March 2010

3.31.2010

jet li in the expendables trailer

Check out Jet Li in the trailer for The Expendables, which also features every movie action star you can possibly think of. It's about a group of mercenaries who get hired to do something dangerous, and then there's deceit and betrayal and stuff, things blow up, and a lot of people die:

2010 california api policy summit

AAPI leaders in California, mark your calendars. You are invited to the 2010 API Policy Summit -- two days of skills training, strategy sessions and a gala celebration with goal of empowering our community. It's happening May 3-4 at the Sacramento Convention Center. Read on for details:

A bit short notice, but if you're going to be hanging around on your computer this evening, our friends at iamkoream.com invite you to check out their live chat with our favorite hip hop party boys, Far East Movement.

The guys will be cooking up their special kimchi, playing some outrageous games, sharing tour stories with host Shane Yoon and answering your questions. It's tonight, March 31, 7:00pm PST. To join in on the fun, just log on right here.

third harold and kumar starts shooting this summer

It's official. The third Harold and Kumar movie, A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas, will start shooting this summer for a holiday release in 2011 or 2012. According to reports, the movie might even be released in 3-D. Hey, it totally worked for Avatar: Next Harold & Kumar Starting this Summer. But will both John Cho and Kal Penn be back?

Look at all the gorgeous Asians Americans who are making sure the count! Babies, kids, school board members, CAAM staff, Racebending activists, and even toy Bruce Lees -- everybody counts! (Maybe not the action figures.) Don't you want to get in on this? Tomorrow is the last day to submit a photo. Read on for details (and to see more photos)...

south philly high's asian students: expectations vs. reality

Here's another Philadelphia Inquirer article on South Philadelphia High School, this time looking at the perspective of Asian students who have been going to school under constant threat of violence, culminating in the daylong assault on December 3: Asians find Phila. schools an unexpected experience. It's pretty sad...

"single ladies" devastation

Even little kids get down to Beyonce's "Single Ladies." But see what happens when a father breaks the news to his 3-year-old son that he is, in fact, not a single lady. He does not take it well. Epic sadness. Awesome video.

UPDATE: It appears that embedding for the video has been disabled. I guess the video went viral, and the dad decided to rein it in a little. Understandable, since it involves his kids. You can still watch the video here. Some day, Dad will have something hilarious to show that kid.

UPDATE: Never mind. The video is embeddable again. Rock on, kid.

m. night shymalan talks last airbender and "diversity"

By now, you've heard about the casting controversy surrounding The Last Airbender, the live action fantasy adventure movie based on the hit Nickelodeon animated series. At this point, the movie is well on its way to being finished, and Airbender fans must to come to grips with the sad truth: your favorite Asian heroes are going to be played by white people.

But up to now, we haven't really heard anything from director M. Night Shyamalan about the casting controversy. Here, in this interview with UGO, he breaks the silence, calling the film "the most culturally diverse tent-pole movie ever made in Hollywood": M. Night Shyamalan on Racial Diversity in The Last Airbender. Yeah, I have a hard time believing that too.

what can I do with asian american studies?

Are you an Asian American Studies major? Awesome. But are you wondering what the hell you're going to do what that degree? The CGU Transdisciplinary Studies Group on Asian American Studies at Claremont Graduate University want to help you answer that question at a free one-day conference: What Can I Do With Asian American Studies? It's happening Saturday, April 17. Some details:

If there's anything I've learned, it's that architecture enthusiasts are the craziest mofos out there, I.M. Pei is their rock star, and PBS is their MTV. Thus, you don't want to miss this... Tomorrow night, the PBS series American Masters presents I.M. Pei: Building China Modern. Here's a brief description:

This is several weeks old, but I wanted to share this SF Weekly article on 29-year-old Filipina boxer Ana "The Hurricane" Julaton, the woman some people are calling "the female Manny Pacquiao": The Eyes of the Hurricane. You do not want to mess with her.

mapid presents 1st api tv pilot shootout

Yo, writers. Do you have an original idea for a television show? Mavericks of Asian Pacific Islander Descent (MAPID) presents the first API TV Pilot Shootout, sponsored by FOX Diversity. The winner will receive the opportunity to pitch a TV executive at FOX.

