Pageant News Bureau

The reigning Miss World, Rosanna Davison of Ireland, was the grand marshal of the St. Patrick's Day parade in Dublin, Ireland, on March 17, 2004. St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, where his day has traditionally been celebrated as a solemn religious festival. But the party atmosphere that characterizes St. Patrick's Day celebrations abroad has begun to increase in Ireland.

A judge has dismissed a federal lawsuit against Denise "Dee" Henderson, who was Mrs. Minnesota International 1999. The government said it would refile the suit, which alleged that Mrs. Henderson falsely claimed a disability in the 1990s. She has strenuously denied the allegation, but still faces criminal charges in the case.

Tami Farrell, Miss Teen USA 2003, attended the early premiere of "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen," accompanied by Catherine Muldoon, Miss New York Teen USA 2004, and Rachael Carrollo, Miss New Jersey Teen USA 2004. The movie premieres nationwide on Feb. 20, 2004.

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

Hana Pae, Miss Seoul Hawaiian Tropic 2002, appears in the "Grapevine" section of the March 2004 issue of Playboy magazine.

Pam Kennedy, who was Miss Georgia 2000, has become a corporate consultant to Hooters of America. She will help contribute to the morale, well-being and image of the world-famous Hooters girls.

John Ramsey, father of slain child beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey, reportedly is considering running for the Michigan House of Representatives. The family has vacationed in Michigan for a number of years. Since JonBenet was murdered at the family home in Boulder, Colo., in 1996, the Ramseys have lived in Atlanta.

Three beauty queens of the Galaxy International Pageant are being considered by ABC-TV to appear on the reality show "The Swap." The women are Maria Beall, Mrs. Galaxy 2003; Autumn-Skye Boothe, Virginia Galaxy state director, Miss U.S. Galaxy 2003 and Miss Virginia Galaxy 2002; and Maria Torres, Mrs. Puerto Rico Galaxy 2004. They are currently being interviewed. The program allows wives to "swap" families for a period of time, and at some point to reorganize each other's households.

TV alert

Mrs. Florida 2002, Hayley Norman, appears on the program "Trading Secrets" on TLC on Feb. 26, 2004, at 9:00 p.m. EST; Feb. 29 at noon and midnight EST; and March 2 at 4:00 p.m. EST. Check local listings.

Miss Thailand 1992, Orn-Anong Panyawong, is currently starring in the Thai blockbuster film, "Nong Toom" ("Beautiful Boxer"). Nong Toom, a transgendered person, gained fame across Asia by winning dozens of Muay Thai martial arts matches against other men, then using the winnings to pay for for male-to-female sex reassessment surgery. Ms. Panyawong plays Nong Toom's mother in the film. She was first runner-up for the Best National Costume prize at Miss Universe 1992, which was held in Thailand.

Jacinta Devlin, Miss Teen Maine International, was chosen to cheer at the Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl Classic. The Lobster Bowl is an all-star football game that features the best football players and cheerleaders in the state of Maine. Only about 20 cheerleaders out of the entire state are chosen.

Tami Farrell, Miss Teen USA 2003, attended the early premiere of "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen," accompanied by Catherine Muldoon, Miss New York Teen USA 2004, and Rachael Carrollo, Miss New Jersey Teen USA 2004. The movie premieres nationwide on Feb. 20, 2004.

TV alert

Lauren Susan Green, who was Miss Minnesota 1984 and currently is a Fox News Channel morning anchor, will display her classical piano talent on the Feb. 13, 2004, edition of the network's Fox & Friends program, airing from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. EST (5 to 8 a.m. CST). Ms. Green, who was a preliminary talent winner at the 1984 Miss America Pageant and was third runner-up to Miss America 1985, will play piano selections from her recently released CD. The Northwestern University graduate previously worked as a general assignment reporter at KSTP-TV (ABC) in her native St. Paul.

Miss America 2004, Ericka Yolanda Dunlap, returns to her native Florida once again for an appearance on Feb. 15, 2004. She will be the host of the nationally televised Daytona 500 Pre-Race Ceremony, live from the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach. The Orlando native can be seen on NBC at noon EST (11 a.m. CST) as she sings and entertains. The pre-race extravaganza will also include singer LeeAnn Rimes, President George W. Bush and 2004 Daytona 500 Grand Marshal Ben Affleck.

