娱乐英语新闻:"American Idol" contestant becomes new Miss California

LOS ANGELES, July 11 (Xinhua) -- A San Diego semi-finalist on " American Idol 8" and winner of other beauty pageants was crowned the title of Miss California 2010 overnight, well on the way in search of the tantalizing title of Miss America in six months time.

Ariana Afsar, currently a freshman at University of California, Los Angeles, succeeded Kristy Cavinder, Miss California 2009 at a pageant held in Fresno, California on Saturday night. She has won various awards including a 25,000-U.S.-dollar cash prize in the junior teen Miss America competition and won the "Del Mar TV Idol" contest held in May 2007.

Born in October 1991, Afsar has been singing since she was seven years old when she discovered karaoke, then quickly moved to theater work. She was in the top 36 contestants on FOX's "American Idol 8." After failing to advance through her semi-final round, Afsar was given the opportunity to compete in the Wildcard competition but was eliminated.

Afsar was Miss California's Outstanding Teen and placed first runner-up in 2006 when she was 16 years old.

As the founder of Adopt-A-Grandfriend, an organization since 2005 whose goal is to help the seniors to get rid of isolation, Asfar made this organization a platform to challenge others.

Afsar is in a different system than what controversial Christian Carrie Prejean, Miss California 2009 is in. Prejean competed in the Miss USA pageant produced by K2 Productions.