WOW Pinoy

Riza Zalameda - FilAms Tennis Ace Leads UCLA to 1st Championship

Written by **Billyboxergirl on Wednesday, June 11, 2008

FilAm UCLA college student Riza Zalameda double dipped during the NCAA National Tennis tournament held at the Tulsa’s Michael D. Case Tennis Center last May 26.

The 22-year-old senior clinched UCLA’s first ever women’s Team Tennis Championship and also captured the NCAA Doubles Championship with partner Tracy Lin.

"Before I hit that last overhead, everything culminated at that last moment," said Zalameda on the UCLA Tennis website. "It was a moment that I have been dreaming of. I’m speechless."

Zalameda clinched the team championship when she defeated Susie Babos of UC Berkeley, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. The win gave the lady Bruins a 4-0 series sweep against the Bears of Berkeley and earned Zalameda the Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award.

In the same tournament, Zalameda and Lin captured the NCAA Tennis Doubles Championship after defeating CSU Fresno State’s Melanie Gloria and Tinesta Rowe in three-sets, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.

"It was a very exciting win," said Zalameda at the post match press conference. "We just came into it pretty confident in our skills. We’ve been playing for two weeks and our shots are pretty refined. All we had to do was execute. We knew they were a great team because I saw them earlier this year and we were expecting them to come out big. They did come out big on certain points, but we just toughed it out. We had more experience, more skill today and more will, but they were a great team."

Both wins are a culmination of Zalameda’s stellar UCLA tennis career. The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) named Zalameda as the Senior Player of the Year award, becoming only the second UCLA player to ever earn the prestigious award. She also earned the Pac-10 Player of the Year award.

The only thing that Zalameda didn’t do during the tournament was to win the Singles Championship. She reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Singles draw. Before entering the tournament, she had won the Pac-10 Singles title.

According to UCLA, Zalameda is just one of six four-time All-Americans in UCLA history.

A Young FilAm Genius in Florida

Written by **Billyboxergirl on Monday, May 26, 2008

Florida, US- When her three-year old son started reading signs on stores and restaurants, Gwen de Leon figured it was just logo recognition from watching television.

But when young Nicolas, aka Nico, next read "Questions to ask the pharmacist" from the back of a prescription bag, Gwen and her husband were shocked.

Ten years later, 13-year-old Nico is a seventh-grader at Green Cove Springs Junior High in Jacksonville and is being celebrated for several impressive academic accomplishments.

"He can do whatever he sets his mind to," says Nico's sixth-grade reading teacher Debra Pope at Paterson Elementary School. "The sky is the limit for him."

Nico is Northeast Florida's top speller, poised to represent the region in May at the Scripps National Bee spell-off in Washington, D.C., the first representative from Clay County in more than 30 years of the spelling bee competition.

"Pantomime" was the winning word for Nico in the regional bee last February. The bee went 21 rounds with children in the fifth to eighth grades who had won spelling county bees all over Florida.

Nico won a six-day trip to the national spelling bee in Washington, a new dictionary, a $100 savings bond, a $200 check and a year’s subscription to Brittanica Online Student Edition. His name is now inscribed on a plaque displayed in his school for the year.

One of Clay's brightest

Weeks before the Washington trip, Nico will go to Lakeland, Florida as a Clay County qualifier for the state science fair. In between the contests, he will be honored at Duke University in North Carolina for scoring 31 out of 36 in the ACT college entrance exam, topping 99 percent of test takers, including high school students, in Florida and 98 percent in the U.S.

Proudly cheering him on, former teachers say they adore the quiet, self-driven, disciplined and friendly child considered one of Clay County's brightest students.

Shy and introspective, Nico says he's not sure he likes all the attention. He received a standing ovation at a recent School Board meeting where the chairperson Carol Studdard presented him with a suitcase for his spring travels.

"It's like meeting my match, so to speak," says Nico's science teacher Howard Katz, who has welcomed Nico's thoughtful challenges and observations in class.

For his science fair project, Nico tested the effectiveness of soup can reflectors to channel a wireless Internet signal. He used a soup can reflector to channel the wireless Internet signal from his living room to the laptop computer in his bedroom and found that a can, cut open and fanned out like a flower, was most effective because it enabled the computer to download files fastest.

Teacher Diane Matthews credits Nico with recovering a valuable document she had lost in her computer, adding that he won both the school-wide spelling bee and the school geography bee last year.

Nico's sixth-grade English teacher at Paterson, Sue Middleton, considers him one of her all-time favorite students."His eyes sparkled, and you could see him absorb lessons. There was never a groan or a moan about assignments. He has a brain that won't quit. He makes you remember why you do this [teaching]."

