save the date: 33rd asian american international film festival

New York! Just want to make sure you mark your calendars for the 33rd Asian American International Film Festival, presented by Asian CineVision, bringing you the best Asian and Asian American films. It runs July 15-24 in Chelsea as well as satellite venues around New York.

music video: "marching into the light" by andres useche

Our friend George Shaw passed along this music video for "Marching into the Light" by Andres Useche, who write it in response to recent events in Arizona. George produced, recorded, played piano and sang background vocals on the song. The video features footage from Eric Byler and Annabel Park's documentary 9500 Liberty (which you should definitely check out if you get the chance). You can download an mp3 of the track here.

more asian americans signing up for u.s. military

Here's a recent NPR story on the recent significant increase of Asian American recruitment into the U.S. Army. While Asian Americans have typically volunteered at the lowest rate of any ethnic group, something is suddenly drawing Asian-Americans in California into the Army at a remarkable rate: More Asian-Americans Signing Up For The Army.

Why? Education is definitely one of the big draws. The military's education benefits have become particularly appealing in the current economy, especially considering skyrocketing college costs. That's one reason, though the story also offers up another theory:

the man's guide to love: george, 73, and brad, 56

"Be patient, men. Your prince or princess is out there waiting for you someplace." Here's another installment of The Man's Guide To Love, which offers up real advice, man to man, seven days a week -- for better or for worse.

This one features none other than George Takei and his longtime partner Brad Altman, who dispense some valuable advice about finding that right person, but more importantly, sticking together.

rent a white guy

Here's another article, first discussed in The Atlantic a couple of weeks ago, about the strange phenomenon of Chinese companies hiring foreigners to pose as fake employees or business partners. This one's from CNN: Chinese companies 'rent' white foreigners. Get your white guy now!

the last airbender: this movie could boycott itself

I have seen The Last Airbender movie. Let me be clear: I did not pay to see it. But the screening opportunity came up, so I watched it -- I've talked about the film enough, I figured I should at least see it for myself. And now I share my observations with you:

Google commercial: "Graduation" (Somebody give me a tissue.)

Can I just tell you how much I love this Google commercial. I've watched it like five times now, and I find myself getting a little choked up, blinking away tears with each viewing. Take a look:

another good piece on racist casting of the last airbender

I saw The Last Airbender last night. I'm still collecting my thoughts, and will post something resembling a review later in the day, but I just wanted to share this article that Roger Ebert posted on his Twitter, calling it "the best writing I've seen on the racist casting of The Last Airbender:

every kid needs a chinese sex lamp

So get this... check out this Carryout Lamp, described as "a novelty-style table lamp" available at Target. Okay, so it looks like a Chinese food takeout box. A little cheesy, but kind of fun. So what? Well...

I don't read Chinese, but I'm told that the cool-looking Chinese character on the box means "sex." This is made even funnier by the fact that the product description notes that this lamp is "ideal for kid's bedroom." Whoa, kids. Careful where you turn on that light. (Thanks, Chi-Chi.)

casting call: asian americans for cw pilot jaded

Got this intriguing casting notice, spotted on Craigslist, passed along to me... It's a for an hour-long series pilot for CW called Jaded, set in "the burgeoning Japantown/Koreatown/Chinatown scene with hip Asian characters making it in NYC": Asian Actors For TV Series Pilot. Here's the full post:

irrelevant: local emerging artists who don't make work about being asian

The name alone could get me inside this exhibit: Irrelevant: Local Emerging Asian Artists Who Don't Make Work About Being Asian, featuring the work of nearly fifty artists curated by Joann Kim and Lesley Sheng. It's running July 1 - August 6 at Arario Gallery in New York. Here are some more details:

rza's wu-tang vs the golden phoenix trailer

I've been seeing this one passed around all day... Believe it or not, it's the trailer for the RZA's kung fu movie, Wu-Tang Vs The Golden Phoenix. At least, I think it's a real movie. Whatever it is, it appears to be a gritty, grindy throwback to old-school martial arts flicks. And it looks like it was made for about 23 dollars -- which is exactly why it looks awesome.

lawsuit claims arts school preyed on immigrant families

Today in Los Angeles, 77 parents and students filed a lawsuit against the former president and vice president of Montecito Fine Arts School, alleging that the private school program specifically targeted and defrauded Chinese and Taiwanese immigrant families: Suit claims Montecito Fine Arts school preyed on immigrant families.

