The Miss Florida USA & Miss Florida Teen USA

Magazine of September 27th, 2007

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. This time next week our state championship is on! The final preparations are being put in place as all eyes will be on Hollywood. This past Saturday was so much fun as we finished the prize tape and contestant introductions segments. Seems everyone is in the pageant series and can’t wait to get the pageant started!

This weeks World Pageant News gets a sneak peak at MTV’s Pageant Place and has results from Italy and Hungary. Miss Florida USA News invites you to this weekends Clam Bake Festival on Hollywood Beach. GenArt gets hat happy as we suggest the finest millers in modern fashion. Faces & Places features an inspirational titleholder who is overcoming obstacles everyday while this weeks www.YouTube.com/MissFloridaUSA Channel Movie of the Week features last weekends fun on the Hollywood Broadwalk! All the pageant news that fits to print and now video updated 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 & Miss Florida Teen USA

8 Days Until Miss Florida Teen USA!

PAGEANT NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

» Behind The Scenes at MTV’s “Pageant Place”

From the outside, Apartment 14-B looks like any other midtown apartment - but it's home to New York's most beautiful roommates. The W. 57th St. apartment houses three beauty queens - the reigning Miss USA, Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe. The News got a first look inside the home of MTV's new reality show, "Pageant Place," last week - and found that living with three princesses isn't always pretty.

Slobby habits can cause ugly scenes, and domestic bliss relies on the roomies pulling their weight. "I leave my stuff out," admitted Katie Blair, 2006's Miss Teen USA. "I don't put out the trash. It's disgusting and I don't touch it.

"[Miss USA] always hated that.... You have to get used to knickknacks, people's pet peeves. Everyone has their things they worry about and make a big deal over."

"Pageant Place," promises to put you up-close and personal with Miss Universe Riyo Mori, Miss USA Rachel Smith and former Miss Teen USA Katie Blair. The series also features Hilary Cruz, who won Blair's tiara last month and replaced her in the luxury pad three weeks ago.

Former Miss USA Tara Conner, who last year became more famous for her wild partying and drug problems than for winning her title, also drops in as a big sister, eager to help guide the girls away from temptation.

"I put school on hold when I won Miss Teen USA," said Blair. "This was like my sorority. These girls were like my sisters." But even sisters aren't always close. "We are girls first and foremost," said Smith, "normal young women....It's good to have people to talk to, people who understand things like having a bad hair day.”

“But we spend time apart as well," said Smith. "It's just like any other roommate situation. Just because we are roommates doesn't mean we have to be best friends. When it gets too much, I spend time in my room."

The apartment, owned by Donald Trump - who runs the Miss Universe Organization - has three almost identical bedrooms, all with double beds and private bathrooms. They all have white bedspreads, dressing tables and a TV. Fresh flowers sit on bedside cabinets.

And all have personal touches added by their occupants in a bid to make them feel like home. A photograph of Cruz's dog Maddie hangs above her bed, a framed picture of Smith's parents sits beside her TV and a leopard print blanket brought from Tennessee is draped across a chair. Mori, the furthest from home, has a few Japanese books on a desk. "Living with two girls, I like it," she said in almost perfect English. "If I was here by myself, I would get homesick. They distract me, we have fun together."

They also learn from each other. Mori teaches the other two Japanese words, they teach her English. "But they teach me slang," she says. "I don't even know what it means. Sometimes I use it, and people laugh."

All their closets are packed, though the clothes and shoes that have not come from sponsors or as gifts could fit in a single suitcase. The rest of the apartment - a living room, dining room and kitchen with views up to Central Park - is bare of personal items. The refrigerator is empty. "I moved in here three weeks ago, but we travel so much," said Cruz. "This week is the first time I've spent any time here. When I am here, I sleep as much as I can."

"Pageant Place," which debuts Oct. 10 on MTV, will follow the beauties' hectic schedule - both at play in the city and at work as they travel the world. And when they are in town together, the three do socialize. "We watch TV together," said Mori. "We talk a lot. Oh yes, and we go shopping!"

From left, Miss Teen USA 2006 Katie Blair,

Miss Universe Riyo Mori, Miss Teen USA 2007 Hilary Cruz

and former Miss USA Tara Conner support

a laid-back Miss USA Rachel Smith.

Miss Teen USA 2007 Hilary Cruz, 18, of Louisville, Colo.

Miss Teen USA 2006 Katie Blair, 19, of Billings, Mont.

Miss Universe Riyo Mori, 20, of Shizuoka, Japan

» Miss Italia 2007

Silvia Battisti, a 18-year old student from Verona, was crowned

Miss Italia 2007 in their national championship Saturday night.

