Photo by NPPA Images
Kapamilya actress Anne Curtis, the nursing board exam results, and Paris Hilton spiked on Yahoo! Search last week.
1. Anne Curtis. Searches for Kapamilya actress Anne Curtis spiked after she wore a daring cutout dress by designer Rajo Laurel at the Philippine Fashion Ball last August 15. The controversial dress, which exposed Anne's cleavage, rear, and the entire sides of her body, somehow reminded users of her wardrobe malfunction in Boracay last year and sent them searching for "Anne Curtis Boracay" on Yahoo! Anne was also named "Icon of the Year" at the recent "Us Girls" August Awards.
2. Nursing board exam results. Forty-eight percent of the 78,135 who took the nurse licensure examination last month passed the examination. The 37,513 new nurses are led by a University of the Philippines alumni and board topnotcher Jomel Garcia Lapides, who said he will look for work in the Philippines. The examinees and their families and friends logged on to Yahoo! Search late last week to find if they—or their loved ones—are among the lucky ones.
3. Paris Hilton. Hollywood actress and hotel heiress Paris Hilton said she loved her five-day stay in Manila. During her visit, she was launched as an endorser and designer for Century properties. She also opened the Megamall branch of her handbags and accessories store and met with her friends Manny and Jinkee Pacquiao and her long-time fan Isha Dinio.
4. Dragon fruit. Netizens became interested in dragon fruit after Yahoo! Philippines featured the story of a mother who earned fortune and honor by growing the nutritious fruit. Edita Dacuycuy, now 66, started growing dragon fruit after it helped improve the condition of her daughter who was suffering from cerebral palsy. Edita—who received a citation from President Noynoy Aquino as Gawad Saka Awards' high value crops farmer this year—now has an eight-hectare dragon fruit farm.
5. Edgar Allan Guzman. 2011 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival best actor Edgar Allan Guzman of "Ligo Na U, Lapit Na Me," trended on Yahoo! and Twitter after appearing in an episode of ABS-CBN's "Maalaala Mo Kaya" opposite Kim Chiu. Edgar Allan is said to be the new "Prince of Indie"—a label given by the Philippine movie press actor Coco Martin, who has since gone mainstream.
6. Lorna Tolentino. Veteran actress Lorna Tolentino is the latest star to join the Kapatid network. Instead of renewing her contract with ABS-CBN, she signed up for an exclusive contract with TV5. The transfer, she told Yahoo! OMG!, is not about the money. It's about maximizing her time, talent, and exposure on TV, she said.
7. Lindsay Lohan. Troubled American actress Lindsay Lohan attended the wedding of Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries this weekend. She wore a white gown with the same design as the white one that Pippa Middleton donned during this year's British royal wedding.
8. Ninoy Aquino Day. The nation commemorated on Sunday the 28th anniversary of the martyrdom of Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr., father of incumbent President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III. Ninoy's death fueled pro-democracy protests that culminated in the EDSA People Power Revolution that led to the ouster of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos and installed Ninoy's wife Cory to the presidency. Ninoy Aquino Day fell on a Sunday, so Yahoo! users who were hoping that the holiday would be moved searched for "August 22, 2001 holiday" and other related terms.
9. Dota 2. Gamers are anticipating the release of Dota 2, a standalone sequel to Defense of the Ancients (Dota), the popular custom map of online game Warcraft III. During Gamescom 2011, a video games trade fair held in Germany, Dota 2 developer Valve Corporation launched the inaugural Dota 2 Championship. Dubbed "The International," the tournament was won by Ukrainian team Na'Vi—named after the extra-terrestrials in the movie "Avatar." Dota 2 is expected to be released later this year.
10. AirAsia Philippines. Budget airlines AirAsia launched its Philippine affiliate last week. Its first aircraft, a brand new Airbus A230 arrived, at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport on August 15. The plane, commanded by Captain Johansen Hernandez, arrived from France carrying AirAsia Philippines CEO Marianne Hontiveros, among others.
These trending searches are for August 15 to 21, 2011. Check out the previous Yahoo! Search Trends article, "Controversial art exhibit also a hit on Yahoo! Search."