Inside the Oscars: Moments You Didn't See On TV (AP)

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The highest concentration of cameras anywhere in the world Sunday was probably at the 83rd Academy Awards. Besides the hundreds of TV cameras on the red carpet, and a worldwide broadcast beamed to more than 200 countries, there were webcams in almost every corner.

But there are places inside and outside the Kodak Theatre hidden from the camera's eye, and that's where we are.

      From the theater wings to a private balcony box in the house, to nooks and crannies along the carpet, here's a running account of moments you couldn't see on TV:

3:21 p.m. PST: With almost two hours to showtime, a radiant Oscar co-host Anne Hathaway emerges from the Kodak Theatre in a shiny red dress, with two assistants behind her carrying its train, and heads toward the red carpet.

3:32 p.m.: Hathaway runs into the Oscar show's producer, Bruce Cohen, on the red carpet. "Do you like my dress?" she asks. "It's kinda pretty, huh?"

3:52 p.m.: "That's who that guy was!" Kevin Spacey gets a big reaction from the fan bleachers — once he removes his sunglasses.

3:57 p.m.: Jeremy Renner arrives with his mom, and the family resemblance is clear.

4:13 p.m.: Helena Bonham Carter and her boyfriend, director Tim Burton, pose for photos together. Then Burton steps back and let's his Oscar-nominated friend have the spotlight.

4:25 p.m.: Who needs a personal assistant? Director Taylor Hackford walks behind wife, Helen Mirren, gently holding up the train of her body-hugging silver gown.

4:56 p.m.: "And the Oscar for the first nominee to take her seat at the Kodak Theatre goes to ... " Well, there isn't one, but if there had been, Hailee Steinfeld would have collected it. Close behind is fellow supporting actress nominee Melissa Leo, who struts over to give her 14-year-old competitor a hug.

5 p.m.: With 30 minutes to showtime, Gwyneth Paltrow crosses paths with Jake Gyllenhaal. "Hey, I'm sitting right behind you," he tells her. "Oh good, I'll throw up on you then," says Paltrow, who will perform the nominated song from "Country Strong."

5:07 p.m.: There's major mingling inside the theater now. On one side, Colin Firth kisses Amy Adams on the cheek. In the center, Hugh Jackman is shown to his front-row seat before bouncing away. On the other side, Jake Gyllenhaal greets Marisa Tomei and Hilary Swank. "We're sitting next to each other," Swank excitedly tell Gyllenhaal.

509 p.m.: Two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks, walking with a stage manager, is overheard asking, "Where do I go? What do I do?" The stage manager shows him the way.

5:18 p.m.: "Please take your seats," a voice from somewhere inside the theater announces. "This is the last call. You will not be able to take your seats until the first commercial, 20 minutes from now."

5:25 p.m.: Kevin Spacey stands alone in this third row seat adjusting his cuff links. One row in front of him, Andrew Garfield from "The Social Network" is fidgeting with his bow tie. Then Garfield sees someone he knows several rows back and playfully gives him the finger.

5:31 p.m.: Stage manager Dency Nelson holds a tiny flashlight above Tom Hanks' head as a makeup artist applies a last dusting of powder before he takes the stage.

5:40 p.m.: Hanks let's out a hearty guffaw at the Marky Mark joke James Franco's grandma's delivers from the audience during the show's opening segment.

5:48 p.m.: Presenters Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis run into the night's first winners backstage. "Your speech was great. You did great," Timberlake tells them. "Now go get a drink."

6:03 p.m.: Speaking to the backstage thank-you cam after her supporting actress Oscar win, Melissa Leo thanks "everyone I have ever met." "Really and truly," she adds.

6:04 p.m.: Instead of a numerical countdown like in years past, the winners are faced with an upside-down white triangle that slowly appears on the TelePrompTer before the words "PLEASE WRAP UP, followed by "WRAP UP NOW." Melissa Leo spoke for several seconds before her triangle began appearing, but the "Toy Story 3" and "The Lost Thing" filmmakers were met with the three-sided object as soon as they were handed their Oscars.

6:09 p.m.: Anne Hathaway surprises everyone by coming out on stage during a break with a spinning raffle drum. She announces that she will be giving away a plate of sushi to the seat number she selects from the box. She's not kidding, either. There's a guy dressed like a butler who is holding a large platter of the stuff. The winner is someone in seat D71 in the top balcony.

6:46 p.m.: For the record, Matthew McConaughey was ad-libbing. There wasn't anything on the TelePrompTer about repeatedly saying the word "sound" in unison with Scarlett Johansson as they presented the awards for sound mixing and editing.

6:48 p.m.: Uh oh. Here's something you don't normally see at the Oscars, empty seats. Mark Wahlberg and his wife were somehow able to vacate their chairs without a seat-filler getting there in time to take them.

6:47 p.m. Apparently someone just couldn't wait to congratulate Atticus Ross for winning the Oscar for best original score for "The Social Network." "My phone was vibrating like crazy up there," he tells co-winner Trent Reznor as they leave the stage with their awards.

6:49 p.m.: Too much information. Russell Brand filling in Helen Mirren backstage on his plans after the two finished their Oscar presentations: "I'm going for a wee, then I'm going to sit with my mom."

7:04 p.m.: He wasn't the only one needing a bathroom break. Penelope Cruz and her husband, Javier Bardem, are seen ducking into a backstage bathroom together.

