A Year (or more) in the life...Mr. Delaware 2008!

MISS AMERICA 2011 - FINAL VISITATION!!

2011-02-02T21:40:00.000-08:00

MISS AMERICA 2011 - SATURDAY!!

2011-02-02T21:29:00.000-08:00

MISS AMERICA 2011 - FRIDAY - QUALITY OF LIFE!

2011-02-02T21:25:00.000-08:00

MISS AMERICA 2011 - FRIDAY!!

2011-02-02T21:15:00.000-08:00

MISS AMERICA 2011 - THURSDAY!

2011-01-14T18:43:00.001-08:00

MISS AMERICA 2011 - WEDNESDAY!!

2011-01-13T09:03:00.000-08:00

MISS AMERICA TUESDAY!

2011-01-12T08:31:00.001-08:00

I know I haven't posted in FOREVER, but Miss America puts me in the mood! Here are photos from TUESDAY!

Thank You and Good Luck!

2010-06-12T12:34:00.001-07:00

I have been SO blessed to work with two amazing young women this year. Marcie Smith and Shaila Gillis are gorgeous, intelligent, talented, and inspiring. Their work with their platforms is terrific and the past few months we have really enjoyed spending a lot of time together. I am so excited to watch them light up the Dover Downs stage once more tonight.

All my love and bursting with pride,
Chris

Prelim Night 2

2010-06-12T12:25:00.001-07:00

Friday night is always difficult at the Miss Delaware Pageant. It is such a long week and so many of the girls are spent and tired, and although adrenaline will return for finals, it's tough to gauge your standing unless you've won a prelim award. Marcie and Shaila were wonderful in their talents last night and truly excelled in the gowns. I think the sky is the limit for them, top 10? Top 5?? They have worked so hard and no matter WHAT happens, I love them both dearly!

Last night Becky sang In His Eyes (YAY) and Junnie rocked the house with 14G! It was another great show.

My standouts included...
SS: Kayla, Steffi, Jess, Carly
Talent: Miriah then Erin and Heather McKinney
Gown: Shaila, Erin, Marcie

Congratulations to the award winners:
McKown Scholarship and Community Service Second RU: Miriah Hearn
Community Service First RU: Carly Economos
Community Service Winner: Kayla Martell

Talent: Miriah Hearn
Swimsuit: Kayla Martell
Evening Gown: Nicole Bosso

MY TOP 10 would include...
Marcie, Erin, Heather, Nicole, Shaila, Kayla M, Steffi, Carly, Chelsea, Miriah
WITH Stephanie and Janemarie RIGHT behind them

Here we go tonight! I'll be tweeting LIVE again WITH RESULTS @mrdelaware2008!

Love,
Chris

Thank you Heather!

2010-06-12T12:09:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to take a moment to personally thank Heather for being a wonderful Miss Delaware. Heather and I met more than three years ago while she was Miss Dover 2007. After I became Mr. Capital we made some appearances together and I will never forget working together at Jump, Jive, N Wail! She has grown leaps and bounds in the past few years and it has been such an honor to be a part of her journey. I am looking forward to her farewell tonight so I have the opportunity to celebrate her amazing year! All the best Heather, I love you!

Seen around DD at Prelim Night 2!

2010-06-12T11:51:00.000-07:00

Friday fun around Dover Downs!

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FRIDAY Photos from stage!

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THURSDAY photos all over!

2010-06-11T12:28:00.000-07:00

THURSDAY photos! On Stage!

2010-06-11T12:16:00.000-07:00

THURSDAY Prelim 1!

2010-06-11T12:10:00.000-07:00

It was so exciting to finally start the show Thursday! The girls did an amazing job. Junnie, Michelle, and Becky were all incredible live and I can't wait to hear more from them the next two nights!

Marcie was stunning in swimsuit and although she didn't win the award, she received tons of compliments on her presentation. She also nailed her on stage question regarding how students react to the subject of eating disorders. I am so, so proud of her!

Shaila was so gorgeous the entire night. She just continues to become more beautiful! She was amazing in her teal swimsuit and adorable in her on stage question, where she discussed the three steps in Delaware's Vision 2015. Yay Shaila!

Both girls compete in talent and gown tonight, I can't wait to watch them! Last night I wore an orange shirt and blue striped vest and pants to match their swimsuit colors. Tonight it's purple and royal blue for gowns and talent outfits! Marcie is dancing to 'Fame' and Shaila is sing 'Lagrimas Mias'.

Congratulations to last night's prelim award winners!
Swimsuit-Nicole Bosso
Gown-Kayla Martell
Talent-Chelsea Betts!

Photos to come!

Love, Chris

FRIDAY morning at IHOP!

2010-06-11T10:16:00.000-07:00

This morning all of the contestants were at IHOP for an early morning appearance, and Mama Kurtz, Bobbey, Kevin, Laura, and I all went to have breakfast. It was great to see them and keep encouraging them for prelim night #2 tonight! Marcie and Shaila do talent and gown. YAY!! Follow me LIVE on twitter tonight @mrdelaware2008!

WEDNESDAY at Dress Rehearsal!

2010-06-11T09:47:00.000-07:00

Wednesday was out first night at Dover Downs! Marcie and Shaila and everyone else were outstanding and it was nice to finally see the production, which is a Broadway theme this year full of black, pink, and silver. Of course the girls had the traditional staircase photo taken after rehearsal. I will say this, all our girls have really stepped it up in the wardrobe department!

It's so nice to be here with everyone and hanging out! So much love to the Kurtzes. Today (Friday) we move in to Dover Downs for two days. I'll be staying with Bobbey and Kevin since Mom won't be able to make it. So so so glad Julie and Idara will be joining me tonight!!

TUESDAY: Legislative Hall!

2010-06-09T06:59:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday at Miss Delaware week the girls had the opportunity to visit Legislative Hall in Dover and present information about their platforms and the Miss Delaware Organization at the state capital! Thaks to Jonathan Contant for these photos. Good luck to all of the girls today as they spend time with kindergartners at Legislative Hall and prepare for dress rehearsal tonight! I can't wait to see you all!

TUESDAY!

2010-06-08T20:49:00.001-07:00

The above photo was taken of us at the 2010 Miss Delaware USA Pageant, held back in November. I'm hoping to share some of the year's photos of these fantastic girls :)

Congrats to Marcie (Monday) and Stephanie Bailey (Tuesday) on being named 'Miss Spirit!' They won gold sashes for their hard work being a positive role model with a great attitude!

I just got off the phone with Marcie and Shaila and although they're tired, they're excited about the week! I'm really happy that tomorrow is Shaila's last day to travel down to work, she deserves a break!!

I can't wait to see everyone at dress rehearsal tomorrow!!!

Love, Chris

MONDAY: Miss Delaware Golf Classic!

2010-06-08T15:20:00.000-07:00

MONDAY was the big day! Day 1 of Miss Delaware week! Marcie moved in to Dover Downs early in the morning before heading over to Maple Dale CC with the other contestants to help kick off the Miss Delaware Golf Classic! Shaila sadly had to go to work all day at Sussex Technical High School because of all those darned snow days! She arrived at Dover Downs yesterday afternoon. She left me a voicemail last night and she sounded tired, but happy to be settled in!

I brought a foursome to the golf tournament that included three very good friends...Mike Dowling, owner of The Red Carpet; Cynthia Wood, Mrs. Prince George's County and Second RU to Mrs. MD US 2009, and Trisha Tarantino, Ms. DE US 2009. None of us played out best golf but we sure had fun on a great golf course and it was a GORGEOUS day! Afterward we attended the dinner and auction and I spent too much money, but at least it was for an organization I love so much! After saying goodbye to my partners I spent some time with Mama Kurtz before heading back upstate.

TUESDAY (today) the girls are busy rehearsing. They also took time this afternoon to share lunch at Lone Star in Dover before heading over to Legislative Hall! They shared information about their platforms and the Miss Delaware Organization with local politicians. Upon returning to Dover Downs, Marcie wore a fabulous new dress from Cache and headed to her interview for the McKown Entrepreneurial Scholarship. This scholarship is presented to the contestant who most embodies a sense of business practices and the $1,000 scholarship will be awarded on Saturday night! Marcie is one of three nominees along with Miss Coastal Bay Stephanie Bailey and Miss Sussex County Miriah Hearn. Marcie said her interview 'went great!' I'm looking forward to hearing from both her and Shaila tonight. Shaila worked a half day at Sussex Tech this morning before heading up to Legislative Hall. What a trooper she is!

