The Miss Florida USA & Miss Florida Teen USA

Magazine of November 17th, 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. After a month rest it’s time to start the pursuit of the Sunshine States premier title for 2007. Four titles are contested in Broward as the Miss Oakland Park USA and Miss Broward County USA and Teen USA titles will be awarded. Pictures and results on Monday here at www.missfloridausa.com!

In exciting news look for our Miss Florida USA 2006 Cristin Duren on NBC’s coverage of The NASCAR Championship this Sunday in Homestead. Ms. Duren will be doing the opening convocation and will be seen at the start of the show. Then she will head north to Dadeland Mall in South Miami to be a special VIP model in Simon Malls Evening of Giving to benefit The Simon Youth Charities. Gloria Estefan, Jon Secada and our very own Luis Aguirre are scheduled to hit the catwalk for a good cause. Several new picture’s on next Friday’s (note the new date) edition of Faces & Places our personality page.

This week’s edition of The Miss Florida USA Ezine we go to Puerto Rico for their Miss Puerto Rico Universe Pageant. In pursuit of our national titles The Road to Miss USA and Miss Teen USA feature reports from Mississippi and Maryland. Miss Florida USA News has all the information you need on Miss Oakland Park USA. Our Gen Art Column keeps you number one on the hip meter and Faces & Places moves back to it’s normally publishing date of Friday. All the pageant news that fits to print updated on Thursdays and Mondays only at YOUR Miss Florida USA Ezine, the only Ezine in the pageant world!

Grant H. Gravitt, Jr.

Executive Producer

Miss Florida USA & Miss Florida Teen USA

3 Days until Miss Oakland Park / Miss Boward USA & Teen USA!

PAGEANT NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

» SALINAS WINS MISS PUERTO RICO UNIVERSE 2006

The largest group of delegates in the history of the Miss Puerto Rico Universe Pageant had twenty eight (28) candidates compete this past Saturday night at The Pan-American Wharf celebrated the best of the island. The annual competition completes a week of competition that culminates in selecting this years representative at the Miss Universe Pageant.

First up was the announcement of the twelve semifinalists. Then the candidates competed in on stage interviews, bathing suits and evening gowns and evaluated meticulously by a jury of eleven judges in charge of selecting the titleholder. Then the 12 semifinalists were whittled down to the five finalists who would then be presented in their finishing order.

Miss Puerto Rico Universe 2006 beauty pageant winner Zuleyka Rivera

from Salinas reacts as she is crowned by former Miss Puerto Rico Cynthia

Olavarria (back facing camera) while Miss Universe 2005 Natalie Glebova

of Canada watches them at the Pan American Pier in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The new Miss Puerto Rico Universe 2006 is Zuleyka Rivera Mendoza. She represented the district Salinas. This is the second time in a row that a Miss Salinas has won the pageant. The pageant took place on November 10th, at the Panamerican Pier in San Juan. Special guest at the pageant included Miss Puerto Rico Universe 2005, Cynthia Olavarria , Natalie Glebova, the reigning Miss Universe and Puerto Rican singing sensation Chayanne.

Below are the results:
TOP 5 FINALISTS
Miss Puerto Rico Universe 2006 Winner:Salinas, Zuleyka Rivera Mendoza
1st Runner-up: Yauco, Lorenia Delgado Pacheco
2nd Runner-up: Rio Pedras, Tanya Huntley Keene
3rd Runner-up: Lajas, Lizmary Nazario
4th Runner-up: Dorado, Vanesa Figueroa Matos

Miss Rivera poses during the swimsuit

competition before being crowned

» Miss America pageant moving to Las Vegas

By KATHLEEN HENNESSEY/ASSOCIATED PRESS

LAS VEGAS (AP) - After 84 years of crowning beauties on the Boardwalk, the Miss America pageant is moving to the Las Vegas Strip, organizers announced Wednesday. It will be the first time the contest has been staged outside Atlantic City, N.J. The Aladdin hotel-casino will host the pageant, scheduled to air Jan. 21 on cable channel Country Music Television, organizers told The Associated Press. "What we wanted to do is find a new host city that has all glitz and glamour Miss America is known for," said Art McMaster, chief executive of the Miss America Organization, the nonprofit charitable group that runs the annual event. "Obviously Las Vegas is right at the top of this list."

The pageant has been dogged by financial troubles and slipping viewership in recent years. It was dropped by ABC last year, leaving Miss America without a network TV contract for the first time since 1954.

McMaster pulled the event from Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall in August, citing high production costs, and said it would be held in January instead of on its traditional post-Labor Day date. Then pageant officials went looking for a host city that would pay for the right to hold the annual competition.

McMaster said more than two dozen cities had courted Miss America, and Nashville was among those considered. In the end, the Aladdin's 7,000-seat theater offered the "elegance" he was looking for, McMaster said. Organizers would not discuss terms of the deal, which was completed this week, but said it was a one-year contract only. McMaster said it was too soon to tell if Miss America would settle down in Las Vegas. "We're not ruling anything out, but ... Miss America belongs to all of America," he said. Organizers noted the move to Sin City will necessitate some changes. Fans have likely seen the last of the Miss America parade, in which all 52 contestants ride down the Boardwalk in convertibles with more than 100,000 spectators looking on.

