04.30.05
Another story related to the fall of Saigon: Amerasians Recall Historic Vietnam Flight; and one on the Vietnamese community in San Gabriel Valley: For many, it's a day of shame
04.30.05
So many film festivals, so little time... this one's for you DC folks: US ASEAN Film, Video & Photography Festival in Washington DC, celebrating the diverse and distinctive cultues of Southeast Asia. It starts today, and runs through May 7. Good stuff.
04.30.05
Heads up... it's the 2005 Asian American Association Film Festival at UC Davis, May 2-13. They've got a really impressive schedule of films, including a student film competition. Very nicely put together, and it's all student-organized. So if you're in the area, check it out.
04.30.05
Taiwanese pitcher Chien-Ming Wang is slated to start for the Yankees in today's game against the Blue Jays: Wang to make first Yankees start. Welcome to the big league...
04.30.05
This is the website for Lords of Dogtown, a fictional account of the legendary Z-Boys. Shogo Kubo and Peggy Oki are among the film's large cast of characters. However, it appears the movie omits Jeff Ho, the co-owner of Jeff Ho & Zephy Productions Surf Shop and sponsor of the Zephyr Competition Skate Team—and a crucial part of the Dogtown story. Here's sort of an explanation why. Too bad...
04.29.05
Saw Alice Wu's Saving Face last night at VC Filmfest 2005. Great movie, with a lot of heart, and a great cast—who were in attendance at the screening. Allow me to take a moment to reflect on Joan Chen's incredible beauty... Ahhhhhhhh. Seriously, she's gorgeous. Anyway, the movie opens in New York and Los Angeles on May 27.
The festival continues through May 5. Support Asian American film!
04.29.05
An article on Houston's Vietnamese community: Where the East meets the West
04.29.05
April 30 marks the 30th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, and perhaps for many, the beginning of Vietnamese American identity as we know it. There is a huge historic march planned for this Satuday, when tens of thousands of Vietnamese Americans will converge on the U.S. Capitol in Washington DC to create awareness and commemorate the anniversary. For more information, visit: Vietnam Freedom March
Also coinciding with the anniversary, special screenings of Ham Tran's Journey From The Fall, in Garden Grove CA, Arlington VA, and San Jose CA. Check the website for details.
04.29.05
PBS is airing a historical documentary on Chiune Sugihara, the Japanese diplomat whose humanitary actions help save over 2,000 Jewish refugees during World War II. It airs on May 5: Sugihara: Conspiracy of Kindness. This story was also the basis for Chris Tashima's Academy Award-winning short film Visas and Virtue.
04.29.05
According to Chinese Restaurant News(?!), there are now more Chinese restaurants in America than there are McDonald's franchises: A Short History of the Chinese Restaurant
04.29.05
LIVERIGHT is a 5K run benefiting hepatitis B and liver cancer awareness, happening this Saturday in San Francisco at Golden Gate Park. As many as 1 in 10 Asian Americans are carriers of hepatitis B, and most don't even know that they're infected. They call it the SILENT KILLER. The sad thing is, it's completely preventable through vaccination. So, awareness is key. This is a great way to help out.
04.29.05
A perspective on the police brutality trial of two Asian American police officers in Palo Alto: Police trial: Race isn't only factor
04.29.05
Ya'll gonna learn Chinese: More Young Americans Take Chinese Language Challenge
04.29.05
Really, this is tiring: Asian-American groups call for boycott over 'bigoted' remarks. I'm wondering if the issue is even worth pursuing further, because frankly, this is just what radio people do—they say racist crap, and they stir up controversy. The powers that be don't really care if we yellow folks are offended. Oh, they act concerned, but they really don't care. Even sponsors don't really take us seriously. Sure, Hot 97 got jacked, but that's because they messed with a cause celebre—the tsunami. It was hip to care, and unhip to be insensitive. Sponsors weighed their potential losses, and had to side against the station. This stuff happens on radio all the time... you just normally don't have something like the tsunami to back you up.
That's a bleak situation, ain't it? Just being real. Still, going after the sponsors may be worth a shot. Anyone got a list?
04.28.05
It's going down. VC Filmfest 2005, the Los Angeles Asian Pacific American Film Festival kicks off tonight with the Opening Night presentation of Alice Wu's Saving Face at the Directors Guild of America. The festival runs through May 5, and boasts an impressive program of diverse, challenging work, from feature narratives to documentaries to shorts. Pay close attention to the short films nominated for the Golden Reel Awards—they're all really solid.
I'll be co-presenting the midnight screening of Jet Li's Unleashed on Friday, as well as a few other screenings during the festival. So come on out, check out some films, meet some people. It'll be a good time.
04.28.05
This is probably the closest thing to an apology you're going to get from Rex Reed about his Oldboy review:
On Oldboy
Finally, a word about Korea. A few weeks ago, in my broadside against the gory Korean movie schlockfest Oldboy, I apparently raised the hackles of several readers who objected to the way I mentioned the Korean film industry and the fermented Korean national dish called kimchi in the same sentence. I'm not an admirer of political correctness in first-person byline opinion writing, but that doesn't make me a racist, so if I inadvertently offended anyone who misinterpreted my humor, I apologize. I like Koreans. In truth, I have probably spent more time in Korea than any of the irate letter-writers currently bombarding me. I even lived there for several months while making a movie called Inchon! with Laurence Olivier, Jacqueline Bisset, Ben Gazzara, Richard Roundtree and Toshiro Mifune. We had many happy times, admired the lush landscape and liked the friendly people. We all hated the kimchi.
Ridiculous. What a pathetic excuse to name-drop. You'll find it at the bottom of the page here.
04.27.05
Check it out: Yella If Ya Hear Me! - an Asian American slam poetry competition happening this weekend in Los Angeles. Saturday, April 30, 7:30-9:30pm at the Jung Dong Art Hall & Theater. With spoken word artists, guest performers, and celebrity judges. Looks like a pretty cool event. For more information, visit Project Newspeak.
04.27.05
Been a busy couple of days for me... insanity. I got like 43 emails today pointing me to some rumblings out of New Jersey. Oh, what would we do without the fine, ignorant folks that bring us talk radio? On Monday, April 25, Craig Carton and Ray Rossi of the Jersey Guys Radio Show on NJ 101.5 FM made some racist remarks regarding the Edison Mayoral race. For example:
Craig Carton: Would you really vote for someone named Jun Choi [said in fast-paced, high-pitched, squeaky voice]?
[Continued]
Craig Carton: I'm using Jun Choi [said in fast-paced, high-pitched, squeaky voice] as an example of a larger problem.
