Tara Conner Second Chance

Hey, Don't worry, be happy. We have Miss USA and the Donald too!

I have felt for a long time that the beauty pageant organizers were hypocritical with their winners. Sitting on such shaky moral grounds themselves, the organizers in past years have felt the need to overreact and punish. So when a pageant winner shows some moxie (or something else), they react against it. Now, I am not saying Tara Conner - Miss USA - necessarily is brain surgeon material, or a perfect 21 year old. But who is? There are wild mostly incorrect rumours swirling around this young woman. She does go out to clubs in New York, really late. Likes a free drink too. But if you are a 20 or 30-something single in New York, you know the clubs do not fill up until really late - past my bedtime - yours too!
That's why a lot of people love New York - the energy, vibrancy and night life. So let's give Tara a break. She's cute, 20-something and in New York. Let her go clubbing if she wants.

Now as for the drug use hype. I am skeptical whether it is really true that she is an addict, but who knows. That is between her and her inner demons. These days it is an easy excuse for some kind of indiscretion to say that addiction is involved, and do rehab as a public cleansing. Rehab is like a resurrection in our culture today. Some cynically use it like Mel "off to rehab" Gibson (oooohh Mel is everywhere!) for the PR value.

So it seems overly convenient to rely on rehab as absolution for Tara. However, nobody really knows if she really needs absolution. In any event it may just be pretext-ing, but if she needs help great. Let her get it and let's not ruin her life on top of that.

It is rather fortunate Ms. Conner that Donald Trump now is the owner of the Miss USA franchise. He loves to hype, and knows a self-promotion opportunity when it slaps him in the face. Plus, to his credit, he had the common sense not to strip her crown and do amazing PR spin instead. The present owner has a lot of life experience in the spotlight, has blemishes himself, and is not being overly reactive.

Who could have predicted this yesterday? Today's unfiltered news blog award goes to Donald Trump and Miss USA Tara Conner.

Only the future will tell whether Ms. Conner blows her second chance.