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2014 Miss USA Pageant begins for Miss Nevada USA Nia Sanchez

By Robin Leach 


Two busy weeks of last-minute packing, fittings, charity events, meetings and prepping come to an end with tonight’s send-off for gorgeous 2014 Miss Nevada USA Nia Sanchez. After the Deuce Lounge party in Aria, she flies out this Memorial Day Weekend for Donald Trump’s Miss USA Pageant on June 8 and airing on NBC from Baton Rouge, La. Nia will compete against 50 other young women after 10 days of rehearsals and filming on the Mississippi River and at southeast Louisiana landmarks before reigning Miss USA Erin Brady turns over her crown to the new winner. Pageant experts have already predicted that Nia will make the Top 10 and could go into the Final Five. If Nia wins, she would then represent the USA in the Miss Universe Pageant. Our thanks to Georgina Vaughan, Fadil Berisha, Oscar Picazo and the Miss Universe Organization for their stunning photographs of Nia.

After several years of the pageant being hosted here at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, our sponsor hotels and convention authority decided to pull its financial support. It had been expected that The Donald would pick Miami Beach as the host city, but he selected Baton Rouge, the first time it has hosted Miss USA.
It’s believed from reports that Baton Rouge and Louisiana kicked in $350,000 to host the telecast in addition to waiving the arena rental and its costs. The Donald’s president, Paula Shugart, said that Baton Rouge was the site of the 2005 Miss Teen USA Pageant but that devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina later that year prevented the organization from returning. “The hospitality shown to us while we were there was second to none,” Paula said. “The sense of community that Baton Rouge has is incredibly inspiring.”
Nia faces the swimsuit, evening gown and dreaded interview and live question segments of the contest. About 100 million people are expected to watch via the internationally televised competition and simultaneously online. My earlier stories about Nia in January and March this year told of her work with our Shade Tree charity here. When Nia was just 6 years old, she spent time in a women’s shelter with her mother when her parents were divorcing. I talked with Nia as she started getting ready for her flight and pageant check-in this weekend. She’s spent this final week working with our state pageant director, Shanna Moakler, who was 1995 Miss USA.

Just days to go now. Emotionally, how do you feel at this moment?

I feel good! I’m ready! I feel like I’m really good at being this emotionally ready for something and then all the fine tuning and details I’m working with Shanna, where everything I need for interview prep and everything I need to learn how to pose when I’m with all the other contestants. I feel good emotionally.

I’m just ready and excited. I know who I am, so I don’t have to pretend to be anyone else; I just get to be me. She’s been great working with me, so I am 100 percent prepared on the interview and feeling comfortable with the walking and posing in every detail.

Have you been following national and global events and doing extra studying in case you get a dreaded question?

Oh, that’s all I do. I watch CNN and MSNBC all day every day. If I’m at home, that’s what’s on TV. You have to be prepared for anything. I have become a news junkie. When you watch it, then you have to sit there and think, “Well, what’s my opinion on this subject?” It’s not just learning about it, but also then figuring out your opinion about it.

You can only go with one suitcase, and it has to last you a year in case you win because if you get the crown, the very next morning you are off to New York for 12 months, and you don’t get home to Las Vegas for a year.

Right — that’s so true. You have to pack because you’re possibly leaving for an entire year. One suitcase has to last you one year in the event you win.

And you have to be prepared. So it means the phone has to be taken care of, the electricity has to be taken care of before you leave. Are you beginning to take care of all of those things before you go?

I am. I’m getting everything in order just in case I happen to be living in New York. I have a roommate here, we live in a house together, so I told her that I’ll pay another month’s rent and then I’ll have somebody come out and pack everything up to put in storage for me, so I’m prepared.

How does a young lady, without getting too personal, pack a year of her life into one suitcase?

I don’t have that many physical things that are really important to me, so I would pack photos of my family and some of my essential outfits and shoes. I feel like everything else I can get by — I’ll get it later.

