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In the United States alone, there are over 219 million cell phone users, 2 billion worldwide, about a third of the global population. Proportionately, per capita, the Philippines is not far behind when it comes to the use of cell phones. As a matter of fact, many of us Filipinos are cell phone addicts, and most evidently ahead and more knowledgeable (“experts”) in text messaging compared to Americans or Europeans, and other Asians. Since its inception, the cell phone has become an indispensable gadget for all users for a variety of reasons, ranging from personal security, to business efficiency, to sporting a status symbol, to serving as an expeditious, inexpensive, convenient, and unobtrusive (even confidential) means of speedy communication, anytime, anywhere. Of late, however, concerns have resurfaced and questions raised once again as to whether the use of cell phone is safe, whether the frequent use of cell phones (held against the ear ) lead to brain tumors. Is the issue a media

↑ Grab this Headline Animator United Shelter Health Products, makers of Lucida-DS Glutathione and Vaniderm whitening supplements is threatening to file a libel suit against ABS-CBN’s Chief Correspondent, Korina Sanchez. This is connection with Korina’s report that 7 out of 9 whitening products in the market failed the independent test done by the Philipine Institute of Applied Chemistry in terms of actual glutathione content. Lucida and Vaniderm were two of the products identified in Korina’s report, which failed the test. SOURCE:TAGPUAN

↑ Grab this Headline Animator SOURCE: abs-cbnNEWS.com Maraming kabataan pati na ang kanilang magulang ang nag-email, tumawag at sumulat sa "Matanglawin" mula nang magsimula ito noong March 24, upang humiling ng mas magandang timeslot para sa programa. At dahil pinahahalagahan namin ang mga manonood na walang sawang tumatangkilik ng programa kahit na kadalasan ay gabing gabi na ito pinalalabas… good news! Lumipat na sa bagong timeslot ang paborito ninyong reality adventure program. Simula ngayong June 1, mapapanood na ang Matanglawin tuwing Linggo alas diyes ng umaga! Abangan ngayong Linggo, magiging mapangahas ang Matanglawin at haharapin ang mga makamandag at mabangis na hayop tulad ng mga buwaya at king cobra na matatagpuan dito sa Pilipinas! Magiging mapanuri sa mga kakaibang talento nina Strongman na kayang humiga sa bed of nails, si Blademaster na ginagawang bubblegum lang ang mga blade na ginagamit pang-ahit, si Espada King na kayang kumakain ng mahabang espada at si D

↑ Grab this Headline Animator Romantic Princess is an upcoming romantic drama from ABS-CBN based from the Japanese manga “Four Steps to Romance”. The Taiwanese series will star asian heartthrob Wu Chun (Hana Kimi), Calvin Chen (member of Farenheit) and Angela Chang (Love at Dolphin Bay, My MVP Valentine). Adopted by middle classed parents, Xiao Mai (Angela zhang) has always had a dream to be an heiress. Finally, this dream comes true. Xiao Mai’s biological grandfather is the head of a prestigious aristocratic family and after many years of searching, he finally finds his long lost granddaughter. As she starts her life as an heiress, everyday is filled with excitement, however, everything seems a bit different from what she had imagined them to be. In the family, there are 4 candidates in which one of them will become the heir of the family, one of which is Nan Feng Jin (Wu Chun). Hatred soon turns to love as Xiao Mai and Nan Feng Jin’s relationship starts to unravel. SOURCE: STARM

↑ Grab this Headline Animator FUNFARE By RICARDO F. LO C harice’s performance (I Will Always Love You, etc.) was described as “jaw-dropping,” after which Foster told the audience which gave Charice a standing ovation, “Tonight, a star is born!” The Philippine Star Curtain-raiser: Arnel Pineda (featured in this corner yesterday) and the Journey are guesting on Ellen DeGeneres’ show, airing tonight in the US and in the Philippines tomorrow (May 29) night at 7 o’clock on 2nd Avenue (Cable TV). They will sing two songs, Separate Ways and After All These Years (the carrier single from the new Revelations CD). Watch it. * * * Two Mondays ago, Funfare reported the exclusive story about Charice’s guesting in a show famous songwriter David Foster put up for the opening of MGM Grand Casino Hotel in Foxwood, Connecticut, accompanied by exclusive photos (Charice with Foster, and fellow performers Alicia Keys and Josh Groban; not in photo was John Mayer) you see only in The STAR. A few days late

