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Miss Tennessee Rachel Smith has replaced the sleazy Tara Conner as Miss USA.
Rachel Smith realized she had a real shot at the Miss USA crown when she made it to the top 15. Next up was the swimsuit portion of the pageant, and the journalism graduate from Tennessee told herself: “I’m just going to work it.” Smith, 21, ultimately bested 50 other aspiring beauty queens to win the title of Miss USA on Friday night.
The 5-foot, 11-inch-tall brunette is a graduate of Belmont University and a former intern for the production company behind “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”
“I’m speechless at this point, I really am,” Smith said after the pageant.
Contestants from all 50 states and the District of Columbia competed to succeed Miss USA Tara Conner, who entered rehab after accounts surfaced suggesting she was boozing at New York clubs. The Kentucky native was in danger of losing her crown, but Donald Trump, who co-owns the pageant with NBC, gave her a second chance.
The telecast didn’t shy away from the controversy, opening with a string of news and interview clips about Conner’s woes. Then, the 21-year-old blonde emerged onstage wearing a strapless, ruffled gown. “It has been the most unforgettable year of my life and I’m back, and better than ever,” Conner said to wild applause from the audience at the Kodak Theatre.
Smith, of Clarksville, Tenn., edged out top finalists Meagan Yvonne Tandy of California; Cara Renee Gorges of Kansas; Helen Salas of Nevada; and Danielle Lacourse of Rhode Island, who was named the first runner-up.
I like that she uses phrases like “Work it,” acknowledging that beauty pageants are just high class strip shows, except they don’t get quite as naked. Although, come to think of it, a lot of them do naked photo spreads, too.
These will have to do until the nude spreads of her engaging in drunken lesbian sex romps are uncovered. (Assuming they exist, of course.)
     
Rachel can definitely “work it.” I don’t think she’s as fine as Miss Delaware USA Nicole Bosso, Miss Kentucky USA Michelle Stephanie Banzer, Miss Arkansas USA Kelly George, Miss Indiana USA Jami Stallings, Miss Georgia USA Brittany Swann, Miss Florida USA Jenna Edwards, or Miss Colorado USA Keena Bonella, all pictured in my pageant preview post, though.
The Miss USA people are getting rid of Tara Conner, after all. No, she’s not being fired–her time is up.
The Miss USA pageant gears up to name a new queen this week in a live televised competition that organizers say will spotlight how reigning titleholder Tara Conner nearly lost her crown and ended up in rehab. “Certainly, our reigning Miss USA is going to be on television and we’re certainly not going to shy away from referring to what happened,” executive producer Phil Gurin told The Associated Press on Monday. “Why shy away from what’s part of our family? We embrace our family.”
 While not a centerpiece of the show, Conner will be “all over our telecast,” Gurin added. Viewers will be able to see Conner and “make their own determinations by seeing how she presents herself, what she has to say about what happened this past year … and that’s something we’ve never been able to do before.”
Published accounts last fall suggested that Conner, a native of Kentucky, was boozing it up at New York clubs — not exactly the kind of public behavior expected of a role model tapped to be Miss USA and then represent the United States in the
Miss Universe pageant.
The behavior of other Miss USA contestants over the last few months also drew unwanted public scrutiny: Miss Nevada USA Katie Rees lost her title after racy pictures of her surfaced on the Internet, and Miss New Jersey USA Ashley Harder resigned when she got pregnant.
Conner hung on to her crown after Donald Trump, who owns the Miss Universe and Miss USA contests in a partnership with NBC, decided to give her a second chance. She underwent a stint in rehab in Pennsylvania for her drinking. Trump’s decision sparked a war of words between The Donald and “The View” co-host
Rosie O’Donnell.
On Monday, 51 contestants representing all the states and the District of Columbia participated in a non-televised preliminary competition, each taking turns wearing a swimsuit and an evening gown and modeling them for the judges. The beauty queens met with judges on Sunday to conduct the interview portion of the competition.
The scores earned by contestants in the preliminary contest were not released. They are used to determine the 15 top finalists named early on in the telecast Friday.
Gurin said he doesn’t think the Conner flap has hurt the pageant’s reputation. “I think there’s been more focus on the pageant, perhaps, than there might have been otherwise, but I don’t think it’s tarnished anything,” he said. If anything, Gurin conceded, the controversy may draw more viewers to the show. “We don’t want to capitalize from someone’s misfortune,” said Gurin, who marks his fifth year producing the pageant. “Any time there’s something that stirs up the pot, certainly more eyeballs are going to come to watch.”
