Miss America crowns first Indian American winner, Nina Davuluri - Los Angeles Times
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Entertainment & Arts

Miss America crowns first Indian American winner, Nina Davuluri

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Why you know her: She’s appeared in everything from action blockbusters (Live Free or Die Hard) to art-house fare ( New York, I Love You) Why we love her: She’s passionate about PETA and was even responsible for making sure no real fur snuck onto the costumes for the Chinese film “Three Kingdoms.†Plus, check out her vegetarian recruiting poster!  (Shizuo Kambayashi / For the Times)
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Where you’ve seen her: She was Dr. Remy Hadley on the eight-season TV show “House,†but you probably know her as Thirteen Why we love her: She’s a pretty face on television, but she’s also known for her charity work with Artists for Peace and Justice, Doctors Without Borders and her PBS documentary series called “Half the Sky.† (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Where you’ve seen her: She played Brad Pitt’s mother in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,†Tyrese’s wacky love interest in “Baby Boy†and the independent woman in “Think Like a Man†Why we love her: She’s beautiful but her talent has earned many awards and award nominations for an Oscar and Emmy, too.  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)
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Where you’ve seen her: On the big screen as a good vamp in the Twilight series Why we love her: She’s the bubbly, optimistic vamp in the Twilight series -- which is a nice change from the angst-fest we get from the rest of the fanged ones!  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Where you’ve seen her: On Hugh Hefner’s arm on the reality TV show “The Girls Next Door†Why we love her: Hef’s former “Number 1 girlfriend†has survived her breakup with Mr Playboy himself -- no mean feat in Hollywood!  (Ethan Miller / Getty Images)
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Why you know her: Fans of the Bill Cosby spinoff show will remember her as Lena James on “A Different World,†but she’s also known for the voice of Gloria on “Madagascar,†Niobe on “The Matrix Revolution†and her TV show “Hawthorne†Why we love her: She’s married to rapper/actor Will Smith but has a love for rock with her band Wicked Wisdom. She can act, dance and is the free-spirited mother of child actors Willow and Jaden Smith.  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)
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Where you’ve seen her: Going very, very fast around a racetrack Why we love her: Patrick may be the best-known female auto racer in the world, and has the record high finish for a woman at the Indianapolis 500.  (Jonathan Ferrey / Getty Images)
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Where you’ve seen her: On her reality shows “Keeping Up With the Kardashians†and “Kim and Kourtney Take Miami,†and at every red carpet known to man Why we love her: She’s a woman who knows what she wants (endless attention), and knows how to get it. She’s also rapper Kanye West’s better half.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Why you know her: She went from a singing competition to musical stardom Why we love her: After winning “X-Factor†(the British equivalent of “American Idolâ€), Lewis proved her singing and songwriting chops with the albums Spirit and Echo. Even famously grumpy Simon Cowell is a fan!  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Why you know her: You may remember her as the kid actor starring alongside Samuel L. Jackson in “Eve’s Bayou†or her later work in “Think Like a Man,†“Waist Deep†and TV show “Deception†Why we love her: She’s clearly drinking from the fountain of youth and can easily play the college girlfriend in movies like “Stomp the Yard†and turn around and hop stairs and fight as an undercover cop. She’s also giving the thumbs up for abstinence before marriage, which she did until she married her husband DeVon Franklin.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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Why you know her: She kissed a girl, liked it and she sang about it Why we love her: The cheeky singer and songwriter knows how to make a splash, both with her music and on the red carpet.  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Where you’ve seen her: On the big screen in “Slumdog Millionaire†Why we love her: Pinto burst onto the scene with “Slumdog Millionaire,†her first feature film. People magazine placed her on their “Most Beautiful People List†and “List of the World’s best Dressed Women.†We couldn’t agree more.  (Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images)
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Where you’ve seen her: She was in the underrated film “Losers,†but she’s clearly no loser. You may know her from the bridge of the starship Enterprise in the new “Star Trek†reboot. Why we love her: She’s Lt. Uhura 2.0! We’re geek enough to find that unbearably hot.  (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Where you’ve seen her: Don’t pronounce Ling with a hard “L†on “Ally McBeal†or she will give you the stink eye. Or, maybe you recognize her as Dr. Joan Watson on “Elementary,†Viper on “Kung Fu Panda†and Officer Jessica Tang on “Southland†Why we love her: She always makes being a rebel sexy.   (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Why you know her: She’s the leggy blond on “Gossip Girl†and nearly every red carpet Why we love her: Her Serena van der Woodsen is the resident wild child on the CW’s publicity-bait show, and she never fails to rise to the occasion.  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Where you’ve seen her: On the big screen and on the red carpet -- on a Jonas Brother’s arm Why we love her: She managed to make prehistoric humanity look pretty darn hot in “10,000 BC.† (Stefano Paltera / For The Times)
