Ashley Melnick, a 21-year-old Texas Christian University student, claimed the title of Miss Texas 2010 by singing “Circle of Life” at the Miss Texas Scholarship Pageant, held earlier this month at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Competing as Miss Fort Worth, Melnick was crowned at Texas Hall on the UTA campus. In Miss Texas pageant preliminary competitions, Melnick won both talent and swimsuit awards. She will be the Lone Star State’s representative at the legendary Miss America Pageant.

The new Miss Texas was named during a week of special activities marking the pageant’s 75th celebration. Dozens of former Miss Texas titleholders performed on stage, and were joined by Phyllis George and Shirley Cothran Barret, two Texans who went on to win the Miss America title.

Named first runner-up was Jordan Johannsen, Miss Irving. Others in the top five were DaNae Couch, Miss Frisco; Kendall Morris, Miss White Settlement; and Cristie Kibler, Miss Arlington.

Also crowned was a new Miss Teen Texas. She is 15-year-old Madison Fuller, who represented Frisco.

For more information, check www.misstexas.org.

Former Miss Americas Phyllis George and Shirley Cothran Barret will be special guests of honor at the Miss Texas Scholarship Pageant’s 75th Anniversary Celebration, planned for July 1 and July 2 in Arlington, TX.

 George, Miss America 1971, and Barret, Miss America 1975, will serve as honorary chairs of the anniversary festivities.

A series of special events will pull former Miss Texas winners, state contestants and pageant volunteers to North Texas in late June and early July. The events, some which will be open to the public, will include three days of preliminary competitions and the July 2 crowning of Miss Texas 2010.

 Among the activities planned to commemorate the 75^th anniversary will be the Crowns and Gowns formal gala, featuring an archive exhibit of wardrobe pieces worn by former Miss Texas titleholders, and the Miss Texas Tribute Brunch, featuring George and Cothran as guest speakers.

George, a native of Denton, capitalized on her Miss America title by becoming one of the female pioneers in sports broadcasting. In 1975, she joined The NFL Today, co-hosting pre-game TV shows before NFL games. Other TV work followed, including a post as co-anchor of The CBS Morning News. Later she turned to commercial ventures founding both a poultry business and a cosmetic business. In addition, she served as Kentucky’s first lady while married to former Kentucky Governor John Y. Brown.

Barret, also a Denton native, has spent more than 30 years speaking to civic groups, national corporations, educational organizations and churches. She earned a doctorate degree in early childhood education and family counseling and couples her educational background with humor for her motivational talks. She has contributed to numerous magazines and has appeared on national TV programs.

A DVD and memorabilia book with pageant history is being compiled by pageant historian Randy Pruett. The book may be ordered online at www.misstexas.org.

Marvin Blum, Fort Worth resident and longtime pageant supporter, is serving as chairman of the 75^th anniversary celebration, and Carrizo Oil & Gas is on board as the event’s major sponsor.

Following is a list of event highlights from the 75^th Miss Texas Celebration:

June 28, 29, 30           Preliminary Competition Nights

            7 p.m. Competition, University of Texas at Arlington, Texas Hall, 701 W. Niederman, Arlington.

                Tickets at centralticketoffice.com.

July 1                          Miss Texas Family Reunion

            2 to 4 p.m. Hilton Arlington, Grand Ballroom. Event open to all former contestants, families,

               guests and volunteers.       

                Tickets $10, sold at the door.

July 1                          Crowns and Gowns Formal Gala

            6:30 to 11 p.m. Arlington Convention Center, Grand Hall, 1200 Ballpark Way.

                Archive exhibit of wardrobe, seated dinner and dancing to Larry T-Byrd Gordon & Music People

                Luv Band. Black-tie event open to the public.

               Tickets $75, order from www.misstexas.org or by calling Vicki Slaton at 972-203-1847.

July 2                          Miss Texas Tribute Brunch and Autograph Session

            8 to 11 a.m. Arlington Convention Center, Grand Hall, 1200 Ballpark Way.

                Featured speakers: former Miss Americas Phyllis George and Shirley Cothran Barret. Open to

                the public. Tickets $60, order from www.misstexas.org or by calling Jean Magness 817-292-5269.

July 2                          Crowning of Miss Texas 2010

            6 p.m. Pre show featuring performance by former Miss Texas titleholders, UTA, Texas Hall.

                7 p.m. Final night of competition, selection of Miss Texas 2010.

                Tickets available at centralticketoffice.com.

Bits and pieces from the Miss Texas Scholarship Pageant…

Black evening gowns, out. White evening gowns, in.

We all should cheer alot for the contestants who don’t have the big organizations backing them up. Everyone deserves a pep club!

Need judges who know dancing. Looking at their resumes, the judges probably were really good at judging who interviewed well and who handled herself well. But their areas of expertise were education, drama, cosmetics and pageants, and I would love to see one who knew the dance world or music. 

Kristen Blair, new Miss T, has a great set of pipes. Girl can sing. Actually, there were several who knocked it out of the park, vocally. Miss Fort Worth, Faith Bates, and Miss Texarkana, Adrianna Nelson, are two who come to mind.

