1.27.2012
angry reader of the week: melissa hung

Hey everybody. Gather 'round to meet the
Angry Reader of the Week, spotlighting you, the very special readers of this website. Over the years, I've been able to connect with a lot of cool folks, and this is a way of showing some appreciation and attention to the people who help make this blog what it is. This week's Angry Reader is Melissa Hung.
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file under badass: 80-year-old man fights off robber

This week in Sacramento, an 80-year-old retired Indian police officer successfully fought off a masked gunman who was attempting to rob his convenience store:
Elderly Store Owner Fights Back Against 'KISS Robber.'
The so-called "KISS Robber," named for his evil clown mask, reportedly robbed two stores last week. But he'll need a new mask. Baldev -- may I remind you that he's 80 years old -- managed to pull it off when he fought off the suspect, grabbing his gun and chasing him away:
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1.26.2012
gr2 presents year of the dragon, january 28 - february 15
More good stuff for art lovers in Los Angeles... Giant Robot is celebrating the
Year of the Dragon, an art exhibition featuring dragons! And dragons are awesome. It's running January 28 through February 14 at GR2 in Los Angeles. Here are some more details:
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call for submissions: lao american speculative arts anthology

Got this recently passed along to me, and it looks like a pretty cool opportunity for Lao American writers... Some folks are putting together the very first full-length anthology of
Lao American speculative art and literature.
Come on, nerds. This is for you! Sci-fi, fantasy, horror, etc. They've put the call out for original stories, poems, plays and experimental literature, as well as visual art. Here are some details on what they're looking for:
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new music: "fire dance" by leo37

Some more new music for you... Here's the video for
"Fire Dance," the second single from Toronto-based musician LEO37's upcoming EP
Fanfare from PPF House. It's a funky little in-studio jam. Take a look:
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woman sentenced to death for killing husband and two sons

Damn, this is depressing as hell. Last week in Southern California, a woman was sentenced to death for murdering her husband and two young sons in 2007:
Manling Williams sentenced to death for murder of husband, sons in Rowland Heights.
Manling Tsang Williams, who was 29 at the time, suffocated her 3-year-old and 7-year-old sons while they slept, then stabbed her husband to death -- nearly a hundred times -- with a samurai sword. She apparently did all this so that she could be with her lover.
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the onion: tyler perry to star as sassy chinese grandmother
Do you like the
Madea movies? Then meet "Ming Mei." Filmmaker Tyler Perry has signed a $50 million deal to expand his franchise to include films targeted at the world's 1.4 billion Chinese moviegoers.
Also,
none of what I just said is true. The Onion knocks it out of the park again with some fake entertainment news:
Tyler Perry Expands His Fan Base With New Films About Sassy, Chinese Grandmother.
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30th san francisco international asian american film festival to open with quentin lee's white frog

It's on, Bay Area. It is on. The 30th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival has announced its Opening Night Gala and world premiere presentation of
White Frog. The indie drama kicks off SFIAAFF30 on March 8, 2012 at the Castro Theater, followed by a reception at the Asian Art Museum.
The film stars Booboo Stewart as high-school freshman Nick, a young boy with Asperger's syndrome who is often neglected and misunderstood by his seemingly perfect family. When tragedy suddenly strikes, Nick is forced out of his comfort zone, and into finding the strength he needs to survive.
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crochet is cool: dragon
A year ago, I
shared a post about All About Ami, Stephanie Lau's blog dedicated to the art and craft of crocheting cute stuffed animals. Last year, it was the
Chinese New Year Doll. This was apparently a pretty popular post.
Well, Stephanie is back to celebrate the Lunar New Year, and since this is the Year of the Dragon, she's sharing step-by-step photos of how she made a little crochet
dragon. It's cute as hell, and I thought some of you crafty folks might appreciate it. Check out the rest of the photos
here
fred korematsu portrait to be featured at smithsonian's national portrait gallery

