Miss America Preliminary WInners in Review

Since Miss America has been "knocked on its sash" by TLC this year, fans agree that it's harder than ever to guess who will make the finals. Many feel that this year especially winning a Preliminary doesn't mean a thing, and that several of the winners will not make the Top 16 cut.
What do you think?

PRELIMINARY NIGHT ONE WINNERS

Miss Iowa- Talent












Diana Reed won Talent with and upbeat baton routine to Hairspray's "You Can't Stop the Beat."










Rhode Island- Swimsuit















It was said that Ashley Bickford's ballet en point was not technically proficient.










PRELIMINARY NIGHT TWO WINNERS

Miss Massachusetts- Talent















Valerie J. Amaral won Talent with her vocal rendition of Martina McBride's "Anyway."








Miss Michigan- Swimsuit













Kirsten Haglund received very positive reviews on her vocal presentation of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."








Miss Connecticut- Talent


















Dana Daunis bested her Talent flight with the contemporary vocal "Let Him Fly."







Miss Texas- Swimsuit















Reports were mixed about Molly Hazlett's jazz on pointe routine.

The Contestants Must be Reading My Blog in Vegas!

Wednesday night I posted a link to these pictures of my Ohio USA gown:













Then Thursday night these contestants at Miss America did this:

Just kidding... Everyone knows we were all inspired by Miss Universe!

I'm not usually one for jumping on fades or copying others, but this year for Ohio USA I knew I wanted a gown I could "work" onstage.
I HIGHLY recommend it! It's just plain fun... and you don't have to worry as much about how you're swinging your arms!

Spoiler Alert Spoiled!

You may recall, a few weeks ago when the synopsis and pictures of Miss America: Reality Check were revealed many thought this photo gave away the winners.

We now know this was certainly a sneak peak, but not a spoiler. The three women in the front are women called to the “Top 10,” but none are the winners. My question is, where’s Indiana in this picture? The three women here are standing in the order they were called- second, third and fourth. So Miss Indiana, the first to be called should be on the far right, but I don’t see her, do you?

On another interesting note, it was noticed that the winners were called in an order that spells WIN- Washington, Indiana and New Mexico! Coincidence? Who knows!

Check out the next post for my play-by-play of the final episode. What I didn't mention below is that while I am extremely happy with the reality show's winners, it's frustrating that seemingly no effort was made to give the contestants equal air time. Did Roberta ever say anything on the show? I know many states have the same complaint.

LIVE BLOG: Miss America: Reality Check

Okay, so the other reason I hadn’t blogged about Reality Check is because Loren has watched them with me, and he likes to cuddle up with me when we watch TV, not me and my laptop! So I told myself I’d rewatch them and write nice posts… but that obviously hasn’t happened.

For this final episode I’m going to “live blog” as I watch it… so keep refreshing!

__

Miss Iowa: "I'm the only baton twirler; I plan to bring the house down!" And she most certainly did! That's the kind of confidence you have to have!

[The ladies have to play "Don't Forget the Lyrics" with patriotic songs.] Haha! As a non-dancer who hates opening numbers, I LOVE that the non-singers finally have to make fools of themselves!

Michael Urie must not have read the contract- NO DISROBING. [He went superman style to reveal a conductors tux] I really hope to hear Roberta sing; when I read the synopsis I thought this could be the "challenge" she'd shine in.

Sorry, but I don't think the women should be expected to know a religious song. RE: Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory of the Coming of the Lord.

I LOVE MISS WASHINGTON.

Ouch! Miss Alaska is rough for a singer, but wow New Jersey.

Ooops- Miss Indiana, you should never name names. [She said the ladies were annoyed by Miss Maryland showing off.] But I wonder if the ladies were really rolling their eyes at the singers who were showing their voices, or was that editing? Unfortunately Roberta wasn't featured.

I love the after hours bunk talk- the contestants hit it on the head- they're competing to ultimately benefit others, but a makeover is needed so people want to pay attention to them.

[Now the ladies are working with stylists to select red carpet dresses.]

Miss Virginia and Illinois have been warned they're too similar; I love how they're having fun with it and not becoming enemies.

GREAT TIP- I always try to keep this in mind- never take a photograph with your arms pressed against you- it'll look fat even if you're not.

