New Miss America is OK

Literally.
The former Miss Oklahoma, Lauren Nelson, is the new Miss America. Miss Oklahoma came across as sweet, polite, kind -- and a little bit boring -- making the judges' decision seem a little more safe and conservative than I was expecting from folks like Debbie Allen and Michael Feinstein and Nigel Barker. Oh, well.

The new Miss America is 20 and she attends the University of Central Oklahoma where she is studying Musical Theater. Her platform issue is Internet Safety for Kids. For talent, she performed the song "You'll Be in My Heart."

Finally, in case you haven't already heard this or didn't already know this, Lauren becomes the second Miss Oklahoma in a row to win the Miss America title. The last time this happened was way back in 1960 when Lynda Mead was crowned by Mary Ann Mobley -- back-to-back winners from Mississippi.

Go, Amanda!

Here's hoping we get to see all of this tonight live on CMT at 8pm! Best of luck! We love you in Georgia regardless of the outcome.

California and Pennsylvania

Well, the preliminaries are over and, according to sources in Vegas, the judges have the pageant-goers scratching their heads in wonder about who will actually make the Top 10 on Monday night.

Preliminary #3 saw Miss California, Jacquelynne Fontaine, take the Talent prize. Jacque's talent has been much lauded in pageant circles and that proved to be true as she won her group despite being the first to perform. Her talent is a classical aria, "Vissi D'Arte" from Puccini's Tosca. In real life, Jacque is a graduate of California Lutheran University who is currently working on a Master's in Vocal Arts at the University of Southern California.





The swimsuit win for Miss Pennsylvania, Emily Wills, seems to verify that this particular panel of judges favors thin and toned (despite the fact that in their pre-pageant press conference they stated that they thought Miss America should have "curves"). Emily is a psychology major at Penn State who also attended Beaver Area High School (and that makes me laugh).






So...what does this all mean? Well, it's hard to tell. It might mean that the judges really like the six young women on whom they have bestowed laurels. Or, like some years, it might mean absolutely nothing and only a few of the preliminary winners will end up in the Top 10. After looking at a picture of the six all together after last night's final preliminary, I'm leaning toward the latter.

Nebraska and Hawaii

The second round of preliminaries are over and the judges have singled out Miss Nebraska as the Swimsuit Winner from the Mu Group and Miss Hawaii as the Talent Winner from the Sigma Group.

Miss Nebraska, Molly McGrath, is a graduate of New York University who is currently studying Economics in graduate school at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. For many pageant veterans, Molly's win was a surprising one -- the surprise, however, comes from her unorthodox choice of a skirted swimsuit as opposed to any real quibbles about her physical fitness. Molly will perform a jazz dance to "She Moves" in tonight's final preliminary round.




Miss Hawaii, Pilialoha Gaison, was honored tonight for her Tahitian Dance entitled "Te Vaka." Having seen Pili perform her talent on the videotape of the Miss Hawaii Pageant, I must say that she really knows how to move! While it's surprising for a talent like this to take the top prize over countless singers, I am certain she was entertaining and had audience appeal. When she is not dancing, Pili attends Hawaii Pacific University and studies Business Management.

Oklahoma and Texas

Preliminary winners for the first night of competition in Las Vegas have been announced.

The Swimsuit Competition among the Sigma Group was won by Miss Oklahoma, Lauren Nelson.

The Talent Competition among the Alpha Group was won by Miss Texas, Shilah Phillips, who sang the Whitney Houston ballad, "I Believe in You and Me."

Traditionally, the winners in the other areas of competition are not announced so as to insure some measure of surprise when the Top 10 are announced.

Tonight, the Mu Group competes in Swimsuit and Evening Gown and the Sigma Group competes in Talent.

Miss America Month -- Sigma Group

The Sigma Group competes in Swimsuit and Evening Wear on Thursday (tonight!), Talent on Friday, and On-Stage Question on Saturday.

