Showing posts with label Frank Dux. Show all posts

Thursday, August 19

Dee Snider

Dee Snide,

Daniel "Dee" Snider (born March 15, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter, screenwriter, radio personality, and actor. Snider is most famous for his role as the frontman of the heavy metal band Twisted Sister. He was ranked 83 in the Hit Parader's Top 100 Metal Vocalist of All Time.

Early life

Born in Astoria, New York, Snider grew up in nearby Baldwin and graduated from Baldwin High School in 1973. As a child he sang in a church choir, several school choruses, and Baldwin HS Concert Choir. He also was selected for the All State Chorus by singing. While in eighth grade, Snider was in a Black Sabbath cover band.

Career

1970s–1980s

In early 1976, Snider joined the recently formed Twisted Sister and became the sole songwriter of the band thereafter. The group released their first studio album, Under the Blade, in September 1982 and developed a following in the UK. Less than a year later, Twisted Sister released their sophomore effort, You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll. Their third album, Stay Hungry, hit shelves on May 10, 1984. This would become the band's most successful record with the hits "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock." To emphasize the "twisted sister" image, Snider adopted a trademark persona of metal-inspired drag with a long blond wig, an excessive amount of eye shadow and rouge, and bright red lipstick.

During the mid 1980s, before the premiere of Headbangers Ball, the first MTV program to consist entirely of heavy metal videos was Heavy Metal Mania. The first episode aired in June 1985 and was hosted by Dee Snider. It featured metal news, interviews with metal artists, and in-studio co-hosts. That same year in November, Twisted Sister released Come Out and Play which sold over 500,000 copies but was marred by a poor concert tour.

In 1985, a Senate hearing was instigated by the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC), who wanted to introduce a parental warning system that would label all albums containing offensive material. The system was to include letters identifying the type of objectionable content to be found in each album (e.g. O for occult themes, S for sex, D for drugs, V for violence, etc). Dee Snider, John Denver, and Frank Zappa all testified against censorship and the proposed warning system. Such a system was never implemented, but the result of the trial brought about what is now the generic "Parental Advisory: Explicit Content" label.

The PMRC was initially formed by the wives of Washington DC power brokers Al Gore (D-TN, Senate) and Secretary of State James Baker. Tipper Gore in particular became the face of the PMRC and a public foil for Snider in the hearings. Ironically, in the 2000 US Presidential Election cycle, Snider endorsed Vice President Gore for office. Public statements at the time (as noted in a July 2000 Reason article) have Snider justifying the decision based on Gore's environmental stance; however, other comments attributed to Snider quote him as saying he was backing the obvious winner[citation needed].

A fifth Twisted Sister album would be made in 1987's Love Is for Suckers. The record was originally planned to be a Dee Snider solo effort, but Atlantic Records encouraged a release under the Twisted Sister name. Touring lasted only into October that year and on the 12th of that month, Snider announced his departure from the band. It was during this time that Snider formed Desperado, a band featuring ex-Iron Maiden drummer Clive Burr, ex-Gillan guitarist Bernie Torme, and bassist Marc Russel. The group's only album, Ace, has never been officially released but was heavily bootlegged on CD under the title Bloodied But Unbowed.

1990s

Snider performing in Manchester, England

In the 1990s, Snider formed Widowmaker with Joe Franco, a good friend to Twisted Sister and drummer on the Love Is For Suckers, as well as Al Pitrelli and Marc Russel. The quartet recorded two albums with limited underground success, titled Blood and Bullets and Stand By For Pain. In the late 1990s, Snider toured with a "self-tribute" band called Dee Snider's SMFs (Sick Mother Fuckers), sometimes featuring ex-Twisted Sister drummer A.J. Pero. The usual line up included Dee Snider, Derek Tailer, Charlie Mills, Keith Alexander, and Spike.

In 1997, Dee Snider began hosting the House of Hair, a syndicated 1980s hard rock/heavy metal radio show that airs on over 200 radio stations across North America. It is syndicated by the United Stations Radio Networks. The show's format runs two hours and features Snider's closing catchphrase, "If it ain't metal, it's crap!"