I understand the ladies confusion about how much makeup to wear for the red carpet. It's hard to learn to tone it down when you're used to looking a certain way and when you want to make sure you look amazing at a major event.

[Now the ladies are answering questions on a fake red carpet.]

Virginia and Illinois sounded like they were in a pageant interview instead of on a red carpet. :( Tennessee however ROCKED IT! And Miss Rhode Island reminded us that you should always know who you're wearing.

I love that Miss New Mexico is wearing a hat on the red carpet- I've never noticed before, but she looks like Ashley Simpson.

Wow, Miss DC does look amazing, but she sounded to "pageant polished" for a red carpet. And Miss Michigan- always fabulous!

I knew I loved Miss Washington! She shares my views on gay marriage too. [Her dad is gay, so obviously she supports equal gay rights.]

Where is Roberta?!?!?! :(

[And now the ladies are speculating who will be in the Top 3]

Their guesses:
Virginia or Illinois, Utah...
Rhode Island, Washington, South Carolina, Indiana, Virginia, Michigan...
Tennessee, Virginia and Illinois, Rhode Island...

[And now the judges are deliberating.]

They were disappointed with Rhode Island's red carpet interview.
They LOVE Michigan, Florida and for some reason that I don't understand, they still like Alaska.
Props were given to Virginia and Illinois for conferring and wearing different colors; one judge thought Illinois answers better.
They love Indiana, but feel Utah is staying too safe.
New Mexico and DC also stood out to the judges and they love that Washington has listened to them.

[I'm eagerly fast forwarding through the last commercial!]

The "Top 10"

Indiana * South Carolina * Illinois * Virginia * New Mexico * Florida * Alaska * Washington * DC * Minnesota

Hhmm.. Minnesota came out of no where, and Michigan and Rhode Island were surprisingly not called.

The following "Top 3" win a $10,000 scholarship and shopping spree!

* Washington (YES!!!)
* Indiana (right now Loren says the final is Florida... I say VA or IL)
* New Mexico! We were both wrong!

Don’t Miss the Final Episode of Miss America: Reality Check!

Tonight at 10 p.m. on TLC the final episode of “MARC” is airing and three women will be named winners.

I am admittedly a pathetic excuse of a pageant blogger because I have not written about the first three episodes. Of course I’ve watched them, but I don’t like writing about things that I have such mixed feelings on.

Luckily though, CNN published something that shares many of my opinions:

Miss America pageant mocks contestants

LAS VEGAS, Nevada (AP) -- She's been dressed up, dressed down, relocated and updated.

Now she's being mocked.

The latest chapter in Miss America's ever-evolving search for viewers and cultural relevance finds the heroine at the butt of the joke.

Her hair is too big, her hairspray totally '80s. Her makeup is clownish. Her gown belongs on an ice skater.

This year's 52 Miss America contestants haven't just been getting judged, they've been getting zinged in "Miss America: Reality Check," a four-part reality series leading up to Saturday's 8 p.m. EST crowning on TLC.

The series, whose final installment airs Friday, has tracked the transformation of beauty queens from old-fashioned "Pageant Pattys," as some in the pageant world say, to modern "It girls."

..."It's someone who doesn't go out and get drunk, but goes out and makes people laugh and has fun on the red carpet," said Sarah Iven, editor in-chief of OK! Magazine and a pageant judge, describing her choice for the tiara. "Not a young woman stuck in an old woman's suit."

...Setting the contestants up for potential humiliation and cracking jokes at their expense, however tame by reality TV standards, has ruffled the feathers of some longtime pageant devotees.

...Born of a bathing suit revue on Atlantic City's Boardwalk, the pageant is fueled by a vast web of earnest and devoted volunteers who put on and judge pageants in small towns across the U.S. State "prep committees," often made up of middle-aged women, pick out and pay for their contestant's ensemble, perhaps an explanation for the stuffy suits. They've schooled their contestant in a tradition and a look -- and it doesn't have much to do with red carpet style.

I don't think it's going over so well," Jill Massee said. [Miss Georgia's aunt] "I personally think it's a little bit degrading to the Miss America Pageant."

Haskell dismissed such complaints. The old school crowd may be the soul of the pageant, but it can't become the only television audience if Miss America is to have a future.

