Some of Nia's guests include fellow candidates during the 63rd Miss Universe like our very own MJ Lastimosa
Nia and her Bachelorette Party in Vegas
Miss USA 2014 and 63rd Miss Universe 1st Runner-Up Nia Sanchez will be getting married soon. And before that special day arrives, her best friends have organized a Bachelorette Party in Las Vegas where some of the invitees are the honoree’s fellow candidates during the competition in Doral Miami who have grown close to her.
Included in the guest list are Kimberly Castillo of the Dominican Republic, Julia Furdea of Austria, Elvira Devinamira of Indonesia, Anissa Blondin of Belgium, Diana Garkusha of Ukraine and our very own MJ Lastimosa.
Left-to-right: Julia Furdea of Austria, Kimberly Castillo of Dominican Republic, MJ Lastimosa of the Philippines, Elvira Devinamira of Indonesia and Anissa Blondin of Belgium
A photo from the Bachelorette Party of Nia Sanchez
Very soon, Nia Sanchez will walk down the aisle with actor Daniel Booko. They have known each other for many years now and waited for just the right time to make public their engagement (which was announced October last year) and plan the eventual wedding after the bride-to-be finished serving her term as Miss USA.
Congratulations will be in order for Daniel and Nia! š
If you’re watching live from the FIU Arena, on cable/free TV or via one of the various Live Streaming Links, let’s keep all the discussions under this newly-opened thread.
I also posted the USTREAM link on YouTube above.
Happy viewing, everyone! š
P.S. I have prepared some ‘fill in the blanks’ below in anticipation of the actual results.
Donald Trump (leftmost) talking to the judges, including Manny Pacquiao
Final dress rehearsals from the opening to swimsuit to evening gowns (Photo credit: Ron Garcia-Reyes)
The ladies onstage during the final dress rehearsals with Miss Philippines MJ Lastimosa (look for her) wearing the pink Leo Almodal gown. (Photo credit: Earl Veloso)
1. COLOMBIA – Paulina Vega
2. ITALY – Valentina Bonariva
3. INDIA – Noyonita Lodh
4. FRANCE – Camille Cerf
5. USA – Nia Sanchez
6. INDONESIA – Elvira Devinamira
7. VENEZUELA – Migbelis Castellanos
8. SPAIN – Desire Cordero Ferrer
9. PHILIPPINES – Mary Jean Lastimosa!!! š
10. ARGENTINA – Valentina Ferrer
11. JAMAICA – Kaci Fennell
12. UKRAINE – Diana Harkusha
13. BRAZIL – Melissa Gurgel
14. NETHERLANDS – Yasmin Verhejen
15. AUSTRALIA – Tegan Martin
FOR THOSE WHO CAN’T FIND A GOOD LIVE STREAMING LINK YET, TRY TELEMUNDO ONLINE.
MU2013 Gabriela Isler and a special coverage on the project of MU in the Philippines, with accompanying vid of Pope Francis visiting the country.
Swimsuit Competition up next!
Prince Royce performing now for the Swimsuit segment.
Miss Philippines MJ Lastimosa during the swimsuit competition
Swimsuit standouts for me are: Colombia, Philippines, Jamaica, Ukraine, Brazil and Australia.
THE TOP 10
1. JAMAICA – Kaci Fennell
2. COLOMBIA – Paulina Vega
3. UKRAINE – Diana Harkusha
4. ARGENTINA – Valentina Ferrer
5. PHILIPPINES – Mary Jean Lastimosa!!!
6. SPAIN – Desire Cordero Ferrer
7. NETHERLANDS – Yasmin Verhejen
8. VENEZUELA – Migbelis Castellanos
9. AUSTRALIA – Tegan Martin
10. USA – Nia Sanchez
Miss Philippines MJ Lastimosa when she was called to the Top 10.
Evening Gown Competition up next!
Nick Jonas performing during the Evening Gown Competition.
Evening Gown Standouts for me: ALL!(This is a really Tough TEN!) Higher five could be Jamaica, Colombia, Philippines, Spain and Venezuela.
Miss Congeniality is Miss Nigeria.
Miss Photogenic is Miss Puerto Rico.
Best in National Costume is Miss Indonesia.
One of the five NCs above will be named best via Twitter votes
You can help one of the Top 5 National Costumes of the 63rd Miss Universe Pageant in Doral Miami win the award as Best among the finalists via Twitter. Just type your choice using one of the following contestant hashtags:
The background (different parts of Trump National Doral) may not be the most ideal, but these are the much-awaited glamshots of renowned photographer Fadil Berisha so the excitement for the 63rd Miss Universe Pageant has gone one notch higher. And do consider that these photos were taken during the first three days of registrations and fittings so the ladies were still somewhere in between feeling their way through and comfortably settling in.
I did not endeavor to come up with my ten best for this segment anymore, just the ones which caught my eye as soon as I got hold of all images in one sitting. š
Clockwise from top left: Australia, Brazil, Spain, Russia, Germany and Venezuela
Clockwise from top left: Colombia, Panama, South Africa, Jamaica, Dominican Republic and USA
Clockwise from top left: India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia
Clockwise from top left: Elvira, Sabrina, Sharr, MJ, Rathi and Pimbongkod
I know that the 63rd Miss Universe Pageant in Doral Miami is a tough beauty competition first and foremost. And it is not a search for the friendliest young woman in the planet. But let me say that I am quite proud of all six (6) ASEAN ladies among the contenders. Gone are the days when representatives from our region are solely identified as gentle, demure and non-aggressive. The evolution is very progressive.
