HERE IT IS!

Live Interview with MSNBC's Thomas Roberts



This was an incredible opportunity, and I am so grateful to Thomas Roberts for the opportunity to share my message with the national audience.  Thomas found some news articles and brief interviews of me from the Hamptons Empire State Pride Agenda event and tracked me down.  Jackie Holmes came with me to Rockefeller Center where we took excited pictures in the green room, told our story of Miss Manhattan/Miss NY relationship to the hair and makeup people (who loved it!), and headed home in the car service that awaited outside the studio.  So many have asked, so here's the answer:  Yes, the interview was LIVE and no, I did not know the questions ahead of time.  I was definitely nervous, but I was really excited to be able to squeeze in "Miss America, broadcast live on ABC on January 15 from the Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas!"  I hope this brings as much press and support to the Miss America Organization as it does to my message because without MAO, I would not have such an amazing vessel to promote my platform.

Plum TV

Here's the video from Plum TV from the Empire State Pride Agenda Hamptons Tea Dance

Please excuse the nasty wind and rain!

Click to view on plumtv.com

Smile!!

(side note: I had to consult my calendar to see what I did this week because my brain is a little fried -- and it's only Thursday.)

Monday we had a really productive board meeting - so many great ideas in this group.  I can't wait for them to come to fruition.  Tuesday was the big day though - Miss America headshots with Joseph Moran!!  I shot with Joseph a year and a half ago for Miss Jubilee and thought those were good...but this time around -- woah!  I'm soooo thrilled with the pictures, and man did he make it a HARD decision.  From 469, I took it to 111.  Then Leigh-Taylor and I took it to 23 - 23 to 5, which grew to 7, then narrowed to 3, then 2 and everyone was stuck. Yeah, you get the point.  Below are some of the favorite proofs - these haven't been touched AT ALL. That's how fantastic Joseph is...well, in my opinion.  Tamara did an amazing job on makeup.

You'll have to wait for the official Miss America release to see the real one though!  And a few other surprises :)  After our shoot, I ran into the hallway a few minutes late to do a phone interview with Gay.com, set up by Jackie Holmes, affectionately referred to as my publicist.  I'll keep you updated for when that article comes out.  (Check the press page - a few new things have been added)

Today, I shot a commercial for custom airbrush tanning for Beach Bum Tanning.  They have been a sponsor of mine for the past two years and will be joining Miss New York as a state sponsor!  Details to come.

Here's the big news!  TOMORROW, Friday July 30 on MSNBC 2:30 EST - I'm interviewing with Thomas Roberts (formerly from CNN Headline News)  I'm really excited for my first national television interview - and it's live!  Neatest thing is that they did not even receive the press release - they found me...they found my platform.  Set your DVR!

4 states in 6 days.

Whew! 4 states in 6 days and I'm back. Last week I flew down (first class free baggage) with our airline sponsor AirTran to spend a few days with Faith Ossmann, Miss NY board member and visit Dr. Goldstein for my first dental consult. Faith and I were such computer nerds, sitting side by side on our matching MacBook Pros working on the website and business card ideas. Her family is delightful and I can’t wait for another trip. I'll be heading back soon for my Invisalign impressions.

at the dentist - nice, right? thanks, Faith.

 First class - doing Miss A paperwork & ads

From Atlanta, I flew to Indianapolis and immediately got to see my brother and his fiancé's house and new nursery for their son Logan, who is coming any day! They were not at Miss New York, so it was exciting to see them and leave Logan an autograph card from Aunt Claire to introduce myself. :) After lunch with my younger sister Hannah and mom, they dropped me off for Katie and Brian's wedding rehearsal. It was quite a reunion and exciting to share in my new excitement, but this weekend was about Katie and Brian, not a crown - as it has been for them so much of the past year and a half. (for new readers or those who don't know me very well, Katie=Katie Stam, Miss America 2009) The wedding on Friday was absolutely gorgeous and only described with perfection. Some may think that Miss America's wedding would be luxurious, dripping with crystals and bedazzled everything from decor to the dress to the cake, etc. Katie's was so natural, minimal and personally unique - yet magnificent nonetheless. Miss CA, VT, DC and HI from the Miss America Class of ’08 were in attendance, and, well, let’s just say made quite a statement!!! This was seriously the MOST fun I have ever had at a wedding and I was so honored to be a part of their wedding. It was so great to be back with my friends for such a special weekend. Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Irk!!

Can't show you any of the real pics until they are released!

Then it was to Columbus, OH for a family friend's wedding and back home in the AM for a flight full of Miss America paperwork, a day's work, and back to paperwork.

an activist.

p.s. anybody who calls him/herself an activist and doesn't inspire nasty letters to the editor is either playing it too safe or is completely ineffective. so congratulations!

Back to the conversation starters...

My blog over the past two years has been as much of a learning and support tool and advocacy resource as a “who what when where” journal. I'd like to keep it that way.

So here we go with a few interesting stories and videos:

Will Phillips made headlines when he refused to say the Pledge of Allegiance because he doesn't think we have equality for ALL. He's right. And GLAAD recognized him this year with an award for which he gave this acceptance speech. This kid is brilliant. What did you stand up for today?



