James Denton, Other Celebrities Crowning Miss America This Weekend

James Denton spends most of his work days surrounded by beautiful women as plumber Mike Delfino on "Desperate Housewives." Maybe it's time to give up the day job.

Denton is set to host the 2006 Miss America Pageant at the Aladdin Resort and Casino in Las Vegas this weekend. In his role as host, Denton will be handling all on-stage announcements as well as taping unscripted encounters with its 52 competitors backstage during the competition.

This is the first time the pageant has not been held in Atlantic City in its 85-year history. The move to Las Vegas accompanies the elimination of several components added over the years to modernize the competition, such as the casual-wear segment, which many see as the pageant's attempt to gain back the 10 million viewers who have stopped watching the show since the mid-1980s. Instead, viewers will see highlights from past pageants as well as the Miss Congeniality competition, which was last awarded in 1974.

Denton will be joined by "Malcolm in the Middle"'s frazzled mom Jane Kaczmarek, NFL great Jerry Rice, R&B artist Brian McKnight and "Desperate Housewives"' own Brenda Strong, who will all take their places at the judging table in the pageant's final stages. Denton, unfortunately for "Housewives" fans, will not be singing the classic crowning song, "There She Is, Miss America." That honor will go to a surprise guest which Country Music Television, which is broadcasting the pageant, has so far declined to reveal.

While contestants arrived in Vegas Sunday, the 2006 Miss America pageant will be broadcast live on Saturday on CMT starting at 8 p.m.