Miss Universe 2015 waxed

Pia Wurtzbach in wax unveiled 



Nathalie tomada
The Philippine Star
29 March 2019

MANILA, Philippines — Former Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach felt like a winner again as she unveiled in Manila yesterday her wax figure for Madame Tussauds Hong Kong.

Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach poses under the crown held by her Madame Tussauds wax replica, which was unveiled to the media during an event at the EDSA Shangri-La yesterday.Jesse Bustos

Wurtzbach is the first and only Filipino celebrity to have a figure at the popular wax museum chain’s flagship attraction in Asia.

“It’s so surreal. I cannot explain how happy I am now. I feel like I won again,” the 29-year-old beauty queen and actress told The STAR.



Wurtzbach said she used to go to Madame Tussauds and even had a throwback photo from 10 years ago when she went to the wax museum in Las Vegas, USA.

“So I know how fun it is there, how fun it is to take photos with the celebrities in wax figures. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’m gonna be immortalized,” Wurtzbach said.

“I’m going to look young forever,” she quipped.

When asked how she was selected, Wurtzbach said she was informed that a survey was undertaken on Filipino celebrities.

“That’s what they told me. They did like a survey, a study, and that’s how they decided to select me.”

According to Madame Tussauds Hong Kong general manager Jenny You, they decided to have a Filipino wax figure due to the request of their Filipino visitors.

 “Our Filipino guests have always been important to us and we’ve always believed we should have a Filipino wax figure, so we’re very pleased to have Pia mark this milestone with us. We can’t imagine having anyone but her to represent the Philippines in this way.”

She added, “More than being a queen, (Wurtzbach) has all the makings of an icon and we’re proud to be able to house her wax figure at Madame Tussauds Hong Kong for the rest of the world to be able to interact with.”

At the big reveal held at the Edsa Shangri-La Hotel, it was like seeing double for the media as Wurtzbach came face to face for the first time with her wax version.

It wore the same stunning Swarovski-embellished royal blue ball gown by Michael Cinco, which she donned when she passed the Miss Universe crown in 2016.

People will enjoy their own crowning moment with Wurtzbach’s wax version. “I really love it. I really love the pose. It’s very interactive. People are going to be able to touch it.”

To come up with such a flawless resemblance, the process of getting her measurements took four to five hours. The making of the figure took six months, with 20 artists working on it in London where Madame Tussauds originated.

“I had to do the pose for quite sometime because they had to measure everything, like the distance from my wrist to my elbow, everything. They had to measure manually,” she said.

They also took a lot of pictures of her face, from different angles, but Wurtzbach said, “I never got tired because I was too excited, my adrenalin was up.”

She continued, “They really paid attention to detail. They checked the color of my hair because iba pala ang color natin dito sa harap, sa likod, sa ilalim, the hair has highlights and lowlights and then I had to step outside into the natural light so they could get the exact color of my eyes. And fun fact, the teeth (are) exactly the same because they got my dental impression from my dentist.”

The Miss Universe crown used in the wax figure is the Mikimoto crown as approved by the Miss Universe Organization.

Her wax version is home for the #PiaMadeIconic Travel Festival today at SM Mega Fashion Hall.

The festival is a joint effort of Madame Tussauds Hong Kong with two other major travel brands, international airline Cathay Pacific and booking platform Klook.

Special packages are being offered at the event for first time and frequent travelers to Hong Kong.

After the travel fest, Wurtzbach’s wax figure will be flown to its permanent home at Madame Tussauds Hong Kong, where it will join life-size replicas of some of the world’s most famous celebrities and historic icons in themed galleries.

Filipino Golden Globe nominees

Darren Criss leads Pinoy nominees for the 76th Golden Globes 

GMA News Online
12 December 2018

Talk about a strong Filipino contingent!

On Wednesday, Balitanghali reports the 76th Golden Globes actually has a few Filipino nominees.

Leading the pack is Darren Criss who is nominated as Best Actor for his work in “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.” He is going up against Antonio Banderas, Benedict Cumberbach, Hugh Grant, and Daniel Bruhl.

"...To be nominated is just insane. What an honor to be included with such wonderful actors. Wow. Thank you, Hollywood Foreign Press Association," read a portion of Darren's Instagram caption.

The "Gianni Versace" special, which is has Filipino actors like Carlin James, Issa Briones, and Jon Jon Briones in its cast, is also nominated for Best TV Limited Series or Movie for TV.

Meanwhile, "The Good Place," which stars Filipino-Canadian Manny Jacinto, is also nominated for Best TV series – Musical or Comedy.

According to the Balitanghali report, Manny was recently given the Breakout in Television Award from the Kore Asian Media’s 17th Unforgettable Gala in Beverly Hills.