"If I brought Bert Parks back from the dead to host it, some people would be unhappy about that, he said.


I only copied two-thirds of the paragraphs; CLICK HERE for the whole thing.

Monte Carlo Casino Catches Fire!

It is my understanding that this casino is near Planet Hollywood, where Miss America is taking place, thankfully though there are no reports of injury or death of guests, employees or fire fighters.

CLICK HERE for CNN video coverage.

I have also found a blog written by a former Miss D.C. who is in Vegas this week; CLICK HERE for her post, "Hunka Hunka Burning Vegas," as well as other commentary from the pageant.

Roberta in Swimsuit and Gown

Thank you Julius for these! More soon... for now I'm also playing nurse for a knee surgery that, as it turns out, wasn’t' necessary!!! So frustrating!

Photos from last night are still scarce. Keep checking the links in the sidebar under "Miss America Coverage," especially Julius T.'s website.

Send your well wishes

My love, Loren, is have arthroscopic knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus this morning.

Three small incisions will be made to remove torn cartilage that is causing severe pain in his knee. Doctors figure the injury happened years ago, but our health kick over the past few years, including training for the Miss Ohio 5K in 2006, have aggravated it. Hiking up and down the mountains of Colorado on his elk hunt this fall pushed the pain over the edge.

It’s a thirty minute outpatient procedure, but it’s always scary when someone has to go under anesthesia, so please keep him in your thoughts. Then keep me in your thoughts this weekend because I have to take care of the cripple! I told him there were easier ways to make me pay him back for the care he gave me when my collar bone was broken, but Loren just has to do everything to the extreme!

Miss America Preliminary Night Three Results

How does the saying go...? "Complain and you shall recieve."

I'm kidding. It's just ironic that I give up,
then say I'll hit refresh one more time, and ta-da!

Although, this does prove my point- Catherine celebrated her contestant's win and still uploaded her pictures and created this great graphic before the official website! ...and I wonder why the MAO hasn't been approved me as official "press."

The results below are correct; CLICK HERE for the official press release. However, the photographer who has provided the great photo montages the past two nights is affiliated with Miss Connecticut, so she's celebrating right now! The Miss America website is pathetically slow and there's nothing on yahoo yet either.

I understand that "real websites" are much more complicated than blogs, but this is ridiculous; I can’t fathom why there can’t be photos on the web right now!

Miss America Preliminary Night Three Unofficial Results

Swimsuit goes to Miss Texas

... as predicted by many.

Talent is won by Connecticut

... which is a little out of the blue, considering so many states were mentioned as strong contenders, but not her.

Miss America Preliminary Night Three Early Returns

Swimsuit Buzz

Texas and Georgia

(No one has commented, good or bad, on Roberta's Swimsuit presentation.)

Talent Buzz

Florida, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Washington, Virginia AND Michigan

It must be a very competitive group!

Gown Buzz

OHIO

I'm in a live chat room with people getting texts from Miss America, and as they were giving gown feedback someone wrote,
"No, now Ohio is the most amazing!"

Miss America PR: 2008 MISS AMERICA "QUALITY OF LIFE" WINNER ANNOUNCED

2008 MISS AMERICA "QUALITY OF LIFE" WINNER ANNOUNCED

Las Vegas, Nevada - January 24, 2008 - This year's Quality of Life Award winner is Miss Nevada Caleche Manos. Caleche was recognized for her work with "MADD and the Prevention of Drinking and Driving" and she will receive a $6,000 scholarship. The announcement was made today at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas during Thursday's 11 a.m. press conference, the last day of preliminary competition for the 2008 Miss America Live!

The first-runner up is Miss Florida Kylie Williams whose personal platform issue is "Realistic Support For Our Troops, Inc." and the second runner-up is Miss Oklahoma Makenna Smith, whose personal platform is "Seat Belts Save Lives, What's Holding You Back?"

When she was just 17, Miss Nevada Caleche Manos lost her only brother to a tragic drunk driving accident.... "It took over three years to reach the point where I could publicly speak about Caylin's death and the harsh reality of the consequences of drunk driving," Caleche said. In July of 2005, she became a victim speaker for Nevada MADD.

CLICK HERE to read the entire press release, with personal stories of the top three Quality of Life winners.

