Second post of 2010

Hello Again Everyone!!!

After returning from 4 solid days of rain in California... I have given
myself over to my laptop in deep and complete research of this year's Miss
America contest. In fact, my husband has noticed that I seem to be sitting
in one spot for what he calls '5 hours at a time'... That's because I'm
intensely dedicated and fully committed to discovering all I can about the
53 beauties vying for this year's crown.

Yes - I said 53... Which is a bit much if you ask me... But I guess you
can't really un-invite Miss DC, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands to the party.
Don't cha know there's a 14 year old girl out there who can't wait to be
Miss Guam in 5 years. :)

OK - So! Warning - this is a lengthy email... But I have full confidence in
your ability to press on... Don't get weary... It's all worth it.

I've learned some interesting tidbits and insights into this year's
competition... The first of which is... There is a PRE-SHOW on TLC THIS
COMING FRIDAY NIGHT before the big event on Saturday night. So - go set
your DVR's and Tivo's in order for you to get a glimpse of the girls on
Friday night before the show. If you can't make it Friday (or your VCR is
broken) - I'm guessing TLC will re-air the program prior to the actual
pageant on Saturday night as well.

Anyway - it seems as if you and I will once again get the chance to choose a
girl or two to compete in the Top 12 (or 15 - I don't know that answer yet
either)... I received a 'tweet' from Miss Indiana about how this will go ---
hopefully I can explain it appropriately... There are 3 competition groups
at Miss America - which is how the judges determine who the Top 10 will be.
Each girl is is in 1 of the 3 groups... And they've asked THE GIRLS to
choose 4 ladies from their group only - 4 girls they would like to see
become Miss America. So - do the math - that should give us 12 girls (3
groups x 4 picks).

It's my limited understanding that the public (aka you and me) will get to
choose a few girls from that group of 12. I have no idea how --- maybe by
carrier pigeon but I'm guessing by texting or going online. And again - I
have no idea how many we get to choose... But somehow, a few 'extra' ladies
will make it into the Top 12 (or 15 - I really don't know).

Can I just say, it's a good thing they're presenting this option this
year... Because Group #3 is JAM-PACKED! If you ever have a daughter who
makes it to Miss America, please remind her to choose group #2 - as it is
typically a less-competitive group (everyone either wants to knock it out of
the park from the beginning or be the biggest star at the end). I'm already
having a difficult time picking from Group 3 'cause it's LOADED and there
are some good girls who could easily have advanced if they were in a
less-competitive group. Hopefully this 'Top 15' (or 12) will get them in!

OK - a few other items to note!

1. This is the most diverse crowd of 'Talents' I've seen in a long time...
Beyond your typical vocalists, piano players and ballet dancers, we also have
the following... baton twirling, an oboe, trumpet, hula dancer, violin AND
viola (apparently they're different), a dramatic monologue, and Irish
step-dancing. Now that's variety! :)

2. There are some TALL GIRLS in the pageant this year... Miss Alabama,
Ohio, Rhode Island and Montana are all 5'10 plus! The other funny thing is
that several of the girls have the same 'look' this year... Long dark hair
on a slim frame means Miss Kansas, Illinois, Arkansas and Puerto Rico all
look a lot alike! For the record - Miss Puerto Rico is the most photogenic
of the group - hands down!

3. My favorite factoid of the year thus far... Miss Georgia - isn't even
the REAL Miss Georgia!!!! She was announced as the first runner up the
night of the pageant... But the next morning at the 'congratulations
luncheon', the board announced that the girl chosen had DECLINED the
opportunity and therefore the first runner up was taking her place!!! No
word on whether or not the winner simply wanted to scholarship money (and
not the job) or had naked pictures in her past... But fascinating to say the
least!

Tomorrow - we'll talk about the Quality of Life Winners as well as the
JUDGES (which is quite a diverse group)... And seriously - the coverage of
this year's event is the best I've ever seen --- so make sure you check out
the following!

VegasDeluxe.com/blogs (Robin Leach's blog - not for little kids because
c'mon, it's Vegas and it's Robin Leach. Scroll down and look for Miss
America photos and stuff - he's got a plenty!)

AbbyBollenbacher.blogspot.com (she's stepped it up this year and has LOTS of
great pic's... Apparently when you're a former queen who's an out-of-work
actress, you have time on your hands you can do this kind of thing all day
long.)

MissAmerica.org (of course, look under contestant profiles)

TLC.com (has a 2-3 minute video of each girl that the TLC folks shot
professionally rather than the girls shooting it themselves... REALLY lets
you see who's likely to excel in the interview competition and who's a
bimbo.)

OK --- That's your LONG EMAIL for today... If you only get 30 minutes
tonight after the kids go to bed, go to TLC.com's videos and write down a
few of your favorites... That's the biggest bang for your buck in the
shortest period of time. :)

HERE WE GO!!! Only 6 days away!!! MISS AMERICA 2010 is about to be
crowned!!! I'm blowing kisses to all of you and double-checking my
waterproof mascara right now!!!

crl