| Subject: A Self-Indulgent Blog of My Las Vegas Miss U.S.A. Trip |
Author:
Tiki Java
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Date Posted: 03:50:10 04/27/09 Mon
Tiki Java arrives in Vegas On Saturday night April 11th. My brand new pay-as-you-go cell phone died immediately upon arrival at the Las Vegas airport...joy. A replacement will be mailed to my Honolulu address only...joy. Tiki Java leaves his hotel with a $95 hotel phone bill.The next day he explores the neighborhood, not being very familiar with Las Vegas, and also enjoys the pool & hot tub with live d.j.
Sunday night Tiki Java is part of a small group invited to Elton John's Red Piano Show and dinner at Ceasar's Palace. Tiki java is greatly appreciative as his entertainment budget would only permit listening to Jimmy Buffett music being blasted from the nearby Maragritaville establishment.
Monday: catching up ith directors at Starbucks and eagerly awaiting the preliminary competition. Ti leaves were distributed and the show began (I have previously posted my prelim review, but I'll add a few thoughts). It's a blessing that the "entertainment"..Christina W or someone's medley of "greatest hits" was edited out of NBC's edition. However, you did miss the one great fall of the pageant, where one of the dancers tumbled down a few stairs. I'm thinking Hawaii has pretty good chances after prelims. Hawaii & California maybe the last two standing..but as I ALWAYS say.."Ya Never Know."
Tuesday highlight: Other than having a chance to sit & talk with Aureana for awhile before she went to dinner with family, my highlight was enjoying the lovely buffett "Emperor's Buffett" at my home away from home, the stunning Imperial Palace. Hey, for $20 the buffett had prime rib & seafood, plus all the usuals AND, unknown to me before booking there, the restaurant is decked out as a tiki lounge...I felt right at home.
Weds. A day trip with a small group to Zion National Park in Utah. What a beautiful place AND it SNOWED while we were there...quite special for us. Things you always remember: passsing through the lovely town of Virgin, UT. Do they have an MAO local..Miss Virgin? or Miss Greater Virgin? What if her name was Mary? Imagine that introduction at state, "Hello, I'm Miss Virgin Mary Smith."
Tiki stops by the Heart Bar wondering if any messageboard folks have arrived yet.
Thursday: Free Day for Tiki Java as there were directors meeting & dinners, etc. Had a guide book, marked all the free shows & exhibits on a map and put on my walking shoes. Tiki Java walks the strip pretty much from one end to the other from about noon until 10 p.m. Tiki was most impressed with the beauty of the Venician..wow, like being in Italy and the shopes at the promenade SO beautiful & elegant...and ever so slighly out of Tiki Java's Burger King budget. Tiki enjoys the conservatory at Bellagio, and the water show, the aquarium & Atlantic show at Ceasar's Forum, and more.
Tiki finally MUST eat and finds a busy food courte somewhere near Tropicana and enjoy's Wendy's which he doesnot have the oportunity to do back in Hawaii. While there, Tiki is AMAZED and DUMBFOUNDED by a sight he has NEVER seen before...A starbuck with absolutely NO ONE in it..no customers at all, overlooking the strip. He takes a picture. Then orders a double iced espresso for the road.
Friday: Open rehersals FINALLY! THIS is what I'm here for. However, we only get to see an hour or so as a planned long ago Hawaii committee dinner is taking place at Spice Market Buffett at 5:00 p.m.and Tiki Java thinks it would be very gouche not to attend that..:) Plus, he is hungry.
Tiki enjoys Spice Market buffett, which is larger than some United Nations members, and features seperate areas from every country, such as Mexican, Asian, Middle Eastern, Italian, and the countries of Salad and Seafood. Tiki & company return to the theatre just as rehersal wrap up for the meet & greet. Tiki looks forward to a FULL DAY of watching rehersals on Saturday.
Saturday: Tiki arrives bright & early for rehersals with his arm band is is turned away as it's by invitation only and, surely, by some incredible & bizarre oversight, his name is NOT on the short list. Tiki attends the trade show upstairs figuring SURELY he will finally run into some messageboard people. He hooks up with Hawaii Teen USA family and meets Brooke Lee, and enjoys the festivities and yes, FINALLY, begins meeting folks from the online pageant world...including Miss Pageant Central, the 1st Mr. USB, Elin from Sweden,TNBoy, and more & more. You've all seen the pics. Tiki Java is invited AGAIN to Spice Market Buffett by Hawaii Teen USA's family, and Tiki Java is never one to turn down hospitality..:) Tiki particularly enjoys the nation of Desert on this visit..making several return visits. Later, the Heart Bar with MissMerlin.,..master of the microphone...or should I say Mistress?