From the Philippines

Nico's parents, Gwen, a pharmacist, and Ron, a software analyst, moved to the U.S. from the Philippines in the late 1980s. Ron worked for the military at Jacksonville Naval Air Station. Gwen works at Publix in Fleming Island.

Nico is their only child and he’s spent most of his time with his parents, aunts and uncles reading to him. They never baby-talked to him, says his mother.

"I guess we just treated him like an adult. Not sure if that's good or bad," Gwen said, adding that she didn't quite realize how unusual it was for him to read so well at age three. "He was the only child. I never even baby sat. It was never really a conscious thing, nothing on purpose. It's not like we planned to have him reading before kindergarten."

Public librarians tried to discourage the de Leons from checking out particular books for Nico, saying they were over his head, like the first three Harry Potter books he devoured in first grade before moving on to his father's college text books on computers and then adult science fiction novels.

Giftedness shows up early

Tests in kindergarten proved that Nico is gifted and he's been in exceptional education classes ever since.

"I worried he'd be nerdy and bullied and get wedgies," his mother said recently.

"Wedgies?" Nico replied. "Kids don't do wedgies at school. Let's just say I haven't been ostracized at school, but I don't have a ton of friends either." He's not interested in sports, but loves games of strategy. He was on the chess team for a while.

"He's just always been smart. He was never a bratty kid," said Saldajeno. "And this is his year."

Nico’s favorite subject is math and is currently reading science fiction series by Naomi Novik. His favorite movie is Lord of the Rings, his favorite games, Age of Empires and Launchball on PC and Geometry Wars Galaxies on Nintendo DS.

Not surprisingly, this young Fil-American wants to become a web designer.

Miami Heat New Head Coach

Written by **Billyboxergirl on Friday, May 16, 2008

37-year old Erik Spoelstra is making history with the Miami Heat. Not only is he the first Filipino to become a head coach of an NBA team, he is also the youngest head coach in NBA history. Soon-to-be Hall of fame coach Pat Riley made this announcement on Monday the 28th of April to the delight of Miami Heat players and fans.
Erik Spoelstra is the son of former NBA executive Jon Spoelstra and Filipina Mom, Elisa (not Fe) Celino. He says he is of Dutch-Irish-Filipino descent. He joined the Heat in 1995 after four years of playing for the University of Portland and two years of playing and coaching for a professional team in Germany. He started out with the Miami Heat as a video coordinator. Riley coached the heat that same year and kept Spoelstra in his staff. Since then, Riley has enjoyed working with him. Spoelstra fans are proud of the fact that when the Miami Heat clinched their first championship ring in 2006, Riley’s first celebratory hug was with Spoelstra.
Spoelstra has been assigned various duties including scouting, training and coaching. Riley would occasionally remind Spoelstra to “get ready” because the day might come when he will have to take charge. Well, that day has arrived for “Coach Spo”!

In an interview last year in Filipinas Magazine, Spoelstra said, “There is one thing that I am definitely interested in doing in the future, and that is helping develop basketball in the Philippines. I have been talking recently with the NBA about me putting together basketball clinics in my mother’s home country, hopefully in one of these next couple of off-seasons. It will be a wonderful chance to see some of my family over there and reconnect with my roots.”

Who knows? With news about Philippine Christian University basketball star Jayson Castro being recruited by the Singapore Slingers to play in Australia’s National Basketball League, perhaps we’re not too far away from sending Filipino players in the NBA.

Oh and by the way, Filipinas will be happy to know that Coach Erik Spoelstra is single.

Fil-Am teener gives 550 wheelchairs

Written by **Billyboxergirl on Sunday, May 11, 2008

A wheelchair-bound 18-years-old American girl who was born in the Philippines is changing the lives of similarly situated people with her gift 550 special wheelchairs this month. Michelle Dalrympe, the youngest of three children of a couple from California, shares the experience with the pre-qualified recipients of these wheelchairs.

A male schoolmate, an off-duty security officer, accidentally discharged his 9mm gun, in his backpack. The bulet hit Michelle and severed her spinal cord. While the man pleaded guilty to one felony and two misdemeanors in the case and was sentenced to 270 days in jail, Michelle was unable to walk again.

But her experience as a paraplegic inspired her to organize a wheelchair project with the help of her father. She decided to distribute some to the Philippines where she was born and shere she grew up until she was seven years old while her parents served as missionaries.

A team of 15 people, mostly from Big Valley Grace Community Church in Modesto, California, raised funds for the wheelchairs. The wheelchairs will arrive in the country on May 8 to 20 and will be distributed to the beneficiaries in coordination with Life Wind International, Free Wheelchair Mission in Irvine, California and Holistic Community Development Initiatives (HDCI) based in the Philippines.

