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Pageant News Bureau
Offstage Archive
People on PNB: April - June 2005

Miss World, Maria Julia Mantilla of Peru, has told media that she is thinking of suing her one-time plastic surgeon for his allegedly inflated claims about making her beautiful. Ms. Mantilla, 20, says she did use the services of Dr. Cesar Morillas in return for promoting his work. But she said he has falsely claimed to have "created" her winning look and taken credit for body parts he did not reshape. Morillas denies making misstatements and indicates he may have been misquoted. Ms. Mantilla was crowned Miss World in China in late 2004.

Former Miss USA finalist and PNB cover girl Tiffany Fallon has been chosen Playboy's Playmate of the Month. The June 2005 issue of Playboy makes the announcement and shows the voluptuous brunette in a colorful "retro" feature.

Laetitia Bléger, Miss France 2004, has agreed to appear nude in the French edition of Playboy magazine. This prompted an angry response from the Miss France Committee, which hinted at punitive action.

Allison Williams, 23, a law student who was Miss West Virginia 2000, is suing a number of Internet businesses that distributed sexually explicit videos that purported to show her. Ms. Williams says the pornographic footage clearly shows someone other than her, and says the videos include statements about her that are false. In some cases, she said, some genuine facts about her and some real but inoffensive photos of her were added to give the videos credibility. PNB published a warning about pornographic hoaxes targeting the pageant world in late 2004.

Mayor Tom Potter of Portland, Ore., has refused to issue a letter endorsing the Mrs. Oregon America Pageant because of a rule that contestants must be women married to men. Potter, a former police chief, has long been outspoken in his support of gay rights. His refusal to officially commend the pageant has no legal force, but politicians often issue such letters to constituents and groups as means of public relations. Letter writers to PNB in 2003 predicted that pageants for married women would encounter controversy as the gay marriage controversy grows.

The Critical Beauty Web site presented its CB award to Evangelina Duke, Miss Montana 2004, for her crusade against bullying. She is on an ambitious program of visiting Montana schools to present her message.

Alicia Machado of Venezuela, who was Miss Universe 1996, reportedly is wrapping up an English-language movie in South Florida. She has previously been a Spanish-language soap opera star.

Rebekah Revels, who sued over being dethroned as Miss North Carolina (America) in 2002, is now suing a former organizer for the Miss World Pageant, in which she competed as the U.S. representative that same year. It's the latest twist in one of the more peculiar legal sagas in pageant history. Ms. Revels was crowned Miss North Carolina in summer 2002, but resigned under pressure a month later after acknowledging that a boyfriend had taken topless photos of her. She then changed her mind and launched a legal fight to represent North Carolina at Miss America. She actually traveled to Atlantic City to make her claim, and briefly was allowed to participate in pageant activities along with the official Miss North Carolina, her former runner-up Misty Dawn Clymer. That effort failed, but Ms. Revels' legal battle over losing the crown is still active. In autumn 2002, in something of a publicity coup, the now famous Ms. Revels was chosen as the U.S. representative at Miss World. But now she claims that she was not given promised prizes and public appearance opportunities after Miss World. As for the pictures that made her famous, she has always claimed they were taken against her will.

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