A 23-year-old dental student from France won the Miss Universe crown Monday in a pageant held in the Philippines, saying her triumph will make the beauty contest more popular in Europe and help her efforts to put more underprivileged children in school.
Iris Mittenaere from Lille city in northern France buried her face in her hands in shock and joy as the outgoing winner from the Philippines, Pia Wurtzbach, crowned her and the crowd erupted in cheers at the packed Mall of Asia Arena by Manila Bay.
Miss Haiti, Raquel Pelissier, a 25-year-old survivor of the devastating 2010 earthquake that destroyed her hometown, was named first runner-up, while Miss Colombia, 23-year-old industrial designer and photographer Andrea Tovar, was second runner-up.
As he closed the ceremony, the host, American comedian Steve Harvey, quipped, "I got it right," referring to his mistaken announcement of Miss Colombia as the winner in last year's pageant in Las Vegas. He was roundly criticized for the embarrassing error. "One thing I learned in life, when you make a mistake, you gotta keep on moving forward man, that's all," Harvey said.
In her farewell remarks as outgoing winner, a smiling Wurtzbach thanked Harvey for making her "the most popular Miss Universe." Harvey, laughing, thanked her for making him the "most famous" Miss Universe host. Mittenaere's victory was the first by a French contestant in more than 60 years.?
Tomlin offers humor and wisdom
Lily Tomlin offered advice to young actors and a hearty dose of humor as she accepted the Screen Actors Guild's Life Achievement Award on Sunday night. "Don't leave the house when you're drunk," she said to riotous laughter from her fellow actors at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. "And if you're already out there, well, you must learn to tell when you've had too much to drink. Listen to your friends when they stop talking to you and start talking about you, saying things like, 'Did she have a purse?' "Don't be anxious about missing an opportunity," she continued. "Behind every failure is an opportunity someone wishes they had missed." Dolly Parton — her costar in "9 to 5" — presented Tomlin with the statuette.
New job: Retired catcher David Ross is joining ESPN as a baseball analyst. Ross won World Series titles with Boston in 2013 and the Chicago Cubs last year. The network said Monday he will be part of the ESPN's studio coverage and also will broadcast games. He was a guest analyst during the 2014 and 2015 postseasons. He played 15 seasons in the majors.
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