May 2010

5.31.2010

kenny tarr loves lady gaga and hates uppity asian men

Gawker's Adrian Chen recently posted A Compendium of Unnecessary Lady Gaga Eccentries. When it comes to eccentricities, Gaga has many. No big deal, right? Wrong: When Racist Lady Gaga Fans Attack.

the real biggest loser

I've written Terrance Watanabe before. He's the guy who's suing Harrah's Entertainment for all the money he gambled away to them. How much? $204 million. $204 MILLION in a single year at two Harrah's casinos, the Rio and Caesars Palace: Vegas' Biggest Loser's Losses Now Over $200 Million. That is crazy.

On Saturday, 18-year-old Eri Yoshida of Japan became the first woman to pitch professionally in the United States in a decade, making her American debut with the Chico Outlaws of the Golden Baseball League: Japan's 'Knuckle Princess' makes US debut. It was apparently "Girl Power Night":

man held in gruesome double murder

This is a crazy story out of Southern California, about a grisly murder which has had authorities searching for body parts at a Long Beach park. Police found the final missing body part -- a severed head -- on Sunday.

In Los Angeles, 26-year-old Daniel Wozniak is accused of killing and
dismembering Samuel Herr, and killing Herr's friend Juri Kibuishi for money: Police: Search turns up head of slain Calif. man.

ben kingsley strikes back

Caught this video over at Sepia Mutiny the other day: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? As a recent guest on The View, actor Ben Kingsley (who is half Indian and half English) told a story about a racist encounter he once had to endure at a dinner party, then takes the opportunity to look directly at the camera and address the offenders in question: "You know who you are!" It's kind of awesome. (It's just too bad he's there to promote Prince of Persia.)

ed case drops out of hawaii congressional race

Over the weekend, I received the news from AAA-Fund that former Rep. Ed Case, who recently finished third in a House special election for Hawaii's 1st Congressional District, will not be running in November against newly elected GOP Rep. Charles Djou: Ed Case drops out of Hawaii race. This news pretty much leaves things wide open for Democrat Colleen Hanabusa:

ann curry: "never google drunk"

Ann Curry's commencement speech debacle at Wheaton College, in which she named the famous alumni for the wrong Wheaton College, sounds like it was one of the most embarrassing things she's ever done.

Apparently, she can blame it on drunk Googling. She recently appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, in which she was given a chance to make things right. With dignity and poise! View the video here.

grad student arrested for making "terroristic threat"

I hadn't heard about this case until the other day... Zhai Tiantian, a former graduate student at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey, was arrested last month for allegedly threatening to burn down a campus building. Not cool.

Zhai faces charges of "making a terroristic threat," which can refer to a range of verbal threats. However, school officials are now concerned that the incident is being misreported in foreign-language media: N.J. college officials worry arrest of Chinese student accused of arson threat is being misreported.

In observance of Memorial Day, the Los Angeles Times has a sad story on Navy Lt. Florence Choe, who was killed in Afghanistan last year. She was in Afghanistan to help establish a hospital for Afghan military and civilians:

activists killed in israeli boat raid

If you've been watching the news, you've heard about the Israeli navy's botched boat raid on a flotilla of ships carrying aid and hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists to the blockaded Gaza Strip, killing nine passengers and provoking international outrage: Israeli commandos storm aid flotilla; 9 killed.

second stage theatre presents year one

For all you theater fans in New York, Second Stage Theatre kicks off this summer's Uptown Series with the New York premiere of Year Zero, written by Michael Golamco, directed by Will Frears, and featuring Louis Ozawa Changchien, Peter Kim, Mason Lee and Maureen Sebastian.

this week's angriest posts

Not really the angriest, just the most viewed.

hollywood whitewash: prince of persia and the last airbender

gene luen yang: why I won't be watching the last airbender movie

oh, that silly internment thing? texas school board approves revised history curriculum

daniel dae kim shows off his new tattoo

ten facts you may not know about asian american history

white house aapi heritage month reception

jin & sun by tara mcpherson

charice joining the cast of glee? (nope.)

ann curry's commencement speech gone wrong

queens assault victim dies

It's been a crazy week! Enjoy the holiday weekend, everybody.