WEDNESDAY (tomorrow) is dress rehearsal for the girls and the last chance for the local directors to come and offer feedback. I can't wait to see and hug my girls and bring them their gift bags!! In the morning the girls will be reading to bunches of kindergartners at a local elementary school and they are so excited!!

Wednesday is also when all of the local directors and mentors are able to finally come together and relax together. We all look forward to this week every year because our schedules are so busy. It's like a family reunion, or summer camp! A bunch of us will be staying with Mama (Laura) Kurtz, Miss DE 2004 (Linda)'s mom for a few days, then migrate over to the hotel for the end of the week. My mom is supposed to head down Friday but my grandmother is currently in the hospital, so I'm still waiting to find out if she can make it. Love you Grandma!

I hope you all enjoy the photos below from the Miss Delaware Golf Classic and dinner/auction!

Love you!

Chris

2010-06-07T05:46:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Miss Delaware week is here, but I'm so excited! The pageant is Thursday, Friday, and Saturday once again at gorgeous Dover Downs. All of our returning anniversary Miss Delawares were non-finalist talent winners at Miss America (Michelle Harris Anderson, Junnie Cross, and Becky Bledsoe), and with Heather and our Broadway music theme the show is sure to be spectacular!

I am so super proud this year of my two girls (whom you see above), Miss Rehoboth Beach Marcie Smith and Miss Mid-Atlantic Shaila Gillis. They have worked so hard and have amazing wardrobes, and they're ready to get started!!!

I'm leaving soon to head down to Dover to meet the girls at move in, then it's off to Maple Dale CC to play in the Miss Delaware Golf Classic for the first time! I'm so excited!!

I'll be keeping you updated this week!!

Love,
Chris

Carly's Cabaret!

2010-05-28T05:14:00.000-07:00

I Love the Arts Cabaret! Starring Miss Newark Carly Economos, Miss Delaware, and many other stars! 8:00 Saturday at Cape Henlopen High School, tickets just $12 at the door! ENJOY!

The fabulous CC and me!

2010-05-23T23:50:00.000-07:00

Miss Oregon 2009 CC Barber and me pose after a long and tiring weekend at the Miss Oregon Workshop. Behind us is the stunning Pacific Ocean. CC is a fabulous bundle of energy and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to get to know her this weekend! She is going to be a phenomenal nurse! We just have to educate her about our friend Miss Wendy Williams :)

Katie and I at the end of the Miss Oregon workshop

2010-05-23T23:46:00.001-07:00

Miss Oregon 2001 and Miss America 2002 Katie Harman Ebner and I after she shopped and found an opera gown of her dreams at The Red Carpet trunk show!

The rest of a FABULOUS Oregon trip...

2010-05-23T23:19:00.000-07:00

I am sitting up in the Inn at Seaside willing my tired self to write this because I know when I get home tomorrow I have to hit the ground running! Trish and I have to leave in four hours to drive to Portland for a 6 am flight.

Last night we headed out for karaoke at Pudgys with Danijela and April, Misses Oregon 2008 and 2003, and dedicated Miss Oregon volunteer Andy. We had a blast relaxing and Trish and I sang my fave Orange Colored Sky for the crowd, we were quite a hit!

This morning I happily awoke and took a quiet walk around Seaside. I just love beaches where mountains spring up out of the water...WOW! What a view it was from the boardwalk. I bought a Seaside t-shirt and some postcards and of course some candy from Phillips', owned by ED Dana Phillips and her husband Steve! Trish and I took some time getting ready and heading over to our last day at the convention center because all of the contestants were in meetings. I spent some time listening to the former Miss Oregons panel and it was a great educational experience, even as a director!

Dana invited us to lunch with everyone and she once again promoted and thanked us publicly, we've never received such amazing treatment! You can't beat sitting next to Danijela with Katie Harman one more seat over. I have to tell you, when you have the opportunity to meet and have real conversations with a Miss America (especially when she's your favorite), you just get it! The lunch was wonderful and there were touching speeches from Dana, Miss Oregon CC, and OT Amanda. Dana also made a big presentation to the local directors thanking for them for all of their amazing work. I told her I'd move to Oregon and she said she'd love to have me run a local!

After lunch there was a great video recap of the weekend with some footage of the trunk show and the fashion show and then I headed up to meet Trish and help Katie Harman find the dress of her dreams for an upcoming opera performance. Sure enough, she did! She told us we made her feel like Miss America all over again. We had an absolute blast with her, what an honor! And what a special and wonderful woman. Special shout out to her amazing mom Darla, too! We were so excited to help some of the contestants look and feel their best in our dresses. We are hoping to get a few more phone calls from them this week as well!

Once things quieted down we had a lot of packing up to do, but the generous Seaside Convention Center arranged to have UPS pick up all of our boxes on site. THANK YOU!!

I had one more outfit left I hadn't worn this weekend, so of course I had to change before dinner. Dana invited us to dinner with CC and the Miss Oregon board at Maggie's, a fine dining restaurant literally steps off the beach. The glow of the evening sunset on the Pacific Ocean was just magica and the food was OUTSTANDING! I am still full! We all had a wonderful time and at the end of the night the topic of WENDY WILLIAMS came up...you all know I had to tell my story about being on the show! In fact Dana and CC want to see the video, I'll have to e-mail it to them!!

All in all this was a successful trip for so, so many reasons. Wonderful new friends, beautiful dress moments, stunning views, and amazing hospitality all while visiting a brand new place. I already can't wait to come back next year!!

All the best for a wonderful week! LOTS more photos to come!

Love,
Chris

BIG MISS AMERICA NEWS!!!

2010-05-23T23:17:00.000-07:00

TONS of articles flooding in saying that MISS AMERICA 2011 will be crowned on ABC on January 15!!! No word yet as to location, but EXCITING NEWS!

PHOTOS of the TRUNK SHOW!

2010-05-22T21:43:00.000-07:00

PHOTOS from Oregon, Day 1

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Miss Oregon Day 2, FASHION SHOW!

2010-05-22T14:52:00.000-07:00

Hellooooo all!

After a completely blissful night's sleep (LOVE the Seaside Inn!) we awoke this morning to grab some breakfast and head over to talent rehearsal at the Miss Oregon workshop. So many wonderful girls! After some dress appointments we headed down to a delicious buffet lunch and then it was time for Miss Oregon walks the Red Carpet!

We had a great time showcasing some of our gorgeous wardrobe and I had a blast emceeing the show! Thank you to the 2010 royalty, Miss Oregon CC Barber and Miss Oregon's Outstanding Teen Amanda Merrill! Also a huge thank you to Miss Oregon 2008 Daniela, Miss Oregon 2003 April, and former Miss Rogue Valley Aspen! The girls seemed to love it and they all continue to be obsessed with our dresses! There doesn't seem to be a terrific pageant store for them to use out here. We're already excited to come back next year!

We would also like to throw in that we're so, so proud of New Jersey's own Christine Skorenko, who competed as Miss Johnson and Wales at Miss Rhode Island and was Fouth Runner Up! Congratulations!!!

Chris

Day 1 in Oregon complete!

2010-05-22T00:40:00.003-07:00

So I really should be alseep, I've been awake for just about 24 hours now. Trish and I flew out og Philly at 5:45 am into Houston,, then from Houston all the way up to Portland before a two hour drive to Seaside. To say this was all indirect would be an understatement, but we made it safe and sound and are so excited to be here!

After checking in to the Inn at Seaside and setting up our trunk show at the convention center, we spent some time with the ED Dana and Kent Pareham, the producer. We fitted each girl in their Alisha Hill opening number dress and they are all so nice! The dresses look great. We watched Kent instruct the girls in swimsuit before grabbing a bite to eat with Miss OR 03 April and her friend Andy at Dundee's in Seaside. I can't believe I am still awake...

