Jersey Shore Journal: There she is ...Miss America (including my memories and pictures)

Miss Wisconsin Laura Kaeppeler from Kenosha, Wisconsin was crowned Miss America 2012. Her Platform is Circles of Support-Mentoring Children of Incarcerated Parents. Her talent is Classical Opera. She is from Kenosha, Wisconsin and went to Carthage College.

According to Laura “more than two million children have a parent who is incarcerated in state or federal prison, or local jail. About one in 40 children have an incarcerated father and one in 359 children have an incarcerated mother. She has a personal connection to these children that I chose this cause as my platform. At the age of 14, an immediate family member committed a white collar crime and was sentenced to one year in federal prison when I was 17 years old.”

What a great platform! So did you watch the show? How did you like the changes?

Here are some of my thoughts-(I used to work for the Miss America Organization when I got out of college in 2004, the last year they were in Atlantic City.)

1. This year the Pageant was back on ABC after being on TLC. Was there much advertising in advance? Did you watch or DVR?

2. ABC influence- ABC may have influenced who was picked for judges and what the questions were at the end, including one on politics and one on faith. Of course they were looking for politically correct answers.

3. The Save-I did not like the way the voting went for the one contestant that got a "save." The contestants lined up behind their favorite of the 3. Could have been embarrassing for them to choose?

4. Least Favorite - I did not like the dancing while the contestants introduced themselves. This was also prerecorded. Everyone seems to be talking about how Miss America's eye makeup ran. Is it their choice what makeup they pick?

5. Talent - I thought it very odd when Miss New York's song was about Disneyland, especially because ABC is owned by Disney. I didn't think she had the best talent. The Irish Dance by Miss Oklahoma was great as were the ballet and dance routines.

6. Judges - I don't think if was necessary for the Judges to come up on stage. Did you notice Judge Lara Spencer walked in front of the announcer Chris Harrison? It was also odd the contestant that stood up while the others were seated waiting for their name to be called for the talent portion.

7. The Finale - I like that they have built a runway for Miss America to greet the crowd. The filming was poor when they tried to get an angle of the new Miss America and she was surrounded by all the other ladies. She should have greeted the crowd longer...alone!

8. Ratings - The amount of time for the talent, 1 1/2 minutes, was great, because there is always a concern when the talent is long that people will turn the channel.(I used to work for the Miss America Organization in Atlantic City, NJ.) I am curious how ABC's rating were with the Football Playoffs and Hockey game on? If anyone knows the ratings...please let us know!

9. Improvements - I think they should highlight more of the accomplishments of the previous year's Miss America and her travels. It is an amazing year of travel as a positive role model.

10. My favorites - Miss Texas, Miss Arizona, Miss Tennessee and Miss Oklahoma were my favorites. But there is so much behind the scenes, interviews, etc. that makes it hard for us to know the whole picture behind the judging.

11. Fitness - Do you think the Swimsuit Competition has run its course? In this age of eating disorders, I don't really support making a woman walk the stage half naked, although I think being fit is very important. On the other hand, this has been part of the tradition since the beginning, but the Pageant used to be at a seaside resort in September.

As a Jersey Girl, we still Miss the Pageant being in Atlantic City especially the Boardwalk Parade and classic Boardwalk Hall. All in all I think it was a good broadcast and they kept things moving very quickly.God Bless the new Miss America and her travels. My daughter used to live in her home town, Kenosha Wisconsin and I have been to Carthage College, a Christian college, to watch my niece play Water Polo.

Long live Miss America! Jennifer aka Gigi

My memories...