5.28.2010

join me at the tuesday night cafe: june 1

Just wanted to throw a shoutout for my friends at the Tuesday Night Project, and the next edition of Tuesday Night Cafe, which takes place every first and third Tuesday of the month. I'll be there next Tuesday, June 1, sitting in as the "Featured Blogger." I don't exactly know what that means, but it sounds fun. Here are some more details:

Short notice, but if you're in Los Angeles this weekend, here's a cool event happening this Saturday at the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo: Asian Pacific Islander & Native American Heritage Festival.

volunteer for aaiff'10

Attention, all able and willing filmgoers in New York... the 33rd Asian American International Film Festival is less than two months away, and they are in need of volunteers to help prepare for and run the festival, taking place July 15-24. They can't do it all without you. Read on for details:

Thao fans! Glee fans! Check out this awesome music video for "Body" by Thao and the Get Down Stay Down, directed by Dianna Agron (Quinn Fabray on Glee). And they're doing it in suport of Oxfam America. Take a look:

mystery hero saves woman from oncoming train

Wow! In New York, an unidentified good Samaritan saved Jessica Oshita from being crushed by an L train in Union Square after she fainted an tumbled onto the tracks on Monday night: Good Samaritan rushes off into night after saving Jessica Oshita from oncoming L train. Who is this mysterious hero?

Have you heard? Jane Kim, President of the San Francisco Board of Education (and former Angry Reader of the Week) is running for San Francisco Supervisor. Today -- Friday, May 28 -- kicks off her campaign's signature-gathering process for the Signature in Lieu of filing.

Between now through July 22, Jane needs to gather over 1,500 signatures from District 6 residents to get her on the November ballot for the District 6 race. They're kicking things off this weekend with some outreach and signature-gathering in the neighborhood:

Okay, everybody. Time to meet another Angry Reader of the Week, spotlighting you, the very special readers of this website. Over the years, I've been able to connect with a lot of cool folks, and this is a way of showing some appreciation and attention to the people who help make this blog what it is. This week's Angry Reader is Simon Tam of The Slants.

female knuckleballer makes her pro debut on saturday

18-year-old Japanese pitcher Eri Yoshida, aka "The Knuckle Princess," will make her American debut with the Chico Outlaws this Saturday against the Tijuana Cimarrones, becoming the first female to play prop baseball in the United States since Ila Borders pitched in the Northern League in the late 1990s: Female knuckleballer, 18, to debut Saturday in Chico.

This sign was recently spotted at Amy's Ice Cream in Austin, Texas. I'm sure what makes this combination -- vanilla, graham cracker, Butterfinger and Whoppers -- particularly "Bruce Lee"... but you know what? If I walked into this place and saw that sign, I'd probably order it. (Thanks, Desiree.)

energy secretary steven chu's share history with bp

This is an interesting New York Times article spelling out Energy Secretary Steven Chu's previous ties to British oil giant BP, when he was director of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Doesn't seem to be shady though: BP's Ties to Agency Are Long and Complex.

asian rock fest 2010

Bay Area friends, the annual Asian Rock Fest returns to San Francisco, bringing together established and up-and-coming Asian American artists from all over the United States for "an in-your-face, louder-than-your-parents'-soft-jazz" night of rock, featuring Johnny Hi-Fi, Lion Riding Horses, Unitd High and Jack Tung. It's happening this Saturday, May 29 at the Rockit Room. Here's some more information:

For those of you in Portland, Ivy Lin's historical documentary Come Together Home will be screening Monday, May 31 at The History Pub at The Kennedy School. The film tells the story Lone Fir Cemetary, the first Chinese burial ground in Portland, and the extraordinary journey of the remains from the United States to Hong Kong. Take a look at the trailer:

white house aapi heritage month discussion on "the model minority myth"

