Nadine Chandrawinata: Not so clever

Another Indonesian hottie in the news at the moment is Miss Indonesia for 2005: Nadine Chandrawinata.

She is representing Indonesia is this year’s Miss Universe contest which will take place in Los Angeles on Sunday 23 July.

But unfortunately her considerable beauty is not matched by a particularly high IQ, and she has come in for some very strong criticism by the Indonesian press for some really bad goofs in her official Miss Universe interview:

What do you like to do in your spare time?
I like to do in my sparetime is going out with my friends, with my family and sharing with the children like doing some act.. doing some activities..eh..eh.. in social work, like campaign for them and campaign for against discrimination of women, something like that.

What do you see yourself doing 10 years from now?
I see myself in 10 years a..eh. I see myself in 10 years later simply as a Nadine and eh..doing something like or eh...being more mature and express or explore myself and my potential and doing something for anyone el.. doing something for me and everyone.. like I want to work for the Unicef so i can be more active and give more attention for them.

Who is your idol?
My admi.. my admirer is mother Theresa, because ... she is so humble for me and she had, she has a beautiful or ... wonderful personality. So I really .. adore at... at her.. hehehe.

Your friends say you are...
My friends tells that I am friendly, easy going person, just simply person, ordinary person and patient.

What do you want the rest of the world to know about your country?
Indonesia is a beautiful city.. so, you should go there to visit by yourself, because we have a lot of beautiful bitch..es (beaches ?) and the spectacular mountain and... dramatic of history and... so the people. Because people of Indonesia is really... is really welcome eh.. and really friendly because they like to know more about other country, other belief, other ideas....so, come to Indonesia and feel it and we open...we open our arms to come to Indonesia.

Nadine Chandrawinata: where was she when God was dishing out brains?

Tamara Blezinsky: Indonesia’s most eligible janda?

In the world of Indonesian celebrities, many marriages go sour. Beautiful women joining the ever-growing ranks of divorcees.

But in Indonesia there is a somewhat negative connotation attached to the Indonesian word for divorcee (which is janda). There’s no rationality to the reasoning of course, but, hey, TIS (This is Indonesia!). It’s not so much that women should feel “shame” for being divorced, but rather the belief that women tend to pursue sexual relations rather aggressively once they are no longer in a marriage.

Is this true or not? Or merely just a case of “conventional wisdom”?

Well, I’m not really too sure to be honest. Perhaps we should ask Tamara Blezinsky: most probably Indonesia’s most eligible janda - although recently-divorced Titi DJ must run a close second!








Tamara Blezinsky:
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Julie Estelle: bloody nice

A kuntilanak is a type of female vampire in Malay folklore - usually a woman who has died during childbirth only to rise from the dead to seek revenge and terrorize local neighborhoods.

According to legend, a kuntilanak often appears as a beautiful woman, usually accompanied by the strong scent of frangipani. This naturally helps her to attract unsuspecting male suitors who are then killed when she metamorphosises into a hideous vampire (kuntilanak).

To see more, make sure you catch the film Kuntilanak which is now taking the capital Jakarta by storm.

And starring the sexy Ratu Felisha in a shower scene (well it’s a bit blurry really cos she is behind glass unfortunately) and ex-P'boy starlet Julia Estelle it’s a film not to be missed...

Dian Sastrowardoyo

Diandra Paramitha Sastrowardoyo- better known as Dian Sastrowardoyo- started her career as a cover girl in Gadis teen magazine 10 years ago. Her second film Pasir Berbisik (Whispering Sands) in 2001 boosted her popularity and won her the best actress award at the 15th Singapore International Film Festival and the Asian Film Festival in Deauville, France both in 2002.

The latest endeavor of this philosophy graduate is to host the Indonesian version of “Who wants to be a millionaire?”

"I want to teach at the University of Indonesia’s school of philosophy," she mused.

To take drugs or not to take drugs? That is the question.

Anggun: Indonesia’s most precious export

There aren’t many Indonesian singers who have made it big overseas.

But Anggun is one of them.


With her highly seductive voice and stunning good looks, she is absolutely massive in France, and fairly popular in a number of other countries too, even if she is virtually unheard of in the US.

Anggun began performing at the age of seven and recorded her first album two years later. By the time she was 17, she was already a national rock star in Indonesia.

She left Indonesia at 19, and headed for France in the hope of making it big in Europe.

In France her considerable charms won over the music producer Erick Benzi who offered to work with her on her new album.

Benzi steered Anggun away from her original rock influences, encouraging her to adopt a more sensual and jazzy sound.

But it was her huge 1997 hit Neige au Sahara (Snow on the Sahara) that really propelled her to stardom in her adopted country. From then on she never looked back.

Her success culminated in the award of the prestigious "Chevalier des Arts et Lettres" for her worldwide achievements and contributions toward French culture.

And the release of 2005’s Luminescence has won her an even wider following, with the infectious single In my Mind getting a lot of airplay across Europe.

Anggun is now married to Oliver Maury, a Canadian, after divorcing her first husband Michel Georgea.

Long may she rule!

Discography
Dunia Aku Punya, in Indonesian (1986)
Anak Putih Abu-Abu, in Indonesian (1991)
Nocturno, in Indonesian (1992)
Anggun C. Sasmi... Lah!!!, in Indonesian (1993)
Yang Hilang, in Indonesian (1994)
Au Nom De La Lune, in French (1997)
Snow on the Sahara (1998)
Desirs Contraires, in French (2000)
Chrysalis (2000)
Anggun (2000)
Open Heart Original Sountrack (2002)
Luminescence (2005)

Miss Indonesia Artika Sari Devi

Artika Sari Devi is beautiful and clever. She's also proud of her country and wants to help underprivileged children.

A national icon then. Someone to admire and applaud.

Well, not exactly. Because this beauty queen is also hated by some small-minded people for her indefensible crime of, er, appearing in the 2005 Miss Universe beauty pageant wearing a swimsuit!

This was the first time in nearly a decade that an Indonesian had appeared in the contest. And it caused a fair amount of controversy, with protests staged by some Indonesian Muslim groups.

The Indonesia Ulemas Council even called the contest "pornography."

And this after the poor girl even made the concession not to wear a more revealing bikini.

But as Artika says, the contest is about more than just clothes.

And if it comes downs to brains, there is one thing that is certain: she’s a lot cleverer than the idiots who criticize her!

Emma Waroka Hawkins

Trans TV’s Fenomena does a great job in unveiling the sordid underbelly of life in the capital city Jakarta.

From women who like tattoos to college girls who are looking to earn a little extra cash, the show has covered an incredible range of topics in recent months.

Not only that but the show is presented by the incredibly sexy Emma Waroka Hawkins.


Trans TV. Wednesdays at midnight. Don’t miss it!!!