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 Homepage (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.

In contrast, a boring site is that of Agot Isidro (www.cnl.net/agot/). The only nice thing about this home page is the main graphic image. Aside from that, it's a dud. About Agot is from Agenda magazine. Her Portfolio has a pathetic three photos. Her Filmography is under construction. And did the author of this page forget that she's an accomplished singer as well?

If Agot's and Donna's sites were fancy but empty, the official fan page of Maricel Laxa (www.philippines1.com/maricel/) is defintely a lot more interesting, even sans the professional look. It's not going to win any design awards, but at least, it has a personal feel to it, as Maricel is pictorially featured in her different roles as housewife, mother, student, model, actress, etc. The site also contains a list of movies and TV appearances, affiliations and awards, personal and educational background, and some baby pics.

One of the first celebrity sites to appear on the Web was The FrancisM Homepage (web.cnl.net/francism/), and the site maintains its appeal. The main graphic image is impressive. The rest of the site is quite personal in nature. Who is FrancisM? is mainly about Francis Magalona's career. The Sounds section has a list of his album. The Visuals page has candid shots instead of the studio or album cover poses. It would be interesting though to have photos of FrancisM in concert and from his films and TV appearances, speaking of which, his career as an actor is largely ignored, despite being often critically-acclaimed. The Insights page is a Q&A on his views on various matters.

Those who go ga-ga over Aga can check out Aga Muhlach's Home Page (www.cnl.net/~aga/). The image map with a classified ads look is really neat, but like some of the Cybernet-created celebrity sites, Aga's Web page is bare. Aside from articles and photos from Agenda magazine (again?) and six photos, both content and design leave much to be desired. And what is a film actor site without a filmography? For a celebrated actor like Aga Muhlach, that's almost criminal.

From another real fan is a site for Ariel Rivera (www.cit.nepean.uws.edu.au/~adayao/arielr/). This looks amateurish. It's not organized well and the history and tour dates have sparse information. Still, it's done in genuine admiration, so all is forgiven. You'll find selected lyrics from Ariel's albums, and a list of movies, awards, and endorsements.

Nothing can be more personal than a celebrity home page created by the celebrity herself. The Web Page of Ruby Rodriguez (www.cris.com/~Mardi/RUBY.HTM) is a single page that Ruby did herself. So now we know that there's at least one local celebrity who knows HTML, though not very well. Her home page is sparse, with a few updates on her TV and movie appearances, and some of her favorite links.

Nothing's cuter than Donita Rose than Donita Rose as a litte girl. The Donita Rose Homepage (www.cnl.net/~donita/) proves this, by way of baby pictures included among the personal photos on the site. There are also some videos of her commercials in the Portraits section. Unfortunately, there is little information about her personal life and career.

The Lea Salonga Web Page (www.xnet.com/~wmeistr/LEA/) has been around for more than a year. It's the official page of Lea, and it shows. The site has a lot of sections, including Lea's Corner, which features some of Lea's personal musings. Her biography focuses more on her career. If you're a Lea Salonga watcher, the Schedule page is informative. Sometime in 1998, for instance, Lea will again be a voice character for a new Walt Disney animated film called "The Legend of Mulan". The Photo Gallery has few pictures and is being constructed. Other sections under construction are the message board and fan page. There's still a lot to see however. There are video captures, album covers, a section for photo requests, and interviews. There are links to the alt.fan.lea-salonga newsgroup, the LEA Newsletter, The Mail List, Lea in Asiaweek, and to other Lea pages. If there's one thing lacking, it's a more organized list of all the plays, movies, and TV programs she appeared in.

The Maricel Soriano Homepage (www.instanet.com/~dseeholzer/maricelhome.html) is a very good fan site. It has the Latest Maricel News, which includes photos and articles; A Maricel History, featuring her appearances on TV (remember her Kaluskos Musmos days) and the movies, Related Links, and a Guestbook.

Ms. Universe in cyberspace? The Dayanara Torres Home Page (www.cnl.net/~dayanara/) is exactly that. And Yari's home page is a great one. There's a number of movie files (.avi) and a lot of photos to download. About Dayanara is a long and detailed essay about the girl from Puerto Rico. There's a complete listing of her TV commercials, print ads, feature films, and other projects. And don't forget to sign her Guestbook.

Another neat site is Dale's Web Page (web.cnl.net/dale/). It seems Dale Villar has a hand in this. Sections include The Real Dale Villar, How to Stop a Workaholic (a detailed listing, more like a resume, of career highlights), and Dale on Camera (a few photos). And what do you know, it includes his parents' business Web pages.

Perhaps one of the most excellent celebrity sites is that of Dawn Zulueta, created by US-based David Seeholzer (who also did Maricel Soriano's home page). The Dawn Zulueta Homepage (www.instanet.com/~dseeholzer/dawnhome.html) is her official site, developed with the support of Dawn and her managers, so it's always updated. It contains a good number of photos (but no gallery) and a lot of info. The Latest News is updated and Career History is a complete and well-presented list of her movies, TV shows, and awards. There are also articles about Dawn, a Guestbook, and a lot of links.