Miss Universe Philippines 2014 MJ Lastimosa is tonight’s special guest of Ashtie Nights.
Mary Jean Lastimosa
All posts tagged Mary Jean Lastimosa
Last Monday night, a documentary by Derick Cabrido – titled “Beauty and Brains” – was shown on GMA-7 after the late evening news ‘Saksi’ during Front Row. It featured Miss Universe Philippines 2014 Mary Jean ‘MJ’ Lastimosa and her long journey to the crown. Former Bb. Pilipinas winners were also included in the same.
In case you missed it, watch the video below.
courtesy of daneearl2
Indeed, Mary Jean Lastimosa has come a long way from her days as a 20 year-old Mutya ng Dabaw 2008 finalist to her eventual victory in the regional level to her three attempts to win a Bb. Pilipinas crown.
Her progressive transformation is definitely worth a look. And I have no intentions whatsoever of putting in any kind of negative spin to the whole thing. Unless the reader has been living under a rock since birth, then the evolution of MJ’s beauty shouldn’t call in negativity anymore. MJ circa 2014:
Miss Universe Philippines 2014 Mary Jean Lastimosa by Pancho Polo
Right now, Miss Universe Philippines 2014 is already one of the early favorites for Miss Universe 2014. And that doesn’t come as a surprise anymore. The level of anticipation for our candidate – and MJ Lastimosa in particular – is fast climbing up the popularity charts. And it will only get stronger from this point on. 😀
Click above to visit the “I Am for MJ All the Way” FB Page and request for an invite if you are a true-blue MJ supporter
Click above to visit MJ Lastimosa’s longest-running Facebook page
Click above to visit and like the Miss Universe Philippines 2014 Fan Page
Click above to visit one of MJ’s admin-run FB Page
I’ve taken the liberty of putting the links on the Facebook sites that have been following MJ for the longest time, plus the ones that have been recently added but already churning good numbers. Of course, I would give higher citation to the solid group “I Am For MJ All the Way“ and her longest-running admin-run Facebook page. I’m sure there’ll be more to come! 😀
(L-R) 2nd RU Hannah Ruth Sison, Bb. Tourism Parul Shah, Bb. Intercontinental Kris Tiffany Janson, Miss Universe Philippines MJ Lastimosa, Miss Universe 2013 Maria Gabriela Isler, Bb. International Mary Anne Bianca Guidotti, Bb. Supranational Yvethe Santiago and 1st RU Laura Lehmann (Photo credit: Jory Rivera)
It cannot be denied that the presence of Miss Universe 2013 Maria Gabriela Isler during the Bb. Pilipinas 2014 festivities lent so much glitz, glamor and excitement, not to mention the adorable presence she exuded everywhere her appearances were scheduled. And being a member of the Board of Judges during the finals was more than enough to add decibels of cheers and happy thoughts to everyone inside Smart Araneta Coliseum and those watching on the small screens at home.
By now, our beautiful visitor has already left the country back to the US. Hopefully, Miss Universe Philippines 2014 Mary Jean “MJ” Lastimosa has already made initial attempts at befriending Molly beyond the usual ‘hi’ and ‘hello’. That way, there will already have been a good degree of acquaintance by the time they meet again during Miss Universe 2014, wherever the next edition will finally be hosted.
Thank you, Molly! 🙂
MJ Lastimosa crying buckets of tears as she was being crowned by Ara Arida (right) and MU2013 Maria Gabriela Isler (Photo credit: Bruce Casanova)
courtesy of ABS-CBN Online
It was a battle of the former runners-up alright.
Up to the dying minutes of Bb. Pilipinas 2014, all the spectators at Smart Araneta Coliseum were on pins and needles cheering at the top of their lungs for either BBP2011 2nd Runner-Up Mary Jean Lastimosa or BBP2013 1st Runner-Up Pia Wurtzbach. It’s not like the announcement of the winner for Miss Universe Philippines came down to this that easily.
courtesy of Ted Claudio
Photo credit: Jory Rivera
In the end, the reward was given to the lady who took the longer road to victory. A most sweet win, I must add. It came at a time when MJ had the slimmest of age qualification to back up her bid. And the reaction upon hearing her name being called as the successor of Ara Arida made her cry so much that instead of reacting with calculated poise and confidence, she turned all humble and vindicated at the same time. Why, even anchorperson Shamcey Supsup was in tears when she saw her best friend finally harvesting the fruits of hard work and determination.
