Meet the 2008 State Titleholders! You can get to know all the 2008 state titleholders (both Miss
and Teen) just by visiting our Web site! Compare all the contestants, their platforms, talents, and photos—all on one single page for easier viewing. Click
here to check it out!
Just in Time! The 2009 Miss America Competition magazine
is now available for purchase, just in time for the holidays! This keepsake book features Miss America 2008 on the cover,
and all 2009 contestants on the inside. To find out more, click here!
Mario Lopez to host Miss America pageant
again Washington Post -
United States AP TLC and the Miss
America Organization announced Monday that the 35-year-old "Extra" host will
serve as master of ceremonies for the live Jan. ...
Linwood, N.J., December 1, 2008 – The 2009 Miss America Pageant promises to be an exciting event with the announcement
of the strikingly diverse panel of national judges. This year’s panel of seven esteemed judges includes a Broadway
star; a renowned denim designer; a Miss America-turned-philanthropist; an Olympic gold medalist; a casting genius; a celebrated
entertainment news reporter and anchor; and the hottest hairdresser in Hollywood. They will evaluate the contestants
from the preliminaries through the final night of competition, which will be broadcast live from Planet Hollywood Resort and
Casino in Las Vegas on Saturday, January 24, 2009 at 8:00PM ET live/PT tape-delayed, exclusively on TLC.
The judges were announced by Sam Haskell, III, Chairman of the Board for the Miss America Organization (MAO), Art McMaster,
President and CEO of MAO, and Anthony Eaton, Producer of the 2009 Miss America Pageant. This year’s panel of judges
is comprised of experts in each of the fields in which a young woman must excel in, in order to be named Miss America.
Miss America must be beautiful, talented, intelligent and well-spoken, a leader, have a commitment to her community, be contemporary
in her style and fashion - a relatable and individual ‘it girl’ who can connect with today’s modern woman,
as well as being physically fit. To determine who will be Miss America 2009 the following panel of judges has
been selected:
From the Field of Fashion – Paige Adams-Geller – Adams-Geller is a former fit model-turned-denim designer
who was once lauded as “the perfect body for jeans fitting,” and the most-requested fit model by the top denim
designers in the industry. She is now the owner of Paige Premium Denim, PPD for men, Paige Petites, Paige Maternity, Paige
Kids and Paige Black Label.
From the Field of Entertainment - LAURA BELL BUNDY – Most notably known for her role as Elle Woods in “Legally
Blonde: The Musical,” this triple-threat has received nominations for a Tony and Drama Desk Award and has received a
Drama League Honor. Bundy has several film and small screen credits and has released two albums.
From the Field of Community Service – Nicole Johnson – Johnson is Miss America 1999 and has spent her time
since her year of service educating and raising awareness and funds for Type I Diabetes. She has won several awards for her
advocacy and has created her own foundation to continue her commitment towards this terrible disease.
From the Field of Fitness – Cullen Jones – Jones is the second African American in history to win an Olympic
gold medal in swimming and also helped his team win additional gold medals and set world records in the 2008 Summer Olympic
Games. Jones is heavily involved with the USA Swimming Foundation’s Make A Splash program, helping minorities learn
how to swim.
From the Field of Talent – BETH KLEIN – A renowned casting genius, Klein is the Senior Vice President of
Talent and Casting for Showtime networks. She currently oversees casting on all Showtime series including Weeds, The L Word,
Dexter, and The Tudors.
From the Field of Communications/Interview – Jim moret – Moret has covered entertainment news for over 20
years and is currently the chief correspondent for Inside Edition. He is a regular guest contributor both as a legal analyst
and entertainment reporter for CNN’s Headline News, Fox News Channel, Court TV, and MSNBC.
From the Field of Beauty - KEN PAVES – Dubbed by the media as one of the hottest hairdressers in Hollywood, Paves
has remained one of the most sought after hairstylists in the world for the past 12 years. His work has appeared in
all of the top industry magazines and his celebrity clientele include Jennifer Lopez, Jessica and Ashlee Simpson, Celine Dion,
Kerry Washington, Marcia Cross, Eve and Jessica Alba.
