05.31.05
The New York Times reviews the National Asian American Theater Company's production of Chekhov's Ivanov: He's No Angel, Just a Guy With the Landowner Blahs. The show runs through Saturday, June 4.
05.31.05
According to this article, "A coalition of Asian-American groups says it has accepted an apology from two talk radio show hosts regarding on-air comments about a Korean-American political candidate that some considered racist." They are referring, of course, to the "Jersey Guys," Craig Carton and Ray Rossi on NJ 101.5 FM: Asian-American groups accept apology from radio hosts. Yay. But so what? Is it just me, or does a simple apology from these two seem less than satisfying?
05.31.05
The latest issue of Halfway Magazine is up up and running. View it here.
05.31.05
Some Chinese American folks are upset with "The Universe Within," an exhibit now on display in San Francisco, showing Chinese corpses and organs in various forms: Chinese-Americans Angered by Corpse Show . Sounds gross, but also kind of fascinating. I don't know—would they find it so offensive if it were an exhibit of caucasian bodies? I'm not sure...
05.31.05
Academy Award-winning filmmaker Steven Okazaki is making a documentary the on victims of the 1945 Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings, to be aired next year: Japanese-American director to make a bomb documentary
05.31.05
Just a reminder... Everybody Dies, the new show from Propergander, runs every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night through July 2 at The Actors Playpen in West Hollywood. More info here. Looks pretty fun, doesn't it?
05.31.05
Apparently, Michelle Yeoh is a "hot property" in Hollywood right now: They Want Yeoh. Dude, whatever. She should've been a "hot property" like eight years ago. Potential roles include parts in Mission: Impossible 3 and the Hannibal prequel...
05.31.05
7-foot-8 Chinese basketball player Sun Mingming hopes to picked up in the NBA draft next month: Sun working out with ex-NBA player Gatlin. If the 22-year-old Sun, who is two inches taller than Yao, is signed by an NBA team, he would become the tallest player in league history. That is one frickin' tall Chinese guy.
05.31.05
Oh, come on. That's just cheap. Check out the racist caricature, courtesy of American Financial Lending Inc. I assume the buck-toothed, chink-eyed chef chopping up the cash is supposed to be Asian. Invest? Hell no. I'm not giving you my money. That's racist!
05.31.05
It appears that Saving Face had a pretty solid debut at the box office over the holiday weekend. In limited release—just six sites—the film earned $75,001 over three days and $100,001 over four with a per-screen average of $4,300: "Sith" Holds off Animals, Sandler
05.31.05
This cover, from the reputable science journal Nature, evokes something kind of scary, don't ya think? Asian woman, wearing the SARS-esque facemask, AVIAN FLU in bold yellow letters. Something terrifying, foreign and uncontrallable. Beware the avian flu! And BEWARE the Asians who carry it!
05.30.05
Ricky Zhang is the son of Chinese immigrants. His parents don't speak English, so when it came time to fill out financial aid forms and scholarship
applications, he was on his own. A story from NPR: College Aid Hard to Navigate for Immigrants' Kids
05.30.05
The Columbia Journalism Review weighs in on the firing of Arthur Chi'en: Should One Word Deep-Six a Career?
05.28.05
The CSUF Asian American Studies Program is offering summer internships for college students at the Manzanar National Historic Site. Sounds like it could be great experience...
05.28.05
An article on Saving Face in the New York Times: Kissing Vivian Shing. The roundup of reviews at Rotten Tomatoes are generally positive, currently holding at 85% fresh on the Tomatometer. Here's a message from writer/director Alice Wu:
Hi there.
This Friday, SAVING FACE opens in theaters in New York and LA. [theater information below] That means that in less than 24 hours, it will be "go time" for us.
I am writing to you from a hotel room in Seattle where I am trying to psych myself up for a frothing email that will send you skipping to the theaters! But instead, I'm struck by how many of you have really embraced this film, helped get the word out, and said it so much better than I ever could.
So I will just leave you with this:
On my way out of Toronto last night, passing through Toronto immigration/customs, I had a nice chat with the guy at the desk. Our conversation ran thusly:
Canadian Customs Guy: So you're a filmmaker. What kind of films do you make?
Me: This one's sort of an old-fashioned romantic screwball comedy.
CCG: Bah. Romantic comedy. That's chick stuff. My wife will probably go.
Me: You might like it actually. The three leads are all beautiful women.
CCG: (considers this) I do like beautiful women. But no male leads? Where does the romantic part come from?
Me: Two of them are lesbians.
[beat]
CCG: Something for everyone then.
Even the damn Canadian customs officials can say it better than I can.
In any case, I really hope to see you in theaters this weekend. (Remember, Star Wars will still be there weeks from now. My film may not. Asian lesbians or Siths. You decide.)
THEATER INFO:
New York:
Angelika (in Soho) Times: 11:00am I 1:00 I 3:15 I 5:30 I 7:45 I 10:00 I 12:00am
AMC 25 (on 42nd Street near 8th Ave) Times: 11:30am I 1:40 I 3:55 I 6:10 I 8:25 I 10:40
Los Angeles:
Laemmle Sunset 5: 12:00 I 2:30 I 5:00 I 7:30 I 10:00 I 12:00am
Landmark Westside Pavilion: 11:30am I 2:00 I 4:45 I 7:30 I 9:40
Pasadena Playhouse: 12:50 I 3:10 I 5:30 I 7:50 I 10:10
Costa Mesa Edwards Univ Town Center 6
and I believe a theater in Encino.
We will be opening in SAN FRANCISCO and SAN DIEGO on June 3, with Boston, Seattle, Chicago, etc. following soon after. (The later dates are tentative depending on how well we do in the first few cities.)
Thank you!
Alice Wu
The question this weekend seems to be clear: Asian American lesbians or Siths. And I've had my fill of the Sith, ya know? Here's a brief interview with Ms. Wu: "Saving Face" Director Alice Wu: The Chinese Lesbian Poster Child
05.28.05
A new book for children, Sixteen Years In Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story, by Paula Yoo, and illustrated by Dom Lee. It's a biography on the first Asian American to win an Olympic gold medal, at the 1948 Games in London. AsianWeek ran an interview with the author a few weeks ago: The Patiently Tenacious Paula Yoo
05.28.05
Surprise. A Chinese restaurant accused of exploitation, hazardous work conditions, and shady business practices: ACLU Argues That Exploited Restaurant Workers Should Not Be Denied Their Day in Court
05.28.05
Another one of these rock and roll bands fronted by an Asian person: Underwater City People. Is this what the kids are listening to these days? Crazy kids.
05.28.05
Giant Robot continues steadfast on its path towards world domination: Giant Robot Goes Subpop
05.28.05
Article on Sonya Thomas, the No. 1 ranked female competitive eater in the USA: Superchomp. The woman weighs 99 pounds. Where the hell does it all go?
05.28.05
Gregg Araki's new film, Mysterious Skin, will be hitting theaters over the next few weeks. He was on Fresh Air this week: 'Mysterious Skin' Takes to the Big Screen. By the way, is there a Terry Gross fan club? Because I want to join.
05.28.05
Kind of reminds me the Arthur Chi'en firing, but worse.... The Cincinnati Reds let go of eight-year veteran relief pitcher Danny Graves this week, after he cursed at a fan and flipped him off during a game. Graves, who was born in Vietnam, was unceremoniously dumped the next day. Feels like there's been an alarming increase in such fan/player altercations in recent years. Is there good reason for a professional athlete to fly off the handle like that? You better frickin' believe it: Player-fan animosity rears its ugly head in Graves incident. The fan reportedly shouted at Graves, "Go back to Vietnam, you slant-eyed [racial slur and swear words]." None of the news articles actually specify what the "racial slur and swear words" were, but you can probably use your imagination. That's racist!
