News 2014

Elvira Devinamira is a beautiful, talented and a confident woman. Elvira was born on June 28, 1993, and raised in Surabaya. She was crowned as the Puteri Indonesia 2014 and will represent Indonesia at the Miss Universe 2014. Puteri Indonesia 2014, the 18th Annual Puteri Indonesia beauty pageant, was held in Jakarta Convention Centre, Jakarta, Indonesia on January 29, 2014. Thirty eight contestants from all 33 provinces of Indonesia competed for the title of Puteri Indonesia, one of the most prominent beauty pageant titles in the country. Whulandary Herman, Puteri Indonesia 2013 from West Sumatera crowned her successor Elvira Devinamira from East Java together with Miss Universe 2013 Gabriela Isler of Venezuela at the end of the event. Elvira stands tall at 175cm and is pursuing law at Airlangga University, Surabaya, Indonesia. She is an intellectual person with looks to kill; Elvira is exceptionally good at negotiating and believes that she can convince people. Elvira has been an achiever, she has been part of the Indonesian delegation at an exchange trip to Seoul, South Korea in 2011, and she was also a part of Indonesian delegation at Harvard National Model United Nations Conference 2012 in Boston, United States of America.Elvira loves to travel, so she naturally fell in love with the world of tourism ambassadors and modelling. She entered the world of fashion and beauty pageants as the idea of travelling and transforming lives attracted her. Elvira likes all kinds of songs and her taste in music changes with her mood; she is a big fan of Actors – Keanu Reeves and Hugh Jackman. She is a versatile person and plays piano beautifully. Elvira also confessed to have a hobby of collecting key cards of the hotels from various countries which she has visited.Elvira believes that the beauty pageant is a healthy competition, a test of the abilities/skills to be able to achieve the title of the best of the best. Elvira gets her inspiration from her mother; she also believes that the outcome is always proportional to the effort we put in. Elvira trains hard at the gym to stay fit and eats healthy food. She wants to promote her hometown, Surabaya, which is known as the City of Heroes. Elvira is a career oriented independent woman, and given a chance she would like to advance her career as a model. She is also aspiring to become a professional in the field of international law. Elvira believes in the women’s natural instinct as a mother and said that when the time is right and she is ready, she would love to be a mother. She lives by the quote, “Love is a language spoken by everyone”.Through the participation in Miss Universe 2014, Elvira wishes to bring Indonesia’s culture on an international platform. Indonesia holds the record of maximum number of Best in National Costume at the Miss universe beauty pageant, and looks like Elvira is all set to win the Best in National costume award with her national costume ‘The Chronicles of Borobudu’ which is surely going to impress everyone with this costume which best represents an Asian code of culture; with its colors and texture, the intricate details and the embellishments.

By Angelopedia

Mary Jean Lastimosa, the sensational beauty from Philippines captivated the judges by her good looks, personality, charm and envious figure at the Binibining Pilipinas 2014 pageant. She is a 28 year old Filipino who is going to represent her country at the Miss Universe 2014 pageant after seizing the Binibinig Pilipnas 2014 crown. Having been raised in a very religious household, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering collated with an unwavering passion for charity, public service, dance, music and performing arts. She got enrolled in the University of Mindanao which is located in the Southern Philippines. However, at present she is a fitness advocate and owns a fitness/spa center in the exquisite and alluring city of Davao and is now renowned as a businesswoman, actress and model. Having previously competed in the Binibining Pilipinas pageant, Lastimosa took part in the competition for the third time in 2014 where she seized the crowned and eventually won the annual beauty pageant held at the Araneta Coliseum. Although before making her way to the Binibining Pilipinas, Lastimosa has been winning beauty titles left and right. She was named as the ‘Philippines Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity’ by PETA. Her very first victory was at the garnering age of 16, where she took home the title of Mutya ng Tulunan in 2003.Every competition Mary Jean Lastimosa was a part of made her a better, matured person and taught her different lessons in life. Having a strong belief in god, in an interview with Mary Jean Lastimosa, Cot Media Center she said that ‘With sheer determination I will do the best I can but at the end of the day, It is gods decision that will prevail’. When asked what inspires her the most in becoming part of the pageant, she said that ‘It is always the youth that inspires me to do more and achieve more’, having a clear cut aim of inspiring people and making them feel whatever they are and wherever they come from.Mary Jean was rewarded with the ‘People’s Choice Award’ and ‘Lactacyd’s Best in Swimsuit’ during the national pageant of Binibining Pilipinas 2014. Having grown in a war-torn province, she developed values of determination and courageousness which she brought throughout her journey to the Binibining Pilipinas crown. In her free time, her preferences differ from working out at the gym, travelling, modeling, dancing to surfing social media websites. This time, Philippines seem to have a good chance in winning the Miss Universe crown. So far, Philippines have only won the Miss Universe title twice, in 1969 and 1973 by Gloria Diaz and Margarita Moran respectively. ‘Insecurity will always be part of a woman–even the most beautiful woman has her insecurities because a million times you look at the mirror you know what your flaws are. I do know that I have lots of flaws and I am just somehow praising them because they are a part of me. It’s what God gave me and He brought me here for a reason.’ ~ Mary Jean Lastimosa

