Am sorry if this is coming late and without notice. Over the last month I received tons of emails, some have even reached out to me via Twitter and Facebook asking if I would be covering the pageant this year and giving my predictions – some going as far as saying that they trust me the most and will hold out until they have heard from me. To all of you my sincerest thanks for your patronage.

To be completely honest with you I still consider myself an outsider in the pageant coverage circle. I don’t do any year round kind of coverage that most if not all pageant experts do. And I can’t really name, names of former contestants and match that to what they did or how they walked, etc. I do however have an interest in watching the pageant and making a game out of guessing (intelligently) who makes the cut to the Top 15.

In the 9 years that I have been doing this I would like to think that I have a pretty good track record as detailed below.

2001: Predicted Miss Universe. 7 out of 10 finalists
2002: Predicted Miss Universe. 6 out of 10 finalists
2003: 12 out of 15 finalists
2004: 10 out of 15 finalists
2005: 11 out of 15 finalists
2006: Predicted Miss Universe. 12 out of 20 finalists
2007: 7 out of 15 finalists (11 counting alternates)
2008: Predicted Miss Universe. 10 out of 15 finalists

So how do I do this? Like I said I make intelligent guesses based on a couple of factors.

First is how well a delegate performed during the preliminary competition. The preliminaries are basically a long swimsuit and evening gown competition, a grueling 2-3 hour event where each of the 82 delegates parades on stage one after the other. As you can imagine you have to stand out to get through and make the cut. This year the preliminary competition was broadcast live via U-Stream making reasonably good quality versions available on the web. This gave most pageant fans a chance to make better choices when selecting their winners.

Other factors that we don’t get to see however but are equally as important is the panel interview – where delegates meet with the preliminary judges and are asked a series of questions. The pageant organizers are also given a free hand at selecting some of the semifinalists although this number has never been published. The so-called Trump’s discretion however is important and must be taken into consideration also. You may think that this ain’t fair – and perhaps to a certain degree it ain’t. But at the end of the day the Miss Universe title is a job – and the organization should have a say at who they select to hold the responsibility.

Having said that here are my picks for 2009.

TOP 5

1 – Dominican Republic (Gut Pick): A pageant veteran, even considered a front runner to win Ms World a few years back, Ada Aimee De la Cruz is to me the strongest delegate this year. Her long legs and trim figured make her excellent in swimsuit, and her walk is one of the best, very confident and polished. She is also undeniably very, very stunning and exudes a big presence on stage. I believe she’d make a good miss Universe. And I think its about time we have a stunning brown beauty wearing the crown don’t you think?

1 – France (My Pick): If you look closely right after Ms. Venezuela was crowned last year, she did this yeah I won reaction with her fist – a very playful gesture that was un-beauty queen like but in a good way. It showed that she had a very cool and quirky demeanor – not the pageant queen type of attitude. I see the same vibe in Chloe Mortaud. I think she’d make a great Miss Universe. She did really well in the preliminaries and am pretty sure she will sail through to the Top 5 with ease. If all goes well her natural beauty and fresh could very well give her the title. As a plus she is one of the few Ms. France’s that I‘ve seen that can speak good English.

3 – South Africa: If you take a look at her photos on the net, Tatum Keshwar doesn’t stand out if compared with other girls. But even if she isn’t the most beautiful lady in the pageant – she is striking on stage. I can’t really put my foot on it but she oozes with that all important X-Factor on stage. Coupled with good speaking skills, and a fresh demeanor. She is a strong contender for the title. I consider her a shoo in for the Top 5 as well.

4 – Venezuela: To be completely honest Stefania Fernandez didn’t do as well as expected during the preliminaries. I didn’t quite like her posture and her evening gown styling. But really if you take away all that make up, she has one of the most beautiful and fresh faces of the pageant. My wish for her is that she tones it down a bit and goes with a more natural look for the pageant. I know a lot of people have taken her off their lists but I am taking a risk and putting her as high as number 4. She has such a bubbly personality and sash-factor aside she could very well make it a back to back win for Venezuela.

