Countdown to Miss Universe

By Stephen M. Silverman

08/26/1997 at 12:00 AM EDT

The countdown to Friday's 50th annual Miss Universe Pageant is here, with 77 competing women from around the world landing in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Thursday. Their hairdressers are with a lot of them, too. The show, which Puerto Rico hopes will also be a boon to its tourism industry, will be broadcast Friday on CBS. Supermodels Elle Macpherson and Naomi Campbell are scheduled to serve as hosts, Ricky Martin is due to sing two songs, and his rival in the Latin musical heartthrob department, Marc Anthony, is slated to be a judge. China and many African countries are not competing, reports Reuters.