How do you prepare to do all this? Do you write down a list or do you sit at the computer and work out 52 weeks?

It’s funny that you asked that. I have pages and pages and pages of lists of things to do, things to pack, things to watch and learn about, everything. Then pages and pages of appointments and meetings with my sponsor; I’m a list girl. I have it all written down.

So who is your shoulder in this? Do you have a shoulder?

I have three shoulders, actually. I have Shanna, and she’s amazing because I can call her for anything and she’s always available to answer any questions. And my boyfriend and my mom. I talk to my mom every single day; we’re talking about pageant stuff. She’s actually coming out today so she can help me get packed and get everything organized ahead of time before I leave.

My boyfriend is always there for emotional support. If I’m having a day where there is so much going on and I just need someone to talk to, he’s always there for me. I have three shoulders. Plus, my own two! I’m just really lucky to have people around me who are so supportive right now. I’m so lucky to have Shanna, who’s able to focus her attention on me and get me 100 percent ready. She’s the best.

Nia, how has your life changed since January when you won Miss Nevada?

It’s changed 100 percent. I feel like I’ve been really blessed with all of my sponsors, and I feel like I’ve become even more of a well-rounded person. I thought I was at 100 percent when I was at Miss Nevada, but with my sponsors and Shanna, I’ve been able to really focus in on who I am and who I want to be when I go to Miss USA. It’s been a great journey so far.

Now you’ve told me before that you were racked with nerves just thinking about getting ready for the Miss Nevada interview. Do you think you’ve overcome those fears now going into the Miss USA Pageant?

When it came to it, I was actually very calm and at peace. I had a lot of friends and family sending lots of positive text messages and praying for me, and it just put me at ease. Even going into the interview, which for me is one of the most nerve-wracking things at times, I felt really, really calm and comfortable, and I want to carry that on to Miss USA.

I want to be just calm, comfortable and have a good time. That’s what it’s really about. If you have a good time and you are who you are, that’s who wins. The girl that’s just being herself. That’s what I want to do; try not to be nervous.

When you’re in a very quiet frame of mind by yourself, do you think back to where your life began in terms of running away to Japan and Disney World and here you are now, representing our Silver State, going to the Miss USA Pageant? Go beyond just pinching yourself? How does it all feel at 24 years of age?

I feel like everything happens for a reason because I started competing in pageants when I was 19. I feel like I would have had a completely different experience if I had won a state title at 19 or 20 or 21. I feel like my travels and life experiences, even being in a really unhealthy relationship and having the strength to get out of that, have made me more prepared to handle anything that comes my way.

I feel like winning at an older age, for the pageant world I’m a bit older, I feel like you appreciate the experience so much more because I’m mature enough to handle it.

How do you deal with the … stress is not quite the right word … how do you deal with the nervousness of being cut down from 51 to 15 right out of the box, and then 10 and then five? I’ve already seen pageant blogging putting you in the Top 10. When you stand there on that stage and they’re calling out names and states, do the knees knocks? Does the heart jump? Do butterflies get in your stomach? How do you avoid that natural nervousness?

I mean that certainly happens. It’s part of the excitement. Everybody is going to be a little bit nervous. I go into it mentally thinking whatever is supposed to happen is supposed to happen. If I’m going to win, I’m going to win, and there’s nothing that anyone else can do to prepare differently.

But if I’m not supposed to win, then I’m going to be where I’m supposed to be. I feel like having that mental thought process going into it puts me a little bit more at ease, but I'm always going to be a little bit nervous up there.

Is there one secret that you’re taking to the pageant with you? One beauty queen secret other than butt glue for the swimsuit?

That’s a good one! I have a lot of friends, four of whom won Miss California and one who went on to USA, and I’ve been asking them for their advice. Their secret primarily is just going into it with the right mentality. Envisioning your self winning, envisioning yourself having fun, because if you envision somebody else winning, then somebody else is going to win. You just have to go into it with the right mentality.

