A throng of beauty queens vying for the Miss USA crown was cut from 51 contenders to 15 on Friday, with the lucky moving on to the swimsuit and evening gown competitions as the judges searched for their titleholder.

Miss USA Rachel Smith was to relinquish the crown _ and the posh New York apartment that comes with it _ in a show aired live by NBC with hosts Donny and Marie Osmond from the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. The network co-owns the parent Miss Universe Organization with Donald Trump.

Smith, a former Miss Tennessee USA, opened the show in video montage showing the aspiring entertainer tearing through the Nevada desert in a yellow Lamborghini.

Contestants made their entrances in cocktail dresses and impossibly high heels, while Donny Osmond was quick to try out his Elvis impression: “Viva Las Vegas, everybody,” he said by way of introduction.

Most were quickly sent home.

“Put on a poker face,” Osmond advised.

The top 15 finalists were Kaylee Unverzagt of Minnesota; Jackie Bruno of Massachusetts; Lindsey Jo Harrington of Oklahoma; Amy Diaz of Rhode Island; Candice Crawford of Missouri; Tiffany Andrade of New Jersey; Jamie Hill of South Carolina; Hailey Laine Brown of Tennessee; LauRen Merola of Pennsylvania; Leah Laviano of Mississippi; Crystle Stewart of Texas; Brittany Mason of Indiana; Raquel Roxanne Beezley of California; Julia Bachison of Utah; and Jessica Rafalowski of Florida.

Contestants from all 50 states and the District of Columbia have been in Las Vegas for nearly three weeks, rehearsing and hyping the 57th annual pageant. After stints in Baltimore and Los Angeles, organizers billed the new venue as a city beloved by the event’s international audience.

Trump characteristically took advantage of the cross-marketing opportunities. Miss Universe Riyo Mori attended Friday’s grand opening of his latest hotel-condominium tower, 64-story gold-plated high-rise on the Las Vegas Strip.

The new Miss USA goes to compete in the Miss Universe pageant in Vietnam this year. She also becomes a spokeswoman for breast and ovarian cancer awareness and other causes, while traveling to promote the organization.

Miss USA contestants are scored in three categories: swimsuit, evening gown and interview, and one woman also is chosen “Miss Photogenic USA” based on voting at the organization’s Web site. Unlike the rival Miss America, Miss USA contestants are not asked to perform a talent.

Smith’s year on the throne has been marked by fewer racy headlines than her 2006 predecessor, Tara Conner. Conner’s underage drinking landed her in rehab and sparked a media circus documenting her fall from grace.

Smith’s low point was a fall onstage during the evening gown competition of the Miss Universe pageant in Mexico City. She was booed by the crowd and Miss Japan won the title.

A bigger blunder this year belonged to Miss California USA organizers. The judges crowned the wrong queen in their November contest and reversed it days later, saying Beezley, of Barstow, was the victim of a vote tabulation error. Dethroned Miss Los Angeles, Christina Silva, a Hispanic woman, has filed a lawsuit alleging racial bias.

The panel of judges for Friday’s pageant included model and former Mrs. Paul McCartney Heather Mills, comedian Rob Schneider, Olympic gold-medal swimmer Amanda Beard, and Christian Siriano, winner of Bravo’s fashion reality series “Project Runway.”

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On the Net:

Miss USA 2008: http://www.missusa.com