Breaking Swimsuit Video!!!

Check out this video of half of the Sigma group in Swimsuit
(the flight's winner is not featured in this video):

Miss America Live! Swimsuit Competition 2008 - Watch more free videos

As I predicted in a comment below, the ladies are doing poses similar to what we were taught at Miss Ohio USA. This explains that less than attractive photo of prelim Swimsuit winner, Miss Rhode Island.

Miss America Photo Slideshow: Sigma Group in Gown

Miss America Photo Slideshow: Mu Group in Swimsuit

This slideshow doesn't seem to be working, at least not on my computer... Try this link: http://s89.photobucket.com/albums/k232/01221005/Swim/swimmu1/?action=view&current=cebfe528.pbw

Best of luck to Roberta, as She Competes in Swimsuit and Gown Tonight!

Tonight is the final night of preliminary competition at Miss America 2008. Miss Ohio, Roberta Camp, has already completed her Talent and Onstage Question and all she has to do tonight is walk! You may have noticed from the first two preliminary Swimsuit winners that all the ladies are wearing black suits this year.

CLICK HERE to check out A slideshow of Roberta’s competition!

Miss America Preliminary Night Two Photos

Photos from Preliminary Night One are here, there and everywhere,
but check out Julius Tolentino's website for a photo of all 52 women competing in the second night of competition!

More of Miss Ohio, Roberta Camp, at Miss America

THANK YOU Megan Wombacker for posting these great pictures of Roberta in Vegas on her blog!

Miss America Preliminary Night Two Winners Photos

Click to enlarge.
Photos from Miss America and Yahoo News.

Preliminary Night Two Onstage Questions

Miss Ohio, Roberta Camp, was asked:

"How do you convince kids to look up to their parents and teachers as role models rather than sports figures or celebrities?"

Anyone know how she answered???




Here are the questions posed to her entire flight:

Alaska—What can women do to embrace their culture and ethnicity?

Nebraska—Why are mentors often assigned to at-risk students?

Delaware—What can we do to instill healthy eating habits in kids before the influence of fast food takes over.

South Dakota—What can be done to help kids who live in homes where families don't read or talk?

West Virginia—What can we say to kids to prevent them from becoming animal abusers?

Missouri—How do we explain to kids that the internet is a potentially dangerous place?

North Dakota—What can we do to help kids tolerate bullying until we can put an end to it?

New Mexico—What can we do to prepare kids to be powerful against sexual assault?

Texas—How do you convince kids that using drugs or alcohol is not worth it in order to simply fit in?

New York—How do you convince girls that their character is more important than their prom date?

Georgia—What can people with limited time do to help Children's Miracle Network?

Wisconsin—What can individuals and companies do to help support the arts?

Virgin Islands—how do you lay a foundation to prevent domestic violence?

Ohio—How do you convince kids to look up to their parents and teachers as role models rather than sports figures or celebrities?

Maine—How do you convince people that Habitat for Humanity is worth their time and attention?

South Carolina—How do we empower kids when their doctors tell them things like having pets or participating in athletics could kill them?

Iowa—How does character education teach kids to live with integrity?

CLICK HERE for Wednesday night Talent and Gown descriptions.

Robin Meade: Reporting from Vegas on being a Big Jerk!

I feel like the biggest jerk because of some of these “judges rules.”

If you and I happen to run into each other in a casino here in Vegas this week… pay no attention if I blow you off and keep walking.

Any other week, I’ll chat any viewer up and make you miss your appointments.

You’d be like… dang doesn’t that girl have friends?

But while I’m judging, I have to steer clear of folks I know… or viewers who I want to know.

Why, you ask?

Think about it.

Any little blink, smile, nod, wink, handshake, or otherwise breathing in someone’s general direction could be interpreted as giving any certain contestant an unfair advantage. Like it’s a secret signal saying, “Hey, I like your lady.”

Just today, I was with the CNN crew shooting a story about what goes on behind-the-scenes and someone I knew from a state pageant saw me…. stood and watched us work for a second until he caught my eye. I snapped, “I can’t talk to you. I can’t be around you.” His expression was like, “Fine, fine.”

And then the other night, another person I recognized yelled my name from the stage simply to wave “hi” at me, but I had to act like I couldn’t see who it was simply because other people were watching.

