Behind the scenes at the Ms. Senior Arizona Pageant

By Sarah Eberspacher

After documenting the 2013 Ms. Senior Arizona Pageant, Daily News-Sun staff photographer Jarod Opperman summed the event up as a little bit serious, a little bit silly, but totally fun. Between costume changes and a few deep breaths backstage, the elegant, all-60-or-older contestants shrugged off their nerves and put on a show that should not be missed.

Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder.

Donald Trump reveals Baton Rouge will host Miss USA 2014

by Scott Stump

The Miss USA competition is headed to the bayou this year.

Donald Trump, the owner of the Miss Universe Organization, announced Thursday that this year's contest will be held in Baton Rouge, La., on June 8. The contest will air on NBC from 8-11 p.m. ET. "[It's] just a place that really wanted us,'' Trump said on TODAY Thursday. "We had about 12 places that were fighting for the rights, and we just decided that's sort of the home of pageantry, it's sort of the home of the whole beauty thing. They're terrific people, and they're going to put on a great show. Usually we go to Las Vegas. We never fail in Las Vegas. It's great, but we thought we'd move it."

Baton Rouge hosted a Miss Teen USA competition in 2005, but the pageant couldn't return in 2006 due to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina, "when the population doubled overnight due to people in damaged areas seeking safety and shelter,” Miss Universe Organization president Paula Shugart said in the release. “The sense of community that Baton Rouge has is incredibly inspiring and the hospitality shown to us while we were there was second to none. I am looking forward to bringing an event back to Baton Rouge to experience the charm of the Capital City.”

The competition will feature contestants from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, who will be judged in the categories of swimsuit, evening gown and interview. "It is an honor to host the Miss USA pageant in Louisiana," Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne said in a statement. "It is an incredible opportunity for Baton Rouge to shine on a national stage and I expect the delegates will enjoy our unique culture and joie de vivre."
Last year's champion was Miss Connecticut, Erin Brady, who appeared alongside Trump on TODAY Thursday to discuss her future plans with her reign set to end in just over two months. "I'd love to get involved in the entertainment business,'' Brady said. "I do have a finance background, so I'm hoping to kind of embrace the best of both worlds and take that a step further." Marissa Powell, Miss Utah, also made headlines last year for an incoherent answer during the interview portion. She later appeared on TODAY for a second chance at the question.

Miss USA 2014 expected to be crowned in Baton Rouge in June

By Chelsea Brasted, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune

It looks like Miss USA will be crowned in Baton Rouge this year. A number of rooms at L'Auberge Casino and Hotel have been blocked out for the pageant between May 25 and June 9, 2014, which was made apparent after a call to the hotel's reservation desk confirmed the dates. City and state officials are expected to announce March 13 "that Baton Rouge will host a major live entertainment event this year," according to a press release. Those officials, however, stayed mum when a comment was requested on the room reservations. A "special announcement ... about the 2014 Miss USA competition" is also expected from Donald Trump, who operates the event as a co-venture with NBC Universal, and current Miss USA Erin Brady on the Today Show at 7:30 a.m. CST on March 13.
Neither representatives with the Lieutenant Governor's office, Visit Baton Rouge nor L'Auberge would comment, instead deferring to tomorrow's press conference. "Everyone will just have to come to the press conference tomorrow morning," said Katie Guasco, a press representative with Visit Baton Rouge. 
Baton Rouge is apparently not the first city to have been considered for the 2014 pageant. Doral, Florida, was a previous choice according to the Miami Herald, but the Doral City Council did not approve a resolution to allow that city's manager to work with pageant organizers to produce the event.

A pageant blogger posted the room booking information on his Facebook pageearlier today (March 12), theorizing that would place the pageant date on June 8, 2014. The Miss USA pageant would be no newcomer to Louisiana. It was previously held in Shreveport in 1997 and 1998, according to the pageant website. The televised coverage of Miss USA in 2013 garnered 4.6 million viewers.

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Miss Alabama USA 2014 Jessica Ahlberg, Miss USA 2013 Erin Brady meet fans at Birmingham Chinese Laundry event

by Mia Watkins

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama--A line of fans gathered on the first floor of the Van Maur store in Riverchase Galleria Saturday, March 8 to get some personal time with Miss Alabama USA 2014 Jessica Ahlberg and Miss USA 2013 Erin Brady. Brady and Ahlberg were on hand from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. for an appearance on behalf of the Chinese Laundry shoe brand, an official sponsor of the Miss USA pageant. “We here to model and show off the spring line for Chinese Laundry,” said Brady. Fans were able to meet and take pictures with the two. The first 100 in line also got a special gift from Chinese Laundry. DJ Rob Everette from 99.5 Vibe also spun tunes for the crowd during and before the meet and greet. Nine-year-old Janna Calhoun said she wanted to come to the event to meet the two. She said she enjoyed getting her picture taken with Ahlberg and Brady. “This was the first celebrity I was going to meet,” she said. Brady said her reign as Miss USA has been great.

“It’s been unbelievable,” she said. “I really didn’t know what to expect and it’s been everything I could have expected and more. I got to compete in Miss Universe and made it to the top 10. It’s crazy that the year’s almost over and I’m trying to figure out what’s next in my life.” She said she wants to get into hosting. “I’m hoping to get involved in some kind of hosting career,” she said. “I was a financial accountant before this so maybe tying in the finance aspect of my life too, but we’ll see I still have a couple more months left.” Ahlberg, who was crowned in November, said her time so far as Miss Alabama USA has been a fun experience. She will compete in the Miss USA pageant in the summer. “I’m still trying to get used to it, “she said. “I’m having so much fun and it’s been the coolest experience so far. Getting to hang out with Miss USA all weekend, I mean, and just getting to make an impact on our community and meeting all of the kids that I’ve been working with has been a really great time.” She hopes that appearances such as the Chinese Laundry event will encourage other young girls to think about the Miss Universe system.

“I really would like to get people involved, let people see us and learn about us and get more of a support system going and hopefully get those girls to want to compete,” she said. Olivia Stiznani, 8, is an example of one of the girls in the crowd Ahlberg hopes to inspire. She and her mother, Lisa, came across the event while shopping for pageant shoes. Ahlberg and Brady wished Olivia luck on her upcoming pageant and gave her an autograph. “I just thought it would be neat for her to see some role models like this,” Lisa said.