MISS AMERICA: COUNTDOWN TO THE CROWN TLC presents the four-part reality series MISS AMERICA: COUNTDOWN TO THE CROWN,
capturing the excitement as the 52 Miss America contestants live together and face off in challenges that help them better
prepare for the iconic pageant. Each one-hour episode, hosted by Tyler Harcott, will follow the contestants as they navigate
through a series of team and individual competitions that will help them prepare for the pageant and prove they have what
it takes to be a modern-day Miss America. This year, the stakes are higher than ever – viewers at home will have the
power to vote four contestants directly into the pageant’s Top 15. Tune in starting Friday, January 2, 2009 at 10 PM
ET as the 52 contestants compete to have their ultimate crowning moment.
———————
New pageant rules allow audience to pick four Miss America
finalists The Pratt Tribune Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:06 AM PST Last
year, TLC and Miss America
gave the pageant contestants a “Reality Check” and showed what it really takes to win the ultimate dream of becoming
Miss America. This year, the stakes are even higher – a chance to win a spot in the pageant’s coveted “top
15” – when the 52 state titleholders live together and face a series of competitions in TLC’s COUNTDOWN
TO THE CROWN. The four-part reality ...
to http://www.maoteen.org/memo/2008/FinalNight.html
Miss South Carolina's Outstanding Teen, Taylor Hanna Fitch Wins Miss America's
Outstanding Teen Competition
Orlando, FL - August 16, 2008 - Miss South Carolina's Outstanding Teen, Taylor Fitch walked the runway as the fourth Miss
America's Outstanding Teen on Saturday night in the Linda Chapin Theater at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando,
FL. This historic crowning moment marked her first steps on a journey that will take her across the country promoting scholastic
achievement, creative accomplishment, community involvement and healthy living for our nation's youth.
She will support
the National Platform of the Miss America Organization, the Children's Miracle Network. In addition, she will also continue
to work on her own personal platform "Challenges: Heart, Mind and Hands."
The Five Finalists are as follows:
Miss
America's Outstanding Teen 2009 Miss South Carolina's Outstanding Teen Taylor Fitch
First Runner Up Miss Pennsylvania's Outstanding Teen Julia Rae Schlucter
Second Runner Up Miss
Arkansas' Outstanding Teen Sloane Roberts
Third Runner Up Miss Maryland's Outstanding Teen Joanna Guy
Fourth
Runner Up Miss Missouri's Outstanding Teen Sydnee Stottlemyre
The Top Ten Contestants are: Miss
California's Outstanding Teen, Crystal Lee Miss Pennsylvania's Outstanding Teen, Julia Rae Schlucter * Miss Arkansas'
Outstanding Teen, Sloane Roberts * Miss Missouri's Outstanding Teen, Sydnee Stottlemyre * Miss South Carolina's Outstanding
Teen, Taylor Hanna Fitch * Miss District of Columbia's Outstanding Teen, Jasmine Alexis Miss Texas' Outstanding Teen,
Sydney Capello Miss Oklahoma's Outstanding Teen, Alicia Clifton Miss Maryland's Outstanding Teen, Joanna Guy * Miss
Virginia's Outstanding Teen, Lexie Overholt
* Denotes top 5 finish
Additional Awards:
Non-finalist
Talent: Haley Ates, Alabama ($500)
Non-finalist Evening Wear: Ariana Walker, North Dakota ($500)
Non-finalist Interview: Ariana Walker, North Dakota ($500)
Scholastic Excellence: Taylor Fitch, South Carolina ($1,000)
Academic Life: Joanna Guy, Maryland ($1,000)
B Don Magnus Spirit of America Award: Julia Rae Schlucter, Pennsylvania ($1,000)
Community Service: Bethany Lojewski, West Virginia
Ad Sales: Kelsey Hartley, Arizona ($1000 scholarship and $250 cash); Madison Foster,
Tennessee ($2000 scholarship and $500); Carrie Wintle ($3000 scholarship and $1000 cash)
Troy University full four-year
scholarship: Maine, California, Kentucky, Maryland, Wisconsin
A sister company to the Miss America Organization, Miss
America's Outstanding Teen promotes scholastic achievement, creative accomplishment, healthy living and community involvement
for America's teens. The competition was held at the Linda Chapin Theater, Orange County Convention Center. For more information,
please go to www.MAOTeen.org.
