After being turned down several times, Lenny’s persistence when Yvonne became his girlfriend. Just when Lenny thought everything was going well for both of them, he proposed to Yvonne thinking that she would be willing to marry him. Yvonne did accept his proposal but three days before their wedding, she got cold feet and runaway. Frustrated, Lenny sought the help of a witch doctor to make Yvonne fall for him through a love potion. Will the potion work or will it drive Yvonne away from him.

MMK’s ‘Love Potion’ episode also features Rio Locsin, Bembol Rocco, Alfred Labatos, Bea Nicholas, Mark Joshua Sayarot, Richard Yap, Wendy Valdez and Joyce So. It was researched by Ayoy Ramos, written by Joan Habana, and directed by Lino Cayetano.

Don’t miss the month-long celebration of love this February in the longest running drama anthology of Asia, “Maalaala Mo Kaya” (MMK), every Saturday night, after “Junior Master Chef Pinoy Edition.” For more updates, log on to www.mmk.abs-cbn.com, follow @MMKOfficial on Twitter, and “like” www.faceboook.com/MMKOfficial.

Bianca Manalo and Alfred Vargas Topbill ‘Love Potion’ Episode of ‘MMK’ originally appeared on Starmometer on February 8, 2012.

In the story, Paul (Prats) and Mimi (Manalo) are childhood sweethearts who promised to love each other no matter what. But 16 years later, Mimi broke her promise only because she became so much taller than Paul. Mimi meets her karma when a playful elf shrunk her to elf size. Prats and Manalo share the small screen with Jojit Lorenzo, Perla Bautista, Abby Bautista, Hideo Muraoka, and Dexie Daulat. ‘Mini Mimi’ is written by Joel Mercado and directed by Jerome Pobocan.

Don’t miss another lesson-filled episode of “Wansapanataym” this Saturday night on ABS-CBN after “TV Patrol Weekend.” For more updates, log on to www.abs-cbn.com or follow @abscbndotcom on

Twitter.

‘Height Doesn’t Matter’ for John and Bianca originally appeared on Starmometer on January 26, 2012.

Lots of surprises and revelations will surely bring smiles the birthday celebrants. Bianca will spill a revelation, while Randy will endure a tell-all session under his co-hosts John Estrada and Rico J Puno.

The appearance of handsome actors Sam Milby and Gerald Anderson will definitely add spice everyone’s afternoon.

Don’t miss the fun and excitement on the last monthly finals of “Miss KB,” where the housemaids showcase their talents. Also, catch the last four contenders of “Batang Genius,” as they vie for the contest’s top spot.

Weekends are always exciting when you’re with your favorite noontime barkada – Randy Santiago, John Estrada, Rico J Puno, Pokwang, Toni, John Pratts, Bianca Manalo, Melai Cantiveros, Jason Francisco and Bentong. Don’t miss the fun and the whopping gifts and prizes to be given away in “Happy Yipee Yehey!” Mondays through Saturdays, after Showtime on ABS-CBN. Bida Best Kapamilya!

Back-to-Back Birthday Bash of Randy Santiago and Bianca Manalo on ‘HYY’ this Saturday originally appeared on Starmometer on November 26, 2011.

Not even their distance in location can delay this much-awaited moment. John was in San Juan for his segment “Ikaw Ang Bida” while Bianca was at the HYY studio. At the start of the show, Rico J boldly asked John if there’s already something going on with him and Bianca. John admitted Bianca is his big crush.

Meanwhile, John is set to dance with the Freestylers on “HYY” and three special guests—Erik Santos, Kiray and Marcelito will belt it out with the gang this Saturday, after “Showtime” on ABS-CBN. For more updates, follow HYY on Twitter, http://twitter.com/#!/hyyofficial

Bianca Manalo and John Pratts Kiss originally appeared on Starmometer on July 22, 2011.

In an interview by PEP, the former beauty queen denied the rumor:

“Nirerespeto ko po kung anong relasyon meron sila. Kung may pinagdaanan po silang dalawa, labas na po ako dun, wala po akong kinalaman talaga…Ako po, bilang babae, ayaw ko po sanang mailagay sa ganyang klaseng isyu—na may third party,” Bianca said.

The rumor about Bianca being the third party was ignited after her Happy Yipee Yehey co-hosts started teasing and linking her to John Prats during an episode of the noontime show last week.

Again, Manalo vehemently denied the rumor.

“Kahit naman siguro sino, ayaw yung hihiwalayan ka para sa isa pa. Ang pangit naman po nun. Kahit ako naman yung nasa lugar ni Rachelle, e, sino ba naman ang may gusto nun? So, sana po i-out n’yo na ako dun. Kasi po, wala po talaga akong kinalaman doon,” she said.

It’s interesting to note that the beauty queen-turned actress was also rumored to be the third party that caused the breakup of Jake Cuenca and Melissa Ricks.

