TF1
Above Delphine Wespiser soon after being crowned as Miss France. Our article on her win was the most-read this year.

Last year, quite a few readers were interested in the most visited news articles on the Lucire website. This excludes the features we have on the main part of the site. Nevertheless, it gives us a fair idea of what people were interested in during 2011.
   Our most popular article of 2011 was about the new Miss France, Delphine Wespiser. It might have helped that Lucire was the first English-language publication to break the news, though traditionally we’ve noticed there has always been a healthy interest in Miss France.
   Our Honor Dillon article was next. This was a 2010 piece, but with Dillon marrying fiancé Dan Carter earlier this year, people were curious. The fact Dillon was modelling underwear will have prompted some extra searches that we didn’t anticipate.
   Unsurprisingly, given how much coverage this got at the time, Scarlett Johansson gets into third place with our story on her modelling for Moët & Chandon. In fact, each time we run a story on Johansson, there’s a good amount of public interest.
   The wedding of HSH Prince Albert and Charlene Wittstock gave royal-watchers their second major celebration of the year, after HRH Prince William and Catherine Middleton. But, with more media covering the British event, Lucire netted a slightly larger share of the Monaco one to get it into fourth place.
   And in fifth, Keira Knightley’s Coco Mademoiselle campaign got plenty of fashionistas and fans popping by, initially to get a preview.
   Stories on Vanessa Paradis, Miss New Zealand 2011 Priyani Puketapu, Brooklyn Decker, Bar Refaeli and Miss Prestige National 2012 Christelle Roca take us to 10th place.
   For actual search terms, the patterns were similar, though we can add Princess Catherine or the Duchess of Cambridge, Miss Nationale 2011 Barbara Morel, Aishwarya Rai, David Bailey and Jennifer Garner into the mix.
   Any bets from our readers on the top celebrities of 2012?

As Miss Universe New Zealand 2011 Priyani Puketapu gets ready to wow the audience at the Miss Universe finals in São Paulo, Brazil, it’s hard to believe that a month ago she was in Wellington getting fitted for her evening gown and national costume.
   These exclusive photographs show Priyani and designer Shika Braddock, of La’ Shika Bridal, prepare the dresses at earlier stages.
   The broadcast of Miss Universe takes place at 9 p.m. EDT on NBC. This is the 60th anniversary of the pageant, with a record 89 entrants.
   Prior to winning the Miss New Zealand title, Priyani Puketapu held the Miss Wellington title, and was runner-up in the national competition in 2009. She is studying for a Bachelor of Communication at Massey University, majoring in journalism.

Andrew Bignall

Above Priyani Puketapu, Miss New Zealand 2011, in her latest shoot by Andrew Bignall, prior to her departure to São Paulo, Brazil.

As the Miss Universe pageant in Brazil approaches, NBC and Miss Universe have paired up to allow fans to be able to vote for and support their favourite contestant. Open to people located in the home countries of the 2011 Miss Universe, participants will be able to log into either www.missuniverse.com or www.nbc.com during the following times: Friday, August 19, 2011 at 4 p.m. EDT through Sunday, September 11, 2011 at 6 p.m. EDT to vote electronically for the contestant of their choice, whether she is from their home country or not. Participants will be limited to ten votes per email address per day and the sole means of voting is via the internet.
   In order to register, viewers will need to provide an email address and confirm that they are at least 16 years of age. After registering, rank the contestants on a scale of 1–10 with 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest, when prompted. If this process is done correctly, a message will appear on the screen informing you accordingly.
   The Miss Universe who receives the most global fan votes will automatically advance to the semifinals of the pageant.
   Of course, here at Lucire, there’s only one choice.
   Miss Universe New Zealand 2011, Priyani Puketapu, will be heading to São Paulo, Brazil to take part in the competition from August 21, with the final on September 12. The exotic beauty, who is in the process of earning her Bachelor in Communications with a major in journalism at Victoria University, Wellington, awed the home crowd in Wellington, New Zealand with not only her beauty and charm, but also her intelligence. There are high hopes riding on Priyani and she will have the support of New Zealand as she goes to represent the country in Brazil.
   Priyani’s latest swimwear shoot has been with photographer Andrew Bignall, featured here.—Sabine Ernest


