'E! News' co-anchor Giuliana Rancic was beside herself with excitement about the fact that the top two contenders for 'The 2011 Miss USA Pageant' (Sun., 9PM ET on NBC) turned out to be best friends. She was co-hosting the event with Andy Cohen of 'Watch What Happens: Live' and kept repeating "they're best friends," until Cohen picked up the call.

Before announcing the eventual winner, Cohen then said the phrase no less than four more times. "I just want to point out that if for any reason the new Miss USA cannot fulfill her duties," he explained with laughter, "Her best friend, the first runner up, is going to take over, okay?"

It made for a bittersweet finale to a night of beauty and talent. Each of the women would be thrilled for the other, but of course each wants that special moment on the stage with the crown and the tears and the sash and the walk. So who took it home?

Remember when the Miss America Pageant was a major event on the national television candle? The folks at TLC want it to be that kind of show again.

If you were born anywhere around the late 80s, you probably don't. But, throughout the 50s into the 80s, the annual televised event was more than just entertainment. It was news. And the winner, whether it was Lee Meriweather, Phyllis George or Vanessa Williams, had a shot at becoming a major celebrity.

But now? Name the current Miss America. Quickly. Don't look it up. Name last year's winner. Name any of the last five. Case closed. While it was once a proud contest/variety show, Miss America show is now overshadowed by other "rags to riches" battles like American Idol, America's Got Talent, etc. To get Miss America back on the pop culture map, the show's producers are mixing up the judges with a surreal mix of faces from through the media.

In the latest twist on reality competitions, The CW presents Crowned: The Mother of All Pageants, in which mothers and daughters compete as pairs for a top prize of $100,000. The show premieres Wednesday, December 12, 9/8c. Let me preface by saying that I have enjoyed such twisted programming as Joe Millionaire and The Swan, so was hopeful that I could find something to appreciate here. While it has potential, and I do have favorite contestants already, this first episode has some serious problems.

I can only hope that more editing will be done before the final cut makes it to air as there was a likely unintentional but glaringly racial imbalance in the introduction of the teams. Not to mention painfully obvious attempts to fake tension and drama where there really isn't any. Things might grow more intense as egos clash, but for now things are fairly bland. Even the first challenge was boring. They really needed to step it up to try and encourage viewers to stick around for the entire eight week run, and I don't think they did. More and minor spoilers after the jump.