Former Miss Universe gets bloody, hog-tied to spotlight socialist Maduro’s violence

By Douglas Ernst

She won Miss Venezuela in 2008 and Miss Universe 2009, and now she’s winning the hearts and minds of Venezuelan protesters standing in opposition to socialist President Nicolas Maduro. Stefania Fernandez Krupij’s beautiful visage has been turned into a bloody, hog-tied and disheveled version of her former self for a social media campaign aimed at spotlighting the Maduro regime’s violent crackdown on opposition protesters.

Clashes between the socialist president’s forces and opposition protesters in Venezuela have been going on for weeks in reaction to high inflation, shortages of basic goods and an anemic economy. Since opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez was taken into custody Feb. 18 on terrorism charges, clashes with the socialist regime have resulted in numerous deaths, one opposition mayor arrested and another jailed for the next 10 months. On Tuesday, three members of the Venezuelan Air Force were arrested for conspiring against the government, Business Insider reported.

Opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez condemned the “shameful silence” of leaders from across Latin America toward human rights abuses being carried by “paramilitary groups” loyal to Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro. “The [Organization of American States], which represents nations in the Western Hemisphere, has abstained from any real leadership on the current crisis of human rights and the looming specter of a failed state, even though it was formed precisely to address issues like these,” Mr. Lopez wrote in an op-ed published in Tuesday’s New York Times.

Five arrested in connection with murder of former Miss Venezuela and British husband

By Agencies
3:20AM GMT 08 Jan 2014

Five men have been arrested following the murder of a former Miss Venezuela and her British ex-husband in front of their five-year-old daughter on an isolated highway in the South American country. 

The slaying of Monica Spear, 29, a popular soap-opera actress, and Thomas Henry Berry, a 39-year-old British citizen, was the latest high-profile crime in a country where killings are common in armed robberies and where rampant kidnapping has ensnared even foreign ambassadors and professional baseball players.

The victims were killed, and their daughter Maya wounded, after they resisted robbers by locking themselves inside their car when punctures disabled it. It followed a pattern in Venezuela of late-night assaults carried out by disabling cars with obstacles placed on roadways or by removing sewer covers. Spear and Berry were killed at about 10.30 pm. between Puerto Cabello, the country's main port, and the provincial capital of Valencia. They were returning from vacation to Caracas on a badly maintained stretch of highway that is lightly traveled at that hour. Their four-door sedan hit "a sharp object that had been placed on the highway" which punctured at least two of its tires, the director of the country's investigative police, Jose Gregorio Sierralta, told reporters. Two tow trucks arrived almost immediately afterward, said Sierralta, and the attack occurred after the car had been lifted onto one of the trucks.

Seeing the assailants coming, the travelers locked themselves inside and the assailants fired at least six shots, he said. "They fired with viciousness," President Nicolas Maduro said of the attackers in comments to state TV. Police in Puerto Cabello arrested five suspects, some under the age of 18, Sierralta added. It could not immediately be determined if Spear and Berry had called the tow trucks, or if any of the drivers were among those arrested for suspected involvement in the killings. Their daughter was in stable condition after treatment for a leg wound and was with relatives in Caracas.

The family had spent New Year's in the mountains of the western state of Merida then traveled to the plains, said Luis Carlos Dominguez, a longtime friend and former business associate of Berry. He said Berry was raised in Venezuela and ran a travel agency. "He knew Venezuela a lot better than many Venezuelans," said Dominguez, describing the slain couple as people "who really loved the country," had a good relationship despite their divorce and made it a point to vacation together. "They weren't together," he said. "But they were very attached for the benefit of their daughter."

Violent crime soared during the 14-year rule of Hugo Chavez, who died of cancer last March. Venezuelans list crime as their most pressing worry. The country has one of the world's highest murder rates - the United Nations has ranked it 5th globally - and violent crime is so rampant that Venezuelans tend to stay home after dark. Spear's death triggered a wave of anger on social media directed at the government's poor record on crime. Maduro lamented "the loss of a very spiritual young woman" actively involved in various charities.
Opposition leader Henrique Capriles called on Maduro to put aside political differences and unite "to win the fight against insecurity" that claimed nearly 25,000 lives last year. "It's an emergency." 