Just a few more days left! Lots more photos coming in -- look at all the shiny happy Asian Americans who are making sure they get counted. What the heck am I talking about? I'm talking about you. For details (and more photos), read on...

This is an awesome Wall Street Journal story out of Portland on the Minidoka Swing Band, a tribute band commemorating internment camps and the Japanese American teenagers who enjoyed swing music behind barbed wire during World War II: A Tribute Band Like No Other Swings to Remember Life Behind Barbed Wire.

warning: crazy asian guy dancing in public

I've been seeing this video being passed around. I believe the title says it all: Crazy Asian Guy Dancing In Public. Basically, the guy goes to various public places in Toronto, strips down to his underwear, and starts dancing. Hey, we all have ways of spending our weekends.

The guy calls himself SexyDragon. His reason for this pale display: to break the stereotype that Asian guys are shy, apparently. Fantastic -- the stereotype has been broken. Please put your pants back on. Now, what are we going to do about the stereotype that Asian guys are half-naked dancing freaks?

michelle wie's costly mistake

More trouble on the course for Michelle Wie... On Sunday, the golfer was in second place at this weekend's Kia Classic, just four shots behind eventual winner Hee Kyung Seo. Doing pretty well... until the 11th hole, where it all fell apart for her: Michelle Wie's tiny little rules violation costs her $90,000. Oops:

seoulful concert with jay sean, mc mong and leessang

Party people, if you're in Los Angeles, and looking to check out some music, my friends have been telling me about the Seoulful Concert, featuring MC Mong and Lessang, two of Korea's hottest hip hop artists, with a special guest performance by Jay Sean. Hosted by our pals Danny Cho and PK, it's happening this Saturday, April 3 at the Shrine Auditorium. Some details:

The House of Suh, directed by Iris K. Shim, is a feature documentary that attempts to tell the haunting true story of Andrew and Catherine Suh -- a shocking violent crime that tore apart a family, rocked the Korean American community and ignited a media frenzy. Here's a description:

Awwww snap. Look who's coming to your city. Standup comedian and Parks and Recreation star Aziz Ansari recently announced this summer's Dangerously Delicious standup tour. With all new material! This show is hotter than a Justin Bieber concert. That's hot, right?

Indeed, Aziz is on fire. In addition to Parks and Rec, which just got picked up for a third season, word on the street is that Aziz is currently in negotiations to host this year's MTV Movie Awards: Aziz Ansari to host the 2010 MTV Movie Awards. But wait, is Aziz on Team Edward or Team Jacob?

aaldef reports problems in census outreach to asian americans

Got a press release from the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), which has complained to the U.S. Census Bureau about continuing problems in the Bureau's programs and outreach to Asian Americans. Census forms are out, but people still don't know where to go for help, and in some cases, the Bureau told people they can't get help.

Since January 2010, AALDEF has received additional complaints from Asian American community-based organizations in twelve states. While the Census Bureau generally has been responsive to the needs of Asian Americans, problems still persist in a number of operations:

The photos continue! Everybody's been sending in some great stuff from all over Asian America. Even Hello Kitty. Big props to the big Taiwanese American group I met briefly this weekend at the ITASA Conference party in Austin. Keep those photos coming. What am I talking about? Find out (and see more photos)...

daniel dae kim: sticking around hawaii

The Honolulu Advertiser has a pretty good interview with Lost star Daniel Dae Kim, who talks about the final season of Lost, what the role of Jin has meant for his career, his next sweet gig on the new Hawaii Five-0, and calling Hawaii home: Living Local.

Nabbing the role of Chin Ho Kelly on Hawaii Five-0 definitely worked out to be the best possible situation for Daniel, not only getting on another high profile network show, but allowing him and his family to stick around in Hawaii for the time being. I mean, come on, it's Hawaii. Let's hope the show is a hit.

one-woman iphone band: "poker face"

This video dropped in my mailbox last week, and I thought it was pretty cool. Applegirl is a very resourceful YouTube musician who performs an elaborate, one-woman rendition of Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" arranged entirely with iPhone apps (four phones total, it looks like). Never mind the fact that I hate this song -- this is pretty impressive. She also does her own iPhone version of Beyonce's "Irreplaceable."

family searches for body of drowned swimmer

In San Diego, authorities have been searching for the body of 18-year-old Troy Le, who disappeared beneath the waves at Torrey Pines State Beach two weekends ago while rescuing his girlfriend from a rip current: Lifeguards End Search For Missing Swimmer.

