The Miss Florida USA & Miss Florida Teen USA

Magazine of March 11, 2010

Dear Miss Florida USA Family:

Welcome to another edition of YOUR Miss Florida USA & Miss Florida Teen USA Magazine. YOUR information source for everything pageantry in the Sunshine State. Another fun week here in the Sunshine State as we visited the Western Broward city of Miramar as a rowdy and receptive audience witnessed a very competitive pageant. Of course we have video and pictures to bring you back all the action. The Road to Hollywood takes us to the western far reaches of Florida with our Panhandle 2010 Tour. Visit us in Pensacola and Panama City as a fun weekend of pageantry awaits.

In a very active World Pageant Week we have results from Israel, Japan, Slovak Republic, the Philippines and Russia but the big news is that NBC has renewed Miss Universe and USA on network television. In Miss Florida USA News we have all you need to know to attend this weekend plus info on the Gainesville, Jacksonville and Central Florida Pageants. In GenArt news we profile another rising designer for you fashionista’s while Friday’s Faces & Places goes into the audience in Miramar. That’s also the focus of this week’s Miss Florida USA Channel Movie of the Week. All the (pageant) news that fits to print on Thursdays and Fridays only at YOUR Miss Florida USA Ezine, the only Ezine in the pageant world!

Grant H. Gravitt, Jr.

Executive Producer

Miss Florida USA & Teen

» 2 Days until Miss Pensacola USA & Teen USA

» 2 Days until Miss Emerald Coast USA & Teen USA

PAGEANT NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

» Miss Universe and NBC Sign Three-Year Deal

NBC and Donald Trump have extended their beauty pageant joint venture by another three years. New deal keeps the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants on the Peacock through 2013. Deal also includes the continued deal to air Spanish-dubbed coverage of the pageants on NBC-owned Telemundo (which also runs a lead-in special, "Camino a la Corona").

Deal was announced by NBC Universal TV Ent. Chairman Jeff Gaspin, as well as Donald Trump and Miss Universe Organization prexy Paula M. Shugart. News also comes on the heels of TLC's decision not to move forward with the Miss America pageant. That event is now shopping for a new broadcast partner.

"There's been renewed interest in this series of beauty pageants, especially among a new generation of younger viewers," said Paul Telegdy, Executive Vice President, Alternative Programming and Production at NBC Entertainment/Universal Media Studios.

Trump said he believed the Miss Universe pageants "outshine its competitors by showcasing the most beautiful women in some of the most exotic locations around the world on the best television networks... There are very few live worldwide broadcasts that come close to competing with Miss USA and Miss Universe."

Deal extension also comes as NBC's other major Trump presence, "Celebrity Apprentice," makes its season premiere. "The 2010 Miss USA Pageant" airs live on NBC on Sunday, May 16 at 7 p.m. Event will be held at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

Once again Miss USA keeps all eyes on our National

Championship of Pageantry as the only

pageant on national television

» Binibining Pilipinas (Miss Philippines 2010)

A 19-year-old student who was also the Manila Bulletin’s Readers Choice will represent the country to the Miss World beauty pageant later this year after she was named Bb. Pilipinas-World 2010 during the Binibining Pilipinas coronation night last Saturday at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. Two other candidates were crowned in the same pageant, earning them the right to represent the country in the Miss Universe and Miss International contests also later this year.

Maria Venus Raj, 21, of Bato, Camarines Sur, was crowned 2010 Bb. Pilipinas-Universe and will represent the country in the Miss Universe beauty contest. Raj stands 5’9 tall, weighs 110 lbs and measures 35-22-35. Before joining the contest, Raj worked as an Information Assistant at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Region IV. She has a Bachelor in Communication Arts degree, major in journalism.

Ms. Raj during the swimsuit competition

» Miss Russia 2010

MOSCOW, March 7 – Irina Antonenko from the Urals city of Yekaterinburg was crowned Miss Russia 2010, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported on Sunday. Along with the title and the crown, Antonenko received a cash prize of $100,000.

The title of first vice-miss went to Irina Sharipova, representing Russia’s Volga Republic of Tatarstan. Olga Kononenko of another Urals city, Chelyabinsk, was named second vice-miss. Miss Russia 2009 Sofya Rudneva and Miss Universe 2009 Stefania Fernandez attended the pageant as honored guests.

Irina Antonenko, 18, is seen after winning the "Miss Russia" beauty contest

» Miss Slovak Republic 2010

Congratulations to Miss Anna Amenova – Miss Slovak Republic 2010. She will represent the country in Miss Universe 2010. Anna is about to finish her studies at Bratislava School of Law this year.

Ms. Amenova now heads to Miss Universe!