05.28.05
This is messed up. 27-year-old U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Anthony Lagman was killed last year when his unit came under fire during a mission in Afghanistan. His mother, Ligaya Lagman, is among the legion of women whose sons or daughters gave their lives for their country. But the largest organization of these women, the American Gold Star Mothers Inc., has rejected Lagman for membership. Why? She's not a U.S. citizen. She is, however, a permanent resident and a taxpayer. This is ridiculous:
Mother of slain soldier rejected by Gold Star organization
Group rules may be changed for veteran's non-citizen mom
Just another way of people trying to dictate who's American and who's not.
05.27.05
Wow. I had no idea that the owners of Wahoo's Fish Tacos were three Chinese brothers: A spicy American dream. I love Wahoo's Fish Tacos. I want some right now. But they aren't open right now. Man. Seriously, I'm getting hungry just thinking about them. How early is too early to eat fish tacos? Is it okay to eat them for breakfast? Because that's what I want. Some frickin' fish tacos. Mmm.
05.27.05
The latest developments in the Jersey Guys situation... It appears that NJ 101.5 FM has agreed in writing to the following:
- Issue an on air, formal and blanket apology by the "Jersey Guys"
- Invite Jun Choi (the Korean American candidate who was attacked) to be a guest by "Jersey Guys"
- Cultural sensitivity training for all 101.5 FM employees
- Public access programming focused on promoting awareness of the contributions of Asian Americans
- Diversity committee established at 101.5 FM with community members to foster cross-cultural understanding
Personally, I think all these measures are pretty much useless—too little too late, really. No matter what happens, it's just a case of the station covering its ass. None of these gestures can truly be considered genuine. Still, I suppose it does signify some kind of victory.
In other New Jersey news: DORIA BILL ESTABLISHING ASIAN AMERICAN STUDY FOUNDATION ADVANCES. The bill, S-2342, would direct the Secretary of State to establish the nonprofit Asian American Study Foundation, to advise the Governor, Legislature and Public of the needs, concerns and accomplishments of the State's Asian American population, and to develop policies to improve the community, economic, health and social well-being of that population. The bill would also create programs to better education New Jersey on Asian American issues and culture. Good.
05.27.05
Interesting-looking film, based on the real-life story of one of the Japanese aid workers taken hostage in Iraq, and the reaction in Japan to her return: Bashing
05.27.05
A new site, dedicated to getting people thinking and talking about race: Race Talk. Looks like it's just starting out, but I applaud the effort...
05.27.05
Asians inch once step closer to the mainstream at the University of Central Florida... with the school's very first Asian sorority: UCF Asians to form a sorority of their own
05.27.05
More and more articles from various Chinese communities around the country...
San Gabriel Valley: Retaining their identity
New York City: Lifting of quotas comes as death blow to Chinatown
More New York City: Smuggling immigrants just a sideline, court told
Washington, DC: Lost in Transformation
05.26.05
So, Memorial Day weekend is upon us. In addition to marking the official beginning of barbecue season, it's also a great time to go to the movies. Good people of Los Angeles and New York, I recommend Saving Face, a film by Alice Wu. Forget Jedis and Wookies—you want some good old-fashioned Asian American cinema, dig? Besides, George Lucas doesn't need any more of your money. The guy has billions. BILLIONS.
Starring Joan Chen, Michelle Krusiec and Lynn Chen, Saving Face is a sweet, zany romantic comedy in the vein of The Wedding Banquet. It was a hit at Toronto, Sundance, SFIAAFF, VC... and now it's getting a theatrical release from Sony Pictures Classics. But being an indie feature, it doesn't have much of a marketing budget, so the first weekend box office numbers yadda yadda yadda—you know the drill, you've heard it before. Same situation. But I ain't just saying, "There are Asian people in this movie. Watch it." I'm saying it's a great first feature from a promising new Asian American voice. It's a funny, charming story about first loves and second chances. And best of all, it's the gorgeous Joan Chen.
Saving Face opens this Friday, May 27 in New York and Los Angeles, and on June 3rd in Boston and the San Francisco Bay Area. Here are some specifics:
NEW YORK: May 27th at the Angelika (in Soho) and the AMC 25 (on 42nd Street)
LOS ANGELES: May 27th at the Sunset Laemmle 5, Westside Pavilion, Playhouse (Pasadena), Town Center (Encino) and South Coast Village (Costa Mesa)
SF BAY AREA: June 3rd at the Landmark Embarcadero, UA Stonestown Twin, Landmark Shattuck (Berkeley), Palo Alto Square, Century 5 (Pleasant Hill), Santana Row (San Jose) and Marin/Sausalito.
OTHER CITIES: Boston (6/3), Atlanta (6/24), Chicago (6/10), Dallas (6/17), Houston (6/17), Denver (7/1), Detroit (6/24), Miami (6/17), Minneapolis (6/24), Seattle (6/24), St. Louis (6/24), Washington (6/24)
There's an interview with Joan Chen here, and one with Alice Wu here. Now you know what to do this weekend. Spread the word, bring a friend.
05.25.05
Ismail Merchant has died. Along with his partner James Ivory, they were the filmmakers behind such celebrated costume dramas as Howard's End and A Room With a View: Filmmaker Ismail Merchant Dies at 68. For longest time, I didn't know that a film by "Merchant Ivory" referred to actual people.
05.25.05
In case you were wondering, that cute Asian kid in the Will Ferrell movie Kicking and Screaming is 10-year-old Elliot Cho.
05.25.05
A column on recent race-related issues in Boston: Minorities, racism, and UMassÃs choice. This is a racist ass article. I sort of winced when I read this line: "The secret to Asian dominance in the math club and calculus classes lies in Asian culture." This characterization has never pertained to me. Let it be known, far and wide: I suck at math. I always have, and it's only getting worse.
05.25.05
Looking for a summer job? Maybe that job at the mall isn't living up to what you'd thought it'd be, and the temp agency isn't calling you back. How about becoming a Chinese gangster? Someone is recruiting: Chinese Criminal Organization Recruiting Ad in Flickr. Best of luck.
05.25.05
I know there are people out there who HATE Starbucks. I'm not one of them. Dude, I'm sorry. I think I just lost me some street cred among some of you (if I had any to begin with). I know you think it's the Evil Empire, and it probably is. I'm not anti, and I'm not pro; I'm ambivalent. I just like my coffee—and Starbucks is convenient and comfortable. You'll find me in there for hours. However, I can completely understand the opposition to a proposed Starbucks in San Francisco's Japantown. It doesn't belong there, and it just sounds wrong: Community Opposes Starbucks Bid for Japantown Location. You know it'll just drive out the mom and pop businesses, and make way for more chains. This is bad news for one of the few Japantowns left in the United States. Yeah, yeah. Call me a hypocrite. Anyway, there's an online petition here: No Starbucks in SF Japantown
05.25.05
Hey. This band has a Korean American lead singer: Daphne Loves Derby. Who's Daphne? And why does she love Derby? I don't know, but it sure smells good.
05.24.05
Hello. I'd like to tell you about this great new novel, Girls For Breakfast by David Yoo. It's his hilarious take on adolescent Asian American male lust/angst/paranoia, sort of in the tradition of Judy Blume and Nick Hornby. It's everything you'd expect from a novel about your average, girl-crazy (horny) Korean American kid in suburban Connecticut. For example...
You're the new kid in third grade. You also happen to be the only Asian kid. You want to be liked. So what do you do? If you're like Nick Park (and I suspect many can relate), you convince fellow students that you know kung fu. You don't just know—you can kill. So you volunteer to teach your new friends deadly moves like "the Hummingbird" and "the Triceratops." You get so good, you start to believe maybe you actually do know kung fu. Of course, this can only inevitably lead to a pummeling at the hands of someone who really does know how to fight. And it does. Chapter One.
