Sunday, July 13, 2008

Miss Universe crowned in Vietnam

Miss Venezuela was crowned Miss Universe 2008 on Monday in Nha Trang, Vietnam. Dayana Mendoza, 22, says she was once kidnapped in her home country so she was well prepared for the high stress of the pageant.

Crystle Stewart, the US contender out of Texas, on the other hand, didn't hold up so well. She became the second Miss USA in two years to trip during the evening gown event. How symbolic for America recently? We try so hard to look good (everyone should own a house even if they can't afford it) and show the rest of the world that we have stagger (invade small countries and get our asses kicked), but we keep on tripping. Did I mention she was from Texas?

Hosted by Jerry Springer and Spice Girl Melanie Brown, the "classy" event, held forty years after the Tet Offensive, featured segments on some of Vietnam's most visited tourist destinations. Considering the similarities between the US invasion into Vietnam and the conquest of Iraq, I had a hard time wondering what such an event in Iraq would look like in 2045. After conjuring up all of the nightmarish scenarios, I decided on a utopian future with neither beauty pageants nor wars. And I call it a day.