Busy Titleholders!!

Miss USA 2004 & Miss Universe 1st runner (also Miss Missouri 2002 for Miss America) Shandi Finnessey will appear on ABC-TV's Dancing With The Stars begining March 19, 2007.

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Former Miss America Kate Shindle co-stars as Vivienne Kensington in "Legally Blonde: The Musical" at the Palace Theatre in NYC begining April 3. Tickets for the Broadway run are available at http://www.ticketmaster.com/ or by calling (212) 307-4100. For more information visit http://www.legallyblondethemusical.com/.

2007 Miss USA Pageant to Broadcast from Kodak Theatre in California

Donald J. Trump and Paula M. Shugart, president of the Miss Universe organization, announced today that Los Angeles, California will host the 56th Annual Miss USA Competition where Miss USA 2006, Tara Conner, will crown her successor at the conclusion of the two-hour primetime telecast. The competition makes a return to Los Angeles after airing the last two years live from Baltimore, Maryland. The celebrated show will air live from the Kodak Theatre on Friday, March 23rd on NBC.

Miss USA Says She Dabbled in Cocaine

NEW YORK (AP) -- Miss USA Tara Conner, who nearly lost her crown for hard-partying in New York nightclubs, says in the upcoming issue of People magazine that her recent stint in rehab was a wake-up call.
"I didn't think I had an issue, but I was willing to do anything to save my job. ... I've realized that I suffer from the disease of alcoholism and addiction," says Conner, who logged in 31 days at the Caron Foundation rehab center in Wernersville, Pa.
"I was an equality-opportunity user. I would try anything once," Conner, 21, tells the magazine in its Feb. 12 issue.
At a much-publicized press conference in December, Donald Trump, who owns the Miss USA pageant, said the contrite Conner could hold onto her crown if she changed her ways. She then entered rehab.
In her interview in People magazine, her first since leaving treatment, Conner admits that she's dabbled in cocaine.
"Cocaine was one of the drugs that I did use," she says. "It's hard to look back at that."
Alcohol, though, was her biggest vice.
"I'm an alcoholic. It was a craving thing. Once I put it in my body, I would start craving more," says Conner, who notes she drank heavily but wasn't "getting sloppy drunk and dancing on tables."
As for reports that her wild ways also included promiscuity, she says, "I would talk to more than one guy at once. It doesn't mean that I was sexually active with every one of these people."
The Kentucky native, who has a family history of alcoholism, says her problems "didn't develop overnight." And, she adds, "It wasn't New York City's fault."
Her mother, Brenda Johnson, tells the magazine that Conner once showed up to school drunk when she was 14, the same year she won her first beauty pageant and her parents divorced.
Conner, who now lives with a chaperone, says she spends time reading instead of running around town. "I thought I needed to be around people, that I needed that acceptance," she says.
She's itching to return to her Miss USA duties.
"I just can't wait to get back to work." "I'm Miss U.S.A., my name is Tara Conner, and I'm happy to meet you,' you know? Life is good."

Miss Milwaukee puts 5 pageant myths to Rest

You wouldn't expect beauty pageant veteran Janel Mayer to say bad things about beauty contests, obviously.

But Miss America pageants are different from the others, she says. Having been in pageants all her life, the 22-year-old brunet says Miss America pageants are mostly scholarship-based, that winners are chosen by "talent and interviews more than looks." It's the world's largest provider of scholarship assistance for young women, according to the Miss America Web site.

Mayer's family got a letter in the mail advertising a pageant when she was 9. ("I begged my mom to let me do it," she said). Since then, Mayer has joined about one pageant a year. (When she started competing in Miss America, she participated in three to five pageants a year.)
Mayer even received a community service scholarship from Marquette University, which she fulfilled mainly through her pageant work. In 2002, she competed as Miss St. Francis, and she was Miss Coulee Region in 2006.

Congratulations Kristina

A sold out crowd of almost 600 watched Saturday night as Kristina Smaby was crowned the 2006 Miss La Crosse / Oktoberfest at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse’s Cartwright Center.“All my family and friends out here tonight cheering is what motivates me on stage,” Smaby, 20, said.A sophomore at Viterbo University, Smaby’s platform is “Connecting Generations.”She said living with her grandfather inspired her. For the past four years, she has worked to connect generations, like bringing dance troupes to nursing homes.Smaby, a former Miss Holmen, said she plans to hold an intergenerational fair in La Crosse. When she graduates she wants to open a chain of intergenerational day cares.

As part of her duties as Miss La Crosse/Oktoberfest, Smaby will visit area nursing homes and compete at the Miss Wisconsin pageant in June.Mandy Nogle is this year’s first princess, Sarah Brown is second princess, and Tracy MacKinnon is third princess.