So I’ve been keeping my eyes down and my stride quick when outside the judging arena… and my face forward toward the stage when it’s showtime.

So while I look like I should have the title of miss behavin’… I’m really just miss understood.

Hardee har har!

Copied from Robin's Blog. I always hate when you hear that celebrities, athletes, or even pageant contestants "aren't nice" from someone who met them once in passing. In my mere year as the Face of FOX Toledo I came to know the good, bad and annoying sides of being a public figure. Robin's sharing one of many examples of why people in the public eye can't always be your best friend... or even flash their million dollar smiles.

I'm not sure if this link will work for everyone...
Click here to try to see photos taken after tonigh'ts Toledo Auto Show Charity Gala, to which I wore my Miss Ohio USA 2007 gown.

Preliminary Night Two Results!

Click to enlarge.
THANK YOU www.catherinefiehn.com

CLICK HERE for the official Miss America press release.

Miss America Preliminary Night Two Unofficial Results

Word on the web is:

Michigan won Swimsuit... as predicted.

Massachusetts won Talent
...though there wasn't much talk about her vocal presentation.

Miss America Preliminary Night Two Early Returns

Swimsuit Buzz

Michigan and Louisiana

Talent Buzz
Alabama and California

The results should be coming in soon!

I am so tired! Since getting back from LA I’ve been awake until the wee hours of the morning, but on Wednesdays I get up at 5 a.m. to do the radio show, and I’ve been running errand since it wrapped this morning.

But, as soon as I got home I posted more pictures from last night, as well as the Onstage Interview Questions and Robin’s latest blog entry! SCROLL BELOW.

The radio studio has two TVs on mute, and I watched (but did not hear) a live interview with Miss America, Lauren Nelson, on one of Toledo’s news stations this morning! And, it just so happens I am going to a Charity Gala tonight for the Toledo Auto Show, at which I think the news anchor who interviewed her is the emcee! So, if I get the chance, I will definitely ask her about the interview with Lauren. Also, the event is evening is “black tie optional” so I’ve decided to wear my most recent Miss Ohio USA gown. Why not? It was, after all, from an “evening” collection, not “prom” or “pageant” and I may as well get some use out of it!

Miss America Preliminary Night One Winners Photos

Click each to enlarge;
origins unknown.

Miss America Preliminary Night One Onstage Questions

Okay local and state contestants, open a Word doc and copy, paste and save the following! While some seem more Platform specific than others, I think they are all general enough that every contestant should give their topics some thought.

Florida—What can Americans do now to reduce post traumatic stress disorder later for returning veterans?

Nevada—How do you convey the problem of drinking and driving when celebrities frequently drink and drive, often without suffering consequences.

Minnesota—What challenges do you face in getting people to understand autism?

Arizona—How can you expect the TDWC program to register with teens who are reckless?

Vermont—What do you tell single parents working two jobs and don't have time to read to their children?

Pennsylvania—How can autism insurance legislation affect families of autism?

Michigan—How do you education teens about eating disorders when they are likely to avoind and ignore their parents?

Mississippi—How can after school music programs impact students?

Washington—How do you convince someone to accept diversity when a job they applied for went to a lesser qualified minority?

Connecticut—What do parents need to do to make sure they are not neglecting their kids?

New Jersey—What can we do to protect our online identity and information?

Virginia—How do you discuss making good decisions with kids when their celebrity role models often suffer little for their bad decisions?

Indiana—How can the arts help under privileged kids improve their communication skills?

Utah—What can we do today to be prepared for a disaster tomorrow?

District of Columbia—How do you inspire children in urban areas?

Maryland—What can be done to bring arts education to kids when programs often lack funding?

Kentucky—How old does a child need to be to start building their confidence and what can we do to help?

This was posted on The Longview Organization's blog (a Miss Texas Local), along with descriptions of last nights Evening Gowns and Talent presentations. How amazing!

CLICK HERE to check it out.

I am so impressed that Miss Texas, Molly Hazlett's supporters are sharing this valuable information; I hope they maintain their blog throughout the competition.

