UPDATE: The five finalists for the It Girl's godmother have been selected; you can vote to help choose the winner. Click on It Girl Finalists to view the five videos and vote for the godmother of your choice. You can vote 10 times a day, every day, through December 7, 2007. The final selection will be announced on December 18, 2007... the day Gem will be christened.

Norwegian Gem, the big, beautiful "It Girl" debutante, will be turning New York City on its ear in December as she arrives in high style. Covered in bling and trailing an entourage nearly 3,000 strong, Gem's arrival ushers in a new era for the Big Apple.

News organizations and paparazzi worldwide are vying for her favors, but nowhere is the buzz more acute than in Manhattan itself. "It's amazing," claims her spokesperson, known only as Marli. "We knew she'd impress, but we are overwhelmed at the outpouring of affection."

"New York is proud to welcome a big, beautiful girl like Gem," enthused New York's mayor Mike Bloomberg in a Newsday article published last week.

"Yes," said mogul Donald Trump when contacted by Sleeping Around. "I know beauty, beauty is my specialty. OK, she's big, but she's really beautiful, and that counts for something. Buy my book."

A glowing and gracious JLo told People Magazine that she, too, was looking forward to Gem's arrival. "Wow," she said. "This girl's booty is almost as bodacious as mine!"

Sy Hersh's investigative article in The New Yorker describes Gem as "...the real thing, no smoke and mirrors here, unless you count the mirrored ceilings in the Bliss Lounge. But there's no smoke in there."

"Is she Jewish?" asked Jon Stewart as he left his Daily Show studio on Tuesday.

As the excitement builds, so too does the media frenzy. Cindy Adams and Liz Smith were seen arguing in front of "21" over who got the first in-depth coverage as Barbara Walters brushed past with a secretive smile. A cryptic Page Six note asks: "Who's her real BFF?"

"IT'S BRIT-BRIT!!" screams a TMZ header, while Perez Hilton claims to have an inside source who will reveal the identity of Gem's true-life BFF "when the time is right."

Sean Penn, flanked by Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon, told the New York Times that they see Gem as an entrée to world peace. "Her beauty and popularity provide the perfect position for participation in the peace process," he alliterated.

No, Really...

Norwegian Gem, NCL's newest Jewel-class ship, will sail from New York during the winter and from Barcelona during the summer months. She boasts 93,530 GRT, 1233 staterooms, 12 restaurants and 10 bars. With Norwegian's signature Freestyle Cruising™, a wonderful children's center, four-lane bowling alley, rock-climbing wall, Nintendo Wii, pool with corkscrew slide and compelling itineraries, Norwegian Gem provides the perfect family getaway. Her opulent suites and world-class spa are ideal for romance, too.

Ladies!

If you've ever sailed on NCL and want to be Gem's extra-special girlfriend, why don't you send in a video application to audition for the position of her Godmother? Oh, so cool... you'd get to meet her in New York, share some special bubbly, and then later you get a free cruise in the awesomely delicious Garden Villa. It's open to past guests (Latitude Members) only; you can find out about it HERE. Make sure to read all the rules!

For more information on Norwegian Gem, and to register to be her BFF, go to Gem - It Girl.