The satirical suspense movie "Miss Congeniality," starring 2001 Miss USA pageant host William Shatner as the emcee, Sandra Bullock as Miss New Jersey, Miss Arizona USA 1989, LeeAnne Locken, as Miss Nebraska, and Holly Mills, Miss Texas USA 1998, as "Miss Ohio," will air March 30, 2003, on TBS. Check local listings. The 2000 movie airs at an interesting time, as the two-hour show is about the fictitious "Miss United States Pageant" held in San Antonio, which is where the 2003 Miss USA pageant was recently concluded.

Newly crowned Miss USA 2003, Susie Castillo, 23, of Massachusetts, will make a guest appearance on the LIVE! with Regis & Kelly on March 31, 2003. Check local listings for time. Ms. Castillo, who was Miss Massachusetts Teen USA 1998, won her title on March 24, 2003, and will compete for the Miss Universe title in June.

Porntip Nakhirunkanok-Simon, Miss Universe 1988, is eight weeks pregnant, according to some reports in her native Thailand. She married American businessman Herb Simon last year.

Radio and TV personality Howard Stern has sued ABC-TV, saying its pageant-style program "Are You Hot? The Search for America's Sexiest People" uses a concept he developed. Stern, famous for his bawdy humor and loyal following, is the quintessential "shock jock" of American broadcasting. For years, he and a panel of associates have held on-air competitions in which women, usually nude, were judged in humorous and sexually explicit terms. Stern says he previously discussed developing the concept into an ABC show, and he says "Are You Hot?" appropriates many of his techniques. The program features both men and women, and though there is no total nudity, the judges' evaluations are expressed in racy terms.

Access Hollywood co-anchor Nancy Humphries O'Dell, who was Miss South Carolina 1987 and a preliminary swimsuit winner at the 1987 Miss America pageant, hosts a new reality competition series on the USA Network. "Nashville Star," which debuted March 15, 2003, on the cable network, features contestants who move into a Music Row house and perform at the legendary Roy Acuff Theatre. Tracks for the compilation album are recorded, and the winner is signed for recording contract. Ms. O'Dell, who was a judge at the 1998 Miss America Pageant, has covered an assortment of glamorous awards shows and is a summa cum laude graduate of Clemson University.

Rachel Grant, a former Miss Hawaiian Tropic United Kingdom who got her pageant start in the Miss Take a Break competition organized by Angie Beasley, is appearing in several British TV commercials. She recently appeared in the James Bond film "Die Another Day," starring pageant veteran Halle Berry.

Patricia Kaiser, Miss Austria 2000, fell short of victory in the Austrian final for the Eurovision Song Contest with her song "Don´t wanna be" on March 14, 2003, but she reportedly will nevertheless be going to the international final on May 24, 2003, in Riga, Latvia, as a backup singer for the Austrian winning song "Weil der Mensch zählt" sung by Alf Poier.

Actress and singer Susan Anton, 52, who was Miss California 1969 and second runner-up to Miss America 1970, has announced that after ending a five-year run as the star of "The Great Hall Spectacular" at the Las Vegas Hilton in 2000, she will team up with a clothing designer and in fall 2003 will unveil golf apparel for women called "Kitten With Her Sticks." Ms. Anton, whose new CD, "One Night," has recently been released, will take part in a BBC special on the life of the late comic actor and pianist Dudley Moore, with whom she was romantically linked for years. He died in March 2002.

Zsa Zsa Gabor, who was Miss Hungary 1936 and went on to become the prototypical Hollywood celebrity, spent her 86th birthday on Feb. 6 in the luxury suite of the Motion Picture and Television Hospital in Woodland Hills, Calif., recuperating from a Nov. 27, 2002, car accident. She was a passenger in the front seat of a car, driven by her hairdresser, that hit a light pole in West Hollywood. Her husband, Frederic von Anhalt, has denied media reports that she was near death, and hospital officials have confirmed that she is continuing a good recovery.

