Blogging Miss America

Introduction of the States:
Miss Georgia is apparently concerned about the width of her nose as the ‘slimming’ makeup is quite apparent. Maybe one of the other girls helped her with her makeup?
Did they write their state blurbs by themselves?
Miss Oregon did crack me up by telling me in her state it’s not permitted to harass Sasquatch. Gotta like a well-placed pop cultural reference.
I wish I had remembered to buy marshmallows so I can throw them at Miss Texas and Miss California.
Miss Utah: ‘Tonight, 53 women share a dream. Not a husband.’ Snark!
Miss Washington seems to think making a reference to the vampires in ‘Twilight’ will endear her to the judges.
The pageant has returned to ABC and is hosted by Chris Harrison and Brooke Burke. I find myself feeling very very glad Samantha Harris quit as the co-host of ‘Dancing with the Stars’ so that Burke could act as co-host tonight. It should be enough that the contestants might stumble over their responses; no one needs Harris doing it, too.
53, culled to 11. Semi-finalists: Oklahoma, Nebraska, Texas, Rhode Island, Utah, Washington, Arizona, Hawaii, Virginia, Arkansas, California. America’s semi-finalists are New York and Delaware who has alopecia and is wearing a wig. I think it’d be cool if she came out with a completely different color of hair later. The rest of the contestants also voted in the final two semi-finalists: Kentucky and Miss Sasquatch, er, Miss Oregon.
It’s 2011. Swimsuits. Seriously? Well, I guess it’s still an easier way to get money for school than strapping on thirty pounds of football gear and risking concussion week after week.
Ok, now it’s down to 12: Texas (marshmallow), Arkansas, Delaware No-Hair, Arizona, Hawaii, Washington, Kentucky, California (marshmallow), Oklahoma, Virginia, New York, and Nebraska.
Evening wear: Texas wears a champagne-colored beaded gown; Arkansas wears a basic black column gown with some kind of weird strap; Delaware No-Hair wears a white gown with multi-colored beads and a funky train; Arizona’s gown is the color of a beaded desert with a sheer lower skirt; Hawaii wears a white gown with a sunburst around the middle; Washington wears a gray silk gown with embroidered rosettes only to mid-thigh; Kentucky wears a champagne beaded one shoulder gown but wishes she was rocking a Lady Gaga get-up; California wears fire engine red with a weird one-shoulder strap; Oklahoma wears a navy Herve Leger-type banded gown with a tiered and ruffled lower skirt; Virginia wears a white beaded gown; New York wears an Art Deco style black velvet gown with a pave design at the waist; Nebraska wears a white one-shoulder gown with lots of beading at the top.
This show must have the shortest commercial breaks ever; we come back from break and two of the contestants are putting on and tying their toe shoes.
Only ten of the contestants will go on to perform in the talent competition.
Nebraska is playing a ‘Chopsticks Concerto’ on the piano. I am SO not making that up.
Washington sings ‘Papa Was a Rolling Stone.’ I am not making that up, either.
Arizona sings opera. It’s weird to see really skinny women sing opera. She’s at least as good as that Brit a couple years ago on Youtube.
California sings ‘I Who Have Nothing.’ Another white girl who thinks she has soul.
Oklahoma dances a ballet number en pointe. Girl has got muscles!
Hawaii sings Nina Simone’s ‘Feeling Good’ with ukulele accompaniment to start it off.
Delaware No-Hair dances a contemporary ballet to Michael Jackson’s ‘The Way You Make Me Feel.’ Oklahoma has her smoked on the dancing talent, but at least her hair stayed on.
Virginia is a ceilidh dancer and channels Michael Flatley, Lord of the Dance.
Arkansas is a ventriloquist/singer. Again, I’m not making that up. And she yodels. OMG
Kentucky sings Sam Cooke’s ‘A Change is Gonna Come.’ Her grandparents wrote the song for Sam Cooke.

Again, there are very short breaks. Miss Kentucky comes out onto the stage putting her earring on and then hikes her strapless dress up.

Interview questions.
Miss Hawaii is asked if considers herself a Hawaiian, an American or a citizen of the world and repeats the word ‘world’ about seven times.
Miss Washington takes on a political question about civility in political discourse and endorses non-partisanship in a very civil manner.
Nebraska handles a Wikileaks question and endorses security first, right-to-know second. And was not assaulted by Julian Assange.
Oklahoma gets a question about privacy on the internet and endorses thinking before you act, but, curiously, not thinking before you post.
Arkansas is asked about whether or not Americans should be required to buy health insurance and does not answer the question. She’s got a future in politics!

Then the pageant had 43 former Miss America’s on the stage. Starting with Miss America 1943!

