Miss Universe: Miss USA Slips, Japan Wins

Beauty Queen Ends Up On Her Bottom In Evening Gown Contest

(CBS/AP)  She wants to someday open an international dance school in Tokyo.

"Right now I am only 20 years old, so I'm really excited about what I'm going to be able to do at this age to benefit society," Mori said after winning.

---

Photos: Universal Appeal

---

Smith was booed during her interview and several audience members chanted "Mexico! Mexico!" until she spoke in Spanish, saying "Buenas noches Mexico. Muchas gracias!" which earned her applause. Mexico has a fierce rivalry with its northern neighbor.

Also finishing in the top five were second runner-up Ly Jonaitis of Venezuela and third runner-up Honey Lee of Korea.

The winner travels the world for a year on behalf of charities and pageant sponsors.

The Miss Universe pageant chose from 77 contestants to find its 2007 beauty queen.

The field was winnowed to 15 last week during preliminary judging in the contest's swimsuit, evening gown and interview categories, but the finalists were not announced until early on during Monday's show, allowing all 77 to be introduced to the television audience.

3Mexican pop group RBD performed during the live, two-hour telecast, broadcast on NBC and Telemundo. 1999 Miss Teen USA Vanessa Minnillo and "Extra" weekend correspondent Mario Lopez were the hosts of the show, expected to be viewed by more than 600 million people in more than 180 countries.

The winner spends a year representing charities and pageant sponsors.

---

Photos: Native Beauties

---

The celebrity judges included actor James Kyson Lee, model Lindsay Clubine, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, rocker Dave Navarro, Olympic figure skating champion Michelle Kwan, celebrity hairstylist Ken Paves, fashion designer Marc Bouwer, "Project Runway" judge and Elle magazine fashion director Nina Garcia; and former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres.

The pageant was last held in Mexico City in 1993, when Torres was crowned.

[intheair3]

I have to say that most of these posts are going way off the topic. As neither a Mexican or and American and a well traveled guy who lives in Asia and Europe, let me just say that Miss USA was not at all appealing enough to make it to the final 5. Therefore not surprising that she was booed and its actually frustrating to international viewers how Miss USA makes it to the final round routinely, no matter how bad she is (this one couldn't even keep on her feet).

Interesting how excuses are made up about bad relations between the two countries, comments on religion etc. USA face it : Ms Smith just did not cut it. The international audience could see it, and so could the audience in Mexico.

[retmilspouse]

aardbear,
You are insane.

[michmad2]

Disrespect is what we get from Mexico after making contributions to their government and people with the dollars remitted by their citizens who illegally cross our border. Their reaction is typical of an ingrate: after the sacrifices that our taxpayers make to provide services to those the illegals from Mexico. I always thought the affluent and billionaires in Mexico are laughing at us. We are worried about balancing our budgets and getting the trade imbalance lower whereas Senor Carlos Slim is on his way to becoming the richest man in the world. The pressure to cross the border would be less if the Mexican billionaires contributed to creating decent paying jobs in Mexico. Talk about injustice, I pay my taxes and other folks, not even my fellow citizens, benefit, then we get booed without reason or provocation.

[michmad2]

Disrespect is what we get from Mexico after making contributions to their government and people with the dollars remitted by their citizens who illegally cross our border. Their reaction is typical of an ingrate: after the sacrifices that our taxpayers make to provide services to those the illegals from Mexico. I always thought the affluent and billionaires in Mexico are laughing at us. We are worried about balancing our budgets and getting the trade imbalance lower whereas Senor Carlos Slim is on his way to becoming the richest man in the world. The pressure to cross the border would be less if the Mexican billionaires contributed to creating decent paying jobs in Mexico. Talk about injustice, I pay my taxes and other folks, not even my fellow citizens, benefit, then we get booed without reason or provocation.

[honest_news]

Beauty pageants are frills and fluff and tanned, toned bodies with a dash of prurient innuendo -- pure entertainment that, along with sports, sitcoms and soaps makes great mind-numbing TV fare.

It's sad that many audience members had to smear it with their whistles and catcalls as Miss USA walked to center stage. The lovely Rachel Smith showed more class with her bright smile and her composure than they could ever dream.

Whatever made them feel the need to politicize such an innocuous event as a beauty pageant! I can't think of anything less gracious and more petty than that. Shame, apparently, is not in the lexicon of those plebeians who were in attendance.

[global_chick]

After this visit, I have decided I will NEVER visit Mexico for any reason. They have some nerve, after they run across our borders and demand access to services the rest of us have to pay for, to boo us or our contestant. Not to mention their insistence that we accomodate their language and culture above our own. The Miss Universe contestants don't establish law or public policy. Their government does. For an audience of so-called adults to boo them for what their government does or does not do is rude and incredibly immature.


I hope the fence gets put up soon.

[ehshome]

I enjoy watching (and judging) pageants, although I rarely judge a 'pro' kids' pageant, preferring the ones wherein the little girls look like little girls and the big girls aren't refugees from local plastic surgeons. Of course, our 'unbiased' media would lead everyone to believe that all kids pageants are like JonnBenet's. Thank goodness for Sandra Bullock's Miss Congeniality which is the honest-to-god closest to reality I've ever seen to what real national grown-up girl pageants are like.

I've viewed Miss USA/Universe my entire. Since Donald Trump took over, there's rarely a short-haired girl in the top 15, and there are years when Trump wants blondes and years when he wants brunettes, and (again, as an experienced judge), I know judges are 'briefed' on what the pageant is looking for in a titleholder for the next year. Since 12 of the top 15 were almost indistinguishable in hair length, color, and skin tones, I figured it was another year for brunettes. I was really shocked (and gratified) to see two blondes (one with almost short hair) and an almost bald black contestant proud enough of her ethnicity to appear as natural as possible. I knew neither had a snowball's chance you-know-where, but it was refreshing nonetheless.

As for the booing -- in between the competitions, we're treated commercials all about wonderful, amazing, culturally rich Mexico. Hmmm ... if it's so darned wonderful down there, why are they all trying to come here?

[iceman_1960]

"Smith, who was named fourth runner-up at the pageant, lived a beauty queen's worst nightmare during the evening gown competition: she slipped and fell on stage."

She may have lost the pageant, but she achieved Youtube.com immortality."


http://youtube.com/watch?v=ANAsj4ihg6w

[bryanashford]

How could high heels look ridiculous with the swimwear? are they going to appear with their feet bared?

[bryanashford]

Hey I am from Venezuela, I enjoyed watching the Miss Universe yesterday, I had a feeling that Ly Jonaitis (Miss Venezuela) was going to fall and then she looked good on that amazing gown and then Miss USA slipped and fell, I was laughing but I was shocked too, I think Miss Venezuela deserved to win, she is more beautiful than Miss Japan, and she is intelligent and she is better than Miss Japan