The Comfort Rooms

Welcome To Filipino Superstardom, Phil Younghusband!

Will the hype surrounding him last long?

Is it safe to say that Phil Younghusband is currently the hottest thing on Filipino consciousness right now?

It's been three months since the team's sensational Suzuki Cup performance, TV coverage, magazine shoots, twitter, Facebook, product endorsements and countless topless photos marked the advent of Phil Younghusband.

He isn't entirely new in the scene. He and brother created the most minimal of stirs (it's true) when they first burst out into the spotlight. His erstwhile partnership with his former manager provided Phil with (at least) some publicity, most notably his participation on GMA-7's Celebrity Duets and his endorsement of Alaska Milk.

He's got good looks, yeah, and he does resemble Taylor Lautner to some degree. However, looks and looks alone did not make Phil the hottest PYT (pretty little thing) in the Philippines right now. It was his football and his unforgetable goal last month against Mongolia that provided him with the publicity and starpower he only wished he could have a few years back.

So far, what has he reaped with his newfound popularity? Aside from DAILY tidbits (really) from the county's most respectable news programs, he's got endorsements (like C2 Collezione shirts, etc), TV guestings, magazine features (check out Metro Society soon), twitter romance (with Angel Locsin) and twitter wars (Angelica Panganiban and that Morales fan) and soon, be among the Filipinos with the most number of Facebook fans and Twitter followers.

With all the hoopla surrounding him, it made me asked this one question: Is he more popular than what Alvin Patrimonio and James Yap acheived during their peak as basketball gods?