by Emir Samonte, The Web Philippines, May/June 1998

My editor told me that he wanted a celebrity for our cover. The whole staff, was hard at work finishing articles and meeting deadlines. The room was quiet except for the clicks and clacks of keys and an occasional murmur. He threw a few names around and suddenly the whole room burst in a chorus of shouts and cries. Most of them were voicing out approval or volunteering for this job. Me, the names mentioned were not exactly my cup of tea. Then he said the magic word. No, not Alakazam. Alice Dixson.

Alice Dixson, the 1986 Bb. Pilipinas International titlist, the Palmolive Commercial model who made the “I can feel it” statement a by-word and a cliche. Alice Dixson, the earthbound fairy in Okay ka Fairy Ko. Alice Dixson, the multi-talented actress, who has starred in numerous films. Alice Dixson, blessed with a face that could launch a thousand ships. Alice Dixson, one of the few actresses that I know that is also blessed with a warm personality and an intellect to boot.

My hand immediately went up and I was the loudest voice in the room, saying: “Me, Me, Meeeee!!!!!! I’m the man to do it!”

Of course, there was this other person in the room who also wanted to do the interview. We faced off in our little cubicles, snarling at each other. “There’s only way to put an end to this conflict,” he said. “Jack en Poy.”

I won. He’s a bit predictable. Anyway, he was going out of town so he just couldn’t do it. My luck was holding.

I was so excited about the whole prospect of actually meeting one of the most beautiful and talented actresses of my generation, that I forgot about my two other assignments. Then the boom fell: Ms. Dixson’s talent manager said she was too busy for a personal interview. Aaaaaarrgggghhhh!!!! They told us that she’d be willing to answer the questions through fax. Oh well.

We’ve got a multitude of actresses that have shrines and homes on the Net. What’s so special about her?

A little known fact. She was a Netizen even before the whole Internet enchilada got to our shores.

“I discovered the Internet even before it came out in the Philippines. I was strolling around this office warehouse in Miami when I stumbled upon the computer section. “The computer started talking (nagulat talaga ako sa store) introduced a program with music and works. That was my cue to investigate.” A little known fact: Alice is not a PC user. She owns a Mac Performa, which she uses to access the Internet. Alice says that her Mac Performa had Global Village, which for to her was the ideal communication network that linked her to AOL and a few other online companies.

But when she came back to the Philippines, the word Internet wasn’t even known yet. “I brought HER (the Mac Performa) home wanting to set it up, but when I went to my supplier in Virra Mall.. he said…AOL what? Internet what? So I walked away with my tail between my legs and tried DPSI… To make a long story short I had to access via international calls and, wow, was that murder on my phone bill!”

My Pet – The Internet

Alice calls the Internet her library, reference material and virtual tool in one. Who can say she’s wrong? The Internet has become indespensable for most of us. It has been embraced by every civilized facet of the world and has become the other medium of communication. And just like any convert to the ways of the Net, the first things she did on the ‘Net was book her flight and hotel reservations and surfed for general information.

We inquired if she has any favorite site.

“None really, when I’m finished with one I always find something more interesting as I go along.”

Alice also used the Net extensively for personal research. And like everyone else, she hung out on the Net.

Time flies by when you’re on the Net. But, as with many visitors on the Net, the initial excitement wanes as time passes by and ISP fees and phone bills start crashing in on reality. “Now I just access my mail. That only takes a few minutes. I log in every other day. When I’m busy, just once a week or so,” says Alice.

Unlike some of the actresses that we have featured on the Web, Alice doesn’t chat. “Chatting never did interest me,” Alice says. Perhaps that is the reason Alice hasn’t had any weird experiences like being stalked online or flamed.

Her Websites

–>We later found out that Alice has two shrines dedicated to her. Her unofficial website at web.cnl.net/alice is not flashy, reflecting much of the down-to-earth attitude of this actress. The design, though simple, is elegant. Alice said that she was not involved in the design process. The designer just asked for pictures and took care of the rest. The site contains a short autobiography, stuff about the movies she’s done (26 of them), the commercials that she did, and a nice photo gallery. Alice says that she personally responds to all of the e-mail she gets from fans. “It takes a while but I do,” she adds.

–>The other site at www.pixi.com/~equinox/alice.htm has all the goodies and link to the official site. The site, setup by a fan, no doubt, has got a more personalized feel than Alice’s site. Titled Wild Alice Dixson (or is it Alice Dixson Wild), it contains a photo gallery, short bio and filmatography similar to that of the official website. The site also has Alice Dixson(AD) in her movies. The link gives us a glimpse of the scenes of Alice in movies such as My Other Woman, To Saudi With Love, and her most controversial film, the Jessica Alfaro Story. These two sites are still under construction so we’ll be seeing more stuff about Alice in the future.

Favorite Pursuits

Visiting these sites will give you a lot of information about Alice. She’s into outdoor activities and loves reading,and shopping. She also enjoys watching TV shows and documentaries about the paranormal. Naturally, we asked if she has visited any site on the ‘Net to further sate her favorite pursuits and if she visits them often. “I visit any or all sites that interest me or that can give me an essential or rudminetary service.”

So what part or aspect of the Net irks Alice? “Getting junk e-mail and people who don’t know how to suppress their mailing list,” Alice says. In parting, we asked Alice if the Internet helps her be a better actress. “The Internet gives me insights, opinions and a lot of inspiration knowing that what I do is not that unessential.”

That’s the end of it. Now if I can just get Alice’s talent manager to arrange a meeting to personally deliver the magazine to her. Hmm…. it might just work. I can feel it.