*

9.30.2010

robot symphony: a centrifugal force film


He's a robot! Check out this cool performance video, Robot Symphony by Calvin "Centrifugal Force" Leung. It's a really nice piece created to promote a new street dance event starting up this weekend in Southern California called Keep It Live. Take a look:

man fatally stabbed in dog leash dispute

This is a crazy story out of Brooklyn about a man who was killed in a skirmish over two dogs that were tied too closely together outside a bar. Chai Eun Hillmann, an employee of Branded Saloon in Prospect Heights, was fatally stabbed while trying to untangle his dog's leash from another dog's: Owner Killed After Dog Leashes Are Tangled.

soju man


People are weird. This odd little short landed in my mailbox the other day: Soju Man, directed by David Oh and starring Christina Lee, Sean Smith and Robert Ryu. Ah, it reminded me of the Saturday nights when I used to sit around eating wieners and drinking milk. Until I discovered soju...

legacies of war exhibit debuts in minnesota


This is for all of the folks following in Minnesota... Legacies of War is a national traveling exhibition that tells the story of the U.S. secret bombing in Laos -- a forgotten chapter in U.S. history -- through the voices of villagers from Laos and the Lao diaspora at large.

The exhibition, which has traveled to ten U.S. cities, will be making its Midwest debut at the acclaimed Intermedia arts space starting today, September 30 through October 24 with film screenings, community workshops and discussions throughout the month. Here's a rundown of events:

moca and dgenerate films present chinese cinema club: fujian blue


Hey, wanna be part of a club? It's a special club. It's the launch of the Chinese Cinema Club at the Museum of the Chinese in America, and they're kicking things off with a screening of the award-winning film, Fujian Blue. It's happening this Friday, October 1 at MOCA.

The Chinese Cinema Club is a joint venture between dGenerate Films and MOCA to create a forum for dialogue around contemporary issues in Chinese cinema, culture and society, and to address the disappearance of cinemas in New York's Chinatown. Here are some more details:

public enemy is down with yuri kochiyama


Of all the Asian American revolutionaries you could imagine popping up in a Public Enemy music video, who's the first person who comes to mind?

same old story at bok high school

We recently heard the news about the two Asian immigrant students who were attacked by a group of bullies at Bok High School in Philadelphia.

While school administrators attributed it to a freshman hazing incident -- simply classifying it as a case of "kids being kids" -- Helen Gym recently wrote blog post for the Philadelphia Public School Notebook about what's wrong and dangerous about this dismissive assessment: Bok and South Philly High: What's different and what hasn't changed.

yiyun lee and dawn song are 2010 macarthur fellows

This week, some very special individuals from a wide array of fields received phone calls informing them they had been named recipients of a 2010 'Genius Grant' from John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation -- $500,000 in "no strings attached" support over the next five years. This is a pretty big deal. Among the twenty-three fellows:

9.29.2010

plate by plate new york, october 1


This is for all my sexy, hungry people in New York. Get yourself ready to eat, drink and mingle at Plate By Plate, Project by Project's annual tasting benefit showcasing some of New York City's premier restaurants.

Net proceeds from this year's event will benefit the Hamilton-Madison House. It's happening this Friday, October 1 at Metropolitan Pavilion South. Here are some more details about the evening:

get free tickets to hari kondabolu's comedy central taping



Comedian Hari Kondabolu, a very funny guy who gracious enough to guest blog while I was on vacation, made this funny little video dropping some knowledge about arranged marriage and none-of-your-damn-business for worldcompass.org: Will Your Marriage Be Arranged?

Hari also informs me that he'll be doing a half-hour standup special for Comedy Central Presents, and wants you all to know that you can attend the live taping for free. It's happening Sunday, October 17 at The Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College in New York. Wanna go?

To attend the taping, all you have to do his request tickets here. A quick glance at the schedule reveals that they're also doing shows that weekend with Sheng Wang and Kumail Nanjiani -- also two funny dudes.

Good stuff. And maybe you can be on TV! Perhaps they'll cut to a reaction shot of you laughing during one of Hari's hilarious jokes. But only if you're hot.

an ode to san gabriel valley eats


I got a big kick out of this funny video by brothers Andrew and David Fung, who put together an homage to all the great stuff to eat in San Gabriel Valley, which arguably has the best Chinese food -- and a whole lot more -- in Southern California. Their little Jay-Z parody caught the attention of the Los Angeles Times Daily Dish blog: 'Welcome to the SGV'

secret dorm sex tape leads to student's suicide

Today's Worst People in the World award goes to Rutgers students Dharun Ravi and Molly Wei, who are responsible for secretly recording a roommate's sexual encounter and posting it live on in the internet, which led to 18-year-old Tyler Clementi's suicide: Victim of Secret Dorm Sex Tape Posts Facebook Goodbye, Jumps to His Death.

randall park & sdaff reel in the vote


Check out this hilarious PSA for the San Diego Asian Film Festival's Reel in the Vote campaign that had me laughing my ass off, thanks to a very candid testimonial by our friend Randall Park. This is a cautionary tale. Learn from his experience:

far east movement's "like a g6" is #1 on itunes

Took this screen shot last night, because I wanted commemorate this kickass moment. Take a look where "Like a G6" sits on on the list of Top 10 singles. My boys in Far East Movement, aka the hardest working guys in hip hop, have the number one song on iTunes. That's amazing.

crazy cute brilliant awesome kid photos by jason lee


Saw these AWESOME PHOTOS yesterday over at Woo! and I had to pass them along. They're the work of wedding photographer Jason Lee, and the two youngsters are his daughters, looking like they're having the time of their lives. The one above is my absolute favorite. These two are a close second:

justice for fong lee rally/press conference, october 2

First, read this Star Tribune blog post by Bao Phi. He writes about slain Hmong teenager Fong Lee, who was shot and killed by Minneapolis police officer Jason Andersen. He has a good summary, with links, of the case and the Lee family's ensuing fight to seek justice for Fong: Fong Lee: the human cost and the strength of his family.