Anyway, I was able to get an advance copy, and it's some good stuff. The book is written for teens, but I thoroughly enjoyed it—few works of fiction have spoken so closely to my own experiences (in more embarrassing ways than I care to admit). It's funny and true, littered with delightful vulgarity and pop culture references, along with some sly insight on ethnicity. And wouldn't you know it? Girls For Breakfast hits stores today; hardcover, $15.95, from Delacorte Press. Buy yourself a copy at all the usual online retailers. I give it my endorsement.
05.24.05
Another good article on Daniel Dae Kim from the Washington Post: The Subtleties Behind the Subtitles
05.24.05
Well, there's me. And there's Secret Asian Man. Now there's Bitter Asian Men. They're pretty much exactly what they sound like. I actually hear from a lot of guys who I think would perhaps be better served commiserating with the bitter men at this site...
05.23.05
TIME Magazine prominently features an Asian American cadet, Tom Pae, for its May 30 cover story on West Point's Class of 9/11.
05.23.05
The Koreans, and their crazy corean cloning skillz: Chopsticks for Better Cloning. It's the kimchee.
05.23.05
Don't believe the hype. This email hoax, claiming that a Chinese restaurant has been closed for serving dishes with cats and mice, has been circulating since January: Atlanta Restaurant Closed for Serving Rats, Mice, Kittens, Puppies, etc.. This past week, an afternoon DJ on a New York radio station read the story as fact. That's a racist lie, you fool.
05.23.05
This year marks the tenth anniversary of the hunger strike which led to the formation of Northwestern University's Asian American Studies program: Prof's tenure, 10th year see minor change. I should add that I took Asian American History at NU—the very first year the course was offered. And it was, hands down, the worst class I've ever taken. The worst. But surely, the program has improved by now. Go Wildcats.
05.23.05
More Asian Americans playing the rock and roll music. This time, in San Diego: RAISING MAY - An Asian American Showcase. This Thursday, May 26, at UCSD. Featuring the likes of Nemo, Monroe Street, and Burning Tree Projekt, along with other special guests. Oh, you crazy kids and your music.
05.23.05
Hi everyone. I have not yet seen the movie Crash (not to be confused with the 1996 David Cronenberg film of the same title), so please stop asking me. I understand that its story deals with the intersection of race, class, fear, and bigotry in Southern California. And I am aware that it features a less-than-favorable depiction of Asians. The movie is being hailed as an incendiary discussion starter... Okay. I will watch it when I get the chance. But at this point, with everything I've read about the film, it'll be impossible to approach it with an open mind. I'll try.
05.22.05
Dae-Sung Koo of the New York Mets became a surprise hero yesterday in their game against the Yankees, hitting a double off of Randy Johnson, and pitching 1 1/3 scoreless innings—striking out three: Koo sailing: Mets back Benson
05.22.05
Notice To All, the California Conference on the Internment of Japanese Americans, will be held on June 2-4 at the Radisson Miyako Hotel in San Francisco. According to the conference website, Notice To All "is an essential initiative in communicating civil liberties through the lessons of the Japanese American experience and bridging communities of understanding." It sounds pretty interesting, so check out www.CCLPEPconf.org for more information.
05.22.05
Heather Park is another up-and-coming musical artist. Her debut album, Dream In Pictures, hits stores on June 14.
05.22.05
All right, this image has been sitting in my In-Box for over a month—I completely forgot about it. But it's worth a look... because it's frickin' racist. It's an advertisement for the American Red Cross. Now, I'm all for promoting the importance of learning CPR, but this is the wrong way to do it:
What an excellent way to promote CPR training, while simultaneously promoting xenophobia! I DON'T TALK LIKE YOU. I DON'T EAT THE FOOD YOU DO. BUT I WILL GIVE YOU CPR. Is there any clearer way to say Asian = Alien? You know, us Asians don't speak English, and we eat some crazy exotic food. But baby, it's all good, 'cause we'll save your life. That's racist! (Thanks, Anita)
UPDATE: To their credit, the Red Cross actually responded to protests and removed the ad from circulation last month.
05.22.05
I find this amusing. It appears that a movement has sprouted up in support of Arthur "F-Word" Chi'en, the news reporter who got fired for dropping the expletive on live TV last week. Are you looking for something to believe in? Are you ready to take a stand? Then it's time for you to join The Chi'en Revolution.
05.22.05
Another event for you, this Monday, May 23. In Tune: Asian Americans In Music. That's right, baby. Asian Americans in music, at the Knitting Factory in New York. Featuring The Ides, Organic Thoughts, Ken Oak, Kevin So, and Taiyo. Can you dig it?
05.21.05
This is gross and disturbing: Phony doctor and unlicensed cosmetologist sentenced to prison. You know, the victims really should've known that something shady was going on here.
05.21.05
Nice article on Asian actors in Hollywood: In Bruce Lee's Shadow: Asians Struggle to Create New Hollywood Images. I mean, nothing you and I haven't heard before. Cuz we know what's up. But it's good to see someone talking about the sad, sad state of things. The article includes quotes from L.S. Kim, one of my awesome former professors.
05.21.05
Another article on the legacy of the late Iris Chang and The Rape of Nanking: Leaving the Atrocity Exhibit
05.21.05
Oh yes. Some robot love coming your way over the TV waves. Greg Pak's indie feature Robot Stories airs on AZN Television on Monday, May 22. I like Greg, and I like this movie.
Also, looking through the AZN Television site, I came across the network's APA Heritage Month documentary series. Sad that I didn't know about this sooner, because of the docs have already aired. However, Christine Choy and Renee Tajima's incredible film Who Killed Vincent Chin? airs on May 26 at 10pm EST. Watch this film. It's like, required viewing for the Angry Asian.
05.21.05
Just a reminder, you can vote for Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle at the 2005 MTV Movie Awards. As previously mentioned, comedic duo John Cho and Kal Penn have been nominated for two awards, Best On-Screen Team and Best Musical Performance (for their stunning rendition of "Hold On"). You can vote for them online. Stuff that ballot box, so we can see two Asian American guys go up on stage and give a speech. Wouldn't that just be incredible? Yeah.
Jennifer Tilly and Zhang Ziyi are also nominated for Best Frightened Performance and Best Fight, respectively.
05.20.05
Just a reminder: Comedy Zen 3, going down tomorrow night, May 21st, 8pm at the Bicycle Casino in Bell Gardens, CA. A stand-up event featuring Master Lee, Kevin Kataoka, Bernadette Balagtas, and special guest emcee Steve Byrne. It's kind of short notice, but you—readers of this website—can get in FREE, thanks to kind Johnny of Comedy Zen. Just email comedyzen@sbcglobal.net with your name, and include "AAM" in the subject line. Do this, and you've got yourself two free tickets (they're twenty bucks at the door). They'll respond to everyone who replies to confirm. Easy, right? Good for a night of laughs. For more info on the show, visit www.ComedyZen.com.
05.20.05
Teenage killer Charles Bryant has been sentenced to 51 years to life for the brutal murder of 18-year-old Chinese delivery man Huang Chen. On February 13, 2004, Bryant and Nayquan Miller, both 16 at the time, beat and stabbed Chen to death, pocketing $49 to buy sneakers. Yesterday, the judge gave him the maximum penalty—and he deserves every second of it: Teary judge gives teenage killer 51 years. Miller is still awaiting trial.
05.20.05
Is this for real? It appears that Jin is calling it quits from the rap game. According to his blog on MySpace.com, he's done. I still don't quite get his reasons for it, but he effectively says it song: "I Quit." Is Jin pulling a Jay-Z? (I don't think his career thus far warrants the comparison, but you get the idea.) I don't get it. Jin, we hardly knew ye.
Ah, let us reminisce about the good old days.
