Rico meets his Sesame Street icons in NY

Kids and kids-at-heart around the world must be turning green with envy when they read this story.

BBC News anchor Rico Hizon walked through the Sesame Street memory lane of his childhood when he recently visited the New York headquarters of the famous children’s television series.

The multi-awarded Filipino news anchor met Ernie, Bert and the Count when he visited the shows studios upon the invitation of Lana Magno-Levine, the vice president for Finance of Sesame Workshop. He was also welcomed by Bea Chow and Will DePippo, who lead the Asia-Pacific operations of Sesame Workshop 

Sesame Workshop invited Hizon after the BBC News presenter’s interviews with Elmo and Cookie Monster went viral over social media with netizens commenting how the interview reminded them of their precious childhood memories.

...with Cookie Monster, Elmo...

Rico had a one-on-one interview with Elmo in Singapore in September 2017 where the famous red furry Muppet spoke about their campaign to share laughter over the world. Hizon again had another Sesame Street icon in his studio when Cookie Monster went to BBC  in June to celebrate his 50th birthday. 

In his exclusive interview, Hizon talked to the blue monster about celebrating the beauty of goodness and life.

Hizon referred to his encounter with his childhood heroes in New York as a “dream come true, and a once-in-a-lifetime experience.” He shared that the muppets have been his childhood TV pals since he was five years old, and from whom he learned to sing, count numbers, and recite the alphabet.

Now at 52, Rico says he still looks forward to watching Sesame Street and shares how he gained insights about life and relationships through the TV show.

A known advocate of positivity, Rico says that he learned about respecting elders, helping neighbors, friendship, among other life lessons, from watching the Muppets and humans on Sesame Street.

One can imagine Hizon still humming on his way to his news desk:

...and with Count von Count from whom he learned a lot of values and lessons

Sunny Day
Sweepin’ the clouds away
On my way to where the air is sweet
Can you tell me how to get?
How to get to Sesame Street
Come and play
Everything’s A-OK
Friendly neighbors there
That’s where we meet
Can you tell me how to get
How to get to Sesame Street

It seems Rico will keep setting his sights on the sun despite the spate of not-so-good-news he delivers on a daily basis.

Regal movie predates Crazy

Don’t look now but Regal Films showcased the ways of the rich Chinese (in the Philippines, that is) 16 years before Kevin Kwan’s Crazy Rich Asians the book and the movie version hit the bookstores and the moviehouses, respectively. Titled Mano Po 1, the movie (starring, among others, Richard Gomez, Boots Anson-Roa, Eddie Garcia, Ara Mina, Amy Austria and Maricel Soriano) was such as huge hit at the 2002 Metro Filmfest that it spawned six sequels.

Some people are suggesting to Mother Lily to re-issue the Mano Po 1, dub it in Chinese (or put Chinese subtitles) and release it in Chinese-speaking countries in Asia ­— you know, to ride on the crest of the Crazy Rich Asians’ popularity.

By the way, when we watched Crazy Rich Asians, Raoul Tidalgo, Edmund Silvestre and I had fun guessing who among local celebrities could play some of the roles — Mother Lily as the mother of Constance Wu’s character Rachel Chu, Angel Aquino as Gemma Chan’s character Astrid Leong-Teo, Cherie Gil as Michelle Yeoh’s character Eleanor Young and, why not, Pokwang as Awkwafina’s character Goh Pek Lin.    

Joke time

Here are some jokes contributed by STAR columnist Anthony Suntay:

• #1 What’s the difference between stress, tension and panic? Stress is when the wife is pregnant. Tension is when the girlfriend is pregnant. Panic is when both are pregnant!

• #2 A young boy asks his father, “What is the difference between confident and confidential?” The father answers, “You are my son, I’m confident about that. Your friend over there is also my son and that is confidential.”

• #3 A bookseller conducting a market survey asked a woman, “Which book has helped you most in your life?” The woman replied, “My husband’s cheque book.”

• #4 A prospective husband at a bookstore, “Do you have a book called Husband, The Master of the House?” Sales girl, “Sir, Fiction and Comics section is on the first floor.”

• #5 Someone asked an old man, “Even after 70 years, you still call your wife Darling, Honey, Love. What’s the secret?” Old man, “I forgot her name and I’m scared to ask her.”

2 Phl films win in Taiwan Filmfest

Dido dela Paz, Ryan Cayabyab and Gino Gonzales

Two Filipino films won awards at the just-concluded 58th Asia Pacific Film Festival in Taiwan. They were: Dido dela Paz, Best Supporting Actor for Respeto (directed by Treb Monteras); and   Ryan Cayabyab, Best Musical Score, and Gino Gonzales, Best Art Design both for Larawan (directed by Loy Arcenas).

Dela Paz won the same honors in the 2017 Cinemalaya and 2018 Eddys; and Cayabyab and Gonzales in the 2017 Metro Filmfest and 2018 Eddys.

Other winners at the Taiwan Filmfest: Lion, directed by Garth Davis of Australia, Best Feature Film and Best Screenplay; Midi Zhao of Taiwan, Best Director for The Road to Mandalay; Teresa Mo of Hong Kong, Best Actress for Tomorrow is Another Day; Amir Ali Danaei of Iran, Best Actor for Appendix; Soraya Ghasemi of Iran, Best Supporting Actress for Villa Dwellers; Interchange by Dain Said of Malaysia, Best Visual Effects; Ngoc Thanh Tam of Vietnam, Special Jury Best Actress for The Way Station. — Celso de Guzman Caparas

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. You may also send your questions to [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on www.twitter/therealrickylo.)