Young FilAms raise funds for a school in Pampanga

Written by **Billyboxergirl on Friday, May 09, 2008

Valerie Barrios and Steve Juh, bot second-generataion young professional Filipino Americans based here, recently organized a fundraising activity to connect a public high school in the Philippines to the Internet.

Through the fundraising event tagged "Cocktails and Bytes" an amount close to $8,000.00 was raised for project Gilas. The amount raised to help connect a public school in Pampanga, a province in the Philippines. Through this, about 500 students will gain acess to a world of information and knowledge through the Internet.

More than a hundred guests, consisiting of young Filipino American professionals based in New York City as well as other mainstream Americans, attended the event, which was held in Paramount Hotel on April 10, 2008.

A minimum fee of $35 per ticket was charged for the advance donors and $40 ticket for the walk-in guests. Gilas T-shirt were also sold in the event. All the net proceeds of the activity, plus the individual donations, were given to Gilas through the Ayala Foundation USA.

Lance Feliciano - Only Fil-Am Licensed Professional DRIFTING

Written by **Billyboxergirl on Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Lance Feliciano made history in October 2006 by being the only Fil-Am licensed professional Drifting racing champ among 38 licensed U.S. professionals from across America. Currently, Lance is among the youngest professional racers in the world of Drifting. In a press release by Drift & RWD sports magazine, he was named as "one of the next superstars to watch in 2007." Lance is fast becoming an icon in the Drifting arena. For his profile. click here

WHILE Filipinos are following the exploits of its current sports hero Manny Pacquiao, perhaps only a handful are aware that another one of their countrymen is rocking the sports world in the U.S.

In the rapidly evolving discipline of Drifting or, as the Americans call it— Formula D, Filipino Lance Feliciano is creating more than tire squeals and smoke.

In 2006, Feliciano, who is supported by Whiz Oil, made history by becoming the only Filipino to be issued a competition license that made him eligible to be one of only 38 professional Formula D drivers in America. At 19, he was also the youngest to join their exclusive ranks.

Feliciano and his parents, Larry Feliciano and Christina Gutierrez, moved to the U.S., when he was only two-years-old. Although Larry and Christina are now separated, they continue to support their son’s pursuits.

Larry, who hails from Antipolo and is a former rally driver who drove a Mitsubishi in the 1980s, still gives him advice, while his mother is present at all of Lance’s events.

Lance shares: “I’m very close to my dad. Although, he now lives in the Philippines, we always talk and he always gives me pointers. He teaches me what kind of mental attitude I should have behind the wheel. He tells me that before I go out there, I should close my eyes and relax. And once I’m ready to commit myself at the wheel, once I’m ready to make a perfect run, then go! But if I’m not ready, then I shouldn’t even leave that starting line.”

So, how did it all start for this Pinoy drifter?

“When I was younger I really liked the popular “drifting” videos from Japan. And my dad used to teach me in the mountains in Antipolo, in the Philippines. I started joining amateur events in 2005. In October of 2006, I entered a Pro-Am event, which had the best drivers from the whole west coast.”

“We all battled at the Irwindale Speedway, 55 to 60 drivers, and I won first. They then sent me to Laughlin in Las Vegas to represent the west coast and I won second overall in the Nationals. There, only four drivers were able to get their professional license and I was one of them,” Feliciano recalled.

In 2007, Feliciano participated in several exhibitions around the U.S. He is currently doing a stint in New York.

“Drifting involves precision. You need to have a well-tuned, perfectly conditioned, rear-wheel drive car with a good suspension. It’s a very expensive sport because you can go through a full set of tires in less than a day of competition. It’s very important that the driver be very confident because there’s not much time to react and be scared when you’re on the track. One should think very fast and be fully committed,” said Feliciano, who will make an appearance at the Philippine Race Wars 2008 last April 26 at the Clark Expo.

Jabbawockeez Won at 2008 Asian Excellence Awards

Written by **Billyboxergirl on Sunday, May 04, 2008

After winnig at American Best Dance Crew title, JabbaWockeez accepted an award at 2008 Asian Excellence Awards for Favorite Reality Stars. I'm happy for them that after the contest at MTV, they been given a lot of recognition.

FilAm Kids Wow 'Dancing with the Star' Judges

Written by **Billyboxergirl on Wednesday, April 30, 2008

The late FilAm wonderkids put on their dancing shoes on the April 12 episode of Dancing with the Stars .

FilAm kids, 10-yearold Jaryd Farcon and eight-year-old Cara Abaya Campos performed the popular ballroom dance step the chacha to tthe music of Bruce Channel's Hey! Baby in front of millions of viewers on ABC's hit dance.