In an earlier interview by ABS-CBNNews, Manalo pointed out that she and Ricks are good friends and the latter was the one who introduced her to Cuenca.

And to the rumor that Cuenca also wooed her, Manalo has this to say:

“No, no. I met him through Melissa. Melissa and I are friends,” she said.

Sooner or later, Manalo could get the tag “Third Party Queen” from tabloid reporters if this kind of rumors persist. That’s why the Happy Yipee Yehey host appealed to the public to stop dragging her name in relationships she’s not part of.

Image courtesy of ABS-CBN

Bianca Manalo Denies Causing John Prats-Rachelle Ann Go Breakup originally appeared on Starmometer on June 19, 2011.

Metro Magazine once again selected a group of hottest male and female celebrities for their annual METRO bodies.

The Metro Bodies 2011 are the following:

Megan Young and Benjamin Tang
(See above photo)

Chris Cayzer

Bianca Manalo

Xian Lim

Carmi Martin and Solenn Heusaff

Lovie Poe

Bangs Garcia

Also included in the latest METRO Bodies list are Rafael Rosell, Tuesday Vargas, and Marc Nelson.

Video outtakes courtesy of Daniel Soriano and Ian Castañares.

METRO Bodies for 2011 Revealed originally appeared on Starmometer on December 25, 2010.

Last year, we conducted a poll on who is the fastest-rising star and it was being contested by Maricar Reyes and Carla Abellana. Click here to find out who won.

This year, we picked the 6 showbiz rookies who have made the most impact in their field. All of them are product endorsers, 5 of them bagged a lead role on a tv series and 1 of them is a YouTube sensation and has a debut album that reached platinum status in less than four months.

Here are the finalists for this year (in alphabetical order):

Vote Here:

Photo Credits: ABS-CBN, GMA, ABS-CBN.com

Poll: Who is the Fastest-Rising Star of 2010? originally appeared on Starmometer on December 24, 2010.

Bb. Pilipinas- Universe 2009 Bianca Manalo is now television’s fantastic bida as she’s about to reign ABS-CBN’s Hapontastic block via her first lead role in the most nutritious teleserye set to grace your small screens starting on October 25, ‘Pablo S. Gomez’s Juanita Banana.’

Despite being a newbie in the acting arena, Bianca has proven that she has the potential to be the next big star. Her exceptional performance in Maalaala Mo Kaya with Rayver Cruz has unleashed the actress in her. Bianca’s natural comic antics which can be seen in her character as Gigi in Magkaribal is one of the chief factors that has pushed the ABS-CBN Management to launch the beauty queen-turned-actress to her first major series.

“Masarap po sa pakiramdam ang pagkatiwalaan ng isang proyekto lalo na po na baguhan pa lang ako,” Bianca shared. She added, “The whole Juanita Banana team is very supportive kaya ‘di rin naging masyadong mahirap for me to adjust. Ang saya-saya naming sa set. Magaan sa pakirdamam, parang yung ‘feel’ rin ng kwento ng Juanita (Banana).”

Bianca will be paired up with Rodjun Cruz and Matt Evans, who are both excited to be teamed-up with the beauty queen. “By nature kasi nakakatuwa na si Bianca, so paano pa kaya kung magkasama kami ‘di ba? I’m sure this whole project will be a fun experience,” Matt said in an interview. “Baguhan din ako kaya naman excited ako na nabigyan kami ng break ni Bianca after ng stint namin sa Magkaribal,” says Rodjun.

Witness the rise of the fantastic bida, Bianca Manalo, as she stars in “Juanita Banana,” premiering on October 25 after Pilipinas Win na Win on ABS-CBN.

Bianca Manalo is ‘Juanita Banana’ originally appeared on Starmometer on October 24, 2010.

Photo Credits:

GMA-7 – Katrina Halili, Maxene Magalona
Bb. Pilipinas – Bianca Manalo
ABS-CBN – Jodi Sta. Maria, Gretchen Barretto

Previously:

61. Isabel Oli
62. Carmina Villaroel
63. Solenn Heusaff
64. Ehra Madrigal
65. Catherine Remperas
66. Nina Kodaka
67. Aicelle Santos
68. Glaiza de Castro
69. Lucy Torres Gomez
70. Jennica Garcia
71. Lea Salonga
72. Valerie Concepcion
73. Nadine Samonte
74. Sheena Halili
75. Angelika dela Cruz
76. Agot Isidro
77. Iwa Moto
78. Diva Monteliba
79. Jessy Mendiola
80. Dimples Romana
81. Donita Rose
82. Bela Padilla
83. Camille Prats
84. Andi Manzano
85. Megan Young
86. Arci Munoz
87. Ruffa Gutierrez
88. Regine Angeles
89. Diana Zubiri
90. Jean Garcia
91. Rica Peralejo
92. Nina Jose
93. Queenie Padilla
94. Vicky Morales
95. Princess Velasco
96. Jonalyn Viray
97. Karla Paula Henry
98. Stef Prescott
99. Wendy Valdez
100. Sandra Seifert

The Top 20 Final Poll is ongoing. To vote, click here. 6 days to go!

