You must have already heard about the I-Want Original Series titled “Beauty Queens” which starred Gloria Diaz, Maxine Medina, WinWyn Marquez and Maris Racal. It already started airing last month.
But just to give you a taste of the entire project, below is Episode 1 in full. Enjoy!
Back in 1970 – a year after our very own Gloria Diaz was crowned Miss Universe in Miami Beach, Florida – a different kind of atmosphere pervaded inside the Royal Albert Hall in London during the interrupted finals of Miss World 1970 the reigning Eva Reuber-Staier of Austria crowned her successor Jennifer Hosten of Grenada.
Protestors against the pageant flooded the audience. Properly dressed in attires befitting the formal dress code of the event and blended amongst the many watchers, they created a commotion of sorts to air their opposition against the objectification of women in a pageant spectacle based solely on their physical beauty. This angered the feminist movement to no end. In the video below, Sally Alexander (one of the rattlers, so to speak) explained the group’s reasons behind the protest and how it stalled the proceedings (including the distraction on host Bob Hope). Watch now.
Interestingly, this issue against beauty pageants in general dragged for decades and was even included as part of the Q&A in many of them. Of course, we now know how both Miss World and Miss Universe have evolved. Causes and advocacies are now staple requirements, if you will. Regardless of whether pageant followers like us find it just a tad too much at times that some of the projects are questioned for their relative authenticity.
A take from Win Wyn’s latest campaign photoshoot
For the past several weeks now, your blogger has been constantly “nagging” Teresita Ssen “Win Wyn” Marquez whether she has plans of joining Miss Universe Philippines 2020 or not. And her lone “cryptic” reply was ”Naku, Tito, if only 💜”.
Not much of an answer for me to move on really.
But honestly, I took it as something that could only muddle-up her present showbiz projects and related plans. I know for a fact that she is all set to be part of the series “Beauty Queens” (right photo below) which will soon be seen over the streaming platform of ABS-CBN, iWant. In this program, she will be starring with Gloria Diáz, Maxine Medina and more.
I know this former Reina Hispanoamericana titleholder to give her 101% in any endeavor she commits herself into. Now if returning to national pageantry is going to entail sacrifices that will compromise matters she has already signed up for in recent months, then I reckon that she will not be too keen about the possibility – unless some twist of fate happens between now and the end of the month to pave the way.
I’m pretty sure most of you have watched Season 2 of the Netflix series “Insatiable” which had the special appearance of Miss Universe 1969 Gloria Diaz. Below are all of her scenes cut together in one clip.
This one has not been confirmed yet by the Miss Universe Organization. But talks are getting loud that our very Miss Universe – Gloria Diaz from 1969 – will be one of the judges in the all-female panel that will choose Miss Universe 2019.
If this holds up as true, then her 50th Anniversary as the titleholder will be more significant.
In commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of her winning the country’s very first Miss Universe title last July 19, 1969, I am sharing with you the full video of the 1969 Miss Universe where our very own Gloria Diaz made the entire country proud when she defeated 60 other delegates on the way to the top.
Photos from the Tony Paat Collection
This is a Super #Throwback for Easter Sunday:
While the actual Coronation Night of Binibining Pilipinas 1969 was held June 13 of that year, 2019 marks the Golden Anniversary of Gloria Diaz – both as Binibining Pilipinas Universe and (our country’s first) Miss Universe. Let us focus on her conquest of the national pageant.
FYI, the Bb. Pilipinas 1969 Honor Roll is as follows:
Binibining Pilipinas-Universe – Gloria Maria Aspillera Diaz
Binibining Pilipinas-International – Margaret Rose “Binky” Orbe Montinola
1st Runner-Up – Nelia delos Reyes Sancho (who later became Queen of the Pacific ’71)
2nd Runner-Up – Cynthia Commans Quirino
3rd Runner-Up – Maricar Azaola
4th Runner-Up – Carmina Cuervo Gutierrez (she happens to be the aunt of Bb. Pilipinas World 1993 Sharmaine Ruffa Gutierrez)
Let us now look back at nostalgic photos which the great pageant collector Townee F Paat graciously shared with your blogger for this intent – from her graduation photo in the St. Scholastica College Yearbook at age 17 to her participation in Bb. Pilipinas 1969 at age 18 and eventually winning the right to represent the country in Miss Universe 1969.
Gloria, Pia and Margie for Magnolia Chicken
Magnolia Chicken has achieved a casting coup of sorts by assembling the Philippines’ three Miss Universe titleholders – Gloria Diaz (1969), Margarita Moran (1973) and Pia Wurtzbach (2015) – in its latest TV commercial which christened their brand of fowl as “Pambansang Manok” (National Chicken) in the process. I like it that the ad agency (PublicisJimenezBasic) behind the TVC was able to bring the concept to fruition as getting all three winners in one ad campaign is an idea waiting to be picked up since Pia won. Maybe the right brand is just waiting to be tapped for all three to appear in.
Watch the commercial now.
courtesy of Magnolia Chicken Station
Lunch with the ladies at SMX Convention Center
The ladies were given gifts by PLDT/Smart
Gorgeous Sila Çakir of Turkey and I
Your blogger winning a Miss Universe replica crown and getting crowned by Nicole Cordoves
Jonas Gaffud with Venezuela, Indonesia, Australia and Korea
Gloria Diaz, Pia Wurtzbach and Margarita Moran in one frame
A groupie with some of the contestants
Good night for now, dear readers! 🙂
Gloria, Pia and Margarita – Miss Universe winners all
Our three prides: Gloria, Margarita and Pia
Of course, we should be happy that our record in the annual beauty competition is nothing to sneer at. If at any, consider ourselves lucky that we have really made our presence felt, unlike some nations which cannot enumerate a list of crowning glories, let alone runner-up finishes or even Top 10 inclusions. At this point, we are already considered a pageant powerhouse nation, not only in Miss Universe but other fronts as well.
And we intend to improve on the track record, extend the shining moments and become more solid in all our yearly quests from this day on. 🙂
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