This weekend at a rally and press conference in Minneapolis, the family of Fong Lee will announce its decision to appeal their wrongful death suit against Jason Andersen and the Minneapolis Police Department to the Supreme Court. It's happening Saturday, October 2, 2:00pm at Cityview Elementary School in Minneapolis. Here's the press release from the Justice for Fong Lee Committee:

9.28.2010

baasic 2010, october 2


A shout out to the good people organizing BAASIC 2010 -- the Boston Asian American Students' Intercollegiate Conference, uniting college students from all over the Greater Boston area. It's happening this weekend, October 2, at the Massachusetts Institute Of Technology. This year's theme is "We the People: (Re)claiming our History, Declaring our Voices." Here are some more details:

reminder: apply to visual communications armed with a camera fellowship

Just wanted to toss out a reminder about Visual Communications' Armed With a Camera fellowship. This is a great opportunity for up-and-coming filmmakers to take part in a cool program to receive guidance and resources to hone their cinematic vision. The deadline to apply is October 1.

music video: "offbeat" by clara c


Some more Clara C love for you... With the fresh release of her debut album The Art in My Heart, we've also got Clara's brand new music video for "Offbeat," directed by Ross Ching and produced by Don Le. Really beautifully done. Take a look:

president obama appoints to new members to advisory commission

Last week, President Barack Obama announced and swore in several new members to the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, including our friend, activist/attorney Ramey Ko, as well as a range of community leaders and entrepreneurs, and even pro football star Hines Ward. The new appointees are:

tablo vs. netizens: the battle over an academic record


I've been hearing about this "controversy" for a while, and initially dismissed it as foolishness... but the situation has gotten kind of crazy.

Daniel Seon Woong Lee, better known in Korea as recording artist Tablo of rap group Epik High, graduated from Stanford with two English degrees -- a bachelor's in 2001 and a master's in 2002. No big deal right?

forgotten ship


I didn't want to forget to mention this cool special series NPR ran about a month back... More than 35 years ago, as Saigon was falling to Communist North Vietnamese forces, a small U.S. Navy destroyer escort ship, the USS Kirk, played a dramatic but almost forgotten role in rescuing up to 30,000 South Vietnamese.

hey losers! design your dream asian girl


Oh, gross. Add this one to the growing number of idiotic iPhone apps out there for Asiaphiles: Design Your Dream Asian Girl.

Wow! It's just so easy! Want the Asian girl of dreams? Why look for one in real life? You can design an Asian dream girl of your own and keep her right there in your pocket. Here's the description:

more students attacked in philadelphia

More news of school violence out of Philadelphia... Last week at Edward W. Bok Technical High School, two Asian American students were reportedly kicked and punched in between classes by a group of ten bullies: 2 Chinese-American students attacked at Bok.

The attack was apparently part of a preplanned freshmen hazing ritual. Philadelphia police are taking the incident seriously, and have charged one of the bullies with assault and related offenses. However, authorities claim the attack wasn't racially motivated.

9.27.2010

album release: stay by heather park


Awwww yeah. Our friend, soul songstress Heather Park is releasing her long-awaited new album Stay. I haven't heard it yet, but I was a huge fan of her first album Dream in Pictures, and her first single "Trust You" is all kinds of hot stuff. Here's the music video, in case you missed it:

community redistricting meeting in san francisco

This is a bit short notice, but I wanted to make sure folks in the Bay Area knew bout this Redistricting Meeting happening tomorrow night in San Francisco...

The Asian Law Caucus is having its second meeting to continue the dialogue on the issue of how to ensure a fair redistricting process for the API community. It's happening Tuesday, September 28th, 2010, at 5:00pm at the San Francisco Public Library. Here are some more details:

video: jake shimabukuro performs "bohemian rhapsody"


My man Tad Nakamura sent this my way... Check out this cool video of ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabakuro performing his own kickass rendition of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody," shot last month in Hiroshima. Take a look:

phyllis just wants her ipod touch

I rather enjoyed this Los Angeles Times story on Phyllis Chiu, who recently opened a new checking account with Bank of the West to take advantage of their free iPod Touch promotion. But things did not quite turn out like she expected: Bank of the West changes tune on iPod promotion.

In July, Bank of the West announced that it would give away an iPod Touch to all new customers who opened checking accounts with a minimum deposit of $100. Phyllis thought this was a pretty good offer, but when she tried to open an account, getting that iPod wasn't so easy:

what I'm listening to: clara c's the art in my heart


Gotta make sure you know that The Art in my Heart, the debut album from Clara C, is now available. I've been listening to it all weekend, and it's pretty darn lovely. It's just a solid record of wonderfully produced folk pop tunes, featuring some really nice songwriting and beautiful vocals from Clara. Here's a cool video with sample tunes:

hey losers! move to thailand, find a wife

This New York Times article, on the Isaan region in northeastern Thailand, completely grossed me out. The area is apparently known for a rapidly expanding population of foreign husbands -- men who have come to Thailand explicitly seeking an Asian partner: A Thai Region Where Husbands Are Imported.

who's bad?


You all know I'm a Bruce fan. Check out this awesome sticker recently spotted on a motorcycle in Taichung. Here's the close-up:

fred korematsu day bill signed into law

It's official! Last week, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the Fred Korematsu Day bill into law. This follows the bill's passage last month in the California legislature, and a series of unanimous votes on the Senate Floor, the Senate Education Committee, the Assembly Floor and the Assembly Education Committee: Calif. Governor Signs Fred Korematsu Day into Law.

