Monday, January 29, 2007

SPOILER ALERT: 7:16pm Tuesday




Miss A fans, I just had the pleasure of watching our next Miss America crowned -- LIVE -- no tape delay for the West coast as in most years!!! Don't look below, unless you want to know the winner!!!
















MISS OKLAHOMA!!!!!!!!!!

More Tuesday.(It may be the night of our crowing but baths and homework must still go on.)

Miss CVC

Sunday, January 28, 2007

Miss America Top 10 - 2007




I'm coming off a high from watching almost four hours of CMT Miss America programming, including Pageant School, Total Access: Jennifer Berry, and various other CMT shows, leaving me with my fill of Miss A info but the additional side benefit of learning all about what Kelly Pickler, Keith Urban and Sarah Evans are also up to these days. Who knew?

But the highlight of the programming was seeing just how frequently Miss America 2006, Jennifer Berry, wears that sparkling jewel of a crown on her head. A LOT. During obligitory speeches, of course. But she also wore her crown while simulating a military truck attack, shooting a music video, visiting a hospital AND MORE. For a die-hard crown enthusiast like me -- well it just doesn't get any better ... Unless I was wearing her crown, hee hee. Jennifer Berry -- YOU ROCK !!!

Ok, time's up!
My Miss America Top 10 Predictions for 2007:

Miss Oklahoma
Miss Texas (first year competing in pageants!) My favorite.
Miss Hawaii
Miss Nebraska
Miss Pennsylvania
Miss California - she always makes the top 10
Miss Rhode Island - won Quality of Life award
Miss Arizona
Miss Alabama
Miss Arkansas - won CMT's Pageant School competion.

If you haven't found your way to CMT, there's still time. Get out your Tivo and make your To Do list... and I'll talk to you when it's all over.

Jennifer
Miss Cherryview Court

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Prelude to a crown.



Pageant week is upon us my Miss America friends! The contestants have arrived in Las Vegas and begun all sorts of cleverly constructed photo ops and MAO events. Autographs at the Grand Venetian! Photos by the canal! Quality of Life finalists chosen! And Planet Claire will cover it all! Join us for our original blog postings as we crown America's Sweetheart, 2007.

I gotta hand it to CMT. This protege of VH-1 is no country bumpkin. They've managed to pull a Houdini and just might have saved America's Queen of Femininity from a fate not unlike Cinderella at the stroke of midnight.

Admittedly, 2005 was a tough year for our beauty queen. The MAO had hit hard times, slashing budgets -- including Miss America's salary by $20,000 -- and handing over its beloved Atlantic City-based tradition to Sin City. They gambled and, begrudgingly, it seems to have paid off. Viewership on CMT was up, up, up, and with repeat showings, our competition became the most watched telecast in CMT's history. They outta change the name from CMT to PT. Pageant TV. Just think of the crowns...the gowns... OK, the ratings.

Anyhoo -- got my Miss America pageant magazine (and yes, we are back to calling it a pageant, instead of the wishful "competition") and the good news gets better.

Miss America 2006 Jennifer Huffman (Ooops, did I write that? I mean BERRY, heh heh)is featured wearing her crown NUMEROUS times! Not just holding it but ACTUALLY PERCHED ON HER HEAD!! You all know what this means to me. Seems the MAO has come to its senses. They know we want the glitz, the glamour, the old school pageantry. And the crown. Right on MAO!

Within the magazine, each contestant has the ubiquitous glamour shot complete with getting-to-know-you fun facts. Many seem to want to work on camera eventually, favorite accessories include chandelier earrings or flip flops, and many mention myspace.com, their "faith" and chocolate as other influences. Gotta love these twenty-somethings and their cellulite-free bodies.

Miss America 2007 also gets her salary back as the MAO reinstates her award to the previously paid $50,000. Can you imagine Miss A 2006's response? She is the only winner since I have been counting NOT to receive the full $50K. Sorry, Jen. You took one for the team, I'd say. MAO chairman said it best by thanking Miss Berry for "a year of service when the organization truly needed it most." That's as close as any MAO official will get to admitting 2006 was do-or-die.

Back to 2007!
Preliminary competition begins Wednesday, January 24. I'll be scouring the web for results and post my annual top 10 on Sunday, with review and commentary on Tuesday.

If you're planning on watching and can find your way with your remote to CMT (somewhere in the low 300's I believe), tune in starting Friday for a raft of Miss A programming, including "Pageant School" and the Main Event, Monday night,possibly live at 5pm or tape delayed for the West Coast at 7pm.

All you titleholders out there -- and each of you is in your own way -- put on those crowns, sit down and get ready -- here she comes, Miss America 2007.

Until then, I remain,

Jennifer
Miss Cherryview Court

P.S. Planet Claire settings have been changed. You no longer need to be registered on blogger to leave a comment. So start tappin' those keys. :)

Additional Planet Claire Miss America coverage:
Super Mario

It's here!

It's here! The official MAO pageant magazine! Updates to follow....

Friday, January 12, 2007

How journalists do research.

Step 1. Arrange meeting with colleague at nearby cafe.
Step 2. Order mocha and cappaucino.
Step 3. Take "notes" on "subject".
Step 4. Sip said drinks.
Step 5. Document research with cell phone camera.
Step 6. Back to newsroom.


The new and IMPROVED Planet Claire!

Oooh la la! Check out the new header for Planet Claire! Isn't it cute! Big Thank You to Gerry and Franklin, my tech boys who put this together. Gerry is the designer who picked out the crown, planet, notepad, and smack. He even photographed one of my Barbies. His photographs -- mostly rated PG, a few not -- can be found at www.flickr.com/photos/gerryland.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

What I'm writing this week.

After two weeks off with the girls, it was harder than I expected to get back into "real" work. I admit I got kinda used to those vacation days. No 6am wakeups, less homework, hot breakfasts, not to mention Christmas fun with both families. Ok, break's over. Back to work.

Napa retailers all smiles after Christmas shopping season
Jan. 7, 2007

One year later:
Dec. 31, 2006

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Super Mario tapped as Miss America Host


The Miss America Organization (MAO to the familiar) has curiously chosen Dancing with the Stars hoofer Mario Lopez to host the crowning of America's Sweetheart on January 29 in Las Vegas.

Lopez, an Animal Planet host and more recently the energizer bunny inspired competitor on ABC's Dancing with the Stars, produced no quotes about his newest gig, only that he didn't plan to sing the pageant's "There She Is, Miss America" theme made famous by longtime Miss America host Bert Parks.

"I really don't sing," Lopez said. "I like to sing, but I don't sing well."

Ahem.

Dear Mario. Cute as you are, you're no Bert P.
I loved it when Donny and Marie hosted. Even Wayne Brady, whom I'm afraid was not asked back due to his sly spoofing of the whole event.

And then there's the date. Miss America 2007 will be crowned on a Monday night. First Miss America's pimped out to CMT. Now she's regulated to a Monday, A MONDAY night! Sacrilege! Everyone knows Miss America is crowned on a Saturday night -- and preferrably in Atlantic City. But I won't go there. In this post.

My good friend Grace points out that as a journalist I am theoretically eligible to apply for press credentials to "cover" the competition. Imagine. Me and my little notebook front and center at The Show. My official Miss America crown proudly pinned to my jacket. Taking notes with an official MAO pink feather topped pen. I can just see it now.

Stay tuned, my crown comrades. More Miss America to come.