05.20.05
Just a reminder... it's still May, thus it's still APA Heritage Month (but you know it's always APA Heritage Month right here). So stay attuned to all the cool events and celebrations still going on in your area. Support APA arts/activist/awareness organizations! While I'm at it, let me throw a plug out for Speak. Asian Americans. It's a blog dedicated to the latest APA events and happenings going on in Southern California. Check it out, and get involved. (Props to my man, Jack)
05.20.05
Thank you, Ms. Z, for your mindblowing insight: Hollywood hard for Asians, says China's Zhang Ziyi
05.20.05
TV news reporter Arthur Chi'en was canned by WCBS/Ch. 2 yesterday after he dropped the F-bomb on live television. He was in the middle of a broadcast about MetroCard scammers when two men sneaked up behind him with a sign promoting radio shock jocks Opie & Anthony (yay, my favorite—morning radio shows). Chi'en tried to keep his cool and continued talking, as the guys heckled him and gave the finger to the camera. But as soon as he finished his report, he spun around and shouted, "What the fuck is your problem, man?"—on live television. Oops: F-word costs TV guy a job
05.20.05
Did you know that there is a law on the books in Boston prohibiting American Indians from entering city limits? Only yesterday, 330 years after its passage, the state Legislature voted to strike down the old law: Lawmakers to Repeal American Indian Ban
05.20.05
Attention, to all former APA employees of UC/Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. There is currently a job discrimination lawsuit against the lab that could could materially affect all its former and current employees. The issues at hand include possible compensation for earlier racial discrimination against you, especially if you're a woman, and the ability to support change for Lab-wide accountability issues and effective representation. The deadline for your response to join that lawsuit and voice your opinion is May 31. For more information, visit http://geocities.com/apausa/ (which, I have to say, is the most poorly designed website I've ever seen).
05.20.05
Remember Jessica Cutler? She's the infmaous "Washingtonienne" who got national attention after chronicling her Capitol Hill sexcapades on a blog. She got fired, but the ordeal landed her a six-figure book deal and a Playboy photo spread. Well, one of the guys she wrote about is suing her: Hill Aide Sues Over Sex Blog
05.20.05
Make that money. Don't let it make you: More Asian women becoming entrepreneurs
05.20.05
This is the situation, as I understand it. Two thousand Vietnamese refugees have remained stateless in the Philippines over the last 16 years without being given any status. These refugees represent the last group of "Boat People" from Vietnam, stranded in the Philippines since 1989. And now, the refugee camp is closing down, which means they won't be able to pass through, most likely sent back to Vietnam, and return to who know what. However, Canada is considering taking in these refugees—apparently, they just need enough signatures. Learn more, and sign the petition here: www.sosvietphi.org/
05.20.05
I thought Koreans were the badass golfers of Asia, but I guess China is getting in on the game too: Golf in China grows bigger by the day. Like this kid, Mu Hu: Can this teenager become China's Tiger?
05.20.05
New developments in the Anna Mae He child custody case. The Bakers say that time has run out for Jack and Casey He (Anna Mae's real parents). Attorney Larry Parrish has filed a motion to dismiss the Hes' appeal. Parrish said that a Tennessee statute says that if terminated parental rights are not re-instated within a year, then they cannot be re-instated. Parental rights were terminated for the Hes on May 12th last year. The Hes now have 15 days to respond to that motion to dismiss the appeal. Their attorney David Siegel says that the court's consideration of the case is the reason it has lasted more than a year, and that the motion filed by the Baker's has no relevance to the case: Attorney files motion to dismiss He appeal in child custody case
05.19.05
So, maybe you heard... Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith opened in theaters today. Some little movie nobody's heard of. Anyway, in honor of this occasion, I dedicate this entry to this guy:
The one Asian rebel guy in all of the original trilogy, a Y-Wing fighter pilot in Return of the Jedi. During the attack on the Death Star, he utters one line: "There's too many of them!" Upon further nerdy research on the internets, I found out this guy's name is Lt. Telsij (Grey Two), though I couldn't uncover the actor's name. Here's to you, lone Asian guy in a galaxy far, far away.
05.19.05
This one's for the NYC people... check out the National Asian American Theater Company's (NAATCO) production of Chekhov's Ivanov. With a great cast of Asian American actors, including none other than Daniel Dae Kim from Lost. The show runs May 23 through June 8 at the Bernie West Theatre. Details here.
Speaking of DDK, wasn't the scene between Jin and Sun on Lost last night just awesome? I gotta admit, I got a little misty-eyed.
05.19.05
Ah, poor Yao. He was planning on just chillin' out this summer, but the good ol' Chinese government ain't having that. They expect him to play for the national team in the Asian Championships in September: Yao intended to spend summer resting in Houston
05.19.05
Sandra Oh is on the cover of the June/July issue of BUST.
05.19.05
Some news about new fall TV pilots... yes, Asians on television. Every year, I eagerly await the networks' announcements of their new fall primetime schedules—perhaps, oh perhaps, this will be the year we'll some more Asian faces on the tube! I hope and wonder. But usually, it's the same old story across all 6+ networks and their new shows. Anyway, I already mentioned Kitchen Confidential with John Cho, which has been officially picked up by Fox. Here's a few more...
Joy Osmanksi is in The Loop on Fox, about a guy right out of college who becomes the first among his friends to get a real job. Some more info here (click on "The Loop").
There's Smith Cho in Emily's Reasons Why Not on ABC. Heather Graham stars as a self-help author, with Cho playing her back-stabbing nemesis, Glitter Cho. You may remember her from MTV's Faking the Video. (But I swear, she kinda looks like someone who went to my high school.)
Ming Na stars in Inconceivable on NBC. The show's premise revolves around the doctors, psychologists and lawyers who work at a fertility clinic. They really just ran out of stuff for her to do on ER, didn't they?
Michaela Conlin is in crime-solving drama Bones on Fox. Details here (click on "Bones").
Lauren Tom is in the CBS midseason comedy Everything I Know About Men. That's funny...
...Because dude, where are all the men? Seriously.
05.19.05
Rachel DeWoskin moved to Beijing to work in a P.R. firm. So how did she get a starring role as sex kitten Jiexi in a hit Chinese soap opera, Foreign Babes in Beijing? She talks about her unique expat experience in a new book. Here's a Salon article/interview: China girl
05.19.05
This is just plain weird: THINKING OF YOU!
05.19.05
Oh man. If you're the Bay Area, and you're a Miyazaki fan, you've got to check this out: The Art of Anime: Studio Ghibli. An incredible schedule of Studio Ghibli films screening at the PFA throughout the month of June. Awesome.
05.19.05
Got an email from Dishad Husain, a British South Asian filmmaker currently casting for a low-budget feature. It's a comedy predominantly about South Asians characters, but one of the characters is a Sikh NYPD officer whose partner, Alex, is Chinese American... Dishad is looking for a funny guy to play Alex:
CHARACTER: ALEX LI
NYPD officer ñ mid twenties ñ a playboy cop who bends all the rules ñ cheeky, reckless and DOESN'T know martial arts. Joined the force because he gets high on adreline and thinks the badge is a great way to get with the ladies.
The role requires a comedian, so maybe that's you, or someone you know. Contact this guy through his website. Just passing the word along...
05.19.05
Just so you know, Kit Hui's short film Missing is one of the few short films competing—and the only one from the United States—at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. That's pretty cool.
05.19.05
The angrier-Asians-than-me site known as The Fighting 44s just did a nice-lookin' redesign. They've currently got an exclusive interview with Asian Canadian hip hop lady Masia One (someone I'd never heard of until now). Here's her official site.
05.19.05
Yesterday, the House Resources Committee approved spending $38 million to restore and preserve internment camps used to hold Japanese-Americans during World War II: House committee approves funding restoration of WWII camps. The legislation by Rep. Bill Thomas, R-Bakersfield, was approved on a voice vote and now goes to the full House. It faces opposition from the Bush administration (boo), which objects to the expenditures because the National Park Service faces a tight budget and maintenance backlogs at parks.