7:16 p.m.: Luke Matheny, the director, screenwriter and star of the live action short "God of Love," didn't let being stuck in the back of the orchestra section stop him from getting to the stage to collect his Oscar. The lanky filmmaker came barreling down the aisle faster than any winner this evening.

7:17 p.m.: Oprah Winfrey sums up what it was like to present an Oscar. "That was fun," she says to no one in particular as she leaves the stage.

7:27 p.m.: Wow. Billy Crystal just earned more laughs from this crowd with his first joke than Hathaway and Franco have all night.

7:35 p.m.: Talk about a close call. Kirk Baxter almost mowed down a cameraman while running down the aisle with Angus Wall to accept their best editing trophies for "The Social Network."

7:47 p.m.: Perpetual Oscar nominee Randy Newman leaves the crowd in stitches with his off-kilter acceptance speech after winning for best original song, only his second Oscar in 28 nominations. He apparently pleased the control room, too. He didn't get the dreaded "PLEASE WRAP UP" message after he went well over his time limit.

7:52 p.m.: There was no favoritism for any of the deceased during this year's in memoriam segment. Before Celine Dion takes the stage, the announcer suggests that everyone hold their applause until the end. They do.

8:03 p.m.: When complimented on his striped bow tie, Francis Ford Coppola proudly declares, "I tied it myself. ... No one ties their own ties anymore."

8:17 p.m.: Natalie Portman's family got a bird's eye view of "The Black Swan" star accepting her best actress Oscar. They were watching from a balcony box overlooking the audience. Portman's mother couldn't hold back the tears when her daughter's name was called.

8:30 p.m.: No racing for the parking lot tonight. The show is almost over, but you wouldn't know it from everyone still milling about in the theater, basking in the afterglow of Oscar.

8:41 p.m.: Those energy bars they handed out before the show's final hour must have really worked. Anne Hathaway is still charged up, rushing over to hug as many of the kid singers from New York City's Public School 22 as possible before dashing toward the audience to chat up Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter. Then it's time to pose for photos — with anyone who approaches.

Miss Universe - Miss Photogenic 2005, 2006 2007 Triple Win

<$BlogFeedsVertical$> Miss Universe 2005 - Gionna Cabrera

Venue: Bangkok, Thailand

Miss Universe 2006 - Lia Andrea Ramos

Venue: California, USA

Miss Universe 2007 - Anna Theresa Licaros

Venue: Mexico City, Mexico

Worthy Miss World 2005

<$BlogFeedsVertical$>Carlene Aguilar, Philippines

Iloilo City, Philippines Now A TWIN CITY Of Yulin City, China

Iloilo City, Philippines - We are happy to say that Iloilo City, Philippines and Yulin City, China are now the so-called "TWIN CITY" after a sisterhood pact was signed yesterday, March 3 by Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog and Yulin City Vice-Mayor Jiang Guo Cheng, who was the head of the Chinese delegation who arrived in the city days ago for the agreement and to have a city tour. Among the places the Chinese delegation visited is the South East Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) in Tigbauan, Iloilo, the leading fishery study and breeding center in Southeast Asia. According to a Chinese official the visit is a good opportunity to learn how to put up and maintain a fish facility in their native city, Yulin since they do not have any facility on fish breeding yet. In exchange, they would like to share their knowledge about their progressive agriculture industry to the city and province of Iloilo. Yulin is the second largest city in the Guangxi Province, China.

   The sisterhood agreement would help build a better cultural and educational exchange at the same time economic and trade relations between the two city.

Mystery Solved In The Death Of Japan's Beloved Dog Most Loyal Man's Best Friend

     These are just two pics of Hachiko's statue mounted in his honor. Below this article are the real pictures of Hachiko while he is still alive

     Scientists have settled a decades-old mystery by naming a cause of death for Japan's most famous dog, Hachiko, whose legendary loyalty was immortalized in a Hollywood movie starring Richard Gere.

     They say Hachiko died of cancer and worms, not because he swallowed a chicken skewer that ruptured his stomach — as legend had had it.

     Hachiko was considered such a model of devotion that his organs were preserved when he died in 1935.

     For years, Hachiko used to wait at Shibuya train station for its master, a professor at the University of Tokyo. Even after the professor died, the dog went to the station to wait for his master every afternoon for a decade until he finally died.

     Tokyo residents were so moved that they built a statue of Hachiko at the station, which remains a popular rendezvous spot for Japanese today. He was also the hero of Japanese children's books.

     The dog's story turned into a 2009 Hollywood film, "Hachi: A Dog's Story," starring Richard Gere — a remake of a 1987 Japanese movie.

     Rumors had it that Hachiko died after wolfing down a skewer of grilled chicken — Japanese barbecue called yakitori — that ruptured his stomach.

     But University of Tokyo veterinarians examining his innards said Wednesday that they found Hachiko had terminal cancer and also a filaria infection — worms.

     Four yakitori sticks remained in Hachiko's stomach, but they did not damage his stomach or cause death, said Kazuyuki Uchida, one of veterinarians.

     "Hachiko certainly had yakitori given by a street vendor at Shibuya," he said. "But the sticks were unrelated to his death, and the rumor is groundless."