Robin Meade: Reporting from Vegas with the Inside Scoop

I have an inside scoop for you… how do you feel about old people on the miss america stage? Because that’s what you are going to see. Now, before you get visions of granny in a two-piece workin’ it on stage… let me explain: the parents of the finalists will be placed on stage where the cameras will get their every expression as their daughter does well or falls flat on her face. Don’t laugh! I’ve seen it happen. Can you imagine?

At the moment, I’m sitting here in the judges’ holding chamber before we go out and judge the first night of preliminary competitions. I’ve been slightly distracted by all the big news stories today including the death of Heath Ledger. What a shame. I’m hoping he wasn’t a personal friend of any of the judges– a few of them have hollywood backgrounds. I haven’t heard any of them say they personally knew him.

As far as judging, I’m getting a reputation as the handslapper when a judge is late or is out of line. Between you and me, I’m concerned about these late West Coast hours and staying sharp thru this process. So far, I have my eye on a few contestants who have impressed me in interviews. But right now, it’s showtime here in pageantland. I hope your state rep does well tonight!

I love hearing the judges perspective and getting the inside scoop! How interesting that the contestants parents might know before their daughter if she is a finalist, depending on how the logistics are handled. I've also heard it rumored that if a woman is in the finals media representatives and photographers from her state are given preferential seating... I don't know if there's any merit to that, but if I were there on Saturday night, as a contestant or audience member, I'd be looking to see where my state press rep was!

Miss America PR: TLC AND THE U.S. MILITARY JOIN FORCES

TLC AND THE U.S. MILITARY JOIN FORCES IN SUPPORT OF MISS AMERICA LIVE!

The America Legion is sponsoring 50 members of the National Guard to attend Miss America Live! at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas this Saturday, January 26. Several of these soldiers served alongside Miss Utah, Jill Stevens, in Afghanistan and are showing their support as she competes for the coveted Miss America crown. Among those attending are National Vice Commander Peggy Dettori and Utah State Commander Gary Schwartz.

Additionally, TLC is partnering with the American Forces Network (AFN) to rebroadcast the entire six-hours of Miss America programming to military bases worldwide. Troops overseas can tune-in to the four-part reality series MISS AMERICA: REALITY CHECK and Miss America Live! pageant on Sunday, January 27 at 1:00 PM viewer time overseas via the closed circuit AFN spectrum channel.

About Miss America Live!
Saturday, January 26 at 8PM (ET/tape delayed PT)

The event is hosted by Entertainment Tonight's Mark Steines. This year’s panel of esteemed judges includes legendary Olympic athlete Jackie Joyner-Kersee; edgy fashion designer Trace Ayala (cofounder of William Rast Denim with Justin Timberlake); Hollywood’s hottest casting director Jason La Padura (High School Musical); editor of OK! Magazine Sarah Ivens; entrepreneur James Arthur Ray (CEO, James Ray International), CNN newscaster Robin Meade and fitness trainer Kim Lyons (Biggest Loser). This panel of judges is comprised of experts in each of the fields that a young woman must excel in, in order to be named Miss America.

About MISS AMERICA: REALITY CHECK
Final Episode Airs Friday, January 25 at 10PM (ET/PT) on TLC

Hosted by Michael Urie, the series is designed to get the 52 state winners to forget everything they’ve learned in “pageant schools” over the years - the walk, the talk, the hairspray, and prepare them for the final competition to select Miss America 2008, a relatable “it girl” who can connect with today’s modern woman.

Miss America Preliminary Night One Results!

Click to enlarge.
THANK YOU www.catherinefiehn.com

CLICK HERE for the official Miss America press release.

Miss America Preliminary Night One Unofficial Results

The word on the net is:

Miss Rhode Island, Ashley Bickford, won Swimsuit
... a likely story because she was Connecticut Teen USA 2002.

Miss Iowa, Diana Reed, won Talent
... she supposedly received a standing ovation for her baton routine!

Miss America Preliminary Night One Early Returns

I love technology! Between text messages and the internet, fans are predicting the following:

Swimsuit Buzz
California, Rhode Island and Oklahoma

Talent Buzz

Iowa

Onstage Question Buzz

Washington

We should know in about an hour if the fans were right.

Best of luck to Roberta, as she competes in Talent tonight!

CLICK HERE for a sneak peak of the 2008 Miss America stage.