Next month in Washington DC, civil rights icon Fred T. Korematsu will become the first Asian American to receive a well-deserved place in the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery permanent exhibition,
"The Struggle for Justice," which features of the images of American cultural and political heroes.
Two 1940s-era original photographs of Korematsu -- gifts from the Korematsu family -- will be presented at a private ceremony on February 2, just days after the second annual Fred Korematsu Day. Here's some more information on "The Struggle for Justice," from the Korematsu Institute's
press release:
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1.25.2012
finding voice: spoken word, indigenous hip hop and interactive show, february 4
Three years ago,
Stephanie Tanny was sexually assaulted. Her artist debut show, "Finding Voice," explores expression in the wake of what can be a silencing trauma. Her performance and interactive art show will be accompanied by live music performances on February 4 at the Leela European Café in Denver.
Don't live there? The internet is here. Stephanie will be streaming the whole night live on her
official website. Details about the show:
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vc workshop: intro to screenwriting with koji steven sakai, february 4 - april 7

This is for all you aspiring screenwriters in Los Angeles -- and I know there are a lot of you. Visual Communications is partnering up with Koji Steven Sakai to present another ten-session course on the art and craft of writing a screenplay:
Intro to Screenwriting with Koji Steven Sakai.
Koji graduated from USC's Masters of Professional Writing program and has written two feature films:
Haunted Highway, co-written with Naoko Ihara Witmer and director Junichi Suzuki, and
The People I've Slept with, directed by Quentin Lee. Here are some more details on the class:
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nick ngo's stutter edit set

This video is just 38 seconds long, but you get a nice taste of Nick Ngo of The Bangerz in action, doing a little
stutter edit set. Check it out:
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phillip h. kwon nominated for new jersey supreme court

Out of New Jersey, more news of a historic Asian American judicial nomination... Earlier this week, Governor Chris Christie nominated Phillip H. Kwon to the state Supreme Court:
North Jersey Koreans welcome state Supreme Court nomination.
In confirmed, Kwon would become the first ever Asian American justice on New Jersey's Supreme Court, as well as the first immigrant to serve on the court since 1947. Kwon currently serves under Governor Christie as first assistant attorney general. Here's some more information on his background:
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chinese zombies in resident evil 6 and li bingbing in resident evil: retribution trailer
Capcom recently unveiled a new trailer for
Resident Evil 6, the upcoming latest edition of the popular video game series, promising that it's their biggest and baddest installment yet. The game deals with a global bio-terror outbreak, and part of the action takes place in China. You get a few glimpses in the trailer:
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research study: coping with discrimination
Got this passed along to me the other day... Researchers at Iowa State University are looking for Asian Americans who are at least 18 year old, not a student, and fluent in English to take part in a
research study on coping with discrimination. Here are some more details about the study:
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"heron"
Don't know when or where this was recorded, or who this guy is, but it's both ridiculously frustrating and hilarious. Watch this kid do his best to eff with officials and create an awkward, clip-worthy moment at the spelling bee:
Hilarious Spelling Bee Troll.
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lorna schofield recommended as federal district judge

This week in New York, Senator Charles Schumer recommended attorney Lorna Schofield to the White House as a candidate to serve as a federal district court judge for the Southern District of New York:
LORNA SCHOFIELD SUGGESTED FOR SEAT ON THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK.
Schofield is a litigation partner at the firm of Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. If nominated by President Obama and confirmed by the Senate, she would be the first Filipino American in the history of the United States to serve as a federal judge. Here's more on her background from NAPABA's
press release:
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1.24.2012
year of the dragon boy
If you haven't noticed change in visuals up top, this week is dedicated to the Year of the Dragon, featuring artwork by illustrator
Martin Hsu.
The character is called "Dragon Boy," a little kid in a superhero-like dragon suit who's looking for his roots in a foreign land.
Dragon Boy is currently being featured in a show at Dragatomi Gallery in Sacramento, running now through February 4. Here's some more information:
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job opportunity: program director, asian american writers' workshop

The
Asian American Writers' Workshop, a national arts center dedicated to Asian American stories, is currently looking for a new Program Director in New York. Interested? Not so fast -- are you awesome enough?
The part-time position will need a dedicated book-lover who will curate, publicize and manage literary events and other programming initiatives that are "quirky, progressive and awesome." Here are some more details:
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new music: "take my eyes from you" by tc & the geunj

Got this fun little video passed along to me... Check out TC & The Geunj, aka Tiffany Chung and Sam Geunjin Kang, sharing an original song entitled
"Take My Eyes From You" from inside what looks like someone's laundry room. But first, an awkward introduction:
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student found dead at uc irvine

