Moymoy Palaboy's fan from Mexico

In all the years I have been flying in and out of California (expensive and tiring, but that’s the life of this US immigrant who cannot decide where to stay) — living there for a while even — I never had the chance to stay in a hotel there, thanks to family and relations who always provide me with free lodgings in their homes.

During my last visit there recently — a working one this time — I finally got to check in at the posh Four Seasons Hotel (no expense on my part). It was a trip arranged by Columbia Pictures’ Bernie Cheng (through Ricky Lo) and the mission was to interview Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds and The Proposal director, Anne Fletcher (their film, a hilarious comedy, is showing on July 29 in Metro Manila).

On the day I arrived in Los Angeles, I drove straight to my Aunt Emy’s Glendale home, but eventually went to Four Seasons for the weekend. Located in swanky Beverly Hills, the Four Seasons Hotel there is within a residential area. But what made me feel at home was the presence of Filipino valet attendants Leo and Romy who walked over to me (I was waiting by the hotel entrance for my cousin Catherine Lim and her mother, Marietta) to give their regards to Ricky Lo, who — so they told me — was a frequent guest there (“Very kind,” they said).

At the front desk, the staff was also very accommodating and they made sure I enjoyed my stay there. That much I did, but there was work to be done — especially since I was doing interviews for both print and television (the other journalists there were just for either print or TV and they had it easier). Fortunately, the Disney people — particularly Karen Olin — were warm and friendly and that made my work less stressful.

During the two-day interview sessions, I also managed to exchange pleasantries with journalists from other parts of the globe. There was this very nice young Brazilian lady writer who married a Canadian, who grew up in a neighborhood that had all-Filipino residents. She said her husband is very fond of Filipinos and she was so excited that time to tell him she met another one (I can only hope I gave her a good impression). The other journalists present were just as pleasant, particularly those from Norway and Hong Kong.

Most fascinating, however, was this lady from Mexico. I first saw her when I was sent to the makeup room to have a slap of powder to take the shine off my face. Striking and very tall — with very light colored hair that is almost blonde — I thought she was Nicole Kidman at first. And with those long legs, she could be a contestant in the next Miss Universe pageant. I wanted to strike a conversation with her, but it was her turn to interview Ryan Reynolds and she had to leave the room.

When I later found the opportunity to talk to her, I introduced myself as a journalist from the Philippines. “From the Philippines?!” she said, her face lighting up even more. “So you know Moymoy Palaboy?”

“Huh?” That was my initial reaction. What was she saying? When she noticed my confusion, she said, smiling: “You know — Moymoy Palaboy.” How do you know them? — I asked her. “I’m an Internet freak,” she answered.

She said her name was Linda Cruz and she hosts an entertainment variety show in Mexico. “Oh, I’m a big fan of Moymoy Palaboy,” she said with genuine excitement. This coming from one of the most beautiful women I’ve met in my life. I got even more fascinated with her because in spite of her beauty she showed no airs and remained very humble during our conversation. And she was gushing over our Moymoy Palaboy, that comic tandem who became an Internet sensation with their riotous and hilarious lip-synching of popular tunes. Linda Cruz’s excitement over Moymoy Palaboy became even more palpable when I told her that the comic duo and I belong to the same TV network. “Give my regards to Moymoy Palaboy!” she said as she waved goodbye to me when I excused myself to go to another room to interview Sandra Bullock. Moymoy Palaboy should be pleased to know that they have a fan — a sexy and gorgeous celebrity no less — from as far as Mexico.

No fan — no fan of filmmaker Brillante Mendoza, that is — was this male journalist/critic from France. When he heard I was from the Philippines, he immediately turned to me and said: “Have you seen Kinaetay?” Again, it was my “Huh!” reaction that greeted him. “Kinaetay — the film,” he said, speaking slowly this time for my benefit. Oh, Kinatay, the Philippine entry to the Cannes Film Festival — I uttered back, carefully pointing out the correct pronunciation. I also told him, sorry, but I haven’t. Well, he has, but he didn’t like it. “But other French film critics liked it,” he assured me — probably worried I would get offended since it is a film from my country.

Instead of pouncing at him, I told him it was unfortunate that I hadn’t seen the film — still haven’t. But I appreciated his honesty and respected his opinion. He did sound reasonable to me — a fine fellow he was, that much I can assure you. I’m sure he was just being objective.

But just one more question — he asked, practically tiptoeing his way through it: “Is it really like that in the Philippines?”

Again, I have yet to see Kinatay and I didn’t know what he was talking about, but I presumed he must have been referring to the low-life scenes just like those I saw all over Serbis. No, it’s not all like that in the Philippines — I shot back immediately. But that is what the French film festival organizers want to see. He totally agreed with me, but couldn’t contain himself while telling me how disappointed he was with Kinatay.

I wasn’t sure at that point if I should have come to Kinatay’s defense — because it may not even be worth defending (that’s the problem if you haven’t seen the film). But I did find a way to end the discussion to our favor: He may not have liked the film, but the bottom-line is — Brillante Mendoza, a Filipino, won Best Director. End of discussion