Stellar life after beauty pageants

MJ LASTIMOSA was merely proficient in “Maalaala Mo Kaya.”

Many young women join beauty tilts not just to cop a crown, but also to get known enough to interest producers and directors in launching their show biz careers. Most of our top beauty pageant winners, from Gloria Diaz to Margie Moran, Melanie Marquez, Pilar Pilapil, Maria Isabel Lopez, Edita Vital, etc. have given TV-film stardom at least a try. Even more strikingly, many also-rans may not have won crowns and beauty titles, but have gone on to enjoy spectacular and long-running show biz careers.

In fact, some 30 or even 40 percent of our female stars can trace their start to beauty tilts, which have become a great venue for discovering tomorrow’s luminaries today!

Still, the process of “graduating” from “official” beauty to star is by no means a sure thing. Many beauty queens or princesses turned performer for a season or two, but faded away sooner than expected.

Given this dicey situation, how can more recently-minted beauty queens increase their chances for stellar success? Earlier this month on “Maalaala Mo Kaya,” Miss Philippines-Universe MJ Lastimosa made her show biz bid by playing herself in a dramatic recollection of her conflicted life.

Win-win situation

In so doing, she hit two birds with one stone—she informed viewers about her early struggles and offered proof positive that she could act. A win-win situation all around!

What was her life story’s main bone of contention? Absent and unavailable parents, which she eventually surmounted, thanks in part to the support of an uncle—who unfortunately passed away before she could share her eventual triumphs with him.

And how did MJ do as an actress? The performance she turned in was felt but merely proficient so she clearly has more thespic honing to undergo. The good news is that she’s duskily and exotically telegenic. On the other hand, she looks relatively mature, like a contemporary of Iza Calzado—not a good projection for a new screen talent like her.

Lifestyle show host

Well, if acting doesn’t pan out in a big way for MJ, we can still see her making a go of a TV career, as a host of a lifestyle-beauty-fashion show, so all is definitely not lost.

What about other new beauty titlists? Miss World Megan Young was already a show biz player before she joined the global beauty tilt. Now that her reign is over, she should get appropriately bigger and better roles—but which studio or network can give her the best stellar showcase?

There’s no point going back to what she used to do before; what she needs is a standout thespic vehicle and challenge to surprise and impress viewers, and make them realize that the “package” she now has to offer is beauty—plus!

TV program hosting is another viable option for Megan, so why don’t we end this piece with a far-out but inspired brainstorm—for some savvy TV producer to whip up a new magazine show to be cohosted by the “internationally” lovely likes of Megan and MJ?