Beauty and the Bling

Ratings for the 86-year-old Miss America pageant may be in the tank, but there's still a loyal fan base for the grandmother of all beauty contests -- and all the gewgaws that go with it. To wit: Pageant officials and Washington jewelry designer Ann Hand introduced a collection of official Miss America jewelry Wednesday night with current titleholder Lauren Nelson, 1964's Donna Axum Whitworth and the ultimate Miss A, 1971's Phyllis George.

"Everyone's your queen," George told the crowd at Cafe Milano. "Everyone's your Miss America." That's the pitch for the bling, which includes crown-motif necklaces, earrings, bracelets and pins for wannabes, moms, sisters and pageant wonks. The costume pieces sell for $35 to $275; the 18-carat gold, diamond and pearl brooch goes for $15,000; and 25 percent of the proceeds goes to the pageant's scholarship program.

The only thing Hand's not producing: Miss A's rhinestone crown. The designer lost her bid to produce the iconic headpiece for the national pageant, state pageants and all those Little-Miss-Junior-Teen queens representing every little town in the nation. 'There are beauty pageants going on every single day," said Hand.

At the White House, a Parkland Pastiche

Laura Bush's annual hiking trips in the national parks do more than keep her fit: They inspired this year's White House holiday decorations.

Little-known fact: The White House gardens, grounds and Lafayette Square are designated as a national park and maintained by park employees. (Does this mean we can go camping there?) The executive mansion's staff sent a large glass ball to every park asking that local artists decorate it for the Blue Room's 18-foot Fraser fir, which is now bedecked with 347 ornaments -- including one from the new Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pa.

The first lady unveiled the decorations yesterday wearing -- what else? -- a bright red suit. The standout: pastry chef Bill Yosses's gingerbread White House, covered in white chocolate with park animals ( sheep, fox, bear, moose, bald eagle) on the lawn and Bush pets Barney and Miss Beazley on the roof.

Quote

"A very attractive woman -- looked like she just got finished teaching a sociology class at Bryn Mawr College, if you know what I mean -- she said, 'Senator Biden . . . I came fully prepared to be unimpressed with you.' I said, 'Well, thank you very much.' "

-- Joe Biden , telling a Concord, N.H., audience about a young woman who challenged him for wearing a flag pin (as reported by the Concord Monitor's Ethan Wilensky-Lanford). And, no, they didn't seem to know what he meant about Bryn Mawr. Neither do we!

HEY, ISN'T THAT . . . ?

Ehud Olmert, making another quick shopping trip, this time to the Allen Edmonds shoe store Wednesday afternoon. The Israeli prime minister (who picked up some shirts and ties Tuesday from Nordstrom) stopped by the store at Connecticut and K with a fleet of security shortly after leaving the White House; bought two pairs of shoes, a couple pairs of socks and some polish. Someone must have packed wrong for the trip.

Food Network luminary Paula Deen dining at Oya in Chinatown with her husband and some TV colleagues Wednesday night. Loved the carrot-ginger sauce on the lobster dumplings, made noises about having the chef appear on her show.

LOVE, ETC.

Born: A daughter, to former "Sopranos" star Drea de Matteo, 35, and her musician boyfriend, Shooter Jennings, 28 (son of Waylon), on Wednesday, her rep told reporters. Classic cool Hollywood baby name: Alabama Gypsy Rose.