The full name of the bill, AB 1775, is the Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution. Co-sponsored by Assemblymember Warren Furutani (D - South Los Angeles County) and Assemblymember Marty Block (D - San Diego), the bill encourages schools across the state to teach students about Fred Korematsu's story and its relevance today. Here's an excerpt from the press release:

9.26.2010

Back to Blogging


Hey, everybody. I'm back from vacation, fresh from many crazy adventures in the Motherland. I wouldn't call it a very relaxing trip, but I definitely appreciated the break. A huge thanks to all the wonderful guest bloggers who stepped up and contributed some really awesome entries while I was away. To recap, check them all out here:

9.25.2010

guest post: confucius say... don't hate


I'm on vacation! Taking a much-needed break. But don't worry. While I'm away, I've enlisted some great guest bloggers to keep things going around here. Here's Jay Chen on the recent controversy over Confucius Classroom.

In the midst of the worst economy since the Great Depression, in which the only things that seem poised for growth are budget cuts, layoffs, and achievement gaps, who could have imagined that the most controversial issue to hit our school district would be the acceptance of free funding and books to expand a Chinese language class?

That's the twilight zone I have been experiencing for the last eight months, ever since our board approved an agreement with the non-profit Hanban to create a Confucius Classroom at Cedarlane, a predominately Latino middle school in Hacienda Heights.

guest post: the illustrious and superlative fu chang


I'm on vacation! Taking a much-needed break. But don't worry. While I'm away, I've enlisted some great guest bloggers to keep things going around here. Here's Gene Luen Yang on one of his favorite Asian American superheroes.

Quick! Name as many Asian American superheroes as you can! Asian AMERICAN, not Asian!

Well, there's Jubilee on the X-Men... and the Atom, that Korean-American guy who shrinks... no, wait! He got himself killed last May. Ray Palmer's the Atom again.

What about Shang-chi, the Master of Kung-fu? Did his papers ever go through?

Believe it or not, there are actually Asian American heroes who date back to the 1940's, the Golden Age of the American comic book. Back then, monthly issues sold by the millions and publishers scrambled over each other looking for new material. This decade-long explosion of ideas included at least a few Asian American characters.

Here's one of my favorites:

9.24.2010

angry reader of the week: teresa lee


Okay. It's time to meet 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 Teresa Lee, lead singer of PaperDoll.

guest post: the more things change, the more they stay the same - the asian american and "hot button" issues chapter

I'm on vacation! Taking a much-needed break. But don't worry. While I'm away, I've enlisted some great guest bloggers to keep things going around here. Here's Karin Wang on "hot button" issues.

Two of the hottest issues right now are immigration and gay marriage. Those who oppose either (or both) paint bleak images of the demise of our society with "hordes of immigrants" taking jobs away from "real Americans" and "homosexuals" destroying the "traditional family."

For those of us whose conscious memories go back to no earlier than the 1980s (which is me and the vast majority of you, the fans of Angry Asian Man), these may seem like fairly new areas of contention, the result of demographic changes unimaginable 50 years ago.

But the history of Asians in America clearly shows that in terms of discrimination and intolerance, America has (sadly) already been there and already done that. Only the last time around, it was Asian immigrants fighting for legitimacy and equality.

9.23.2010

guest post: racism on youtube videos??


I'm on vacation! Taking a much-needed break. But don't worry. While I'm away, I've enlisted some great guest bloggers to keep things going around here. Here's Phil Wang of Wong Fu Productions taking on the YouTube haters.

"Why is everyone Asian?" "Why's it all Asian?" "Look at these Asians!!"

These are regular comments we get everyday. Of course, not to our face. No, instead from the computer screen, probably from some guy trying to be funny (or serious) and hiding behind his keyboard and monitor, cloaked by his screen name that most likely includes a few "X"s and "dUdE" in it. You see, we make online videos... and sadly, racism and ignorance show its true face on the internet, where no one is held accountable for their words or thoughts.

Wong Fu Productions has been making short films, music videos, and vlogs for several years now. It is our job, it is our life. While we're so glad that our work has had a positive influence on many, I can't lie; racist comments still disturb me, even after hearing them for so long. Some are so obnoxious, usually involving "chink" or "slanty eyes," that they bounce right off because I know whoever wrote those are truly not worth wasting mental energy on (and probably 13 years old thinking he's funny). But comments like those mentioned at the beginning of this post, those are the worst, because they're racist, without even knowing it, and that's the most dangerous.

guest post: roundtable interview on multicultural lit

I'm on vacation! Taking a much-needed break. But don't worry. While I'm away, I've enlisted some great guest bloggers to keep things going around here. Here's Paula Yoo with a roundtable interview on Asian American writers.

As an Asian American YA novelist and children's book writer, I am very interested in multicultural literature and the future of children's books featuring main characters of color. A few years ago, I had the privilege of interviewing some prominent librarians about the state of multicultural children's literature, especially for Asian American readers and writers.

The librarians who participated in our roundtable discussion:

Joel Bangilan is currently a Branch Services Coordinator for San Antonio Public Library. His experience as a public librarian in parts of Houston that are predominantly Asian and Asian American and his own Filipino heritage provides him with an insight to the issues.

Dr. Sylvia Vardell, Ph.D, is a professor at the School of Library and Information Studies at Texas Woman's University. A Fulbright Scholar, Dr. Vardell graduated with a B.S. in Elementary Education at the University of Texas and a Ph.D in Children's Literature/Language Arts at the University of Minnesota. She has taught graduate-level courses in literature for children and young adults as well as multicultural literature.

Sarah Park is a Ph.D candidate at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She graduated from UCLA with B.A. in history. She earned her M.A. in Asian American Studies, focusing on Korean American children's literature.

