In no ranking order, we picked the 8 hottest local stars of 2008 based on the success of their tv shows, movies, albums, endorsements, magazine features and the impact of their careers not only in the Philippines but in other countries as well.

In alphabetical order, Starmometer’s 8 Hottest Stars of 2008 are:

ANGEL LOCSIN – Her first fantaserye as kapamilya, Lobo, topped NUTAM ratings last July; She won in the 2008 Star Awards for TV Best Actress for her performance in Maalaala Mo Kaya beating other veteran stars; She ranks 12th in the 2008 Top Celebrity Endorsers with 11 tri-media endorsements; Her movie this year, “Love Me Again”, premiered successfully in the US; She’s Maxim’s Sexiest Woman of 2008; She’s Starmometer’s Most Beautiful Woman of 2008, topping the 100 Most Beautiful Pinays list for the third year in a row; She’s also voted as the Fantaserye Queen and Covergirl of the Year.

CHARICE – The 15-year-old pinay international singing sensation was hailed “The Most Talented Kind in the World” by The Oprah Winfrey Show; After her guesting stint on Ellen, she appeared twice on Oprah and other talk shows like Good Morning America and Paul O-Grady Show; She performed with some of the world’s best singers—Celine Dion, Andrea Bocelli, Josh Groban with the help of David Foster; She starred in her own life-story in Maalaala Mo Kaya; Her debut self-titled album under Star Records achieved Gold status; She’s currently recording her very first international album.

JOHN LLOYD CRUZ – He is the reigning Box Office King of Philippine movies and he is about to capture the title for the second year in a row in 2009 because his movie this year “A Very Special Love” opposite Sarah Geronimo is the top grosser for 2008. A Very Special Love is also the 2nd Top-grossing Pinoy movie of all time after 2003’s Tanging Ina; His tv series “I Love Betty La Fea” opposite Bea Alonzo is also doing very good in the nationwide tv ratings; He ranks no. 17 in the Top 20 Celebrity Endorsers list with 8 tri-media endorsements.

KC CONCEPCION – The mega-daughter started her showbiz career in the first quarter of 2008 and she already achieved a lot! Her first movie “For the First Time” opposite Richard Gutierrez was a monster hit in 2008 and ranks 3rd top-grossing movie of the year with a total haul of P134.7 million; She starred in an episode of Maalaala Mo Kaya as her first acting project and it was followed by a month-long drama special “I AM KC”; She graced various magazine covers; Her debut album “a.k.a. Cassandra” achieved gold status; She was chosen by the World Food Program of the United Nations to be the National Ambassador Against Hunger; She ranks 4th in the Top 20 Celebrity Endorsers with 9 tri-media endorsements.

MANNY PACQUIAO – Our Pambansang Kamao was named Best Pound for Pound Boxer this year; He won three titles in one year – superfeatherweight, lightweight, and welterweight, the first Filipino and Asian to do so; He won the rematch against Mexican boxer Juan Manuel Marquez last March 15; He knocked out David Diaz last June 28; He just won the dream match earlier this month, beating the golden boy Oscar dela Hoya; He was named Champion of Champions by ESPN; He graced the cover of Readers’ Digest; He has his own tv show, Pinoy Records, on GMA 7 which is a top-rater from time to time.

MARIAN RIVERA – Her back to back tv shows “Marimar” and “Dyesebel” topped the NUTAM tv ratings making her the current Primetime Queen; She was voted the Sexiest Woman in the Philippines by FHM Magazine; She was voted 2nd Most Beautiful Pinay of 2008; She graced various magazine covers; Two of her movies this year, My Bestfriend’s Girlfriend and One True Love were box-office hits; She was named “Hottest Star of 2008” by no less than Kris Aquino; She has the most endorsements in 2008 and ranks 4th in the list of Top 20 Celebrity Endorsers; Her dance album achieved platinum status; She is also the no. 1 newsmaker of the year by hitting showbiz headlines with various intrigues and controversies being thrown at her.

PIOLO PASCUAL – ABS-CBN’s hottest leading man and matinee idol is also the country’s most sought-after male endorser; His pairing with Angel Locsin in the tv series Lobo topped the NUTAM race last July; His movie “Love Me Again” with Angel Locsin had a successful premiere in the US; He has his own perfume and clothing line; He ranks 5th in the Top 20 Celebrity Endorsers list with 15 tri-media endorsements under his belt; He is a platinum recording artist; He was voted RP’s Sexiest Man of 2008.

SARAH GERONIMO – The Popstar Princess is the only Pinoy artist to achieved 4 platinum awards in a year; Her launching movie “A Very Special Love” is the no. 1 movie of 2008; She is the shoo-in for Box Office Queen award next year beating Bea Alonzo; She ranks 14th in the Top 20 Celebrity Endorsers with 10 tri-media endorsements under her belt; She ranks 3rd in Starmometer’s 100 Most Beautiful Pinays of 2008.

Close shots were Claudine Barretto, Kris Aquino, Judy Ann Santos, Richard Gutierrez and Dingdong Dantes.