I stole this from CNN.com: (slightly redacted)

ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey (AP) -- The Miss America pageant is pulling the plug on its talent competition, eliminating the amateurish two-minute routines that have come to feature cheesy stunts such as tractor driving and trampoline jumping...

The talent routines once accounted for 40 percent of a contestant's score; they were 20 percent by last year. The routines will still be included in the three nights of preliminary competition leading up to the televised Saturday night crowning.The casual wear, swimsuit and evening wear elements of the contest, which last year counted for 10 percent of a contestant's score, will each count for 20 percent this year, McMaster said.

Pageant loyalists don't like the changes.

"They're eliminating one of the core values of the Miss America competition," said former CEO Leonard Horn.

Heather French Henry, Miss America 2000, was also critical. "It's a tragedy," she said. "That's what separates us from the type of contestant that goes to Miss USA. Our young ladies get into it for the scholarships and the talent." 

Okay, let the lesson begin.  Question for the day: "What's funny about this?"
1) Trampoline jumping could count for 40% of your score
2) Trampoline jumping could count for 20% of your score (cuz, you know, they fixed it...)
3) There is a score for trampoline jumping and, apparently it's twice as important as your "casual wear" score.
4) Same as #3 except substitute swimsuit or evening wear for "casual wear".
5) Young ladies (who are different than, say, strippers who are only into it for paying for college, but still have been known to use trampolines) get into the Miss America pageant for "the talent" (which, honestly, is like reading "Hot Honeys" for their insightful social commentary...)
6) There are pageant "loyalists" (The only upside to this is the potential for a bloody "Pageant Revolution" complete with beheadings and public show trials...)
7) "Talent" must fit into two minutes whereas the producers are willing to invest chunks of air time to giant choreographed production numbers.
8) Miss America pageant=honor students+money+Strippers (Check the math.  The equation balances...)
9) Core values--there's more than one?  When was the last time a girl won solely on the basis of personality?  Theoretically it's possible, I suppose, depending on her trampoline skills...
10) Swimsuit competition does not involve swimming.  Might as well have a automotive skill portion where no driving is done, but the "young lady" has to lie across the hood better than all the other girls.

I'm sure I haven't covered it all, but, dude, seriously.  All I can say is that I'll be glued to the television when the Pageant Wars begin.  The streets will be filled with the blood, sashes and tiaras of the non-believers.

-Joe