April
8, 2008
TUESDAY AT REHEARSALS:
The
morning session started promptly at 9:30am as today was best summed up by the
phrase “light, cameras and action!” After a laid back Monday it was time
to hit the show full out as today everything is in place. The beautiful set is
fully operational with closed circuit monitors and I-beam lights heading in
all directions. Our host’s Donny and Marie Osmond are also here
participating in rehearsals and ads to the excitement of the day.
The
day began with running the show from the every top. So great detail was paid
by the crew to the choreographed opening production number. As usual changes
were made to improve the look and the camera angels and to improve the
choreography. This lasted most of the morning with a special break taken to
shoot show promos for a special report with Mr. Osmond on The Insider to be
seen tomorrow.
After the final break before lunch our Miss USA Rachel Smith joined the rehearsals greeting everyone as she arrived.
VIEWING PRIMER
OPENING
NUMBER:
After
a video taped opening where the delegates are introduced the show goes live to
Planet Hollywood for an onstage dance production number. The first scene
reveals the delegates parading from all sides and paths down the many
staircases. Onstage they will be wearing their custom designed opening numbers
from Sherri Hill as it will be very bright and colorful. The choreography this
year is much more modeling style then dance. This allows the delegates to flow
more freely onstage.
Look for Miss Florida USA to enter on stage left in an alley between stairwells. She then heads to front stage left in the third row for her final pose. At that point our hosts are revealed for their opening set scene.
RACHELS
VIDEO AND ONSTAGE OPENING
After break we get to meet our amazing Miss USA Rachel Smith as she is the feature of a video set scene that shows her meeting the President, sky-diving and on-tour with The USO as a part of her many highlights. From the video we go live to her introduction for the cameras and audience.
TOP
15 ANOUNCEMENT
After
setting the scene of the year ahead it’s time to announce the finalists that
will compete during the remainder of the show. The delegates are placed in
their home positions from stage left through right. The delegates are called
with them being presented stage center for a close up. Then they head to stage
left for events and stage right for the odd numbered contestants. Look for
hand held camera shots to show the reactions. Miss Florida USA is located on
the floor in front of the main staircase.
After the final announcement is made a left to right pan of the delegates completes the segment as the leave the stage in a group to complete the segment. Then it’s backstage as The Swimsuit Competition is up next as the finalists head to the next elimination round that sees the field whittled from fifteen to ten.
TOMORROW:
Join us on Wednesday as we set the scene for Swimwear and Evening Gown Competitions. Your only Miss USA Viewing Primer, only from your friends at www.MissFloridaUSA.com .
CATCHING UP WITH MISS FLORIDA USA
Miss Rafalowski does her best Vanna White pose
Our
Miss Rafalowski had a nice and relaxed Monday night with her family as
everyone in pageant land had the evening off. After a quiet dinner (if
possible in Las Vegas) it was back to the room early as sleep is a high
priority this week. She was looking forward to today as it begins the official
television phase of the pageant.
Looking great in a smart black dress she shows no signs of her earlier illness and is in good spirits and high energy. Eating an energy bar and feeling energetic the morning had in store more rehearsals followed by an early lunch. Then it’s back to the hall for the 2:30pm rehearsal that should last until mid evening. Look for reports from that session and tomorrow right here at www.MissFloridaUSA.com as our national championship is right around the corner!
Early morning rehearsals from Planet Hollywood with The Rafalowski’s
RED ROCKS BOWLING NIGHT
Jackie Bruno, Miss Massachusetts USA 2008; Julia Bachison, Miss Utah USA 2008; Kimberly Joiner, Miss Arizona USA 2008; Courtney Erin Carroll, Miss Alaska USA 2008; Skylene Montgomery, Miss West Virginia USA 2008; Michelyn Cynthia Butler, Miss Wisconsin USA 2008; Raquel Roxanne Beezley, Miss California USA 2008; Veronica Grabowski, Miss Nevada USA 2008; Breanne Silvi, Miss New Hampshire USA 2008; Keisha Walding, Miss Alabama USA 2008; and Amy Diaz, Miss Rhode Island USA 2008, pose with Dennis Mathews, Bowling Operations Manager, as they arrive for a night of bowling at the Red Rock Lanes in the Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday, April 6.
