Michael Starr

Michael Starr

TV

Miss America runner-up hosts new court show

Meet Faith Jenkins — former Miss Louisiana, a Miss America runner-up and the host of TV’s newest court show.

Jenkins will preside over the syndicated “Judge Faith,” airing weekdays on Ch. 9 starting Sept. 22. It’s produced by Michael Eisner’s production company, Tornante, and syndicated by Trifecta Entertainment.

Jenkins, a practicing attorney, is a familiar TV face (CNN, MSNBC, Fox News Channel) — and was about to ink an on-air deal with MSNBC when the “Judge Faith” opportunity presented itself.

“When I got the e-mail about doing a judge show it was something that never even crossed my mind,” she says. “I’d met with MSNBC and they wanted to offer me a contract to be a legal analyst … and the next thing I know I’m flying to LA to do a pilot.

“We really want to give the cases a more contemporary feel,” says Jenkins, who’ll be wearing a judge’s robe — “I actually love the look” — and will hear cases presented by defendants (a la “Judge Judy”). “I’m really active on social media and we want the cases to revolve around that,” she says. “We do the bread-and-butter cases, but a lot of them have a twist — like two people who met on Instagram, started dating, got into a dispute over property damage and are now suing each other.”

“Judge Faith” will also feature bailiff Barbara Bonner, an ex-LA deputy marshal and sheriff’s deputy.

Jenkins says the transition from TV talking head to the star of a weekday court show hasn’t been too difficult. “No one’s telling me what to say or how to act — when people see what I’m doing they’re going to see another version of Faith.”

And speaking of Ch. 9 … three alums of its sister station, Ch. 5 ­— Bill Boggs (“Midday Live”), Patrick McLauglin (a producer) and Bill McGowan (“Good Day New York”) ­— will reunite in East Hampton Friday night for a party to celebrate McGowan’s book, “Pitch Perfect,” which includes cover blurbs from Giants quarterback Eli Manning and Facebook CEO Sheryl Sandberg. McGowan is now a media trainer, McLaughlin works for Douglas Elliman and Boggs is the celebrity correspondent for “My Generation.”

Last, but not least…

Fatima Ptacek, the voice of “Dora the Explorer,” and series creator Valerie Walsh will host advance screenings of the new spinoff series, “Dora and Friends: Into the City!” Saturday and Sunday at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan (West 83rd) … “Blood From a Stone,” an original song by Honey County (Danni Rosner, Molly Miller, Whitney Fenimore), will make its TV debut on this Sunday’s episode of “True Blood” (9 p.m./HBO), the same day it’s released on iTunes … Josh Henderson (“Dallas”) watching Nelly perform Tuesday at Underground in Chicago. ABC News and the Center for Public Integrity have won a Heywood Broun Award from the Newspaper Guild for their joint investigative report, “Breathless and Burdened” (about black lung disease).