Actress, singer and 1998 Miss America Pageant co-host Eva La Rue Callahan has announced that she has added three tracks to her Sept. 12, 2002, debut CD title "Only You." The Long Beach, Calif., native, who was Little Miss California at age 6, emceed the Miss America Pageant with her husband, John Callahan, who also played her husband on ABC's hit "All My Children." The couple also launched their Web site at for fans to enjoy and purchase her musical accomplishment. She will be featured on the 34th annual NAACP Image Award show on FOX on March 13, 2003; she is nominated for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series. The lead song on her CD "Make Me Love You Once Again" was inspired by the characters on "All My Children." in which she plays "Maria Santos Grey."

On the Web: The Critical Beauty e-zine for March 2003 contains a lengthy interview on the Miss France controversy.

Washington-based CNN anchorwoman Judy Woodruff, who was Augusta's Junior Miss 1963 in the state of Georgia, has been inducted into the Georgia Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame. Ms. Woodruff, who began her broadcast career in Atlanta in the late 1960s, gained national attention in the mid-1970s when she covered the presidential campaign of former Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter. After his election to the presidency, she became NBC's White House correspondent, and she went on to a distinguished career as a Washington reporter for NBC, PBS and CNN.

Christina Cindrich, Miss Pennsylvania Teen USA 1999, has finished filming her 10th episode as a recurring principal character on ABC's soap opera "Port Charles." Her episodes will begin airing in May 2003. She also will be seen in April and May editions of People, Details, Rolling Stone, Newsweek, Maxim and other publications in ads for Nikon Camera and Honda Element. She worked with Steven Spielberg in "Catch Me if You Can" and was featured in the "Jello-shot scene" in "American Pie 2."

Jill Nicolini, who was stripped of her title as Miss Long Island in the Miss America system because of having posed nude for Playboy magazine, will be one of the prospective brides on the Fox program "Married By America." Viewers of the program, which premieres March 3, 2003, will pick a couple who will be married on the air. Ms. Nicolini is also a former Ms. New York American United States and Ms. California American United States and has competed at Miss New York USA.

Ashley Thompson of Blue Mountain, Miss., was named "Best New Act" in country music as the 2002 national winner of the 21st Annual Country Showdown held Jan. 25, 2003, in Orlando. She won a $100, 000 award and a chance at stardom. Ms. Thompson, who was the Southeast regional winner, was Miss North Mississippi 1999 and first runner-up to Miss Missisisippi 1999, Heather Michelle Soriano. She was also a preliminary talent winner at the state pageant and at the 2000 pageant, but did not place in the Top 10 in 2000.

Greeneville, Tenn., civil law and domestic relations attorney Jack Henry Burkhard, 59, who was the longtime organizer of the Miss Greene County Scholarship Pageant, died Jan. 26, 2002, in Greeneville after suffering an abdominal aneurysm. He became the East Tennessee representative for the Miss Tennessee Pageant after the county pageant was discontinued in 1994 due to lack of contestant participation. He and his wife, Ali, worked on the Miss Greene County Pageant for nearly two decades. Miss Greene County 1987, Kathleen Michelle Brang, later became Miss Tennessee 1993, making her the only Greene County winner to become Miss Tennessee. Burkhard, a longtime donor and supporter of East Tennessee State University and the Humane Society, was certified as a civil trial advocate in 2002 by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and had practiced law since 1971. He also had written guest articles in the Greeneville newspaper about the Miss America Pageant.

Robin Browne, whose family was profiled in the HBO documentary "Living Dolls," about children's pageants in the South, has died of an apparent heart attack.

Miss Atlanta 1998, Tamyra Gray, who was third runner-up in summer 2002's Fox network hit "American Idol," will make a guest appearance on the Fox drama "Boston Public" on Feb. 24, 2003. She portrays a shy student with a powerful voice. Ms. Gray, a Maryland native, finally got to sing in Atlantic City last November, not as a pageant contestant, but as a member of the "Idol" concert tour. Also appearing on "Boston Public" is actress Jeri Ryan, who stars as teacher Ronnie Clarke. Ms. Ryan, formerly known as Jeri Lynn Zimmermann, was Miss Kentucky T.E.E.N. 1984, Miss Illinois America 1989 and third runner-up to Miss America 1990.