Dora Ho has been a Young Adult Librarian at the Los Angeles Public Library (California) since 1995. She is the current president of the Chinese American Librarians Association (CALA). She is also a member of the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) and serves as chair of the Literature Award Committee of APALA.

Below are the highlights of that roundtable discussion (originally posted at fusionstories.blogspot.com/):

9.22.2010

guest post: the yellow plague: asians and asian americans in post-apocalyptic and zombie fictions


I'm on vacation! Taking a much-needed break. But don't worry. While I'm away, I've enlisted some great guest bloggers to keep things going around here. Here's Bao Phi writing about Asians, zombies, and the end of the world.

It is appropriate that this, perhaps my last blog entry before I am devoured by the zombies outside of this shack, is a guest blog for Angry Asian Man.

It has been eight days since the tragic epidemic first swept through the world and turned most of humanity into the shuffling dead. I have taken refuge in a showroom model tool shed at the local hardware store. I left my small community of survivors to forage for supplies and became trapped here. I am surrounded by zombies, their moans for brains are louder than the tick-ticks of my fingers on the laptop keyboard. I am down to two cans of Lime Diet Shasta and a rapidly dwindling ziplock bag of pepperoni minis for provisions. The katana I bought off of Ebay during that period of my life I was obsessed with the film Ghost Dog has so far failed to live up to is pedigree and has been useless for opening up Hostess cake wrappers, let alone lopping off zombie heads. Note to self: if you survive this zombie apocalypse, buy a samurai sword that at least claims to be made in Japan.

My partner and child are safe. By fortuitous coincidence they were in Alaska when the outbreak hit, and as you know Alaska is one of the few places on earth where the epidemic has not yet spread. They are safe in the fortified haven of Juneau, and are experimenting to see if zombies can be distracted from their hunger for human brains by salmon, rich in Omega 3 Fatty Acids...

guest post: a trip to knott's berry farm

I'm on vacation! Taking a much-needed break. But don't worry. While I'm away, I've enlisted some great guest bloggers to keep things going around here. Here's Ryan Suda recounting a recent trip to Knott's Berry Farm.

This past Saturday I spent 12 hours at Knott's Berry Farm. Most of the day was spent standing in line for rides, the rest looking for any bit of nostalgia. I'm a sucker for nostalgia especially when it comes to amusement parks and places I've been when I was little. To tell you the truth, it's been 20 years since I've been there so most of the things I remember were replaced by things much larger, taller, and faster. The Wacky Soap Box Racers Ride was replaced by the 0-80 mph Accelerator. The Parachute Ride was replaced by the towering Supreme Scream.

This was all fine since I think the new rides were definitely improvements over the old but a certain part of me wishes I could see, once more, the old time Wacky Soap Box artwork and the floor of the Parachute Ride cage that my Aunty said I wouldn't dare stand on when the ride was at it's highest point. And it was nice to see that there were still some oldies like the Calico Mine Ride. The mini train chugged along while I smiled, looked, smelled, and listened for anything I once experienced so many years ago. For those few minutes, I actually did feel like a kid again. It was a good day.

Another part of Knott's Berry Farm that I really enjoy is the old Ghost Town. Here, the Knott family created replicas (and I hear that some of the wooden structures are real) of buildings and old time western scenes and daily life. There was a Post office, Jail, Barber, Assay Office, Saloon, and even a blacksmith shop, where there was a live blacksmith pounding out mini horseshoes and telling the history of the blacksmith. Cool. I love stuff like that. I love it so much that I told my friends I'd catch up with them later and now was on my way to do so.

But on my way, I see another building and I think to myself... oh no... I was having so much fun... please don't be anything...

9.21.2010

Guest Post: Fresh Kid Ice

Guest Post by Randall Park


I'm on vacation! Taking a much-needed break. But don't worry. While I'm away, I've enlisted some great guest bloggers to keep things going around here. Here's Randall Park looking back at a forgotten rap "hero." (Clearly, Randall did not heed my admonition that my mom reads my blog.)

Hello, I'm Randall Park - writer, actor, humanitarian, and vegetarian. As a proud member of the Asian American community, I recognize the importance in paying tribute to our leaders and pioneers. But all too often, some of our best and brightest get overlooked. I'd like to thank Angry Asian Man for giving me the opportunity to use this space to pay tribute to one of our forgotten greats.

When we think of the quintessential Asian American musician, many of us think of Yo-Yo Ma. Sure, the man deserves our respect. Yes, he's pretty good with the cello. Yes, he's an internationally renowned Grammy award-winning virtuoso. But I pose this question: Can Yo-Yo Ma rap about subjects like sex and other things, but mostly about sex? Probably not. I offer a different name to place atop the pantheon of great Asian Americans in music: Chris Wong Won. You may know him better by his pseudonym "Fresh Kid Ice". Most likely, you know him as I've known him - "that Chinese lookin' dude in 2 Live Crew."

guest post: from roots to city hall


I'm on vacation! Taking a much-needed break. But don't worry. While I'm away, I've enlisted some great guest bloggers to keep things going around here. Here's Tanzila Ahmed writing about Jennifer Pae, candidate for Oakland City Council.

"Whoa..." we both gasped as we walked into the immense prayer hall. The room was grandiose with tall high cathedral ceilings, an organ in the back, surrounded by dark wood walls, and a delicately decorated dome ceiling royally presided over the podium where the Iman was currently speaking. I was staffing my candidate, Jennifer Pae, who is running for Oakland City Council in District 2. It was the first Saturday of Ramadan, my first week on the job as her Campaign Director, and after a week of fasting for Ramadan, she had decided to join me for a CAIR hosted open house iftar at the local Islamic Cultural Center here in Oakland. From the outside the building looked worn, a dusty relic of a Masonic Temple but the local Shia Muslim community had adopted the space turning rooms into sport rooms, classrooms, and opening it as a space for the Oakland community.