On May 17, as part of the White House's observance of AAPI Heritage Month, Michelle Rhee, Frank Wu and Kalpen Modi discussed the "Dispelling of the Model Minority Myth." Here's the video, which includes statements by Kiran Ahuja of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

call your senators to support goodwin liu

As you know, Professor Goodwin Liu's nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit was voted on by the Senate Judiciary Committee on May 13 and is now being considered by the full Senate.

You can support Professor Liu by calling your Senators at 202-224-3121 and asking them to vote for Professor Liu. Here's some more info, courtesy of the Asian American Justice Center:

We've been following the production of the Red Dawn remake for a while now. The movie, which tells the story of a Chinese military invasion of America, is due out in theaters later this year, and seems to sound more depressing with every update. It's only going to get worse. The Yellow invaders are coming!

Here's a post from The Awl by Abe Sauer, who has read the Red Dawn script and confirms our fears, calling it "probably the most unnecessary, irresponsible, Sinophobic film in America's history." And that is saying a lot: Real America: "Red Dawn" Remade: China is Coming for Our Children.

ten facts you may not know about asian american history

As you are aware, May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Unfortunately, mostly everyone else probably isn't aware of this, thanks to a serious lack of Asian American history and heritage taught in U.S. public schools (especially in Texas).

For the uninformed, there is help. Over at Change.org, Jenn Fang has compiled a handy list of 10 Facts You May Not Know About Asian-American History. Did you know:

Liberty in North Korean (LiNK) is a nonprofit organization trying to raise awareness about the human rights and humanitarian crisis in North Korea. And they need your help -- they're looking for a few good people to be "Nomads" (aka interns). Watch this little video for more information:

According to new data compiled by the gay rights group Servicemembers United, the U.S. military's 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military has disproportionately affected minorities and women: 'Don't ask, don't tell' affects women, minorities more.

This USA Today article opens with the story of Julianne Sohn, who was discharged from the Marines in 2008 under 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell':

I know I'm not the only one who finds these photos really freaking funny. Are you with me? Well, there's more here: Publicly Sleeping Salarymen.

coast guard searching for missing swimmer

In Newburyport, Massachusetts, authorities are searching for the drowned body of 21-year-old Marina Kohn, who was enjoying an afternoon at the beach when she was caught in a rapidly rising tide and swept away into the Merrimack River on Tuesday: 7 saved; one lost.

Khon, who had just graduated from Syracuse University, spent Tuesday with several friends on the beach. They waded into knee-deep water off the northern tip of Plum Island and were swept into the river by a strong incoming tide. Seven were rescued by local boaters, but Khon disappeared:

schema presents west is east

This is for all my people in Vancouver... For Asian Heritage Month, Schema Magazine and Sammie Jo Productions are presenting the WEST is EAST Party, a fundraiser for Giant Robot magazine. It's happening Thursday, May 27 at Fortune Sound Club in Vancouver.

The West is East party is a yearly event that brings together a cool mix of local Asian DJs, MCs, dancers, and performers, with partial proceeds from the event going to fundraiser a chosen project by Schema. Here are some more details:

lilian bui: "daydream at midnight"

Rather loving this video of Lilian Bui singing her original tune, "Daydream at Midnight." Not only do I totally dig her vocals, I cannot resist a woman who busts out a kazoo solo. That's gangsta.

