Photo taken at The Langham Hotel in Pasadena, CA shows the Asian journalists in the HBO Media Junket. Angela Poh (right, seated) of HBO Asia led the delegation.

LOS ANGELES, CA – HBO (Home Box Office) recently brought seven Asian journalists to this city for preview screenings and interviews of the creators, stars and directors of five shows – “Luck,” “Veep,” “Girls,” “Eastbound & Down,” and “Enlightened.” “Enlightened,” whose Season 2 premieres in Asia in the second half of 2012, won for Laura Dern “Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series” in the recent 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards, hosted by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA).

(In the offbeat series, Laura plays Amy, a self-destructive health and beauty executive who spent three months of meditation and contemplation at a treatment center in Hawaii. She returns to the workplace rested and ready to pick up the pieces of the life she left behind.)

HBO also won two other awards in the 69th Golden Globe Awards: “Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series for Television” for Kate Winslet (“Mildred Pierce”) and “Best Performance for an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series for Television” for Dustin Hoffman.

He is the lead actor of “Luck” of which he is also producer. With him in the cast are Dennis Farina, Nick Nolte, John Ortiz, Richard Kind, Ian Hart, Kevin Dunn, Ritchie Coster, Jason Gedrick, Jill Hennessey, Tom Payne, Kerry Condon and Gary Stevens. With David Milch (“Deadwood”) as creator and Michael Mann as director, “Luck” gives viewers an insight into the world of horse-racing. (More on our interviews with Dustin, Michael and David in our forthcoming columns.)

“Veep,” on the other hand, is a brand-new HBO comedy series created by Armando Iannucci and starring Julia Louis-Dreyfuss as Selena Meyer, a former senator who becomes vice president, only to discover the job is nothing like she expected but everything she was warned about.

The other new HBO series, “Girls,” is well, about girls in their early 20s who experience mishaps and humiliations as well as triumphs. Lena Dunham is the creator and also the star along with Jemima Kirke, Allison Williams, Adam Driver and Zosia Mamet among others. The 10-episode show is shot in New York City. There are graphic love scenes in the series and this raised concern among some of us Asian journalists but the issue will have to be settled in their respective countries’ censors of course.

As to the fifth show, “Eastbound & Down,” whose Season 3 premieres in Asia also in the second half of 2012, it stars Danny McBride who we interviewed over the phone as he wasn’t in LA at that time. The series is a comedy about an arrogant, burned-out former major league pitcher named Kenny Powers (played by McBride) who was once on top of the world but is now spurned by the big leagues and humiliated in his own hometown. He headed south of the border to lick his wounds and live the outlaw life.

Watch out for these exciting shows. “Luck” premieres in Asia on Feb. 20.

By the way, the seven journalists in the HBO Media Junket are Pang Yin Yin (Hong Kong), Mawar Kusuma Wulan (Indonesia), Bibi Nurshuhada Binti Ramli (Malaysia), Yip Wai Yee (Singapore), Su Yungchih (Taiwan), Manta Klanboonkrong (Thailand) and this writer. We were accompanied by Angela Poh of HBO Asia.

The Rewards Of Being A Beauty Queen

Beyond the accolades, being a Binibining Pilipinas winner can actually be the stepping-stone to fulfill one’s dreams.

Take the case of Miss Universe 2010, 4th runner-up Venus Raj. She went through sacrifices in order to bag her crown but in the end it was all worth it. Venus has now fulfilled quite a number of her childhood ambitions. She has acquired a residential condominium unit worth more than P3M wherein she poured part of her prize money as Bb. Pilipinas-Universe 2010. She is also the face of Araneta Center endorsements and events, including those shown at the SMART Araneta Coliseum for which she gets hefty professional fees. She has also built a home for her Mom in their native Bato, Camarines Sur.

Venus has also endorsed Cream Silk, Pizza Hut, PS Bank, Folded and Hung, among others.

Today, Venus is seen in shows like “Umagang Kay Ganda” and “ASAP.”

Venus’ successor, Shamcey Supsup charmed Brazil and placed 3rd runner-up in the prestigious Miss Universe tilt upping the ante for Binibining Pilipinas and local beauty pageants in general. Shamcey along with her co-winners Bb. Pilipinas-International Dianne Necio and Bb. Pilipinas-Tourism Isabella Manjon have restored the Philippines as the beauty queen capital of Asia. Dianne hogged the online voting for Miss International 2011 and was one of the top 15.

Isabella wowed China as Miss Charity in the hotly contested Miss Tourism Queen International.

The Binibining Pilipinas 2012 search is now in full swing. Application to the Binibining Pilipinas 2012 pageant is now open to interested single ladies ages 17 to 25 years old, with Filipino citizenship, at least 5 feet 6 inches tall, at least a high school graduate, and of good moral character. Deadline for submission of applications has been extended to Feb. 4. Application forms may be downloaded from the Bb. Pilipinas official website, www.bbpilipinas.com. The coronation night in March 25 will be aired in ABS-CBN.

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Tidbits: Happy b-day greetings today, Feb. 1, go to former Jukebox King Victor Wood, beauty guru Fanny Serrano, Rebecca P. Ventura, Edith Aguilar, Virginia Alcantara, Lorna Sulit, Marlene Cabilao, Nellie Garcia, Grace de Guzman, Gerry Marcos, Marcela M. Tabor, Mariza Solivio Odono and daughter Lourdes Marie, Gerry Carlo Terry and singer-host Jay-R…