LINWOOD, N.J., Dec. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2010 Miss America Pageant promises to be an exciting event with the announcement of the strikingly diverse panel of national judges.  This year's panel of seven esteemed judges includes a Miss America turned opera singer and philanthropist; an accomplished actress; an Olympic gold medalist; a six-time Grammy nominee; the most listened-to radio talk show host in America; a successful comedian, and an American Idol finalist.  They will evaluate the contestants from the preliminaries through the final night of competition, which will be premiering live from Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas on Saturday, January 30, 2010 at 8:00PM ET live/PT tape-delayed,exclusively on TLC.

The judges were announced by Sam Haskell, III, Chairman of the Board for the Miss America Organization (MAO), Art McMaster, President and CEO of MAO, and Anthony Eaton, Producer of the 2010 Miss America Pageant.  This year's panel of judges is comprised of experts in each of the fields that a young woman must excel in, in order to be named Miss America.  Miss America must be talented, intelligent and well-spoken, a leader, have a commitment to her community, be contemporary in her style and fashion -- a relatable and individual 'it girl' who can connect with today's modern woman, as well as being physically fit.  To determine who will be Miss America 2010 the following panel of judges has been selected: