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Miss America Woos Wayne Brady
Wayne Brady, the chameleonic comic who shot to fame trading zingers with Drew Carey on ABC's Who's Line Is It Anyway?, has been tapped to emcee this year's Miss America Pageant, making him the first African-American emcee in the beauty pageant's 81 years.
The 30-year-old improvisation meister will be charged with keeping 50 of the country's most beautiful women laughing and at ease as they try to charm the pants off a panel of judges who will crown one of them Miss America when the show airs September 21 on ABC.
"My selection as host is a defining moment, as I will be able to proudly represent the African-American community for the first time in the telecast's history," Brady said in a statement.
But Brady says it's his comedy, not the color of his skin that was the basis for him being tapped as host. "I was asked because, [more] than some of the previous hosts, I bring a youthful energy to the proceedings," Brady tells the Associated Press. "I'm the first African-American and that's great, but let's move on."
America's quintessential beauty contest--which features women from each state in the nation competing for the chance to attend a year full of charity balls and float-riding (including Macy's annual Thanksgiving Day parade)--has crowned five black women in its eight-decade history, all since 1984.
(The first African-American winner, Vanessa Williams, was forced to turn in her tiara in 1984 after Penthouse published nude photos of her taken years earlier.)
Brady will host the show solo, continuing a tradition reestablished with last year's master of ceremonies, Tony Danza. When ABC took over broadcasting the pageant from NBC in 1997, the Alphabet network broke from tradition and tapped soap-opera stars John Callahan and Eva LaRue Callahan to cohost the first year. ABC then followed up with football legend-turned-broadcaster Boomer Esiason and talk show host Meredith Vieira in '98, and brother-sister combo Donny and Marie Osmond in '99. The show went back to its single-host format as part of a general makeover effort to boost declining ratings and brought Danza aboard.
Apparently, the former Who's the Boss star delivered, as ratings last year were up slightly for the first time in six years--13.6 million viewers watched Katie Harman take the coveted crown. (No immediate word on why Danza was dropped.)
Aside from showing off his improv chops, the real question is whether Brady will serenade the pageant's winner with "There She Is" during her coronation, à la the late Bert Parks, the show's most recognized emcee, who held the job for more than 25 years. (Parks died in 1992.)
"That's something we're talking about right now," says Brady.
Until they figure it out, the comic will have plenty to do in the meantime. His new daytime variety program, The Wayne Brady Show--in which he does plenty of singing--is set to debut on ABC September 2.
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