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Where you’ve seen her: On TV’s “The Big Bang Theory†Why we love her: Cuoco’s sweet Penny on Big Bang is the quintessential girl-next-store who sparks a million geekish fantasies.  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)
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Where you’ve seen her: On screens both big and small ranging from “Think Like a Man,†Tyler Perry’s “Daddy’s Little Girls†and “Bring It On†Why we love her: We’ve adored Gabrielle since “Bring It On,†but our respect for her skyrocketed when she testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee, sharing her own horrific story of rape, in support of the Violence Against Women Act. She’s also the better half of Miami Heat basketball player Dwyane Wade.  (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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Where you’ve seen her: On the arm of President Barack H. Obama and in just about every fashion magazine and blog there is Why we love her: We haven’t seen this much fashion sense since Jackie Kennedy Onassis. FLOTUS has not only been a fashion icon but she’s the brains behind the Let’s Move campaign to fight childhood obesity.  (Michael Loccisano / Getty Images)
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Where you know her from: Every single radio ever Why we love her: She’s cute as a button and she weathered many a storm this year. Some girls grow resentful of the ex-boyfriend but Taylor gets rich off of breakups.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Where you’ve seen her: On the big screen Why we love her: “Underworld.†You think “Twilight†has sexy vampires? Just wait til you see Kate as Selene fighting vamps, werewolves and anything else that gets in her way.  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)
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Where you’ve seen her: The SyFy series Battlestar Galactica Why we love her: This statuesque stunner made the idea of humanity being overtaken by robots bent on our destruction sound... not so bad, actually.  (Araya Diaz / Getty Images)
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Where you’ve seen her: On movie screens since 1990 Why we love her: Ricci is fearless about taking oddball roles -- witness Wednesday Addams in “The Addams Family†and Rae in “Black Snake Moan.†Plus she embraced her amine eyes as Trixie in “Speed Racer.† (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
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Where you’ve seen her: On “Mad Men†and on the red carpet Why we love her: She’s Betty Draper.  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Why you know her: You’ve heard one of her many Grammy-winning hits on the radio. She’s also the wife of hip-hop producer Swizz Beatz. Why we love her: For all those hits, for piano playing, and most of all, for Keep a Child Alive -- a charity she co-founded that provides medicines to families with HIV and AIDS in Africa.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Where you’ve seen her: On the big screen Why we love her: She kicked butt in “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,†enchanted in “Memoirs of a Geisha,†showed off her tap-dancing skills (no, really!) in “Princess Raccoon,†and was the youngest person ever to sit on the jury of the Cannes Film Festival. Plus, she survived “Rush Hour 2†with her dignity intact!  (STR / AFP/Getty Images)
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Why you know her: She stole the hearts of both Ryan Gosling and Owen Wilson in “The Notebook†and “Wedding Crashers,†respectively. Why we love her: Have you seen her smile? It’s dazzling. We can’t wait to see her got toe-to-toe with Robert Downey Jr. in “Sherlock Holmes.† (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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Why you know her: She’s all over the Billboard Latin charts Why we love her: We defy you to try to stop dancing to any of her hits.  (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)
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Where you’ve seen her: Movie screens, red carpets, magazine covers, you name it.
Why we love her: “Bend It Like Beckham.†“Pirates of the Caribbean.†“Love Actually.†“Atonement.†“The Duchess.†Is there any role Keira can’t play?  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Where you’ve seen her: On movie screens (most recently in “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobraâ€) and in tabloid shots
Why we love her: She’s unafraid of fashion risks, she seems nearly unflappable, and... well, she looks like Sienna Miller!  (ADRIAN SANCHEZ-GONZALEZ / AFP/Getty Images)
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Where you know her from: The competitive arenas of wrestling and dance
Why we love her: It takes guts to leap into the wrestling ring — and then leap onto the dance floor of “Dancing with the Stars.†Plus, there are her nicknames: “The legs of the WWE†and “The Weapon of Mass Seduction† (Michael Buckner / Getty Images for ELLE)
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Where you’ve seen her: On runways, in magazines and hosting “Project Runwayâ€
Why we love her: Klum has been stalking the catwalk since 1992, but she’s hardly just a pretty face (and smokin’ bod). She won a Peabody award for Project Runway, for which she is host and executive producer. That’s the first Peabody award to a reality show.  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Where you’ve seen her: On the silver screen, including an Oscar-winning turn in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona†and Anna in “To Rome With Loveâ€
Why we love her: Have you seen Vicky Cristina Barcelona? How about all her roles in Pedro Almodóvar’s films? How can you not love a woman with that sort of talent?  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Where you’ve seen her: Dr. Valarie Flame on “General Hospitalâ€
Why we love her: She’s been in a comics-based action flick (“Watchmenâ€), a comedy (“Couples Retreatâ€) and a rom-com (“The Proposalâ€).   (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Where you’ve seen her: On “That 70s Show,†“Forgetting Sarah Marshall†and as the funny but heart-on-her-sleeve love interest in “Friends With Benefitsâ€
