Below is the list of Top 10 Yahoo! searches for 2011 that captivated the thoughts and enthusiasm of the internet community:

TOP 10 SEARCHES
1. iPhone
2. Casey Anthony
3. Kim Kardashian
4. Katy Perry
5. Jennifer Lopez
6. Lindsay Lohan
7. “American Idol”
8. Jennifer Aniston
9. Japan Earthquake
10. Osama bin Laden

TOP NEWS STORIES
1. Casey Anthony Trial
2. Japan Earthquake and Tsunami
3. Royal Wedding
4. Death of Osama bin Laden
5. Unemployment
6. Arizona Shooting
7. Death of Amy Winehouse
8. Arab Spring
9. Libya/Death of Moammar Gadhafi
10. Occupy Wall Street

HEROIC ACTS
1. Gabrielle Giffords
2. Navy SEAL Team Six
3. U.S. and Japan’s Women’s Soccer
4. Red Cross Volunteers
5. Lara Logan
6. Dakota Meyer
7. Fukushima 50
8. Mohamed Bouazizi
9. Texas Volunteer Firefighters
10. John Feal (9/11)

EXTREME WEATHER
1. New Year Blizzards
2. Drought and Wildfires in Oklahoma
3. Spring Tornado Outbreak
4. Joplin Tornado Disaster
5. Missouri and Mississippi River Floods
6. Summer Heat Wave
7. Hurricane Irene
8. Wallow and Bastrop Fires
9. October Nor’easter
10. Late Fall Storms

END OF AN ERA
1. Space Shuttle Program
2. Oprah Winfrey
3. Borders
4. Harry Potter
5. Friendster
6. Steve Jobs
7. News of the World
8. “Kate Plus 8?
9. Elizabeth Warren
10. Iraq Withdrawal

CAUGHT?
1. Anthony Weiner
2. Arnold Schwarzenegger
3. John Edwards
4. Herman Cain
5. Silvio Berlusconi
6. Kwame Kilpatrick
7. Dominique Strauss-Kahn
8. David Wu
9. John Ensign
10. Chris Lee

OBSESSIONS
1. Charlie Sheen
2. The Rapture
3. “Friday” (Rebecca Black)
4. Mortgage Rates
5. Extreme Couponing
6. Angry Birds
7. Planking
8. “Game of Thrones”
9. Government Shutdown
10. Tiger Mom

Visit Yahoo! for the comprehensive details of the review and other top searches. You can also go to Yahoo! 2011 Year in Review.

Cheers,

Photo credit: Yahoo!

Mega offer!

Actress Sharon Cuneta has finally ended all the rumors that she will be leaving ABS-CBN, her home network for 23 years, when she signed an exclusive 5 year contract with TV5 earlier this evening, November 22 with TV5 President and CEO Ray C. Espinosa, TV5 COO and EVP Roberto Barreiro and Viva Entertainment Big Boss Vic del Rosario.

According to reports, the ‘Mega Star’ is scheduled to start working at the Kapatid Network on January 2012 for a daily show, a reality show and even movies with Studio 5 in partnership with Viva Films, including a much-awaited screen reunion with Gabby Concepcion.

Rumor has it that Sharon sealed the deal for a billion pesos from TV5. Wow, that’s freaking LOTS OF MONEY and not to mention, the biggest offer ever made by a local television to a showbiz personality!

I couldn’t blame the Mega Star if she decided to switch network. Come on guys – 1 BILLION IS 1 BILLION!  I bet you wouldn’t bat an eyelash if you were offered by a company for that  big amount of money!

Now, my 1 billion dollar questions is: Who’s the next ABS CBN star that will transfer after Sharon Cuneta?

Let us wait and see then…

Cheers,

Photo credit: Google Image

Listed below are the man-made New7Wonders of Nature in alphabetical order:

• Amazon Rainforest (located in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, France (French Guiana), Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela)
• Halong Bay (located in Vietnam)
• Iguazu/Iguaçu Falls (National Park) (located in Argentina and Brazil)
• Jeju Island (located in South Korea)
• Komodo Island (National Park) (located in Indonesia)
• Puerto Princesa Underground River (located in the Philippines)
• Table Mountain (National Park) (located in South Africa)

The New7Wonders of Nature was an initiative started in 2007 to create a list of seven natural wonders chosen by people through a global poll. It was led by Canadian-Swiss Bernard Weber and organized by the New7Wonders Foundation, a Swiss-based, government-controlled foundation. The initiative followed the New7Wonders of the World, which attracted 100 million votes from around the world. Voting continued until Nov. 11, 2011, when the list was announced.

Cheers,

Photo credit: Google Image

Philippines’ Queen of All Media and Presidential sister Kris Aquino is the newest United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees (UNCHR) Honorary Patron. The news was confirmed by the talk show host through her official Twitter account. She said:

Just finished UNHCR dinner. I accepted their appointment. I’m in excellent company. Angelina Jolie is the UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador. I’m honorary patron together w/ Luol Deng of the Chicago Bulls, Khaled Hosseini author of A Thousand Splendid Suns & Kite Runner & Yao Chen from China, super pretty actress & their twitter queen w/ 13 million followers.

According to reports, being an honorary patron is the first step to become an Ambassador of Goodwill just like Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie.

Oh well – congrats Krissy for being the newest UNCHR honorary patron. I am so impressed.

I am now excited to see you in action when you visit refugee camps around Asia (sans the glam of course) just like Angelina Jolie!

Cheers,

Photo credit: Zimbio/Universal Records

Life imitates art.

Iranian actress Marzieh Vafamehr has been sentenced to 90 lashes and a year in jail for her role in “My Tehran for Sale” – a film about a young actress in Tehran whose theater work is banned by the authorities.

The controversial movie received harsh criticism in the conservative circles and had not been approved for screening in Iran and was being distributed in the country illegally.

Vafamehr was arrested in July after appearing in ‘My Tehran for Sale,’ which came under harsh criticism in conservative circles as the film was accused of painting a black picture of Iran and Iranians.

Photo credit: Here

The 27th PMPC Star Awards for Movies held Tuesday night, June 21, 2011, at the Newport Performing Arts Theater in Resorts World Manila. Unlike the other movie award-giving bodies, the PMPC Star Awards honored separate categories for mainstream and indie films in the Star Awards for Movies.

Listed below are the winners:

Movie of the Year:
Ang Tanging Ina Mo, Last Na ‘To (Star Cinema)

Digital Movie of the Year:
Sigwa (Beginnings Twenty Plus Production/Sineng Totoo Production/Star Express)

Movie Actress of the Year:
Ai-Ai delas Alas (Ang Tanging Ina Mo, Last Na ‘To)

Movie Actor of the Year:
Coco Martin (Noy)

Movie Director of the Year:
Wenn Deramas (Ang Tanging Ina Mo, Last Na ‘To)

Digital Movie Director of the Year:
Joel Lamangan (Sigwa)

Movie Supporting Actress of the Year:
Eugene Domingo (Ang Tanging Ina Mo, Last Na ‘To)

Movie Supporting Actor of the Year:
Tirso Cruz III (Sigwa)

Movie Child Performer of the Year:
Timothy Chan (Here Comes The Bride) – tied with –
Xyriel Manabat (Ang Tanging Ina Mo, Last Na ‘To)

New Movie Actress of the Year:
Carla Abellana (Shake, Rattle & Roll 12 “Punerarya”)

New Movie Actor of the Year:
Martin del Rosario (Dagim)

Movie Original Screenplay of the Year:
Jerry Gracio (Emir)

Digital Movie Screenplay of the Year:
Jerrold Tarog (Senior Year)

Movie Editor of the Year:
Marya Ignacio (Ang Tanging Ina Mo, Last Na ‘To)

Digital Movie Editor of the Year:
Bebs Gothia (Sigwa)

Movie Production Designer of the Year:
Joey Luna and Miki Hahn (Rosario)

Digital Movie Production Designer of the Year:
Edgar Martin Littaua (Sigwa)

