MAIN Art & Culture Pop Culture Miss Universe

The 61st annual Miss Universe beauty pageant will featured more than 80 delegates from around the world - competing in one of the planet's most popular beauty pageants - when it is televised in mid-December 2012 in a location yet to be announced.

As pageant time draws near, keep it here for more updates as they are announced.

Meanwhile, this year's Miss Universe has already created buzz worldwide after the first transgender contestant, Vancouver's Jenna Talackova, successfully fought to compete in the Miss Canada beauty pageant in May.

Had she won, the 23-year-ol Talackova would have ultimately represented her country in the Miss Universe competition. As it turned out, it will be Iranian actress and now Canadian citizen Sahar Biniaz who won the title as Miss Canada 2012.

Miss Universe 2011

The winner? Miss Angola, Leila Lopes, was crowned Miss Universe 2011 among five beauties who had qualified as the top finalists of the evening including Miss China Luo Zilin (4th runner up), Miss Philippines Shamcey Supsup (3rd runner up), Miss Brazil Priscila Machado (2nd runner up), and Miss Ukraine Olesya Stefanko (1st runner up).

All about Miss Universe

What began in 1952 - as a local bathing beauty competition in Long Beach, CA - has since grown to be a Donald Trump organization showcase that puts the spotlight directly on the world's most beautiful women.

Following the evening gown competition, judges pick the Top 10 who go on to show off their best assets in the traditional and very popular swimsuit competition, from which the Top 5 are chosen... culminating in the crowning of Miss Universe.

Miss Universe around The Web

Check out more information on the universe's most famous beauty pageant in video clips, pictures, interviews and contestant profiles, along with past winners, judges, and bit of related history and trivia at top sites devoted to Miss Universe 2011 ...

Miss Universe.com - Check out the pageant's official site with videos, photos, close-up interviews and profiles of all the contestants.

Global Beauties.com - Photos of all delegates along with their pick for Most Photogenic, the complete schedule, information on the telecast, and a virtual backstage pass for news tidbits and fun facts leading up to the pageant.

Miss Universe - Wikipedia - The online encyclopedia offering extensive information on the selection process, pageant history, a complete list of winners from 1952 to the present, related links.

Pageant Almanac - Miss Universe - Everything you ever wanted to know including current vital stats and photos, predicted rankings, past winners, along with an archive of Miss Photogenic, Congeniality and swimsuit competition winners, plus past judges, performers, venues and locations.

Pageant News Bureau - Miss Universe - An archive of pageants the recent past including picture galleries, lists of winners, and historic photos.

Also see Miss Earth | Miss World | Miss USA

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue | Victoria's Secret Models