[Galaxy S I9000 Themes and Apps] broodplank1337:
Well I found a fix on the interwebs, you have to put the labels in another LinearLayout, like this:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<com.android.systemui.statusbar.ExpandedView android:orientation="vertical" android:focusable="true" android:descendantFocusability="afterDescendants"
xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
<LinearLayout android:orientation="horizontal" android:background="@drawable/title_bar_portrait" android:layout_width="fill_parent" android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:baselineAligned="false">
<com.android.systemui.statusbar.CarrierLabel android:textSize="18.659973dip" android:textColor="#ffffffff" android:layout_gravity="center_vertical" android:layout_width="0.0dip" android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:layout_marginLeft="5.0dip" android:layout_marginTop="1.0dip" android:layout_weight="1.0" />
<TextView android:textSize="14.0dip" android:textColor="#ffffffff" android:gravity="center" android:layout_gravity="center_vertical" android:id="@id/clear_all_button" android:background="@drawable/btn_default_small" android:layout_width="76.66998dip" android:layout_height="34.0dip" android:layout_marginTop="5.0dip" android:layout_marginRight="4.0dip" android:layout_marginBottom="5.0dip" android:text="@string/status_bar_clear_all_button" />
</LinearLayout>
<LinearLayout android:layout_width="fill_parent" android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:layout_weight="1.0">
<ScrollView android:id="@id/scroll" android:fadingEdge="none" android:layout_width="fill_parent" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:overScrollMode="ifContentScrolls">
<com.android.systemui.statusbar.NotificationLinearLayout android:orientation="vertical" android:id="@id/notificationLinearLayout" android:layout_width="fill_parent" android:layout_height="wrap_content">
[b]<LinearLayout android:orientation="horizontal" android:layout_width="fill_parent" android:layout_height="wrap_content">[/b]
<TextView android:textSize="14.669983dip" android:textColor="#ffffffff" android:gravity="center_vertical" android:id="@id/noNotificationsTitle" android:background="@drawable/quickpanel_title_background" android:paddingLeft="13.329987dip" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="26.669983dip" android:text="@string/status_bar_no_notifications_title" android:layout_weight="1.0" />
<TextView android:textSize="14.669983dip" android:textColor="#ffffffff" android:gravity="center_vertical" android:id="@id/ongoingTitle" android:background="@drawable/quickpanel_title_background" android:paddingLeft="13.329987dip" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="26.669983dip" android:text="@string/status_bar_ongoing_events_title" android:layout_weight="1.0" />
[b]<TextView android:textSize="14.669983dip" android:textColor="#ffffffff" android:gravity="right" android:background="@drawable/quickpanel_title_background" android:paddingRight="5.0dip" android:layout_width="fill_parent" android:layout_height="26.669983dip" android:text="@string/broodrom" android:layout_weight="2.0" />[/b]
[b]</LinearLayout>[/b]
<LinearLayout android:orientation="vertical" android:id="@id/ongoingItems" android:layout_width="fill_parent" android:layout_height="wrap_content" />
<TextView android:textSize="14.669983dip" android:textColor="#ffffffff" android:gravity="center_vertical" android:id="@id/latestTitle" android:background="@drawable/quickpanel_title_background" android:paddingLeft="13.329987dip" android:layout_width="fill_parent" android:layout_height="26.669983dip" android:text="@string/status_bar_latest_events_title" />
<LinearLayout android:orientation="vertical" android:id="@id/latestItems" android:layout_width="fill_parent" android:layout_height="wrap_content" />

</com.android.systemui.statusbar.NotificationLinearLayout>
</ScrollView>
<ImageView android:layout_width="fill_parent" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:src="@drawable/title_bar_shadow" android:scaleType="fitXY" />
</LinearLayout>
</com.android.systemui.statusbar.ExpandedView>

