Harsh Reactions On A Philippine Couple Wedding Cake

A high-profile couple in the Philippines tied the knot in a high-profile way Tuesday -- with an elaborate ceremony followed by an elaborate reception that featured a massive wedding cake.

The nuptials between actors Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera were watched with bated breath in their native Philippines, aided by the major news network there that covered the wedding with a live blog and social media feeds.

The wedding day was also documented by the couple’s fans, who call themselves “The DongYanatics” and used the hashtags #DongYanWedding and #DM123014 to get the wedding trending on social media.

The centerpiece of the couple's reportedly Italian feast wedding reception menu was the couple’s wedding cake, which the GMA Network describes as a “five-tiered wedding cake standing over twelve-feet tall.”

Dantes and Rivera's reportedly 3-D wedding cake was made by Goldilocks, a pastry company endorsed by Dingdong, according to a "The DongYanatics" Instagram post.

"This 3D mapped cake for #DM123014 is beyond words! According to Pinky Yee of Goldilocks, it took them 1 month to make this and that it was @dongdantes' idea," the post read.

The current record-holder for the world's largest wedding cake is a 15,032 pounds made by chefs at the Mohegan Sun Hotel and Casino in Connecticut and displayed at their New England bridal showcase in 2004, according to the Guinness World Records' website.

The couple's wedding reception venue was, as described by the GMA Network, the “enchanting and lavish” Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, Philippines.

The venue’s website says it has a capacity of 15,000 seated and a “full house” capacity of 20,000.



This is the link to the news:

Philippines Couple Celebrates Wedding With Massive Cake

Here are some of the people's reactions: 

Freud strongly believed males obsessed with large objects have very small penises.

I don't even see the point about arguing how much these people should spend on their wedding. The people complaining must be the grandchildren of Stalin. No matter what condition the Philippines is in, it's still a free country the last time I checked. Yes there's the color red on the flag directly below the blue, but I haven't heard the country being called the People's Republic of the Philippines, yet. Why get so emotional over a stupid cake. They want it, they paid for it; you people must deal with it...

Do you think all 15,000 attendees got to sample the cake?

And I suppose this is a guarantee that theirs will be a happy ever after? I give them a few years.

It's grand wedding, but the cake is tacky. It's way too large and high, it over power the couple standing next to it. It looks ridiculous in actuality.

It took a month to make costing them P7M and they will feast on a stale cake that is a month old? LOL...... Really people, size and cost seems to be their fixation. I just hope she does not get disappointed on their honeymoon night with something really small since she is so used to big things now, hahaha.

Celebrity weds with a parade of bishops/priests. Whereas the common people need to pay a huge sum for a priest to officiate their wedding.

Filipinos are obsessed with celebrities while the south is reeling from a typhoon. The least they could do is move the wedding out of respect to those affected by the calamity.

Shameful display of opulence in a nation that starves!

How much of the cake was wasted and discarded? I personally wouldn't want to eat cake that was a month old. I guess If you can afford the over the top cake more power to you. I personally think its ugly.

Meanwhile right outside the venue is thousands of poor filipinos that eating rice and a piece of pork for P50!

Itigil nyo na ang pambabatikos sa kasal na ito dahil wala na kayong magagawa, nangyari na. Naitae na ng mga kumain yung cake at namamahinga na ang mga labi ng cake sa fosa negra at sa pilapil (doon sa mga walang sariling palikuran). Kung anu-anong walang saysay na haka-haka ang iniimbento nyo wala rin naman kayo binatbat at sulusyon jan sa ginagawang panloloko sa inyo ng gobyerno nyo. Pati mga taong walang kinalaman sa paglutas ng problema na dapat ang mga hinalal nyong namumuno ang hingan nyo ng solusyon nililigalig nyo. Sino ba ang binabayaran na galing sa mga buwis nyo? Itong dalawang ikinasal tinupad nila ang katungkulan nila bilang mga alagad ng pinilakang tabing. Nasiyahan naman ang mga taong nagbayad ng kanilang mga pelikula, hindi ba? Ano ang iniiyak nyo sa ginawa nila sa kasal nila? Tama na yang pakitang tao dahil kung kayo rin ay kasing yaman nila baka hindi lang ganyan ang gawin ninyo. Kaya tama na ang pagtatago ng tunay sinasaloob nyo na taglay na inggit sa mga budhi nyong maiitim!!!