In 1998, Snider had penned a song entitled "The Magic of Christmas Day (God Bless Us Everyone)" which would be recorded in 1998 by Celine Dion for her album These Are Special Times. According to Snider, Dion at the time was not aware of who wrote the song. Later that year, he also wrote and starred in the horror film Strangeland. Snider has also penned the script to a sequel which has the working title of Strangeland: Disciple. As of January 2008, however, Snider was less than optimistic that it would ever see the light of day, saying in an interview with Bullz-Eye.com that he had reached a point where he should "put a sign on my website that says, 'Y’got ten million dollars? Give me a call. I’ve got the script ready to go, Robert Englund’s attached, I’m attached. If somebody’s serious and wants to make it, call me. But don’t call me ‘til you’re ready to hand the check over.'” In May 2009, Dee Snider revealed on his radio show,"The House Of Hair," that Strangeland: Disciple will go ahead and is set to begin shooting in the fall of 2009 and is slated for a 2010 release.

2000s–present

From June 1999 to August 2003, Snider hosted a morning radio show on a Hartford, Connecticut Clear Channel station, Radio 104 (104.1 FM WMRQ), called Dee Snider Radio. His show returned to the air at night in August 2004 on 93.3 WMMR in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania until June 2005. He fondly referred to his listeners as his "Peeps," and "DEE" euro stickers, printed by the station, could be seen on the bumpers of his fans' cars throughout Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. Other members of the morning show included Nick Lentino, Beth Lockwood, "Psycho Dan" Williams, Sean Robbins, and "Darkside Dave" Wallace. He frequently featured high-profile guests, including Ozzy Osbourne, pro wrestler Mick Foley, and KISS singer/bassist Gene Simmons.

In 2001, Snider was the voice of Gol Acheron, the main villain for the PlayStation 2 video game Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy. The following year, he rejoined with the reunited Twisted Sister. Snider also played himself in the 2002 TV-movie Warning: Parental Advisory. In 2003, he appeared with actor Arnold Schwarzenegger during his drive to recall incumbent California Governor Gray Davis. Snider sang the Twisted Sister hit, "We're Not Gonna Take It," which was adopted by the Schwarzenegger campaign.

Snider narrates and hosts many shows and specials on VH1, movie trailers, behind the scenes segments, and DVD special features. He was featured as the 'voice' in the bumpers for MSNBC's 2001/2002 "Fiercely Independent" branding campaign. Every year since 2004, Snider has narrated a live show known as Van Helsing's Curse which tours the US around Halloween giving a mix of famous music with dark overtones and an occasional part of a storytelling to accompany the music. The concert has also been released on CD. Snider hosted VH1's 2008 "Aftermath" concert in remembrance of the victims and survivors of the 2003 Station nightclub fire.

Snider returned to radio in June 2006 with Fangoria Radio on Sirius Satellite Radio channel 102 from 9-12 Eastern.

During winter of 2008, Snider was featured as a contestant on CMT's Gone Country. The show recruited famous musical celebrities who competed against each other to win a chance to release a country song. Also in 2008, Snider appeared on the first episode of season two's Kitchen Nightmares who Gordon Ramsay had recruited as part of the marketing for the re-launch of the Handlebar restaurant. On the show, Snider donated a motorcycle for auction in which customers of the Handlebar were able to bid on through the Handlebar restaurants website.

Dee hosts DEAD ART on Gallery HD, a show about the beauty and art of cemeteries. He also hosts House of Hair a radio show that plays heavy metal music.

Snider has made appearances on the IFC Channel's original series Z Rock as himself playing the character of a "rock guru."

On July 27, 2010., Dee Snider and his family began appearing in the reality television show "Growing Up Twisted," airing on the Arts and Entertainment Network.

Personal life

Snider has been married to his wife Suzette, a costume designer, since October 21,1981. They have four children, Jesse Blaze (September 19, 1982), Shane Royal (February 29,1988), Cody Blue (December 7,1989), and Cheyenne Jean (October 31, 1996). His eldest son Jesse hosted MTV2 Rock, a music video countdown program in 2003, and was the runner-up in MTV's 2008 show Rock the Cradle. Dee appeared on the show as Jesse's mentor. Jesse is also the lead singer of the punk metal band Baptized By Fire.

