The 5 major pageant news stories of 1999 - The Miss America Organization, afraid of being out of step with the times, tried to relax eligibility rules. The proposed changes would open the competition to divorced women and those who acknowledged having had abortions. There was a grass-roots rebellion by pageant people, and the rules seemed likely to stay the same. Some people said the controversy was engineered to boost TV ratings.
- Donald Trump, co-owner of the Miss Universe system, took preliminary steps to run for president of the United States. He promised to be a tough bargainer in his dealings with foreign countries.
- Pageant competition was the theme of two highly publicized American movies. "Drop Dead Gorgeous," a fairly conventional spoof of small-town beauty queens, helped propel the already fast-rising career of sexy actress Denise Richards. The more subtle "Happy, Texas" won critical acclaim for its look at the acceptance of gay people in the pageant world.
- Directors of a Pennsylvania pageant went on trial for allegedly rigging the contest. They were found innocent of all charges. The verdict made it unlikely that police would get involved in future controversies over pageant results.
- A grand jury in Boulder, Colorado, decided not to charge anybody in the 1996 killing of child beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey. Legal scholars predicted the crime would never be solved. But the little girl won't be forgotten More books appeared, and a movie was announced.
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