____________________

It's been rumored that some Hollywood couples, Brad and Angelina for example, have vowed to not marry until we have marriage equality. Whether I believe it with the Jolie-Pitts or not, I believe it and respect it with Manhattan borough president Scott Stringer who has proposed to his fiancé and will marry in Connecticut rather than his home state of New York as a statement. It’s quite a courageous statement, but it’s not a stunt for votes; it’s his marriage. “I don’t view this as a politically courageous act,” Mr. Stringer said. “This is something we are going to do personally that we will have with us for the rest of our lives.”

Read the article HERE

10 in 7.

10 appearances or Miss New York related events/meetings in the past 7 days! I can't blog about and describe in detail every event I do, but I do take photos at most and post them to my photo gallery. I'll do my best to highlight the variety of opportunities I have as MNY. Saturday was a HOT one, but we all got through that to do two events in Brooklyn, we = Miss Greater NYC Keelie, Miss Jubilee Inga (although she was Miss SENY for the day), and Miss Catskills International Felicia. The School of the Future is a place for intergenerational life-long learning.

Were you here today as a teacher or student?

• Both! That’s what SotF encourages. And in our self-expression class, by challenging others to discover what makes them unique, it opens introspection for me as well.

And the puppies at the Sean Casey Animal Rescue were pretty cute too!

More photos in my Photo Gallery > July Events

Appearances begin!

Saturday kicked off my appearances as Miss New York in a big way. First appearance: The Hamptons Tea Dance for the Empire State Pride Agenda. Sounds picturesque, right? Through a torrential downpour, Kenny, Judy and I drove out to East Hampton on a disgustingly rainy day. By the time we got there, there were more rainbows than just the flags - rain kind of held off long enough for us to make a number of promising connections in the LGBT community for sponsors and partners, meet a Housewife, a drag queen, a congresswoman and a Bravo! producer, and take a few minutes to talk to Next Magazine and PlumTV repeating over and over "Miss America January 15th live on ABC!"

More photos in my Photo Gallery > July Events

Sunday, I switched things up and did a Pirates and Princesses cruise with Miss Brooklyn, Mallory Hagan. Monday it was off to Representative Jerry Nadler's summer soirée where I definitely recruited two new MNY contestants, right Elyse and Kim? Tuesday I met with the new fitness sponsor of MNY, Justin Popovics, owner of Built to Win, at David Barton Gym at Astor Place. I took my two weeks off (much needed) and now it's back to the grind! Back at the apartment, I spent the evening with Linda Carbo and MNYOT Alison Stroming via video chat and chose her contestant number for MAOT while doing interview shopping and paperwork at the same time...multi-tasking!! And up to date, I am currently on the train on the way home from a house meeting with Advocates for Youth, with whom I am very excited to become more involved.

More photos in my Photo Gallery > July Events

Whew! So thats why I haven't put up a blog until now, but I hope you'll forgive me! We needed some time to get the ball rolling; before we know it, we are going to be chasing it, it's rolling so fast! Off to JUMP dance convention with Ali tomorrow to take class and meet some choreographers...  :)

BIG INTERVIEW:  The Advocate - This was my first big interview with LGBT news and it has been very well received thus far!

Setting the foundation...

Hello!! It’s finally here – the first real blog. So what I have I been up to the past 2 ½ weeks? A. LOT. Through multiple meetings and an overwhelming amount of emails, we have set a great foundation for an incredible year. I am so excited to work with this group of volunteers and directors – their enthusiasm is inspiring and contagious. I want to introduce a few new people. The brains, the heart and the fun are still in tact – Paul Brown is Director of Operations, Linda Carbo is the ED of the Teens, but will drive me anywhere and accompany me everywhere I ask her to, and Kenny Mack is off to an exciting start as Executive Director with a lot of plans to grow this organization. Diane Del Priore leads the back end of my appearances and has been a great teacher for Judy Bolton, the new front end co-business manager. Judy dove in head first, getting me appearances varying from photo-ops in the Hamptons with the Real Housewives to ringing in the Nasdaq closing bell. Art Hunsinger is going to keep me busy in Albany, hopefully with some great media opportunities to announce soon. And I’m counting on all of you to keep MNY fresh in your mind with appearances and public speaking opportunities in your local communities.  And my favorite, Faith, will keep you updated on all things website AND book all my flights :)

Now, Jackie Homes. Let me explain this one to you. Jackie is new to the MNY system this year, but not to pageants. She is dedicated to this organization, what it does for women and their communities. She has graciously stepped forward and offered her services as a PR director to get the message out there about the Miss New York Organization as well as my platform, my goals and me for the year. Let’s be totally frank here. Jackie beat me in Miss Manhattan; in fact, I didn’t place in that pageant. Then fast forward four months and she becomes on of my favorite people who I have met in Miss NY as we spent the week together which culminated in my win and her Top Ten placement. She beat me; I beat her. Yet, within days, she was volunteering her expertise. What does this say to you? It says a whole lot to me. Miss America provides scholarships for young women, but even more life-changing, it creates a breeding ground for amazing friendships and relationships that go far beyond the stage.


Here is some of the press that was released before Jackie jumped on board...

All Over Albany - June 28, 2010
Washington City Paper - June 28, 2010  (submitted by Miss DC 2009, Jen Corey)
Indianapolis Star - July 7, 2010

Recap of Miss New York

Taken straight from my Miss Southeast New York blog, here is a recap of the Miss New York week.

Saturday/Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday

Saturday Night Crowning Moment Blog  |  PHOTO GALLERY

Excited to share my first two weeks with you soon!
:) Claire