» Miss Hungary 2007

Miss Hungary Krisztina Bodri, winner of Miss World Hungary, celebrates her victory during the finals of the contest in Budapest September 26, 2007.

MISS FL USA NEWS!

» Hollywood Beach Clambake Saturday!

A Miss Florida Teen USA Tradition is attending The Hollywood Beach Clam Bake on the world famous Broadwalk! This fun evening is open to all 2008 Miss Florida Teen USA Delegates and features “Soul Asylum” performing on the main stage. We will meet at the Johnson Street Band Shell at 7:00pm and do some television tapings and otherwise enjoy this fun evening!

» Pageant Directors/Miss Florida USA Preliminary Titleholders Dinner

Jules Meyer of Miss Hollywood USA/Teen USA and PageantReady.com cordially invites you to attend the Second Annual Pageant Directors/Miss Titleholders Dinner on Friday, October 5 at 7 p.m. at Mama Mia’s Ristorante, 1818 South Young Circle in Downtown Hollywood. Complimentary Valet Parking is available at the restaurant.

Dinner will be $20 CASH per person, which includes, Appetizers, Salad, Garlic Rolls (yummy), Your Choice of Three Entrees, Dessert, Soft Beverages and gratuity. Additional gratuity is at your discretion. Cocktails are additional. No checks or credit cards will be accepted for dinner.

Please feel free to invite parents of Teen and Miss titleholders as well! This event is a great way for Directors and their Miss titleholders to catch up after state and to get geared up for another weekend of fabulous pageantry with the Miss Florida Teen USA Pageant! In addition, it is a great way for the Teen parents to meet and relax before the big weekend.

Seating is very limited and reservations are a must by e-mailing jules@pageantready.com no later than Tuesday, October 2.

All the best,

Jules!

PageantReady.com

» Miss Florida USA Online Updates!

We at Miss Florida USA are very proud to announce two new ways of enjoying your favorite pageant in The Sunshine State! Two new outlets for The Miss Florida USA Channel are at Brightcove.com for outstanding video resolution check out http://www.brightcove.com/channel.jsp?channel=987230066 and notice the difference.

We have also just found a great blog, picture and video uploading site called www.VIRB.com and our Miss Florida USA Channel is at http://virb.com/1022102202612798. This site will be used as our first offering of pictures before we publish them on our weekly updates at www.MissFloridaUSA.com. More content for the best pageant fans in the whole wide world! Welcome to the online media revolution.

» IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES:

October 5 - Miss Florida Teen USA Registration - 9:30pm

October 6 - Miss Florida Teen USA Preliminary Pageant - 7:30pm

October 7 - Miss Florida Teen USA Televised Finals - 2:00pm

*All participants to meet at Dolphins Stadium in North Miami Dade

» MISS FLORIDA USA & MISS FLORIDA TEEN USA ON MYSPACE:

Be our MySpace friend at either www.myspace.com/missfloridateenusa or www.myspace.com/theofficialmissfloridausa as we feature the Miss Marion County USA 10 Minute Pageant at our Miss Florida USA site and the Miss Marion County Teen USA 10 Minute Pageant at our Miss Florida Teen USA site.

The Miss Florida USA Channel Movie of The Week:

To celebrate the last day of summer we brought out the bling! Eleven delegates joined us Saturday morning to model the Bijoux Terner and JewelryWorld.com prizes. Then we had our last three delegates introduce themselves before our viewing audience.

Two more weeks to Miss Florida Teen USA and you can catch the behind the scenes action everyday here at The Miss Florida USA Channel on YouTube!

Click here for more YouTube Movies!

Get Hat Happy
Top off your ensemble with
one of Kelly Christy's creations!

A jaunty hat lets the world know you've got joie de vivre and an appreciation for old-school cool. Plus, at the height of summer, wearing something that shades your face isn't just fashionableâ€”it's practical to boot.

But where can you find a hats that are classic with a dose of modern edge? Look no farther than Kelly Christy, a milliner with a line of vintage-inspired hats and accessories influenced by her love of nature and whimsy sense of humor. Kelly's work has appeared on the runways of Gen Art alum, Keanan Duffty, and Diane Von Furstenberg, and if you live near her Soho showroom, she'll even custom fit pieces to make sure they sit just so.

For the ladies, we like this coquettish Samantha men's version, too) or the floppy, Panama-style Beachlady Round . On the guys' side of things, we're loving the Belmont Straw, which comes tricked out with a preppy ribbon trimâ€”mint julep sold separately. Check out the entire line on her Web site and then give Kelly a call to place an order or set up an appointment for a fitting!

Kelly Christy, 453 Broome Street, NYC, (212) 965-0686