Jeremy Lin, Whitney Houston, Lea Salonga top Yahoo PHL search trends

National Basketball Association sensation Jeremy Lin, the late pop superstar Whitney Houston and Filipino Disney legend Lea Salonga topped the trending searches on Yahoo! Philippines from Feb. 6 to 12.

 

Pop queen Madonna and football superstar David Beckham also figured prominently among Filipino netizens on the week before Valentine's Day.

 

Topping the search list was Lin, the Taiwanese-American point guard who led the New York Knicks to a winning streak that has lasted seven games so far.

 

Lin was let go by the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets before getting his big break with New York when resident superstars Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire were unavailable.

 

The second was Houston, 48, who was found dead at a hotel where she was supposed attend a pre-Grammy party.

 

Houston, a big star in the 1980s and 1990s, experienced a turbulent marriage with Bobby Brown and battled with drug issues in the recent years.

 

She popularized the hit song “The Greatest Love of All,” a favorite among Filipino singers who started off as singing competition contestants.

 

Third on the list was Salonga, the Filipina international singer and Disney Legend who trended on Yahoo! Search after she reacted to calls by local singers to prioritize Filipino performers over foreign artists.

 

Salonga, who will be a guest in James Ingram's January 17 concert, had said she does not base her choice on whether the performer is a Filipino or a foreigner but on whether she feels she would enjoy the show.

 

The others who topped this list include:

 

4. Actor Aljur Abrenica, who denied he is dating Pretty Young Thing member and Coke Ride To Fame winner Ava Jugueta.

 

Abrenica said they are just friends and even apologized to her for being rumored to be his new girlfriend, amid rumors he had broken up with Kylie Padilla.

 

5. Alodia Gosiengfiao. The Philippines' cosplay queen who returned to Yahoo! Search's trending list after she met with Super Junior member Hee Chul in South Korea while shooting her first big screen appearance.

 

She uploaded a video of her talking on the phone with Hee Chul, but it accidentally showed his number. She fixed the oversight and apologized to the K-Pop star and his fans.

 

6. Madonna, who performed at Superbowl's half-time show on February 5 with hip-hop artists Nicki Minaj and M.I.A.

 

Madonna said she was overwhelmed by the love and support that she felt from the crowd. But she was disappointed when M.I.A. extended her middle finger during their performance.

 

The British hip-hop artist apologized to Madonna after the incident.

 

7. "The Bourne Legacy," the upcoming spy thriller whose scenes are being shot in the Philippines.

 

A trailer was released last week, and introduces the character played by Jeremy Renner as the new protagonist in the movie.

 

Jason Bourne, played by Matt Damon in the first three movies of the series, will not appear in “The Bourne Legacy.”

 

8. British football superstar David Beckham, who launched earlier this month his own body-wear line for the European clothing brand H&M.

 

His underwear ad was also shown during the Super Bowl. While he said he said that he loves wearing underwear, he has also decided that his “naked days are over” to save his children from future embarrassment.

 

9. "Survivor Philippines: Celebrity Doubles Edition,” the reality show whose finale February 10 saw comedian Albert “Betong” Sumaya emerging as the season's sole celebrity survivor.

 

Sumayang is his family's breadwinner, so the P3-million prize he took home is a big help for him.

 

10. Filipino-Italian actress Nancy Castiglione, who made the headlines after celebrity cosmetic surgeon Vicki Belo tweeted that she was giving Castiglione the blessings to openly date Hayden Kho Jr.

 

Kho explained on Twitter that Belo's outburst was due to a misunderstanding. Castiglione, who is now married and has two children, said she does not understand what was happening and refused to comment further. — TJD, GMA News