↑ Grab this Headline Animator By REYMA BUAN-DEVEZA abs-cbnNEWS.com A huge crowd showed up at the star-studded premiere night of actress Sharon Cuneta's "Caregiver" on Tuesday, May 27 at SM Megamall. The film is Cuneta's comeback movie after a four-year break from doing films. The film is directed by critically acclaimed director Chito Roño. It is Cuneta's first movie with actor John Estrada. "Thank you po sa lahat, sa sponsors ko, sa friends ko in the business. I want to thank Star Cinema dahil ako po ang napili nilang gumanap sa pelikulang ito for their 15th anniversary. Hindi po ako makatulog dalawang gabi. This is a movie that we give to you from the bottom of our hearts ," Cuneta told the viewers inside the movie theatre. "Pareho kaming ninenerbyos (ni Sharon) siyempre super excited kami sa mga nangyayari. Sa mga publiko, sa lahat ng tao talagang maraming, maraming salamat," Roño added. "Caregiver" tells the story of Sarah, a sch

↑ Grab this Headline Animator By REYMA BUAN-DEVEZA abs-cbnNEWS.com Actress-comedienne K Brosas may look tough and cocky but she admitted that she feels pressured now that she has moved to ABS-CBN, which is also the home turf of top comedians Ai-Ai delas Alas and Pokwang. Brosas is now a Kapamilya after joining the cast of "My Girl", the Filipino version of the original Korean telenovela. The Pinoy "My Girl" , which stars Kim Chiu,  is Brosas' debut project in ABS-CBN. "Of course nandoon 'yung pressure nandoon 'yung excitement, halo-halo. Iba ang ipapakita ko this time sa tao, kasi nasanay sila na komedyante ako, na kikay-kikay ako. Dito talaga as in sosyalista, so maganda ang pressure sa akin--nakaka-inspire," Brosas said. The actress however said that she doesn't have any problem with Ai-Ai and Pokwang because she already worked with them before. "Lahat naman yon, close ko na yan kahit ibang network pa ako; before close ko na yan si M

↑ Grab this Headline Animator A report by Korina Sanchez on TV Patrol revealed that the actual glutathione content of most of the local whitening products in the market is way less than the claimed content posted on its bottle. The Philippine Institute of Pure and Applied Chemistry (PIPAC) tested some of the major brands of whitening products for the actual glutathione content and revealed that only two brands contained the right amount as listed on its bottle. You can watch Korina’s report on YouTube. Glutathione is an antioxidant that protects cells from toxins such as free radicals and the side effect of taking this is whitening of the skin. SOURCE:MUKAMO

↑ Grab this Headline Animator BY JOSEPH PIMENTEL ABS-CBN North America News Bureau STUDIO CITY, California – It’s 1:15 p.m. when Fil-Am singer Billy Crawford, driving in his white BMW SUV rolled into the Marie et Cie coffee house parking lot. He arrived Filipino time – over an hour late for our scheduled interview. Dressed in an apple lime green sweatshirt and matching shoes, Crawford looked every bit a young, hip superstar living in Los Angeles. Sporting a clean cut chinstrap, he wore a long piece of bling - a silver chain with a large cross that draped to his stomach, black shades covering his eyes, and a black baseball cap tilted sideways. His every movement exuded coolness. “I’m sorry we’re late,” said Crawford jokingly pointing a finger at his manager Arnold Vegafria. “We got stuck in traffic. We came from Anaheim,” said Vegafria. Fans hope there won’t be any delay when Pinoy pop star Crawford is scheduled to head back to the Philippines on May 27. In the next few months, he’s tap

↑ Grab this Headline Animator Star Circle Quest finalist Roxanne Guinoo continues to prove her mettle as a dramatic actress as she topbills ABS-CBN's newest daytime TV series "Ligaw na Bulaklak," which premiered last May 26 after "Wowowee." Roxanne, last seen in the action series "Palos," essays the challenging role of  Lea Alegro – a woman scorned by her childhood memories and need to fulfill her life's promise to bind her family together. Lea is a "whisperer" to a champion horse. Will life allow her to be happy? Or, will she continue being just a "Ligaw na Bulaklak?" Following the success of "Prinsesa ng Banyera," "Ligaw na Bulaklak" also taps Andoy as its director and Ara Mina as main contravida Janet, whose immense love for a guy pushes her to do unimaginable things. "This will be a groundbreaking series," says direk Andoy. "You will see a different Roxanne here. She will play a horse whisp