As we found a seat in a pew, Jennifer pointed out her opponent, the incumbent, who was sitting across the room. An older white woman from the more affluent neighborhood in the district, she was sitting stiff listening to the sermon.

I have to admit, it was kind of a relief.

9.20.2010

guest post: youtube and the asian movement


I'm on vacation! Taking a much-needed break. But don't worry. While I'm away, I've enlisted some great guest bloggers to keep things going around here. Here's David Choi on why YouTube creators are a pretty big deal.

I have a story that starts from before the days of when the Internet was starting to become a "necessity" of life. Let's start by condensing my very long life story into a couple sentences. I was forced into playing violin and piano, discovered songwriting/producing at the age of 16, got signed to Warner Chappell Music, then my life made an interesting turn after I posted a video on YouTube.

YouTube (A Love Song) was a song of mine that got featured on the homepage of YouTube back in 2006. From that, the requests for live performances, more videos, and album requests poured in. This is not something I signed up for. I've always wanted to become a songwriter producer working behind the scenes because I was a shy guy who loved writing songs and producing. YouTube definitely changed that for me.

Now this blog post isn't going to be about me, but Asians and YouTube.

guest post: back-to-school and the art of choice

I'm on vacation! Taking a much-needed break. But don't worry. While I'm away, I've enlisted some great guest bloggers to keep things going around here. Here's L.S. Kim on Asian Americans and the art of choice.

Is summer really over? Students aren't the only ones wishing it could last forever. But there's something exciting about the first day of school in the fall, and as I prepare to teach Film and Television at UC Santa Cruz, I feel anticipation and optimism about who my students will be and what studying media culture can do for them.

I also wonder how many Asian faces I'll see in my department, I always hope it will be more than the year before.

9.19.2010

guest post: roundtrip


I'm on vacation! Taking a much-needed break. But don't worry. While I'm away, I've enlisted some great guest bloggers to keep things going around here. Here's Joy Osmanski writing about a recent trip to Korea.

When I went to Korea, I felt like a Clydesdale.

The Clydesdale is a draft horse originating, predictably, in Clydesdale, Scotland. Okay, it's the Budweiser horse. Huge. Clomping. Snorting horse heads. They pull things.

I stepped into the belly of the Korean Air 747, and stopped blinking. The flight attendants, hair smoothed into low coils, sea foam scarves winging from perfect knots, lips in tiny, pacific smiles... my brain ached. I'd been awarded a gratis trip to the motherland sponsored by the Korean government and a Korean adoptee organization. The last time I'd been in a Korean Air plane, I was seven months old and alarmingly chubby. The flight took 17 hours and I was awarded the nickname "Monsoon." Apparently, I cried. A lot. I was delivered to a mother who knew me only from a photo, from the paperwork, and the dutiful reports written up by the adoption agency.

Decades later, after pegging my jeans, suffering through spiral perms, listening to Pearl Jam on constant loop, wading through college in Midwestern cornfields, getting my MRS degree in Boston, getting my MFA in San Diego, getting divorced in Los Angeles, and always explaining my Polish last name, I sat, holding my breath, on a flight bound for my country of origin. The country to which I felt only the thinnest thread of connection.

guest post: 3g upgrade

I'm on vacation! Taking a much-needed break. But don't worry. While I'm away, I've enlisted some great guest bloggers to keep things going around here. Here's Michael Kang on the third generation.

It's been a while since I've blogged about anything, so when Mr. Man (or as I've gotten to know him over the years as my dear friend "Angry") asked me to guest blog I jumped at the chance. Of course, it hadn't occurred to me that I stopped blogging for a reason -- I had run out of things to say.

As I've gotten older, while I have not gotten any less Asian, I am starting to wonder if I am still "angry" enough to blog. Those of you that ever bothered to read my Xanga blog (yes, XANGA, that's how you know it was a long time ago. BTW hit me up on Friendster if you like what you see here.)... anyhoo if you read my blog, you could probably attest to the fact that my posts were of three distinct varieties: 1. self-righteousness 2. self-promotion 3. public service announcements. By the time I wound down, it was pretty much just the public service variety -- when you start blogging, you realize there is no shortage of people's shows in a basement theaters in New York or links to online petition to let some Congressperson know that Asian Americans exist. But now that I don't have a film coming out any time soon, I don't really have much to self-promote (though you can get both of my films "The Motel" and "West 32nd" on Netflix or Amazon... or download them on bittorrent if you like, I don't see a penny either way).

As I contemplated this guest blogging duty, I had to ask myself "Am I angry enough to post on Angry Asian Man?" In my twenties, I had a lot to be angry about. There were few Asian Americans like me to look to as role models growing up. I wasn't sure if this whole filmmaker track made any sense at all. In my personal life, I seemed to run a streak of relationships with women (Asian and non) where I was the first Asian guy they'd been with (and despite the debate I'd recently gotten into about this very matter) if you are in that position, you DO have a responsibility to represent for all Asian men (grades on performance and execution). But these days, there are a growing number of Asian American filmmakers out there. And I no longer have to worry about being the Asian male experience for any woman because I've long since passed that torch on to much younger, hotter and single'r guys out there. So what do I have to blog about?

9.18.2010

guest post: five reasons why I need you to be a "pawn-of-the-man" button pushing automaton through the month of september


I'm on vacation! Taking a much-needed break. But don't worry. While I'm away, I've enlisted some great guest bloggers to keep things going around here. Here's Kristina Wong on clicking for cash.

Disclaimer: My opinions absolutely do not represent those of the conference/ festival organizers. I am however, an artist who has been presented the last three years by this organization and I want to see their event succeed.

