Happy Birthday Vanessa!

Vanessa Williams, star of Ugly Betty and Desperate Housewives and singer of that one song in the early '90s, turns 51 today.  As a kid, I was so excited when she won the Miss America pageant, representing my home state of New York as if that had anything to do with me other than a shared governor and affinity for sequins and tiaras.  I remember flipping through the Penthouse my friend Sandy and I found in her parents' drawer and being confused by the badly lit, hairy vagina lesbian photos that got her dethroned, and more interested in the Playgirl magazine we also found (with centerfold Max Werner.  How's THAT for a good memory?)

Well, Vanessa's done alright for herself, and was at the Today Show recently to promote The Trip to Bountiful with costar Blair Underwood.  Happy Birthday lovely lady, and here's to many more!