In their one-minute dance set, these pintsized ballroom dancers strutted their stuff with rapid hip movement, splits, and exaggerated facial impressions, a must in every ballroom dancer's arsenal Afterwards, all three judges were impressed by the performance and asked the young couple to come back.

"Jaryd, your hip action," said Judge Bruno Tonioli. "You could teach some of our professionals." "Cara, you're only eight years old and you're dancing like a 40-year-old hot mama," added Judge Carrie Ann Inaba

"Sharp, crisp leg action, fabulous hips, beautiful Cuban break, the whole package It was fantastic," said head Judge Len Goodman after the performance.

These kids are not your ordinary elementary school students. During the past year, Jaryd and Cara have performed on NBC's Today Show and won talk show hosts Maury Pvich's "Most Talented Kids" competition.

Jaryd and Cara both from the East Coast have been dancing together for more than a year. They have been compeing in national and international competitions, according to Cara's mom Irene Campos, who recently spoke with the Asian Journal about their accomplishments.

Irene said that since the two young kids have been performing together they've won first or second place in a number of competitions in their divisions. This year alone, Cara and Jaryd have won two second place trophies in the USA Dance Championships Nationals, 1st Place in the Teddy Bear - JIVE division at the Le Clasique in Montreal, Canada; and a first and second place award in the Manhattan Dancesport Regional in New York.

"I'm so proud of these kids," said Irene. "They really work hard and compete to be the best." the Dancing with the Stars Junior 10-and-under age group competition began this year. During last Tuesday's competition, Jaryd and Cara bested their opponent 10-year-old Dmitriy Slobodskiy and Michelle Kaplansky for a chance to come back again

ABC Dancing with the Stars producers have asked the young FilAm couple to perform again on the show sometime in May, according to Irene.

Anna Marie Perez De Tagle and Kara Crane

Written by **Billyboxergirl on Friday, April 25, 2008

TWO Fil-Ams, Anna Maria Perez de Tagle and Kara Crane, are two of Disney Channel’s newest stars. The girls, both 17-year-olds, are featured in Disney channel made-for-TV movies—Perez de Tagle in the upcoming “Camp Rock” in June, and Crane in “Minutemen,” which premiered on Jan. 25 on the Disney channel.

Anna Maria Perez de Tagle
Anna Marisa, who besides starring in “Camp Rock” plays mean girl Ashley Dewitt on “Hannah Montana,” shared in an exclusive interview with Janelle So on “Kababayan L.A.” that she learned a lot about singing and acting through her famous grandmother, singer and actress Sylvia La Torre.
“”I’m very close to my grandma—she’s quite the icon in the Philippines,” laughed Anna Marisa.
“She taught me my first Filipino song “Bahay Kubo.” Whenever she’s on stage she says ‘Oh my apo, she’s following in my footsteps,’ and I can’t disagree. When it comes to singing and acting, I owe it all to her.”
Anna Marisa shared that despite her Hollywood career, her parents still raise her with conservative Filipino values and rules.
“Well, my parents say I can’t date until I’m 30!,” Ana Marisa joked.
“They always make me have a chaperone—my older brother’s always there. But he’s a cool brother, he’s not like one of those brothers who’s behind my back everywhere I go.”
But she did share that her parents are willing to compromise on certain things, such as spending time with her fellow Disney stars—but only to an extent.
“We go on group dates, you know with the Jonas Brothers (her co-stars in “Camp Rock”) or Zack Efron (star of Disney channel’s smash hit “High School Musical”)…but I can’t go out past 11 [p.m.] or anything like that.”
Yet Ana Marisa doesn’t mind her parents’ relatively strict dating rules, as she is completely focused on honing her singing and acting skills.
“If a guy were to ask me out, they would definitely have to know that I’m really focused on my career right now.”
She also enjoys the fame she has already received from playing Ashley on “Hannah Montana.”
“Little girls come up to me and say ‘You’re the girl from ‘Hannah Montana!,’” Ana Marisa laughed.
“Sometimes they even think I’m mean because I play a mean girl on the show, but I explain to them that it’s just acting. But I definitely love my fans!”
Anna Marisa clearly enjoys being part of the famous Disney channel family, its perks including hanging out with superstars like Zack Efron and the Jonas Brothers.
“They’re such nice guys,” Anna Marisa says about the Jonas Brothers.
“We actually filmed in a remote place in Canada where there was no cell phone reception and no Internet so we became really close.”
About watching her upcoming projects including “Camp Rock” set to come out in June, Anna Marisa had this to say to her fellow Filipinos.
“Filipinos please, please, please support me.”
“I’m really happy where I am and I love being in the Disney family.”