I also received really great advice from my friend Raquel, who was a Miss California, and she said just to bring lots of pictures of family, make it feel like home. She said bring pictures of your family, bring a candle and just always love on your family and communicate with them because it can get really hectic and overwhelm you.

Well just know all of Las Vegas will be rooting for you.

Please invite everybody to my send-off party at Aria on Friday night! That’ll get me all fired up to bring home the title and the crown. Since the pageant began in 1952, nobody from Nevada has ever won it. I’ll do my best to be the first!

Fil-Dutch beauty queen to carry Empire State banner to Miss USA

By ELTON LUGAY

It would be nice to win Miss USA 2014, but one of Filipino-Dutch model Candace Kendall’s biggest dreams is to one day work for Donald Trump. The reigning Miss New York USA said that with her degree in accounting and finance and her passion for beauty pageants, she would love to run the Trump-owned Miss Universe Organization, manage its operations, and make sure it stays in the black. Candace, 25, will be representing New York State in the Miss USA contest on June 8 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Winning Miss USA will usher her into the largest pageant in the world, the Miss Universe. In 2006, she won Miss New York Teen USA, so she knew the ropes and how a crown felt on her head. “When I won Miss New York Teen, I was very surprised,” she recalled. “I didn’t really know what to expect once. It made me a little nervous but of course I was excited and thankful for the opportunity.”


“Now that I’ve had years to think about Miss New York, I knew what to expect and I worked very hard for the pageant. So when I won, of course it’s still a surprise, it’s a great honor but I knew that I worked very hard,” Candace continued. It’s not easy to mistake Candace for Asian, but there is Filipino blood in that radiant look she possesses. Her father Marcus Kuykendall, a document specialist, is of Filipino-Dutch ethnicity. He was born in Queens. Her mother Valerie is Dutch. She is a scientist and creates a variety of inks for inkjet printers. The family surname was shortened to the more Anglo-sounding ‘Kendall.’ Her paternal grandfather, George Kuykendall, was born and raised in Baguio. “My grandfather came to America towards the end of World War II. I’ve been fortunate to receive some gifts from him from the Philippines. I have a shirt, a belt and a sword. It’s actually passed down from my great grandfather,” she said. Her ‘lolo’ is long gone, but her family believes she got her almond-shaped eyes from him. “I have great memories with him but I didn’t know too many stories as I was very young when he left us,” she said. She does not speak the Filipino language, but can count numbers in Tagalog. “Filipinos are such genuinely nice people,” she asserted.

Kendall doesn’t have any siblings but she grew up in Rochester with a best friend by her side all the time. “I have this girlfriend since 3 years old, and we declare ourselves cousins,” she said. “We had our parents signed a piece of paper saying that we’re cousins.” Although she has an accounting and finance degree from St. John Fisher College outside of Rochester, Candace pursued modeling at Ford Models after college. The idea of being able to travel boosted her decision. She has been to Singapore and stayed there for three months. “My experience there was so nice,” she said. “Their culture was very interesting and they’re actually pretty Americanized.” While in Singapore, she was tempted to stop by Manila, but her contract did not allow any side trips. “I would love to go to the Philippines.” Candace is also looking to start her own model placement company, inspired by her own favorable experience. She said, “I have a manager who helps me get signed to these agencies all over the world. Now, I want to do that for other women. I want to help them pursue their dream and make their dreams come true in the modeling industry.” The essential Candace loves meeting people from all walks of life. “I love learning about people and communicating. I’ve been going around and speaking to students and schools about different topics that are happening right now. I try to tell them to be the best person they can be and I think that’s really important.”