Fourth runner-up whose name I will forget tomorrow: Miss Oklahoma, Emoly West.
Third runner-up, another name I will forget tomorrow: Miss Washington, Jackie Brown.
Second runner-up, one more name I will forget tomorrow: Miss Hawaii, Jaelee Fuselier.
First runner-up who will have to do the work if the title winner can’t perform her official duties: Miss Arkansas, whose name I’ve already forgotten.

And Miss America is Miss Nebraska, Teresa Scanlan, who is the youngest contest at just 17 and the youngest Miss America ever. Or almost jail bait. I guess 'Chopsticks' really impressed the judges.

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question comp - they have 20 seconds to answer questions the people of Las Vegas have posed.

NY - she did ok

California - she did ok

Georgia - not so great

Tennessee - stumbled over her words and didn't answer the question

Indiana - she did ok

Iowa - UGLY dress - but she did ok on her question

Florida (Michigan's out, damn it) - and she flubbed her question.

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TALENT comp continued

Florida - dancer - very Broadway-esque and she can dance with props, in this case a frying pan. I'm not making that up.

Tennessee - singer - opera singer. BLEH. Hideous dress, bad hair.

California - ballerina - I'm guessing something from Swan Lake.

Iowa - tap-dancer - she's tap-dancing to 'Fever' And she's good but she's tap-dancing to 'Fever' which is kind of goofy.

and final performance:

MICHIGAN!!!! - jazz dancer - performing to 'Big Time' - she tumbles! And uses the whole stage and spots herself well.

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TALENT Comp

DC - ballerina - danced to something kind of Latin. Sorta looked like she was making it up as she went along

Georgia - singer - 'Home' from 'The Wiz' She can sing but too theatrical. But she does look good in the lavender dress.

NY - singer - not a strong singer - and off-pitch - I had to mute the TV. And what's with that dress?

Hawaii - polynesian dancer!! Hey, it worked for Kaye Lani Rae Rafko 20 years ago. Her costume is CRAZY but you can really see the movement of the hips. Totally celebrates her culture. But pieces of her costume are falling all over the stage.

Indiana - singer Another theatrical singer. OFF-PITCH. Bleh.

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Evening wear -
Miss Michigan - your dress doesn't know what it wants to be but white worked last year.
Miss Tennesse - too much
Miss Hawaii - BLEH - violently yellow
Miss Cali - snore
Miss Georgia - red is good but too much ruching
Miss Florida - jungle dress with sparkles
Miss Kentucky - black and boring
Miss DC - looks like tinfoil
Miss Indiana - kind of a knock-off of Miss Michigan's dress LAST year
Miss Iowa - BAD draping - wtf?
Miss Arkansas - liquid silver - prolly weigh 35 pounds
Miss NY - bodice is most interesting of all the dresses

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Cut to 12 - they go to evening wear

Miss MICHIGAN
Miss Tennessee (Big Hair)
Miss Hawaii
Miss California
Miss Georgia
Miss Florida
Miss Kentucky (adjusted her swimsuit top in national TV)
Miss DC
Miss Indiana
Miss Iowa
Miss Arkansas
Miss New York

Blogging Miss America 3

Miss Tennessee has 'southern hair.' I have to say the ones with shorter styles look fresher.

Blogging Miss America 2

So the 2008 Miss America is Kirsten Haglund, Miss MICHIGAN. And the present Miss Michigan, Ashley Baracy has made the final 15. I learned today that Miss America 1988 (Kaye Lani Rae Rafko, Miss MICHIGAN) was the first Miss America to promote a social cause platform. Rafko was a nurse and between her Miss America duties she would talk about the need for hospices in health care and was encouraged to keep talking about it in public. And she put her money where her mouth is - the Monroe, MI native returned to the state and opened and runs a hospice. Leave it to a Michigan native to blaze a trail.

Blogging Miss America

So every year I watch the Miss America pageant. I have loved the pageant since I was a little girl and used to watch it with my mom and I had a Miss America lunchbox when I was seven. To those who pooh-pooh the pageant I say: this is a scholarship program. Is it really so different than burly young men strapping on pads and helmets and hitting the gridiron every weekend? Well, yes, because these young women actually GO to their classes.

Have to say I didn't love the wardrobe for the opening - the stage is black and the girls are wearing black tops and dark jeans. I've have liked to see some color in the tops.

Fifteen finalists time:
Miss Indiana
Miss Georgia
Miss South Dakota
Miss Alabama
Miss MICHIGAN
Miss D. C.
Miss Iowa
Miss New York
Miss California
Miss Florida (why are her jeans shiny???)
Miss Kentucky
Miss Tennessee
Miss Delaware
Miss Arkansas
And Miss someone else - I missed one. (eta: It was Miss Hawaii!)