Sunday night and the Copernicus Theatre is full of Romanians who’ve come in droves to the Second Annual Miss Romania USA Pageant, “the premier event in the Romanian community.” Eleven girls line the stage, each more beautiful than the next (if you’re sitting too far to see their faces), and each with a name that ends in ‘A.’ Romanian TV personality Dan Negru co-hosts with Chicago-based Romanian actress Ligia Florescu, who wears a plunging red silk number and a permanent smile. The twosome delivers in Romanian despite a mixed crowd, but seems well received by the boisterous audience, mostly metrosexual males in their mid-twenties. They cat call and cheer, rising frequently to refill their drinks at the bar in the lobby, as the girls compete in four categories—casual wear, swimwear, evening gowns and talent (an awe-inspiring display including cheerleading, reading aloud and hip-shaking sexy dances)—with the lofty dream of being crowned Miss Romanian USA 2008. “The pageant is a festival of beauty…a platform for the growth and inspiration of young Romanian American woman,” says the coordinating organization, who anticipate one million viewers tuning in to watch on Antenna 1, the Romanian cable network. It‘s tough to pick a winner, and even tougher because the judges don’t speak Romanian. While they deliberate, 17- year-old Romanian singer Ruxie gives a forty-five-minute concert, with brutal Eastern-European renditions of “Hotel California” and “Ain‘t No Sunshine.” Luckily, the audience is too drunk to notice. Finally, in an under-whelming crowning ceremony, Adela Fuela is named Miss Romania 2008. The techno resumes. (Reilly Nelson)
