Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before, the latest novel from author David Yoo is out in stores today. If you've been reading this site for a few years, you know that I absolutely loved his 2005 debut novel, Girls for Breakfast. I even did an interview with David. So I was thrilled to hear from him about the new novel. I started reading Stop Me... over the weekend, and so far I'm really enjoying it. Here's the official description:
If Albert Kim has learned one thing in his tragic adolescence, it's that God (probably a sadistic teenaged alien) does not want him to succeed at Bern High. By the end of sophomore year, Al is so tired of humiliation that he's chosen to just forget girls and high school society in general, and enjoy the Zen-like detachment that comes from being an intentional loser.
Then he meets Mia Stone, and all the repressed hormones come flooding back. Mia, his co-worker at the Bern Inn, is adorable, popular, and most intimidatingly, the ex- long-term girlfriend of Ivy-bound, muscle-bound king of BHS and world class jerk, Ryan Stackhouse. But -- chalk it up to the magic of Al's inner beauty -- by the end of a summer vacuuming hotel rooms and goofing off together, he and Mia are officially "something."
Albert barely has time to ponder this miracle before the bomb drops: Ryan has been diagnosed with cancer, and he needs Mia's support, i.e. constant companionship. True, he's lost weight and he's getting radiation, but that doesn't make him any less of a jerk. And to Albert, it couldn't be more apparent that Ryan is using his cancer to steal Mia back. With the whole town rallying behind Ryan like he's a fallen hero, and Mia emotionally confused and worried for Ryan, Al's bid for love is not a popular campaign. In fact, it's exactly like driving the wrong way on a five-lane highway.
In this desperately funny novel, David Yoo tells an authentic story of first love, and therein captures the agony, the mania, the kicking and screaming that define teenage existence.
Once again, as he did with Girls for Breakfast, David comically examines the painful, awkward agony of adolescence with a story of losers, lust and first love—familiar territory, yet endlessly providing shreds of humor and truth. I always seem to relate with the protagonists in David's novels in ways that I'm too embarrassed to admit.
Maybe this is your kind of story. If you liked Girls for Breakfast, I'm pretty sure you'll dig Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before. If you need further convincing, read this funny letter Dave sent out, asking folks to spread the word about the new book. Ten people need to read it, or something terrible will happen to me:
Hey everybody,
Well, it's been three long years since my first novel, Girls For Breakfast, came out, and a lot has happened to me since then. I had a suspicious looking mole surgically removed from my back. I re-connected with old friends. I became an uncle. I got married to my long-time girlfriend.
But none of that even remotely compares to the most gratifying thing to happen to me--I finally finished my second novel!
Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before (Hyperion) is the story of an unorthodox high school love-triangle, starring an earnest-if-awkward young man named Albert Kim, a headstrong wisp of a girl named Mia Stone, and a frustratingly perfect, mesomorphic monster named Ryan "The House" Stackhouse. The novel features the music of Phil Collins, a handful of seemingly magical frogs that figure largely into the story, and within the pages you'll discover the origins of the Damnit Game, soon to be sweeping the nation. It's received advance praise from some of my favorite authors, and is now officially available for purchase at your local bookstore and online.
The thing is, I need your help spreading the word about this novel, because I'm notoriously horrendous at book promotion. For one thing, I almost never leave my house. I very rarely "talk" to anyone (I don't even own a cell-phone). As a result, I don't seem to know that many humans (is that what you carbon-based life forms prefer to go by?), so I was thinking maybe we could turn this into one of those really cool chain letter emails that everyone seems to enjoy so much. Therefore, please pass on this email to at least 10 people, and ask those people to send it to 10 more people, ad infinitum.
And like all chain emails, please be aware that if you don't pass this email on to at least 10 other people, something terrible will happen to you.
Truth be told, the results of my efforts to promote my first novel back in the day were inconclusive at best, but more likely an utter failure. Basically, I did three things to promote my first book:
I scribbled "Girls For Breakfast" or "David Yoo" on every piece of paper currency I came in contact with over a three year period. (Alas, my dismal earning potential limited the amount of paper currency I came into contact with during that period.) I visited bookstores in the area and secretly tore the front cover off copies of my books because I'd been mistakenly informed that doing so would guarantee the bookstore would have to purchase the copy. (Turns out that not only is this NOT true, but it's also a prosecutable offense.) I tried to form my first fan club, Davey's Palz. (Currently, I'm still the sole member.)
Needless to say, these efforts did not impact my sales whatsoever. So for the last fifteen minutes or so I've been brainstorming new ways to get the word out on my new book. My first gangbusters idea was the chain-letter thing. My other ideas are as follows:
Idea #2: I need you to actively discuss my title in bookstores. For example, you could loiter by the front register and, when you make eye contact with a customer in line, smile broadly and say something like, "I heard that book really sucks! Say, have you read Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before yet?" That's just a boilerplate example, of course, feel free to tweak the dialogue however which way you like.
Idea #3: Call up your local radio station during their request hour, and ask that they play Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before, by David Yoo. When they say they don't have that song by that artist, reply, "Oh, actually, it's a book. Why, do you only play songs?" Then wait five minutes, call back and say, "Hey pal, why haven't you played my book request yet?" Repeat this process a total of 9 times, because according to marketing experts the average, potential customer needs to hear a title at least 9 times before it finally sticks in their heads. (Note: The beauty of this strategy is that it can easily be modified to work with just about anyone working in any vocation)
In the meantime, I've also decided to try to re-kickstart my fan club, Davey's Palz. In hindsight, I realize now that what scared everyone off the first time was the admittedly exorbitant membership fees. Originally, I had it set up that a 1-year membership fee cost $100, and that you could purchase a discounted 2-year membership for $198. This time around, due in part to our struggling economy, I've decided to take the financial hit on your behalf and offer, for a limited time only, a lifetime membership fee for the fire sale price of just $99! That's right, for under a hundred buckashmoozies you're entitled to all the benefits of being a Davey's Pal for the duration of your life (of course it goes without saying that the younger you are the more valuable the membership), including:
-receiving an annual e-newsletter, recapping all the wonderful things to happen to David in the previous calendar year (note: this year's newsletter has been cancelled due to time constraints)
-automatic entry in a yearly raffle (prizes include: signed copies of my novels, as well as still-to-be-determined, assorted random crap laying around on my desk)
-permission to freely refer to yourself as a "Davey's Pal" at public, non-Davey's Palz-related functions.
That's the perks of being in the fan club, in a nutshell. Otherwise, I'm elated to finally be able to introduce you to my new novel, which has been a long time in the making.
A few final bits of book-related news before I go:
- I have a new web site at www.daveyoo.com, which features up-to-date news and events, links to purchase my books online, and a picture of possibly the most menacing cat you'll see in your lifetime.
Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read this, and know that I actually was being quite serious earlier—if you don't pass this on to at least 10 people something really terrible will happen to you.
Have a great day!
David Yoo
Author of Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before (Hyperion) ON SALE NOW!