Digital Movie Cinematographer of the Year:
Monino S. Duque (Sigwa)

Movie Musical Scorer of the Year:
Josefino Chino Toledo (Emir)

Digital Movie Musical Scorer of the Year:
Jerrold Tarog (Senior Year)

Movie Sound Engineer of the Year:
Jerrold Tarog (Shake, Rattle & Roll 12 “Punerarya”)

Digital Movie Sound Engineer of the Year:
Alfredo “Dodoy” Ongleo (Sigwa)

Movie Original Theme Song of the Year:
“Bakit Ako Naririto?” (Emir)
Composed by Gary Granada, Interpreted by Frencheska Farr

Digital Movie Original Theme Song of the Year:
“Napapagod Din Ang Puso” (Tarima)
Composed by Sherwyn Castillo, Interpreted by MJ Ringo

Ulirang Artista (Lifetime Achievement Award):
Christopher de Leon

Ulirang Alagad ng Pelikula sa Likod ng Kamera (Lifetime Achievement Award):
Mother Lily Monteverde

Male Star of the Night:
Richard Gomez

Female Star of the Night:
Toni Gonzaga

Male Face of the Night:
Xian Lim

The 27th PMPC Star Awards for Movies will be aired this coming Sunday, June 26, on ABS-CBN’s Sunday’s Best.

Congratulations!

Cheers,

Photo credit: Google Image

Happy 113th Independence Day to all my countrymen and to all the Filipinos living all over the world.

Our liberty will not be secured at the sword’s point… We must secure it by making ourselves worthy of it. And when the people reaches that height, God will provide a weapon, the idols will be shattered, tyranny will crumble like a house of cards, and liberty will shine out like the first dawn. ~ Dr. Jose Rizal

Cheers,

Photo credit: Here

Another doomsday prophecy has failed. Harold Camping’s prediction that the Rapture would take place on May 21, 2011 did not happen.

Here are the other 10 failed predictions about the end of the world that fail:

The Prophet Hen of Leeds, 1806
History has countless examples of people who have proclaimed that the return of Jesus Christ is imminent, but perhaps there has never been a stranger messenger than a hen in the English town of Leeds in 1806. It seems that a hen began laying eggs on which the phrase “Christ is coming” was written. As news of this miracle spread, many people became convinced that doomsday was at hand — until a curious local actually watched the hen laying one of the prophetic eggs and discovered someone had hatched a hoax.

The Millerites, April 23, 1843
A New England farmer named William Miller, after several years of very careful study of his Bible, concluded that God’s chosen time to destroy the world could be divined from a strict literal interpretation of scripture. As he explained to anyone who would listen, the world would end some time between March 21, 1843 and March 21, 1844. He preached and published enough to eventually lead thousands of followers (known as Millerites) who decided that the actual date was April 23, 1843. Many sold or gave away their possessions, assuming they would not be needed; though when April 23 arrived (but Jesus didn’t) the group eventually disbanded—some of them forming what is now the Seventh Day Adventists.

Mormon Armageddon, 1891 or earlier
Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon church, called a meeting of his church leaders in February 1835 to tell them that he had spoken to God recently, and during their conversation he learned that Jesus would return within the next 56 years, after which the End Times would begin promptly.

Halley’s Comet, 1910
In 1881, an astronomer discovered through spectral analysis that comet tails include a deadly gas called cyanogen (related, as the name imples, to cyanide). This was of only passing interest until someone realized that Earth would pass through the tail of Halley’s comet in 1910. Would everyone on the planet be bathed in deadly toxic gas? That was the speculation reprinted on the front pages of “The New York Times” and other newspapers, resulting in a widespread panic across the United States and abroad. Finally even-headed scientists explained that there was nothing to fear.

Pat Robertson, 1982
In May 1980, televangelist and Christian Coalition founder Pat Robertson startled and alarmed many when — contrary to Matthew 24:36 (“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven…”) he informed his “700 Club” TV show audience around the world that he knew when the world would end. “I guarantee you by the end of 1982 there is going to be a judgment on the world,” Robertson said.