I had one big AHHH moment tonight, which was when I realized that Katie Harman was sitting right in front of me! It was all I could do not to run up and hug her. She is the first Miss America I clearly remember watching win her title and I have just loved her ever since. She is here for the whole weekend! YAY!

We are so proud of our pieces at this woderful trunk show, it's definitely worth the trip to come see us! So many evening gowns, cocktail dresses, pairs of shoes, and amazing earrings. Call me at 516 297 5323 to make a private appointment for Saturday or Sunday!

Photos will follow tomorrow!

Love,
Chris
Mr. DE 2008

Day 1 in Oregon complete!

2010-05-22T00:40:00.001-07:00

Westward Ho!! THE RED CARPET HITS OREGON!!

2010-05-21T13:22:00.000-07:00

Trish and I have arrived for our trunk show at the Miss Oregon Workshop!! We`ve never been to Oregon before and we`re very excited, even though it took us 12 hours to get here from Philly by way of Houston. We are having lunch at McMenamins Oak Hills Brewery in Port
and before driving to the coast. We are hosting a trunk show at the Seaside Convention Center in Seaside, Oregon. Call 516 297 5323 to make a private appointment to see our amazing Sherri Hill and Johnathan Kayne collections!!

Donate and help me fight blood cancers and become Man of the Year!

2010-05-03T23:13:00.001-07:00

Visit my campaign website here!

From Kristyn Zarebicki's blog, Miss Milford's OT!

2010-04-03T18:31:00.000-07:00

Fun Day in Sewell!

Pageant Pageant Pageant!

2010-03-27T06:23:00.000-07:00

This is a busy busy weekend of pageants! Today I am heading down to the last locals of our Delaware season (Hooray, we have some!). Even though it's the last one, the competition will be strong. Then all the way up to the phenomenal Miss Philadelphia Pageant tonight!

I know there are probably a thousand other pageants out there this weekend ('tis the season) but I wanted to wish all of the contestants luck in the following one, which I have good friends competing in...Miss Manhattan triple, Miss NY triple sweeper, Miss Brooklyn, Miss NJ triple, and NY/NJ Perfect Pageants! Can't wait to hear how they all turn out!!

All the best always,
Chris :)

WENDY WILLIAMS CLIP!!!

2010-03-25T21:28:00.000-07:00

MWOY Kickoff!!

2010-03-25T21:19:00.000-07:00

Tonight I began a very important (and currently overwhelming! lol) journey as a nominee for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Man and Woman of the Year Competition. This is the inaugural year for the Delaware Chapter and I am honored to be a part of this tremendous fundraising campaign. I am extremely nervous as I am the youngest nominee, but I am also excited to start raising money for such an amazing cause!

One of my closest friends and first local titleholders, Julia Fuller, spent all of her competition years focused on her platform "Blood Cancers: Creating Pathways to a Cure". Her mother Debbie suffered from multiple myeloma for years and eventually succumbed to the disease in October. Julie is a tireless advocate and she is going to be a part of this process with me every step of the way. Tonight she was by my side and I would not have her any other way. I already told her, I'm going to put her name in the hat as a nominee next year!

Please, please, please spend some time volunteering for a great cause this spring and summer. With phenomenal weather ahead, there will be a ton of amazing outdoor events for you to get involved in! The opportunity to grow as a person is worth every minute!

Love always,
Chris

PS Look out for lots of information upcoming about the 2010 Mr. DE Pageant! APRIL 10!!

Update on life!

2010-03-25T21:05:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

First of all I am SO excited to be in a photo at the top of the Guru board for even five minutes today! So exciting! I love you all!

I am SO happy to be a little more relaxed and actually sleeping in my own bed consistently! As exciting as these last few weeks have been, it's nice to settle down a little. Let's be honest, spring is a crazy season for all of us pageant peepz! I already know this season that I'll be attending at least part (if not all) of the following Miss America state pageants: Rhode Island, Delaware (obvi!!), Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. I wouldn't be surprised if a few more get added along the way.

I am super excited about this weekend as well. Tomorrow night I am going (with some NJ pageant friends) to see the phenomenal Brenna Weick, NJOT 09, in her high school production of Les Miserables. Not only do I love Brenna, but this is my favorite musical and I have not seen live theater in a months! So sad! It used to be my life!

Saturday is a wonderful pageant filled day, with a trip down to Milford for our very last Delaware local of the season. We are so desperately trying to crown enough girls to have a prelim night this year! We need two more! The last two years our pageant has been three nights and action packed!

I will then head up to Miss Philadelphia 2010 at Drexel University. I am so in awe of this pageant organization and all of the people who run it. They are an amazing group of people and The Red Carpet is excited to be a sponsor for the new Miss Philadelphia.

Sunday is a day of relaxation before two more days of subbing...yay!

Have a WONDERFUL weekend everyone!

Chris

Johnathan Kayne at The Red Carpet

2010-03-25T20:55:00.000-07:00

with Tiffany and Johnathan at The Red Carpet ~ Sewell

Having some fun after a loooooooooong Saturday!

With my favorite sales girls in Sewell!

With the staff of The Red Carpet ~ Wayne

This past weekend, the Red Carpet hosted Johnathan Kayne at all three of our stores. He brought his entire prom and pageant collection and it was definitely the largest trunk show we've ever had. I was excited to meet with and dress girls for Miss Delaware, Miss Maryland, Miss Pennsylvania, Mrs. United States, and several other systems as well. We ate terrific food all weekend and it was exciting to watch him dress our girls in the gowns that I saw walk the NYC runway in February. We are very excited to continue to work with him as his career grows!

NYC Trip!

2010-03-25T20:43:00.001-07:00

Katie slipping a ring on Michael's finger!

Michael and I (in my new shades) on Canal Street

me and the gorgeous Stam girls! Heidi and Katie

Michael and the girls

Katie took this! Love it!

Katie and Claire's mom with their new matching bags!

In front of FAO Schwartz

The Apple Cube! Where Claire works

One of Beyonce's dresses at Armani

Strolling down 5th Avenue...what a fabulous day!

Miss Jubilee Photos!!

2010-03-25T18:15:00.000-07:00

Up and out by 8 am to start judging interviews in my new coat!

Miss Jubilee 2009 and my dear friend Claire Buffie receiving a leadership award from her ED and hoping for a terrific pageant season!

All of the teens and misses in the finale with Nirvanna and Claire.

Congratulations Alison Stroming, Miss Jubilee's OT 2010! Phenomenal dancer!

Alison being interviewed by the fabulous LTS!

Congratulations to Faren Collins, Miss Southern NY 2010...

and Inga Schlingmann, Miss Jubilee 2010!!

Teen and Miss courts

MISS: 2RU Amanda Mason, Faren, Inga, 1RU Cassie Franklin,

3RU Catherine Cosmai. Loved them all!

Miss court with Claire

Winners and judges! There I am! LOL

With the gorgeous and classy Claire! Love her!! So honored to be a judge that day.

Congratulations Alison!

I finally met LTS! Adooooooore her.

It was so nice for Maria DeSantis, MAOT 2007, to be there! So sweet!

All in all, a phenomenal day! So excited for Miss New York 2010!

Hi Heather!

2010-03-23T11:19:00.000-07:00

Heather posted some nice pictures on her blog of the Miss Southern Delaware Pageant last month. I hope you are all keeping up with her exciting year!

http://missdelaware.blogspot.com

POSTED!

2010-03-17T22:08:00.000-07:00

All photos from Miss Jubilee, NYC, and WENDY!! have been posted on my facebook page. I will upload some here tomorrow! YAY!

Chris

WENDY!!

2010-03-17T16:15:00.001-07:00

My Wendy video is posted on my Facebook! I would love to post it here but I don't know how, feel free to comment and tell me!!

Chris

Miss Jubilee 2010

2010-03-16T21:18:00.000-07:00

I just want to say what an honor and a privilege it was to judge the 2010 Miss Jubilee Pageant at Hewlett High School on Long Island on Sunday. Clair put together a terrific production and I want to thank her, Arnie, Ivette, and the entire committee for their hospitality. There were many, many wonderful contestants who will be seen on the Miss NY stage in June.