Kara Crane
Also in an exclusive interview with Janelle So on “Kababayan L.A.,” Kara Crane, who has a Filipina mother and a Russian father, talked about her already successful Disney film “Minutemen.”
“The film (“Minutemen”) got 7.3 million viewers and was the most watched program of the week so I’m really excited,” Kara said.
“In the movie, I play kind of like the sidekick of three boys. It was a nice part—I loved it so much.”
Kara, who has been acting and singing since she was 9 years old, shared that her road to acting all started with her love for theatre.
“I’ve always been involved in a lot of theatre—community theatre, shows at my school…I just love musicals and all that.”
“I auditioned for ‘The Sound of Music’ when I was nine-years-old and I got the role of Marta Von Trapp! Ever since then, I just loved it. It just escalated from there. I got an agent and we’ve been going out on auditions for the past couple of years.”
And although she doesn’t understand or speak Tagalog (her mother is from Zamboanga and speaks Chabacano), she is ready and willing to visit the Philippines.
“We’re actually planning a trip in August or September; we’re going to stay out there for maybe a month or so, I’m really excited!,” Kara said.
When asked if she was willing to try showbiz in the Philippines, Kara exclaims “I’d love to—it’d be awesome!”
Kara also shared that she is currently in a relationship.
“I do have a boyfriend. They (my parents) know about it!,” Kara laughed.
“He’s an actor, and we’ve been together a couple of months. I’m really happy,” she said.
During the exclusive interview, Kara’s mom Leslie commented on the challenges of raising a daughter in the entertainment industry.
“It’s hard, but they’re all good kids,” Leslie said.
“All you have to do is you just have to discipline them.”
When asked by Janelle if she ever had to palo her kids, Leslie laughed, “Of course!”
As for upcoming projects, Kara shared that despite the writers’ strike slowing Hollywood down, she is optimistic about future movie roles.
“I’ve been having a lot of movie auditions lately—hopefully something good will happen,” she said.
As for other young Fil-Ams trying to make it in U.S. showbiz, Kara had this advice.
“Just follow your heart, I wanna say,” she said. “If you think you can do it, you can. You can accomplish anything you put your mind to. So if you really want it, you’ll get it.”

Jose Antonio Vargas: Pulitzer Prize winner

Written by **Billyboxergirl on Friday, April 18, 2008

A very young and Internet savvy Filipino American, Jose Antonio Vargas has at 27, won the Pulitzer Prize in the breaking news category.

He shares this award with other Washington Post reporters for a package of nine stories, two of which he wrote. His feet hardly touched the ground as he was interviewed at the Washington Post a couple of hours after the awards were announced in this US capital Monday.

An elated Vargas said, “This is great!" and “This is a happy day!" He was also happy for the paper, saying the ‘Post’ “won six Pulitzers, the most it has won in one year." Vargas wrote two front page stories on the April 16, 2007 Virginia Tech massacre.

“I was lucky to get an interview with one of the eyewitnesses," he recalled. “I found this eyewitness on facebook.com. I got him on the phone, we talked for about 25 minutes, and he was the only eyewitness we had on the story, so it was a critical part of it."

Another story he wore was on how the Virginia Tech students were using the Internet “to let each other know what was going on, because it was chaotic" at that time. He said he got the news over the phone Sunday from his editor, but he was not supposed to tell anybody at that point.

Vargas joined the Post in 2004, two days after graduating from the San Francisco State University in California. He had interned at the paper in 2003 while still a student. He was asked to write for the Style Section at first, and he wrote about Cristeta Comerford, the first woman and first FilAm White House executive chef.

He said he was proud he won the Pulitzer as part of the team from ‘Post,’ the paper that “had toppled a president."

“This is a paper that has always been about reporting and writing, and letting reporters be who they are" and allowing reporters to follow their interests. “I’ve been here three years, and I’ve written about video games, HIV needs in Washington, and now, political reporting."

He turned very emotional when he talked about relatives who raised him. He thanked his Lola Leoning, Leonila Salinas, who brought him up in Mountain View, California, together with her husband Ted, and his Uncle Roland. Vargas, born in Antipolo, came to the U.S. when he was 12.

When his grandpa died, he said his Lola Leoning was very worried about him, and wanted him only the best for him.

“I love her very, very, very much," he said of his grandma. ‘ I wish she could understand what this means. She wanted me to be an accountant, an engineer or a doctor, something like that."

“Now that I’m covering the presidential campaign, and appearing on CNN and MSNBC, she thinks I’m a real reporter," he added.

He also cited the principal and superintendent at Mountain View High School, “who were like second parents to me." They helped him get a scholarship from a venture capitalist who financed his college studies.

He said nobody wins an award by himself, and also credited his mentors, including Leslie Guevarra at San Francisco Chronicle, where he also worked after writing for the ‘Mountain View Voice.’ Vargas, stood behind the mural that showed photos of the team that toppled President Richard Nixon over Watergate – the legendary editor Ben Bradlee and reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward.

