Miss Int'l bets down from 81 to 68

Curtain-raisers:

• Before she and Heart Evangelista’s mom bumped heads, Annabelle Rama was able to close a multi-million-peso three-year renewal contract for Heart with GMA, described as one of the biggest deals ever done. But the day after Heart’s mom learned about it, she told Annabelle that she was not renewing Annabelle’s managerial contract with Heart which expires in July 2011 yet. Annabelle promptly overhauled the three-year done deal and reduced it to just one year. Heart’s side will have to do the haggling when the contract expires.

• There must be a very personal reason why Shirley Kuan has decided to drop KC Concepcion as talent --- that is, after more than three years of what appeared to be a cordial relationship. Little by little, the real (bitter?) reasons for the break-up are coming up in movie columns. But so far, neither Shirley nor KC is talking.

• Could it be true that a pretty TV-movie actress is blindly, crazily and irrationally in love with a dashing actor whose eyes are said to be wandering toward the “opposite” side? Nobody can stop the actress who seems to have turned deaf to reason.

*   *   *

Thirteen girls haven’t arrived as scheduled and are therefore considered quitters, so only 68 (out of the original 81) candidates are competing in the 2010 Miss International contest set for Nov. 7 in Chengdu, China. The good news is that Krista Kleiner, the Philippine bet, is topping some surveys.

Here’s the update from Funfare Update’s “other beauty expert” Celso de Guzman Caparas:

Representatives from the following countries are no-shows: Argentina, Cuba, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Gabon, Honduras, Kyrgyztan, Moldova, Northern Marianas, Romania, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.

The delegates took part in the Miss International Beauty Parade held on Oct. 24, the Grand Foot Ceremony on Oct. 25 where their footprints were individually framed, traveled to Chengdu Panda Base and participated in Sports Challenge (bicycle race and vegetable cart race) in Pixian (Sichuan Province) on Oct. 26 and evening gown photoshoot on Oct. 27. Other scheduled pre-pageant activities are: Visit to Ancient Town (Oct. 29), Happy Chengdu Event and Halloween Party (Oct. 31), Charity Party (Nov. 1), TV shoots and rehearsals (Nov. 2 to 6), and 50th Miss International Crowning Ceremony (Nov. 7).

Philippine Miss World bet Czarina Gatbonton (inset, with Miss World Organization head Julia Morley) in a stunning gown by Alfredo Barraza during the contest’s top model competition. The 2010 Miss World finals will be held on Saturday, Oct. 30, in Sanya, China.

It’s interesting to note that Krista Kleiner leads in the globalbeauties.com’s hotpicks, “The Mahjong Pyramid,” followed by Misses Czech Republic (Lucie Smatanova), Greece (Maria Tsagkaraki), Venezuela (Elizabeth Mosquera), Ecuador (Andrea Suarez), Finland (Susanna Turja), Japan (Etsuko Kanagae), Korea (Ko Hyeon-yeong), Brazil (Lilian Lopes Pereira) and Sweden (Cecilia Ragnarsson).

And what’s the latest on the 2010 Miss World pageant which is also being held in China (Sanya), with grand finals on Saturday, Oct. 30?

Here’s a report, also from Celso:

Miss Ireland Emma Waldron advanced to the semi-finals when she was adjudged as the Miss World Talent. Emma received a standing ovation after playing a violin. It was the fourth fast-track event; the first three were Beach Beauty (Miss Puerto Rico Yara Lasanta), Sports Woman (Miss Northern Ireland Lori Moore) and Top Model (Miss Norway Mariann Birkedal). One more spot left for the fifth semi-finalist (fast track events) is for the winner of the Beauty with a Purpose Award.

The Philippine bet, 2010 Bb. Pilipinas-World Czarina Gatbonton, wore an Alfredo Barraza creation during the Top Model competition. An entourage of 15 (comprising of Czarina’s immediate family, relatives and close friends) was expected to arrive in Sanya yesterday to give Czarina moral support.

Miss World 1953 Denise Perrier-Lanfranchi of France, Miss World 2004 Maria Julia Mantilla Garcia of Peru and Miss World 2007 Zhang Zi-lin of China were the first among the past winners to arrive in Sanya who will attend the 60th (Diamond) Anniversary of Miss World.

John Arcilla performing at a UN event in the Shanghai World Expo.

John performs at UN event in Shanghai Expo

John Arcilla just came back from Shanghai where he performed at the United Nations Honor Day Gala hosted by the UN and the Chinese government.

“I was a bit nervous because of the recent hostage incident,” John said in a text message to Funfare Update. “But thank God I was well-received.”

As early as July, he has been invited through the United Nations in New York to perform in the annual UN Convention in Geneva next month.

“Since they have confirmed my participation in the Geneva convention,” added John, “they included me in their program in the World Expo in China together with artists from other countries. They were supposed to get Beyonce, according to an insider, pero hindi nila nakuha due conflict of schedule, talent fee and coordination problem. So they decided to invite artists from different regions with significant current advocacy related to climate change, environment and solutions to social conditions, etc.”

There’s a background check before John got the organizers’ nod. Among the performers were a ballerina from California, a sax player from Lithuania, an all-male cultural ambassador from the Arabian region and a Chinese opera singer.

Incidentally, John wants to clarify that his mother’s name is Eustaquia Peñaranda Gonzales. The Gonzales was inadvertently omitted by Amadis Ma. Guerrero in his article about John that came out the other day.

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