Pageant News Bureau

Benjamin Gibbs Sr., father of PNB photographer Benjamin Gibbs, died on Sept. 26, 2002. He will be mourned by all who knew him.

TV alert

The newly crowned Miss America 2003, Erika Natali Louise Harold of Illinois, will make her national television interview debut on the morning program "LIVE with Regis and Kelly" on ABC-TV on Sept. 23, 2002. While in New York City, she will also make an appearance on the CBS program "Late Night with David Letterman" on the night of Sept. 23, and will announce the "Top 10 list" and chat with the host. It airs at 1135 EDT. Check local listings for your area.

The first Miss America 1984, Vanessa L. Williams, will guest on ABC's "The View" on Sept 23, 2002. Check local listings. The program airs in the morning in most markets.

HGTV will air "Homes of Miss America" on the afternoon of Sept. 21, 2002. Check local listings.

"The Miss America Pageant" will air on ABC-TV on Sept. 21, 2002. Check local listings.

Ms Latina USA 2002, Julianna Munoz, and Ms Latina World 2002, Arlene Rivera, were special guests during a pre-telecast and viewing party for the 3rd annual Latin Grammy Awards. The party took place in Miami and included a fashion show and performances by some of South Florida's hottest Latin artists.

A film called "The Girls of the Miss Italy Contest" has created a controversy in Italy by showing a lesbian kiss on television. The program was shown on the state network RAI on Sept. 11, 2002. The film is by director Dino Risi.

Shawnae Jebbia, Miss USA 1998, will be appearing for two weeks beginning Oct. 21, 2002, as one of the onstage models on the CBS program "The Price is Right."

On Sept.11, 2002, Miss Teen United Nation, Jeniffer Renee Card, took part with other residents of Lodi, N.J., in a candle-light vigil for victims of terrorism. Lodi lost numerous citizens in the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center in New York.

Beauty queen Lacey Waldrep, who has represented some of the state's most historic locales at the Miss Texas USA Pageant, has been offered the position of senior communications writer in the executive office of Southwest Airlines. She is also a sometime PNB contributor.

Mpule Kwelagobe, who was Miss Universe 1999 and is U.N. Population Fund goodwill ambassador to her homeland of Botswana, will be mistress of ceremonies on Sept. 17, 2002, as Botswana President Festus Mogae receives the Africa-America Institute's highest award. The ceremony will take place at the United Nations in New York. Mogae is being honored for helping maintain Botswana's democracy and prosperity and combating the HIV/AIDS epidemic that is ravaging that part of the continent.

Gary Kroeger, host of PAX TV's revival of the classic game show "Beat the Clock," has been signed to host the 26th annual Mrs. America Pageant from Honolulu. The primetime special airs Oct. 12, 2002, and will be rebroadcast Oct. 19. Kroeger is set to appear this fall in the new NBC comedy series "Hidden Hills." His major show business break came 20 years ago as a young star and writer on NBC's "Saturday Night Live."

The New York Knicks plan the first ever video-streaming of the finals of the Knicks City Dancer auditions on Aug. 14, 2002. They will run from from 8 to 9 p.m. at www.nyknicks.com, with Miss USA Shauntay Hinton as host.

TV alert

Re-airings of the "Wild On" episode featuring Miss Teen USA 1998 Vanessa Minnillo and PNB cover girl Jenna Morasca are as follows on E! (in EDT) Aug. 16, 12 a.m.; Aug. 17, 11 p.m., 2:30 a.m.; Aug. 18, 12 a.m. EDT. Voting is at www.eonline.com/wildon

Recent PNB cover girl Jenna Morasca competes to be the "Wild On . . ." host on Aug. 13, 2002, as E! Entertainment Television showcases its host contestants from "the Heartland." Check local listings. After the broadcast, viewers will be able to vote at www.eonline.com.

Former Miss America Heather Whitestone McCallum, who was the first deaf person ever to win the title, has received a cochlear implant to help her hear faint sounds. Mrs. McCallum, an Alabama native who lives in Atlanta with her husband and children, reportedly wants to hear the children's voices should they need her. Cochlear implants got a big publicity boost in the past year after such an operation restored some of the hearing of radio host Rush Limbaugh.

Latin pop star Jade Esteban Estrada, whose international following includes a legion of pageant fans, will perform live in concert in Reykjavik, Iceland, on Aug. 10, 2002, in Ingolfstorg Square. The Human Rights Campaign spokesman is currently on his 88-city "Passions" tour in promotion of his CD "Angel." Estrada, celebrated as the "Prince of Pageantry," is preparing his new one-man show, which will debut in Columbus, Ohio, on Sept. 12, 2002. He also appears on the cover of the new book "Award-Winning Men" by Ed Karvoski Jr. More information is available at www.getjaded.com.

O n t h e N e w s s t a n d

In the People magazine issue of Aug. 12, 2002 (on newsstands until Aug. 8), there is an article on former Miss USA Ali Landry of Louisiana, and about her relationship with TV star Mario Lopez.
In the August 2002 issue of "W" magazine, there is an unflattering commentary on some of the delegates of the 2002 Miss Universe Pageant. The article was written by one of the preliminary judges who is an editor with the magazine.

