Last night I was talking to a friend of mine, whose current project involves Filipino celebrities he's never heard of. See, while he moves around and regularly deals with Filipino-American entertainers and actors (as he does with many other American celebrities), he was born and raised here and hasn't been back to the Philippines since he was in high school -- when his mom took him back to see where she was born and raised, and where he drank the water and then suffered from severe diarrhea for the rest of his trip.
But I digress.
So anyway he phoned me and quickly rattled off about a dozen or more highly recognizable names (well, you would know them if you lived in the Philippines or, like me, tend to keep up with what's going on over there). He wanted to find out who they were and why exactly they were famous. And he wanted the information FAST because he was meeting with a few of them in a couple of hours. But I gave him much more than what he needed: I actually connected the dots between each and every one. Like how X is fighting with Y, who used to be married to Z, whose son used to date A, who was the ex of B, who is the brother of C, a very good friend of D -- who carried on an affair with very-much married X.
Shit, I'm so ma-showbiz pala. This is much more useless information than anyone should ever know.
I know a lot more about showbiz than is healthy ... my friends are constantly amazed. It really is a guilty pleasure, although I haven't indulged lately.
I had this scary moment recently when I realized that if I'd grown up in the Philippines I would totally have been one of those people who formed a fan club for their favorite star. Can you see it? rei, president of the Vilmanians For Life? Yes, you can.
Which is to say - don't worry, you're not alone :D
Posted by: rei | January 19, 2008 at 07:54 AM
That Regine V is expecting a child, cuts her hair short (siete-style) and recently had a gig with her new beau Ogie A in an open-air concert in HK promoting the Smart Card/Remittance to all kababayans.
And that Nanette Medved permanently resides in HK and very visible in many local charity with husband. She's tall and has a nice big mouth, a la Julia Roberts.
Just so you know, hehehe.
Posted by: K | January 19, 2008 at 09:14 AM
Rei - Ha, I knew it! I was a Vilmanian, too... :)
K - No, no more useless information!!! :) (PS: Did she introduce Ogie as "my love" the way he did with her at his concert? See...I have no idea why I remember these things.)
Posted by: Gigi | January 19, 2008 at 09:30 AM
I think that this stuff is just around us that we just absorb it ala-osmosis!
Posted by: Trish | January 19, 2008 at 04:05 PM
gaah, tell me about it. i try to refrain from pinoy chism, i really do, but it's such a guilty pleasure i can't help it.
Posted by: abby | January 19, 2008 at 06:48 PM
I didn't know that about you, either. ;) Well, since we don't subscribe to any Filipino cable station, I'm so much out of the loop when it comes to Filipino celebrities. Although I don't really care about this kind of stuff, I still feel sad when I realise I don't because it makes me feel all the more farther from my country of birth. If that makes any sense.
Posted by: Geejay | January 20, 2008 at 02:54 PM
Trish - Maybe so, but I really think I know too much (especially when I can figure out Ricky Lo's blind items -- hay naku!).
Abby - Guilty is the word!
Geejay - Yes, it makes sense. And maybe that's why I even bother to know these things still. But for some reason Pinoy chismis is so much fun at times -- I'd rather read about Ruffa's latest adventures than Britney's escapades. Nakakainis kasi!!!
Posted by: Gigi | January 26, 2008 at 09:43 PM