beauty

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.

Everybody's favorite singing newcomer, England's Susan Boyle, is going to appear on Dancing With the Stars this week. She will not be doing the samba or the quick step. Susan will be singing, promoting her upcoming CD, I Dreamed A Dream, in stores on November 24.

Luckily for Susan, Sharon Osbourne will not be on the show. Or maybe it's lucky for Sharon because after the horrible things she said about SB, Susan would probably deck her if she had the chance. Last week, while on Sirius radio, Sharon was compelled to share her opinion of Susan's sudden success.

Miss America is no longer homeless. The long-running pageant has found a new home on TLC, of all places, for the next three years. It's the first big programming move for TLC's new president and general manager, Angela Shapiro-Mathes. The pageant was at CMT for the last few years after ABC dropped it, but its ratings have been dismal.

TLC is giving the pageant its own treatment. The cable network is the king of the unscripted show, so it's creating a reality series about all 52 contestants as they prepare for the pageant.

If Miss America is going to survive on television (and I'm not saying it should), this TLC plan may be the only way it can happen. Ratings over the past few years have shown that Americans just aren't interested in beauty pageants. But, humanizing these women (and understanding why they do this?!?) could be enough to generate interest to see who wins the pageant.

(S01E06)

Orlando (Jerri's Filipino friend): You should run for Homecoming queen, Jerri.

Jerri: What? Are you joking? I don't think I'm what boys consider a "traditional beauty."

Orlando: In my country you'd be a real queen.

Jerri: Yeah, well, that's because your country is ruled by monkeys.

Orlando: Jerri, that's an ugly thing to say.

Jerri: Jeez, why are you people so sensitive about your resemblance to monkeys? They're adorable!

This episode begins with a game of dodgeball and Jerri having to sit out the game because of uneven teams. Also, it seems her teammates would rather have a slow girl with two broken arms play with them rather than Jerri. Despite not actually playing, Jerri manages to get hit with the ball, prompting Yasmine, a popular girl, to remark that Jerri is probably used to balls smacking against her face.

I think I know who is going to be named Oklahoman of the year next December. Miss Oklahoma, known to her friends as Jennifer Berry, was crowned Miss America Saturday night in Las Vegas. Berry is a 22-year-old student at the University of Oklahoma. Her talent was ballet and her cause was preventing drunk driving. Berry is a career pageant contestant. She competed in the Miss Oklahoma contest four times before finally winning last year.

First runner-up was Miss Georgia and second runner-up was Miss Alabama. Also in the top five were Miss District of Columbia and Miss Virginia.