The Story is Out: Why Miss Maine USA opted out of Miss USA

Emily Johnson crowned Miss Maine USA last November.

I remember sitting at our January Titleholder Retreat when Mackenzie, the Executive Director for Miss Maine USA, got the call.  Her titleholder, Emily Johnson, had made her decision about foregoing the Miss USA pageant, thus relinquishing her title. 

The reason? The not-then-released date of the Miss USA telecast was falling on the same day as her big sister's wedding. Now I've known Mackenzie for years now and as a director, she only wants the best for her girls. As a friend, she wants nothing more than to see them reach their full potential. 

Naturally, she was upset for Emily, but only because she knew she was wrestling with such a tough decision. I never seen Mackenzie not support her girls. So with Emily's decision made, everyone did what was necessary to make sure Emily and her family were protected while starting Ashley, the new Miss Maine USA's journey to Miss USA. 

Executive Director, Mackenzie Davis with her 2009 Winners.

In the end, Emily gets to share in one of the most important moments her family will experience and Miss Maine USA, Ashley Lynn Marble, will show up gorgeous as ever to Miss USA on June 19th.

If you were in that situation, would you miss out on your sister's wedding or would you give up Miss USA? It's a tough call, but at the end of the day as long as you stay true to yourself, you can rest with the choice you've made. 

Everyone involved did an excellent job in handling the situation so that both Emily and Ashley could move forward positively and I cannot wait to see how fabulous Ashley will look at Miss USA!

Donald Trump for President: Is he or isn't he?

Speculation continues to rise as Donald Trump's favoritism rises in the Republican polls catapulting him to the top spot, a solid 9 points above Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin. Undoubtedly, Mr. Trump carries the name recognition needed in the Republican Party. Would he be strong enough in the race? Will the Tea Party jump on the Trump train?

Where do you stand on the issues?

 - Libyan conflict

 - Budget plans

 - Housing market

 - President Obama's Birth Certificate Controversy

Below is Mr. Trump's latest interview with Fox News host, Sean Hannity, and what he has called America's need for the Common Sense Mentality. 

 

And the 2011 Miss USA Cosmetics Sponsor is.....

I could not be more excited for our good friends at Rain Cosmetics! Ron has spent countless hours developing the sexiest, freshest, most red-carpet worthy makeup line in the world. Designed for A-list celebrities around the globe, Rain brings the professional-grade line to the every day woman. 

Rain is the first cosmetics line founded in Las Vegas and is a star favorite for the hundreds of red carpet events held there each year. From Paris Hilton to Britney Spears to ABC's hit show (and my personal favorite!) Dancing with the Stars, Rain has done it all. 

Now, tapped as the Official Cosmetics Sponsor for the 2011 Miss USA Telecast and Titleholder Reign, the 51 state delegates are in for a fantastic treat. I absolutely love this line and how beautiful it makes me feel especially in front of the camera. 

So congrats to Ron, the entire Rain Cosmetics family and everyone at the Miss Universe Organization!!

Twitter Explodes Over Donald Trump Today Show Interview

By: Mark Pasetsky

Donald Trump, the host of NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice and possible candidate for President of the United States, continued his non-stop media blitz with this morning’s appearance on the Today Show where he was interviewed Meredith Veira. The response of Twitter was fast and furious with Mr. Trump quickly becoming one of the big trending topics on Twitter.

Why the big fuss?  Trumps’ controversial comments on the Today Show regarding Obama’s birth certificate can partially explain the outburst on Twitter:

“I’m not convinced that he has one,” Trump said of the birth certificate issue.  “I’d like to have him show his birth certificate…And to be honest with you, I hope he can.”

The other reason Trump is lighting up Twitter? NBC’s Luke Russert tweeted this message, which indicates Trump could be a serious contender if he decides to run for President:

 “NBC/WSJ Poll has Donald Trump in 2nd place in #GOP field. Romney 21% Trump 17% Huck 17%. Trump leads amongst Tea Party voters.”

Trump will continue to be a big topic in social media — until at least June – when he’ll decide whether or not he will actually become a Presidential candidate.

Here's a re-cap on where he stands on the heavy issues.

I stand corrected!!!

