fashion

RIYO MORI MISS UNIVERSE® 2007

Yes, that’s right. Riyo Mori, who represented Japan at the Miss Universe Contest, has just been named the winner of the pagent:

Mori, 20, the 56th winner of the title, was given her $250,000 (U.S.) diamond-and-pearl crown by last year’s winner, Zuleyka Rivera of Puerto Rico, watched by a live audience of 10,000 and some 600 million television viewers worldwide.
A lifelong ballet dancer from a village near Mount Fuji, Mori wore a striking black gown with coloured lapels for the final. Winning surpassed the ambition of her grandmother, who told her as a child she wanted her to be Miss Japan one day. My mind went blank,” she said of the winning moment.

I’ll be following up later today or tomorrow with more information on the Japanese media coverage of her win. You can bet it’s going to be huge news over here!
Congratulations, Riyo!

• Japan won the pageant for the first time since Akiko Kojima won Japan's first Miss Universe title in 1959. She is the first Asian titleholder since Lara Dutta won in 2000.
  
• Slovenia and Tanzania placed for the first time. This was the first year that Tanzania participated in the pageant; Miss Tanzania was also the first bald contestant in the competition.
  
• Countries that made the semi-finals after a long period without placement were: Czech Republic (last placed in 2003), Nicaragua (1977), Korea (1988), and Angola (2003).
  
• Denmark placed for the second consecutive year; this was their first pair of consecutive placements since the 1960s. Prior to 2006, no Danish contestant had placed since 1967.
  
• Philippines won the Miss Photogenic award for the seventh time (it has won this award three years in a row since 2005).
  
• China won the Miss Congeniality award for the first time.

Biography Of Angel Faith

Date of Birth : 8 January 1988, Burbank, California, USA
Birth Name : Angel Marie Faith
Nickname : Halo Baby
Height : 5' 2" (1.57 m)

Angel Faith was born on January 8, 1988 in Burbank, California. Angel had a great love for music at an early age. She started taking voice lessons at the age of 6 with a local voice instructor. At the age of 10 she started taking voice lessons from world-renowned vocal coach Seth Riggs that she continues to this day. Angel attended several of his summer workshop camps over the years. Her dance instruction started a little later. At the age of 9 she started taking jazz, ballet, hip-hop, tap and acrobatics. At the same time taking piano lessons. At about the same time Angel joined a childrens performance group called Kid Power. Angel was the lead singer and traveled all over the world performing at places like The Queens Gardens in London, Euro-Disney in France and Disney World in Florida. She performed with this group for 2 years until she joined an older performance group called Rock Theatre where she appeared on the Leeza Show and several other independent network shows. It was during this time that she was noticed by a representative of Cherokee Records. Her parents thought she was too young at the time to sign a long-term deal. Angel met producer Adrian Gurvitz in January of 2001. He was looking to put a girl pop group together and was very interested in Angel. He formed the 5-member group and by March record labels were knocking on our door. In the end, Angel signed with Jive Records on May 25, 2001 under the group name No Secrets. In June 2001, Angel flew to Toronto to appear in the video for label-mate Aaron Carter. Angel provided background harmonies on Carters single Oh AaronThat track was featured on Aarons platinum selling album Oh Aaron;. While recording their own album, No Secrets completed a six-city mall tour, as well as the filming of a video for Kids In America Theyve appeared on Regis & Kelly and performed Kids In America and Thats What Girls on two different episodes of Nickelodeon Slimetime Live. They have also appeared on Nickelodeon's All That Angel with No Secrets released their first home video no secrets; Get To Know Us; in March 2002. The VHS/DVD includes five video clips from songs on the new album, plus interviews and behind the scene footage. No Secrets self-titled debut album was released August 2002. The first week out it was number 1 on Billboard's Heat Seekers. Tours include several mall tours sponsored by Seventeen Magazine, Limited Too, Ragu and JC Penney, concerts sponsored by KIIS FM and Clear Channel and a 29-city tour in the fall of 2002 with Aaron Carter playing to sold-out audiences. Motion picture soundtrack credits include Jimmy Neutron, Power Puff Girls, Stuart Little 2, Undercover Brother and Hot Chick. Additional albums include Disneymania & Disney Christmas. Angel is a ninth grade honor student at Montclair Preparatory School in Los Angeles where she is President of her class. She continues weekly instruction in voice, dance, piano and guitar. Hobbies include snowboarding and motorcycle riding.