» Ex-civil servant Maiko Itai crowned Miss Universe Japan

A 25-year-old former civil servant was crowned with this year's Miss Universe Japan on Tuesday. "I can't believe it," said Maiko Itai after winning the 2010 Miss Universe Japan pageant held in Tokyo on Tuesday, as tears came to her eyes. "I want to represent all of you at the international competition."

Itai, who lives in the Oita Prefecture city of Usuki and who worked for the city hall until December last year, spoke English and Portuguese fluently during her speech at Tuesday's contest. Itai said she studied Portuguese at Sophia University in Tokyo while living in a dorm with students from around the world.

Itai, who was selected from among some 4,000 applicants, will compete at the Miss Universe pageant in July (location to be announced) after four months of training. Japan has been performing well at the annual international competition for the past few years, including 2007 Miss Universe winner Riyo Mori, 2006 1st Runner-Up Kurara Chibana and Hiroko Mima, a Top 15 finalist in 2008.

She will represent Japan to go to the Miss Universe 2010

beauty pageant which is being held in July.

» Miss Israel 2010

Shavit Wiesel, 20, of Kibbutz Be'eri in southern Israel was crowned Miss Israel 2010 on Monday. The Miss Junior Israel title was awarded to Bat-El Jubi; Adi Sassi was named Miss Teen Israel; and the Miss Congeniality title was given to Shel Arazi. Another runner-up was Gal Erez.

Wiesel is an Israel Defense Forces soldier serving in the Teleprocessing Branch and has had a steady boyfriend for the past five years. After her army discharge she intends on volunteering and has expressed a interest in working with children with special needs.

During the ceremony, which was held in Haifa and hosted by model and presenter Hila Nachshon, singer Harel Skaat - Israel's representative to the Eurovision song contest - and 1973 Eurovision winner Anne-Marie David performed a duet in French. Monday's event marked the contest's 60th anniversary and allowed the audience to vote and influence the judges' choices for the first time.

Ms. Wiesel’s winning moment reaction

MISS FL USA NEWS!

» THE ROAD TO HOLLYWOOD: Miss Miramar USA & Teen USA

March 07, 2010

Ms Acosta introduces herself during the opening production number

The Road To Hollywood planted the Miss USA flag in another fast growing city in our Sunshine State. Sunday it was time to spotlight the Western Broward County city of Miramar for the cities first ever big league title. The Sunday evening event took place at the Sunset Lakes Community Center was one of the rowdiest standing room only events we have seen in the teen years on tour. Hosted by Team Florida USA 2010, both Megan Clementi and Alyssa Rivera rocked the microphone and kept the lively audience involved throughout the evening.

Ms. Essiet answers the onstage question

The Miramar Teen USA delegates in swimwear of their own choosing

Jeannette Rosell (yellow), Miss Camacho (peach)

and Angelica Spicer (light blue) in the evening wear competition

After a dinner and cake for the audience it was time for The Miss Miramar

Teen USA results to head to center stage for the announcements:

1^st Runner Up is April Camacho

The New Miss Miramar Teen USA 2010 is Dariana Ramirez!

Miss Ramirez and Ms. Acosta enjoy the audience reactions

Then it was time to announce the Miss Miramar USA results:

2^nd Runner Up is Jennifer Rodriguez

1^st Runner Up is Mfont Essiet

The New Miss Miramar USA 2010 is Marjorie Acosta!

What a great pageant it was as The Crowning in Excellence Productions Team headed by Executive Director Rafael Gallego with his staff of hard working volunteers ran an exceptional pageant! Also congratulations to Miss Ramirez and Ms. Acosta on their titles and golden tickets to the state pageant in Hollywood. Next up on The Road to Hollywood is our Panhandle Doubleheader of Pensacola and Panama City as we look forward to seeing our North Florida friends next weekend.

Team Miramar USA 2011

» THIS WEEKEND IF YOU GO:

WHAT: Miss Pensacola USA & Teen USA

WHEN: Saturday March 13^th 1:00pm

WHERE: Pensacola High School Performance Auditorium

500 W. Maxwell Street
Pensacola, Fl 32501

WHY: Our Panhandle Tour 2010 opens in the five flag city of Pensacola as our sixth visit to the westernmost city will be a fun and competitive one. Held in downtown at Pensacola High School the event will show off the newly refurbished Theater and facilities. An early matinee awaits our fans so notice the 1:00pm start.

A new Pensacola USA Team will be announced on Saturday

WHAT: Miss Emerald Coast USA & Teen USA

WHEN: Sunday March 14^th 5:00pm

WHERE: The Martin Theater

409 Harrison Avenue
Panama City, FL 32401-2731

WHY: The second of two stops on our Panhandle Tour 2010 finds us in the charming surroundings of downtown Panama City and the historic Martin Theater. This historic theater was built in 1926 and hosts our seventh annual Miss Emerald Coast USA & Teen USA Pageants. 2006 Miss Florida USA Cristin Duren was the most successful of Miss Emerald Coast titleholders.

