Up Close & Personal: Sharon Sotto

This month's cover beauty was an accidental find. One weekend on the way home from one of Palmdale's many import races, Jason Mulroney and I were hunting down a restaurant to get our grub on. As we ventured deeper and deeper into the L.A. area, we came across a row of restaurants, some affordable and others a little more grip. Considering that we were working that weekend and 2NR was picking up the tab, which restaurant do you think we chose? We narrowed our choices down to the following: Black Angus, which serves an awesome prime rib, Red Lobster with succulent seafood, Outback, offering a taste of Australia, and Hooters, which can't compete with the quality of the others but can offer excellent scenery. Upon entering Hooters we were greeted by the sight of beautiful waitresses entertaining customers with friendly conversation. That's when we found our October cover model, Sharon Sotto. Her 5 ft., 1 in. height was one thing that caught our attention, but our attraction to her was of another kind. Maybe it was the fact that her tank top read 'OOTER' rather than 'HOOTERS!' The fact that she was diminutive in height but big in other ways gave us the nerve to see if she was willing to appear on our magazine's cover.

After talking to Ms. Sotto we found that she was familiar with our book and was also willing to work with us. Before we finished our wings she busted out with a calendar she was in, called 'Island Eyes,' and to our surprise we noticed that 4 of the 12 months were Tuner models. So here she is making her debut in the 2NR club, Ms. Sharon Sotto out of Los Angeles.

2NR: So were you just born in Chicago or did you grow up there, too?
SS: I grew up there but now I live in Los Angeles.

2NR: I just recently went there for Hot Import Nights. I thought it was a pretty nice area.
SS: In the summer it's not bad, but oh man, you would hate it there in the winter. It is freezing! I lived there for a while so I got tired of the same scene. My family moved out to L.A. in 1988 when I was 11, so I went to high school out here. Its weird, Filipino families always travel in groups, so when we moved out here almost all my relatives did too. Now we all live next to each other.

2NR: So I take it the modeling thing didn't start until you moved out here?
SS: Yeah, I did it on and off because of school, but it was fun. School is more important to me, but modeling was a good way to make some extra cash. I think the first thing I did was a calendar about five years ago. I remember it was for a Filipino national bank. The funny thing is I did the shoot out here, and my aunt in Chicago was in this Filipino market and saw the calendar out there. After that I did a few other calendars and some stuff for club promoters out here. Now I just do it ever once in awhile, 'cause I have to squeeze in this stuff into my school, my regular job and the Asian model talk show.

2NR: So when you're not selling Hooters' hot wings you're chatting on line? Tell me a little bit about this radio show you do.
SS: It's really cool 'cause the hosts are all Asian and it's Internet radio, so anybody with a computer and Internet service can listen. You know a lot of the hosts are 2NR models too. We have web cams and talk to people across the nation. Imagine just a bunch of girls in a room talking girl talk and answering questions from male and female listeners about whatever. We answer a lot of personal questions for females and curiosity questions for the males. The topics we deal with concern sexuality and a lot of dating and relationship tips for guys. We want guys to know what exactly women want from men. A majority of the listeners are male, but we also have a lot of female listeners. The website is www.asianmodeltalk.com and it's on Monday through Friday at 8:00 p.m. PST.

2NR: So do people ask personal questions about you?
SS: Oh yeah!

2NR: OK, I have a few for you. For starters, real or fake?
SS: Real looking! (Giggles) They're fake, but I find it funny that guys always think boobs are measured across the breasts when they are really measured under the breast. That's what gives you the number, the actual breast is the cup size.

2NR: Now for the boyfriend question, is there one?
SS: Humm... Let's say there is a very special person in my life.

2NR: Damn, you might as well have said yes. OK, interview is done. Just kidding. Since you are spoken for, why don't you tell me a bad dating experience when you were single?
SS: Oh man this is a bad one. OK, first you've got to realize this was a long time ago and I really didn't think about things like this back then. This one time, in band camp- just kidding. No, but really, this one time, I went out on a date with this one guy, who will remain nameless, but at the same time I was kind of talking to another guy. Well, the guy I was talking to saw me with this other guy and he started chasing us around in his car. Man, we jumped on different freeways and all these roads and we couldn't lose him. He was really crazy though. He ended up ramming into the car I was in.

2NR: And then?
SS: I'll just leave it at that cause it got pretty ugly. That's considered a very bad date though, right?

2NR: Oh yeah. Damn, you were a bad girl. So is there a specific nationality you tend to date?
SS: No, I think as long as you meet my particular criteria then I'm down with any nationality.

2NR: Actually, I knew that. I'm a master in boob-ology. Kinkiest place you ever got busy in?
SS: Department store dressing room.

2NR: How the heck did you do that?
SS: I'm very slick. (Laughs)

2NR: Any last words before I run out of tape?
SS: Yeah, look for the 2002 Island Eyes calendar, and don't forget to talk to me at www.asianmodeltalk.com.

Asianmodeltalk, school, calendar shoots, and let's not forget Hooters; how this Filipino beauty had time to fit us in her schedule is a miracle. In any case, we are honored to have her grace the cover of Import Tuner as well as have time to chat with us for an interview. Be on the look out for the 'Island Eyes' 2002 calendar.