Ariella Arida in the Mercedes Benz TVC
courtesy of Alexey Karachev
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Paulina Krupińska
All posts tagged Paulina Krupińska
With confidence, I present to you my final predictions for the Top 16 of Miss Universe 2013.
The Preliminary Competition always makes a difference. Every year, the show concretizes our assessments as the delegates’ individual presentations give us the confidence in determining who should stay up, who should step down, and who deserves to move up.
Sixteen to Shine
In my Top 16 predictions, the first four spots are occupied by ladies I consider the ‘untouchables’ for 2013. While some of you may tag me as an over-patriotic blogger who is putting so much belief in Miss Philippines Ariella Arida, I have my own reasons for putting her in this prime spot (prime of which is my gut-feel that she will do well in the finals). In the company of Spain’s Patricia Rodriguez (who remains consistently solid and captivating from Day 1), Puerto Rico’s Monic Perez (always in Miss Universe mode everywhere she goes inspite of the not-so-pleasant impressions about her attitude) and Ukraine’s Olga Storozhenko (who – let’s admit it – has the most influential backers who are capable of pulling strings to put her within striking distance of the crown), she has what it takes to battle it out till the end.
Going to my second set of four-squares, we can see Erin Brady of the USA (whose Top 5 placement could be in a precarious situation or not depending on how Olivia Culpo being the reigning titleholder will be factored in), Maria Gabriela Isler of Venezuela (a far better English speaker than her predecessor and who has been going great guns up until the evening gown round of the Prelims where she had some difficulty navigating her outfit), Hinarani de Longeaux of France (neither here nor there in the earlier stages of the competition, but still commanding a strong presence) and host delegate Elmira Abdrazakova (who is giving the semifinal-worthy performance that she failed to deliver in Miss World 2013).
#9-#12 are occupied by Yityish Titi Aynaw of Israel, Carolina Brid of Panama and Jakelyne Oliveira of Brazil whose turns during the Prelims were outstanding enough – definitely not to be ignored. Amy Willerton of Great Britain, on the other hand, belongs to this foursome because she has been making good strides on the sidelines and creating a positive impact to the pageant’s production people.
Poland’s Paulina Krupinska slid down in my rankings simply because her presentations last Tuesday were not as tip-top as the early faves. Meanwhile, Turkey’s Berrin Keklikler could be a Trump pick, just as Azerbaijan’s Aysel Manafova (and according to the grapevine, she happens to be the love interest of the son of a VIP).
Finally, my hunch to win the Fan Vote is Myanmar’s Moe Set Wine. Her countrymen has been raging wild in raking in the online votes.
The Spoilers
A quartet of spoilers completing my Top 20
Five for the Crown
Barring any unexpected surprise/s, one of the five above could be the new Miss Universe.
Many are saying that Monic Perez of Puerto Rico and Patricia Rodriguez of Spain are the biggest obstacles to the Philippines’ 3rd Miss Universe crown. I daresay that Ukraine’s Olga Storozhenko is that one delegate who is very likely to provide the biggest upset to the cause of Ariella Arida, Miss Philippines.
Ariella or Olga could win.
But in a less imperfect world, I can see our bet conquering the Universe. Should it come to fruition, then Ariella’s journey will have been the bumpiest, muddiest and thorniest on the road to victory. And in all sincerity, I want her to claim the sweetest of wins so that she can vindicate herself once and for all. The girl has been working her (pardon the term) butt off double time to do her country proud. And if the good graces that the Philippines has earned from MUO these past three years will carry over, then it will only have been a justly-deserved reward for consecutively sending them our best candidates in the biggest and most eagerly-awaited beauty spectacle.
In the end, my choice to win Miss Universe 2013 is Miss Philippines Ariella Arida, with Miss Ukraine Olga Storozhenko as the strongest alternate.
Should Ariella end up good enough for just a Top 5 placement, then it would simply be in consonance with my birthday wish for her. I can live with that. I can definitely consider semi-retirement* from pageantry, though, if she exceeds our rank last year.
And I kid you not. 😉
* – This is something I promised myself the moment a Filipina wins our country’s 3rd Miss Universe crown or before turning golden, whichever comes first.
Russian singer Emin (bottom left and right photos) with the 7 MU2013 ladies who joined him in a music video.
