It’s that time of year again… time for the hottest ladies from all over the world to converge on the Miss Universe Pageant.  For 2007, Miss Universe has a former pageant beauty to host.  Vanessa Minnillo, 1999 Miss Teen USA, took the stage with co-host Mario Lopez to see what this year had to offer.

Good news for America; Miss USA Rachel Smith is in the top 10.  If Smith takes the title, she’ll be the first Yankee to do so since Brook Lee, back in 1997.  She sported an Elvis jumpsuit and a guitar for the opening parade, giving a nod to her Tennessee roots.

Whoever wins the title will then travel the globe for a year to promote charity events and promote the upcoming pageant.  The winner may also have to endure some serious drama from anti-pageant protesters.  In Mexico City, there were groups of people speaking out against the event.  The groups yelled slogans such as, “Neither ugly nor beautiful, should a woman be considered an object!”

The celebrity judges included actor James Kyson Lee, model Lindsay Clubine, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, rocker Dave Navarro, Olympic figure skating champion Michelle Kwan , celebrity hairstylist Ken Paves, fashion designer Marc Bouwer, “Project Runway” judge and Elle magazine fashion director Nina Garcia and former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres.

Miss Universe 2007 was a live broadcast on NBC and Telemundo, expected to be viewed by more than 600 million people in more than 180 countries.

Enjoy the pictures of former Miss Universe Vanessa Minnillo out shopping in Beverly Hills on May 25!

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