Trisha Ying Zi Zhang and Edgar Kuckelkorn are accused of scamming families, lying about the educational and professional opportunities provided by their school and collecting over $1.5 million in tuition before closing last summer. Here's part of the press release from APALC:

protest the last airbender this thursday in hollywood

More press from M. Night Shyamalan... The director recently appeared as a guest on CBS' Early Show to promote The Last Airbender: M. Night Shyamalan's First Kids' Movie. When asked about the casting controversy, he dropped this little gem:

ninja say what?!

The funny little video was passed along to me the other day: Ninja Say What?! Not exactly the most original joke -- you get the idea pretty quick. Even at a minute and a half, it feels a little long. But still pretty amusing, and featuring lots of folks I know and recognize. I laughed the most at the end there.

joel stein vs. the indians (and the indians are winning)

A lot of folks have pointed me to this godawful column -- an alleged attempt at humor -- by Joel Stein in TIME, lamenting the rapidly shifting demographics of his hometown of Edison, New Jersey. Immigration has changed the face of the local population. And that face is Indian: My Own Private India.

For commentary, I point you to this post at Sepia Mutiny, which thoroughly rips the hell out of Stein and his old world, the-"dotheads"-have-taken-over view of Edison. I'm with Anna -- the title was really the only clever thing about the piece:

"21 reasons why this movie sucks"

You have to watch this: 21 Reasons Why This Movie Sucks [Part 1 of 2].



Here's part two.

Since we've been talking a lot about Hollywood whitewashing lately, this is a marvelous piece to share. As part of a recent literary event with Thai American writers, playwright/performer Prince Gomolvilas presented this monologue, in which he takes down 21, The Last Airbender and M. Night Shyamalan with great fun and fervor.

For the record, I guarantee I will pay attention to any email with the subject line, "Bitch-Slapping 'The Last Airbender.'" The movie opens this week, so spread this video around to keep the conversation going. And for more information on Prince Gomolvilas and his work, go to his blog here.

vietnamese shrimpers face financial ruin

Here's yet another article on the plight of the Vietnamese fishing community -- an estimated 20,000 fishermen and shrimpers -- facing hardship in the aftermath of the Gulf Coast oil spill. While many rebuilt their livelihoods after Hurricane Katrina, they don't know if they can do it again: Vietnamese shrimpers face financial ruin after oil spill.

the last airbender-themed mcdonald's commercial... starring asians!

Some Last Airbender-related nonsense to start your day... So here's an Airbender-themed McDonald's commercial which features a little Asian girl, surrounded by lots of neat Asian stuff, and doing some mean airbending to get her hands on a Happy Meal. So an Asian hero(ine) is good enough to sell McDonald's... but not good enough to star in a motion picture. Got it.

william richardson, former chief justice of hawaii's supreme court, dies at 90

William S. Richardson, who served as chief justice of the Hawaii Supreme Court for 16 years, died Monday in Honolulu. He was 90: William S. Richardson, Ex-Chief Justice in Hawaii, Dies at 90.

