The newly crowned Laura Kaeppeler performed her first duty as Miss America by appearing on Good Morning America Tuesday. The former Miss Wisconsin flew directly from the pageant in Las Vegas, three suit cases in tow, to appear on the show.

"I couldn't be more thrilled," she says.

Laura also appeared on Fox & Friends Wednesday morning, and discussed her plans for the $50,000 scholarship awarded by Amway.

"I'm actually looking forward to going to law school after this year to really carry out the work of my platform of mentoring and advocating for children who have parents in prison...I hope to use it...to be a legal voice for children who don't have one," Laura says.

Laura rang the opening bell of NASDAQ this morning.

Photo: MAO

Today, fourpoints sat down with producer Tony Eaton to talk about what we can expect from the 2012 telecast!

Are there any changes to the telecast this year? Is it important to make changes to the show every year?

Well, the girls change every year. This year they are a really bright group and they are all dedicated to making this telecast a 21st century production.

Can you tell us what kind of changes we can expect?

 Well, yes and no. I can say that the opening number is different. We shot six different locations in Las Vegas: La Reve, Hoover Damn, Ghost Bar, Fremont Street, Bellagio, Cosmopolitan, and the Wynn. Las Vegas is a photogenic and colorful city.

Are there any surprises during the telecast?

There is one element of the show that is truly live television. It will unfold for everyone at the same time. I hope it works out.

What kind of manpower goes into this telecast?

We have a 6 month start time. We have 50 stage crew members, 60 tv crew members, 13 cameras, tons of trucks plus 100 MAO volunteers behind the scenes.

The final night of preliminary competition in the 2012 Miss America pageant was hosted by Dena Blizzard. The Mu, Alpha, and Sigma groups competed in their final phases of the pageant.

Miss Hawaii Lauren Cheape received a $2,000 scholarship from Amway for her energetic jump rope routine.

Miss New York Kaitlin Monte received a $1,000 scholarship from Amway in the lifestye and fitness in swimsuit competition.

Congratulations!

fourpoints sat down with Miss America 2011 Teresa Scanlan to talk about giving up the title and what the future holds for her.

Have a lot of the contestants asked you for advice during pageant week?

The contestants have asked me advice, yes, and a lot of them have been asking me for advice since they were crowned. I always tell them that it is important to prepare before the pageant and have a good mindset during pageant week. But I also stress the importance of imagining what happens after the crowning moment. Your life doesn't end then—it actually begins.

What are you doing with your $50,000 Amway scholarship?

In total, I have earned $62,000 in scholarships from competing in the Miss America system. I have received a full tuition scholarship for my first four years of college, so I will be deferring my Miss America scholarships to pay for 3 years of law school. I knew at the age of 13 that I would have to get scholarships in order to pay for college, so the Miss America system has drastically changed my life in that way.

How do you stay humble when you hold a title like Miss America?

My family does a good job of keeping me humble! I am the middle of 7 children, so a week after I began my year as Miss America, my little sister had moved into my bedroom. When I visit home (not that I get to very often) I sleep on a matress, and I make my own bed.

Have you done anything special for the 2012 Miss America contestants?

I actually took 53 stones ouf of my crown and had them made into necklaces for the contestants. I want them to know that even though only one of them can take the crown on Saturday night, that each of them deserve it. This way, they will always have a piece of the crown. They are incredible women, and they deserve it.