The Miss Florida USA & Miss Florida Teen USA

Magazine of April 14th, 2005

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. What a great night it was in Baltimore! Our Miss Florida USA Melissa Witek represented with class and grace as she completed the Miss USA Pageant, our national championship of pageantry, with a 4^th place finish. Florida was in the house all night as not only were we one of the loudest delegations but Melissa was truly the media darling of the pageant. So much great exposure as over 8 million people watched on Monday night. Now it’s time to select the next young woman who will be both Miss Florida USA and Miss Florida Teen USA 2006. See everyone in North Miami Beach this weekend as the Road To Hollywood resumes.

All the Pageant News That Fits has an interesting article on big changes being contemplated at Miss America. We also profile our new Miss USA to get to know our national champion. On the preliminary front we have information on Miss North Miami Beach and Miss Jacksonville & Gainesville USA’s in Preliminary News. Look for more pictures and a chat with Melissa Witek on a new Faces & Places coming this Friday. All the pageant news that fits to print updated every Thursday and Friday only at YOUR Miss Florida USA Ezine, the only Ezine in the pageant world!

Here’s to another great week of pageantry!

Grant H. Gravitt, Jr.

Executive Producer

Miss Florida USA & Miss Florida Teen USA

2 Days until Miss North Miami Beach USA Pageants!

9 Days until Miss Jacksonville/Gainesville USA Pageants!

PRELIMINARY PAGEANT NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

ALL THE PAGEANT NEWS THAT FITS!

» A Challenge for Miss America in Reality TV Era

By IVER PETERSON

ATLANTIC CITY - Miss America has lost her TV show, and now has to decide how much of her famous modesty she's willing to shed to get it back on the air. Organizers of the pageant are considering a number of plans to resuscitate the 85-year-old contest and bring it back to television this September. The mildest plans include tweaking the broadcast program slightly by eliminating the talent portion, which the ABC network had complained about before dropping the show in the aftermath of last year's disappointing ratings.

The Miss America Pageant is thinking of changing their ways!

A bolder plan is being shopped by national pageant officials among network executives: turning the event into a multi-night elimination, complete with appeals for audience sympathy and votes, something like "American Idol" on Fox. It would include behind-the-scenes segments and, perhaps, some of the plotting that has made shows like "The Apprentice" on NBC so popular. Even the pageant's executives say that Miss America has to face the realities of reality television, although state and local organizers say they would rather see their program stay off the air than have contestants get down in the mud and the bugs like the competitors on "Fear Factor." "I'll tell you one thing, I am not going to have my contestants eating bugs," said Joe P. Sanders 3rd, president of the Miss South Carolina Organization. "That's just not something that's going to happen in this state."

Short of that, though, organizers say that something needs to change to catch up with an audience whose tastes have wandered far beyond the Miss America pageant's mild tone. "The television audience today has a coliseum mentality, and they are not cheering for the gladiator, they're cheering for the lion," said Robert W. Arnhym, director of California Miss America, the group that runs the state-level pageant. "I'll tell you this: We're going to have to cross the line somewhere or we're not going to appeal to those folks." Other state and national officials agree that the pageant has to do more to grab the public's attention.

"Television is a very competitive game, we all get that," said Kevin McAleese, executive director of the Miss Philadelphia Scholarship Pageant. "The question is, how do we adapt to that and bend the rules a little, but not give up all the values that we've stood for 85 years? We've got to be realistic, because we've got to be visible, and if you're not on television, you're not visible."

The Miss America pageant was born in 1921 as a stunt to keep summer visitors at the Jersey Shore after Labor Day, and it has felt the pressure to change before. After feminists protested on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City in 1968, pageant officials shifted the emphasis from beauty to scholarship, and stressed the talent portion of the contest over the famous runway parade in swimsuit and four-inch heels. These days the challenge is not to move away from female exploitation, but to make it work for the pageant - without giving up too much of the core values of a show that did not even allow two-piece bathing suits until 1997. The pressure is coming from a television industry that now embraces shows like Pamela Anderson's "Stacked." Despite polls showing that Americans deplore the values being beamed or cabled into their family rooms, the ratings say otherwise, and in its 50 years on the air, the pageant's audience has eroded.

Last year, when its audience fell to fewer than 10 million viewers, ABC decided to drop the pageant. At stake is the pageant's long-term viability: Miss America relies on the $3.2 million broadcast contract to help stay afloat as a national organization. Broadcasters show data proving that the talent show and the interviews, the pageant's answers to feminist criticism, were the least popular portions of the pageant, while the swimsuit part still had the power to bring viewers back from the kitchen. So pageant officials - who still require chaperones for contestants when they are in Atlantic City - are thinking about showing a little more.

» OUR NEW MISS USA!