She informs that she's currently working on a studio EP of original material. Can't wait to hear it. For more information about Lilian, see her website here and her YouTube channel here.

asia society's apa heritage month haiku contest

Got some 5-7-5 poetry in you? Are you bursting with Asian American pride? In celebration of APA Heritage Month, Asia Society is holding a APA Heritage Month Haiku Contest. All you have to do is tell them why being Asian American rocks... in the form of a haiku. Here are some details:

music video: "the space in between" by how to destroy angels

I wish I hadn't watched this. This music video for "The Space in Between" by How To Destroy Angels is rather disturbing. Mariqueen Maandig is hot, but damn... I am creeped out. The six-track self-titled EP from How to Destroy Angels is out June 1st. For more information, go here.

looking for queer korean women for documentary project

I recently heard from Nina, who is currently working on a documentary about queer Korean women. The project sort of focuses on giving a face and voice to the stories of queer Korean women through filmed interviews, and she's looking for subjects. Here's some background:

It was announced today that Janice Min, former editor in chief of Us Weekly magazine, has been named editorial director of The Hollywood Reporter. She'll start her new job mid-June in Los Angeles: Janice Min named THR editorial director.

Ooooh, this is going to be a good one. Home:Word, the upcoming collaboration from Magnetic North and Taiyo Na, is due out June 8. Get yourself ready for the release with a few spins of this 16-minute-plus sampler mixed by DJ Boo, giving you a nice taste of the new album. Here's the track listing:

Wow. Check out this story on Sim and Tanveer Bhullar, two towering teenage Indian Canadian basketball-playing brothers from Toronto. 17-year-old Sim is 7-4, 285 pounds. 15-year-old Tanveer is 7-2, 260 pounds. They are very big guys: 7-foot brothers stand out in a crowd.

The Bhullar brothers play for the Kiski School, a small, all-boys prep school in Saltburg, Pennsylvania -- not necessarily known for its basketball program. Until now:

On G4's Attack of the Show, Alison Haislip, Kevin Pereira and guest Daniel Dae Kim show off their special tattoos. And then things get awkward:

chinese people are "crazy about" gary locke

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke is in China this week, leading a delegation of companies with the hopes of winning new opportunities for American firms in the energy sector: Gary Locke's Mission In China.

Secretary Locke is a good guy to send to China -- according to this article, the former Washington governor is apparently quite popular there: Homegrown Hero Locke Faces Test on China Trade as Tensions Lurk.

kero one x myk x dok2 x dumbfoundead live!

Atlanta! San Francisco! Seattle! Want to see some kickass hip hop? You've got Kero One, MYK, Dok2 and Dumbfoundead -- all on one stage. Do I have to say more? These are going to be hot shows!

16-year-old kid graduates from rutgers university

Whoa. Check out this story from a few weeks back about Kyle Loh, who, at 16-years-old, became one of the young students to ever graduate from Rutgers University: Mendham Township 16-year-old boy is among youngest to graduate from Rutgers University. Smart kid:

Urban Wolf is an action web series that recently premiered on Sony's Crackle.com. Directed by French filmmaker Laurent Touil-Tartour, and starring Hong Kong action star Vincent Sze, the 15-part mystery thriller is told entirely without dialogue. Here's the trailer:

nominate rice daddies for best parenting blog

Real quick -- our friends at the Asian American daddy blog Rice Daddies need your help. Their awesome blog has a chance to be nominated for Best Parenting Blog at Parents Connect.

Through mid-July, folks who register on the site can vote for nominees. The top vote-getters will comprise the ballot in August for the actual title of Best Parenting Blog. Maybe that title can go to Rice Daddies! Go here to cast your vote.

charice joining the cast of glee? (nope.)

It's being widely reported that none other than Filipino teen singing sensation Charice Pempengco has landed a regular role on Glee. The reports started when her manager confirmed the rumor to the Philippine Daily Inquirer: Charice to join American TV series 'Glee'

But wait, not so fast. While it would be awesome to see her on Glee, Charice's U.S. manager has confirmed nothing of the sort, and according to Perez Hilton, there's apparently "no truth" to her appearing on the show. Read Charice's own official tweet:

why arizona's anti-immigrant law matters to asian americans

As I mentioned last week, the Asian Pacific American Legal Center and the Asian American Justice Center, filed a lawsuit with other national civil rights organizations to challenge SB 1070, Arizona's anti-immigrant law: Asian American Groups Join Lawsuit Against SB 1070.

