I never paid that much attention to Mario Lopez until I watched “Dancing with the Stars” last season. I was a little too old to have grown up with “Saved by the Bell” and really did not notice anything else he had done. But, I became a fan after seeing him and partner Karina go to the Dancing finals.
Now, Mario has landed another job. He told the Associated Press today that he would be the new host of the Miss America pageant. The pageant will be held on January 29th live from the Aladdin Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mario did say he did not plan to sing the famous “There She Is, Miss America” theme made popular by long time host Bert Parks. Mario will replace last year’s host James Denton of “Desperate Housewives.” Mario had previously hosted the Miss Teen USA pageant in 2003.
This year’s pageant will be the 86th in its history. The competition was first held on September 7, 1921 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where it remained until it moved to Las Vegas in 2004. It awards scholarships to women from fifty states and two territories (District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands). The Miss America Scholarship Program is the largest of its kind for young women in the U.S. Many contestants are able to pay their way through college by competing in local and state competitions to receive scholarships. Last year alone, the program awarded more than $45 million dollars in cash and higher education assistance.
The winner is named “Miss America” for one year. In 1989, Miss America contestants were required to choose a platform, such as AIDS awareness or domestic violence. Miss America 2006 Jennifer Berry chose “Building Intolerance to Drunk Driving and Underage Drinking” as her platform. Winners travel the country speaking about the need for community involvement in their chosen platform. Today’s Miss America usually travels approximately a quarter of a million miles during her reign, often only staying in one location for only one or two days.