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POPS FERNANDEZ: GET ONLINE A.S.A.P! - Part 1
Hhmmm...Sixteen years in the business and still going stronger each step. What's behind the success of Pops Fernandez? Nothing less than commitment to her craft plus her great balancing personal-life-and-career act.
Life isn't easy. "Whoever said that it's easy, is just making things sound lighter, because it's really hard," she laments. With rumors always there to put her forever on the spotlight, she has learned to make family and career two different sets of challenges. "It's tough. Being part of a family or having your own family is like another career altogether. It's tougher than any career, any job that you can find because it's real, serious. It's your life, talaga. It's something that you have forever-something you should be responsible for, something that has its own ups and downs-it's challenging!" She emphasized, "It's hard to balance both! Mixing them together and balancing them is difficult... Martin and I have always considered our careers different from our personal lives. We've started doing things individually and have started exploring with other people, too, which is not bad because we can grow individually-but not separately." Fresh from Italy (and looking like she gained weight) where she had a show with Arnel Ignacio, her face lit with enthusiasm as she exclaimed, "It was a success!" (that marked a swerve to another topic-showbiz). Show business, a significant part of her, has brought forth her talents and more of what she could be. "I've found my place in television; I think it was TV all along for me, then concerts, and I discovered I could do a lot more things. This year we are looking forward to a very busy Christmas," she said with animated gestures. A new album is being planned as of writing, and preparations are being made for her next major concert. "SHINE was scheduled for December but, we ran out of time so, we're pitching for a major Valentine's concert next year." The Sunday afternoon show she's hosting with Martin Nievera, Ariel Rivera, and Dayanara Torres remains a priority.
"A couple of months ago, I started using the Internet and it's amazing how you can discover that there are so many other people around the world that you can be friends with! I guess, the most exciting part is you don't see them but they share their lives with you and you're like 'OK...' (with a mocking accent)." Nonchalantly, she guessed my next question and mused, "I don't really chat that often. It really is my e-mail that's keeping me busy online. Everytime I go out of the country, I dread opening my mailbox when I come back because of the huge pile in the inbox." "Amazing! (I told you...) You could make friends, know them without really knowing them." She cited how so many people would e-mail her from all parts of the world. "I have mails from Philadelphia, Singapore, Europe... Imagine, just by looking me up or my Web site they can get the latest news about me." "It works for them especially for fans and relatives who are not here. Instead of renting as many tapes of TV shows as they can which is pretty hard because they're far away, the computer is the best way to do it!" For her, it is easier for our kababayans to get in touch with the Philippines. "I never knew that can happen. Through my Web site they feel closer to me than ever." It is rewarding for Pops to personally answer all the e-mail she gets. "It keeps them aware of who I really am and what's going on with my career and my life." Ronnie Miranda introduced her to this boundless world of the Internet and at first, she didn't really know what to expect. "I have a computer but I was afraid to do something wrong when I touch it because I'm the type of a person who has to study and read about something before doing it. In this case, I just found myself in front of the computer and I was amazed at how easily it could be done." |
In a monochromatic mood, the pop icon, clad in an all-brown, trendy blouse and velvety pants and matching chocolate-brown leather boots, looked like she just stepped out of a Cosmopolitan magazine cover. She smoothly slithered to the seat before me and (voila!) before I knew it she was throwing her dimples at me in casual friendliness.
She said "It's amazing!" repeatedly as we course our little chat to her other home open for public access - the Web site (