Naturally. ;o) 
Posted on 01/21/2006 7:21:42 PM PST by ConservativeStatement
Pennsylvania and Washington D.C. cracked the top ten tonight and the rest were from southern states.
Actually, I was at all 3 preliminary nights this week (my firm did the scoring duties--no, I personally wasn't the one doing it I just got tickets). Miss New York was incredibly beautiful. In fact, in my opinion, she should have won the swimsuit competition on Thursday night! Miss Texas, while not the strongest contestant, was did a superb job during the talent competition with her singing. But Miss Oklahoma was totally solid all week--I think anyone who was there would agree that she was at the top of the field. I personally was rooting for Miss Utah--who looked incredible in her swimsuit (see post #50--which is why she won) and sang beautifully, but I was also very impressed by Miss Oklahoma.
The next comments are not directed at you but rather the people who have made other distasteful comments suggesting these women are prissy, high-maintenance and/or stupid. That is so far from the truth it's scary! As a woman, I was so stunned at how bright, poised and BRAVE these girls are. They were all very well-spoken given the pressure situation they were placed in. I can't even imagine having to answer a question I didn't know in advance in front of thousands of people, strutting my half-naked body in front of strangers who are all judging how "hot" I look and trying to perform a talent without making a single mistake.
You can say what you want about how screwed up the Miss America pageant is, but these girls are anything but empty smiles.
And I can attest that from what I saw, the pageant does a pretty good job at picking a variety of judges from different backgrounds. The judges people saw tonight (i.e. the celebrities) were not the judges they used in the preliminaries.
?
Naturally. ;o)
Miss America was today? Wow, has THAT thing ever become totally irrelevant.
They were going to make it into a reality show. I would have preferred that. Sounds more exciting.
It's a port wine stain of Pearl Bailey.
Wouldn't that be a riot - and a refreshing change - instead of those canned sugary-sweet answers.
Did I hear the host correctly when midway through the final 10, and after Oklahoma was selected, he said "All the finalists so far are from the East"? South Carolina, Virginia, and DC were among the others selected at that time.
See post #83--she's not just looks.
I think he said "east of the rockies"...I could have heard it wrong.
Just damn, that's funny.
When the pageant left Atlantic City it left a lot behind: the parade, the magnificent Boardwalk Hall, the runway, the next-morning swim by the winner. These things gave it an eccentricity and a charm. But truth to tell it's just been another TV show for years. AC's turning into a beachfront ghetto (now a diamond-studded beachfront ghetto) dimmed its aura. Getting rid of the live orchestra didn't help. Not having a Bert Parks doesn't either. This year's emcee, whoever he is, looks like
a butler; I understand he wouldn't even sing The Song (you know, "There She Is"). It originated from a second-tier casino that has gone through bankruptcy. It aired on a second-string cable network. It was cobbled together by utterly clueless people. This was an absolute mess.
I'd be very surprised if this event got anywhere near the audience of its last year on network television. The Miss America Organization is a high-overhead affair, and lost $1.7 million last year without a broadcast sugar daddy. If it keeps up the way it is I say it goes broke in several years.
Incidentally, if anyone watching noticed, how did the organizers rewrite The Song? Or didn't anyone sing it?
The song wasn't sung live but it the song was played as Miss OK took the crown.
Oh, and just for the record, the Aladdin's bankruptcy occurred under the old ownership, not the current ownership.
VB:
Most are just having fun with the stereotype. When you can't poke fun at beauty contestants, what's left to poke fun at?
And I meant nothing personal towards this year's Miss New York. I'm talking about 35-40 years ago when I actually took such things seriously. Plastic surgery was in its infacy then.
I do take a bit of exception to the word "brave", particularly in all caps. Asking these woman, many who have been competing in these sort of competitions for years (remember JonBenet Ramsey?), to smile, wave, walk around in swimsuits, answer a question and sing a tune isn't my idea of bravery. When I see the many men *and* women who have risked their lives in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Iraq for our country, that's what I call brave. There are no roadside bombers in Vegas.
Respectfully,
I am female and have never found anything higher than a 1" heal comfortable. Now that I am well past the swimsuit competition age, I dress for comfort: muu muus and fuzzy slippers.
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