Lea Salonga Talks About Shamcey Supsup and the Miss Universe 2011 Pageant

Lea Salonga, who was a telecast judge of Miss Universe 2011, talks about Shamcey Supsup and the pageant itself in her recent article for Inquirer.

Lea wrote the article in journal style, relating how she finished two concerts before heading for Brazil on the same night, how the Monique Lhuillier gown and Gabriel Barredo purse that she used was transported from the Philippines, how concerts on two venues had been moved to make way for the judging stint, where that quite "controversial" question she asked Miss Angola really came from, and much more.

Below are some excerpts from Lea Salonga's Inquirer article titled "Shamcey smart, spirited, gorgeous" published earlier today at 2:39 AM:

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Philippines is 3rd Runner-Up; Angola Wins Miss Universe 2011

25-year-old Miss Angola Leila Lopes won the crown in the recently-concluded Miss Universe 2011 pageant held at the Credicard Hall in Sao Paolo, Brazil on September 12th. Last year's winner, Mexico's Ximena Navarrete, was there to transfer the crown.

Leila Lopes was a fan favorite during the Top 10, topping the fan voting system hosted by nbc.com. She got the highest score of 7.2, immediately followed by Miss Philippines Shamcey Supsup with the score of 6.7.

Miss Universe 2011 1st runner-up went to Miss Ukraine Olesya Stefanko; 2nd runner-up was the homegirl Miss Brazil Priscila Machado; 3rd runner-up was Miss Philippines Shamcey Supsup; 4th runner-up went to Miss China Luo Zilin.

International Filipina star Lea Salonga who was recently honored with the Disney Legend award was part of the telecast judging panel. She was actually the one picked by Miss Angola to give her question during the Question and Answer portion.

Aside from Lea Salonga, the other telecast judges were Hélio Castroneves, Connie Chung, Isabeli Fontana, Vivica A. Fox, Adrienne Maloof-Nassif, Farouk Shami, Italo Zanzi, and Miss Universe 2003 Amelia Vega

Philippine representative Shamcey Supsup picked Hollywood actress Vivica A. Fox for her question. The question was: "Would you change your religious beliefs to marry the person that you love? Why or why not?" To which Shamcey answered with: "If I would have to change my religious beliefs, I would not marry the person that I love. Because the first person that I love is God, who created me. I have my faith and my principles, and this is what makes me who I am. If the person loves me, he’ll love my God, too."

Shamcey Supsup was the only candidate in the Top 5 who didn't use an interpreter, a fact that many of us saw was a plus on winning the title. Sadly, it was not.

Special awards were also given. The Best in National Costume went to Miss Panama Sheldry Saez; Miss Photogenic was Miss Sweden Ronnia Fornstedt; and Miss Congeniality was Miss Montenegro Nikolina Loncar.

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Miss Universe 2011 Live Update

The Miss Universe 2011 Pageant Night has kicked off. Instead of the usual parade of nations, the 89 contestants introduced themselves wearing identical gowns.

Miss Philippines Shamcey Supsup was the 15th to be called, 2nd to the last since there are a total of 16 semi-finalists this year due to the online voting system. The last to be called is Miss Venezuela.

Here's Shamcey as she is called into the Top 16 (forgive the resolution):

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Lea Salonga is One of the Judges in Miss Universe 2011 Pageant

Miss Universe 2011 will have a Filipino in the judges panel. Word has it that our very own international star, Lea Salonga, is selected as one of the 7 judges.

Lea Salonga was recently honored as a Disney Legend at the recent Disney Legends Award held in California. She was cited for doing the voices of Princess Jasmine in Aladdin and Fa Mulan in 2 Mulan movies.

The Miss Universe 2011 pageant will be held in Sao Paulo, Brazil on September 12 (13 in Manila). Lea Salonga will be joined by 6 other judges coming from different countries. They are racing driver Helios Castroneves, journalist Connie Chung, supermodel Isabeli Fontana, actresses Vivica Fox and Adrienne Maloof, and Miss Universe 2003 Amelia Vega.

