Pageant News Bureau - Miss USA 2003

Right on time

Even though she almost didn't make it to rehearsal one day due to an alarm clock mishap, bells are ringing for Alicia Michioka of Hawaii.

She's ecstatic that she had her best interview ever, and she really felt "on" during the swimsuit competition.

It was also apparent that she loves her white evening gown with an attached chunky jeweled necklace.

Alicia Michioka

Ms. Michioka is just as enthusiastic about her recent experience at Hawaii Pacific University, where she majored in Advertising/Journalism. She enjoyed the wide diversity, with fellow students from every nationality imaginable. She herself is of Japanese and English descent, and had an incredible experience as an exchange student in Japan.

She hopes to land a job in the international arena. With her effervescence, the world will be in for a wake-up call.

Photos courtesy of Miss Universe L.P., LLLP

All dressed up . . .

By Tori Carter
PNB Special events correspondent

The Miss USA system is moving back to glamour and high fashion, according to Anna Hanks, Miss South Carolina USA 2003. She should know, as she designed her striking evening gown herself.

Her eyes twinkle as she describes the coveted garment. The flowing white dress features a draping string-bead sleeve and a v-back waistline. It was created by pageant gown guru Gregory Ellenburg for Ms. Hanks, who is considering a career in the fashion business.

Photo courtesy of Miss Universe L.P., LLLP

Anna Hanks and Agnieszka Zakreta
Anna Hanks, Miss South Carolina USA, with Agnieszka Zakreta of Illinois
Photo by Susan Carter / PNB

Ms. Hanks has felt very comfortable during the pageant, and not just during evening gown events. She was at ease during interviews, and she says the atmosphere backstage is very relaxed. Of course she is also comfortable at center stage, since she has performed as a dancer since the age of 2. With 25 family members and friends cheering her on Monday night, she will probably shine during the live telecast, especially during the evening gown competition.

Sugar and a lot of spice

The Presentation Show at San Antonio Municipal Auditorium

By Tori Carter
PNB special events correspondent

Everyone seems impressed with the new venue for the Miss USA national competition in San Antonio. Last year, the show in Gary, Ind., was themed with industry and fire, but this hot and spicy river town has a style all its own. Contestants, parents, friends and family are enjoying the historic Alamo, Sea World, the River Walk, Tex-Mex cuisine and conjunto music. A fun and friendly atmosphere abounds.

The San Antonio Municipal Auditorium, the site of the competition, was built in 1926 as a memorial to WWI veterans. It served as the most opulent event venue in the city for more than 50 years. Unfortunately, the building was ravaged by fire in 1979, but a $13 million historic preservation effort brought it back. The silver lining to this difficult rebirth was that the building was able to modernize -- adding projection, sound and broadcast rooms.

Still charming, with some historic components preserved, center stage is framed by a single but elaborately gilded fascia. It is composed of a large curving staircase, with a series of archways beneath. Contestants emerge from the center arch. Two huge pillars flank each side of the stage; above are eight architectural elements resembling doors and windows suspended in midair. Cloud-like lighting is used intermittently to create an ethereal effect.

The Presentation Show, or preliminary competition, took place March 19 to whittle the 51 contestants down to 10. These chosen few, judged in interview, swimsuit and evening gown, will be announced Monday night as the finals begin.

Entertainment was provided by rapper "Nexxiss" and his two background dancers. He later joined Shauntay Hinton, the reigning Miss USA, to host the Wednesday night show. Other special entertainment during preliminaries included an authentic local Mexican Folkloric group, to blend the "old with the new." The preliminary event emcee was Kim Masters, Miss USA 1977.

San Antonio's landmark Alamo
Photo by Nancy H. Belcher

Contestants on location at the Alamo
All Miss USA photos courtesy of Miss Universe L.P., LLLP

The show was somewhat casual but lively. The opening number featured contestants in all-white outfits. Upbeat music was played throughout the swimsuit and evening gown contests. Gowns worn included 21 white/off-white, 15 black or dark gowns, 11 multicolor, and four red. A definite haute couture feeling dominated the gowns, reflecting an international influence and ties to the Miss Universe sequel pageant.