Miss Universe 1993, Dayanara Torres, and her husband, singer Marc Anthony (Marco Antonio Muniz) announced on Feb. 18, 2003, that they are expecting their second child in the fall. Other details were not provided. On Nov. 7, 2002, the couple renewed their vows during a lavish ceremony in their native Puerto Rico. They have a 2-year-old son, Christian. Mr. Anthony, known as "the King of Salsa," also has an 8-year-old daughter, Arianna, from a previous relationship.

Miss Germany (Universe), Alexsandra Vodjanikova, headed to Baghdad on Feb. 19, 2003, on a peace mission. She will meet Iraqi politicians and perhaps the country's leader, Saddam Hussein. With war between Iraq and a U.S.-led coalition becoming more likely, there were reports a few days earlier that she had canceled the trip. Germany has been vocal in its opposition to Western use of force in Iraq, straining its relations with the United States.

Mark Victor Hansen and Jack Canfield, best-selling co-creators of "Chicken Soup for the Soul," have agreed to endorse "Breakthrough: Ordinary to Extraordinary," written by former Miss Vermont USA Lisa Costantino, who is also a TV personality, author and aspiring relationship therapist. Canfield will write an introduction for the book. Also endorsing "Breakthrough" is Kay Allenbuagh, bestselling author of "Chocolate for the Woman's Soul" and Cynthia Kersey, author of "Unstoppable." The new book is about unmasking the extraordinary self.

Miss Austria World 2000, Patricia Kaiser, is one of the singers who will compete in the Austrian selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2003 on March 14, 2003. If she wins, she will represent Austria in the international Eurovision Song Contest on May 24, 2003, in Riga, Latvia.

Entrepreneur and actress Melanie Patterson, who was Mrs. United States 1993, has become state director of the Mrs. Pennsylvania Pageant. In addition to her pageant success, she is the inventor of PIBS – the disposable bib on a roll, and she is in charge of the manufacture, distribution, sales and marketing of this innovative product.

Miss Germany (Universe), Alexsandra Vodjanikova, reportedly has canceled her peace mission to Iraq because of the growing probability that the country will be at war soon. She has expressed a  desire to speak with Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and persuade him to cooperate with U.N. weapons inspectors.

Crowning Achievements has launched a new division to market pageant-related products. The Crowning Achievements Collection will provide, in the words of the company's press release, "those hard-to-find, unique and appropriate gifts for pageant contestants." The products include items of apparel, toiletries, decorative room furnishings and personal items.

After being in the Brazilian edition of the reality show "Big Brother" (and being eliminated), the reigning Miss Brazil, Joseane Oliveira, appears in sensual poses on the Paparazzo Web site. There is a rumor that she will resign her title to pose for an upcoming issue of the Brazilian edition of Playboy.

Joseane Oliveira, the reigning Miss Brazil, who made headlines across South America's largest country by participating in the worldwide television phenomenon "Big Brother 3," was voted out of the house on Jan. 28, 2003. She is the second woman to be removed from the house, and the action was determined, primarily, by a popular vote from television viewers. Several other beauty queens have participated in the "BB" franchise: Marisa Ferreira, Miss Portugal 1998, finished third in the second installment of the Portuguese version, and Jamie Kern, Miss Washington USA 2000, was removed from the inaugural American version. Ms. Oliveira will pass on her national title in April, and says she wants a career in acting.

Betty Fulton-Mills has become the director of the Miss Teen Petite and Miss Petite Florida pageants.

Robert Beck, who sued the Miss America Organization after his dismissal as the pageant's top executive, has been awarded $80,000 in severance by a judge in New Jersey. Beck was fired in 1999 after proposing that the pageant relax its strict rules on marital status and sexual history. (Specifically, he supported admission of contestants who had been divorced or acknowledged having had abortions.) Although the pageant briefly endorsed his proposals, they were never put into place.