Le is presumed drowned but no sign of his body has turned up. His family has standing vigil at the beach every day for more than a week, and has asked local divers for help: Troy Le's family seeks help in search for missing swimmer's body.

disgrasian at iwriteaboutme.com workshop in vancouver

This is for my friends in Vancouver... Very happy to learn that our blogger friends Jen Wang and Diana Nguyen of Disgrasian will be the next guests at Schema Magazine's iWriteAboutMe.com, a monthly series of web writing workshops and speakers showcasing a wide variety of voices on the internet. It's this Thursday, April 1 at the Museum of Vancouver:

Another effort to raise awareness about the 2010 Census in the Asian American community... The APEX is sponsoring a citywide poster contest calling on New York City's young people (grade K-12) to design a poster that tells your family and community about the census. The deadline is April 15. For more information, take a look at the flyer above or visit apex-ny.org.

research study on taiwanese/chinese american families

Another research study that could use your help... I recently heard from Kristy Shih, a doctoral candidate at UC Riverside. She is currently conducting a comparative research project on the marital and in-law relationships of Taiwanese/Chinese-American women and men. She needs some people to talk to. Read on for details:

Lots of fantastic photo entries have been trickling in. Here's another sampling of all the awesome people out there who filled out their Census forms and are spreading the word. More photos to come tomorrow... Have you sent in yours yet? Check out some more photos:

The New York Times recently ran a nice profile on college teacher, published author and Brooklyn's new poet laureate, Tina Chang: A Poet Who Doesn't Do Lofty. She is the fourth person -- and first woman -- to hold the post, and says one of her chief goals is to "demystify the role of the poet":

man donates kidney to his favorite supermarket cashier

Read this amazing story out of Chicago... Myra de la Vega, a cashier at Jewel-Osco suffering from renal failure, is receiving a new kidney from 52-year-old school social worker Dan Coyne: Cashier receiving customer's kidney today.

What's amazing is, prior to this, de la Vega and Coyne were just friendly strangers who regularly exchanged pleasantries at the supermarket checkout line.

As you know, Lt. Dan Choi was recently arrested for chaining himself to the White House gates to protest the U.S. military's 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' policy. Here's an interview he did last week with Newsweek, talking about civil disobedience, gay rights, and how the Army made him a better activist: 'This is my mission.'

the long and the short of it

Well, I suppose it had to happen sooner or later. Jeff Yang's latest "Asian Pop" column for SFGate boldly tackles that ever prickly, often haunting issue of Asian men... and penis size. Oh yes, he goes there: Mightier than the sword.

stanford's asian american issues spring break + census 2010

A special shout out goes to the students who participated in Stanford's Asian American Issues Spring Break. I recently had the chance to talk and share a meal with them. Here are their contributions to the 2010 census family portrait contest. See more photos:

this week's angriest posts

Not really the angriest, just the most viewed.

korean talent audition is a scam

postsecret: your asian man is too hot

there goes the neighborhood

is abdc banning all-asian crews (no)

the definitive history of asian men dating outside their race (according to complex)

indonesia's obama lookalike

west sayid

2010 census family portrait contest

"...why two nukes just wasn't enough..."

"racial and sexual slur" sets off deadly party shooting

Remember to fill out your census forms, and submit a photo to the 2010 census family portrait contest. The deadline has been extended to next week!

3.26.2010

music video: "girls on the dance floor" by far east movement

At long last, Far East Movement has released the official tour music video with Cherrytree/Interscope Records for "Girls on the Dance Floor." It's all kinds of crazy hot, with lots of good lookin' party people... and a dude in a gorilla suit. Check it out:

sixty asian businesses targeted in new jersey break-ins

According to authorities in New Jersey, a burglar -- or a group of burglars -- has broken into about 60 Asian businesses in recent months, breaking down a front door or window and snatching cash from the register in almost every case: Police: Burglar targeting Asian businesses, 60 broken into in recent months.