In 2003, Snider's brother-in-law, Vincent Gargiulo, was murdered.

Snider currently lives part-time in East Setauket, New York. He appeared on MTV Cribs in 2005 to show his Long Island home, along with two of his four children, Shane and Cheyenne.

Snider is a personal friend of professional wrestler Mick Foley.

Snider is a registered Republican, but does not always vote for his party. In 2008, he stated in a TMZ interview that he would be voting for Barack Obama because John McCain (whom he liked and supported for many years) would not acknowledge George W. Bush's mistakes that he made while in office.

At the PMRC hearings, Dee Snider stated: "I was born and raised a Christian and I still adhere to those principles."

Projects

Bands

Twisted Sister

Desperado

Widowmaker

S.M.F.'s (Sick Mutha Fuckers)

Bent Brother (heavy metal group)

Books

Dee Snider's Teenage Survival Guide, Doubleday, 1987 - available in hardcover & softcover

Rock & Roll War Stories, Pitbull Publishing LLC, a chapter is dedicated to a hilarious anecdote Dee Snider told musician/author Gordon G.G. Gebert on Dee's House of Hair Radio show. The story inspired Gebert to write his third book.

Solo albums

Never Let the Bastards Wear You Down, 2000

Guest appearances

"Crazy Train" on Bat Head Soup: A Tribute to Ozzy, 2000

"Go to Hell" on Humanary Stew: A Tribute To Alice Cooper, 1999

"Go to Hell" on Welcome to My Nightmare: An All Star Salute To Alice Cooper, 1999

"Eleanor Rigby" on Eddie Ojeda's Axes 2 Axes, 2005

"Wasted Years" on Numbers From The Beast: An All Star Tribute to Iron Maiden, 2005

"SCG3 Special Report" on Lordi: The Arockalypse, 2006

"Detroit Rock City" on Spin The Bottle: An All-Star Tribute To KISS, 2004

"Howard Stern" on Sirius, Feb 8, 2006; 2007

"Saigon Suicide Show"; an episode of the television show "The Upright Citizens Brigade", 1998

"Handlebar"; an episode of the television show "Kitchen Nightmares", 2008

"Episode#1.7"; an episode of the television show "Z Rock (ZO2)", 2008

Monster Circus live at the Las Vegas Hilton March 19-21 & 26-28, 2009

"Paint it Black" on "Harder & Heavier-60's British Invasion Goes Metal," 2010

"I Wanna Rock" on America's Got Talent, 2010

Filmography

Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985) - cameo appearance on top of a car hood singing "Burn in Hell"

Private Parts (1997) - cameo appearance in the opening scene

Strangeland (1998)

Van Helsing's Curse (2004)

Kiss Loves You (2004)

Metal: A Headbangers Journey (2005)

[edit]Other appearances in media

Spongebob Squarepants (2009) - played the character Angry Jack on the episode "Shell Shocked"

Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (2001) - did the voice of Gol the Sage

Bluetooth= D-bag (2009)- Partook in the JOHNisFUNNY.com YouTube sketch about Bluetooth headsets, created by Long Island filmmaker John Mingione

"Penn Jillette Radio" (October 19, 2006) - Interviewed by Penn Jillette

(source:wikipdia)

Tuesday, August 17

Foot Mercato

Foot Mercato,

Founded in 2004, the site is published by Foot Mercato Adakim society. It is dedicated entirely to news and rumors of transfers in football.

Originally devoted exclusively to the footballing public reporting, the site eventually developed a forum for discussion (since closed) and a database devoted to clubs, players, coaches and football accessible to visitors.

Foot Mercato experiencing record audiences in May 2008 (beginning of the period of the transfers in football), recording more than 450,000 visits in three days.

(source:wikipedia)

Wednesday, August 4

Roger Huerta

Roger Huerta,

(born May 20, 1983), is an American mixed martial artist. He initially gained exposure by competing in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He now fights for Bellator Fighting Championships. Huerta makes his acting debut as Miguel Caballero Rojo in the live action motion picture Tekken.