A Compelling Story Of Loyalty Shown By Man's Best Friend

"From man's best friend’s unceasing loyalty, mankind should master." -- Scott Latham

     I watched the movie based on this real life loyal dog Hachiko of Japan which starred Richard Gere and I was moved so I feature it here.

     Professor Hidesaburō Ueno lived in Tokyo with his beloved Akita named Hachiko. Everyday Hachiko would see Ueno off to work from his home and then, at the end of the day, greet him at the nearby Shibuya Train Station.

    One day in May 1925 would be the end of their daily routine together, for Ueno suffered a fatal stroke during his day at work. He never returned to his faithful friend that day nor any day thereafter.

    Some of the people at the train station recognized Hachiko from his prior rendezvous with Ueno. Knowing about Ueno's death, they were deeply touched by this act of loyalty and brought him food. Eventually the story spread about Hachiko.

   A former student of Professor Ueno's heard of Hachiko's vigil and went to the station to see the loyal Akita. Fascinated by Hachiko, the former student wrote several papers on him. In 1932, one of these papers was published in Tokyo's largest newspaper. This article threw Hachiko into Japan's national spotlight.

   Hachiko became the personification of loyalty. School teachers and parents would use him as a teaching model for dedication and loyalty. In 1934, a well-known Japanese artist sculpted a likeness of Hachiko to be placed at the entrance of Shibuya Station; in the same area he waited for his long-deceased master. Hachiko himself was there for the statue's dedication.

   Hachiko was given away to new owners but the loyal dog always ran off in search of his true master. After returning to Ueno's former home several times, Hachiko realized that he did not live there anymore. Hachiko then searched for his friend at the train station. There he perpetually returned everyday henceforth, always at the end of the day and at the precise time of Ueno's scheduled arrival. Hachiko waited there in vain every day for 11 years.

   On March 8 1935, eleven years after it started, Hachiko's vigil came to an end. At almost 12 years old, the Akita succumbed to heart-worm disease. The nation of Japan mourned the loss of their most beloved canine.

   Hachiko's long wait was over and finally he is reunited with his beloved master at Rainbow Bridge.

   Below are the video tributes to the great loyal man's best friend Hachiko and the scenes are taken from 1987 movie Hachiko Monogatari, the very first movie about the caring and loving Akita dog...

Source: http://hubpages.com/hub/Hachiko

Miss Universe 1974 Amparo Muñoz Dies At 56

Amparo Muñoz declared Miss Universe in 1974

      Miss Universe 1974 Amparo Muñoz, who was crowned in the Philippines when the international beauty pageant was held here, has died after a "long illness" at her home in Malaga, Spain, reports Typically Spanish. She was 56 years old.

      The actress was the first Miss Spain to be crowned Miss Universe but she renounced the title six months later due to discrepancies with the organizers, reports Typically Spanish. After winning the pageant, she returned to the Philippines to shoot the movie Hayop sa Ganda with 1969 Miss Universe Gloria Diaz says Ricky Lo, shownbiz columnist of The Philippine Star. However, she "went home in a huff after she clashed with a producer-talent-scout with whom she swapped court charges."

     More than a decade ago, Muñoz was rumored to have died from AIDS, according to Lo's column in 2006. That year, Lo wrote that Muñoz told Spanish newspaper Cronica that she suffered from a cerebral disease, not AIDS, a few years ago.

      Lo quoted Muñoz, "I got sick the same day my Papa died of pulmonary infection... I was devastated by his death because I wasn't able to ask forgiveness from him for everything that I did. At first, I felt little symptoms. I would get dizzy when tying my shoes."

      She added, "So I consulted a doctor and at first he told me, 'I'm afraid that you have cancer of the brain.' Soon, I was vomiting and feeling tremors. I was checked again by my doctor who found an abnormal growth in my cerebellum. So I underwent chemotherapy."

       For more on this story, log on to Typically Spanish and The Philippine Star.

Source: Spot

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Breaking News: Two Binibining Pilipinas Candidates Disqualified, More To Follow

        Two Binibining Pilipinas hopefuls have been disqualified by the wicked evil Stella Marquez Araneta for the reason that they made sexy and pose showing a little skin for some magazines which is a direct violation of the crooked rules and regulations of the beauty pageant organization prompting indignant fans to protest such a low blow and bias action of the ALIEN foreigner Organizer of the beauty pageant. Grendel Alvarado and Jen Olivar were shocked to find out they were remove from the roster of candidates from this year's Philippines' premier national pageant which sends delegates to Miss Universe, Miss International and other pageants such as Miss Supranational. They are also blacklisted from joining Binibining Pilipinas in the future. Martha Chloe McCully and Roxanne Cabanero are also in critical situation of disqualification for reasons undisclosed yet. There are more ladies to follow threatened by the pageant marred with controversy, corruption, politics and crime. Some of the titleholders in the past won because some senators, congressmen and high profile personalities serves as backers for them telling the social climber Stella Marquez Araneta to let her win their delegate on their preferred titles. Some of the titles in Binibining Pilipinas are already pre-arranged to some ladies who will take home the crown and will represent the country in international competition. I don't know if that is still the case today but before the cheating and dirty politics is very obvious barenaked slapping everyone to their faces.

