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Miss USA Olivia Culpo is crowned Miss Universe

2012-12-19T20:38:00.001-08:00

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A 20-year-old Boston University sophomore and a self-described "cellist-nerd" brought the Miss Universe crown back to the United States for the first time in more than a decade when she won the televised contest Wednesday.

Olivia Culpo beat out 88 other beauty queens to take the title fromLeila Lopes of Angola during the two-hour competition at the Planet Hollywood casino on the Las Vegas Strip.

Culpo wore a tight navy blue mini-dress with a sequined bodice as she walked on stage for the competition's opening number. Later in the night, she strutted in a purple and blue bikini, and donned a wintery red velvet gown with a plunging neckline.

Culpo's coronation ends a long losing spell for the U.S. in the competition co-owned by Donald Trump and NBC. An American had not won the right to be called Miss Universe since Brook Lee won the title in 1997.

Culpo was good enough during preliminary competitions to be chosen as one of 16 semifinalists who moved on to compete in the pageant's finale. Her bid lasted through swimsuit, evening wear, and interview competitions that saw cuts after each round.

She won over the judges, even after tripping slightly during theevening gown competition. Telecasters pointed it out but also noted her poised recovery.

Minutes before the middle child of five was crowned, she was asked whether she had she had ever done something she regretted.

"I'd like to start off by saying that every experience no matter what it is, good or bad, you'll learn from it. That's just life," she said. "But something I've done I've regretted is probably picking on my siblings growing up, because you appreciate them so much more as you grow older."

Miss Philippines, Janine Tugonon, came in second, while Miss Venezuela, Irene Sofia Esser Quintero, placed third.

All the contestants spent the past two weeks in Sin City, where they posed in hardhats at a hotel groundbreaking, took a painting lesson, and pranked hotel guests by hiding in their rooms.

Culpo was the first Miss USA winner from Rhode Island when she took the national crown in Las Vegas in June.

She grew up in Cranston with two professional musicians for parents and has played the cello alongside world-renowned classical musician Yo-Yo Ma. On her Miss Universe page, she said she hopes to pursue a career in film or television, and cites Audrey Hepburn as a role model because of her "generosity, intelligence and grace."

With Culpo's promotion, Miss Maryland Nana Meriwether becomes the new Miss USA.

The Miss Universe pageant was back in Las Vegas this year after being held in Sao Paulo in 2011. It aired live on NBC and was streamed to more than 100 countries.

Organizers had considered holding the 61st annual Miss Universe in the popular Dominican Republic tourist city of Punta Cana, but Miss Universe Organization President Paula Shugart said that country's financial crisis proved to be too much of an obstacle.

The panel of 10 judges included singer Cee Lo Green, "Iron Chef" star Masaharu Morimoto and Pablo Sandoval of the San Francisco Giants.

Asked on the red carpet whether he found playing in the World Series or judging the beauty pageant to be more difficult, Sandoval said both were hard.

Sharply dressed women and men, including a large contingent from South America, held banners and cheered on their favorite contestants.

The pageant started as a local revue in Long Beach, Calif., organized by Catalina Swimwear. It is not affiliated with the Miss America pageant and unlike that contest, does not include a talent section.

Contestants in the pageant cannot have been married or have children. They must be younger than 27 and older than 18 by Feb. 1 of the competition year.

As Miss Universe, Culpo will receive an undisclosed salary, a wardrobe fit for a queen, a limitless supply of beauty products, and a luxury apartment in New York City.

Olivia Culpo Pictures

2012-12-19T20:37:00.000-08:00

Miss universe 2012

2012-12-19T20:30:00.005-08:00

Olivia Culpo will paint USA in Miss Universe 2012 beauty pageant which is the 61st edition of Miss Universe beauty contest which will be held at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA on Wednesday night of 19th December, 2012.

Olivia Culpo says (in her own words), “Everyone is exactly as they should be on the outside and it is your inner contentment, good spirits, grace and openness to others that make you truly beautiful.”

Olivia Culpo’s Profile & Photo Gallery :

Olivia Culpo is 20 years old and 167.5 cm told. Her Hair color and Eye color both are Brown. Her home town is Cranston, Rhode Island, USA. She is Graduated from St. Mary’s Academy Bay (2010). She is a Model.