Below is Emin’s music video for “Amor” featuring Miss Universe 2012 Olivia Culpo
courtesy of eminmusicofficial
Popular (and good-looking) Russian singer Emin will be the guest performer for the finals of Miss Universe 2013 this coming Saturday. While his music video for “Amor” (featuring Miss Universe 2012 Olivia Culpo) has already been released (watch above), he took the opportunity to film another one (for the upcoming release of his next single “In Another Life”)while the candidates of the ongoing pageant are still in Moscow. And for this, he short-listed seven (7) ladies to join him – Spain’s Patricia Rodriguez, Switzerland’s Dominique Rinderknecht, Puerto Rico’s Monic Perez, Ukraine’s Olga Storozhenko, Poland’s Paulina Krupinska, USA’s Erin Brady and the Philippines’ Ariella Arida. The nice thing about this participation is that the vid will continuously show even after the competition is long over.
Emin (left) while shooting the new music video
Filming was completed two yesterday, and I can’t wait to see the final cut! 😉
For tonight’s Preliminaries, I selected 16 ladies who I feel will do well.
This list of sixteen (16) ladies will most likely have a change or two (or three) after tonight’s Miss Universe 2013 Preliminaries at Crocus City Hall. So before the crucial event unfolds, I decided to post the ones in my list of expected stand-outs in the swimsuit and evening gown rounds. There is a possibility that most of them will consistently shine. And there is also a good chance that a few will be outshadowed by surprise (or sleeper) performers.
The usual suspects for high-scoring presentations are favorites like Poland’s Paulina Krupinska, Puerto Rico’s Monic Perez, Spain’s Patricia Rodriguez, the Philippines’ Ariella Arida, Israel’s Yityish Titi Aynaw and Venezuela’s Maria Gabriela Isler. Two ladies who will no longer surprise, but stamp their formal entry into the list of potential placers, are Great Britain’s Amy Willerton and Turkey’s Berrin Keklikler. Out to prove their real worth, in my opinion, are USA’s Erin Brady, Italy’s Luna Voce and Hinarani de Longeaux of France. Indonesia’s Whulandary Herman could be the next best Asian bet for tonight, with Olivia Wells of Australia, Carolina Brid of Panama and Gabriela Kratochvilova pulling in some nice scores as well. And as host delegate, Elmira Abdrazakova of Russia will bring in the hometown favoritism which shouldn’t come as a surprise anymore.
Just to complete my Top 20, I would include Ukraine, Peru, Japan and Dominican Republic.
Let’s see who will really stand head and shoulders above the rest. It’s going to be a wild, bumpy but exhilarating ride for sure. 😉
The 15 Miss Universe 2013 Close-Ups that grabbed my attention.
When you’re looking at 86 (eighty-six) different headshots, chances are that you might miss on one or two who may have initially failed to get your juices going. But after a second review of all Miss Universe 2013 close-up images, you tend to become more confident of the ladies whose shots give various definitions available for facial beauty.
Fresh-faced – definitely applies to both Australia and Turkey
Sculpted (not in a medical way) – will be apt for Bolivia, Puerto Rico and Spain
Mysterious – Haiti, Nigeria (love that profile shot!) and Philippines fit the bill
Femme Fatale/Divaesque – hands down for both Israel and Ukraine
Cosmopolitan – Czech Republic, Norway and Poland here in my opinion.
Seductive – Great Britain and Italy should come off as such.
I can come up with many other adjectives, but would rather not.
I am happy with these fifteen faces for now. 😉
The chosen six while waiting for instructions during the TVC shoot.
Ariella with Germany, Austria and Poland.
Ariella at the Moscow Raceway
Along with host delegate Elmira Abdrazakova, Miss Philippines Ariella Arida was one of the five selected (and the only Asian) to appear in a Mercedes Benz TV commercial set to run for weeks after its release on the small screen. The four others who made it are Poland’s Paulina Krupinska, Austria’s Doris Hoffman, Mexico’s Cynthia Duque and Germany’s Anne-Julia Hagen. This is indeed a big boost to our bet’s running pre-pageant performance for the sponsors. 🙂
Now that you’ve seen them arrive in Moscow, are Titi, Paulina and Patricia still on your list?
During pre-arrival polls for Miss Universe 2013, three of the most anticipated delegates in Moscow are Israel’s Yityish Titi Aynaw, Poland’s Paulina Krupinska and Spain’s Patricia Rodriguez. Now that you’ve seen them land in Moscow and starting with their respective conquests, do you still have that lingering fondness for the trio?
If you ask me, the Spanish rep is still a strong force to reckon with. On the other hand, both Titi and Paulina have gone half a notch lower, but staying in my radar nonetheless.
How about you, dear readers? 😉
