"AND THE OSCAR GOES TO..."

Being in a beauty pageant has always opened doors to the world of Show Biz. Win or lose,many former contestants have gone on to careers in film, television, and the stage. The list is too long to go into here but we do have a very elite trio of ladies who have the honor of having won an Oscar. So may we have the envelope please:

Best Supporting Actress

1971- And the winner is Cloris Leachman in "The Last Picture Show."

Unbeknownst to many, Cloris was Miss Chicago of 1946 and was the second runner-up at the Miss America Pageant.

This wonderfully talented lady has had a rock solid career and is still going strong. She's picked up slews of TV acting awards in the US (Emmy's) and has made us laugh (think Frau Blucher in "Young Frankenstein") and cry as in her Oscar winning performance as a lonely Texas housewife. The lady can do it all.

Best Actress

2001- And the winner is Halle Berry in "Monster's Ball."

This announcement was a remarkable moment, as Halle became the very first ever African-American to win the Best Actress award.

Halle was of course Miss Ohio 1986, and she finished as 1st runner-up at the 1986 Miss USA pageant.

A beautiful and gracious lady, we hope to see you on the red carpet. We love you, Halle.

Best Actress

1961- And the winner is Sophia Loren for "Two Women." Giving a bravura performance in this Italian classic, Sophia became the first woman to win an Oscar for a performance in a foreign language. Sophia competed in the "Miss Roma" contest in 1951 and placed as second runner-up.

She has gone on to make dozens more films which include another nomination in 1964 for "Marriage Italian Style."

Known as one of the world's great beauties this amazing woman continues to inspire awe even to this day. This was noted in 1991 when she received a Special Academy Award for being "One of the world cinema's treasures." We couldn't agree more.