05.19.05
This is an obit from last week... Actor Lane Nakano, who co-starred in the 1951 film Go for Broke!, died April 28 after a long bout with emphysema. He was 80: Lane Nakano, 80; Prominent Japanese American Singer and Actor in Film 'Go for Broke!'
05.19.05
A story on the effects and belongings of You Chung Hong, celebrated Los Angeles Chinatown lawyer, who died in 1977. In 1923, he was the first Chinese American to become a certified lawyer in California. His family only recently sold the building that housed his office, and his collection of historical papers and artifacts are being donated to an archive: Chinatown Time Capsule
05.19.05
ChopBlock has a pretty cool interview with Lyrics Born. His remix album Same !@#$ Different Day was released about a month ago.
05.19.05
This week, NBC News announced that Ann Curry has been named as co-anchor of Dateline NBC. Her appointment is effective in June. Here's the story from thefutoncritic.com.
05.17.05
Can it be? The first official photo of Katie Leung, who plays Cho Chang in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Now all those crazy Katie Leung websites have something other than that grainy picture of her on the cell phone to salivate over.
05.17.05
According to the Hollywood Reporter, white boy Channing Tatum is no longer playing Genghis Khan in Mongol, having dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. Khan will now be played by Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano (who I believe was originally slated to play his brother). Out with the yellowface, you silly people.
05.17.05
A new book for you career-minded folks: Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling: Career Strategies for Asians by Jane Hyun. Topics include The 'Model Minority Myth' in The Workplace; Getting Ahead At Your Company Without Losing Sight of Your Asian Cultural Values; How to Spot Diversity-Friendly Companies. I haven't read it, but it looks like an interesting resource.
05.17.05
Okay, since folks have been asking... here's an update on the Jersey Guys situation, as I understand it. Last week, a delegation from a community take force composed of elected officials, grassroots organizations, community leaders, veterans, concerned citizens and students from the New Jersey/New York metropolitan region met with the CEO/President of Millennium Radio Group, LLC, th Group Vice-President/New Jersey Cluster Manager of Millennium Radio, the NJ 101.5 station manager, their attorney and DJs Craig Carton and Ray Rossi. They presented the station with the following demands: (1) an on-air public apology; (2) disciplinary actions against management and DJs; (3) implementation of corporate policy, cultural competency training and public education and awareness initiatives.
Apparently, NJ 101.5 is willing to issue a public statement that will address the now-infamous incident that took place on April 25, 2005. The station said that disciplinary actions are being taken but declined to disclose any details (how much do you want to bet it won't amount to much more than a slap on the wrist?) They also stated that it's in the process of exploring corporate policies and cultural competency training for its management and employees (yeah, that's not going to go anywhere). Additionally the station is considering sponsorship of public service announcement and community initiatives (yay). Here's an article: Asian-Americans want on-air apology
Hooray for progress. But as usual, it seems to be the same old story.
05.16.05
I watch a lot of TV shows, but I don't really watch a lot of television. Does that make sense? Meaning, I don't really watch a lot of commercials. So I've been hearing about some Starbucks commercial for their bottled Frapuccino. An Asian guy wearing glasses is sitting and reading in a cafe. This attractive white lady comes along, and opens a bottle of Frapuccino. She turns around and the Asian guy has magically transformed into a singing Michael Buble!
Deep down, we all want to be white. Starbucks can help.
05.16.05
This message from Alice Wu, writer/director of Saving Face, is currently being passed around via email:
It is with great pleasure that I write to you about my film SAVING
FACE soon to be released by Sony Classics in theaters in New York,
Los Angeles, and San Francisco in coming weeks.
If I am lucky, you have heard of the film. For those who haven't,
you can read any number of write-ups about the film on the web such
as these:
Toronto International Film Festival
San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival
or view the trailer at the website: http://www.savingfacemovie.com
We've been an audience favorite at festivals from Sundance to Toronto
to San Francisco and on. There have been comparisons to The Wedding
Banquet, Bend It Like Beckham, My Big Fat Greek Wedding -- it has
been touted as a smart romantic comedy for everyone.
Which is kind of funny and weird. When I wrote SAVING FACE years
ago, it was just this story I wrote for myself; it's kind of shocking
that something which seemed so specific and personal at the time has
now connected with audiences of such wildly different demographics.
But in the five years it took to make the film, it's taken a small
army of believers: a lot of people's hearts have gone into this film.
I think that's what's gotten us here.
The thing about independent films like mine -- even ones that manage
to land a great distributor like Sony Classics -- is that we roll out
with very little marketing budget. Furthermore, SAVING FACE opens on
weekends traditionally reserved for summer blockbusters with lots of
ad-spend. How well our film does on opening weekends helps determine
how many more cities we open, and how long we stay in theaters. As
is typical with smaller independent films, we rely almost exclusively
on word-of-mouth. So you're not going to see trailers of my film on
the TV or billboards on the freeway, but if you got this email, then
someone you know believes in the film.
I am writing in the hopes that you'll be willing to join us. If you
are game, show up on opening weekend (info below). I promise high
entertainment and that warm fuzzy feeling that comes from being part
of something new and grassroots, and hopefully the inspiration to
chase after your own specific and personal dreams. You never know.
Thank you,
Alice Wu
Director, SAVING FACE
The movie opens on May 27 in New York and Los Angeles, and on June 3 in Boston and the San Francisco Bay Area. Whooo. I am in love with Joan Chen.
05.16.05
Just so you're aware, today is the early registration deadline for the 2nd Annual 72 Hour Film Shoot, presented by MTV World, Asian CineVision, and the Asian American Filmlab. Basically, it's a contest where teams have 72 hours to write, edit, shoot, and produce a 6 minute short film. Fun, right? Get your team together and register now for a mere $100. After today, the fee goes up.
05.15.05
Washington Post article on AZN Television and the other Asian American network ventures hitting the media landscape: TV Networks Try To Attract Asians And All Their Niches
05.15.05
Sometimes, those numbers on the back of your fortunes really are lucky: Fortune cookies lucky for 110 lottery winners
05.15.05
In case you've been out of the loop on the whole "Jersey Guys" NJ 101.5 FM racist thing, this site has a lot of the background, audio, transcript and contact info consolidated in place: "The Jersey Guys" Racist Comments on the Edison Mayoral Race NJ 101.5 FM
The Coalition Against Hate Media held a press conference today announcing the outcome of their May 13th meeting with the station. I have no idea how it went down, but hopefully something productive came out of it.
05.15.05
Behold! Garnier's new manga-inspired hair product line: Manga Head. Presumably for white kids who want to look like Japanese cartoons. This is idiotic. They should get in touch with Gwen Stefani (if they haven't already...) That's racist!
05.15.05
Yet another video game set in the Vietnam War, and it looks to be just as controversial as all the others: Jarek Kolar on Vietcong 2
05.15.05
Interesting radio piece on Tian of HanziSmatter, and his mission of pointing out the misuse of Chinese characters in western culture.
05.15.05
Uh oh. The latest isse of The Atlantic invokes some wonderful yellow peril stereotypes... at least, that's what the cover suggests. It features a photo of of a white-eyed Chinese soldier lookin' all threatening and Oriental, alongside the following headline: HOW WE WOULD FIGHT CHINA. It's a little disturbing, how people are so eager to position China as a threat. It seems like the U.S. always needs a global adversary, and who better right now than a nation of a billion easily-identifiable yellow folks? That's racist!
By the way, have you been watching 24? War with China has become a threat, on this very looong day of many threats. Hooray for China! The new bad guys.
