It’s here – it’s here – IT’S HEREEEEEEEE!!!!!!!

The first night of preliminary competition starts tonight!!! So exited I can’t hardly stand it!!! I want you to know that I haven’t checked twitter or any site that would tip my hand when it comes to picking tonight’s winners… And BOY has it been HARD!!!

But I found the strength to somehow persevere. I know so many of you are depending on me (thanks for the responses via email) – I simply must rise to the challenge. No slacking this week!

OK – SO – here’s how this works (cause yes, there are a few rookies on this list and others who are blonde):

There are three groups… And each night, one of the groups is on stage in one of three areas… Swimsuit, Talent and Evening Gown/on-stage question. So, my job is to pick the winners in Swimsuit and Talent (they don’t give an award for evening gown/on-stage question). Swimsuit counts for 15% of a contestant’s score, Talent is 35% of their score, the on-stage question is 5% and Evening Wear is 20%. Their 10 minute private interview with the judges that took place behind closed doors yesterday and this morning is worth 25% (and we don’t get to learn much about that – unfortunately – since it’s my personal favorite part of the competition and where I had a tendency to kick patootie).

Alright – I’ve stalled long enough… It’s time to MAKE SOME PICKS!

Swimsuit: Texas, Puerto Rico, Ohio, Tennessee. This is the group that is LOADED with good girls and I’m telling you – points could get split ALL over the stinking place. Puerto Rico is a former Miss World and Miss International contestant and is getting tons of pictures taken of her. She’s gorgeous! Ohio, Tennessee and Texas all won prelim swimsuit at their states and are long, lean ladies. Moving On…

Talent: Virginia, Indiana, South Dakota and Louisiana. I could also go with Utah, but I won’t. Honestly, there’s not much talent tonight – so I’ll be disappointed if I lose this one. I’ve picked 3 vocalists and a piano player… We’ll see.

Otherwise —- here’s the scoop on how the Top 12 (or as we have been affectionately calling them, the Top 15) will be decided — very different from past years! At-home viewers on Friday night on TLC (during a show called Behind the Curtain) will learn the 12 contestants that the 53 have nominated to be among the final 15 on the Saturday broadcast. Then you and I will vote for our favorites. It’s my understanding that those votes will be placed in a 1-12 order. If our votes are the exact same as the judges’ votes (hardly), then the next 3 highest point getters will balance out the final 15. So viewers and judges could agree on say 11 girls, and then America would solely choose four, or America and the judges agreeing on all 12, and then the next three judges’ picks would be on deck (if you don’t get it – re-read it a few times…). BASICALLY – if a girl WASN’T chosen by her own peers in that Top 12, she HAS to be one of the top choices of the judges. I really think this is meant to screw those ‘mean girls’ who are catty, cunning and overall crappy. Considering our reigning queen Katie Stam was one of the ‘people’s picks’ last year, I’m hoping they can repeat this kind of winner. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous about who might end up in the top 12. I mean, c’mon… Of course you’re going to vote for yourself… Which only leaves 3 votes going to the remainder of your 18 person group! This also means that girls who are ‘really nice’ might get in – despite the fact that they’re 15 pounds overweight and can’t sing their way out of a paper bag. Wonder if anyone at the National level thought about that! 🙂

So – that will adjust how you choose your top 15… AND it means your votes are due by Friday at 5:00pm Mountain Time… Cause if you don’t hand in your picks by then – you’ll know who these 12 girls are and you’ll be cheating (which is most certainly not allowed in a pageant – HA!). Mark your calendars… Your Top 15 list is due FRIDAY AT 5:00pm Mountain!!!

Whew! That’s a plenty! Tomorrow, I’ll give you the news on who won the preliminary competition and give you my picks for tomorrow night’s swimsuit and talent winners. So glad you’re following along — Oh! On Robin Leach’s Vegas Deluxe blog, there’s some really cute pics of Miss Louisiana and Miss Indiana holding a football representing their upcoming Super Bowl teams… For the record, Miss Louisiana has had 3 ladies named 1st runner up – but never a winner. Indiana’s first winner was just last year – and they’ve also had 4 ladies named 1st runner up. Also for the record – both of these gals have a shot at being in the top 15 this year 🙂

Ok – The End! Go to Bed! Tune in tomorrow when we learn who our first preliminary winners are! I’m headed to twitter to see if I’m even close!!! 🙂

Cheers ~

crl

Fans, Fanatics and Fairly Amused –

Ok – so there’s just too much to talk about in one email and I’ve got much studying to do before the on-stage competition begins tomorrow (interviews started today). So – you’re getting another update today (Yay!) I should take a poll and see how many of you have gone to TLC.com and reviewed the contestants videos before I send this update – but I trust that you are working diligently and if you’re not, then you’re laden with guilt. Works either way for me (lol).