Some tragic news out of Orange County, where a college student committed suicide by jumping from a parking structure at UC Irvine:
Man found dead at UC Irvine identified.
The student was identified as 18-year-old Andy Chau, a UC San Diego freshman who was visiting a friend at UCI. According to authorities, he apparently jumped from the seventh floor, and was found by students on the road near the parking structure late Sunday night:
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84th annual academy award nominations
84th Academy Award nominations were announced today. As usual, the list of nominees is pretty uninteresting -- actually, even more so than usual. But there is a slim number of notable names for our purposes here on the blog...
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casting call for blood games seeks a truckload of asian stereotypes

Um, what the hell is this? Got this casting call passed along to me, for a low-budget feature film called
Blood Games. And it does not look good.
I don't know what this movie is, but they're looking a handful of Asian guys to play an "average karate master," a "sneaky Asian tour guide," a "scary looking" Asian fighter, and an Asian cop. They certainly aren't hiding the fact that they want some seriously stereotypical Asians.
But really, the worst part is the characters' names. Take a look:
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first scene from the legend of korra

For fans eagerly awaiting the
The Legend of Korra, the animated follow-up series to
Avatar: The Last Airbender, here's a little taste of what's in store... io9 recently posted the first scene, which features the titular heroine in action:
First scene from Avatar: The Legend of Korra shows our heroine kicking butt.
Looks pretty darn cool. And you get a nice glimpse of the show's setting -- sort of a more modern Asian-inspired milieu. The show was originally set to premiere last fall, but got pushed back so they could produce more episodes. Hopefully, we'll get to see the show on Nickelodeon sometime later this year.
manslaughter charge could be dropped in danny chen case

What the hell? A military investigator has suggested that the most serious charge be dropped against one of the soldiers implicated in the death of Private Danny Chen, who suffered weeks of hazing and abuse before taking his own life while serving in Afghanistan:
Most Serious Charge in a Private's Death May Be Dropped.
Officials recommended 32-year-old Specialist Ryan Offutt face thirteen charges, including assault, negligent homicide and reckless endangerment. But after a pretrial hearing, the investigator concluded that the charge of involuntary manslaughter be dropped:
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1.23.2012
little dragon tales at moca, february 4

New York parents, start the Year of the Dragon with cuteness. Dave Liang of the Shanghai Restoration Project recently released
Little Dragon Tales, a collection of traditional Chinese children's songs mixed with electronica beats and other modern twists. May sound strange, but like all of Dave Liang's unexpected combinations, it works. He'll be at the
Museum of Chinese in America with Shanghai jazz singer Zhang Le to teach kids some of those songs. More information:
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open city: call for creative nonfiction fellows

Yo, all you writerly creative types out there. Open City is a new online magazine on Asian American news and culture in New York, coordinated by the Asian American Writers' Workshop.
They're looking for
Creative Nonfiction Fellows to write and produce stories on the vibrant immigrant communities of Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens.
Open City offers a unique platform for writers to tell the stories of low-income Americans too often ignored or misrepresented. If you're an emerging creative nonfiction writer looking for financial support, a work space and career mentorship, apply to become a Creative Nonfiction Fellow.
Here are some more details:
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music video: "seijun suzuki" by blue scholars

Awwww yeah. Seattle's own hip hop thought rockers, Blue Scholars, just dropped their new music video for
"Seijun Suzuki, easily one of my favorite tracks from their album
Cinemetroplis. As the title indicates, the song and video are sort of an ode to the iconic Japanese filmmaker. Take a look:
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philadelphia store owner shot and killed in front of his wife

Damn, this community cannot catch a break. More tragic news of violence against Asian American business owners in the Philadelphia area. On Friday night, the owner of a Chinese restaurant was shot and killed by two robbers during a hold-up:
Tacony takeout owner fatally shot in robbery.
27-year-old Xiang Huang, father to three young children, was murdered in cold blood -- right in front of his wife and 8-month-old baby girl -- and their corner store/takeout restaurant. He was standing behind the counter when one of the assailants shot him in the chest, killing him instantly:
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yes, we're open trailer
Check it out. Here's the tease-y new trailer for
Yes, We're Open, the new indie feature film from writer H.P. Mendoza and director Richard Wong -- the guys behind
Colma: The Musical -- and starring Lynn Chen, Parry Shen and Sheetal Sheth. It's a comedy about sex and relationships and stuff. Take a look:
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enter gene luen yang's avatar: the last airbender - the promise part 1 twitter contest