Gloria Gilbert Barron’s quick wit is razor sharp. Fun emcee. Production numbers were lively. The pageant is a great evening’s entertainment, no matter who wins.

Did they induct anyone this year into the Miss Texas Scholarship Pageant Hall of Honor? If they did, I missed it.

Loved the hour of entertainment before Friday’s pageant began. All singing, which was great, but could we add some others? Again, dancing anyone?

Talent comes in all forms–electric guitar, drums, even painting on stage.

Friday’s final pageant was dedicated to the memory of the late B. Don Magness. I missed him last year, though, when he wasn’t there. Seems wrong for him not to be there, but I think he would have wanted the show to go on.

Wish I could walk like those pageant girls do. I want their perfect posture. Where do you learn that? Does charm school still exist? That must be my problem. My mom kept signing me up, and I kept refusing to go. Mom was right. I could have used it.

Sam Haskell III, chairman of the Miss America board, paid a visit to promote his best seller, Promises I Made My Mother. On stage Wednesday night, he said what people around here have been saying for a while. Rebecca Robinson should have been Miss America. He said it loud and clear over a microphone. And he’s right.

Mark July 3 on your 2010 calendar. That’s the night for the Miss Texas 75th anniversary gala. Chairman Marvin Blum is already working on it. Should be great fun.

Miss North Texas, 22-year-old Kristen Blair, sang her way to the title of Miss Texas Friday evening, winning the Miss Texas Scholarship Pageant at the University of Texas at Arlington.

The new Miss Texas wore a powder blue evening gown when she was crowned Miss Texas by outgoing Miss Texas, Rebecca Robinson. Blair now will compete for the title of Miss America at the Miss America Pageant Jan. 30 in Las Vegas, NV. Blair, a vocal performance major at the University of North Texas, sang Nessun Dorma in the talent competition. Her vocal talents made her a preliminary talent winner earlier in the week.

The Miss Teen Texas Pageant was held simultaneously at Texas Hall on the UTA campus. Miss Teen Frisco, Taylor Lowery, won the Miss Teen Texas title. She, too, had won a preliminary round earlier, but in the physical fitness category.

First runner-up to Miss Texas was Miss Carrollton, DaNae Couch. Others in the top five were Miss Grapevine, Ashley Melnick, second runner-up; Miss Fort Worth, Faith Bates, third runner-up; and Miss Frisco, Kathryn Dunn, fourth runner-up.

In the teen pageant, first runner-up was Miss Teen Texas Panhandle, Jordan Sheets. Rounding out the top five were Miss Teen Tarrant County, Destiny Velez, second runner-up; Miss Teen Harris County, Ali York, third runner-up; and Miss Teen Grapevine, Hadley Smith, fourth runner-up.

As Miss Texas, Blair will receive a $12,000 scholarship to the college of her choice. Blair graduated from high school in the state of Washington before entering the University of North Texas, according to Heather Edwards Bruce, the executive director of the Miss Southlake Pageant.

Friday’s pageant was dedicated to the late B. Don Magness. Magness, long associated with the Miss Texas organization, died last July, and his widow, Jean Magness, serves as CEO and executive director of the pageant.

Miss Texarkana, Adrianna Nelson

Kathryn Dunn, representing Frisco, and Adrianna Nelson, representing Texarkana, were named preliminary winners in the Miss Texas Scholarship Pageant Monday night at the University of Texas at Arlington.

The two received the honors after the pageant’s first evening of competition, being held for the first time at Texas Hall on the UTA campus. Dunn, 19, attends Baylor University and won the swimsuit competition. Nelson, a 21-year-old student at Houston Baptist University, took top honors in the talent competition for her vocal performance of “How Great Thou Art.”

They are two of 37 young women vying for the Miss Texas title and the chance to go on to January’s Miss America Pageant in Las Vegas. Preliminary competitions will continue Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, with the finals scheduled for 8 p.m. Friday. The pageant will be broadcast live Friday via a webcast, and details are available at www.misstexas.org.

The Miss Teen Texas Pageant is being held simultaneously with the Miss Texas competition. Preliminary winners for the teen pageant were Miss Teen Frisco, Taylor Lowery, for physical fitness and Miss Teen Plano, Madison Fuller, for talent with her ventriloquism act.

The Miss Texas Scholarship Pageant will crown a successor to Rebecca Robinson, Miss Texas 2008.  Robinson, a graduate of Texas A&M University with a degree in Spanish, performed a high-energy tap dance to “Hey Pachuco!” to win the Miss Texas title. Among her many accomplishments this year, she was chosen to sing the National Anthem at The Cotton Bowl and was selected as the subject of a United Way of America video promoting education.  

To become Miss Texas, a contestant must first win a local competition within the state. During preliminaries, the competitors are broken into three groups, with each group presenting a different part of the competition for the judges’ review. Those scores will be used to select finalists to compete in Friday’s finals.

The Miss Teen Texas Pageant, a competition that began in 1990, also will crown a new title holder Friday evening. The current Miss Teen Texas is Sydney Capello.

