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 -->