Roman Romulo and Shalani Soledad (NPPA Images)From January 16 to 22, 2012, everything from the controversial U.S. bill on online piracy to the Pinay stand-in for Rachel Weisz in "The Bourne Legacy" to the Corona impeachment to Shalani's wedding got users typing up their names in Yahoo! Search.
1. Stop Online Piracy Act. Yahoo! Search's top trending topic was United States House bill Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and its Senate counterpart, Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA). On Jan. 18, Wikipedia protested the bills they said would "finally damage the free and open Internet." On that day, user-edited articles appeared for a few seconds, before being replaced by dark page that read: "Imagine a world without free knowledge." Tens of thousands of other websites reportedly joined the 24-hour online protest. SOPA and PIPA proponents said the bills were meant to target offshore sites selling pirated goods, but NetCoalition, a group of leading global Internet and technology companies that includes Yahoo! and Wikipedia, warned that the bills would "stifle innovation and job creation." Two days after the protest, both bills were shelved.
Meanwhile, the Federal Bureau of Investigation on January 19 shut down file-sharing website Megaupload.com following investigations on alleged copyright infringement violations. The site's founder was arrested in New Zealand days later.
2. JC De Vera. Kapatid actor JC De Vera said he is currently "on leave" from love. The 25-year-old heartthrob and his fellow TV5 talent Danita Paner ended their relationship last November. JC will play the lead role in the upcoming remake of the popular 90s soap opera "Valiente."
3. Dawn Zulueta. The actress teams up anew with former sweetheart Richard Gomez in the new ABS-CBN soap, "Walang Hanggan," which is loosely based on "Hihintayin kita sa Langit," their last movie together, which in turn was based on the Emily Brontë classic, "Wuthering Heights." Asked about the possibility of also working again with Gretchen Barretto, Dawn said they needed to be on speaking terms first. Dawn and Gretchen had a falling out during a photo shoot a few years ago.
4. Valerie Bariou. Actor Onemig Bondoc's wife, the Filipino-French model and actress, trended on Yahoo! Search after netizens discovered she was chosen to stand in for British actress Rachel Weisz in "The Bourne Legacy," now being shot in the Philippines. Valerie's height, build and facial bone structure are close enough to the Bourne lead actress to enable her to stand in for her when it comes to "lighting and framing," Valerie told Yahoo! Philippines OMG!
5. My Binondo Girl. A week after one of its actors, Richard Yap a.k.a. Papa Chen, became the top trending search topic, "My Binondo Girl" joins the list. The hit ABS-CBN romantic comedy series—which stars Kim Chiu, Xiann Lim, and Matteo Guidicelli—aired its final episode on January 20.
6. Corona impeachment. The impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona remains the country's hottest political issue. The widely anticipated first day of trial commenced in the Senate Jan. 16, hours after Corona delivered an impassioned speech before his supporters at the Supreme Court. The term SALN—an acronym for statement of assets, net worth, and liabilities—also trended on Yahoo! Search after the impeachment court ordered a Supreme Court employee to produce Corona's SALN.
7. Australian Open. Asia Pacific's major tennis tournament just concluded in Melbourne. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal faced each other in the semifinals, but it was Novak Djokovic who won the cup. In the women's division, Serena Williams suffered her first defeat since 2008, while Victoria Azarenka beat Maria Sharapova in the finals.
8. Chinese New Year. Yahoo! Search users were excited for Chinese New Year, which President Noynoy Aquino declared a non-working holiday. Users typed "January 23 holiday," and also searched for more long weekends under "2012 holidays." They also wanted to know what was in store for the Year of the Water Dragon.
9. Kim Tae Hee. "Stairway to Heaven" actress Kim Tae Hee trended on Yahoo! Search after being listed by Yahoo! Philippines OMG! as one of five beautiful Korean actresses. While promoting "My Princess" in Vietnam recently, she and co-star Song Seung-hun attended a fundraiser at the National Fund for Vietnamese Children. The costumes they used were sold to the highest bidders, and they raised US $51,857.
10. Shalani Soledad wedding. The Filipino people's favorite ex-future first lady, Valenzuela City Councilor Shalani Soledad, on January 22 tied the knot with Pasig Rep. Roman Romulo at the St. Benedict Church in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. The wedding reception was held in Nuvali Sta. Rosa. The couple trimmed their wedding budget to be able to donate to Sendong victims. President Aquino, Shalani's former boyfriend, was invited to the wedding but was not able to attend.
Check out the previous Yahoo! Search Trends article, "Papa Chen, Alice Bungisngis lead Yahoo! PH trending searches."
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