While I would become a member of Davey's Palz, I just can't afford the $99 lifetime membership fee. It's a bargain, but as we all know, times are tough. In the meantime, I'll settle for David's wit in the form of Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before. It's available in stores now. For more info on the book, visit David Yoo's website here. David also has a semi-regularly updated Xanga blog here.
Another Chinese food deliveryman shot in New York. 31-year-old Fengwang Chen was shot in the head by robbers while delivering a $22 order in Williamsbridge on Saturday night. Thankfully, it looks like he's going to survive: Bronx deliveryman shot in head, but likely to survive.
The robbers didn't even get any money from the attack. They apparently fought him for the food—an order of pork fried rice, chicken wings and french fries. The police found Chen, bleeding from the head, with $280 in his pocket.
When his attackers fled, Chen managed to call his boss at the New China Garden restaurant for help. The bullet entered behind his ear and lodged in his jaw, but sources said he would likely survive. That's crazy! More here: Chinese Food Delivery Man Shot in Head; Police Search for Suspects.
Meanwhile, lawmakers are demanding justice: Police looking for thugs in Bronx food deliveryman shooting. To some, this is going to be just another attack on a Chinese delivery guy. But that's exactly what these robbers where thinking too. Just another victim, an object, an other.
I'm with Councilman John Liu: "The entire community needs to come up, stand up and call for action." Stand up and bring these cowards to justice. Or the next time this happens, and a deliveryman gets shot, he won't quite be so lucky. And unfortunately—make no mistake—this will happen again.
All right San Diego film fans... the 9th Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival kicks off next week, October 9-16 in San Diego, and October 21-23 in Riverside. Year after year, they've grown to become one of the coolest and funnest Asian American film festivals in the nation. It's definitely an event I look forward to attending every year. I'm going. You should go too.
To help build some buzz, I'm giving away some tickets. Four lucky people will win a pair of SDAFF tickets, good for any screening except for the Opening and Closing Night films. You can check out Jennifer Phang's Half-Life, or Amyn Kaderali's Kissing Cousins, or the movie I'm really looking forward to checking out, the Thai asskicker Chocolate.... or any of the other great films on the schedule to choose from.
All you have to do to enter for your chance to win is send an email to Daniel@sdaff.org with your name, phone number, and your top 3 favorite Asian American films of all time by the end of Friday, October 3. And please include "SDAFF AAM GIVEAWAY" in the subject line. Four winners will be selected at random... and then we'll be seeing you and a friend at the festival! Good times.
San Francisco friends, something cool to do on a Thursday night... the time has come once again for MATCHA, the Asian Art Museum's monthly evening art/music/mixer series. This month's theme celebrates the time-honored art of Japanese Tattoo, featuring prolific, award-winning tattoo artists Horitaka, Shige, Mutsuo and others. Here are some details:
MATCHA: Japanese Tattoo Thursday, Oct 2, 5:00-9:00 pm Asian Art Museum ONLY $5
There's more to getting inked than you think. Takahiro Kitamura -- "HORITAKA," apprentice to the revered master Horiyoshi III -- is an author, prolific tattoo artist, and owner of San Jose's State of Grace. He will deliver a talk on the time-honored art of Japanese tattoos, a rich culture of beauty, commitment, and history. See LIVE demonstrations employing both traditional (no electric needles!) and modern techniques. Joining Horitaka's diverse, talented crew of tattooists are special guests from Japan -- Shige, a powerhouse who's showcased all over the world; Mutsuo, who's designed for Bathing Ape and Hysteric Glamour; and Kazunobu Nagashima, a client of Shige who will proudly display his backpiece, which won a 2007 Milano Tattoo Convention award.
Dip into the world of Zen among samurai warriors through a guided tour of the galleries, learn about Japanese altars, sample refreshing "sencha shots" and "oi ocha" from Ito En, soak up DJ Saiman's aural offerings, enjoy a cocktail with friends, and much more.
MATCHA is the perfect way to get your monthly arts and culture fix. Watch performances, stroll the galleries, create art, mingle over cocktails, enjoy music, and more. Check out the season schedule.
It's all happening this Thursday, October 2 at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. For all the details on the event, go here. Dude, live demonstrations! Just make sure you don't have too many of those cocktails, or you might accidentally walk out of there at the end of the night with a giant koi fish or something tattooed on your back.
Some very cool comic book stuff coming to your town very soon... For a while now, we've been anticipating the publication of Secret Identities, the first-ever graphic novel anthology of Asian American superhero stories. We've still got half a year to wait, but it sounds like it's going to be pretty kickass.
It's a groundbreaking work brings together many of the top Asian American creators in the comics industry—including Gene Yang, Bernard Chang, Greg Pak, Sonny Liew, Greg LaRocque, Christine Norrie, and Francis Tsai—as well as new and established creators from film (Mike Kang), television (Keiko Agena) and literature (Jamie Ford). They've been hard at work and will have some very cool stuff to share when it finally arrives in April 2009. We already got a short preview last year of what's to come.
In the meantime, the Secret Identities folks are in the midst of organizing a book tour, and are seeking opportunities at colleges/universities to host a book event during APA Heritage Month from April to May 2009. Possible programming includes:
Showcasing a traveling gallery of original artwork from celebrity contributors (James Kyson Lee, Sung Kang, Kelly Hu, Aaron Yoo, Beau Sia, Yul Kwon) that will be auctioned off for Cartoonists Across America - a literacy program.
- A 30 min documentary, highlighting a sampling of the stories as animated films.
- Discussion on the stories inspired by actual events/people (internment camps, Atomic bombs, Vincent Chin, Wen Ho Lee, Transcontinental Railroad, Vietnam Airlifts).
- An interactive workshop where participants "audition" for roles portrayed by AA’s on film/tv to demonstrate the need for projects, like SI -- to create strong, 3-dimensional heroes and role-models.
- Q&A panel with editors/local contributors and book signing.
They've already started to fill up some dates. Maybe your school is looking for something a little new and different for its Heritage Month programming this year. These folks are definitely doing something new and different. If you're interested, fill out a request form here or inquire at info@secretidentities.org. Be the cool comic book geek who brings Secret Identities to your school!
It's still coming together, but for more information about the tour, go here. Also, read this cool Xanga entry from Parry Shen, one of the masterminds behind Secret Identities: BOOK TOUR TIME. And for general information about the book, check out the Secret Identities website here.
All right, my friends and allies. It is time. It's time, if you are eligible and have not done so already, to register to vote. We've got everyone and anyone and no one telling us how Asian Pacific Americans are going to make a significant impact in next month's historic presidential election. No doubt, this will be a definitive, measurable way for our communities to make a difference and make our voices heard. But none of that happens if we don't vote.
The National Mail Voter Registration Form can be used to register to vote, to update your registration information due to a change of name, make a change of address or to register with a political party. Download it here. And pass this info along to your friends and family.
The form also contains voter registration rules and regulations for each state and territory—they're all different. See here (PDF) for state-by-state registration deadlines, contact information and mailing addresses. For many states, the mail-in registration deadline is this week.
