Because of his achievements in art, business, politics, and philanthropy, our Pambansang Kamao Manny Pacquiao is the only sports personality in Asia Tatler’s list of Most Influential Individuals in Asia for the last 12 months.

The list included prominent philanthropists from Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore and other Asian countries.

Manny Pacquiao Among 28 Most Influential Individuals in Asia originally appeared on Starmometer on February 7, 2012.

Add to that the intense suffering of cows and their calves—who are traumatically torn from their mothers shortly after birth—on dairy farms, and the case for consuming milk and other dairy products becomes hard to swallow. That’s why the folks at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Asia decided to search out the top 10 vegan desserts in Metro Manila, and the sweet results are in (Additional photos to accompany the press release are available upon request):

1. Pipino’s Chocolate Chip Cookie

Simply the best cookie in town! Pipino also offers vegan chocolate cake—a favorite among PETA staffers—and green tea cupcakes.
Pipino Vegetarian Food by Pino, 39 Malingap Street, Teachers Village, Quezon City; (02) 441-1773; http://www.pipinovegetarian.com/

2. Chocolate Fire’s Dark Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

While all the dark chocolate at Chocolate Fire is dairy-free, the chocolate-covered strawberries are a must to sample. And be sure to try their soy mocha.
Chocolate Fire, ground level of the PDCP Building, corner of Leviste and Rufino streets, Salcedo Village, Makati; (02) 840-3473;
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chocolate-Fire/39912711571

3. Coconut House’s Coco Loco Dairy-Free Ice Cream

No one will miss the milk in this luscious and creamy dairy-free ice cream. The menu at Coconut House also offers many easy-to-veganize items, such as a veggie tofu scramble.
Coconut House, Quezon Memorial Circle, Quezon City, Metro Manila (02) 392-4115; http://coconuthousepinoy.blogspot.com/

4. Heart2Hearth’s Chocolate Banana Cupcake

A no-fail flavor combination that kids and adults are sure to love. Visit Heart2Hearth at the Salcedo Saturday Market and stock up on treats for the whole week. A variety of other vegan cupcake flavors, cookies, and savory dishes is also available.
Heart2Hearth, Salcedo Saturday Market, J. Velasquez Park, Makati City; 09178053865; https://www.facebook.com/heart2hearth

5. Vegan Polvoron From Dr. Tam’s Vegan House

A cruelty-free and healthier take on the traditional Pinoy candy. This is the perfect treat to top off some of Dr. Tam’s famous kare kare.
Dr. Tam’s Vegan House, Metrowalk, Second Floor, Meralco Avenue, Metro Manila; (02) 633-9877; http://www.drtam.org/

6. Corner Tree Café’s Chocolate Cake

Scrumptious chocolate cake topped with creamy chocolate frosting—nirvana for chocolate lovers!
Corner Tree Café, 150 Jupiter Street, Bel-Air, Makati City; (02) 897-0295;
https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Corner-Tree-Cafe/103780474410

7. Gelatissimo’s Dark Chocolate Sorbet

Gelatissimo offers several other dairy-free flavors, including fruity strawberry, guava, raspberry, and green apple.
Gelatissimo, locations in Ayala Center Cebu SM City Cebu, Greenbelt 5, Trinoma, and Piazza Serendra in Fort Bonifacio;
https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=119243255550&v=wall

8. Strawberry Soy Ice Cream Milkshake From Chimara Neo-Vegan Café

What could be a better treat while watching a movie? Other available flavors include chocolate, vanilla, and green tea.
Chimara Neo-Vegan Café, 4/F Greenbelt 3, corner of Paseo de Roxas and Legaspi Street, Ayala Center, Makati City; (02) 757-5652;
https://www.facebook.com/chimara.neovegan

9. Starbucks’ Dark Mocha Soy Frappe

While it may be described as a coffee drink, it’s really more like ice cream with a kick!
Starbucks branches nationwide; https://www.facebook.com/StarbucksPhilippines

10. Mango Sticky Rice From People’s Palace

This traditional Thai dessert is made from sweet sticky rice, coconut cream, and ripe mangoes. People’s Palace also has an outstanding vegetarian menu.
People’s Palace, ground floor, garden side, Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati City; (02) 729-2888; http://www.peoplespalacethai.com/

“All our top 10 vegan desserts show just how delicious compassion can be,” says PETA Asia Vice President Jason Baker. “And everyone wins: the diners who get to indulge in heavenly desserts and the animals who are spared suffering on cruel dairy farms.”

You can also enjoy mouthwatering dairy-free treats without venturing out to a restaurant. Vegan dessert options include everything from Oreos and other accidentally vegan cookies to local snacks like hopia mongo, ube, and homemade baked creations.