MJ Lastimosa had all the lucky stars aligning for her last night. She was in her finest elements all throughout.
The rest of the Top 7 during their winning moments (Photo credit: Bruce Casanova)
As for the other winners, the crowns were definitely expected even if the placements got all jumbled up one way or the other. Bb. Pilipinas International Mary Anne Bianca Guidotti and Bb. Pilipinas Supranational Yvethe Marie Santiago now have the most challenging reigns as they will wear the country’s sash abroad in pageants where the reigning titleholders are their predecessors in the nationals. But then again, back-to-back wins can be more glorious if they choose to take the mission more relentlessly.
Bb. Pilipinas Intercontinental Kris Tiffany Janson wanted a higher finish. But winning the honor that allowed her to make history by being its first recipient will hopefully push the Cebuana to go all-out in the assignment and become the Philippines’ first Miss Intercontinental. She has things cut out for her, I believe. And for Parul Shah, she may have been given the least-exciting crown but in the final analysis, a victory is still a victory. Time now to look back at her Aliwan Festival days and dig deep in her pockets to see how she can possibly shine to the max in mainland China for the bigger competition.
All the winners in one frame, three views (Photo credit: Bruce Casanova)
The two runners-up had it in the bag as soon as they completed their respective Q&A turns. I knew that Laura Lehmann and Hannah Ruth Sison did solid. It’s just that there were at least four others who were clearly being favored going into the segment. Landing 6th and 7th places respectively, they are now in seats of patience that would test their individual inner strength to fluorish with the new queens and make fresh new bids in 2015.
All in all, it was a night of not-so-surprising results. The five (5) winners deserved their crowns even if my heart goes out to Pia Wurtzbach for not getting one. It could be a sign for her to look elsewhere and not be tied down by another contract with BPCI.
My heartfelt congratulations to all the winners. Now starts the commitment to support our new Bb. Pilipinas 2014 representatives in the quest to further the impressive performances of last year’s quartet. Time to move on.
#ForThePhilippines2014 has officially begun. 😀
Will MJ wake up on a bed of roses come March 31? (Photo credit: Bruce Casanova for Bb. Pilipinas)
Make-or-Break.
The phrase definitely sums up Binibini 25 Mary Jean “MJ” Lastimosa’s participation in Bb. Pilipinas 2014. This is her one final year of joining and the only edition where she can realize if she is truly meant to wear one of the crowns or finally lay down to rest her aspirations of becoming a national beauty queen.
MJ has never been amiss so far, save for a couple of questionable turns like the interesting make-up she had on her face in the video teaser for the pageant. If only she had age in her favor, the competition would have been kinder to her cause. Just the same, there is no stopping this hard-working beauty until the official winners are announced before midnight of March 30.
The Photo Evolution of MJ Lastimosa as a Binibini
Outside of those who would move mountains to see MJ finally wear a well-deserved crown, there are still individuals who believe in her capabilities. There will always be solid supporters behind her back. So it’s just a matter of playing the waiting game and hoping to high heavens that her aspirations get rewarded.
Will the transfer to KF do the trick? 😉
Our reigning Bb. Pilipinas titleholders for Creme Silk
Let’s do some quick grouping of ladies according to the possible international pageants they are likely to be good fits for.
Top of my head, I took the liberty of dividing the forty (40) Bb. Pilipinas 2014 Official Candidates into five (5) groups of eight (8). Each group is assigned a specific title to be handed out on March 30, under which the likeliest placers are included. See if your choices compare close (or not so close) to mine.