The ideal beauty queen is one who exudes confidence. “She is someone who is confident in herself but at the same time she is also able to make other people feel confident.” The Miss USA slogan, “Confidently Beautiful,” speaks to her, she said. “Just being confident and happy about yourself on the inside and out I think is so important. I want people to know that they might be happy to meet me, but I’m also happy to meet them.” “I hope to become the next CFO of the Miss Universe Organization,” she told The FilAm in an interview in Chelsea. “He is great at playing the guitar and loves being outdoors,” Candace described her father. “We go hiking and kayaking together.”

Miss Virginia USA prepares for Miss USA Pageant

Miss Nebraska USA preparing for national pageant

Posted By: Camila Orti

Miss Nebraska USA, 22-year-old Amanda Soltero, is packing up her gowns and heading to Baton Rouge."This is it, this is the real deal," Soltero said. She's chasing her childhood dreams and competing in the 2014 Miss USA pageant in June, an event she would always watch with her mom growing up. "I've been watching it for so long and this year I'm not going to be watching it because I'm going to be in it, I really can't believe it," Soltero said. The Columbus native (and former Channel 8 intern) was crowned Miss Nebraska USA on January 5th. She says it was a moment she'll never forget.

"When I heard my name my mouth just dropped open, I just remember crying and I just couldn't believe it," Soltero said. Now, it's all about the national title. Soltero and 50 other women will compete for the Miss USA crown on June 8th. Her goal is to put Nebraska on the map; there has never been a Miss USA winner from the Cornhusker State since the pageant began in 1952. "I would love to be that exception and just really show people what Nebraska is made of," Soltero said. Soltero has been using her title to raise awareness for childhood cancer. She's been involved with a nonprofit called Sammy's Superheroes, an organization started by a 6-year-old boy and his family from her hometown. Sammy is fighting neuroblastoma. 

Miss Florida USA 2015 Returns to Original Home

by Grant Gravitt, Jr / Direcor, Miss FL USA

It is with much pleasure that we announce that Miss Florida USA 2015 will return to the historic Parker Playhouse in Ft. Lauderdale. The classic theater will host the seventy-plus delegates for two evenings of pageant competition leading to the announcement of our state champion and representative at Miss USA. The state wide and international broadcast will highlight the final evening of Saturday July 12th while Friday evening July 11th will see all of the delegates in the preliminary competitions of swimsuit and evening gowns. Parker Playhouse hosted the early broadcast years of Miss Florida USA as the competitions between 1983 and 1988 were held in this historic theater that his seen the likes of Carol Channing, Ann Miler and other classic greats of the stage. 

The Parker Playhouse curtain rose for the first time on February 6, 1967. One of Fort Lauderdale’s first venues, the neo-classical Playhouse, was built by Dr. Louis Parker and is managed now by the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. This 1,167-seat fully equipped theater plays an important role in the community by serving as a vibrant part of the area. Look for ticket information in Miss FL USA's next Ezine, only at http://www.missfloridausa.com/.

Newly-crowned Miss Universe Thailand in hot water over 'red shirts' remarks

(CNN) -- She was only crowned Miss Universe Thailand on Saturday but Weluree "Fai" Ditsayabut has already become caught up in the political crisis engulfing her country, after comments were found on her Facebook page referring to pro-government demonstrators as "dirty," "evil activists" that should "all be executed." According to news site Khaosod English, the 22-year-old has often published scathing comments about the "red shirt" movement on her Facebook page, which now appears to have been deleted.
"I am not neutral. I am on the side of His Majesty the King," Weluree said in a comment from November, Khaosod English reported. "I'm so angry at these evil activists. They should all be executed." Weluree reportedly said Thailand would be cleaner if the "dirty" red shirts left the country.