In most cases, the burglar appears to be targeting Chinese restaurants. The Bergen County Prosecutor's Office and the sheriff's offices in Bergen and Pasaic counties are collaborating with local police in 14 towns to catch the thief, who has been on a crime spree since late November:

Check out this interview with comedian/actor Kevin Shea, who recently took home top honors at NBC Universal's sixth-annual "Stand-Up for Diversity" comedy search, a competition to find the nation's funniest diverse (= non-white) comics. It's a pretty funny interview. Check it out:

It's time for another edition of MATCHA, the Asian Art Museum's bi-monthly music/art mixer series. This time, enjoy the museum's "Shanghai" exhibit with friends, jazzy tunes and, of course, cocktails. It's happening next Thursday, April 1 at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. Here are some details:

Hooray for another 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 a dear friend to me and this blog, Michelle Ko...

Another big batch of photos from all the cool people filling out their Census forms (and one person who apparently isn't eligible -- but that's okay, she's still entered in the drawing). Want to participate? You still have time! I'm extending the deadline to April 1. Read on for details (and to see more photos):

Laughed my ass off when I saw this.... I read the The Berenstein Bears books as a kid... but I don't remember ever coming across this one. New neighbors roll into town, and look who's not so happy about it. I looked up The Berenstein Bears' New Neighbors on Amazon. Here's the official description:

"...why two nukes just wasn't enough..."

Oh no he didn't. RedHampshire.com (yeah, yeah, I know) points out a that New Hampshire State Representative Nick Levasseur was an ass on Facebook (okay, that happens all the time) the other day, when he updated his status with the following message:

First of all, why does he hate anime so much? There's lots of great anime out there! Maybe he just hasn't seen the right titles. Or maybe he prefers his cartoons more American. Whatever the case, he hates anime so much, he apparently thinks it would be appropriate to drop another nuclear bomb on Japan.

Forget the fact that hundreds of thousands of people were killed in the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, arguably two of the most horrifying days in human history. The state senator apparently believes the real human tragedy that two nukes did not prevent: Japanese cartoons.

3.25.2010

8th annual vietnamese interacting as one conference

Vietnamese American students! Short notice, but I wanted to make sure you heard about the Vietnamese Interacting As One (VIA-1) Conference happening this weekend, March 26-28 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Hundreds of students and young professionals will be coming together for workshops, speakers and networking opportunities, with the goal of making a positive impact on the Vietnamese American community. The theme for the conference this year is "From Possibility to Actuality." Here's some more info:

research study on biracial vietnamese identity

Another one of these research studies... I recently heard from Tien Vu, a graduate student at the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant University in San Francisco, who is conducting a study on biracial Vietnamese/Caucasian adults (ages 20-45). Thus, Tien needs some people to interview. Some details:

Chicago-based indie-rock/electro-pop wunderguy XYZR_KX (pronounced "Scissor Kicks"), aka Jon Monteverde, recently released a music video for his track "Home.". As it was described to me, "Found footage + colonialism = Ooooo, the meaning!" Indeed:

south philly high student leader awarded princeton prize

Remember Wei Chen? He's the student leader who became recognized for courageously speaking out and demanding action about the ongoing violence against Asian students at South Philadelphia High School. The outspoken young man has been awarded the Princeton Prize in Race Relations from Princeton University: From turmoil, a S. Phila. High honor.

The prize, created by college alumni in 2003, honors high school students who perform exceptional work to improve race relations in their communities. It is given annually to one or two students in each of 23 regions around the country and and carries a $1,000 award.

Look at all the awesome people who sent in their Census forms and entered this contest. Don't you want to be awesome too? Yes. See some more photos!

I'm not particularly fond of most of the stuff Complex usually publishes, but the last feature of theirs I mentioned here, The 50 Most Racist Movies (You Didn't Think Were Racist), was surprisingly thorough and on point -- not to mention one of the more popular posts I've recently done.

So I have to mention this provocative (but also quite comprehensive) feature, which has to be one of the weirdest lists Complex has ever compiled: Yellow Fever! The Definitive History of Asian Men Dating Outside Their Race.