There’s not much doubt the Conner scandal helped get “Miss USA” back into the national spotlight. Who can name Miss USA 2005? Miss USA 2004? Any Miss USA from the last 20 years?
I don’t know who will win this year but Nicole Bosso, Miss Delaware USA (pictured in story above), looks mighty fine in that swimsuit. Then again, Miss Kentucky USA Michelle Stephanie Banzer, Miss Arkansas USA Kelly George, Miss Indiana USA Jami Stallings, Miss Georgia USA Brittany Swann, Miss Florida USA Jenna Edwards, and Miss Colorado USA Keena Bonella aren’t too bad, either.
     
… Until she’s in Playboy that is.
Tara Conner, the Kentucky native is set to hand down her crown to a new young beauty during the live March 23 broadcast of Miss USA 2007.
source: ONTD
Miss USA Tara Conner went back to work this week, appearing in two New York City fashion shows. I think her make-up makes her look like a hooker!
 “I feel like I am on the right track,” Connor, 21, stated Wednesday at Monica Moss’s debut fashion show benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Center. “I am just blessed to be here. I am very lucky right now.”
Wearing her “new favorite accessory” – a gold Marc Jacobs coat – she revealed her pre-runway diet: “I ate a huge cheeseburger.”
On Sunday morning, Connor modeled in the Tadashi show, and called her catwalk debut “a lot of fun.”
“You get a chance to completely get in a character,” she said. “You have the glitzed-out makeup, funky hair, and it’s very different but it’s very fun.”
Conner, who last week stated she was an alcoholic who had also tried cocaine, nearly lost her crown in December following allegations of hard partying – but she recently completed 31 days in a Pennsylvania rehab facility as part of a “second chance” offered by Miss Universe co-owner Donald Trump.
The Kentucky native says she plans to make the most of her last two months as Miss USA (she’ll crown her successor in Los Angeles on March 23).
“I am embracing every single day that I can and I want to take it for all that it’s worth and get all that I think I can get out of it,” said Connor, “I mean, when it’s time for the new girl, it’s time for the new girl and time for me to move on.”
source
Miss USA Tara Conner, who checked out of rehab on Jan. 21, says she used cocaine prior to her treatment. This is SO not surprising!
 “Cocaine was one of the drugs that I did use. It’s hard to look back at that,” she states. “I was an equal-opportunity [user] – I would try anything once.”
The 21-year-old Russell Springs, Ky., native spent 31 days at the Caron Foundation rehab facility in Wernersville, Pa., as part of a “second chance” offered to her by Donald Trump, co-owner of the Miss Universe organization, following press reports of underage drinking, drug use and promiscuity.
When asked about the rumored romantic escapades, she hedges: “I would talk to more than one guy at once – it doesn’t mean that I was sexually active with every one of these people.”
It was alcohol, she says, that had the biggest hold on her. Citing a family history of alcoholism, Conner says that for many years she was “a functioning alcoholic. If I got caught [drinking], I would stop – I was able to do that.”
(Conner also says in a Today interview airing Thursday, “I have done cocaine, yes.” According to the New York Post’s Page Six, Conner tells Matt Lauer she took antidepressants and other drugs that triggered an allergic reaction.)
Before rehab, she says, “I thought I needed to be around people, that I needed that acceptance.” Now, instead of going to clubs, she enjoys reading at home – a home she shares with a chaperone.
“I just can’t wait to get back to work,” she says. ” ‘I’m Miss USA, my name is Tara Conner, and I’m happy to meet you,’ you know? Life’s good.”
source
Another Miss USA tiara is changing heads. Ashley Harder, Miss New Jersey USA, has resigned because she is pregnant. Actually, the real reason she quit is because she can’t stand Donald Trump. They are all going to quit, one by one. [not really, heh]
 Harder, 20, told the newspaper she voluntarily stepped down because it’s against pageant rules to compete while pregnant. She could not be reached for comment by The Associated Press.
Both the pageant and the runner-up for 2007 Miss New Jersey USA confirmed Monday that the reins have changed hands. Erin Abrahamson, 23, said pageant officials called her Friday to let her know she would be assuming the title.
