MANILA, Philippines – Filipino entertainment journalist and Rappler columnist Ruben V. Nepales has earned finalist nominations for two categories of the 17th National Arts & Entertainment Journalism (NAEJ) Awards 2024 of the Los Angeles Press Club.
Nepales is nominated in two online feature categories for his Only IN Hollywood columns published on Rappler, representing the only Philippine media outlet recognized in this year’s awards.
A long-standing member of the Golden Globe Foundation, Nepales is nominated for his article “Kevin Costner’s big financial gamble to make not one but four ‘Horizon’ films” under the Film Feature (Actors) category. In the TV Feature category, Nepales is recognized for “A lot of Robert Downey Jr., Vietnamese actors bring ‘The Sympathizer’ to life,” a deep dive into the HBO series starring Downey and a cast of Vietnamese actors.
“It is a US-wide journalism contest, so I am proud to represent Rappler and be part of a field of distinguished colleagues,” Nepales told Rappler. “It is especially heartwarming that this happy news broke while I am back in the Philippines after five years, my first trip to my beloved homeland since the pandemic.”
Fellow Golden Globe Foundation member Brent Simon joins Nepales as a finalist, recognized in the Journalist of the Year: Film Critic category for his work for The A.V. Club.
This year’s entries, over 1,600 in total, were rigorously reviewed by the judging panel. The contest is open to all journalists covering arts and entertainment in the US, including international journalists that work in a language other than English.
The full list of finalists can be found online.
The awards gala will be held on December 1 at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, with honorees including Kathy Bates, Melissa Etheridge, Kevin Frazier, and Tiffany Haddish.
The NAEJ Awards, established in 2008, celebrates excellence in US-based entertainment journalism across print, radio, TV, and online, with a special category for international journalists.
In June, Nepales won four honors at the 66th Southern California Journalism Awards, including first place in the Obituary/In Appreciation for Film/TV Personalities category for his tribute to musician Burt Bacharach. At the 16th National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards in 2023, Nepales was awarded under the online film feature and actor-related category. He also secured four awards at the 65th Southern California Journalism Awards in the same year. – Rappler.com
