Though it was the 12th of February, the middle of a month that's supposed to be cold for the Philippines, sweat continue to flow from everybody's forehead. Temperature reads either 30 degrees or higher. Traffic is either slow moving or not moving at all inevitably. Just the type of situation where people would just decide to stay indoors and fixed in front of electric fans, blowers, or air conditions.
The heat wave was just evident everywhere even in an air conditioned Hard Rock Cafe. The crowded press did not pay much attention as they do about their living --- crowding near the long table, laid on the stage which is high enough to make the young men situated in the table distinctive. They were endlessly flashing their cameras on the said young men.
Guys in black cotton shirt marked with Hard Rock Cafe's logo, decided just to watch from a distant elevated floor. The girls in black casual dresses also marked with Hard Rock Cafe's logo were giggling and some of them continue to show wide grins in their faces. The rest that were surrounding the area are executives and security crew of the ones in the middle of attention of everybody.
The guys sitting in the front of them.
These are five young men ages 20-28, very much familiar to those who follows the pop dance music stint worldwide - they are called the Backstreet Boys. They sing and dance to tunes that mysteriously holds women of the Gen-X age screaming to their breaths - a few fine matinee idols in the mainstream.
They were followed by hundreds of fans ever since they took a step in the airport and a few of them decided to camp on a lobby of the mall just outside Hard Rock Cafe and even outside the mall, downstairs at the back door of Hard Rock Cafe hoping they could escape their way in but security were very tight.
The Backstreet Boys were at that moment wears their usual Tommy jackets and jeans in the middle of Manila heat in a press conference. Name tags were in front of each of them and it reads from left is AJ McLean, Brian Littrell, Kevin Richardson, Howard Dorough, and Nick Carter.
"Tell us, guys, what keeps you coming back here in Manila?" a young Filipino male reporter asked the group.
"What keeps us coming back? Let me see ...ah... the food?" Howie answered with a big grin in his face. Everybody in the room cackled to the answer.
"Well, seriously," AJ butt in the conversation, "it's the continuous support of the fans that we see in here. The group believes in this way, we can make everybody contented. Plus, we've witnessed that above satisfactory hospitality in this country and we saw real people around. So, I think, as long as all these things are present, you can count on us coming back and forth in this country more often than you think ... the food, I think, is still part of it for Howie!"
The crowd cackled again.
"Mr. Lopez, it's your turn to ask the questions"
The young man stood up in his seat and headed for the microphone. He was in his plain white shirt and jeans with a big I.D. clipped in his waist.
"Well, anybody from the group can answer the question." he flapped his note pad open and glanced at it, "According to the information that I have here, you guys, aside from shooting a video for an upcoming single, also for MTV's Backstreetboys Outdoors special, holding a fans day in Araneta Coliseum, you will also hold a concert at, again, Araneta Coliseum on Valentine's day. The point is that there is a long line up of artists, both local and foreign artists like you, that will also perform in the same night. Can you comment on that or can you feel the competition and stuff"
"I'll answer the question" Kevin, the guy sitting in the middle of the group and happens to be the eldest among them, draw the microphone near him "First, we're not here to compete with other artists. The people have their choice of their brand of music and they would most probably buy tickets for our concert because they enjoy our music and they want to feel great by seeing us perform in front of them. We're here to satisfy their wants and their demand, not to compete"
"And besides, if we were to compete, though the thought that it's kinda jittery to face it, there is still the confidence that the fans would support us" Brian said with a familiar smile to the press.
"I have another question," the young reporter proposed, "When will the fans expect to see the video that you are about to shoot?"
Mr. Pearlman, the guy standing on the left of the stage walked to the table to grab a microphone from AJ who sits in the leftmost of the table answered "They will expect to hear this song probably summer of this year because this will be the third single in their third album that is yet to be released in Europe and in Asia as well in May or April."
