Who are the sexiest women in the world?

I think the quality of sexiness comes from within. It is something that is in you or it isn’t and it really doesn’t have much to do with breasts or thighs or the pout of your lips.

— Sophia Loren

Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart. — Khalil Gibran                     

MANILA, Philippines – Move over, Marian Rivera and Katrina Halili — there are many new sexy starlets and models rising fast in Philippine showbiz. Thanks to GMA Artists Center head Ida Henares and publicity director Shirley Matias-Pizarro and also Maxim magazine’s talented editor in chief Eric Ramos for recently inviting me to an unforgettable one-on-one interview with the exceptionally beautiful Jackie Rice. We interviewed her as we enjoyed delectable foods and red wine at the Cesca Wine Café in Il Terrazzo Mall of Quezon City. GMA-7 should have made her the next Darna!

Not only is Jackie physically alluring, she speaks well, is very humble, charming and has a good sense of humor. Jackie graces the cover of the latest July issue of Maxim, which is also their third anniversary issue. Her American father is from Texas and her mother is Filipina.

Though she only wore bikinis (by the way, it was on this day, July 5, back in 1946, when the modern bikini was first introduced in Paris, France by French engineer Louis Réard and fashion designer Jacques Heim) and never went topless or nude, unlike other starlets or models in varying degrees of undress in the same magazine, Jackie came across as far sexier than the others. This just goes to prove that true sexiness doesn’t just come from showing skin!

Congratulations also to FHM for their interesting July issue which features their annual list of the world’s sexiest women, based on a poll of readers. The top 10 follow, along with this writer’s comments:

1. Cristine Reyes. The younger sister of former sexy star Ara Mina, Cristine is now one of the hottest actresses in showbiz. She was once embroiled in a controversy when actor Dennis Trillo dumped starlet Carlene Aguilar for her, while Carlene was still pregnant with his child. Since this writer is also editor in chief of S entertainment magazine, various actors I know have repeatedly told me that the 20-year-old Christine is not only sexy, she is a quite talented actress. In the latest July issue of S, which features an exclusive, no-holds-barred interview with Dr. Hayden Kho, Jr., he said there’s no truth to rumors that he made a sex video with Cristine.

2. Megan Fox. This 23-year-old actress is now starring in the box office hit with the most insanely confusing storyline entitled Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. While promoting this flick last month, she was asked how she would stop Megatron from destroying the world. Fox reportedly said, “I’d make a deal with him and, instead of the entire planet, ask him can you just take out all of the white trash, hillbilly, anti-gay, super Bible-thumping people in Middle America?” Sexy but tactless!

3. Marian Rivera. Once the fastest-rising showbiz star, but after so many controversies and the weak showing of her last TV soap Ang Babaeng Hinugot sa Aking Tadyang, she now must do well in the Darna TV series on GMA-7, a role that both Angel Locsin and Vilma Santos have made very popular. Darna starts airing in August. Sources told this writer that various businesses like Blue Water Day Spa, Particles garments and Facial Care Center chose not to renew her commercial endorsement contracts. Is her star already fading? Can she still recover?

4. Angel Locsin. Unlike other actresses who have physical beauty but next to zero for brains, the voluptuous 24-year-old is one of the smartest stars I have talked to in local showbiz. Her career suffered a big crisis in 2007, when she switched from GMA-7 and Regal Films to ABS-CBN 2 and Star Cinema in a surprise move that was deemed controversial. Can she regain her former status as the No. 1 star in showbiz? Will she end up as future daughter-in-law of Batangas Governor Vilma Santos-Recto and her ex-husband Edu Manzano, since her boyfriend is actor and TV host Luiz Manzano?

5. Katrina Halili. This 23-year-old starlet is not talented in acting, based on what this writer saw in the movie premiere of One Night Only last December 2008, but she gave her best and most convincing performance ever at the Senate hearing where she tearfully complained about her controversial ex-lover Dr. Hayden Kho, Jr. She is still with GMA-7 and trying to rebuild her battered career after her sex video scandal.

6. Iwa Moto. This half-Japanese starlet of GMA-7 is voluptuous in physique and quite photogenic, too. She once visited my office for a pictorial for S magazine, but it was sexy in a wholesome and more casual way.

7. Ehra Madrigal. This GMA-7 starlet is handled by super manager Annabelle Rama.

8. Anne Curtis. This 24-year-old actress is half Australian and one of the smartest showbiz personalities I’ve ever talked to. She told me she’s a “bookworm” who loves to read. In my college classes, when I exhort my students to read more, I point to her, Sharon Cuneta, Kris Aquino and Boy Abunda as examples of showbiz VIPs who love to read books. When I ask male showbiz stars who they rate as the top three sexiest local actresses, almost all the guys put Anne on the list.

9. Angelica Panganiban. This 22-year-old is under contract with ABS-CBN 2.

10. Pauleen Luna. This 21-year-old co-host of GMA-7’s popular Eat Bulaga noontime show started out in 1995 by competing in the show’s Little Miss Philippine pageant. She was formerly romantically linked to a young mayor.

It is tragic that in our modern world where moral values are often cynically trashed and standards of beauty are obsessively fixated on physical appearance, many lack what to me is the true essence of beauty and sexiness. For me, a woman’s sexiness isn’t just defined by her face, hair, skin or curves; those are not enough and those physical features will fade. I am more impressed and awed by a woman’s personality, brains, goodness of heart, her values and her character.

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