JANINE MARI TUGONON - MISS UNIVERSE PHILIPPINES 2012

My unsolicited advice for her? Lose the stiff/monotonous delivery of reply during the Q&A. It’s best to show grace under pressure without losing the much-needed warmth and sincere spontaneity. Last night, her interview paled in comparison to how she did in 2011, while wearing a gown that looked more tacky than regal (it’s like a throw pillow was sewn on her chest). Nonetheless, I trust that she will be made over in all areas, this one included.

NICOLE SCHMITZ - BB. PILIPINAS-INTERNATIONAL 2012

KATRINA DIMARANAN - BB. PILIPINAS-TOURISM

ELAINE KAY MOLL - First Runner-Up

ANNALIE FORBES - 2nd Runner-Up

Okay, so second chances proved to be golden for both Janine Tugonon (who’s my alternate for BPU being 1st Runner-Up in my own forecast) and Nicole Schmitz (who has been my pick and that of the majority for BPI), plus Katrina Dimaranan is first-time lucky. So am I happy with the trio? Yes, I am. Maybe not 100% happy, but still, they are all in my Top 5. No need to harbor ill feelings over the outcome anymore.

Sidenotes:

– I am sad for Mary Jean Lastimosa whose re-joining attempt failed and worse, did not even place in the Top 5. She even fell below her placement last year. She was very good last night. But her Q&A was bordering on the vague (the word ‘curiosity’ keeps flying back and forth in my head) and superficially impressive. It was probably a case of overload or she was way too rehearsed/exacting in her moves, projection and interview.

– When #26 Angelee delos Reyes won Best in Evening Gown, I knew she was a shoo-in for Top 12. She was supposed to be a stand-out in the Q&A (and could have made it as runner-up), but made a tad of a mess when she spoke too much. Even the judge (H.E. Harry Thomas, Jr.) joked that she answered the question even before it can be asked. In the end, her good reply was invalidated by wordiness.

– Pre-finals favorite Patricia Lae Ejercitado was good last night. But good just doesn’t cut it.

– Top 12 placer Sherlyn Gonzales had the best face of the night. She was just drop-dead beautiful. And her Q&A wasn’t bad. Her height must’ve been an obstacle, though. But Annalie Forbes made it to 5th place. What gives? Probably the lack of titles or runner-up ranks to give out? I think not. Annalie was really excellent in SS and EG.

– Roxane Joy Jesalva, was completely lackluster last night. Maybe she gave up on the competition too early? Her swimsuit and evening gown takes were very uninspired. Too bad, that costed her a Top 12 spot at the very least when she could’ve prevented a shutout for the Bicolandia reps this year.

– About the pageant itself, I would give it a grade of 9/10. ABS-CBN did not leave any stone unturned, so to speak. The production values were high. So where did they miss the single point to score a perfect 10? One is male host Xian Lim who was very dependent on his cue cards. Good thing Iza Calzado kept him on his toes. During the Q&A, however, he did not study the names of the judges which he kept on mangling to my ears’ disgust. And the poor lad doesn’t know that ‘H.E.’ in front of a person’s name means “His Excellency”. Venus Raj had minor lapses, but she was at least quick in correcting herself. The other complaint I have was during the evening gown competition where rockers Arnel Pineda and Bamboo sang separately for the first and second group of ladies. Because production had no control over the speed that the ladies negotiated the stage, they had to unceremoniously cut off the two singers even if they were still in the middle of their 3rd songs since everyone was already finished presenting onstage. A slow fade out would have been better.

– Lastly, did you notice that Janine was wearing the sash “Miss Universe Philippines” instead of “Bb. Pilipinas-Universe”? Must be a directive from MUO.

So this is the part where I remind people…”let’s move on and support the winners” – which is the right thing to do. Their respective pageants are still scheduled for the 3rd and 4th quarters of 2012 so the wait will give them the precious time to prepare hard for the same. And I believe that we shall see much improved versions of Janine, Nicole, Katrina, Elaine and Annalie by then. 😉