Celebrity Twitter wars: The Best of the Worst

In the era of Web 2.0, it only takes 140 characters to start a war. Popular microblogging site Twitter has become a regular witness to rifts and tiffs, especially when emotions are running high and people cannot just agree to disagree on issues, or when one's reputation or character is questioned. Early this year, a heated Twitter exchange between two men in New York allegedly resulted in murder, and actual tweets were used as evidence in the murder trial. No reported murders in the Philippines yet motivated by a tweet, but there have been vicious cat fights. Entertainment celebrities and other well-known personalities who have always been in the spotlight are now getting more attention when they post something nasty or controversial on Twitter, more so if the said controversial tweet is about (and against!) another public figure. Here are some of the most talked-about celebrity wars on Twitter —from Hollywood celebs bashing each other, to local politicians duking it out online— with an eye on what went wrong, so that you can avoid similar situations yourself: "Correction, ma'am": Mitos Magsaysay vs Abigail Valte A Twitter conversation between Malacañang spokesperson Abigail Valte and Zambales Rep. Mitos Magsaysay has brought political sniping into the new age. In a heated exchange of one-liners with Magsaysay, Valte defended the Aquino administration after Magsaysay posted on her Twitter account that the Aquino administration failed to plan well for tropical storm Falcon. In response, Valte said, "Nothing was left at home when we arrived. 2010 Calamity fund was depleted halfway into the year, hindi ba babagyo sa 2nd half ng taon?" Magsaysay went on to tell Valte that the administration should "learn from the mistakes of the past" instead of making the past administration "an excuse for not doing what you can to solve present problems." @Abi_Valte: 9 years of GMA in office and yet wala kaming inabutang flood control plan. nagkandahilo na si Chairman Tolentino sa kakahanap pero wala. @mitosmagsaysay: I remember dat der was no proper turnover f d gov't & its agencies w d change f admin. Pnoy admin refused. Don't blame f u can't find doc. Not fighting? After the heated exchange, the two tried to downplay their cyber cat fight, saying that the debate on Twitter was merely a "discussion." In an interview, Valte said, "Kinlaro namin hindi yan mala-showbiz na away. Public servants tayo, nagkaroon tayo ng palitan ng kuro-kuro... We are all ladies, mature tayo, hindi tayo nag-ano sa catfight." The bottomline: Healthy debates are good thing, as long as there's mutual respect. "A dumb s---": John Mayer vs Perez Hilton In 2009, Hollywood entertainment blogger Perez Hilton got into a physical fight with Black Eyed Peas singer Will.i.Am, after which he used his Twitter account to report the assault: @PerezHilton: I'm in shock. I need the police ASAP. Please come to the SoHo Metropolitan Hotel now. Please. @PerezHilton: I was assaulted by Will.i.Am of the Black Eyed Peas and his security guards. I am bleeding. please, I need to file a police report. No joke. While the police sorted out the altercation between the blogger and the Will.i.Am, another attack was happening online - this time courtesy of singer-songwriter John Mayer. The exchange: Mayer took to his Twitter account to poke fun at Hilton's tweets and a video response that the latter recorded about the incident with Will.i.Am. "Last year, P!nk kneed (sic) me in the nuts outside Chateau Marmont. I was pissing blood for days. Did I make a scene?" Mayer wrote on his account. Hilton answered him back and said, "That's real funny! Ha ha! And I'm sure you also think I 'deserved' to get hit!" The tweets went on, with Mayer convincing Hilton to learn self-defense like Krav Maga, and Hilton saying he did not want bad karma. After a lengthy argument over how Hilton should have handled the situation, the two decided to end their squabble, with Mayer saying, "Good night Perez, you dumb sh**." The bottomline: Don't add insult to injury —no matter how trivial a situation may seem to you as an outsider. "Mukhang pera": Annabelle Rama vs Heart Evangelista Talent manager and celebrity mom Annabelle Rama is not known for backing out of fights. And when she set up her own Twitter account, she found another arena in cyberspace. The issue: In 2010, she