Miss Universe Philippines 2014
4 Parul Shah
8 Pia Wurtzbach
13 Kris Tiffany Janson
15 Kimverlyn Suiza
17 Diana Arevalo
22 Mary Anne Bianca Guidotti
25 Mary Jean Lastimosa
35 Yvethe Marie Santiago
Bb. Pilipinas International
1 Julian Aurine Flores
2 Mary Ainjely Manalo
5 Hannah Mariz dela Guerra
7 Aiza Faeldonia
11 Laura Victoria Lehmann
14 Emma Mary Tiglao
23 Nichole Marie Manalo
40 Vessica Sambo
Bb. Pilipinas Tourism
3 Joana Angelica Romero
6 Anabel Christine Tia
9 Joy Antonette Diaz
10 Shauna Indra Curran
16 Zahara Mae Soriano
26 Hannah Sheena Manuel
32 Jeslyn Santos
34 Leonalyn dela Cruz
Bb. Pilipinas Supranational
12 Sarah Jireh Asido
20 Kenneth Santiago
24 Ednornance Agustin
27 Hannah Ruth Sison
29 Krischelle Halili
30 Joy Marie Gangan
33 Gabrielle Tilokani
36 Krystal Alonday
Bb. Pilipinas Intercontinental
18 Ellore Noelle Punzalan
19 Mae Liezel Ramos
21 Racquel Kabigting
28 Carla Jenina Lizardo
31 Angelique Celine de Leon
37 Vanessa Saliba
38 Janine Asanion
39 Ladylyn Riva
This is all for a bit of fun, although I’m sure you will take it seriously. 🙂
The starting five of Mindanao in Bb. Pilipinas 2014 (Photo credit: Emerson Cebanico for OPMB Worldwide)
They are the ‘Five for Fighting’ of Mindanao. The quintet aiming to bring victory to the south in Bb. Pilipinas 2014.
6 Anabel Christine G. Tia of Ozamiz City, Misamis Occidental
7 Aiza Faeldonia of Isulan, Sultan Kudarat
8 Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach of Cagayan De Oro, Misamis Oriental
24 Ednornance Agustin of Davao City, Davos del Sir
25 Mary Jean Lastimosa of Tulunan, Cotabato
Let’s be honest. This is a very strong group of five. I won’t fall off my seat seeing an eventual titleholder or two emerging from among them. Heck, I can even daresay that they will all make the semis. But that’s getting far ahead of the article.
Anabel is the indie-turned-KF who is, by far, doing some good strides in all pre-pageant activities. She may not be circling the top tier, but is getting encouraging feedbacks. And her support system is not letting up. Ozamiz City is proud of their representative and is doing everything they can to herald her candidacy.
Aiza is receiving glowing reviews – maybe not from all, but from a good number of individuals who openly voice out their inputs and opinions online. And the girl from Isulan is returning the favor by putting her best foot forward in every crucial appearance. R-L’s camp is 100% supportive and has been giving nothing but the best for her.
In the case of Pia, there is no need for further explanation. She is a top favorite and continues to do well. Critics may continue to pick on her from all fronts, but she remains unrruffled.
Ednornance, on the other hand, could be a hit-or-miss case. There are those who love her to pieces and the ones who simply don’t give her an outside chance of making it to the top. But this eye candy from Davao is confident. She is working her game plan seriously and plans to make a full-blown attack when the right time comes.
And MJ. Do I even have to justify her status in the competition? She’s like the cult favorite – the candidate with thousands of adoring fans and supporters. And she knows what her followers want to see, and gives it to them in generous amounts. If there is an online poster girl for Binibining Pilipinas, she could easily be one of the first to be considered.
Photo credit: Bruce Casanova for OPMB Worldwide
Binibini 25 Mary Jean Lastimosa during the Press Presentation (Photo credit: Emerson Cebanico for OPMB Worldwide)
Photo credit: Edmund Chua
When 26 year-old MJ made the important decision to switch camps and join Bb. Pilipinas 2014 one last time, she must have made a firm resolve to give it more than what she is capable of doing. In fact, some critics are harping that she tends to present herself to the point of exceeding levels of satiation. From the long web interview to the repetitive poses and projection, mixed comments rain like an incoming southwest monsoon. But not one to be dampened by the online potshots, she kept on doing what she does best. And at the rate she is being assessed after the Press Presentation, she is right on track for what could be her most satisfying finish in three Bb. Pilipinas attempts.
This woman simply wants to shine internationally and give the Philippines more reasons to be proud of the world-class Filipina. Is that too much to ask? Don’t you think it’s time to finally give her the appreciation she deserves? 😉
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