       Binibining Pilipinas has been under fire since its inception in 1964 under the devilish and cruel Colombian Stella Marquez Araneta. It imposes primitive and sadistic rules such as the prohibition of delegates in posing sexy pictorials and misleading ORAL information about delegates as grounds for disqualification and also dual citizenship of a Filipina delegate who has a foreign blood on one of her parents is not allowed by Binibining Pilipinas Charities, Inc. There are already some indignant beauty pageant followers petitioning to kick her out of the country and make her return to Colombia. One of the first action made to finally overthrowing her and kicking her butt is her organization losing the franchise of Miss World to a Filipino/Malaysian subsidiary company which will be the one to select a Philippine delegate to Miss World for the first time this year. There are more interested Filipino businessmen and pageant fanatics who will try to win other international pageant franchise from Stella Marquez Araneta's group among them Miss Universe and Miss International because they cannot bear the fact that an Alien in the name of Stella Marquez Araneta, a Colombian, is sabotaging the Philippines chances in international beauty pageant competition by imposing such brutish and nonsense policies. A year ago, Miss Universe allowed delegates to make some sexy and revealing pose showing some skin on their cover pictorials for the Miss Universe official website and other media and platforms it will be used so there is no way for Binibining Pilipinas Charities, Inc. to disqualify a delegate for such an invalid reason, she violated the rights and freedom of the delegates by imposing such cruelty and beside she is an illegitimate citizen of the Philippines, she is free to leave the country and not wait for her fate. We will not allow a dictator's spirit trapped on Stella Marquez's body to rule our local pageantry or we will stage a new PEOPLE POWER!

Grendel Alvarado

Jen Bolivar

Martha Chloe McCully

Roxanne Cabanero

Love Gone Wrong

Delve into the strange, and often painful, world of love

         It’s that time of the year again when florists make more money in three days than they normally do in three months. When you put your lactose intolerance aside and enthusiastically accept chocolates from your boyfriend like it’s the most creative gift on earth. A time when you willingly pay a ridiculous amount of money to sit in a crowded restaurant to stare into each others eyes while trying to ignore the 20 other couples doing the exact same thing. Yes, it’s Valentines Day. A wonderful time for those in love.

       But let’s face it, not everybody’s happy in love. You may have just been dumped or had your ex-boyfriend thrown in jail for fraud and money laundering (cough, Anne Hathaway, cough). But before you start feeling sorry for yourself, read on about all the bad things that have happened between two people who once promised each other the moon and the sky. When you’re done, you’ll probably feel much better about your single status. And you might even learn a thing or two – like the importance of finding out if your partner has criminal or, worse, cannibalistic tendencies.

Mad About You | Actors act all funny when they fall in love

          If there were an Oscar for Most Over the Top Declaration of Love, TOM CRUISE would have skipped to the podium to deliver his acceptance speech. The over-the-top pouncing, air punching and bended-knee performance on Oprah Winfrey’s couch in 2005 to gush over KATIE HOLMES led everyone to believe the Scientologist had lost his mind. (Cruise has made the similar performance on Jay Leno’s couch.) The couple later wed in Italy in November 2006. We’re not sure if Cruise offered to get Oprah’s couch dry-cleaned.

          For years, entertainment mags had it that ANGELINA JOLIE and BILLY BOB THORNTON wore vials of each other’s blood around their necks while they were married. But in an interview Jolie did in 2008, the actress said it was just media hogwash. “It was never a vial anyway,” she clarified. “It was like a flower press. It was like from a slight cut on your finger and you press your fingerprint in. I thought it was romantic.” Semantics, we say!

          Tattoos seem to be de rigeur for hotly in love Hollywood couples. PAMELA ANDERSON had “Tommy” linked in case she forgot TOMMY LEE’s name. But Pirates of the Caribbean star JOHNNY DEPP topped the lot with “Winona Forever” on his right arm, which he had to alter to “Wino Forever” after his split with actress Winona Ryder.

Till death, dismemberment, or both, do us part

Here are some of the meanest and harshest payback scheme

          IN SINGAPORE, when aquarium shop assistant Chua Beng Hin’s mistress broke up with him, he was so incensed he not only wanted her and her new love dead, he also wanted to gouge out her eyes – her self-professed asset – with a screwdriver. He paid three teens S$500 ($350) to do the deed. But the plan was foiled when police questioned the boys for loitering near her home and they sang like a canary.

          ZACKERY BOWEN AND ADRIANE HALL were together for a year-and-a-half before she caught him cheating on her and threw him out of ther New Orleans apartment in 2006. Unable to deal with it, he strangled her to death and later cut the body up before jumping off a hotel with a suicide note in his pocket. The note led the police to their apartment, where a strange sight greeted them: Hall’s charred head was found in a pot on the stove, her legs and arms on turkey-basting trays in the oven and the rest of her body in a trash bag in the fridge. Next to the pot were diced carrots and potatoes.

          WHEN LORENA BOBBITT lopped off her husband John’s penis in 1993 with a kitchen knife , she gave birth to the new term “pulled a Bobbitt.” The long abused wife was allegedly raped after John returned home drunk. After the severing, she drove around the neighbourhood before flinging the dismembered member out of the car window. The police found the severed penis, which was re-attached to John after a nine hour surgery.

          A FILIPINO FISHMONGER found out his wife was going to divorce him because of his suspected affair. The 35-year-old, who was a refugee in Malaysia, used illegal fishing explosives to blow up his wife and himself at his sister-in-law’s house in Kota Kinabalu.