5 Indonesia: Not the most gorgeous of all the Asians but I think the strongest of all the Asian delegates this year. During the preliminaries Zivanna Letisha Siregar did really well. Her long legs helped her stand out during the swimsuit competition. And she did reasonably well in the evening gown segment. I think she will do really well and can very well land in the Top 5.

TOP 10

6 – Russia: Sofia Rudyeva is classy, elegant, and sophisticated. Her web interview shows maturity and intelligence too. Having said that though there seems to have been an issue concerning racy nude photos that she took when she was 15. Based on my assessment this could hurt her chances of winning the title. However – performance wise, there is no doubt that she deserves to be in the Top 10. I’m placing her as high as 6.

7 – Australia: An early front-runner Rachael Finch of Australia’s is another one of those natural beauties, with a bubbly personality. I’d like for her to go far, but she seems to lack that certain pizzaz when on stage and I am afraid that come pageant night that will affect her chances. If she can turn it on I am quite sure she can go all the way to win the title.

8 – USA: I personally think she is a pageant patty. All her moves seem calculated – for example how she tentatively went into a spin during the evening gown preliminary competition in an attempt to get her dress to fly into the air for added drama. I must admit that Kristen Dalton is stunningly beautiful, and expect her to go far. But I don’t see her winning the title this year. I could be wrong but my guy says otherwise.

9 – Czech Republic: A tall stunning blonde Lveta Lutovska is another strong contender who underwhelmed during the preliminaries. I think however that her performance is strong enough to make it to the Top 10. She has lovely lines, a great body and a beautiful face. I am just not convinced that she has that youthful look that judges look for. Expect her to do well nonetheless.

10 – Colombia: I wish she had not cut her hair because she was stunning. But still her presence on stage more than makes up for it. Michelle Rouillard is a long shot for the title, but I expect her to get through and do well. She speaks excellent English and aside from having a great personality she seems to be very intelligent as well.

TOP 15

11 – Philippines: The entire decade has seen a drought for Miss Philippines. And even if I think she could have done much better in the semis I save a spot on my list for Bianca Manalo. She is probably the most beautiful delegate from Asia, but doesn’t have the best body to match. Her problem however was that she seems to have rushed through her preliminary walks. That aside I think she is a great delegate and perhaps also because of national pride I think she could pretty well make it. I hope she does well.

12 – Puerto Rico: When I saw videos of Mayra Matos Perez win Miss Puerto Rico I knew she would be a tough contender at this year’s pageant. But she was lack luster during the prelims. To be honest probably not enough to get into the Top 15, but I want to give her another chance, considering that other factors are in play. She was stunning when competing for her national title, if she can bring that back she can go much further. Win even.

13 – Mexico: I’m not a big fan of Karla Carrillo but her toned down, natural look during the preliminary evening gown competition made me take a second look at her. She is here to compete for sure and I think she will bring all the Latina fire to her game if she makes it. I don’t think she will perform anywhere close to her predecessor though. She tries hard but in the end I think she will miss the mark for the title.

14 – Belgium: I really hope the judges don’t overlook Zeynep Sever. She has a unique look, not the traditional pageant type – but very lovely nonetheless. I think she competed well and deserves a slot in the Top 15. Aside from her cute face, she has a great body and competed well in the swimsuit competition. Am hoping she wears something else in the evening gown though as her dress was just so-so. That’s it if she makes it that far.

15 – Japan: Most experts will say that Japan won’t make the cut. Her evening gown presentation was flawed, but she has such a stunning face. My hopes is that she gets in c/o a Trump card. If she does, I’m quite sure she will get into the top 10 and if she and changes her evening gown will make it to the Top 5 and could very well win the title.

ALTERNATES:

Any of the remaining 7 would be welcome replacements to my Top 15

Netherlands
Jamaica
Ghana
Honduras
China
Guatemala
Spain

WILD CARD:

Not my picks but would not be surprised if they made an appearance in the Top 15:

United Kingdom
Vietnam
Bahamas