By SARAH BRUMFIELD, The Associated Press

Fashion marketing student Chelsea Cooley, 21, from Charlotte got into pageants for the scholarships. "I fell in love with them and it snowballed," Cooley said. "And here I am, Miss USA."

Cooley, the reigning Miss North Carolina, was crowned Miss USA in the 54th annual pageant Monday night in Baltimore. The new titleholder will compete May 30 in the Miss Universe competition in Bangkok, Thailand. Miss California, Brittany Hogan, 20, was first runner-up; Miss Kentucky, Kristen Lynn Johnson, 23, was second runner-up; Miss Illinois, Jill Gulseth, 21, was third runner-up. Miss Florida, Melissa Witek, 24, was fourth runner-up. Cooley said before the show that she wrote several contestants a note to "let them know that regardless of what happened tonight I will always believe in them because they truly are extraordinary women and I'm very proud of them."

She is studying fashion marketing at the Art Institute of Charlotte, likes to watch baseball and read suspense novels in her spare time. Cooley listed dancing, parasailing and shopping among her hobbies. Her dream job would be working as a buyer for Ralph Lauren. She said presenting the president of the island of Curacao with a gift of Pop Rocks candy and toys was the craziest thing she has ever done. She was asked to bring a gift to a news conference on the future of a local children's hospital -- and thought the recipient was going to be a child. "Imagine my surprise when the president joined me on the podium to accept his gift," Cooley said. "Needless to say, every time I see a box of Pop Rocks, I blush ... and for a moment I'm back in Curacao."

The 51 contestants were trimmed to 15, then 10 semifinalists and finally five finalists for Monday's evening gown and swimsuit competitions. The five finalists were asked questions written by their fellow contestants. Cooley was asked, "What famous person does your personality most parallel?" She replied, "I guess it would be Oprah [Winfrey]. She has a passion for life."

PRELIMINARY PAGEANT UPDATES!

» MISS NORTH MIAMI BEACH USA RESUMES PAGEANT SEASON

The Road To Hollywood resumes this Saturday April 16^th at The North Miami Beach Performing Arts Center as the first ever Miss North Miami Beach USA and Miss North Miami Beach Teen USA will be crowned. Saturday at 3:00pm begins the competition! Tickets are available at the door. The Performing Arts Center address is 17011 N.E. 19th Ave. North Miami Beach, Florida
for those who like to visit www.mapquest.com!

DIRECTIONS TO NORTH MIAMI BEACH USA FROM I-95 North or South

7:	Take the SR-860 E/SR-915 S exit- EXIT 14.	0.4 miles	Map

8:	Turn LEFT onto NE MIAMI GARDENS DR/NE 181ST ST/FL-860 E. Continue to follow FL-860 E.	1.6 miles	Map

9:	Turn RIGHT onto NE 18TH RD.	0.1 miles	Map

10:	NE 18^TH RD becomes NE 19TH AVE.	0.8 miles	Map

11:	Turn LEFT onto NE 170TH ST.	<0.1 miles	Map

12:	End at 17011 Ne 19th Ave, North Miami Beach, FL 33162-3111 US		Map

» MISS JACKSONVILLE/GAINESVILLE USA THIS SATURDAY!

The Leading Ladies of North Florida are presenting a Jacksonville/Gainesville USA Seminar Day at SUPER FITNESS JACKSONVILLE USA as they will be holding orientation and rehearsals at this location. Orientation will be on April 16th at 2pm at Super Fitness. Directions and details will be forthcoming at www.LeadingLadyMagazine.com. Tickets will go on-sale on April 4th through the Leading Lady Pageant Market (www.LeadingLadyMagazine.com). There are only 175 seats available in the theater; therefore, tickets will be limited. However, since it is a small theatre, all seats are very good however!

» APRIL PRELIMINARY PAGEANT CALENDAR

A little reminder of what’s ahead this month as we continue Florida’s search for the new Miss Florida USA and Miss Florida Teen USA!

Preliminary Pageant Important Dates

April 16

Miss North Miami Beach USA

April 29 – 30

Miss Jacksonville/Gainesville USA Pageants

May 01

Miss Space Coast USA Pageant

May 07

Miss Boca Raton USA Pageant

May 14

Miss Miami USA Pageant

May 15

Miss Treasure Coast USA Pageant

May 15

Miss Naples/Marco Island/Charlotte County USA Pageant

May 22

Miss Daytona USA Pageant

May 22

Miss Homestead/Florida Keys USA Pageant

Miss West Broward USA & Teen USA

May 27/29

Miss Daytona Beach USA Pageant

May 28/29

Miss Kissimmee USA Pageant

» STATE PAGEANT CORNER / NEW MISS FLORIDA USA IMPORTANT DATES CALENDAR:

Finally we have put together a calendar with all of the important dates for this year’s Miss Florida USA Pageant. Look for it’s permanent home every week at YOUR Miss Florida USA Ezine.

