'MTV' veejay Donita ecstatic with life

By Hera Diani

JAKARTA (JP): It's the best job in the world. At least that's what Donita Rose Ramos Cavett says about her gig as an MTV veejay.

The 26-year-old Filipino obviously enjoys her work at the music channel, which she says was a childhood dream.

Born and raised in Utah, the United States, her mother is a Filipino and her father, a retired military officer, is an American.

Before joining MTV Asia in 1998, Donita had already become know in the Philippines as an actress. She has done 30 films, including one with Baywatch's David Hasselhof.

Despite her sweet appearance, Donita loves sports and admits to being an adrenaline junky.

The Jakarta Post's Hera Diani spoke with Donita last Sunday in between takes of a TV commercial shoot at Mega Mall Pluit in North Jakarta. The following is an excerpt of the interview:

Question: So, how does it feel to be doing a commercial here?

Donita: I'm very, very excited. In the future, I'm hoping to do more and more projects in Indonesia. I feel like Indonesia is a good place to concentrate on because the biggest market for MTV (Asia) is the Philippines and Indonesia. I think I have the biggest fan-base here and in the Philippines. MTV has sent me here many times and I feel, like, very comfortable with Indonesia.

What is it like working at MTV?

It's so much fun. I feel very fortunate. Not everybody has the opportunity to do what they wish to do.

You travel a lot, don't you?

I always go back and forth from the Philippines to Singapore. Twice a month I travel all over Asia, it depends. It is a little bit exhausting but I'm very, very excited about the kind of work that I have now. For me, I feel like this is the pinnacle of my career. And I want to be smart about it. I don't want to take it for granted. I want to focus.

What is the down side of working at MTV?

Well, you don't have a social life. No love life, no social life. You can have a love life but it's very hard to concentrate because you always want to be with that person and it's not possible.

I've been single for one-and-a-half years now so I'm very focused on what I want. I don't have to say, "Oh, I go here, I go there" or listen to "How come you canceled?" You don't have that kind of responsibility anymore. I can go home anytime I like, and that is exactly what I want right now.

The down side is I'm a homebody. I always want to stay at home, watch TV, go to the gym ....

What do you think of the criticism that MTV promotes a hedonistic lifestyle among young people?

Well, if you watch MTV around the world you'll see that MTV Asia is one of the most, if not the most, conservative. I think MTV is only portraying what is really happening in the world. Sometimes, you know, things can be a little out of hand, and that's why I'm very thankful that MTV censors a lot of things, maybe because it's based in Singapore.

I believe in censorship to a certain extent because you are influencing the minds of the youth and the masses. But if you see music videos from Linkin' Park or Korn where they're screaming ... those are the voices of the youth. They're trying to cry out and send the message out. And that's something that we need to be aware of, to listen to what the problems are in society with drugs, teen pregnancy, AIDS ....

I think MTV is a very good medium for the youth to speak out and say what's on their mind. It's good, you know, to have a passion for music and dancing, and you can look up to somebody. It can keep you away from drugs and everything.

You have to make it positive. Not because I'm an MTV veejay. I myself am a conservative person and when I watch MTV, it's not that bad.

What about the criticism that MTV Asia is too mainstream, with boybands and teen pop?

Well, the most popular, believe it or not, are boybands and Christina (Aguilera) and Britney (Spears). Older people may be sick of them but teenagers love them. Many teenagers don't have much time to watch MTV, so when they watch it they want to see boybands. That's why we have to play the videos over and over. But the best thing about MTV is that it gives opportunities to local acts, someone like Project Pop or Anggun.

Speaking about local shows, It's My Life is not realistic at all.

Well, the thing is here in Asia you have many different cultures and religions that we have to respect. Like for example, in Malaysia we cannot have a picture of pigs or someone wearing a T-shirt with pigs on it. So there are many restrictions. There's so many people who do drugs in reality but we can't show them on It's My Life. We have to project more positive things.

What are the young people like in the different Asian countries?

Thai people are very shy. Malaysians and Indonesians are very energetic. Every time I see fans, they are like (shouting) "Hi, Donita!" Filipinos are a little bit shy, but excited. Singaporeans are poised and reserved. They're big fans but when somebody's looking they're cool and smiling, but when nobody's looking ... they go (waving and shouting) "Hi, Donita!" (laughs).

You must have a lot of fans. What's the weirdest thing a fan has done to you?

There was a guy in the Philippines, and he was sort of a stalker for a couple of years. Everywhere I went, he was there. In the beginning I was very nice to him. He said he was working for a shampoo company and gave me shampoo, soap, saying that I was the one for him, blah blah blah. After that I ignored him. One time, I came for a TV show and he was there and insisted the guard open the gate. I waved at him but ignored him. Suddenly he jumped onto my car and kissed the windshield (screams). There's also this guy who said that God told him that we're supposed to marry. I just told him to stay away.

What kind of music do you like?

I'm pretty eclectic when it comes to music. But mainly my biggest passion is, like, R&B, hip-hop and reggae, because I love to dance. My favorite artists now are Outkast, Destiny's Child and Missy Elliot. I also like Anggun, Jamie. Jamie is a very good singer.

Dangdut? I like the song that goes (swaying and singing) "Cikiciki bum bum, alala bum bum" (laughs).

You were also an actress?

Yes, but I stopped when I joined MTV because when you do a movie you have to be on location for one month. But this month I'm shooting two films in the Philippines. We will shoot every weekend. The first is a war epic. My role is someone who's deaf, mute and blind. The other movie I'm making is a love story.

How long do you plan to stay at MTV?

I don't know. I'm hoping to stay with them for a long time.

Any plans to move to, say, MTV US?

No, I'm concentrating on Asia right now. There's an offer but it's not a 100 percent guarantee that you will succeed. I'm successful here already and I'm very happy with what I'm doing. I would rather stay here.