Courtney Erin Carroll, Miss Alaska USA 2008, shows off her bowling shoes
Chelsey Sophia Rodgers, Miss District Of Columbia USA 2008
& Michelle Gillespie, Miss Kansas USA 2008
Raquel Roxanne Beezley, Miss California USA 2008,
and Casandra Tressler, Miss Maryland USA 2008,
GETTING
TO KNOW
Miss Arkansas USA
Times While her friends and classmates frolicked on sandy beaches three weeks ago during spring break, Rachel Howells was confined to her Fayetteville apartment. Yet she did not mind staying in town too much - not with a lengthy trip ahead of her. "I don't think I've ever been on a spring break trip with my friends … but two-and-a-half weeks in Las Vegas is a pretty good vacation," said the 21-yearold University of Arkansas senior. The trick, though, is to think of her stay at America's popular playground as more of a business trip. After all, trying to become just the second Arkansas contestant to be crowned Miss USA - Terri Utley of Cabot was chosen in 1982 - in the pageant's 56-year history is no easy feat in a city known internationally for its colorful distractions. "I think that's going to be the hardest thing to do while I'm there is to stay focused and stay relaxed and get enough sleep," Howells said.
Eyes on the prize Although the finals of the actual pageant will not be until 8 p.m. Friday, when it is televised nationally on NBC, Howells flew into town March 26 to kick off a hectic schedule that included too many rehearsals, appearances, photo opportunities and charity events to count. Initial interviews with the panel of judges will take place today. All of the contestants will perform in the pageant's opening number Friday, but only the top 15 girls will take part in the final swimsuit and evening gown competitions. Those hopefuls will be trimmed down to 10, who will then answer one question on stage before the winner is announced. "I think just being aware of how stressful it's going to be and having that mental preparation already - I think those are the most important things," she said. The Alma native has been to Las Vegas twice before to watch the Miss America pageants for the past two years. For four years, she had competed in the Miss America system, getting as far as the preliminary-winner round in the 2006 Miss Arkansas pageant.
In November, she was one of about 30 contestants at the Miss Arkansas USA pageant during the event's inaugural run at Bentonville's Arend Arts Center. After winning the Miss Photogenic award on the first night, she took home the title of giving the best interview before being named Miss Arkansas USA. Moments of that November night are, at best, blurry for Howells. "I actually don't even remember what it felt like because it all happened so fast, but I do remember after the pageant my mom telling me how worried she was because of the look on my face," Howells said. "She said I looked really nervous [on stage] and that made me nervous." With the coveted tiara in place, Howells decided to take the spring semester off in order to properly prepare for the Miss USA event. Her practice agenda included at least a dozen meetings in Overland Park, Kan., with her main coach, John Vanatta, the president of Vanbros and Associates and executive director of the Miss Arkansas USA pageant and its counterparts in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Nebraska. On three instances, Howells has met with winners from the other four states for "boot camps “consisting of such activities as working out, going through mock interviews and practicing makeup.
Howells, who is rooming with Miss Oklahoma USA, Lindsey Jo Harrington, said knowing the four girls from the surrounding states - and getting along with them - would serve as a big advantage in Las Vegas. "It's going to be a lot easier adjusting because it's not going to be so intimidating," she said. "When you step off the plane, you're going to know four familiar faces.”Staying in the moment throughout her six years of competing, Howells has received her fair share of advice of what to do when the pressure goes up along with the lights on the big stage of a pageant. Some pearls of wisdom have shone brighter than others. "Stay in whatever you're doing and enjoy it to the fullest so you're not always jumping ahead to something that might not happen," she said. "That's one of things we've really talked about is just enjoying it for what it is and not worrying about whatever's to come." Howells' entry into the pageant world was less than glamorous. Although her exact age - either 5 or 6 - eludes her, she clearly remembers the frilly, white dress she wore - as well as the sling for her broken arm and the scabs on her knees from falling off a treadmill a week before.
"Apparently I didn't like the judges because I wouldn't talk to them, "' she recalled. Regardless of this week's outcome, Howells has decided this will be her swan song. For one, she will have used up her eligibility in the Miss USA system. She could go back and compete for Miss Arkansas - and ultimately Miss America - again, but her goal of being a pharmacist is too close to ignore after she finishes her undergraduate studies next fall and, hopefully, attends the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock the following fall. "I think I've done really well and going to Miss USA will be the pinnacle of my pageant career," she said. "I think just as important as when you start and how much time you put into it, ending at the right time is really important, too. It's going to be bittersweet. I love competing but at the same time I'm at a point in my life where I feel a pull to graduate and go accomplish something else."