Ok – so here are the “Quality of Life” finalists… Side-note… They could use a bit of a branding lesson and call it something else – but because they didn’t graduate from the Jimmy Lakey school of branding, we’ll go with it. For those of you who don’t remember what the Quality of Life award is all about… This is the award given to the contestant who seems to have done the most with her platform issue. What’s a platform issue you ask? Well – it’s a specific cause that each contestant chooses to dedicate their reign to should they win. Previous winners have championed everything from Pediatric Cancer to AIDS research to Internet Safety. This year’s group has all kinds of interesting “issues”… With a majority of contestant choosing something about ‘advancing the arts’ but there’s also fun stuff like “suicide prevention” and “rape awareness”. Heavy stuff indeed… Not sure if Miss America is ready for that kind of thing – but we’ll see.

Here they are…

Miss Alabama Liz Cochran, “With Every Beat: The Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease”;
Miss Iowa Anne Michael Langguth, “Good for You! Promoting Community Service, Wellness and Engagement in the Sciences”;
Miss Kentucky Mallory Ervin, “Autism Awareness”;
Miss Minnesota Brooke Kelly Kilgarriff, “Music: The Building Blocks of Education”;
Miss Missouri Tara Osseck, “Education and Prevention of Eating Disorders”;
Miss Montana Brittany Marie Wiser, “Suicide Prevention Education”;
Miss Nevada Christina Keegan, “Rape Education & Recovery”;
Miss New Hampshire Lindsey Graham, “Speaking Out for Mental Illness”;
Miss Oklahoma Taylor Treat, “Engaging Students Through Service Learning”;
Miss Tennessee Stefanie Wittler, “Ronald McDonald House and Children’s Miracle Network Charities.”

Usually, they only announce 7 finalists for the Quality of Life award… This year, there’s 10 finalists. Another ‘interesting’ tid-bit and once again, I have no clue why. Seems to be a theme this year.

So tomorrow I start my quest of choosing the preliminary winners! Last year I was only 3 for 6 which I think was my worst finish ever (thank you Miss Vermont)… I usually finish 4 for 6 and a good year would be 5 for 6. That’s the goal for this year – 5 for 6. I’ll give you 4 ladies I think will win and then pretend like I’ve narrowed it down to 4 by giving you a couple of other ‘maybes’. Swimsuits are easier than talents to choose… And nobody ever put me up to this kind of ‘selection’… It just makes the week go by faster 🙂 The majority of my research comes from TFTJ.com… If you care to put me to the task this year and make your own selections. 🙂

Oh – and I found a bit of trivia for each of you… Which Miss America is said to have the phrase “There she is… Miss America” printed on her birth announcement? If you know the answer – let me know! 🙂 That’s more fun than listening to a podcast anyway 🙂

OK – Update Number 2 is through… Tomorrow is the big on-stage competition day! Whooooooo Hooooooooo!!!!!! 🙂

crl

Hello Again One and All!!!

I’m so glad I made time to check stuff out this weekend because the hours in my day simply don’t leave much room for super-important research and reporting (or spell check as you can see from my last email). But I promise I will not stop until I give you the opinions and expert analysis you deserve from your favorite Miss America Junkie! 🙂

Knowing this – it’s a good time to fill you in on a few things that have ‘popped up’ unexpectedly! I’ve got scoop on JUDGES!!! 🙂

First – for those of you who are my Miss America rookies… You need to know that Judges are the backbone to every winner. A different set of judges and you will usually find a different winner (not all the time – but especially at this level of competition). I still swear Shilah Phillips from Texas should’ve beat Lauryn Nelson from Oklahoma in 2007… Chris Matthews from CNN was judging that year so I blame him. Under a different set of judges – who knows what the outcome might’ve been.