Congratulations to...
Miss Jubilee 2010 Inga Schlingmann
Miss Southern NY 2010 Faren Collins
Miss Jubilee's OT 2010 Alison Stroming
and all of their fantastic runners up! Cassie Franklin, Amanda Mason, Catherine Cosmai, Jordan Kowalski, and Sara Herzberg.

I will post pictures soon!

Chris

Sometimes, magic happens...

2010-03-16T20:48:00.000-07:00

Wendy is on for the third time right now! Midnight on BET! Woohoo!!

I cannot WAIT to post pictures from today...I don't know whe that will be, since I don't have internet for my laptop (where the photos are) here in NY and I'm traveling so much...maybe end of this week, maybe next.

My day started at around 5:45 am when I woke up to get ready to head into the city to see The Wendy Williams Show with Trish and Lynn and Kathy, all of us from The Red Carpet. My dad was so nice as to drop me off for a 6:33 train and I walked out onto 7th Avenue at around 7:20 AM, dressed to the nines, the sun was shining, and it was the most excited I've been for an early morning in a while! I stopped at Starbucks to grab a snack and met Kathy and Lynn at 7:45 outside the theater. Trish met us about 10 minutes later and we headed inside to sign in and freshen up at the famous Pantene Beauty Bar. We also all filled out our Ask Wendy segment forms (I had also e-mailed one) and excitement started to build as time ticked by. Trish and I were SO excited and I guess it showed, because the production staff came up to us and asked us if we'd be interested in commenting on Hot Topics! So glad they had some cheat sheets there! We had a small 'audition' and Trish and I were both picked to talk about Shaunie and Shaq O'Neill and Trish's favorite, Michael Jackson! We talked to the staff for a while, love to Tashara and Suzanne! We had a BLAST joking around with them, telling them about The Red Carpet, Mr. Delaware, etc. At one point I even did my swimsuit walk for them! They told us they were DEFINITELY going to use us and even though it wasn't for Ask Wendy (I had such a good topic for that too!) I was still SO excited and feeding off the energy.

When we finally sat in the theater I could barely contain my excitement and kept almost elbowing Kathy as I danced in the aisle. We all headed out onto the set for a warm up dance party and Tashara invited us to take pictures right on Wendy's set! Trish and I then participated in a 6 person dance contest and I finished second to the fabulous Rufus. All the single ladies!!!

Then, right before the show they told me I was definitely the first hot topic and I would indeed be talking about Michael Jackson and all the issues with his kids. It was right at the beginning of the second segment of Hot Topics and I held a goooood pageant pose for a good minute while waiting for Wendy to call on me. The producers had asked me to wear my pin and introduce myself as Mr. DE because they thought Wendy would like it, and did she ever! "Wait...you are here in front of me striking a pose with a sparkly brooch!" HAHA! I introduced myself and talked about how Michael's kids really need a good education and a strong home life....and that life is bad enough when your name is Blanket. True story, and she looooved it. I meant every word, strong family is the key to growing up well in my eyes. I kept giving her a big verbal AND non-verbal How You Doooiiiin?? And she made my day (part 1) by saying..."All this from the flamboyant schoolteacher giving me the non-verbal How You Doin? with the brooch on the left! I love you!" Bahahahaha I love you too, Wendy!!! Best time ever!

The rest of the show was so much fun. Sadly Trish didn't get to do her Hot Topic because it was time for another commercial! Fran Drescher and Todd Bridges were good and Perez Hilton was...there. Looking....well, he was there. When the show was over (And Wendy really let a girl have it in Ask Wendy! YAY!) we stayed to watch her tape some promos and then snapped some pictures of her before heading out with some FranBran lip balm and a copy of Todd's new book! It was a thrilling morning!

As if that morning was not enough...Trish dropped me off at The Westin in Times Square. My good friend Michael Nash from the Indiana MAO Board of Directors had flown out to NYC for the day with Katie Stam (y'all know her!), her gorgeous sister Heidi, and her wedding planner Scott. Claire's mom JoEllen was also spending the day with us, YAY! I joined them for the afternoon and off we were to Canal Street! Got some sunglasses to beat the glare while the girls searched for the perfect deals on the perfect bags. They were successful! We then headed uptown to visit Claire for a hot second at the new Apple store and then headed into FAO Schwartz for a while. We also went to see the stars' gowns on display at Armani on Fifth Avenue and walked past all of the phenomenal stores before stopping for a late lunch. They headed back to the Westin to get their luggage and get to the airport, and I was off to H&M to do some summer shopping before training it back to Long Island!

I have to tell you...I have had the opportunity to meet Katie on several occasions while she was Miss America, but this was the first time we were able to talk for more than about 20 seconds. This girl is the real deal. Walking down the streets of NYC harmonizing to the Dreamgirls soundtrack made my day more than any day every could have been made. She listened to allllll of my latest stories and I learned a great deal about her life, her family, and some of her greatest moments as well. She is so full of amazing ideas about the future of MAO...I truly hope the board perks up and starts to listen to her! I'm already looking forward to seeing her and Michael again in NYC next month!

I hope to have lots of pics AND videos on my Facebook soon!! Anyone know how I can post a video here on the blog??

SO much love for the world tonight...Mom made me a home cooked meal and we watched Wendy again tonight, and then I've just been packing and relaxing off this high. Another highlight of the day...I found two dress shirts in my trunk I thought I had left in a hotel recently! YAY again!

Up at 6:30 tomorrow to be out by seven and beat the traffic down to The Red Carpet ~ Sewell...then judging the Mr. West Chester University Pageant once again in PA! It's an amazing event!!

Thursday morning I can sleep...a little. Half day of subbing and math club, dinner with Tammy, and then getting ready for the big Johnathan Kayne weekend at The Red Carpet! His plane lands at 11:30 Thursday night, and that puts this chauffer on the job!

So much love to you all...and a big HOW YOU DOIIIIIIN??
Chris

Exciting Week!!!

2010-03-15T11:16:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!! I have a few pieces of exciting news to share!

Today my name is in USA Today because I am nominated for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Man of the Year Award for my commitment to community service. Check out the ad if you can!

I was featured in the Delaware Newsjournal's Stylefiles section yesterday! Here are the links to the article and the video! The article is two pages.

http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20100314/LIFE/3140325/Pageant-consultant-host-dresses-with-purpose-to-look-confident

I am also going to keep updating my blog as often as I can! There is an exciting week ahead with The Wendy Williams Show and hanging out with Miss America Katie Stam tomorrow in NYC, fashion designer Johnathan Kayne coming to my store for three days, and even a reality tv show audition on Sunday! WOW!

I hope you all have an amazing exciting week as well!!

Chris

(Photo courtesy of the Delaware Newsjournal)

A note of thanks/info, originally posted on the voy...

2010-03-15T11:11:00.000-07:00

Thank you to those of you that enjoy my support for MAO, because that's what I believe in and that's why I continue to be a local director. I love MAO and everything it stands for.

I have always said and will always continue to say, my title was absolutely unofficial. I think I've posted this story before, but the 2008 Mr. DE Pageant was held as a fundraiser by Miss Delaware 2007 Brittany Dempsey and it helped raise both scholarship money and CMN funds. Now she and I co-produce the event to raise more scholarship money for our local organizations and we each proudly had the largest scholarships in Delaware this year. We've already had a lot of contestant requests for this year and we are eagerly awaiting April 10 to arrive for another spectacular event! It's all fun, just a good time for everyone.

After I won some pageant friends of mine asked me to sing at their events or volunteer with a charity, so I did so. Between that and watching my amazing local titleholders doing all of their incredible platform work, I was inspired to do more community service so I made it my goal to do as much as possible during my 'year'. During that time, I decided to start posting here using the Mr. DE handle so that people would know where I was coming from. The blog didn't even exist yet. I started it months later and more than anything else it was to keep my family up to date about my life because they live a few states away.

I think some of you have this idea that I run around pushing my way into every event I can so people will know I exist. Nowadays, between being a local director and teaching to pay my rent, I attend whatever I can when I am invited. Some pageant directors like the way I Emcee and the way I sing and I love entertaining, so if they ask me to be a host and I'm available, I'm happy to volunteer my time. I also try to make it to every local DE pageant because I love supporting all of the girls and I want them to know that we are a family who wants to support a wonderful Miss Delaware, no matter who she may be.