The ABC Family cable network will air "Whose Line Is It Anyway" which will feature Miss America and comic Kathy Griffin. The program will air Feb. 17, 2004, at 10:30 p.m. EST (9:30 p.m. CST).
The ABC Family cable network will show a repeat airing of the September 2003 episode of "Pryamid," which featured Miss America 2003, Erika Natali Louise Harold (who was then finishing her reign), Miss America 1981, Susan Carol Powell, and two pageant contestants, Miss Rhode Island, Laurie Beth Gray, and Miss Pennsylvania, Candace Mari Otto. The program, which was taped on Aug. 25, 2003 and hosted by former Miss America host Donny Osmond, will air Feb. 20, 2004, at 9 a.m. EST (8 a.m. CST).

Jenna Morasca, the former PNB cover girl who became a star on "Survivor," dropped out of the "Survivor All Stars" to be with her dying mother, it was revealed on Feb. 12, 2004. Her mother, Carla, has since died. Ms. Morasca, always proud of her roots and close to her friends and family in Pennsylvania, appears on the cover of the Feb. 13, 2004, issue of "Entertainment Weekly."

Actress Sandra Bullock, who starred in the popular pageant movie "Miss Congeniality" and also will star in "Miss Congeniality 2," was honored as Harvard University's Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year in Cambridge, Mass., on Feb. 12, 2004. Before receiving the lighthearted award, she led a parade through Harvard Square, accompanied by characters in costume. Also in the parade was former PNB cover girl Erika Ebbel, who was first runner-up to Miss Massachusetts, was second runner-up to National Sweetheart and is currently Miss Apponagansett Bay, preparing to compete at Miss Massachusetts again.

Jennifer Killgore, director of the Mrs. North Carolina United States Pageant, has taken over as Director of the Mrs. South Carolina United States Pageant as well, operating at www.unitedstatespageants.com. She has been in the pageant industry since 1975 as a contestant, judge and director. Both her pageants are preliminaries of Mrs. United States.

Beauty queen Cheryl "Cher" Sakahara is preparing a cookbook of pageant winners' recipes. She is seeking 300 recipes by the end of February 2004. The e-mail address is mrseureka2003@yahoo.com.

Dr. Lori Sikorszky, president and CEO of Coronation, Inc., the event production company that organizes the Mrs. Galaxy, Miss Galaxy, and Miss Teen Galaxy Pageant, has written a book. "PLANET BEAUTY: The Complete History of the Galaxy International Pageant." The book outlines the inspiration for the pageant, the arduous task of trademark and image development, and finding a "niche" in the already overcrowded pageant world. In addition, significant coverage is allotted to the remarkable women who have participated and worn the Galaxy crowns. It will be available through the pageant's Web site, and will be reviewed soon by PNB.

Miss World Canada 2003, Nazanin Afshin-Jam, was a guest on Global TV's top-rated late-night talk show, "The Mike Bullard Show," on Feb. 5, 2004. The appearance was one of five she made while on her trip to Toronto. She also acted as the emcee for a charity fund-raiser, the proceeds from which went to relief efforts in Bam, Iran, which was devastated by an earthquake in late December 2003. She also took part in a major fashion photo shoot and was a special guest a number of events in the city. The week of Feb. 11, 2004, she returns to Toronto as a special guest at a "Thank you Toronto" luncheon presented by the Holiday Inn on King, whose sponsorship and support are widely admired.

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

Former Miss Teen USA Keylee Sanders-Hochberg makes her first appearance in a national magazine in years in the March 2004 issue of STUFF Magazine. She is featured on Page 161 as a "coming attraction" in the television world.

On Feb. 4, 2004, it was announced that PNB cover girl Lisa Wilson was one of the 32 semifinalists on the latest edition of "American Idol." Can stardom be far away?

Singer and recent PNB cover girl Lisa Wilson has been appearing on "American Idol" in late January and early February 2004. Will the PNB prophecy come true?

Maria Beall, America's Brilliant Miss and America's Glamour Queen, has received the Cynthia Burgher Faith Foundation, Inc. Award honoring Carla Allen. Ms. Allen donated a kidney to Tara Urbanek in fall 2003. Ms. Beall receives this award due to reaching out to others and making a difference in their lives by helping them reach their health and fitness goals. Ms. Urbanek is presenting the award.

Miss Universe 1993, Dayanara Torres, reportedly filed for divorce from singer Marc Anthony on Jan. 20, 2004, in Florida. The couple, both of whom are from Puerto Rico, have two children. They married in 2000 and renewed their vows two years later.