In response to the killings, Maduro announced that he would convene a security meeting on Wednesday that had originally been scheduled for the end of January. The meeting will bring together state governors and mayors of Venezuela's 79 most dangerous cities. According to the nonprofit Venezuelan Observatory of Violence, the oil-rich South American country's murder rate was 79 per 100,000 inhabitants last year. Government statistics put the rate lower. The nonprofit group says 95 percent of murders go unsolved.
Spear was crowned Miss Venezuela in 2004, was 5th runner-up in the Miss Universe pageant the following year and had acted in numerous soap operas, most recently in "Pasion Prohibida" for the U.S.-based Telemundo network. She split her time between Caracas and south Florida, said Dominguez, while English-born Berry lived in Caracas. Spear had more than 355,000 followers on Twitter and her feed over the last week included brief videos of vacation scenes sent on the popular Instagram service. In one video, posted Sunday and described as being taken on the plains of Apure state, Spear looks at the camera while riding a horse, turns away and then looks back, blowing a kiss.

Keith Bailey, deputy head of The British School in Caracas and a close friend of the family, said: ﾓThis is a difficult moment for us all and we are trying to support the family as best we can. Things like this happen all too often in Venezuela. As a foreigner living out here one doesnﾒt feel safe at all times.

Former Miss Venezuela Monica Spear Killed During Robbery

By JORGE RUEDA Associated Press

Assailants shot and killed a popular soap-opera actress and former Miss Venezuela and her Irish ex-husband in the presence of their 5-year-old daughter when they resisted a robbery, authorities said Tuesday.

Monica Spear, 29, and Henry Thomas Berry, 39, were slain late Monday night on a roadside near Puerto Cabello, Venezuela's main port, after their car broke down, the prosecutor's office said in a statement.

It said their daughter was in stable condition after getting medical attention for unspecified injuries. Local media reports said the couple had a good relationship despite being divorced and were awaiting a tow truck when attacked. Venezuela has one of the world's highest murder rates and violent crime is so rampant that Venezuelans tend to stay home after dark. Spear's death triggered a wave of anger on social media directed at the populist government's poor record on crime.

According to the nonprofit Venezuelan Observatory of Violence, the oil-rich South American country's murder rate was 79 per 100,000 inhabitants last year. Government statistics put the rate lower. Spear was crowned Miss Venezuela in 2004 and had acted in numerous soap operas for the U.S.-based Telemundo network, most recently "Pasion Prohibida."

She split her time between Venezuela and the United States and was on vacation when slain.

Spear had more than 355,000 followers on Twitter and her feed over the last week included brief videos sent on the popular Instagram service of vacation scenes.

In one video, posted two days ago and described as being taken on the plains of Apure state, Spear looks at the camera while riding a horse, turns away and then looks back, blowing a kiss.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: The 22 Most Influential Former Beauty Queens

by JENNIFER MICHALSKI

Last month, Maria Gabriela Isler of Venezuela was crowned Miss Universe — the 62nd woman to be crowned with the prestigious title since the competition was founded in 1952.

And while the Miss Universe crown represents one of the most honorable of all beauty titles, hundreds of pageants take place all over the world each year.

Throughout the past 60 years of Miss Universe and Miss USA competitions, former beauty queens have gone on to have successful careers — journalists such as Oprah Winfrey and Diane Sawyer, Oscar winners like Halle Berry, many leaders in philanthropy, and more.

Check out the former beauty queens who are doing their parts to change the world.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/beauty-pageant-queens-where-are-they-now-2013-12?op=1#ixzz2nxetbYs1

Miss Universe 2013: 10 eye-popping moments

By By Jennifer Arellano

Source: Entertainment Weekly / Pop Watch

Congratulations are in order for the new Miss Universe, Gabriela Isler of Venezuela, who beat out 85 other international beauties Saturday night at Moscow’s Crocus City Hall, wearing a shimmering silver dress.While it’s another year of bleached perma-smiles, bizarro-glam costumery that make an ’80s Cher look modest, and suspiciously impressive résumés, for all the glitter and iridescent excess of Miss Venezuela’s finale dress, the event itself seemed a little lackluster this year. Maybe it was the absence of wonderfully cheeky host Andy Cohenpaired with the pure cheesiness of Giuliana Rancic? Or perhaps it was the lack of cringe-worthy fashion dialogue from usual suspect and style commentator Jeannie Mai? Or maybe my crazy-meter broke from theVMAs and Kanye rants and that Emmy musical number? Well, thankfully, it’s not completely broken, because there were still plenty of silly sights to spare. Behold, my picks for the 10 eye-popping Miss Universe 2013 moments:

1. A Nick Jonas shout-out. At least she didn’t pull a Hillary Swank. Did Miss Universe 2012 Olivia Culpo thank her JoBro boyfriend during her parting speech? After thanking her family, friends, and the Donald, she said she couldn’t wait to start a new chapter with a “very special person who puts a smile on my face every day.”

