By OSKAR GARCIA
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
LAS VEGAS -- A group of 53 Miss America contestants who took the stage Saturday in Las Vegas to woo a panel of judges has been narrowed to 15 finalists.
The 53 young women - who are from all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico - came out on stage at the beginning of the pageant and danced to "I Gotta Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas. Each then introduced themselves to the crowd at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino before the judges, the public and contestants themselves trimmed the field. The pageant caps a week of preliminary competition and will end with the crowning of a winner.
The public voted in Miss Oklahoma Taylor Treat, Miss Arkansas Sarah Slocum and Miss Kentucky Mallory Ervin.
The judges picked Miss Tennessee Stefanie Wittler,
Miss Colorado Katie Layman, Miss California Kristy Cavinder, Miss Indiana Nicole Pollard, Miss Hawaii Raeceen Woolford, Miss Louisiana Katherine Putnam, Miss District of Columbia Jennifer Corey, Miss New Mexico Nicole Miner, Miss Virginia Caressa Cameron, Miss Texas Kristen Blair and Miss Nebraska Brittany Jeffers. The contestants themselves then voted in Miss Oregon CC Barber.
Actor and "Extra" host Mario Lopez is hosting the 89-year-old pageant with help from Clinton Kelly of TLC's "What Not to Wear." The pageant is being broadcast live on TLC.
The panel of judges include radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh, actress Vivica Fox, musician Dave Koz, Miss America 2002 Katie Harman, gymnast Shawn Johnson and former "American Idol" finalist Brooke White. Comedian Paul Rodriguez was set to be a judge, but organizers said he pulled out because of a family emergency.
The winner, crowned by reigning Miss America Katie Stam, gets a $50,000 scholarship and embarks on a yearlong run with the title to represent the organization and raise awareness for her chosen platform.
Scores based on a week of preliminary competitions will be added to Saturday's swimsuit, talent, evening gown and interview competitions to determine a winner. Each judge will rank their five favorites in order, and their ballots will be used to pick the winner.
Miss Virginia Caressa Cameron, Miss California Kristy Cavinder and Miss Michigan Nicole Blaszczyk each won $2,000 this week for winning talent competitions among three split fields of contestants. Miss Oregon CC Barber, Miss New York Alyse Zwick and Miss Puerto Rico Mimi Pabon each won $1,000 in nightly swimsuit competitions.
Miss Oklahoma Taylor Treat won the $6,000 Quality of Life award, given to the contestant judged to excel most in volunteerism and community service.
In all, the Miss America Organization plans to award $340,000 in scholarships at the national level. The organization says its national, state and local chapters gave more than $45 million last year in cash and scholarships.
The pageant was preceded by a one-hour television special on TLC, "Miss America: Behind the Curtain." The contestants picked 12 women from their own ranks who faced a public vote for a spot among the 15 finalists. The result of that vote will be revealed Saturday night.
Stam, a Seymour, Ind., native, was one of four finalists chosen by viewers last year. This year, the public is choosing three finalists to move onto the swimsuit competition.
The crowning of a Miss America began in 1921 as a publicity stunt to persuade tourists on Atlantic City's Boardwalk to stick around after Labor Day. The bathing revue blossomed in the age of television into an American pop icon before fading in later years and losing it place on network TV in 2004. It moved to the Las Vegas Strip in 2006 in an attempt to reinvent itself and has found a home on cable television.
Hi Friends,
Katie Lucille Layman
Jessica has been teaching dance in Denver since 1993 and studying dance for over 20 years. During this time she has studied with some of the best in the industry, including Mia Michaels, Shane Sparks, Dave Scott, Brian Friedman, Michael Chambers and Sarah Schachterle, current choreographer for the Rockstarz. During high school, Jessica danced for two seasons on her school’s nationally ranked varsity pom pom team. Following graduation she danced for one season with the Colorado Rapids Cheerleaders and three seasons with the Denver Nuggets Dancers. During her time with the Nuggets, Jessica spent two seasons as the female lead in the Batman Stunt Show, fighting and falling off buildings! In 2007, she was crowned Mrs. Colorado International 2007 & is the current Mrs. Bear Creek. Through her work as Mrs. Colorado International, Jessica became an ambassador for St. Jude Children’s Hospital. To further her work and enable other title winners to make the most of their title, Jessica founded a charity networking organization called “The Queen’s Angels” . In 2008 she created the community organization “Project 21; After School, For School”. Project 21 takes the Studio 21 message of “2 Parts Drive, 1 Part Dream” into schools and uses dance to teach life skills and goal setting.
Miss Jessica is the mother of two beautiful children, Devin - age 9 & Nicky - age 3. Both are dancing fools who will surely be seen in the studio! Jessica has a diverse background including dance performance & instruction, pageantry, fitness competition, personal training & choreography, as well as an associates degree in psychology. Studio 21 has been Jessica’s dream since she was a little girl, but it was her children that inspired her to create a studio that not only teaches dance technique, but also positive self talk and skills to succeed in life. As a dancer and a mother, she wanted to create a place for young dancers, former dancers and aspiring dancers of all ages.
Belles Performance Team Owner/Executive Director and Rocky Mountain Rollergirls Cheerleaders Director Cher Fox advances as a Top 3 finalist in the Ms. Planet Beach Gen-X International Spokesmodel search. After an online voting competition, the Top 5 went through tough telephone interviews October 30th, Fox was announced November 3rd as advancing to the Top 3. Tessa Heard, Mrs. North America Galaxy 09, and former Mrs. Midwest International, Mrs. Kansas International, Mrs. Kansas America, and Mrs. Missouri United States, and Jennifer Cabrera, a Florida Planet Beach Contempo Spa franchise owner, were also announced as advancing to the Top 3. 
Rita Case of the Belles Performance Team and Rocky Mountain Rollergirls Cheerleaders was crowned Ms. Planet Beach Colorado 2009 in August. She will be attending the International spokesmodel competition in November to compete for a $100,000 modeling contract and a Planet Beach Contempo Spa franchise plus many other amazing prizes. Rita is also a several time competitor in the Mrs. Colorado pageant.
Wishing Jessica of the Denver Nuggets Dancers the best of luck as she competes for the Miss Colorado USA 2009 crown in Loveland this weekend.
Congratulations to Belles Performance Team Owner/Executive Director and Rocky Mountain Rollergirls Cheerleaders Director Cher Fox on making the FINAL FIVE for the Ms. Planet Beach Gen X competition! She will now have an opportunity to be interviewed through a webinar via the world-wide web during the month of October, then visit the World Finals for Ms. Planet Beach International where the Ms. Gen X will be crowned! Keep in mind, this lucky lady could be CHER walking away with a $12,000 cash modeling contract and a waived $30,000 franchise license fee!