By Angelopedia

NBC TV network, Donald J Trump and Paula M. Shugart, president of the Miss Universe Organization announced the hosts for Miss Universe 2014. Natalie Morales Rhodes and Thomas Robert have been selected to host the prestigious Miss Universe 2014 pageant. The finals will be held on 25 January in Doral- Miami, Florida. The pageant will air live from the FIU Arena, IMG will be the executive producers of the gala event, and the pageant will be simulcast in Spanish and Telemundo. Both the hosts of Miss Universe 2014 have previous experience of hosting the event. Natalie Morales Rhodes had previously co-hosted the Miss Universe pageant in the year 2010 and 2011. Natalie is an American broadcast journalist, working for NBC news. She is the anchor of “TODAY” show, Co- Anchor of “Third Hour” and makes several appearances on other programs like “Dateline NBC” and “NBC Nightly News”. Natalie comes from a defence background and speaks Spanish and Portuguese. She has exceptional stage presence and is very popular personality; she is definitely the right choice to be the host of Miss Universe 2014. Thomas Robert made his debut as an Anchor in the Miss Universe beauty pageant last year. He will be hosting Miss Universe back to back this year also. He is a popular television journalist and has been working as a news anchor for MSNBC since April 2010. Thomas currently hosts “Way Too Early”; he also works as an NBC correspondent. Thomas has recently hosted the Miss USA 2014 pageant in June 2014. After the announcement of this year’s anchors for Miss Universe 2014, an excited Thomas Robert tweeted –“Excited to announce back Co-Hosting @MissUniverse w/my friend this year @NMoralesNBC here we come Miami #missuniverse thx @realDonaldTrump” This will be the first time when Miss Universe has skipped a year, Miss Universe 2014 is being held in Miss Universe 2015. Stay tuned to Angelopedia as we bring you the latest updates from the world of beauty pageants.

By Angelopedia

Noyonita Lodh –“What the caterpillar calls the end, the World calls a butterfly. Winning the pageant is only the beginning. The cocoon would open a door to an ocean of opportunities, I hope to gain the will to pursue and the desire and passion to learn, improve and to be better every day.”Noyonita Lodh, the dusky beauty from India looks all set to win the Miss Universe 2014. Noyonita had won the Miss Diva Universe 2014 and was selected to represent the country at the Miss Universe 2014 pageant to be held on January 25 2015 at Doral, Miami, Florida, USA. Noyonita hails from the city of Bangalore, the same city to which the new Miss Supranational 2014, Asha Bhatt, belongs. Noyonita has done her schooling from the Frank Anthony Public School, Bangalore. For her higher studies, she got enrolled into the St. Joseph’s College of Commerce. She is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s degree in Business Management. Noyonita is 21 years old and stands tall at 168 cm. She was crowned as 2nd runner up at a local beauty pageant, ‘MAX Miss Bangalore 2011’, from there she began her journey into the world of beauty pageants and went on to win the Yamaha Fascino Miss Diva Universe 2014, emerging victorious amongst the fourteen finalists. Noyonita also won Miss Catwalk sub-award at the event. Miss Diva Universe 2014 proved to be a turning point in Noyonita’s life; she was mentored by the Anchor and former Miss Universe 2000, Lara Dutta. She impressed the jury with her infectious smile, defined jaw line and fit body. She sizzled in the bikini round and was equally graceful in the evening gown where she walked down the ramp like a royal queen. Noyonita has a profound personality; she makes her presence felt instantly. Miss Lodh is highly talented; she is an exceptionally good belly dancer, and has a wide range of interests that include Swimming, interior designing, public speaking, reading and travelling. She is a firm believer of women empowerment and wants to make significant contribution towards it. Miss Lodh is a good learner, she is always willing to try something new and believes that staying positive and facing the life with a smile on the face is the right way to go. Noyonita is very hard working and puts a lot of effort in staying fit, she knows getting a well toned and healthy body is not easy but she has been working with ‘CODS’, fitness trainer – ‘Jason’ and nutritionist-‘ Carlyne’ to get that perfect body. Noyonita has a sweet tooth and is addicted to ice creams; she loves to indulge in some retail therapy once in a while as she believes it is the best stress buster. Noyonita has also worked for different social causes, recently she came out in full support of ‘Dark is Beautiful’ campaign, Noyonita said, “True beauty is a spiritual element that lies deep within an individual’s soul. We need to realize we are beautiful no matter where we fall in the colour spectrum”. She is strongly against discrimination on the basis of colour, and is working to raise awareness amongst the people; she instils confidence in other women of the country and celebrates her exotic beauty. Noyonita Lodh looks India’s best bet to win the coveted crown of Miss Universe. India has so far won the Miss Universe title twice, Sushmita Sen in the year 1994 and Lara Dutta in the year 2000.

