Friday, May 06, 2011

4 things I learned from my marathon TV appearances

It's been exactly one week since the royal wedding of William and Catherine but the fascination remains. I'm an entertainment magazine editor so part of my job is to appear on TV shows to talk about the biggest wedding of the year (the century!).

Anyway, I thought my TV stint was at an end, especially now that William and Kate are back at their secluded Anglesey home. But today, I was asked to do another interview for Jessica Soho's show. This time, I was asked to talk about hats and why British women wear such outlandish creations. This totally delighted me because I finally found an excuse to wear the fascinator I won last year!

You can find out what I said tomorrow on Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho at 8:30pm on GMA 7. For now, let me share with you what I learned from my stint as a resource person for TV shows.

1. Only your face matters.
At the start, I used to wear Spanx, polish my nails and wear my nice shoes. Since it wasn't necessary for me to walk around, however, all that didn't matter as the camera just focused on my face. So I stopped wearing my heels, let my tummy hang out, and wore nice earrings instead. I tried big necklaces but the sound guy said that the necklace kept bumping the microphone so earrings then!  

2. There's no such thing as too much makeup. 
I did my own makeup and people always remarked I looked so pale and tired. So with each appearance, I slapped on more makeup till I thought my face would crack. I think I did okay this time, maybe more eye makeup, though. We'll find out tomorrow!

3. Don't move too much. 
Yep, stay in the frame. Now I talk with big gestures, big movements. Sometimes I even dance and jump when I talk. It helps me express my thoughts better. But on TV, you're trapped in a tiny square so this was a nightmare! I had a hard time thinking and talking and sounding smart! Must learn how to think while not moving.

4. Be nice to the crew. 
Because if they like you, they can edit what you said so that you sound like a genius! I watched a few of my appearances, reluctantly at first because I knew we had to do several takes. But, lo and behold, they edited it so well, that I sounded like a British royalty historian! 

Yes, I learn something new every day. Maybe the lessons I learn today will help me when I make my own lifestyle show one day! 
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Tuesday, May 03, 2011

Look at these pretty pearl pieces!

I love jewelry. They just make every outfit look loads better! You know what looks really great with everything? Pearls.

Of course, real ones are the best but, my goodness, a pair of real pearl studs costs as much as a MacBook Air so I really don't mind wearing less expensive but just as beautiful pieces like these gorgeous necklaces from Carolee's new Style Icon Collection:
Jackie Pearl Necklace with Emerald-Cut Crystal Clasp
Jackie 8mm Three Row Pearl Necklace
Michelle 16mm Pearl Necklace
The collection is named after glamorous women in history: Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Evita Peron, Wallis Simpson and Michelle Obama.


The U.S. President's wife actually owns a Carolee pearl necklace and she wore it on the cover of Newsweek and on the night her husband won the Democratic nomination. Yeah, the night the couple made the fist bump famous.

Since I have Mrs. Obama's penchant for sheath dresses and pearls, I guess I should go and stock up on Carolee necklaces! And I'm actually going to Rustan's Makati tomorrow. Hmm. I just might get myself one. I actually have my eye on this Evita perfection:
Evita Five Row Graduated Pearl Necklace
It's lovely. Perfect for Mother's Day!

For another Mother's Day gift, click here to see what Michael Kors made for mommies!
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Sunday, May 01, 2011

Crazy schedule almost at an end

April has been particularly insane. It's the anniversary issue of the magazine I edit. It's also been the royal wedding month so I've been appearing on several TV shows regularly.

Fully made up and still pale
Like Catherine, the new Duchess of Cambridge, I did my own makeup. Unlike Catherine, I didn't look as fabulous on screen! I honestly don't know how to do makeup for the camera. I'm always still very pale and my dark circles always still show up.

I need to learn to cake it on, contour my cheeks and nose, make my eyes stand out (on video, my eyes look very small), and I really should wear lipstick.

At TV5's morning show, the makeup artist dragged me to his chair even though I said I looked fine. He said I looked awful. "Ate, mag-pink lipstick ka," he demanded while he applied this alarming shocking pink on my lips. "Tanda mo tingnan sa beige at sa red. Promise." I so did not believe him. But on TV, the shocking pink was a pretty rose pink! Wow.

So anyway. TV guestings, radio tours, and now a working weekend as we rush to finish the wedding special and run the May issue by tomorrow evening. Wish us luck, folks, because the entire magazine staff is about to collapse.

Then there were events I had to attend, dinners with friends (I promised that I will no longer neglect my friendships), blogger friends to meet, a new workout to try, Amper family issues to resolve (why do I never have Sales family problems?), and a garage sale to do (I earned P15,000! Hooray!) which I promised on my Twitter to never ever do again. Then my yaya and maid went on a five-day leave because of a family tragedy. I honestly have no idea how I'm still standing up!

We were all so excited for Vito's first plane ride!

Of course, April was also a happy month--it was my wedding anniversary! Vince and I had so much fun celebrating it. Then we went to the incredible Shangri-la Mactan, too. Soooo many photos, so no time to tell you about them all! As soon as things settle down, folks, I'll blogathon!