PETA Names the Top 10 Vegan Desserts in Metro Manila originally appeared on Starmometer on January 5, 2012.

In reversed order, the Top 10 OPM Songs of 2011 are:

10. “I’m Already King” by Christian Bautista

9. “Wala Na Tayo” by BBS feat. Kean Cipriano

8. One Hit Combo by Parokya ni Edgar feat. Gloc 9

7. “Tinamaan Ako” by Anne Curtis

6. “Porque” by Maldita

(The Top Five on Page 2!)

Top 10 OPM Songs of 2011 originally appeared on Starmometer on December 31, 2011.

Anne Curtis is definitely the hottest star of 2011 because her movie, tv show, and album were all hits this year, not to mention more than a handful of tri-media endorsements under her belt.

Dubbed by Push.ph as the “Princess of All Media,” Anne Curtis is no doubt the star who shone the brightest this 2011.

From her top-rating talent-variety program “Showtime” to super box-office hit movie “No Other Woman” and a platinum recording album “Annebisyosa” to boot, Anne conquered them all.

Futhermore, Anne also won a Best Supporting Actress trophy for her performance in “In Your Eyes”; She also have more than a million Twitter followers, graced a number of magazine covers, and bagged numerous tri-media endorsements.

And Anne is not slowing down because come January 28, 2012, she is set to conquer the concert stage! The major solo concert is titled “No Other Concert: Anne-Bisyosa Live! World Tour” which is happening at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

THE REMAINING 10

In no ranking order, we picked the other 10 hottest celebrities of 2011 based on the success of their tv show(s), movie(s), album(s), and number of product endorsement(s).

In alphabetical order, they are:

Angel Locsin
Christian Bautista
Eugene Domingo
Kim Chiu
Gerald Anderson
Kris Aquino
Sarah Geronimo
Sharon Cuneta
Vic Sotto
Vice Ganda

But of course, aside from the factors that I mentioned above, this list is subjective and we want to hear from you about who we left out and where we screwed up. Weigh in with your thoughts on the comments section below.

Anne Curtis Tops our List of ’11 Hottest Stars of 2011′ originally appeared on Starmometer on December 26, 2011.

Entertainment Weekly’s Best Singles of 2011

1. Nicki Minaj – “Super Bass”
2. Foster the People – “Pumped Up Kicks”
3. The Throne feat. Frank Ocean – “No Church in the Wild”
4. Lana Del Rey – “Video Games”
5. Beyoncé – “Countdown”
6. Wild Flag – “Romance”
7. Britney Spears – “I Wanna Go”
8. Colbie Caillat – “Brighter Than the Sun”
9. Foo Fighters – “Walk”
10. Kelly Clarkson – “What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger)”

Nicki Minaj’s ‘Super Bass’ is EW’s Best Single of 2011 originally appeared on Starmometer on December 20, 2011.

According to the latest survey of Forbes Magazine, Lady Gaga is the Top Earning Female Artist of 2011 (a.k.a. the Top Earning Woman in Music).

The “Born this Way” singer/songwriter has grossed a whopping $170 million on 137 shows in 22 countries over the past 12 months. And Earnings from radio play, recorded music sales and endorsement deals from Polaroid, Virgin Mobile, Monster Cable, Viva Glam, etch. are not yet included!

As for music sales, Forbes’ said Gaga earned $90 million in the last 12 months, more than the combined earnings of second and third placers Taylor Swift ($45 million) and Katy Perry ($44 million).

Here’s Forbes Magazine’s Top-Earning Women in Music for 2011:

1. Lady Gaga – $90 million
2. Taylor Swift – $45 million
3. Katy Perry – $44 million
4. Beyonce – $35 million
5. Rihanna – $29 million
6. Pink – $22 million
7. Carrie Underwood – $20 million
8. Celine Dion – $19 million
9. Adele – $18 million
10. Britney Spears and Alicia Keys – $10 million

Overall, U2 was Forbes’ top act in music, with the band raking in $195 million in 2011.

Lady Gaga Named Forbes’ Top Earning Female Singer of 2011 originally appeared on Starmometer on December 19, 2011.

Yahoo! Philippines has released their Top 10 list of the year’s most-searched by Filipinos and at no. 1 is no less than beauty queen Shamcey Supsup.

Aside from Shamcey, 4 other female celebrities made it to the list which Yahoo.ph described as a “soft-spoken pretty politician,” a “sexy model-turned-actress,” a “controversial young star,” and a “feisty network darling.”

Top Searches of 2011

1. Shamcey Supsup
2. PAGASA
3. NBA
4. Sam Pinto
5. Azkals
6. Shalani Soledad
7. Andi Eigenmann
8. AJ Perez
9. Marian Rivera
10. Earthquakes

Source: Yahoo! Philippines

Shamcey Supsup is Most-Searched in Yahoo! Philippines for 2011 originally appeared on Starmometer on December 5, 2011.

