Pinoy reporters in H’wood dish about the stars

They interviewed Lindsay Lohan when she was 11 and starred in the "Parent Trap" ("She was so smart even then, cute na cute, kaya nakakapanghinayang," they said, referring to Lohan's recent troubles. )

They had a chance to sit with Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown when they were a new couple ("They were very sweet with each other.").

And they recall Barbra Streisand, pet dog in hand, hiring her own room and bringing her own photographer to the interview ("Meron siyang, 'This is my best profile.' At nagsara ng kurtina.").

Welcome to the A-list world of Janet and Ruben Nepales, the Filipino husband-and-wife team who go through 400 movies a year, attend just as many press conferences, and fly off to Cancun, New York, London, Paris and Cannes maybe twice a month for film fests, movie premieres and interviews with Angelina, Brad, George or Meryl. Yep, last name optional.

In Manila for the launch today of Ruben's first book, "My Filipino Connection: The Philippines in Hollywood," the L.A.-based couple are members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the same group that mounts the Golden Globes.

In fact, Ruben has been re-elected for the third consecutive time as director of the HFPA. He was also the first Filipino member in the association's 61-year history. Janet became a member in 2008.

Blind items

While the Nepaleses will dish, they won't spell out names.

They confirmed a recent story (not theirs) about an A-list actress who will agree to an interview only if she gets final approval on copy and photos. Yes, they said, she is "superficial" and may be the reason she was dumped by her A-list husband.

They said an Oscar-winning actor, who is a real "a**h***," ("insecure siguro"), is also capable of rising above his reputation. "Ang kagandahan naman pag may kasama siyang child actor, makikita mo naman yung very doting siya, very loving and protective," they said.

Their dream interviews

Of the most candid interview subjects, Ruben mentions Angelina Jolie and Meryl Streep.

"You can ask Angelina any question and she has depth," he said.

As for Streep, "She's so down-to-earth," he said.

Janet loved interviewing Sandra Bullock. "She's another delight! She is no-holds-barred, walang arte-arte."

Oprah, too, was memorable. "Although para rin siyang nagho-host pero inspiring pa rin," Ruben said, laughing.

Ruben writes up his interviews for his thrice-weekly column, "Only in Hollywood," for the Philippine Daily Inquirer, while Janet reports for OK! Philippines, Candy magazine and works as the L.A. correspondent of GMA Network. They also contribute to the glossy Balikbayan magazine.

Encounters with A-listers

The couple exclusively shared with Yahoo! Philippines OMG! their photos with some of the Hollywood heavyweights they've interviewed. They also provided their own annotations on what they found most memorable about each star.

Ruben Nepales's anthology of essays, "My Filipino Connection: The Philippines in Hollywood" is now available. Visit www.nationalbookstore.com.ph / to order online.