And Miss America's victory dip in the ocean, in which the winner frolics in the surf for gawking photographers, will be impossible in landlocked Las Vegas. "We're not going to have the same traditions as we had in Atlantic City," Villadolid said. "We're anxious to come up with some new exciting events." Lee Meriwether, Miss America 1955, called it a "heart tug" to see the pageant leaving New Jersey. But she's optimistic a new venue will draw new fans, sponsors for the scholarship fund and help launch new traditions. Meriwether said she never like the dip in the ocean much anyway. "It was such a tease, I thought. That's really the only time Miss America appears in a swimsuit during her reign. You go out in the suit for the frolic, and that's the last time you wear it, honey," she said.

MISS FL USA NEWS!

» Miss Broward County USA/Oakland Park USA & Teen USA Pageants

Fact Sheet

Date: Sunday November 20, 2005

Time: 4:00pm

Still Accepting Applications: Yes

Location:

Collins Community Center of Oakland Park
3900 NE 3rd Avenue
Oakland Park, FL 33334
(954) 561-6264

Contact:

Angelita Halavin

Executive Director

Halavin Productions

Phone: (954) 445-8181

Email: misspembrokepinesusa@yahoo.com

Website: www.halavinproductions.com

» Miss Southwest Florida USA Information:

The date of Miss Southwest Florida USA has been moved from March 18^th to March 11^th with the entry deadline moved to February 21^st. They have also announced that The Lake Kennedy Senior Center in Cape Coral will be the location for this year’s pageant and that their website at http://www.poshproductions.us/. For more information please contact Pageant Directors April Gregory and Tracye Kearny of Posh Productions at Aprilmarie458@aol.com.

» Miss Emerald Coast USA Update:

Currently Tel-Air is in negotiations with a potential director to return this very popular pageant in Panama City to the schedule. An announcement has been slower then expected but we are committed to the region and will assume the role of director if this does not work out. As always the latest news is here at www.missfloridausa.com and the weekly Ezine.

» Miss Florida USA Titleholders at Orlando’s Bill Heard Chevrolet Christmas Parade

It’s the holiday season and that means titleholders and holiday parades! The first of the season is Sunday, November 27, 2005 with The Bill Heard Chevrolet Christmas Parade. Look for our Miss Florida USA 2006 Cristin Duren and Miss Florida Teen USA Jennifer Wooten at the top of the float and their courts will include the following titleholders: Stephanie Patino, Miss Central Florida Teen USA; Savannah Stephens, Miss Seminole County Teen USA; Lauren LeCompte, Miss Orlando Teen USA; Jaime Stramondo, Miss Tampa Teen USA; Chelsea Zedar, Miss Orlando USA; Deanna Pollina, Miss City Beautiful USA; Jessika McLaughlin, Miss Kissimmee USA and Julianne Pruitt, Miss Clearwater USA 2006.

The 2005 televised Christmas Parade in Orlando will have a new date as it will take place in Downtown Orlando on the long Thanksgiving weekend. The parade floats will be created around this year’s theme, “Let Heaven and Nature Sing.” Talented kids selected from an audition at the Bill Heard Dealership this Fall Season will perform on sponsored floats with song and dance production numbers during the taping of the parade. The parade will start at 3pm on Sunday, November 27th. Our Orlando TV Station partner, WRDQ TV27, will air the one-hour parade Christmas Special on Saturday, December 10th from 7pm to 8pm & Christmas Eve, 3pm to 4pm (TV27 is Cable Channel 21 in Central Florida)

» 2007 Miss Florida USA Preliminary Season Schedule

Nov. 20: Miss Oakland Park USA & Teen USA Pageants

Dec 11 & 18: Miss Weston USA & Teen USA Pageants

Jan 6-7: Miss Nature Coast USA & Teen USA Pageants

Jan 13-15: Miss Daytona Beach USA & Teen USA Pageants

Jan 27-29 Miss Sarasota/Manatee County USA & Teen USA Pageants

Jan 29: Miss Hollywood USA & Teen USA Pageants

Feb 4: Miss Polk County USA/Miss Lake Buena Vista USA & Teen USA Pageants

Feb 11: Miss Sunset Place USA & Teen USA Pageants

Feb 18-19: Miss First Coast USA & Teen USA Pageants

March 18: Miss Southwest Florida USA & Teen USA Pageants

April 2: Miss West Broward USA & Teen USA Pageants

April 8: Miss Gold Coast USA & Miss Palm Beach County USA & Teen Pageants

April 23: Miss Treasure Coast USA & Teen USA Pageants

May 6: Miss Boca Raton USA & Teen USA Pageants

May 7: Miss Homestead USA & Teen USA Pageants

MISS FLORIDA USA AIRINGS THIS WEEKEND

PENSACOLA/MOBILE

WFGX-WB Channel35

TBD

Ocean City’s Melissa DiGiulian winning

the title of Miss Maryland USA 2006

» Ocean City Teen Crowned Miss Maryland USA

Shawn J. Soper/News Editor www.mdcoastdispatch.com

OCEAN CITY – Ocean City’s own Melissa DiGiulian this week was crowned Miss Maryland USA in a pageant in Bethesda and will represent the state in the Miss USA pageant in April. DiGiulian, 19, was officially crowned Miss Maryland USA on Sunday evening after the three-day pageant held at the Marriot North Bethesda Conference Center in Montgomery County. She will represent Maryland in the Miss USA pageant this spring. Last year, the Miss USA pageant was held in Baltimore with segments filmed around the state including Ocean City, and sources say a similar format will be followed this year although the details have not been finalized. This Miss USA pageant is sponsored in part by tycoon Donald Trump and aired on NBC.

