Miss California (kinda sorta) keeps crown

Carrie Prejean's fate will be decided tomorrow, but she's already been replaced, unofficially.

Published May 11, 2009 7:31PM (EDT)

Carrie Prejean is keeping her crown -- at least for now. Despite all the hype ahead of Monday's press conference, Miss California USA pageant officials left the final decision to Donald Trump, owner of the Miss Universe Organization.

But -- wait! -- state pageant officials Shanna Lynn Moakler and Keith Lewis did wield what little power they have under Mr. You're Fired: The pair railed against Prejean for lying about  nudie pics from her past, campaigning for the National Organization for Marriage and making herself unavailable for pageant appearances -- and then announced that Tami Farrell, first runner-up to Prejean, will act as something of a Miss California stand-in. In short: Carrie Prejean still has the title, but her understudy will be playing the part.

Farrell is officially the ambassador for the Beauty of California Campaign, which released a PSA starring former and current title holders. In the spot, the beauties recite trite lines like, "Every American has a right to their own opinion" -- and then comes the big "but" -- "when I express my opinion I have the responsibility to do it with respect" and "I believe in love." OMG, total dig toward Miss Anti-Gay Marriage!

I'll be tuning in for Trump's press conference Tuesday, when he'll make the final final announcement about Prejean's fate. But it seems that no matter the official verdict, Miss California has been replaced. 


By Tracy Clark-Flory

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