Happily Never After | Clearly, moviegoers love a good sob


          The top-grossing movie of all time is a tearjerker of mega proportions. TITANIC, about a ship doomed on its first sail and the equally ill-fated love between a rich girl and a poor boy, remains the highest grossing movie of all time even more than ten years after its theatrical release in 1997. The blockbuster’s worldwide box office takings stand at pole-position with $1.83 billion. Even the top-grossing Asian film in the US is one that echoes love not meant to be; CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON pulled $128 million.

        In Asia, movies about hopeless love are also lapped up with greater relish. In India, the Shah Rukh Khan-helmed tragedy OM SHANTI OM, about an aspiring actor who falls in love with a popular actress only to watch her die in a fire, trumps over all other Hindi films. Even CNN put IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE, Wong Kar Wai’s masterpiece about love and loss, in its list of best Asian films of all time.

Crime Watch | The following women found themselves in the prison of love when they fell for men who got on the wrong side of the law


           ANNE HATHAWAY’s four-year romance with Italian businessman RAFFAELLO FOLIERI came to a halt in June 2008 when he was charged with fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering. The charming conman, who had funded their lavish lifestyle with his ill-gotten gains, was sentenced to four-and-a-half years behind bars. After the split, the Rachel Getting Married actress candidly went on Saturday Night Live and quipped: “I broke up with my boyfriend, and two weeks later he was sent to prison for fraud. I mean, we’ve all been there, right, ladies?”

          Not too happy that his ex-girlfriend LINDA RISS was marrying another man, high flying New York lawyer BURT PUGACH paid a hoodlum $2000 to disfigure her in 1959. The crime, which blinded her, landed Pugach in jail for 14 years. After he was released, they tied the knot. Could this be where the phrase “love is blind” came from?

          After supermodel KATE MOSS cleaned up her act following a very public cocaine-snorting expose in 2005, she found herself wiping up the mess her musician beau PETE DOHERTY left behind with his repeated drug-related arrests. After several postponed walks down the aisle, he was hauled back to jail again last 2008 on drug charges and that was when she – finally! – gave up on him.

Can This Be Love | When adoration and affection go off tangent, it can morph into anything from warped to plain cruel


          ENGLISH KING HENRY THE EIGHT beheaded his Queen, Anne Boleyn, in 1536 on the grounds that she committed adultery. Her alleged lovers, one of whom was her brother, suffered the same fate. History has it that she was thought to be innocent, and that Henry had her executed so that he could marry another woman. More strangely, Anne’s sister, Mary, was Henry’s mistress.

         THE SPARTAN SOCIETY of ancient Greece saw nothing wrong with women bringing their lovers home. Men both allowed and encouraged their wives to bear the children of other men, thanks to the community’s consensus that it was more pertinent to bear offspring for the good of the race, than to quibble over the moral values of the family.

          A 60-YEAR-OLD JAPANESE MAN dumped his sex-doll girlfriend in 2009 and got into trouble with local authorities. The retiree had lived with his 1.7-meter-tall, 50-kilogram silicon mate for several years after his wife’s passing, and decided to part ways with “her” after agreeing to move in with his grown-up children. According to the police, he had grown attached to the doll and thought “it would be cruel to cut her up into pieces and throw her out with the trash.” So in August last year, he wrapped her up and dumped her, quite literally, in the woods. He now faces fines for illegal dumping.

          A BRITISH WOMAN MARRIED CINDY the dolphin in Israel in December 2005. Sharon Tendler, who is 41, unofficially tied the knot with the oddly named male mammal after visiting it regularly over a 15-year period. It is reported that Tendler requested the wedding – where she offered Cindy fish and a kiss – to have “a bit of fun”“It’s all fun and games until someone marries a dolphin.” after her friends joked about her singlehood, sparking off the not-so-often heard saying,

The Price of Love | These rich folks settled down, became unsettled and finally sought a settlement to get as far away as possible from each other

THE 3 MOST EXPENSIVE DIVORCE SETTLEMENTS

1. $1.7 BILLION: RUPERT MURDOCH & ANNA MURDOCH in what began as a harmonious split in 1998 after a 32-year marriage, the breakup turned ugly when the media magnate knocked Anna off the board of News Corporation. A year later, he settled by giving her what would be the largest amount – including $110 million in cash – a woman would walk away with from a failed marriage. Less than three weeks after the divorce, he married one of his employees Wendi Deng.

2. $1.48 BILLION: SUMNER REDSTONE & PHYLLIS GLORIA RAPHAEL The Viacom owner divorced Raphael, his first wife of 55 years and mother of his two children Shari and Brent, 1999 and reached the whopper settlement in 2002. A year later, he married former primary school teacher Paula Fortunato. In October 2008, the 85-year-old filed for divorce from the 46-year-old Fortunato, who allegedly received $5 million – chump change for Redstone whose estimated net worth last 2008 was $9 billion.

3. $874 MILLION: ADNAN KHASHOGGI & SORAYA KHASHOGGI Although there are differing reports over the final settlement amount, because part of it was apparently tied to oil prices, it is still a headline-hogging sum that Soraya Khashoggi managed to slice off her Saudi Arabian arms dealer husband in 1982. The couple had five children in their 21-year affair-plagued marriage. In a soap-opera worthy dramatic turn of events, it was later found through DNA testing that one of his daughters was not his.