100 Most Beautiful Women in the Philippines – Nos. 56 to 60 originally appeared on Starmometer on October 18, 2010.

Bianca Manalo covers FHM Philippines for the first time. She is a former Bb. Pilipinas-Universe who represented our country in the Miss Universe pageant last year at the Bahamas. Although she was among the favorites, Asian delegates were snubbed in the Top 15 last year.

Bianca is currently taking the showbiz splash by bagging a supporting role in the primetime teleserye “Magkaribal” starring Bea Alonzo and Gretchen Barretto. She also appeared on Maalaala Mo Kaya, Showtime and ASAP XV.

The September 2010 edition of FHM Philippines has a “fashion for men” supplement called FHM’s Collection. On the cover is kapuso actor Cesar Montano.

Last year, Robin Padilla graced the cover of the first edition of “FHM Collections.”

Bianca Manalo and Cesar Montano – FHM Philippines September 2010 Covers originally appeared on Starmometer on September 2, 2010.

51. Pauleen Luna

52. Mirriam Quiambao

53. Regine Velasquez

54. Gretchen Barretto

55. Sheena Halili

56. Carlene Aguilar

57. Alex Gonzaga

58. Jackie Rice

59. Isabel Oli

60. Lea Salonga

61. Yasmien Kurdi

62. Charlene Gonzalez

63. Karla Paula Henry

64. Jodi Sta. Maria

65. Bianca Manalo

66. Ehra Madrigal

67. Angel Aquino

68. Maxene Magalona

69. Carmina Villaroel

70. Yeng Constantino

71. Bianca King

72. Phoemela Barranda

73. Jennica Garcia

74. Diana Zubiri

75. Agot Isidro

76. Georgina Wilson

77. Denise Laurel

78. Donita Rose

79. Rica Peralejo

80. Kyla

81. Valerie Weignmann

82. Francine Prieto

83. Princess Ryan

84. Bernadette Sembrano

85. Bubbles Paraiso

86. Amanda Griffin

87. Maggie Wilson

88. Sandra Seifert

89. Rufa Mae Quinto

90. Jean Garcia

91. Sarah Meier

92. Bianca Roque

93. Pia Guanio

94. Teresa Herrera

95. Jo Ann Bitagcol

96. Krista Ranillo

97. RR Enriquez

98. Vicky Morales

99. Wendy Valdez

100. Janna Dominguez

100 Most Beautiful Pinays of 2009 – Nos. 51 to 100 originally appeared on Starmometer on September 23, 2009.

The well-loved pageant of Filipinos and the most prestigious one at that has been snubbing the Philippine delegate for 10 years now! No Filipina was able to place in the semi-finals since Miriam Quiambao won first runner up in 1999. No Filipina was able to break the curse so to speak.

60 pageant experts of Global Beauties believed that our delegate Bianca Manalo is a semi-final material. They based their judgment on the preliminary competition of Miss Universe for swimsuit, evening gown and interview. They came up with their list of Top 15 who are most-likely to make the cut and Bianca is at no. 11.

Bianca was a crowd favorite in Bahamas. She rocked the swimsuit competition with her excellent catwalk skills and confidence that she emerged as the most applauded contestant of the night. But how come she was snubbed in the Top 15?

Here are my theories:

The Gift-Wrapper Blue Evening Gown. Every year, Filipino pageant enthusiasts get disappointed with the evening gowns of our delegates. The gowns are below mediocre and borders in hideous, old fashion and sometime hilarious. These gowns are even recycled by the Bb. Pilipinas organization. Talk about environment-friendly.

Bianca Manalo’s evening gown was no exception. It looks like a gift for Pete’s sake! The bow made it look cheap. No wonder Bianca’s confidence somehow dropped in the evening gown competition. And you cannot blame her because looking at what the other contestants are wearing, like Miss France, Miss Venenuela and Miss Kosovo, our evening gown really belongs to the lower half of the 84 contestants.

The Board of Judges. The preliminary judges (they are the ones responsible for the selection of the semifinalists) were divided in two panels. Both of these panels included members of the Miss Universe Organization who screen the girls to see who is -and who isn’t- appropiate for the job. It’s basically up to their “taste” and how they perceive each contestant.