2. Don’t hate them because they’re beautiful; hate them because they’re … superheroes? Apparently beauty queens save lives too. Instead of baton-twirling, flame-throwing extracurricular taglines, Miss Dominican Republic “helped deliver a baby when she was 17″ and Miss Switzerland “once pulled a drowning girl out of a pool.” C’mon, let’s feel inadequate together!

3. Angelina Jolie was a contestant! Well, sorta. Jin Ye, Miss China, was dubbed the Chinese Angelina Jolie. Do you see the resemblance? But where’s the vial of Billy Bob Thornton’s blood? Or the brood of diverse, aesthetically pleasing children?

4. Nostalgia watch: Tara Lipinski as a judge. Or “Lara Lipinski” as Mel B. mispronounced the retired figure skater’s name. What girl didn’t grow up wanting Olympic figure-skating gold when the tiny Tara won the 1998 Winter Olympics? Holy crap, she’s 31. Winter pipe dreams never die!


(read more)

Burning Question: Why Do Venezuelan Women Rule Miss Universe?

(from Yahoo News)

Welcome to the Miss Universe-Burning Questions Lightning Round!

Q: Three of the last six Miss Universe pageants have been won by Miss Venezuela — what's in the water there? Are pageants a big part of their culture?

A: No, pageants aren't a big part of their culture. Pageants are amassive, huge, enormous part of their culture. In 2010, professor Belinda Edmondson of Rutgers University published an academic paper that pretty much summed it up: "In the beauty contest-obsessed societies of the Caribbean and Latin America, a contestant’s chances of winning a national pageant are directly related to the perception that she has a shot at winning an international beauty contest such as Miss World or Miss Universe."

In other words, in Latin America, beauty pageants serve much of the same hometown rah-rah function that football does in Texas, or basketball in Indiana.

"In the Caribbean, Africa, Latin America, and Asia, the beauty pageant is the quintessential middlebrow cultural product," Edmondson writes, "a mix of cheesecake, social desire, commercial canniness, and Third World nationalist ambition. Its winners are frequently used as spokeswomen to promote state initiatives in farming or commerce.

"The beauty pageant, then, covers roughly the same terrain as the romance novel — social aspiration, nationalism, and pleasure." As for Venezuela in particular, well, a source close to the Miss Universe organization puts it to me this way: "They take their pageants very seriously. It's a big deal, and a ton of girls compete. It's a different level of importance there, and they're fierce competitors."

Maria Gabriel Isler, the contest's new 25-year-old, half-Swiss champion climbed her way to the top of the Venezuelan circuit, while working as an anchor for a national TV network. Isler earned a bachelor's degree in marketing and seems to have specialized in presentation as an art form, having worked as a professional gift wrapper in her early life. She began her rise to Miss Universe winning the Miss Guarico prize — representing her home state — before winning the title of Miss Venuezla and finally the entire Universe.

Q: Which countries have produced the most Miss Universe winners?

A: Well, Isler marks the seventh Miss Universe to come out of Venezuela. But there's one country that has produced eight winners. Say it with me: U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.! (FYI: Puerto Rico, which sends its own delegate, has won five times.)

Q: Does every country have a Miss Universe contestant?

A: Nope. Every year, 80 to 100 countries send women to compete. And the planet has more than 200 sovereign states on it. For example, this year's Miss Universe pageant did not contain a Miss Albania, Miss Armenia, Miss North Korea, or Miss Bahrain. There is also an opening for a Miss Bhutan, if you're thinking of maybe launching the franchise there.

Steven Tyler asks Isler about overcoming fears during the 2013 Miss Universe pageant:

Q: How do other countries crown their Misses? In countries where there isn't a democracy, but, say, a king or a sole ruler, can he just crown his girlfriend? Do princesses ever get to rep their country?

A: If you think that Miss Universe and McDonald's have little in common, think again. Both are run like franchises. Local organizations hoping to send a Miss Universe contestant to the big show have to get permission from the Miss Universe Organization.

Most of the time, a local pageant has determined the winner of each participating country, but not always. For a few years, Australia stopped hosting pageants, deeming them archaic, and instead selected its Miss Aussie via a modeling agency. (Oz has since reinstated pageants.) Royals, dictators, and problematic governments can't crown whomever they want ... at least, not without the pretense of a pageant or some other ceremonial contest. The Chinese license holder, for example, finds its Miss Universe China using a combination of regional contests and direct auditions.

