Miss Virtual World 2009

Click the poster to go to Best of SL Magazine online

Miss SL Ebony 2008 - Third Cycle

**SATURDAY 26TH APRIL AT 8 PM PST**

* EXCLUSIVE : In association with Chan Dejavu and Dejavu Isles, the beauty pageant next cycle will be a special 'unleash your creativity event' ! Indeed, a painting by Fabienne Arietti untitled 'Female Eyes Open' have been selected and the aspiring Miss SL Ebony 2008 will use their imagination to talk about it...
* HOW WILL IT BE JUDGED ?
The 15 girls still competing for the title will answers to the the following questions : - What does this painting inspire you ? (on the official poster) - How do you see cultural diversity and cultural identity in the metaverse ?
DIFFICULTY :
Models will have 5 minutes maximum to give their answers during the event. They will be judged upon their communication skills and their ability to follow strict guidelines (timeline for the speech.) Chan Dejavu is the special judge of this cycle !
* WHERE WILL THE SHOW BE ? http://slurl.com/secondlife/Motown%20City/32/194/23/

At the end of their performance, we will announce the 5 girls who will access the final step of Miss SL Ebony 2008 and get a chance to win over 100,000L$ ! There is excitment in the air... and also stress. If you can feel it, it means that you absolutely have to check this event out.

Frolic Mills (founder of the Miss SL Universe Organization and The Best of SL Magazine) worked with artists, architects, designers, sim owners, SL business owners, RL companies and media to ensure that this would be the most amazing spectacle to hit SL. And, he was overwhelmingly successful. Prizes for Miss SL Universe reached over L$260,000 in cash, services, products and real estate. Over a thousand women from all over SL submitted pictures and applications to be contestants, making choosing the 12 contestants a task that would not be envied by many.


Yours truly was lucky enough to have been asked to do the color commentary with Duckyfresh Watanabe for SLCN.TV and also the sim manager for Galveston Island (the location of the pageant). Being privy to some of the inside and backstage action has allowed me to bring you a unique view of the Miss SL Universe Pageant.

This was the first time that I have been in a room full of some of the most powerful people in SL. I knew many of them personally, however, to see everyone in the same place gave me pause. As I looked around and saw Scope Cleaver, Dane Zander, Ally Geer, Raven Pennyfeather, Callie Cline, Nicky Ree, Frolic Mills, Kirk Claymore and countless other members of SL royalty; it made me realize that not only is SL coming of age, but so are it’s inhabitants. It was exciting for me to see some of the most gifted and connected people inside SL talking, laughing and getting to know each other (if they didn’t already). I personally feel that yesterday was not only milestone for the way events are held in SL, but for networking in general. Who knows the connections that were formed yesterday that will impact SL down the road. But, I digress…
The first leg of the pageant was the introduction of the contestants wearing ensembles that were re-creations of clothing worn from the country they were representing. It was stunning. All of the costumes, gowns and bathing suits were custom made for the event. As the ladies paraded down the runway flawlessly (which is a HUGE achievement given the amount of lag we were all facing) it was clear that this was going to be a grand spectacle. Victorian gowns, Asian ensembles, Mediterranean, European, Native American and African motifs represented the countries of origin in a breathtaking show of pride, dignity and style. I have never seen such a display in my entire second life. It hammered home to me that these were not just people showing up to win a prize, they were also expressing their personalities and allowing us to see a deeper glimpse of who they are in one of the most public venues in SL history.
Next was the swimsuit competition. What would a pageant be without a swimsuit competition? However, per the usual, Frolic managed this with class and dignity. All of the contestants were given the same bathing suit, leveling the playing field. It was a lovely gold two piece bikini with a matching sarong. Each of the girls were challenged to accessorize the ensemble to show their personal style.
After the bathing suit competition, Yman Juran put on a particle and acrobatic show of the likes that has never been seen before in SL. It was absolutely amazing. She put together some of the most gifted scripting for that type of performance that any of us had ever seen.
Then the ladies came out in some of the most breathtaking evening gowns you can imagine. Some were sleek and sexy, while others were more traditional with full skirts and head pieces. Regardless of the style, they were all flawless and set off each of the girls with elegance and style.

Nail biting time........

“We have now decided the top five finalists! And they are: Elisne Allen, Miss Israel; Isabel Brocco, Miss Spain; Summer Deadlight, Miss USA; Babyhoney Bailey, Miss Greece; Mui Mukerji, Miss Hong Kong.”
As they each took their place in the circle in front of the judges, cheers, applause and people shouting out their favorites filled the room. The other girls left the stage and all eyes were on the final five.

The ladies were then asked, one at a time, to choose a judge to as them a question. Can you imagine? Some of the most accomplished people in SL asking you a question that will help decide whether or not you win a competition you’ve spent over a month preparing for and being expected to come up with an answer in front of the panel, 82 people, reporters and television crews. I would have passed out. But, proving that they were truly fit for the competition, they all answered with intelligence and grace. One of the answers actually moved Ducky to tears and she had to excuse herself for a moment. Again, each of these contestants allowed the public to have a look inside of them, and it turned out to be one of the more moving parts of the entire evening.

It was then time for the judges to decide who would be the first Miss SL Universe. As they did that, Starr Singer perfomed beautifully singing live. She had such an amazing voice and did justice to the songs that she performed.

After she finished, the judges finally came back with their decision.
“4th Runner Up: Miss Hong Kong, Mui Mukerji!”
“3rd Runner Up: Miss USA, Summer Deadlight!”
“2nd Runner Up: Miss Spain, Isabel Brocco!”

Then… SIM CRASH!! Yes! OMG… When I hurriedly logged back on, SL said that the sim was not available! I got Guy Linden from concierge support who, after a couple of minutes, brought the sim back up and we all flew back to the Miss SL Universe Auditorium. After we all assembled, they continued…

“1st Runner Up: Miss Israel, Elisne Allen!”

“And the first Miss SL Universe is Miss Greece, Babyhoney Bailey!” Cheers, woots, applause and accolades errupted from the audience. It was amazing!

I was able to talk to Miss SL Universe, 2008, Babyhoney Bailey and asked her what all of this meant to her. She said, “Working with the Miss SL Universe organization was a dream. The level of professionalism matched the level of fun and it was the first time I'd been a part of something so elaborate. It was incredibly innovative and I'm proud to have had the opportunity to be apart of it. The other contestants were amazing and, although I had hopes of placing, winning wasn't on my mind at all! I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity and extremely proud to be a part of an event and now an organization that will hopefully bring a wider cultural awareness to SL.”

"It moves me that a show can bring about so much attention that it can fill a sim and countless locations throughout SL for 5 straight hours. It really shows what can be done when a lot of great artists pull together. That's what Miss SL Universe is all about - showcasing talent and creativity. It was one of the most moving experiences of my second life,” said Frolic Mills, Founder of the Miss SL Universe Organization.

This was truly the most amazing event that I have ever been a part of and I am honored to have been able to share it with you.

Carter Giacobini