Facebook has released a list of the 40 most shared stories of 2011 and the story about Lolong, the giant crocodile captured in Agusan del Sur (RELATED ARTICLE HERE) which is now the biggest crocodile in captivity according to National Geographic, is at no. 9!

Top 40 Most-Shared Stories on Facebook for 2011

1. Satellite Photos of Japan, Before and After the Quake and Tsunami (New York Times)

2. What teachers really want to tell parents (CNN)

3. No, your zodiac sign hasn’t changed (CNN)

4. Parents, don’t dress your girls like tramps (CNN)

5. (video) – Father Daughter Dance Medley (Yahoo)

6. At funeral, dog mourns the death of Navy SEAL killed in Afghanistan (Yahoo)

7. You’ll freak when you see the new Facebook (CNN)

8. Dog in Japan stays by the side of ailing friend in the rubble (Yahoo)

9. Giant crocodile captured alive in Philippines (Yahoo)

10. New Zodiac Sign Dates: Ophiuchus The 13th Sign? (The Huffington Post)

11. Parents keep child’s gender under wraps (Yahoo)

12. How to Talk to Little Girls (The Huffington Post)

13. Stop Coddling the Super-Rich (New York Times)

14. Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior (Wall Street Journal)

15. (video) – Twin Baby Boys Have A Conversation! (Yahoo)

16. Man robs bank to get medical care in jail (Yahoo)

17. Why You’re Not Married (The Huffington Post)

18. A Sister’s Eulogy for Steve Jobs (New York Times)

19. Ryan Dunn Dead: ‘Jackass’ Star Dies In Car Crash (The Huffington Post)

20. Scientists warn California could be struck by winter ‘superstorm’ (Yahoo)

21. Notes From a Dragon Mom (New York Times)

22. A Message to Women From a Man: You Are Not “Crazy” (The Huffington Post)

23. Obama’s and Bush’s effects on the deficit in one graph (Washington Post)

24. Penn State, my final loss of faith (Washington Post)

25. Golden-Voiced Homeless Man Captivates Internet (Yahoo)

26. The most typical face on the planet (Yahoo)

27. Widespread destruction from Japan earthquake, tsunamis (CNN)

28. Permissive parents: Curb your brats (CNN)

29. A father’s day wish: Dads, wake the hell up! (CNN)

30. (video) – Laughing Baby Loves Ripping Paper! (Yahoo)

31. Epic Cover Letter: How To Get Hired For Your Dream Job (PICTURE) (The Huffington Post)

32. New Zodiac sign dates: Don’t switch horoscopes yet (Washington Post)

33. Things Babies Born in 2011 Will Never Know (Yahoo)

34. The Psychology of Revenge: Why We Should Stop Celebrating Osama Bin Laden’s Death (The Huffington Post)

35. (photo gallery) – ‘Where Children Sleep’ (New York Times)

36. Quake moved Japan coast 8 feet, shifted Earth’s axis (CNN)

37. Steve Jobs, Apple founder, dies (CNN)

38. China’s latest craze: dyeing pets to look like other wild animals (CNN)

39. Grant Hill’s Response to Jalen Rose (New York Times)

40. Steve Jobs’s Patents (New York Times)

Source: Facebook

Lolong the Giant Crocodile is Now a Facebook Star! originally appeared on Starmometer on December 3, 2011.

Who would forget that charming little girl who grew up to be a fine lady. It’s no other than Youtube sensation Julie Anne San Jose, who captured the hearts of millions with her covered songs – her rendition of Nicki Minaj’s Super Bass is the bomb! Recently, she was awarded as the Best Teen Female Performer during the 24th Aliw Awards. People say that she is the perfect role model for young girls everywhere and we couldn’t agree more. Hands down, she’s the winner. Julie Anne is a fast-rising star who is ready to take over Manila and the rest of the world by storm in the world of male-dominated rap genre.

Women to watch from other countries are American politician Gabrielle Giffords, Japanese virtual popstar Hatsune Miku, Indonesian CEO Karen Agustiawan, Taiwanese popstar Ella Chen, Malaysian professional squash player Nicol David, Korean popstar Dara (Sandara Park) of 2NE1, Indian chocolate artisan Mayavee Khandelwal and UK singer Birdy.

Another pinay on the list is former ABS-CBN journalist and CNN Anchor Veronica Pedrosa.

“When you look at the 10 personalities in this list, it’s apparent that women are making a buzz as they make waves in making our world a better place,” says Arc Media Global Director Frank Mercado. “It’s clear to see that more and more women are achieving significant success.” The Top 10 Women to Watch are selected by the Women Leaders’ Centre in collaboration with Arc Media Global, based on several important criteria: positive bottom line organisational impact, global influence on women equality and unique contribution to contemporary society.