Richardson was a leading proponent of the rights of native Hawaiians, often relying on ancestral custom rather than Western common law in his decisions:

asian american theater company presents beijing, california

Bay Area theater fans, take a look at the world premiere of Asian American Theater Company's latest production, Beijing, California. The play runs July 1-17 at the Thick House Theater in San Francisco. The play is set in the year 2050, when China invades America... and Americans confront life as a conquered Third World nation. Here's the video trailer:

paperdoll wins kollaboration new york

Big BIG congratulations to Paperdoll, who took home the top prize at Kollaboration New York over the weekend. Their win just confirms what we all already knew -- Paperdoll is a kickass band! Here's video of their performance:

two shot dead in d.c. store robbery

Rough news out of D.C. about an armed robbery and shooting last week that claimed the lives of a wholesale store owner, 59-year-old Ming-Kung Chih, and his son, 32-year-old Li-Jen Chih: Fatal shootings send wave of grief, dread through D.C. businesses.

wong fu & kevjumba: funemployed episode 3

Oh yes. Just caught up on Episode 3 of Funemployed, the recently launched webseries by Kev Jumba and Wong Fu Productions. I'm enjoying it more and more. Take a look:

sen. inouye becomes third in line for presidential succession

I know this is kind of weird thing to bring up, but it's worth noting that the sudden passing of Senator Robert Byrd created a void at the position of Senate president pro-tempore, the individual third in line for presidential succession, eligible to fill the presidency in the event of a vacancy after the vice president and the speaker of the House.

That position, created in the Constitution, is to be filled by the Senate's longest-serving member of the majority party -- in this case, Senator Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii):

yen-hsun beats andy roddick in wimbledon upset

Oh snap! In a stunning upset, 26-year-old Yen-hsun Lu of Taiwan -- ranked 82nd in the world -- has defeated Andy Roddick at Wimbledon, 9-7 in the fifth set: Roddick Upset by Lu in Wimbledon Round of 16. It was a win few would have predicted:

join a protest against the last airbender

The Last Airbender opens this week. If you're unhappy with the casting, there isn't much you can do about the movie itself -- it's being released, and Aang is a white kid. However, there's still a great deal you can do to get the word out about the casting issues surrounding the movie.

The good people at Racebending, who have spearheaded the awareness campaign around The Last Airbender, are organizing protests this week in Los Angeles, New York and Seattle. If you feel strongly about this issue, they're inviting you to join them. Here's their message to you:

the last airbender controversy, in m. night shyamalan's own words

With The Last Airbender opening in theaters in just a few days, everybody wants to know what director M. Night Shyamalan has to say about the fan controversy surrounding the race of movie's key characters.

During a recent media event, an interviewer asked him about it... and Manoj, um, kind of lost it: M Night Shyamalan in his own words on The Last Airbender race controversy. I found this kind of interesting:

postsecret: white guys

Here's another one a lot of folks sent in, spotted the other day on PostSecret. Not quite sure I fully understand this, nor do I have the energy to try. I guess that's why it's a secret!

south philly high cuts jobs focusing on student safety

When South Philadelphia High School erupted into racial violence on December 3, community liaison Violet Sutton-Lawson was one of the few school staff members who actually did something -- risking serious injury -- to protect Asian students who were being beaten by mobs. Last week, she was laid off:

this week's angriest posts

Not really the angriest, just the most viewed.

• filipino nurses fired for speaking tagalog


• postsecret: half asian


• green hornet movie trailer hits the web


• this time, it's true: charice is joining the cast of glee


• you are not joining the cast of glee


• your harold and kumar update


• the daughters of totally rad asian parents


• jeremy lin works out with the warriors


• overheard in new york: "he loves koreans"


• submit a question to m. night shyamalan

I am freaking out because my computer appears to be broken, and I'm probably going to lose a significant amount of valuable data. Stupid me for not backing up more frequently. Learn from my mistakes!

bruce lee's screen test for the green hornet

I've been seeing this one make the rounds this week, posted here and there. If you haven't seen it before, this is 24-year-old Bruce Lee's 1965 screen test for Kato in The Green Hornet. Appropriate, I guess, with the recent launch of the new movie trailer. As if we needed reminding... the guy's speed, charm and confidence was absolutely stunning. There's no doubt you're looking at a star.

gulf's vietnamese community fights for survival

Here's another frustrating story for the thousands of Vietnamese Americans whose lives have been affected by the devastating oil spill. The fishing and seafood industry is a lifeline for 80 percent of Vietnamese living in the Gulf region: Vietnamese fishermen in Gulf fight to not get lost in translation.