Additional information about Miss America's Outstanding Teen, as well as updated competition news and images, can
be found at http://www.MAOTeen.org.
Miss America Way renamed in N.J. UPI Fri, 15 Aug 2008 3:01 PM PDT ATLANTIC CITY, N.J., Aug. 15 (UPI) -- The Atlantic City, N.J., street known as Miss America Way is being renamed Convention Boulevard,
city officials have announced.
Dates Announced for 2009 Miss America Pageant!
Posted Wednesday, June 11, 2008
The Miss America Organization released the following statement today:
We are delighted to announce that PLANET HOLLYWOOD RESORT & CASINO will host the 2009 MISS AMERICA LIVE! on TLC, Saturday,
January 24, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. EST.
Our 52 Miss America contestants will arrive in town in mid-January to begin preliminary competitions in lifestyle &
fitness in swimsuit, talent and evening wear. The three nights of preliminaries will take place on January 20, 21, and 22
at Planet Hollywood’s Theatre for the Performing Arts.
In other news, it is reported that those wishing to attend the pageant and stay at the Planet Hollywood Casino and Resort
can contact their state ED for more information.
Source: MAO
Miss America Organization Announces New Web Site
Posted Wednesday, June 04, 2008
The Miss America Organization recently announced that a newly designed website for The Miss America Organization is now
live and it has been completely updated with beautiful photographs and the most current information for you to enjoy. The
website still contains all of the information you have come to rely on, with an exciting new look and user-friendly navigational
tools.
Please check out their new look at www.MissAmerica.org. We think you’ll enjoy navigating their new site and easily
accessing the information you need with just the click of a button.
THE MISS AMERICA'S
OUTSTANDING TEEN PROGRAM ANNOUNCES CHILDREN'S MIRACLE NETWORK AS THEIR NATIONAL PLATFORM
Orlando, FL - Miss America's
Outstanding Teen (MAOT) organization announced today that Children's Miracle Network has been selected as their official national
platform. MAOT, the sister program to the Miss America Organization, have chosen Children's Miracle Network (CMN) as their
platform to further reinforce the efforts that have been so successful on the national level for the Miss America Organization
who adopted this program in 2007.
The mission of the Miss America's Outstanding Teen organization is to promote scholastic
achievement, creative accomplishment, healthy living and community involvement for America's teens. The new partnership will
provide opportunities for MAOT to not only raise funds and awareness for the 17 million children treated each year at the
170 Children's Miracle Network hospitals, but it will also help benefit the MAOT Scholarship Program.
Kim Parrish,
President of Miss America's Outstanding Teen stated, "We are excited to have partnered with such a wonderful organization.
Our contestants represent the best and the brightest in America and I couldn't think of a partner who would better compliment
our efforts than Children's Miracle Network. I know our contestants will support and embrace these children to help make even
more miracles happen."
Each year the new Miss America's Outstanding Teen, in addition to bringing awareness to her
personal platform, will be the Teen Ambassador for Children's Miracle Network as she raises funds and awareness for both CMN
and MAOT. This partnership also extends to teens competing at the local, state and national levels of the pageant, asking
each contestant who participates to be responsible for raising funds on behalf of Children's Miracle Network and Miss America's
Outstanding Teen.
