Pageant News Bureau

Kimberly Sue Williamson, 23, who was Miss Illinois Teen USA 2000, died Dec. 27, 2004, in Knoxville, Tenn., where she had lived and worked for the past few years. She was a certified gemologist and host of a jewelry-related TV program in Knoxville. Ms. Williamson, who competed in the 2000 Miss Teen USA Pageant in Shreveport, La., but didn't place among the semi-finalists, was buried in her hometown of Bloomington, Ill., where she was a high school athlete, model and beauty queen.

Traci Clemens, Mrs. Rhode Island America 2004, gave birth to twin girls, Cassidey and Kendall, on Dec. 22, 2004. She and her husband, Joseph, live in the Providence area with the twins and three other children, Tyler, Kielly and Sidney. Mrs. Clemens competed at the Mrs. America Pageant while six months pregnant.

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

The "Who's News" segment of USA Weekend magazine for Dec. 24-26, 2004, contains answers about former Miss Universe host Bob Goen and beauty queen turned pop singer Diana DeGarmo.

Denise "Dee" Henderson, 44, who was Mrs. Minnesota International 1999 and Mrs. Iowa International 2001, has been sentenced to four years in prison for collecting Social Security disability benefits while not legitimately disabled. She was convicted in August 2004 and will begin her sentence in January 2005. Mrs. Henderson, who has maintained she was in pain during the period in question, also must make restitution in the amount of $193,000. Some of her active life as a beauty queen was pointed to by prosecutors during her trial.

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

The Dec. 12, 2004, issue of Parade Magazine, a supplement in many American newspapers, has a brief article on Miss Massachusetts Teen USA 1996, Maria Menounos. The Medford, Mass., native, who was a PNB cover girl and has been a reporter on "Entertainment Tonight" since 2002, now plans an expanded film career.
Miss Austria, Silvia Hackl, will appear as Playmate of the Month in the German edition of Playboy magazine.in January 2005. She is not being stripped of her crown.

TV alert

The TLC program "A Baby Story" will air the episode "Baby Taylor," about a Mrs. Maryland who plans to compete in her national pageant six weeks after her baby's due date. The program will air on Dec. 8, 2004, at 2:30 p.m. EST. Check local listings.
The syndicated program "Ambush Makeover" will air an episode about a Miss New York contender on Dec. 6, 2004. Check local listings.

Tiffany Fallon, who was Miss Georgia USA 2001 and second runner-up at Miss USA, is the December 2004 Playmate of the Month in Playboy magazine. On Nov. 17, 2004, she returns in style to Atlanta, signing autographs at Joe Muggs Newsstand in Buckhead from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

TV alert

The cable network TBS will air the "He's a Lady" season finale on Nov. 23 at 10:10 p.m. EST/9:10 CST, with a rebroadcast on Nov. 24 at 11:10 p.m. EST/10:10 p.m. CST. The show will feature the making of an evening gown and selection of a pageant winner among 11 male contestants. The "reality" program is hosted by Tony Frassrand.

On the Web: Erika Ebbel, Miss Massachusetts 2004, is featured in Mass High Tech, the Journal of New England Technology, in autumn 2004. The article discusses how the versatile Ms. Ebbel, a beautiful, internationally known pianist, uses her expertise in science to broaden the horizons of children.

Miss Massachusetts 2004, Erika Ebbel, will join other celebrities and TV personalities at a celebrity fashion show to benefit The Angel Fund on Nov. 11, 2004, at the Crowne Plaza in Natick, Mass. Proceeds from the fashion show will benefit The Angel Fund, an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the investigation of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS, at the Cecil B. Day Neuromuscular Lab at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Miss America 2005, Deidre Michelle Downs, formally launched her platform, "Curing Childhood Cancer," on Nov. 9, 2004, from New York University's Medical Center in New York City. She is the official national spokeswoman for CureSearch National Childhood Cancer Foundation. She is also a future pediatrician.

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

Mrs. Galaxy, Maria Torres, appears on the Fall 2004 cover of Supermodels Unlimited International Magazine, due to hit the streets in early November 2004. All three Galaxy Queens (Mrs. Galaxy, Maria Torres; Miss Galaxy, Kristin Howsley; and Miss Teen Galaxy, Alysha Castonguay) appear within the pages of the magazine in a pictorial titled "The Perfect Black Dress." Mrs. Torres will be appearing at a cover signing later in November at a bookstore near her home in Michigan.
The November 2004 issue of Harpers & Queen, a British society magazine, features an article on the "Indian Beauty Queen Industry." It focuses on the Times of India Group/Femina and its successes in international pageants, especially Miss World and Miss Universe.
Former PNB cover girl Meredith Boyd, a success in several pageant systems, has been chosen "One of the 50 Most Beautiful People in Atlanta" by Jezebel Magazine. The annual 50 Most Beautiful People issue comes out in November 2004.
Kari Ann Peniche, who was Miss United States Teen 2003, appears nude in the November 2004 issue of Playboy magazine. She did not formally hand over her crown when her successor was chosen in October 2004, and there are conflicting reports over whether she was stripped of her title over the appearance. Playboy has also confirmed that Tiffany Fallon, who was Miss Georgia USA 2001 and second runner-up to Miss USA, will appear nude in its December issue. Inside sources tell PNB that all this is "only the beginning," with more beauty queens going au naturel in 2005. Time will reveal all.

Shanna Moakler, an actress who was the second Miss USA 1995 (following Chelsi Smith's elevation to Miss Universe) has married Travis Barker of the musical group Blink-102. She has been romantically linked in the past to boxer Oscar de la Hoya and actor Dennis Quaid.

Tiffini Limahai, better known as Tiffini Hercules, who was Miss Hawaii USA 1998, has pleaded guilty to drug possession in a Hawaiian court. She and her husband were arrested at their Kailua home in September 2004 and were described by authorities as drug traffickers. The state can accept her plea or prosecute further.

Kandice Pelletier, a Rockette who is Miss Greater New York City, appeared on the Sunday version of NBC's "Today" program on Nov. 7, 2004, with other Rockettes. She is a former National Sweetheart.

A former South Carolina beauty queen and a roommate were slain in a home invasion in Napa, Calif., on the night of Oct. 31, 2004, according to police. Leslie Ann Mazzara, 26, who was Miss Williamston and competed for the Miss South Carolina title in summer 2002, died along with Adriane Michelle Insogna, also 26, a county employee. A third roommate escaped and alerted authorities. The slayings are under investigation.

Janet Ray Bierer, Ms. Montana America Ambassador, appeared at a Planned Parenthood charity event on Oct. 23, 2004, with famous sex author Dr. Ruth Westheimer. The two were the guests of honor. Ms. Bierer describes herself as a rare "pro-choice" pageant queen (a supporter of legal abortion).

PNB offstage archive