It seems the xml is just playing hard to get, so you will need to force that layout ;)

my final version:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<com.android.systemui.statusbar.ExpandedView android:orientation="vertical" android:focusable="true" android:descendantFocusability="afterDescendants"
xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
<LinearLayout android:orientation="horizontal" android:background="@drawable/title_bar_portrait" android:layout_width="fill_parent" android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:baselineAligned="false">
<com.android.systemui.statusbar.CarrierLabel android:textSize="18.659973dip" android:textColor="#ffffffff" android:layout_gravity="center_vertical" android:layout_width="0.0dip" android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:layout_marginLeft="5.0dip" android:layout_marginTop="1.0dip" android:layout_weight="1.0" />
<TextView android:textSize="14.0dip" android:textColor="#ffffffff" android:gravity="center" android:layout_gravity="center_vertical" android:id="@id/clear_all_button" android:background="@drawable/btn_default_small" android:layout_width="76.66998dip" android:layout_height="34.0dip" android:layout_marginTop="5.0dip" android:layout_marginRight="4.0dip" android:layout_marginBottom="5.0dip" android:text="@string/status_bar_clear_all_button" />
</LinearLayout>
<LinearLayout android:layout_width="fill_parent" android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:layout_weight="1.0">
<ScrollView android:id="@id/scroll" android:fadingEdge="none" android:layout_width="fill_parent" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:overScrollMode="ifContentScrolls">
<com.android.systemui.statusbar.NotificationLinearLayout android:orientation="vertical" android:id="@id/notificationLinearLayout" android:layout_width="fill_parent" android:layout_height="wrap_content">
<LinearLayout android:orientation="horizontal" android:layout_width="fill_parent" android:layout_height="wrap_content">
<TextView android:textSize="14.669983dip" android:textColor="#ffffffff" android:gravity="center_vertical" android:id="@id/noNotificationsTitle" android:background="@drawable/quickpanel_title_background" android:paddingLeft="13.329987dip" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="26.669983dip" android:text="@string/status_bar_no_notifications_title" android:layout_weight="1.0" />
<TextView android:textSize="14.669983dip" android:textColor="#ffffffff" android:gravity="center_vertical" android:id="@id/ongoingTitle" android:background="@drawable/quickpanel_title_background" android:paddingLeft="13.329987dip" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="26.669983dip" android:text="@string/status_bar_ongoing_events_title" android:layout_weight="1.0" />
<TextView android:textSize="13.0dip" android:textColor="#ffffffff" android:gravity="center_vertical" android:layout_gravity="right" android:background="@drawable/quickpanel_title_background" android:paddingRight="10.0dip" android:layout_width="fill_parent" android:layout_height="26.669983dip" android:text="@string/broodrom" android:layout_weight="2.0" />
</LinearLayout>
<LinearLayout android:orientation="vertical" android:id="@id/ongoingItems" android:layout_width="fill_parent" android:layout_height="wrap_content" />
<TextView android:textSize="14.669983dip" android:textColor="#ffffffff" android:gravity="center_vertical" android:id="@id/latestTitle" android:background="@drawable/quickpanel_title_background" android:paddingLeft="13.329987dip" android:layout_width="fill_parent" android:layout_height="26.669983dip" android:text="@string/status_bar_latest_events_title" />
<LinearLayout android:orientation="vertical" android:id="@id/latestItems" android:layout_width="fill_parent" android:layout_height="wrap_content" />

</com.android.systemui.statusbar.NotificationLinearLayout>
</ScrollView>
<ImageView android:layout_width="fill_parent" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:src="@drawable/title_bar_shadow" android:scaleType="fitXY" />
</LinearLayout>
</com.android.systemui.statusbar.ExpandedView>

Resulting in:

Oh and btw, this batch script will save you some time when you're testing ;)

@echo off
adb wait-for-devices
adb root
echo.
echo Wait for usb sound and then press enter
pause
echo.
adb -d shell su -c "mount -o remount rw /system"
adb -d shell su -c stop
adb push SystemUI.apk /system/app/SystemUI.apk
adb -d shell chmod 644 /system/app/SystemUI.apk
echo.
echo rebooting...
adb reboot
taskkill /f /im adb.exe