The law requires police to demand "papers" from people they stop that they "reasonably suspect" are undocumented.

This law is a dangerous slippery slope, and a serious threat to freedom everywhere. Here's another press release from APALC, this time with more of an Asian Amerian focus, highlighting reasons why SB 1070 should matter to Asian Americans both in and outside of Arizona:

Award-winning graphic novelist Gene Luen Yang, author of American Born Chinese is a huge fan of Nickelodeon's Avatar: The Last Airbender animated series. So when he found out the live-action movie adaptation would feature an all-white principal cast, he became one of the more vocal voices against the casting controversy.

With the movie's release just over a month away, Gene has spoken out again against The Last Airbender ("the last stone from my slingshot on this topic") -- using a comic, of course -- calling on folks to boycott the movie: Why I Won't Be Watching The Last Airbender Movie. I'm re-posting it here:

former south philly high principal still on district payroll

The situation at South Philadelphia High School just doesn't seem to get any better... A few weeks ago, news broke that Principal LaGreta Brown had resigned. Great, right? However, it seems that Brown is still on the school district's payroll: Ex-S. Phila. principal still on district payroll.

According to district officials, Brown's resignation apparently applied only to her principal's position, not to her employment. She is indeed still on the district's payroll at $124,000 a year, and could still be assigned to another position:

Oh, ouch. I love you Ann Curry, but this is pretty friggin' embarrassing. Over the weekend, the Today show news anchor gave the commencement speech at Wheaton College in Massachusetts -- not to be confused with Wheaton College in Illinois... which is exactly what dear Ann did: Ann Curry Talks About Wrong Wheaton College At Commencement Address.

Yesterday, President Obama celebrated AAPI Heritage Month with a reception at the White House. I had the privilege of being a guest at the festivities. I still can't quite believe that I was invited, and I flew out to D.C. just to attend the party... but it's just one of those you don't say no to.

Here's some video of the President's remarks. I was standing directly in front of the podium in the East Room -- if you look closely, you can actually see the back of my head. I'm the guy with the black hair:

forced rebellion: photography by kc ortiz

If you're in Los Angeles, check out this cool photo show by KC Ortiz, featuring selected photos from his recent time spent with the jungle Hmong in Laos. They're on display now through June 12 at Known Gallery in Los Angeles. Here's some more information:

new york city samurai

Shozo Kato recently became the third person from outside of Japan to pass the notoriously difficult exam for eight dan in kendo -- the highest rank in the martial art of Japanese fencing: Top-ranked kendo master Shozo Kato aces Japan samurai test. It's apparently the toughest test in Japan:

I'm not big follower of professional wrestling, but word on the street is, WWE has signed an Asian American wrestler, Su Yung, to a developmental deal: WWE Reportedly Signs New Asian-American Diva.

two friends involved in high school stabbing incident

Some disturbing news out of Honolulu last week about a high school stabbing involving two teens... At Kalani High School, a 16-year-old suffered multiple stab wounds when another student attacked him in a classroom: Kalani Students Involved In Stabbing Identified.

Those of you who have been fortunate to see the Glee cast live in concert also had the opportunity to see the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers. Reports say they were pretty damn awesome. Check out these awesome trading cards recently posted on The LXD's Facebook page. Collect 'em all! That's Jonny Starr on the left above.

charles djou wins hawaii congressional seat in special election

For the first time in two decades, a Republican is representing Hawaii in Congress. The GOP is celebrating a victory on Obama's "home turf," where Charles Djou has won the special election to fill the vacancy in Hawaii's 1st Congressional District: Djou wins U.S. House seat.