There’s no doubt about it. Women everywhere are vital players in each and every society. When it comes to leadership, sports, entertainment, business, and politics, women now have the authority and power to nurture and shape different industries. They are the top innovators, movers, and shakers of this century. Women have broken new ground in diverse areas of expertise – therefore making them the visions of a new generation.

The list was gathered in light of the forthcoming Women Leaders conference in Manila, Philippines. Women at the Top 2012 is the best avenue for women to share their stories and inspirations. This conference aims to highlight the progress in the lives of women around the world. This conference is all about breaking boundaries and barriers, and fostering relationship among the women leaders of today. Women Leaders applaud women from all over the world for liberating the female gender identity.

Putting Veronica and Julie Anne on the list is a no-brainer. Pinays are always on top of the list because of their huge contribution to fields where men are dominant actors.

The conference will be composed of some of the world’s top business women, women leaders, entrepreneurs, and women who accomplished the fields of information technology, beauty, fashion, music, the arts, sport, science and government. The exchange of ideas will put its center of attention on what women want in terms of a holistic lifestyle as they increasingly achieve and progress towards positions of power, wealth and influence. Women at the Top 2012 actively seeks topnotch visionaries and jet-setters from different countries and from a broad array of fields and business sectors.

For more information, please visit www.ArcMediaGlobal.com/Womyn or follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/WATT_Asia

Julie Anne San Jose is on the Worldwide List ‘Top 10 Women to Watch’ originally appeared on Starmometer on November 18, 2011.

The 7 provisional winners based from the first count of the global poll for the New7Wonders of Nature has been announced by Bernard Weber, Founder-President of New7Wonders, at the headquarters of the New7Wonders Foundation in Zurich, Switzerland.

In alphabetical order, the 7 locations which garnered the most votes based from the first count since voting ended at November 11, 11:11 a.m. (GMT) are:

1. Amazon Rainforest – Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela
2. Halong Bay – Vietnam
3. Iguazu Falls – Argentina, Brazil
4. Jeju Island – South Korea
5. Komodo National Park – Indonesia
6. Puerto Princesa Underground River – Palawan, Philippines
7. Table Mountain – South Africa

The poll results will undergo a rigid validation and verification process before it becomes official. In early 2012, New7Wonders will then work with the confirmed winners to organize the Official Inauguration events.

“I would like to thank the many champions, citizens, voluntary organizations, public bodies and governments that have helped promote the New7Wonders of Nature campaign over the past four years, starting with over 440 locations from over 220 countries and all the way to the 28 Finalist candidates from whom the New7Wonders of Nature have been chosen.” Weber said in a statement.

“We congratulate each of these participants on achieving their provisional New7Wonders of Nature status, and look forward to completing the confirmation process to celebrate each one in their own Official Inauguration ceremony early in 2012. When the New7Wonders of Nature are confirmed they will join the man-made New 7 Wonders of the World in becoming part of Global Memory for humankind for ever,” he added.

Images courtesy of www.new7wonders.com

New7Wonders of Nature Provisional Winners Announced, Puerto Princesa Underground River Included! originally appeared on Starmometer on November 12, 2011.

Based from initial poll results, the Top 14 finalists running for the 7 spots in the New7Wonders of Nature are the following (in alphabetical order):

1. Amazon Rainforest – Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela
2. Bu Tinah Shoals – United Arab Emirates
3. Dead Sea – Israel, Jordan, Palestinian Authority
4. Great Barrier Reef – Australia
5. Halong Bay – Vietnam
6. Iguazu Falls – Argentina, Brazil
7. Jeita Grotto – Lebanon
8. Jeju Island – South Korea
9. Kilimanjaro – Tanzania
10. Komodo National Park – Indonesia
11. Masurian Lake District – Poland
12. Puerto Princesa Underground River – Philippines
13. Sundarbans – Bangladesh, India
14. Table Mountain – South Africa

From an initial group of more than 440 locations from 220 countries, only 14 are left vying for the 7 slots. Our very own Puerto Princesa Underground River is one of them. Let’s hope that PPUR will make it to the final 7.

The provisional results of the New7Wonders of Nature with the names of the 7 winners will be announced at 7:07pm GMT on www.new7wonders.com.

Photo Credit: n7w.com

New7Wonders of Nature Announces the Top 14 originally appeared on Starmometer on November 12, 2011.

The Asia Pacific largest banks are ranked based on asset size of banks in the whole Asia Pacific region including the following countries: Australia, Bangalesh, Brunei, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Langka, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

View the complete rankings of the 16 Philippine banks HERE.

16 PHL Banks Make it in Asia Pacific’s Top 500 originally appeared on Starmometer on November 2, 2011.