By Angelopedia

At the finals gala night of Miss Universo Chile 2014 (Miss Universe Chile) pageant held on December 8’ 2014 at Renaissance Santiago Hotel, Chile, Hellen Toncio from O'Higgins has been crowned Miss Universo Chile 2014 by her predecessor María Jesús Matthei, the Miss Universo Chile 2013. Hellen, who is 20 years of age and stands tall at 173cm, competed with fourteen other beautiful contestants to clinch the coveted crown. She will now represent Chile at the upcoming Miss Universe 2014 pageant to be held in Doral, USA on January 25' 2015.

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Kristina Georgieva has been crowned the winner of Miss Universe Bulgaria 2014 at the finals of the national pageant held on November 16' 2014 at Paradise Center in Sofia, Bulgaria. She was crowned by her predecessor and outgoing queen Veneta Krasteva, the Miss Universe Bulgaria 2013. Radinela Chusheva, Evelyn Nikolova and Pamela Kristeva finished as the runner-ups at the finals. Kristina competed with twenty (20) other beauties competing for the coveted crown. She will now represent Bulgaria at Miss Universe 2014 pageant to be held in Doral, USA on January 25' 2015. Kristina is 22 years of age and stands tall at 175 cm. She is currently studying business administration in Netherlands.

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Hiwot Bekele Mamo has been appointed Miss Universe Ethiopia 2014, and will represent Ethiopia at the Miss Universe 2014 pageant scheduled to be held in Doral, Florida USA on January 25' 2015. She succeeds Maheder Tigabe, the Miss Universe Ethiopia 2013, who represented Ethiopia at Miss Universe 2013 pageant held last year in Moscow, Russia. Hiwot, who successfully represented Ethiopia at Miss Grand International 2014 held last month in Bangkok, Thailand and finished as the first runner up at the finals, will arrive in the United States of America in early December for preparation for the competition. The Ethiopian beauty who received accolades for her performance at Miss Grand International said, “This is a great opportunity for my country to share our cultural diversity and talent before a world-wide audience on one of the greatest stages. I am honored to represent Ethiopia!”

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At the finals gala night of Miss Universe Kenya 2014 pageant held on November 8’ 2014 at Jacaranda Hotel Westlands, Gaylyne Ayugi has been crowned Miss Universe Kenya 2014. She succeeds Rachel Marete, the Miss Universe Kenya 2005. Gaylyne, 19 years of age, defeated nine other contestants to clinch the coveted title. She will now represent Kenya at Miss Universe 2014 pageant to be held in Doral, USA on January 25' 2015. Julieth Kiruhi finished as first runner-up and Margareth Wanjiru was second runner-up.

