Erik Spoelstra - Filipino-American NBA Championship Coach

Congratulations to Coach Erik Spoelstra and the Miami Heat on their 4-1 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder!

The proud Filipino-American who spends time to go the Islands in the off-season for charitable work has expertly managed the superstars Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh to defeat the highly touted team featuring Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

Time for the party to start in South Beach tonight!

Vanessa Minnillo says, "I Do" to former 98 Degrees Singer Nick Lachey

Congratulations to Vanessa Minnillo who tied the not with her longtime boyfriend Nick Lachey!


The daughter of an American Air Force serviceman and Filipino mother, she wore a Monique Lhuillier dress down the aisle.  The wedding was held in the British Virgin Islands.  A look into the wedding preparations for the two was filmed by TLC. 


Vanessa is well-known for her earlier work on MTV's TRL (Total Request Live) and Entertainment Tonight, as well as guest starring in movies, such as Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer and television shows like 30 Rock.


Prior to all of that, her claim to fame was as the winner of the 1998 Miss Teen USA pageant representing the state of South Carolina.  Check out the video below to see her first appearance on national Television.  (If you watch the video, you will also see one of the first television appearances of Justin Timberlake and *NSync as they serenade the contestants during various parts of the show.)

Jason Bartlett.....an instrumental part of the Rays' First No-Hitter

Now, let me start off by saying that I am a Detroit Tigers fan through and through.  I was at the Rays-Tigers game last night, and mean-spiritedly, I was hoping that the Tigers could break up Matt Garza's no-hitter.  Alas, it was not to be, as my beloved hometown team fell to Tampa Bay.


One of the key players on that Tampa Bay Rays who helped to preserve the no-hitter is also one of only two Major League players who are of Filipino heritage.


"My mom is [Filipino]. I’m 50 percent," said Bartlett to the Asian Journal before a game against the Oakland Athletics earlier in the season. "Like I said here in Oakland, I have a lot of family that live here and they are probably in the stands right now." -Asian Journal

Bartlett grew up in Stockton, California before moving on to the University of Oklahoma on a baseball scholarship. The San Diego Padres drafted Bartlett in the 13th round of the 2001 MLB amateur draft before trading him a month later to the Minnesota Twins.

Jason Bartlett's recent accomplishment include winning the American League East Division Title, American League Pennant, and being named to the All-Star Team in 2009.

Vanessa Hudgens - Proud Filipino

Vanessa Hudgen, star of the hit Disney franchise High School Musical, is a proud Filipino. Known for her role in the hit movie series as Gabriella and the significant other of teen heartthrob Zac Efron, she has proudly proclaimed her heritage.

Her mother is Gina Guangco, a native Filipino from Manila, and her father is Greg Hudgens of Irish and Native American descent.

In an interview with the Inquirer (a Filipino publication), Ms. Hudgens states the following:

I am so proud of my heritage. I love being a Filipina. There aren’t very many Filipino girls in the industry. So being able to stand up and be that girl makes me proud. My mother is so proud. She grew up in Manila. I don’t even think she knows it’s doing that well over there. I’d love to make it over there sometime. Unfortunately, I have not had a chance to visit.

To read more of her interview, visit the Inquirer.net here.

Dancing with the Pinoy?

Another famous Filipino making headlines is Cheryl Burke of "Dancing with the Stars" fame.  Her father is of Irish and Russian decent, while her mother is Filipino.

Since starting on the show at its inception, she has been one of the most successful dancers/choreographers.  She has been able to train both celebrities Drew Lachey and NFL football legend Emmitt Smith to become dancing superstars with her ability to demand perfection from them.

This year, she is paired up with Gilles Marini, an actor who made a guest appearance in the Sex in the City movie.  She has made it to the final four of the competition and has a great chance of winning yet again.

Expect to see more great things from her as she continues to strut her stuff this season.

Check out this interview below for more information:

Introducing the World's Most Famous Filipino......

Manny Pacquiao!

On the eve of the Manny Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton fight on May 2, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada, I will introduce you to the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world!

Many times, it is the heavyweight division of fighting that brings headlines to the boxing world - names such as Muhammed Ali, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, and Lennox Lewis come to mind.

Lost in the glamour of the heavyweights are the small fighters who not only use power, but speed and quickness to their advantage!  Mr. Pacquiao is one of the most devastating fighters to come onto the scene in recent years!  His fight last year against Oscar de la Hoya was so punishing that it became apparent that de la Hoya's ability to compete was no longer there!  The "Golden Boy" had lost his shine!

The Filipino boxing sensation was born in Kibawe, Bukidnon, Mindanao and currently resides in his home town of General Santos City, South Cotabato, Philippines.  As his wins pile on, his legend grows not only in the Philippines, but also in the United States.

More information:

• http://www.hbo.com/boxing/fighters/pacquiao_manny/bio.html
  
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manny_Pacquiao#Personal_life

Welcome to "You're Filipino??"

Congratulations, for stumbling onto my little corner of the web!

As the title suggests, I am a Filipino-American, and oftentimes, I get a quizzicle look when a person first hears that.  Part of the reason for that is because I have mestizo features because my grandfather was a Spaniard and therefore, I will many times be mistaken for someone of Hispanic heritage.  But in fact, I am more Filipino than I am Spanish.

Filipinos and Filipino-American have made significant contributions to the social, cultural, scientific, and entertainment facets of American society.  This blog seeks to highlight those people!

I hope you enjoy!  I'm always willing to learn about famous (and infamous) people who are proud to call themselves Filipino!