Did you hear Mariah Carey gave birth already??? It was on the morning of April 30, 2011. The personalized new baby gifts business must be having a great day!

I personally love Mariah Carey! She may be a diva, but she has the voice of a goddess, so she deserves all the special treatment she wants!

And I love that her husband is Nick Cannon. They seem so mismatched but when they’re together, they look/sound so sweet that really, truly, I think they are in love.

And how perfect is it that they are having twins, a boy and a girl, and even better, the twins came out on their anniversary!! Okay, I think this is too much of a coincidence, and I am betting that science helped achieve this miracle, but whatever, it’s still amazing.

Here are some pictures of Mariah pregnant.

And here is a sweet picture of Mariah and Nick.

And here they are in what seems to be a baby shower. Plus loads of baby gifts right behind them I bet!!!

And last, here is my most favorite Mariah song ever, Always Be My Baby.

Congratulations to Mariah and Nick! ♥

Here are the winners of Binibinang Pilipinas 2011:

Bb. Pilipinas – Universe – Shamcey Supsup
Bb. Pilipinas – International – Dianne Necio
Bb. Pilipinas – Tourism – Isabelle Manjon
1st Runner Up – Janine Tugonon
2nd Runner Up – Mary Jean Lastimosa

Here are the winners of the 2011 Bb Pilipinas Special Awards:

Best in Swimsuit – Queenierich Rehman
Best in Long Gown – Luzelle Felipe
Face of Bb Pilipinas 2011 – Angela Ong
Ms Creamsilk – Shamcey Supsup
Ms Manila Bulletin – Luzelle Felipe
Ms Philippine Airlines – Shamcey Supsup
Ms Friendship – Samantha Purvor
Best in Talent – Shamcey Supsup

Here are the top 15 finalists in Binibining Pilipinas 2011:

Patricia Tumulak
Marie Kristina May Marasigan
Diana Arevalo
Queenierich Rehman
Sabrinne Al-Tawil
Wendy Lucas
Luzelle Felipe
Isabella Manjon
Shamcey Supsup
Janine Tugonon
Kathleen Subijano
Jenn-Roe Gubat
Dianne Necio
Mary Jean Lastimosa
Sarah Clenci

Bb Pilipinas 2011 candidate number 26 Shamcey Supsup just won a host of awards.

She got Miss Creamsilk, Miss Philippine Airlines and Best in Talent. She is also one of the Top 15 finalists.

Most importantly, she is the newest Bb Pilipinas Universe! She won the Bb Pilipinas 2011 pageant! Congratulations!

Here are some shots.

DTV stands for Digital Television, which the Philippines will soon have, with ABS-CBN’s initiative of introducing the DTV digibox. DTV is a standard that uses digital signals (as opposed to analog) to broadcast free content.

To use DTV, consumers have to purchase the DTV Digibox, which needs to be connected to their television set. Along with the launch, ABS-CBN is planning to add 5 premium channels for free-to-air TV with DTV: 2 for kids (Disney? Cartoon Network?), 2 for parents (news/sports/soaps?), and 1 for young adults (MTV or Channel V, maybe?).

All existing channels being broadcasted by ABS-CBN (Channel 2, Studio 23, GEM TV, NBN) will also be broadcasting in digital. So that would give you a total 9 digital channels once DTV gets approved by the NTC.

This is great news, in my opinion. Our Asian cousins Japan, China and South Korea are all using digital TV. So are the United States, Australia and Spain. I am pointing this out because majority of the soaps/dramas we love to watch come from these countries. And their soaps/dramas have quite the international following – and I believe that this is because their shows, when uploaded online, are very clear and enjoyable to watch, so bored people from all over the world can easily get addicted.

On the other hand, Philippines shows, even those that are fun to watch, look very amateurish when uploaded on the Net. They’re grainy, full of static, dark, the sounds aren’t good. When I watch an uploaded Filipino movie or drama, I always feel that strain to get a clearer picture. Which totally distracts me from the plot or characters of the show.

With DTV, I am hoping we get better clarity and easier uploads to the Internet. I’m sure this may raise issues of piracy in the long-term, just like what the entertainment industry in South Korea / US is experiencing, but in my opinion the availability of Internet downloads is quite important to these shows. They get free publicity, and they can even market their products internationally. I know a lot of Asian countries buy a lot of the products marketed by the South Korean dramas. And that’s in part to the active international community of Korean drama lovers.

Plus, it’s additional publicity to the country as a whole. Who here hasn’t wanted to visit South Korea, Taiwan or Japan after getting addicted to one of their shows? Admit it, you’ve thought about it. In fact, in the Philippines, there are travel tours dedicated to JPpp/KPop culture. There are exercise routines in Fitness First designed around JPop/KPop music. This digital TV industry is a win-win! And I for one am definitely glad the Philippines is jumping ship.