Ray Rossi: and you know...
Carton: We're forgetting the fact that weíre Americans.
Rossi: You know that heís going to get the... whatever that vote is
Carton: And here's the bottom line... no specific minority group or foreign group should ever ever dictate the outcome of an American election. I don't care if the Chinese population in Edison has quadrupled in the last year, Chinese should never dictate the outcome of an election, Americans should.
Rossi: Americans should, exactly
...
It gets a lot worse... That's an excerpt from a longer transcript that's been making the rounds. I'm sorry, but by "Americans," don't you really mean white people? Because Chinese people could never be American, is that what you're saying? Here's an article about what went down on the show: Asian-Americans protest radio hosts' remarks. Sepia Mutiny has a an entry on these fools here, along with the full transcript available as a PDF. It's also available here.
If you think this is messed up—and I certainly do—perhaps you'd like to do something about it. Here is some useful information...
Eric Johnson, Station Manager
New Jersey 101.5 FM Radio
P.O. Box 5698
Trenton, NJ 08618
(609) 530-0478
ej1015@nj1015.com
Andy Santoro, Group Vice-President and General Manager
Millennium Radio New Jersey 101.5 FM
P.O. Box 5698
Trenton, NJ 08638
(609) 771-8181
I'm sure there will be more information in the coming days. Stay tuned. Do I need to say it? That's racist!
04.26.05
In case you didn't hear... Earlier this month, a federal judge approved a $40 million settlement of employment discrimination lawsuits charging that Abercrombie & Fitch avoided hiring minorities and women in order to preserve the brand's "all-American look" [WHITE]. In addition to offering cash compensation, the deal requires the company to set up a diversity office and to cease the practice of limiting recruiting to certain fraternities and sororities: Judge Approves $40M Settlement Against Abercrombie & Fitch Chain. If you qualify for a piece of the settlement, and you'd like to get your share, head over to www.abercrombieclaims.com. ABERCROMBIE SUCKS.
04.26.05
After a long history of demands, dealings and unmet promises, Asian American students at Tufts University are taking a final stand against their school's administration in order to establish Asian American Studies. They're organizing a protest on Wednesday, April 27 from 12-5pm on the Tufts Academic Quad. If you can make it, be there. I too, would like to see Asian American Studies at Tufts, and everywhere else, for that matter...
04.26.05
News from Asian communities all over America:
San Francisco: Upheavals rock Asians' clout in halls of power
Boston: Asian-Americans step up to ballot box
San Jose: Refugees take stock of life in U.S.
Seattle: Old Chinatown attracts new money
San Gabriel Valley: Living in two worlds
Los Angeles: L.A.'s Koreatown rebuilds a decade after riots, but many still struggle
04.26.05
Susie Suh's self-titled debut album hits stores today. I've been listening to it over the last few weeks, and it's good stuff. Pick it up.
Touch, the new album from Amerie, is also out today. Don't know about the rest of the album, but that song "1 Thing" is pretty damn hot.
04.25.05
After being passed over this weekend in the NFL draft, Hawaii quarterback Timmy Chang signed a free agent contract with the Arizona Cardinals: Chang to Arizona Cardinals
04.25.05
A new documentary on North Korea from director of The Game of Their Lives: Filmmaker Shows Shock of Normality in North Korea. According to this film, the people of North Korea are... regular folks, just trying to get by. What did you expect? Evil commie minions? I love my fellow Koreans—it's the regime I hate. Here's the official website for the film: A State of Mind. (It also played at the Tribeca Film Festival.)
04.25.05
U.S. astronaut Leroy Chiao has returned safely from his mission at the international space station: Russian Capsule Returns From Space Station
04.25.05
Jun Choi is hoping the Asian American community will help him unseat Mayor George Spadoro in the Edison, NJ Democratic primary: Asian-Americans factor in Edison race
04.25.05
A little while ago I mentioned how Katie Leung, who plays Cho Chang in the next Harry Potter movie, has been getting a ton of attention on the web in the form fansites (and hatesites). All bearing the only known photo out there of Ms. Leung, a grainy snapshot on her on the cell phone. A little premature, I think. I mean, really, no one's seen her in the role yet. Has she done anything to deserve such attention—good or bad? Anyway, here's an article on the hype: Cyber-spite over Harry's girl. Ridiculous.
04.25.05
Mandy Amano—aka That Pepsi Girl—is featured in the May issue of Maxim. Settle down, boys.
04.25.05
The crazy collective known as Propagander presents their 2005 spring show, Everybody Dies. It runs May 26th through July 2 at The Actors Playpen in West Hollywood. Looks like good fun.
04.25.05
James Bai's sci fi film Puzzlehead made its world premiere last night at the Tribeca Film Festival. It gets a nice write-up over at Ain't It Cool News.
Georgia Lee's Red Doors premiered at Tribeca on Friday, and has a couple more screenings this week. The film is also the Closing Night presentation at VC FilmFest 2005.
And finally, Kit Hui's gorgeous-looking short film Missing makes it premiere tonight at Tribeca, and plays two more times during the week. The short will also be playing at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in May. Nice.
04.25.05
Couple of interesting photo features on the website for The Meaning of Food...
A dying breed: CHOP SUEY
Prepared with care: OBENTO
04.25.05
Here's the official U.S. site for Hayao Miyazaki's Howl's Moving Castle.
04.25.05
Aishwarya Rai, the Most Beautiful Woman In The World, is a guest on Oprah today.
04.25.05
Hey. Been busy as hell the last few days. Here's some news for your azz... According to the Wall Street Journal, The Year of the Yao had a pretty cruddy box office opening in Houston (you know, home of the Rockets) two weekends ago, taking in just $27,823 in ticket sales. The debut was such a flop that distributor New Line Cinema has cancelled its plans to put Year of the Yao into more theaters (it would've expanded this Friday). Sorry, Berkeley, Mountain View, Portland, Denver, Long Beach, Boston, Barrington IL and all the rest... Houston didn't represent. Looks like you have to wait for the DVD.
On the other side of things, Kung Fu Hustle expanded nationwide and landed a spot in the top ten (#5). I think I want to watch it again. Stephen Chow is a genius.
04.22.05
Some news on the U.S. remake of Oldboy over at Ain't It Cool News (I don't recommend reading the article, if you have not yet seen the original): After pulling teeth for a few hours, screenwriter Fabian Marquez spits blood and spills details on remake of OLDBOY! As much I respect Justin Lin and Co., this will not live up to Park Chan-Wook's film... I'm not all rabid anti-remake some of the folks out there on the internets. I just wish Hollywood would give Asian films the distribution they deserve, rather than treating them like disposable properties.
