Las Vegas Weekly

May 16, 2010 · 10:39 AM

Only hours remain to crowning of 2010 Miss USA Pageant winner

By Robin Leach

2009 Miss Teen USA Stormi Henley, 2009 Miss USA Kristen Dalton and 2009 Miss Universe Stefania Fernandez on May 15, 2010.

Photo: Tom Donoghue/www.donoghuephotography.com

“It’s the most competitive pageant we’ve ever had -- it will be our best ever.” That’s how Miss USA President Paula Shugart described today’s NBC telecast from Planet Hollywood when I talked with her in an exclusive one-on-one interview yesterday.

She told me: “When owner Donald Trump saw the run-through with me this morning, he simply said, ‘Excellent -- this is the greatest.” The rehearsals have been wonderful, and the show will be amazing.”

I asked Paula how Miss Nebraska Belinda Wright was coping with the tragic and unexpected death of her father last weekend.

“We flew her back to be with her family,” she told me. “Then after they all talked, we flew the entire family back here to Las Vegas. They will all attend the show. They decided that this is what her father would have wanted her to do. It is her dream.

“She has been a real trooper. Now she has her family with her, and all the girls are joining them in rooting for her. She has been an absolute model of strength, compassion and composure. They will hold the service back home directly after the pageant.”

Paula also told me that tonight’s winner will debut to America by reading David Letterman’s Top 10 countdown on his show Tuesday night in New York. “He’s been having a lot of fun with the sexy photo shoot, so it will be perfect.

“When the photos were released on Monday, I expected some reaction, but nowhere near as huge as it became around the world. It actually got more coverage than the Gulf oil spill, and we had calls from around the globe about them.

“Yes, there was some initial negative reaction from the expected challenges. But the overwhelming response was positive and has now wound up 100 percent in our favor. The main thing was that the contestants themselves all loved the final results, and they’ve all gained fantastic photos for their modeling portfolios. I assure you nobody from the national or state pageant officials needed to be reassured about what was going on.”

Paula laughed when I asked her about this year’s hopefuls getting taller and taller. “I’m 5-foot-2, so I know how difficult it is to command attention in a room. But we have girls an entire foot taller than me, and they really stand out as striking. But the judges won’t just zero in on them because of their height. They will be looking for the overall package. She must be a young woman who is complete in every way inside and out.”

MISS NEVADA USA JULIANNA ERDESZ

I also checked in with our Miss Nevada USA Julianna Erdesz to see how two weeks of playing hostess to the 50 visitors had left her in the final hours before curtain call.

Julianna told me: “ I feel great. I never felt so much at peace as I have right now leading up to the show. I feel I have portrayed myself properly, and my presentations have gone very well. It has been a fabulous two-week experience both in and out of competition.”

She told me that for many of the contestants, it was their first visit to Las Vegas: “It has been fun to play host girl. I have been asked a hundred different questions about living here. Every one of them has asked me about life in Las Vegas.”

Julianna also told me the reaction to her sexy photo has been positive. “I love them and am proud of my photo. I didn’t get at all nervous shooting it, and I think it was an opportunity to do something more with my career. It turned out to be very artistic and not at all scandalous. We were given options, and we all knew we wouldn’t be compromised, so it was what we felt natural and comfortable during the shoot.

“Everybody will see them in the show. Along with the swimsuits, it will all dazzle. It will be a great show -- the best yet -- and it’s all awesome. To be really honest, the most stress for me hasn’t even been the photos or the swimsuit parade. It’s been getting the dance movements down properly and making sure I don’t fall down the stairs in the high heels and the evening gown.

“ We’re all far more nervous about that than anything else.”

Real estate mogul Donald Trump isn’t nervous about any of it. He gave a double thumbs-up to final rehearsals yesterday and then took off with his wife Melania and family and friends to watch Cirque du Soleil’s Love at The Mirage.

In one of her final official duties, Miss USA Kristen Dalton last night hosted a meet-and-greet for Harrah’s VIP guests with Miss Universe and Miss Teen USA. Donald owns all three pageants. We posted an interview with Kristen yesterday.

The Miss USA Pageant begins at 4 p.m. PT today for the 7 p.m. primetime telecast on the East Coast and airs tape delayed at 7 p.m. PT. Joan Rivers and Melissa Rivers, Boys Like Girls and Trace Adkins are among the stars appearing on the show.

We’ll begin tweeting and then blogging about 3:30 p.m. right here at Vegas DeLuxe. Then at 6:15 p.m., moments after the new Miss USA is crowned, we’ll have photographs of the regal moment.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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