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MISS AMERICA’S OUTSTANDING TEEN PROGRAM
ANNOUNCES
THE 2008 JUDGES FOR THE PAGEANT
Orlando, FL
– Miss America’s Outstanding Teen (MAOT)
organization announced today their panel of
six distinguished judges. They will decide
who will be the new Miss America's
Outstanding Teen based on the preliminary
interviews, fitness, talent and evening wear
competitions.
MAOT, the
“little sister” to Miss America, will host
its national competition in Orlando, FL
during the week of August 12-16, 2008 with
52 state representatives competing in
various competitions for a chance to win
over $30,000 in college scholarships and the
title of Miss America’s Outstanding Teen.
The
competition will be held in the Linda Chapin
Theatre at the Orange County Convention
Center in Orlando.
The judging
panel includes an
executive producer of children’s programming
and president of Dolphin Entertainment, Bill
O’Dowd; Nancy Redd, former Miss
Virginia and New York Times
bestselling author; New York actor David
Weincek; Broadway actress and former Miss
New Jersey, Mary D'Arcy Jurman; MTV Real
World/Road Rules Challenge veteran Kenny
Santucci; and former Miss California, Veena
Goel.
“From a leader
in children’s television programming to a
New York Times best selling author, our
judges panel this year consists of an
incredibly diverse group of professionals
who have all worked hard in both their
personal lives and public careers to support
and champion teens, said MAOT president, Kim
Parrish. “From promoting teens' self
esteem though public speaking to giving of
their time and talents with hands-on
mentoring; they are all role models by which
our teen competitors can be inspired.”
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About Miss
America's Outstanding Teen:
Miss America's
Outstanding Teen is a scholarship-based
program offering accomplished teens the
opportunity to be awarded funds for college.
The program promotes scholastic achievement,
creative accomplishment, healthy living and
community involvement for America's teens.†
In the past three years, the organization
has made available more than $2 million in
college scholarships. For more information,
please visit
www.maoteen.org
About Our
Judges:
Bill
O’Dowd:
Dolphin Entertainment, founded in 1996 by
President Bill O’Dowd, is one of the world's
leading entertainment companies specializing
in children’s and young adult live-action
programming, with divisions dedicated to
Television Production, Feature Film
Production, International Distribution,
Merchandising and Licensing, and Music.
Recent television series credits for Mr.
O’Dowd and Dolphin Entertainment include
serving as Executive Producer of Nickelodeon
hit Zoey 101 (Primetime Emmy-Award
nominated) and Ned’s Declassified School
Survival Guide. Zoey 101 has been the
number one live-action series on cable among
tweens, in both the United States and
Canada. Both series have gone on to see
incredible international success and can be
viewed in over 100 countries worldwide.Mr.
O’Dowd and Dolphin Entertainment have
several television movie Executive Producer
credits in the past 2 years alone, including
four titles in the popular “Roxy Hunter”
mystery movie franchise (the latest of which
premiered on Nickelodeon on Sunday, July
13), as well as Nickelodeon's first-ever TV
movies Shredderman Rules! and Last
Day of Summer (which premiered in
Summer, 2007).Upcoming projects that
are very exciting for Mr. O’Dowd and Dolphin
Entertainment include Nickelodeon’s
first-ever musical, Spectacular,
starring Victoria Justice (Zoey 101),
and an upcoming slate of six feature films.
The first film in the slate will be based on
the highly inspirational true story of shark
attack survivor and professional surfer
Bethany Hamilton, and is scheduled to begin
filming in Hawaii this October.
Finally, Mr.
O’Dowd has recently become CEO and Chairman
of Logica Holdings, Inc., a publicly-traded
technology company dedicated to providing
solutions for keeping children safe on the
internet. Mr. O'Dowd graduated with honors
from Harvard Law School, has received a
master's degree in modern European history
from Creighton University, and was named
1st-Team Academic All-American by USA
Today while an undergraduate at
Creighton.
Nancy Redd:
New York Times bestselling
author and motivational speaker Nancy Redd
dares to empower a new generation—with facts
instead of fantasies, and the priceless gift
of self-knowledge in her latest book, Body
Drama. A contributing editor to CosmoGIRL!
Magazine, an AOL Wellness Coach and
self-esteem advisor to FITNESS magazine.
Nancy and her unique views have been
featured on ABC’s Good Morning America, CBS’
The Early Show, NBC’s Today Show, CNN, E!
True Hollywood Stories, PEOPLE magazine,
NPR, PBS, Inside Edition, and more.
After
graduating from Harvard with an honors
degree in Women’s Studies, Nancy won the
title of Miss Virginia, going on to make the
Top 10 and winning the swimsuit competition
at Miss America 2004.
Named by
Glamour magazine as one of America’s top-ten
college women, Nancy once won $250,000 on
Who Wants to be a Millionaire in 2002
(donating 10% to 4-H, where she sat on the
National Board of Trustees), was named
L’OREAL’s Beauty of Giving Young Woman of
the Year, was one of Harvard magazine’s Top
Six Seniors, is a former National Coca-Cola
Scholar, a Toyota Scholar, and an Ebony
Magazine Scholar. Nancy married her college
sweetheart Rupak Ginn, an actor currently
starring in Disney Channel’s The Cheetah
Girls: One World. They live in Los Angeles.
