Change of Plans

I slept in this morning!

My interview had been scheduled for 9:52am, with a hostess pick-up at 8:55 and an appointment with my hairdresser at 7:30. Last night, I set my alarm for 6am and crawled into bed at 9:30pm. An hour later, Heidi and I received phone calls from our hostesses that interviews had been rescheduled due to one of the judges being sick.

This morning, we learned that Delta Burke is ill and will not be judging the remainder of the competition. Her scores from the interviews in which she took place will not be counted, so we will all receive 5 scores for each category. That's the way I understand it, at least.

It's like they've been telling us all along... stay on your toes, because you never know when something might change!

Thanks to everyone (even the strangers!) for the encouraging comments. I truly appreciate your support throughout this process! Blogging from this point on may be rather limited, but my state board is here and will be sharing their thoughts and photos with you at missmn2007.blogspot.com. Enjoy!

Day 5? Already?

We've been warned all week that we will get tired. We have been instructed to conserve energy. Today, many of us were starting to feel it. During Swimsuit & Evening Gown rehearsals, many contestants in the groups not rehearsing curled up on the floor for power naps. Donilee's shoulder made a nice pillow during our extended lunch break :) (that's Shelley's [SC] hand in the photo)


Another fix? Coffee. We always have a table set up with coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and water in our rehearsal and dressing rooms, and there's a 24-hour Starbucks on the Casino level of the Aladdin/Planet Hollywood.


This evening's special event was a dinner at Planet Hollywood restaurant in Caesar's Palace. Conscious of the fact that we have competition coming up soon (very soon), they created a special meal for us: salad, grilled chicken, rice pilaf, steamed vegetables, and a fruit/yogurt parfait. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmdelicous. Following dinner, there was opportunity for photos... and a dance! Accompanied by tunes from the Electric Slide to Beyonce to Sister Sledge, we (or most of us... I admit, I sat a few numbers out) expended what was left of our energy.



Oh! and we met our judges. Well, everybody except Chris Matthews... he's still commenting on the State of the Union address and is flying in tomorrow morning. The other five were pleasant, friendly, and shared inspiring words with all of us. I feel confident they're taking their job seriously, and I'm looking forward to spending time with them on Thursday morning! The Sigma and Alpha groups have interviews tomorrow, while Mu rehearses and rehearses and rehearses some more.

Some of my family & board members are arriving tomorrow, and I'm so excited to know they'll be here with me!

It's almost show time...

But for now, it's just bed time. Sweet dreams, world!

Che Bella

The morning began with rehearsals, during which we nailed our opening number (both versions) and made a few changes to the Swimsuit routine. Just after lunch break, we had a photo shoot with Jennifer Berry (Miss America 2006) for the Children's Miracle Network - Miss America's new national platform partner. We were told to wear business attire from the waist up... so there was quite a bit of this:


Stacey and Bryan, our fabulous choreographers - they led us through a great set of warm-ups this morning and keep us moving every day!

During this afternoon's break, I hit the gym for a date with an elliptical machine. Scheduling a full workout is difficult for us, so we take advantage of the moments we can.

THEN... today's special appearance was a visit to the Venetian. We were greeted with much fanfare... literally. There were buglers in full regalia playing a celebratory march for us as we walked the red carpet into the hotel. After a photo shoot, we floated down the canal in gondolas steered by singing Italians. There was also a dessert reception with a variety of delectable bite-sized concoctions. The New York Post took photos as well, so look for those!

The Mu group riding the bus to the Venetian:


Somebody taller than I am!

Tomorrow: we meet our judges during afternoon rehearsal and eat dinner at Planet Hollywood's signature restaurant at Caesar's Palace!

we are dreamgirls...

I wonder what we'll be tomorrow? :)

I knew it would be a great day when I awoke to a beautiful sunrise outside our window. Morning and afternoon rehearsals flew by! We've officially learned both versions of the Parade of States - one for the Preliminary nights and one for the telecast. We also reviewed blocking for Swimsuit. Our rehearsal space was much larger than it was yesterday, and stage markings were taped out on the floor, so we're starting to get a feel for what the show will be like!

During our 1.5-hour break, I talked to my parents for the first time since they dropped me at the airport on Friday - Hi again, Mom & Dad! After that, I decided to indulge in some quality time with my curling iron... check out the results in these photos... what do you think? :)

After dinner, we bussed (funny-looking word) over to Brendan Theatres at the Palms, where we were treated by CMT and Paramount to a private screening of Dreamgirls. I had already seen it once, and I honestly enjoyed it even more this second time around! Visually stunning, well-acted... Jennifer Hudson's passionate performance is absolutely inspirational. A CMT crew filmed us before & after the screening and interviewed us about our thoughts regarding the movie... I'm not exactly sure when that will be aired. If I find out, I'll let you know.

On tomorrow's schedule... more rehearsal (we'll learn Evening Gown!), a photo shoot for Children's Miracle Network, gondola rides, and a dessert reception at the Venetian... which Mike Allegretto keeps telling us is AMAZING. Definitely looking forward to that.

Until then...

~Nicole~

we are rock stars.

In fact, we're so awesome that during Day One of rehearsal, we learned our Opening Number and Swimsuit blocking so well that our choreographers cut 3 hours from our rehearsal time tomorrow... which means we get an extra hour to sleep in! (We'll get the other 2 hours in the afternoon.)

After rocking our rehearsal time with choreographers Barry, Stacy, and Brian, we made a quick wardrobe change and traveled in 3 buses over to Fashion Show Mall. THIS was amazing. We emerged from the floor in a gigantic glass elevator and walked an 80-foot runway in front of an enthusiastic crowd. An autograph-signing session followed. Everyone was friendly, wonderfully patient, and so excited to meet all of us!

We then signed more autographs during a dinner reception for some of the Aladdin/Planet Hollywood's VIP guests, a few of whom were from St. Paul! We sat at tables according to our geographic regions, and it was great to spend some time with my fellow Midwesterners.

Tomorrow will bring more rehearsal... and a screening of Dreamgirls!

Here are a couple photos - I promise to be slightly more trigger-happy on the morrow :)

Viva Las Vegas (original title, I know)

I'm heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere!

It's almost 11:00pm Vegas time, which means 1:00am Minnesota time... and I've been up since 4am, so this is going to be short.

First of all, I apologize for not posting these past couple weeks; last-minute preparations essentially consumed all my time. I'll do my best to make up for it with regular updates (hopefully including photos) from Vegas!

I arrived mid-morning and rode from the airport with Miss Michigan, Angela Corsi, and our 8 suitcases (5 mine, 3 hers... I brought all my competition wardrobe with me). I was thankful to have a few hours to unpack, do wardrobe try-ons, nap, shower, and get ready for our first group appearance - the arrival ceremony! We were each announced by and presented with a rose by the mayor of Las Vegas, Oscar Goodman.

This evening, we had an orientation meeting with Miss America officials, our security team(s), our hostesses, and Children's Miracle Network officials. THEN we had a preview of Pageant School: Becoming Miss America, which you can all watch on Friday, January 26 (click the link for details). It was fun to relive memories of our time in Los Angeles in September... it's hard to believe 4 months have passed since then!

Tomorrow morning we have our first rehearsal, a runway show and autograph signing at Fashion Show mall, and a reception here at the Aladdin/Planet Hollywood. The festivities begin in just over 8 hours, so it's time for Heidi (Voight, Miss Connecticut - my fabulous roomie) and me to get some sleep!

Sweet dreams, world :)