Miss Maine, Karissa Staples
Look -- I think that Miss Maine is cute as a button. I'm concerned that she's here too soon: she won Miss Maine only weeks after graduating from high school! (I also LOVE that she's singing "Take Me or Leave Me" from Rent for her talent!)
Miss New York, Bethlene Pancoast
Apparently Bethlene can tap dance like there's no tomorrow.
Miss North Dakota, Annette Olson
Annette Olson. One heck of an appropriate name for Miss North Dakota, dontcha know?
Miss Iowa, Emily Nicholas
Miss Iowa is the little sister of Miss Iowa 2004, Carolyn Nicholas.
Miss Arizona, Hilary Griffith
Hilary shares a very personal story with her platform issue -- Rape Awareness and Recovery.
Miss Hawaii, Pilialoha Gaison
I saw a videotape of the Miss Hawaii Pageant and Pili can really shake her hula skirt. Interestingly, Miss Hawaii has a connection to Georgia: she was born in Atlanta while her father was playing professional football with the Atlanta Falcons.
Miss Oregon, Donilee McGinnis
Aw, gee, Donilee! Let's put on a show!
Miss New Hampshire, Emily Hughes
Emily is an attractive tap dancer from the Granite State.
Miss West Virgnia, Tiffany Lawrence
When I first saw pictures of Tiffany, I thought she looked a bit like a young Katie Couric.
Miss Arkansas, Amber Bennett
Amber:Arkansas::Annette:North Dakota. Actually, I think Amber is very attractive and I loved her folksy charm (riding a tractor!) in her CMT video. I know nothing about her talent; I just think she's pretty.
Miss Michigan, Angela Corsi
I saw Angela compete at the National Sweetheart Pageant a few years ago (she made the Top 5). She is an entertaining dancer and just as cute as she can be.
Miss Missouri, Sarah French
I really like Sarah! She seemed charming in her interview (and several of my friends who are not pageant-savvy always point to her headshot when they are making their predictions).
Miss Rhode Island, Allison Rogers
Allison graduated from Harvard. I visited Harvard this past summer. (Do you remember Miss Rhode Island and her trained birds from Seinfeld's visit to Atlantic City?)
Miss New Jersey, Georgine DiMaria
I also saw Georgine compete at the National Sweetheart Pageant. She did not make the Top 5, but I have her autograph somewhere in box. She is from Lodi.
Miss Alabama, Melinda Toole
Miss Alabama always does well at Miss America. Always. No exceptions. She could show up wearing a trash bag for an evening gown and blow bubbles for her talent and she would still get points.
Miss Oklahoma, Lauren Nelson
Miss Oklahoma also had one of my favorite interview segments on CMT -- and Miss Oklahoma is almost always prepared for the spotlight. The only downside for her is that Oklahoma won last year and the same state hasn't had repeat winners since 1960 when Lynda Mead of Natchez, Mississippi, was crowned by Mary Ann Mobley of Brandon, Mississippi.
Miss Idaho, Katherine Crouch
Urban Outfitters sells a funny Idaho t-shirt.
Miss South Carolina, Shelley Benthall
I watched Shelley win the Miss SC crown on the internet. She sings. Loud.

My favorites from the Sigma Group are as follows:
1. Missouri -- seems to be very consistent
2. Arkansas -- seems pretty and sweet and polite
3. Michigan -- lots of experience; very prepared
4. Oklahoma -- because her state also has 8 letters
5. Alabama -- because she's ALWAYS in the Top 10
and, my sentimental favorite,
6. Maine -- so cute!

Miss America Month -- Alpha Group

The Alpha Group will compete in Talent on Thursday, On-Stage Question on Friday, and Swimsuit and Evening Wear on Saturday.

