WATCH: Dying cancer patient marries girlfriend

MANILA - A wedding video of a cancer patient and his girlfriend, taken only hours before he passed away, is now making the rounds online.

The 3-minute video, which was uploaded on YouTube by user Hasset Go last June 18, shows the wedding ceremony inside what appears to be a hospital.

"Early this year, Rowden and Leizl decided to get married on July 8, 2014, Rowden's 30th birthday," Hasset said in the accompanying description of the video. "Together with their adorable 2-year-old daughter, they already had a perfect family."

However, according to Hasset, Rowden was diagnosed with stage IV liver cancer in May.
His brother's last request, Hasset added, was to marry Leizl.
"After 12 hours of preparations, his dream was fulfilled," he said. "Unable to take him outside the hospital, we brought the church to him."

In a post on his Facebook page, Hasset thanked the Philippine General Hospital in Manila for attending to his brother's needs for two weeks, and for cooperating in granting Rowden's wish.

As seen in the wedding video, which already had 180,000 views as of posting, friends and family of Rowden and Leizl attended the ceremony.

Leizl arrived in a wedding dress and exchanged vows with Rowden while he was in bed.
On June 11, only 10 hours after the wedding, Rowden died at the age of 29.
He is survived by Leizl, their daughter Zakiah, mother Lorelei, and brothers Hassem and Hisham.

5 things you didn't know about Chef Tristan Encarnacion

MANILA – Many people know Tristan Encarnacion for two things – as the son of the late fashion guru Jun Encarnacion, and as one of the few local chefs who are blessed with a cooking show and a number of TV commercials.

But he has certainly achieved more than that – aside from his experience in the restaurant industry both here and abroad, Encarnacion has been teaching at the Center for Culinary Arts (CCA) to help chef hopefuls fulfill their dreams.

His newest baby is the gourmet food store Epicurious at Shangri-La East Wing. He has been tapped to be one of the main consultants of the store by The Cravings Group, which also owns CCA.

Chef Tristan Encarnacion

With Epicurious, Encarnacion hopes to encourage Filipinos to “explore their inner culinarian” by creating their own dishes using high-quality and organic products.

“The guests have the free will to create their own dishes. We’re here to help them customize the food that they want. Unlike in other restaurants that have set menus, here you have the chance to mix and match,” he said.

“For those who are too lazy to choose, we have some freshly made breads and sandwiches, some pasta and salads. They can eat them here or bring them home,” he added.

Encarnacion dropped some surprising facts about himself as he sat down with ABS-CBNnews.com during the grand launch of Epicurious.

1. He is not comfortable with the “celebrity chef” tag.

Despite his visibility as a television personality, a product endorser and the son of a well-known hairstylist, Encarnacion maintains that he is, in many ways, an ordinary guy.

“Hindi, hindi naman ako ganoon,” he said sheepishly, when referred to as a celebrity chef. “I’m just an ordinary guy.”

And that is probably not a “showbiz” answer. Contrary to most celebrity chefs who have very strong personalities, Encarnacion has a warm, approachable demeanor, which he said may have something to do with his job as a culinary instructor.

2. He is not a food snob

While some people from the industry he is in usually scoff at fast food or “fusion” cuisine, Encarnacion is open to trying new things, from gourmet finds and exotic dishes (read: bugs and weaver ants) to so-called “dirty” items sold on the street.

When asked about his pick-me-up, for instance, Encarnacion said he loves eating cheap bread filled with local sorbetes.

“Gusto ko ‘yung ginagawang sorbetes sa tinapay,” he said. “Hindi naman ako picky. I’ll eat anything.”

3. He is in love with Filipino cuisine

While he is willing to try anything (“as long as it’s ethical to eat,” he is quick to add), Encarnacion will always return to his first love – Filipino cuisine.

Saying that it is the food he grew up with, he shared: “I like anything that has something to do with Filipino cuisine. Actually kahit hindi ‘yung luto ko, ‘yung luto sa bahay, ganoon.”

“Sinigang na baboy, sinigang na baka, kare-kare, adobo – name it, I can eat it every day,” he added. “My favorite restaurants? Anything that has Filipino food. Talagang ‘pag may Filipino food, ‘yun na talaga.”

Encarnacion hopes that he can make an impact as he continues to promote the country’s cuisine to his fellow Filipinos as well as to foreigners.