Early life

Huerta is of Mexican and Salvadoran descent. He had a long and difficult early childhood right up to his teen years, overcoming many challenges and has been described as having the "life that Hollywood producers make movies about". Born to Lydia and Rogelio Huerta in Los Angeles, California, he spent the first 6 years of his life in Texas. His father became heavily involved in drugs and alcohol and began an affair with another woman that led to a separation with Lydia.

Huerta's mother became physically abusive, and when Huerta came to school with bruises covering his body, Child Protective Services intervened, placing him in a foster home for a short time. In 1990, Lydia lost the custody battle for Huerta and fled the United States with Huerta, age 7, to her parent's home in El Salvador. Shortly upon arriving, Lydia abandoned Huerta leaving him in the care of his grandparents at the time of the El Salvadoran Civil War. She returned a year later to only leave him on his father's doorstep in Texas. That was the last time he saw his mother. Huerta openly talks about his mental and physical abuse endured by his father and stepmother in that year. The next year he was relocated to Mexico and left with his father's parents living in poverty. They would often send him out into the streets selling picture frames to tourists to make money. For a brief time, his father and stepmother came back into his life where they moved to the Rio Grande Valley and enrolled him half way through the year into grade 3. When he was 12, his father left home and soon after was kicked out. He lived on the streets for many years and survived by joining a youth gang. He often slept in alleys and on rooftops, but was encouraged by his friends to remain in school where he could eat a provided breakfast and lunch.

He occasionally stayed with friends and just before his freshman year, his life began to turn around for the better. Maria King, his friend's mother, obtained legal custody of him and the three moved to Austin, Texas where he attended Crockett High School. For one of the first times in his life he found himself in a stable environment and became quite popular in school and joined many of the school's sports teams including football and wrestling. It was there he met Jo Ramirez, his English teacher, where she learned about his troubled childhood in a conversation discussing his future ambitions. Furthermore, Bryan Ashford, the school's wrestling teacher, took a special interest in Huerta and continued to supported him in division wrestling. Ramirez, already a mother of seven, adopted Huerta in 2002 at the age of 19.

Ashford coached Huerta and with the help of Ramirez, aided him in applying for a collegiate wrestling scholarship. Huerta attends Augsburg College in Minneapolis, Minnesota with one year remaining in a Business Management bachelors degree and resided in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Huerta worked for a time as a bouncer and construction worker.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

In Huerta's pre-UFC career, his first loss came as a result of a dislocated jaw early in the finals of the SuperBrawl 36 tournament against Ryan Schultz on June 18, 2004, his third match of the day.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Huerta was originally slated to make his UFC debut against Hermes Franca at UFC 61, but was forced to withdraw from the fight as the result of an elbow injury. He won his first six fights in the UFC, the first at UFC 63 against Jason Dent, which was declared "Fight of the Night".

His next fight was against UFC newcomer John Halverson at UFC 67. The fight ended by TKO after 19 seconds of round one after Huerta landed a knee to the shoulder/head area of a grounded Halverson, knocking him down where Huerta finished him with punches. The end of the bout was controversial as knees to the head of grounded opponents are illegal under UFC rules. It was later shown in a replay that Huerta's knee was actually to the shoulder rather than to the head.

Next he fought in a three round war with Leonard Garcia at UFC 69. winning via unanimous decision. After the fight, in May 2007, Huerta became the first mixed martial artist to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated Magazine to showcase its first story on the rising popularity of mixed martial arts.

Huerta won his next two fights against Doug Evans and Alberto Crane before he faced and submitted Clay Guida by rear naked choke in the third round on December 8, 2007 at The Ultimate Fighter 6 Finale. Huerta was visibly frustrated at losing in the grappling exchanges from Guida's wrestling offensive, spending a large part of the bout on his back fending off ground and pound from his opponent. Late in the second round he was stunned by a punch to the face while trying to get to his feet, but managed to survive until the end of the round. Early in the third round, Huerta looked to engage Guida on his feet. Huerta stunned Guida with a knee to the face while attempting a kick when Guida looked to shoot and after a brief flurry, took his back and proceeded to submit him very late in the fight for an impressive come-from-behind win.

