For many beauty pageant-crazed Pinoys, July 14 will be a red-letter day of sorts for it will be the day of the Miss Universe 2008 pageant. Currently underway in Vietnam, the Miss Universe is considered as the most prestigious of all the international beauty pageants in existence, especially to Pinoys who have seen their country's bets win twice in the past together with a slew of runner up and semifinal finishes. This year's pageant will definitely be broadcast live like all the other Miss Universe finals in the past and it will again present minor scheduling headaches for many Pinoys. Some will choose to skip work or school while others will clear their calendar for the morning of July 14, canceling all appointments and errands to give way to uninterrupted pageant watching.

Find out who the top 10 favorites are HERE.

UPDATE: Miss Venezuela has won Miss Universe 2008; read about it here.

I don't know when this beauty pageant craze started with Pinoys. Maybe it was when a Filipina first won an international beauty title in the Miss International of 1964, followed closely by two more wins in the Miss Universe 0f 1969 and Miss International in 1970. Or did it start many years before when the first ever Miss Universe, Armi Kuusela of Finalnd, gave up her crown to marry a Filipino in 1952? I don't really know, but I clearly remember growing up in a household where beauty pageant broadcasts are much revered and anticipated. Any other programs, whether sports, drama or even the Oscars, will cause the usual bickering. However, when it's a beauty pageant, everybody is in agreement. He he he. Mom would always be in awe of the long gowns while dad's favorite is definitely the swimsuit parade.

A quick check of internet news reveals the usual supects for this year's crown - Puerto Rico, Venezuela, India, USA, Brazil and some other South American state. The winner usually comes from any of these countries, especially the ones from Latin America where beauty pageants are taken very, very seriously. It is interesting to note that the Puerto Rican representative this year caused quite a stir after winning her crown last year when she revealed that someone laced her gown and swimsuit with pepper spray on pageant night. Subsequent investigations later belied, then confirmed her claims. I have heard of catfights between contestants backstage before but sabotage by pepper spray takes competition to a whole new level. That just shows how serious these Latin Americans girls are.

I hope it will be another Asian wearing the crown after pageant night. Miss Philippines probably? One thing's for sure though. If internet voting will again decide this year's Miss Photogenic award, expect Miss Philippines to be another strong contender.

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the Miss Universe 2008 is underway in Vietnam

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