Pageant News Bureau - Miss Universe 2000

All photos from Cyprus courtesy of Miss Universe Organization

Not our finest hour

PNB wishes to extend an apology to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and to Miss Great Britain, Louise Lakin. In an error worthy of the U.S. State Department, we said in a recent editorial that Great Britain is not represented in this year's Miss Universe Pageant. In fact, it is represented very ably by Ms. Lakin.

International spotlight

For a country with such a long history, Cyprus is remarkably little known in the United States.

Europeans know it as a vacation paradise, but Americans have heard of it mostly as a scene of international crises, when they have heard of it as all. The country's name still occasionally crops up in U.S. newspapers as "Cypress" (a kind of tree). Miss Universe exposure could be a boon.

Lynnette Cole, Miss USA, practicing for the opening number.

Eleni Skafida, Miss Greece in her national costume.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when the Turkish army invaded to carve out a large enclave for the country's Turkish minority. The self-proclaimed Turkish state in northern Cyprus is not recognized by any country but Turkey. Most Cypriots are ethnic Greeks and live in the south, under the officially recognized government.

That's where the Miss Universe Pageant is being held. In recent months, relations between the nations of Greece and Turkey have become the warmest in half a century, and there is hope for an ethnic rapprochement in Cyprus. But there is no Miss Turkey at this year's Miss Universe Pageant

Britain occupied Cyprus for 80 years, and English is widely used in the Mediterranean country, which has been a benefit in international business.

Home of a goddess

According to myth, the goddess Aphrodite was the first winner of a beauty contest. She also bribed the lone judge, making her the cause of the first pageant scandal. Aphrodite, so the story goes, liked to hang out on Cyprus.

And now the Miss Universe Pageant has come to Cyprus. What a superb idea! Why didn't somebody think of this before?

Cyprus has a rich history. It's mentioned not only in Greek myths, but also in the Bible. In the past half-century, it has been a world hot spot.

It is an exotic place of romance and intrigue. It attracts lovers and adventurers from all over Europe and the Mediterranean. There are Middle Eastern playboys, foreign correspondents, secret agents from powers large and small. By the way, who's that behind those sunglasses?

At the rock of Aphrodite, from left, delegates from Namibia, Malta, Lebanon, Jamaica.

Actually, it's a spy from PNB, here to check out the show. So now the stage is set. We have a parade of international beauties, a spectacular venue, and the people who can tell you all about it. We've got it all.

But we don't expect any pageant scandals. (Those things only happen in myths.)

The torch is passed

Tamara Scaroni (right) has a mother who truly understands.

When Ms. Scaroni stands on the stage in Cyprus, representing Aruba in the Miss Universe Pageant, her mother will know exactly what she's going through. Her mother has been there.

Back in 1969, young Jeannette Geerman (below, at left) was on the Miss Universe stage in Miami, also representing Aruba. Now, 31 years later, Ms. Geerman is cheering her child.

Jeannette Geerman, left, in 1969

"She's a perfect mom," says Ms. Scaroni, a 22-year-old purchasing agent at an international oil company. She says Ms. Geerman has given her just the right level of support, encouraging but never pushing.

Ms. Scaroni wants to win Miss Universe, not just for her mother, but for the people of the planet. She has become active in AIDS efforts in the Caribbean, and she hopes to do more around the world.

Two delightful women, two generations of Miss Universe contestants. This Aruban mother and daughter give a new definition to the phrase "model family."

Tamara Scaroni in Cyprus

Cyprus, May 12, 2000

Not our finest hour

International spotlight

Home of a goddess

The torch is passed