Huerta then lost his next fight by unanimous decision (all judges scored the bout 30–27) at UFC 87 against Kenny Florian.

On January 9, 2009, Huerta announced an indefinite hiatus from MMA to further pursue opportunities in acting.

In order to complete his UFC contract,Huerta returned on September 16, 2009, but lost to Gray Maynard at UFC Fight Night 19. After a back and forth fight, he would end up losing a split decision in his bout against Maynard, with the bout scored 28–29, 30–27, 30–27.

Bellator career

On Huerta's personal Twitter account, he announced he was in talks with Strikeforce.

Instead of Strikeforce, Huerta signed with up and coming promotion, Bellator Fighting Championships. He is one of eight men to compete in the second season lightweight tournament with the winner receiving a title shot against Eddie Alvarez.

His first fight in the tournament took place at Bellator 13, with Huerta defeating his opponent Chad Hinton via submission (kneebar) at 0:56 of the third round.

His second fight in the tournament took place at Bellator 17. Huerta lost the semi final to Pat Curran by unanimous decision. (29-28 from all three judges). Huerta lost 3 out of his last 4 fights

Training

Huerta trained for his UFC fight with Kenny Florian with Greg Jackson's Submission Fighting. For his Bellator debut, he spent time in Thailand and put together a training camp with MMA fighters such as Yves Edwards (UFC), Shad Lierley (International Fight League), Jared Hess (Bellator), Dave Menne, and Jeff Clark out of the Phil Cardella / Relson Gracie Academy in Austin, Texas.

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown [show]

Date Result Record Opponent Event Method Round Time Notes

2010-08-03 Win 22-4-1(1) Negro The Streets KTFO 1 1:04 Yeah, dude got KTFO

2010-05-06 Loss 21-4-1(1) Pat Curran Bellator 17 Decision (Unanimous) 3 5:00 Lightweight Tournament Semi-Final bout

2010-04-08 Win 21–3–1(1) Chad Hinton Bellator 13 Submission (Kneebar) 3 0:56 Lightweight Tournament Opening Round

2009-09-16 Loss 20–3–1(1) Gray Maynard UFC Fight Night 19: Diaz vs. Guillard Decision (Split) 3 5:00

2008-08-09 Loss 20–2–1(1) Kenny Florian UFC 87: Seek and Destroy Decision (Unanimous) 3 5:00

2007-12-08 Win 20–1–1(1) Clay Guida The Ultimate Fighter 6 Finale Submission (Rear naked choke) 3 0:51

2007-08-25 Win 19–1–1(1) Alberto Crane UFC 74: Respect TKO (Strikes) 3 1:50

2007-06-23 Win 18–1–1(1) Doug Evans The Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale TKO (Strikes) 2 3:30

2007-04-07 Win 17–1–1(1) Leonard Garcia UFC 69: Shootout Decision (Unanimous) 3 5:00 Fight of the Night

2007-02-03 Win 16–1–1(1) John Halverson UFC 67: All or Nothing TKO (Strikes) 1 0:19

2006-09-23 Win 15–1–1(1) Jason Dent UFC 63: Hughes vs Penn Decision (Unanimous) 3 5:00

2006-04-29 Win 14–1–1(1) Joe Camacho Raze MMA" Fight Night TKO (Punches) 2 2:43

2006-02-17 Win 13–1–1(1) Dan Swift Extreme Challenge 66 TKO (Punches) 2 0:51

2005-10-15 Win 12–1–1(1) Lee King IFC: Rumble on the Rio 2 Submission (Rear naked choke) 1 0:50

2005-09-14 Win 11–1–1(1) Matt Wiman FFC 15: Fiesta Las Vegas Decision (Unanimous) 3 5:00

2005-07-30 Win 10–1–1(1) Brad Blackburn IFC: Rock N' Rumble TKO (Corner Stoppage) 3 2:19

2005-03-05 NC 9–1–1(1) Melvin Guillard Freestyle Fighting Championship 14 NC (Overturned by Commission) 3 5:00 Guillard greased in between rounds.

