2014 MISS USA Contestants Swimwear Photo Shoot

Kamryn Blackwood prepares for Miss USA competition

By Hannah Grover The Daily Times

FARMINGTON — Kamryn Blackwood first decided she wanted to be Miss USA in 2012. After years of hard work, her dreams are on the verge of coming true. Blackwood, the current Miss New Mexico USA, will compete in the preliminary Miss USA competition on Wednesday and in the finals on Sunday. The final competition will be broadcast live on NBC.

Blackwood has spent the last week in Louisiana where she has been making daily appearances and gotten to know the other competitors. "It's my fourth day and I'm having the time of my life," Blackwood said when reached by phone on Thursday. She said the competitors are all nice and want the best for each other.

"We're really just kind of learning what we need to do," she said. She has been mentally preparing for the preliminaries — which consists of a personal interview and gown and swimming suit previews. While preparing, she is also trying to stay relaxed. "It can get really stressful quickly," she said.

Blackwood said being an athlete and having an athlete's mind-set has given her an advantage because she can compartmentalize and understand that "when I step on the court, it's court time and when I'm in a classroom its class time." Because of this, she said she is able to give all of herself to whatever she is doing.

Blackwood's athletic career recently ended with her final collegiate tennis tournament in April. She described the experience as sort of surreal. As she played in her last game, she said she thought back to the day when she decided to put in the practice time to get onto a college tennis team. She also thought about when she received the tennis scholarship to play at Nova Southeastern University in Florida.

"Time really flew by," Blackwood said. She says her time as Miss New Mexico USA has taught her about staying true to who she is. "With all of the publicity that comes with it, people can lose themselves really quickly," she said.

She said she is anxious about Wednesday's preliminaries. "It really is in God's hands," she said.

Menifee Home Town Beauty to compete in Miss USA Contest

by Cynthia Nemelka

Former Menifee resident, Nia Sanchez, will be representing Nevada in the Miss USA Beauty Pageant as the reigning Miss Nevada USA 2014. Nia won the Miss Nevada title in January and is determined to be the first Nevada contestant to win the Miss USA title.Nia, who was born in Sacramento, California, moved to Menifee when she was eight years old with her father, David Sanchez and younger brother, “Little” David Sanchez, Jr. She graduated from Paloma Valley High School in 2008, where she won her first Crown as Paloma Valley’s Homecoming Queen. Since then, Nia has won several other titles including: Miss Citrus Valley, Miss Hollywood USA, and she was Second Runner Up in the Miss California Pageant.

As a pageant contestant, of course you have to be a well versed public speaker. Helping to hone her public speaking skills came from teaching groups of up to thirty students at her parents’ martial arts studio, Menifee Martial Arts Academy. Nia is a Certified Instructor and has a Forth Degree Black Belt.Since graduating from high school, Nia has been a regular globe trotter. She has been to twelve different countries ranging from Dubai to the Great Wall of China. When Nia finally landed from all of her travels in 2012, she touched down in Las Vegas, Nevada. Be sure not to miss cheering on Menifee’s very own Nia Sanchez on The Miss USA Contest which will be televised from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on June 8th2014 at 8pm on NBC. ALL OUR BEST NIA!!!!!

Miss Montana Hopes to Break Past Top 15 Barrier in Miss USA Pagent

By Jon King

Flathead Valley resident Kadie Latimer is Miss Montana 2014, and she’s hoping to be the first Montanan to be crowned Miss USA. Before she takes the big prize though, she’ll have to break through some barriers that Montana contestants have never been able to best. “There’s never been a Montana contestant break top 15,” Latimer said. “So I’m hoping that I’ve worked hard enough to make top 15 this year and make history, for Montana.” Latimer says she has had to practice wearing high heels a lot, something she doesn’t do all that often. In fact, she doesn’t compete in pageants much at all. The Miss Montana competition she recently won was her first foray into the pageant world.

According to Latimer, her family has been the secret to her success. “My family have been so supportive through this whole, entire thing,” Latimer said. “My older sister is basically my manager through this entire thing. She’s kept me organized, she’s made posters for me, she’s made autograph cards for me, so she’s really helped me out. [My little sister] has basically been my personal trainer throughout this whole experience, she’s really pushed me to be in the best shape of my entire life, so hopefully that shows on state. My parents have just helped me immensely. They live here in Kalispell, and they help me every night with mock interviews, they ask me questions every night, they really keep me on top of things. It’s just really been a family affair.”

The preliminary competition is on Wednesday, June 4 and can be viewed on the Miss USA website. Latimer hopes all Montanans will be able to catch the finals on Sunday, June 8 when the top 15 contestants will be decided. The broadcast will be carried on NBC.

MISS USA 2014 TALENT AND HOSTS ANNOUNCED!

FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE, NELLY, MARC BROUSSARD AND THE DIRTY DOZEN BRASS BAND HORNS SET TO PERFORM DURING THE 2014 MISS USA® COMPETITION AIRING JUNE 8 ON NBC (8-11 P.M. ET)

GIULIANA RANCIC (“E! NEWS”) AND THOMAS ROBERTS (MSNBC’S “WAY TOO EARLY”) TO HOST SHOW WITH NEW THREE-HOUR FORMAT

NEW YORK — May 28, 2014 — NBC, Donald J. Trump and Paula M. Shugart, president of the Miss Universe Organization, announced today that Florida Georgia Line, with special guest Nelly, and Marc Broussard will perform during the 63rd annual MISS USA® Competition airing Sunday, June 8 (8-11 p.m. ET) from The Baton Rouge River Center in Baton Rouge, La. Giuliana Rancic and Thomas Roberts team up to host the competition for the first time together as the show expands to three hours. The sharp contemporary country sounds of Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley create Florida Georgia Line and have become the biggest country sensation of the decade. The superstar duo has skyrocketed since releasing four consecutive, multi-week #1 smashes in the US and Canada including the 6X PLATINUM “Cruise” which FGL will perform with music superstar Nelly during the MISS USA® swimsuit competition. “Cruise,” became an unstoppable crossover hit in 2013 and, eventually, the biggest selling digital country single of all time. The talented twosome will also perform their latest PLATINUM-certified hit, “This Is How We Roll” (featuring Luke Bryan), from their chart-topping Republic Nashville debut album HERE’S TO THE GOOD TIMES.

Joining the musical line-up is singer-songwriter and Louisiana native, Marc Broussard. Since his critical breakthrough album ‘Carencro’, Broussard has been hailed as an old-school Southern soul singer with a rarefied gift and innate stylistic and emotional authenticity. The trademark “Bayou Soul” of Broussard will bring a mix of funk, blues, rock and pop which will match the distinct cultural Louisiana roots the MISS USA® show will feature. Additionally, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band Horns will add even more excitement to Broussard’s opening set when the group joins him for an ultimate high energy mashup and Mardi Gras party on stage. Broussard will release his new album, “A Life Worth Living” on July 29th.

MISS USA 2014 Interview Spotlight: Miss Florida USA, Brittany Oldehoff

Miss Tennessee USA to compete for title of Miss USA

by Robin Burton

CLARKSVILLE, TENN. — It’s just a matter of days before Miss Tennessee USA 2014, Nashville’s Kristy Landers Niedenfuer, 22, will be on stage in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to compete for the title of Miss USA 2014.

The 63rd annual Miss USA Pageant will be telecast live from the Baton Rouge River Center in Louisiana on June 8 at 7 p.m. Central on NBC. The daughter of World Series-winning pitcher Tom Niedenfuer and ’80s TV icon Judy Landers, Kristy is known for her Nashville-based charity event planning business and as a singer, songwriter and model.

Kristy is an avid supporter of several notable causes, including the Wounded Warrior Project, Breast and Ovarian Cancer Awareness, the Humane Society and the Boys and Girls Club. She is also a lifelong vegetarian and animal lover who has adopted several rescue dogs. She is also the first female spokesperson for Operation Troop Aid, an organization designed to honor and provide for American heroes protecting our nation. She also sits as a board member for the organization. “Kristy is an excellent example of the young women we have had the honor of sending to the Miss USA Pageant to represent our state and organization,” said pageant director Kim Greenwood. “She embodies poise, intelligence, class and beauty, and those qualities will take her far.”

Emily Shah to Represent NJ at Miss USA

EDISON, NJ – Emily Shah will represent the Garden State at the 2014 Miss USA pageant next month in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on June 8.

Emily first immersed herself into acting and dancing at a young age, studying at prestigious institutes in NYC, LA, and India such as; Lee Strasburg, NYFA, Madumati's Bollywood, and Princeton Ballet, to name a few.
After graduating from Edison High School, Emily landed several opportunities in the entertainment industry. She was Clint Eastwood’s assistant on the set of Jersey Boysafter working with the stunt team on Captain America 2. Emily then moved on to working with the stunt team on Liam Neeson's, Run all Night. Her last two projects included Fast and Furious 7 and Monster Trucks as an assistant to the stunt director. She plans on working on action films in the future and says her dream job would to become a James Bond Girl or the next Agent Salt.

However, Emily, able to speak Hindi and Gujarati fluently, wouldn't mind a crossover in Bollywood and Hollywood. Emily is the youngest Miss New Jersey USA and hopes to bring the crown home to New Jersey for the first time.

Watch Emily Shah represent New Jersey on June 8 at 8 p.m. on NBC in the Miss USA pageant.
Follow Emily on Instagram @Emshah and Twitter @Emshah124. To support Emily for Miss USA donation can be made by clicking Emily Shah for Miss USA.

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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.