You can also register to vote online at several sites, including Rock the Vote and Declare Yourself (beware creepy image of Jessica Alba).
My Asian Pacific American brothers and sisters, there are a lot of things our community does not see eye to eye on. But surely, we can all agree that the APA community is severely underrepresented in the political process. Decisions are being made that directly affect us, and yet for too long we've stayed quiet and sat on the sidelines. Not this time. I know, you've heard this before. I don't care. VOTE.
I believe I've mentioned Caachi here a few times before. It's a web-based film download service featuring some of the best independent films you've never seen, including a number of really interesting works by Asian American filmmakers. It's stuff you're not going to find in the DVD aisle at Wal-Mart.
Basically, Caachi enables independent filmmakers to distribute their films to a supportive audience over the internet, and you, the supportive viewer, get to watch it over the internet (for free or for a small fee). Take that, iTunes!
I recently heard from Tom, one of the guys behind Caachi, who informs me that they recently got a handful of new and noteworthy Asian and Asian American films in their collection. Like the boy band mockumentary The Heavenly Kings starring Daniel Wu; Philip Kan Gotanda's Life Tastes Good, The Kiss, and Drinking Tea, and Socheata Poeuv's award-winning documentary New Year Baby. Lots of good stuff there, so check it out.
Sickening. Earlier this year, 55-year-old Michael Joseph Pepe of Oxnard, California was convicted of brutally raping with seven Cambodian girls, ages 9 to 12. He faces a maximum sentence of 210 years in federal prison. If you ask me, that's not severe enough for this sicko pedophile rapist scum. He needs to be hanging from his balls for the entirety of those 210 years.
Pepe, a retired U.S. Marine captain, was working as a teacher in Cambodia when he hired a prostitute to procure the children from their families in 2005 and 2006. The victims, six of whom were flown to the United States to testify, said Pepe drugged, bound, beat and raped them in his compound in Phnom Penh.
Last week, the seven victims were flown to Los Angeles from Cambodia to speak at Pepe's sentencing hearing: Oxnard man faces 210-year sentence for sexually abusing Cambodian girls. He's expected to be sentenced on November 4. Hopefully, these girls will find some sense of justice for the trauma this bastard put them through.
This is just wrong: SandraOhIsUgly.com. I'm not going to pretend that Sandra Oh is the most photogenic woman in Hollywood. She's not. But to go out of your way to make a site like this... it's pathetic. And not really that funny. I'd say more, but the gals over at Disgrasian have already done a damn fine job: DISGRASIAN OF THE WEAK! SandraOhIsUgly.com. Tasteless, stupid and racist. And for the record, I think Sandra Oh is pretty frickin' awesome.
At a press conference last week, Herrera came really really close to kicking Kawakami's ass, because he was mad about... something. There's a bunch of drama involving owner Al Davis allegedly wanting to fire someone, and a column distributed to reporters, and a bunch of stuff I simply don't care about. The Raiders might suck, but their front-office drama makes things even worse, and this is a prime example.
The San Diego Asian Film Festival received more than 40 entries for its Reel in the Vote PSA competition. The contest asked folks to submit 30-second videos promoting Asian Pacific Islanders to get out the vote, and it looks like they received some really kickass entries.
They've posted the top ten finalist PSAs here. Take a look, because it's great stuff. The winner will receive $1000 and a Sony Camcorder, and their PSA will be screened before all film programs at the film festival. (Thanks, Taz.)
This is pretty ridiculous. Intel, the big ass computer chip company, filed a lawsuit last week against Intellife Travel, a small Northern California travel agency that caters to Chinese Americans and expats, for trademark infringement: Trademark Fight: Intel Is Worried You Might Think It Is A Chinese Travel Agency.
The suit claims that the company's name causes "confusion that Intel is the source or sponsor of Intellife's services" and is a "dilution of the INTEL trademark." Huh? You've got to be kidding me.
Has there been anyone who actually confused Intellife with the Intel? It's this little travel agency in Santa Clara. I highly doubt anyone thought that the company putting together their tour package to China was the same one responsible for the chips inside their laptop. I just don't believe it.
This is straight up bullying. How is a two-man shop supposed to take on a corporate giant like Intel? And yet, so far, Intellife refuses to budge. Hell yeah. This entry over at Tech Crunch outlines the legal battle, which actually started over a year ago before the full-blown lawsuit was filed.
It looks like there's a strong possibility that the Seattle Mariners could be hiring the first female general manager in the major league. Los Angeles Dodgers assistant GM Kim Ng is apparently under serious consideration for the job: Mariners hint they could hire woman as GM.
The 39-year-old Ng has had her job for seven seasons and was a top adviser to New York Yankees' GM Brian Cashman before that. She was believed to be the final candidate beaten out by Ned Colletti when L.A. selected a new GM in 2005, and the Dodgers say she is the first woman to ever interview for a GM job.
Very cool to see an Asian American woman so highly regarded, and considered a such strong candidate in a field where so few women are making a mark. And God knows the Mariners could use some help...
The Imprint Culture Lab conference returns to Los Angeles next week for its third year. The event was founded "to investigate and curate global creative culture, and foster cross-pollination between business and creative entities." Basically, they discuss cool trends in Asian pop culture. Wednesday, October 1 at the Japanese American National Museum.
This year's keynote speaker is Kenya Hara, art-director of Japan's only high design/discount prices (non-)brand MUJI. The conference will also feature one of the world's most renowned consumer curators, Hiroshi Fujiwara, known as the godfather of street wear and Harajuku fashion, making his first conference appearance in the United States.
Other speakers will include Mark Arcenal (Founder/Creative Director for Fatlace), Jill Bliss (Crafty Entrepreneur, blissen.com), Jamie Chan (Founder, Bazaar Bizarre), jeffstaple (Founder/Designer, Staple Design), Jenova Chen (Creative Director & Co-Founder, thatgamecompany), and Eric Nakamura (Publisher and Editor, Giant Robot), among many others.
Yeah. Lots of people doing way cooler stuff than you. For more information, and to register for the Imprint Culture Lab (the fee is a bit steep), go to the website here.
Quan-Sheng Shu, an internationally recognized scientist based at the Jefferson Laboratory in Newport News, Virginia, has been arrested and charged with violating federal arms controls by illegally exporting launch data to help China's space program: NN physicist charged with selling information to China.
Shu, a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in Shanghai, is accused of selling technology to China, using a French company as an intermediary, for the development of hydrogen-propelled rockets. China apparently paid him more than $250,000.
Selling defense and space technology to China or other prohibited countries without a license is a violation of the federal Arms Export Control Act. Shu was arrested Wednesday morning and made an initial appearance that afternoon in U.S. District Court.
The financial crisis continues. JPMorgan Chase & Co. Inc. came to the rescue of Washington Mutual Inc. yesterday, buying its banking assets after WaMu was seized by federal regulators in the largest failure ever of a U.S. bank. This is the second time in six months that JPMorgan Chase has taken over a major financial institution crippled by bad bets in the mortgage market: JPMorgan Chase buys WaMu assets after FDIC seizure.