A third of all fishermen in the Gulf are Vietnamese, making them arguably the most affected minority out there. But for many, language and cultural barriers have made the recovery process even more complicated, confusing and challenging:

studio360 talks to singer judith hill

Saw this on Boing Boing... Today marks the one-year anniversary of Michael Jackson's death. This week on PRI's Studio360, they produced a piece on singer Judith Hill, who was supposed to sing alongside Jackson on his This Is It comeback tour.

The tour was supposed to be her big break, but the world was introduced to her in an entirely different venue -- performing at Michael Jackson's memorial. Listen to the segment here: Lisa interviews Jackson backup singer Judith Hill for Studio360.

jeremy lin is going to mavericks mini-camp

The news is that there's no news... Harvard's Jeremy Lin was not one of the 60 players selected yesterday in the 2010 NBA Draft. No doubt, Lin is a solid player, but getting drafted was looking more and more like a long shot.

angry reader of the week: mike le

Attention! It is 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 UCLA grad student Mike Le, staff member of Racebending.com.

the baddest traffic cop in new york

More on NYPD Traffic Officer Daniel Chu, who was seen using his flashing red lights and blasting through stop signs in Queens... all in a rush to get coffee at Dunkin' Donuts: Queens Traffic Cop On Duty Despite Complaints.

the daughters of totally rad asian parents

"Hi! I'm an admin for the group 'daughters of totally rad asian parents who dress their kids up in hip Mondrian outfits' and we'd love to have these photos added to the group!" Love this photo. Saw it here: YOU MIGHT FIND YOURSELF.

foreigners getting bigger roles on chinese tv

This is sort of a companion article to that "white guy in a tie" piece from last week, describing interesting ways in which westerners are making a living in China. Like acting: Foreigners getting bigger roles on Chinese TV.

Except instead of hiring random white people to act as businessman who know what they're doing, we're talking about westerners increasingly being hired to act in TV and movies:

jennifer pae for oakland city council

Just wanted to throw a shoutout of support to Jennifer Pae, who is running in District 2 for Oakland City Council. She is currently fundraising, with less than one week away from the first reporting deadline, June 30, which will determine her campaign's viability. Here's the message she sent out to supporters:

interpretations: represent by iris yamashita

Take a look at this short film Represent, directed by Iris Yamashita, and produced in collaboration with You Offend Me You Offend My Family's Interpretations initiative. Cool little story told in just three minutes. You might recognize Yuri Tag from Kaba Modern making an appearance. Take a look:

asian american writers' workshop fellowship: blogging urban change

Asian American Writers' Workshop is looking for some Organizing Fellows to engage in a community-based organizing and oral history blogging project around the theme of gentrification in three Asian immigrant/Asian American/multi racial and ethnic NYC neighborhoods. Here are some details:

don't miss out: los angeles film festival, june 17-27

L.A. film fans, you've still got plenty of time to head downtown to enjoy Film Independent's Los Angeles Film Festival, running now through June 27. Here's a random selection of cool-looking films, not all necessarily Asian-related, you can still check out:

philadelphia high school student wins full-ride scholarship

Here's a great story out of Philadelphia -- something positive, for a change -- about Central High senior Heirl He, who has won a four-year, full-ride grant from the Leonore Annenberg College Scholarship Fund: Philadelphia high school student wins scholarship after parents' deaths.

Heirl lost both her parents -- refugees who fled Cambodia in the early 1908s -- to cancer several years ago. Her hard work and academic achievements are part of a pledge to honor their memory:

two moms fight to stay together

Shirley Tan came to the United States from the Philippines over two decades ago, fell in love and built a life with her partner Jay, giving birth to twin boys and becoming a full-time mom. The American dream, right? Not quite: On gay pride, watch two moms fight to stay together.