"We are thrilled to have formed this national partnership to continue to help the many children
that are supported in every city in America by Children's Miracle Network hospitals. Together, we'll work towards raising
funds for our scholarship program to enable young and talented women across the country gain new opportunities," said Art
McMaster, president & CEO Miss America Organization. "We look forward to a long and rewarding relationship with Children's
Miracle Network."
"We are honored to be selected as the official national platform of the Miss America Organization,"
said Jim Hall, CEO and president of Children's Miracle Network. "The Miss America Organization and Children's Miracle Network
have had an amazing 18-year history and we're looking forward to building on that and increasing funds for both organizations."
In
2007, CMN was selected as the national platform partner of the Miss America Organization. As part of the partnership, the
current Miss America also acts as the National Goodwill Ambassador for CMN during her year of service. The current Miss America
is Kirsten Haglund from Farmington Hills, MI. About Miss America's Outstanding Teen Miss America's
Outstanding Teen is a scholarship-based program offering accomplished teens the opportunity to be awarded funds for college.
The program promotes scholastic achievement, creative accomplishment, healthy living and community involvement for America's
teens. For more information, please visit www.maoteen.org
Times, They Are A Changin’ The Miss America Organization recently announced a change in the time requirement for the talent competition.
Click here to learn more!
26 live telecast of the Miss America pageant
was crowned the most watched on cable, drawing 3.6 million viewers. The Miss America Live! show, in which Miss...
MISS MICHIGAN KIRSTEN HAGLUND WINS 2008 MISS AMERICA
LIVE!
Las Vegas, Nevada - January 26, 2008 - Miss Michigan Kirsten Haglund from Farmington
Hills, Michigan was crowned Miss America 2008 tonight at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. The final
night of Miss America Live! was broadcast from Las Vegas on TLC.
Kirsten's triumphant walk across the stage was
just the beginning of a journey that will take her to every corner of the country during her year of service as Miss America
2008. She will travel approximately 20,000 miles each month speaking to audiences about her platform of Raising Awareness
of Eating Disorders and acting as the official National Goodwill Ambassador for Children's Miracle Network. Children's Miracle
Network, a non-profit organization dedicated to saving and improving the lives of children by raising funds for children's
hospitals, is the national platform partner of the Miss America Organization.
Kirsten is a student at University
of Cincinnati. Her scholastic ambition is to obtain a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Musical Theatre and she ultimately hopes
to become a Broadway performer. Along with the title of Miss America 2008, Kirsten won a $50,000 scholarship to continue her
education. For the talent portion of the competition, Kirsten sang "Over the Rainbow."
The first runner-up was
Miss Indiana Nicole Elizabeth Rash who earned a $25,000 scholarship. Her talent performance was the vocal, Bandido and her
personal platform is Get on the L.-B.U.S. to break language barriers in the U.S.
Second runner-up honors and a
$20,000 scholarship were awarded to Miss Washington Elyse Umemoto. Her talent was also a vocal performance, Angels, and her
personal platform is Embracing Diversity, Empowering Women.
Miss Utah Jill Stevens was the winner of TLC's America's
Choice, an online competition where viewers got the opportunity to vote for their favorite Miss America contestant. The contestant
was announced at the beginning of the Miss America Live! broadcast and became the 16th Finalist to compete in the live finale.
As the world's largest provider of scholarship assistance for young women and one of the nation's leading achievement
programs, the Miss America Organization last year made available more than $45 million in cash and scholarship assistance.
The Miss America Organization provides young women with a vehicle to further their personal and professional goals and instills
a spirit of community service through a variety of nationwide community-based programs.
Additional information
about the Miss America Organization can be found at www.MissAmerica.org.
VANESSA WILLIAMS CROWNED MISS AMERICA 1984 CONGRATS ON YOUR 2007 EMMY NOMINATION FOR "UGLY BETTY"
The Miss America Organization has now relocated to a new office complex in Linwood,
New Jersey. The office is approximately 15 minutes from our former location. We have moved into a beautiful
business park and we will now be better situated in a building that is all ours. We spent many wonderful years in Atlantic
City, but our new location will be more suitable for the needs of our National Office. Our new address is:
222 New Rd. Suite 700 Linwood, NJ 08221
Our new phone number will be 609-653-8700 Our new general fax number will be 609-653-8740
All email addresses and
our website www.missamerica.org will remain the same.