Pro-government supporters have questioned Weluree's pageant victory on popular online forums and social media sites. A Facebook page in protest of her winning the competition had over 10,000 "likes" on Monday -- although some users criticized her appearance and claimed she won because of her connections, rather than raising concerns about her anti-red shirt comments. The deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Asia division, Phil Robertson, condemned Weluree's remarks on Twitter. "Perhaps (a) better title is Miss Politically Divided #Thailand? Shameful when beauty queens are calling for executions," he wrote.
Weluree -- an actress, talk show host, and English student -- apologized Monday for the remarks in an interview on Thailand's Channel 3. "I was careless. I was young. I did it recklessly," she said. "It won't happen again." Weluree beat the pageant favorite Pimbongkod "Ellie" Chankaew who placed second in Saturday's competition. The pageant organizers have not responded to the controversy, nor have the leaders of the pro-government movement.

Thailand's political turmoil began in November when the government attempted to pass a controversial amnesty bill that would have cleared the way for the return of then-prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra's brother, Thaksin, to politics. The former prime minister and tycoon has been living in self-imposed exile to avoid a corruption conviction after being overthrown in a military coup in 2006. Since November, the People's Democratic Reform Committee has led anti-government protesters, who are mostly middle-class royalists, in calling for Yingluck's government to be replaced with an unelected "people's council."
Competing rallies have been held by pro-government supporters, many of whom come from the country's rural north and northeast and view Shinawatra's ouster as a "judicial coup." 

Yingluck was found guilty of abuse of power and removed from office along with several cabinet ministers on May 7, and indicted by Thailand's anti-graft body. If the Senate votes to impeach her, she could be banned from politics for five years. Monday marks a particularly sensitive day for the red shirt movement as the anniversary of a military crackdown that left more than 90 people dead and thousands injured in 2010.

Miss Florida USA bon voyage party in Hollywood

Miss Florida USA, Brittany Odelhoff, held a bon voyage party at Tel Air studios in Hollywood, Friday, where partygoers were asked to bring their own sash and crowns. Odelhoff, who hails from Oakland Park, was joined by her friends, family and Florida pageant titleholders.

My big fat gypsy beauty pageant: Spain celebrates Miss Gypsy 2014

By AFP REPORTER

A Mister and Miss Gypsy competition has been launched in Spain - and claims it will be a 'helping hand' to young gypsies because it judges them on intelligence as well as just looks. The pageant, which is currently auditioning in the Spanish capital Madrid, includes elements of beauty contests but also judges contests on their education, interests and ambitions. According to organisers, the competition - particularly the female portion - is a response to the reduced opportunities which gypsies in Spain received, and hopes to persuade girls that there is more to life than marrying young and having babies.

Maria Jimenez of the Northern Flamenco Association is involved in organising the contest, which she hopes will encourages gypsy women to 'be a bit more independent'. She said: 'For a gypsy woman, the aim is always just to get married very young, at 14 or 15, and have children. I want the gypsy woman to study and become independent so she doesn't depend on her husband to give her €10 so she can eat.' Perched on high heels in tight, bright dresses, crowds of girls line up hoping to become Spain's first 'Miss Gypsy' in a new pageant aimed at empowering a neglected minority. The five judges of the competition will be non-gypsies, and are supposed to judge contestants on their minds and personality as much as their looks. Contestants will hope to make it to the final in October, before going on to win the crown. One hopeful, 17-year-old Libertad Barrull, said: 'I want to be a model. I love it.' Her mother Rosario said: 'It gives them a helping hand to become something in life, like our generation couldn't be'.


Another attendee added: 'People have started to realize now that you can't get married so soon because you're tying yourself down to being a housewife when you're still a child.' The unemployment rate for the 725,000-strong minority is painfully high, however: 36 percent in 2011, according to the rights group. That was way above Spain's already high national rate of 26 percent. Jesus Heredia, a contestant for the male element of the competition, said: 'I'm in it to show that we gypsies are people, just like the rest.'