By the way, have you been voting for Shamcey Supsup to secure her a slot in the semi-finals? If not, now is your time to start voting. Just go to this link, click on the vote button and fill up the form that will pop-up. Don't forget to tick the two boxes to certify that you're at least 16 years old and that you have read and agree to the rules. Lastly, before submitting your vote, choose from the scale of 1-10, 1 being "dislike" and 10 being "like."

You can vote for a maximum of 10 times per e-mail address per day. Online voting is for free so we can all join forces to make Shamcey Supsup advance to the semi-finals.

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Watch Lea Salonga's Disney Legend Award Acceptance Speech and Performance [Videos]

Lea Salonga is really a pride of the Philippines.

We've seen her photo with the other Disney princesses during the Disney Legends Award ceremonies but here is a video of her introduction, her acceptance speech, and her performance of the song Reflection from the movie Mulan.

People all laughed at how she thanked Linda Larkin who did the speaking voice of Princess Jasmine in Aladdin for not knowing how to sing. "Because if she did, I would not have this job and I would not be standing here today."

Disney Legends Award was held August 19 at the Anaheim Convention Center Arena in California. Lea Salonga was honored for her contribution to Walt Disney. She did the singing voice for Aladdin's Jasmine in 1992, and of Fa Mulan in two Mulan movies in 1998 and 2004.

Here's another video of the four Disney princesses awardees - Paige O'Hara (Belle), Lea Salonga (Princess Jasmine, Mulan), Anika Noni Rose (Princess Tiana), and Jodi Benson (Ariel).

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Lea Salonga at the 2011 Disney Legends Award Ceremony

Check out Lea Salonga's photo at Walt Disney's D23 Expo during the 2011 Disney Legends Award ceremony on August 19. The Pinoy pride was honored for her contribution to Walt Disney. She did the singing voices of Aladdin's Jasmine in 1992, and of Fa Mulan in two Mulan movies in 1998 and 2004.

In the above photo, Lea Salonga was with other inductees who were also being honored for doing Walt Disney princesses voices. From left to right: Paige O'Hara (Belle), Lea Salonga (Princess Jasmine, Mulan), Anika Noni Rose (Princess Tiana), and Jodi Benson (Ariel).

Aside from the four, other honorees of the 2011 Disney Legends Award were Barton "Bo" Boyd, Jim Henson, Linda Larkin, Regis Philbin, Jack and Bonita Wrather, Ray Watson, and Guy Williams.

The 2011 Disney Legends Award was held on the first day of D23 Expo at the Anaheim Convention Center Arena in California. The expo is a 3-day "Ultimate Disney Event for Fans and Families" which brings the entire world of Disney under one roof. The event provides guests unprecedented access to Disney movies, television and theme parks.

Lea Salonga is 2011 Disney Legends Honoree

Lea Salonga is one of the honorees of the 2011 Disney Legends Award to be held on August 19 at the Anaheim Convention Center Arena in California. The Filipino international star will be honored for her contribution to Walt Disney. She did the singing voice for Aladdin's Jasmine in 1992, and of Fa Mulan in two Mulan movies in 1998 and 2004.

Lea Salonga, whose rise to international stardom started when she landed the lead role in West End's original production of Miss Saigon, is known for her crystal clear voice that was also used in some Walt Disney commercials.

Along with Lea, other nominess of the 2011 Disney Legends Award include Jodi Benson, Barton "Bo" Boyd, Jim Henson, Linda Larkin, Paige O'Hara, Regis Philbin, Jack and Bonita Wrather, Annika Noni Rose, Ray Watson, and Guy Williams.

The awards ceremony will kick off on the first day of D23 Expo. It will be hosted by Dancing with the Stars and America's Funniest Home Videos host Tom Bergeron.

The D23 Expo is a 3-day "Ultimate Disney Event for Fans and Families" which brings the entire world of Disney under one roof. The expo provides guests unprecedented access to Disney movies, television and theme parks.

D23 is basically Disney 1923, the year Walt Disney opened his studio in Hollywood.