LINWOOD, New Jersey, January 23. THE 2009 Miss America Pageant promises to be an exciting event with the announcement of the strikingly diverse panel of national judges. This year's panel of seven esteemed judges includes a Broadway star; a renowned denim designer; a Miss America-turned-philanthropist; an Olympic gold medalist; a casting genius; a celebrated entertainment news reporter and anchor; and the hottest hairdresser in Hollywood. They will evaluate the contestants from the preliminaries through the final night of competition, which will be broadcast live from Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas on Saturday, January 24, 2009 at 8:00PM ET live\/PT tape-delayed, exclusively on TLC.<\/p>\n
The judges were announced by Sam Haskell, III, Chairman of the Board for the Miss America Organization (MAO), Art McMaster, President and CEO of MAO, and Anthony Eaton, Producer of the 2009 Miss America Pageant. This year's panel of judges is comprised of experts in each of the fields in which a young woman must excel in, in order to be named Miss America. Miss America must be beautiful, talented, intelligent and well-spoken, a leader, have a commitment to her community, be contemporary in her style and fashion – a relatable and individual \u2018it girl' who can connect with today's modern woman, as well as being physically fit. To determine who will be Miss America 2009 the following panel of judges has been selected:<\/p>\n
From the Field of Fashion \u2013 Paige Adams-Geller \u2013 Adams-Geller is a former fit model-turned-denim designer who was once lauded as "the perfect body for jeans fitting," and the most-requested fit model by the top denim designers in the industry. She is now the owner of Paige Premium Denim, PPD for men, Paige Petites, Paige Maternity, Paige Kids and Paige Black Label.<\/p>\n
From the Field of Entertainment \u2013 Laure Bell Bundy \u2013 Most notably known for her role as Elle Woods in "Legally Blonde: The Musical," this triple-threat has received nominations for a Tony and Drama Desk Award and has received a Drama League Honor. Bundy has several film and small screen credits and has released two albums.<\/p>\n
From the Field of Community Service \u2013 Nicole Johnson \u2013 Johnson is Miss America 1999 and has spent her time since her year of service educating and raising awareness and funds for Type I Diabetes. She has won several awards for her advocacy and has created her own foundation to continue her commitment towards this terrible disease.<\/p>\n
From the Field of Fitness \u2013 Cullen Jones \u2013 Jones is the second African American in history to win an Olympic gold medal in swimming and also helped his team win additional gold medals and set world records in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Jones is heavily involved with the USA Swimming Foundation's Make A Splash program, helping minorities learn how to swim.<\/p>\n
From the Field of Talent \u2013 Beth Klein \u2013 A renowned casting genius, Klein is the Senior Vice President of Talent and Casting for Showtime networks. She currently oversees casting on all Showtime series including Weeds, The L Word, Dexter, and The Tudors.<\/p>\n
From the Field of Communications\/Interview \u2013 Jim Moret \u2013 Moret has covered entertainment news for over 20 years and is currently the chief correspondent for Inside Edition. He is a regular guest contributor both as a legal analyst and entertainment reporter for CNN's Headline News, Fox News Channel, Court TV, and MSNBC.<\/p>\n
From the Field of Beauty \u2013 Ken Paves \u2013 Dubbed by the media as one of the hottest hairdressers in Hollywood, Paves has remained one of the most sought after hairstylists in the world for the past 12 years. His work has appeared in all of the top industry magazines and his celebrity clientele include Jennifer Lopez, Jessica and Ashlee Simpson, Celine Dion, Kerry Washington, Marcia Cross, Eve and Jessica Alba.<\/p>\n
Special thanks to Miss America for contributing this report.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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