And so say the Filipinos...it's perfectly ok to show off your hard earned money because you publicize your charitable contributions. Screw the majority of the country who live in
EXTREME poverty. That is the problem with the VERY few who are "blessed" with their usually ill-begotten wealth. They always have to rub it in. Nothing to do with jealousy/inggit, just pure insensitivity that they explain away as wanting to share their moment with their "fans".
Think first about what you post. You have no idea what the "poor and impoverished" really feel if you have a computer to post your ignorant comments on. And stop idolizing movie stars! This is part of the reason the country is in shambles, movie stars are voted into government and nepotism is king! And yes, I am Filipino!

How delightful...in a nation of starving people...lets show everyone how important we find ourselves to be...by having a wedding cake 9 feet tall made. I hope they choke on it.

i hope they were able to feed some less fortunate in the streets of the philippines with that ginormous cake

the size of that cake sure can feed a city there

P7M for the cake. That's ridiculously expensive! Sounds inflated to me..........

Well Pig out!

this is good, let the hungry just watch them eat this thing

1 month to make??? I wonder how would it taste??

Ugly name and gaudy cake.

Millions of Pilipinos starving, is it really necessary to have this big of a cake ?

In Philippine showbiz, if their relationship last forever ( or for a long time), good for them. If not.......waste of time and money.why should I know? I worked in Philippine production before.

Too bad they didn't spend some of their millions on helping the poor and orphans.

Stupid couple

"A rich country pretending to be poor??"" Hhhhmmm...... perhaps it is the other way around, "a poor country pretending to be rich"!! If I were those celebrities, I would have held a quiet, private, simple wedding and donated money to the victims of the typhoons and other natural calamities in the Philippines......but, of course, it is Dingdong's and Marian's prerogative to hold that lavish wedding. Oftentimes, celebrities (whether in the Philippines or another country) have those lavish events to show off......and after a few years, they file for divorce or annulment of their marriages. Funny........but, true.

Putrid big cake

we can not tell the successful people what to do their money but if they have human hearth and make more than enough. they should invest their money to create job for jobless people.....but somehow pride and selfishness pre-occupy in human mind, that's why when successful people become more successful but poor become more poorer....

Enough to feed a village.

Please idiots, stop suggesting that these two people could solve your country's ills by not having a big cake on their wedding day. Even if the guy's name sounds funny, they don't deserve to be lectured on how to be a good citizen of your country. If they are paying the right amount of taxes to your government, that's about the extent of what they are obligated to do to fulfill their duties to your constitution besides voting. They are actors and not gods or politicians. Is that the reason why you keep turning celebrities into politicians that really never failed to give nothing but shame to your country? I just can't get the point of your contention over a giant wedding cake.

For those foreigners/Non-Filipinos : the quoted price of the cake was not true because it has never been disclosed. The cake served as a gift from Goldilocks, one of the product endorsements of the groom. 2ndly, the groom is rich even before he entered showbusiness so I don't think it's a crime to spend that much since he can afford it. 3rdly, The groom and bride Have been VERY ACTIVE with philanthropic activities for years, as a matter of fact the groom has his own CHARITABLE organization , Yes Pinoy Org, which helps to send street children to school . The bride has funded a lot of projects like Smile Campaign that helps those children to take advantage of free operation to correct clift palate and cleft lip (you can check Smile Train Philippines' website) and the biggest project she had was the Adopt-A-Boat project. She was able to fund and raise money to buy 300 boats for fishermen in Visayas that were affected by Typhoon Haiyan. Dont be hypocrites, they have done a lot of things for others and I think to they deserve to enjoy their hard-earned money.

Cant help not to react to the negative comments of those not of fans of this wonderful and very good couples! For your information this two celebrity couples are not corrupt and this occasion to their life is once in a lifetime event,so it is their right to have their wedding done in a way they like. They are rich now because they work hard for so many years in showbusiness as Actors and Actress,they saved their money just for this occasion.They are also good people who always lend a helping hands to the needy and when there are disasters in our country. So dont judge them because of what the pictures are shown but try to know this two people first then you'll know why they have lots of fans and they did this also for their fans sake and wishes. Happy New year to everyone!!! Hoping for happiness and love to everyone here!!! :)


The Philippines has been dubbed as one of the corrupt country in Asia, and the the citizens driven by poverty and high unemployment rate seems to be hopeless as to the moment of their salvation. It is too early to prejudge their fate, but the most awaited time is just lingering around the corner. Yes, the time of Moses will eventually felt by the populace very soon. The discovery of 2.6 trillion barrels of oil in the area makes the Philippines much wealthier than all of the Middle Eastern Nations combined.