Why we love her: Yes, she’s cute as a button. Yes, she’s super talented. But we really love her the most because 1) she’s the voice of Meg in “Family Guy,†and Family guy equals instant adoration, and 2) she’s admitted she’s a huge fan of “World of Warcraft.† (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Where you’ve seen her: She’s been on countless runways, was a Victoria’s Secret model and is the producer of “America’s Next Top Modelâ€
Why we love her: She knows all things fierce. She’s tapped into every form of entertainment there is, from acting (“Higher Learning†and “Love & Basketballâ€), charity work (TZONE Foundation) to singing and modeling.  (Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images)
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Where you’ve seen her: On countless magazine covers — including the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue.
Why we love her: The leggy beauty was the first Israeli model to appear in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue, and she’s been on covers ever since.  (Jacopo Raule / Getty Images for Michael Kors)
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Why we love her: She’s a gorgeous woman who refuses to fix what others may see as flaws — “I have the hugest overbite. It’s so big, my older brothers and sisters used to call me “Bugs.†I looked like a bottle opener. But I’ve never fixed my bite because it’s one of the things that makes me me...My best feature is my big hips. I’ve got some nice childbearing hips, and I feel very proud of them. When I was younger I thought they were too big. I wanted to be slimmer. But now I totally embrace them.† (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)
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Why you know her: She’s an Academy-Award-winning actress.
Why we love her: Her Oscar-winning performance in “Monster†was called “one of the greatest performances in the history of the cinema†by critic Roger Ebert. Plus she’s passionately committed to helping the people of her native South Africa -- her foundation provides health services for some of the poorest regions of the country.  (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Why you know her: Her hips don’t lie -- and neither do her multiple music awards
Why we love her: Her music alone would be enough to make us happy. Add in her tireless work for children’s welfare and education and we’re smitten.   (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Where you’ve seen her: You either laugh, cheer her on or both while watching her as Mrs. Smith on “Mr.and Mrs. Smithâ€
Why we love her: As much as she loves kids, we should love her for that alone. She’s the right-hand woman of actor Brad Pitt, but she is a business woman and philanthropist all her own. Outside of acting, her charity work includes UNICEF, ONE Campaign and UNHCR.   (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Why you know her: She’s all over the radio, the fashion pages and the news. And who else can manage to set trends with that bright red hair from her “Loud†CD cover?
Why we love her: Not only is her music unstoppable, but her spirit is unquenchable: In the aftermath of an assault by then-boyfriend Chris Brown, she weathered the media firestorm with poise and grace.   (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)
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Where you’ve seen her: All over movie screens
Why we love her: Ever since “Dark Angel,†she’s known how to kick ass and take names. Plus she’s committed to her charity work, even offering to work for free if producer Bob Weinstein would make a hefty donation to Amfar.   (Frederic J. Brown / AFP / Getty Images)
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Where you know her from: Plenty of roles on screens both big and small
Why we love her: She’s not only gorgeous, but she’s funny as hell (did you catch her on 30 Rock?), passionate about improving lives (she’s an anti-domestic violence advocate), and smart as a whip. Who wouldn’t love her?   (Patrick T. Fallon / For the Times)
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Why you know her: She’s the go-to geek-bait hot babe, and has appeared on countless magazine covers
Why we love her: This quote from The Times of London, when the reporter asked her if she considered herself a role model: “It depends on what your idea of a role model is. If your idea of a role model is somebody who’s gonna preach to your kids that sex before marriage is wrong and cursing is wrong and women should be this and be that, then I’m not a role model. But if you want your girls to feel strong and intelligent and be outspoken and fight for what they think is right, then I want to be that type of role model, yeah.†  (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Why you know her: She broke big with Lost in Translation and hasn’t slowed down since.
Why we love her: She’s a star who doesn’t starve herself, doesn’t advertise her personal business, and stays out of the tabloids. Plus, she’s about to kick Iron Man’s butt as the Black Widow!   (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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Where you know her from: Music, movies, awards shows.... where haven’t you seen her? She’s a new mom of her daughter Blue Ivy and the wife of rap star Jay-Z. She was also given the title as People’s 2012 World’s Most Beautiful Woman.
Why we love her: So many reasons, but mostly because “Single Ladies†is a song we’re almost glad will be stuck in our heads for the rest of our lives. She’s also no stranger to charity work, with Survivor Foundation being the most well-known for her contribution to Hurricane Katrina victims.   (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
By Christie D’Zurilla
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Miss America 2014 was crowned Sunday night in Atlantic City, N.J.: She’s Nina Davuluri, the first Indian American to take the crown.