04.22.05
It's a step, but it seems there's still a long way to go: Japan PM Apologizes for WWII Aggression
04.21.05
This casting call looks like something interesting:
NATIONWIDE OPEN CASTING
THE MODEL MINORITY: Re-Define. Re-Model. Real People.
CASH PRIZE + MODELING CAREER OPPORTUNITY!
The Producers are seeking for a dynamic group of minorities who are smart, sexy, talented and over-achievers for a new reality TV pilot: The Model Minority. Our rebirth of the term `Model Minority` is beyond physical distinction, inclusive of anyone who defines themselves a minority and has the ability to shatter their own glass ceiling to success. We are searching for the ideal role model of today`s generation, whose achievements command respect with a striking face and bright mind waiting to be spotlighted on the runway ahead!
Requirements: No previous experience as a model in a national campaign within the last 5 years (including, but not limited to, appearances on television and print advertisements) Must be a male or female minority between 18-27 years of age. Female height: 5'7", Male height:5'9"
Contact us: Interest applicants please submit three photographs of yourself: A close-up of your face, two full-length photograph of your entire body (1 clothed, 1 swimwear), a resume (listing your achievements, awards, education, G.P.A., etc.), a cover letter stating briefly why you consider yourself a minority and what makes you an excellent candidate for this TV pilot.
Reply via Email: casting@themodelminority.tv
This is a good opportunity for you hot-looking Asian folks to represent.
04.21.05
Some follow-up news on what's going on at Hot 97. It seems that Miss Info will be returning to the airwaves—and now she has her own show: 'QHT brings back its missing Miss. Starting April 30, Miss Info will be heard Saturday mornings, from 8 to noon. She'll also provide "celebrity drama" reports at 7:00 and 8:00pm on the Funkmaster Flex show, Monday through Thursday. Welcome back! Don't let them get you down.
04.21.05
Screenshot of another racist Facebook group: People Who Hate all asians That Talk With Each Other In There Chingy-chang-chong Shit. Is this for real? Is there a group out there for "People Who Hate All People That Talk All Racist and Shit (and Don't Know the Difference Between There, Their and They're)." That's racist!
04.21.05
David Wong, the associate dean for research at the UCLA School of Dentistry, has seen the future, and it is spit: A Bloodless Revolution: Spit Will Tell What Ails You
04.21.05
Lance Krall has his own show on Spike TV: The Lance Krall Show. I believe his mother is Vietnamese. (He played Kip on the Joe Schmo Show.)
04.21.05
There's an Asian student, Jamison Liang, at the center of this controversy in Illinois: High school teens face a gay T-shirt showdown
04.21.05
Okay, like, fifteen people have emailed me this article on a study of Chinese men and penis size: Chinese men measure up to others below the belt. Really glad to see that time and money is being devoted to such worthwhile scientific research.
04.21.05
What the-!? This project suddenly looks better... but it still sounds pretty bad: Jet Li, Zhang Ziyi and Keanu Reeves to set sail with Sinbad
04.21.05
An article on author Lan Samantha Chang, recently named the new director of the Iowa Writers' Workshop: For Writers' Program, a New Pedagogy
04.21.05
Some info on an upcoming feature film, Expats, written and directed by Wonsuk Chin. An English-language heist movie, shot entirely on-location in Korea. Starring, among others, John Cho and Kelly Hu. Apparently it's currently in post-production. Here's the plot summary, according to IMDb:
A unique caper in the vein of Ocean's 11 meets Lost in Translation. Jeremy Keller a wayward college graduate goes to Korea to teach English to 10 year-olds. Immediately he falls in with a group of eccletic expatriates - Casey surf-slacker from Nebraska who now teaches English; Mark, a washed-up pro ball player with a gambling addiction; Albert, Mark's Korean-Canadian translator; Ian, an outrageous British DJ; and Vanilla Manilla, a sexy nightclub diva stuck in a low-rent club. Jeremy is quickly lured into the darkly seductive underworld of Pusan, the modern Casablanca. When they discover Korean gangsters never carry guns, they hatch an outrageous plan - to rob them.
Not quite sure about this one yet...
04.21.05
A short article/interview with Puffy AmiYumi: Say hi, hi to happy-pop duo Puffy AmiYumi
04.20.05
Article on Chiu Chi Ling, one of the badass old kung fu dudes from Kung Fu Hustle: Far from Hong Kong, kung fu master still hustles
04.20.05
Eddy Zheng is in danger of being deported to China. Why should you care? It's a long story, but an important one. There's a good entry here over at the Hyphen Blog that'll give you the details you need to know: Eddy Zhen's Last Chance
04.20.05
The trial of Craig Lee and Michael Kan, the two Palo Alto police officers accused of beating a 59-year-old Albert Hopkins, ended in a mistrial this week when the jury deadlocked 8-4 in favor of conviction. At least one juror said the hung jury broke down along racial lines, with four Asian jurors holding out against convicting the Asian American officers: Police beating case ends in a mistrial -- jury deadlocked. That is crazy.
04.20.05
Studies show that Asian Americans are twice as likely than whites to develop diabetes. Better watch that belly fat: Diabetes risk rises in Asian-Americans
04.19.05
The annual conference of the Association of Asian American Studies descends upon Los Angeles this week, April 20-24. It's kind of exciting, sort of an all-star gathering of Asian American scholars. Oooooh. Yeah, I know, that sounds pretty nerdy. But I'll be there. So call me a nerd, fool.
04.19.05
On November 15, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents raided Chinese restaurants and residences in El Paso, questioning about forty men and women during several days in a hotel. But only six people were formally charged. Their crime: failing to give notice of a change of address within 10 days. In January, the charges were dismissed on the condition that the defendants "waive any and all claims against the United States," according to paperwork in the case. What the hell is going on: China Buffet workers freed on condition they don't sue
04.19.05
The San Francisco Chronicle has a good article on filmmaker Steven Okazaki and his new documentary feature Rehab: The junkies at Camp Recovery seem like the kids next door
04.19.05
Here's an unofficial(?) blog dedicated to Alice Wu's Saving Face. The movie is the Opening Night film at VC Filmfest 2005 next week, and gets a theatrical release in May. Here's the official site (not much there yet). And Asia Pacific Arts has an interview with co-star Lynn Chen: Lovin' the Lynn
04.19.05
This is pretty ridiculous: Bad Days for South Korea's Type-B Men
04.19.05
Here's some great coverage of a Jin show in Auckland, New Zealand, reported by Yellow Peril. Cool to hear from a different perspective of the diaspora...