I bring this up here for just one silly reason. WaMu customers who logged onto their bank's website this morning were greeted with the image above. Hey, folks! Your bank—with all your money in it—just failed and had to be bought out. Scary. But take comfort in this photo of these two cute Asian kids. Welcome! (Thanks to Eugenia of Asian American for Obama.)
Funny though, almost immediately after I came across it, the image disappeared. It's gone. I don't know, maybe someone decided the two Asian kids weren't so comforting or welcoming to bank customers after all...
Maybe someone feared it would give the impression to idiot customers that WaMu was being taken over by a more sinister entity... like China! Maybe. Maybe someone saw this post at Wonkette, and the subsequent comments, and got a little nervous: They Are Coming.
Home Boy: TIME has a story on Asian American rapper (and Barack Obama's buddy) Jin, who recently relocated to Hong Kong from New York City this summer, and found a whole new audience with the release of his Cantonese-language album ABC.
Golfer Kim Makes Winning His New Habit: After initially making a name for himself as a bit of a cocky, underachieving party animal, rookie golfer Anthony Kim is now the winner of PGA Tour events and coming off a kickass performance for the United States Ryder Cup team.
Mariners malcontent centering on Suzuki: While Ichiro Suzuki might be having another great season on the field, things apparently aren't going so well behind-the-scenes in the Seattle Mariners clubhouse, according to an "insider" who claims a number of players really dislike him.
Memories are vivid for Coast Guard retiree, 101: Here's a neat story on Emil deOcampo, who at 101 years old, is the oldest living retired enlistee of the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard honored him last month for his 25 years of service (and 101 years of living).
At 80, Long a Teacher of the Philosophy of Tea: for more than forty years, Hisashi Yamada, a certified tea master, he has devoted his life to the discipline and teaching of the traditional Japanese tea ceremony, "seeking to convey to Americans the sublime peace that can come from the study of tea."
Equal-rights gains have local roots: This year marks the 60th anniversary of the little-known but landmark equal rights decision by the Supreme Court that allowed a Japanese American family, the Oyamas, to keep their farm when the state tried to take it away during World War II.
Los Angeles' Little Tokyo to finally get its gym: This week, the Los Angeles City Council approved a long-awaited gymnasium project in Little Tokyo, which many are hoping will help preserve the area's cultural identity and bring the scattered Japanese American community back to the Little Tokyo.
Lost scoop: Is Jin alive? And finally, we already know this, but at the Emmys last weekend, Lost star Daniel Dae Kim assured fans that indeed, we have not seen the last of Jin on the show... even though he was seemingly blown to smithereens in last season's finale. He'll be back.
Comedian Hari Kondabolu, whose work I've recently become a fan of, informs me that his short film Manoj is now available for viewing online. "It's beef!"
It's a really funny, interesting mockumentary about a very very Indian standup comedian, Manoj n Krishnamurthy. Definitely one of the best shorts I saw this year on the film festival circuit. The unedited version is playing tonight at the DC APA Film Festival.
Hari is one funny dude. Learn more about him on his website here. And his MySpace profile here. He recently performed on Comedy Central's Live at Gotham. This riff about racism is one of my favorite bits from his act.
Yesterday, 6-foot-9, 22-year-old Sun Yue of China met with reporters to announce his signing with the Los Angeles Lakers: Sun Yue draws a big crowd. The press conference drew over 30 members of the press—mostly Chinese language media.
It's a lot of hype considering that Sun, who was drafted nearly two years ago —the 40th overall pick in 2007 —isn't actually expected to be a rotation player this season. He started for the Chinese national team during the Olympics but lacks NBA-level experience.
Sun signed a two-year contract with the Lakers last month. If he's unable to squeeze in enough minutes as a backup, the 6-foot-9 guard could end up spending time with the Lakers' Development League team, the D-Fenders.
It should be noted that this isn't the first time Sun Yue has been in Southern California. In 2006-07, he played for an American Basketball Association team that played its home games at Azusa Pacific. Anyway, welcome, Sun Yue.
All right, DC friends. The 9th Annual DC Asian Pacific American Film Festival begins tonight with the Opening Night presetation of Richie Mehta's Amal at Landmark's E Street Cinema. Here's a description of the movie, according to the festival website:
A New Delhi auto-rickshaw driver patiently endures browbeating insults from his passenger-- a surly, impoverished old man--before agreeing to accept less than the proper fare. "You're an idiot," the passenger taunts before pensively adding, "You'll die broke."
Amal Kumar, the rickshaw driver, is a poor man living a simple, honest life in New Delhi. Content to live humbly and uphold his father's ideals, he poses no threat to anyone. That is, until that one particular elderly stranger is so inspired by Amal's purity of spirit that he privately maneuvers to make Amal the financial envy of many, much to the dismay of his family who would be denied upon his death. So stir the waters around Amal in Richie Mehta's endearing film about happiness, character, discovery and the possibility of goodness.
This film, about a pure man and his effect on the people around him, is filled with deep and engaging characters, anchored by the elegant portrayal of title character by Rupinder Nagra, a talented television actor in Europe and Canada. Nagra is ably supported by a standout cast of film and television veterans, including Naseeruddin Shah, Roshan Seth, Koel Purie and Vik Sahay, who currently appears in NBC's Chuck. The story is complemented by the film's rich visual presentation that can't help but make you feel viscerally immersed in its characters and events.
With Amal, Richie Mehta offers us many things, among them: likeable characters, an intriguing story, and beautifully expressive images. But most important of all might be the life-affirming feeling of rooting for the good guy. In this case, a truly good guy.
Director Richie Mehta and star Rupinder Nagra will be in attendance. You can purchase tickets online for the screening/reception up until 5:30pm ET today. After that, any available tickets will be sold at the door.
The festival continues on through next week, with all sorts of kickass films and events. I recommend checking a shorts program or two, or maybe a feature like Ron Morales' gritty, gorgeous Santa Mesa, or Amyn Kaderali's hilarious, awkward Kissing Cousins (and stay for the afterparty). Get out there, bring along a friend or two, and support Asian American cinema.
According to recently released U.S. Census Bureau data, Santa Clara was one of just ten counties in the U.S. where more than 50 percent of residents speak a foreign language at home. Spanish is the most common foreign language, spoken by about 312,000 people. About 280,000 people speak Chinese, Vietnamese or Tagalog at home.
The change has been steady and consistent. As recently as 1990, less than one-third of South Bay residents spoke a foreign language at home. But by 2000, that number grew to 45 percent, as new arrivals from India, Mexico and China joined earlier immigrants from Vietnam, the Philippines and other countries.
Hold your horses though. That doesn't mean that English is losing ground. The Census data shows that even as the number of Spanish speakers has grown rapidly this decade, 51 percent of Spanish-speakers were also fluent in English in 2007, up from 48.