“Whatever made her resign, I wish her lots of luck and hope she’s OK,” Abrahamson said of Harder, adding that pageant officials didn’t tell her why she would be taking over.
Harder’s resignation is the latest to hit the pageant.
Miss Nevada USA Katie Rees was stripped of her title after racy photos of her appeared on the Internet. Miss USA Tara Conner, who was caught drinking in New York bars when she was still underage, was allowed to keep her tiara after she agreed to go into rehab and undergo drug testing.
Harder, who was crowned in October, told the newspaper she’s expecting her child in “late summer” and plans to marry her live-in boyfriend.
Pageant spokeswoman Lark-Marie Anton confirmed Harder’s resignation, but would only say it was “for personal reasons.”
The Miss USA pageant is to be held on March 23 in Los Angeles. The winner of that competition goes on to compete in the Miss Universe pageant. Both pageants are owned by Donald Trump and NBC.
At least she didn’t quit because she was photographed shoving her tongue down another girls throat.
source: ONTD
Ryan Reynolds is Ripped - Bumpshack
Josh Hartnett Gets a Blow Job - disted
Tyra Banks isn’t really fat - A Socialites Life
Tara Conner in Miss USA Playboy Spread?-Fatback and Collards
OMG -The Little blond kid from “Who’s the Boss”-Pink is the New Blog
Teri Hatcher’s body is aging better than her face-D*ana’s Dirt
Mariah Carey Vs. Mary Carey: We Have A Winner-City Rag
Lindsay Lohan’s ass is going south - Hollywood Tuna
Inside Rachel Zoe’s Closet - Popsugar
Sienna Miller Gets Beachy - Just Jared
Lily Allen Talks on YouTube - Popbytes
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Todd Leopold offers CNN.com’s top 10 entertainment stories of the year:
1. The ubiquitous YouTube, MySpace, etc. Time magazine may have overstated the case with its Person of the Year , but certainly these Web sites are redefining who makes entertainment, when it’s available (whenever you want) — and what it is, for that matter. Not bad for that series of tubes called the Internets.
2. Britney Spears. Didn’t she used to sing?
3. Major deaths: James Brown, Ahmet Ertegun, Robert Altman. All incredibly influential, all deserving of more due. The world is a lesser place with their losses.
4. Mel Gibson. His drunken, racist tirade made him the center of attention in July. "Apocalypto" put him on top of the box office in December.
4a. Race and rants. Gibson’s outburst (and others, notably Michael Richards’) started talk about race, ethnicity and prejudice, but whether the discussion was enlightening or simply a frenzy of yelling is an open question. (a certain reporter.
7. Steve Irwin. The "Crocodile Hunter’s" death in September shocked the world.
8. Borat. Sacha Baron Cohen’s clever Kazakh character topped the box office and started discussions on the value of satire. High-five!
9. Celebrities and Africa. Some attracted cameras (George Clooney in Darfur, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in Namibia), some appeared to invite them (Madonna). Regardless of the reasons, perhaps the exposure will do some good.
10. The old folks still have it. In an entertainment world, where youth is deified, Bob Dylan (65) topped the album charts; Clint Eastwood (76) made two of the best movies of the year; Judi Dench (72) earned raves for "Casino Royale" and "Notes on a Scandal"; and that’s not to forget Peter O’Toole (74), Helen Mirren (61) and that whippersnapper Meryl Streep (57).
What about the TomCat phenomenon? People obsessed for months on when and if Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes would get married, when their baby would be born, what its name would be, when the first pictures would come out, why they were seen around town without said baby (Suri), and so forth.
At least in the online world, “crotch shots” and its variants would be high on the list, with Spears, Lindsay Lohan, and Paris Hilton all having well publicized (and searched) incidents. Ditto “beauty pageant scandals,” with the drunken behavior of Miss USA Tara Conner and Miss Nevada USA Katie Rees getting so much attention over the last couple of weeks. Of lesser note would be the Scarlett Johansson phenomenon, with the starlet suddenly appearing at the top of all the hot celebrity superlative lists.
Even though Miss USA Tara Conner has received a second chance at living up to the image of her title, it sounds like her teenaged equivalent is getting no such luck from MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving).