I want you to do something very stupid and simple through the month of September for the sake of a very smart idea. I want you to click on a voting button on the Pepsi Refresh Everything website, let a corporate logo seep into the back of your subconscious on a daily basis, so that possibly, hopefully, the Consortium of Asian American Theatre Artists can fully realize their vision for hosting the National Asian American Theater Conference and Festival in 2011 in Los Angeles.

guest post: inspiring angry asian women

I'm on vacation! Taking a much-needed break. But don't worry. While I'm away, I've enlisted some great guest bloggers to keep things going around here. Here's Far East Movement talking about two amazing women.

Far East Movement here. Honored when THE Angry Asian Man contacted us about guest blogging on the site. We're long time readers, fans and friends so we geeked out at the opportunity. Phil, there's actually a ton of pressure with the huge responsibility of contributing to this site bro lol... we took days trying to figure out the right thing to share with your vast audience and it hit us.

Phil always covers some incredible people making waves in the community and we happen to know a few with whom we work with and inspire us daily. There can't be an Angry Asian Man without amazing Angry Asian Women and we happen to work with two amazing women we thought would be cool to interview. Not interviewing just to interview, but these women are breaking down some serious doors in their perspective fields and inspire us daily so we should share.

We narrowed it down to one question each we felt would rep AAM right...

9.17.2010

guest post: su*per*he*ro


I'm on vacation! Taking a much-needed break. But don't worry. While I'm away, I've enlisted some great guest bloggers to keep things going around here. Here's Jerry Ma talking about comic books.

su·per·he·ro
Spelled[soo-per-heer-oh] - noun, plural -roes.
a hero, esp. in children's comic books and television cartoons, possessing extraordinary, often magical powers.

Comic books... often thought of as a hobby for "fanboys" or "nerds." Generally, comic books are looked at as a hobby to be embarrassed about. Not too many guys are bragging about their comic book collections the same way you see meat heads brag about their "fantasy" football teams.

I have such a strong respect and appreciation for the comic book medium. Especially the artists, as I've always dreamt of being one. I still remember sitting in the back of my father's art supply store with my two brothers huddled around the latest issue of Power Man and Iron Fist. Being able to create and tell a story visually was and still is amazing to me. Comic artists are the most underrated artists around. They're often looked upon as guys that draw muscled freaks in spandex. When people don't realize that is such a small part of being a comic artist.

angry reader of the week: clara c


Hello, friends. It's time to meet 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 singer/songwriter Clara C.

guest post: teaching leaders to understand social media

I'm on vacation! Taking a much-needed break. But don't worry. While I'm away, I've enlisted some great guest bloggers to keep things going around here. Here's Kathy Khang and her half-read book review of Open Leadership: How Social Technology Can Transform the Way You Lead by Charlene Li.

I grew up believing that taking advantage of the very best education money and hours of studying could get you was the key to the Asian American dream. There's no doubt a strong education remains key but an Ivy League degree isn't the only key. The world of social technology - the development and use of - is changing the way leadership and social power works.

So I was thrilled to pick up a copy of Charlene Li's fairly new book, Open Leadership: How Social Technology Can Transform the Way You Lead. In the business world, the gurus are by and large men of a paler shade. It's been said of novelists that they subconsciously assume the race or ethnicity of their readers and characters. If you read enough leadership books, you may say the same about those authors as well. Just add gender to the mix.

9.16.2010

poetry spoken here: projekt newspeak slam 2010


What's up poetry people? My friends at Project NewSpeak have been hard at work putting together the 4th annual Projekt NewSpeak SLAM, a spectacular night of spoken word and music featuring the likes of Beau Sia, Connie Lim, Kristina Wong, Poetri, Ruby Ibarra and Tony Nguyen. It's happening Saturday, September 25 in at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles. Here are some more details:

guest post: eat food. not too much. mostly chinese.


I'm on vacation! Taking a much-needed break. But don't worry. While I'm away, I've enlisted some great guest bloggers to keep things going around here. Here's Lynn Chen talking about Chinese food.

Whenever asked what type of cuisine I would want if trapped on a deserted island (this question surprisingly comes up a lot) I answer without hesitation: "CHINESE." After all, I spent the first half of my life consuming the stuff and never got sick of it. Yet in the last year that I've been food blogging, I noticed that I rarely eat it. Probably because I've been unimpressed with most restaurants in Los Angeles, other than driving 45 minutes out to San Gabriel or Monterey Park.

And the sad truth is, I don't make it at home. My favorite dishes have meat in them, and since my husband is a vegetarian, I don't cook carnivorously. I'm afraid to stock my pantry with Sichuan Peppercorns, Cooking Wine, and Star Anise since I eat out a lot and don't want it to go bad, and waste limited cupboard space. I don't own a wok. I fear that if I can't do it "authentically," I can't do it at all -- why subject the world to another "stir fry" made from leftover duck sauce packets mixed with soy sauce?

The times when my blog readers get to see a lot of Chinese food is when I visit my parents in NJ, which, sadly, isn't very often (the last time was a video I made for Christmas in 2009). So when I recently spent time a week with them, I requested some recipes -- hopefully this will inspire me to get cooking back in LA!

Guest Post: The Ballad of Chol Soo Lee



I'm on vacation! Taking a much-needed break. But don't worry. While I'm away, I've enlisted some great guest bloggers to keep things going around here. Here's Oliver Wang on "The Ballad of Chol Soo Lee."

On a recent visit back to the Bay Area, I stopped by my favorite record store on the planet, the Groove Merchant, and waiting for me was this 7" called "The Ballad of Chol Soo Lee." The store's owner, "Cool" Chris Veltri knows I have a thing for Asian American records and this was practically an uber-example.