Djou won close to 40 percent of the vote in the mail-in special election, beating out Democrats Colleen Hanabusa, with 31 percent, and Ed Case, 28 percent. Yes -- note that the majority of voters in the district supported Democratic candidates. It was race that created a deep divide within the party:

Check it out. Some new music for you! Like independent hip hop? Download the free track "What Goes Up" by Power Struggle, from their new full-length album Remittances, which dropped last week from Beatrock Music. Everybody likes free music. Download it here:

queens assault victim dies

According to police, 23-year-old Yu Yau, the Queens woman who was brutally beaten with a pipe and sexually assaulted last Sunday, died over the weekend when she was taken off life support: Beaten, raped Queens gal dies.

Did you enjoy the series finale? Epic. One last image, this beautiful of screenprint of Jin and Sun in their haunting final moment from "The Candidate," in honor of the end of Lost.

This poster by Tara McPherson is one of several limited edition pieces -- unique, signed and numbered-- commissioned to celebrate the sixth and final season. See the rest of the art at here -- the pieces are pretty cool.

oh, that silly internment thing? texas school board approves revised history curriculum

It's official. The Texas State Board of Education wants its students to be the most ignorant kids in America. It has adopted a social studies and history curriculum that essentially revises and rewrites the teaching of the Japanese American internment, among hundreds of other things: Texas OKs school textbook changes.

matcha: the shanghai dress, june 3

All right, Bay Area friends. Mark your calendar for another edition of MATCHA, the Asian Art Museum's bi-monthly art/music/mixer event: The Shanghai Dress, showcasing the work of designer and entrepenuer Jane Zhu. It's happening Thursday, June 3 at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. Here's some more information:

clara performs at the white house

Ever since I saw her win Kollaboration 10, I've been huge fan of Clara. She's awesome. Some people in high places apparently think so too -- she was recently invited by the White House to perform at a Department of Education event for APA Heritage Month. Check out this cool video documenting her adventure: Clara's WHITE HOUSE GIG!!! Awesome, Clara.

apply for the summer activist training

Attention activists! The Summer Activist Training (SAT) is looking for a few good recruits. Founded in 1993, the SAT provides young APAs an opportunity to learn valuable skills in community organizing and direct action campaigns.

The program brings together like-minded folks to help create a community of young activists and organizers, many of whom go onto work in various community-based organizations and unions. This year's training will take place July 8-11 in Los Angeles. Here's some more info:

Another Los Angeles Times article looking at Hollywood's nasty habit of "whitewashing" its characters, looking specifically at two big upcoming movies, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and The Last Airbender: Hollywood whitewash? 'Airbender' and 'Prince of Persia' anger fans with ethnic casting.

For a movie called Prince of Persia, which opens next week, it doesn't feature a whole lot of actual Persians. In fact, none of its principle cast members are of Iranian, Middle Eastern of Muslim descent. But hooray for Jake Gyllenhaal and Gemma Arterton, two white actors who look quite pretty on the poster.

Remember Charice Pempengco? The young teenage Filipino songstress, who first stunned internet viewers around the world with her powerhouse voice a few years back, recently dropped a self-titled debut album. Is she the next Celine Dion?

a former refugee's inspirational story

The San Diego Union Tribune has a great story on Sothary Van, a young woman who survived a great deal of hardship -- a Cambodian refugee camp, poverty, an abusive father, and life on her own at 16 -- but recently completed her master's thesis at San Diego State University: 'Fantastic' accomplishment by refugee camp survivor.

Bay Area singer/songwriter Alice Tong is putting together some cash for her upcoming West Coast tour, in support of her new album Please Be Brave Before the Lions They Come. She and her band are hoping to embark on the tour after the CD release party, happening this Saturday, May 29 at Hotel Utah in San Francisco.

san diego colleges searching for internees

I've posted several stories about the California Nisei College Diploma Project, which aims to award honorary degrees to Japanese American former students whose educations were interrupted when they were forced into internment camps during World War II.