Andrew Bignall

For a few moments on Saturday, golfing’s Presidents’ Cup was in Wellington, at the Jeff Gray BMW dealership on the old Hutt Road in Kaiwharawhara.
   BMW, which has a Golfsport collection of golf bags as branded items to go with the cars, took the opportunity to promote itself, with the Cup shown alongside some of its off-road and lifestyle vehicles, such as the X6, X5 and 5 Gran Turismo.
   There was plenty more happening in Wellington on Saturday. The weekly Frank Kitts Market, underground at the Frank Kitts car park on Jervois Quay, has been one place we’d marked on our calendars for some time. In an earlier visit, we spotted Earth 174—the beauty line that recently presented a prize to the value of NZ$2,500 and a gift basket to Miss Universe New Zealand 2011 Priyani Puketapu—along with our friend Jenny Holmes and the Lavender Boutique (the soaps are must-haves) and jewellery from Christina’s Beads.
   The latest news is that the Market will be open Sundays as well from August 27 to October 16, taking in the extra interest from the Rugby World Cup and the Brancott Estate World of Wearable Art events.
   For those preferring to remain indoors this winter, travel editor Stanley Moss has pointed us to Silvergate Software’s Point2paint app for the Apple Ipad. It’s a delightfully simple app for budding artists, young and old, and has no add-ons. It does what it says on the tin—a fun virtual painting program, available at the Itunes store.

Denise Baynham

Compared with 2010, the web buzz is quieter, but the New Zealand mainstream media interest is greater, as Miss Universe New Zealand 2011 Priyani Puketapu actively prepares for her journey to Miss Universe this year in São Paulo, Brazil.
   Following her win, Puketapu was ferried in the BMW X3—after three hours’ sleep—to TVNZ’s Breakfast. Hearing that she was in the building, Te Karere wanted an interview—and it’s hardly stopped since for the new Miss New Zealand with further interviews on radio and, more recently, domestically for TV1 and TV3, airing this month.
   In mid-May, Lucire visited Puketapu’s family’s marae in Lower Hutt, accompanied by national gown designer Shika Braddock. Puketapu is justifiably proud of her Te Ati Awa roots, and showed us the Arohanui Ki Te Tangata marae. She introduced us to her grandfather, John Puketapu, the well known artist whose work is on display at Te Papa, the national museum, and her cousin, who filled us in on another side of the family renowned for weaving. We also met an aunt, who was able to give Braddock more clues on colours and flowers from Puketapu’s Rarotongan side.
   Since then, Puketapu has journeyed to Auckland for two photo shoots, which have netted, among others, the images on this page, photographed by Denise Baynham. More images can be seen at the official site, www.missuniversenz.co.nz. We’ll update readers on further progress as Priyani Puketapu nears her departure date for Brazil.

David Duffy/Emotif

The capital has taken the Miss Universe New Zealand crown for 2011, with Miss Wellington, Priyani Puketapu (Te Atiawa), winning top honours in front of a packed ballroom at the Amora Hotel Wellington on Sunday.
   Miss North Harbour, Talia Bennett (Te Arawa), and Miss Howick, Courtney Ramsdale, were first and second runners-up.
   Miss Tend-a-Foot, Nancy Yan, and Miss Great South Vets, Isabelle Pearson, rounded off the top five.
   In her acceptance speech, Miss Puketapu dedicated her win to her ‘Uncle John, Nanny Puketapu and Granny,’ close family members who had all passed within a short time.
   Nanny Puketapu, Miss Puketapu said, had planned to attend the final night but had suddenly passed last month.
   Miss Puketapu is studying toward a bachelor of communication, majoring in journalism.
   ‘We are confident that Priyani Puketapu will do New Zealand proud at the Miss Universe final in São Paulo, Brazil, to take place on September 12,’ says pageant director Val Lott.
   Head of the judging panel, Lucire publisher Jack Yan, says that 2011’s contestants were the best he and his fellow judges had seen since 2006.
   ‘Only one and a half points separated the contestants when we finished the interview night,’ he says, referring to the Saturday session they had with the judges. ‘It was the tightest we had ever seen it.’
   Joining him on the panel were international judge Dina Janse van Rensburg, Max Factor make-up artist Evana Patterson, Salute Hair and Day Spa principal Carl Manderson, and Miss Universe New Zealand 2007 Laural Barrett.
   The judges say that Miss Puketapu was the most consistent, intelligent and confident contestant.
   Miss Puketapu was the home-town crowd favourite, a situation that was not unknown to her when she last competed for the crown in 2009.
   At the time, she lived in the Horowhenua and the Miss Universe New Zealand pageant was held in Levin.
   She was first runner-up in 2009.
   In attendance were members of the diplomatic corps from Thailand and the People’s Republic of China, including the Thai ambassador and his wife.
   The charity auction at the pageant benefited the New Zealand Red Cross’s Christchurch earthquake appeal.

Charlotte Webb

Top Talia Bennett (Miss North Harbour) and Isabelle Pearson (Miss Great South Vets) with the children at Johnsonville Mall. Above Danelle Kaukau (Miss Horowhenua). Below Isabelle Pearson with a young fan.

