Slave to Grace Jones

Real Republican Candidates of 2012

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Keith Olbermann made a brilliant video parody of the 2012 GOP candidate contenders as if they were The Real Housewives of New Jersey

Farrah Fawcett RIP

This is a friend from Spain's Farrah doll, I wish I had one.





Icon of my youth Farrah Fawcett, who fought a heroic battle against cancer, has died. RIP

Miss Puerto Rico Petite Pageant Winner Fired

Pageant contestants must be 5'5" or shorter to compete. Finally! A Pageant I can quality for....but for my advanced age.

My friend was wondering about her unusual name, Keishla. Perhaps her mother enjoyed Quiche Lorraine while pregnant with her? In any event, the Dada poetry o both her moniker and the pageant's name and concept is in keeping with my ongoing and often twinned obsessions that pervade this blog: Pageantry and unusual naming practices in Spanish-speaking countries.

Keishla Villafane Rivera, Petite Beauty Queen, Fired By Puerto Rican Pageant
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DANICA COTO | June 19, 2009 06:08 PM EST |

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The Miss Puerto Rico Petite competition stripped the reigning queen of her crown Friday, accusing the young woman of "intolerable conduct" that included threatening and assaulting pageant staff.

Keishla Villafane Rivera also used "coarse language" and violated the terms of her contract by agreeing to use her image in an advertisement without the consent of the pageant, the organizers said in a statement.

Luis Santiago Productions, the pageant company, said it was obligated to dismiss the 19-year-old queen after she made death threats and assaulted staff members. Its statement provided no details of the purported misconduct.

Villafane could not be reached for comment. Her attorney, Maribel Vidal, did not respond to messages left with her office in San Juan.

A pageant spokeswoman, Libni Garcia, declined in an interview with The Associated Press to disclose details about the accusations, saying more information would be released in a legal action the company plans to file against Villafane.

But she said problems between the queen and pageant officials began shortly after the woman won the title last August.

"We were trying to handle this conduct of hers, but it was impossible," Garcia said. "It was constant."

The production company appointed another contestant from last year's pageant, Tamara Perez, to serve the remainder of Villafane's term, which expires Aug. 26 with the next competition.

The contest is open to 16- to 24-year-olds who are 5-foot-5 or shorter. Villafane is 5-feet-2.

Beauty contests are taken very seriously in Puerto Rico, which has had five of its citizens win the Miss Universe contest.

Police last year opened an investigation into allegations that someone sabotaged a beauty contestant's bid for Miss Puerto Rico Universe by dousing her evening gown and bathing suit with pepper spray. The investigation was dropped for lack of sufficient evidence.

Richard Simmons

Aerobics pioneer and camp icon Richard Simmons does a cameo on AC 360 to plug his efforts to bring back Phys Ed to schools and AC lets himself go a little camp by asking Simmons if his top is "Bedazzled" and acknowledges his love of Lady Gaga. At this point, coming out would be anti-climactic.

And speaking of, Puerto Rican boy-band veteran and pop music icon Ricky Martin came out, sort of. He told a reporter that he had neither a man or woman in his life right now. I just hope that he really is bisexual, and not furthering negative stereotypes about so-called bisexuals who are actually 100% gay but refuse to come out that way, thinking keeping the hetero option open is less confrontational.

It's a Small World, After All

I rest my case.

Puerto Rican Day Parade 2009