Miss New York Doesn't Bring Home the Tiara

For nearly a year the Brooklyn Paper's Gersh Kuntzman has been publicly drooling over 22-year-old (recent) Manhattanite Miss Brooklyn—who went on to become Miss New York, and just this past weekend stood bikini-clad in front of the nation, and Mario Lopez, at the Miss America Pageant. Sound off the sad trombone, because today the paper's editor declared that Leigh-Taylor Smith "was cheated out of the Miss America title on Saturday," and thusly "a crime against humanity" occurred.

The antiquated organization ended up handing the tiara to Miss Indiana, Katie Stam, with Smith getting 3rd runner up. And with that, the paper notes "It’s now been 25 years since Vanessa Williams became the last Miss New York to win it all. Since then, it’s been an endless procession of airy blondes with middle-aged-lady hairstyles, a talent for baton-twirling and vaguely Southern accents who have hijacked the notion of American beauty." Take that, Indiana!

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Carlson in Arts & Entertainment on January 26, 2009 5:21 PM

Comments [rss]

NannyState

She gets my tramp stamp of approval.

billybob

she's hot in that soulless kind of way ! :)

Felix Hoenikker

23 skidoo! Nice gams!

JMH

The Brooklyn Paper article might've made more sense if not for the facts that the woman from Indiana who won: A) is not blonde, and B) had almost exactly the same hairstyle as the woman from New York, and C) is prettier than the woman from New York.

MamfeMan

If you saw that at the beach, you would break your neck. Quit hating. The woman is HOT.

JRod5417

I agree. Great body, but she needs to be consistent with sunscreen application on her face. Either that or she's simply wearing way too much makeup.

gershkuntzman

Thanks for linking to my story, but I certainly have not been "drooling" over Miss Brooklyn/Miss New York Leigh-Taylor Smith. Yes, I may have been writing frequently about her ample qualities, but I assure you that my keyboard has remained dry throughout.

As a longtime reporter on the pageant beat, I believe that Smith had two really amazing attributes (get your mind out of the gutter): She's not plastic like all the other beauty queens and, most important, she won the Miss Brooklyn contest.

She was worthy of the coveted tiara — and if you don't believe me, please review our coverage here (http://www.brooklynpaper.com/a... and here (http://www.brooklynpaper.com/a...

That's good coverage!

GERSH KUNTZMAN

Editor

The Brooklyn Paper

Brooklynbobby

Gersh, have you ever thought about changing your last name?

Gwinny

oooh snap!

MFer

Where's the dancing pole?

Tower18

What exactly is so "today" about her hairstyle? ROFL at The Brooklyn Paper getting all butthurt about something as inconsequential as the Miss America pageant going to the Midwest.

freddynyc

She does look like that chick from Saved by the Bell - fast forward 25 years....

cool

The mirrors add that special touch of class.

fakenewyorker

she's a butterface.

chickblao

bitch is NOT from new york, she is from VIRGINIA anyway

Radtard

That chick is CAN NOT be 22...

Remember kids, sun block is your friend.

ides_of_march

"...it’s been an endless procession of airy blondes with middle-aged-lady hairstyles, a talent for baton-twirling and vaguely Southern accents who have hijacked the notion of American beauty."

Clearly a politically correct make-over is required for the contest. The next winner needs to be a fat, angry black, lesbian, Obama-voting, crack-smoking amputee.