Miss America Contestant Lynn-Taylor Smith (Miss New York and former Miss Brooklyn) sang "Say the Word" by Kait Kerrigan and Brian Lowdermilk during the talent portion of the Miss America competition. The event was broadcast live from the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, NV on TLC last Saturday night.
After several tense rounds, Leigh-Taylor Smith was one of only 10 of the original 52 contestants who remained for the talent portion of the Miss America competition. Her vocal performance of "Say the Word" allowed her to sail into the final seven. Ultimately, Leigh-Taylor was named third runner-up. She also received the preliminary Lifestyle and Fitness Award earlier in the competition.
Leigh-Taylor was first introduced to "Say the Word" and its writers by former Miss America and Broadway star Kate Shindle (Legally Blonde, Jekyll & Hyde). As Miss New York and a former Miss Brooklyn, Lynn-Taylor chose the song, in part, to promote local and new music. The song is from Kerrigan-Lowdermilk's upcoming musical The Unauthorized Autobiography of Samantha Brown, a show that has been developed by the La Jolla Playhouse and at Manhattan Theatre Club, as well as featured in the 2005 NAMT Songwriter's Showcase. Leigh-Taylor's performance marks the first time a song from a new, unproduced musical has been performed on a Miss America broadcast.
The Miss America Organization is the world's largest provider of scholarship assistance for young women and one of the nation's leading achievement programs, providing young women with a vehicle to further their personal and professional goals and instilling a spirit of community service through a variety of nationwide community-based programs. Additional information about the Miss America Organization can be found at www.missamerica.org.
Kait Kerrigan & Brian Lowdermilk have written an adaptation of Henry & Mudge, which had an Off-Broadway run at the Lucille Lortel Theatre and continues to tour the country with TheatreworksUSA. Other shows include The Freshman Experiment, Tales from the Bad Years, The Woman Upstairs and Wrong Number. Between them they are the recipients of a Jonathan Larson Award, a Richard Rodgers Award, an Alan Menken Award and a Dramatists Guild Fellowship. Please visit: www.kerrigan-lowdermilk.com.