Yay, immigrants. The days are fading where immigration means denying where you came from, forgetting the language and being ashamed of your culture. Take that, English-only obsessed suckas. You see, it's okay to retain your cultural heritage and first language, while simultaneously learning and interacting with others in English. It can be done!
Rolling Stone has a story on everybody's favorite Filipino rock 'n' roll cinderella story, Arnel Pineda, who was plucked from obscurity last year via YouTube to become the lead singer of Journey. His story is downright legendary.
Here's the shortened, more downbeat version of the article that ran in the print version of Issue 1061: Sad 'Journey' for New Singer. It definitely dwells quite a bit on the negative side of touring with Journey. It makes it sounds like Arnel actually hates it.
Here's the longer, more in-depth interview with Arnel from Rolling Stone's website: Q&A: Journey's Arnel Pineda. Without a doubt, whatever the case, for a 41-year-old guy who used to be crankin' it out with a cover band in the Philippines, this is the gig of a lifetime.
Filmmaker Patricio Ginelsa of KidHeroes tells me about the public service announcement he's created to help get word out about voting: Your Power. The video features comic book artist Whilce Portacio, turntablist DJ Kuttin Kandi, and activist Christine Araquel. And a flaming fist. Watch three different versions of the PSA here. And vote! Please, people. Register to vote.
Esquire recently named its list of The 75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century. Isn't it a little too early to be presenting such a list? And I'm not sure why they stopped at 75. Why not just go for the full 100? At this point, just eight years into century, it couldn't be too hard to come up the most influential. Right? (EDIT: Ah, it now occurs to me that the list was in honor of Esquire's 75th anniversary.) Anyway, among the 75, the list names:
David Chang 31, chef, futurist, New York Because he cooks in a spectacular way, but, somehow, without pretense.
Deng Xiaoping Chinese Communist leader (dead) Because he's not only responsible for what's happening in China now -- he's responsible for what's about to happen in China.
M.I.A. 33, musician, Everywhere Because she's the first and only major artist in world music.
Bobby Jindal 37, governor, Baton Rouge, Louisiana Because in a party of very few stars, he's the brightest by far.
Lakshmi Mittal 58, CEO, ArcelorMittal, London Because he heads up the world's largest producer of steel and employs 310,000 people in 60 countries.
John Maeda 41, president, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence Because design will be the technology of the 21st century.
Gao Xiqing 55, general manager, China Investment Corporation, Beijing Because he's got 1.2 billion investors -- and $200 billion to play with.
Parag Khanna 31, Geopolitical analyst, New York Because he spent two years in fifty developing countries to develop a powerful assessment of global politics and illuminate the world to come.
Overall, it's a pretty interesting list, though it's ridiculous that there are so few women among the seventy-five. Sure, all lists are subjective, but this seems considerably disproportionate. Perhaps they really should have come up with 25 more names to expand the list to a hundred.
This actually gets me thinking... who are the most influential Asian Americans in the United States, throughout history and beyond? And who are the most influential Asian Americans of the 21st century? Which names would comprise such a list? This is definitely something to ponder. It may be fodder for a future feature here...
The Los Angeles Times has a profile on web entrepreneur Ben Huh, who has built an unlikely mini-empire with the online LOLcats craze, anchored by the ridiculously popular I Can Has Cheezburger. Funny photos and badly misspelled captions. Who'd a thunk it? It's like printing money: His kitty site became a caboodle.
His network of eight websites, which includes Cheezburger and I Has a Hot Dog, attracts 5 million users and 100 million page views a month. The newest, ROFLrazzi, which launched last week, makes fun of celebrities. There are also sites devoted to dogs, politics and really bad translations of English, among others.
I admit, I only recently became aware of the LOLcats phenomenon, and have a difficult time seeing the appeal. I guess I'm just not a fuzzy animal photos kind of guy. And I have a strong aversion to bad spelling and poor grammar. But the people have spoken, and this is what they want.
As it happens, I actually went to college with Ben. If I recall correctly, he was a journalism major back then. Now he owns and runs a cat photo blog. Entrepreneurial genius? Mad visionary? Or just plain crazy about cats? The internet a crazy place, and we all have our calling, I guess.
By the way, I Can Has Cheezburger's founders, Hawaii-based Eric Nakagawa and Kari Unebasami, have a book coming out next month, I Can Has Cheezburger?: A LOLcat Colleckshun. Yes, now you can get our funny fuzzy kitty fix in paperback form.
If you're in San Francisco, you can actually meet the guys who started it all tonight with fellow LOLcat fans at the HappyCat Happy Hour. You can also take part in a photo scavenger hunt happening this Saturday at the San Francisco Zoo. Details here: LOLZoo!!!. Happy hunting.
Heads up, fans of awesome Asian American men. Back by popular demand Hyphen presents the 3rd annual Mr. Hyphen competition, celebrating Asian American men who devote themselves to worthy community causes. The man who is crowned Mr. Hyphen wins a $1000 cash donation to his nonprofit organization. Here are some details:
Event: Mr. Hyphen When: Saturday, October 4, 7 – 10pm Where: Oakland Asian Cultural Center (510) 637-0455, 388 9th Street, Suite 290, Oakland, CA 94607 (Pacific Renaissance Plaza, second floor) Tickets: $15 advance, $20 at the door. Advance tickets available online at www.hyphenmagazine.com/mrhyphen. All ages welcome, 21+ for alcohol. Subscribe to Hyphen for only $5 at the event with ticket purchase!
Mr. Hyphen finalists: Scott Chan (Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics) Aristotle Garcia (Filipino-American Arts & Exposition) Mike Liu (Spring Buds/California Dragon Boat Association) Maurice Seaty (Southeast Asian Student Coalition) Eric Tam (Asian American Donor Program) Rockson Yan (API Legal Outreach Youth Program)
Yes, a beauty pageant. Call it equal-opportunity all-in-good-fun ogling. It should be a really fun evening of celebrating our community and breaking down a few stereotypes. It's all happening Saturday, October 4 at the Oakland Cultural Center. For more information on the event, and to purchase tickets, go here.
Salon.com has a great profile on Wayne Wang and his curious, all-over-the-place career since he arrived on the scene 25 years ago with the now-classic Chan Is Missing, comparing him to the likes of Jim Jarmusch, Alex Cox and Spike Lee: Wayne Wang isn't missing.
Also, film critic/host Elvis Mitchell recently interviewed Wayne Wang for KCRW's The Treatment. It's actually a web-exclusive show that never made it onto the air. Download/listen to it here.
And finally, Ling Liu over at TIME tells me that they've got an upcoming interview with Wayne Wang, and they're asking readers to submit questions for the director. Leave your questions here: Ask Wayne Wang.
The third season of Heroes premiered last night. After some serious missteps last season, along with that pesky writers' strike, the show looks like it's returned to form, with lots of the usual twisty super-powered craziness. Though it's been so long since the show has been on, I've almost forgotten everything that's happened.