If I am asked to judge another pageant and I am available, I also love to volunteer to do so. It is a wonderful opportunity judges are given to help young women grow and learn and when I am asked to judge it never has anything to do with the fact that I was a Mr. DE. Even I wouldn't hire myself for just that reason. I have been a successful local director for three years and I love the MAO.

I post my blog here because some people like to read it and I like to write it. I know some people like to know when it's updated, and I've been trying to do it moreso because it's nice for my family to read about what I'm up to. When I post it, you never have an obligation to read it. For those of you who do, thank you! It means a lot to me that you do.

Anyway, I just wanted to clarify all of that. I love the MAO and I love this board and I know that even a people pleaser can't please everyone, so I understand if you still think I'm a ridiculous person. I just like to think I'm me!I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Chris Saltalamacchio

Mr. DE 2008

And PS YES Anyone can get tickets to Wendy Williams! I'm just really excited to go! LOL that's all!

(Photo courtesy of Delaware Newsjournal)

Home Sweet Home

2010-03-13T12:05:00.000-08:00

I am so happy to be back in New York and relaxing for even a day. Today is my mom's birthday and I am so happy I can be here to spend time with her. My parents and I are picking up Grandma for dinner at The Spare Rib before I spend the night with some of my best friends, whom I miss more lately than ever! I really needed this break from my own life.

Of course right away life picks back up! HaHa
Tomorrow I am excited to be going to the Miss Jubilee Pageant at Hewlett High School. This is a BIG local for the Miss New York system and they will be crowning Miss Jubilee, Miss Southern New York, and one Outstanding Teen to go on to the state pageants (all the last weekend in June in Albany! I'll be there, hope you will be too!). It should be a terrific show featuring my good friend Claire Buffie, Miss Jubille 2009.

I'll have a chance to to spend a little bit more time with some friends tomorrow night before SLEEPING IN! YAY! Monday afternoon I just have to head over to The Red Carpet ~ Wayne to take care of a few things.

Tuesday morning brings excitement...Trish and I have VIP tickets to........
THE WENDY WILLIAMS SHOW!!
I am SO excited! I am hoping we get to talk to her!! Then the rest of the day will bring excitement as well, but I don't want to give it all up so soon! :)

Have an AMAZING weekend everyone!!

All the best always,
Chris

More Fabulousness from Miss Mid-Atlantic's OT, the amazing Veronica!

2010-03-12T14:42:00.001-08:00

Elegance ~ Not Just for Evening Wear!

Bearing the Elements

2010-03-11T22:27:00.001-08:00

I just wrote an entire blog about the up and down roller coaster that has been today and blogspot said I double clicked twice and when I went back it was gone....can't bear to write it all down again so I'll just go with these two thoughts...

1. Congratulations to Miss Diamond State 2010 Steffi Holmes on a very successful fundraiser at Elements in Middletown.

2. Miss Delaware 2010 may be a one night 12 girl state pageant on June 12 because all of our sweeps locals have been canceled for this weekend...thoughts?

Chris

RHofNYC 3/11/10 Wrap Up

2010-03-11T20:07:00.000-08:00

I appreciate Alex's honestly and I wish Jill had stayed good until she asked for the gossip.

Ladies I hope next week things turn around...as much as I love drama, this stuff is petty. Where's the love? It's so much better to watch than the hate.

Hope next week is better!

RHofNYC 3/11/10 Part 4

2010-03-11T19:39:00.000-08:00

The Hamptons are NOT the place to learn to drive...really???

It looks like next week will be worth watching!!! Thank goodness! And ahhhhh I'll be in the car on the way to the airport...

I always wondered who buys the Polo shirts with the big horses...turns out...Bobbey does

Bethenny haha...WASPY looking house, love it

Bethenny has a guilty conscience. Stop backpedaling.

WOWZA who is this woman? Do you want to be another housewife? I thought they were bringing in that crazy Sonja chick. She looks a little scary.

LuAnn stop pushing the coffee...are you trying to slip something in it?

RAMONA STOP GIVING ULTIMATUMS

RHofNYC 3/11/10 Part 3

2010-03-11T19:25:00.000-08:00

Jason I still think you're a little gay.

Bethenny are you about to cry? I think the camera should get a little closer so I can actually count the hairs in your eyebrows.

Sweet moment, honestly. But very isolated from everyone else.

GAHH that house Ramona. That's a SUMMER house?? It's so much bigger than where you actually live!

Wait now Kelly is at LuAnn's...where's the party at Ramona's? ughh. drama, drama, drama.
I LOVE IT!

Kelly your tan is a MESS. And I DON'T want to see your naked stills!! LuAnn PLEASE don'tyou trot out YOUR naked photos!! AHHH what about Jill....ahhhh

LADIES WHERE IS MY MATERIAL THIS EPISODE???

RHofNYC 3/11/10 Part 2

2010-03-11T19:10:00.000-08:00

SIMON your hair and facial business is AWFUL.

LOVE the white jackets I can't wait for summer! Pastels! Linens!

Ramona your dress is a little MOMish unlike most of what you wear

Simon stop kissing A** for reals...the only Ramona is eating up is ingredients that go into Tru Renewal

CRAZY EYES!!!!! YESSSS!!!

Let's not start the teenage phone calls...oy. Mario you're quite ridiculous.

Okay that dinner was booooring...

LuAnn let's pull up that top a little...and cover some of those freckles

Jill see how you look at LuAnn's breakfast table? So nice. WHY all the makeup for the private interviews? Relax those eyes.

That is a niiiiice breakfast spread! Wish I was there.

Loving the speakerphone situation. I was in a similar situation with someone in the car today.

WHOOOOAAA Ramona WHOOOOOOOOAAAAA that MOUTH of yours!

Jill you are EXHAUSTED from that! Yowza.

LuAnn Jill is not one of your royal subjects. Cut out the snarkyness.

Jill you love Bethenny. You're on the same side of this. Eat a skinnygirl cookie.

COMMERCIAL BREAK

RHofNYC 3/11/10 Part I

2010-03-11T19:02:00.000-08:00

Bethenny Jason looks older and your hair is a MESS

Ramona can you support your girls a little? Mario is already obnoxious

Why are you excluding Jason and having him sit on the outside?

Ramona your BANGS. Who has a comb? Anyone?

Ramona Bethenny is right there talking TO YOU! You ridiculous mess! Don't talk about her!

I'm loving this 'Ramona on the Jersey Shore' motif we have going on here

Awwwww Rosanna is back I love it! Add her to the show!! She's a wonderful mother to LuAnn's kids.

Victoria was fooling around on the balcony and fell off the roof?? WTF?? What kind of care do you give these kids LuAnn?? Very un countesslike...DISCOUNTESS!!

Oh gosh LuAnn the pity parade is OVER. No more.

COMMERCIAL ONE

One of my FABULOUS Outstanding Teens!

2010-03-10T15:16:00.000-08:00

This article included praise for my Miss Mid-Atlantic's Outstanding Teen 2010, Miss Congeniality (Local AND State) and First Runner Up to MDOT, the amazing Veronica Townsend! She is second from right in the photo.

READ HERE!

More updates to come later!!

Chris

PS Don't forget THURSDAY live blogging for The Real Housewives of NYC!!

Well kids...here we go...from the 2008 Mr. Delaware Pageant...

2010-03-05T07:45:00.000-08:00

THE moment!! :P

Beachwear!

Talent ~ Michael Buble's "Can't Buy Me Love" song and dance.
Thanks to Hockessin Community News for this photo!

Beachwear, again...obviously earlier!

All of my AMAZING friends and supporters!

Titleholders, contestants, etc.

Being crowned by Miss Delaware 2007 Brittany Dempsey

The 'interactive' part of beach wear...an annual tradition!

Evening Wear

More beach wear...I had a lot of fun!

Intoductions/Casual Wear...I still like this sweater but I would never compete in it now LOL!

And those jeans, oy! What was I thinking? Thank goodness for pageants teaching me how to dress!