2005-03-05 Win 9–1–1 Kenny Jerrell Freestyle Fighting Championship 14 TKO (Punches) 1 2:15

2005-03-05 Win 8–1–1 Steve Kinnison Freestyle Fighting Championship 14 Submission (Choke) 2 N/A

2004-12-03 Win 7–1–1 Naoyuki Kotani Xtreme Fighting Organization 4 TKO (Punches) 1 1:29

2004-11-12 Win 6–1–1 Jake Short Extreme Challenge 60 Submission (Rear naked choke) 3 0:37

2004-09-24 Win 5–1–1 Matt Brady Extreme Challenge 59 TKO 1 3:12

2004-06-18 Loss 4–1–1 Ryan Schultz SuperBrawl 36 Submission (Verbal) 1 1:47 Huerta suffered a broken jaw and verbally quit

2004-06-18 Win 4–0–1 Mike Aina SuperBrawl 36 Decision (Unanimous) 3 3:00

2004-06-18 Win 3–0–1 Harris Sarmiento SuperBrawl 36 TKO (Strikes) 3 2:12

2004-03-26 Draw 2–0–1 Joe Jordan Extreme Challenge 56 Draw 3 3:00

2003-08-02 Win 2–0 Jeff Carlson EC – Best of the Best 2 – Day Event DQ N/A N/A

2003-08-02 Win 1–0 Shane Lavafor EC – Best of the Best 2 – Day Eve

Source:Roger Huerta

Sunday, August 1

Frank Dux

Frank W. Dux,

(pronounced "dukes"; born 1956[citation needed]) is an American martial artist and fight choreographer. Dux established his own school of Ninjutsu in 1975, called "Dux Ryu Ninjutsu". He is also notable as the "inspiration" of the 1988 film Bloodsport starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. Dux has been a controversial figure in martial arts, and the validity of many of his personal claims has been disputed.

Martial arts career

Dux states that he was introduced to and trained in Koga Yamabushi "Ninjitsu" by Senzo "Tiger" Tanaka, beginning at age 13. In the 1970s, Dux began teaching Dux Ryu Ninjitsu. He opened his first school in Hollywood in 1980 while subsequent schools have been owned and operated by his students. Dux and his students have coached and produced a number of boxing and martial art regional, national, and world champions.

Aside from Jean Claude Van Damme, Dux has introduced, choreographed, and trained many of his students for the entertainment industry. One of Dux's first students to achieve a Black belt, Stuart Wilson[citation needed], has performed as an actor/stuntman in various film projects since 1990's Lionheart.

Dux's martial art style "Dux Ryu Ninjitsu" is not a “koryu” 15th century feudal form of Ninjutsu, but is still claimed to be "based on its Koga Ninja root principles of adaptability and consistent change." Frank Dux formulated the proprietary augmentation technology he calls DUX FASST (Focus-Action-Skill-Strategy-Tactics).

Publications

Dux has written an autobiography entitled The Secret Man: An American Warrior's Uncensored Story (HarperCollins/ReganBooks, 1996).

Dux was the inspiration for, and co-wrote, the 1988 motion picture Bloodsport, and also served as fight choreographer. The film featured Jean Claude Van Damme who portrayed Frank Dux.[8] The film has been described by Dave Carter of Inside Kung Fu Presents The Complete Guide To Ninja Training as the "Ultimate Movie of the Ultimate Martial Art Contest"

Dux also received co-writing credit for another Van Damme film, The Quest.

Controversy

Dux has been a controversial figure in the martial arts community. The validity of many of his personal claims has been disputed. His claims concerning his martial arts background, fighting in the "Kumite", and prior military service have been alleged as unsubstantiated by the Los Angeles Times, Soldier of Fortune, and various former associates.

Dux sued Robert Brown, Alexander McColl, Larry Baily and Soldier of Fortune magazine for libel, though he failed to overcome the burden of proof as to actual malice as per New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, 376 U.S. 254 (1964), the United States Supreme Court case which established the actual malice standard which has to be met for lawsuits involving press reports about public officials or public figures.

Bibliography

Dux, Frank & Dr. Mark D. Selner. "Unlocking Power: Keys to Success", in Black Belt, September 1980 Volume 18 #9, 46-50:58.