Miss Kansas, Michelle Walthers
Every now and then, Kansas sends a real contender to the big dance (Pam McElvey and Tara Dawn Holland spring to mind). Michelle is performing one of my favorite musical theater songs, "Shy," from Once Upon a Mattress.
Miss Virginia, Adrianna Sgarlata
Adrianna is a much-hyped classical vocalist.
Miss Alaska, Stephanie Wonchala
It's been a long time since Miss Alaska made the Top Ten! Stephanie is a pianist and she appears to be quite cute. Who knows? She could be the pleasant surprise of the pageant.
Miss Ohio, Melanie Murphy
I watched Miss Ohio's "Latin" dance on the interweb. Miss Ohio is not Latin. (She is, however, a dancer for the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers.)
Miss Virgin Islands, Stacy Smith
No offense to Stacy (who I am sure is a nice young woman), but why is there a Miss Virgin Islands in this pageant? Her steel pan version of "Overjoyed" makes her the second contestant this year to bring a Stevie Wonder talent.
Miss Pennsylvania, Emily Wills
Both Emily and her sister tried many times to win the Miss PA title. Her efforts finally paid off last summer.
Miss North Carolina, Elizabeth Horton
I hope the judges are prepared for aria-fest '07 because "Lizzie" (as she likes to be called) is also a classical vocalist. She'll be performing one of my favorite pageant-opera talents -- "Juliet's Waltz (Ah! Je Veux Vivre)" from Romeo and Juliet.
Miss Colorado, Janie Allen
Janie appears to be very prepared to make an impression. She is apparently an accomplished pianist -- and her personal weight loss story is sure to interest the judges.
Miss Montana, Christie Hageman
Miss Montana left her home state to study voice at a college in Texas. Then she came back home to Big Sky Country to take the state crown. Cool.
Miss Wyoming, Jenileigh Sawatzke
Um...Jenileigh performs an aerial silk routine -- like in the circus. She's going to wrap herself up in fabric suspended above the stage and then twist and twirl her way back to the ground. The only way you'll get to see this on television is if she makes the Top 5.
Miss Indiana, Betsy Uschkrat
Miss Indiana is really from Texas (where she made the Top 10 a few times in the Miss Texas Pageant). She is in Indiana studying voice because, you guessed it, she's a classical vocalist. Her aria of choice is "Musetta's Waltz" from La Boheme.
Miss Mississippi, Taryn Foshee
First, I can't wait to hear how she pronounces her last name (long e? long a? long e but with the accent on the first syllable?). I will say this: Miss Mississippi is typically very well prepared. I also really like Taryn in her CMT interview.
Miss Illinois, Heidi Eckstrom
I went to the Miss Illinois Pageant a few years back when I was in graduate school in Chicago.
Miss Kentucky, Rachelle Phillips
Miss Kentucky is in the running for the Thickest Southern Accent award! She is a very attractive young lady who was, I think, a surprise winner this past summer at Miss KY.
Miss Maryland, Brittany Lietz
If the judges are going to be swayed by a story of personal tragedy, then Brittany's will be hard to beat: she's a skin cancer survivor! Her talent is a lyrical dance.
Miss Texas, Shilah Phillips
Shilah is the first African-American to be named Miss Texas. I was fortunate enough to see a tape of her victory and I definitely think she will be a contender -- attractive and talented (she's singing Whitney Houston's hit "I Believe in You and Me").
Miss Utah, Katie Millar
Katie is my dark horse pick for this group. I loved her interview on CMT. And I'm very curious about her talent -- electric violin. Plus, we haven't had a wholesome Mormon Miss America since Sharlene Wells way back in 1985!

The following are my favorites from this group:
1. Texas -- first black Miss Texas = lots of points
2. Utah -- I have no idea why...pretty, well-spoken, pure
3. Mississippi -- I liked her CMT interview and I think she'll be prepared
4. Colorado -- looks pretty, seems smart, plays piano, lost weight
5. Alaska -- why not?

(PS -- I think all the classical talents in this group are going to end up canceling each other out.)

Remember, if you'd like to find out more information about each contestant, you can always visit Miss America or CMT.

Miss America Month -- Candid Shots of Amanda

Miss Georgia, Amanda Kozak (right), hugs Miss Alabama, Melinda Toole, after both were announced as finalists for the Quality of Life Award.





The 7 finalists for the Quality of Life Award are Miss Indiana, Miss Rhode Island, Miss Georgia, Miss Virginia, Miss Arizona, Miss Michigan, and Miss Alabama.

Miss Georgia, Amanda Kozak, shares a gondola ride with Miss Connecticut, Heidi Voight, at The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas.

Miss America Month -- Mu Group

During the preliminary competitions, the contestants are divided into three competition groups. Each group competes in a different phase of competition each night and preliminary winners are announced each night for the groups competing in Swimsuit and Talent.

Today, I will preview the Mu Group (which includes our very own Miss Georgia). The Mu Group competes in On-Stage Question on Thursday, Swimsuit and Evening Gown on Friday, and Talent on Saturday.

The competitors in the Mu Group are as follows:

Miss California, Jacquelynne Fontaine
Pageant fans admire Miss California's talent -- she will be singing the aria "Vissi D'arte" from Tosca. It will be tough to win talent as the first contestant in the group.
Miss District of Columbia, Kate Michael
Miss DC is a Georgia girl. She's a Gwinnett County native and a former competitor in the Miss Georgia Pageant. Kate is a dancer with great gams!
Miss Connecticut, Heidi Voight
Folks in CT love Heidi and expect her to do well in the swimsuit competition. She reminds me of Lauren Graham of Gilmore Girls.
Miss Georgia, Amanda Kozak
Well...I try to look at things objectively. I know that Amanda typically racks up big points in Interview, Swimsuit, and Evening Gown...and her talent is very entertaining. I think she's one to watch.
Miss New Mexico, Christina Hall
Miss NM is Max's sentimental favorite since he spent his high school years in the Land of Enchantment. She seems like a nice young woman.
Miss South Dakota, Callee Bauman
I know very little about Miss SD except for what I saw in her interview segment at CMT.com. I was impressed. And her platform issue is ethanol use. Dark horse?
Miss Washington, Kristen Eddings
Well...she seems to have great credentials and she's traveled a lot and speaks languages other than English. Plus...she's singing a Stevie Wonder song for talent.
Miss Florida, Allison Kreiger
Three words: blonde baton twirler!
Miss Minnesota, Nicole Swanson
Big hype surrounds Miss Minnesota and her viola!
Miss Wisconsin, Meghan Coffey
Two baton twirlers in the same group!
Miss Nevada, Caydi Cole
Back in Atlantic City, folks often thought that Miss New Jersey got some extra points for being the hometown girl. Will the same apply for the Las Vegas local?
Miss Tennessee, Blaire Pancake
On the surface, Miss Pancake (!) appears to be a typical "Pageant Patty," but watch her CMT.com video and you'll see that she's a budding archaeologist!
Miss Vermont, Sarah Watson
There were 10 contestants in the Miss Vermont Pageant. I went to a local pageant in Georgia last weekend with 31!
Miss Louisiana, Jamie Wilson
Jamie might be the brains of the group -- she's already in Law School. Miss Louisiana is usually very prepared and competitive.
Miss Massachusetts, Michaela Gagne
Max and I had great fun in Boston last summer! Best of luck to Michaela!
Miss Delaware, Jamie Ginn
Jamie appears to be very attractive in casual shots that I have seen. Her talent is jazz dance and that usually needs to be beyond incredible to catch the judge's eye.
Miss Nebraska, Molly McGrath
Molly is the contestant most likely to be confused with Julianne Moore. She should represent the Cornhusker State well.

My Top 5 from this group are the following:
1. Georgia -- a likely swimsuit winner and very consistent in all categories
2. Tennessee -- she has the look, but she also seems to have brains
3. Delaware -- attractive; she needs to bring a dynamite talent
4. California -- can talent points alone get her to the top?
5. South Dakota -- I just liked her video. And ethanol is cool.

Pageant Week -- There He Is, Mr. America!

Since the ouster of Bert Parks, the retirement of Gary Collins, and the lack of interest from Regis and Kathie Lee, one of the annual questions surrounding the Miss America Pageant is "who will be the host?" Over the past few years, pageant officials have employed a variety of hosts -- including such a diverse group as Wayne Brady (excellent) to Donnie and Marie (pretty good) to Tony Danza (acceptable -- believe it or not) to Tom Bergeron (medium low) to the inexplicable combination of Meredith Vieira and Boomer Esiason (absolutely awful).

So...this year we get once-hot (think: Saved by the Bell) and newly-hot (think: Dancing with the Stars) all at the same time in the person of one Mr. Mario Lopez. I approve -- at least in advance. We'll see how I feel after the pageant!

Pageant Week Begins!

52 young women -- one of whom will be named Miss America 2007 -- arrived in Las Vegas yesterday to begin an exciting week of rehearsals, appearances, and preliminary competitions. Robin Leach -- remember him! -- has posted some photos from yesterday's arrival ceremony on his blog at Vegas Pop.

The big news from yesterday's arrival ceremony was the announcement of the 7 finalists for the Quality of Life award. QOL, an award for commitment and dedication to a particular platform issue -- is judged separately from the other pageant competitions and is not factored into the onstage scores. However, history proves that the finalists for this award are often among the most prepared and competitive in the pageant.

This year's finalists for the QOL Award are as follows: Miss Alabama Melinda Toole, Miss Arizona Hilary Griffith, Miss Indiana Betsy Uschkrat, Miss Michigan Angela Corsi, Miss Rhode Island Allison Rogers, Miss Virginia Adrianna Sgarlata, and our very own Miss Georgia Amanda Kozak!

Miss America Month -- Two Dummies or the Hula?

The stroll down memory lane continues with Miss Louisiana 1987, Patricia Brant, and her "two friends" singing two of their favorite songs -- "Row, Row, Row, Your Boat" and "Arizona Yodeler." (Please take note of the coordinated outfits.)



For many, Brant was a favorite at the 1987 pageant, but some (me included) thought she might have lost critical points when she mispronounced the word "nuclear" (she said "nuke-ya-ler," like our current President) during her on-stage question. She eventually finished as 1st Runner-up.

Most agree, however, that Brant finished second to one of the best Miss Americas ever, Kaye Lani Rae Rafko of Michigan. Be warned: a few prudes considered Kaye Lani's Polynesian dancing a tad scandalous way back in the demure '80s. And keep watching -- she really gets fired up about a minute into the performance!