It was the second year in a row that a young woman from New York was named Miss America.

Davuluri, 24, competed in outfits including an animal-print bikini (pardon us, swimsuit) and a bright yellow evening gown that she described as “the more sexy version†of Belle’s dress in “Beauty and the Beast.†In the talent portion of the evening, she delivered a Bollywood-style dance.

The “interviews†of the top five finalists -- one question each -- gave rise to varied responses, as the questions were all over the map. Judge Mario Cantone of “Sex and the City†fame asked Miss Oklahoma what she thought of Miley Cyrus’ recent twerk-filled VMAs performance, and judge Lance Bass of N*SYNC asked Miss Minnesota whether political candidates were carrying “Stand By Your Man†too far by supporting their spouses.

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Violinist Joshua Bell asked Miss California if it was the United States’ responsibility to punish Syria for using chemical weapons on its own people; TV chef Carla Hall quizzed Miss New York about what message was sent by Julie Chen’s revelation she’d had plastic surgery to look less Asian, to advance her career; and Miss America 2005 Deidre Downs Gunn asked Miss Florida about what the country should do about minorities having disproportionately low income and disproportionately high rates of unemployment and incarceration.

Miss Florida’s answer was actually cut off for time; personally, we’d rather have had the question about twerking.

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Unfortunately, Davuluri’s win was not celebrated by all, with some users of social media attacking her color, accusing her of not being an American and of being a Muslim (she is American; she is not a Muslim). The newly crowned queen told the Associated Press she would “rise above†such detractors.

“I’m so happy this organization has embraced diversity,†she told the AP. “I’m thankful there are children watching at home who can finally relate to a new Miss America.

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“I have to rise above that. I always viewed myself as first and foremost American.â€

Nonetheless, the negative reaction drew comment from the Anti-Defamation League, which compared the situation to 1945, the year a Jewish woman first won the contest.

“It is deeply troubling that the crowning of the first woman of Indian descent to win the Miss America pageant -- an achievement to be celebrated -- has been greeted with a series of racist and hate-filled messages on Twitter and other social media. ... ,†said Abraham H. Foxman, the ADL’s national director. “The reaction in some quarters to the crowning of Ms. Davuluri is a reminder of how much work remains to be done in this country to ensure that America remains no place for hate. ...â€

“Ms. Davuluri’s platform of ‘celebrating diversity through cultural competency’ is a message that all Americans and people of good will should strive to emulate,†he said.

The top five finished as follows: fourth runner-up Rebecca Yeh (Minnesota), third runner-up Myrrhanda Jones: (Florida), second runner-up Kelsey Griswold (Oklahoma), first runner-up Crystal Lee (California) and of course Miss America, going to Davuluri. Each won a scholarship, ranging from $10,000 to $50,000.

Davuluri was headed Monday afternoon to New Jersey’s storm- and fire-stricken Seaside Park and Seaside Heights to support the reconstruction efforts, according to the AP.

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Follow Christie D’Zurilla on Twitter and Google+. Follow the Ministry of Gossip on Twitter @LATcelebs and on Facebook facebook.com/ministryofgossip.

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Entertainment & Arts
Christie D’Zurilla

Christie D’Zurilla is an assistant editor for entertainment news on the Fast Break team. A graduate of USC, she joined the Los Angeles Times in 2003 as a copy editor, started writing about celebrities in 2009 and has more than 34 years of journalism experience in Southern California.

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