The 63rd Annual MISS UNIVERSE® Pageant To Be Held In Doral-Miami At Florida International University January 25 (8-11 P.M. ET) On NBC

SOURCE The Miss Universe Organization

NEW YORK, Oct. 2, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- NBC, Donald J. Trump and Paula M. Shugart, president of the Miss Universe Organization, announced today that the 63rd annual MISS UNIVERSE® Pageant will take place in Doral-Miami, Florida and air live from Florida International University on NBC, Sunday, Jan. 25 (8-11 p.m. ET) with simulcast in Spanish on Telemundo. "The City of Doral is experiencing a record amount of economic growth and has gained attention from Fortune 100 companies in the short time since its incorporation in 2003," says Trump. "In its 11 years of being an established city,Doral has become internationally recognized for its outstanding commercial and industrial accomplishments," adds Trump. "Doral is a symbol of success and holding the Miss Universe Pageant here will amplify its reputation as a world showcase city."

"Even as one of the newest cities in Miami, Doral is a premier place to live, work, and play due to its beautiful lifestyle and entrepreneurial opportunities," says Shugart. "Since the Greater Miami area is a melting pot of people from all over the world, our contestants will feel right at home as they showcase what the area has to offer," adds Shugart. "I cannot think of a better backdrop in January than sunny Miami for our global telecast." "The Miss Universe Pageant offers an unprecedented opportunity to showcase the city to millions of viewers, as well as expose our local shops, hotels, restaurants, and attractions to thousands of visitors," says Mayor Luigi Boria. "Our local economy will be greatly benefited by our partnership with the pageant," adds Boria. "Our international presence will be improved further by joining the list of select cities that have hosted this prestigious competition."

In its short existence, the City of Doral has become a mecca for business development and expansion. Exceeding national trends, Doral has a flourishing economy and has gained status as the premier place for trade and commerce. In just five years after its inception, Doral was named one of the "100 Best Cities to Live and Launch a Business" byCNNMoney.com, coming in at number two in the State of Florida. The city's geographical location, with proximity to the airport, seaport and major transit arteries, provides Doral with unique advantages for growth. The government climate of the multi-cultural, multi-lingual population from South and Central America gives Doral a cosmopolitan, eclectic ambiance that entices shoppers, businesses and industries from around the world. The pageant will be broadcast from the FIU Arena on the campus of Florida International University. FIU is the public research university in Miami and graduates more Hispanic students than any other university in the nation.

"Our students will gain valuable insight from this opportunity to intern with, and learn from, this world class event," said FIU president, Mark B. Rosenberg. "I'm delighted that having the pageant on campus will also make it possible for our first generation students to receive scholarships and young people all over the world to be exposed to FIU." Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offers more than 180 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes $9.8 billion each year to the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission.
Since 1960, the Miss Universe Organization and Miami have had a longstanding relationship, with the MISS UNIVERSE Pageant being held in the Greater Miami area 15 times, more than any other host city in the world. The MISS UNIVERSE beauty pageant is distributed to approximately 190 countries and territories. Contestants from around the world will be judged in three categories: swimsuit, evening gown and interview, as they vie to become the next Miss Universe. Gabriela Isler from Venezuela will crown her successor at the conclusion of the live telecast.

Donald Trump Completes the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge With the Help of Miss Universe and Miss USA

You know Donald Trump isn't one to back down from a challenge. The business mogul is the latest celeb to take part in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, and did so with the help of the beautiful Miss Universe and Miss USA on top of one of his famous towers.

"I've been called out by everybody for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge—Homer Simpson, Mike Tyson, Vince McMahon—like everybody is going crazy over this thing," Trump says in the video. "I guess they wanna see if whether or not this is my real hair. Which it is. So here's what I'm gonna do…Miss Universe and Miss USA, I own it, so they're here and they're really gonna do a number on me. I'm challenging President Obama, my son Donald, my son Eric. Let's go ladies."

And that's when two huge buckets of ice (Trump) water gets dumped on Donald's head. And guess what? His hair stayed on his head. Apparently, the 68-year-old didn't get the memo on Barack Obama and the challenge. After being called out by Ethel Kennedy, the oldest living member of the famous political family, the President of the United States opted to pass on getting soaked for the #IceBucketChallenge.

"The President appreciates Mrs. Kennedy thinking of him for the challenge," the White House said in a statement. "The President will be making a donation to an ALS charity this week."

Donald Trump reveals Baton Rouge will host Miss USA 2014

by Scott Stump

The Miss USA competition is headed to the bayou this year.

Donald Trump, the owner of the Miss Universe Organization, announced Thursday that this year's contest will be held in Baton Rouge, La., on June 8. The contest will air on NBC from 8-11 p.m. ET. "[It's] just a place that really wanted us,'' Trump said on TODAY Thursday. "We had about 12 places that were fighting for the rights, and we just decided that's sort of the home of pageantry, it's sort of the home of the whole beauty thing. They're terrific people, and they're going to put on a great show. Usually we go to Las Vegas. We never fail in Las Vegas. It's great, but we thought we'd move it."

Baton Rouge hosted a Miss Teen USA competition in 2005, but the pageant couldn't return in 2006 due to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina, "when the population doubled overnight due to people in damaged areas seeking safety and shelter,” Miss Universe Organization president Paula Shugart said in the release. “The sense of community that Baton Rouge has is incredibly inspiring and the hospitality shown to us while we were there was second to none. I am looking forward to bringing an event back to Baton Rouge to experience the charm of the Capital City.”