Heather
Whitestone, Miss America 1995 JHB Online Photo by Connie Mc Carty
Since its inception in 1921, as a PR gimmick to extend the Summer tourist season in Atlantic City, New Jersey, The Miss
America Organization has grown to become the single largest provider of scholarship money for women the world. No longer just
a bathing beauty like Miss America 1921, Margaret Gorman of Washington, D.C.; Miss America 2000, Heather Renee French, kicked
off her year of service to America's Homeless Veterans at an event called "Stand Down",near San Francisco (October 1999).
Approximately 160 veterans received medical attention, sleeping bags and job referrals, etc.
"I am lending you my
heart, my hands, and my voice. And I am doing everything I can to help you," she said.
The Miss America
Organization is the single largest provider of scholarship assistance to women in the world, with nearly $35 million made
available in 1999 alone. A not-for-profit corporation based in Atlantic City, New Jersey, it is committed to instilling a
spirit of community service and scholarship in young women across the nation through a variety of unique community-based programs.
In serving American communities and the nation at large, the Miss America Organization works through a network of more than
300,000 volunteers.
August 12, 2007 - Miss Virginia's Outstanding Teen Caitlin Brunell Wins Miss America's Outstanding Teen Competition
Miss Virginia's Outstanding Teen Caitlin Brunell Wins Miss America's Outstanding Teen Competition
Orlando, FL - August 12, 2007 - Miss Virginia’s Outstanding Teen Caitlin Brunell walked the runway as the third Miss America's
Outstanding Teen on Saturday night in the Linda Chapin Theater at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL. This
historic crowning moment marked her first steps on a journey that will take her across the country promoting scholastic achievement,
creative accomplishment, community involvement and healthy living for our nation's youth.
Through an official partnership with the US Dream Academy, Brunell
will help improve the outlook of America's young people by increasing literacy through creative mentoring. She will also continue work
on her personal platform “Caitlin’s Closet”, a program that aims to make special gowns and dresses available
to those that are unable to afford them.
The Five Finalists are as follows:
Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2008 Miss
Virginia's Outstanding Teen Caitlin Brunell
First Runner Up Miss Utah's Outstanding Teen Lindsey
Brinton
Second Runner Up Miss Pennsylvania's Outstanding Teen Elena
LaQuatra
Third Runner Up Miss Louisiana's Outstanding Teen Mary
Jane Hobgood
Fourth Runner Up Miss Kentucky's Outstanding Teen Ann-Blair Thornton
The Top Ten Contestants are:
Miss Louisiana's Outstanding Teen Mary Jane Hobgood Miss
Virginia's Outstanding Teen Caitlin Brunell Miss Wisconsin's Outstanding Teen Bishara Dorre Miss Utah's Outstanding
Teen Lindsey Brinton Miss Pennsylvania's Outstanding Teen Elena LaQuatra Miss Oklahoma's Outstanding Teen Jamie Butemeyer Miss
Mississippi's Outstanding Teen Jasmine Sharee Murray Miss Kentucky's Outstanding Teen Ann-Blair Thornto Miss Florida's
Outstanding Teen Alexandra Milbrath Miss Indiana's Outstanding Teen Morgan Jackson
Orlando, FL - August 16, 2008 - Miss South Carolina's Outstanding Teen, Taylor Fitch walked the runway as the fourth Miss
America's Outstanding Teen on Saturday night in the Linda Chapin Theater at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando,
FL. This historic crowning moment marked her first steps on a journey that will take her across the country promoting scholastic
achievement, creative accomplishment, community involvement and healthy living for our nation's youth. 
First Runner Up
)
Miss 