Here are the candidates for Bb Pilipinas 2011. Tonight, April 10, is the coronation night at the Araneta Coliseum. Who’s got your vote?? Who do you think will be the winner?

Candidate No. 1	Candidate No. 2	Candidate No. 3	Candidate No. 4
Zephorah Mayon	Elizabeth Durado Clenci	Carolyn Ty	Gianna Therese Quintos
Candidate No. 5	Candidate No. 6	Candidate No. 7	Candidate No. 8
Jennielyn Natividad	Patricia Tumulak	Angelia Ong	Marie Kristina May Marasigan
Candidate No. 9	Candidate No. 10	Candidate No. 11	Candidate No. 12
Bernadette Aguirre	Hazelyn Santos	Diana Arevalo	Carla Lacson
Candidate No. 13	Candidate No. 14	Candidate No. 15	Candidate No. 16
Queenierich Rehman	Marish Alyssa Marquinez	Arabella Hanesh	Sabrinne Al-Tawil
Candidate No. 17	Candidate No. 18	Candidate No. 19	Candidate No. 20
Gerlie Lero	Teresa Pamela Ludovice	Wendy Lucas	Jenette Mieko Noguchi
Candidate No. 21	Candidate No. 22	Candidate No. 23	Candidate No. 24
Kenneth Dimaapi	Paula Camille Figueras	Luzelle Felipe	Martha Chloe McCulley
Candidate No. 25	Candidate No. 26	Candidate No. 27	Candidate No. 28
Isabella Manjon	Shamcey Supsup	Janine Tugonon	Joanna Tuazon
Candidate No. 29	Candidate No. 30	Candidate No. 31	Candidate No. 32
Krystle Ann Grant	Kathleen Subijano	Samantha Purvor	Jenn-Roe Gubat
Candidate No. 33	Candidate No. 34	Candidate No. 35	Candidate No. 36
Dianne Necio	Mary Jean Lastimosa	Suzette Hernandez	Camille Alexis Baltazar
Candidate No. 37	Candidate No. 38	Candidate No. 39	Candidate No. 40
Sarah Clenci	Ladylyn Riva	Glennifer Perido	Monique Manuel

Instead of the usual Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays greetings this year, I got mostly cryptic messages such as “Bro, Ikaw ang Star”. Huh? Who’s Bro? Turns out it’s in reference to a newly created Filipino Christmas song created by ABS-CBN, the Philippines’ Kapamilya Network.

The video below stars more than 300 ABS-CBN personalities, including artists, TV anchors, hosts and others. The lyrics for “Bro, Ikaw Ang Star ng Pasko” were written by ABS-CBN Creative Communication Management Head, Robert Labayen, while its music was composed by Marcus and Amber Davis.

Watch the “Bro, Ikaw ang Star ng Pasko” video below.

And here are the lyrics.

Bro Ikaw ang Star ng Pasko Lyrics
(ABS-CBN Kapamilya artists)

Kung kailan pinakamadilim
Ang mga tala ay mas nagniningning
Gaano man kakapal ang ulap
Sa likod nito ay may liwanag

Ang liwanag na ito
Nasa ‘ting lahat
Mas sinag ang bawat pusong bukas
Sa init ng mga yakap
Maghihilom ang lahat ng sugat

Ang nagsindi nitong ilaw
Walang iba kundi ikaw
Salamat sa liwanag mo
Muling magkakakulay ang pasko
Salamat sa liwanag mo
Muling magkakakulay ang pasko

Tayo ang ilaw sa madilim na daan
Pagkakapit bisig ngayon higpitan
Dumaan man sa malakas na alon
Lahat tayo’s makakaahon

Ang liwanag na ito
Nasa ‘ting lahat
Mas sinag ang bawat pusong bukas
Sa init ng mga yakap
Maghihilom ang lahat ng sugat

Ang nagsindi nitong ilaw
Walang iba kundi ikaw
Salamat sa liwanag mo
Muling magkakakulay ang pasko
Salamat sa liwanag mo
Muling magkakakulay ang pasko

Kikislap ang pag-asa
Kahit kanino man
Dahil ikaw Bro, dahil ikaw Bro
Dahil ikaw Bro
Ang star ng pasko

Salamat sa liwanag mo
Muling magkakakulay ang pasko
Salamat sa liwanag mo
Muling magkakakulay ang pasko

Ang nagsindi nitong ilaw
Walang iba kundi ikaw
Salamat sa liwanag mo
Muling magkakakulay ang pasko

Ang nagsindi nitong ilaw
Walang iba kundi ikaw
Salamat sa liwanag mo
Muling magkakakulay ang pasko

Ang nagsindi nitong ilaw
Walang iba kundi ikaw
Salamat sa liwanag mo
Muling magkakakulay ang pasko

Dahil ikaw Bro, dahil ikaw Bro
Dahil ikaw Bro
Ang star ng pasko!