Soon, an exudos of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWS ) will be returning home to harvest the fruits of the land. My encouragement to all my fellow countrymen is to be Positive and set aside self-interest and grudges against one another. Soon, all these corrupt politicians and other government officials who enriched themselves with the nation's treasury will fall like banana trees being chopped down.

The wedding of Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera is a private affair that should not be linked to the lives of poor Filipinos. They deserve the once in a lifetime enjoyment of their wedding day. My CONGRATULATION to the newlywe d.
 



Source:

Yahoo! News 
CBS Good Morning America 
(GMA) News Online

70th Golden Globe Awards 2013 Winners and Red Carpet Stand Out

Megan Fox gown designed by Dolce and Gabbana 

Jennifer Lopez gown designed by Zuhair Murad 

I love the red carpet event of the 70th Golden Globe Awards this year. So many stunning women dressed in fabulous gowns, one of the best in the history of this 70 year old award. Two women caught my attention and are complete stand out - Megan Fox and Jennifer Lopez. Two beautiful women dressed in fabulous head turner gowns. Sorry but I will not do the same and feature an article about the Academy Awards because it is purely political and racist awards ceremony who always snub and underestimate and humiliate Philippine entries because most members of the Academy are British who hates the Philippines and Filipinos with passion and don't like the idea of a Filipino winning in any fields not just the movies but don't worry Philippine film entries to the said awards always put them to shame. For the mean time here are some of the winners of this year's Golden Globe trophy: 

Actor, Drama
Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln

Actress, Drama
Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty

Director
Ben Affleck, Argo

Actor, Musical or Comedy
Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables

Actress, Musical or Comedy
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook

Supporting Actor
Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained

Supporting Actress
Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables

Animated Film
Brave

Screenplay
Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained

Original Score
Mychael Danna, Life of Pi



TELEVISION
Series, Drama
Homeland

Series, Musical or Comedy
Girls

Actress, Drama
Claire Danes, Homeland

Actor, Drama
Damian Lewis, Homeland

Actress, Musical or Comedy
Lena Dunham, Girls

Actor, Musical or Comedy
Don Cheadle, House of Lies

Miniseries or Movie
Game Change

Actress, Miniseries or Movie
Julianne Moore, Game Change

Actor, Miniseries or Movie
Kevin Costner, Hatfields & McCoys

Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey

Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or Movie
Ed Harris, Game Change

Bwakaw: Will This Be The First Philippine Entry to Oscar Academy Awards

Bwakaw Movie Starring Eddie Garcia in the Lead Role 

  
          Will Bwakaw be the first Philippine Entry which will SUCCESSFULLY make it as a nominee to the Best Foreign Language Film of the 85th Academy Awards on February 24, 2013 in Kodak Theater, Los Angeles, California and if ever win the coveted golden statuette, Oscars. It is now competing among other international submissions from 71 countries to be shortlisted to nine (9) and finally only 5 will be the official nominees for the Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category. The Philippines has never been an awarded nor a nominee in the Academy Awards for Foreign Language Film but in Asia, Japan, China, Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) and Israel has so far only won for Asia. Usually, the awards show happens last week of March in the 1990s and early 2000s but lately it is moved early in February for unknown reason (much better if its in late March) and people in the Philippines slowly losing interest in the Academy Awards because no Philippine entry has made it or even won the award and maybe considering boycotting or will not send an entry for some years and some other countries are also losing interest in the event. 