When asked what he wants to be known for as a chef, he replied: “Real, pure Filipino cuisine. Kasi normally ang ginagawa ng ibang chefs, they tweak it or they put a twist on it by putting an ingredient from different countries. Ako, I want to mix and match regional cuisines, like I have sinigang na bulalo, mga ganoon. It’s purely Pinoy.”

4. He has a sweet tooth.

Encarnacion likes eating sweet things, from sorbetes sandwiches to chocolate, which will always be found in his refrigerator or kitchen.

“You’ll always find chocolates, definitely, specifically Maltesers,” he said. “And also juice, fruits, meats and leftovers.”

His favorite place for dessert? Anywhere. “Kahit saan talaga, kakain ako. Mahilig talaga ako sa matamis eh,” he said.

5. He thinks love can make any dish “sexy.”

Encarnacion said he is not particular about going to “romantic” places or trying dishes with so-called aphrodisiacs to set the mood for love.

“Mas gusto ko sa house lang,” he said.

As cheesy as it may sound, Encarnacion believes that food can be “sexy” depending on 

how much passion and effort a person put into it.

“Luto ng mahal mo, ‘yun para sa akin ang sexiest dish. Kahit ano pa ‘yun, kahit anong lasa, sexy ‘yun para sa akin,” he shared.

And how can he describe himself using food?

“Bangus, dahil matinik ako,” he said, laughing.

Why Mitch Albom wrote 'Tuesdays with Morrie'

MANILA – Bestselling author Mitch Albom rose to fame in 1997 for his book “Tuesdays with Morrie,” which recounted the time he spent with his 78-year-old sociology professor.

Not surprisingly, “Tuesdays with Morrie” is also the book that is closest to his heart.

Recalling why he came up with the book, Albom said he only wanted to raise even a small amount for his sick professor, Morrie Schwartz, and that no one, including himself, thought that it would be such as success.

“I just wrote that to pay his (Morrie’s) medical bills. It wasn’t supposed to be a big book, nobody in America expected it to be a big book, the publisher didn’t expect it to be a big book. I was just trying to help pay his bills,” Albom said in an interview on the ANC program

Bestselling author Mitch Albom.

 “Headstart” aired Thursday.“Most people told me it’s a bad idea. The publishers refused to take it, [they said] it’s boring, it’s depressing [and] you’re a sports writer [so] you can’t write a book like that,” he added.

But Albom, who used to be a sports columnist, was not afraid to take the risk for the sake of his teacher.“I just kept pushing and saying I want to do this, I want to help pay his bills. So we found one publisher three weeks before he died and they agreed to publish it. They only published 20,000 copies, which in America is a very small book, and they thought that would be it. And I thought that would be it.

“So when ‘Tuesdays with Morrie’ started to grow and become this huge thing and it went on for years, nobody could’ve expected it.”

Since then, Albom has never looked back. As he wrote new books – his latest being “The First Phone Call from Heaven” – the bestselling author said he did not worry about how these would be received by the public.

“From that point forward, I didn’t know what to expect if I wrote a book. It was silly spending a lot of time worrying about it because you can put all this effort into trying to make it a hit, as you call it, and it would go the opposite direction,” he said.

What Morrie taught him

Albom said it was Schwartz who helped him “find a part of myself that could have been lost.”

“Morrie had this way of breaking people down because he was so honest and he wasn’t worried about being embarrassed by what he said. He asked questions like, ‘are you happy?’ Or ‘why do you think this is important?’ He really cut right through a lot of that hardened stuff, he allowed me to find a part of myself and that was a wonderful thing,” he said.

Albom said that through Schwartz, he was able to learn the importance of giving and making an impact on another person’s life.“Morrie never read a page of ‘Tuesdays with Morrie.’ He never saw the cover, never held it in his hand, but he’s being studied even as we’re speaking, including here in the Philippines. 

You never know [that you will make a huge impact] by being kind to someone… Because that’s what happened, he was being kind to me. He invited me in while he was dying, to come see him every week. He was just being kind to an old student of his. I tried to do something, to be kind to him, to help pay his medical bills, so I did this book. 

One person read it and gave it to somebody, and gave it to somebody, and now here in the Philippines, we’re talking about it even if he’s not here.