Families of winners were seen going to the party upstairs. Vargas is single, and still only 27. Community leader Maurese Owens said, when told of the news during an event here the same day: “Now that he has won the Pulitzer, I wonder how it’s going to be for him."

Vargas will always have a reason for getting up in the morning, gobbling breakfast and bolting excitedly the door. “This has always been a passion of mine, since I started writing at 17," he said, beaming.

Cheryl Burke - Dancing with the Stars

Written by **Billyboxergirl on Friday, April 04, 2008

Cheryl Bautista Burke (born May 12, 1984) is a two time Emmy nominated professional dancer. As the professional dancer partner, she won the competition in the second and third seasons of ABC's American version of Dancing with the Stars with celebrity dance partners Drew Lachey (February 2006) and Emmitt Smith (November 2006).

Burke grew up in Atherton, California. She is of Filipino and Irish descent.[1] Her family dances recreationally and have a dance floor at home. At 4 years old, she began taking ballet lessons and performing locally. She first began ballroom dancing and decided to change her focus. She trained in both standard ballroom and latin dances. She began competing at age 13.

Burke is a 2002 graduate of Menlo-Atherton High School.

Dancing

Burke contends that dancing provides a medium for her to express her inner feelings and passion all the while maintaining focus and composure during extremely high-pressure situations.

Burke says that her dancing style is unlike anyone else's. She takes pride in being a "rule breaker" and feels that her greatest achievements in dancing are still to come.

Dancing with the Stars
Burke won her first championship with 98 Degrees member Drew Lachey in the second season. It has been alleged that they were having an affair during this time. She won her second championship with retired football star Emmitt Smith in the third season.

Burke returned to the ballroom on March 19, 2007 for Season 4, partnered with actor Ian Ziering. Cheryl and Ian were eliminated in the semi-finals on May 15, 2007.

She participated in a 38 city Dancing with the Stars Tour from December 19, 2006 to February 11, 2007. She joined the second summer tour which visited 24 cities between June 20, 2007 in Austin, Texas and July 24, 2007 in Vancouver, Canada. Her celebrity partner for both tours was Drew Lachey.

Cheryl competed on Season 5. Her partner was Las Vegas entertainer Wayne Newton. They were the third couple eliminated from the competition on October 9, 2007.

Cheryl recently participated with both Lachey & Newton in the Dancing with the Stars winter tour that kicked off December 18, 2007 in Seattle, Washington. The tour wrapped in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on February 10, 2008.

Cheryl is currently competing on Season 6 and is partnered with actor Cristián de la Fuente

Crystal of Youtube

Written by **Billyboxergirl on Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Here we go again your everyday watcher of youtube and yes i discover another Filipina-American singer through youtube singing "Lemonade" by Passion.
Don' really know here full profile but she have this smooth voice that can close your eyes and feel the song.

Jasmine Trias Music Video "Excuses"

Written by **Billyboxergirl on Monday, March 31, 2008

Jasmine Soriano Trias (born November 3, 1986) is a Filipino-American singer and entertainer who was the third-place finalist on the third season of American Idol due in part to tremendous call-in support from California, New York, and her native state of Hawaii. She has released two albums to date, one in the United States and one in the Philippines.

Career:
2004-2006

After Trias' appearance on American Idol, her fanbase grew in the United States and in foreign countries where the show was aired: Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, and Taiwan, among others. The Manila Times newspaper captured the mood of her ancestral country in an April headline, "Everybody Wants Jasmine." During the American Idol season, hundreds of internet fan sites from over a dozen countries were established in several Asian and European languages.

Managing Director of Honolulu Ben Lee summarized the mood in Trias' home state of Hawaii by saying, "Jasmine has enough votes in Hawai'i to become governor or mayor easily." Lieutenant Governor James Aiona, in his capacity as acting governor, declared Jasmine Trias Day by executive order.

Jason Mateo - Youth Speaks Program Director

Written by **Billyboxergirl on Sunday, March 30, 2008

Jason Mateo is currently Youth Speaks’ Program Director, producing youth events such as --The For the Words Series, Bringing the Noise Series, and the Annual Youth Speaks Teen Poetry Slam. Jason Mateo also facilitates the direction and evaluations of Youth Speaks’ Free After–School workshop programs. This is a role that Jason Mateo has grown into since he first got involved with Youth Speaks in 1996. At 16, his High School teacher and big sister, encourage him to participate in the Youth Speaks’ Teen Poetry Slam, where he was introduce to the Spoken Wor(l)d as Kreative Dwellah. Since, then he has traveled the world facilitating workshops, co-developed SPOKES, the Youth Speaks Youth Board, and has performed in numerous of locations in front of thousands. Growing from the SPOKES Coordinator, to Outreach Coordinator, to Outreach Director and into his position now as Associate Programs Director, Jason Mateo has dedicated 10 passionate and amazing years to Youth Speaks.