          Bwakaw is a drama-comedy about growing old, and everyone's fear of growing old alone. Rene is a gay man who came out of the closet at age 70. Ailing in his twilight years, he thinks it is now too late for love, even companionship, and that all there is to look forward to is Death. He has made a will, bequeathing his few possessions to his even fewer friends. Everything is packed and labeled, ready for distribution. He has even paid for a coffin, taking advantage of a funeral home's Summer Sale. Nowadays the only companion Rene has is Bwakaw, a stray dog that hangs around his house and follows him wherever he goes. As Rene waits for the day of his death, he gets the surprise of his life when it is Bwakaw who suddenly falls ill and is diagnosed with cancer. Rene is surprisingly affected, and he realizes that he values Bwakaw more than he thinks. In his struggle to get Bwakaw cured, Rene finds comfort in the most unlikely person: Sol, a tricycle driver who helps him bring Bwakaw to the vet and befriends him. Buoyed by Sol's friendship, Rene starts living. Little by little he discovers simple joys. To the surprise of his friends, he even has his hair dyed to look younger. One day, he finally decides to make a move on Sol. The revelation that Rene is gay and has feelings for him surprises and disgusts Sol. He rejects Rene and leaves in anger. In the meantime, Bwakaw's condition gets worse. Not even Rene's ancient Santo Entierro (a supposedly miraculous statue of Jesus Christ) can save Bwakaw. Bwakaw dies, and Rene's neighbors help him bury the faithful dog. But Bwakaw's death, even while it was still only imminent, has made a difference. Rene has found a new appreciation for life and what is most important. He decides to unpack the things that he has already willed to other people and make his house more inhabitable. He is, after all, still alive. 

          Bwakaw has received rave reviews and positive responses from critics around the world and many insiders says that this one to watch out for movie has a high chance of making it at least as one of the five official nominees for the 85th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film and hopefully it will and the outcome will determine if we still have to submit entries to the Academy Awards or not. By the way, Philippines will never make it to the Academy Awards because most members of the academy are British who hates the Philippines so much. I don't know why British make it as members of the Academy since it is America and not British. Does that mean British are so insecure with America that they interfere and participate in America's affairs and events?

American Idol 11 Greatest and Most Memorable Performances

American Idol Season 11 Top 24 Finalists Announced

 

American Idol Season 11 Top 24 Official Cover

American Idol Season 11 Top 24

 Solo Performance:

1.  Love You I Do - Jessica Sanchez 

2.  Decode - Colton Dixon 

3. Angels - Hee Jun Han 

4. Never Can Say Goodbye - Aaron Marcellus

5.  In The Air Tonight - Phillip Phillips 

6. Stay With Me - Skylar Laine 

7. Reflection - Hollie Cavanagh 

8. Georgia On My Mind - DeAndre Brackensick 

9. The Edge of Glory - Erika Van Pelt 

10. Master Blaster (Jammin') - DeAndre Brackensick 

11. I Will Always Love You - Jessica Sanchez 

12. Hard To Handle - Phillip Phillips 

13. When A Man Loves A Woman - Joshua Ledet 

14. Superstition - Phillip Phillips Turn 

15. Turn The Beat Around - Jessica Sanchez 

16. Love Sneakin' Up On You - Skylar Laine 

17. Broken Heart - Colton Dixon 

18. The Power of Love - Hollie Cavanagh 

19. She's Got A Way - Joshua Ledet 

20. Shameless - Skylar Laine 

21. Vienna - Elise Testone 

22. Everybody Has A Dream - Jessica Sanchez 

23. Piano Man - Colton Dixon 

24. Gunpowder and Lead - Skylar Laine 

25. A Song For You - Hee Jun Han 

26. Sweet Dreams - Jessica Sanchez 

27. Still Rainin' - Phillip Phillips 

28. Whole Lotta Love - Elise Testone 

29. I Like It - DeAndre Brackensick 

30. Stuttering - Jessica Sanchez 

31, Perfect - Hollie Cavanagh 

32. I Believe - Joshua Ledet 

33. I Heard It Through The Grapevine - Skylar Laine 

34. Try A Little Tenderness - Jessica Sanchez 

35. Dance With My Father - Jessica Sanchez 

36. The Stone - Phillip Phillips 

37. Fortunate Son - Skylar Laine 

38. Proud Mary - Jessica Sanchez 

39. You Are So Beautiful - Jessica Sanchez 

40. To Love Somebody - Joshua Ledet 

41. Steal Away - Jessica Sanchez 

42. My Life - Hee Jun Han

43. Volcano - Phillip Phillips 

44. It's A Man's Man's Man's World - Joshua Ledet 

45. And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going - Jessica Sanchez 

46. We've Got Tonight - Phillip Phillips

47. No More Drama - Joshua Ledet

48. My All - Jessica Sanchez

49. I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing - Jessica Sanchez

50. I'll Be There - Jessica Sanchez

Duets and Trio: 

Landslide, Edge of Seventeen and Don't Stop - Colton Dixon, Elise Testone and Phillip Phillips

Stop Draggin' My Heart Around - Phillip Phillips and Elise Testone 

Islands In The Stream - Skylar Laine and Colton Dixon 

Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher and Higher - Hollie Cavanagh, Skylar Laine and Jessica Sanchez 

Eternal Flame - Hollie Cavanagh and Jessica Sanchez

Why Jessica Sanchez Should Win American Idol 11?