Several schools have already presented honorary degrees to former students, while others, like MiraCosta College in San Diego, are still trying to identify and make contact with individuals who were students at the time: Colleges award diplomas to WWII internees.

Check out the trailer for Predators, director Robert Rodriguez's latest installment of the sci-fi action series. In this one, a diverse bunch of fierce human warriors are transported to an alien planet where they are hunted by Predators. Among the hunted: a samurai sword-wielding Yakuza thug named Hanzo, played by Louis Ozawa Changchien.

Frankly, a sword seems like it would be pretty ineffective against one of those Predator creatures. My guess is, Hanzo doesn't stay alive to the end of this movie. Here's an interview from earlier in the year with actor Louis Ozawa Changchien, who talks a little bit about his character: Interview with Actor Louis Ozawa Changchien on Upcoming Film "Predators."

judge issues arrest warrant for crappy landlord

Asians behaving badly... crappy landlord edition! Last week in New York, a judge issued a warrant for the arrest of Sam Suzuku, whose 49-unit apartment building in Bronx River boasts an impressive 663 open violations: Judge Loses Patience With a Bronx Landlord.

An arrest warrant is apparently pretty rare in housing court, but the building was just that bad -- shedding lead paint, collapsing ceilings, cockroaches, rats -- and the judge was just sick and tired of Suzuki's failure to fix the violations and show up in court:

this week's angriest posts

Not really the angriest, just the most viewed.

tam tran and cinthya felix, dream activists killed in car accident

rima fakh crowned miss usa 2010

man arrested in brutal attack on woman in queens

glee's "other asian" speaks

hawaii five-0: behind the scenes/opening credits

9-year-old girl sexually assaulted in chinatown library

watch hbo's east of main street: asians aloud

ethnic studies are american studies

abc cancels flashforward

new asian pop group: umamiya

Have a fantastic weekend everyone.

5.21.2010

lost: the end

Well, here we are. After six seasons, ranging from the mind-blowing to the completely aggravating, we're staring at the series finale of one of the greatest television shows ever: Lost. I'm not sure I've simultaneously anticipated and dreaded a single night of TV this much, ever. Fellow fans, are you with me?

If you're Southern California this weekend, check out this free movie screening and discussion of Alice Wu's Saving Face, presented by API Equality Los Angeles and Visual Communications in celebration of Harvey Milk Day and APIA Heritage Month.

The post-screening discussion will feature Ming-Yuen S. Ma, Tim Dang and Noel Alumit, talking about the portryal of APIs and LGBTs in film. It's happening Sunday, May 23 at Bruggemeyer Library in Monterey Park. Here are some more details:

This week, Marvel.com celebrated APA Heritage Month by highlighting the APA creators and characters shaping the Marvel Universe, from interviews with Incredible Hulk writer Greg Pak, to features on heroes like Amadeus Cho of Heroic Age: Prince of Power and Jimmy Woo of Agents of Atlas. Check it out: Asian-Pacific American Week on Marvel.com.

In other news, DC Comics celebrated APA Heritage Month by killing off Ryan Choi, aka The Atom, in Titans: Villains for Hire #1. Happy Heritage Month!

88-year-old laotian man gets his passport back

An 88-year-old Laotian man, who sued U.S. immigration officials to return his passport, finally got it back this week. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency had kept the Laotian passport since the man applied for political asylum in April 2008: Elderly Laotian's wish granted: He's going home. And all the guy wanted to do was go home:

maggie q in nikita clip

As I mentioned before, Maggie Q will be starring in the title role of CW's upcoming remake of Nikita. Check out this clip of Ms. Quigley shootin' dudes and kicking ass, presumably from the pilot episode. A little underwhelming, but I think I'll still give it a shot. The show airs Thursdays on the CW this fall.

ucla mourns tam tran and cinthya felix

This week, friends, family and the UCLA community held a memorial service for Tam Tran and Cinthya Felix, two former students and immigrants' rights activists who died in a car accident in Maine last week: UCLA mourns two graduates killed in Maine traffic accident.

