HOLIDAY CARD 2013

The venue for this year's (wretched) Miss Universe Pageant inspired us to use this very retro design from Soviet-era Russia for our Holiday Card 2013. From BS to all of you - Happy Holidays, Felices Fiestas, Boas Festas, Buon Natale, Joyeux Noël, and all that!

Dean Harris' very own, personal, private Santa Claus wishes to advise you that the Beauty School campus will be closed from 24-Dec-2013 through 06-Jan-2014.

Start the 2014 school year with extra credit!

Answer these questions correctly:

1. How do say "Happy New Year" in Russian?

2. Who is Dean Harris' very own, personal, private Santa Claus?

#MANCRUSHMONDAY - DIEGO OTERO

Mister Spain 2011 Diego Otero

#mancrushmonday

MISS UNIVERSE MALAYSIA 2014

At a glittering, gala ceremony tonight, Sabrina Beneett won the title of Miss Universe Malaysia 2014. Here is coverage courtesy of intrepid IGers, including Sabrina herself (IG @sabby_bee).  

WHO HAS A FASHION SPREAD IN ELLE?

Guess who has a fashion spread in Elle Canada? Not to mention a reality TV show? Jenna Talackova, the famous transgender Miss Universe Canada contestant! Check out the full story on Jenna at the Fashionista website.

Suck it, Gabriela or Molly or whatever your name is, Miss Universe 2013! Your recent comments on transgenders show that you are as ugly on the inside as you are on the outside.  Let's see if you get a fashion spread in any Elle magazine, any edition, any country. 

#tbt

#tbt

Before she competed in Miss International 1962 and Miss World 1962, Austria's Inge Jaklin was a model for French fashion designer Christian Dior. After competing in the two pageants, she starred in Hollywood films and American TV shows, including Hogan's Heroes. 

Here is Inge in Hogan's Heroes, with Bob Crane

IL + BELLO D'ITALIA 2013

Over the weekend, the new Il + Bello d'Italia 2013 was elected. He is Flavio Baratutti, 25. At the same time, Linda Cei, 18, won the title of Ragazza Protagonista Italia 2013.

MISS INTERNATIONAL 2013

Newly crowned Miss International 2013 Bea Rose Santiago of the Philippines, first runner-up Miss Netherlands Nathalie den Dekker (L) and second runner-up Miss New Zealand Casey Radley pose for a photograph on stage after the 53rd Miss International Beauty Pageant in Tokyo December 17, 2013. Representatives from 67 countries and regions from all over the world took part in the pageant. (Photo: Reuters)

INTERNATIONAL SCANDAL!

Miss International 2012 Ikumi Yoshimatsu speaks during a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo, Monday, Dec. 16, 2013. Yoshimatsu, a Japanese beauty queen won't be handing over her crown to her successor after she refused to sign with a major talent agency. The winner of last year's Miss International contest, has filed a criminal complaint against a top agency executive alleging obstruction of business, stalking, intimidation and extortion. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

Dean Harris has to ask if Miss International is going the way of Miss Earth???

WHO WILL BE THE NEW MISS INTERNATIONAL 2013?

Who will be the new Miss International 2013?

Expectation is on tip-toe!

This storied contest tends to go for Latinas (even more than Miss Universe, if you can believe that), so our guess is...a Latina!

All the best to all 67 delegates!

(Photo: Miss International Beauty Pageant Facebook)

Miss International 1998 Lía Victoria Borrero of Panama

Miss International 1964 Gemma Cruz of the Philippines

Miss International 2003 Goizeder Barrios of Venezuela

The very first!

Miss International 1960 Stella Marquez of Colombia

(A special thanks to William Prendiz for sharing this photo with us)

#MANCRUSHMONDAY - PHILIPP KNEFZ

Mister Austria 2013 Philipp Knefz

#mancrushmonday

Philipp gives great Facebook and IG! ;-)

IG: @philipp_knife_knefz

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Philipp.Knefz.Page

(Photos: Manfred Baumann)

ZEN ON SUNDAY

Miss France 2014 Flora Coquerel arrives at the Cannes festival palace to attend the NRJ Music Awards in Cannes December 14, 2013. (Photo: Reuters)

Краса России-2013

Better late than never! The new Краса России-2013 was elected on 25-Nov in Moscow. She is none other than Anastasia Trusova, 24 and 1m68. Runners-up were Inna Babinovich and Martha Georgieva. A total of 51 women from across Russia competed for the 19th annual crown.

