Date set for Miss USA 2010 pageant

NEW YORK, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- The 2010 Miss USA Pageant is to take place at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas in May, organizers said.

NBC and Paula M. Shugart, president of the Miss Universe Organization, announced Monday the event is to air live on the network May 16.

"Las Vegas has become our home away from home," Shugart said in a statement. "Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority have been incredible hosts and we plan on showing our contestants exactly why we keep coming back.

"Las Vegas is tailor-made to host an event like Miss USA and it always makes for an exciting worldwide telecast," the statement said. "The 2009 broadcast was seen in over 95 countries and territories."

"We look forward to welcoming back the Miss Universe Organization this May," Robert Earl, co-chairman of Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, said. "The Miss USA Pageant is a marquee event for Las Vegas, showcasing to a national and international audience the many highlights of the 'Entertainment Capitol of the World.'"