But everyone is back, including Masi Oka as Hiro (still doing the squint), James Kyson Lee as Ando (with future powers?) and Sendhil Ramamurthy as Mohinder (shirtless! ... but not looking so good at the end there). Even George Takei was back for a bit. I'm looking forward to the season, though I'll admit, I don't enjoy this show half as much as Lost. But more interesting Asians on television? I'll take it.
For those of you in Los Angeles, don't miss the opportunity to catch a very special film festival this week... The ID Film Festival, dedicated to contemporary digital films that explore and celebrate identity crisis in our diverse Asian/Pacific Islander community. Thus September 25-28 at the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo.
Things kick off this Thursday with the Opening Night screening of M. Frank's Ra Choi, a docudrama that tells the story of four Asian street kids trying to make a life for themselves in Sydney's Little Saigon. Watch a brief trailer for the film here. And here's a breakdown of the rest of the festival
Sept. 25: Opening night: The LA premier of Ra Choi -- a narrative feature film about Vietnamese Australian streets kids.
Sept. 26: Conflicting Passions: A series of short documentaries that present the conflicting identities within the pan Asian/Pacific Islander community.
Sept. 27: Gone Shopping: A satirical Singaporean feature film about the unique world of Singaporean shopping malls.
Sept. 28: Non/Fiction: Brings together four shorts that tread the boundary of fiction and non fiction.
The festival is free for Japanese American National Museum members; $5 for non-members for each film. All screenings will be at the Democracy Forum in the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy (directly across the Japanese American National Museum's courtyard). For more information about the ID Film Festival, go here.
The Institute of Masters of Wine recently announced that Jeannie Cho Lee, Head of Education for The Fine Wine School, has successfully completed all parts of the Master of Wine Examination to become one of only 277 MWs worldwide. That makes her the first Asian person to achieve the distinction in the history of the program and is one of just 15 candidates to earn the prestigious title this year: Jeannie Cho Lee becomes first ethnic Asian Master of Wine.
The notoriously difficult Master of Wine Examination is considered the "PhD of wine" and the highest level of academic accomplishment in the world for the industry. Over four gruelling days, candidates must pass exhaustive theory and practical examinations as well as submit a dissertation. Basically, it's a crazy hard test:
"The written test and wine tasting are held over four days. They don't average your score. If you don’t pass on the first day, you are out. You taste 12 kinds of wine and write the place of origin, vintage, type of grapes, the quality, and what made you come to the conclusion on one or two pages of answer sheet over three hours in the morning," she explains. "In the written part of the exam in the afternoon, you choose three out of five questions, and write 20 to 30 pages on the terroir -- the chemical makeup of the vineyard soil, climate and precipitation."
And Jeannie Cho Lee has done it! Master of Wine. Talk about an awesome way to make a living. Ms. Lee, who is based in Hong Kong, received the MW title on September 5. She'll receive the official certificate in November at a ceremony in London. More here: First Asian to Reach Pinnacle of Wine Expertise Speaks Out.
For fans of the Chicago Cubs, it's looking good. 2008 National League Central champions. That's gotta have a nice ring to it for the Chicago faithful. And with a 9-5 win this evening over the New York Mets, the North Siders clinched home-field advantage in the N.L. playoffs. It's been a long, hard hundred years since they've won a World Series. Could this be the year it finally happens?
Meanwhile, things haven't been looking so great for Kosuke Fukudome, who started out the season as a slugger with huge hype and promise, but has since seemed to have disintegrated offensively. He's barely been a factor in the Cubs' clinch: Fukudome's Hitting Is Downside on the North Side. What happened?
Over the weekend in Kentucky, the United States won golf's Ryder Cup, beating Europe for the first time in nine years, thanks in large part to 23-year-old rookie Anthony Kim: U.S. Receives Jolt From Energetic Ryder Rookies.
Seems like everyone's been talking about this guy lately. While various notable names get thrown around concerning "the next Tiger Woods," I don't think it's bold to say that Kim, who has accomplished quite a bit in his young career, represents the future of the sport. Here's an interview with him from earlier this month: Though only 23, Kim fully expected to make Ryder Cup team.
Last week, the House Veterans' Affairs Committee introduced a new bill that would authorize a one-time payment to Filipino veterans who served a critical role on behalf of the United States during World War II. H.R. 6897 provides payment to Filipino service members who served between 1941 and 1946 - $9,000 for non-U.S. citizens and $15,000 for U.S. citizens.
These servicemen, who risked their lives for the United States, were supposed to receive their benefits half a century ago. But in 1946, Congress passed the Rescission Act which stripped them of their veteran status and denied them the right to any benefits. This bill will provide a small measure of recognition for their service... but is it enough?
Here's the press release from the National Alliance for Filipino Veterans Equity, which does express some concern over this one lump sum proposal:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 17, 2008
NAFVE Press Statement on HR 6897 Markup Hearing
Washington, DC- The House Veterans Affairs Committee today marked up HR 6897, a bill that would provide a lump sum payment to Filipino WWII soldiers in recognition of their service to the United States government during World War II. Filipino WWII veterans in the United States would receive a $15,000.00 payment and veterans in the Philippines would receive a $9,000.00 payment. The bill was introduced by HVAC Chairman Bob Filner (D-CA) and was passed along with an amendment by HVAC Ranking Member Steve Buyer (R-IN) to release the U.S. government from further claims from veterans receiving payment. S. 1315, the bill that has been the focus of a sustained campaign by the National Alliance for Filipino Veterans Equity (NAFVE) and that will restore U.S. veterans status for Filipino WWII veterans, continues to wait for a vote on the floor.
"NAFVE and other advocates continue to press for equity for our Filipino WWII soldiers," said Jon Melegrito, NAFVE Co Chair. "S. 1315 remains the focus of our efforts, but we have also registered the serious concerns we have about a lump sum proposal with Chairman Filner. If there is anything that we can be sure of today, it is that Filipino WWII veterans remain on the radar screen of the U.S. Congress, but that we need to continue our work to make sure we win the day for our Filipino WWII veterans."
"In an environment where the opposition has invoked divisive rhetoric to pit veterans against each other instead of having a real dialogue about the merits of this issue, HR 6897 is a reaction to the muddied political waters operating right now," said Ben de Guzman, NAFVE National Coordinator. "We have to move on multiple fronts and while we are working with members of the House leadership, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Chair Mike Honda (D-CA) as well as Chairman Filner to find a way for S. 1315 to pass the House, we are also making sure that we weigh in on any and all alternative proposals."
The bill is up for vote today: House Plans Vote on Separate Measure Compensating Filipino WWII Veterans. What about S. 1315? This has been the focus of NAFVE's efforts all along. The bill, which passed in the Senate in April, would cover benefits including life insurance, housing grants and burial allowances as well as a provision that would provide $221 million in benefits for at least 13,000 Filipino veterans. This is the bill that needs to pass in the House. More here: House should vote for Filipino vets.
Oh man. My dreams have come true. Last week, Sony Pictures announced that Stephen Chow will not only star as Kato alongside Seth Rogen in the upcoming Green Hornet movie, he's signed on to direct the movie as well: Chow to Direct and Star in Green Hornet!
