Power ng Pinoy Goes to Hollywood

Meet Fil-Ams at the 70^thAnnual Golden Globe Awards

Lights, camera, action…!The Power ngPinoy team was fortunate to attend the 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles on January 13, 2013. We were able to catch up with some of the nominees and celebrities as they walked through the coveted red carpet.  We were thrilled to see a handful of Filipinos attending this year’s event, including former supermodel and Carnaval Queen Bessie Badilla and Filipino fashion designer Oliver Tolentino.  Oliver designed the exquisite gowns for Janet Nepales and former Miss Universe Margaret Gardiner.   Other Filipino designers made their mark at this year’s ceremony including fashion designer Monique Lhuillier with her beautiful gown worn by Hollywood actress Julianne Hough and Modern Family’s Sofia Vergara strolled the red carpet in a gown by Michael Cinco.

The Golden Globes is presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association or the HFPA. In the 1940’s, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association or HFPA included a few Los Angeles based overseas journalists who decided to connect the international community with Hollywood. Almost 70 years later, the HFPA now has over 80 members, representing 55 countries from the world’s most respected publications. Every year, the HFPA presents the Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California. The members honor the best films and television programs of the year as well as the actors, actresses and directors.

And what makes us very proud to be Pinoy is that this year’sChairman of the Board of Directors of HFPA  is a Filipino. On June 8^th, 2012  the HFPA board unanimously voted for Ruben V. Nepales as their Chairman.  Ruben was the first Filipino member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association as well as the first Filipino to sit on the HFPA Board of Directors. Joined by his wife Janet Nepales, also a member of the HFPA they both share their stories and Hollywood interviews with our kababayans through the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Manila Bulletin. In mid-2012, Ruben released his first book “My Filipino Connection – the Philippines in Hollywood”, where he shared stories from Filipinos celebrities in Hollywood. These were previously written articles that he pieced together to publish this book. He featured successful kababayans including Hollywood actor/singer Darren Criss from the popular TV series Glee and the talented group from Pixar called the “Pixnoys”, Ronnie Del Carmen and Ricky Nieva. He enlightens us with stories from Jazzipino Charmaine Clamor and actor/comedian Bernardo Bernardo. Ruben launched his book in several cities including New York, Toronto, Los Angeles, San Francisco and even in Manila.

This year’s Golden Globes ceremony was hosted by Tina Fey from the hit TV series “30 Rock” and Amy Poehler from “Parks and Recreation”.  Both were nominees that evening and former cast members of “Saturday Night Live”.   Among the presenters included the former President of the United States, Bill Clinton where he received a standing ovation from the audience as he presented the nominated film “Lincoln” for Best Picture for a Dramacategory starring nominee Daniel Day-Lewis and directed by Steven Spielberg whom was also nominated that night.   But the evening ended with the Best Picture for a Comedy or Musical going to” Les Miserables” directed by Tom Hooper and for Best Picture in a Drama going to “Argo” directed by Ben Affleck.

Of course the Golden Globes would not be complete without the several after-parties hosted by Fox, InStyle and HBO to name a few where the winners and celebrities enjoyed the evening and danced the night away.

(For more information about Power ngPinoy, please visit their website at http://www.powerngpinoy.tv)

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