Opening Number!

A few people have been asking for photos from when I won Mr. Delaware, so here we go...don't hate! LOL My style, hair, and confidence has definitely come a long way since this cold night in November 2007!

What a week...

2010-03-04T21:54:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!

After recovering from The Bachelor finale, the last three days have been jam packed.

Tuesday I drove up to The Red Carpet ~ Wayne to meet with a contestant. She found her perfect gown! Yay! I took care of some odds and ends at the store before heading further north to the Mahwah area. I saw signs for Franklin Lakes and wanted to drop in on The RHofNJ!! But couldn't waste the time...

I had the amazing honor of hosting the first SHINE Prom Fashion Show, produced by Miss South Jersey 2010 and my very good friend Krysten Moore. Krysten is a phenomenal young woman who will be competing at the Miss New Jersey Pageant for the first time in 2010 and we have become fast friends over the past few months. The models were her pageant sisters and family members and friends and she picked out some fantastic gowns and cocktail dresses from The Red Carpet. I am SO proud of Krysten for the amazing event she put together, there were incredible vendors and raffles at the gorgeous Church of the Presentation in Upper Saddle River, NJ. I even had the opportunity (last minute) to sing twice in between all my cracks about The Real Housewives and all my Wendy Williams 'How You Doin????s (I am so dying to be on that show!!!). I started with The Way You Look Tonight and then sang my newest piece, Somewhere Out There (from Fievel) as the models walked in the finale. It was so much fun!

Krysten and her family treated my like a total celebrity the entire evening and it was such a pleasure to see and spend time with all of them. I was too tired to drive all the way down (3 hours) that night so I stayed with them at their amazing house and BOTH of her parents woke up at 5 am to see me off! I made it down to DE/MD and was actually early to sub a half day in second grade. Then I headed off to The Grand Opera House in Wilmington for my Fashion Ambush photo shoot!! I was able to wear three of my absolute FAVORITE outfits and although I'm not going to tell you what they are, I'm sure you'll be able to guess! I can't wait to post the link when the article comes out in the Delaware Newsjournal, just 10 days away!

I had three more commitments to keep yesterday (remember, up since 5 am) and didn't get home until after 11:30 PM...fell asleep fully clothed. Woke up today and had a full day in a psych ward of a first grade...how do some of these kids grow up like this? And I have three full years experience!!! OY!

I changed and headed off the the William Penn HS prom fashion show. The Red Carpet ~ Perryville was a big sponsor and I must say that our gowns looked stunning on that stage! My good friend Nikki Laws (My Miss Capital's OT last year and first runner up to MDOT 09!) is Valedictorian at WPHS and she looked stunning in her Jovani and HFH prom dresses! I am so proud of her and all she has accomplished!

Made it home around 9:30 tonight, in time for all of my Real Housewives shenanigans. I hope you read all my details in the comments of my other post!

I can't believe it's one am already....thank goodness I can sleep in tomorrow!!! I have clients all day at The Red Carpet ~ Sewell tomorrow before spending the night with my old amazing roommate Kelly at her new apartment in West Chester! Saturday I am presenting a What Not To Wear segment to all of the contestants at the Miss Philadelphia Pageant before heading to the Miss SE PA local...then Allentown Sunday morning before headed all the way back down to Dover DE for the 2010 Miss Kent County Pageant!

I'm very much looking forward to a more calm week next week before some much needed time at home on Long Island.

Love you all so much! All the best for a fabulous weekend!!
Chris

Housewives Photos

2010-03-04T21:44:00.001-08:00

NYC

REAL HOUSEWIVES MADNESS!!

2010-03-04T21:35:00.000-08:00

HI EVERYONE!!!

I'm having trouble copying and pasting into my blog so I put allllllll of my Housewives event blogging in as comments tonight...please click in and read!!

Love,
Chris

EXHAUSTED

2010-03-03T21:18:00.000-08:00

I would so love to blog tonight but I've been up for more than 19 hours...quick rundown

Almost 400 miles in car last two days
Gown stores
Hosting fashion show
Subbing second grade
Professional fashion photo shoot

More to come...
<3 Chris

Queen's Corner Photos

2010-03-02T05:55:00.000-08:00

Sasha Hills, 4RU to Miss CT USA

Trish and THE Don Baker

My AMAZING Delaware girls! April, Marci, and Krista

Sheri Jenkins, me, and Trish

Tomorrow...

2010-03-01T22:12:00.000-08:00

Tuesday brings me back into my crazy schedule of pageantry...up to The Red Carpet ~ Wayne tomorrow for a personal appointment and to pick up some things for the Miss Philly workshop this weekend, followed by Emceeing a fabulous prom fashion show produced by my dear friend, Miss South Jersey 2010 Krysten Moore. After a loooong drive home tomorrow night, I'm subbing a half day in second grade Wednesday morning and then the marathon of travel continues...the Wilmington NewsJournal is featuring me in an article called Fashion Ambush and Wednesday at 2:00 is my photo shoot!! I'm bring four looks and it's in the lobby of the Grand Opera House in Wilmington, SO excited! Here's a link to the reporter who is writing the article so you can get a sense of what it's like...

Fashion Ambush

From there I'll head back down to The Red Carpet ~ Perryville to pick up dresses for the William Penn HS Prom Fashion Show on Thursday evening. Then I'll join some terrific teaching friends for a dinner at Friendly's to raise money for Cecil Manor. What a day! What a WEEK!

On the national VOY Miss America message board, someone asked me about my upcoming personal appearances so they could come see me Emcee and sing...how sweet are they?? Here's a list of some forthcoming events! :P March is full of traveling on weekends to judge and work pageant events, but the spring will be busy with new opportunities!

March 2 (TOMORROW!) - Emcee at North NJ Prom Fashion Show

April 10 - 2010 MR. DE PAGEANT!!! More info to come...

April 23 - Entertain at Lebanon (PA) Veterans Affairs Volunteer Banquet
April 24 - Featured Entertainer at the Mrs. MD/PA United States Pageant, Sunoco Performance Theater, Harrisburg, PA
May 16 (pending) - Emcee Mrs. NJ United States Pageant

We'll see what else we can add from there!

All the best always! :)
Chris

Jake and Hailey Duff.....I mean Jake and Vienna

2010-03-01T22:10:00.000-08:00

The Bachelor...

2010-03-01T21:55:00.000-08:00

Okay y'all, I know we're alllll pissed and all that Jake chose Vienna over Tenley. As much as I LOVE Tenley (she's my huge straight crush and she has perfect hair and an amazing wardrobe), I understand what Jake was saying. Something was missing. We all saw him forcing the issue with that relationship a bit. There was just something about her that made you feel like you had to tiptoe on eggshells sometimes when you're around her. I'd still marry her if I was a straightie.

Vienna is a ho. Tabloids and etc aside, she definitely put out and Jake was different around her than around anyone else. Best of luck to them, but as my girl Countess LuAnn from RHofNYC would say, she has Ramona's CRAZY EYES!!!
PS The third season of RHofNYC premieres in THREE days at 11 PM on BRAVO! SO excited! My favorite cast! Bethenny rules!!

The cheesiness of the song and the dance on After the Final Rose was RIDICULOUS. On the wings of vomit...sorry, but it was TOO much.

Mad props to him for crying. This was the most real (and saccharine sweet) season I've ever watched. Don't know how I feel about Ali the Bachelorette...her hair is a MESS (and so is Jake's along, with the tie he wore to propose to Vienna). Other than Tenley, someone PLEASE HELP ALL THESE FOLKS WITH THEIR HAIR!!! JAKE!! VIENNA!! ALI!!

Love y'all! I had a pretty regular day, subbed in third grade and then taught fourth grade math club! Back to crazy pageant life tomorrow!

Love,
Chris

PS The newest season of Dancing With The Stars...Pam Anderson...Kate Gosselin...Jake the Bachelor...Shannon Doherty..Evan Lysacek?!? I may have to start watching!

Queen's Corner!

2010-02-28T12:27:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!

