Tarnished tiaras (or, beauties in distress)

"You’re fired!"

Fortunately, Donald Trump (holder of the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants franchise) didn’t tell that (as he used to do on his TV show The Apprentice) to 2006 Miss USA Tara Conner who was in danger of being dethroned due to, according to reports, "inappropriate behavior."

"You’re not fired!"

That, instead, was what Trump told Conner at a "live" press conference towards the end of 2006.

That disturbance in the beauty department prompted Funfare contributors Miguelito Herrera and Alexander Boy Cruz to make a list of what they called "tarnished tiaras" (or "beauties in distress"), which should be interesting to beauty connoisseurs (this one included).

Here they are (aside from Conner and including local beauties):

• Marjorie Wallace – Dethroned as 1973 Miss World after she admitted "untoward behavior" in her controversial love life. The first American beauty to win the title, she had a short-lived TV career. Her first runner-up, the Philippines’ Evangeline Pascual, was offered to take over but politely said no.

• Helen Morgan – The 1974 Miss World title when she admitted being an unwed mother. (The year before, Morgan finished first runner-up to Spain’s Amparo Muñoz in the Miss Universe Pageant held in Manila.)

• Gabriella Brum – 1980 Miss World from Germany who won and lost her crown all in 18 hours, due to her illicit affair with a German filmmaker.

• Joyce Ann Burton – The 1981 Bb. Young-Pilipinas title because she was found to be underage (at only 14) and not having a Philippine passport. But she vindicated herself when she won as Bb. Pilipinas-Universe in 1985.

• Vanessa Williams – The first black Miss America (1984), due to a previous nude magazine pictorial.

• Anjanette Abayari – The 1991 Bb. Pilipinas-Universe crown because she failed to meet the required six-month residency (in the Philippines).

• Tisha Silang – Pressured to give up her 1998 Bb. Pilipinas-Universe crown due to a technicality regarding her Canadian citizenship.

• Janelle Bautista – The 1999 Bb. Pilipinas-Universe crown after she was found to have used a fake passport.

• Esabela Molina Cabrera – The 1997 Mutya ng Pilipinas (Asia-Pacific) crown due to "failure to fulfill her duties." Her first runner-up, Sherylle Moraga, replaced her.

• Oxana Fedorova – The 2002 Miss Universe from Russia lost her crown four months after she won it because she failed to fulfill her duties. She was replaced by the first runner-up from Panama.

• Dzjela Glavovich – The 2002 Miss Earth from Bosnia & Herzegovina lost her crown also for dereliction of duties.

Loose ends

• No, (reader) Diosdado Ng, there’s no Alabang Hills in Quezon City as Funfare reported yesterday. But there’s an Ayala Heights, also in Quezon City, where Dina Bonnevie has a house.

• Yes, (reader) Sheila Marie Sevilla-Abendan, the title of Sam Milby and Toni Gonzaga’s hit movie is You Are The One and not Crazy For You (it’s actually an ABS-CBN TV series also starring Toni G.) as wrongly mentioned in last Sunday’s Conversations with Ricky Lo featuring Sam and Piolo Pascual (whose pre-Valentine show called Heartthrobs at the Music Museum is slated for Feb. 2 and 3, and not Feb. 13 and 14 as also wrongly reported).

• You’re right, (reader) Ronn Baluyot, Pia Cayetano is in the Senate (and not in Congress), together with Sen. Loi Estrada (who’s also identified with showbiz). Incidentally, Richard Gomez said that his transfer of registration to Bulacan was approved the other day. If he doesn’t make it to the senatorial slate of either the opposition party or the ruling party, Richard will run for either governor or congressman of Bulacan.

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