Archived Posts - January 2002

01.31.02

I don't usually do this but... if you're in the San Francisco area, and you're free on Tuesday, check it out: 2002 SFIAAFF Launch Party and Fundraiser. Help kick off the 20th anniversary of the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival by joining the party at 111 Minna Gallery... Enjoy the dynamic sounds of DJ Jason Fluid (Affiliations with StirFriday) and Dhamaal Soundsystem (Live remixing of Drum n'Bass and Nu Breaks with Layers of Tabla n' Skratches). Yes. With Honorary Emcees Kristen Sze and Caroline Yu, KGO-TV ABC 7 News Anchors.

Tuesday, February 5th, 2002

7:00 - 10:00 PM

111 Minna Gallery @ 111 Minna St.

(between Howard and Mission at 2nd)
San Francisco

21 and above

Tickets sold at the door:

$8/NAATA members

$10/non-members

Please RSVP by Friday, February 1st to 415.863-0814 ext. 120 or
membership@naatanet.org. Sounds like fun, right? And it's for a great cause. So I guess I'll see you there.

01.30.02

Watched That 80s Show again. Funnier than the premiere. The Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo joke was pretty dang funny. Eddie Shin as Roger is by far the best character out of the ensemble. He's got all the best lines, and he pulls it off pretty well. "Bro." I dug it. Props.

01.30.02

Check out this picture on the left. It angers me that so much media attention has been given to Korea's seemingly favorite delicacy, dog meat. Reports make it sound as though EVERYONE in Korea eats dogs --and likes it. Listening to news coverage and all these protests, you'd think in Korea you could swing by KFC and pick up a bucket of dog. Finger lickin' good. And western news media is all over it, eating it up. It paints a picture of Korea as a nation of savages to the rest of world. But it just ain't true. The fact of the matter is, dog meat as food is frowned upon by the general Korean populace. Yes, dog is eaten. But like, probably within a small rural subsection of the population living in extreme poverty. Don't believe the hype! It's racist! But you know what? Come to think of it, even if Korea (or whatever other country) really does eat dogs or turtle or camel or zebra, who cares? Koreans can eat whatever the hell they want. Personally, I'm not down with eating dogs, but not because white man says no. This is about culture clash disguised as moral indignation. Human rights violations are one thing... and you can certainly criticize and protest the way an animal is treated... but that's not what's happening here. Just because it's disapproved of in western (WHITE) eyes doesn't make it any more or less acceptable. Don't give in to ethnocentrist thought. That's racist!

01.29.02



Want to see something racist? That's racist!

01.29.02

Watched Daugher From Danang, the documentary that took the prize at Sundance this year. Pretty good. Rather sad.

01.28.02

That Asian lady on the most recent episode of Alias is Jennifer Tung. She's had a handful of small roles here there, but currently she can be seen in Kung POW: Enter the Fist. That's no good. She's the dragon lady with the weird one boob you keep seeing in the previews. Anyway, today she is Maxim Online's Girlfriend of the Day. Although here she seems to have a normal, complete set of breasts. Good for her... So has anyone seen Kung POW yet? Word on the street, this movie's baaaaaaad. Dude, let me know what you thought!

01.28.02

Good news. Better Luck Tomorrow has been picked up by MTV Films! This is the first-ever acquisition of an Asian American film from Sundance. Props. Check out this article: MTV seeks "Better Luck" with Sundance film

01.26.02

Hawaii native Mark Dacascos kicks a lot of ass in Brotherhood of the Wolf.

01.25.02

Kung POW: Enter the Fist opens in theaters today. Yes, it looks BAD. I'll probably end up watching it, so I can justifiably write about it here --because it looks racist! If anyone sees this movie, write in and let me know what you think.

01.24.02

Watched the premiere of That 80s Show tonight. I was slightly disappointed... it just wasn't that funny. The best parts were definitely all the eighties gags, but that can only go so far. For real though, I started getting a little sick watching these characters and their outfits --eighties fashion was dang frickin' ugly. I hope that NEVER comes back. But it's pretty funny stuff. On the plus side, Eddie Shin as Roger is probably one of the best parts about the show --he's pretty funny. His yuppie Reagan-worship makes for some good eighties comedy. And it doesn't to succumb to an Asian stereotype. That satisfies me. So, not bad I guess. I think I'll give it a few more tries.