The Presentation Show attracted a large audience, and appeared to be one of the most well attended in years. The venue's seating capacity of 4,904 may be reached for the finals, a live telecast on NBC on Monday night, March 24. That's when it will be revealed who wins "the whole enchilada."

Step lively

By Tori Carter
PNB special events correspondent

In her ivory gown with a flowing chiffon cape, Sarah Cahill was thinking for a moment that all her hours of preparation had been for naught. Ms. Cahill, who's Miss Minnesota USA, realized she was walking the wrong pattern during the evening gown portion of the preliminary competition. .

Photo courtesy of Miss Universe L.P., LLLP

Fortunately, she recognized her error and used it to her advantage. She told PNB that she "really turned it on" to compensate for her stage irregularity, and she ended up being very pleased with her overall performance. The error must have been slight, since her mother didn't notice there was a problem.

Whatever caused her to veer off course, it wasn't the pressure. Ms. Cahill said she was pleasantly surprised at how "great" the other girls are, not catty as she had feared. She said that with the current political environment -- the war in Iraq -- the girls felt a special closeness. They were like a team bonding together in a patriotic spirit. "Prayer groups and spiritual leaders are helping make this a special time for all involved," she said.

It sounds like this beauty's pattern for success is right on course.

Sweet city woman

Nadia Behette is proud to be from Brooklyn. People born and raised in the historic borough -- as she was -- say it's more than just a part of New York City. They say its more homey than Manhattan. She admits that when she talks about Brooklyn, "I sound like a small-town girl."

A long way from Brooklyn

Ms. Behette really is a small-town girl at heart, with a sense of wonder about the wide world that's waiting for her. She was thrilled to get Rudolph Giuliani's autograph, and she even enjoyed being interviewed by PNB. She likes to do makeovers of her friends and relatives, "the willing and the unwilling," and she has donated her time to do makeovers for cancer patients, because it lifts their spirits.

All photos courtesy of Miss Universe L.P., LLLP

She's a college student, pursuing a career in broadcasting. Her dream is to be an investigative reporter on network television, solving mysteries and righting wrongs. But she's also a gorgeous part-time model and a "competitive-type person who sometimes likes to go to extremes," so she couldn't resist the call of pageants. "I was looking for something to really broaden my horizons," Ms. Behette says.

Her name is pronounced like "Behetty" and it's of Arab origin. Her ancestors are from Lebanon. Her heritage is very important to her, especially at this time in history. Ms. Behette is a girl who loves the red, white and blue and "wants to bridge the gap between America and the people in the Mideast."

If she wins Miss USA, she will be moving to one of the most prestigious addresses in New York. It's just a short drive from Brooklyn, but it's a giant leap in the life of a beauty queen.

When bad things happen (to beauties)

Megan Monroe tells PNB she's not related to Marilyn Monroe, "but we can pretend."

Yes, Miss Montana USA has a sense of humor, and she needed it in the days before she headed to San Antonio. Nothing went right.

She had to cope with a blizzard in Montana, a blizzard in New York City, lost luggage and a lost dress. But that was the small stuff.

Photo courtesy of Miss Universe L.P., LLLP

Her "sendoff party" was the real debacle. A few hours before the party was scheduled to take place, she received an urgent phone call at work from her brother, urging her to hurry home because her aunt was in labor. Since her aunt was only six months pregnant, and the brother was something of a kidder, "I hung up on him," Ms. Monroe recalls.

These two photos courtesy of Carol Hirata

Photo courtesy of Miss Universe L.P., LLLP

He managed to get through again and convince her that he was telling the truth. But by the time she got home, the place was in chaos. There were paramedics who had just delivered a premature baby. There were caterers hired for the party. And there was a TV crew that came to film a pageant story and wound up covering a medical emergency.

The story had a happy ending: a healthy newborn boy. But there was a sad twist: no party.

Ms. Monroe is a "jeans and cowboy boots" kind of girl, and a newcomer to pageants. But she already has experience as a model in New York, and she's planning to go there soon for law school. And the Big Apple has one more attraction: "My boyfriend."