Charlotte Webb

Time has flown this week for the Miss Universe New Zealand 2011 contestants. In their last weekday outing, they went to the Johnsonville Shopping Centre on Friday afternoon, and got plenty of attention from youngsters there during their school holiday.
   Kids’ entertainment had just finished ten minutes before 12 of the 13 contestants—Miss Hutt Valley Ashley Bradley had a longer-than-expected hair appointment—began introducing themselves and parading.
   On the prompting of pageant director Val Lott, the little girls in the audience were asked if they wanted to go up to be seen with the dozen, which gave me a chance to see how they interacted with some of Wellington’s youngest citizens. (It was a good opportunity to compare how they interacted with the elderly at Kilmarnock Heights Home earlier in the week.)
   Afterwards, Georgia Easter (Miss Christchurch), Cassie Matthews (Miss Auckland), Lauren Mann (Miss The Steps Dental Care) and Courtney Ramsdale (Miss Howick) accompanied me in the BMW X3 to Jeff Gray BMW, where they were photographed with the new Z4 sports car for a publicity shot.
   My fellow judges Evana Patterson (left) and Carl Manderson arrived late afternoon and got the chance to meet all 13 contestants at the Museum Hotel and at Mishmosh, where everyone dined this evening. Former Miss Universe New Zealand runner-up Danijela Unkovich, Miss Wanganui 2008 Michelle Kleinsmith, and co-MC and former Miss Universe New Zealand finalist Zeisha Frémaux also arrived.
   There is one more social event: dinner at Soi at Greta Pt on Saturday night, one of the most scenic restaurants I know in the Wellington city area. The weekend will be occupied with rehearsals, which should give Evana, Carl and fourth judge Dina Janse van Rensburg a chance to see how the contestants are. Saturday is also a huge day as we head into our interview sessions, considered one of the toughest parts of the competition.
   I asked Michelle Kleinsmith what advice she had for those nervously waiting outside “the boardroom”. She said that listening to music on an Ipod might not be a bad idea.
   As it is an important day, we judges will need to be on top form, too. As it’s been very difficult this year with the best prepared group ever, the interviews have now become that much more important.—Jack Yan, Publisher

Above, from top Contestants at Bella Bloom at Johnsonville Shopping Centre, with Courtney Ramsdale (Miss Howick), Jasmine Robertson (Miss Manawatu), Priyani Puketapu (Miss Wellington) and Samantha Papp (Miss Clinic 42) in the front row. Georgia Easter (Miss Christchurch), Cassie Matthews (Miss Auckland), Courtney Ramsdale (Miss Howick) and Lauren Mann (Miss The Steps Dental Care) pose with the BMW Z4. Jeff Gray BMW dealer principal Jason Broome talks to Cassie Matthews, Lauren Mann, Georgia Easter and Courtney Ramsdale.

Above, from top Danelle Kaukau (Miss Horowhenua), Cassie Matthews (Miss Auckland) and Georgia Easter (Miss Christchurch) at Farmers Lambton Quay. Priyani Puketapu (Miss Wellington), Talia Bennett (Miss North Harbour) and Courtney Ramsdale (Miss Howick). Bottom Isabelle Pearson (Miss Great South Vets), Nancy Yan (Miss Tend-a-Foot), Talia Bennett (Miss North Harbour), Courtney Ramsdale (Miss Howick), Georgia Easter (Miss Christchurch) and Lauren Mann (Miss The Steps Dental Care).

There was only one event that needed a judge’s scrutiny today: spritzing Estée Lauder’s Sensuous Noir perfume at Farmers Lambton Quay (at which Breakfast on TV1 took an interest—the segment airs Friday morning).
   The other TVNZ connection with the pageant is the MC on Sunday night, Matt McLean, who will present the show alongside Zeisha Frémaux, singer and a Miss Universe New Zealand 2010 finalist.
   This year’s event at Farmers was slightly different from 2010’s, where each contestant had a different scent to sample. It was an opportunity to check on memory skills and courage, as well as how a selected few dealt with the television camera.
   Jeff Gray BMW, meanwhile, returned with the X3 sign-written to promote the pageant and the dealership, so if you see a packed SUV rolling around Wellington, you’ll know it’s us.
   There is still no single stand-out contestant who could take the crown and it will be interesting to see what my fellow judge, Evana Patterson, thinks, when she arrives in Wellington on Friday afternoon.
   Before her arrival is the Johnsonville Mall parade, happening around 1.30 p.m., which will give the ladies another chance to interact with the public.—Jack Yan, Publisher