↑ Grab this Headline Animator Check out the ten most expensive restaurants in the world for the year 2007 as tallied by Forbes Magazine. 10. Boeucc in Milan, Italy - Dinner for one: $62 for Saffron Risotto . 9. Whampoa Club in Shanghai, China - Dinner for one: $63 drunken chicken and crispy beef strips with sun-dried orange peel. 8. El Amparo in Madrid, Spain - Dinner for one: $70 cold salmon with tomato sorbet and chocolate soufflé after main course. 7. Queue de Cheval Steak House in Montreal, Canada : Dinner for one: $85 for 24-ounce porterhouse ,with a bottle of Californian or Australian wine from the well-stocked cellar and corned beef. 6. Sushi Kaji in Toronto, Canada - Dinner for one: $109 strawberry and watermelon soup, barbecued eel and pickled cucumber and fried fluke with spicy tomato sauce. 5. Alberto Ciarla in Rome, Italy - Dinner for one: $113 linguine with tuna fish and six kind of bread. 4. Acquarello in Munich, Italy - Dinner for one: $125 salmon with leeks and c

↑ Grab this Headline Animator ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau The countdown begins for the semifinal round of the United Kingdom's primetime program, "Britain's Got Talent" (BGT). Two Filipino performers will try to push their luck, after both received a rare standing ovation during their separate taped auditions for the program. Single mom Madonna Decena and 11-year-old Charlie Green met each other for the first time during a courtesy call with Ambassador Edgardo Espiritu and Philippine embassy officials in London. Green was accompanied by British dad Roger, and Filipina mom Cecil who hails from Cebu City. It will be recalled that BGT judge Amanda Holden shed a tear while Decena sang  Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You", which the singer dedicated to her two daughters in Manila. This was in contrast to Green's performance. The three BGT judges were in an upbeat mood as the child confidently rendered the song "Summer Wind" by Frank Sinat

↑ Grab this Headline Animator Wowowee host and White Castle Girl finalist, RR Enriquez said that the some of the topless pics of her that were posted and distributed all over the web were photoshopped. Although RR confirmed that she did that pictorial for an animal feed calendar last year when she really needed the money. source:tagpuan

↑ Grab this Headline Animator A 16-year-old student from the Philippine Science High School (PSHS) won the prestigious English Speaking Union's (ESU) International Public Speaking Competition held in the United Kingdom on May 9. With his speech titled "Fish Mucus and Foot Fungus," incoming senior Gian Karlo Dapul bested other contestants, including college level students, from 30 countries at the ESU’s headquarters in London. "A hindi pa po nagsi-sink in. It doesn't. Hindi pa po nagre-register ‘yong panalo. Siguro po pag-uwi ko," the scholar said. Dapul was the first speaker in the highly competitive Heat 1, which was participated mostly by the world’s native English-speaking countries. "A lot of people wanted to win pero especially people in my Heat kasi I was put in the Heat along with the native English-speakers such as ‘yong taga US, UK, Australia along with some others like China, Pakistan Hong Kong, the Netherlands. So there was a lot of competiti

↑ Grab this Headline Animator According to the Nationwide Urban TV Audience Measurement (NUTAM) data from AGB Nielsen Media Research Philippines based on sample homes all over the country for the month of April 2008, ABS-CBN shows dominated the bracket. Top 10 weekday and weekend programs for the month of April (NUTAM households) Top Weekday Programs (Primetime) 1. Dyesebel (GMA-7) - 35.7% 2. The Singing Bee (ABS-CBN) - 33.7% 3. Kung Fu Kids (ABS-CBN) - 32.8% 4. Lobo (ABS-CBN) - 31.2% 5. Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition Plus (ABS-CBN) - 30.2% 6. TV Patrol World (ABS-CBN) - 29.9% 7. Joaquin Bordado (GMA-7) - 28.8% 8. Kamandag (GMA-7) - 28% 9. Palos (ABS-CBN) - 24.2% 10. Babangon Ako’t Dudurugin Kita (GMA-7) - 22.5% Top Weekday Programs (Daytime) 1. Wowowee (ABS-CBN) - 22.3% 2. Pilipinas, Game KNB? (ABS-CBN) - 19.6% 3. Eat Bulaga! (GMA-7) - 17.2% 4. Prinsesa ng Banyera (ABS-CBN) - 17.1% 5. Daisy Siete (GMA-7) - 17% 6. Maging Akin Ka Lamang (GMA-7) - 16.1% 7. One Piece (GMA-7) - 15.3% 8. Ka