01.23.02

Alright! That 80s Show debuts on Fox tonight, 8:00/7:00 central. The sitcom follows the lives of a group of twenty-somethings finding their way through the decade. Ah, that perilous decade --"the eighties." I never thought I'd see such a show. So we have come to this. Anyway, the cast features our boy Eddie Shin as Roger, the "upwardly mobile friend to who is driven to ride the Reagan train to success... but just can't quite catch a break... " According to the official site, he "idolizes Ronald Reagan and listens to motivation tapes while trying to find his way into corporate America." Some kinda Alex Keaton-esque character, I suppose. I saw a quick clip of Roger doing the robot, singing along to the Talking Heads. I fell down laughing. Looks pretty good. Hopefully Roger won't end up being an Asian sucka foo. Check it out tonight.

01.22.02

Legendary singer Peggy Lee died yesterday. She is best remembered for her cool, smoldering rendition of "Fever." Great song. So what does she have to do with Angry Asian Man? Bet you didn't know that she supplied the voices for the Si & Am, the Siamese cats in Lady and the Tramp. Yes, she was partly responsible for one of the most racist animated depictions in the history of cinema --and in Disney movie at that. Remember them? And that freakin' song?? "We are Siamese if you please..." Man, Peggy Lee, I love "Fever," but come on, that's racist!

01.21.02

It's Martin Luther King Jr's birthday. We've come a long way, but we've still got a lot more to do... If you believe in his dream, do something about it!

01.21.02

Asian lady on Alias, as one of those dudes who infiltrate SD-6 with McKenas Cole.

01.20.02

Sundance wrapped with awards presented last night... Daughter From Danang by Gail Dolgin and Vicente Franco walked away with the documentary grand jury prize. Props. The film follows an Amerasian child of a Vietnamese woman and U.S. soldier who searches for her natural mother years after she was adopted by an American woman... So I guess Better Luck Tomorrow didn't receive any awards... but it did generate a whole lot of buzz, and will more than likely receive some kind of distribution. This is a good thing. Something to hope for. Props.

01.19.02

"And what I find very offensive and condescending about your statement, [which] nobody would say to a bunch of white filmmakers, 'How could you do this to your people?' This film has the right to be about these people and Asian-American characters have the right to be whoever the hell they want to be. They do not have to 'represent' their people." -- Roger Ebert

So Better Luck Tomorrow definitely caused a stir with the now-infamous Q & A session. Not only are Ebert's comments right on the money, this can only generate more talk about the film and the general issues it raises about Asian American film... Here's an article about the Q & A, with a transcript: When Audiences Attack At Sundance

01.18.02

Roger Ebert offers his two cents and offers an interesting perspective on Better Luck Tomorrow. Good article:
No place for political correctness in film

01.18.02

Was watching Just Shoot Me last night. Without getting into the episode's details, Nina's skanky wild granddaughter was making out with some Asian dude at a restaurant. Observing this, Nina says to someone on the phone, "She's busy. Having Chinese." What's up with that? A freakin' at the Chinese man's expense. At first I thought, whoa, Asian man is getting some play with a hot white girl. But alas, they brought in an Asian guy just for the sake of one stupid line. That's racist!

01.18.02


We love Dr. Chen!

01.17.02

Okay, so Ming Na's role on ER last week was a little disapointing. I was a little mixed up. According to the NBC website, last week was, "Dr. Chen (Ming-Na) meets with Carter to discuss recently discovered evidence in the wrongful death case that resulted in her dismissal" and this week "...[Weaver] is also forced to re-hire the returning Dr. Chen (Ming-Na) who reveals damaging evidence that could put the blame on Weaver for a patient's accidental death." Now that's what I'm talking about. Don't mess with Dr. Chen. She's back.