PAYMENT PENDING...

           AGA KHAN & PRINCESS BEGUM INAARA The billionaire racehorse owner and spiritual leader married the German princess in 1998 but announced their divorce six years later citing an “irretrievable breakdown” in their relationship. Aga Khan is estimated to be worth $1.6 billion and reports say it is not true that the Princess is seeking up to half of his assets. They have described the divorce as a “private matter” and the case has recently been moved from Britain to France, where the settlement is likely to be less damaging.

          RON DENNIS & LISA DENNIS The McLaren Formula One racing team boss is looking at a possible $150 million divorce payout after splitting up with his American-born wife of 22 years in February 2008.

          SHWAN AL-MULLA & SUZAN AL-MULLA Shwan met Suzan while they were studying in London and married her in 1980. The London-based Iraqi Kurd, who made his billions from reconstruction in Iraq, separated from her in 2004 and is trying to stave off his estranged wife’s claim of as much as $780 million. They have five children from their 20-year marriage.

THESE FOLKS GOT OFF RELATIVELY EASY...

          SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY & HEATHER MILLS Their four-year union finally came to a close in March last year after the high-profile divorce was wrought with accusations of infidelity, emotional outbursts and spats with the media. Mills received $37.8 million – a mere fraction of the $194 million she sought from one of Britain’s wealthiest musicians, whose estimated worth is $618 million. The court also ruled that McCartney fork out $54,000 a year as financial provision for their five-year-old daughter Beatrice until she turns 18. Sixty-six-year-old Sir Paul left the court smiling while former model Mills ranted against the judicial system.

          MADONNA & GUY RITCHIE in what was lauded as a “model divorce” – for both its speed and non-wrangling – Ritchie left without quibbling for the Material Girl’s estimated $490 million, even though the director purportedly only has a tenth of that amount to his name. As of press time, there were differing reports on his settlement amount: the figure of $76 million released by Madonna’s publicist was later retracted by the couple.

Writing Off Love | The written word has captured countless heartbreaks throughout the centuries


          From innocent love gone awry to obsessive manipulation, from Shakespeare to Stephenie Meyer, the theme of tortured love has captured the imaginations of book lovers throughout the ages. Two of the Bard’s most famous plays ROMEO & JULIET and ANTONY & CLEOPATRA, portray doomed love – the former paints the wide-eyed infatuation between star-crossed lovers who are driven to extremes while the latter is wrought with destructive passion, power and betrayal. And centuries on, generations are still entertained by love that was not to be.

          Love in print in the 19th century dove into the depths of ill-timed adoration, obsession, exploited affections, rejection, revenge and sacrifice and saw the birth of titles such as Emily Bronte’s classic WUTHERING HEIGHTS and Thomas Hardy’s FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD and TESS OF THE D’URBERVILLES.

          In these modern times, tales of tormented love have extended beyond the literary audiences as novels such as Michael Ondaatje’s THE ENGLISH PATIENT, about a young nurse who looks after a badly burned pilot, and Stephenie Meyer’s teen cult novel TWILIGHT series, about the forbidden love between a vampire and a girl, get their big-screen adaptations.

Source : Love Gone Wrong by Chelsia Toon, Reader’s Digest February 2009

Love Images

When the season of love comes, one can't help but find ways to express love. Love also has it symbols. These images has been a symbol of love that has been found and love that has been lost. When you see these images, you will remember someone can do for the sake or in the name of love.

Beauty Pageants Analysis

           We always have to watch beauty pageants in our spare time and we are so mesmerized by the beauties parading before our very eyes and costly production and very busy and inviting activities of the delegates prior to the culmination of the event that makes us hooked up and follow every minute of it. Through the years, the pageant evolves, made a lot of changes and transformation and adapt to the changing times. We could not avoid but make some comments or have our say of what transpired out of a particular beauty pageant either it meets our expectation or disappoint us. If there are lots of reviews, comments and feedback a participating delegate receives from pundits and pageant aficionados, we can also have our say on the pageant itself which organize the events. Here are my analysis on the grand slam pageants.



Miss Universe – the most glamorous of all the pageants always leave us in awe and never disappoint us in the production and activities leading to the finals night. It has always been a spectacular extravaganza and one of the best events on Earth. Amazing pageant with a perfectionist touch and high standard of competitions. The only weakness is the placement or selection of delegates which makes several misses or disappointments with lots of noteworthy delegates not making the cut and the eventual winner is somewhat lackluster, ugly & undeserving but the year 2010 is one of the exceptions.



Miss World – not a real beauty pageant but more of a fund raising event. Although the pageant is held in some of the amazing places around the world, the activities done by the ladies were more on fund raising and charity events and sports which were not required of a true beauty pageant. Furthermore, there is no clear or real criteria as basis of judging for selecting semifinalist and the eventual winner that is taking place like the swimsuit and evening gown competition but mock judges to show on finals night and what is ironic is that the winner is a personal handpick of Julia Morley, who owns the pageant, who personally announce the winner herself. Miss World winners always come from a European country, British Crown and colonies and American mestizas who were front runners in beauty pageants or a superpower country where Morley can invest and make some business. Plus the issue of prostitution in the Miss World in which the delegates are being served like a whore in the tables of the patronizing sponsors and Morley act like a pimp badly tarnishing the image and reputation of the pageant with a malicious purpose.