Yes, they've actually come up with a giant list of Asian male/non-Asian female couples, both fictional and real -- the good, the bad and the Gosselin:

Saw this on Twitter and was highly amused. Oh, you didn't know the island's favorite Iraqi torturer was also a West Coast gangsta rapper? This is his latest album, featuring the hit singles "Hey Nadia" and "I Am a Killa."

beware the indian gigolo scam man

Did you date this man? The Philadelphia Inquirer has a story about Jay D. Singh, "an Indian gigolo" who is now in custody after deceiving several women in order to steal from them: Police: Indian gigolo romanced his way to larceny.

Singh apparently romanced his way into the bank accounts of at least three Philadelphia area women, ages 26 to 28, taking them for about $40,000. Cruise an Indian singles website lately? You might have encountered this guy:

2010 midwest itasa conference, march 26-28

Hey, Taiwanese American students! This weekend, for the time ever ITASA is coming to Texas. The 2010 ITASA Midwest Conference is happening this weekend, March 26-28, at the University of Texas at Austin.

The conference will include lots of great speakers, workshops, an all-you-can-eat BBQ banquet sponsored by HEB Foods, free Tiff's Treats cookies and more. Participants will be coming from all over the country.

In addition, the conference will be collaborating with TaiwaneseAmerican.org, which will be holding their mini-board meeting in conjunction to the conference. Participants will be invited to join in an open forum to talk with the TaiwaneseAmerican.org's executive board. Some more info:

Christopher Wong's award-winning documentary Whatever It Takes, a film I've raved a lot about over the last year, will be making its national broadcast debut on Tuesday, March 30, 10:00pm on PBS' Independent Lens.

The film follows visionary and rookie principal Edward Tom, who leads a dedicated group of teachers, students and parents through struggles and triumphs during the first year of a South Bronx public high school. It's an amazing, inspiring film. You should see it.

Check out this new video blog, The Man's Guide To Love, where each day they interview different men from all walks of life and get their advice (for better or for worse) on love. It's pretty funny and interesting. The guy below, posted the other day, is Edward, 29, who advises "Follow through, tell them what they want to hear, and sell them the dream."

the search for the missing celebrity loot

Asians behaving badly... celebrity home burglary edition! Continued. Rachel J. Lee, the alleged mastermind behind a rash of celebrity burglaries last year, is suspected to have hidden a large amount of the stolen property with her father's help: Burglary Suspect May Have Hidden Stars' Goods.

Couple more photos that have come in... I'm telling you, get in on this.

"racial and sexual slur" sets off deadly party shooting

Hadn't heard about this until now... Over the weekend in Los Angeles, police arrested 55-year-old Steven Honma, who got into a scuffle over a "perceived insult" and shot another guest at a Persian new year's party. The victim died at the hospital: Victim in Westlake Village shooting was Art Center instructor. Oh man:

Remember this guy? Ilham Anas is Indonesian Barack Obama lookalike. In 2007, the 34-year-old teen-magazine photographer from Jakarta found a calling when it occurred to him that he bears a striking resemblance to the now-President of the United States: Barack Obama look-alike in demand in Asia.

Since then, he's been in high demand, appearing in television commercials and internet ads across Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines. You can't really blame the guy for cashing in -- I'm sure he never really anticipated growing up to look like the most famous man in America. But hey, if you've got it, use it.

korean talent audition is a scam

Want to the be next big Korean pop star? Here's how not to do it. Watch out! Got this message passed along to me about Eden Entertainment, an Atlanta-based entertainment company, which recently held "open auditions" claiming to be on behalf of SM Entertainment, YG Family, and Jungle Entertainment. This, however, was a scam:

asian arts initiative presents 'home: far and near'

Philadelphia! Something cool for you... The Asian Arts Initiative presents its spring program, Home: Far and Near, a festival of Asian American performance and artist exchange. Things kick off this Thursday, March 25, followed by shows this weekend, as well as a grand finale performance on April 3. Read on for details:

aatheory's project cstt

Ellie of Asian American entertainment site aatheory.com has launched a new project, CSTT, in an attempt to address and spread awareness about racism, ignorance and discrimination. This video explains it quite nicely.

Real quick: an awesome still from Akira Kurosawa's Throne of Blood, in honor of the 100th birthday of the greatest filmmaker whoever lived.

Think you're a fan? You're not a real diehard devotee until you've got this set.

