HOT OFF the shelf: ?Martinis and Aprons.? This book took a long time coming (two and a half years to be exact) but it?s finally here! ?Martinis and Aprons? is not only a cookbook but a lifestyle and entertaining guide as well. It?s brought to you by ladies who know first-hand about the perfect table setting, pot roast and making a bloody Mary. Comprising the team are Sharmila Hiranand, Lizette Cojuangco, Lizzie Zobel, Marianne Po, Kit Zobel, Anne Marie Saguil, Mandy Taboada, Ina Ayala and Marit Yuchengco.

These ladies (and a lot of their friends) give us a glimpse of how they entertain guests, what their favorite food and drinks are, and they give us a peek into their lives. They are quick to say that this is not the standard for cookbooks, for entertaining; rather it is to help give options to individuals who love to cook and entertain. In the foreword the ladies wrote, ?The book comes to you with the hope that should your cake topple over, or your roast beef turn tough, you will not hang up your apron, but instead, with grim determination, you will wield that spatula or basting brush or whisk, flip open the pages of our book, and try, try again!? Well said.

?Martinis and Aprons? will have its launch on September 23 at the Focus Global Showroom and is sponsored by Focus Global Inc., the Philippine Tatler and Edsa Shangri-La (tel. 0916-6591183).

Well done ladies, you can finally kick off your heels and take a sip of that martini! Cheers!

Set to make his mark

Dennis Lustico is the next big name in fashion design. I attended his press con and was amazed at his designs which were elegant, seamless and truly world-class. He will be presenting a 40-piece collection, inspired from the juxtaposition of masculine and feminine with military influences. His first solo show ?Lustico: A Fashion Presentation? is on October 1 at the NBC Tent (call Marge Custorio at 8977030 or Maggie Gineta at 0917-8325570) for the benefit of the Red Cross, the Assumption High School 1981 Foundation and the Tanging Yaman Foundation. The event is headed by no less than Tessa Prieto-Valdes and Kaye Tinga. This is definitely the must-see fashion event of the year, so don?t miss it!

Whitney back at No. 1

Whitney Houston is back again right on top of the charts where she belongs. ?I Look to You,? her comeback album, is No. 1 in the US as well as in Canada, Germany, and Italy.

The album has received mixed reviews since her voice is not the same as it used to be. For her first TV appearance, she appeared on ?Good Morning America? (catch it on Youtube.com), but her voice was hoarse and she did not sing most of the songs.

But Whitney fans have given her the thumbs-up and heaved a sigh of relief to know that she?s back.

There?s a phrase in her album that best explains her life from superstar to drug dependent back to superstar again. Here are the lyrics from the song ?I Didn?t Know My Own Strength? ? ?Survived my darkest hour, my faith kept me alive. I picked myself back up, held my head up high. I was not built to break. I didn?t know my own strength.? She is also set to headline Oprah?s season opener on September 14.

Other music news

The ?ber months are bringing in more music for you to choose from. On September 29, three divas are set to battle it out. Set to release their CDs are Madonna, Mariah Carey and the one and only Barbra Streisand.

Other CDs to watch out for are Robbie Williams, Tina Turner ? Live, Mika, Massive Attack, Basement Jaxx and Sting.

Star Magic Ball

Two weeks after and people are still talking about the Star Magic Ball event. I went to the ball, having been invited by Keren Pascual.

Held at the Makati Shangri-La?s Rizal Ballroom, it was a step up from the first one in terms of organization, décor and the all-important ?who wore what.? As I am not part of the show biz world, it was refreshing to see all these stars up close. I know so many people who watch those ABS-CBN ?telenovelas? and I have caught a couple of them. It was also interesting to note the hierarchy of show business and to see certain stars giving hosting jobs while others watch and while the newbies watch even more.

From the new batch of Star Magic you can see some standouts already. You really realize that the youth play a major role. I remember growing up seeing Sharon and Gabby and Martin and Pops as the love teams; now, television is dominated by the likes of Gerald and Kim and others. One really needs to have a love team to stand out; the adage that two heads are better than one surely works here.

In the fashion scene, there were definitely standouts and what-were-they-thinking moments. Some men wore beige, silver and techni-colored tuxedos that were truly atrocious. The women truly shone, especially Anne Curtis and Bea Alonzo. I saw the latter in her latest movie and though the movie was predictable, Bea was mesmerizing every time she was onscreen. Congratulations again to Charo Santos-Concio (who looked great in her Lanvin dress), Johnny Manahan, and Keren.