Beauty queen Ramasedi off to Miss Universe pageant

MONKAGEDI GAOTLHOBOGWE
Staff Writer | Thursday August 5, 2010 00:00

 

No Botswana representative has made it into the top 10 since then, but Ramasedi has been oozing confidence on facebook, pledging to do everything to bring the crown home.

The lass will be only the fourth Botswana contestant in the Miss Universe finals, since Kwelagobe made history when she won the title in Trinidad and Tobago 11 years ago.  The only other contestants from Botswana have been Joyce Molemoeng in 2000, Mataila Sikwane (2001), and Icho Keolotswe (2004). Botswana was not represented in 2002 in Puerto Rico, and in 2003 in Panama.

In fact there had been no representation from Botswana in four successive years from 2005 until this year, when a local company Mos Syde, decided to revive the Miss Universe Botswana pageant and send the winner to the global finals.  Meanwhile, Ramasedi has been posting messages on facebook assuring Batswana how she is determined to bring back the crowd last won by Kwelagobe, who is now based in the States.

She held a send-off party on Sunday at the UB stadium and had the privilege to meet with President Ian Khama, who wished her luck at the Miss Universe towards the end of last month.

The Miss Universe Pageant is expected to be a spectacular event with live broadcast across the globe.   Early this week Paula Shugart, President of the Miss Universe Organisation and Donald Trump, owner of the Miss Universe Organisation, announced that superstar musician Bret Michaels and NBC's Today show co-host and correspondent Natalie Morales will host the '2010 Miss Universe Pageant' live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas on August 23 (9-11 pm ET) on  NBC.  International superstar Michaels is an award-winning, multi-platinum singer with over 70 million albums  sold worldwide. Michaels is also a songwriter, producer, director and actor who was recently named season three winner of NBC's The Celebrity Apprentice.

Michaels first gained fame in the 1980s, and has produced chart-topping albums and singles ever since. Michaels' new album, 'Custom Built', which is currently the # 1 independent and hard rock album, is in stores.  Orianthi, an Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist, impressed with her mesmerising guitar solo during Carrie Underwood's Last Name performance at the 2009 Grammys. Soon after Michael Jackson handpicked her to be his lead guitarist for the This Is It concert tour. She will perform her hit song According  To You during the swimsuit competition.

Orianthi's debut album Believe was released worldwide last fall and this past June she released Believe (II).