An ending and a new beginning for Fil-Am TV host

THE BRIDE Jannelle So wore a terno and the groom Lester Perkins, a barong.

LOS ANGELES—As Jannelle So recently ended her run as host of “Kababayan Today,” America’s first and only daily show for and about Filipinos, she began her new life not having to worry about booking guests or looking for more sponsors—by marrying lucky British bloke Lester Perkins.

Long one of the Fil-Am community’s most successful single women, Jannelle finally walked down the aisle, but only after making one of the toughest decisions in her life—to leave the show that she conceived and launched eight years ago.

LA18’s “Kababayan Today” was her baby, one that required the 24/7 attention of the driven woman who began her media career by doing courtside interviews at Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) games.

Jannelle wrote in her column in the Fil-Am paper Balita: “People ask how I did it—hosting, producing, marketing, editing, advertising, client relations, community relations and everything else I did to build and grow ‘Kababayan Today’—and how I did it all at the same time. Regular people work 40 hours per week. Anything beyond that is considered overtime. I worked all those hours and more… often without proper remuneration.”

Janelle said she had to think long and hard. She wrote, also in Balita, “Passion grows as it is fulfilled. When it gets to a point where passion is bigger than your platform, then you know it’s time to look for other options. It would have been easy to stay as host/producer of an established program [but] after a while it became a routine… I knew that there was more… and the only way to quench my thirst for ‘more’ was to leave.”

By coincidence, Jannelle was also planning her wedding to Lester, commercial director and vice president of EcoMedia, a CBS company founded and headed by Paul Polizzotto.

Lester proposed to Jannelle on New Year’s Eve at the Heron Tower in London after introducing her to family and friends in his native Stratford-upon-Avon, William Shakespeare’s

JANNELLE’S dad Willy joined her in serenading the guests with “You Don’t Know Me.”

birthplace and home.

It had been a whirlwind romance. The couple love to tell this anecdote about their first date: As soon as they sat down in  Carmines, an LA restaurant, Jannelle asked, “What do you want?” Lester replied, “Fish is good.”

Jannelle recounted: “I said, I’m looking for a husband and want to build a family. I don’t want you to waste my time, and I don’t want to waste your time, if that’s not what you want.’”

Straight to the point

She told the Inquirer, “I figured I didn’t have much time, so I had to go straight to the point when it came to dating.” As she joked later, “Plan the wedding; the proposal will follow.”

When Lester did propose in the most romantic way, Jannelle went to work on her big day with the help of Rocio Nuyda, who generously toiled as wedding planner out of love for the bride-to-be.

They chose a spectacular setting, the coastal town of Mendocino, California, where most of the exterior scenes of Angela Lansbury’s beloved TV series, “Murder, She Wrote,” were filmed.

THE GUESTS enjoyed the spectacular view of the Mendocino coast during predinner cocktails at Villa Sur La Mer. Photos by Ruben V. Nepales

A Fil-Am, Ligaya Delgado-Sublett and her American husband, Ritchie, introduced Jannelle and Rocio to Mendocino and its scenic headlands, surrounded by the Pacific Ocean.

Ligaya and Richie used to own and manage stunning properties in Mendocino. They recently retired in Aklan, where they are building a B&B in Handumanan.

At the wedding last Sunday, everyone arrived on time for the 3 p.m. ceremony at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church, including the bride (in a limo), who quickly realized she forgot to bring her bouquet. Before Rocio could say anything, the bride sped off with the limo driver to get the bouquet. Rocio quipped, “I thought she was a runaway bride.”

With the bouquet of red roses finally in her hands, Jannelle emerged from the limo, stunning in a terno  (by Carlyn Nuyda-Calloway) that weighed 15 pounds because of the Swarovski crystals hand-sewn into it. (Carlyn, Rocio’s daughter, made Julia Roberts’ wedding tiara.)

Jannelle marched with her parents Willy and Magdalena Aurelio So. Lester, dapper in a calado barong by Nostalgia (a West Covina shop), waited inside the church with his parents, Ronald and Pauline Perkins.

Principal sponsors

Among the principal sponsors were Rocio and Benito Miranda (his wife, singer-actress Becca Godinez, was performing in “Flipzoids” in Manila), Balita publisher Luchie and Anthony

DINNER was served in the courtyard.

Allen, Paul (Lester’s boss) and Dana Polizzotto, Mario and Teresita Mangalindan, this columnist and wife Janet.

Others in the entourage were secondary sponsors Cris and Benel Liban, Mary Ann and Abraham Lim, Diana and Fernando Alcantara; matron of honor Kristine Garcia; maid of honor Ivy Joy Wisco; best man Mark Perkins; bridesmaids Maria Olivia Francisco, Marie Chris Feleo-So and Rachael Perkins; groomsmen Melvin So, Lawrence Edilbert So and Robert Garcia.

The bearers were George (bible), Jack (coin) and Bailey Maria (ring) Perkins, while Clarissa Simone So was the flower girl. In the Mass celebrated by Deacon Derek Brown, John Mina, Josie Castro, Carina Castañeda, Julie Nguyen, Farrah Funtanilla and Judy Coto led the intimate assembly of family and friends in readings, responsorial psalms and prayers of the faithful.

Stunning setting

Villa Sur La Mer in Fort Bragg served as a stunning setting for the reception, which began with cocktails on the deck that overlooks the ocean. Dinner was served in the courtyard.

As the guests feasted on spiced beef pot roast, pan roasted California sea bass, cheeses, baby greens and risotto, Jannelle and Lester occasionally pulled pieces of paper that bore the names of the guest pairs and asked them to kiss. The newly married pair then copied each couple’s kiss and matching gestures, including butt slapping.

In the program emceed by fun and humorous John Davis, Jannelle and her dad Willy serenaded the guests with the classic standard popularized by Ray Charles, “You Don’t Know Me.”

Lester sang Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love,” covered by Adele in her debut album. Mark Perkins accompanied his brother on the keyboard and, being the best man, gave the toast. Kristine toasted her sister Jannelle.

Ode to his bride

No doubt inspired by his famous townmate, The Bard, Lester wrote and read an ode to his bride. Excerpts:

“We share so much. We grew up on opposite sides of the world, and yet she understands me better than anyone ever has. She hasn’t only taught me to tell my own story; she is helping me write it. That is the greatest gift of all.”

(E-mail the columnist at [email protected]. Follow him at https://twitter.com/nepalesruben)

photos by ruben v. nepales