Miss USA 2012 Semifinalists :

Olivia Culpo has won the Miss USA 2012 award. Nana Meriwether has won the First Rnner-up title, Audrey Bolte has won the Second Runner-up title, Jade Kelsall has won the Third Runner-up title and Jazz Wilkins has won the Fourth Runner-up title.

miss universe 2012 olivia culpo

2012-12-19T20:30:00.001-08:00

Miss USA Olivia Culpo Wins 2012 Miss Universe Pageant

2012-12-19T20:28:00.000-08:00

David Becker/Getty Images

Wow, that almost never happens.

Miss USA Olivia Culpo has been crowned as 2012's Miss Universe tonight in Las Vegas, after competing against 88 other women from countries around the world.

"I'm dreaming, it's a dream," she said while surrounded by the other ladies.

Best and worst moments from the Miss Universe Pageant

Culpo claimed the title from last year's winner, Leila Lopes of Angola, after strutting in a purple and blue bikini and a red velvet gown with a plunging neckline.

"One thing I feel people don't know about me is that I'm really easy-going," the new Miss Universe explained during a pretaped segment of the show.

"Any joke, I'll get it. I mean, I think a lot of the times they think of beauty queens as almost being plastic, but I can take jokes and I can take anything. I'm just a normal person."

Miss USA Olivia Culpo is Miss Universe 2012!

2012-12-19T20:27:00.001-08:00

Miss USA, Olivia Culpo has been crowned as Miss Universe 2012 at a gala event in Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Olivia Culpo defeated stunning divas from across 89 states to win the crown.

The first and the second runners up are Janine Tugonon from Philippines and Irene Esser from Venezuela.

Miss Universe 2011, Leila Lopes of Angola, crowned the successor amidst a round of loud applause.

Miss India, Shilpa Singh could not go beyond the 10th round.

Participants have already completed the evening gown round, the swimsuit competition, the national costume competition and the National Gift Auction. Miss Great Britain 2012, 21-year-old Holly Hale from Swansea, displayed an impressive level of confidence and style in all the segments.

Miss Universe is an annual international beauty pageant run by the Miss Universe Organization. Next to with its rival contest - Miss World - this pageant is the most publicized beauty contest in the world. You can see the display of Universe's Beauties representing their countries.

California clothing company Pacific Mills founded the contest 1952. The pageant became part of Kayser-Roth and then Gulf and Western Industries, before being acquired by Donald Trump in 1996.

It was until 1998 when Miss Universe changed its name from Miss Universe, Inc. to Miss Universe Organization. Its original headquarters moved from Long Beach, LA to New York City same year. Mr. Donald Trump brought in a new team of professionals to the contest headed by its new CEO, Molly Miles, and president Maureen Reidy. Redefined for Today", this is the slogan coined by Mills for promotion of the pageants. In the same year, the new Miss Universe logo was born: The Woman with the Stars, which is still being used today.

How Contestants are selected?
Miss Universe organizers received proposals each year from organizations who wish to decide on the Miss Universe contestant for a country. This permits competition between different pageants to hold a country's license, as happened for Miss Italy and Miss France for example, when the licenses for their respective traditional organizations were revoked (the usual Miss France competition returned in 2004).

Typically a country's candidate selection involves a lot of pageants in major cities, with the winners contending in a national pageant, but not always happening. Take this as a mirror for example; in 2000 Australia's national pageant was stopped as a remnant of a bygone era, with Australian delegates instead chosen by a modeling agency. But of course the organization does not permit this one as the pageant is to promote and preserve aura of respectability and competition.

Main Pageant
Over a two week period in May and July the main Miss Universe Pageant is held. Previously, in the 1970s through the 1990s, the contest was a month long. This allowed time for rehearsals, appearances, and the preliminary competition, with the winner being crowned by the previous year's titleholder during the final competition.
The Miss Universe contest is more than a beauty pageant: women aspiring to become Miss Universe must be intelligent, well-mannered, and cultured. Most of the times a candidate has not won because she did not have a good answer during the question responses rounds; although this segment of competition has held less weight during recent pageants than it did in the twentieth century. Delegates also participate in swimsuit and evening gown competitions.

Olivia Culpo Wins Miss Universe 2012

2012-12-19T20:25:00.003-08:00

Olivia Culpo crowed Miss Universe 2012

LAS VEGAS — A 20-year-old Boston University sophomore and a self-described "cellist-nerd" brought the Miss Universe crown back to the United States for the first time in more than a decade when she won the televised contest Wednesday.

Olivia Culpo beat out 88 other beauty queens to take the title from Leila Lopes of Angola during the two-hour competition at the Planet Hollywood casino on the Las Vegas Strip.

She won over the judges, even after tripping slightly during the evening gown competition. Telecasters pointed it out but also noted her poised recovery.