Gather 'round, because it's time to meet another Angry Reader of the Week, spotlighting you, the very special readers of this website. Over the years, I've been able to connect with a lot of cool folks, and this is a way of showing some appreciation and attention to the people who help make this blog what it is. This week's Angry Reader is Ling Woo Liu, director of the Korematsu Institute for Civil Rights and Education.

yes, there's a national api hiv/aids awareness day. oh right, you're an idiot.

Middle finger to blogger Jonah Goldberg, for making fun of National Asian and Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, in this itty-bitty throwaway post for National Review Online's The Corner. A whole day devoted to Asians and AIDS? Hilarious!

Randomly came across this photo the other day, from the June 2005 issue of Vanity Fair. That's Angelina Jolie and her son Maddox, shot by Annie Leibovitz. When I see this image, I can't help but think: there is no way this kid has grown up with any real sense of "normal."

tea party candidate faces civil rights controversy

This is pretty ridiculous... and yet not that surprising, I guess. By now, you might have heard of growing controversy surrounding Rand Paul, the Republican U.S. Senate candidate in Kentucky, who apparently has something against the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Or at least parts of it: Tea Party Pick Causes Uproar on Civil Rights. Yes, this is the Tea Party's pick.

10th annual slant: bold asian american images

Hey Houston! The Slant Film Festival returns this weekend, May 21-23, to the Aurora Picture Show. They're celebrating ten years! And doing it with style, bringing you some of the best works in Asian American cinema, as well as live performances from Asian American artists.

The festival kicks off with a screening of the latest in Asian American short films. Then Slant's centerpiece showcase is a special evening of live performance with film, featuring writer Neelanjana Banerjee and musicians Robin Dukhadia and Goh Nakamura. The festival wraps with a free salon led by award-winning filmmaker PJ Raval. Here are some program details:

If you're in Seattle, and looking for something to do this Saturday night, make plans to celebrate APA Heritage month and see Tim Be Told at Ibiza Night Club. I've written a lot about these guys, posting various tracks and videos, but I really recommend seeing them live to get the full effect. They're fantastic. Here are some more details about the Seattle show:

I recently just heard about the music of Nate Tao, a senior at Ithaca College who just released a solo debut EP, Lost In The Music. It's a fusion of pop, R&B, and electronic influences. After listening to a few sample tracks, I'm sort of reminded of the vocal dance pop of Erasure or New Order (in a good way).

For more from Nate, visit his website here, where you can download the EP. But do it quick! It'll only be available as a free download until May 24. And of course, also check Nate's MySpace, Facebook and Twitter.

fallen green beret honored 48 years after vietnam

Here's an interesting article in the Honolulu Star Bulletin about James Gabriel Jr., the first Special Forces soldier and the first Hawaiian to be killed in the Vietnam War: A hero leads the field.

Wanna see something trippy and fun? Check out the music video for "Magic World" by Mista Cookie Jar, from his debut children's album The Love Bubble. It is described as "Urban Island Folky Rock N Roll for the Inner Child." Works for me. Take a look:

ethnic studies are american studies

The headline pretty much says it all. Good piece in the Huffington Post by Sally Kohn, on Why Ethnic Studies is Good For All Americans, Including White Folks. Unfortunately, it's a lesson that's becoming increasingly urgent and important, now more than ever. I like this part:

When I posted about Laura Ling and Lisa Ling appearing on Oprah this week, it didn't occur to me that the show just happened to coincide with the release of their new book, Somewhere Inside: One Sister's Captivity in North Korea and the Other's Fight to Bring Her Home.

As you know, Laura Ling and Euna Lee were on the China/North Korea border working on a story about North Korean defectors when they were arrested by North Korean soldiers and detained for 140 days. The book is Laura's side of the story, as well as Lisa's fight to get her back:

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