So – without further adieu, here is your list of 2010 Miss America Judges:

From the Field of Beauty – Vivica A. Fox – Fox is an accomplished actress and producer that has appeared on both the small and big screens in every type of genre. She is the recipient of numerous awards including the NAACP Spirit Award, the NAACP Image Award and Prism Award, the Trumpet Award for Outstanding Career Achievements in Film, the Lady of Soul Lena Horne Career Achievement Award and an MTV Movie Award.  She was also named as one of People Magazine’s fifty most beautiful people.
 
From the Field of Community Service – Miss America 2002 Katie Harman – Since her year, Harman tours nationally and internationally as an acclaimed classical and operatic vocalist with a myriad of opera and musical theater companies, symphony orchestras, and special events.  An active cancer advocate, she serves on numerous boards of cancer organizations and hospitals and is the National Spokesperson for the Touched by Cancer Organization.  Additionally, her philanthropic efforts target women’s issues, homelessness, and arts education.

From the Field of Fitness – Shawn Johnson – Johnson is an 2008 Olympic gold medalist for gymnastics. She was named the 79th Amateur Athletic Union Sullivan Award recipient, one of the most prestigious honors in amateur sports and became the youngest ever contestant and season eight champion on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. Johnson is also involved in programs that promote healthy nutrition and exercise and help build good character amongst youth across the country. 
 
From the Field of Talent – Dave Koz – Koz is a six-time Grammy nominee, multi platinum pop instrumentalist. Recently honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Koz hosts an afternoon radio show that’s nationally distributed on the Smooth Jazz Radio Network as well as the syndicated Dave Koz Radio Show, now in its 15th year and airing on weekends in approximately 120 markets. He has served for 17 years as global ambassador for the Starlight Children’s Foundation and is an ongoing member of the Board Of Governors for the Grammy® Foundation.
 
From the Field of Communications/Interview – Rush Limbaugh – Limbaugh is the outspoken, conservative and ultra-popular host of The Rush Limbaugh Show, an AM/FM radio show about American politics with an audience of 20 million. Limbaugh is involved in charities including the Marine Corps – Law Enforcement Foundation and the Leukemia Lymphoma Foundation. He is a best-selling author and was nominated in 2007 for the Nobel Peace Prize.
 
From the Field of Creating America’s Rising Talent – Brooke White – White is a singer and songwriter who is most known for her appearance as a finalist on season seven of American Idol. She recently released her debut album, High Hopes & Heartbreak, in which she shares with the world, her love for the music that has shaped her.

Now time for the scoop! Entertainer and Comedian Paul Rodriguez was originally chosen as a judge for this year’s contest… And for no reason that I can find yet – he isn’t a judge anymore! He arrived in Vegas, but had to ‘back out’ according to multiple reports (including Miss Indiana on twitter!). The other interesting note is the fact that only ONE of these people has ever judged a pageant before in their lifetime (the former Miss America)!

I was listening to a podcast last night from PageantCast Radio (see, there are people who are more obsessive about this stuff than I am!) and the judges chairman said the main thing he stresses all week long is the job description of Miss America. He said quote “we honestly don’t care who they choose… But whoever they choose has to fit the job description.” He then went on to say “Miss America has to be the face of the organization because some people will only see her from afar. She has to be the heart of the organization because some people will get to see her speak out on behalf of the Children’s Miracle Network, before Congress or to a classroom of children. And she has to be the talent of the organization – because some people will only see her perform. Whoever is chosen – HAS to reflect ALL THREE of those characteristics… Two out of three doesn’t count.” If you want to hear it – let me know (HA) I’ll send you the link 🙂

OK – so interviews started today and will finish tomorrow… And the COMPETITION BEGINS TOMORROW AS WELL!!! Oh – and I’ve found many more details regarding how the public will choose some of the finalists… But this email is already too long – so you’ll just have to wait 🙂

Photos are awesome – Robin Leach’s blog has lots of pics from go-kart racing last night… Miss New Hampshire was the big winner 🙂

Once the competition starts you’ll have a better ability to choose your top 15 (or 12)…. Many, more pictures to come at that point!

OK – you guys are awesome — it all begins tomorrow! I have butterflies in my tummy just thinking about it!

Until then – be practicing your pageant wave to the crowd… 🙂

crl