That mushy line spoken by Mandy Moore to Shane West in the sleeper hit romance-drama A Walk to Remember is not Pops Fernandez’s favorite line from a movie (read on and find out), although Pops can be as teary-eyed and sentimental as Moore’s character (who could have been inspired by the poor girl Ali MacGraw played in the 1970 smash-hit weepy Love Story, with Ryan O’Neal as Ali’s rich boyfriend).
Listen to Pops’ songs in her latest album The Way I Feel Inside (released by Viva Records) and you will know what I mean. The songs’ titles tell the whole story, to wit: Hindi Pa Pala Ikaw, Kahapon Nagdaan ang Bukas, Kaya Pala, Ano Ba ang Tama?, Nagkamali Ba ang Puso?, Ikaw Na Nga Kaya?, Keep Your Feet on the Ground, Pano Ba ’Yon?, Bakit Ka Lumayo?, Tinatanong Pa Ba ’Yon? and Bago ang Lahat.
Don’t ask which song is dedicated to whom or Pops will only break into a blush-producing laughter. There’s no need to, though. Pops reveals what she "feels" in the lyrics of the songs which are much too "telling" to be misunderstood or misinterpreted.
But then, how does Pops really "feel inside" these days?
She gave a one-word answer: "Contented."
When Pops talked to some movie writers about her album last week, Funfare opted to ask her not about the songs but about her list of favorites (upon the request of her fans).
Here then are Pops’ favorites:
• Song (by another singer) – It Might Be You (by Stephen Bishop). "It’s my all-time favorite. I cry everytime I hear that song."
• Song (her own) – Dito. "It’s a sentimental song, the first I ever recorded. I connect that song to my Dad (the late Eddie Fernandez)."
• Singer(s) – Martin Nievera ("My idol!"). The other is Madonna ("My all-time favorite... for her style and her reinvention of herself")
• Movie – Tootsie ("Where the song It Might Be You came from")
• Actor(s) – Robert DeNiro, Dustin Hoffman and Denzel Washington. "I used to like Brad Pitt but not anymore. Mas gusto ko na si Tobey Maguire (Spider-Man) among the young actors."
• Actress(es) – Goldie Hawn, Meryl Streep, Glenn Close and Julia Roberts
• Hero(es) – "My sons Robin and Ram. Yes, they’re the two heroes of my life. I always tell people that. They inspire me to work hard and be strong."
• Friend(s) – Liezl Martinez and her husband Albert, Joy Ortega, Troy Montero, Kris Aquino and Rustom Padilla ("Even if I seldom see him now")
• TV Show – Friends. "Cute that show, isn’t it? I just like the chemistry among the six performers and their ability to turn serious situations around and make them light."
• TV Host – Martin Nievera ("Of course!")
• Line from a Movie – You have to be complete by yourself (from Jerry Maguire)"
• Line from a Song – Something’s telling me it might be you...
• Perfume – None. "I only use cologne, any kind of cologne."
• Part of a Man’s Face – The eyes. "I believe that the eyes are the windows to the soul. You can tell if a man is sincere or not just by looking at his eyes."
• Part of a Man’s Body Below the Navel – The butt.
• Part of Her Own Face – Her eyes. "They are very honest; they don’t hide anything."
• Part of Her Own Body Below the Neck – "The truth? Nothing; none. I look at the mirror and I can’t say that there’s any part that I like most."
• Sleeping Wear – "A loose cotton shirt na butas-butas na. It’s very comfortable. Sometimes, I wear pajamas."
• Food – "All. I have a sweet tooth, so I’m a dessert person."
• Drink – Water ("Lots of it!")
• Author – Og Mandino
• Book – The Greatest Salesman in the World (by Mandino). Also: Miracle (by Mandino). "I like the spiritual tone of his writings. Very inspiring."
• Time of Day – Early, early morning. "That’s when I’m wide awake. I usually read or do my jewelry work (stringing up beads into bracelets, necklaces, etc.) Otherwise, I’m on the computer."
• Day of the Week – Monday. "It’s my day-off. I stay home and wait for my kids to come back from school."
• Part of the House – Her bedroom. "I feel so safe when I’m there. I have a big bedroom and my kids hang out there. We watch TV together."
• Color(s) – Lilac. "I’ve always liked lilac, my all-time favorite, although lately nagiging partial ako sa red. I like the brightness of red."
• Advice From Her Mom (Dulce Lucban) – "She gives me all sorts of advice but one that stands out is... Keep praying and things will turn out right."
• Advice From Her Ex-Mom-in-Law (Conchita Razon) – "She also gives me lots of advice. One of them is... Whatever you do in life, make sure that it’s something you won’t regret."
• Pastime – Staying home, watching movies.
• Fantasy – "Living the life of a princess in a far, far away medieval land."
• Expression – "My gosh!"