Jessica Sanchez solo official picture 

Jessica Sanchez featured in Yahoo! page 

Jessica Sanchez Official Portraits 

It is just perfect and timely for American Idol to crown a woman as the next winner because it has long been overdue since Jordin Sparks, the last woman winner of American Idol way back in 2007. Since then all four consecutive winners of American Idol were all white male strumming guitars with David Cook, Kris Allen, Lee De Wyze and Scotty McCreery. A female has yet to win and only ends up a runner up in the last two seasons with Crystal Bowersox and Lauren Laina. The pattern is that a cute white male would still prevail over a woman. This time around a one of a kind rare talent - a young, sultry 16 year old who sings like a diva has such an angelic voice can also be a deserving winner of such a crucial and timely season for a girl to shine. She has proven that talent knows no age and regardless of what color or background you may have. If another male contestant will win American Idol 11, girls will finally leave the show and with only a few remaining girls dare to take it a try. After all, not all male winners went on to become a successful artist later on. Lee DeWyze, the least popular Idol winner, went on to sell only 39, 000 copies of his first Post Idol album when it debuted. Anyway, how can we ignore and deny the fact that fellow American Idol alums, musical artists and celebrities such as Jennifer Hudson, Beyonce, Kris Allen, Jesse Mccartney, Jordin Sparks, Akon, Jennifer Holliday, Taylor Hicks, Adam Lambert, Jason de Rulo, Pia Toscano, Haley Reinhart, Casey Abrams, Mario Lopez, Stefano Langone, Lady Gaga, India Arie, Black-eyed Peas, Lauren Alaina, Colbie Caillat, Pia Toscano, Carly Smithson, Billy Joel, Richard Marx, Elliott Yamin, Ace Young, Diana DeGarmo, Mandisa,Jasmine Trias, Lee DeWyze, Naima Adedapo, Thia Megia, Jane Lynch, television personality Ross Matthews, The Joy Luck Club actress Ming-Na, Hailee Steinfeld, Footloose actor Kenny Wormald and even X-Factor Season 1 finalist Chris Rene and The Amazing Race 19 winner Cindy Chiang Halvorsen expects Jessica Sanchez to win American Idol 11. Time to think things over and let a woman be heard and be an inspiration for all.

David Archuleta Is Making A Name In The Philippines

David Archuleta, American Idol Season 7 runner up is making a big wave and starting to build a name, reputation and career in the Philippines. He is now one of the cast of a soap opera or drama series produced and will be shown on TV-5 in the Philippines. We will watch David Archuleta soar to success and watch his progress on his career in the country!

World Gay Partner Carrying and World Friend Carrying Championship Here In Iloilo

There will be a proposed World Gay Partner Carrying Championship and World Friend Carrying Championship as well as World Creative Fashion Month and Competition all to be held in Iloilo, Philippines. Organizations, institutions and interested parties as well as sponsorship deals from companies are very much welcomed because we want this event to be highly successful with some Hollywood celebrities, Victoria's Secret model and other supermodels will be gracing and be part of the events.

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.

Filipino Achievers 2010

           There are lots of stories from the past year in which we can reflect, inspire and learn from and move into the future. Some of the stories are compelling and some are disappointing, some are annoying but some made us very proud.

         Filipinos every year make some noise and stories that really make the year noisy and boisterously happy. Their stories of struggle, unwavering determination and indomitable spirit brightened the days of the country and make the Philippines beautiful where it is smeared with controversy, tragedy, strife and crimes. They will always be the epitome of triumph and inspiration and will always be imprinted in our minds that once these achievers made us who we really are. These are just a few of the Filipino achievers in the past year.

J.R. Celski

The Speeding Olympian in Vancouver

In the world of winter sports where the white and a few Asian skaters reign supreme, a Filipino-American in the name of J.R. Celski break the barriers of frigid zone and went on to win the bronze medal in the men’s 1500 m short track speed skating during the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada in February, 2010. He later joined his US men speedskating team in the men’s 1500m relay short track speed skating to win the bronze medal.

