UPDATE: Miss Universe 2008 Winner is Miss Venezuela Dayana Mendoza

The Miss Universe 2008 held at the Crown Convention Center (Diamond Bay Resort) in Nha Trang, Vietnam today, July 14 at 8AM. It is the 57th Miss Universe beauty pageant wherein the outgoing title holder Riyo Mori of Japan will crown her successor. It has just started being shown now at ABS-CBN here in the Philippines right after Boy n Kris. Will Ms. Jennifer Barrientos of the Philippines make us proud today? She did not got into the Miss Universe 2008 Top 15 Finalists.

There are eighty (80) contestants competing for the Miss Universe 2008 title which will be broadcast and distributed globally via NBC in English and Telemundo in Spanish to TV outlets in more than 180 countries today.

Last July 8 was the final presentation show then on July 13 was the dress rehearsal with the locations of most of the Miss Universe 2008 activities being held in Ho Chi Minh City, Ha Noi, Da Nang, Hoi An, Ha Long and finally Nha Trang in Vietnam. The beauty pageant will be presented and hosted both by Jerry Springer, tabloid talk show host and host of NBC’s America’s Got Talent, together with Mel B or Melanie Brown also known as “Scary Spice” of the UK popular group Spice Girls and also the host of TLC’s The Singing Office.

This year, Kosovo sent their first ever delegate to the Miss Universe beauty pageant.

For Miss Universe 2008 a new crown was unveiled. Valued at $120 thousand US dollars, it is made of 18K white and yellow gold. It is comprised of over 1,000 precious stones; including 555 white diamonds (30 carats), 375 cognac diamonds (14 carats), 10 smoky quartz crystals (20 carats) and 19 morganite gemstones (60 carats). The colors of the jewels chosen for the crown have great significance: The yellow luster of the gold represents the prosperous thriving economy in Vietnam. White, light pink and cognac are the main hues in the crown which represent inspiration and feeling. Each piece was designed to represent an important attribute of the pageant. The curves of inlaid precious stones represent the strong development and potential of each country. The image of the crane (Lac Bird) symbolizes Vietnamese spirit and culture. The image of the heart represents unified breath, rhythm and vision, which are powerful internal forces that stress faith, hope and unity. The crown will only be awarded as part of the contest this year, with the original Mikimoto design being awarded again next year. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Universe_2008)

</p>

Popularity: 3% [?]