The competition will feature contestants from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, who will be judged in the categories of swimsuit, evening gown and interview. "It is an honor to host the Miss USA pageant in Louisiana," Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne said in a statement. "It is an incredible opportunity for Baton Rouge to shine on a national stage and I expect the delegates will enjoy our unique culture and joie de vivre."
Last year's champion was Miss Connecticut, Erin Brady, who appeared alongside Trump on TODAY Thursday to discuss her future plans with her reign set to end in just over two months. "I'd love to get involved in the entertainment business,'' Brady said. "I do have a finance background, so I'm hoping to kind of embrace the best of both worlds and take that a step further." Marissa Powell, Miss Utah, also made headlines last year for an incoherent answer during the interview portion. She later appeared on TODAY for a second chance at the question.

Pageant queen’s life not all tiaras, roses

BY ROBYN SIDERSKY / THE FREE LANCE–STAR

In 2006, Tara Conner celebrated winning the Miss USA pageant. Next week, she will celebrate another milestone—seven years of sobriety. Today, she still looks like a beauty queen, sporting straight blonde hair, flawless makeup and a stylish outfit.

But underneath that polished image is a lot of pain. On Tuesday, she shared some of that pain and her experiences with drugs and alcohol with a group at the Caroline County Recovery Center.

Conner told them how she became an addict at 14 and didn’t turn things around until she had to take a drug test after winning the Miss USA crown. She said Donald Trump—the co-owner of the Miss Universe pageant—gave her a second chance if she promised to get treatment.

So, she did, after nearly losing her title.

Now, the Kentucky native talks to people who struggle with the pain she used to endure. “Hi, my name is Tara and I’m a recovering everything,” she told a circle of people Tuesday. She said traveling to Bowling Green, where the recovery center is located, felt like she was back home in Kentucky, in the small town where she grew up.

The reason she goes to small towns, like Bowling Green, is to spread awareness of support groups and recovery programs and the opportunities to change. When I lived in Kentucky, I didn’t know services were available,” she said.

Becoming a pageant competitor helped her “mask what was going on.” Her life changed overnight when she won Miss USA. “I had everything I could have ever dreamt of having,” she said. But when reports of her wild past got out and she nearly lost the crown, she had to change her behavior.

It was the week before her 21st birthday that she decided to become sober. Ironically, she’s never had a legal drink. When she began treatment, she couldn’t relate to those around her. But then their stories came out. “All of our stories were the same,” she said.

She said someone once told her, “you can’t save your face and your butt at the same time.” It means that you can’t paint a rosy picture of your life and expect to make any progress in recovery. “You have to be willing, going into these things, to get anything out of it,” she said.

The group Conner spoke with Tuesday wasn’t just addicts. Local pastors and Caroline’s Commonwealth Attorney Tony Spencer were also there to listen to Conner speak. Spencer said he wasn’t surprised she got treatment, but he wondered why she stuck with it. Conner said she was “emotionally and spiritually bankrupt.”

Mel Covington, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Bowling Green, asked how to catch issues early and educate young people, like those he works with in his church. Conner said the parents need to be educated and be truthful about the issues going on at home. She said it’s about opening up the lines of communication and giving the kids someone they can relate to. Conner said if someone like herself had come to speak to her when she was a teen, things would have been different.

Miss USA Pageant No Longer in Negotiations to be Hosted in Doral

By Willard Shepard, NBC Miami'

Council people in a Miami suburb said they were told by a Donald Trump representative that the 2014 Miss USA Pageant will not be held in their city because of political infighting and disparaging comments by the mayor. Trump owns the Doral Hotel & Country Club,a large resort and golf course in the city. Once Trump bought the resort in 2012, the city entered into negotiations with his team about hosting the pageant, said Councilwoman Ana Maria Rodriguez.

But the recent controversy between City Manager Joe Carollo and Mayor Luigi Boria coupled with unwelcoming comments from Boria about the pageant, have prompted Trump to move the 2014 contest in Las Vegas, according to sources within the council.

So on Thursday, Trump's representative called each council member individually to relay the news. They were told that he will make the announcement from the Miss Universe pageanton Saturday night.

“That decision was made by Donald Trump soon after the motion by the city commission of Doral to support bringing the Miss USA Pageant to Trump Doral and the mayor was very clear that he spoke against it and voted against it,” said Trump spokesman Ed Russo “And we want to avoid awkward situations like this.”

Trump said he would reconsider bringing the Miss USA Pageant to Doral at some future time.

"The announcement for next year's pageant for the Miss USA will no longer be in the Doral resort which is what we were all anticipating," said Ana Maria Rodriguez. "We are now informed that it will be happening in another city in and in another location which is very disappointing. We have been working very hard to get this pageant to our city." She added that an elected official said he doesn't want the pageant in Doral.

"The main reason is they don't want to have a pageant in the resort in a city where they feel the main person doesn't want them there--they are not welcome," she said. Vice Mayor Bettina Rodriguez Aguilera said it was disappointing and that it would've been great to have the pageant in the city.

"We are really taken by that because this would be a very big economic downturn for Doral," Rodriguez Aguilera said. She said it would've meant about $50 million for the city and the surrounding areas. "The situation that Doral is going through right now and we have been in the press for the wrong reasons," she said.

Meanwhile, Boria said he is still hopeful about the situation. "We don't know yet. We have to wait. I think we have be patient. Mr Trump make his ultimate word to us," Boria said.