Dennis Sabangan

FIFA World Cup 2010 In The Eyes Of A Lensman

Watching the world’s most popular sport being watched by millions in live audience and billions of others in their television is one thing. Capturing images, stealing snapshots and candid scenes for news and documentary of the history making event is another. Being held in the African continent for the first time in history of the World Cup, the world hooked up on the emerging South Africa on its transformation and handling the event showcasing their potentials and vast talents and also the best of Africa has to offer. Documenting as part of history and news that matter by way of pictures is a privilege given only to a select few lucky ones and one of them is Dennis Sabangan. He is given the chance to cover the now world’s biggest sporting spectacle defeating the Summer Olympic Games, due to his previous works, accomplishments and credentials. FIFA World Cup in July 12 is highlighted on the finals when La Furia Roja (The Red Fury) Spain won the World for the first time since it first participated in the very first World Cup in 1930 beating the three time World Cup runner up The Netherlands. The sport is covered by a photographer from a country who doesn’t enjoy soccer but basketball and boxing yet Dennis Sabangan deliver the goods.

Tim Lincecum

The Pitcher Who Strikes Gold

In U.S. baseball, only the Japanese professional players made it big in the World Series making names and hauling a lot of wealth. A Filipino named Tim Lincecum broke the monotony and pitched for the San Francisco Giants to be the mighty winner of the World Series. The honor he brought became the first ever win by San Francisco in the history of the game and he is also the first second-year player to win the 2008 and 2009 National League Cy Young Awards. His clever, unorthodox and unconventional method of pitching and success in baseball earned him the title “The Freak” and “The Franchise”.

Maria Venus Bayonito Raj

The Rice Paddy Beauty Queen

Skinny, corpse like and witch like lass living in the middle of the rice fields as the tease and taunts she heard from her school mates, who will ever notice a lady this ugly. His mother is the exception who keeps inspiring, encouraging and lifting her low spirit and telling her to prove them wrong and that molds the mind set of the young Venus Raj. Her mother’s soft and gentle words became her motivation to persevere for her dream to become a beauty queen someday watching as the most beautiful woman crowned as Miss Universe and wondering how she can join it. Walking through the rice paddies became her training ground and perfected her catwalk skills and joining several beauty pageants in school and in their community harness her craftsmanship in the art of beauty pageants. She joins Miss Philippines Earth and ended up a runner up and two years later joined the Binibining Pilipinas national pageant in which she was crowned as the winner and automatically gave her the honor of representing the country in the upcoming Miss Universe 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada on August 23. Her courage, perseverance and unwavering faith cannot deter her to fulfill her dreams of competing at Miss Universe beauty pageant as the scandal surrounding her birthplace took place days later, a desperate move by some envious of her title so that someone could take her place because she is just poor as some elitist wanted  a lady coming from a prominent rich family to represent the country in Miss Universe. She ended up 4th runner up to Miss Mexico Jimena Navarette in a splendid ceremony held at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada on August 23, 2010. Ever since making history that will put her as a classic exemplary woman, she has become a youtube sensation, drawing crowds swarming like bees and having lots of videos pertaining to or related about her. Graduating with honors in college despite of poverty, struggling through life with her family despite her longing for her father, her unwavering faith, confidence and courage braving against all odds just to fulfill her lifelong dream of competing at Miss Universe is truly endearing, awe inspiring, more compelling and truly an epitome of a woman’s substance and earned her a legion of fans around the world before, during and after Miss Universe.

Nicole Scherzinger

The Popular Dance Group Sensation Swaying In The Reality Show Competition

Who doesn’t know the popular lead singer of the sexy girl group Pussycat Dolls? Her exotic gorgeous looks along with her equally stunning members compliments their sexy chilling voice prove to be effective capturing the hearts of teens and younger adults all over the world with their catchy tunes and soft boneless body move who slithers like a snake. Capping her lifetime career as a dancer, she was invited to compete for the Fox Channel’s Dancing With The Stars, a reality dance show competition of celebrities, partnering with the professional dancer Derek Hough. She proves her superior skill, perfected her craft and easily made her into the finals topped by her favoritism over her opponents making her that season grand winner. Her expertise, precision, impeccable dance routines and flair in dancing is too inevitable not to be noticed.