Christopher Lee & Fann Wong - gear up for two weddings

SINGAPORE: The highly anticipated wedding between Singapore's celebrity couple Christopher Lee and Fann Wong is still in the works, but their upcoming on-screen wedding already promises to be a grand affair.

The MediaCorp sweethearts will be donning not just one, but several wedding costumes of different ethnic flair in the upcoming romantic comedy "Wedding of the Year".

Fann said: "(We will be wearing) a few multi-racial costumes. It's going to be very local. There will be Chinese... Indian... for sure all the Singapore bride looks will be in the movie."

Slated to open early next year, the movie stars Christopher and Fann as two celebrated artistes who cook up a big media storm with their very publicized wedding, much to the delight of fans and the paparazzi. But underneath all the hype, it is really just a publicity stunt to boost their careers.

Without revealing names, Fann admitted she has heard of such scandals in the entertainment circle, but said the celebrities probably did not know what they really wanted.

Despite playing a pair of scoundrels on screen, Christopher and Fann are very much a real couple and all eyes are on their actual wedding, scheduled sometime late next year.

But will it be as grand an affair as their on-screen union?

"It will be very, very grand," said Fann jokingly. She added: "We don't know, but we're trying to make it a fun party."

"It's a romantic wedding," said Christopher solemnly.

"Oh yay! I'm so lucky," quipped Fann.

Co-produced by MediaCorp Raintree Pictures and Scorpio East Pictures, "Wedding of the Year" is slated to open in Singapore during Lunar New Year in 2009.

Sunday Scribblings - "Tale of Two Weddings" - 9/28/08

The Tale of Two Weddings:

My two sons were married within a year of each other. I need to say upfront that nothing is more important in my life than my three kids and now my two (soon to be three) grandchildren. I have always enjoyed participating in their lives. The weddings of my sons were very significant occasions my life.

The first son was married in an outdoor ceremony on the grounds of one of the many beautiful country clubs that the Myrtle Beach area is famous for. I was a groomsman and very proud to be part of this event. As father of the groom, I honchoed the rehearsal dinner. It was held in a clubhouse on the beach and I had it catered southern style: barbecue and all the fixin’s. Many of the guests were from the north and had not experienced a genuine pig picking. Since most of the attendees were coming from out of town and arriving early, we elected to invite all invited guests to the rehearsal dinner, instead of the customary participants. Nearly all of them were able to attend. As a result, we ran low on food long before I was ready to stop serving. I ended up running to a local pizza place and buying a dozen or so pies to supplement our spread. It was a great party and everyone seemed to enjoy the day. The wedding went off without a hitch, even though we were worried about an outdoor affair in the sweltering heat of August. I have many fond memories of that weekend, which I felt very much a part of.

The second son was married in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, a God-awful place, which looks like Myrtle Beach without the attraction of the beaches. The ceremony took place in one of those tacky chapels that usher one wedding out one door as another is entering through another door. The proprietors were rude and surly, as was the photographer. I was not a part of this wedding at all. The rehearsal dinner was a weenie roast at a cabin in the mountains conducted by one of the bride’s many uncles or cousins. I was invited, though I definitely felt like a crasher at a family reunion. I was such an outsider to the wedding that I was told I would not need a tux, until the last minute when it was decided that it would be better for the wedding photographs if I did not wear my golf attire, so I was allowed to rent a tux. It was not necessary, since I was only included in one photo (which I did not receive a copy of), while even the most obscure, shirttail cousins of the bride were posed in every possible combination. Anyone viewing the wedding album would assume my son is an orphan. I am surprised my son allowed to keep his name. Not even a hyphen. But, I felt the most sorry for my ex-wife (mother of the groom) who was shown absolutely no respect at the wedding. She was not even escorted into the chapel. She had to find her own seat and endure the same embarrassing questions by other guests that I did: “Who are you? With the bride or groom?” While a child's wedding is of great importance to the dad, it is doubly so for the mom. She flew across the country to be dissed. I have exactly the same amount of happy memories of that weekend as I have photos to commemorate it.

I have been counseled to use this forum to discuss things that bother me in lieu of my previous method of holding it in until I destroy property and inflict grievous bodily harm on others. When the Sunday Scribbling’s prompt was “Wedding”, this is the first thing that came to mind. It was not written to hurt anyone’s feelings. It is just an honest account of these two events and the contrast in the way they were conducted.

Cheska Garcia excited on her wedding ???

Filipina celebrity model and host-actress Cheska Garcia is pretty excited on her upcoming wedding with Doug Kramer, all was been set-up properly including the date (October 9, 2008).



The event would be strictly with family and friends, she mean closed - selecting sponsors with about 16 ninongs and ninangs.