Inspired by the community of Youth Speaks, Jason Mateo formed a Spoken Word Group called 8th Wonder. Birthed out of Bindlestiff Studios, the epicenter for Pilipino and Pilipino American Arts, 8th Wonder is committed to reflect on Pilipino and Pilipino American experiences, relearn Pilipino traditions and culture and from this research, regain an understanding of immigration, arts, language, and family to fuel their writing and performance. 8th Wonder has performed within the college circuit, visiting campuses in N. California, S. California, Chicago, Seattle, Ohio all the way to the University of the Philippines.

On a solo, Jason Mateo has taken his skills influenced by Youth Speaks and energy he nurtures from 8th Wonder, to showcase his talents in classrooms and stages internationally such as Bosnia, Philippines, and Japan.

As Youth Speaks is expanding throughout the country Jason Mateo is put in a position of leadership in developing Youth Speaks Hawaii and the Brave New Voices network.

Jayne Rio of Youtube

Written by **Billyboxergirl on Monday, March 10, 2008

Jayne Rio i discovered at Youtube.

She's 21-year-old from Vallejo, California, U.S.A.

She love singing Keisha Cole's Songs.

5'7" and Catholic
Website:
www.myspace.com/jaynerio

Fil-Am in American Idol faces cyberspace scandal

Written by **Billyboxergirl on Sunday, March 09, 2008

The latest season of the popularity show. American Idol is proving to be more than just singing and scornful Simon Cowell remarks.

Recently, it's also about scandals and stunning revelations on the background of its roster of contestants, according to Philippine Entertainment Portal.

The PEP report said that includes Filipino-American Ramiele Malubay.

According to reports, controversial photos of Ramiele are currently popping up in cyberspace, showing the 20-year-old talent grabbing the breast of a co-worker in a sushi bar.

Fox News reported that there's another photo where, this time, the hand of Ramiele's friend was caught placed on her breast.

People think the revealed photos may either strngthen or weaken Ramiele's chances going on to the final stretch of the contest. "If you're hated, you're doing something right," wrote Ramiele when asked to list down her favorite quote on her profile.

But Ramiele's issue paled in comparison to the scandal faced by another semi-finalist named David Hernandez. The Associated Press recently reported that David used to be a gay-club stripper rendering lap dances on mostly male patrons.

The reports said that David was employed at Dick's Cabaret, a club joint located in Phoenix, for three years.

Speaking to AP, Dick's Cabaret manager Gordy Bryan was quoted saying "He had the look and the type that people like, so he made pretty good money here."

Based on his employment record, it was found that David last reported at Dick;s Cabaret on September 30,2007. He never renewed his state license.

If there's any good news for Ramiele and David, it seems they will both stay on American Idol despite the contreversies bounding them - until they are voted out of the show, of course, according to the PEP report which was posted on GMW Network website. GMA Networl is the host o Philippine Idol and American Idol.

Ramiele and David are still in the competition and are expected to sail through the Final 12.

Angelace - 3 sisters

Written by **Billyboxergirl on Wednesday, March 05, 2008

3 sisters, Christine (18), Ella (17), and Angel-Lee (15) Matutis, come together to form a group, now known as Angelace. With their charm, beauty, talent, harmonies, poise, and intelligence, these girls stand out amongst all others.

Starting from the young age of 7 (Christine), 6 (Ella), and 4 (Angel-Lee), these girls performed throughout the cities of California and parts of Nevada. A few of their performances includes singing at the Sacramento Kings and Monarchs games, opening for Filipino artists Gary Valenciano, The Ultimate Loveteams; Rayver & Shaina; John LLoyd & Bea; Gerald & Kim, Jolina Magdangal, performing on stage with American Idol's Camille Velasco, and singing for politicians Arnold Schwarzenegger and Deborah Ortiz.

With their natural ways to stand out they paved their own way. Each one has their own unique look, style, and sound, but they come together to form one group. As artists under Megaverse Records, Angelace hopes to set a new role model for young ones, pre-teens, and other aspiring artists.

Set for a release in Mid Fall, Christine, Ella & Angel-Lee will debut their first album. With pure originality, and their unique sound, all three artists have written and arranged their first album with producer, composer and cousin, Rodge Mamauag.


Website:
Myspace profile

Legaci - Proud FilAms Group Singers

Written by **Billyboxergirl on Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Legaci is a 4-part R&B vocal group from the Bay Area, California. Jaymill, Micah, Chris, and Del have been singing together as a group for 1 year.