Now, she faces the biggest challenge of her life as she fights to stay in the United States, basically made helpless by laws that don't allow gay and lesbian couples to sponsor their partners. Watch the video above for their story, and find out more at Restore Fairness.

like voltron: four leading civil rights organizations form asian american center for advancing justice

Today at the annual Advancing Justice conference, four leading Asian American civil rights organizations -- the Asian American Institute (AAI), Asian American Justice Center (AAJC), Asian Law Caucus (ALC) and Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC) -- announced that they are formally affiliating under a new name: Asian American Center for Advancing Justice. From the press release:

your harold and kumar update

First of all, as expected, Kalpen Modi -- better known as Kal Penn -- has officially left his job as associate director in the White House Office of Public Engagement "because of prior obligations": Kumar escapes from Washington, D.C.

Prior obligations meaning being committed to play our favorite Indian American stoner in the third Harold and Kumar movie. A few months back, Vulture acquired and reviewed the script for A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas. Here's the plot summary [minor spoilers ahead]:

get your dear leader tacos

Is this for real? Jump-started by hallowed, legendary Kogi fleet, Los Angeles' food truck trend now boasts a wide variety cuisines (including more than a few Kogi knock-offs)... but here's the first truck allegedly dedicated to "North Korean BBQ": Pyongyang Express.

Like I said, I'm not sure this is for real -- it could very well be related to last week's Homefront E3 stunt -- but it sure as hell isn't authentic North Korean cuisine. The menu looks like it's from one of the low-rent Kogi copycats. Whatever the case, it's in seriously bad taste. (Thanks, Elaine.)

filipino nurses fired for speaking tagalog

This is absolutely outrageous... In Baltimore, four Filipina ex-staffers of Bon Secours Hospital say they were fired from their jobs in April, allegedly because they spoke in Tagalog during their lunch break: 4 Pinoys lose US jobs for speaking in Tagalog.

jane kim for supervisor campaign kick-off

Yo! San Francisco, school board president Jane Kim is running for Supervisor. Will you support her? She is an awesome person and a responsible leader -- and a friend to this blog -- who wants to make District 6 a better place for everyone. She's throwing a campaign kick-off tomorrow night at 111 Minna. Here are the details:

2010 smithsonian folklife festival

For the first time in 44 years, the 2010 Smithsonian Folklife Festival will focus on Asian Pacific Americans from the Greater Washington, DC area who are a microcosm of the 15 million APAs who live all across the United States. The festival will take place June 24-28 and July 1-5 on the National Mall.

The Asian Pacific Americans: Local Lives, Global Ties program will focus on what it means to be a person of Asian Pacific descent living in the United States today and examine strategies for adaptation. Here's some more background, from the Folklife Festival website:

mother jones interviews the big cheez

Mother Jones has another good interview with Ben Huh, CEO of the Cheezburger Network: I Can Haz Media Empire? He drops some knowledge about the LOLcats phenomenon and the way we use the internet:

smith cho in 100 questions

Hey, how come nobody told me Smith Cho is in the cast NBC's 100 Questions?It's a new comedy series "that provides hilarious answers to 100 questions about love." Smith plays Leslie, friend to the unlucky-in-love main character. I haven't seen it, but it's been on for about a month.

prosecutions redefine hate crimes

This is an interesting twist on the idea on what constitutes a hate crime... Over the last few years in Queens, in several cases, prosecutors have used hate crime laws to stiffen penalties for those convicted of crimes against the elderly: A Novel Twist for Prosecution of Hate Crimes.

In these cases, defendants were convicted of singling out elderly victims for nonviolent crimes like mortgage fraud because they believed older people would be easy to deceive and might have substantial savings or home equity. The legal reasoning is not necessarily about "hating" a particular group:

you are not joining the cast of glee

Were you one of the many Glee who submitted an audition video hoping for a shot at joining the cast of the show? Don't hold your breath. It's not happening. Fox has unceremoniously scrapped its plans for the reality show: Fox's Plans for a Glee Reality Show Have Been Quietly Shelved. The concern was that it would take focus away from the main series:

submit a question to m. night shyamalan

TIME.com is soliciting questions from readers for an upcoming interview with M. Night Shyamalan, acclaimed director of The Sixth Sense, some other not-as-good movies, and of course, the controversial upcoming adaptation of The Last Airbender: Ask M. Night Shyamalan.

gene yang talks prime baby

Check out this recent interview in The Comics Reporter with graphic novelist Gene Luen Yang: CR Sunday Interview: Gene Luen Yang.