“So I try to encourage people that this is what happens when you do something for other people. You might not ever know, you might die not knowing that it will have an effect on somebody,” he said.

Albom went on to share how a quote from his late professor has greatly touched his life.

“When Morrie said to me, ‘giving is living.’ I still remember him saying that because I asked him, ‘why are you so nice to everybody who comes in? Why do you always ask how they’re doing and what their problems are? 

You’re dying and you only have a certain amount of time left, why don’t you just let them talk to you about it?’ And he said, ‘because that’s taking and it’s reminding me that I’m dying. Giving makes me feel that I’m still living.’ And he said, ‘giving is living.’ I thought, wow… it really is true, especially when you get older.”

Applying the things he learned from Schwartz and from the other people he has met, Albom recently visited the country to help build libraries in typhoon-hit Tacloban.

He was also able to get the support of his fellow bestselling authors as they have committed to give books to these libraries.

Mitch Albom to help rebuild libraries in Tacloban

MANILA, Philippines — US author Mitch Albom has launched a drive to rebuild 10 libraries in Tacloban, a city ravaged by Super Typhoon “Yolanda” in November.

National Book Store Foundation, his Philippine partner in the project, said Tuesday that Albom has pledged to raise $160,000, starting with his own contribution of $10,000 for the libraries.

He has enlisted famous writers to contribute their books to the Donated Reading for Youth of the Philippines project, including Stephen King, Amy Tan and JK Rowling. The author of the best-selling memoir “Tuesdays with Morrie” visited Tacloban on Monday and also donated 40 boats to help fishermen in the region.

Mitch Albom

He said during a visit to a damaged school in Tacloban that he was blessed to have many Filipino readers, and that he wanted to do something to help.

“I’ve seen my own books pulled from the flood-damaged homes, moldy, discolored, yet brought to me to sign,” Albom said. “It’s incredible and heartwarming.”

Many areas of Tacloban were flattened by the powerful typhoon and the tsunami-like storm surge it unleashed.National Book Store Foundation has said it will match funds raised by Albom on a dollar for dollar basis until the goal is met. Albom is on a promotional tour in Manila for his latest book, “The First Phone Call from Heaven.”

Oscars red carpet: A runway of sharp elbows and high fashion stakes

LOS ANGELES - When Jennifer Lawrence tripped on her way to accept her best actress Oscar last year, her blush pink princess-like Dior Haute Couture gown was captured in all its glory as the unscripted moment made ripples around the world.

That bonus air-time for a single dress at one of the world's premier global events is priceless for the likes of Dior, one of the strongest fashion houses in the cutthroat marketplace that the Oscars red carpet is today.

Success on the red carpet can buy cachet that no advertising can - both for designers and stars - and profits for luxury brands for years to come. With stakes that high, the more established houses are raising their game and leaving little room for newcomers to make a splash, like they might have a decade ago.

Best Actress nominee Jennifer Lawrence for her role in ''Silver Linings Playbook'', wearing a white Dior Haute Couture gown, poses at the 85th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California in this February 24, 2013.

 The red carpet, which will be televised live before the March 2 Academy Awards ceremony, presents "a great and free opportunity" for a designer to reach an audience that expands beyond the fashion set, said Ariel Foxman, editor of fashion magazine InStyle.

"It's free marketing," Foxman said. "Advertising dollars are so expensive, and marketing budgets are so fractured these days with social media, digital media, print media and television media, so it's more valuable than ever."

One way of estimating the monetary benefits of having a standout dress on the red carpet is to compare how much a brand would otherwise spend on commercial advertising during the same time, said Milton Pedraza, chief executive officer of the Luxury Group Institute, a consulting firm.

According to a report by Kantar Media released this week, the average cost of a 30-second advertising spot during the 2013 Oscars was $1.65 million. The show was watched by 40.3 million viewers in the United States and several hundred million more across the world.

For Lawrence's 2013 Oscar acceptance speech and her accidental trip on the stairs to the stage, she had more than 75 seconds of solo camera time. For a commercial spot of the same duration at the same time, Dior would have had to pay more than $4 million. And this doesn't include the time dedicated to Lawrence and her gown on the pre-show televised red carpet.

For this year, Kantar Media estimates that a 30-second advertising spot will cost brands an average of $1.8 million during the primetime show.