Miss Earth – In its ten years of beauty and responsibility, the only pageant who advocates environmental awareness, Miss Earth produced lovely queens of astounding accomplishments who defend the Mother Earth and promotes environment protection and conservation. The judgment and selection of semifinalists is impressive, deserving and noteworthy with only a few undesirable delegates making the cut and they are also bias on Asians giving them more priorities even if they are not worthy or deserving of a spot and also tend to be conventional following only the trends on Miss Universe of who is always making the cut and they don’t take a fearless selection of new but very ferocious beauties doing their best to take the crown. The finals night is such a poor taste and low quality that some of the segments are way outdated, tacky and primitive . They don’t know how to capitalize on the pageant, market and make profits out of it because they are not into the business of beauty pageant, and obviously a neophyte in the field. It takes a third party who is a pageant magician and a business-minded individual who can transform the pageant into a prestigious and glamorous event as it deserves to be.




Miss International – For the last 50 years, Miss International has been the modest and the most simple yet elegant beauty pageant of all grandslam. It has been held in Long Beach, California, USA for its first few years but since then has moved to Japan as its permanent home but has been held outside Japan since 2004 in China. The pageant conducts a simple, modest but elegant activities prior to an austere finals night. They also choose beautiful, outspoken, noteworthy woman of achievements as the winner. The only weakness in the pageant is that the placements or semifinalists chosen. There are quite a rare instance that an Asian other than Japan and the Philippines made the cut and also black delegates, in fact only one black delegate has ever won Miss International in the name Yeimy Paola Vargas of Colombia in 2004 but the worse thing about Miss International is the outdated, primitive crown which is made of pearls mounted or attached to a foam hat and the crown is tied down on the chin to avoid falling making it ugly and tacky.

           Hope with these comments, changes and improvements should be taken to ensure a high standard of pageants much to the delight and satisfaction of the viewers and pageant lovers!

Emelio Caligdong, Philippines' Newest Football Superstar

               The Philippine Azkals team wins over Mongolia Blue Wolves tonight 2-1 in a jampacked Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, Philippines in the AFC Challenge Cup soccer football pre-qualifying match. Thanks to the heroes of the Azkal team, Emelio Caligdong's excellent goal kick in the first half of the game and another goal coming from Phil Younghusband last minute quick and uncontrollable kick. But it was the now famous "Mongolian barbecue" superior goal of Caligdong at vantage point right in between the legs of the astonished Mongolian goalkeeper that rocks the stadium at Panaad and created an uproar and thundering noise which makes a raucous crowd.Caligdong scored the first goal for the Azkals in the 42nd minute. The midfielder called by his peers as “Chieffy" eluded his defender then delivered the first point between the legs of the Mongolian goalie to the delight of the packed hometown crowd.
            What a sensational and high calibre of powerful kick coming from someone who has a passion for football as a young child and coming from the football capital of the Philippines and also the native province of the legendary Paulino Alcantara - Iloilo. He is our superhero and the newest sensation and the newest football superstar of the country! I love the Azkals and I love Caligdong! hahahahahaha......Good luck to your game matches that will propel the Philippines to higher world rankings and hopefully and possibly makes the impossible possible - be a team participating at the World Cup!

OUT TV Show Should Be Back On Air!

              Out, the Philippines’ first gay oriented television program tackles issues about homosexuality in the country and related news around the world & practical tips, gigs, events or any interesting topics about Philippines gay lifestyle like documentary or real life stories of gays or gay couple both famous and ordinary gay Filipino. It also features a segment wherein the show helps a discreet gay to come OUT of the closet and come to terms with their sexuality and open it up to their surprised families, friends and relatives while still in awe in disbelief. Thus, the name of the show derives from. The show makes sure that the closeted queen or homosexual are accepted by their families and friends and that they will live happily ever after.

         The show was aired by GMA-7 Philippines in 2004 and was banned by MTRCB (Move and Television Review and Classification Board) a year later for the reason that it is morally wrong, gives a bad influence on the people and lack of Christian values and virtues and good character needed by the Filipinos. If this regulation took place in another country, let’s say Europe or the America where gay rights is prominent and gay lifestyle is a privilege being enjoyed by everyone, it will stir chaos and will result to pandemonium. But I am hopeful that liberal and open minded people will pave the way for the show to be back on air soon. I pray that it will happen and fix the misconception of Filipinos about homosexuality, become more receptive and accepting of their brothers in color so we will live happily ever after and shout OUT!

Love Knows No Boundary

No matter what you are regardless of your color or background, love can be found in its strangest sometimes awkward way to  show us that it is unconditional and it can happen anytime once it we found it!

Dinagyang Festival 2011 Winning Performance

Dinagyang Festival 2011 Grand Champion, Tribu Pan-ay Winning Performance At Judging Area No. 4 at corner Quezon-Ledesma St., Iloilo City.

Dinagyang Festival 2011 Grand Champion, Tribu Pan-ay Winning Performance At Judging Area No. 5 at Maria Clara City Proper in front of Iloilo Grand Hotel, Iloilo City.