She will answer her On-stage question tomorrow night, then compete in Evening Gown and Swimsuit on Thursday.

Prelims begin at 8 p.m. Vegas time. :(
I'll post credible results as soon as I read or hear them,
likely around 1 or 2 a.m.

Roberta's flight goes as follows:

Alaska, Vocal
Nebraska, Vocal
Delaware, Jazz Dance
South Dakota, Classical Vocal
West Virginia, Vocal
Missouri, Ballet en Pointe
North Dakota, Vocal Opera
New Mexico, Vocal
Texas, Jazz on Pointe
New York, Contemporary Ballet
Georgia, Vocal
Wisconsin, Classical Violin
Virgin Islands, Jazz Dance
Ohio, Vocal
Maine, Dance
South Carolina, vocal
Iowa, Baton

Robin Meade: Reporting from Vegas on Mr. America and Bob

There he is, Mr. America. Barack Obama might want to bank on that young vote. Because if the Miss America contestants are anywhere near representative of the rest of their age group… they think obama has it goin’ on.

Seriously.

During the private interviews we did with the contestants today… whenever the subject of presidential candidates came up… it seemed like a majority indicated Obama was getting their attention.

Another observation, superficial as it may be: the young’uns love the posh spice hair cut. Actually the not-as-young’uns do, too. Do you know the haircut I’m describing? The angled from the back, longer in the front… slightly longer on one side bob. It must be this year’s version of “The Aniston” from the 90’s. I see it everywhere, including on a number of titleholders here. I think Bob oughta give it a try. (Just kidding, Bob. he gets his curmudgeon look going when you tease him.)

This entry was copied from Robin's Blog.
I love how she's delivering information that is interesting to both her CNN readers and pageant fans! It seems she noticed the styling given to several of the ladies on TLC's Miss America: Reality Check. Check out the bob she writes of on Miss California, Melissa Chaty. [Photo on the left from the contestant's runway show in Vegas; copied from her state website. CLICK HERE for more!]

Miss America PR: MAOT PERFORMERS ANNOUNCED FOR MISS AMERICA PAGEANT

MAOT PERFORMERS ANNOUNCED FOR MISS AMERICA PAGEANT

(Las Vegas, Nevada) The Miss America Organization has selected seven Miss America's Outstanding Teen state representatives to perform during the competitions in Las Vegas, Nevada at the end of January.

Miss Idaho's Outstanding Teen Cassidy Bronson, a vocalist, will kick off the event by singing the national anthem prior to Miss America's Preliminary Competition on Tuesday, January 22. Cassidy's career ambition is to perform on Broadway.

Also, Miss Delaware's Outstanding Teen Chelsea Betts has been invited to perform during Tuesday's Show. Chelsea won a Preliminary Talent Award at the 2007 Miss America's Outstanding Teen competition in August and has goals of becoming a country music star.

On Wednesday, January 23, Miss Maryland's Outstanding Teen Kasey Stanizewski will sing the national anthem prior to Miss America's Preliminary Competition. Kasey is a member of Maryland's All State Chorus with hopes of obtaining a degree in Musical Theatre.

Miss Michigan's Outstanding Teen has been selected to perform during Wednesday's Preliminary Competition as well. Madelynne Wager is a 4.0 student and an accomplished fiddler.

Thursday's Show will include a vocal presentation from Miss Nebraska's Outstanding Teen, Kayla Batt. Kayla will perform the national anthem prior to the competition. Kayla has aspirations of obtaining a degree in music education and becoming a Broadway performer.

Miss America's Outstanding Teen Caitlin Brunell will take the stage on Thursday, January 24, as well. Caitlin is an accomplished dancer and singer with ambitions of becoming a triple threat on Broadway.

The final night of Miss America Pageant will take place on Saturday, January 26, at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino.

Miss America's Outstanding Teen Caitlin Brunell will also be part of the featured talent during the Pre Show beginning at 4:30pm.

Miss Mississippi's Outstanding Teen, Jasmine Murray, will have the honor of performing the national anthem to a packed auditorium prior to the final night of competition. Jasmine is an accomplished vocalist and has hopes of attending The Julliard School and becoming a professional singer. Jasmine was a Top 10 Semi-Finalist at the Miss America's Outstanding Teen Competition in 2007.