Lawrence, 23, who is nominated again this year in the best supporting actress category for "American Hustle," is a Dior brand ambassador, wearing the Paris fashion house's designs to all her public events.

While Christian Dior group has not disclosed how much it paid for its deal with Lawrence and doesn't discuss her impact on its sales, the high-end couture label is on the rise. In 2013, couture's profits totaled 165 million euros ($226 million), up 26 percent from 2012.

HARD TIMES FOR EMERGING DESIGNERS

While the Oscars has launched newcomer designers such as Olivier Theyskens, worn by Madonna in 1998, and Elie Saab, donned by Halle Berry when she won best actress in 2002, the big names in fashion don't leave much room for new talent anymore, said Hollywood fashion publicist Marilyn Heston.

Heston, the founder of publicity firm MHA Media whose success stories include introducing Jimmy Choo shoes and Lebanese designer Saab to Hollywood, said the Oscars red carpet is today dominated by established luxury brands.

"For young designers, finding their way into this world, it's really difficult," Heston said. "It's much more difficult to get successful placements for the big events when the eyes of the world are watching, the stakes are higher and there are more people in the game."

With the red carpet in mind, many of the top fashion houses have created capsule couture lines, such as Chanel Haute Couture, Atelier Versace, Armani Prive and Gucci Premiere, which are the highest of the high end.

For British designer Georgina Chapman, co-founder of Marchesa, the red carpet launched her then-unknown brand in 2004 when actress Renee Zellweger wore a red and gold Marchesa dress to the premiere of "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason."

"The next day, the dress was on the cover of every single newspaper and there was Marchesa written as well. And it really hit home that this is what a red carpet can do for a brand," said Chapman, who is married to one of Hollywood's most powerful men, film producer Harvey Weinstein.

The pinnacle for Marchesa came in 2010 when Sandra Bullock won the best actress Oscar wearing a gold sequined gown by the brand. Chapman said the dress received 40 million mentions in media.

LOOK FOR LUPITA

The ultimate coup for a designer is to dress a young rising star on the Oscar red carpet, as fashion houses are trying to appeal to millennials who are likely to become customers as they earn more money, Pedraza said.

From Carey Mulligan's quirky Prada gown covered with miniature kitchen utensils in 2010, Lawrence's bold red form-fitting Calvin Klein in 2011, to Rooney Mara's white structured Givenchy gown offset by jet black hair in 2012, each year one emerging actress is sure to make a fashion statement.

This year, all eyes are on "12 Years a Slave" best supporting actress nominee Lupita Nyong'o, who has so far captivated fashion critics with her vibrant color choices.

From a vermillion Ralph Lauren column gown with a cape at the Golden Globes, a turquoise figure-hugging Gucci dress with a floral detailed neckline at the Screen Actor's Guild Awards, to a jade Dior Haute Couture gown at the BAFTAs in London, the 30-year-old actress has topped the best-dressed lists.

Nyong'o's fashion hits have cast a spotlight on her stylist, newcomer Micaela Erlanger, whose savvy picks have showcased the actress' versatility, made her a fashion muse almost overnight, and helped her land a campaign with luxury brand Miu Miu.

"Having that standout moment or having that public image is really an integral part of building someone's persona," said Erlanger.

As for what the Kenyan actress will wear on the Oscars red carpet, Erlanger isn't giving any clues. She has been scouring runways at this month's fashion presentations in New York and London in search of a standout dress.

"There should be an element of surprise, and that's what keeps everyone interested. I might go for the whimsy and unexpected but keep it modern and classic at the same time," the stylist teased.

'Olivia' unmasked; netizens disappointed

MANILA – It seems that the much-talked about “Olivia, will you marry me?” billboards do not refer to a person.Several Filipino netizens shared their views on Twitter after finding out that “Olivia” is only part of a marketing campaign for the real estate company Empire East.

They posted photos of a new billboard along EDSA that read: “Olivia said yes! So we bought our first investment together at Pioneer Woodlands Mandaluyong City.”

The numbers 21414, it turns out, refer to the P2,141.4 weekly price of a unit in the condominium project -- and not February 14, 2014, Valentine's Day.

Some Twitter users expressed their disappointment after initially thinking that the billboards were part of a real marriage proposal.

