CELEBS ON THE WEB - Part 1
by Heinz Bulos, The Web Philippines, July/August 1997

What do Lea Salonga, Dawn Zulueta, Francis Magalona, and Aga Muhlach have in common? Simple: a home page of their own.

Almost every popular Hollywood film star has one. In the old days, it might have been called a shrine or a temple of worship. Today, it's called a Web site. Yes, celebrities aren't just on the silver screen now, they're on your computer screen as well, as you surf the Web. It's astonishing how popular these sites are, and how diligently fans will update these home pages dedicated to their idols, painstakingly adding the latest news, photos, and even film clips.

Tinseltown, Philippine-style, is no different. It was just a matter of time before adoring fans of Filipino celebrities started setting up their own showbiz shrines. Some Pinoy celebrity sites are extremely popular, often visited by homesick and showbiz news-hungry Pinoys abroad. Of the Pinoy celebrity sites out there, a good number were created by a local ISP, thus the feeling of déjà vu (as in, "hmmm, looks familiar..."). Another bunch of sites was developed by a graphics design firm. The rest were lovingly put up by real fans, usually with the imprimatur of the stars involved. We looked at twenty home pages of Pinoy film celebrities, and talked to three Webbed stars who, it turned out, also love to surf the Net themselves. So here, in alphabetical order lest we offend the fans, are the Pinoy celebrities on the Web.

There's only one way to describe her: va-va-voom! Anjanette Abayari, or A.J. for those not in the know. Her home page (www.cnl.net/~aj/) is one of the better ones we've seen. It's well-designed and has a lot to look at. And we mean look at. Her Picture Gallery probably has the most number of photos, from magazine covers to calendar pin-ups (ay caramba!). If you don't visit her site, you wouldn't find out that she was once a Los Angeles Raiderette, a Miss Camay, and a Budweiser calendar girl. Or that she appeared in a David Lee Roth music video, or at the MTV Music Awards as a dancer for Prince, er, The Artist Formerly Known As Prince.

For T.G.I.S. fans, in this case, shrieking teenage girls, The Onemig Bondoc Home Page (web.cnl.net/onemig/main.htm) is a bit disappointing. The Tidbits section contains personal information about Onemig and a listing of commercials, movies, and TV shows he appeared in. There's also a well-written Biography section. Aside from these, there's nothing much to look forward to. The Updates are not updated and the Gallery has no photos yet. And what's really going on between him and Ciara Sotto?

Ms. D! (www.stormviz.com/ms.d/) has style, that is both the lady herself, Dina Bonnevie, and her home page. Named after her afternoon talk show, the site is more about her than her TV program, although there is a comprehensive list of TV shows she has appeared in. This site tries to be informative, not gossipy. The section on Filmography for instance list her movies with the year, genre, title, director, producer, co-stars, and and a short plot description. There are also sections on her Awards & Nominations, Records & Concerts (remember, she sings?), and TV ads. You'll also find the latest news about Ms. D. Aside from some photos that adorn the sections (and most of them are candid), there's no picture gallery. There is a Guestbook and some links.

Another home page that's kind of a letdown is Donna (www.cnl.net/~donna/). Donna Cruz may be wholesome and sweet, but that's no reason to make the site boring. The only interesting part is the Factfile, which contains Donna's personal info. The rest needs a lot of improvement. The Images page is empty, the Filmography/TV Appearances section is just a short listing, and the Discography page needs to be updated.

Sharonians will just be as disappointed. The Sharon Cuneta Home Page (www.cnl.net/~sharon/) does no justice to the Mega Star. With so many films, records, TV shows, commercials, awards, and rumors attached to her name, you would expect a loaded site. Well, don't bother. The photos and articles are from Agenda magazine, and that's all. The Filmography stops in 1993, the Discography is empty, and the Photo Gallery is hardly one. An amateur Web page designer but true-blue Sharonian can do much better.

A better site is the Gelli de Belen Home Page (www.stormviz.com/gelli/). It has almost the same look and structure as the Ms. D! site, but at least, you will find more content here such as the latest news, feature articles, filmography, TV shows, commercial ads, and records. And Gelli has some really cute pictures.

The Gary Estrada Homepage (web.cnl.net/gary/) has a fresh approach. Instead of the ho-hum section titles like Filmography and Photo Gallery, Gary's sections are called Production, which contains film photos and some candid shots; Script, an A to Z list of Gary's favorite things; Boom Operator, a short Q&A on some of his opinions on career and relationships; and References, a list of his films.

One of the loveliest faces in local tinseltown is former Ms. Universe finalist (remember her high tide or low tide repartee?) Charlene Gonzales. Her site, The Official Charlene Gonzales Home Page (www.stormviz.com/charlene/) makes good use of frames. Her Career History lists in detail her achievements as a Ms. Universe finalist, a movie actress, a TV show host, and a professional model. The Photo Gallery leads to some unpredictable results, but you'll find pictures from modelling, her Eezy Dancing show, the Ms. Universe pageant, and films like Dyesebel and War and Love. You'll also get to read articles about her from several magazines.

Part 2 -->