The media liaison was quite clear as we lined up for our exclusive interviews with Miss Universe Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, who was ensconced in a Novotel suite reserved for that purpose.
Well, shoot, I thought as I mentally crumpled the list of questions I had for Pia, and tossed it into the nearest imaginary waste bin.
I had wanted to ask her if the thing with Dr Mike, “the sexiest doctor alive” according to People magazine, was the real deal, or just a case of “what happens in New York stays in New York”. You never can tell with social media these days. The two are said to be “dating”, whatever that means.
I had also wanted to ask if she was registered to vote, and if she felt inclined toward the presidential candidate most identified with the Bb. Pilipinas franchise, but I guess that was off limits now.
“Can you finish in three minutes,” the media liaison asked. I pushed for 15. We haggled for a bit. Finally, she stood firm at five minutes.
Who was I kidding? Five minutes was enough time to “do the business”, as it were.
The last time I did one of these things was for another international beauty celebrity endorsing a global luxury brand. They flew me to Bangkok and billeted me in a five-star hotel for two days. But in the end, all I got was five minutes with Cindy Crawford. An uncomfortable five minutes, with her handler glancing at her watch, and the other media hacks impatiently waiting their turn as I tried to get as many questions answered before the clock ran out.
Five minutes seemed to be the PR industry standard for celebrity interviews: time enough for some interesting sound bites, but not enough for the celeb to let her guard down and reveal something they’d prefer to keep under wraps.
Goddesses need to be worshipped from a distance, for a reason. Up close, they seem more human.
10 people The Jacques Brel song ‘Au Suivant’— Google it —was running through my head when I heard someone say “next”, and I was ushered into the presence of Miss Universe. It was supposed to be one-on-one, but there seemed to be at least 10 people in the room, and a couple more ducking their heads in from time to time.
Earlier, at the podium during the press conference, Pia looked like a six-foot brown goddess, all five feet and seven inches of her augmented by five-inch heels that accentuated her shapely calves and gave her that regal Miss Universe walk. She was wearing a white gown that clung to every curve, with a décolleté that revealed an amount of cleavage behind the Miss Universe sash.
Goddesses need to be worshipped from a distance, for a reason.
Up close, they seem more human.
Pia appeared slightly frazzled from jet lag and serial interviews, but still on her game. One could sense something of the steely determination that got her the Bb. Pilipinas crown after two tries, and on to winning Miss Universe.
But the clock was ticking.
First, an innocuous question to warm up, and establish rapport.
Pia had written a style column for us before her big win, and I wondered if that helped prepare her for being Miss Universe.