The Tejano Music Awards have selected four queens of Hispanic descent from the Miss Ethnic World International pageant system to participate in the 2004 Awards telecast. The four will be working at the Tejano Music Awards as the "Official Award Presenters" during the telecast. The awards are broadcast in many Spanish-speaking countries and some markets in the United States. The selected queens were Mrs. Ethnic World 2004, Laura Rivera; Mrs. Mexico Ethnic World '04, Yvette Parrish; Miss Texas Teen Ethnic World '04, Natalie Bell; and Miss San Antonio Ethnic World '04, Annalucy Corona. The 24th Annual Tejano Music Awards will be held in San Antonio on March 11, 2004, at Graham Central Station. The queens will also be in attendance at "FAN FAIR" on March 12, 2004. That is the official autograph signing session for the winners and other celebrities attending the Tejano Music Awards.

TV alert

The CBS "Survivor All Star" special, premiering Feb. 1, 2004, pits stars of past "Survivor" season against one another. Pageant fans will be rooting for former PNB cover girl Jenna Morasca, who won it all on "Survivor: Amazon" and went on to become a Playboy cover girl.

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

Susie Castillo, Miss USA 2003, appears on the cover of a new magazine called "Drill," aimed at the U.S. military community. It seems to be in the tradition of the old pinup-style GI magazines. She makes a very sexy soldier.
Former beauty queen and current MSNBC anchor Amy Robach is featured in the February 2004 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine. The article is titled "Good Morning Gorgeous!" for reasons too obvious to explain. Another article in the magazine, "Miss America Style," shows current fashions modeled by Kellye Cash (Miss America 1987), Susan Powell (Miss America 1981), and Ericka Dunlap (Miss America 2004).
Aliya Wolf, who was Miss Houston USA 1994, is Playmate of the Month in the February 2004 issue of Playboy magazine. Also appearing in the magazine, in the Grapevine section, is former PNB cover girl Tawni Mychaels.
Miss America 2004, Ericka Yolanda Dunlap of Orlando, Fla., will appear in the January 2004 edition of the American women's magazine Glamour. The monthly publication will appear in stores and bookshops in mid-December.

Texas beauty queen Gina Ferrer, Miss Galaxy 2004, has been chosen to appear as a pageant coach on the MTV program "MADE." She will be helping a girl prepare for a pageant in her hometown of San Antonio. Filming begins in mid-January 2004, and the pageant is Feb. 21. Details of broadcast will be available later.

Former PNB cover girl Meredith Boyd has become a Speedo and Nautica model for the Swim'N Sport swimwear company. She has also appeared on the Home Shopping Network as a spokesmodel for Serious Skin Care, Jennifer Flavin Sallone's skin care line. She also models for fitness consultant Mike Mauney. She recently launched a Web site.

Art McMaster has been named president of the Miss America Organization. He is its fifth leader in as many years. For much of the organization's history, presidents served long tenures, but in recent years the organization has seen more turmoil and public dissension. Two former presidents of MAO have sued it in recent years.

Lynnette Cole, Miss USA 2000, and Tammy Smith, formerly of Petals & Lace, have announced their partnership in the first annual Miss Southern Tennessee Pageant. It will be held on Aug. 21, 2004 in Columbia, Tenn.

Tracy Kemble Productions has shot a documentary focusing on the televised Mrs. Globe Pageant. The program is called "BACKSTAGE at Mrs. Globe," and will become available in January 2004 at www.mrsglobe.com. It is produced by Dr. Kemble and directed by Kenny Luper.

Starshiners! Productions has announced that plans for the Reunion of the 1998 Miss USA Pageant Delegates are firming up, with the projected date tentatively set for Memorial Day Weekend in Las Vegas. Of the 51 Delegates, 42 have been heard from, leaving nine still to be located. If you are among the remaining nine, you are urged to contact organizers as soon as possible by e-mailing starshinersproductions@yahoo.com.

Denise "Dee" Marie Henderson, 43, a former Mrs. Minnesota International and former Mrs. Iowa International, has been indicted on federal charges that she pretended to be disabled to collect $190,000 in benefits. The charges were announced in Minneapolis on Dec. 29, 2003. She was previously targeted by a federal civil lawsuit on the same issue in August 2003.

Miss Florida, Shauna Pender, was released from a Miami hospital on Dec. 23, 2003, more than six weeks after being injured in a serious auto accident. Ms. Pender will spend some time with her relatives while recuperating.

Carrie Beth Spivey, who was Miss Mall of Georgia 2003, married Robbie Posener in Athens, Ga., on Dec. 27, 2003. Three of her friends from the Miss Georgia Pageant performed at the ceremony. Katie Freeman, a former Miss Cobb County, played the piano, while Brandi Thornton, a former Miss DeKalb County, and Lauren Jollay, the current Miss Coastal Georgia, sang.

On the Web
Season Magazine online features an interview with "Entertainment Tonight" co-host Mary Hart, who was Miss South Dakota 1970 and a Top 10 semifinalist at Miss America.

PNB offstage archive