"Thank you, guys. I have no more questions." Mr. Lopez smiled in satisfaction
"Last in line is Mr. Jimenez"
The boy group suddenly squint to each other as they're quite familiar with the name. Then they slowly showed some smiles in their faces as they recognized the face among the crowd to go along with the name. Franco Jimenez, aged 23, cropped hair but the only guy in the press wearing loose jeans and shirt with a red and black Nike high-cut rubber shoes. His fair skinned face is familiar to endorse a mild soap and his smile endorsed a toothpaste commercial. But on that day, he seemed to be a maverick.
He happens to be a basketball buddy of the five whenever they come in Manila --- to complete their three-on-three.
Howie muttered to Nick "Oh my God, little bro! Get ready coz I think this naughty kid's gonna ask questions on you!" He laughed silently so as not to be heard in the microphone.
"Hey! What the hell is he doing here!?!" Nick muttered back to Howie as he took off his jacket leaving a white shirt
"He's a marketting staff of this place, remember?" Howie said
"Hey, how are you doin', witty-smith Franco!" AJ said with a rhythm to the microphone as if he was about to rhyme.
"Thanks for the intro there, Mr. Alexander James!" Franco gave a funny salute to AJ, "First of all, a curious question --- why did Mr. Carter took off his cool blue Tommy jacket? Can you now feel the tension?"
The crowd in the room again found humor in the room as they laugh silently among themselves creating a buzz sound.
Nick smiled and brushed back his blonde hair away from his face "It's pretty hot in here! I thought ... I thought it's gonna be cold in Manila in this month"
"I thought of that too but don't worry, Mr. Carter, you're cool enough to cool the rest of the guys in the table. In fact, the question that I am about to ask is directing to that topic..." Franco grinned.
Kevin muttered to the two "I got a feeling I've heard of this topic. It is for the two of you."
Franco continued by flapping to his notes, "Recently, a radio station held a survey, discovering who's the guy in the Backstreet or in other terms the most famous, the coolest. Well, more than 30 percent was eaten up by Mr. Nicholas Carter and almost 20 percent was eaten up by Mr. Howard Dorough. What could you guys say about that?"
"It's unfair, man, it's unfair!" Brian commented on the microphone with seriousness brushed off his face.
"Hey Howie D.! You brought all your relatives here in Manila for that?" AJ shrieked in the microphone causing to draw big laughter in the crowd.
"Okay, okay! Settle down, guys! Settle down!" Howie stopped the chaos for a while with a laughing face with him too. "I am Howie D. and I'll tell you now 'howie-du-it'! How Nick and I did it." Howie paused and squinted to Nick. After a short while, "Actually, I don't know 'howie-di-dit'! Anyway, Franco, that info is flattering and I would like to extend my thanks to those who voted for that survey."
"Now you guys know what's the Filipina taste is, what actually do you guys look for in a girl?" Franco gazed among the guys and found Nick just smiling the rest of the group muttered among themselves. "It seems that Mr. Nick Carter deserves to answer that question"
"You really like me that much, Franco!" Nick answered laughing
"You bet I do! I'm the first person to be in that survey and I voted for you. I mean, what can I say? I'm a fan!"
The crowd showed in their faces that they are having fun as more cameras flashed in this instance and more pens were busy taking down notes in the press' side.
"Well to answer the question, if I were to choose a girl, I'll have a girl who likes me for who I am deep down rather than for how I look or how popular I am, a girl who likes what I like or appreciates what I appreciate ... well, as long as she loves me, I guess." Nick said and turned his head to the rest of the group and decided to add to his answer, "Well, I'm speaking for myself."
Session was over after thirty minutes and took time before the dance floor turned press conference room was cleared. The Backstreet Boys went ahead of the rest riding by a gray Ford Expedition van with Pajero escorts which brought them to the Shangri-La Plaza Makati, a five star hotel, for their few hours of time-out before they could be off to their appearance that night --- a welcome party for them.
Franco, meanwhile, also did the same --- drove home to rest for a while for that night's party.
Home to him is a bungalow house fenced with five feet cement and Indian trees just by the fence. There's not much of the greens within the fence aside from the two palm plants side by side in the main door and a few ferns by the window.
Well, it's quite not his home.