04.19.05
This is short notice, but Giant Robot is doing a free screening of Kim Ki-Duk's 3-Iron tonight at the Laemmle's Monica Fourplex in Santa Monica. The director will be in attendance for a Q&A after the screening. You just need to RSVP right away. Details here.
04.18.05
Hey, there's an Asian guy in Bloc Party, a band that's been getting a lot of notice lately. Matt Tong is apparently the ninth drummer to play with the band. Hopefully, he will not spontaneously combust. Here's an interview with the man: Bloc Party Speak
04.18.05
You're damn right it's a freaking hate crime: Police call vandalism at RPV home a hate crime. That's racist!
04.17.05
Here's a lengthy article on the life and tragic death of writer Iris Chang: Historian Iris Chang won many battles; The war she lost raged within
04.17.05
Remember I mentioned the casting of white boy former A&F model Channing Tatum as Genghis Khan in Mongol? Well, here's a photo of him, I think, in full Genghis makeup (the page is in Russian). That's right, baby—yellowface. Here's an article on the movie, which gets it wrong and calls Tatum "Asian American." He's not, you fools. And here's the movie's official site. Not much there yet, but man, this looks like a disaster. Ridiculous...
04.17.05
Tomorrow night, PBS' American Experience presents a documentary on The Massie Affair, Hawaii's infamous racially-charged 1931 case involving the alleged rape of a Naval officer's wife (white), the five accused suspects—two Hawai'ians, two Japanese, and one Chinese—and the "honor killing" of one of the defendants. Freakin' racist. Here's the description from the website:
In the early years of the 20th century, at a time when the U.S. Navy dominated Hawai'i, Americans thought of the islands as their paradise in the Pacific. But in September 1931, an explosive incident shook the semblance of tranquility and exposed the racial tensions roiling beneath the surface.
Thalia Fortescue Massie, the troubled young wife of a Navy lieutenant, claimed that a group of Hawai'ians had raped her on the Ala Moana, a lonely beach road leading from Waikiki to Honolulu. Five young men were arrested -- two Hawai'ians, two Japanese, and one Chinese. Despite evidence that the defendants couldn't have committed the crime, a mixed race jury deadlocked and the suspects were released on bail. Hawai'ians were outraged, believing the rape charges a sham. White sailors beat one of the rape defendants so badly he almost died.
Into this explosive atmosphere, Massie's strong-willed mother, Grace Hubbard Fortescue, made a dramatic entrance. When one of the rape defendants was found dead in the back seat of Fortescue's car, news of the "honor slaying" unleashed a torrent of racist invective from the mainland in support of Fortescue. Though she was eventually tried and convicted of manslaughter, her sentence was commuted to a single hour. The Massie affair inflicted a wound on the psyche of the Hawai'ian people that has yet to heal.
The website has a lot of interesting background information. The program airs on Monday (check local listings).
04.17.05
One of California's most powerful Republican House members, Rep. Bill Thomas (R-Bakersfield), is clashing with the Bush administration, which opposes his proposal to authorize $38 million in federal funds to preserve the camps where Japanese Americans were interned during World War II: Emotional call for internment memorials
04.17.05
Aw man. Now where will I get my beer? Two Chinese restauranteurs were arrested for delivering alcohol (with an order of eggrolls) to underage customers: Two egg rolls with a side of beer. Said police: "The beer was tagged for evidence, but because the egg rolls were perishable, they were consumed by someone on staff." Yum.
04.17.05
Sports Illustrated article on Timmy Chang, trying to become the NFL's first Asian American quarterback, and fighting the misperceptions that go along with it: Hurdles to history. Hell yeah.
04.17.05
ESPN has a decent article on Dodgers assistant general manager Kim Ng, an Asian American woman in a male-dominated tradition... unfortunately, the article is only available for ESPN Insider suscribers. Still, I thought I'd point you to it anyway: Female executive earning respect. If you're interested in the reading the full text, I can perhaps send you a copy of the article... if you ask nicely. (Thank you, Sunny.)
04.16.05
Imagine this. You wake up one Sunday morning, and find a flyer taped to your door declaring "It's time for white fight!" It happened in Minnesota. The headline says enough: Nazi groupís fliers distributed around Richfield. That's racist!
04.16.05
San Francisco Assessor-Recorder Mabel Teng resigns amid controversy: Embattled S.F. official Teng quits
04.16.05
According to a lawsuit filed Friday, Asian police officers working for The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey have been repeatedly subjected to racial slurs and denied promotions: Asian police society accuses Port Authority of discrimination. That's racist!
04.16.05
In response to those racist Facebook groups at UVA, consider this group at Berkeley, Asians Against Yellow Fever, which has apparently been around for a while. They describe themselves as:
"...a group dedicated to developing a cure for the dreaded disease known as "Yellow Fever." Akin in molecular properties to "Jungle Fever" and "The Common Lust for White Women," Yellow Fever is known to be widespread in places with a high concentration of hot Asian females and lonely, desparate skinny white dudes. Join us in this noble crusade to rid Berkeley of this horrible plague.
This message has been approved by the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC).
For those of you with a Facebook account, you can visit the group here.
04.16.05
After half a year of legal hell, it looks as though prosecutors are going to drop charges against Yusuke Joshua Banno, an Arizona college student who had been arrested and charged with assaulting a police officer after allegedly setting fire to a giant papier mache dragon at a RNC protest last summer: Student's Arrest at G.O.P. Convention Puts His Life in Limbo
04.16.05
It's been a few weeks, and it seems the Observer would rather just sweep Rex Reed's review of Oldboy under the rug, and let things just die (see my 03.25.05 and 03.30.05 entries). Does anyone know if the Observer ran any letters? Oldboy ain't for everybody, but all of Korea certainly doesn't deserve the racist crap slinging Reed gave it. For those of you who forgot, or never got clued in, here's Rexy's review from March 24, in its entirety:
Huh?
