Best of the Week: Finding Ramona, tapping Georgina, and giving it up for Gaga

Beauty queens of the week: Gwendoline Ruais  and Dianne Necio

MANILA, Philippines - This week, Gwendoline Ruais finished as first runner-up at the Miss World competition, the second Filipina to do so since Evangeline Pascual 30 years ago, while Dianne Necio made it to the Top 15 at Miss International, and took home the People’s Choice Award. For the uninformed (like Chris Lao), the two pageants were held last Nov. 6, with Miss World in London and Miss International in Chengdu, China. Miss Venezuela won Miss World (no surprises there!), while Miss Ecuador was crowned Miss International for the first time. If you haven’t had your fill of pageantry this month, watch out for the Miss Earth pageant on Dec. 3.   — Cai Subijano

Twitter hashtag of the week: #ReplacemovietitleswithRamona

Twitterverse was abuzz with the news that Ramona Revilla, a prime suspect in the murder of brother Ramgen Revilla, has fled the country to Turkey. In an unprecedented sweep, the hashtag #replacemovietitleswithRamona became a worldwide trending topic, inviting users, from celebrities to the masses, to participate. While the DOJ, the Revilla clan, Interpol, and the media speculate on her clashing stories and questionable behavior, the people on Twitter kept things light with titles like Panic Roomona from Pia Magalona (@piamagalona), I Know What Ramona Did Last October 28, courtesy of Cristine Reyes (@EVAFONDA2008), and Finding Ramona by Carmen Soo (@carmensoo). Other titles included Patayin Sa Shokot Si Ramona, Praybeyt Ramona, Despicable Ramona, A Crazy, Little Thing Called Ramona, Catch Ramona If You Can, and Nightmare On Ramona Street.

Pinoy pride of the week: Georgina Wilson

Former supermodel and media mogul Tyra Banks seems to have caught the Filipino spirit by tapping local model Georgina Wilson to guest as a stylist and model in her hit reality television show America’s Next Top Model. The news comes as a pleasant surprise after fellow members of the fashion industry Michael Cinco and Oliver Tolentino have guested and provided gowns for the challenges. Announced by Wilson herself on Twitter, she also revealed that Cinco will be back to supply the clothes for the season’s finale and Bench Body will sponsor the clothing for the semifinals. The episode will be shot in Greece and will air in the Philippines on Nov. 14, adding ANTM stylist/model to Wilson’s already impressive resume that includes model, DJ, and Borgy Manotoc’s girlfriend.

Biggest (and craziest) fanbase of the week: Lady Gaga

At the recently concluded MTV Europe Music Awards held in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Lady Gaga took center stage, winning four EMA’s: Best Song (Born This Way), Best Video (Born This Way), Best Female (Justin Bieber won Best Male in a move that confused many), and Biggest Fans. The last award comes as no surprise as Gaga is seen by many as a born-this-way-proclaiming messiah, resulting in her becoming the first person to have reached 10 million followers on Twitter. However, her mass appeal comes at a price, as legions of fans excuse their fashion choices on Gaga, making “be yourself” one of the worst pieces of advice given to impressionable teens everywhere.

Gift of God of the week: YouTube’s K-pop channel

Days after the announcement of YouTube Philippines, news broke out that the video-sharing site will create a channel exclusively for Korean music. The move was done to create a more visible presence in the country, although it seems that not only Koreans will benefit from the channel. As one of the nations who obsessively follow K-pop groups, Filipinos welcomed the creation, bringing their love for the musicians to a whole different level. Right around the report is the release of a video guide by the Philippine Embassy in South Korea that details the lives of current and soon-to-be married migrants. While many Filipinas dream of marrying their Koreanovela crushes, common marriage problems between Koreans and Filipinos include language barriers, culture shock, and even domestic violence, though we expect Rain will make a much better husband than that.

Quack doctor of the week: Conrad Murray

King of Pop Michael Jackson’s personal physician Conrad Murray was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and branded as a “danger to society” after a two-day trial that ended on Nov. 7. Fans, friends, and family members rejoiced as the doctor could face up to four years in prison, and the loss of his medical license. Murray’s lawyers are not shocked about the decision, but will request another hearing before the sentencing on Nov. 29. While we may never get Michael back, we’re pretty sure he’s doing the moonwalk up there in heaven to celebrate the victory.

Geek guide of the week: 9gag

Ever wonder where those Internet memes come from, or those inspirational (or downright offensive) wordart creations? A lot of them are products of 9gag, the website that features a wide variety of things from Steven Seagal emotion charts to random comics that feature emoticons, like Me Gusta, Poker Face, and Y U No! The beauty of the site is that it doesn’t really make any sense; it’s just pure, unadulterated comedy in small doses. A caveat: Don’t come here if you’re expecting Shakespeare or Eco. You’ll probably end up like the Y U No! Guy whose face is frozen in perpetual annoyance.