Miss USA Tara Conner may have survived to reign another day, but at least one organization thinks that she’s tainted the image of “little sister” Miss Teen USA Katie Blair, and is cutting ties with Blair as a result. Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) announced Wednesday that it has ended its relationship with Blair, saying in a statement, “We do not feel, at this time, that Ms. Blair can be an effective spokesperson on underage drinking and will not ask her to represent MADD in future initiatives.”
source: ONTD
Rosie O’Donnell had some fiery words for Donald Trump on The View Wednesday morning, calling him a “snake-oil salesman” following his announcement that he would not fire troubled Miss USA Tara Conner.
 After hearing about her comments, Trump fired back, calling her “a woman out of control” and saying he planned to sue O’Donnell over her statements questioning his financial well-being.
“You can’t make false statements,” says Trump. “Rosie will rue the words she said. I’ll most likely sue her for making those false statements – and it’ll be fun. Rosie’s a loser. A real loser. I look forward to taking lots of money from my nice fat little Rosie.”
The battle began on Wednesday’s show, when a peeved O’Donnell said: “(He) left the first wife – had an affair. (He) had kids both times, but he’s the moral compass for 20-year-olds in America. Donald, sit and spin, my friend.”
O’Donnell, who impersonated Trump by deepening her voice and flipping her hair to one side, aimed her criticism at his comment from the Tuesday press conference that, “I’ve always been a believer in second chances. Tara is good person. Tara has tried hard. Tara is going to be given a second chance.”
Conner, who just turned 21, will go to rehab but keep her crown, following reports of alleged drug and alcohol abuse. A grateful Conner apologized for her behavior at the press conference, and she thanked Trump for his compassion.
But O’Donnell was not as touched. After repeatedly saying she “didn’t enjoy him,” Rosie discussed Trump’s finances – saying he went bankrupt, which Trump denies – and likened him to the “snake-oil salesman on Little House On The Prairie. This is not a self-made man,” O’Donnell said.
And while O’Donnell and her View co-hosts discussed Conner’s alleged drug and alcohol abuse, Rosie was dismissive, saying, “She went out and she was partying – doing what Paris and Lindsay do.”
She also turned her wrath toward the Miss USA organization itself. “Miss America is the prestige,” she said. “Miss USA is a different thing. It’s basically a model competition. Let’s be realistic.”
Trump’s response? “She talked about the Miss USA contest, which has terrific ratings on NBC. Miss America got thrown off of network television! It’s (on cable), where nobody watches it,” he said, countering her statements. “And my father never gave me tons of money.”
He also thinks Rosie’s rant against him was personal. Trump says he once sarcastically chastised Rosie about her “failed magazine” and “failed talk show.” Added The Donald: “I think she’s just terrible.”
For her part, O’Donnell seemed to realize she was in for a fight after she criticized Trump, adding: “Here comes the lawsuit. Get ready. This is going to be good.”
On Wednesday afternoon The View executive producers, Bill Geddie and Barbara Walters, issued a statement in support of O’Donnell – and Trump.
“Both Rosie and Donald are high-spirited, opinionated people. Donald has been a friend of The View for many years and Rosie, of course, is our enormously popular moderator. We cherish them both and hope the new year brings calm and peace.”
source
UPDATE:
Trump also lashed out at O’Donnell on the television entertainment program, The Insider, ridiculing everything from her appearance to her former eponymous television talk show and magazine.
“Rosie attacks me personally? I know her fairly well because her show failed. She didn’t retire. She didn’t get the ratings! Her magazine called Rosie was a total disaster,” he said.
“She’s out of her mind. I will probably sue Rosie for a number of reasons. I’m worth a lot of money. She doesn’t tell the facts,” he added.
Then Rosie pointed out his financial mishaps via her blog:
On Wednesday night, Rosie copied and pasted onto her personal blog an excerpt from Wikipedia, an online free-content encyclopedia, which detailed Trump’s past financial woes. At the bottom of the entry she wrote – in her typical haiku style :
loving the wiki
i use it
do u
i will let u know if the donald sues me
or if kelli leaves me for one of his pals
dont u find him charming
source
The Donald didn’t fire Tara Conner… in fact, he felt that she deserved a second chance. No doubt, this Academy Award winning performance had something to do with it!
Despite his famous tagline, “You’re fired!” Donald Trump decided to give Tara Conner a second shot instead of stripping the Miss USA title from her.
