Pageant experts J.J. Smith (l) and Michael Hannah know how to put crowns on contestants' beautiful heads. “From the beginning, gay men have been involved and love this thing we call pageantry.” J.J. Smith is surrounded by four former MIss Texas USA titleholders (l-r): Angie Sisk, Carissa Blair, Christine Friedel, and Holly Mills. The go-to guy: Michael Hannah (center) is flanked by the reigning Miss America's Outstanding Teen, Meghan Miller of Beaumont, and Miss Texas, Morgan Matlock of Lamesa. The predictor: Jim Langhoff

THIS ISSUE > FEATURES

This summer, a new Miss Texas and a new Miss Texas-USA will be crowned, and throngs of gay Houstonians will be onstage, backstage, in the audience, or glued to TV sets, watching to see who will represent the Lone Star State at next year's two big national pageants, Miss America and Miss USA.

Two Houstonians will be among the most important figures in the swirl of pageantry.

J.J. Smith of Montrose will head back to Laredo to cover Miss Texas-USA and its June 25 telecast for Pageantry Magazine, the bible of the multi-million-dollar pageant industry. (He judged the Miss Texas-USA pageant in 1994.)

Michael Hannah, who lives in the Museum District, will be handling just about everything at the July 8 televised crownings of Miss Texas 2006 and Miss Texas' Outstanding Teen 2006 in Fort Worth. (Hannah was the 2004 inductee into the Miss America preliminary's prestigious Hall of Honor.)
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Nowhere Without Gay Men

Believe it, say contestants.

In fact, pageants in general would be "nowhere" without gay men, says former Miss Teen Texas Brittany Wells, now a successful country singer.

"They have the best taste in fashion and are great at listening and understanding," she adds. "One thing a pageant contestant needs is a confidante, and gay men are so great at this because they relate well to these girls."

"The pageant world would be a lot less glamorous without gay men," Miss Texas 2003 Sunni Cranfill agrees. "Most of the coaches I have had throughout the years have been gay men. They have led me to victory and cried with me in defeat.

"The men that I have worked with have given me excellent advice in all aspects of competition," Cranfill explains. "Whether it be picking my evening gown, working on my walk, makeup tips, interview coaching, or talent coaching, a gay man has had his hand in all of those decisions."

Miss Texas 2001 Stacy James, now a Nashville recording artist, says, "I have had many gay men who helped me win. They had wonderful advice and were so supportive and still are. Some are my absolute best friends."

Adds Miss Texas 2002 Lisa Dalzell-Spooner, "In my pageant career, I had the wonderful opportunity to work with many gay men.

"In every single case," says the former Miss River Oaks, now a TV anchor, "you could not find a more nurturing, caring, and motivating group of people."

Megan Gilbride, who was a runner-up twice at Miss Texas, says pageants without gay men would be like cooking and decorating without Martha Stewart.

"Gay men possess so many talents that even the average woman doesn't possess," the former Miss Harris County, Miss Katy, and Miss Humble-Kingwood explains. "Gay men have that something to help make and keep pageants alive and exciting.

"For some, it may be living vicariously through contestants. For others, it's another outlet for expressing creativity and competition. Who can actually say?

"But from the beginning, gay men have been involved and love this thing we call pageantry," she says. "I wouldn't think of changing it!"
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Star Quality

No matter what the categories are, no matter how scores are calculated, what pageant judges really look for is star quality.

What makes a girl a beauty queen is that special something that lights up a room, yet makes each person feel that he or she is the only other person in the room.

But at any given pageant, star quality isn't limited to who's on stage. Pageants attract gay men who are stars in their own right: in the audience, behind the scenes, or--in the case of J.J. Smith--covering the goings-on for Pageantry Magazine .

Having already judged Miss Texas-USA, TV viewers on June 25 will see Smith when the judging panel is introduced: He is always seated on the next row, the blond guy with the perfect tan, nattily dressed, as put-together to perfection as any of the contestants.