The Criterion Collection is giving away the 25-film set today to one persuasive cinephile: In one sentence, convince a friend who is unfamiliar with Kurosawa to watch one of his films. Good luck!

goodwin liu: possible supreme court justice?

There's a Supreme Court battle brewing on Capitol Hill. This week, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold hearings to consider the nomination of Berkeley law professor Goodwin Liu to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals: Supreme Court Battle Quietly Brews Over Possible Future Nominations.

The hearing is expected to be contentious (well, more contentious than usual), with conservative senators likely arguing that Liu's record on divisive issues puts him outside the mainstream of judicial thinking.

Some believe Republicans are opposed to Liu's nomination because they fear President Obama may be grooming Liu for a future Supreme Court vacancy. It's highly possible that two of the current -- and more liberal -- members of the Supreme Court, justices John Paul Stevens and Ruth Bader Ginsberg, might decide to step down this year for reasons of age and health:

Here are some photos from the 2010 Census contest I'm running this week.

interpreting stuyvesant's parent-teacher night

Here's an interesting New York Times story on Stuyvesant High School, where the Asian student population has soared to 70 percent, inspiring a volunteer interpreter program to help parents who don't speak English -- a particularly useful resource on parent-teacher night: At Stuyvesant, Interpreting Parent-Teacher Night.

legaci and justin bieber unite!

Okay, who the hell is Justin Bieber, and why I am posting something about him? The teenage pop star (it's okay if you've never heard of him) was recently performed on The View. And backing him up, believe it or not, were the men of Filipino American, Bay Area-based vocal group Legaci. Take a look:

sikh man graduates from u.s. army officer school

Capt. Tejdeep Singh Rattan, a 31-year-old dentist, is the first Sikh in a generation allowed to complete U.S. Army officer basic training without sacrificing the articles of his faith: 1st Sikh in decades graduates Army officer school.

Rattan graduated Monday at For Sam Houston after the Army made an exemption to a uniform policy that has effectively prevented Sikhs form enlisting since 1984. He was wearing standard issue fatigues, but also, in accordance with his faith, he was wearing a turban and full beard.

sis production presents ching chong chinaman

This is for all my friends in Seattle. Opening this week, SiS Productions presents the Northwest premiere of Ching Chong Chinaman by Lauren Yee, a comedy that promises to flip every cliche about Asian American identity upside down. It runs weekends, March 26 - April 24 at Richard Hugo House. Here's some more information:

research survey on parent-child relationships

I recently heard from Minkyeong Shin, a doctoral student at Indiana University Bloomington, who is currently conducting a study on Asian/Asian American parent-child relationships with her advisor. To accomplish this, they need some subjects to fill out an online survey. Read on for details:

A video in two parts, of the lovely and talented Clara performing "Offbeat," the super-cute song she totally charmed the audience with at Kollaboration 10, taking home the grand prize. I wasn't too familiar with her prior to a couple of weeks, but I'm already a big fan. Check it out:

apartment complex discriminated against potential tenants

In Euless, Texas, a former leasing agent at an apartment complex is asing state and federal officials to investigate whether the complex committed civil rights violations by denying apartments to potential tenants with Middle Eastern or Asian backgrounds: Euless apartments discriminate in renting, ex-worker says.

Daniesha Davis filed a discrimination complaint with the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department in January. The complaint says her employers at Stonebridge at Bear Creek told her to place Middle Eastern and Asian tenants in two buildings at the complex.

When those blocks of apartments were full, she was told to turn away Middle Easterners and Asians inquiring about apartments -- even if units in other parts of the complex were vacant. Potential tenants with Middle Eastern- or Asian-sounding names or accents were told "no vacancies" when they called the complex:

Ha ha! Came across this little doozy on PostSecret the other day, and was highly amused. You thought wrong, woman. Never underestimate the hotness of an Asian man.

san diego asian film festival needs your help

Got this message regarding our friends at the San Diego Asian Film Foundation, who are in need of your help. Two things going on that will directly affect SDAFF and every San Diego nonprofit organization. Read on for details, and how you can help:

Okay, I've talked a lot about the 2010 Census, and how it's really important for all of us in our community to stand up, be counted, and send back your completed Census form. It only happens every ten years, and the next count will occur on April 1, 2010.