Miss Arizona USA visits ABC15

Brie-zing to the top

by Camber Clemence

Brie Gabrielle has been comfortable in front of an audience for as long as she can remember; as a toddler, she appeared in Downy and K-Mart ads before finding her first true creative outlet, dance. Brie was not picky about type and began performing ballet, jazz, and hip-hop on stage whenever possible (and Brie, as many of us did in the ‘90s, spent some time cornering friends and family while belting out her own renditions of all her favorite Spice Girls songs). As Brie grew older, her interests expanded and she began to travel between Florida and Los Angeles with her mother and sister to give acting and modeling a chance. At 13, Brie left public school and began homeschooling and attending community college in order to attain her high school degree by the time she was 16. It was at this time that she began to book guest appearances on television shows before landing a lead role in “Forget Me Not,” an independent horror film.

Shortly after the filming of “Forget Me Not”, Brie enrolled at Pepperdine University; it was during her years at Pepperdine that Brie became involved in pageants. Brie won Miss Malibu 2012, placed first runner-up at Miss California 2012 and was Miss Wellington USA 2014. Brie recently won Miss Jupiter USA 2015 and is looking forward to what the Miss Florida USA pageant will bring in July. Brie is currently working as co-host of the Chevy Florida Insider Fishing Report, which airs on FOX Sun Sports every Thursday at 5:30 p.m.

Interested in learning more about Brie? Follow her on Facebook (shesbriegabrielle), Instagram (BrieGabrielle) and Twitter(@BrieMGabrielle) or visit her website (www.briegabrielle.com).

Titus for the title

by Camber Clemence

Natalie Titus, 17-year-old vocal student at Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, recently took the title of Miss Teen Jupiter and will compete for the title of Miss Florida Teen USA in October. Natalie began modeling when she was 12 and got into pageantry shortly thereafter. “My mom asked me one day, after visiting the rec center one day, if I’d be interested in doing a pageant,” said Natalie. “I was playing video games at the time and I was like, ‘No, Mom! Get out!’”

Natalie declined because she felt that here were too many negative connotations surrounding pageantry but after some careful consideration, she decided to at least give it a chance. “I thought they had fake tans, big hair, and extensions – that just wasn’t really my thing,” Natalie explained. She competed for Miss Palm Beach County two years ago and didn’t think she was going to win – as she put it, her heart wasn’t completely in it initially. “The day of the pageant I finally realized that I had put a lot of time and effort into preparing for the pageant and that I might as well give it my all,” Natalie said.

She did – and she won. After that, Natalie was hooked. And she learned a lot about the true world of pageantry. “Pageantry isn’t at all like what you think it is – it is such a positive experience,” she gushed. “You learn so much about yourself – figure out who you are – and it really helps build character and improve self-confidence.”

Brie Gabrielle, Miss Jupiter USA and Natalie’s “big sister,” and is an ideal role model for the path Natalie has chosen. “I feel like this year is going to be different,” Natalie said wistfully. “I want this to be my year.”

Annora Bourgeault Crowned Miss World Canada 2014

Source: http://beautypageantnews.com

Annora Bourgeault was crowned Miss World Canada 2014 at the conclusion of the pageant held on May 11, 2014 in Vancouver. The beauty from Regina will represent Canada in the Miss World 2014 pageant, scheduled for this November in London, England.

Annora Bourgeault was crowned Miss World Canada 2014 at the conclusion of the pageant held on May 11, 2014 in Vancouver. The beauty from Regina will represent Canada in the Miss World 2014 pageant, scheduled for this November in London, England.

Annora Bourgeault was crowned Miss World Canada 2014 at the conclusion of the pageant held on May 11, 2014 in Vancouver. The beauty from Regina will represent Canada in the Miss World 2014 pageant, scheduled for this November in London, England.

Pakistan to get its own beauty pageant

Sonia Ahmed, President of Miss Pakistan World and now Miss Pakistan Universe began her quest to introduce a pageant for the Pakistani girls and boys in Pakistan. Appointing Saman Hasnain as the Director of Pakistan (Affairs), Ahmed has now begun the strong campaign to introduce the first Miss Pakistan Universe pageant as well as Mr. Pakistan Universe pageant for 2014.