Growing up in Dickinson, Smith became interested in pageants when his family would gather around the television on pageant nights and try to predict who would win. Smith always amazed his family with the uncanny ability to spot the winner, not just from the top five, but from the very beginning of each show.

Inspired by pageant articles that appeared in TWT (This Week in Texas) in the '80s, Smith started writing a pageant trivia column for a small publication, Tiara, which caught the eye of Pageantry publisher Charles Dunn in 1991.

"When Charlie Dunn asked me to write for him, to me it was the equivalent of going from a small-town journal to Time magazine," Smith says. "That I was getting the opportunity to write feature articles for the bible of the pageant industry thrilled me beyond my wildest dreams."

Smith covered pageants across the United States before branching out to international competitions in England, Mexico, Germany, and Israel.

Instinctively, pageant insiders saw something special in Smith, and that intangible quality opened doors for him to become a respected judge at local, state, national, and international pageants.

"My association with the pageant industry has truly been a dream-come-true experience," says Smith, an interior design consultant and owner of "Your Beautiful Home" Interiors.

While winners come and go, Smith remains a fixture in pageantry, and his reputation often precedes him. For example, at the wedding of Chelsi Smith, the only Miss Universe from Texas, one pageant veteran remembers surveying the "celebrity-sprinkled" auditorium as bride and groom exchanged rings and whispering to a friend, "J.J. is the biggest name here!"

Smith's many admirers include Gail Clark, executive director (with her husband, Al) of the Miss Texas-USA pageant:

"J.J. Smith is not only a major fan but also a unique pageant historian," Clark says. "J.J. has the ability to convey his perspective to the general public with an articulate and entertaining style."

Smith has a special fondness for pageants in the Miss USA system, but Miss Houston 1999 Amanda Perry says that Smith is also helpful with contestants tackling contests in the Miss America system, which is unique among pageants because of its talent
requirement.

"I had put together a fabulous wardrobe, lost that extra 15 pounds, and my talent song sounded great," Perry explains. "But something was missing.

"One night, J.J. happened to invite me over for a casual chat," she says, "and by the end of the evening, my talent number was completely choreographed, and J.J. had changed me from a girl who likes to sing into a performer. After working with J.J.    in that one evening, the confidence that I had going onto the Miss Texas stage was an incredible feeling."

Smith and his life partner, Gary Lester, plan to celebrate their 10th anniversary in San Francisco in November.

"I have been so busy trotting around the world that somehow I missed San Francisco," Smith says. "Then again, I guess that would probably not be the first city that comes to mind when thinking about pageants."
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The Go-To Guy

In more than 50 years, Sunni Cranfill is the first Miss Texas to also vie for the state's "other" crown, Miss Texas-USA.

Before taking on that daring role, Cranfill consulted Miss Texas volunteer Michael Hannah.

But of course. Hannah became the go-to guy in the Miss Texas Scholarship Pageant soon after taking the reins of the Miss Houston pageant in 1991.

"Michael was actually the first person I talked with about it," Cranfill explains. "Without hesitation, Michael was encouraging me to do it."

Last year, Cranfill boldly stepped out as Miss Northeast Texas-USA and captured a spot in the top 10. On June 25, the vivacious Miss Texas 2003 will take another historic shot at the title, this time as Miss Fort Worth-USA. (At least one Miss Texas-USA in the past has tried to follow up with the Miss Texas crown but was unable to win a local preliminary to the state pageant.)

Regardless of the outcome, Cranfill will always have her Miss America experience (and the $50,000 she won in Miss America scholarships allowed her to graduate from college debt-free). Chances are, she, like so many other contestants, will also have a friend for life in Hannah.

Without question, he is the most beloved figure in the Texas pageant world. He is Mr. Congeniality, Mr. Integrity, and Mr. Wonderful rolled up in one.

