A former Miss Universe title holder who previously accepted an invitation from a teenage boy for a date for his school dance only to call it off later, finally made up for her misdeed by visiting the spurned boy in his school. Jennifer Hawkins, a former Australian beauty queen-turned TV presenter, initially agreed to be 17-year-old Daniel Dibley's partner to the end-of-year dance at Bathurst High School, west of Sydney.

Thailand's new military government is using a former beauty queen to help soften its image with the people. The junta has cracked down on political freedom, including free speech, and hope Thawinan Khongkran, 1987's Miss Asia, can help restore public opinion in the armed forces.

While most people run away from a skunk, a gathering in Ohio is actually bringing enthusiasts together. North Ridgeville is hosting its 6th Annual Skunkfest, just a few miles south of Cleveland. And no need to worry - domesticated skunks are deodorized.

One of the main backers of London Fashion Week Sunday rejected British government calls for a ban on wafer-thin models as the fashion industry faced a furor over its catwalks. Marks and Spencer chief executive Stuart Rose, who is chairman of the British Fashion Council that is organizing the event starting Monday, tells Reuters, "Outright bans and indeed legislation is definitely not a route we want to go down. "

In an industry first, a top-level fashion show in Madrid has banned models who are too thin. The move has resulted in a furor among modeling agencies and increased the possibility of restrictions in other venues. Madrid's fashion week responded to protests that young women were aspiring to copy the models' rail-thin looks and adopting eating disorders by rejecting underweight models.