05.15.05
From The Times of India... A concerted yearlong campaign by Indian American parents in Virginia's Fairfax County has resulted in a revision of textbooks on Indian history, ensuring that children will not look at Indian culture as mere "karma, cows and caste": Not just karma, cows: US detoxes text books
05.15.05
The new Chinese-American Museum of Chicago is set to open on May 21: Chinatown history gets a home
05.15.05
Some news about the British independent film Provoked, based on the real-life story of Kiranjit Ahluwalia, an Indian woman who was imprisoned for murder after she set fire to her abusive husband and had her conviction overturned in a case that radically changed British law: Rai signs on to Brit indie 'Provoked'
05.15.05
Finally watched that episode of House last week guest starring John Cho. It was nice to see the guy on TV, but I can't say I was all that impressed with his role—some of it was downright offensive. He played this dude, Harvey, with a sexual secret: he likes to be dominated. And the injuries from his dominatrix woman have landed him in the hospital... and in a coma. Dr. House and his team of hospital people have to figure out what was wrong with him. There was whole thing about getting his parents to sign a surgery consent form, but they don't want anything to do with him because of the humiliation they've experienced because of his "perversion." But Dr. House tactfully threatens them: "Here's the thing. Humiliation comes in all kinds of packages. People finding out your son's a perv... that's pretty high up there. People finding out that you'd rather let your son die, than sign a piece of paper... where's that rank? And trust me, if I have to paste up a sign in every nail salon and dumpling shop in Pennsylvania, I'll make sure they know." They sign. Yeah, it wasn't a happy moment (it rarely is).
In other John Cho news, it looks like he's been cast in a new fall pilot on Fox, Kitchen Confidential. Here are some of the details from FutonCritic.com:
KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL (FOX) - Frank Langella ("Unscripted") and John Cho ("Off Centre") have been confirmed as the remaining cast members of the single-camera comedy pilot, about once-celebrated chef Jack Bourdain (Bradley Cooper), who was exiled from the prestigious restaurant business, and is offered an opportunity to get back in the game as a head chef at a top New York restaurant. Langella plays Pino Lugeria, who's described in the cast notice as: "Late 40s-50s. An effusive, gregarious Italian man swathed in Armani, he is the owner of Bistro Pino - and he's in a bind. He's just lost his whole staff and his restaurant is booked for three hundred patrons on Friday night. Impressed with Jack's resume, he takes a gamble on the young chef, even though he knows all about Jack's less than savory past."
Cho meanwhile is set as Teddy Wong: "20s, hip, Asian, seafood chef, is lured to Bistro Pino by Jack, who promises his entire staff unlimited visas. He, too, enjoys taunting poor Jim who is just a little too upbeat." Bonnie Somerville (as Mimi), Jaime King (as Tanya), Nicholas Brendon (as Seth), Owain Yeoman (as Steven) and John F. Daley (as Jim) also star.
Some more details here, with photos (click on "Kitchen Confidential"). That brings the total number of Asians on network television up +1. We'll see what happens with the rest in the fall...
John Cho's also a guest speaker at the Bay Area chapter of the AAJA's annual Heritage Gala next week, May 22. Busy man.
05.14.05
The Nisei Veterans Committee/NVC Foundation of Seattle are hosting a special private screening of Lane Nishikawa's Only the Brave:
ONLY THE BRAVE
starring
Lane Nishikawa, Jason Scott, Lee Mark Decascos, Yuji Okumoto
Tamlyn Tomita, Scott Fahey, Pat Noriyuki Morita, Guy Ecker
with: Ken Narasaki, Takayo Fischer, Michael Sun Lee, Garret Sato
Greg Watanabe, Michael Hagiwara, Kenneth Choi, Kipp Shiotani, Ryun Yu
Majestic Bay Theatres
2044 NW Market Street
Ballard, WA
TWO SHOWINGS ONLY: Tuesday May 24, 2005, 6:30 PM & 9:00 PM
Will call opens at 5:30 PM, hors d'oeuvres reception in the lobby at 8:30 PM
Event Sponsors: Nisei Veterans Committee, Nikkei Heritage Association of Washington and the Seattle JACL
We suggest a $35 donation. All proceeds go towards the film's pre-sale and marketing costs. A portion of your ticket is tax deductible as allowable by law.
Please make checks payable to: NVC, with the notation "Only The Brave." Please specify showing time. Space is limited. Priority to paid reservations.
Mail by Monday May 16, 2005 to:
Only the Brave, c/o Nisei Veterans Committee (see NVC address above)
Or after May 16th, email your reservation to nvc-movie@hotmail.com and bring your check to the NVC ticket will-call in the theatre lobby.
For questions, email nvc-movie@hotmail.com or call Dale Watanabe at 206.953.2233
Hey Seattle, come out and support this film.
05.14.05
A pair of articles... One on Chow Yun Fat: Chow Gets Back In Action. I used to think this guy was the badassest. Lately he hasn't been. Hopefully, these new projects will restore some of his badassness. The other article's on John Woo: John Woo Goes To France. Taking on yet another project! I>Spy Hunter, Red Circle, He-Man, War of Red Cliff, and now this. So when is he actually going to MAKE any of these movies?
05.14.05
Kevin, who writes, "Please mention my name!!!" (that's a direct quote) sent me this article on Amerie: Amerie Embraces Musical Growth on 'Touch'
05.14.05
The PACIFICS just released their new album, Sunday's Chicken, on All Natural Inc. You can buy it here, here, here, or here. And iTunes. That's Chicago hip hop, kids. So check it out.
05.14.05
It's been a crazy week for me, but things are settling down. Meanwhile, the world was still spinning. Here's a news item on white supremacist haters in Boston: White supremacists, crowd clash in Boston. That's racist!
05.12.05
Got forwarded this casting call for a independent feature film called Baby... they're looking for a crapload of Asians to be extras. From the looks of it, this probably won't be a feel-good flick for the whole family:
We're casting an independent feature film titled "BABY" to be shot in the Los Angeles area from 5/16/05 to 6/12/05. Any help you can provide in
spreading the word to the local Asian community would be VERY helpful! Extras need only be available for 1-2 days in this time frame.
We are holding an OPEN CALL for MOVIE EXTRAS and are seeking the following types ONLY:
NON-UNION EXTRAS: NON-UNION ONLY for this project. Pay rate $54 for 8 hours plus overtime (basically minimum wage plus time and 1/2 after 8 hours).
Standard work day is approximately 8-12 hours. MUST be legal to work in US and have valid photo ID & social security number.
ASIAN - Chinese men 55-75
ASIAN - Upscale Korean, men & women, age range 30-50
ASIAN - All Asian types, neighbors, all ages
ASIAN - Hip & Trendy clubgoers, attractive, men & women, age range 18-35
ASIAN - Vietnamese gang types, thugs/punks, male, age range 18-25
ASIAN - Male bodyguards, heavy set with multiple tattoos
ASIAN - Korean gang types, thugs, male, age range 18-25
ASIAN - All Asian types, Male & Female, clubgoers age range 18-45
ASIAN - Nude, female, body doubles (higher rate $350-$400/8, MUST be willing to work completely nude in tasteful simulated sex scene)
ASIAN - Barely dressed Speakeasy customers, Female, all ages
ASIAN - Chinese gang types, male, age range 18-25
ASIAN - Hookers, Female, all ages, all Asian descent (MUST be comfortable with skimpy attire)
ASIAN - Female, Beautiful/attractive women, Korean/Vietnamese/Chinese age range 8-40
ASIAN - Juvenile detention kids, male, age range 18-22 to look younger (MUST have shaved head or be willing to have head shaved)
Basically, we need a Non-Union ALL ASIAN Extras cast. If you are not Asian, please DO NOT attend this Open Call. We have other projects that will be
posted at a later date.