Heaven’s Gate, 1997
When comet Hale-Bopp appeared in 1997, rumors surfaced that an alien spacecraft was following the comet — covered up, of course, by NASA and the astronomical community. Though the claim was refuted by astronomers (and could be refuted by anyone with a good telescope), the rumors were publicized on Art Bell’s paranormal radio talk show “Coast to Coast AM.” These claims inspired a San Diego UFO cult named Heaven’s Gate to conclude that the world would end soon. The world did indeed end for 39 of the cult members, who committed suicide on March 26, 1997.

Nostradamus, August 1999
The heavily obfuscated and metaphorical writings of Michel de Nostrdame have intrigued people for over 400 years. His writings, the accuracy of which relies heavily upon very flexible interpretations, have been translated and re-translated in dozens of different versions. One of the most famous quatrains read, “The year 1999, seventh month / From the sky will come great king of terror.” Many Nostradamus devotees grew concerned that this was the famed prognosticator’s vision of Armageddon.

Y2K, Jan. 1, 2000
As the last century drew to a close, many people grew concerned that computers might bring about doomsday. The problem, first noted in the early 1970s, was that many computers would not be able to tell the difference between 2000 and 1900 dates. No one was really sure what that would do, but many suggested catastrophic problems ranging from vast blackouts to nuclear holocaust. Gun sales jumped and survivalists prepared to live in bunkers, but the new millennium began with only a few glitches.

May 5, 2000
In case the Y2K bug didn’t do us in, global catastrophe was assured by Richard Noone, author of the 1997 book “5/5/2000 Ice: the Ultimate Disaster.” According to Noone, the Antarctic ice mass would be three miles thick by May 5, 2000 — a date in which the planets would be aligned in the heavens, somehow resulting in a global icy death (or at least a lot of book sales). Perhaps global warming kept the ice age at bay.

God’s Church Ministry, Fall 2008
According to God’s Church minister Ronald Weinland, the end times are upon us– again. His 2006 book “2008: God’s Final Witness” states that hundreds of millions of people will die, and by the end of 2006, “there will be a maximum time of two years remaining before the world will be plunged into the worst time of all human history. By the fall of 2008, the United States will have collapsed as a world power, and no longer exist as an independent nation.” As the book notes, “Ronald Weinland places his reputation on the line as the end-time prophet of God.”

Cheers,

Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife Maria Shriver have already separated after twenty five years of marriage. Below is the statement they released last week jointly for the media:

This has been a time of great personal and professional transition for each of us. After a great deal of thought, reflection, discussion and prayer, we came to this decision together. At this time, we are living apart while we work on the future of our relationship.

Reports also say that Maria Shriver left ex-California Governor/actor Arnold Schwarzenegger after the latter admitted that he had an affair with a house staff member and have fathered a child with the same woman.

So, what can I say?

I am one of those millions who thought that they will be together forever!

Their union which started in 1986 was like a modern day fairytale:

Just imagine – a young popular Hollywood actor was suddenly married to a popular journalist closely related to the powerful Kennedy clan.

How cool was that?

Geez, it was like an American version of a Royal wedding that we just saw weeks ago just so you know.

Too bad their marriage ended like that.

Oh well, looks like their union was not like the movies with a happy ending but I am still hoping they will work it out as I love them both to bits!

Cheers,

Photo Credit: Snarkerati and Hilary Sheperd

Princess Grace of Monaco and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge

It’s obvious that Catherine, the new Duchess of Cambridge (aka Kate Middleton) is inspired by Grace Kelly, the beloved famous Hollywood actress who wed Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1956.

Princess Grace and Prince Rainier III of Monaco

Interestingly, Kate’s gown looks strikingly similar to the Princess Grace of Monaco‘s wedding dress starting from the long sleeve lace, veil, identical tiara and down to the short train.

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge

Actually, it is not bad that she took an idea from Princess Grace as her wedding gown was so elegant.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana of Wales

But I must say that it cannot beat Princess Diana‘s iconic gown inspired by ruffles and bows!

Cheers,

Photo Credits: Google Image