His recently published Prime Baby was collected from a run of strips in the New York Times Sunday Magazine. It's a really charming, funny book. In the interview, Gene mentions three inspirations for Prime Baby:

wong fu & kevjumba: funemployed episode 1 and 2

After a great deal of work and hype, Kev Jumba and Wong Fu Productions have premiered the much-anticipated first two episodes of their new webseries Funemployed:

apalc wants to hear about ipad discrimination

The Asian Pacific American Legal Center is looking into recent claims that Apple stores possibly discriminated against Asian customers who tried to buy iPads, in an apparent attempt to curb unauthorized smuggling of the devices into China. New York's attorney general is already investigating these claims.

ktown cowboys episode seven

And now, we sing. Here is Episode Seven of the comedy webseries Ktown Cowboys. Directed by Daniel DPD Park and written by Danny Cho, it tells the story of one guys' epic crash-course introduction to Los Angeles' Koreatown over the course of one fateful evening. Here's part seven:

super mario beatbox

This is a video of a Japanese dude doing some mean beatbox to the tunes of Super Mario Bros. Some people have too much time on their hands.

retired army officer charged with killing wife, daughter

Some gruesome news out of Virginia about a brutal double murder... Last week in Fairfax County, 49-year-old Kenston Yi was charged in the murder of his wife, who was beaten to death, and 15-year-old daughter, who was asphyxiated: Fairfax's Kenston Yi, retired Army officer, charged in wife, daughter's deaths.

jeremy lin works out with the warriors

Here's an interview with Harvard hoops star Jeremy Lin, who worked out for his hometown team, the Golden State Warriors, over the weekend: 6.20: Warriors Workouts - Jeremy Lin, RAW.

He talks a little bit (not much) about his chances in the NBA Draft. I don't what the future holds, but I think it would be cool to see an Asian American player with the Warriors, especially one hailing from the Bay Area.

More here: Jeremy Lin Interview. I know a lot of folks are hanging their hopes on Jeremy Lin being the first big Asian American NBA star, and that's a lot pressure. But overall, he always comes across as a smart guy with a good head on his shoulders. His future's bright, no matter what.

a story about a dad

This editorial by Ray M. Wong ran in USA Today a couple of days ago, just in time for Father's Day. It's a moving piece about his father, who was absent for most of his life, which the author mistook for not caring. I have to admit, I got a little choked up reading this: In death, assumptions about Dad melt away.

take action: tell film critics about discrimination in the last airbender

With the release of The Last Airbender coming up next week, Racebending is organizing fans to take action and make sure movie critics -- who may not be fully aware of the characters' animated origins -- are aware of the racist casting issues surrounding the film, which will hopefully inform their reviews: Take Action: Write Film Critics About Disrimination in 'The Last Airbender.' Three easy steps:

what I've been listening to: home:word by magnetic north & taiyo na

Over the last two weeks, I've been wearing out my copy of Home/Word, the recently released collaborative album by Magnetic North and Taiyo Na. I feel like've been waiting for this record for a long time, but it's totally worth the wait. Here's the blurb from the official press release:

look at all the indian americans running for office

Saw this Associated Press article on the front page of Yahoo! over the weekend, about an emerging new wave of Indian American politicians. At least eight children of Indian immigrants are running for Congress or statewide office, the most ever: Record number of Indian-Americans seeking office.