This news is nothing short of freaking awesome. The Green Hornet has been in development for a ridiculously long time, and I've always wondered who they'd get to play Kato... if the damn movie ever finally got made. We're now one step closer to that happening, and I'm extremely to hear about Stephen Chow's involvement.
We first started hearing newest round of speculation last year when one the unlikeliest of individuals, Seth Rogen, was tapped to write and star in The Green Hornet. Crazy choice, but why the hell not? When asked who he'd like to play Kato, Rogen emphatically stated that Stephen Chow would indeed by his first choice. In turn, when asked earlier this year if he'd be interested in the role, Chow said he was all for it, though at that point he hadn't been officially approached.
It looks as though the stars have aligned. Stephen Chow is an inspired choice to play Kato, especially since it looks like they're going in more of a comedic direction with the characters. And I'm relieved that things didn't pan out according to some of the rumors we heard this summer.
Now my only concern is whether this movie will be as good as the one of I'm hoping for in my head. More here: Stephen Chow to direct "Green Hornet." The movie is schedule for release on June 25, 2010.
Just wanted to remind all my friends in Los Angeles that my pal Kristina Wong is currently performing her critically acclaimed one-woman extravaganza Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo's Next through October 5 at the Miles Memorial Playhouse in Santa Monica. The show is described as "a swear-to-god-not-autobiographical, serio-comic portrayal of the high incidence of mental illness among Asian American women."
I particularly wanted to highlight Kristina's show this Sunday, a special benefit performance with proceeds going to the Obama/Biden campaign. Sunday, September 21, 3:00pm. Tickets are $20. To purchase tickets, go here or call 310-998-8765 . For more information about the show, visit the TeAda Productions website here.
Did anyone else see the report on ABC's World News with Charles Gibson last night, about the post-Hurricane Ike situation in Texas? The segment featured a cop in a heated argument with a South Asian driver over a roadblock on the way back to Galveston. As the motorist drives away, the officer tells him to "Go back to India!" Straight up.
Tell me what you really feel, officer. There's brief video of the moment here. And there are currently over 2000 comments on the segment at the ABC News site here. When pushed past frustration, the cop's true colors suddenly become apparent. That's racist! (Thanks, Marlow.)
The movie is a day in the life of Ming Ding, an illegal Chinese immigrant working as a deliveryman for a Chinese take out restaurant in New York City. Ming is behind with payments on his huge debt to the smugglers who brought him to the U.S., and the collectors have given him until the end of the day to deliver what he owes. After borrowing most of the money from friends and relatives, Ming realizes that the remainder must come from the day's delivery tips—more than double his average daily income.
I really enjoyed this film. It's not perfect, but I loved its fearless, do-it-yourself verite aesthetic. In a gritty, social-realist style, the camera follows Ming on his deliveries throughout the city. It could almost be mistaken for documentary, and I love that quality.
The film is scheduled to screen at the Laemmle Sunset 5 in West Hollywood, Laemmle Playhouse 7 in Pasadena, Edwards Westpark 8 in Irvine, Laemmle's Fallbrook 7 in West Hills, and at the Edwards Atlantic Palace 10 in Alhambra, CA. Filmmakers Sean Baker and Shih-Ching Tsou will be in attendance at select Southern California screenings this weekend for Q&As:
You can read my review of the film from a few months ago here. At long last, the spotlight is on the forgotten delivery guy! For too long, he's been on the sidelines just delivering the Chinese food. But he's got a story too, and here, it comes into full view. To view the trailer, go here. For more information about the movie, visit the Take Out website here.
If you're one of those folks who weren't happy with the movie 21, and its ridiculous Hollywood casting that magically transformed real-life Asian characters into beautiful white actors, you might get a kick out of this brief clip of sketch comedy troupe 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors. It's from their Just Like White People show. Can't wait for their version of Genghis Khan movie. (Thanks, Eric.)
This is rather astonishing... but somehow, it appears to be true. Northern Virgnia Republicans, realizing that it might be a good idea to improve their appeal among ethnic minorities in the region, are planning a "unity" rally this weekend that they claim will draw 1,000 people. Suddenly, the ethnic voting bloc looks pretty damn important: GOP Rally Reaches Out To Minorities.
But here's the real kicker. One of the featured speakers at this Totally Awesome Minority GOP Outreach event is none other than former Senator George Allen, now infamous for his campaign-defining "macaca" moment. What. The. Hell.
Yes, that George Allen, who singled out S.R. Sidarth, a South Asian guy in the audience during a speech on the campaign trail, and called him "Macaca"—an obscure racial derogatory term that arguably lost him re-election. And that's only the beginning of this guy's list of racist bullshit.
A reminder for all my Bay Area friends about the Center for Asian American Media's free outdoor screening of Mamoru Hosoda's The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. Tomorrow night, Friday, September 19 at Peace Plaza in San Francisco Japantown. Here are some details about the event:
CAAM and the Japantown Merchants Association present CINEMA UNDER THE STARS
The Center for Asian American Media co-presents a free outdoor screening of THE GIRL WHO LEAPT THROUGH TIME. When 17-year-old Makoto gains the ability to leap backwards through time, she sets about preventing personal mishaps. Yet she soon realizes that changing the past isn’t so simple! Can she use her new powers to shape the future of herself and her friends? From production company Madhouse, THE GIRL WHO LEAPT THROUGH TIME is an absorbing, beautifully crafted anime. Featuring a talented crew who worked on such classics as Princess Mononoke and The Grave of the Fireflies, this film is destined for modern classic status.
Preceded by: Screening of the Toyota's Free Your Story Contest winner!
THE GIRL WHO LEAPT THROUGH TIME Director: Mamoru Hosoda 98 minutes | Japanese with English subtitles
Friday, September 19, 2008 8PM – 10PM
FREE FOR EVERYONE! Peace Plaza in Japantown Post Street at Buchanan Street San Francisco, CA
Early arrival highly suggested. Seating is first-come, first-served.
Hey CAAM Members!* Email us at membership@asianamericanmedia.org and let us know you’re coming! We’ll save your seats and have your Scharffen Berger hot chocolate ready for you!
It should be a really fun evening for the whole family. I suggest getting there fairly early to get a seat, and don't forget to bring a blanket—it could get kind of chilly. Watch the trailer for the movie here. And for more information about CAAM and the screening, go here.
Hey! Asians in the movies. Or at least, spotted in a handful of recent trailers. Looks like my man Raymond J. Lee has a bit role in Ghost Town as a Greenpeace guy trying to get Ricky Gervais to help stop global warming. The movie opens in theaters tomorrow.
Sandra Oh plays the Minister of Health in Blindness, which imagines what happens when a plague of blindness devastates the population. It looks kind of creepy and awesome. It's in theaters next week.
Rising star Aaron Yoo, last seen in 21 and Disturbia, doing the rock and roll dude thing in Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist. You're actually going to see a lot of this guy in the coming year...