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Saturday, April 30, 2011

McQueen is truly dead

This is a working weekend for me at the entertainment magazine I work for because of the royal wedding. The entire staff is all busy looking through thousands of photos and researching all the details. It's very exciting and terrifying at the same time because we have to finish this issue in 2 days so that you can have it by next week. Fun fun fun!

I was squealing and gasping the entire time. So many thrilling moments! When William and Harry departed Clarence House, when the Queen showed up in sunny yellow, when all those gorgeous Philip Treacy hats paraded outside the Abbey, when I saw those trees in the Abbey, when Pippa showed up (I though for a moment she was Kate), when Kate finally appeared, when she met William at the altar, when I saw all those magnificent horses and the cavalry, etc etc. Of course I clapped most during the kisses at Buckingham Palace! Love it love it love it!



Anyway, I think I'm one of the very few underwhelmed with Catherine's dress. Underwhelmed and disappointed. It's a lovely dress and she looked absolutely amazing in it but... it's not the Alexander McQueen the fashion world remembers.

I'm not dissing it, okay? Like I said, it's a gorgeous dress--simple, elegant, lovely. But those are adjectives you don't really use to describe a McQueen. McQueen is--rather, was--the rock star of the fashion world. He's known for his bold, out-of-this-world, outrageous, sexy, controversial, shocking, theatrical, lavish, rebellious, fantastical, edgy, avant-garde designs.

I honestly could not imagine classic, elegant, sophisticated Kate wearing a McQueen! Just look at his designs as worn by the Great Cate Blanchett:




When I heard the rumors that Sarah Burton for Alexender McQueen might be the lucky designer, I got so excited. William and Kate are known to be a modern couple but even I didn't expect they'd be that modern. Here's the bridal dresses from his last collection:




I was sooo excited to see if Catherine will actually be able to pull off a McQueen! Well, turns out Sarah Burton designed a very Kate Middleton dress for the new duchess. Compare her wedding gown with those dresses up there. Not even close. There's nothing McQueen about Catherine's dress at all.

When I saw Catherine in her gown, I said, "Oh, it's gorgeous! She looks lovely!" And then I got sad because that beautiful gown just emphasized the fact that a true design genius is dead and gone.

However, I figured that Catherine chose the design house of McQueen because he was one of the most celebrated British designers of all time. But if she had actually worn something outrageous, well, that just wouldn't get the approval of two billion people who want their princesses to wear fairy-tale gowns, not cutting-edge fashion!

So great choice, Catherine! You wore something very British and were able to marry tradition with modernity. You've proven to be a master at compromise. So very you and William!

* * * * * * *
See what other designers have to say:
Top designers Lagerfeld, Givenchy and Lacroix give their verdict
San Francisco's top wedding designers weigh in

And what Preview editor-in-chief Pauline Juan has to say:

For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV

For the official wedding photos (so breathtakingly beautiful! The one with the kids is my favorite!), click here.
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Wednesday, April 27, 2011

"Here is the stuff of which fairy tales are made"

Many of you were moved by the wedding sermon I wrote about last week. Now let me share with you another one. Nearly thirty years ago, the Archbishop of Canterbury told Prince William and Lady Diana and the 750 million people around the world watching their wedding that marriage is not a fairy tale and yet married people truly can live happily ever after.


These are some of his beautiful truths:

"Here is the stuff of which fairy tales are made. The prince and princess on their wedding day. But fairy tales usually end at this point with the simple phrase: 'They lived happily ever after.' This may be because fairy tales regard marriage as an anticlimax after the romance of courtship.

"This is not the Christian view. Our faith sees the wedding day not as the place of arrival, but the place where the adventure really begins."


The Archbishop then talks about how marriage is not the end of the love story, but the beginning. It is when creation happens--creation of a lifelong partnership, creation of a family, creation of the building blocks of society. So through marriage, we are given the power to shape the future exponentially.

"If we solved all of our economic problems and failed to build loving families, it would profit us nothing. Because the family is the place where the future is created good and full of love, or deformed."

He then adds that every married couple is a "royal" couple, especially on their wedding day. And that is true, or why else do we wear the gowns, have an entourage, be toasted and celebrated and adored? Some brides even wear tiaras!

"Those who are married live happily ever after the wedding day if they persevere in the real adventure which is the royal task of creating each other and creating a more loving world.

"This is our prayer for Charles and Diana. May the burdens we lay on them be matched by the love with which we support them in the years to come. And however long they live, may they always know that when they pledged themselves to each other before the altar of God, they were surrounded and supported not by mere spectators but by the sincere affection and active prayer of friends."

Well, as we all know, that marriage wasn't supported by the love and prayer of friends. The world, strangely, seemed to want to tear apart Charles and Diana. And all marriages in general, come to think of it.


So may we all support our marriages and families! And to William and Kate, you have our best wishes and sincerest hopes for a life lived happily ever after.

*photos from here, here and here
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