Official Websites:
Myspace.com/legaci
cdbaby.com/legaci
legacionline.com

Ways to Know If You Are Filipino

Written by **Billyboxergirl on Friday, February 29, 2008

Lots of us here in United States (like me) or in other country, Filipino culture is still at home even far away from the Philippines. From the food we eat like "ulam at kanin". We can't resist eating it every single day. Our elders want us youths to still have the knowledge about our Filipino culture. Like saying "po" and "opo" to our elders or saying "ate" and "kuya" to our brother or sisters. It means even you are born in America or other country and you have one or both parents that is Filipino, You are still Filipino, in short "Pinoy". And nobody can erase that.

I have kids of my own and I dont want them to forgot what is being Filipino is, the culture, the tradition, the food, being respectful and they must learn that. Even though we all know that the country we came from is a "Corrupt Country". You know us "Pinoy" most important thing to us is our family. We love helping each other. We don't want to forget want we really are.

Mabuhay ang pinoy!

FilAms Join Annual Rose Parade

Written by **Billyboxergirl on Friday, January 25, 2008

by Joseph Pimentel
AsianJournal.com

Pasadena, CA - At 4 am.,New Years, FilAMs Jack Pimentel, 19, and Laarni Cordero, 16, woke up for a new experience.

While some kids thier age were still in bed or barely getting home from New Year's festivities, Pimentel and Cordero were preparing to be part of the 119th Anniversay of the Rose Parade.

They were part of the Lions Club International Tournament of Roses that celebrated the New Year commemorating the United Nations.

Pimentela nd Cordero are two of the 30 young Leos statewide carrying the of the countries that make up the United Nations.

"This is the first time that we've invited the young Leos to be part of the float," said Mahedta Amarasuriya, the President of the International Association of Lions Club, one of the world's largest service organizations.

The 2008 Tournament of Roses Parade featured 46 floats, 22 marching bands, and 19 Rose equestrians.

As the Lions group converged at the Double Tree Hotel in Montebello, excitement filled the chilly morning air.

"Oh yeah, I'm excited," said Pimentel. "This is definitely an honor."

Pimentel and Cordero sat in front of the bus resting for what would be a seven mile walk in front of millions of people in Pasadena and televised worldwide.

"I just hope I don't trip," said Cordero.

Rose Bowl
At 5:30am, cars lined the entrance of the once empty parking lot beside the Rose Bowl. Parking was an adventure. Those who didnt want to pay the $30 parking rate, tried their luck by circling the local neighborhoods walkeed in pitch-black streets a good two to three miles away from the parade route. People were seen carrying blankets, seat warmers, and wore thick jackets to weather the chilly morning air.

ROse Parade Officials said people started camping on the parade route as early as New Year's Eve afternoon.

"But this really start getting crazy until 6:30 or 7 am." said Tom Fuelling, a Rose Parade Volunteer.

Tom O'Hara, Bob Spears, and a group of 20 friends were part off the Foothill Flyers Funning Club. Every New Year's morning, the group meets at the entrance of the Arroyo Seco Bridge known as the gateway into central Pasadena. The group runs three miles to preview the floats on the parade route on orange Grove and heads back to the bridge to watch the fighter jets fly over.

"It's become annual tradition. We've been doing this probably for the past sis to eight years," said O'Hara. "But the club itself has done this for 20 years,"

"There is nothing like this in the world," said Spears."We run to the parade route, look at the floats, take pictures and run back just in time. We have the best view."

"Afterwards, we all eat breakfast. We're an eating club with a running problem," O'Hara added.

International Audince
Groups of weary-eyed people wearing hooded sweaters inside their sleeping bags, or covered in warm thick blankets littered the sidewalks of Orange Grove Blvd. Some slept perched up on their lawn chairs.

Ben Silva arrived at 11pm the night before.He came to the event, along with a small number of El Salvadoreans, to show their national pride. This year tthe Rose Parade featured a 230-member youth marching band, the Nuestros Angeles de El Salvador.

"We're all her for them," he said, flanked by the few compatriots waving the blue-white-blue flag of El Salvador. "This is our chance to see them live."

Filipino Daryl Famirasan, the field director for the Socio-economic Uplift Legacy Anthropological and Development Service (SULADS), traveled from Mindanao, Philippines, Famarisanm the National Awardee for Bayaning Pilipino Award, said he specificaly wanted to see the bands and hear the music.

Famirasan arrived at 5am with friends Jocelyn Sonsonam and Dolly and Mike Sarsoza. Thier small group perched up four lawn chairs just at the start of the parade route on Del Mar and Orange Grove.

"The last time I came here was 17years ago with my kids", said Dolly Sarsoza. "This is worth waking up early for."