For sewage in a cocktail shaker, there is Oldboy, a noxious helping of Korean Grand Guignol as pointless as it is shocking. What else can you expect from a nation weaned on kimchi, a mixture of raw garlic and cabbage buried underground until it rots, dug up from the grave and then served in earthenware pots sold at the Seoul airport as souvenirs? Directed by Chan-wook Park, a film-festival ≥comer≤ in this nation of emerging cinematic schlock, a cheerful drunk named Dae-su Oh disappears from the phone book and is sealed in a room for 15 years. Injected with drugs and forced to sleep every night with Valium gas that hisses through vents in the walls, he has no idea where he is, who put him there, or what he did to deserve such a fate in the first place. He keeps track of the time heπs imprisoned in this hole by etching a tattoo on his body for every year. Suddenly, heπs released in a field from the inside of a steamer trunk, more confused than ever. What follows is an extended two-hour nightmare in which he tries to track down his captors by tracing the takeout food they fed him in his cell, while the voices of his torturers contact him on cell phones and computer chat-room Web sites. What is going on here? Nobody knows. Meanwhile, he defeats an entire gang of killers with a knife sticking out of his back. He eats a live eel. A severed hand rips out a manπs teeth, one by one, with a hammer. Blood flows, there is much vomiting and incest, and more screams than Japanese kabuki. Part kung fu, part revenge-theme Charlie Chan murder mystery, part metaphysical Oriental mumbo-jumbo, all of it incomprehensible. Dae-su Oh is played by Min-sik Choi. I walked out at the point where he grabbed a pair of sharp scissors and cut his tongue off in blood-splattering close-ups. Obviously the actor is still in one piece, but Iπd be willing to bet thereπs some poor cow somewhere in Pusan who can no longer moo. Oldboy makes strange music, but itπs like a three-hour concerto played on a theremin.
That's not right, man. He's entitled to his opinions about the movie, but this is straight up, racist. Yeah, it's been a few weeks, but I still haven't let go. Neither have these guys: Rex Is Comedy.
04.16.05
A BBC Radio 4 documentary has shed light on the legally questionable ways in which British government officials dealt with Chinese sailors after World War II: Liverpool's lost Chinese sailors
04.16.05
It's official... Lucy Liu will star in the horror-thriller Rise. She'll play a reporter who wakes up in a morgue and discovers she's no longer among the living. She vows revenge against the vampires responsible for putting her there and hunts them down one by one. Well, of course. Shooting begins this summer: Lucy Liu is on the Rise
04.15.05
AsianAvenue.com (that thing still around?) has an interview with Yao Ming: Yao Speaks. And here's a pair of articles on Year of the Yao from the Houston Chronicle:
Yao is a breath of fresh air
The big guy hits the big screen
04.15.05
Free the Gwenihana Four! An important movement has risen up to free the Harajuku Girls from captivity as Gwen Stefani's fashion accessories. Here is a blog in support of the cause. Downlaod a poster, stick it up somewhere. Freedom!
04.15.05
Cool-looking event happening in Los Angeles next week: Celebrating Arts & Entertainment in Asian Pacific America, presented by Assemblymember Carol Liu, California Asian American Pacific Islanders Arts Network, and Visual Communications:
Celebrating Arts & Entertainment in Asian Pacific America
Thursday April 21, 2005
Empress Pavilion, Chinatown
988 N Hill St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
6-8pm
Short program @ 7pm
The event will be a gathering of Asian American artists, entertainers and art advocacy community organizations. It'll be a good event for APIA students and post-graduates who want to get involved in the arts and entertainment arena but don't know where to start. RSVP with my man Jack Song at jack.song@asm.ca.gov.
04.15.05
More campus controvery, this time at the University of Virginia... The Daily Cavalier ran an editorial denouncing various Facebook groups at the school that denigrate and fetishize Asian women, with names like "Americans for the Increased Importation of Asian Women" and "People for the Propagation of Asian Fetish." Here's another Cavalier article: Forgotten Racism. This got the attention of the campus, and the powers-that-be, calling for name changes, meetings and all that. Some other fools shot back, with an unsigned editorial: The facebook and free speech. Look, I can take a joke, but excuse me if I take offense to a group that describes its purpose as:
"...to bang out asians. Bang hard or go home. Yes, even the ugly bitches ...People say we are sick. People say our parents must have touched us when we were little. But I can't help it if my dick likes the taste of Teriyaki sauce. Or soy. Or duck for that matter. And when I'm feeling a little risky, wasabi."
That's racist! Don't where this situation currently stands... but like most of the racist crap that happens on college campuses, it'll probably just eventually blow over. (Many thanks to Purifying Flames for coverage.)
04.15.05
The plight of Ming Kuang Chen, the Chinese food deliveryman who got trapped in an elevator for three days, has drawn some attention to the ugly underground business of illegal immigrant smuggling: Snakeheads That Bite and Hang On
04.15.05
It's like a rumble: Grocery Giants Battle in Atlanta Koreatown
04.15.05
KoreAm Journal's March cover story featuring Mike Kang and The Motel: Michael Kang And The Sundance Bid
04.14.05
SDAFF has a feature interview with filmmaker Grace Lee on The Grace Lee Project. What is the Asian American male equivalent of "Grace Lee"? John Lee?
04.14.05
Profile on Willie "Woo Woo" Wong, former basketball player for USF. Back in 1950, standing at a whoppin' 5'5", he was considered one of the team's best all-around players.
Speaking of Chinese dudes playing basketball, meet Sun Ming Ming of Harbin, China: 7-foot-8 Chinese player trains in Greensboro, hopes for NBA. Look some kind of bigfoot sighting, this article has a photo of the guy.
Speaking of tall-ass Chinese dudes playing basketball, here's a favorable review of Year of the Yao: 'The Year of the Yao' a Good Time
04.14.05
New York Daily News article on Asian American stars breaking through in network television: Asian stars are rising. Basically, it says Asians are awesome, and should rule TV.
04.14.05
Zhang Ziyi has been named one of The TIME 100—TIME Magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2005 (the current issue). The list also includes Asian figures such as Hayao Miyazaki, the Dalai Lama, Chen Shui-bian, Kim Jong-il (boo), Hu Jintao, Lee Kuan Yew (Singapore's PM), Lee Kun Hee (Samsung's chairman) and Katsuaki Watanabe (CEO of Toyota).
04.14.05
Spotted in the Village Voice: "Astronaut in China"> (the little strip at the bottom). I don't get it. But what's up with the little buck-toothed chinaman caricature? That's racist!
04.14.05
China Doll, a play inspired by the life of Anna May Wong, runs through April 24 at Off-Broadway's West End Theatre. Presented by Pan Asian Repertory Theatre to celebrate the 100th birthday of Anna May Wong.
04.14.05
Been hearing a lot about this issue lately: China Tells Japan to Face Up to Past. Nations still hold a bad grudge against Japan, and Japan refuses to fully acknowledge its past. It appears there will be little international progress without first attending to these old, deep wounds...
