Dissin' with Alec Mapa

By Ruben Nepales OUR interviews over the years with Fil-Am actor Alec Mapa, whether by e-mail or in person, have always been laugh riots. At the pre-show reception of the rece nt Filipino American Libraryâs âJazzmopolitan: A Celebration of Musicâ at the A ratani Theatre in LAâs Little Tokyo, we were just shooting the breeze with the star of âUgly Betty,â many TV shows, films and stage productions when our colle ague, Peter Gonzaga, turned on his video camera and mike. The resulting video c lip is just a sample of the sassy wit of Alec, whom my wife Janet and I admired since we first saw him in his acclaimed monologue, âI Remember Mapa.â Watch Alec Mapa with Ruben & Janet Nepales in Entertainmen t Videos |Â Â View More Free Videos Online a t Veoh.com Alec came on time to the event which raised funds for the laudable Filipino Ame rican Library (FAL), which is located in the historic Filipinotown of LA. The a ctor, who is committed to various charities and foundations, was going to be aw arded FALâs Role Model Award. Well, many hours and several glasses of wine later, and after terrific performa nces by Becca Godinez, Mon David, Charmaine Clamor, Three of a Kind, Tateng Kat indig, Michael and Rene Paulo, Alec finally got to go onstage and accept his aw ard. Alecâs hair has gone askew and despite having the tough task of delivering an acceptance speech after those excellent musical numbers, he still managed t o entertain the crowd and keep the momentum. Toward the end, he invoked his fav orite anecdote about how his mother, now deceased, motivated him when he was ju st starting in show business and was not making headway. âWhatâs stopping you? â Alecâs mother asked him. That made him pause. Nothing has stopped Alec since then.