Here's "The Ballad of Chol Soo Lee." And here's a scan of the back cover, complete with lyrics and credits.

9.15.2010

fierce fashion fun: audrey's night out 2010


This is for my fashion-and-fun-minded people in Southern California... Audrey Magazine presents its third annual Audrey's Night Out 2010, "an evening of fashion and fantasy and fun."

But it's not just for celebrities and fashion aficionados -- the whole community is invited, and that includes you. It's happening Thursday, September 23 at the Petersen Automotive Museum's Pavilion in Los Angeles. Here's some more information:

guest post: random big phony


I'm on vacation! Taking a much-needed break. But don't worry. While I'm away, I've enlisted some great guest bloggers to keep things going around here. Here's Bobby Choy aka Big Phony with some random-ass stuff.

I was having a hard time coming up with something interesting to write about. I ended up with this short post.

guest post: dear metrodad

I'm on vacation! Taking a much-needed break. But don't worry. While I'm away, I've enlisted some great guest bloggers to keep things going around here. Here's Pierre Kim, aka MetroDad with advice for the younger generation.

Since our favorite Angry Asian Man has decided to take a visit to the mother continent, he asked me whether I'd be interested in writing a guest post in his absence. Since Phil has always been such a great supporter of my site, MetroDad.com, I couldn't turn him down.

My own personal blog deals primarily with the subject of being a single 41-year-old Korean-American parent in New York City. This probably resonates with... hmm, none of you!

However, for some reason, I do seem to have a sizable younger Asian and Asian-American readership. At least several times a week, I'll get e-mails from younger people asking me for my advice. Some of it is serious. Some of it is frivolous. However, most tend to be like the ones below...

9.14.2010

caam summer screening: howl's moving castle, september 19


San Franciscoooooo. Our friends at the Center for Asian American Media have partnered up with the Japantown Merchants Association to present free outdoor screening of Hayao Miyazaki's Howl's Moving Castle. It's happening Sunday, September 19 at Japantown Peace Plaza. Here are some more details:

guest post: the "don scene"


I'm on vacation! Taking a much-needed break. But don't worry. While I'm away, I've enlisted some great guest bloggers to keep things going around here. Here's Parry Shen on Ken Leung's infamous "Don Scene."

There are some movies in my collection that never fail to raise an eyebrow whenever guests come over to the house. Below are a few such examples and along with them, my impassioned and often nonsensical justifications I blurt out for each:

THE FIFTH ELEMENT (1997) - "Are you kidding me?! Milla Zovovich is adorable as the vulnerable yet ass-kicking savior of the world! One of Luc Besson's best female characters ever -- 'Multee-Pass'!!"

FREQUENCY (2000) - "Oh, come on! James Caviezel prevents his Dad's death by communicating to him from the future but in doing so, gets his mom murdered! He needs to help his Dad stop it from happening while being 30 years in the future -- imagine doing what Marty McFly had to do but without the DeLorean!!"

THE CUTTING EDGE (1992) - "What's not to like about an ex-hockey player pairing up with a feisty, figure skater!? This odd couple is perfect for each other but they just can't see it! They even attempt the never been done, death-defying, Pamchenko Twist to win the nationals (do you even know how dangerous that is?!) 'TOEPICK'!!"

BOUNCE (2000) - "Not mine... my wife's."

And then there's KEEPING THE FAITH (2000) -- a film starring Ben Stiller and Edward Norton (respectively as a Rabbi and Priest) who both fall in love with their childhood gal pal (Jenna Elfman).

Overall, there's nothing remarkable about the movie. But the sole reason I proudly own this disc is what occurs at the 1:07 mark: The "DON SCENE."

guest post: k-town's groundbreaking reality show


I'm on vacation! Taking a much-needed break. But don't worry. While I'm away, I've enlisted some great guest bloggers to keep things going around here. Here's Eddie Kim addressing questions and concerns about the upcoming K-Town reality show.

Seo Taiji. Roora. Turbo. Jinusean. Yoo Seung Joon.1TYM. JYP. Rain. Hyori. BoA. Seven. Big Bang. 2NE1. Wonder Girls. SNSD. 2PM. Jaybeom. Flamingo. Mega. Velfarre. Le Prive. Karnak. VR. Le Cercle. Hodori. BCD. Albehneh. El Taurino. McDonald's on 7th and Western where ahjushis (old Korean dads and grandpas) squat and play Badook (a hardcore othello game that I still can't figure out how to play). K-Town thugs with zero fades and Dickies pants. K-Town girls with blonde hair and cigarettes. Korean ahjummas with visors the size of umbrellas. The local K-Town ahjushi SPART police patrolling at Jangtuh, the K-Town Festival. Hannam Chain. Kim's Jungee, the store where literally you can find everything in this universe! Third Street Elementary. John Burroughs. LA High; if you survived that school, then for sure you are gangsta! KP. Champion. The Arcade on 6th and Alexandria. Sticker pictures. Intercrew. Renaissance. Bohemian. Mazinga. Café Bleu. Gaam. White. Rosen. Bobo's. Olympic. Vermont. Western. Wilshire. This is where you can never forget April 29, 1992 when K-Town was up in flames! But more importantly, when Korean Americans young and old flooded the streets in demonstration for peace. Korean American Day. World Cup - Be the Reds! K.W. Lee. Sammy Lee. Colonel Young Oak Kim. Angela Oh. Chan Ho Park when he did the famous drop kick during his Dodger days. Margaret Cho. John Cho. Sandra Oh. Ken Jeong. Daniel Dae Kim. KYCC. KAC. KHEIR. KASCON. Chongdae. KoreAm Journal. Kollaboration. Projekt NewSpeak. Angry Asian Man. Far*East Movement...and now THE K-TOWN REALITY SHOW!