Along similar lines... while Japan's text may refuse to tell the whole story, China's schoolbooks certainly don't provide a complete picture of its own rocky history: What Chinese textbooks don't say
04.14.05
Two days after the end of the legislative session, state lawmakers are discovering something few were aware of: they voted to make English the official language of West Virginia. Snuck it in there, last minute: W. Virginia lawmakers pass English bill. Another battle won in the struggle to eradicate foreign-ness in America!
04.14.05
Letters responding to MiHi Ahn's "Gwenihana" article in Salon. Opinions seem to vary, from indignation to "so what?" But I did appreciate this particular quote: "I would like to say that Gwen Stefani has inspired me to start collecting my own little ethnic pets."
04.13.05
Couple things I already mentioned, but wanted to throw out there again...
I recently got my hands on the self-titled album debut from Susie Suh. It's pretty chill, but I'm liking it. She's got a good sound, doing that breathy-throaty thing with her voice... Fans of Rachael Yamagata should dig it. The album is currently available from the Sony Music Store, and hits stores April 26.
I watched Year of the Yao last week. It's a documentary about Yao Ming's tumultuous first season in the NBA. Overall, it was an enjoyable and halfway insightful... Yao seems like a very normal guy who had extraordinary expectations to live up to—the number one draft pick, the tallest player in the league, and the hope of an entire nation. It gets a little cheesy, but I guess I wasn't expecting a hard-hitting thought piece anyway. One thing I did find annoying, on a technical level, were some of the choices in sound editing. The film is also largely the story of Colin Pine, Yao Ming's translator. He's the film's narrator, but also offers his first-person perspective on the experience. In addition, he provides the voiceover translation for Yao Ming's on-camera interviews (this could've easily been accomplished with subtitles). With Pine's voice dominating the film, it gets unnecessarily confusing. But anyway... it's still a fun film... The movie opens in Houston on Friday, then expands to various cities nationwide on April 29th and May 6. Here's a publicity blog in support of the film: www.yearoftheyao.blogspot.com/
04.12.05
Two Joy Luck alum in Chicagoland... Lauren Tom was recently honored for her contribution to film by the Center for Asian Arts and Media at Columbia College as part of the 10th anniversary celebration of the Chicago Asian American Showcase: Asian Arts Center lauds actress of screen, stage. And Ming Na spoke this week at Northwestern (my alma mater!): Actress Ming-Na encourages pride in heritage. Sorry, no recent news on Tamlyn Tomita or Rosalind Chao.
04.12.05
On tonight's harrowing episode of Blind Justice:
"Seoul Man"
Dunbar tries to redeem himself after he lets a man who murdered a Korean grocer escape, and the Chief of Detectives chastises Dunbar for pulling out his weapon in public.
There will probably be Asian people in this episode. Like George Cheung as "Albert Yun" and Reggie Lee as "Don Yun." Yay. But dude, what an idiotic idea—giving the blind cop a gun? Then again, the show's entire premise is sort of idiotic. Yeah, yeah, I know—I'm not a true believer.
04.12.05
The wheels are turning for a Grudge sequel. No surprise, really: Sony Starts the "Grudge 2" Gravy Train. Director Takashi Shimuzu is back on board. I do not care.
04.12.05
Lang Lang! Live! On NPR: Piano Phenom Lang Lang Performs Mozart, Liszt
04.12.05
Just heard about this book, The Asian Mystique by Sheridan Prasso. It's a critique of the West's eroticized illusions and misperceptions about Asia. I'll try to pick it up when I get the chance.
Also want to point your attention to A Sense of Duty: My Father, My American Journey, a memoir by Quang X. Pham. It's an account of his personal journey from Vietnam as a refugee, struggling to grow up American, to his service as a U.S. Marine, to the eventual reunion with his father. It's an important American story, told with blunt honesty.
04.12.05
Author Lan Samantha Chang has been named director of the University of Iowa's Writers' Workshop, the nation's most prestigious writing program: Chang Named Director of Iowa Writers
04.11.05
So, what the heck happened here: Confrontation at Capitol Ends With Man in Custody. A Chinese dude stands in front of the Capitol with two suitcases, looking kind of fishy. Police get suspicious that he could be a suicide bomber. They tell him to stand down, but the guy is uncooperative, demanding to speak only with the President. Eventually, they subdue the guy, and explode the suitcases... and there are no bombs. The guy gets dragged off. So what exactly was this all about?
04.11.05
I should mention that Kung Fu Hustle kicked crazy ass at the box office over the weekend. $293,025 on just seven screens. That's a MASSIVE per-screen average of $41,861. Let me put it this way: The number one film, Sahara opened on 3,154 screens and had a per screen average of $5,866. It's good to see Sony's marketing push pay off (unlike Miramax's handling of Shaolin Soccer). The movie expands to more cities on April 22.
Here's coverage of a recent press junket with Stephen Chow: A Tale of Two Press Conferences
04.11.05
San Francisco-based Asian American indie pop bands The Invisible Cities and Scrabbel are both featured in the latest episode of TribeTV. The episode airs Tuesday night on public access, for those of you in the Bay Area. Otherwise, download and watch it online.
04.11.05
Busted. Too many Chinese immigrant workers living in one space: Raid Opens Door on a Crowded House. Hey man, the cost of housing is high.
04.11.05
Those Chinese! With their strange foods and restaurants! And no regard for the law: Abalone poacher sentenced to three years. Hey man, I gotta have my abalone.
04.11.05
The latest issue of Entertainment Weekly features the "Men of Lost," yet Daniel Dae Kim is conspicuously (or perhaps not-so-conspicuously) missing. Along with Jin, the other missing guys are Locke and Hurley—the old, the overweight and the oriental? (Granted, Sayid did make it.) I understand, there is only so much room on a cover. But once again, no love for the Korean man.
04.11.05
Heard about this recent Dr. Phil show on Unethical Marriages. In one of the stories, a 69-year-old guy left his family for a 27-year-old woman from China. They married the day before her visa expired... Unethical? It sure doesn't sound like all is well... Oh, I'm sure—she makes his old soul feel alive. And he makes her feel like a legal resident of the U.S.A.
04.11.05
Spotted Lucy Liu in the trailer for Domino.
04.11.05
Do these parents feel that much need to give their kids an edge? It's kind of crazy. To make their babies competitive in the global economy, [non-Chinese] parents are making them learn Chinese: Great Toddle Forward
04.10.05
Check it out, some music fer yer ass: Movementality 2. Two discs, with two different sets of artwork, and bunch of good music. Hell yes. I must order myself a copy.
