Kanye West's latest rumored girlfriend is Miss Universe Albania Angela Martini: Kanye West has a new gal pal: Miss Universe Albania Angela Martini. Sources close to the NEXT Model Management brunette say Martini and West have been seeing each other for a few months, though it's unclear how serious things are."They are dating," one source tells us. "I just don't know if it's exclusive." Another says, however, that Martini "really likes" West and is "hoping they'll announce a relationship soon." (A rep for West did not get back to us.) (nydailynews.com)
Miss Universe Organization Chooses CommerceTel as New Voting Partner for the 2011 MISS USA(R) Pageant: CommerceTel Corporation (OTCBB: MFON), an award-winning provider of proprietary mobile marketing technologies and solutions, announced today a partnership with Miss Universe Organization to facilitate voting aggregation through Mobile, and Online channels to pick a fan favorite semifinalist for the Miss USA contest.
For the first time, the Miss Universe Organization will leverage online, social, and mobile audiences to influence the outcome of the event. A semifinalist will be selected exclusively by fans via online voting and SMS messaging leading up to the live broadcast scheduled on NBC Sunday, June 19 from 9-11pm EDT from Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Fans can log online at www.missusa.com or www.NBC.com to vote for their favorite contestant beginning today.
"We are excited to work with the Miss Universe Organization on the Miss USA Pageant. They wanted to bring cutting edge interactivity to viewers and I think our capabilities were the perfect fit," said Michael Falato, Vice President of Sales & Business Development of CommerceTel's newly acquired Txtstation subsidiary. (sys-con.com)
Five Questions With Rima Fakih: Miss USA 2010 Talks Trump, bin Laden and Pro Wrestling: As you prepare to pass on the Miss USA title, what's been the biggest surprise of the last year? I thought that I was competing for a beauty pageant and hoping that it was going to open doors for my life and offer me a scholarship. I ended up making a difference in life and breaking a lot of barriers. I didn't expect that and I'm very proud of it. Being the first Arab-American [Miss USA], being the first Muslim-American [winner], also being an immigrant in this country, I think that a lot of people didn't realize that in the Miss Universe Organization, they don't judge a female by her ethnicity, or her religion or the fact that her hair is blonde. But it's more of looking at the girl who can be a public image and can represent this country.Speaking of the Miss Universe Organization, it's co-owned by Donald Trump, who is flirting with a presidential run. If he joins the 2012 race, will he have your vote? I love Mr. Trump. I loved him before I was Miss USA just because of his work as a businessman and the fact that I was an economics and business management major. I've always admired his approach to business and when I became Miss USA, I learned Mr. Trump is full of surprises. So you never know. We'll see what he decides, and whatever it is, I'll support him. But I also admire President Obama very much. (time.com)
Maggie Wilson shares 'sisterly kiss' with beauty queen: Bright colors, little clothing and a whole lot of attention-grabbing sex appeal dominated the official launch of a new swimwear line spearheaded by Binibining Pilipinas-World 2007 Maggie Wilson-Consunji and Miss Earth-Air 2009 Sandra Seifert."We're not getting any younger so we decided to put our talents [together]. And good news, we started a new line and it's amazing," said Wilson. "And we always believe as beauty queens, the goal is not to just win but to be remembered. So we really hope to set this up in history for fashion and of course in the Philippines," Seifert added.
But the most attention grabbing image of the night was a kiss shared between Wilson and Seifert onstage. Wilson, who married earlier this year, explained, “That's kinda, like, our thing. Like, every fashion show we do, we share, like, a little kiss. It's a sign of love; she's a sister I never had." (abs-cbnnews.com)
If not Miss India Earth, I would have been in PR: Sporting a pretty pink outfit and wearing her Miss India Earth crown and sash, Kaur smiled patiently before dozens of cameras, posing with a lot of panache. “I wish to make a difference in the lives of women in rural areas who are not even allowed to come out of their houses. I’d like to interact with them on an individual level and listen to their problems. If I could make a difference in one village, it’d be an example for the rest of the country.” (deccanchronicle.com)
Miss World runner-up is Miss T&T Universe: “Never let go of your dreams... Don’t give up for you can achieve great things.” That’s the advice from newly-crowned Miss T&T Universe, Gabrielle Walcott, to women hoping to follow in her footsteps. Walcott beat out seven competitors at O2K Park, Chaguaramas, on Saturday evening, to cop the coveted title. She now goes on to represent T&T at the highly-anticipated Miss Universe Pageant, in São Paulo, Brazil, on September 12.No stranger to international competition, Walcott, who was second runner-up at the 2008 Miss World Pageant in South Africa, said while she was happy about her performance, she is still “shocked” that she had walked away with the crown. “I’m still in disbelief...I honestly feel that I’m going to wake up any minute,” she said. (guardian.co.tt)
Former Miss Wisconsin Facing Criminal Charges: A Madison woman who would have been competing for the title of Miss USA next month is instead facing criminal charges of identity theft. Shaletta Porterfield, 26, won the Miss Wisconsin USA title last year and would've competed in Las Vegas next month, but she resigned her duties as Miss Wisconsin USA on Friday.
She was charged in Dane County with three felony counts of misappropriating identity information to obtain money and has pleaded not guilty. Waunakee police said Porterfield filled out fake contracts for ads she said she sold working for a marketing company. According to the criminal complaint, Porterfield told investigators she forged contracts to get her sales numbers up. (channel3000.com)