Finally, “Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse,” which boasts of three Filipino animators, is among the movies nominated for best animated motion picture. It's going up against "Isle of Dogs," "Incredibles 2," "Ralph Breaks the Internet" — which by the way has a Fil-Am head of story — and "Mirai." — LA, GMA News 

Pinay in X-Factor Romania

Pinay singer advances to live shows in 'X Factor Romania'

Jackie de Vega
ABS-CBN Europe
02 December 2018

On Friday night, Filipina singer Bella Santiago continues to advance "The X Factor Romania" Season 8.

In her bid to stay on Delia's Over 24s, the 29-year old belted out the 1983 hit "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler, outshining Christian Sanda in the Duel round, making her the first Filipina to reach the live shows of "The X Factor Romania."

“Bella is a complete package, has an amazing voice, her stage presence... I am speechless. She knows her body very well,” Sanda said.

Their mentor, Delia Matache, confided that she had difficulty choosing between them -- and the judges agreed.

"It was fantastic. I have no words!" she said.

“Applause for both contestants. That is what I call a duel! You chose two well-known pieces and my favorite ones. It was a risk for you, Cristian. The difference is you've shown a different side of you. Bella showed a different kind of artistry. You have two extremely competitive contestants,” said judge Stefan Banica.

The Caviteña remains a crowd favorite this season with her performances among the most streamed on the show's YouTube channel. She raked more than 4 million views for her audition clip and 1.6 million views for the 4-chair challenge.

Santiago is one of the 8 contestants to advance to the live show on December 9.

Sarah G wins at Big Apple Award 2018

Sarah Geronimo wins at Big Apple Music Award 2018

Jan Milo Severino

Philippine Star

01 December 2018

MANILA, Philippines — “Popstar Royalty” Sarah Geronimo added another feather to her cap as she was awarded as the Best Pilipino Artist and the Most Popular BAMA 2018 Artist by the Big Apple Music Awards.

The announcement was made in the official Instagram account of the BAMA.

“2 trophies for the Best Pilipino Artist Award & the Most Popular BAMA 2018 Artist Award has been sent to Sarah Geronimo. Congratulations,” the award giving body announced.

Big Apple Music Awards is an annual event in New York City that celebrates international music from Asia, Europe, Middle East, Africa and many more.

Other Asian artists who received an award from BAMA include Super Junior as Best Korean Pop Artist and Rossa as Best Indonesian Artist Award.

Miss Philiipines Universe 2018 in UK paper

Philippines’ Catriona Gray featured in UK, compared to Miss Universe winner 

Deni Rose M. Afinidad-Bernardo
Philippine Star
27 November 2018


MANILA, Philippines — Miss Universe Philippines 2018 Catriona Gray has been featured on November 27 in one of the United Kingdom’s leading news sites, Daily Mail.

In the article written by Alice Murphy for Daily Mail Australia, Catriona was called “the next Jennifer Hawkins.”

Catriona Gray being crowned as Miss Universe Philippines 2018

Philstar.com/Kat Leandicho, file

Winner of the 2004 Miss Universe, Hawkins is a top model that endorsed international brands like Covergirl. She also hosted and became a judge for reality TV show “Australia’s Next Top Model.”

In the same article, Catriona was described in the title as “the stunning Australian-Filipino singer, model and TV host tipped to take out the 2018 Miss Universe crown.”

“Boasting 570,000 Instagram followers, Ms Gray is the hot ticket to cinch the crown next month with Sports Bet Australia announcing her as the $4.00 favourite,” the article announced.

According to the story, Gray’s biggest rivals for the crown would be Miss South Africa ($8.00), Ecuador ($7.50) and Thailand ($5,50).

The Daily Mail story also stressed that Gray “is the first woman in history to have been awarded both World and Universe national titles.”

Similarly, the article mentioned Catriona’s newly released music video “We're in This Together,” which “shot straight to number one in the Philippines iTunes chart.”

The video aims to raise awareness on children’s poverty in the slums of Manila. Daily Mail added that Catriona is known for her promotion of female empowerment and women's causes.

Born in Queensland to a Filipino mother and a Scottish-Australian father, the 24-year-old Catriona Elisa Magnayon Gray, who was named after her two grandmothers, will represent the Philippines at the 2018 Miss Universe in Bangkok, Thailand on December 17.

First Filipino in Arab fashion Week

Maymay Entrata officially first Filipino to walk in Arab Fashion Week

Gianna Llanes
Philippine Canadian Inquirer
15 November 2018

“It’s official! CONGRATULATIONS to Maymay on officially being a part of Arab Fashion Council ARAB FASHION WEEK 2018!” (Photo: @amatoofficial/Instagram)

Most known for her victory in Pinoy Big Brother’s (PBB’s) Lucky 7 Edition, 21-year-old Maymay Entrata captures the attention of international designers as she is now the first Filipina model to be a part of the prestigious event.

