Andrea Wilson Woods' Blog

I wanted to stay away from this topic; I really I did, but I cannot keep my mouth shut anymore. When the Miss California pageant directors held a press conference yesterday, I couldn’t believe the crap they were spewing. Considering these same people paid for Carrie Prejean’s breast implants prior to the Miss USA pageant “to put her in the best possible confidence” according to pageant co-director Keith Lewis, I find their credibility suspect. Did Carrie violate her contract? I honestly don’t know—that’s for her lawyer and Donald Trump to decide. (Mr. Trump will render a decision later today.) But let’s be honest. No one would care if she been “politically correct” on national television.

If you don’t know by now, Miss USA judge and well-known celebrity blogger Perez Hilton asked Miss California Carrie Prejean if she thought every state should legalize same-sex marriage. She responded honestly that while it was wonderful that Americans have choices, she personally believes that a marriage should be between a man and woman because that is how she was raised. The key points to remember are:

1. She specified she was stating her opinion, and
2. The first amendment of our constitution guarantees her that right.

Some people complain that as Miss California, Carrie has a responsibility to represent our state, and she shouldn’t have revealed her personal opinion. How quickly people forget. Carrie actually reflected the majority. Last November, Californians voted for Proposition 8—a ballot proposition that eliminated same-sex couples’ right to marry. Therefore, the argument that Carrie’s opinion doesn’t “represent” California is false.

I don’t agree with Carrie Prejean. I support gay marriage. I voted against Proposition 8. However, I cannot tolerate intolerance. Was Perez Hilton’s question unfair? Maybe. But you have to admire someone who stuck to her principles and possibly lost the chance to become Miss USA. Even if her answer had been different, Mr. Trump swears she wouldn’t have won anyway, but few people believe him.

We must keep Carrie Prejean as Miss California to show the other 49 states that we believe in free speech—especially when we don’t like what we hear.

AWW — XoXo

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July 10, 2006

I was at my psychiatrist’s office today. I like his office for its sheer variety of magazines: current and past editions of W, American Photo, and Entertainment Weekly (EW) lie on the table. I cannot picture Dr. Kadoyan reading W and who knows about American Photo, but EW is for patientss’ trivial reading, something to pass the time. Every enlightened doctor’s office has piles of EW, People, and/or Us magazines in the waiting room because patients like them. The articles in those magazines are short, easy-to-read, and usually a good distraction from whatever problem brought you there in the first place.

However, I stopped reading entertainment magazines years ago. I let the subscriptions run out or canceled them. I was a Cosmo girl in college, but while I was pursuing acting I read TV Guide, Premiere, Movieline, and of course, Entertainment Weekly without fail. I could tell you which movie was number one on any given week and how much it grossed when it opened. I could tell you details about almost any actor’s life, who was sleeping with whom, and {insert trivial detail here}. One day I realized how much space this useless information was taking up in my brain. I looked at all of the unread books on my shelves and thought it is time to read a story, not a log line, a review or a list of who is wearing what name this week.

But upon seeing all those silly magazines, I couldn’t resist picking up a copy of EW dated 5/26/06. I skimmed and then went straight to the back of the magazine, something I would never do with a book. That’s when I saw it—a new feature or a one-time piece titled Stupid Questions: This week with Reba McEntire. Now what I’m trying to figure out is why Reba (who appears to be a down-to-earth woman) would agree to answer questions that she knows in advance are labeled stupid. Maybe the editor didn’t tell her. My favorite stupid question was: Who is a bigger redneck woman: you, Gretchen Wilson, or the always popular write-in vote Britney Spears? Not only is the question stupid, but it is also mean.

I thought to myself none of the above. Reba doesn’t strike me as a redneck. I don’t know who Gretchen Wilson is (sorry Gretchen), and Britney is what we Southern gals call white trash. Or trailer park trash. Except Britney is rich. “Rich, white trash” seems to fit. Reba answered, “I’m gonna vote for Britney Spears. Bless her heart.” Now I have difficulty feeling sorry for a young woman who has more money than she’ll ever need, has horrible taste in men, and has endangered her child on at least one occasion. I want to scream at her, “Pull yourself together, divorce your husband, take some parenting classes, and figure out what makes you happy!”

I can forgive Reba for answering EW’s stupid questions, but I cannot forgive Britney Spears aka “Miss Rich White Trash” for being stupid.

AWW — XoXo

P.S. Since I initially wrote this piece, Britney has had another child, obtained a divorce, gone crazy and become sane again. I, however, still only read “entertainment” magazines at doctors’ offices or while I’m standing in line at the grocery store. I do subscribe to The Week, Writer’s Digest, and Inc.

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