Dinagyang Festival 2011 Winning Performance

Dinagyang Festival 2011 1st runner up, Tribu Paghidaet Winning Performance At Judging Area No. 4 at corner Quezon-Ledesma St., Iloilo City.

Dinagyang Festival 2011 Winning Performance

Dinagyang Festival 2011 2nd runner up, Tribu Bola-Bola Winning Performance At Judging Area No. 4 at corner Quezon-Ledesma St., Iloilo City.

Philippines Win Ford Supermodel Of The World 2011

New York, USA - Danica Flores Magpantay, a 17 year old Freshman Fine Arts student from the Philippines won the coveted title Ford Models Supermodel of the World 2011 held last Saturday, January 22 at New York City, USA. She walked away with $250,000 modelling contract with Ford. 1st runner up is a model from Lithuania who took home $150,000 worth of modeling contract, 2nd runner up is from Poland, 3rd runner up is from Brazil and 4th runner up is from Estonia. 2nd to 4th runner up each took home $100,000 modeling contract.

        Melanie Marquez was the first Philippine representative to the Ford Supermodel of the World modeling competition that was formerly named Face of the 80s at that time and eventually placed 1st runner up to Monika Schnarre of Canada in 1986. Other Filpina standouts at the competition include Charo Ronquillo who ended up 3rd runner up to Katsia Damankova of Belarus in 2006 and Charlene Almarvez who placed 1st runner up to Karlina Caune of Latvia in last year's Ford Supermodel of the World 2010. Danica Magpantay's mother Lala Flores, a ramp model herself, was the Philippine representative to the 1994 Ford Models Supermodel of the World competition where she was unplaced.

Dinagyang Festival 2011 Results and Winners

Iloilo City, Philippines - Dinagyang Festival 2011 has been a tremendous success highlighted with the announcement of the result. A record breaking 1.5 million visitors trooped to Iloilo City this week to witness Asia's best festival 2011 up from 1.2 million visitors last year 2010. This year it has been officially declared Dinagyang Festival as the "Queen of Philippine Festival" and also making Maria Elena "Ballsy" Aquino Cruz, the current president's sister as the adopted daughter of Iloilo thus a double celebration. Dinagyang Festival is the only Philippine festival to travel around the world to perform. This year's winner will go to New York City, USA to perform for the Philippine Independence Day organized by the Filipino community in New York.

       On the other hand, this will be the last year that Kasadyahan Festival, a separate event that add color to Dinagyang, will be held in January. Next year, it will be separated and will take place in September in time for Iloilo City Charter Day.

       Watch the winning performances of different tribes from Kasadyahan and Dinagyang Festival 2011 in youtube.

      Here is the official result of the Kasadyahan and Dinagyang Competitions just announced tonight at 9:00pm:

Opening Salvo (January 15, 2011)

Street dance Special Awards:

Best in Performance - Tribu Paghidaet

Best in Discipline - Tribu Bola-bola

Best in Costume - Tribu Mandurriao

Kasadyahan Festival (January 22, 2011)

Special Awards:

Best in Music - Tribu Tultugan (Municipality of Maasin)

Best in Costume - Tribu Binanog (Municipality of Lambunao)

Best in Streetdance - Tribu Pagdihon (Municipality of Dingle)

Best Choreographer - Ramil Huyatid, Tribu Pantat

Best in Choreography - Tribu Pantat (Municipality of Zarraga)

Best in Performance - Tribu Kasag (Municipality of Banate)

Major Awards:

4th runner up - Tribu Tinuom (Municipality of Cabatuan)

3rd runner up - Tribu Pagdihon (Municipality of Dingle)

2nd runner up - Tribu Binanog (Municipality of Lambunao)

1st runner up - Tribu Kasag (Municipality of Banate)

Champion - Tribu Pantat (Municipality of Zarraga)

Dinagyang Festival (January 23, 2011)

Special Awards:

Best in Streetdancing - Tribu Paghidaet

Best in Head Dress - Tribu Paghidaet

Best in Discipline - Tribu Bola-bola

Best Costume Designer - Jobert Molina, Tribu Paghidaet

Best in Costume - Tribu Paghidaet

Best Musical Director - Ryan Velez, Tribu Salognon

Best in Music - Tribu Salognon

Best Choreographer - Romel Flogen, Tribu Pan-ay

Best in Choreography - Tribu Pan-ay

Best in Performance - Tribu Pan-ay

Major Awards:

Barangay Category

3rd place - Tribu Aninipay

2nd place - Tribu Pag-asa

1st place - Tribu Atub-atub

Open Category

4th runner up - Tribu Mandurriao

3rd runner up - Tribu Salognon

2nd runner up - Tribu Bola-bola

1st runner up - Tribu Paghidaet

Grand Champion - Tribu Pan-ay

Dinagyang Festival 2011 Whooping Visitors

An unprecedented record breaking 1.5 million visitors went to Iloilo City this week to witness Asia's best festival

Dinagyang Festival 2011 My Fearless Forecast

Champion: Tribu Pan-ay

1st runner up: Tribu Paghidaet

2nd runner up: Tribu salognon

3rd runner up: Tribu Bola-bola

4th runner up: Tribu Silak

5th runner up: Tribu Mandurriao

Consolation or Highly Commended: Tribu Ilonganon

Dinagyang Festival 2011 Live Streaming

Watch Dinagyang Festival 2011 Now Live Streaming at TFC!