Miss Universe 2013 winner is Miss Venezuela, Gabriela Isler

By Jamie Wetherbe, LA Times

And the crown goes to ... Miss Venezuela, Gabriela Isler, who was named Miss Universe 2013 Saturday night at Moscow’s Crocus City Hall. Miss Universe 2012, Olivia Culpo, crowned Isler at the conclusion of the two-hour telecast, viewed by an estimated 1 billion people from 190 countries.

Isler beat out contestants from 85 other countries at the 62nd annual competition to nab the crown for Venezuela, the country's seventh Miss Universe title. The 25-year-old, 5-foot, 10-inch beauty works as an anchor for Venezuela's Venevision television; her experience is likely to come in handy during her one-year stint as Miss Universe.

Soon after her win, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro tweeted his congratulations, calling her victory a "triumph." Isler was selected by a panel of eight judges including celebrity chef Nobu Matsuhisa, gold medal figure skater Tara Lipinski and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler, who pulled double duty with a performance during the show.

MSNBC anchor Thomas Roberts and “America’s Got Talent” alum and former Spice Girl Melanie Brown served as co-hosts. The pageant took place in Russia for the first time, sparking debate over the country's anti-gay laws. Roberts, who is openly gay, stepped in as pageant co-host after Bravo's Andy Cohen opted out following Russia's enactment of a law banning "homosexual propaganda."

"I certainly think that discriminatory laws are just that, discriminatory and they marginalize the LGBT community," Roberts told Agence France-Press on the red carpet. "I empathize with the LGBT people here." Roberts, however, didn't take the issue to the stage. He dedicated the telecast to victims of the recent typhoon in the Philippines. "We send our very best, our thoughts," he said.

Isler on Sunday preformed her first duty as the new Miss Universe by posing in a ruby and diamond bejeweled swimsuit worth an estimated $1 million.

Venezuelan beauty contest bridges political divide

By JORGE RUEDA CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelans have trouble agreeing on anything these days, whether it's who really won the election to replace Hugo Chavez or who to blame for this South American nation's mounting economic woes.

But for a few gala-filled hours, they put all that aside to embrace a shared national obsession: beauty. In what is traditionally the country's most-watched television event, millions tuned in Thursday night to watch as 18-year-old Migbelis Castellanos was crowned Miss Venezuela.

The 5-foot-7-inch, green-eyed blonde is a political science and communications college student from the state of Zulia. The youngest of 26 finalists competing for the crown, she'll represent Venezuela at next year's Miss Universe pageant.

Even as regular Venezuelans struggle to contend with galloping inflation, shortages of basic goods such as toilet paper and strict currency controls, the beauty contest, now in its 61st edition, is experiencing something of a rebirth.

After four years of reduced budgets and smaller venues, the pageant returned this year to Caracas' main indoor arena, the Poliedro, with a capacity of 15,000. Interest was also piqued by a new reality show beamed across Latin America, called "Miss Venezuela: Everything for the Crown," which followed the finalists as they learned to walk, talk and smile their way to glory.

Venezuela has won more major international beauty competitions than any other nation, including six Miss Universe titles, and beauty pageants rank alongside baseball as the country's most-followed diversion, one that transcends social class. A whole industry of grooming schools, plastic surgeons and beauty salons has emerged to prepare young women for the thousands of pageants that take place each year around the country in schools, army barracks and even prisons.

"It doesn't matter if you're Chavista or a government opponent, this is one sin we all share," Jose Luiz Martinez, a 21-year-old college student, said yesterday in downtown Caracas. As if to prove that point, Maria Eugenia Enriquez, wearing a red shirt stamped with the piercing gaze of the late Chavez, said she never misses the festivities. "I'm a revolutionary but I like to watch the show with my entire family," said Enriquez.

"Miss Venezuela is as much ours as the arepa," she said, referring to the corn cake that's an emblematic part of the country's diet. Last night's show was expected to draw more than two-thirds of the television audience, according to Venevision, the network responsible for organizing and broadcasting the pageant.

While the self-styled 21st century socialist revolution implemented a decade ago by Chavez drove a wedge in Venezuelan society, the scale of political vitriol has intensified since the charismatic leader's death in March and the narrow victory by his hand-picked successor, Nicolas Maduro, over opposition leader Henrique Capriles, who has accused Maduro of stealing the vote. In turn, Maduro has slammed his critics as "lackeys" of the U.S. empire conspiring to destabilize the government.

The country's problems weren't visible under the bright lights last night, politics did nudge their way into the question and answer period, when the candidate for Caracas, Andrea Lira, said that more than chasing an ideal of beauty, she dreams of one day transforming her divided nation. "I want my country to be a country that isn't complacent and that continues to struggle in the face of adversity so that we can come together in spite of our differences," she said in remarks that elicited extended applause from the audience.