Pageant hopefuls show their shoes

It was the renewal, after a five-year break, of the "Show Us You Shoes" parade, with a distinct dash of Las Vegas pizazz.

Greeted by several thousand spirited supporters, the contestants sashayed around a replica of the Arc de Triomphe outside the Paris Las Vegas resort.

Some wore extravagant costumes as props for the shoe showcase, which ran the gamut from high brow to low brow, and all in good fun.

Miss California Arianna Asfar dressed as a fur-draped Marilyn Monroe. She carried a shoe featuring the Hollywood sign.

Miss Montana Kacie West was costumed as a fly fisherman, complete with a faux trophy trout show. Miss Iowa Pauli Mayfield went with a farm girl look while Miss New York Claire Buffie channelled her inner "crazy" New York tourist, with a Broadway Playbill shoe.

Nevada, the Silver State, was represented by Cris Crotz, who carried a silver shoe and came as a showgirl crowned with a headdress.

Miss Utah Christina Lowe stood out as a giant snowflake, and had to put up with the predictable avalanche jokes.

When I caught up with Miss Arkansas Alyse Eady after her appearance, she was barefoot and hanging out with her family. In one hand, she held her black stilettos heels. In the other hand, a glitzy red Razorback hoghead shoe.

"My feet are killing me," said Eady, whose mother was at her side in a wheelchair.

Asked to name the highlight of her week, "pizza!" she exclaimed. "They gave us pizza for lunch today."

Miss New Jersey Ashleigh Udalovas was a saucy number in her couture tomato costume to honor her state's reputation for tomatoes.

Miss Massachusetts Loren Rabinowitz dressed as a Puritan accessorized with a turkey shoe.

Rabinowitz's story stood out as one of the most compelling of the week: Her grandparents survived the Holocaust; her grandmother escaped by leaping off a train on the way to a death camp.

Rabinowitz, a relative of legendary composer Leonard Bernstein, could make history as the first Jewish winner of Miss America since 1945 when Bess Myerson became the first. She's a classic pianist.

The pageant starts at 6 p.m. tonight at Planet Hollywood's 7,000-seat Theater for the Performing Arts, but airs at 9 p.m. on ABC (KTNV-TV, Channel 13, with a West Coast tape delay.)

SIGHTINGS

Former "Dancing With the Stars" co-host Brooke Burke, Miss America Pageant co-host with Chris Harrison of "The Bachelor," having a late breakfast with husband David Charvet at Planet Dailies (Planet Hollywood Resort) on Friday.

THE PUNCH LINE

"Ted Williams, the homeless man with the golden voice, has gone from being homeless to being famous, and now to rehab. So you know what's next: "Dancing With the Stars." -- Jay Leno

Norm Clarke can be reached at (702) 383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find additional sightings and more online at www.normclarke.com.