This is the world I grew up in. I graduated from UC Berkeley, worked for several years in U.S. politics, and wildly ended up in entertainment. As you can see, I am no stranger to K-Town, community empowerment, and the media. It's from this framework that I understand the community, and now I am one of the 4 producers of the most talked about reality show of this year: the K-Town reality show.

A lot of interviews, articles, opinion pieces, and facebook comments have been made about this show. The producers (Tyrese Gibson, Mike Le, Eugene Choi, and myself) and the cast have made a number of public statements through some of these articles. However, I couldn't help but relent to Angry Asian Man's request to write on his blog. I will, once again, address some of the questions that the community has posed and commented about.

9.13.2010

clara c album release party at hotel cafe, september 24


I've been really looking forward to the release of Clara C's debut album... and it's almost here! I've marked my calendar for next week's official Clara C Record Release Party. It's happening Friday, September 24 at The Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles. Here are some more details about the show:

guest post: the call of the mall


I'm on vacation! Taking a much-needed break. But don't worry. While I'm away, I've enlisted some great guest bloggers to keep things going around here. Here's Konrad Ng on canonizing Asian America.

I am grateful to Phil for inviting me to mind the blog for one posting during his trip. He wrote, "you can write about whatever you want" but to "please keep in mind, my mom reads my blog." I smiled.

Note to Angry Asian Man mom: Please be proud of your Angry Asian Man son! He is a good man.


During the Labor Day weekend, two news items could have been flagged
as being achievements for Asian American. The New York Times
published a piece about the rise of Asian Americans in the world of fashion design and Sonya "the Black Widow" Thomas, a woman of Korean descent, was crowned the 2010 U.S. Chicken Wing Eating champion.


OK, Sonya Thomas's ascent in the world of competitive eating, though amusing, may not be the best example of an Asian American accomplishment that will have lasting and widely reverberating cultural impact but the article about fashion designers Richard Chai, Jason Wu and Alexander Wang makes me wonder about the labor of canonizing Asian America.

guest post: why korematsu day is important

I'm on vacation! Taking a much-needed break. But don't worry. While I'm away, I've enlisted some great guest bloggers to keep things going around here. Here's Ling Woo Liu on the legacy of Fred Korematsu.

Who were your heroes when you were growing up? Think back to your high school or college days. What posters did you hang on your bedroom walls? Maybe pictures of singers and bands, movies and actors and perhaps some scantily-clad eye candy. Now, think again: how many people in those images looked like you or represented something that you believed in?

Last month, the Fred Korematsu Day bill was passed by the California legislature after a series of unanimous votes. It's now on the desk of Gov. Schwarzenegger, who has until Sept. 30 to sign the bill into law. If passed, this will be one of the first days officially named after an Asian American/Pacific Islander or hell, after any ethnic minority in the US! With all of the days that come and go, from federal holidays such as Memorial Day and Labor Day to not-so-official commemorations like Groundhog Day and Earth Day, why should we add Fred Korematsu Day to the list of days we celebrate?

9.12.2010

guest post: fuck joel stein!


I'm on vacation! Taking a much-needed break. But don't worry. While I'm away, I've enlisted some great guest bloggers to keep things going around here. Here is Hari Kondabolu taking on Joel Stein.

In July, as many of you might remember, TIME magazine columnist Joel Stein wrote a terribly racist column concerning the Indian residents of Edison, New Jersey called "My Own Private India." The article offended a large percentage of the South Asian community, except sell-outs and those whose inability to read English spared them the frustration of experiencing something so unfunny that you almost forget how racist it is.

Adding to the pile of responses, and death threats, are the Kondabolu Brothers (Hari, a comedian, and Ashok, "Dap" from Das Racist) during their talk show "The Untitled Kondabolu Brothers Project" last month in New York City.

cross post: fall 2010 tv season preview


I'm on vacation! Taking a much-needed break. But don't worry. While I'm away, I've enlisted some great guest bloggers to keep things going around here. Here's an excerpt, cross-posted with permission, from Racebending.com's Fall 2010 TV Season Preview.

The Fall TV Season always brings in new shows, and this fall, shows that feature actors of color are featuring them in innovative ways. There's an Afro-Cuban president, and a Latino Supreme Court Justice. Two spy shows both feature actors of color as the titular leads!

Despite these advances, Ray Bradford, the national director for equal employment opportunities at the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) describes the Fall 2010 television season as "really troubling." "What I'm seeing is, with a few exceptions, not only shows that are predominately Caucasian with a smattering of minorities, primarily black or Asian in some roles; I'm seeing primarily Caucasian shows period," Bradford said. "So while for each quarter you may have a handful of African Americans or Asians or Latinos, the bulk of the work in these shows is white."

Some shows stick to formula, using actors of color in key roles, but still orbiting the white, male, featured lead. But we hope that the shows that are willing to take risks will do really well this fall and encourage more network television studios to offer equal opportunities to actors of color.

Here, Racebending.com takes a look at some of Fall 2010's diverse network television offerings. Thankfully, these are not the only shows this fall that will feature people of color in key roles!

9.11.2010

guest post: going green the wong way


I'm on vacation! Taking a much-needed break. But don't worry. While I'm away, I've enlisted some great guest bloggers to keep things going around here. Here's Kristina Wong on being carless in Los Angeles.

For two years I've been doing something that horrifies people to no end. I've been living without a car. In Los Angeles.

For those of you who live in San Francisco or New York, or any other compact city that was not urban planned by a drunk person as Los Angeles was, let me give you an idea of what I'm up against sans wheels:
San Francisco is 47 square miles. Manhattan is 22 square miles. Philadelphia is 135 square miles. Los Angeles is 498 square miles!

498 square miles? That's a lot of silicone breast implants!