The preliminary judges are:

* Mark Wylie – Best Buddies Talent Executive.
* Adriana Ching – Licensed attorney and a former real estate developer avid philanthropist.
* Todd Winston – Veteran of the hospitality industry and Vice President of Sales at Creative Promotional.
* Rosalina Lydster – Fashion designer for celebrities.
* Tiza Tjokroadisumarto – Director of Retail Operations for Michael Kors.
* Corinne Nicolas – President of Trump Model Management.
* David Friedman – Last Call with Carson Daly Executive Producer.
* Steven Schillaci – Talent Producer for many hit shows including American Idol.
* Mario Mosley – Hollywood Choreographer of Oxygen’s Dance Your Ass Off.
* Sarah Markantonis – Ambassador of Kerzner International Bahamas.

But of course, it’s unfair to blame the judges or to accuse them of being racists (because they did not pick any Asian candidate in the semis). They are the ones who were able to see the 84 contestants up close and personal.

So the delegates who were stand-outs in the swimsuit competition might have blown their chances in the evening gown competition and in the interview. Many were expecting Spain, Mexico, Russia and Netherlands in the semi-finals but surprisingly, Switzerland, Sweden, Croatia and Albania took the slots. The judges might have seen something special about them.

Since we cannot really point the finger to the judges, i must say that the evening gown per se caused Bianca’s downfall. Bianca’s performance was excellent. She’s confidence, she has the “it” factor, she’s vibrant and she got excellent catwalk skills. Not to mention that she’s tall and has a very nice porcelain skin. Bianca did her job above 100% and we are truly proud of her. Being tagged as the best Asian candidate this year is proof enough that Bianca is our best bet since 1999. It’s just sad that the Miss Universe judges did not include a single Asian in the semis.

THE NATIONAL DIRECTOR. The Miss Universe franchise holder in the Philippines is the Bb. Pilipinas organization headed by former Miss Colombia and the very first Miss International, Stella Marquez Araneta. Since 1964, she has been responsible for the delegation of Philippine delegates for Miss Universe, Miss World, and Miss International competitions.

In the annual Bb. Pilipinas pageant, she’s always the chairman of the board of judges. It is believed that when the top 3 or top 4 were picked, Stella will now decide who will compete where.

In the last 10 years, many pundits criticized her choice for the Miss Universe pageant. They believe that Zorayda Andam (2001), Karen Agustin (2002), Maricar Balagtas (2004), Gionna Cabrera (2006), Anna Theresa Licaros (2007), Jennifer Barrientos (2008) and Bianca Manalo (2009) were best fit for the Miss World pageant.

So the theory of wrong delegation may have grounds. Even Miriam Quiambao, she’s not supposed to compete in the Miss Universe pageant. But because the reigning Bb. Pilipinas-Universe at that time was dethroned, Miriam took-over. From being 1st runner-up in Bb. Pilipinas, Miriam ended up as first runner up in Miss Universe!

It leaves us wondering, what could have happen if Ruffa Gutierrez, Carlene Aguilar, Margaret Wilson and the disqualified contestant Sandra Seifert competed in Miss Universe?

In the past 10 years, we now have a clue on the kind of contestants that the Miss Universe pageant are looking for. They give weight to confidence, catwalk skills and how the ladies carry themselves in swimsuit and evening gown. Kinda like a top model material.

MEDIOCRE EVENING GOWNS. Correct delegation means nothing if our contestants are wearing the wrong gown. Anna Theresa Licaros was tagged as the most elegant contestant in Miss Universe last 2007 but look at her evening gown:

If it was Miss Universe 1978, then this gown should be a hit. But it’s year 2007.

And who could forget the white numbers worn by Maricar Balagtas (which was later worn by Precious Quigaman), Lia Ramos and Zorayda Andam:

According to reports, these gowns were made by Colombian designer Alfredo Baraza, imported by Stella Araneta to be worn by our delegates. Don’t we have good designers here in the Philippines that we need to import gowns from another country?

ABS-CBN AS NATIONAL DIRECTOR. Rumor has it that ABS-CBN is eyeing for the Miss Universe franchise in 2012 when Araneta’s contract will end. If this is true, then it’s good news. Perhaps, we need a new organization to handle our delegation for the Miss Universe pageant. It has been a decade already and all we got in the Donald Trump-owned pageant were three photogenic trophies as result of online votations. A new national director will indeed make a difference.

To sum it up, our beauty queens have all what it takes to win the Miss Universe crown. It was proven already with Gloria Diaz in 1969 and Margie Moran in 1974. With proper delegation, all we need is to believe that we can do it 100% pinoy. We need to bring out the pinoy power inside our contestants because they will not represent any other country but ours. Our ladies need to be trained by Filipino experts and our evening gowns should be made by Filipino designers as well.

Congratulations to Bianca Manalo for representing our country very well. She’s indeed the best Asian delegate this year.

PBA09o686712

Theories Why Bianca Manalo Failed to Make it to Miss Universe Semis originally appeared on Starmometer on August 25, 2009.