Rafko's win was significant in many ways: she was a working professional (an oncology nurse) and she was the first winner to champion a cause (hospice care).

Miss America Month -- Holiday Edition

In today's first clip, Miss District of Columbia, Marshawn Evans, performs an upbeat baton twirling routine to the disco classic, "I Will Survive." Marshawn finished as 3rd Runner-up. You may also remember her from The Apprentice or from last year's Miss Georgia Pageant.

While Miss America has a long, rich history, beginning as a "bathing beauties" contest to keep tourists in Atlantic City after the Labor Day holiday and ultimately becoming the largest source of scholarships for women in the world, one blight against the pageant's past is that it took so long to embrace the diversity of contemporary America.


In the above clip, Debbye Turner of Missouri is crowned Miss America 1990.

It wasn't until 1970 that a black contestant -- Cheryl Brown of Iowa -- competed at Miss America and it wasn't until 1980 that a black contestant made the Top Five -- Lencola Sullivan of Arkansas (who also defied expectations and won the swimsuit competition). And, of course, we all know that it was in 1984 -- when the (still) lovely and (still) talented Vanessa Williams of New York was crowned -- that the pageant was represented for the first time by a black woman.


Today's final clip is of one of the best classical talents that I have seen at Miss America: Miss New York Helen Goldsby's performance of "Chi il bel sogno di Doretta" from Puccini's La Rondine.

Since then, several other black women have gone on to wear the crown: Suzette Charles of New Jersey; Debbye Turner of Missouri; Marjorie Vincent of Illinois; Kimberly Aiken of South Carolina; Erika Harold of Illinois; and Ericka Dunlap of Florida.

Miss America Month -- My Favorite Clogger

This is Miss Kentucky 1992, Tawnya Mullins, performing a high-energy dance routine (is there any other kind?) to some really hip techno-bluegrass music (complete with gunshots for punctuation)!

So much about this is pageant perfect: she's from Kentucky; her name is Tawnya; and she's clogging!

I saw this talent performed live in Atlantic City and, I must admit, it was energetic, fun, and entertaining. You've got to admit that Tawnya's got spunk! Keep watching until the big finish -- a back flip and a split!

Miss America Month -- Post #1

Yes, it's that time of the year again! In just a few short weeks, the 52 contestants (one for each state plus the District of Columbia and the US Virgin Islands) will travel to Las Vegas to compete for the title of Miss America 2007.

What can you do to prepare? Well...the first thing you should do is mark your calendar for Monday, January 29. CMT will broadcast the pageant finals live beginning at 8pm.

Your next step should be to familiarize yourself with this year's competitors. There are bio pages at both the Miss America website and CMT's special pageant website. At CMT, you can also view short video interviews with each contestant (you can also view these if you have Comcast OnDemand) and you can enter several "pick the winner" contests.

Every year around Miss America time, I always revisit some of my favorite pageant moments of previous years. That used to mean that I would hunt through boxes of old VHS tapes, but, in the age of YouTube, it means that all I have to do is search, select, and view! Here, then, is one of my favorite Miss America talent presentations of all time -- from 1988, Miss Maryland Tammy Walker, performing "Don't Rain on My Parade"!

Night at the Ritz!

A few nights ago, Max and I celebrated a great 2006 -- and the promise of an even greater 2007 -- with an evening at Atlanta's Ritz-Carlton Buckhead. The purpose of our journey was to dine at the second of Atlanta's two 5-star restaurants, The Dining Room. (We experienced Atlanta's other 5-star restaurant, Seeger's, back in January 2005.)

Needless to say, the evening was gloriously elegant and decadent. We opted for Chef Arnaud Berthelier's 7-course tasting menu with wine pairings selected by Sommelier Chantelle Pabros. Our dining experience played out as follows:

• Duck Prosciutto with Foie Gras and Lentil Espuma
• Roasted Beet Soup with Chestnut Cream, Apple Shaving, and Truffle Sphere
• Wine #1: 2004 Markus Molitor Riesling
  
• Black Truffle Risotto with a Duo of Artichokes and Black Truffle Shavings
• Wine #2: 1997 Louis Latour Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru
• Broiled Squab Breast with Seared Foie Gras, Osso Iraty Gnocchi, Gingerbread Crumble, and Cinnamon Jus
• Wine #3: 1994 Fattoria Felsina Chianti Classico
• Artisan Cheese Selection with Ashland Farm Greens
• Butterscotch Custard with Pecan Praline
• Wine #4: 2006 Bigaro Rose, Moscato, i Brachetto
  
• Bittersweet Chocolate and Marron Dome with Eggnog Custard and Vanilla-Marron Gelato