Tickets are available from Central Ticket Office. Check CentralTicketOffice.com.

Preliminary winners will be updated this week at www.eSocialWorld.com.

With some sort of weird attempt to update Miss America, last night’s Miss America Pageant set it back a good 30 years.

Televised live on the TLC network, the Miss America Pageant crowned Miss Indiana, Katie Stam, the winner. She seems a reasonable choice, given what we saw, but what we viewed on the way to the winner made me cringe.

First, let me explain. I’m a pageant convert. After thinking the Miss America Organization was an affront to feminism, I’ve since done a 180. I think the Miss America Organization trains young women to put their best foot forward. The winners of the Miss Texas Scholarship Pageant, the state’s stepping stone to the Miss America title, have been intelligent, polished, talented and, yes, certainly attractive women.

This year’s Miss Texas, Rebecca Robinson, is among the brightest and most talented, and I’m stunned she didn’t make it to the top 15. That’s just one part of what was at best a disappointing evening and at worst a train wreck of a TV show.

Last night’s version of the Miss America Pageant was a frightening trip to the final crowning. After years of striving to choose women to be taken seriously with platforms on serious issues, we witnessed talent befitting a Saturday Night Live skit. Miss Hawaii, in a wild costume, was a caricature; some singer hit 50 percent of the notes. If the swimsuit competition is about “physical fitness,” someone please explain to me the poor posture of one of the top finishers.

Worse than the lukewarm talent that would have had Simon Cowell stroke out was the way the non-winners (I won’t call them losers) were treated. Instead of calling out the names of who would advance, the show’s producers seemed to delight in hanging these young women out for public humiliation. Why else would you rush them into their talent costumes only to leave two contestants photographed on national TV when they wouldn’t be advancing to the next round?

If you wouldn’t treat the dorkiest kid on the playground that way, it’s just as wrong to treat the winner of a state contest in such a demeaning manner. It’s mean, and it’s reverse discrimination.

TLC in its “Countdown to the Crown” TV show repeatedly touted its re-making of the Miss America image. The network wanted to make Miss America the new “it” girl. Okay to the concept but back-handing young women on national TV isn’t the way to do that. It wasn’t hip and happening; it was cruel.

The young women, many of whom are top university students, worked long and hard for their chance to be in the national spotlight. In the name of Bert Parks, they deserve better than what TLC offered.

What’s up with our girl Rebecca not getting any time in the spotlight?

I’m referring, of course, to the TLC TV show, “Miss America: Countdown to the Crown,” and Rebecca Robinson, our Miss Texas. The multi-week series, which you can catch reruns of at odd times on TLC, is a run-up to the Miss America Pageant, which will take place this month in Las Vegas. Not that I have anything against Miss Oklahoma, Miss Missouri or Miss Vermont, but how about giving Rebecca a close-up or five?

I do think I caught a snippet of her cute blondness but only a second. We can only hope that next Friday things will improve. Is it because she’s above the drama that they don’t have any outtakes of her freezing in front of the microphone? Was she perfectly nice and not say anything snarky about the other contestants? I’m sure that’s what it is…

Meanwhile, back in the Lone Star State, we have a new Miss Southlake. She’s Brittany Wellsfry, an Southern Methodist University graduate, and she will compete in July at the Miss Texas Scholarship Pageant. She’s a singer who grew up in Wichita Falls, and she has her own Web site where you can learn more about her–www.brittanywells.com. She was Miss Teen Texas in 2002, and I seem to recall Rebecca Robinson was once a Miss Teen Texas.

While we’re talking teens…The Miss Teen Southlake winner is Amy Cristiani, a sophomore at Midland High School.

Anyone heard the rumors that the Miss Texas Scholarship Pageant might move to Arlington? Just checkin’…

Times change. Death and taxes still only two things you can count on.

Miss America, once upon a time, always was crowned the weekend after Labor Day in Atlantic City. Years ago, it was a way to extend vacationing along the boardwalk. Bert Parks singing, high heels with one-piece swim suits–tradition! But in our new millennium, we crown Miss America in January in Vegas with the help of–what else?–reality TV. Throw 52 young women together, and we get to play pageant judge.

So our cute, smart, wonderful Miss Texas, Rebecca Robinson, will be showcased tonight on the first installment of the TV show, “Miss America, Countdown to the Crown,” at 9 p.m. on TLC. Evidently we get to vote on who we like.

I’ve had the pleasure of spending some time with our tap-dancing Miss T, and I can tell you she is a winner. Her TLC bio claims that she’s “bilingual,” but that misses her languages by two. Rebecca speaks FOUR! That blows that dumb-blonde stereotype all to pieces, doesn’t it?

Just as the Miss A TV show takes off, we’re on a roll for the local pageants. Heather Edwards Bruce, herself once a runner-up to Miss Texas, tells me the Miss Southlake and Miss Teen Southlake Pageant is set for 7 p.m. Saturday (Jan. 3) at Carroll Senior High School in Southlake. Admission is $15.