WHEN: Sunday - May 15th, 2005 - 3:00p to 5:00pm
WHERE: Crossroads of the World Plaza (outside in the courtyard)
6671 Sunset Blvd.
Hollywood
(at Sunset & Las Palmas. On street parking in area)
HOW: Just show up ready to fill out paperwork. If you have a 3x5 photo or a headshot please bring one with you. If not, we will take a polaroid of you. This is a FREE Open Call for our paper files on this project only. (If you would like to register for our digital files for other OLC projects,
you will be able to do that at the open call also. For digital registration there is a $15.00 cash only fee. Digital registration NOT required to
work on "BABY")
If you have questions, please email me at: olccasting@aol.com, otherwise I will see you on Sunday 5/15/05!!
Thanks!
~Tina Kerr
Extras Casting Director - "BABY"
ON LOCATION CASTING
Yeah, this doesn't look like the Joy Luck Club. From what I can tell, I think it's talking about this movie, written and directed by Juwan Chung. It looks, um... low budget.
05.11.05
Free stuff, sort of. For my pals—that's you—the good folks at Hyphen are offering a discounted subscription of $15. It's like getting one issue free. All you have to do is subscribe at this special link. Can you dig it?
They're also throwing a party in honor of their latest issue, which features a new logo, more original photography, and is in full color for
the first time. Wooo. Celebrate, this Saturday, May 14th at Alpha Bar in San Francisco.
05.11.05
Funny lady Tina Kim is doing a live taping in Pasadena for her next stand-up CD, this Sunday, May 15 at the Ice House. Details here. According to Ms. Kim, she's not sure what she's going to call the CD, but it will focus on internet fools and people who use a webcam. Who you callin' internet fool?
05.11.05
An AsianWeek article on Fine Line's lame decision to pull Year of the Yao off their distribution schedule: Lessons from Yanking 'The Year of the Yao'
In related news: Yao plans to hang out in Houston, not China, for summer
05.11.05
Some more articles on developments in Asian American communities...
San Luis Obispo: Copelands' Chinatown is a sound vision
San Marino: San Marino
Boston: Chinatown is fighting back!
05.11.05
What the...? Amazon.com is selling a wig by New Look called "China Man". It's ugly. And is that mannequin thing a woman?
05.11.05
The most racist movie title ever? Perhaps: In China They Eat Dogs. A Danish black comedy gangster film. As far as I can tell, the movie actually has nothing to do with Chinese people, dogs, or Chinese people eating dogs.
05.11.05
New show on the Cartoon Network: The Life and Times of Juniper Lee. She's an 11-year-old girl with superpowers, protecting the world from monsters and other evils. Sounds like fun.
05.11.05
That's what I'm talking about: Radio station loses ads after racial slurs. Cingular and Hyundai have pulled ads from NJ 101.5.
05.10.05
New York was... interesting. I'm busy like you wouldn't believe, and today I was blessed with root canal surgery. But I will try to post coverage of the Unleashed press junket by the end of the week.
Was that John Cho on the commercial for tonight's House? I see commercials for that show all the time... and yet I still have no idea what it's about. I mean, I know it's a medical drama. But it's always that scraggly looking guy and a shot of someone convulsing on the bed. "She's dying!"
05.06.05
Jet Li is currently in New York, doing the press thing for next week's release of Unleashed. He was on The View(!) this morning, and will appear on Conan O'Brien tonight. He'll also be making an appearance at the 26th Annual Asian Pacific American Heritage Festival in Union Square to receive an award for his Tsunami Relief efforts.
I'm actually flying out to New York this weekend to participate in the Unleashed press junket. I'll have the chance to interview Jet Li on Sunday morning. Not quite sure how it's all going to work—I'll probably be in a room with twenty other Chinese reporters—but I'm trying to think of a few good questions to throw at him. I'm open to suggestions. Send them my way, and I'll see what I can do.
05.06.05
Bay Area folks, check out Ken Oak's Half Step Down San Francisco Release Party this Saturday, May 7, at the Blue Cube. With special guest performances from Goh Nakamura and Scrabbel. Sounds like a good show, kids.
05.06.05
The cast of Lost will be on 20/20 tonight: The Secrets of the 'Lost' Phenomenon. Maybe if they're nice, they'll let the Asians make an appearance...
05.06.05
NPR has another story on the rising popularity of Mandarin language classes in the United States: Chinese Classes Grow in Popularity with U.S. Students
05.06.05
What's makes an Asian blog Asian? An Asian Pop article on the phenomenal popularity of those crazy Asians, their blogs, blog fans, and things of this nature: Blogging Asia
05.06.05
A perspective on Jeff Van Gundy's accusations of biased officiating, from the guy who helped Yao Ming write his autobiography: Van Gundy's motive? Keeping Yao (happy)
05.06.05
Here's a NPR story on Kazuo Ishiguro's latest novel, Never Let Me Go.
05.05.05
Tonight's Closing Night of VC Filmfest 2005, with the Los Angeles premiere of Georgia Lee's Red Doors. I'll be there. It's been a good week of screenings and events, films and friends. But now I'm tired.
05.05.05
Nominations have been announced for the 2005 MTV Movie Awards. Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle's John Cho and Kal Penn have been nominated for two: Best On-Screen Team and Best Music Performance ("Hold On"). You gotta admit—that Wilson Phillips tribute was genius. This is pretty cool for the movie, considering that it's up against some pretty heavy hitters. It shows that it definitely had some staying power on DVD. You can cast your votes for the awards online. Who knows? Winning certainly wouldn't hurt chances for a Harold and Kumar sequel...
Oh yeah, that Ziyi girl got nominated for a fight scene in House of Flying Daggers and Jennifer Tilly is nominated for Best Frightened Performance in Seed of Chucky. Yay.
05.05.05
Received an email with bad news from filmmaker Grace Lee... she's been in Korea, in full-on pre-production for her feature Smells Like Butter, which was set to start shooting in a few weeks. However, LJ Film, the Korean co-producer, suddenly decided to pull out of the film, and production has now shut down. As a result, the film also lost its Korean male lead. According to Grace, there might've been a chance to raise funds for the film in this time, but it would be impossible to recast this role. THIS SUCKS. They'd hired all their crew, and locations were being locked. They had actors cast and ready to get on the plane to Korea. And without warning, the plug was pulled. In terms of financing, it appears Grace and Co. will now have to start from scratch. She hopes to get the production going again later this year or next spring. What a bummer. Anybody out there got lots and lots of movie money?
05.05.05
Kal Penn's got a blog going during shooting for Mira Nair's adaptation of The Namesake. It was last updated a week ago, when Kal stepped, barefoot, onto a thumbtack. Ouch.
05.05.05
Too bad for Bai Ling. It appears her role has been cut out of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith: Bai Ling Cut From Episode III. Oh whatever. Does anyone else think she's kind of a weird, freaky lady? But good for her, for giving the fanboys (waiting outside the wrong theater) a little sumthin' to oogle: Bai Ling visits 'Star Wars' fans
05.05.05
This is for my people in Houston... check out Slant: Bold Asian American Images, this weekend, May 7-8, at Aurora Picture Show. Now in its fifth year, it's Houston's film festival dedicated to showcasing an eclectic mix of short films by Asian Americans. Can you dig that? I've seen quite a few of the films on the schedule, and it's all good stuff (my hands-down favorite is Jessica Yu's Sour Death Balls). Check it out, and bring yo momma.
05.05.05
Heads up... it's the 2nd Annual 72 Hour Film Shootout, presented by MTV World, Asian CineVision, and the Asian American Film Lab. It's a competition where teams will have 72 hours to write, edit, shoot, and produce a 6 minute short film. The competition is set for June 17-20, but early registration deadline is May 16. So if you're interested, get your team together. (According to the rules, each participating group must contain at least one key member—director, writer, director of photography, or editor—who is of Asian or Asian American descent. In addition, at least one of the principal actors in the film must be of Asian or Asian American descent.) Bring it!
05.04.05
Check out NAATA's 2005 APA Heritage Month website. They've got a great schedule of programs running on PBS throughout the month of May, including Dai Sil Kim-Gibson's Wet Sand and Ramona Diaz's Imelda. It's all good, so you must watch. Check your local listings for exact dates and times.
