After initially disqualifying a transgender contestant, organizers of the Miss Universe beauty pageant have reversed course saying she can participate.

In a statement late Monday night, the Miss Universe Organization said Jenna Talackova can compete provided "she meets the legal gender recognition requirements of Canada, and the standards established by other international competitions." The statement, however, did not elaborate on what the requirements were.

The news came a day before Talackova was expected to hold a news conference with high-profile feminist lawyer Gloria Allred to talk about her experience. Until now she hasn't spoken to reporters, and it was unclear whether the news conference Tuesday will proceed as planned.

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, or GLAAD, commended the pageant organizer's decision Monday night. "The Miss Universe Organization made the right decision and has taken an important first step," the group said in a statement.

Talackova was one of the 65 finalists selected to contend for the title of Miss Universe Canada and the honor of representing her country in the Miss Universe competition.But organizers told her last month she could not compete because she lied about having undergone sexual reassignment surgery and did not meet requirements for the pageant.

At the time, the Miss Universe Organization said current rules state that all contestants must be a "naturally born female." In a 2010 interview in Thailand, where she was competing for Miss International Queen, a competition for transgender women, Talackova, 23, said she knew she was a girl at age 4. She said she started hormone therapy at age 14 and underwent sexual reassignment surgery at 19.

Following Talackova's disqualification, social media users flooded the Facebook page of Miss Universe Canada with comments criticizing the decision. A petition started on the social change website Change.org garnered more than 41,000 signatures calling for organizers to reverse their ruling.

The 61st annual Miss Universe Canada Pageant will be held in Toronto on May 19.

Adele's 21 has now Houston's The Bodyguard album as the longest running No. 1 album by a woman on the Billboard 200 album chart, reaching its 21st week at the top spot thanks to a Grammy boost. (Which is kinda funny when you think about it, it's been on top for 21 weeks and the album is called 21. lol). The album has sold a total of 7,353,000 copies in the United States, and a whopping 20 million worldwide.
Still, Houston's powerful pipes still maintain a powerful hold on the public:  Whitney—The Greatest Hits is currently the No. 2 album on the charts.

GLENDALE, Calif -- Celebrity doctors Manny and Pie Calayan were sentenced to three years of probation, in connection with the case where one of their staff was allegedly caught doing medical procedures without a license in their West Hollywood clinic in Los Angeles. 

The Calayans will not have to report to a probation officer and will not be monitored. However, they should not break any laws during their three-year probationary period.  The couple was also ordered to pay fines totaling a little over $10,000. The Calayans were charged in September with four counts of practicing medicine without a license.  In a plea bargain agreement, the Calayans pleaded guilty last month to one count each of a misdemeanor; violating the business and professions code for operating a business without a license. In exchange, the court dropped the other charges.   

In a press conference on Wednesday in Glendale, Calayan claimed it was one of his staffers performing procedures outside of the office. He claimed he and his wife were only doing what they were licensed to do at their West Hollywod clinic -- procedures such as facials, spas, and non-invasive beauty treatments.  “It's not true that we shut down. It's not true that we're practicing unlicensed here. It is not true we're running an unlicensed office here, so wag sila miniwala sa mga chismis chismis na yan.  It's true, that it was one of our staff, but it's not in our premises,” Manny Calayan said.  “There's no jail time, just a standard admission, no civil liability, there's been no restitution request as of yet. Just a 36-month probation, that's it. Just a business and professions code violation,” their lawyer David Hakimfar expalined. 

Meantime, Calayan is pursuing a lawsuit against his former clinic manager, who he accused of running off with $2.5 million.  The former employee, Aida Arceo has denied all charges, and has asked the court to dismiss the case.  “Somobrang ng titiwala ko kay Aida, I trusted her so much, even to my children, and then hindi ko alam she'd do this to us,” said Calayan.  Arceo declined to be interviewed on camera but she told Balitang America that she never embezzled money from the Calayans, and that she has proof of her innocence.