Local women win pageants in Onalaska

Four women who won pageant titles Saturday at Onalaska High School will compete in the Miss Wisconsin pageant, two of them for the fourth time.Young women from around the state competed in four at-large pageant competitions held at the Onalaska High School auditorium. The annual Miss Midwest and Miss Western Wisconsin pageant competitions took place prior to the evening’s Miss Mississippi Valley and Miss Wisconsin West contests.Onalaska native Sarah Brown was chosen as Miss Midwest 2007. The singer is a 2004 graduate of Onalaska High School. Brown, who turns 21 on Thursday, is the daughter of Donna Brown.She succeeds 2006 titlist Abby Ryan. The UW-L music student was second runner-up in last September’s Miss La Crosse/Oktoberfest pageant.Chosen as Miss Western Wisconsin 2007 was ballet dancer Elisabeth Bruzek, 23, of New Prague, Minn., who succeeds Marci Gallo, the 2006 titleholder. Bruzek, the daughter of Katherine and David Bruzek, is a graduate of Viterbo University. She was Miss La Crosse/Oktoberfest 2005-06.Placing first runner-up in the twin-pageant competition was Melissa Ann Maggart, 19, of Racine, a UW-Madison student.Later in the evening, outgoing 2006 titleholders Ryan and Gallo competed for and won pageant crowns.Winning the second annual Miss Mississippi Valley pageant Saturday night was Ryan, 23, the daughter of Barbara and Edward Ryan of La Crosse. The semi-classical vocalist, who was Miss La Crosse in 2002, is an education student at UW-La Crosse. She succeeds 2006 titlist Alexandra Kealey, 24, of Merton.Gallo, 23, of Pleasant Prairie was named Miss Wisconsin West 2007. The classical pianist was crowned by 2006 queen Stacey Lee Zabinski, 24, of rural Arcadia. Gallo, the former Miss West Allis 2005, was Miss Kenosha in 2002. She is the daughter of Caroline and John Gallo.UW-L sophomore Tiffany Krohn, 20, of Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., was named first runner-up in the evening dual competitions Saturday. Current Miss La Crosse/Oktoberfest, Kristina Smaby, Miss Holmen Katherine Weber and Miss Onalaska Lynzi Zettler will join Brown, Bruzek, Ryan and Gallo as they advance to the 2007 Miss Wisconsin pageant, which is June 30 in Oshkosh.

Meet Miss Festival of Trees, Briana Lipor

Briana Lipor of Racine was crowned the first-ever Miss Festival of Trees on Saturday, November 25 at Memorial Hall. She is a graduate of Washington Park High School and a junior at UW-Parkside studying music education and theater.
During the competition, Briana and 11 other contestants were judged on poise, presentation, artistic expression, lifestyle and fitness and community achievement. As the newly-crowned Miss Festival of Trees, Briana was awarded a $500 scholarship and she will compete for the title of Miss Wisconsin 2007 next June.

Ashley Ash Crowned Miss Door County 2007

Ashley Ash was crowned Miss Door County 2007 on Saturday night at Southern Door Auditorium in front of a capacity crowd. All 11 contestants competed in four areas: Lifestyle and fitness, artistic expression, on-stage question and presence and poise in evening wear. After the four competitions, the 11th Annual Miss Door County Pageant came down to Ash and Bridget Engebose.

Engebose finished second while Katie Sawyer, Maggie Raye and Sarah Casperson rounded out the five finalists. This year the Miss Door County Scholarship Pageant raised $17,900. Ash will receive a $5000 scholarship for winning the crown. She will also make public appearance representing Door County. This also gives her an opportunity to promote her platform which is youth mentoring through Big Brothers Big Sisters. She hopes to visit elementary and high schools to talk about her platform.

Ash will represent Door County in the Miss Wisconsin Pageant. She will also make numerous public appearances at various community events. She is excited to represent Door County around the state and also looks forward to working with the other contestants in the community

Congratulations Caitlin!

Student WEA member named Miss Wisconsin-USA 2007

Student WEA member Caitlin Morrall of Alverno College in Milwaukee has been crowned Miss Wisconsin-USA.

Morrall, who is vice president-elect of the Alverno College Student WEA chapter, won the title in the state pageant held at Richland Center September 2. She will compete in the Miss USA 2007 pageant next spring at a location yet to be announced.

In June 2006 Morrall placed first runner-up in the separate Miss Wisconsin competition, where she competed as Miss Burlington Area ChocolateFest. She had previously placed 3rd runner-up in 2004, 1st runner-up in 2003 and second runner-up in 2002.

Morrall is a 2001 graduate of Burlington High School and is a senior at Alverno College majoring in education with a minor in social studies