01.17.02

Behold this picture, take note of the Asian girl in the back, partaking in the grass skirt activities. That's Michelle Krusiec in the film Pumpkin, starring Christina Ricci, currently featured at Sundance 2002. Well hooray for that.

01.16.02

So my "contact" at Sundance just got back a little early from Park City, and is pleased to report that Better Luck Tomorrow received quite an enthusiastic reception from audiences at the festival. Lots of buzz. She even thinks it has a good shot at winning one of the festival's coveted awards... It's looking good.

01.16.02

Check out this editorial piece from The Onion. Read the last line. Yeah, the freakiest.

I'm Certain That Sex With A Redhead Will Be More Fulfilling Than Other Sex

01.16.02

Al Leong was in last night's episode of 24, playing his usual thug/henchman role. Who the heck is Al Leong? He's that crazy looking evil Asian dude with long hair and a moustache, always hanging around in action movies. I mean, this dude is in everything, from Die Hard to Lethal Weapon to Beverly Hills Cop 3, playing a terrorist or whatever. He looks the same and plays the same role in every movie he's in. Anyway, he was on 24, doing what he does best.

01.15.02

Check out this article by Korean actor In-Pyo Cha, who turned down a role as the main villain in the next James Bond movie. The script seems to glorify the west's role in the tense political climate of the Korean peninsula. Once again, Hollywood, America and 007 are here to save the day. Gah! This actor sticks to his convictions: Why I said no to James Bond. But I suppose Rick Yune doesn't care about that crap. (Thanks, Min.)

01.15.02

Better Luck Tomorrow gets a pretty good endorsement at Ain't It Cool News.

01.14.02

Angry Asian Man comes up as the number one result when you do a Yahoo! search for "male man for hire". This is slightly disturbing.

01.14.02

Keep forgetting to report this one: None other than badass Sonny Chiba and action legend Yuen Wo-Ping will both have roles in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill, currently in development. So I think there's going to be fighting in this movie.

01.10.02

Hey, it's time for the Sundance Film Festival. January 10-20 in Park City, Utah. This year there's a whole load of Asian American works in the festival --this is a big deal. Here's the featured line up:

FEATURES

Documentary Competition:

Daughter from Danang - Gail Dolgin and Vincente Franco

Family Fundamentals - Arthur Dong

Feature Competition:

Better Luck Tomorrow - Justin Lin

Face - Bertha Bay-Sa Pan

American Spectrum:

Noon Blue Apples - Jay Lee

Premiere:

Hysterical Blindness - Mira Nair

SHORTS

Beneath the Borqa in Afghanistan - Iara Lee

The Quest for Length - Gene B. Rhee

Three Sisters on Moon Lake - Julia Kwan

Toyo Miyatake: Infinite Shades of Gray - Robert Nakamura

Farewell Hong Kong - King Wai Cheung

Lunch - Jinoh Park

Birju - Heeraz Marsatia

SUNDANCE ON LINE

Add Boiling Water - Motonichi Nakamura

Murmur - Virgil Wong and Andrea Kleine

Gena and TL - Singapore Airlines - Geoff Farr

It's lookin' good... Like I said before, Better Luck Tomorrow has got a lot going for it. Distribution would be pretty cool. Let's see what happens, eh?

01.10.02

Done with your Lord of the Rings books? Why not read about evil racist government agents wrongly arresting and imprisoning a Chinese American lab scientist on scapegoat charges for spying? Interested? Check out My Country Versus Me: The First-Hand Account by the Los Alamos Scientist Who Was Falsely Accused of Being a Spy by Dr. Wen Ho Lee with Helen Zia. The title kinda says it all. Available January 15.

01.09.02

I work at an Asian American media arts organization. We can't really help it, but every now and then we see our share of random hate mail. This sucks. Here's our most recent occurrence of racist mail, apparently from an African American person:

Subject: Why Do Asians Hate Blacks So Much?

Date: Mon, 24 Dec 2001 07:50:22 -0800

I say a prayer that you will find the intelligence to rid yourself of the
horrible brain washing that the White race has created for you and many
other Asian Americans.

It is a very sad statement to believe in things that are not true;
therefore, yielding the situation you are presently in.