 “Sus, akala ko kung ano na naman,” wrote user Jessa.

“So the Olivia billboards were an ad campaign for a condominium. Well that was disappointing,” wrote user Yani Mendoza.

“Condominium lang pala yung Olivia. Asar,” wrote user Joana Flores.

“Condominium ad lang pala yung Olivia, will you marry me? Kikiligin na sana ako kung talagang proposal eh,” wrote user Lance Montinegro.

Others, meanwhile, thought that the marketing strategy was “clever” as people will definitely remember the advertisement.

“Such a clever move,” wrote user Lord Anthony.

“Clever nonetheless. Now everyone remembers,” wrote user Allan Copuyoc.

“That’s nice! Great idea!” wrote user Kasey Simbillo.

Several people initially thought that the “Olivia” billboards were referring to model and actress Isabel Oli, whose real name is Olivia Daytia.

Her boyfriend, John Prats, has denied coming up with such a proposal.

No V-Day date for PNoy

MANILA – President Benigno Aquino III on Friday said he would not be taking someone out for a date this Valentine's Day.

Speaking to reporters during the the opening of the 21st Travel Tour Expo, the bachelor president said only his friends will keep him company.

"Mamaya naman ay magtitipon kami ng mga kaibigan ko at may kaunting salo-salo. Hanggang doon na lang 'yun," he said.

Aquino, who remains a bachelor at the age of 54, has dated several women since being elected President in 2010 including Valenzuela City councilor Shalani Soledad (now married to Pasig City Rep. Roman Romulo), stylist Liz Uy, stockbroker Len Lopez, TV host Grace Lee and beauty queen Bianca Manalo.

President Aquino

 Last August, the President's sister, Ballsy Aquino-Cruz, hinted that a 29-year-old lawyermight be Aquino's new inspiration.

Meanwhile, Aquino also admitted that he almost forgot that it is the birthday of his younger sister Kris today.

Aquino had to be reminded by Senator Sonny Angara who sat beside him during the opening of the expo organized by the Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA) about his sister's birthday, which falls on Valentine's Day.

"Nagpapasalamat ako kay Senator Angara. Napaalala niya birthday ng kapatid ko nga pala ngayong araw na 'to, bunsong kapatid ko. Kung hindi dahil sa kanya, baka nakaligtaan kong mabati ang aking kapatid," Aquino said when asked about his plans for Valentine's Day.

In jest, Aquino said he is hoping that Kris would not leave her sons with him today.

"At least siguro hindi naman idedeposito sa akin ni Kris ang kanyang mga anak ngayong araw na 'to," Aquino quipped.

De Lima invokes 'right to remain silent' on love life

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Monday was grilled on the subject of her personal life by Kris Aquino and Boy Abunda in the premiere episode of their eponymous 15-minute talk show.

 A blushing de Lima, the first-ever guest of "Aquino and Abunda Tonight," shrugged off the hosts' personal questions as she "invoked [her] right to remain silent."

Pinoy named dean at Columbia Journalism School

MANILA – A Filipina journalist has been named dean of academic affairs of the prestigious Columbia Journalism School in New York.

Sheila Coronel will replace Bill Grueskin, who has served as the school’s academic dean since 2008, Columbia Journalism School said in a press release on its website.

She will assume the role on July 1, 2014.

Coronel joined Columbia Journalism School in 2006 as the Toni Stabile Professor of Professional Practice in Investigative Journalism and the director of the Toni Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism.

Sheila Coronel. Photo from Columbia Journalism School's website

She was the co-founder of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism and wrote for local newspapers, as well as The New York Times and the Guardian.

“I am honored and delighted to have this opportunity to serve as academic dean of a great institution,” Coronel said. “We are at a period of uncertainty, as well as tremendous possibility, for both journalism and journalism education. It’s an exciting time to be at a top-tier journalism school.”

Coronel has written and edited several books, including “Coups, Cults and Cannibals,” “The Rulemakers: How the wealthy and well-born dominate Congress,” and “Pork and other Perks: Corruption and Governance in the Philippines.”

She graduated with a degree in Political Science at the University of the Philippines in 1979, and received a master’s degree in Political Sociology from the London School of Economics in 1991.

As she takes on the role of academic dean, Coronel will continue to teach and serve as director of the Stabile Center, Columbia School of Journalism said.