With Spanish with a twist theme wedding, Cheska expect 200, 300, 600 or 1,000 guest. Filipina model host-actress and the said fiance got a 800 sq. lot and house on Forest Hills were they planned to stay after the wedding.

The Jennylyn versus Patrick issue has been going on for several months now, and each camp has been releasing contradicting statements. Who’s telling the truth?

Cheska Garcia, the elder sister of Patrick, told PEP: “Be the better judge. You have spoken to me. I’m at the state right now where I’m all loose. I can be a b*tch to you right now but I choose not to. Because that’s the way I was brought up. I don’t have to try hard. That’s the way I am, and the way my brother is. And I know my brother better than anybody else in the showbiz.”

Cheska Garcia, who is a few months away from her wedding day, is brimming with excitement.

During the birthday party of Ruffa Gutierrez—held at the Blue Leaf Events Place in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig, last June 21—she revealed to PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) that she can’t wait to marry cager Douglas Kramer.

She’s on cloud nine, discussing her wedding plans for October 9 this year.

But in the course of the conversation, Cheska brought up one topic that has been unsettling her family for four months now: The issues confronting Patrick Garcia.

“My brother is a good guy,” Cheska said. “We were brought up with breeding, with class. You know, it’s not even class…I mean, each person can have class that they claim to have, but you know what, we are not like that.”

She continued, “My brother decided to be a businessman, is that gonna break him? We don’t have to blame ourselves. Pero alam mo, take it as it is. Pero kami, hindi kami maintriga. My brother is quiet.”

The Us Girls host was obviously disconcerted about the situation of her younger bro.

Last June 15, the 26-year old actor left for the States to pursue his studies and get away from all the “intrigues” surrounding him here. And most of these intrigues have to do with his relationship with Jennylyn Mercado, the mother of his first baby,.

Cheska told PEP, “My brother is in the U.S. and then, you know what, I’m very proud of my brother, because no matter how many times he’s been trampled on, stepped on, he’s never spoken anything [bad] about anybody.”

Three Word Wednesday - distant apology consider - 2/27/08

The prompts this week were distant, apology, and consider. I have no idea why it led to this:

The two photos he could see from his recliner were taken fifty years apart. The first was of their wedding, shortly after he came back from the Pacific at the end of World War II. Every time he looked at it he was amazed at how young they were and particularly how beautiful she was.

It was such a distant memory that it almost seemed as though he was looking at someone else. Yet, in other ways it was only yesterday, the pages of the calendar falling off the wall much too fast and accelerating with age.

The second was taken several years ago at their 50th anniversary party. He thought, had it really been twelve years ago? She was still so beautiful and so happy.

It was shortly after that when the disease began. It came slowly at first. She would forget to turn the stove off, lose her purse, or make a wrong turn driving home. A wrong turn on a road she had driven nearly every day for over sixty years. At first he teased her about it but he could see the change in her. She would become preoccupied and confused. She had always been a shrewd and crafty opponent at Scrabble or gin rummy. But gradually they discontinued playing. He could see the fear in her eyes, followed by anger, that she could not focus.

Then the first real terror came the first time she did not recognize him. It began as a momentary lapse and became more frequent and of longer duration as the months passed. They went together to see a specialist. His diagnosis confirmed what they already knew. Treatment was available but ineffective in most cases. The deterioration would continue. The bottom line was that as the disease progressed, they should consider either in-home care or moving her to an “adult care facility”. At his age, he would not be able to provide the care that she would require. The doctor asked about children. They had two, both in their sixties. They both lived clear across the country and could really provide no help. They had their own lives, medical problems, children, and grandchildren. He knew, that their pensions and social security were sufficient to provide them a comfortable life, but there was no money for buying the kind of care she would need.

He had provided loving care for as long as he could. Through the heartbreak of watching his best friend become a stranger, her persevered. But, as promised, the symptoms of the illness continued to progress. It seemed like it was worse every day. Her once intelligent blue eyes were nearly colorless and vacant. It was not just her mind, but her body deteriorated to a shell. She could no longer control her bowels or emotions.

As he sat in the recliner, trying to summon the courage to dial 911, he could not bring himself to apologize for holding the pillow over her face as she slept. Perhaps realizing that her misery was at an end, there was only a feeble struggle as he heard the sounds of her last, labored breath. He kissed her a tender, final goodbye and as he stumbled through his tears into the living room, his pain was tempered by relief that their shared torment was at an end.

The smiles of the couple in the gold-framed photos were what he would remember. Of all the photos that adorned their home, of grandchildren and great grandchildren, of beloved pets……..these were her two favorites. And though he never admitted it to her, they were his favorites too.