Ahmed said, “I am pleased to offer something to my country in its own ways and cultural norms. There will be no swim suits and that pageant will be for the people of Pakistan and by the people of Pakistan.” She continued, “I always wanted Pakistan to get a huge industry for beauty and competitions, but there were many hinderances, and every year we get tons of applications from Pakistan but we cannot do much with them as they would require a visa to come to Canada. But today I am happy to introduce Pakistan with its own pageant on its soil. It took me 12 years but this dream is finally going to happen!” Saman Hasnain won the Mrs. Pakistan World pageant in 2008 and has competed in 2 international beauty pageants: Mrs. World and Mrs. Globe. Under a strong team of people, Miss Pakistan Universe and Mr. Pakistan Universe will be taking place in Lahore, Pakistan in 2014. This will begin the first establishment for the pageant to be taking place on the soil of Pakistan.

Hasnain added, “I am very happy to become a part of this venture and since I was always passionate about beauty pageants, I feel that this is what Pakistan needs, to celebrate its culture and people. We are strictly keeping this as much Pakistani as we can, with no swim suits. We are Pakistanis and we will always follow our culture. I am very happy to come on board and promote this pure Pakistani beauty pageant as well as competition for the boys and girls. We are proud Pakistanis and this will be an extention to Pakistan’s massive fashion industry. The winners of these competition will get the support from the fashion, drama and film industry.”

Touchagte Global Inc. is an established company that has founded the pageant industry for Pakistan in 2002. Successfully continuing since 2002, Touchgate Global Inc., under President Sonia Ahmed has launched over 30 Pakistani beauty queens through the Miss Pakistan World and Mrs. Pakistan World pageants. Mr. Pakistan World was also launched in 2011 as an extension to all male model competitions. Miss Pakistan Universe and Mr. Pakistan Universe are newly founded pageants since 2012 and have established their roots in Pakistan. The first Miss Pakistan Universe will be taking place in Pakistan in 2014 in Lahore, Pakistan. The good thing about the pageant is that it is not following the typical Western beauty pageant theme and hence will showcase the fashion of Pakistan as well as the culture of Pakistan. The pageant is an extension of a mega fashion show as well as performers coming from Canada to celebrate Pakistani culture, fashion and beauty pageants.

Atlantic City unveils Miss America statue, plans for pageant

BY SUZANNE MARINO

ATLANTIC CITY – Plans for the 93rd Miss America pageant are gearing up – and Miss America Organization CEO Sam Haskell said Monday, April 28 on the boardwalk at Kennedy Plaza that the plan is to build on last year’s success and go bigger. He said the Miss America Show Us Your Shoes Parade, set for 5-8:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13, will have many more free spaces available for families to come, set up their chairs, put down their blankets and make memories of their own. “When we spoke with our fans, the one thing that everyone loved and had great memories of was coming to Atlantic City with their family and watching the parade. We want people to have the chance to make memories of their own,” Haskell said. There will be a select few seats available for ticket holders, but the rest of the boardwalk will be for families and fans to cheer and enjoy the tradition of the parade. The parade will begin at Revel Casino and end at Albany Avenue. Performances will be at Kennedy Plaza in front of Boardwalk Hall.