Fred Goble, director of the Miss United States and Miss United States Teen pageants, died in Orlando on Aug. 4, 2002. His partner, Tony Caine, died in April, and Goble's passing leaves the future of the pageants in serious question. A memorial service will be held at 6-7 pm on Aug. 8, 2002, at Gentry Morrison Southside Funeral Home, 1727 US Hwy 98 South, Lakeland, FL 33801. The number is 863-688-7679.

Gary R. George, a former franchise holder of the Miss Wisconsin USA and Wisconsin Teen USA pageants, has been banned from a party ballot for governor of Wisconsin. On July 31, the state elections board voted to remove George, a state senator from Milwaukee, from the Democratic primary ballot because of irregularities in his papers. State prosecutors have investigated the validity of more than 230 signatures on his petitions. George ran the Wisconsin pageants from 1982 until 1991, when Miss Universe Inc. declined to renew his franchise. He has been a state senator for more than 20 years and was married to Mary Cook, who was Miss Wisconsin USA 1974 and second runner-up to Miss USA 1974. His tenure was marked by internal conflicts.

O n t h e N e w s s t a n d

Shallan Meiers, Miss Las Vegas 1999, is Playmate of the Month in the September 2002 issue of Playboy magazine. Tara Rice, a former Miss California Teen All American, is featured in the same issue's Grapevine section.
The August 2002 issue of Vanity Fair magazine contains a full-page advertisement by Miss Universe Inc., touting the Miss Universe Pageant's ratings victory over a National Basketball Association playoff game on May 29, 2002.

TV alert

A taped broadcast of the recent Miss South Carolina (America) Pageant will be shown on SC ETV on July 28, 2002, from 4 to 6 p.m. EDT.

Miss Teen Texas, Julia Anderson, is denying a charge of public intoxication. The 17-year-old queen, who was arrested in Arlington two weeks after her crowning, says she was not drinking on the night in question and will fight the charges. The story has been something of a sensation in Texas because Ms. Anderson has been a crusader in pageant circles against alcohol abuse. Because she has a presumption of innocence until the matter is resolved in the courts, no immediate action will be taken by pageant organizers.

Venezuelan businessman Richard Boulton was released on July 16, 2002, after being held by Colombian guerrillas for two years. He is the husband of Marena Bencomo, Miss Venezuela 1997, who was first runner-up to Miss Universe 1997.

Former Miss Venezuela Martina Thorogood gave birth to a son on July 11, 2002. The boy was named Rodrigo. The former queen and her husband live in New York City. She was first runner-up to Miss World 1999, and many see her as the most beautiful Miss Venezuela winner of all time, an extraordinary compliment. (But a new baby makes her even more proud.)

Elizabeth Barchas, who was Miss Idaho Teen USA 1998 and Miss Idaho USA 2001, has been accepted for a Fulbright fellowship to study in Russia. Ms. Barchas, a student and journalist at Emory University in Atlanta, is a longtime student of Russian language, history and culture. She will be spending 10 months in St. Petersburg researching the political, societal, and economic pressures on independent media in Russia, particularly print journalism. She has also been awarded a Robert T. Jones Scholarship, which funds a year of study at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. She will complete that before her trip to Russia.

O n t h e N e w s s t a n d

Denise Quiñones, Miss Universe 2001, has been named one of "People en Español" magazine's best dressed of the year. She is featured on a full-page layout of the August 2002 issue of the magazine, now on newsstands with the tagline "Los mejor y peor vestidos."
The August 2002 issue of Glamour magazine takes what some consider a cheap shot at Miss USA, Shauntay Hinton, in its "Do's and Don'ts" section at the back. Let PNB know what you think.

Dayanara Torres, Miss Universe 1993, reportedly has separated from her husband, singer Marc Anthony. Both are from Puerto Rico, and were highly visible presences at the 2001 and 2002 Miss Universe Pageants, which were held on the island.

Former Miss America Kate Shindle will be performing at the Royal George Theater in Chicago on Aug. 2 and Aug. 3, 2002. The concert is a celebration of the completion of her new CD, "Till today," due for national release in September. Tickets can be ordered through Ticketmaster. "Till Today" is Ms. Shindle's first solo CD on SSP Records, the same label on which she collaborated with Skip Sams on the 1999 release "Christmases to Come." Information is available at http//www.kateshindle.net or email skip@ssprecords.com

Reporter and beauty queen Shawn Cunningham (shawncunninghamtvreporter@hotmail.com) has started a "pageant sorority," Alpha Delta Omega. It is open to beauty queens, titleholders and pageant veterans, and she calls it "a sisterhood, a support network, a union of our own."

Samantha Lynne Hayes, who was Miss University of Georgia 1997, will become the weekend anchor and reporter on KSL-TV in Salt Lake City in August 2002. Ms. Hayes is currently the morning anchor on WRDW in Augusta, Ga.

O n t h e N e w s s t a n d

Kelly Hu, Miss Teen USA 1985, is profiled in Health & Fitness magazine for June/July 2002. Also profiled in the issue is Mario Lopez, the reputed boyfriend of Miss USA 1996, Ali Landry.

PNB offstage archive