That house is just a place he stays in for almost two years. His real home is a province three hour drive from Manila. Since his 21-year-old cousin Kathy lived alone in this house for more than four years, he just decided to live with her for convenience.
Kathy is an information freak as far as economy matters is concerned --- as how Franco see her. She works as a stock broker and for that job, she just spends half of the day in the trading floor. Sometimes she never leaves the house at all. She supports herself anyway with the Internet she has in her p.c.. Well, she does not need to work anyway --- with apartment rentals she has in her possession.
She was at home in the laundry room that time as she heard Franco open her residence's gates, drove in his car and parked the car with the car's trunk facing the front door. She then walked towards the door of the house and saw Franco pulling the gates to close.
Not much furniture bothered her to rush her way to the window.
Furniture for them is a black leathered couch leaning by the wall donned with black, red, yellow concentrated abstract paintings, a black Lay-z-boy by their four-feet tall gray lampshade and an L-shaped working table with the phone on the far right edge of the table and a complete computer set with diskettes scattered beside it. The house's floor space is only 90 square meters anyway.
Dinning place for them is the center piece table in front of the couch as they're used to eating dinner or lunch in front of the TV. Walls are painted cream and lampshades in every part of the house makes the lighting system for them.
"Franco, have you bought the groceries already?" Kathy shouted as Franco opened the car doors grabbed his things at the back seats
"Ofcourse not! Where do you think I've been? The mall? I went out to work remember?"
"Well your work is situated in the mall. I was just wondering if you had time earlier to do buy them ..."
"Actually, it was more of fun ..." Franco walked in the house and threw his things on the couch, "David sent me to ask questions in the press conference. I asked him 'For what?'. He said, 'Nothing, they said there's one slot free for asking a question so why don't you just go for it!'"
"Whose press conference was that?"
"It's the fellas. They're here and they arrived early this morning --- around 6:30, remember?"
"Fellas?"
"You know! THE fellas! The Backstreet gang. The reason why we're going on a party tonight. We're not the ones who's going to have a show tonight - it's them"
"Hey, I know. I just felt confused with David. I mean, are they really that important to miss serious work today?"
"Well, a matter of fact, yes. They're clients, remember? They spell big money for him! Keeping them comfortable is important. That's serious work! You've been missing a lot nowadays, sis." Franco then walked to the computer and clicked it on.
"What's the big deal on that!?! They're just bunch of ambitious singers crooning like..." Kathy was cut short when she turned to saw Franco really not paying attention to her as he had his fingers at work in the keyboard and has logged himself in the computer's e-mail.
"No new mail for me!" Franco grunted
"Just when I thought I were talking with someone here" Kathy then hunkered beside Franco and pressed some keys in the keyboards "Can I have my turn now?"
"What else can I do? You're clicking the keys already and you've ruined my mood to write" Franco grimaced and roll the chair's wheel away from the table.
"Yes! a mail for me!" Kathy clicked the return key to see the sender "Nope! It's not Gene,"
Kathy said and ignored the mail
"Gene said he'll send me a mail these days. He said he'll be here"
Franco laughed a little and gave a naughty look at Kathy
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing, I just came to a thought," Franco squat beside Kathy, "What's your foreign virtual friend's full name?"
"Carter. He's Nickolas Gene Carter"
"Didn't you think of the possibility that your 'Gene Carter' can be the same 'Nick Carter' in my Backstreet?"
"You're absurd because it never occurred to my mind to ask that question. Do you know what came into my mind? Chris Carter, the creator of X-Files might be his relative. I asked him that and he denied to be a relative of any famous person. He even hoped to be his relative so he can also be famous himself. Geez, Franco! You're too fanatic!" Kathy construed
"Well, I just came across with these bunch of paper and ... I don't know, it came into my mind that Gene Carter will arrive approximately the same time Nick of Backstreet Boys. It makes quite a sense."
"No, it does not! In fact, Gene and I are going to meet on Monday. Does your Nick have this time in his schedule?"
"The only thing I know is that Nick is not mine. He's just a part of my list of pals and you still have a David for a boyfriend"