I almost laughed out loud when I read how CMT plans to hype its second year as broadcaster of the Miss America pageant: by making the theme song, "There She Is, Miss America" available as a downloadable ring tone. It's hard to imagine that there's a big demand for this sort of thing.
On second thought, maybe I should get it. After all, at least once weekly someone comments on the fact that my name is the same as a former Miss America. Well, listen up: it ain't. Mary Ann Mobley was Miss America 1959 (the year I turned 2). We share a last name (note: I'm Marilynn and she's Mary Ann, a subtle, but important difference) but other than that, we don't have much in common. As a matter of fact, her last name is pronounced MO-blee, while mine is pronounced MA-blee.
Anyway, the point is that CMT has chosen this ring tone as a way of further establishing itself as a trendsetter on "the third screen," mobile devices. Interested parties will be able to also download a behind-the-scenes special about the pageant and send text messages to vote for winner of Miss Congeniality Award. But wait a minute! How can we vote on Miss Congeniality if we don't even know the contestants? Problem solved... you can't vote anyway until after the airing of "Pageant School: Becoming Miss America," on January 26. (Haven't you watched enough American Idol yet to know how this works?) By then, you'll feel like you've known them all their lives. And God knows, the editing of the show will in no way skew the outcome. That wouldn't be right.
If Miss America doesn't light your fire, you can always download "Trick My Tuck," another CMT show that is now available under the CMT mobile banner for on-the-go folks who can't bear to miss their high-brow programs. I mean, what else are you going to watch while stuck in traffic trying to get to the guns and ammo exhibition?
All kidding aside, I'm glad to see CMT be more aggressive in its move toward on-the-go programming. I have a number of music videos on my video iPod (including several from CMT), so I'm a candidate for this sort of thing. The point is that TV networks that fail to provide mobile content will find themselves quickly becoming irrelvant as more and more people jump on bandwagon and buy devices that do everything from serve as a cell phone to back pocket TV. There's no rule that says you have to watch TV shows when they air or even on a TV. If there were, Apple wouldn't have just monopolized media coverage over the past 48 hours with the announcement of the new iPhone.
So, while it's highly unlikely I'll watch the Miss America pageant or download the ring tone, I do love a good killer ap and this is certainly one.
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