The organizers of Miss Universe announced yesterday, 27 September that the event would take place at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas on 19 December. The organizers had lobbied for the event to be held in Punta Cana, but the new government headed by President Danilo Medina turned down their request for a US$6 million contribution for the event. The event would have been held at the Hard Rock Hotel in Punta Cana. The Miss Universe pageant was last held in the Dominican Republic in 1977, with a telecast from the National Theater in Santo Domingo. At the time, the event made news when Janelle Commissiong of Trinidad & Tobago was crowned the first ever black Miss Universe.