The Mandalay Bay Hotel and Resort in Las Vegas is the venue for this year's Miss Universe competition, with big crowds expected for another close competition.
This webcam feed is live in Las Vegas on the day of the pageant:
http://www.myworldwebcams.com/
Miss Universe is an annual international beauty contest run by the Miss Universe Organization. The pageant is one of the most publicized beauty contests in the world with 600 million viewers.
The contest was founded in 1952 by California clothing company Pacific Mills. The pageant became part of Kayser-Roth and then Gulf and Western Industries, before being acquired by Donald Trump in 1996
In 1998, Miss Universe changed its name from Miss Universe, Inc. to Miss Universe Organization and the headquarters moved from Long Beach, Los Angeles to New York City that year. Donald Trump brought in a new team of professionals to the contest headed by its new CEO, Molly Miles, and president Maureen Reidy. Miles coined the slogan "Redefined for Today" for promotion of the pageants. That year, the new Miss Universe logo was born: The Woman with the Stars, which is still used today.
The current Miss Universe is Stefanía Fernández, from Venezuela. She won the title on August 23, 2009.
