IN MY column marking the second anniversary of Only IN Hollywood "Constantly fishing for the Filipino connection"
posted on April 9 at INQUIRER.net, I used the term "FC" for the first time
.
FC, short for Filipino connection, is a tongue-in-cheek term that I came up wit
h to call a comment or reply from a Hollywood celeb, a line from a movie, TV sh
ow, stage play, musical or anything that has to do with the Philippines that I
can play up in my writing.
The readers' response to my FC anecdotes was heartwarming. These encounters inv
olved recent Oscar winners Helen Mirren (her late brother lived and loved in th
e Philippines) and Forest Whitaker (in the country for a film shoot, he stayed
in a house in Balic-Balic, Manila when the 1986 People Power Revolution broke o
ut), Robin Williams (married to a Fil-Am, he cracked me up with his balut
em> anecdotes), and director Oliver Stone (filmed award-winning movies in Iloco
s Norte, Cavite, Laguna and other Philippine provinces).
Some readers shared their own FC notes. Here's one from Maria Cynthia Hortelano
about "30 Rock," which recently won for Alec Baldwin a Golden Globe for Best A
ctor in a TV Series (Comedy):
"One of the show's trailers has Alec Baldwin's character, Jack, meeting his ass
istant who is usually scruffy but this time showed up for work in a pink pastel
suit. He commented: 'You should dress like that everyday for work.' She shot b
ack, 'Yeah, if I were president of the Philippines.' It's really funny because
the dress really is very GMA."
April 2007 Archives
FILIPINO communities in various parts of the world, especially in the US, love
to give awards to each other in addition to staging dinner dances that also fea
ture the search for Miss Mankitkitao of Los Angeles or Mrs. Mabalahibo of San F
rancisco.
We are guilty of these maladies, "beauty pageant-it is" and "award-itis." On vi
rtually any weekend, a Filipino community somewhere in America is honoring, for
example, the most outstanding Filipino-American water filter salesman of the y
ear or Mr. Door-to-Door Cargo.
I have attended an event where folks gave each other awards. These people basic
ally took turns standing up and presenting each other with a plaque until every
one had one. I did not know whether to laugh or to cry about the absurdity of t
he situation.
The plus side of these awards and beauty pageants is that supposedly they raise
funds for worthy causes. Sana nga.
Yes, there are several awards that are prestigious, given by people with impecc
able credentials. However, these awards by respectable organizations are outnum
bered by recognition events staged by organizations of dubious integrity or by
personalities out to make a fast buck or to seek glory for themselves.
The glut of these awards events and beauty contests has reached ridiculous prop
ortions. As a result, a lot of people, especially in the Fil-Am community, don'
t take these occasions seriously. Except the people who are busy giving awards
to each other.
WELCOME! It took a long time for this blog to finally hit cyberspace. Some of y
ou might be familiar with my column, âOnly IN Hollywood,â which is prin
ted every Friday and Sunday on the Philippine Daily Inquirer and posted online
at www.inquirer.net.Let me begin by asking, "Are you a closet Filipino?"
In my years of wandering as a promdi in Hollywood, I have come across
some folks who hide their Filipino heritage. These personalities say that they'
re a mixture of Spanish (or to be more vague, âEuropeanâ), Chinese and Malay, t
he standard racial make-up of most Filipinos. Some even claim that they are of
Polynesian heritage. Basta anything but Filipino.
Why do these Filipinos or hyphenated Filipinos conceal their Pinoy identity? Mo
st are performers -- actors, actresses and singers -- who want to appeal to as
broad a market or audience as possible. Or they like to be ambiguous in their r
ace identity so they will not be pigeonholed into Filipino or Asian roles only.
I have experienced situations in Hollywood where this singer or that actress re
fused to be interviewed. Why? Because these performers do not want me to reveal
or play up their Filipino heritage.
But proudly admitting to be a Filipino has more benefits. You can't ignore the
strength of Filipinos, especially when they unite and throw their support for a
reality/talent search TV show contestant with Filipino heritage, for example.
Many believe that had a recent Fil-Am candidate on "American Idol" proclaimed h
is Pinoy heritage right away, he would not
have been booted out early. Some commented that Pinoys would have rallied for t
his contestant.
Of course, the closet Filipino syndrome does not plague performers only. All ov
er the world, we have a few kababayans, who are as brown and flat-nose
d as we are, who pretend to be not Filipinos.
Have you encountered a closet Filipino? Share your comments and experiences.
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