I somehow snuck into the wireless system at the Hilton hotel here in Newark, NJ. I am at The Queen's Corner event representing The Red Carpet. There are some nice vendors and more new pageants than I thought were ever possible. Famed interview coach Don Baker was the opening speaker and I really enjoyed his insight. We spoke for a few moments and he was very kind. Lucky are the girls who have appointments with him today!

Right now a pregnant pageant coach is giving a rather looooooooong make up demonstration on a former Miss CT USA...I need my girl Wendy Williams to come up in here with a big HOW YOU DOOOOOIN??

We may be showing a few pieces in a Red Carpet fashion show at the event that I might host...always be prepared for everything!

Tomorrow it's back to a dose of reality, subbing third grade and running fourth grade math club before a Bachelor finale party!!

I hope you all had a terrific weekend!

Chris

Miss Delaware, Miss Southern Delaware, MDOT, Mr. Delaware!

2010-02-27T21:52:00.000-08:00

Miss Southern Delaware 2010 Lorin Walls and Executive Director Ashleigh Hudson!

2010-02-27T21:39:00.000-08:00

Miss Southern Delaware...followed by Queen's Corner!

2010-02-27T20:52:00.000-08:00

The Miss Southern Delaware Pageant was a HUGE success! After getting a very short and very nice haircut from Robert at the Robert Thomas Salon in Rehoboth Beach (he will be sponsoring Miss Rehoboth Beach herself this year! THANK YOU!!) I headed over to prepare to Emcee and sing at the pageant and I had a wonderful day. My good friend Ashleigh Hudson is the newest addition the family of Miss Delaware local directors and I am just so excited for her! Congratulations to our newest titleholder Lorin Walls, as well as first runner up April Stevenson, Miss Congeniality Janemarie Covel, People's Choice winner Shannon Tiberi, and fabulous newcomer Monica Link! I Emceed with Miss Delaware 2009 Heather Lehman and we had a BLAST sharing the duties. I sand my standard Michael Buble's Foggy Day to open Act 2 and then my newest song, Somewhere Out There, while the girls received roses from Heather and took a final walk on stage. I had NO idea who was going to win, there were five totally different talents and they were all great! Congratulations to all involved and thanks to everyone who came out!

Tomorrow I have an early wake up call to join my boss Trish and The Red Carpet at the Queen's Corner Pageant Expo! It will be at the Hilton in Newark, NJ and there will be lots of exciting vendors including photographer Catherine Fiehn and Don Baker. Come out and see us all, 11 am to 4 pm.

My best wishes for a wonderful rest of your weekend!
Chris

ROAD TRIP BEGINS! Stop 1...Miss Southern Delaware Pageant, Millsboro!

2010-02-27T06:17:00.000-08:00

And so it begins! Off to emcee and sing at the 2010 Miss Southern Delaware Pageant at Long Neck United Methodist Church in Millsboro! 4:00!! Hope to see you there!

Videos uploaded!

2010-02-07T21:39:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone! I uploaded a ton of Miss America videos to Facebook tonight! Enjoy! :)
Chris

I owe you so many updates but...

2010-01-29T22:48:00.000-08:00

I just returned from the outstanding Evening of Dreams....sat with Misses PA and NJ and both are lovely...and Katie got ENGAGED in front of all of us! And it was AMAZING! OMG!! So many updates to come from the past few days!

For now, my top 15...
Arkansas
California
DC
Indiana
Louisiana
Minnesota
Michigan
Nevada
New Jersey
New Mexico
Pennsylvania
Tennessee
Texas
Virginia
Wisconsin

My top 5...
Virginia
California
DC
Pennsylvania
Texas

ENJOY!

So sorry...

2010-01-29T17:05:00.001-08:00

Hey y'all, I apologize for not being able to respond to every request you have and for being behind on the blogging and photos. I have yet to see the light of day outside of Planet Hollywood and am a bit under the weather. I hope to have everything back up and running tomorrow.

Chris

This woman just could not handle all the Miss America excitement last night...

2010-01-28T09:56:00.002-08:00

and here's what Katie Berry and I thought of it...HAHA!

I love Miss America because...

2010-01-28T09:56:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone!

As tired as I am, I cannot tell you how proud I am to be here at Miss America. The feeling of family that you get when you see people from your own state, the excitement of meeting new friends, and the idea that you are witnessing magic happen and seeing lives change is just an incredible experience.

Last night’s visitation was so much fun after the pageant. I have never been more proud of Heather than I was last night for her talent and we each took turns hugging her and lifting her off the ground. She was just radiant. I also made sure to spend some time with my dear friend Jen (DC) who is shining in every phase this week. Ashley (NJ) looked gorgeous as well. And I FINALLY found my way to the fabulous Amanda Kelly (Massachusetts)!! Amanda competed at the National Sweetheart Pageant two years ago and this year (because she AND her fabulous mother are SO amazing!) she went out to Hoopeston for the whole week to support her first runner up! We all spent some time talking out there and we became fast friends. Her mama is FIERCE I love that woman. They were excited to see me as well because they knew I was out here, it was a wonderful reunion and she is just so gorgeous I can’t stand it!

Of course all us kings, queens, and in betweens made our way down to the Heart Bar to discuss the night and celebrate the Miss America experience. My dear, dear friend Michael Nash (Indiana, also Miss PR’s Outstanding Teen, competing at large! Hehe) and I spent some wonderful time together and caught up. It’s also so cool to enjoy conversations with some of the designers and hear their take on the pageant business and the latest trends and news.

Tonight I am SO excited because the day of my pageant dinner has finally arrived! My close friends will join me at Rum Jungle at Mandalay Bay and I’m just beyond thrilled that it all came together! It will be a wonderful celebration of friendship and pageant love!

Come visit me at The Red Carpet at the trade show, we are all the way in the back on the left side. EXCITING NEWS! On FRIDAY and SATURDAY we are showing Jonathan Kayne’s latest designs. They will only be available at our booth, and he’ll be there showing them off! To schedule an appointment to try on Jonathan’s line with me, please drop me a line at 516-297-5323. I will be available Friday from 10-1 and Saturday from 10-2.

Enjoy this FABULOUS Las Vegas day!

Love always,
Chris
Mr. DE 2008!

Pageant Central TNBoy, love you Craig!

2010-01-28T04:48:00.001-08:00

Jonathan Kayne and Gaspar Cruz

2010-01-28T04:46:00.001-08:00

Wednesday night pictures!

2010-01-28T04:32:00.000-08:00

Quick Wednesday night rundown...more to come tomorrow

2010-01-28T04:30:00.000-08:00

TALENT
Heather sang Adele’s Laughing Song better than she ever has. I was so full of pride and excitement for her. She has been so amazing this week!!!
Ohio was good vocally as well, except on the very tippy top. Minnesota lived up to the hype…FIERCE voice and a hot red gown to go with it. Texas was great, wish she wasn’t first. PA was definitely the most entertaining tapper of 3. Cali was very elegant on pointe. I wish her music was more contemporary, but well done.
Sadly, Puerto Rico’s talent (even though she sang which was great much ‘read: MILES’ better than her state winning talent) was one of the weakest by far. After Elyse Umemoto powers through Angels on that stage, you’d better be prepared to back it up.

SWIMSUIT
For me, this was DC, Nevada, and KY all the way. Not just the abs but the walk of a champion. Congrats to Miss NY Alyse Zwick.

EVENING WEAR
Loved Vermont’s red and Arkansas red as well…better color tonight. Was Nebraska’s her state gown? I don’t remember. NY was the most unique of the pageant so far.

ON STAGE QUESTION
Sadly, tonight I realized it may not be the answers that are weak, but the questions they are being asked. Can we have a current events challenge please?

Trish and I at the end of the Wednesday trade show....ahhhh

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Jonathan Kayne!

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WED TRADE SHOW PICS

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WEDNESDAY - TRADE SHOW

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I'm barely awake! After the amazing night that was last night I spent half the day at our trade show booth, which started out slow but got really busy, and the other half of the day in Sherri Hill's suite doing custom appointments. It was great to have so many DE friends stop by the booth that got into town today, and also meet some wonderful new friends.

Time to get ready for Prelim Night 2....ahhh exhausted but can't wait! Have you made your predictions?

Chris

TUESDAY NIGHT BLOG!!