But wait! John Cho also makes a brief appearance in the Nick & Norah trailer, in what appears to be an uncredited role. You gotta love that crazy look in his eyes. The movie opens everywhere on October 3.
Hey, that's poet Beau Sia in the trailer for Rachel Getting Married. His character, according to director Jonathan Demme, was a last-minute unscripted addition, as a kind of a "wedding czar emcee guy." Interesting. The movie opens in limited release on October 3.
The crazy beautiful Moon Bloodgood opposite Robert De Niro in the trailer for What Just Happened?, in select theaters on October 17. Definitely playing the seductress/vixen role. After starring in two promising TV shows that went nowhere, you'll see a lot of her soon in the upcoming Street Fighter and Terminator movies. More Moon!
Teen sensation Vanessa Hudgens in Walt Disney's High School Musical 3: Senior Year, which they say is an immensely popular series amongst the kids. The movie's in theaters on October 24. I predict this movie will make a gajillion dollars.
Funny man Ken Jeong, who we've seen popping up in quite a few comedies lately, is in Role Models. And he's rockin' a serious LARP vibe as "King Argotron." See him rule when the movie opens on November 7.
Blink and you might miss him, but that's Kelvin Yu back there in the biopic Milk, about slain politician/activist Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in America. Kelvin plays Michael Wong, one of Milk's close supporters and political advisors. This is the nerdy role I mentioned earlier this year, which later got upgraded to "ultimate dork.". The movie opens in limited release on November 26, then expands on December 5.
This one makes me laugh. Marvel Comics character the Punisher returns in Punisher: War Zone. (Did the first one really warrant a sequel?) I could help but notice this big crew of Asian gangsters popping up in the trailer. Looks like they had a really big casting call for badass Asian thug types. See them scowl on December 5.
Oscar-nominated actress Rinko Kikuchi, last seen around here as the deaf-mute girl in Babel, has a fairly large role in The Brothers Bloom. I've actually seen this movie. While her character is pretty amusing, once again, she unfortunately barely says a word in the entire movie. See it in limited release on December 19.
Vivian Bang pops up and the very end of the trailer for Yes Man, giggling at Jim Carrey's ridiculous, mangled attempt to speak Korean. The movie opens in theaters everywhere on December 19.
Looks like Leonardo Nam is one of the guys in He's Just Not That Into You, based on the popular book. Leo's another one of those guys we've been seeing a lot of lately. Saw this trailer in front of the Sex and the City movie, and the audience ate it up. The movie's out next year, on February 9.
And finally, there's this shot in the trailer for Watchmen, the long-awaited movie adaptation of the acclaimed graphic novel. That's Dr. Manhattan in the process of obliterating a Southeast Asian soldier dude. I wonder who that actor is. That's got to be funny thing to put on your resume. I got blown up by Dr. Manhattan! Anyway, the movie's in theaters next year from Warner Brothers, on March 6, if legal issues with Fox don't hold it up.
He tied the long-standing record, set by Keeler from 1894-1901, with an infield single in the eighth inning for his third hit of the night against Kansas City. It was another one of those beat-the-throw-by-a-half-step hits Ichiro is so good at.
When they announced his feat over the PA, the Kansas City crowd gave him a standing ovation. This guy is arguably the best leadoff hitter in the major league. Another 200 hits, accomplished in 151 games this season. And I have no doubt Ichiro will do it again next season and break that record.
Talk about a bright kid! William Yuan, a 12-year-old seventh-grader from Portland, Oregon, has developed a three-dimensional solar cell that absorbs UV as well as visible light. I barely understand what even means, but apparently the combination of the two might greatly improve cell efficiency: 12-year-old Revolutionizes the Solar Cell.
For his project, which he's been working on for the past two years, young William earned a $25,000 scholarship and a trip to the Library of Congress to accept the award, which is usually given out for research at the graduate level. More here: Seventh-grader shines with solar cell research.
No doubt, this achievement makes William the most badass kid at Meadow Park Middle School. You know what I was doing in the seventh grade? Nothing. I can't even remember. William has invented a highly-efficient, three-dimensional nanotube solar cell for visible and ultraviolet light. He wins.
Got word about this from Jenniffer, who attends the University of British Columbia... A student social club at her school is facing possible sanctions, and even disbandment, after creating and post a series of online "recruitment" videos that many Asian students are calling culturally offensive: UBC social club video 'culturally offensive'. Last week, dozens of complaints poured into the Alma Mater Society, the campus body that regulates student clubs, labeling the videos as offensive:
The videos - posted last week by the Chinese Varsity Club in a format similar to the hugely popular Mac/PC television commercials - depict two Asian students discussing the respective merits of their social clubs.
The young woman representing the CVC speaks perfect English, with no accent, while the second character, a member of the fictional "Typical Honger Club," struggles with the language, at one point pulling out a dictionary to look up the meaning of the word "multi-cultural."
Ouch. You can watch the video in question here (EDIT: Looks like the video has been taken down). It's pretty awful. What's worse is that this comes from a Chinese student organization, and the intent is actually to promote diversity and apparently break the club's image as a Chinese-only group in an effort to expand membership. Yeah. That didn't work.
This is definitely an interesting twist in the usual culturally insensitive campus conflicts. We're normally used to seeing stupid pranks and videos and misguided party themes from lameass idiot fraternities and the like. Here, it's actually an Asian Canadian group being accused of cultural insensitivity—by other Asians. This kind of intra-cultural conflict isn't anything new, but it's just interesting to see it play out this way. Bad move, CVC.
By the way, is it just me, or does going on a ski trip with 800 people just sound like a really terrible, unfun idea? (Thanks, Jenniffer.)
UPDATE: Here's a campus news segment on the controversy, and the subsequent disciplinary actions imposed on CVC for the video: CVC punished for video. The segment includes clips from the offending video, in case you're curious and didn't get to see it before they took it down.
DC! This is for you. The actual "film" portion of the 9th Annual DC APA Film Festival doesn't actually start until next week, but things kick off this week with a couple of special events. I guess they just couldn't wait to get the party started.
Tonight, hang out at the festival's Sneak Preview Happy Hour at Circle Boutique. Come on out, network and mingle, enjoy free treats and drinks, make new friends and get a first glimpse of the romantic comedy Kissing Cousins. Also be the first to pick up the hot-off-the-presses festival program book and purchase an official festival t-shirt.
Tomorrow, Friday, September 19, go to the official festival kickoff party at the brand new Temple Lounge, where they'll be announcing the winner of the festival trailer contest, as well as feature and short film award winners. They'll also be screening a special music video program featuring Exit Clov, Kid Koala, Priscilla Ahn, Ahree Lee, Kurt Nishimura, and many others.
The 9th Annual DC APA Film festival starts next week with the Opening Night Film presentation of Amal For details on all the festival events, and the schedule of films, check out the website here.
, the latest novel from author David Yoo is out in stores today. If you've been reading this site for a few years, you know that I absolutely loved his 2005 debut novel, 
