifinal finish at Miss World--remember she got the fast-track because of her win in the sports competition).

Here are ladies who might make it by virtue of their sashes:

JAPAN
KOREA (Well, she's better than other Koreans in recent years, and could make it on her merits, but still she's no Myung Hee Baek of 2001).
MONGOLIA (Remember, in the two occasions that it previously competed in this pageant, it made the cut; this delegate is not as pretty as those two predecessors so that winning streak could be broken--a possible National Costume award would probably be consolation enough).

The ladies who are semifinalist possibilities are as follows:

COLOMBIA
EL SALVADOR
ETHIOPIA (I think she's actually pretty enough to make the cut, though she may not be as stunning as some Miss Senegals who competed in this pageant)
NICARAGUA
PANAMA (She is highly photogenic in the GB photo, but lacked that spark in Japan photos)
SERBIA & MONTENEGRO
SLOVAK REPUBLIC

These ladies are those who seem to have surer footing into the semifinals:

BRAZIL (Reminds me of Alexis Bledel, star of the Gilmore Girls, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and Sin City; though Grazielli Massafera last year is better looking than this girl, this one is likely to make it because of the overall quality of this year's batch)
CHINA (The Miss Photogenic award is deserving--the Japanese could declare that she's so "kawaii!!!!" [cute]; but there are serious quibbles about her figure)
CYPRUS
INDIA
MALAYSIA (She's no Lina Teoh, but she definitely is way better than middling contenders past; she seems to be the media sensation of this pageant)
PHILIPPINES (She does everything right and she does get some significant media coverage; yes, she is pretty with the buffest figure among Asians; so what if 90-100% of her wardrobe is recycled, as she carried them very well?)
SWEDEN (The Miss International website featured a lot of pictures featuring her)
TURKEY

If the front-runner doesn't win, these are the possible usurpers to the crown:

CZECH REPUBLIC (Simply superbly pretty)
FRANCE (Gamine elegance personified; got a lot of publicity, too)
SPAIN (Always sparkled in photos; gorgeous; wonder why she is not getting as much buzz as Miss France; she deserves better attention)
UKRAINE (The Miss International official website headshot is very unflattering, though)

And the front-runner is...

VENEZUELA (If she doesn't make the Top 15, it will be a major scandal; If she only makes the Top 15, it will be a shocker; If she is "just" a runner-up, it will be a surprise; she is too gorgeous to be overlooked)

So, here is my forecast on who will make the cut:

TOP THREE: FRANCE, SPAIN, VENEZUELA
SEMIFINALISTS: BRAZIL, CHINA, CYPRUS, CZECH REPUBLIC, INDIA, JAPAN, KOREA, MALAYSIA, PHILIPPINES, SWEDEN, TURKEY, UKRAINE
BUBBLING UNDER: COLOMBIA, EL SALVADOR, ETHIOPIA, NICARAGUA, PANAMA, SERBIA & MONTENEGRO, SLOVAK REPUBLIC

Wonder if my prediction will hold. We'll find out later today...

JUST ME!

JOSEPH

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