had a tiff with actress Heart Evangelista, whose career Rama had been managing until the she decided to end her contract with Rama. Tita Annabelle did not take it lightly, posting on her Twitter account that Evangelista was a "trying-hard actress" and that Evangelista's mother was "mukhang pera." @annabellerama2: Sayang ang friendship namin ng tatay ni Heart na si Rey. 1970 pa at pareho pa kaming single close na kami, nasira dahil kay Cecile, ang... Nanay ni Heart. Pera ang dahilan. Responding coolly to Rama's tweets, Evangelista wrote this on her Twitter account: "Contracts are made to end and not renewing is something the other party isn't happy about... I will always be grateful to everyone that helped along the way. No need for bad words." The resolution: In an interview on a showbiz talk show, Evangelista apologized to Rama and even thanked her ex-manager for helping her with her career. However, Rama said in another interview that she has nothing to say to Evangelista. The bottomline: In social media as well as in the real world, it always helps to keep a cool temper. "Get elected first, then let's talk": Gringo Honasan vs Jim Paredes Senator Gringo Honasan is famous for standing up against ex-President Ferdinand Marcos during the famed People Power Revolution, but recently on Twitter, he had to stand up against Apo Hiking Society singer Jim Paredes. In a Twitter conference of TweetCon held in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the EDSA 1 Revolution, Paredes said that some major players in EDSA, including Honasan, "had an agenda different from the millions who were there." Paredes tweeted that Honasan was there to save his ass against Marcos. "They owe the people an apology. They were plain users without the nation's good in mind," Paredes said. "I didn't go abroad" "Until U have faced the business end of a gun as a soldier, for God, country & family HERE, U know nothing. I didn't go abroad," Honasan said, adding emphasis to the fact that he stayed in the country while Paredes migrated to Australia. @jimparedes: @gringo_honasan Until you can tell us why or even admit you launched those coups causing deaths and economic dislocation, wala ka. @gringo_honasan: @jimparedes Get elected first, even as brgy. captain. Then let's talk. @jimparedes: @gringo_honasan Sorry but the truth and facts are pesky things you have to live with. @gringo_honasan: To all Filipinos, let us not leave our country even if the going gets rough. God bless! After the TweetCon, Paredes said in closing, "It's good to be candid. Let's be clear about who (our) heroes and villains are." The bottomline: We're all entitled to our own viewpoints. "Akala ko ba football player siya?": Angelica Panganiban vs Azkals fans Actress Angelica Panganiban, who has been in show business since she was a child, did not seem to like the idea that Philippine Azkals member Phil Younghusband was adding "actor" to the growing list of things that make him famous. On her twitter account, Panganiban said, "Si Phil may indie film... Akala ko ba football player sya??? :( lahat na lang artista na :( sad..." @IamAngelicaP: Sana sa pbb sya sumali :) d sa azkals. Baka mapuyat sya sa shooting d sya makalaro ng maayos. Gets nyo ba ko? O buong araw natin to issue? @IamAngelicaP: Sila rooney ba gumagawa ng movie? I dont think so :) mukhang busy lang sila kkpractice para laging manalo :) The fans Azkals fans, however, did not take Panganiban's tweets lightly. @happiemom808: @IamAngelicaP thats their life! Di pag may opportunity na edi i-grab na! Ikaw nga hindi nag-aral dahil gusto mo mag artista!!!!! @frapaecoors: @IamAngelicaP judging much? wow way to motivate new actors. smh @IamAngelicaP: Ang kitid ng utak ng iba. D ko sinasabing ang gusto ko eh ako lang ang artista. Kung gusto pala nya mag artista, sana d na sya nag football. According to a report on PEP.ph, one particular fan called Panganiban "stupid" and a "bitch." Meanwhile, Panganiban is not one to back down, retorting with names like "bastos" and "bakla." Meanwhile, Panganiban's boyfriend, actor Derek Ramsay, said that Panganiban deserved an apology from the Azkals fans for berating her on Twitter. As of posting time, no issued apologies from both camps were reported. The bottomline: No matter what you post, there's always the chance that someone somewhere will criticize you for it. — with TJ Dimacali/HS, GMA News