Arab brand Amato Couture, founded by Filipino Furne One, initiated the invite, aware that Maymay and on-screen partner Edward Barber have a show in the country within that date. On November 15, the brand announced through their Instagram, “It’s official! Congratulations to Maymay on officially being a part of Arab Fashion Council Arab Fashion Week 2018!” The show is happening on Wednesday, November 21.

Maymay has encountered wearing Furne One’s designs before, with the designer based in Dubai previously dressing Maymay during the 2018 ABS-CBN Ball that happened last October 1.

It is reported that renowned fashion designer Rajo Laurel is planning to include Maymay in his Dubai show as well after tweeting, “How can we make Maymay Entrata walk my Gala Fashion show?” referring to his Red Charity Gala held last October 29.

Prior to the invite, Maymay has already initiated that becoming a model was always one of her dreams and is willing to be trained to do it professionally. She told TV Patrol in Filipino, “It’s in my dreams to become a model. That’s in the right timing,” adding, “I learned [how to runway walk] through YouTube from professional models. I just imagine that I’m beautiful.” Just a few months ago, “America’s Next Top Model” host Tyra Banks had praised Maymay’s look, liking her catwalk videos and photos on social media.

The First Filipina Victoria's Secret Model

Kelsey Merritt on Making History as the First Filipino Model at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show

Isis Briones

Teen Vogue

08 November 2018

"We did it Philippines," 21-year-old rising star Kelsey Merritt posted on Instagram in September. She was announced as the first Filipina model ever to walk in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show — which is scheduled to air on Dec 2 on ABC. "It feels like a dream," she told Teen Vogue. "Getting the show is the dream come true but being the first Filipino woman to walk in the show means I’m making history. The show is broadcast on more than 190 countries with models from 20 countries and I got chosen to represent my region. Blessed!"

While Kelsey is undoubtedly making history by bringing more diversity to the runway, she has also received plenty of backlash from the Filipino community. "My only issue with Kelsey Merritt, is that you can almost see that she’s pure American," a user shared on Twitter. "It would not be that difficult for her to get cast as VS as she fits the ff standards: tall, skinny, and white." Another said: "tbh what’s the point of celebrating Kelsey Merritt as the first Filipino to be in VS when she a) is white passing so it’s not exactly representation and b) VS is trash anyways?"

The issue of colorism has always been a huge part of Filipino culture. Kelsey has a Filipino mother and a white American father making her half Filipino. Similarly, a number of the Philippines' well-known actors, singers, and models are often multi-racial with lighter skin as it fits the country's ideal standards of beauty, naturally leaving little opportunity for anyone else trying to make it in the industry.

Asia's Next Top Model Runner-up

Filipina Adela-Mae Marshall finishes among top 3 in Asia’s Next Top Model Cycle 6

By Gianna Llanes
Philippine Canadian Inquirer
24 October 2018

Filipino-British model Adela-Mae Marshall, representing the Philippines in Cycle 6 of Asia’s version of Tyra Bank’s popular reality show America’s Next Top Model, completes her Asia’s Next Top Model journey among the top three finalists. Adela was one of two Filipinas representing the country during the reality show, joined by 19-year-old Jach Manere.

ADELA-MAE MARSHALL. Picture: Asia's Next Top Model/Facebook

After the release of the show’s season finale last Wednesday, October 24, Adela shares with fans how she felt about her performance throughout the show. In an Instagram post, Adela says, “And then there was 1.” She also gives a message to her co-finalists, adding, “Congratulations Dana, you absolutely went #BeyondLimits and I couldn’t be happier for you. Mia, what can I say? We put up a good fight but we are too good at being runners-up. I’m proud of us regardless.”

PHILIPPINES: Adela Mae Marshall and Jachin Manere

For her mentors, Adela sends this message, “To Cindy Sirinya and Yu Tsai, thank you for guiding and molding us throughout the whole competition. Thank you for seeing something in me I couldn’t even see myself and hopefully, this won’t be the last of me you see!”

Adela ends her social media caption with a message to her Filipino fans, saying in the country’s language, “Before, I said ‘Laban Pilipinas’ and even though I didn’t win now, I will continue to try and represent the Philippines in the best way I can.” Her final statement says, “Thank you so much for your support. I’m sorry I couldn’t bring home the title for a back-to-back win,” referring to Cycle 5’s winner Filipina Maureen Wroblewitz, continuing, “I hope I was able to show you that am ‘pusong Pinoy’. I hope I was able to represent the Philippines well.”

Ultimately, the MAIN title was won by Team Thailand, this time represented by Dana Slosar, who will be receiving her own Subaru XV, a cover and spread on Harper’s Bazaar Thailand, an avatar in the show’s mobile game, and a modeling contract with Storm Model management in London.