As rumored by Norm Clarke on Nov. 4, 2005, in his daily "Vegas Confidential" gossip column in the Las Vegas Review-Journal (and confirmed via official press releases 12 days later), after 85 years the Miss America pageant is severing its ties with Atlantic City and moving to the Aladdin (soon to be Planet Hollywood) here in Las Vegas. The 2006 Pageant is scheduled to take place on Jan. 21 and, as announced on Nov. 23, will be hosted by James Denton, star of ABC's "Desperate Housewives."
While the official word is all about "growing the brand" and how excited everyone is, in truth the country’s oldest beauty contest has been on a slippery financial slope the past few years, culminating in the loss of its TV contract with ABC last year when its audience fell to less than 10 million viewers. A new television agreement is now in place with cable network Country Music Television, however, and Las Vegas is being lauded as "the perfect city to bring new energy to the Miss America Pageant."
Tickets for the 2006 pageant went on sale yesterday and are available at the Aladdin box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, or by phone at 702/474-4000, and www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are priced between $35-$95 and are subject to applicable tax and surcharges.
No doubt as the date of the pageant itself draws nearer, other associated promotions and events will be announced, both at the Aladdin and elsewhere in town. But at the time of this writing, neither the Miss America Organization nor the Aladdin was able to provide any further details, although both have promised to keep us in the loop, so watch this space or "Today's News" on the LVA Web site nearer the time for updates.
