Entertainment

North Texans can now rejoice: Arlington has the new Nashville Star.

NBC

Melissa Lawson

Melissa Lawson, the expressive singer inspired and supported by her husband and five children, was crowned the sixth-season winner of the country-music talent competition Monday night during Nashville Star 's hourlong finale. She proved victorious over fellow Texan Gabe Garcia, who came in second place, and Iowa's Shawn Mayer, the third-place finalist.

As she sang her new single, the John Rich-produced "What If It All Goes Right," a steady stream of confetti threatened to thwart her performance. But Ms. Lawson, always the consummate pro, never flinched. She was all smiles, surrounded by fellow contestants and her family. The 32-year-old won a recording contract with Warner Bros. Nashville, a Toyota Tundra and a shot at stardom.

In many ways, however, she was a winner before her name was called. The relentlessly image-conscious music business, country or otherwise, would have probably discarded Ms. Lawson immediately because she's not model-thin. Yet it's in her realness – her looks, her story, her talent – that the heart of true country music beats. She represents most of the women out there who connect with the genre: the working mothers, the wives and the churchgoers. She proves that life experiences are the ultimate tools needed to sell a song.

Similarly, Mr. Garcia – the Hispanic-American from Lytle, Texas, who pursued his dream to honor his late father – is an example of the genre's reach. How refreshing that the top two contestants on Nashville Star circa 2008 speak for the everyday masses, not the celebrity elite.

American Gladiators

Ally Davidson

Ally Davidson, the Dallas advertising sales rep who auditioned for American Gladiators on her wedding day, earned plenty of honeymoon money in dramatic fashion Monday night.

Ms. Davidson made up a five-second deficit on the show-ending Eliminator course to win the competition and collect the $100,000 prize.

Seconds after she splashed into the pool at the course's end, her husband, Jeff, who also competed on the show, dove in to congratulate his bride.

Stephen Becker