Miss California Lashes Back

(CBS)  Miss California, Carrie Prejean, charged on The Early Show Wednesday that celebrity blogger and Miss USA judge Perez Hilton sabotaged her chances of becoming Miss USA at last month's pageant by intentionally giving her a low score after her now-famous remarks opposing same-sex marriage.

Prejean finished second.

But on Tuesday, Miss USA pageant owner Donald Trump said she could keep her state crown.

Wednesday was Prejean's 22nd birthday.

In a wide-ranging interview with co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez, Prejean also defended herself against critics who say racy photos of her that have surfaced since the Miss USA competition are inappropriate, especially for someone espousing Prejean's strong Christian beliefs.

Prejean has come under fire for the steamy pictures, the anti-same-sex marriage remarks, and breast implants paid for, at least in part, by Miss California officials to try to up her odds of winning the Miss USA pageant.

At Trump's Tuesday news conference, Prejean said she feels she was punished for responding to a question from Hilton during the Miss USA competition by saying she believes marriage should be between a man and a woman.

Prejean told Rodriguez, "Mr. Hilton obviously gave me a low score because of my answer. And I was just expressing my freedom of speech."

Asked by Rodriguez if she feels Hilton scored her so low it brought down her overall score enough for her to lose, or whether she thinks all the judges gave her low marks because of her same-sex marriage answer, Prejean replied, "I will never know. That's just something, you know, I'll never know the outcome of. But I do know that he did score me the lowest. There were three other judges who were gay, so... "

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Photos: Controversial Miss California

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Since the Miss USA competiton, Prejean told Rodriguez, she feels she's been "put under the microscope for my answer. And they dug up into my past. And there were some photos released (from) when I was 17 years old. I'm a professional model and I model in swimwear and lingerie. And, so, it is what it is."

"The contract is pretty explicit," Rodriguez pointed out, "(saying) you had to disclose that those photos were out there. Why didn't you?"

"It's not that I didn't disclose them. It's that I never thought a photographer would be so unprofessional that he would release, you know, inappropriate photos like that, which were in-between shots.

"Is that naive of you?"

"Absolutely. Absolutely. I should have requested those photos for my own personal use and had him have no rights to those, which we are looking into."

Prejean added, "I think any one of those girls, if you'd really dig into their past, I'm sure you would find some things. But who makes the same decisions they did when they were 16 and 17 years old? Not many of us. It's all about who we are today. And I'm very proud of the woman I am."

Is it hypocritical of Prejean, Rodriguez wondered, to pose for steamy photos while holding devout religious beliefs?

"I never posed topless. It was... "

"You didn't have a top on in the pictures," Rodriguez noted.

"It wasn't a topless photo," Prejean continued. "I was on stage in a bikini. You know, I'm a professional model. That's what I do for a living. And, you know, people can say whatever they want to say. If I was topless or nude or whatever. You know, a lot of people saw those photos and there's absolutely nothing wrong with the photos, as Donald Trump said yesterday."

"And you don't feel it interferes with your faith or what you preach publicly?"

"Absolutely not. My message to my church and young girls that attend church is, you know, I am a very strong woman today. And the decisions I made when I was 16 and 17 years old, I was very naive, trying to get into the modeling industry. And I definitely would not make those decisions today."

But Prejean was less direct when Rodriguez asked about the breast implants.

Asked about the message Prejean geting them send to young girls and whether it might lead them to believe "they have to enhance themselves to have a better chance of winning in life," Prejean asserted, "Well, I think that that's definitely an irrelevant topic. And we kind of cleared that up yesterday (at the news conference). So -- "

"But what would you say if they were watching right now and they didn't see you yesterday?"

"I think that's -- that has nothing to do with me answering a question on stage. And that's what I think we really need to focus on."

[jjsazama]

Though I don't agree with Miss Californias views on Gays marrying and question her comments on what modeling is about and photographers sneaky ways, I'm disturbed by the Pageant's helping to pay for her implants. Inserting foreign objects in ones body to improve ones self esteem should be paid for by the contestants themselves, if allowed at all. How did she rate the big assist? Could she have won without them? Thank you Shannan.

[biggcheese1]

The Miss USA contest is like cigarettes; absolutely no redeeming value. And, like Donald Trump, it is not relevant, socially significant or important - all show with little real substance - a bikini contest, nothing more and contestants don't have to be bright to win. Miss California was not programmed to answer the questions about her exposed nipples therefore she locked up like a PC on Vista. She, like most ditto heads, have no original thoughts but simply regurgitate what they ingest from preachers getting rich from building mega churches, radio talk show morons and fox "news." Her answers to Maggie's questions reminded me of Sarah's answer to Katie's question about which newspapers she read... "Duh?!"

[dovestar]

While people like to talk about what they call "steamy" photos, the central focus of this situation is simply that a young woman answered a question asking for her opinion on a controversial issue and because of her answer, she was subjected to scrutiny that, in all probability, you or I could not have withstood. Through it all she conducted herself with dignity and grace. Say what you will about the photos, some of them might have been doctored.
Suppose she had answered that question the politically correct way? Do you think we would be having this discussion today? Of course not. Miss California would have become Miss USA and that would have been the end of that.
And this is precisely the point. The political left has no interest in honest debate and dialogue with those who disagree with their tenents. They have one, and only one objective--Silence them.
I have seen these people at work. I have also been personally affected, though not as dramatically as Miss California.
This is why these people are trying to silence talk radio and other forums which disagree with their left leaning philosophy. While they openly preach tolerance, their actions reveal a much different agenda. Miss California is not their first victim, nor will she be their last.

[Bechtellaw]

My biggest issue was how Maggie interviewed Miss California.
I just wish she would leave....I have not liked her style from the first day.

[picklepants7]

maggie rod is a dem hack. hey mags, you were tougher on miss cali than any democrate i've seen on your biased show. hey try to be a real journalist, be impartial. plus, is going after miss cali more important in the grand scheme of things than going after that corupt nancy pelosi. but that i guess is beyond your payscale.

[ardlny]

I thought Ms. Rodriguez was incredibly snide and unprofessional to Ms. Prejean. Incidentally, Ms. Rodriguez, in your earnestness to light up Ms. Prejean, where is some acknowledgement that our own President has the same beliefs, as well as 2/3 of this country, according to the most recent polls? Yeah, not so forthcoming on that, are we? In addition, where is your professionalism as a journalist to not also point out that she went on to say at the pageant that she is glad we live in a country where everyone has the freedom can state their beliefs. Incidentally, I support gay marriage, but I am sick and tired of "journalists" under the guise of journalism soft-balling questions that should be fired at certain people and drilling the pitch at people -- like Ms. Prejean and Joe the Plumber -- who are civilians in this fracas. Bad form and your little giggly mean girls elbow rubbing with Joan Rivers was truly regrettable frosting on a really bad cake.

[picklepants7]

you go girl! hey perez hilton, put that in your boyfriend's *ock and smoke it!

[TheTruthDetective]

Maggie is so irritating that I can't even watch her interviews. Maggie is so jealous that she cannot stand it. She tried to nail Carrie this morning about her plastic surgery, and hinted that she should not have done it "because it makes young girls think that they need plastic surgery to be successful". NEWSFLASH MAggie... why don't you ask Julie Chen those same questions???? Julie definately needed plastic surgery. OH I know why, because her husband would FIRE you so fast that your head would spin. Now get out of here with your cheap shoes.

[gunownerdan]

Sorry liberals, but freedom of speech includes speech you may not agree with!

[krauq]

What happened to Miss Rhode Island and her suggestive photos?