Live blog: Miss Indiana takes crown

By John Katsilometes

Saturday, Jan. 24, 2009 | 7:13 p.m.

Hoosier Miss America? Miss Indiana.

Katie R. Stam, has just been announced as the 82nd Miss America at the Planet Hollywood Theatre for the Performing Arts. Miss Georgia Chasity Hardman, was first runner-up.

"I'm going to thank all these amazing girls behind me," a stammering Stam said when asked by host Mario Lopez what she would do first as Miss America.

A capacity crowd of more than 7,000 watched the event live. It will be broadcast at 8 p.m. Pacific time on TLC.

More from the show:

The questions for the Q&A segment were asked by purportedly randomly chosen people, and a young woman asked Miss New York, Leigh-Taylor Smith, "During the presidential campaign, the media made a big deal about Sarah Palin being a Miss America contestant. Do you think that was fair?" Wrong! Palin, as Miss Wasilla, was a Miss Alaska contestant and didn't advance to The Show ... Strange moment: A Venetian gondolier asked Miss Georgia, Hardman, about the federal government's economic bailout package. ... One of the more curious facets of the contest is that all 12 finalists are summoned to the stage for the talent competition, but only the final 10 finalists perform. That means, of course, two contestants are all dressed up with nowhere to go. That would have been particularly inconvenient for Miss Hawaii, Fox, who wore a lavish, white-feathered costume for her native Polynesian dance number. This was when Lopez got off his best line, eyeing the ensemble and saying, simply, "Aloha." ... Seating for the event was often confused, as fans who got up to hit the concession stand or, if you will, loo, found his spot taken by some strange seat-filler holding a "Miss California Jackie Jackie Geist" sign, and yes this happened to me ... Speaking of signs, there were dozens ringing the theater but they they were fairly unimaginative this year, as most were in the "We (heart) Miss New Jersey!" vein. My favorite is still the sign from the 2006 show, a nod to the show's then-cable outlet CMT. It read: "CMT - Chasing My Tiara!" ... Spotted chatting up Planet Hollywood chief Robert Earl was Carrot Top (real name: Scott Thompson), who looks like he's prepping to compete in a contest of his own, Mr. Olympia ...

6:17 p.m.

Miss Nevada eliminated

At the midway point of the 2009 Miss America Pageant, we sadly report that the local contestant has been eliminated: Miss Nevada Julianna Erdesz, for a week the country's most celebrated Renoite, is not among the 12 finalists in contention for the hotly craved tiara.

The final 12 are: Miss Georgia Chasity Hardman, Miss Indiana Katie R. Stam, (both of whom were amont the four People's Choice contestants voted on by fans online or via text), Miss Michigan Ashlee Baracy, Miss Arkansas Ashlen Batson, Miss Hawaii Nicole Fox, Miss District of Columbia Katie Marie Grinold, Miss California Jackie Geist, Miss Florida Sierra Minott, Miss Kentucky Emily Cox, and Miss Tennessee Ellen Carrington.

Pageant staple Mario Lopez, proving that not all of the makeup has been spent on the contestants, is again turning in a flawless performance as the show's host, has announced the final 1s and the audience has just been treated to the swimsuit (or, fitness and lifestyle) and evening gown competitions. What this means, in part, is that Miss Nevada will not win Miss America, as has been the case in every contest since 1921.

Notes from the theater, so far:

A distinctive trio in the front row: Miss America board member Lynn Weidner (the 1971 Miss New Jersey as Lynn Hackerman) and her husband, Bill, the chief executive of the Palazzo and Venetian. Between them is political pollster Frank Lutz, who is taking tapes of some of the contestants to test audiences, who will use the dialong devices also employed in the presidential debates to track the most positive responses. "The best ones will be used by Obama in his speeches beginning next week," he joked. "World peace?" I responded. He laughed and said, "Exdactly." ... In the Parade of Contestants, Erdesz told the crowd he was from, "where sequins and rhinestones are always in fashion." Miss Texas Rebecca Robinson said, "The Bigger the hair, the closer you are to God," while Miss Illinois Katie Lorenz's proclamation that she represented the state of "our new president, Barack Obama" was met with decidedly underwhelming applause ... Another odd sighting: Miss America board member Tammy Haddad, a major figure in cable TV as the producer of Hardball with Chris Matthews. It was Haddad who talked Matthews into risking his hard-guy reputation to serve as a judge in the 2007 contest ...

The biggest cheer during the parade of former Miss Americas was for 1955 winner Lee Meriwether, known to a generation of TV fans as Baranby Jones' savvy secretary ...

An hour before the show, the lobby ay the Theatre for the Performong Arts was jammed with fans waiting to get in. What's that smell? A mix of cosmetics, hair product and coffee from Illy Espresso Cappuccino ...

Before the pageant, one former contestant who has seen every Miss America show for the past 25 years said her early predictions was for Miss Georgia, Hardman, to take the crown. For her powerhouse vocal abilities. She could have her own recording contract even absent the pageant, is the word.