05.04.05
Remember Michael Lohman, that sicko freak at Princeton who admitted to secretly cutting locks of hair from at least nine Asian women, and pouring his own urine and semen into the drinks of at least 50 Asian women? Yeah, that was gross: Princeton Incident Shows Extreme Case of Asian Fetish. So why hasn't this been a bigger deal? Apparently it hasn't made more than a ripple on Princeton's campus. The campus public safety email about the incident didn't even mention that Lohman's victims were all Asian women. Yo, this is clearly a serious case of targeted sexual harrassment towards Asian women. This isn't first time this has happened, and it certainly won't be the last. People need to know that this goes on. Ya hear?
05.04.05
Another hate crime? This time at Tufts: Student alleges assault by members of Sig Ep. Surprise, surprise. It involves a fraternity.
05.04.05
I'm told that Zhang Ziyi and Sandra Oh have made People's annual "50 Most Beautiful" list. Lucy Liu and Kelly Hu are also included in the issue, but featured less prominently. Where are the men? I want to be beautiful.
05.04.05
How popular and widespread are Korean soap operas? The Honolulu Advertiser has started running a weekly column on Korean dramas written by KBFD-TV general manager Jeff Chung, providing weekly synopses and commentary: Catch up with details of top Korean soaps
05.04.05
Meet Elsie Tu, and her typical girl-meets-boy story: white missionary goes to Hong Kong, falls in love with a Chinese guy, divorces her husband, and marries the Chinese guy. She later became a vocal activist in Hong Kong politics, and has just written a book about her relationship called Shouting at the Mountain. Here's a lengthy radio story on the rare phenomenon of Asian men/white women romantic relationships in Hong Kong: Mixed Blessings. But dude, what's up with the weird resources at the bottom of the page?
05.04.05
Here is the situation, as I understand it. With the Rockets in the first round of the NBA playoffs, there's been a lot of scrutiny on potentially biased officiating. Is Yao Ming being discriminated against on the court? Houston coach Jeff Van Gundy seems to think so. This week, he publicly implied that Yao's personality and race, in addition to pressure from Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, were major factors in Yao getting unfairly targeted by officials—which has led to severely limited playing time. In turn, a livid NBA Commissioner David Stern has fined Van Gundy an unprecedented $100,000(!) and threatened to kick the coach from the league... Here is an article: Alexander supports coach
05.03.05
Okay, members of the local high school track team are running by this guy's house, so he decides to be a racist ass, picks out the Asian kids, and shoots them with a freakin' BB gun: Teenager charged with hate crime for shooting at Asian youths. That's racist!
05.03.05
A plug for one of the programs tonight at VC Filmfest, VC Digital Posse: Class of 05. It's the premiere of a collection of works by young emerging filmmakers, and produced through Visual Communications' Armed With a Camera Fellowship. As my pal Marian would say, ch-check it out.
05.03.05
Here's another aspect of the NAPALC report on Asian Americans in prime time television: TV portrays Asian Americans as anti-social
05.03.05
Just wanted to remind you about those assheads, Craig Carton and Ray Rossi ("The Jersey Guys"), and the racist on-air remarks they made towards Edison mayoral candidate Jun Choi and the Asian American voting community last week. It's a lot garbage and hate, but the general sentiment can probably boiled down to this:
"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." - Craig Carton
Is it that impossible for these racist suckas to believe that us Asians—living, working, and contributing to our communities—are also American too? So it seems. For them, the only real American can be "the average guy in NJ, blue collar white people." If you have no idea what I'm talking about, there's a transcript available here (as a PDF) and the an audio clip of the broadcast here (courtesy of Asian Media Watch). Keep the pressure on:
New Jersey 101.5 FM Radio
Program Director, Eric Johnson
PO Box 5698
Trenton, NJ 08638
Phone: (609) 771-8181
On-Air: (800) 283-1015
Fax: (609) 406-7956
Millennium Radio New Jersey
Jim Donahoe, Chief Executive Officer
109 Walters Avenue
Trenton, New Jersey 08638
Phone: (800) 678-9599
They have every right to say whatever the hell they want. But we also have every right to let them know how we feel about it. Give them hell.
05.03.05
Newsweek's cover story is on the rising nation of China: Does the Future Belong to China?. China is so hot right now.
By the way, last night on 24, they introduced this whole plot twist around a Chinese nuclear scientist helping out the terrorists. The guy took refuge inside the Chinese consulate, and the Chinese government said they couldn't hand him over for a couple of hours. That was time Jack Bauer and CTU did not have! So they infiltrated the consulate, kidnapped the guy, and escaped under fire from Chinese guards. Unfortunately, one of the Chinese officials got shot amidst the commotion. Bad news. The U.S. is looking at a major international incident. Greeaaaat. This is a bad day for this, since they're also dealing with Islamic terrorists who have stolen a nuclear weapon. 24 is a ridiculous show.
05.03.05
An all-American story, for the all-American automobile: In Profile: Mustang's Hau Thai-Tang
05.03.05
New Demographic, specializing in issues related to mixed race identity and interracial relationships, has launched a new newsletter. This month's focus is "Being Inclusive of Mixed Asians During Asian Pacific American Heritage Month."
05.02.05
You can download the report on Asian Pacific Americans in prime television from the NAPALC website: Lights, Camera and Little Action (PDF)
05.02.05
Susie Suh was on NPR's Weekend Editon yesterday. Listen to it here. I had a feeling that's what "Your Battlefield" was about...
05.02.05
Totally unshocking news flash: Asian Actors on TV Underrepresented. Man, I watch enough television—I could've told you this without any kind of study. But I guess it's always good when you can back it up with quantitative data. I attended a panel at the Assocation for Asian American Studies Conference a few weeks ago, when the UCLA group presented these findings. What's slightly deceptive about this data, is that it counts actors of multiracial heritage—including those playing characters who have never identified themselves as being anything other than fully regular ol' Caucasian. So it actually inflates these sad statistics even more. I'm talking about dudes like Mark-Paul Gosselaar. Yeah, Zack Morris. Did you know that this guy is Asian? Me neither. And as far as I know, the roles he played on Saved By The Bell and NYPD Blue were NOT people of Asian heritage (though I do recall a strange episode of SBTB where Zack discovered he actually possessed Native American ancestry). I don't know, kind of problematic, right? Just an observation.
Anyway, bottom line: TV needs more Asians. That's racist!
05.01.05
Red Doors has won the NY, NY Best Narrative Feature Award at the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival. That's cool. I have not yet seen the film, but I'll be checking it out later this week...
05.01.05
Hey, it's May. That means it's Asian Pacifican American Heritage Month. Just thought I'd mention that, so we're all in the know. There are a whole mess of events and programs going on throughout the month to celebrate, so stay tuned. I'll try to post relevant items when I can. Go out there, get involved, support a cause, attend an event or two. You'll be a better person. Stay Angry.
05.01.05
A new Asian online magazine just launched: halfwaymag.com. I haven't had the chance to pick my way through it, but it looks pretty nice.
05.01.05
The good news: Yanks' Wang gets win in major league debut. A solid game for Yankees pitcher Chien-Ming Wang. The bad news: on Wednesday, 1050-ESPN Radio host Brandon Tierney mocked Wang by referring to him by what sounded like "Woo Sang Koo Fing Bok." Yeah, not surprised: Marchand's Memo of the Week. That's racist!
05.01.05
Why do journalists and guests have to provide their racial information in order to attend a reception with George W? The Secret Service says the request is routine: Racial Data Sought for Bush Event. That doesn't sound right. That's racist!
05.01.05
In the stifling jungles of Southeast Asia, two lives are forever entwined! Now playing at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City: A Distant Shore, a play by Chay Yew. The show runs through May 22. Recommended for audiences age 10 and above, dig?