↑ Grab this Headline Animator Teenage pop star Sam Concepcion was chosen by American film studio DreamWorks to sing the theme song of its latest animated film, "Kung Fu Panda". Concepcion will record the song "Kung Fu fighting" for the movie. The actor-singer said he was delighted to hear the news from his manager, Carlo Orosa, and Film Distributor Selena de Venecia that he was chosen by Dreamworks to sing the theme song for the movie. DreamWorks is the movie studio founded by acclaimed producer-director Steven Spielberg. "With Universal Records, pinagawan po kami ng mga demos. So I made the demo, kinanta ko po and then we gave it to United International Pictures. Tapos they sent it to Dreamworks and the office of Steven Spielberg approved the song," said Concepcion. His music video was taken in a Chinese temple in Malabon, Metro Manila and will be featured at the end of the movie, which will be shown in the Philippines this June. His music recordings, m

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↑ Grab this Headline Animator Here’s the list of top 10 most envied “pinakaiinggitang” Filipino celebrity couples. 10. Gelli de Belen and Ariel Rivera - Ariel married actress Gelli de Belen at Santuario de San Jose on December 22, 1997; they have two sons: Joaquin Andres (born on January 29, 1999) and Julio Alessandro (born on November 4, 2000). The couple’s quality time together is usually just for dinner dates. Gelli treasures those simple moments when she and Ariel just talk. The family of four is so inseparable, even their sleeping habits are done together. 9. Suzi Entrata and Paulo Abrera - Paolo Abrera and Suzi Entrata first met on the adrenaline-pumping sports show Game Plan, where they were both hosts. Over time, their mutual attraction developed into a deep and lasting relationship. On May 6, 2001, they took life’s biggest plunge with a leap of faith at Colegio San Agustin Chapel in Makati. 8. Helen Gamboa and Tito Sotto - Sotto is married to Helen Gamboa, a beauty

↑ Grab this Headline Animator A lot of people are downloading MP3 in the Internet, aside from it’s free it is also fast. Here’s the list of the ten most downloaded MP3s in the Internet. Free MP3 Download: * T-Pain feat. Flo Rida “ Low “ * Sean Kingston “ Take You There “ * Britney Spears “ Piece Of Me “ * Alicia keys “ No One “ * Jordin Sparks “ Just Like A Tattoo “ * Taylor Swift “ Teardrops On My Guitar “ * Colbie Caillat “ Bubbly “ * Taylor Swift “ Our Song “ * Akon feat. Wyclef Jean “ Sweetest Girl “ * One Republic Timbaland “ Apologize “ SOURCE: YOUR ONLINE GUIDE

↑ Grab this Headline Animator To most people, having a car is a necessity, while to others, a car is a luxury. Whatever the case will be, do you know the most expensive cars in the world ? If not yet then check out the list of 10 world’s most expensive cars below. Not only they are expensive, they are also the world’s most powerful cars. ( Source: Forbes Magazine ) 1. Bugatti Veyron (Volkswagen AG) $1,700,000 2. Ferrari Enzo $1,000,000 3. Pagani Zonda C12 F $741,000 4. Koenigsegg CCX $600,910 5. Porsche Carrera GT $484,000 6. Mercedes SLR McLaren $455,500 7. Maybach 62 $385,250 8. Rolls-Royce Phantom $320,000 9. Lamborghini Murcielago $279, 10. Aston Martin Vanquish $255,000 Honestly, I want to have my own car but the 10 models listed above are never in my list. Why? It’s because they are too expensive. I can’t afford to buy any of them. So, maybe in my dreams that I can have them. I guess these cars are only for people belonging to the elite group. In my opinion,

↑ Grab this Headline Animator Here’s the list of Most Visited Places in The World according to Forbes Travel as of the year 2007 based on annual visitors. 10. Disneyland Paris in Marne La Vallee, France - 10.6 million visitors per year. 9. Notre Dame de Paris in Paris, France - 12 million visitors per year 8. Tokyo Disneyland/DisneySea in Tokyo, Japan - 12.9 million visitor per year 7. Fisherman’s Wharf/Golden Gate National Recreation Area in San Francisco, USA - 13 million visitors per year 6. Niagara Falls in Ontario, Canada and New York USA - 14 million visitors per year 5. Disneyland Park in Anaheim California, USA - 14.7 million visitors per year 4. Trafalgar Square in London, England - 15 million visitors per year 3. Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in Florida California, USA - 16.6 million visitors per year 2. National Mall & Memorial Parks in Washington Monument, Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials - Washington DC,USA with 25 million vi