For more information, visit www.MissAmerica.org and www.MAOTeen.org.

Controversy in the Interview Room... but not over abortion or the war!

Okay, well maybe the word “controversy” is too strong, but since this photo of Miss Virginia, Hannah Kiefer, surfaced on the internet this evening there has been opinionated discussion about this, her interview outfit. [Click to enlarge; origin unknown.]

Two days ago in my “wardrobe tips” I touched on the fact that the image of Miss America is changing, especially in the interview room. At the local and state level most contestants are still doing what is safe, but I love that Miss Virginia dressed outside of the box for her Miss America interview.

On the national message baord, no one dislikes the outfit, but three debates emerged: Is it really fashion forward? Is sleeveless appropriate in January? And is she wearing panty hose?

All are stupid really; because the most important questions are did she look great? Yes. And did she feel great in it? She seemed to in the picture.

As for the stupid debates, naysayers have asserted that it’s just a stuffy knit dress that an older woman might wear to a fundraiser. Yes, I agree that it’s a classic style, and therefore works on stylish women of all types. Change the gold accessories to silver and I’d wear it all day long!

Next, some feel it’s not seasonal. I disagree; it’s not like it’s spaghetti straps, and red is a year round color! How unfortunate would it have been if she had settled for an outfit she didn’t love as much just because she thought she had to wear sleeves in January. I think part of what Miss America: Reality Check tried to teach us is that sticking to rules like that is what is holding pageants back. You have to admit, pageant wardrobes tend to follow a lot of rules! As a contestant, I found they helped me feel like I was doing things right. BUT all the rules have created what’s called the “pageant patty” image which pageant civilians can not identify with.

Finally, this debacle about panty hose has been brewing for several months and it honestly has me confused! While I am certain that colored stockings were very trendy this fall, many on the pageant net declare they wouldn’t be caught dead in hose. Despite what you call them - panty hose, stockings, nylons - do you think they're in, or out?

I consider myself rather fashionable but I had no idea that many feel hosiery is “out” until I read it on a message board. Of course, we've all heard it argued that it’s tacky to wear hose with sandals, but I didn’t realize wearing them in any way was considered old fashion.
Bare legs, they say, are sexier and more youthful.

I disagree; again, you should do what makes YOU feel best. Why would someone go bare legged if they’re not confident with the way their legs look?! I am pro-hose in three situations: #1. When my legs aren’t tanned or freshly shaved. (Some argue there are self-tanners. True. But I say hose are cheapers, easier and faster. Especially in cooler months, which brings us to #2... ) #2. For warmth, especially when I’m going to a venue that is likely air conditioned. #3. When even the most seamless thong would show a line. I personally prefer sheer hose that aren’t obvious and I own a couple pair of toe-less hose to wear with peep-toed heels and some sandals.

CLICK HERE for a fashion blog that has a ton of comments discussing the issue (from non-pageant points of view). It's even the topic of THIS year old business news article, "Pantyhose Regaining Footing After Losing Legs."

(I’ve always advised other contestants not to wear them in an opening number, as to not put lines on their stomach for swimsuit, but to always wear them with evening gown (if the gown allows) because they create a smooth line, help you hold your stomach in and they make you feel more elegant as you glide or strut across the stage, as opposed to clammy bare skin under your beautiful, expensive gown!)

As for Miss Virginia, some are using her to win the anti-hosier argument. I find that absurd! You can not tell from this picture! Perhaps she’s wearing a sheer pair. This is truly one of the dumbest arguments I’ve encountered in the pageant world, and that’s saying a lot!

Back to the general suit versus interview outfit issue, as I already said, I am all for a realistic, professional yet trendy outfit. Of the four business suits I wore while competing in the MAO system, I have only gotten use out of one of them outside of the pageant world. On the other hand, the two outfits I interviewed in at Miss Ohio USA have been further worn at everything from job interviews to holiday parties and casual events.

I love all of my Miss Ohio (America) suits, but the fact is that a lime green silk skirt suit, and another we affectionately call the “snow princess suit” do not have a function in the real world. They were perfect for the pageants, at the time, but I am excited for current and future contestants who can hopefully spend their money on items that will be practical in other parts of their lives.

Photos of Roberta in Vegas!

Click each to enlarge!