Miss Florida USA 2006 Important Dates

April 22

Pre Tape Session #1

April 23

Miss Florida USA Seminar Day (Mandatory for Titleholders)

April 28

Broward Outreach “Too Hot For Fashion Show” (Hollywood)

May 14

Hollywood Beach Red, White & Bluegrass Taping

May 18

Expo Al Fresco Pre Tape Shoot (Hollywood)

May 21-23

Pre Tape Session #2

June 11-12

Pre Tape Session #3

July 2

Miss Florida USA @ FLMAO Reception

July 5^th

Miss Florida USA Registration Day

July 7^th

Press Photo Day/Interview Competition

July 8^th

Preliminary Presentation Show (Bailey Concert Hall)

July 9^th

Miss Florida USA Finals (Bailey Concert Hall)

August 7^th

Pageant University (Freshman Directors)

August 8^th

Annual Directors Meeting

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STATE PAGEANT ELIGIBILITY STATS

Miss Florida USA 2006

Delegates Entered: 28

Delegates Eligible: 70

Miss Florida Teen USA

Delegates Entered: 22

Delegates Eligible: 56

Every week more delegates become eligible to compete at state.

The season started with qualifiers from the past year. All of each pageants top15 qualify

along with Miss Amity & Miss Photogenic. Each preliminary pageant qualifies delegates

as “at large” status with their finalist, amity, photogenic and peoples choice awards.

Next Pageant: Miss North Miami Beach USA; Saturday April 16^th at 3:00pm.

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www.PageantDiva.com Article of The Week

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click here to get the latest news on Miss USA 2005!

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The MISS FL USA

Official Preliminary Calendar

Click Here For The Latest Calendar Updates!

Miss Florida USA Preliminary

Directors Contact Info:

Miss SOUTHWEST FLORIDA USA:

casey@dance-universe.com

MISS PANHANDLE USA/MISS GAINESVILLE USA/

Miss TALLAHASSEE USA/Miss EMERALD COAST USA/

Miss WEST FLORIDA USA/MISS JACKSONVILLE USA: sam@leadingladiesproductions.com

Miss West Broward USA:

misswbrowardusa@aol.com

Miss DAYTONA BEACH USA:

director@missdaytonabeachusa.com

Miss HOLLYWOOD USA:

pageantdirector@hollywoodjaycees.org

Miss SEMINOLE COUNTY USA/

Miss FIRST COAST USA:

DebonairInc@aol.com

Miss SPACE COAST USA/

Miss NORTH MIAMI BEACH USA:

telair@aol.com

Miss ST. PETERSBURG USA:

director@missvermontusa.com

Miss POLK COUNTY USA/

Miss LAKE BUENA VISTA USA:

directors@winthecrown.com

Miss SARASOTA USA/MISS WEST COAST USA/

Miss FT. MYERS/Miss CHARLOTTE COUNTY USA/

Miss CENTRAL FLORIDA USA:

moden41@aol.com

Miss GOLD COAST USA:

deltagrl02@aol.com

Miss SOUTH FLORIDA USA:

Daphne.Angulo@ubs.com

Tampa/Clearwater/Orlando/Celebration/

St. Petersburg/Miss Citrus Teen USA

director@missvermontusa.com

Miss CITY BEAUTIFUL USA:

MCBPageant@aol.com

Miss WESTON USA:

info@KattyPulido.com

Miss BOCA RATON USA:

JeanneJose@aol.com

Miss PALM BEACH COUNTY USA

'PBCPageants@aol.com'

Miss PEMBROKE PINES USA

'misspembrokepinesteenusa@yahoo.com'

Miss HOMESTEAD/FLORIDA KEYS USA

misshomestead_floridakeysusa@yahoo.com

Miss TREASURE COAST USA

misstreasurecoastusa@yahoo.com

Miss KISSIMMEE USA

MissKissimmeeUSA@aol.com

Miss Florida USA Preliminary Websites:

Hollywood – www.MissHollywoodUSA.com

Seminole County - www.MissSeminoleCountyUSA.com

Polk County/Lake Buena Vista - www.winthecrown.com

Tallahassee/West Florida/Panhandle/

Jacksonville/Emerald Coast – www.leadingladymagazine.com

West Broward - misswestbrowardusa.com

Palm Beach County - www.pbcpageants.bravehost.com

South Florida (Coconut Grove) - http://misssouthfloridausa.com

Daytona Beach - www.missdaytonabeachusa.com

Weston - www.kattypulido.com/weston

Gold Coast - www.missgoldcoastpageants.com

Pembroke Pines, Treasure Coast &

Homestead / FL Keys - http://halavinproductionsinc.com

Kissimmee - www.tlcpageants.com

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