I also pray that you and many other Asian Americans will finally learn
the real truth about America and it's foundations.

Its a shame to know how badly tricked and bamboozled the Asian Race is in
reference to America. For the most part the only thing you and many
other Asians know is WHITE, and the White Race has succeeded in keeping
your race in the closet, for good reasons.

Unfortunately, neither you nor the Asian Race can see the truth. I pray
that both you and your race will take your eyes off of the falsely created images of Television, and finally learn who actually built this country called the United States.

Your civil and equal rights were provided to you by African Americans
(Blacks) whether you know it or not, and many of my family, forefathers,
and ancestors died for your rights of equality, whether you accept it or
not, it's without question the truth.

The truth will arise one day in your life, but I ask that you will be
smart enough to not only broaden your mind, but also your heart. White is
not the answer to the Asian dysfunction here in America, only truth can
provide that answer, and when you finally find out what White people
really think of your race, you will remember me.

If you plan to stay in America...learn to be American, the Asian raping
of America perturbs me. If you are a great people stay in your own
country and make it that way.

Black people built this country, but your ignorance along with the
remainder of your race is much too foolish to open up your slanted eyes
wide enough to see the truth.

God bless your ignorance & stupidity, may you one day see the light!

By the way, get a black history book to not only find out your self worth
but also where you originated.

Sincerely your loss,

Terrence

I don't get it... What's his beef? And why did he send this to our org? What really disturbs me is that this guy is accusing US of being ignorant. Every line spews more and more horse crap. Terrence, you're a fool. Thanks for your mail, RACIST.

01.08.02

Yo, why is white, blonde Mandy friggin' Moore host of the MTV Asia Awards?

01.07.01

Ming Na will be back on ER. Told ya. This week. YES. The episode synopsis on the NBC site says: "[Dr. Weaver] is also forced to re-hire the returning Dr. Chen (Ming-Na) who reveals damaging evidence that could put the blame on Weaver for a patient's accidental death." Nice. Sounds good. Take that, sucka! Don't mess with Dr. Chen.

01.05.02

Check out the website for the upcoming indie film, Better Luck Tomorrow. Good stuff. Be on the lookout.

01.04.02

Aw man. I don't even know what to say. Check out the official site for the movie Kung Pow: Way of the Fist. Note the white dude making weird kung fu noises. Also note the weird mono-boobed dragon lady. What the hell is this? I know it's a spoof, but come on. I see no positive way this movie will advance the image of Asians in America. And you know what I think of that? That's racist!

01.03.02

Whoo. Michelle Yeoh, quite possibly my favorite actress of all time, was yesterday's Girlfriend of the Day at Maxim Online. She is awesome.

01.03.02

Ah yes, almost forgot. The Texas Rangers signed a $65 million, 5-year deal with pitcher Chan Ho Park. That's great for Chan Ho, but come on. A great deal of Chan Ho's following came from the fanbase in Los Angeles. It was the L.A. Korean connection. HUGE Korean following. Just look at the difference in ticket sales at Dodger Stadium whenever Chan Ho pitched. That was all about Korean pride. The Dodgers had a good thing going with Chan Ho and the Koreans. Texas? I don't know man. I don't have any population statistics or anything on hand, and call it a hunch, but I'm pretty sure that kind of enthusiasm won't be going on with the fans in Texas.

01.02.02

Found this news item:

CNN Anchors Are "All White Males," Says Asian Group

The Asian American Journalists Association has fired off a letter to CNN, expressing its "deep dismay" over the firing of anchor Joie Chen. Chen, who had anchored CNN's NewsSite until it was canceled earlier this month, was among 30 employees of the all-news network to be pink-slipped recently. In its letter addressed to CNN Executive V.P. and General Manager Sid Bedingfield, the association remarked that with Chen's exit, CNN "has managed to reshuffle its main anchor desk to an all-white male newscast."

That's racist!

01.02.02

So yeah, I've been rethinking this site. This will be a temporary state of things while I figure it all out... Now check out this article from Reuters about Asian American actors I read while I was away: No Kung-Fu Please, We're Asian-American Actors