In short, the 2010 Census will help communities receive more than $400 billion in federal funds, for things like hospitals, schools, emergency services, etc. It'll also help determine the number of seats your state has in the House Representatives. It's extremely important that we're accurately counted as a piece of that pie.

is abdc banning all-asian crews? (no)

Last night, I started getting a barrage of messages from America's Best Dance Crew fans saying they heard from someone who heard from someone else who posted something on someone's Facebook page...

The rumor: America's Best Dance Crew is allegedly "banning" all-Asian crews from here on out. Here's the blurb that's being passed around, though no one really seems to be able to verify it with a legit source:

rsvp for a free screening of the warlords

If you're in the Los Angeles area, you're invited to a special screening of The Warlords, starring Jet Li, Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro, happening Tuesday, March 30 at Laemmle Music Hall 3 in Beverly Hills. It's one of those big ol' Chinese period action epics about war, loyalty, brotherhood and all that, finally being released in the States.

If you would like tickets to the screening, all you have to do is send an email with the subject THE WARLORDS-ANGRY ASIAN MAN to screeningrsvps@gmail.com. Here are details for the screening:

Last week, Secretary of Commerce (and former Governor of Washington) Gary Locke was a guest on The Daily Show, talking about the 2010 U.S. Census. Watch the full episode above (Secretary Locke shows up at about the 15:30 mark). He talks about the census form, the importance of filling it out, and what the information will be used for. Be counted, my fellow Asian Americans.

march madness: wat misaka and the utah utes

This is a really interesting, lengthy Sports Illustrated story looking back at how the 1943-44 Utah Utes, led by Arnie Ferrin Jr. and Wat Misaka, became the unlikeliest of men's basketball champions: Utah The First Cinderella.

books for asia

The Asia Foundation is an organization doing charitable work across Asia. Right now, its signature Books for Asia program is running an online interactive book vote campaign, in which your vote will help put books in the hands of children who need them.

Last night, I had the pleasure of being a guest on 1690 AM CJLO's Beats From The East, hosted by DJ Mister Vee. We had a fun conversation, mixed in with some cool music from the best of today's Asian artists. You can listen to the show, as well as all past shows, in the podcast archive here.

3.20.2010

this week's angriest posts

Not really the angriest, just the most viewed.

texas board of education to rewrite japanese internment

south philly high asian students testify on assaults

why did facebook ban the racebending group?

mother sentenced to 16 years for sexual abuse

the onion: racists running out of slurs

randall park cast in fox comedy pilot tax man

asian american family featured in army ad

casting call: chinese version of the amazing race

dear chevron, john suzuki is not a "stupid jap"

senator makes "kamikaze" remarks on health care reform

Happy birthday, everybody.

3.19.2010

comedy zen, march 27

In the mood for some laughs? Then come on out to the latest standup showcase from ComedyZEN, hosted by Rajiv Satyal and featuring Kevin Shea, Owen Smith and the Comedy Monks sketch group (Dwayne Perkins, Randall Park, Hasan Minjah). It's happening Saturday, March 27 at the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo. Here are the details:

call for entries: 2010 id film festival

Hey, filmmakers! The Japanese American National Museum is now accepting film and video submissions for the third annual ID Film Festival, a festival by API filmmakers for API filmmakers.

Scheduled for October 7-10, ID Film Fest will showcase both shorts and features to be screened digitally in the Tateuchi Democracy Forum, a state of the art theater in downtown Los Angeles.

jin's "beautiful story"

Jin's working a new mixtape called Say Something. In this video, he shares one of the tracks he's just finished writing. Very cool to see how far Jin's come from those BET Freestyle Friday days. I think this track gives a little perspective: Beautiful Story Demo. More here: Per Your Request.

jacl response to texas board of education

This week, I wrote about the Texas Board of Education's approval of a completely scrubbed social studies curriculum which would, among other things, counter the notion that the internment of Japanese Americans was motivated by racism. This, of course, did not sit well with many people. Here is the JACL's press release responding to the Texas Board of Education:

Okay, everyone. Time for another 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 actor/writer Ken Narasaki, whose theater adaptation of No-No Boy opens next week.

3.31.2010

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3.28.2010

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3.19.2010

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