While crisscrossing the country as a senior consultant for IBM, Hannah devotes as many as 1,000 hours every year to the Miss America Organization, the world's largest provider of scholarship assistance for young women.

"I stay connected to my friends and family through my cell phone, laptop, and Blackberry," he says.

Hannah credits his late mother, Wilma, with instilling in him the desire to make the world better for the next person. "Most of what I learned about people and about volunteering came from her. No matter how little or how much we had, she always gave to others. Whether it was delivering a freshly baked birthday cake or washing a sick neighbor's clothes, she never thought twice about sharing and giving."

From 1996 to 2000, Hannah served as chairman of the Miss Teen Texas Program, a blueprint for what last year became the national Miss America's Outstanding Teen Program. Its first winner was Meghan Miller of Beaumont, a product of the Texas teen program, who won more than $35,000 in college scholarships for her efforts.

Hannah's all-consuming role at preliminary to Miss America in July will be serving again as scriptwriter for the telecast. During the week, he will be backstage, giving the emcees cue cards for every syllable they utter.

Also responsible for last-second script changes, Hannah will spend most of the day July 8 getting the teleprompter ready for the statewide telecast that evening.

"In the midst of all the drama," former contestant Brittany Wells says, "Michael always keeps his cool and handles his jobs the best anyone can."

Believe it or not, Hannah is single, but "not looking for perfection."

"I definitely want to be with someone who has enough self-esteem that I won't roll over him with my personality, but not so strong that we're going to clash all the time," he says with a laugh.
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Pageant Predictions

Miss Texas-USA is the biggest state pageant in the country, and many contestants consider Miss Texas a bigger honor than Miss America. So it's no wonder that more than just "the eyes of Texas" will be on the pageants in Laredo and Fort Worth this summer.

Jim Langhoff, a veteran pageant coach in Wisconsin, writes that he has narrowed the fields down to a precious few who he thinks can capture the coveted Lone Star State titles.

"Miss Texas is a almost a sure top 10 at every Miss America, and I predict that this year's winner will be Miss Fort Worth, Rebecca Robinson," Langhoff says. "Wouldn't it be ironic to have back-to-back Miss Fort Worths win Miss Texas?

"If anyone is going to give Rebecca a run for her money," he further predicts, "it will be Molly Hazlett, Miss Woodlands. But also keep your eye on Lynn Sullivant, Miss Hurt-Euless-Bedford."     

However, he adds, "There are so many new girls this year, and not a lot of returnees, so this pageant could be up for grabs."

As far as Miss Texas-USA, Langhoff says, "Ironically, just like last year, it will come down to the winner from Miss Houston-USA and her first runner-up.

"The last two girls standing will be Crystle Stewart [first runner-up to Miss Houston-USA] and Magen Ellis [Miss Houston-USA]. I predict that Crystle Stewart will win. Her exotic looks and incredible stage modeling will set her apart.

"Magen Ellis is just achingly gorgeous, but I feel that she will be more competitive at the national level if she is crowned next year."

Others that Langhoff advises to watch are Kendhal Beal, Miss Bay Area-USA, Sunni Cranfill, Miss Ft. Worth USA, and Alexis Young, Miss Waco-USA.
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Here She Comes

Galveston's Pulchritude of Beauty contest from the roaring '20s and the Southeast Texas relic Miss Rice Belt USA are two of the tons of beauty bloodbaths celebrated in this pageant primer Beauty Queen: Here She Comes by Elissa Stein, Chronicle Books, dolled up like a mini-coffeetable book: It's filled with full-page photos from those good ol' days when Miss Somebody was who "every girl wanted to be and every boy wanted to marry." Cheery text offers advice on how to pack for a pageant (the vibrator is for tired muscles), glide (not walk), and smile. (There are four ways to smile, the author advises. "Practice at home until you can turn on and off each of the four smiles at will.") -- Review: D.M.

Donalevan Maines reviewed the new Steven Sorrentino book Luncheonette: A Memoir in our April issue.