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At the finals gala night of Miss Universe Guam 2014 held on October 28’ 2014 at Hyatt Regency, Guam, Brittany Bell has been crowned Miss Universe Guam 2014 by her predecessor Alixes Scott, Miss Universe Guam 2013. Former Miss Arizona USA 2010 Brittany Bell, stands tall at 5’ 8”. She will now represent Guam at Miss Universe 2014 pageant to be held in Doral, USA on January 25' 2015. Brittany, 26 years of age, defeated seven other contestants to clinch the coveted crown. She was also awarded with Best in Evening Gown and Best in Swimsuit title. At the same event Loriann Rabe was crowned Miss International Guam 2014 and bagged the Miss Photogenic title. Cristina Tabet was awarded with Miss Congeniality title.

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Desiree Cordero has been crowned Miss Universe 2014 at the finals pageant night of Miss Universe Spain 2014 held on October 28’ 2014 at the theatre Bodevil Madrid, by her predecessor the very beautiful Patricia Yurena Rodriguez, the Miss Universe Spain 2013 and the first runner-up at Miss Universe 2013. Desiree, who is 21 years of and stands tall at 178cm, defeated fourteen other beauties to clinch the coveted title. She will now represent Spain at Miss Universe 2014 pageant to be held in Doral, USA on January 25' 2015.

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At the finals gala night of Miss Guyana Universe 2014 pageant held on October 26’ 2014, Niketa Barker has been crowned Miss Guyana Universe 2014 by her predecessor Katherina Roshana, Miss Guyana Universe 2013. Niketa, defeated eight other contestants to clinch the coveted crown. She was also awarded with Miss Intelligence and Miss best Smile title. Niketa earlier competed in Miss Guyana Universe 2012 where she finished as the first runner-up. She will now represent Guyana at Miss Universe 2014 pageant to be held in Doral, USA on January 25' 2015. Soyini Fraser finished as first runner-up and Laketa McPhoy was the second runner-up. Special awards given at the event were: Cardella Hamilton and Rochelle Cheddie - Miss Congeniality; and Jyoti Hardat - Best Body Beautiful.

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Miss Diva 2014 first runner-up Alankrita Sahai will be India's representative at Miss Earth 2014 pageant, scheduled to be held in Manila, Philippines on November 29' 2014. Alankrita, 20 years of age, hails from the national capital of Delhi and loves to dance, read and travel. Miss Diva 2014 pageant was won by Noyonita Lodh, who will represent India at Miss Universe 2015 to be held on January 25' 2015 in Florida, USA. The second runner-up of the pageant was Asha Bhat, who may compete at Miss Supranational 2014 (not yet confirmed).

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At the final gala night of Miss Universe Slovenia 2014 pageant held on October 19' 2014 at Grand Hotela Union, Urška Bračko has been crowned Miss Universe Slovenia 2014 by her predecessor Sara Savnic, Miss Universe Slovenia 2013. Urška, 20 years of age, defeated thirteen other contestants to clinch the coveted crown. She will now represent Slovenia at Miss Universe 2014 to be held in Doral, USA on January 25' 2015. Dijana Purić was the first runner-up and Gabriela Lozančič was the second runner-up. Special awards given at the pageant night were: Tjaša Cerovšek – Miss Photogenic and Urška Novak- Miss Congeniality.

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At the conclusion of the finals of Miss Diva Universe 2014 pageant, the Bangalore-girl Noyonita Lodh has been crowned Miss Diva Universe 2014. The first runner-up was Alankrita Sahai and the second runner-up was Asha Bhat. Noyonita, 21 years of age, will represent India at Miss Universe 2014 pageant to be held in Doral, USA on January 25' 2015. Noyonita is a student of St. Joseph College of Commerce, Bangalore, and her interests are Swimming, interior designing, public speaking, reading and traveling. She succeeds Manasi Moghe, the Miss Diva Universe 2013. Last year, Manasi Moghe had represented India at Miss Universe 2013 pageant held in Moscow, Russia on November 9' 2013 and was placed Top 10. This year the Miss Diva Universe pageant was held as a docu-series broadcasted on Zee Café and Zoom TV, hosted by the glamorous Lara Dutta, Miss Universe 2000.