04.09.05
Paramount Pictures has updated the official website for the upcoming live-action Aeon Flux movie, directed by Karyn Kusama.
04.09.05
ABC is re-airing the first two episodes of Grey's Anatomy tonight. I've been watching, and the show is okay, but I gotta say, Sandra Oh kicks much ass.
04.09.05
Salon has an article on Gwen Stefani's recent obsession with Harajuku street fashion and her bizarre Japanese girls-as-accessories aesthetic: Gwenihana
04.09.05
Another indie Asian American film, Leave It To Chance, made its home-grown premiere in San Luis Obispo this week: Local movie debuts. Here's the official site: www.leaveittochance.info/
04.09.05
Night of Henna, which claims to be "America's first Pakistani American film." Definitely has that "indie" look. Coming soon to a theater near you...
04.08.05
Hey. Stephen Chow's Kung Fu Hustle opens in New York and Los Angeles today. More cities to follow. I highly recommend the movie... it's a TON of fun. There's a radio interview with Stephen Chow here.
04.06.05
Somebody died on Lost tonight... and it wasn't Jin! Is Daniel Dae Kim in the clear? On this show, nothing is certain...
04.06.05
The 2005 Vietnamese International Film Festival kicks off tomorrow, and runs April 7-10 and 14-17 in Orange County and Los Angeles. Looks like they've got a solid schedule of films, so check it out.
04.06.05
The full schedule is now online for VC Filmfest 2005, the Los Angeles Asian Pacific American Film Festival. Whooooo. Coming soon, April 28 through May 5.
04.06.05
Various movie-related items...
Clint Eastwood's next movie will be about the six U.S. military personnel who planted the American flag on Iwo Jima in World War II: Clint Eastwood visits Ishihara to drum up support for Iwo Jima movie
Here's a clip from the set of Margaret Cho's next movie: Bam Bam and Celeste
Some info from Saw director James Wan on the upcoming Saw 2 and Silence: 'Silence' Gets the Greenlight and More Details on 'Saw 2'
A possible project for Lucy Liu: Angel to Rise?
Jet Li answers some questions on his upcoming projects, and addresses some of the criticism he's heard about Unleashed/Danny the Dog, over on his official site: jet answers questions
04.06.05
Jay Leno is NOT a funny man: The Indian Tonight Show
04.06.05
My fellow APA Californians... here's an AsianWeek feature from a few weeks back: WHERE IS THE GOVERNOR WITH APAS?
04.06.05
It's the Generation Mix National Awareness Tour. This spring, five mixed race young people are travelling 8,000 miles around the U.S. in a 26-foot RV to raise awareness of America 's multiracial baby boom. They'll be working with local groups and giving presentations with the goal of promoting a national dialogue on mixed race issues... To learn more, visit www.generationmix.org
04.06.05
Racist hiring practices in New Zealand: Foreign workers face battle to win jobs
04.05.05
A free event, presented by the Los Angeles chapter of the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum:
Domestic Violence in the Asian Pacific American Community: What's Being Done and Getting Involved
Come meet an expert panel on domestic violence issues in Los Angeles and in the Asian Pacific American community. Learn about resources
available, meet with representatives from various organizations that respond to domestic violence, and find out about opportunities for volunteering.
When: Saturday, April 9, 2005
9:30 - 11:30 AM (Light refreshments and registration at 9:00 AM)
Where: Asian Pacific American Legal Center
1145 Wilshire Blvd, 2nd Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90017
RSVP: This event is FREE of charge. Please RSVP to napawfla@yahoo.com, or (310) 979-8565 (then press *2)
Learn more about NAPAWF at www.napawf.org.
04.05.05
This has been an ongoing struggle for quite a while, so it's good to see the issue getting press: Filipino WWII Vets Seek U.S. Recognition
04.05.05
Just a reminder... this is your last week to catch AATC's productions of David Henry Hwang's F.O.B. and Sean Lim's F.O.P. at Magic Theater in San Francisco. Friends and Family get ten bucks off, so culture yourself, and go support Asian American theater.
04.05.05
I have to give another shout out to Hanzi Smatter, a blog dedicated to the misuse of Chinese characters in Western culture. Why do people want so badly to get tattoos of Asian characters they don't understand? "Because it looks cool." Well, it may look cool, but dude, you just got a tattoo that means "crazy diarrhea." Who's cool now?
04.05.05
Is Billboard magazine guilty of racially profiling its employees? A $29 million lawsuit has evidence that seems to think so: Suit claims Billboard's bias was off the charts. Surprise, surprise... racism in corporate America.
04.05.05
A sicko Princeton University grad student, Michael J. Lohman, was arrested in connection with more than 50 incidents of harrassment targeting Asian women at Princeton. His sicko activities included the squirting of his own bodily fluids into the drinks and onto the clothing of Asian women, stealing their underwear, and cutting a lock of an Asian woman's hair:
Police charge graduate student with harassing Asian women
Harassment suspect arrested
Local Student Charged With Despicable Crime
That's just nasty. All fifty incidents were directed towards Asian women. Doesn't this fall under the category of hate crimes? That's racist!
04.05.05
Over the weekend, wrestler Dave Batista beat Triple H in the main event at WrestleMania 21. He is the new World Heavyweight Champion.
04.05.05
A Chinese food delivery man was found trapped in a broken elevator this morning, more than three days after he was reported missing:
Police still searching for Bronx deliveryman
Delivery man stuck in elevator for 3 days
Deliveryman Emerges Safely After 3 Days Stranded in Elevator
Saved Deliveryman Thanks Everyone, Says He's 'Fine'
Thanks everyone? Man, if I was stuck in an elevator for three days, I'd be pretty damn mad. Kind of ridiculous, if you think about it. It's not like he was out in the wilderness. I mean, that one dude got his arm stuck under a boulder, and was trapped alone in a canyon for days—then cut off his own hand! I'm pretty sure Ming Kung Chen won't be getting a book deal out of this experience. It's too bad he got trapped after he delivered the food. He could've at least had some grub while he was stuck.
04.04.05
Just saw this Skittles commercial, and I have no idea what the hell just happened. I'm kind of just stunned: Sour Man. Asian guy gets up, sizes up the guy, does some weird 'kung fu' motions, and yells out some fake Asian gibberish. I don't know, does that make you want to buy some Sour Skittles? That's racist!
If you want to get in touch with Skittles, tell them what you think of the Sour Man, there's a contact form here.
