In 2000, when she competed in the Miss USA pageant leading up to Miss Universe, Jill Dobson got the highest score of the 50 candidates in the "interview" category.

Interesting, because interviewing is now part of what she does for a living -- on the other side of the questions.

Born Nov. 8, 1977 in the small (1,700) southern Michigan village of Quincy, Dobson represented her community and her state at Miss USA, finishing seventh to eventual winner Carrie Tucker of New York.

Along the way, Dobson (now an entertainment correspondent for Fox News) earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from Troy University in Alabama and a Master's from Michigan State.

She started her journalism career at CBS station WLNS in Lansing as a general assignment reporter. From there, she went to Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo, then Long Island, using the latter location to spin off a gig as a freelance reporter for "E! News Live." Dobson also worked for the National Lampoon Network and hosted a special for Bravo.

Blonde and blue-eyed, with beauty pageant looks, Dobson has found her appearance to be both a plus and a minus. It probably gets her jobs, but then puts pressure on her to prove that she's more than just a "face."

Her career took another leap forward in 2006, when she was brought on board at Star Magazine and gained the opportunity to interact with every supermarket customer in America.

"Jill Dobson is an articulate and smart reporter whose sparkling personality and celebrity know-how will bring Star to life on television," said Bonnie Fuller, Star's editorial director.  "As Star's popularity and media presence continues to grow, our readers will recognize Jill as the personality they trust to receive the most accurate and up-to-do date celebrity news. We are thrilled to welcome her to our team."

Apparently, Fox felt the same way, because the network hired her away from Star in June of 2007 to replace the fired Bill McCuddy as entertainment editor.

Since then, Dobson has focused on the celebrity beat, citing her favorite stories as covering the birth of Angelina Jolie's twins, a series done on American Idol hopefuls and an interview with Madonna on turning 50. She has also covered the Oscars.

Dobson also appears occasionally on "Fox & Friends" and "Hannity and Colmes" and "The O'Reilly Factor," especially when the subject turns to entertainment.

She and husband Jim Ornstein, a talent agent whose clients include Kelly Ripa, purchased  an East Side New York penthouse that was once valued at $31 million. The price dropped to under $2 million after a previous buyer pulled out.