Since 2003 Panama City has been a traditional stop on “The Road to Hollywood”

» Miss Gainesville/North Central Florida USA & Teen USA

On March 20th, we will be crowning the next Miss Gainesville and Miss North Central Florida USA and Teen USA titleholders! The winners of the pageant will go on to compete in the internationally televised Miss Florida USA and Miss Florida Teen USA Pageant later this year!

Contestants will compete in an on-stage interview (which consists on a 30-60 second introduction and an on-stage question, submitted by the contestants themselves), swimsuit competition, and evening gown competition. There is no talent or opening dance number. Each of the three segments of competition will count for 1/3 of each contestant's total score.

In addition to having their entry fees paid to compete in the state pageant, each winner will receive a coaching package with Kim Antos of Exquisite Coaching (coach of Jessica Rafalowski, Miss Florida 2008 and Top 10 at 2008 Miss USA, and Megan Clementi, our reigning Miss Florida USA); wardrobe gift certificates from Allure Boutique of Gainesville, Regalia Magnificent Apparel in Orlando and La Casa Hermosa; Hair Services from Brittney Castles at Sheer Drama of Ocala; salon gift certificates and more!

For information on becoming a contestant, or for ticket information, contact us through Facebook or at www.MissNorthCentralFLUSA.com. Deadline to register to compete is March 13th!!! For information on becoming a contestant, or for ticket information, contact Pageant Director Chelsee Atkins at (352) 284-8688
or via email to chelseeproductions@yahoo.com.

The new Team Gainesville USA 2011 will be named next

weekend as the Gator Nation send their delegates to state

» Miss Jacksonville USA & Teen USA Update

The Miss & Teen Jacksonville USA Pageant will be held April 11th, 2010 at the Ritz Theatre & Museum in Jacksonville, Florida. Contestants and Little Sisters will be accepted through March 20th, 2010. All information, paperwork, and scheduling can be found at www.JacksonvillePageants.com, or call 904-384-3578 for more details. Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster. Hope to have you there (as either a contestant, little sister, or audience member)!

Another crowning moment in Jacksonville

as new directors add energy to our oldest pageant in

the Miss Florida USA Preliminary System.

» Miss Central Florida USA Cancelled

Unfortunately there will be no Central Florida USA pageant this year under the direction of Catherine Models. This leaves a void in the calendar for our friends of the I-4 corridor. Look for an announcement from the state office as we are looking at producing a May Super Pageant for those in the 407 (and 321 too!). If you would like more information simply email us at telair@aol.com or by calling 954 924-4949.

Scratch Miss Central Florida USA from the pageant calendar

» Job Opportunity! Looking for Titleholders

Recently we were made aware of great employment opportunities for our titleholders. In the “new economy” everyone is looking for ways to improve their income and here is a great chance to start a very rewarding and financially lucrative career!

IST Management Services, Inc. is the fastest growing, privately held Management Company in the U.S. The company provides total office solutions including the management of copy, mail, imaging, supply, records, reception, desktop publishing, shipping & receiving and other administrative services for companies. And they have had great success matching titleholders from around the country with employers.

If this sounds of interest to you, kindly respond via email to telair@aol.com or via phone to (954) 924-4949. I would be happy to set up an appointment with our IST friends. Just another way we try to help our Miss Florida USA Family!

Turn your interview skills into a profession!

In what seemed like a very light weekend on The Road to Hollywood we present our lone

feature this week. But it’s a good one! We feature another 10 Minute Pageant Installment as Miss Miramar USA & Teen USA are in the spotlight. A competitive competition and crazy audience

makes this a pageant must view! Enjoy another edition of our Miss Florida USA Channel

Movie of The Week from the only channel online that is all day, all night, all pageantry!

Click here for more YouTube Movies!

Alumni Love: Zac Posen Fall 2010 - Shawty’s Like Melody
Zac has always been a leg man. He’s just a fan of the female figure in general, and he’s great at showing it off. This season featured a lot of little party dresses that made us want to time warp back to sweet 16 for a do-over, or at least rent Big.

If you’re not planning on a black tie optional affair there are some rules to follow as the hem crawls up this high and they’re generally not enforced by people named Paris and Lindsay.

Dark tights and long coats are a start. But let us suggest some shawties to google for more leggy looks:

Julia Restoin Roitfeld

Chloe Sevigny

Alexa Chung

Leighton Meester

Recent Editions:

» Binibining Pilipinas (Miss Philippines 2010)

The New Miss Miramar Teen USA 2010 is Dariana Ramirez!

The New Miss Miramar USA 2010 is Marjorie Acosta!

Alumni Love: Zac Posen Fall 2010 - Shawty’s Like Melody