CONTRIBUTED
LOS ANGELES – Ruben V. Nepales, the award-winning veteran entertainment journalist, has rejoined the Inquirer via its online edition, Inquirer.net. The Los Angeles-based writer’s long-running column, “Only IN Hollywood,” now appears on Inquirer.net USA and Canada, a channel of the leading online news site.
It’s a full circle milestone for Nepales, who was tapped by Letty Jimenez-Magsanoc, the late Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) editor in chief and a venerable icon of Philippine journalism, and then entertainment editor Emmie Velarde, to write a column. “Only IN Hollywood,” with the column name coined by Magsanoc herself, debuted in PDI on April 8, 2005.
The column ran for 15 years on PDI and then five years on Rappler, racking up honors, including nine first prizes from the National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards, a US-wide competition, and the Southern California Journalism Awards, presented by the Los Angeles Press Club.
In a field that includes entries from mainstream outlets, including The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety and TheWrap, Nepales’ “Only IN Hollywood” has consistently bagged prizes.
“I am very happy that my column has returned to its original home, albeit in its digital incarnation,” Nepales said. “As ‘Only IN Hollywood’ goes into its 21st year, I am more inspired than ever to report with greater zeal about the talents behind the top entertainment news, events and projects, especially the strides Filipino talents are making on the global stage.”
The Philippine-born and raised writer authored “Through a Writer’s Lens,” a coffee-table book of photos and excerpts from his entertainment interviews. The book, published by Bessie Badilla, won first prize in nonfiction at the 2020-2021 National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards.
In 2012, Nepales published his first book, “My Filipino Connection: The Philippines in Hollywood,” which won in the print journalism – book category of the Migration Advocacy and Media Awards presented by the Office of the President of the Philippines’ Commission on Filipinos Overseas.
In September 2022, the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism from President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. was awarded to Nepales at The Outstanding Filipinos in America (TOFA) Awards held in New York.
In 2004, Nepales became the first Filipino voter of the Golden Globe Awards, which recognizes excellence in film and television. He is also a member of the Golden Globe Foundation, one of Hollywood’s biggest philanthropic organizations – it has donated more than $55 million over 30 years to entertainment-related charities, scholarships, and grants.
Nepales currently serves on the boards of the Asian World Film Festival and the SOHO International Film Festival.
The University of Santo Tomas (Manila) alumnus was one of the founding board members of the Los Angeles-based Filipino American Symphony Orchestra (FASO), the only Filipino symphony orchestra outside of the Philippines. He is on FASO’s advisory board.
A proud native of Calasiao, Pangasinan, Philippines, Nepales is married to journalist Janet Susan Rodriguez Nepales, with whom he has two daughters, Bianca Nicole and Rafaella Angelica.
The post Award-winning journalist Ruben Nepales rejoins Inquirer appeared first on INQUIRER.net USA.
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