In what might be the oddest assignment I have ever been given, I was asked by the iPad-based newspaper, The Daily, to cover a toddler beauty pageant being filmed by TLC’s Toddlers & Tiaras in Austin. They were to accompany a feature by Arts & Life section writer Rich Juzwiak, who was embedded as a guest judge. It was published today, so now you can see the cover, read the article, watch a video about it, and flip through the images that ran here.
Above are some of the images that didn’t run in the final story. Overall it was an interesting experience and my sentiment is similar to that which Rich writes about in the article; some stuff was weird, some unpleasant, but for the most part it wasn’t really that bad. The vast majority of people were incredibly nice and the children seemed to legitimately enjoy themselves. There were those of course that you could tell weren’t there by their own choice or who had less than positive temperaments. Those tended to be the subjects the T.V. producers followed around.
If you have an iPad, do yourself a favor and get The Daily. It’s a fantastic and well rounded news experience. It’s not just a static magazine in digital form, but instead features a mix of video, stills, and interactive graphics that help break down the daily news. At 99 cents a week, its a steal. If you’re not on the iPad, you can catch some of their daily articles on Facebook with their Daily Social Reader App.
