MANILA, Philippines – Everything from lip-synching topless men to the death of a comedy king, Rappler revisits the 10 entertainment stories that most tickled our fancy, ignited our indignation or touched our hearts.

These 10 stories are the ones we shared the most with our friends and loved ones, whether out of the excitement, kilig, anger or sadness inspired by that particular entertainment piece.

As we count down these stories, let us not only remember the year we are putting behind us but hope for a better year ahead, one that will undoubtedly surprise us with even more entertainment stories of the juicy kind.

# 10 – Mr. Philippines finishes 2^nd at Mister World 2013 (4,633 shares)

Published on November 25, 2012

There is no doubt that in 2012, Philippine Volcanoes member and Mr. World Philippines Andrew Wolff made a lot of girls swoon, both online and offline. Although he lost to Colombia’s Francisco Parra at the Mr. World 2013 pageant held in the United Kingdom, Wolff proved that in the world of charismatic and good-looking men, Filipinos can definitely hold their own. He mirrors the more recent feat of a certain girl from Bataan who almost brought home a crown.

ALSO READ: LIVE BLOG: PH in Miss Universe top 5

# 9 – Zsa Zsa Padilla is diagnosed with stage 1 kidney cancer (5,758 shares)

Published on August 19, 2012

Fans of the singer-actress were distressed to hear about the “malignant growth the size of a golf ball” inside their idol’s kidney. Weeks after the death of her husband, comedy king Dolphy, Zsa Zsa Padilla claims she still dreams of him. But perhaps her dreams were a sort of prayer as well, because a Rappler article published 10 days later announced that the tumor is benign.

# 8 – Hollywood celebrities tweet support for the Philippines (6,094 shares)

Published on August 8, 2012

While monsoon rains forced Metro Manila and parts of Northern Luzon down on their knees, Filipinos were heartened by tweets from famous singers, authors and Hollywood stars expressing their support and concern for the Philippines. Author Neil Gaiman tweeted that he is “sending love and worry to the Philippines” and vowed to send aid as well. “Suits” star Patrick J. Adams tweeted “Thoughts and prayers with the Philippines right now as the waters rise.”

# 7- Dolphy in critical condition (6,312 shares)

Published on June 15, 2012

The country felt the shudders of a bigger quake when on June 9, the beloved Comedy King Dolphy was rushed to the hospital and confined in the ICU because of complications due to pneumonia. Rappler reported that though he is said to be responding well to treatment, he still could not breathe without the help of a respirator. But true to form, Dolphy left a last message meant to appease all and lighten the sombre mood. His parting words to the world as caught on camera during an interview were, “Huwag kayong mag-alala (You guys shouldn’t worry). I’m OK, I love you all.”

ALSO READ: The man who made us laugh

# 6 – Annabelle Rama gets mad while at Dolphy’s wake (6,418 shares)

Published on July 15, 2012

If one funny man saddened us by his death, another showbiz personality amused us with her antics. Talent manager Annabelle Rama caused quite a ruckus after shouting at an entertainment reporter during Dolphy’s wake and then hitting him with a stick. Not satisfied with her outburst, she took to Twitter to vent out her anger. 

# 5 – Why Phillip Phillips won American Idol Season 11 (6,658 shares)

Published on June 14, 2012

Here at last is scientific proof that Jessica Sanchez would have won American Idol Season 11 if the rest of the world had been allowed to vote. A study conducted by a team from Boston’s Northeastern University (from their Department of Physics, no less!), tabulated the geolocation of tweets about the show, revealing that while Jessica led in Twitter mentions globally, Phillip was generally favored in the U.S., explaining his win. And of course, the number one source of pro-Jessica Twitter signals outside the States was none other than the Philippines.

ALSO READ: 10 Memorable Pinoy moments on American Idol

# 4 – Zsa Zsa, Eric, reveal MVP paid for Dolphy’s hospital bills (8,066 shares)

Published on July 14, 2012

The fact that one of the richest men in the Philippines and owner of, well, some would say, everything, paid for the hospital bills of a well-loved comedian was big news for many. It helped that Manny V. Pangilinan owns both Makati Med (hospital where Dolphy was confined) and TV5 (Dolphy’s television network) and that this act of kindness was done on his birthday. It was Eric Quizon, son of Dolphy, who put it best: “Happy birthday, Manny. Imbes na siya ang regaluhan natin, siya ang nagbigay sa amin ng regalo (Instead of us giving him a gift, it was he who gave us one).”

# 3 – As it happened: Cosmo Bachelor Bash 2012 (9,492 shares)

Published on September 19, 2012

If one sexy man occupies the 10^th spot on this list, it took 69 sexy men to make it to number 3. These men first got a taste of the limelight when a video of them topless and lip-synching One Direction’s hit, “What Makes You Beautiful” went viral in August. Rappler’s Life & Style and Entertainment editor Kai Magsanoc liveblogged from the bachelor bash itself, drawing viewers and netizens eager to see the boys in the (well, almost) flesh. 

# 2 – As it happened: Star Magic Ball 2012 (13,600+ shares)

Published on September 3, 2012

There’s nothing like a glamorous gathering of showbiz personalities and celebrities to grab people’s attention. The entire red-carpet portion of the night, liveblogged by Rappler’s Kai Magsanoc, showcased a bevy of today’s biggest stars all glammed up in designer gowns and suits. People were excited to see who was arriving with whom and were captivated by this peek into the world of the stars. 

# 1 – The Star Magic Ball 2012 winners (27,900+ shares)

Published on September 2, 2012

The biggest entertainment news in 2012 is the list of winners at the Star Magic Ball. The show that got big because of the stars’ glamorous outfits got even bigger as stars were awarded such titles as “Jaw-Dropping Stunner” (Bea Alonzo), “Stand Out Star” (Coco Martin), “Sweetheart of the Night” (Julia Montes) and “Star Magic Icons” (Angelica Panganiban and Deither Ocampo). This proves once and for all that, in the Philippines, the world of showbiz captivates. – Rappler.com