Tiki Java actually debated about whether to attend Fashion Rocks The Universe, as, as odd as this might seem, he does need "alone time" each day",but, what the heck. Tiki Java sees TNBoy and goes to meet him and who should be behind the pillar by MonkayMan, Mr. USB 09....my nemesis! Tiki's hand went up into to the air & a loud "Oh, noooo....whatever!" was expelled from his lungs. See photos. Well, as much as I wanted to hate him he is truly enchanting & absolutely more attractive than his photos...so we all hung out at FRTU, mixing with the Hawaii directors & gang (who SWORE they would submit the winning photo next year!). It was great seeing all the former titleholders parading around on the ramp, but, honestly, Tiki Java enjoyed hanging out with all the messageboard gang most of all....and, not a few times, we were approached for photos ("Aren't you Mr. USB and that Tiki guy??"....celebrities in our own small twisted way...in our country, in our family.
SUNDAY: Dress rehersal with "the messageboard" gang..and we secure front row seats. Elinis beside herself with excitement. TNBoy has been selected as a mock judge....absolutely priceless..he is the stand in for Perez Hilton. Tiki Java's personal hightlight: Paula Shuggart is introduced to us (well, I HAVE met her before) and while she is talking to Qban his cel phone rings & he just ANSWERS it....lol...how funny is THAT..Oh, excuse me Paula.
Aureana can see me right in front row during dress rehersals & she makes top 10 there and it was nice to be able to wave and show support in that moment as I don't think ANY other Hawaii people were there..and when leaving she called out to me & waved..very nice.
Tiki Java enjoys lunch with the gang at a sandwich shop inside PH and we are joined in line by the Diva walking coach of Mis USA..you have seen the pics.
Final Show...ten thousand family members of Miss Hawaii have gathered in her mom's hotel room for prayer and ti leaf distribution. Tiki Java is suffocated and freaking out that he won't met his party & get his tickets so he grabs some greenery and leaves early.
THE SHOW: Hawaii committee sitting in row between some Kentucky folks in front & California folks behind. Top 15 are called....like, ok, what just happened? Did that just happen? I think we weren't angry or whatver, just more in a state of shock almost. As I always say, "You Never Know."
Overall, I think it's adecent top 15..I would have tweaked it slightly, but it was good. Tiki Java thinks the hostess, who was bad at rehersals, is even WORSE during the broadcast....you are fired. Tiki Java doesn't not understand how WV advanced beyond the swimsuit round, but thinks the final night judges are doing a rather good job. Tiki Java hopes the state directors aren't down in the orchestra section slitting their wrists.
The show passes by very quickly and sort of surrealy. Like many, I was JOLTED awake by California's answer and I won't go into great detail except to say for me, and I feel for many gay people involved with the pageant, it was a Stonewall or transformational moment..kind of a "I'm mad as hell & I won't take it anymore" moment. We had been cheering for California up until that point, but I threw down my ti leaves and said "F**k this s**t...if she wins with THAT answer, I have to LEAVE this organization." (Yeah, I actually did say that). Watching back her answer now, it wasn't nearly as hateful, but that was a profound moment where Tiki Java decided to stop being "nice" about this issue. You can no longer tell Tiki Java in an interview that you love black people & that some of your best friends are blac, but because you are a Christian you do feel it's Biblically correct to have them as slaves." and not expect him to whack you up upside the head and tell you you're offensive. Enough about that.
Somebody won....from somewhere. And we desseminated to the lobby and had a brief gathering & song fest...oddly Aureana & the directors seemed fine (or was it all a show?)...time will tell. Tiki Java went to dinner with some of the Hawaii committee people who had just arrived and he had not had time to spend with yet. Tiki went to Heart Bar one last time & met MORE people and wished he did not have to go back to his Imperial Palace to pack for his morning departure...:(
FINAL THOUGHTS:
North Carolina was great, beautiful, lovely..she will be a great Miss U.S.A. And everyone thought she was "too teen"...what the heck do WE know??
Tiki Java will attend again in future, but probably only come forthe final 2 or 3 days. Miss U.S.A. really isn't very "fan friendly" as the prelims are a full week ahead of finals & you really can't "do" anyhting in between...not like when rehersals used to be open to state people. That was the most exciting part to me in the past..hanging out at the rehersals. So, I expect I'll just attend the finals & a few days before.
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