04.04.05
The next step in Giant Robot's plans for world domination... it's the grand opening of gr/eats—the Giant Robot restaurant, aiming to serve up a tasty assortment of foods from all over. Located at 2050 Sawtelle Blvd. in Los Angeles. They're celebrating their grand opening starting today, April 4, through April 10, with lots of giveaways and food and all that. Yum.
04.04.05
The New York Times has an article on Stephen Chow's Kung Fu Hustle: Excuse Me While I Kiss the Buddha in the Sky. The LA Weekly had pair of good articles last week: Not-So-Hidden Master; Old Dudes Kicking Ass. The movie opens in New York and LA on Friday, and expands to other cities later in the month. Like I said before, they've been promoting the hell out of this movie... seems like Sony is trying extra hard not to drop the ball like Miramax did with the release of Shaolin Soccer. Lessons learned... I actually watched the movie last week, and it was pretty frickin' brilliantly fun. Here's the official site.
04.04.05
Here's a press release from the Asian American Federation of New York ...I think the headline pretty much sums it up: CENSUS ANALYSIS PORTRAYS LOWER STANDARD OF LIVING FOR NEW YORK CITYíS VIETNAMESE AMERICANS THAN FOR CITY'S GENERAL AND TOTAL ASIAN POPULATIONS
04.03.05
Engrish? Someone sent me the following image, acquired from one of those inane pop-up ads:
I'm so over this fool. Oh, William. You are indeed the Clown Prince of Asian America. It just never stops, does it? That's racist! (Thanks, Zephyr)
04.03.05
Has anyone been watching the latest edition of The Surreal Life? For the uninitiated, it's a reality show where they put together a bunch of has-been, d-list celebs in a house and let the cameras roll. The latest season features folks like Verne Troyer (Mini-Me), Christopher Knight (Peter Brady), Da Brat, and a bunch other people whose fifteen minutes were up a looooong time ago. Anyway, the last episode had them making a short movie, The Seven Celebrities of Death—their attempt at a kung fu flick. And it's worse than it sounds. They're all talking in exaggerated fake accents, sporting fu manchu facial hair, kicking each other... That's racist! Watch the damn thing here. What the hell is this? I couldn't get even make it through the whole clip. Straight up racist.
04.03.05
I've been seeing a series of ads for Cingular, featuring two friends—a white guy and an Asian guy. Two average dudes hanging out in various spots, with the Asian guy imparting some knowledge about the other guy's inferior cell phone. Nothing spectacular, but certainly nice to see a "regular" Asian guy in a national ad campaign. No kung fu, no accents, no (excessive) nerdiness.
UPDATE: The actor in the ad is Tim Kang, who played the young John in Robot Stories. That's where I remember from! I knew he looked familiar...
04.02.05
Heard about some weird kinda blackface/whiteface/yellowface racial makeup this week America's Top Model. Apparently, someone had the bright idea to make all the models look like a race other than their own, which included a white model trying to be Hawaiian and a black model trying to Asian. It sounds idiotic. Mixed Media Watch has a few things to say about the episode.
UPDATE: Some folks are getting pretty riled up about this episode. To file your complaint, call UPN: (310)575-7000. Ask for the complaint line for TOP MODEL. Make sure you reference the idiotic racial makeup idea in the March 29 show.
Does the winner of America's Top Model ever really become America's top model?
04.02.05
Check it out... a clip of the first three minutes of Jet Li's Unleashed (titled elsewhere as Danny the Dog). Not sure if this is a legit, official leak or what, so watch it while you can.
04.02.05
AsianWeek has an article on Hollywood's new favorite practice of remaking hit Asian films: "Yellow" is the New "Green" in Hollywood. However, the article does get one key fact wrong, because I'm pretty sure Justin Lin's Annapolis is NOT a remake of Oldboy—it's an entirely separate project.
04.01.05
Behold! The power of the blogger! In Korea: Korean bloggers making a difference
04.01.05
On March 11, Vienna Teng and her band played a charity fundraiser concert in Oakland, which included some new songs, and other fun stuff. The whole concert was taped, and is now available for online viewing as a Quicktime streaming video. They're just asking for a small donation to Doctors Without Borders. To donate and get a password to the video stream, go here: http://viennateng.com/media/. It'll be available through April 15.
04.01.05
In this survey, 12.78 percent of respondants said they felt Chinese "worshipped" foreigners and their lifestyle: Chinese yearn to marry foreigners: survey. I might understand "admired," "envied," or "were attracted to" ...but "worshipped"? Man, that's disturbing.
04.01.05
Devon Aoki's in Sin City, which opened in theaters today: Devon Aoki: Model, Killer, Super Spy
04.01.05
I read this blog and thought, damn, Michelle Malkin's gone crazy. And I mean waaaay more crazy than usual. In this entry she practically spits on Fred Korematsu's grave. People wrote in, seriously seriously kick-her-ass angry. Then I took a closer look at the kooky banner ads on the lining the left... And then it occurred to me this blog was written by someone named "Michelle Maklin."
April first, sucka. An elaborate—and sadly, eerily convincing—April Fool's joke.
04.01.05
Wouldn't ya know it? There is an actual person out there who writes those fortunes in the cookies... and she goes to San Jose State: Sweet inspiration
04.01.05
Ah, the U.S. pop charts. The coveted, thus-far-untouchable crossover terrain for Asian pop music artists: Asian Pop Stars Struggle To Find Cross-Cultural Groove
04.01.05
So there's this theory that Christopher Columbus was not the first to "discover" the New World—it was the Chinese, who perhaps arrived in North America some seventy years before Columbus. This theory is outlined at length in the controversial bestselling book 1421: The Year China Discovered the World by Gavin Menzies. Earlier this month, Menzies revealed that a site discovered on the Atlantic coast of North America may actually be a lost Chinese naval base: Riddle of a lost Chinese city on the Atlantic coast
04.01.05
ImaginAsian TV announces the nation's first and only "Asian American Experience" public service announcement contest in celebration of Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month: "My World, My America". The winning PSA will be broadcast on ImaginAsian TV throughout May.
04.01.05
NPR story on Sri Lankan hip hop artist M.I.A.: Activism with a DIY Hip-Hop Beat
04.01.05
New York Times tackles recent trends in "colorblind" casting of onscreen relationships: When It Comes to Casting, Love Conquers Color. It cites Bertha Bay-Sa Pan's Face among its examples of interracial couplings. That's all good and well, but I'd like to point to out there's the one pairing that's still highly underrepresented onscreen: Asian guys and Asian gals. We all know it. I mean, seriously, where the hell are they?