Donald Trump chooses not to fire Miss USA Tara Conner amid reports she has visited bars, though she is not yet 21. “I’ve always been a believer in second chances. Tara is a good person,” Trump said in a news conference Tuesday. “Tara is going to be given a second chance.”
As part of staying on as Miss USA, Conner has agreed to enter rehab.
Trump said, “until this morning, I didn’t know which way it was going to go.” But upon meeting her in his office, he said that saw her “good heart” and that she “got caught up in the whirlwind that all know as New York.”
“He didn’t have to keep me around,” a tearful Conner said at the news conference.
Motioning to Trump, she said, “He’s a very, very compassionate person, and I obviously learned that today.” I plan on walking out of this being the best USA you’ve ever seen. Thank you, you’ll never know what this means to me. I’ll never let you down.”
The organization’s president, Paula Shugart, said last week that officials would evaluate Conner’s “behavioral and personal issues to see what we can do to work with her and what we will do about her reign going forward.” Another spokewoman said Miss USA is considered a role model, and her conduct must reflect that. Behavior such as underage drinking is clearly prohibited.
How heartwarming.
*** UPDATE (12/19): It looks like Trump decided not to fire her after all. **
TMZ reports that Miss USA Tara Conner will be dumped in favor of first-runner-up Tamiko Nash.
One day after pageant boss Donald Trump publicly denied that reigning Miss USA Tara Conner was being dethroned, TMZ has learned that first runner-up, Miss California Tamiko Nash, will be inheriting the crown. A source tells TMZ that Miss California was contacted with the news by a high-ranking pageant official and told she will take the title once Trump finally makes the official announcement in the coming week.
It’s not as if Conner is the first 20-year-old to drink too much, although she’s technically under the legal age. And, frankly, she’s way better looking than Nash.
On the other hand, this isn’t exactly of the same magnitude as when Vanessa Williams, the first black Miss America, lost her crown for having posed for nude pictures that wound up in Playboy. Come to think of it, Williams’ career really took off after that.
Looks like we’ll have the verdict regarding the fate of Miss USA Tara Conner sometime next week. The Miss Universe Organization issued the following statement:
source: ONTD
Miss USA Tara Conner may be stripped of her title for some “personal issues.”
The organizers of the Miss USA pageant said Thursday they are evaluating the “behavioral and personal issues” of the reigning winner and will decide her future within a week.
 Pageant officials and Donald Trump, who co-owns the Miss Universe Organization with NBC, would not say what Kentucky native Tara Conner, 20, had done to prompt the serious evaluation. “I can’t really talk about it now,” Trump said. “But we have to make a decision. There is no question about that.”
Internet gossip Web site TMZ.com reported that pageant officials and NBC met Tuesday to discuss Conner’s alleged bad behavior, “including her conduct at New York City bars.” The Web site did not name its sources.
Miss USA is considered a role model and must act accordingly, said Lark-Marie Anton, spokeswoman for the Miss Universe Organization, which produces the Miss USA pageant. Behavior such as underage drinking is clearly prohibited, she said.
The TMZ report:
TMZ has learned that officials from the Miss USA pageant will make a “major announcement” today and may strip reigning Miss USA Tara Conner of her title due to inappropriate behavior.
Sources tell TMZ that executives from the Miss USA organization and NBC (which broadcasts the pageant) met Tuesday to discuss Conner and alleged incidents of her inappropriate behavior, including her conduct at New York City bars. While no one from the pageant would comment on the rumored troubles, several sources tell TMZ that a big announcement is expected some time Thursday. According to these sources, officials are extremely unhappy with the current Miss USA’s conduct in public.
Pageant rules say that if Connor is removed, first runner-up Miss California Tamiko Nash will assume the duties of Miss USA and complete the remainder of the beauty queen’s reign. When TMZ contacted a rep for Nash, we were told they could “neither confirm nor deny” that she would be taking over the title.
Pageant officials have released a statement on the matter:
The Miss USA Organization has issued the following statement: “Miss USA Tara Conner has not been dethroned. The Miss Universe Organization and Mr. Donald J. Trump will be evaluating her behavioral and personal issues to see what we can do to work with her, and what we will do about her reign going forward. Mr. Trump will make a determination and announcement within the coming week.”
Some additional photos of Tara Conner, Miss USA for at least a while longer:
     
Previous coverage: Tara Elizabeth Connor Crowned Miss USA
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