XMAS IN NYC

Erin Brady, Miss USA 2013, points to the 150-foot tall digital Christmas tree atop One Times Square on the Toshiba Vision and TDK screens, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2013, in New York. The tree will deliver high-tech holiday greetings to the "Crossroads of the World," 24 hours a day, every 6 minutes, through January 13, 2014. (Diane Bondareff/Invision for Toshiba/AP Images)

MISS MUNDO MS E MISTER BRASIL MS 2014

The new Miss Mundo and Mister Mato Grosso do Sul (MS) 2014 were elected last night during a gala event at the Circulo Militar in Campo Grande. Ingrid Kemp, 22 and an architecture student, is the new Miss Mundo MS 2014; Aldinei Martins, 27 and a physical education teacher, is the new Mister MS 2014. Runners up for the Miss Mundo MS 2014 title were Camila Nantes and Rebeca Pires. Mister MS 2014 runners-up were Geraldo Moreira and Marcel Dauzacker. The Miss Mundo and Mister MS 2014 contest was organized by TK Models Agency and Studio Takamori. (Photo: TK Models Agency)

Mato Grosso do Sul is in central Brazil and borders Bolivia and Paraguay. The capital is Campo Grande. The state is a top tourist draw, as it is home to the famous Pantanal. 

MISS E MISTER SINOP 2014

Among the several, if not many, co-ed contests that BS takes pride in covering is Miss e Mister Sinop (Sinop being a city in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil). This year's contest took place last weekend. Winning their respective titles of Miss e Mister Sinop 2014 were Adila Silva and Julio Schmidt. 

A total of 16 university students between the ages of 18 and 25 competed in the annual event, organized by Regges Freitas. In addition to Adila Silva, the university students contending for the Miss Sinop 2014 title were Vanessa Castanho, Darlaine Silva, Denise Pauli, Alessandra Filipini, Natalie Alves, Géssica Maidana, and Danieli Silva. In addition to Julio Schimidth, the university students contending for the Mister Sinop 2014 title were Jandir Alves, João Thiago, Alan Silva, Ozéias Mendes, Jacson William, David Tibério, and Malcoln Santana.

NOVO CORPO MEN'S HEALTH 2013

Rui Ferreira, 28 and from Coimbra, won the title "Corpo Men's Health 2013" in late November and now graces the cover of the current issue of the Portuguese edition of Men's Health.

#MANCRUSHMONDAY - OLEG PERETYATKO

Ukraine Men's Health Man 2013 Oleg Peretyatko

#mancrushmonday

A very special thank you to Oleg for sharing these great photos with us! Congrats, Oleg, and all the best!

HOW MUCH FOR THE TITLE? TOILET PAPER MAYBE?

In other news, Venezuela, the most corrupt country in Latin America, bought another crown. Let's hope the chica plastica's prize package includes a year's supply of toilet paper, since there ain't none to be had back in Venezuela.

 

Seriously, though, VOTE! VOTA! VZLA! 

SANS DOUTE!

In what is sans doute the best produced (in every aspect) national pageant in the world, business school student, statuesque, and stunning Miss Orléanais Flora Coquerel, 19 and 1m82, won the Miss France 2014 title last night. During the glittering gala at the Zénith in Dijon, she ultimately won the night in very tight contest with first runner-up Miss Tahiti Mehiata Riaria. Rounding out the top five were Miss Provence Laëtizia Penmellen, Miss Côte d'Azur Aurianne Sinacola, and Miss Guadeloupe Chloé Deher.

Flora, like Miss France 2000 Sonia Roland, is of Francophone African heritage - Flora's mother was born in Benin in West Africa (Sonia's Francophone African heritage is Rwandan). 

Not only are we taking delight in Flora's victory, but also we are taking delight in the huge TV ratings and Twitter success  of Miss France 2014. As once French newspaper put it, "TF1 explose son audience grâce à Flora Coquerel."  The contest saw its largest audience since 2008 and set a record of over 1 million tweets. Take that, MUO! Oh, while on the subject of MUO...

Note to Sylvie Tellier from Dean Harris: Do not waste any more of your time on the Donald and Paula Sugar Honey. It ain't never gonna happen for France. They might continue to tease you with a top 15 or even top 10 placement, but they aren't about to allow a top 5 placement or even a win. Ever. Je dis la vérité. Don't renew your contract with the Miss Universe Organization. Focus on the Miss World Organisation. France could actually have a shot at that title in the future. 

We look forward to seeing Flora in Miss World 2014! Heaven forbid she is wasted on Miss Universe!