DiGiulian’s family moved to West Ocean City from Severna Park about five years ago and she has spent much of that time living and working in the resort area. She is employed by Sunset Grille and works out at Powerhouse Gym in West Ocean City. Those two businesses sponsored her in the pageant. DiGiulian is currently a sophomore at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington where she is pursuing a business degree. Although her family moved to West Ocean City five years ago, she stayed behind and finished high school at Archbishop Spalding in Severna Park partly because her family did not want to uproot her and partly because there is no Catholic high school in the area.

During the summer and other breaks from school, she works in West Ocean City at the Sunset Grille and lives with her family in the Bay Vistas community off Route 611. DiGiulian is no stranger to pageants, having been first runner-up in last year’s Miss Maryland competition and first runner-up in the Miss Teen Maryland pageant in 2004. “She first signed up for the pageants as part of a school service obligation, but she really got caught up in it,” said her proud father Ken DiGiulian. “We’re very proud of her for her success in the pageants but also for everything else she does.”

DiGiulian is involved in several charitable organizations both locally and throughout the state. She works extensively with the Women Supporting Women breast cancer awareness group locally and also contributes significant time to the Happy Helper program, a homeless support group in Baltimore. In addition to her pageants and fundraising efforts, DiGiulian is also an accomplished athlete having participated in gymnastics and soccer in school. Ken DiGiulian this week gushed about his daughters many accomplishments. “We’re very proud of her and everything she does,” he said. “She’s such a good natured, well-rounded kid and we couldn’t be happier for her.”

» Monticello resident Kendra King was crowned Miss Mississippi USA

Monticello resident Kendra King was crowned Miss Mississippi USA Saturday night at Delta State University in Cleveland. Miss King, 19, competed against 28 other contestants to win the state crown. She now advances to the Miss USA pageant. If she wins there, the Miss Universe contest is next. The competition was Saturday night at Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi. "We're still in shock," her mother, Donna King, said. "We're still excited. We're still not sure what's up or how we're supposed to react. We feel extremely blessed." Kendra King was attending classes at Copiah-Lincoln Community College this morning and was unavailable for comment.
Arrangements for next year's Miss USA pageant are incomplete, Donna King said.
This year's Miss USA pageant was held during the spring in Baltimore.

Miss Mississippi USA 2006 Kendra King

Kendra King will make a variety of personal appearances throughout the year as part her duties. "She wants to focus everything on her hometown and Brookhaven, where she works," Donna King said. The 2004 graduate of Lawrence County High School has a lot to do to prepare for the Miss USA pageant, her mother said. "She's never really done pageant work until she started modeling," Donna King said. "It gave her confidence, and she started competing and winning." Kendra King did not begin modeling until her senior year, when she was hired to work at Susan's Shoppe, a designer dress store in Brookhaven. "We're very proud of her. We see big things ahead for her," said Susan Nash, owner of the store.

It's been a big year for Kendra King. She also became Lawrence County's Miss Hospitality 2005. Kendra King may be appearing in a nationally distributed designer dress catalog for WOW! Prom after attending a September photo shoot in Atlanta. The catalog is set for release later this month. The most exciting aspect of modeling for her is working closely with the designers, she said earlier this month. "I think, maybe, I want to pursue a career as a designer," the business major said. While modeling for WOW! Prom, Kendra King said she showed sketches of her designs to a WOW! Prom owner, who intends to use one of her sketches as part of a future pageant line.

» THE ROAD TO NATIONALS PICTURE GALLERY

Miss Mississippi Teen USA 2006 Reagan Raulston

Miss Maryland Teen USA 2006’s crowning moment!

High Style
Three Of Europe's Most Enticing Designers

Whether it's men's sweaters or cocktail dresses the Europeans are known for creating unabashedly stylish clothing. Here's our favorite new designers from right across the pond.
Gentlemen, start your engines for Danish talent Henrik Vibsok who mixes street-wear with surf gear to get stylish comfortable weekend garb. Check out his accessories, too, such as amazing bohemian scarves.

For ladies, there's Blackpool a.k.a Irene Munger. This Zurich desinger's collection,"Twilight", has stunning lines, drapes and shimmering fabrics. For that "been there and doing it" look - Blackpool is the way to go.

We also dig London-based Camilla Staerk for her winter collection's smoky colors and slighty frisky silhouettes - perfect for a naughty high tea. So, get some European allure without the hassle of language barriers by trying out these designers. Your new look will surely translate.