Miss Universe - Preparation For Miss Universe 2012 Kicks Off In Las Vegas

Miss Universe 2012 got under way yesterday at the inaugural welcome party in host city Las Vegas, which saw the pageant hosts committee and the world's press officially acquainted by every one of the competition hopefuls.

The 89 would-be Miss Universes (all of whom come from Earth) flaunted their stuff at what was a sneak glimpse of the upcoming competition, which will see one girl's dream come true when she is crowned Miss Universe at the official ceremony on December 19th. The competition gets underway tomorrow (Dec 8) when rehearsals begin, with the preliminary competition taking place next Thursday (Dec 13) and Friday (14), whittling down the competition to just 16 finalists, with the final being hosted by Andy Cohen and Giuliana Rancic.

Miss Universe 2011, Angola's Leila Lopes, was on hand yesterday to present the new wave of international beauties, with countries as far flung as Albania, the British Virgin Islands and Sri Lanka being represented, alongside competition debutants Gabon and Lithuania.

With yesterdays pleasantries out of the way, the rigorous Miss Universe agenda is now underway, with the ladies now faced with their meticulous new lifestyle for the next fortnight. Scheduled for the 89 contestants includes daily choreography and walking rehearsals under the guidance of the legendary American choreographer Michel Schwandt no less, topped off with a healthy dose of fashion, fitness regimes and, as it is the season, plenty of festive activities too.