LOS ANGELES?Filipino-American actor Ramon de Ocampo is playing opposite Meryl Streep?s daughter, Grace Gummer, in the Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles? production of ?Much Ado About Nothing? at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City, California.

Ramon, who also appears on TV and film, is Claudio to Grace?s Hero. Academy Award winner Helen Hunt also stars in the limited engagement play that ends its run today, Sunday, December 19.

Critics? view

Variety?s theater critic, Bob Verini, wrote of Ramon?s performance: ?The most gulled of the group, the usually bland Claudio, is given welcome dash by Ramon de Ocampo, who shouldn?t have much trouble summoning up the right passion, given lovely Grace Gummer as his virtuous inamorata.?

LA Weekly?s Steven Leigh Morris also praised Ramon: ?The performances, particularly Ramon de Ocampo?s Claudio and Grace Gummer?s Hero, are so impassioned and vitriolic?supplemented by Hero?s dad (Dakin Matthews) lashing out against his only child with rash ferocity?they all demonstrate exactly how close this comedy teeters on the brink of tragedy.?

Ramon, whom we?ve profiled a few years ago, is an Obie Award winner for his performance in another play, ?The Romance of Magno Rubio,? which was based on a short story by the great Carlos Bulosan.

Miss Golden Globe

Speaking of Grace, her co-star in the TeenNick series ?Gigantic,? Gia Mantegna, was recently named Miss Golden Globe 2011. The announcement of the selection of Gia, who is the daughter of actor Joe Mantegna, was made at a party attended by Hollywood?s young set at the trendy Cecconi?s restaurant in West Hollywood.

Gia follows in the footsteps of daughters of Hollywood actors who assisted in the Golden Globe Awards like Melanie Griffith, Rumer Willis, Laura Dern and Joely Fisher.

At the bash, we bumped into Armie Hammer, who played the Winklevoss twins in ?The Social Network,? a strong contender for the Golden Globe Best Picture-Drama award. Armie, who made a good impression playing the rich, preppy brothers, is a scion in real life. He is the great grandson of the late industrialist and art collector Armand Hammer.

Eastwood biopic

Armie happily reported that he?s working next on ?J. Edgar,? Clint Eastwood?s biopic on FBI director J. Edgar Hoover who led a controversial professional and personal life. He said he was excited to be directed by Clint. Armie will play the lover of Hoover, who will be portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio.

Fashion show

Former Binibining Pilipinas Lisa Manibog Brennan, who?s now an award-winning TV producer based in LA, graciously hosted a fashion show by Filipino-American designers David Tupaz and Joey Galon at her beautiful home she shares with husband Peter in the hills above Sunset Boulevard.

Lisa, as lovely and shapely as when she earned the right to represent the Philippines in the Miss International pageant in 1982, won a Daytime Emmy three times as one of the producers of the courtroom program, ?Cristina?s Court.? Lisa?s niece, Ariana Manibog Varela, who is the reigning Miss Asia USA, was one of the models who walked on a ramp built over the pool.

Actress Bai Ling, in a sexy dress, pointed to us a gown by David that she particularly liked. She stood out in the Hollywood set audience. Fil-Am Oliver Carnay, a Hollywood talent manager, introduced us to some of his discoveries.

David?s niece, Krista Ranillo, who is pregnant with her baby with husband Jeff Lim, couldn?t come because she wasn?t feeling well. But her parents, actor Matt Ranillo and Linda Tupaz Ranillo, graced the event.

It was a gathering that showed the holiday collection of Joey (who is based in Las Vegas), David?s couture jewelry line, and Krista and David?s collaborative fashion line under the label Krista.

On our way out, we met Allan Dennis Rich, who earned Academy, Golden Globe and Grammy nominations for co-writing songs like ?Run to You? (from ?The Bodyguard?) and ?For the First Time? (from ?One Fine Day?). Allan proudly said that he co-wrote a track, ?The Truth Is,? in Charice?s US album.

E-mail the columnist at rvnepales_5585@yahoo.com.