Okay, so as previously
mentioned, our friend Gene Luen Yang, author of the award-winning graphic novel
American Born Chinese and other fine works, is writing the upcoming graphic novel
Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Promise: Part 1.
The book, due out in comic book stores at the end of this month, picks up right after the events of the original animated series (we will all agree to ignore M. Night Shyamalan's utterly awful live action movie).
To celebrate the graphic novel's release, Gene is holding a
Twitter Contest to give away a prize pack that should excite fans of
Avatar, comic books... and Lego:
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party rockin' tiger dance
It was kind of inevitable. Seems like LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem" has become the unofficial song for all kinds of unlikely public displays of ass-shaking, from math dances to tae kwon do demonstrations. Here we have
video of some folks out to prove that tiger dancers can shake it too. Check it out:
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underwear stealing stalker arrested

Weirrrrrd. Asians behaving badly... underwear thievin' stalker edition! In Montgomery, Pennsylvania, police have arrested a man for allegedly stalking a woman, breaking into her home and stealing her underwear:
Police: Montco underwear thief, stalker arrested.
37-year-old Kornwell Chan broke into the woman's home last month while she was on vacation during the holidays. He had apparently met her at a train station last fall, and things quickly got weird from there, including uncomfortable interactions, a homemade Christmas card and ultimately, the burglary:
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1.22.2012
read these blogs
Yo, Is This Racist? 2 Broke Girls and the New Long Duk Dong We Never Asked For: Andrew Ti, the guy behind "Yo, Is This Racist?" says Han Lee on
2 Broke Girls fulfills "basically every possible Yellow Panic stereotype with an actually fairly impressive level of thoroughness."
Opinion: What the deaths of two soldiers say about anti-Asian bullying: Jeff Yang's CNN piece on how the shocking deaths of Private Danny Chen and Corporal Harry Lew have raised new questions about hazing in the armed forces -- and how "hazing" isn't even the right word for what they experienced.
What Chinese New Year Means to My Body Image: Our friend Lisa Lee, co-founder of Thick Dumpling Skin, recently contributed a candid BlogHer post about Lunar New Year, food, and her ongoing struggle with body image.
The Shit Girls Say meme: friendly prejudice, but prejudice all the same: "The Shit X Says to Y videos are delightfully validating because they show that those with the genuinely lovely intentions of being your friend and seeking commonality with you can still be rude and hurtful."
Kaba Modern Created a Dance Dance Revolution: Check out Michelle Woo's
OC Weekly cover story on UC Irvine's Kaba Modern dance crew and the incredibly popular movement it helped create.
No Asians! Alexander Chee writes about navigating the pitfalls of pervasive and blatant anti-Asian sentiments in online hookup sites.
Clarissa Wei: An American in disguise in rural China: "The concept of being an American who is ethnically Chinese has not yet trickled down to rural China."
Reflections on MLK: An Asian American Perspective: Karen K. Narasaki, President and Executive Director of Asian American Justice Center, reflects on the civil rights legacies of not only Martin Luther King Jr., but also Gordon Hirabayashi and Franklin Fung Chow.
The Story: "We all have one, a narrative about how we came to America, how someone in our family made a choice to leave a home in one country and create a new one in another. While each of these stories is fleshed out with common elements, it is the details that make it unique to our personal experience."
So Sorry - Sung Kang's 'Car Talk' Apology: YOMYOMF has been forced to rename and re-edit
Car Talk with Sung Kang due to legal ramifications with National Public Radio's own automobile-themed show of the same name.
Photographer Corky Lee: Caught In The Act: Brooklyn Independent Television's
Caught In The Act interviews photojournalist Corky Lee, who has been called Asian America's "undisputed, unofficial photographer laureate."
Top Chef's Beverly: I Stood Out Like a Sore Thumb: An interview with chef Beverly Kim, who talks about getting booted off the latest episode of
Top Chef.
Reflections on saying goodbye to a restaurant - and looking ahead: San Francisco chef Dennis Lee reflects on the recent closing of Namu, and what the restaurant meant for him, his family and the community.
Where Koreans Go to Reunify (Hint: It's Not the Koreas): This is a fascinating article on Pyongyang, a rapidly expanding chain of restaurants owned by the North Korean government, with outlets in Bangkok, Jakarta, Pattaya, Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Vientiane.
1.21.2012
this week's angriest posts
Not really the angriest, just the most viewed.
Another crazy-ass week. Stay angry, my friends.
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