2010-01-27T09:25:00.001-08:00

Prelims were a thrill…excitement in the air! Katie looked wonderful and sounded terrific singing “I’ll Be Seeing You”. The opening number, which has been rough in rehearsal (Like, ‘we need another week to rehearse it’ rough), really came together and the girls looked they were having a blast!

SWIMSUIT
My favorites were Texas and Tennessee. They both OWNED that stage and had abs for days, at least from my vantage point. Puerto Rico leaned back when she walked, but she looks better in photos than she did in person. Some girls…they know who they are…pony kicked like they were getting paid for it. TOO MUCH! Congrats to Miss PR on her swimsuit win. Honorable mention to California.

EVENING WEAR
Again loved Tennessee…a bit pageanty, but that blue on a blonde works for me every time. SO MANY white and champagne gowns, kudos to HI, DE, TN, OH for bringing some color. Really liked California’s white, especially the rhinestone strips in the back. Really liked OH in purple and Texas in black. Too many Katie Stam/Kirsten Haglund wannabes.

ON STAGE QUESTION
Are we at a local? Many were very disappointing. DC highlight of the night by far. Can’t wait to see what she brings the rest of the week. Honorable mention Nebraska and New Mexico (love her!)

TALENT
Utah was my favorite. Love, love, love. Indiana was good but kind of boring. Virginia was INTO IT. She’s going for it all the way and I think she’ll do well. A few of the vocals near the end were strained, but good overall. Maine and Louisiana were just a tad disappointing. Just not as good as the dreaded hype. Good though. Liked Colorado, Oregon, and Arizona for their energy, but they don’t have winning talents. NJ looked beautiful and sang better than I’ve heard her. Well done Ashley!

Visitation was lovely. Heather looked radiant and is having the time of her life! I’m so excited for her. I FINALLY got to see Jen (DC), it’s been so long. She’s having a great week as well. Nicole (Michigan) remembered me from Hoopeston! She is sweet as pie.

After the pageant, pretty much a huge gay fantasy came true when I met, spent time with, took pictures with, bought a drink for, fawned over, and sang some Legally Blonde to Miss America 1998 Kate Shindle. IN LOVE! I also was able to spend time with so many wonderful facebook friends who I FINALLY got to meet in person! Craig, Gaspar, Travis, and a bunch of new friends as well. Met Tony Bowls (adorable) and had a great conversation with Chet, ED of PA.

I HAVE to get ready for the trade show…ahh!!! Can’t wait for Day 2 in VEGAS!!

Chris

Some TUESDAY PHOTOS! I wish I could caption them all but it takes so long on here...I did caption them and add even more on facebook...add me! :)

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Me, Brenna Weick (NJOT 09) and Kaitlin Davis (Miss Gloucester County NJ 2010) on our way into rehearsal! :)

HEATHER!

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PS Heather looks WODNERFUL! She is not only great in photos but looks terrific on stage as well. I spent some time with her mom and sister and Jonathan at rehearsal and everyone is just so excited for her! I hope she continues to enjoy every minute of her experience! :)

ARRIVAL AND REHEARSALS!!

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My flight got in almost an hour early, and I was SO excited just to land! After taking a shuttle bus to Planet Hollywood I waited in a loooong registration line full of Miss America fans and families and volunteers, you could feel the excitement in the air! After I threw everything on the bed in my room I headed down to the trade show, which Kelley and Brenna and the Davises (Kaitlin is Miss Gloucester County NJ 2010) had already set up for Red Carpet! I grabbed my badge and we all headed into rehearsal. We saw tonight’s evening gowns (no spoilers here!) and watched the opening number A LOT before grabbing a bit to eat at the Earl of Sandwich in the casino…GREAT food and so reasonable! Highly recommend!!

The opening number, as all voy readers already know, is “I’ve Got a Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas. The girls look very cool doing it, although some have had some trouble coming up and down the stairs.

About to get ready for Night 1 of prelims…EXCITED!!!

Til next time,

Chris
Mr. Delaware 2008

MY JOURNEY TO MISS AMERICA 2010!

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I have LOTS of time on this flight to Las Vegas from New York-JFK, and although a nap is in the future right now I’m too excited! I am on quite possibly the greatest flight of my life on a new airline, Virgin America. I’m resisting connecting to their Wifi…yup, Wifi 35,000 feet up. Of course it’s $12.95, so I’ll just save that for later when I connect at Planet Hollywood. However, my battery power-less computer is happily plugged in to an outlet J and I am watching Pleasantville on FX, which is channel 23 on their live TV J

Until about a month ago, I was very back and forth about going to Miss America this year. I truly wanted to since I didn’t go last year (when Miss DE Galen Giaccone made the top 15!! Love her!). I kept up with my friend Claire Buffie’s blog and thought, wow, what a great idea, I should do that one year! So THIS WEEK I’m going to give it a shot!

Financially things are a little tight right now, but sometimes when opportunities present themselves you have to seize the day. I was fortunate enough to be able to go thanks to a wonderful opportunity came along, and I plan to make the most of my experience. I am staying at Planet Hollywood, which will make things extremely convenient and cut down on travel time everywhere! Between my room, the trade show, and the pageant, I probably won’t have as much time to shop around Vegas this trip, but I am looking forward to all of the wonderful things I have planned.

I will be joined by some of my closest friends…not just pageant friends, but real friends…while in Las Vegas and I can’t wait to reconnect with them upon arrival and spend some fabulous time (not to mention take even more fabulous pictures) with all of them. One of my local titleholders this year, Miss Rehoboth Beach 2010 Marcie Smith, will be out there as well as Misses DE 2007 and 2008, Brittany Dempsey and Galen. There are lots of other funs Delawareans headed out as well as MANY of my favorite Jersey girls! I’ve been able to become close with many a New Jersey pageanter as I judge, host, sing, etc. Ashleigh Udalovas, first runner up to Miss New Jersey Ashley Shaffer, was able to book a last minute trip and she also arrives today (Tuesday). Can’t wait to spend time with her. Also, my dearest NJOT Brenna and her mom Kelley will be there and while Brenna’s off doing OT things Kelley will be my date for much of the week! They have become wonderful and generous friends, both to me and my local organization as well as the entire Miss Delaware family.

I’m also looking forward to ‘meeting’ many of my Facebook pageant friends. We keep in touch all year long, but I didn’t make it out to Las Vegas last January so I can’t wait to enjoy their company as well. Originally I was going to host a pageant friendship/unity kind of dinner on Friday night, but then Trish, my boss and owner of The Red Carpet, decided to get us a VIP table at the Evening of Dreams Gala (YAY!) so I am going to have it on Thursday instead. I visited Las Vegas in 2007 with some friends from high school and they introduced me to the restaurant Rum Jungle at Mandalay Bay. It quickly became my favorite, pretty much anywhere, and on Thursday I will be welcoming about 30 friends from a multitude of states to spend time together and celebrate the spirit of the Miss America pageant.

Well kids I guess that’s about it for now…can’t wait to touch down in a few hours and begin this wonderful journey! Hope to see you at the prelims each night, and come visit me at the trade show every day as well!

All the best always,

Chris
Mr. Delaware 2008

COUNTDOWN TO VEGAS...11 HOURS!!!

2010-01-25T19:19:00.001-08:00

HEY ALL!!

YES It's been forever and a day since I last wrote but tomorrow I am leaving from New York-JFK at 9:30 non-stop to LAS VEGAS! VIVA MISS AMERICA! I am SO excited to head out there and represent the first state as well as support all of the contestants and work with The Red Carpet Pageant and Prom at the fabulous trade show.

Last night at the Miss Wilmington Pageant (Congrats Kayla Sherwood!) I was able to spend time with the wonderful team who raised me into this pageant world and I could not be more excited that the Miss America Organization is a huge part of my life. I have Bobbey Biddle to thank for this and I wish he was headed cross country with me, but one day soon! Maybe bring our new buddy Chelsi Smith, Miss Universe 1995, along for the ride...in the RV no less!

To everyone heading out, TRAVEL SAFE! I'll see ya there! To all of you watching from home, my goal is to update every day! Here goes!

CHRIS