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For immediate release JY&A
Media
Behind-the-scenes on judging at Miss Universe New Zealand
Wellington, April 9 (JY&A
Media) The Miss Universe New Zealand pageant is on again on
April 20 and Lucire publisher
Jack Yan will be judging for the
second year.
A panel of five judges will make the decision
on who will represent New Zealand at Miss Universe this year. The
final pageant will be held in Nha Trang, Vietnam, on July 14.
Mr Yan says judging the pageant is not as easy
as the public thinks.
‘Last year, we had a six-hour meet, greet and
interview evening before the final night, and it’s tough going,’
he recalls.
‘I had flown up early that day and was already
tired from sleep deprivation, while interviewing well past 11 p.m.
I can’t imagine how it must have been for the girls waiting for
us.
‘The interviews are in-depth and we throw questions
at the contestants that we believe get them thinking on their feet.
Oh, none of them can be answered in the form, “World peace.”’
The 2008 pageant is expected to follow a similar
pattern, with an in-depth interview night followed by a final evening
with swimwear and evening gown parades.
Until the final night, judges are not even allowed
to confer on their preferences.
He says it is important to choose a winner who
will not be easily fazed when competing with 80-plus girls in Vietnam.
‘In 2007, we had a great ambassador for our nation
in Laural Barrett,’ he says. ‘And the word ambassador is not far from what the role is about.’
He says the winner needs to express the values
of New Zealand in everything she does and he wants to be sure that
the winner has more than looks going for her.
‘She needs to live the open-mindedness, idealism
and independence that New Zealand stands for,’ says Mr Yan.
He would not be pressed on whether he had any
favourites.
‘You have an inkling based on the contestants’
photographs and when you get up there, you realize that all your
preconceptions are blown away because, like it or not, personality
and manner count for at least 80 per cent.
‘I expect to find contestants who have genuinely
found a cause to be passionate about and are not afraid to use a potential win to aid it.’
New Zealand is the second country in which Mr
Yan has had some involvement in pageantry, having provided support
on the Miss Sweden pageant during its takeover by Panos, the swimwear
designer.
He says he knows who the other judges might be
but that that announcement is best made by Val Lott, the pageant
director, in the coming week.
Images
Images for this release may be downloaded at <http://jya.net/080409pr0.htm>.
About Lucire
Lucire, the global fashion magazine (www.lucire.com), started on the web in 1997. In October 2004, it became the first
magazine in its sector to extend its brand into a print magazine.
By May 2005, it became the first web magazine to spawn international
print editions. Lucire became the first fashion industry
partner of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP, www.unep.org).
It is headquartered in Wellington, New Zealand and published by
Lucire LLC. For print edition information, see <http://www.lucire.net>.
Notes to editors
Lucire is a registered trade mark of Jack Yan & Associates and subject to protection in certain jurisdictions. The Miss Universe
logo is a registered trade mark of Miss Universe LP, LLLP. All other
trade marks are the properties of their respective owners and are
only used in a descriptive fashion without any intention to infringe.
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