Dux, Frank. "Self Defense Against Knives", in Black Belt, October 1980 V.18 #10, 30-34.

Dux, Frank. The Secret Man: An American Warrior's Uncensored Story (ReganBooks, 1996) ISBN 0060391529 and ISBN 978-0060391522

Dux, Frank & Gordon F. Richiusa. "The Guide to Ninjutsu Knife Fighting", in Inside Kung Fu Presents: The Complete Guide to Ninja Training, July 1987: 76-79.

Source:Frank Dux

Thursday, May 6

Miss World

Miss World,

The Miss World pageant is the oldest surviving major international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951. Since his death in 2000, Morley's wife, Julia Morley, co-chairs the pageant.

Alongside its rival Miss Universe and Miss Earth contests, this pageant is one of the most publicised beauty contests in the world.

The winner spends a year travelling to represent the Miss World Organization and its various causes.Traditionally, Miss World lives in London during her reign. The current Miss World is Kaiane Aldorino of Gibraltar.

History

Miss World 2009, Kaiane Aldorino

Miss World started as the Festival Bikini Contest, in honour of the recently introduced swim wear of the time, but was called "Miss World" by the media. It was originally planned as a one-off event. Upon learning about the upcoming Miss Universe pageant, Morley decided to make the pageant an annual event.

Opposition to the wearing of bikinis led to their replacement with more modest swim wear after the first contest. In 1959, the BBC started broadcasting the competition. The pageant's popularity grew with the advent of television.

In the 1980s, the pageant repositioned itself with the slogan Beauty With a Purpose, with added tests of intelligence and personality.However, the competition has been seen as old-fashioned and rather politically incorrect in its native Britain. It was during the 80s that the company was owned by Transworld Communications, albeit for a short time. Despite the global appeal, the show was not broadcast on any major terrestrial British TV network for several years, until Channel 5 aired it in 1998.

21st Century

Ksenia Sukhinova, Miss World 2008

Eric Morley died as the pageant entered the new century. His wife, Julia, succeeded as chairwoman of the Miss World Organization.

The century saw its first black African winner, Agbani Darego, in 2001. As part of its marketing strategy, Miss World came up with a "You Decide" television special during that edition, featuring the delegates behind the scenes and on the beach, and allowing viewers to either phone in or vote online for their favorites. It also sells its Talent, Beach Beauty and Sports events as television specials to broadcasters.

In 2002 the pageant was slated for choosing Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria to host its final. This choice was controversial, as a northern Nigerian woman, Amina Lawal, was awaiting death by stoning for adultery under Sharia law there, but Miss World chose to use the publicity surrounding its presence to bring greater global awareness and action to Amina's plight (see Controversies section).

During the first decade of the new century, Mexico has the best record for any country: as of 2009 it has consecutive placements from 2004-2009, two Top Model winners (2004 and 2009), one Beach Beauty winner (2008), two 1st runner-ups (2005 and 2009), one 2nd runner-up (2007), and three Continental Queens of Beauty (2005, 2007, 2009).

[edit]Miss World Organization

The Miss World Organization owns and manages the annual Miss World Finals, a competition that has grown into one of the World’s biggest.Since its launch in 1951, the Miss World Organization has raised more than £250 million for children’s charities. Miss World is franchised in more than 100 countries.Miss World, Limited is a privately held firm, and thus figures for its earnings, expenses and charitable contributions are not publicly available.

Aside from raising millions of pounds for charities around the globe under the banner of its 'Beauty with a Purpose' program, Miss World is also credited with directly influencing a dramatic increase in tourism in Sanya, China, host of the Miss World finals from 2003-05.

The Pageant

Zhang Zilin, Miss World 2007

In the year preceding the global finals, each delegate must win her national title or a specially designated Miss World national preliminary. Miss World's national preliminaries are conducted by their licence-holders, who hold the franchise to use the "Miss World" name in their country. The annual final is typically a month long event, with several preliminary galas, dinners, balls and activities, culminating in a globally telecast final show in which the field is narrowed to between 15-20 delegates.

[edit]Awards