And Elvira of Indonesia, Sabrina of Malaysia, Sharr of Myanmar, MJ of the Philippines, Rathi of Singapore and Pimbongkod of Thailand are proofs positive that our beauties this side of the globe have come a long way. Just watch their individual web interviews below and you will see how they define the modern version of the ASEAN female. More than mere eye candies, they exude a nice blend of smarts and all-around attractiveness. š
Miss Indonesia Elvira Devinamira pose in her evening gown for the 63rd Miss Universe Pageant
Elvira has a smile that can pull anyone in
Miss Indonesia Elvira Devinamira is very Filipina in facial features that, without prior knowledge, one would mistake her as representing the Philippines.
Some people are saying that Elvira is the best Indonesian rep to Miss Universe to date. And I couldn’t agree more. She has all the best qualities of her three predecessors in one package – the beautiful face of Nadine Alexandra Dewi Ames, the sweet and engaging personality of Maria Selena Nurcahya and the modelesque appeal of Whulandary Herman.
And if this native of East Java will play her cards right, Elvira just might give Indonesia its best Miss Universe placement ever. š
Clockwise from top left: Miss Indonesia Elvira Devinamira, Miss Brazil Melissa Gurgel, Miss Paraguay Sally Jara Davalos, Miss USA Nia Sanchez, Miss Panama Yomatsy Hazlewood, Miss Australia Tegan Martin and Miss Austria Julia Furdea
Clockwise from top left: Miss Kenya Gaylyne Ayugi, Miss Mexico Josselyn Garciglia, Miss Kosovo Artnesa Krasniqi, Miss Thailand Pimbongkod Chankaew, Miss Ethiopia Hiwot Mamo, Miss Peru Jimena Espinosa and Miss Ecuador Alejandra Argudo
Clockwise from top left: Miss Bolivia Claudia Tavel, Miss Trinidad and Tobago Jevon King, Miss Guyana Niketa Barker, Miss Hungary Henrietta Kalemen, Miss Myanmar Sharr Htutt Eaindra, Miss India Noyonita Lodh, Miss Tanzania Nale Boniface and Miss Angola Zuleica Wilson
Miss Philippines MJ Lastimosa before her filmed Q&A interview
You can definitely see it in their faces. Be it a wide smile, an impish grin, a queenly upturn of the lips or a calculated laughter. These ladies are all so happy being in Doral Miami right now for the 63rd Miss Universe Pageant.
And why not? Aside from the VIP treatment, they are followed by photographers, stylists and hair/make-up specialists everywhere they go. Talk about living the life of an up and coming celebrity. This is it for them.
It sure would be nice if they will remain unaffected till the 25th. But with competition starting to heat up in a blaze, things will inevitably become a ‘to-each-her-own’ existence, regardless of friendships formed along the way.
Let’s enjoy their individual happiness for now. š
9 of the 88 contenders who want to win the 63rd Miss Universe Pageant (clockwise from top left:) Canada, Poland, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Colombia, Venezuela, USA and the Philippines.
8 more challengers for the 63rd Miss Universe Pageant (clockwise from top left): Russia, Brazil, India, Mexico, Albania, Dominican Republic, Australia and South Africa.
There will be eighty-eight (88) expected delegate arrivals in Doral Miami for the 63rd Miss Universe Pageant. All of them will be equally hungry for the crown on the head of reigning winner Gabriela Isler. Of course, with D.I.C. coming in with a new head adornment for the next Queen, there is extra excitement in the air.
It would be foolish to dismiss any confirmed comer at this point. All of them have prepared long and hard for the competition so it’s still anybody’s ballgame for now. Be it Chanel Beckenlehner of Canada, Marcela Chmielowska of Poland, Elvira Devinamira of Indonesia, Sabrina Benneet of Malaysia, Pimbongkod Chankaew of Thailand, Paulina Vega Dieppa of Colombia, Migbelis Castellanos of Venezuela, Nia Sanchez of the USA and MJ Lastimosa of the Philippines – everyone’s on equal footing. And there are more serious challengers to consider.
It’s going to be a wild ride. And I reckon our upcoming prediction contest will be a tougher nut to crack. So while waiting for things to go full blast, let’s watch a special video of Molly in New York presented on Venevision.
Five of the six already crowned Asean beauties for Miss Universe 2014
Miss Universe Philippines 2014 MJ Lastimosa for Sense&Style Magazine
With only Vietnam still unaccounted for in the group of ASEAN representatives for Miss Universe 2014, the regional cast is almost complete with the election of Rathi Menon as Miss Universe Singapore 2014 over the weekend.
And with the Philippines riding on a wave of top 5 placements since 2010, I have already set aside a sweet spot for MJ Lastimosa to be an early favorite to perform well in the December-scheduled beauty pageant.
So from among the remaining five (5) so far, who do you think will really hold a candle against the hyped and already popular candidates who will compete for the DIC crown? Will it be Thailand’s Pimbongkod ‘Ellie’ Chankaew, Indonesia’s Elvira Devinamira, Malaysia’s Sabrina Beneett, Myanmar’s Sharr Htutt Eaindra or Singapore’s Rathi Menon?
Hi! Norman here. When I'm not working, I spend most of my free time planning on daily blogs. If you will notice, I always make sure that a fresh topic comes out everyday - not an easy thing to do but it's all good. Thanks for dropping by and enjoy the visit!
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