PDI man in Hollywood columnist award finalist

Ruben Nepales with filmmaker Roman Polanski, in Paris. PHOTO BY RUBEN V. NEPALES

For his column on the challenges faced by Filipino international singing sensation Charice in America’s Tinsel Town, Ruben Nepales, the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s man in Hollywood, is in the running for one of the top honors in this year’s National Entertainment Journalism (NEJ) Awards in Los Angeles, California.

Nepales, whose column “Only In Hollywood” appears thrice weekly in the Inquirer’s Entertainment section, is competing with four other print columnists, namely, Patrick Goldstein and James Rainey of Los Angeles Times, and Gendy Alimurung and Gustavo Turner of LA Weekly, according to the Los Angeles Press Club (LAPC).

Hosted by the LAPC, the 4th NEJ Awards ceremony will be held at the historic Biltmore Hotel on November 17.

“To represent the Philippines as a finalist in this prestigious competition is a big honor in itself,” Nepales said in an e-mail.

Close to heart

“(The nomination touched) me even more deeply (because) I submitted a column on a topic close to my heart. I spoke to Charice about the challenges, the double whammy, she faces in Hollywood—being short and a minority. And by the way, I am also short and a minority journalist finding his way in Hollywood,” he said.

Founded in 2008, the NEJ Awards gives recognition to the finest works of US-based entertainment reporters and editors, including those who write in languages other than English. It also honors the best theater, film and television critics in print, broadcast and online media.

The NEJ is giving awards in over 20 categories—from Journalist of the Year, Best Blogs, to one that cites “Facebook Presence.” Hugh Hefner, founder and editor in chief of Playboy Magazine, will be receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award.

First Filipino member

Nepales is the first Filipino member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), a nonprofit association of international journalists who vote on and present the annual Golden Globe Awards. He also sits in the HFPA’s board of directors.

A native of Calasiao, Pangasinan, Nepales lives in Los Angeles with wife Janet Susan, also a journalist and HFPA member.

An alumnus of the Faculty of Arts and Letters of the University of Santo Tomas, Nepales was one of the outstanding alumni who received the inaugural AB Gantimpala Awards given by the university in 2010.

On its website, the HFPA congratulated Nepales, nominated under the Print Columnist category, and fellow member Barbara Gesser, a German-language reporter who is a finalist in two categories, News Print and Radio.

“Writing can be a thankless profession, demanding hours of sitting by yourself and summoning inspiration or ideas. I always treasure getting feedback from readers because to me it means all those solitary hours were worth it,” Nepales said.

“That’s (already) a reward, so to win an award or be named a finalist is a wonderful bonus, a validation of your work.”

“I’m still smiling at this moment, absolutely elated to be named a finalist along with established columnists,” he said. “I immediately called home. (My eldest daughter) Nikki answered the phone and reacted to my happy news by exclaiming ‘Oh wow!’ several times. Of course, that got my wife Janet very curious.”

“I’m excited to think that a boy from a small town in the Philippines can pursue his dreams,” said Nepales, who started writing articles while still in grade school.

He said he had come to love his job in Hollywood for it involved “listening to these talented people open up about their brilliant ideas and concepts, their causes, and what drove them to where they are now.”