The star of this trend is Nikki Haley, born Nimrata Nikki Randhawa, who is favored to win the election for governor of South Carolina, but has faced her fair share of criticism and accusations of abandoning her culture:

kina grannis performs "valentine" on cbs' early show

Real quick... as I mentioned last week, Kina Grannis was a guest on CBS' Early Show over the weekend, performing "Valentine." For those of you who missed it (like me), you can watch the video here. She's awesome. For more info on Kina and her music, go to her website here.

chinese market justice

At A & N Food Market, they do not play. Like any neighborhood store, this Chinese market in Flushing, Queens has its usual share of shoplifters, but has a very unusual way of dealing with the problem -- old country style: Stores' Treatment of Shoplifters Tests Rights. It's called public shame:

green hornet movie trailer hits the web

Check it out. As promised, Yahoo! Movies just posted the trailer for The Green Hornet. We get to see Seth Rogen doing the action hero thing, but more importantly, we get our first glimpse of Jay Chou as Kato. Take a look:

casting call for "mr. yum"

The following casting call was recently spotted on Phoenix Craigslist: Actor/Comedian-Asian Preferred (Litchfield Park). Should I be optimistic that this product is trying to use an Asian pitchman, or should I be concerned that this product is trying to use an Asian pitchman? Here are some more details about the role:

music video: "love as tragedy: a play in 3 acts" by alfa

Alfa is another wonderful artist I heard about through the Kollaboration circuit. Winner of last year's acoustic show in Los Angeles, she recently released the music video for "Love as Tragedy: A Play in 3 Acts," off of her album Second Skin. Good song. For more information on Alfa and her music, check out her website here.

this time, it's true: charice is joining the cast of glee

Oh, what's this now? A couple of weeks back, rumors started swirling that Filipino teen singer Charice was joining the cast of Glee -- a rumor she quickly squashed. But hold up! It appears that the rumors are indeed true this time: 'Glee' exclusive: Charice IS joining the cast! EW's got the scoop:

first official green hornet movie photos

Check it out. Here are the first official photos of Seth Rogen as Brit Reid and Taiwanese pop star Jay Chou as Kato in the upcoming Green Hornet movie.

teen sentenced to life in sacramento cop killing

Last week in Sacramento, a judge sentenced 19-year-old Jimmy Siackasorn to life in prison for the 2007 shooting and killing of Sacramento County Sheriff's Detective Vu Nguyen: Emotions Flare As Teen Deputy Killer Is Sentenced.

Things in the courtroom got heated as Nguyen's brother yelled at Siackasorn during the sentencing, and had to be restrained by deputies:

freerunning footage fuels "dewmocracy" controversy

Scandal! In the world of free running, where friend betrays friend!
Earlier this year, a guy named Steven Wong won Mountain Dew's "Dewmocracy" video contest. Unfortunately, his entry allegedly used someone else's parkour footage without permission... and that guy is now mad: Man Calls on Pepsi to "Dew" the Right Thing.

postsecret: half asian

A bunch of folks alerted me to this Father's Day edition of Post Secret, where this odd one popped up. It apparently came via email with the note, "I'm only attracted to half Asians." I don't even know how to approach unpacking this one.

overheard in new york: "he loves koreans"

Recently posted on Overheard in New York, a blog that documents the weird, funny and/or stupid things people overhear in New York... this one involves an old man hitting on two Asian girls:

legaci and the age of the youtube musician

Bieber, I cannot escape you... but this is a good one. The New York Times has a good story on Filipino American R&B group Legaci, who have recently been propelled into the spotlight as backup vocalist for pop heartthrob Justin Bieber: Unexpected Harmony.