The plan is to include more local groups, youths, choirs, dance groups, tumblers and gymnasts. Haskell said the 52 contestants will ride in convertibles along the parade route, something Miss America 2014 Nina Davuluri described as one of the best events. “I don’t remember much about the crowning, but I remember everything about the parade and all of the people cheering along the parade route,” she said Monday. “It defined the real heart of the events leading up to the pageant that the contestants experienced. That is what makes Atlantic City and Miss America perfect together.” Atlantic City Mayor Don Guardian was part of the festivities Monday. “Welcome back, Miss America. We love you,” he said. Standing in the shadow of Boardwalk Hall, the permanent Miss America statue was unveiled. Toms River sculptor Brian Hanlon talked about how honored he was to create a lasting tribute to Miss America. The statue unveiled in September 2013 was a resin cast of Hanlon’s work. The 6,000-pound bronze sculpture was unveiled Monday in front of fans and supporters of Miss America, including Davuluri and Miss America 1984 Suzette Charles. “This is a really important project for me. Not only is the statue something to decorate our landscape, but what it represents is so important,” Hanlon said. “The scholarship; I understand how hard so many people work to help change women’s lives.”

Hanlon said a panel featuring pictures of Charles and Bette Cooper, the only two Miss New Jerseys to win the crown, is an important part of the landscape in Kennedy Plaza. While Miss America 2013 Mallory Hagan was a model for the stature, it also draws from other contestants, including Charles, Hanlon said. “We wanted a statue that would reflect who Miss America is,” he said. It is also meant to be fun, and the statue was an instant hit with everyone who walked by. They all wanted a picture of themselves being crowned.
The statue was the suggestion of local radio talk show Pinky Kravitz of Margate, according to Liza Cartmel of the Atlantic City Alliance. “Pinky was the brain that put the wheels in motion for the statue. The panels behind the statue help to celebrate the pageant’s Jersey roots,” she said. Kravitz called the finished statue a magnificent addition to Atlantic City and a popular spot for people to come for pictures. A kiosk near the statue will allow anyone to walk up and read about Miss America and its contestants throughout the 93-year history of the pageant. Charles, who was living in Mays Landing when she went from being the first runner-up to becoming Miss America, said she was feeling a lot of emotion as she looked around. Charles acknowledged that the pageant has changed over the years, but said it still does what it has done since its beginnings, and that is to support the dreams of women. “I think the pageant still represents the best in women,” she said.

Charles, who was accompanied by her daughter, Anna Pley, 18, said she was proud to be able to have her share of the experience in Atlantic City. Haskell announced that unlike last year when tickets to the pageant events went on sale several weeks before the parade, the website is up and running, and visitors can check out the events and make plans to attend the preliminary competitions or the live broadcast. Miss America will also do a live “20/20” airing the hour prior to the pageant broadcast on ABC.

Nina Davuluri to attend Indian origin physicians meet

Source: OneIndia

Washington, May 6: Nina Davuluri, the first Indian American to be crowned Miss America, will lead the women's forum session and the "Be Fit Be Cool' walkathon at the 32nd annual convention of Indian-origin physicians. Over 2,000 physicians and their families are expected to attend the annual convention of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), the largest ethnic association of physicians in the US, from June 25 to 29 in San Antonio, Texas. 

The convention will deliberate on ways to enhance their own professional growth and identify ways to network and stay united and offer a unified voice to protect their rights as well as explore possibilities to give back to the society, said AAPI president Jayesh Shah. Childhood obesity Awareness Campaign, a pioneering preventive health initiative of AAPI in collaboration with local chapters across several states, was launched in San Antonio by the Texas Indo-American Physicians Society (TIPS) South West Chapter. The Convention will be held from June 25 to 29 in San Antonio, Texas The obesity prevention initiative is one of the top priorities for AAPI, Shah stated. "The Be Fit. Be Cool campaign aims to involve at least two elementary schools in each state to launch the educational programme for youth to adopt simple easy to follow tips to eat more vegetables and fruits, engage in at least one hour of daily physical activity, limit recreational screen time and eliminate sugary drinks," he added. 

"Many of the physicians who will attend this convention have excelled in different specialties and sub-specialties and occupy high positions as faculty members of medical schools, heads of departments, and executives of hospital staff," said AAPI vice president Seema Jain. "The AAPI Convention offers an opportunity to meet directly with these physicians who are leaders in their fields and play an integral part in the decision-making process regarding new products and services," she said