Tag Archives: models

Hoorah for Model Erika Macke of “Models of the Runway”

“Models of the Runway”   5’10”  model Erika Macke is a red-haired beauty that lived in Las Vegas during her younger years before moving with her family to Los Angeles. In fact, she got her first modeling job from the Las Vegas Review-Journal newspaper at age 17. ErikaMacke

Paired with designer Qristyl Frazier for the challenge to create a pregnancy chic look for Rebecca Romijn, Macke was also a star athlete with many trophies to show for it, and she took her winning streak through the third episode of “Runway,” before deciding that doing a national commercial and earning her SAG card – always one of her goals – was the best course of action to take rather than continuing in the catwalk competition– much to the chagrin of Heidi Klum, Macke’s lifelong idol. 

Las Vegas Backstage Access congratulates Ericka and extends our wishes for a bright future.

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Las Vegan Alicia Taylor Poses Nude in Playboy’s May Edition

Playboy’s May edition will include Las Vegas native Alicia Taylor,37,  in their “Women of Wall Street” spread on page 40, curled up next to an Investor’s Business Daily and a pillow.aliciataylor

The Rancho High School homecoming queen and UNLV business management graduate is also in the running for the new Bravo TV series, “Real Housewives of Las Vegas.” 

Taylor, a self-made multimillionarie, married her high school sweetheart and has worked in the lending and finance industry for almost 20 years, founding Mortgage Solutions LLC in 2004.

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Out with Miss America, In with Miss USA

No sooner than Miss America pageant contestants sashayed in and out of Las Vegas, then 51 Miss USA contestants strutted in to take their place at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.  On April 4 at 6 p.m. all the Miss USA contestants will have their first official welcoming ceremony, with the public invited to come out and meet, greet and photograph the bevy of beauties outside the resort on Las Vegas Boulevard plaza, 3667 Las Vegas Boulevard South. 

The iconic Donald Trump-owned Miss USA® Pageant returns for its second year to Las Vegas and the Theatre for the Performing Arts at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.

Representing Miss Nevada USA will be Georgina Vaughan, who will have a brief four-mile drive from her home in georgiavaugnSummerlin to the festivities.   The local 20-year-old blonde beauty plans to wear a bikini from Jessica Simpson’s swimsuit line for that part of the competition and promises that she’s also going to take a risk with her evening gown competition as well.

“It’s definitely going to be something spectacular and different. I want to be a trendsetter because that’s what Nevada is all about in the first place. It’s going to have a real sparkle to it, but nobody will see it until the actual moment I walk in it for the competition.”

Rounding out the Las Vegas welcoming committee entourage will be Crystal Stewart, 2008 Miss USA®; Thomas McCartney, president and CEO of Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino; Lawrence Weekly, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority Board of Director and Clark County Commissioner; and other dignitaries.  KLUC’s Chet Buchanan will be onsite as the local emcee.

If the mass meet and greet is just too bland for you, might want to consider attending the Sunday, April 5 pajama brunch at Simon at Palms Place from noon to 2 p.m.  Twenty-six Miss USA contestants will be in their jammies eating anything yummy.    Then that evening the high metabolism blessed lovelies will pig out on pasta at Buca di Beppo in Las Vegas and be entertained by chef Michael Miyahara.

There is no word on whether Katie Rees, Miss Nevada USA 2007, who was stripped of her title after racy photos emerged of her kissing other women, will show up to kibitz with the new flock of beauties.

Also, no blog postings are being planned about having fun at Guantanamo Bay, as happened when Miss Universe Venezulean beaty queen Dayana Mendoza visited the detainee camp with Miss USA 2008 Crystal Stewart and posted her late-March bombshell entry.  It quickly vanished and was replaced by a statement from embarassed Paula M. Shugart, president of the Miss Universe organization.

The 2009 Miss USA® Pageant will air live on NBC on April 19, 2009.

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Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Models Prove Life Exists After Football

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit ModelsThe NFL football season is history.  But that doesn’t mean excitement needs to be put on hold. Oh my gosh, no.  The folks over at Sports Illustrated were creatively up to the challenge, responding by providing the ultimate in eye-popping candy when 19 swimsuit models arrived in stunning fashion at LAX nightclub in the Luxor Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on Thursday, February 12, to launch their new promotion for the much awaited 2009 Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition.  

The event marks the first time the Sports Illustrated swimsuit model team decided to make Las Vegas their destination promotion site.  Earlier in the week they were in New York.  The models arrived in grand style aboard “SI One,” a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700, which was completely wrapped in Sports Illustrated swimsuit imagery- something unique to no doubt soothe weary pilots’ eyes as they fly the airways.  This is also the first time that Southwest Airlines has wrapped a plane in virtually nose-to-tail imagery. sportsillusplane

Although the Sports Illustrated 46th swimsuit edition is now available on newsstands, Las Vegas Backstage Access thought you might want to see a quick teaser flash slideshow of the 19 models arriving on the red carpet at LAX. (please click on underlined words to view show; view their names by clicking on captions button in lower right).  Our professional photographers have assembled a quick exclusive glimpse of the beauties.  Included is cover girl Bar Refaeli (pictured in this article), the girlfriend of actor Leonardo DiCaprio, and Brooklyn Decker, fiancée to Andy Roddick.  Six-time Grammy award-winning recording artist John Legend performed at LAX for attendees. 

The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit franchise reaches more than 66 million satisfied adults annually in over 10 countries including China, Czech Republic, Greece, Mexico, Netherlands, Russia, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, and Taiwan.  

Approximately one in three Americans over the age of 18 “read” the Sports Illustrated swimsuit model edition.

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Sports Illustrated’s First Model Strip Preview

February is a month that offers something for everyone.  Historical celebrations, groundhogs in top hats, romance and roses, and if none of that appeals to you – how about the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue?  sportsillustrated

Since 1964 February has been the month when men wait by their mailboxes to peruse the latest high fashion poses from the world’s most beautiful women.  Models yearn for the opportunity to pose in Sports Illustrated as it traditionally provides their entry ticket into supermodel status.  To support the yearly launch, there’s been an HBO special, video’s and CD’s, a reality TV model search and countless calendars.  And to introduce the 2009 edition of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, now there’s a first ever personal appearance launch party planned.

Southwest Airlines will cover and wrap one of its Boeing 737-700 jets with art that celebrates the 2009 swimsuit edition.

And very early on February 12  they will fly between several and a half dozen of the magazine models from New York to Las Vegas for a series of opening events to be held in Las Vegas. 

Stop by later this week and read our Las Vegas Backstage Access blog for a list of the models and the local public celebrations that will kick-off the 2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition.

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