Categories added to Newport Beach Pageant

Lovely ladies of Newport Beach will gather on Aug. 29 for the third annual Newport Beach Pageant. A familiar face will emcee the event: Alexis Bellino, a local resident and star of the "Real Housewives of Orange County."

The pageant includes five categories, Miss Newport Beach Teen, Miss Newport Beach, Junior Miss Newport Beach, Little Miss Newport Beach and Mrs. Newport Beach. The last three are new additions to this year's pageant. The last category, Mrs. Newport Beach, allows married women between the ages of 25 and 45 to compete in the beauty pageant.

The pageant will take place on the yacht Endeavour in Newport Harbor.

Pageant-goers will have the opportunity to get some screen time. Bravo will be filming the pageant for a future episode of "Real Housewives of Orange County" and filmmaker Shari Bellafonte (daughter of Harry Bellafonte) will be filming the show for her documentary, "What Is Beauty?"

Besides the chance to get 15 minutes of fame, the ladies will be judged by a panel of familiar names in entertainment. Traci Bingham, best known for her role as Jordan Tate on Baywatch, will lend her opinions to the panel. If anyone watches reality TV, they might recognize Chelsea Adams of the Bravo show "Millionaire Matchmaker." Adams is used to judging women on their talents and appearance for her position as vice president of matching at the dating agency.

The pageant is also using the beauty competition as an opportunity to give back to those in need. Twenty percent of the proceeds from the event will go to Working Wardrobes, a Costa Mesa-based nonprofit, which provides professional attire to at-risk women and men.

For pageant tickets, go to http://newportbeachpageants.com/tickets.html.