David Weincek
resides in New York City,
where he graduated with honors from New York
University's Tisch School of the Arts. A
theater veteran, David has acted in over 100
stage productions from Off-Broadway to many
major regional theaters including The
Kennedy Center, Chicago's Goodman Theater,
Cincinnati's Playhouse in the Park and the
Alabama Shakespeare Festival. On film, he
has been featured in such motion pictures as
The Stepford Wives, Music and Lyrics, New
York Minute and Baby Mama. On television,
David has appeared on many major network
series and like most New York actors, has
put in his time on all of the Law & Order
franchises. David has also starred in
several national television commercials;
maintains a successful career as a print
model; is a huge New York Mets fan and hopes
one day to be a contestant on a game show.
Kenny Santucci,
a resident of Cedar Grove, New Jersey,
attended parochial grammar school, where he
served as an altar server at his local
parish. He attended St. Peter’s Prep School
in Jersey City, NJ. He was an active member
of the student body, serving as Captain of
the Wrestling team, Mascot for the football
team, District Wrestling Champion and actor
in several school plays. In 2005, he
graduated from Montclair State University in
Upper Montclair, NJ, with a Bachelor of Arts
in Graphic Art and Illustration. He first
gained reality TV fame when he joined the
cast of MTV’s ‘Real World/Road Rules
Challenge: Fresh Meat’ as a new competitor
trying to make it in a field of alums.
Finishing second place, a confident Kenny
used his natural leadership abilities to
beat the competition. He was so well-liked
by fans, that MTV asked him back to
subsequent seasons of the show including
‘The Duel,’ ‘The Inferno 3’ and ‘The
Gauntlet 3.’ Kenny continues to travel the
country as a role model and motivational
speaker on college and high school campuses
addressing issues such as diversity,
overcoming challenges and leadership. When
not speaking or hosting charity events,
Kenny enjoys acting, art, motorcycles,
wrestling and fitness and helps sponsor the
wrestling team at his old high school, St.
Peters Prep. He also has conducted fund
raisers for a wide range of causes, ranging
from funds for a Girls Catholic high school
prom to a memorial benefit for a young man
who was lost in the mountains of Colorado
while skiing.
Mary D’Arcy Jurman:
A former Miss New
Jersey, and tied for 2nd Runner-up to Miss
America, Mary has had a very successful
career in many facets of the entertainment
industry. She has starred as Christine Daae
opposite both Michael Crawford and Colm
Wilkinson in THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA in Los
Angeles, Toronto, and on Broadway. She also
starred on Broadway as Kathy Seldon in
SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN, and originated the
roles of Celeste II / Elaine in SUNDAY IN
THE PARK WITH GEORGE, and Cinderella in the
Playwright’s Horizon workshop of INTO THE
WOODS, both written by Stephen Sondheim and
James Lapine. She has toured the former
Soviet Union in Duke Ellington’s
SOPHISTICATED LADIES, and across the United
States as the late Richard Harris’ favorite
Guenevere in CAMELOT. Mary can be seen
opposite James Woods and Drew Barrymore in
Stephen King’s cult classic film, “Cat’s
Eye”, and in many, many television
commercials. She has studied tap dancing
with famous Broadway dancer/producer Tommie
Tune, and has also danced under the
direction of Modern Dance master
choreographer Twyla Tharp.
Recently, Mary
has been appearing in solo concert with
various Pops Orchestras around the country
and with a group called, “The Phantom’s
Leading Ladies,” a trio of Broadway’s
“Christines” from PHANTOM, singing
everything from Broadway classics to The
Beatles. Every holiday season for the past
10 years, Mary has been an integral part of
a consortium of professional singers and
musicians in the New York metropolitan area
called Holiday Express. This non-profit’s
mission is to deliver music, food, gifts,
financial support, and friendship to those
with the greatest need during the holidays.
In addition to hundreds of appearances in
the northeast, they have visited Columbine
High School and New Orleans and the Gulf
Coast of Mississippi after the devastation
of Hurricane Katrina.
Mary lives in
New Jersey with her husband Karl, Musical
Director of Broadway’s THE LION KING.
Veena Goel:
A dancer since the age of 3,
Veena has been trained in various forms of
dance including classical ballet, theatrical
jazz and baton. She entered her first
pageant at age 19 as a means to fund her
college education. Born in Laguna Hills to
a Delhi-born father and an Indonesian
mother, she is a graduate of Laguna Hills
High School. In 2004, Veena won the title
of Miss California earning her thousands of
dollars in college scholarships and the
right to compete at the 2005 Miss America
pageant where she was named a preliminary
talent winner and 4th runner-up to Miss
America. While serving as Miss California,
Veena championed the cause of raising
awareness and promoting the education of
eating disorders. As a survivor of anorexia
nervosa, Veena appreciated the struggles
young women endured regarding their body
image.
She is a 2002 graduate of
UCLA where she earned her Bachelor of Arts
degree in Sociology and was the feature
baton twirler for UCLA. Veena is also a
former 5x World Baton Twirling Champion as
well as 11x National Baton Twirling
Champion. Veena currently resides in Walnut
Creek, California where she is a Program
Director for The Global Health and Education
Foundation, a nonprofit organization
dedicated to providing Hope, Mobility and
Freedom to developing countries through the
distribution of over 700,000 wheelchairs
through the Wheelchair Foundation and will
be providing over 270,000 free cataract
surgeries through a partnership with Lions
Club International Foundation.
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