Kirstie Alley killed it last night on "Dancing with the Stars!" She was amazing, looked great and had me in stitches during her video. I was so pleasantly surprised and am now a fan! Other favs of the night? Sugar Ray is just so cute when he dances. He picked me to win Miss USA so he will always have my vote! Kendra is another soft spot. I want to see her do well in anything she's working on so I think she will keep growing with the show. 

Romeo fared far better than his dad, Master P, did a few seasons go. It was nice to see him try but once he lets go of worrying about what everyone is going to think of him, he could emerge as one of the top contenders.  Petra Nemcova is so gorgeous it's ridiculous, Chelsea Kane is beautiful and a good dancer too. All in all, everyone did a great job for live TV with millions of viewers. Having danced competitively growing up, I so know the nerves that run through your body when you're on the floor waiting for the music to start. I am now more excited for this season than ever!

Here's a look at Kirstie from last night's season premiere! 

"Dancing with the Stars" Cast has been revealed!

I have been a fan of "Dancing with the Stars" for years now, secretly wanting to cha-cha my way onto the show with Tony Davolani! So I was really excited to find out the new cast but am only diggin' about half of the cast. 

The new line-up includes:

Kirstie Alley - ehh...

Mike Catherwood - no idea who he is

Chelsea Kane - beautiful girl but same as above

Ralph Macchio - not sure either

Chris Jericho - wasn't he bigger when he wrestled?

Sugar Ray Leonard - love my hometown guy!! He's pretty smart too, as my Miss USA judge!

Petra Nemcova - so gorgeous, she gets my vote just cause

Romeo - I am expecting him to surprise me with good rhythm.

Hines Ward - can he be the Emmit Smith of this season?

Kendra Wilkinson - love her, will always vote for her and can't wait to see what she says next.

Wendy Williams - there's no way she will be as good as Niecy Nash.

It's no secret that they all have some big shoes to fill. I was surprised there were no Olympians on the roster this year. But, in keeping an open mind, bring on the rhinestones, spray tans and Brooke Burke's amazing wardrobe!!!

The Live 2 hour premier event all starts on March 21! What do you think about the new cast?

NYC in Review!

Boncecrusher, Me, Coach and Mr. Reavis, President of VU.

Last week, A.T., his wife Cindy and I had a blast in NYC! The trip started off on Wednesday night in Lynchburg, VA, where we joined James "Bonecrusher" Smith, a former heavyweight champion of the world. Not only is Bonecrusher the first heavyweight champion to have a college degree, but he started his professional career at age 28. That is unheard of! He was the only fighter to go 12 rounds with Mike Tyson at the time. 

Bonecrusher spoke at Virginia University, the first African American University in America. A.T. has been dubbed the new strength coach for their budding athletic program. After working with the best, Bonecrusher, insisted on the importance of getting M.A.D. = Making A Decision. He was always prepared and his records prove just that. 

AT, Whitney, Lauren, Jillian, Amber-Joi, Me and our friend, Richard Rubenstein.

The next day kicked off an awesome photo shoot at Fadil's with Team Sanders. Randy Sanders is the Executive Director for PA, CT, WV, IN and VT in the Miss Universe Organization. Fadil is the absolute best photographer so it just made sense to set up this photo shoot for the girls. And trust me, the girls were fabulous!!

Jerry Lee, Carl, Elvis & Johnny.

Friday started off very rainy so thank goodness, A.T. and I were shooting all morning with Fadil for our new pictures! So stay tuned for those in the coming week. That night, we headed to the highly acclaimed Broadway musical, Million Dollar Quartet. Sam Perkins, owner of Sun Records, landed an impromptu jam session with his clients, Johnny Cash, Elvis, Carl Perkins and newly signed, Jerry Lee Lewis. Not only did the actors sing wonderfully, but they played all the instruments themselves. This Tony Award Winning show far exceeded my already excited expectations! 

On Saturday, we headed over to the Hilton in Newark for the Queen's Corner Seminar. Amaris Acosta, the Executive Producer, always does such a great job of bringing pageant contestants, titleholders and supporters of all ages and systems together under one roof. Each year, she continues to up the ante. We love being a part of it! 

The trip was WELL worth it and with so many exciting opportunities, we find ourselves with more meetings in NYC this week. I can tell you that the Miss USA pageant will be as glamorous as ever, as American as you can get and with branding-genius, Donald Trump at the helm, the show will be it's best yet! Oh and did I mention this is the best collective group of state titleholders in the history of the pageant?