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Lisa Madden from Cork has been crowned Miss Universe Ireland 2014 at the final gala night of Miss Universe Ireland 2014 pageant held on October 11’ 2014 at The Beacon Hotel in Sandyford, by her predecessor Adrienne Murphy, Miss Universe Ireland 2013. Lisa, 21 years of age, is a dentistry student at University College Cork. She was also Britain's and Ireland’s Next Top Model finalist in series eight of the Sky show. Lisa, who stands tall at 5’10”, defeated twelve other beauties and walked away with the crown and the title. She will now represent Ireland at Miss Universe 2014 pageant to be held in Doral, USA on January 25' 2015. Sinead Duffy from Killiney, was first runner-up and Rose McGahan, from Meath, was second runner-up.

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At the splending finals night of Miss Universe Kosovo 2014 pageant held on October 9, 2014, Artnesa Krasniqi has been crowned Miss Universe Kosovo 2014 by her predecessor Mirjeta Shala, the Miss Universe Kosovo 2013. Artnesa, 21 years of age, is a professional model. She was earlier crowned Miss Tourism Albania in 2014, and in the year 2008, she was awarded the Ford Super Model of Kosova. Artnesa stands tall at 5’7.5” defeated twenty other contestants to clinch the coveted crown. She will now represent Kosovo at Miss Universe 2014 pageant to be held in Doral, USA on January 25' 2015. She is to make a comeback for Kosovo at Miss Universe after the country withdrew in 2013 as it did not have diplomatic relations with the host country Russia. Kaltrina Neziri finished as first runner-up and was crowned Miss Earth Kosovo 2014 by her predecessor Donika Emini, Miss Earth Kosovo 2013. She will now represent Kosovo at Miss Earth 2014 pageant to be held in Manila, Philippines on November 29' 2014.

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Zhaneta Byberi has been crowned Miss Universe Albania 2014 at the finals of the national pageant held on October 8' 2014 at the National Theater of Opera and Ballet (Teatri i Operas dhe Baletit) in Tirana, Albania. She will now represent Albania at the Miss Universe 2014 pageant to be held in Doral, USA on January 25' 2015. Zhaneta is 19 years of age, and is a professional model in Albania. She had previously won the title 'Best International Top Model of Albania' in 2013 and had also received the award for Miss Photogenic at Miss Albania 2012. Albania did not compete at Miss Universe 2013, as Fioralba Dizdari, the Albania representative withdrew from the pageant due to Kosovo not being able to compete at the pageant held in Moscow, Russia last year. Last representation from Albania at Miss Universe was in the year 2012 when 19-year old Adrola Dushi competed at Miss Universe 2012, though could not place at the finals. She was part of the jury for Miss Universe Albania 2014, which also included Armina Mevlani, Niko Komani, Sony K Elson, and jury president Floriana Garo.

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At the conclusion of the splending finals night of Miss Universe Argentina 2014 (Miss Universo Argentina 2014) pageant held on October 9’ 2014 in the capital city of Buenos Aires, Valentina Ferrer, the reigning Miss Universo Córdoba, has been crowned as Miss Universe Argentina 2014 by her predecessor Brenda González, the Miss Universe Argentina 2013. Mariana Manrique was the first runner-up and Pilar Jiménez was the second runner-up. Valentina, who is 22 years of age and stands tall at 5’10”, defeated twenty three other contestants to clinch the coveted title. She is part of the agency "Wilhelmina's Model" in the United States, and has been modeling for major brands, such as YamamaY and Sherril Hill. Valentina will now represent Argentina at the Miss Universe 2014 pageant to be held in Doral, USA on January 25' 2015.

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At the conclusion night of Miss Lebanon 2014 pageant held on October 5’ 2014 at Casino Du Liban. Beirut, Saly Greige has been crowned as Miss Lebanon 2014 by her predecessor Karen Ghrawi, Miss Lebenon 2013. Saly defeated thirteen other contestants to clinch the coveted title. She will now represent Lebanon at the Miss World 2014 pageant to be held in London, England on December 14' 2014 and at Miss Universe pageant to be held in Doral on January 25’ 2015. Elsa Hajjar won the first runner-up and Rouba Monzer was the second runner-up at the conclusion of the event.

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Roxanne Didier-Nicholas has been crowned Miss Universe Saint Lucia 2014 at the conclusion of the finals of the pageant held on September 28' 2014 at The Gaiety in Rodney Bay, Saint Lucia. She competed with six other finalists to win the title. Louise Victor was the first runner-up and Tania Biscarlet was the second runner-up.

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