Legaci is Dominic Manuel, Chris Abad, Micah Tolentino and Delfin Lazaro... who just might be "the most visible yet invisible pop figures in the world." And, like a lot of Asian American musicians, they largely owe their success to a little thing thing called YouTube:

jaccc presents ultra gabba gabba!, june 25

Hey Los Angeles, here's a fun event for the whole family... This Friday, June 25, the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center presents a free outdoor screening -- a double feature! They'll be showing two episodes of the original Ultraman and two episodes of Yo Gabba Gabba. It's going to be fun! Here's some more information:

kollaboration new york this saturday, june 26

Just wanted to throw out another plug for Kollaboration New York 5. The world-famous Asian American talent show returns to NYC this Saturday, June 26 at Highline Ballroom. Check out this cool promo video featuring a bunch of this year's performers... and sparklers:

advancing justice conference, june 23-25

The Advancing Justice Conference is a national civil rights and social justice conference that aims to bring together a diverse group of stakeholders to address a broad range of issues facing the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. It's a happening June 23-25 in Washington DC. Here's a preview with highlights from last year's conference:

customs and departures: an evening with thai-american writers

This week at the University of Southern California, an unprecedented literary event: Customs and Departures: An Evening with Thai-American Writers, the first gathering of several of the nation's most notable Thai-American writers. The event will feature readings from their work, followed by a Q & A and a Thai food reception. Read on for details:

national apia historic preservation forum

Got word of an interesting conference happening this week, June 24-26, in San Francisco's historic Japantown: the first-ever National APIA Historic Preservation Forum, a gathering of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders concerned about preserving their historical community resources. Here's some more information:

go!ohana, june 24

Bay Area friends, here's something to do for your Thursday night... You are invited to join RAMA for its monthly APA music and art show GO!OHANA, featuring Chin-Chin, JVoqalz, Infinity Funk Project and special guest Alice Tong. It's this Thursday, June 24 at the La Pena Cultural Center in Berkeley. Here are some more details:

one-man show chink monkey premiering in san francisco

I recently heard from Steven Low, whose one-person show, Chink Monkey, is premiering Saturday, June 26 at the Phoenix Theater in San Francisco. Six years in the making, the show is described as "a highly provocative exploration of Asian American interracial romance and Asian American masculinity." Here are some more details:

t.h.i.n.k. (topple hunger in north korea) conference

This week, the Korean American Coalition invites you to participate in the THINK (Topple Hunger in North Korea) Conference, a national gathering dedicated to engage, educate and create awareness about the geopolitical and humanitarian crisis in North Korea. It's happening June 25-26 at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles. Here's are some details:

a father's day message from va secretary shinseki

Here's A Father's Day Message from Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki. Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there -- especially my appa, who's the greatest. Thanks for everything, pops.

valerie soe interviews eric byler and annabel park

Valerie Soe recently posted a great interview on her blog with Eric Byler and Annabel Park, the directors of the documentary 9500 Liberty: De Paisano A Paisano: An Interview with 9500 Liberty's Eric Byler and Annabel Park.

The post contains key excerpts from her chat, as well as full audio of the almost-hour-long conversation. For more information about 9500 Liberty, including upcoming screenings, check out the website here.

this week's angriest post

Not really the angriest, just the most viewed.

• stephen colbert takes issue with rain (again)


• korean condom sales jump after world cup win


• jackie chan hates karate kids


• guy proposes to girl at improv class


• the power of a white guy in a tie


• the japanese robert pattinson... in 1860


• whitewashed toys: the last airbender movie action figures


• disgrasian goes to the movies: the karate kid remake


• the ultimate world cup underdogs: north korea


• meg whitman pushes asian people

Still mad about that ridiculous goal call during the USA/Slovenia match.

aaron takahashi's biggest fans, part 2

A little while back, I wrote about actor Aaron Takahashi and the awesome encounter with his biggest fans. It was a great story where Aaron made some cool kids really happy. Well, that story has a follow-up involving the same kids and an awesome t-shirt. Read all about it here: A Brush with Hollywood - Take 2. Now where do I get one of those t-shirts too?

financial troubles led to family murder-suicide

Some tragic news out of Anaheim, California, where authorities are investigating a couple's murder-suicide and the critical wounding of their 3-year-old son: Money troubles possible motive in family shooting.

fail: the lone north korean in illawarra

As seen on FAIL Blog... This special World Cup feature in the Illawa Mercury, showcasing the diversity of the Australian region, has one peculiar photo representing the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. You're telling me the Kim Jong Il puppet from Team America: World Police is the only photo of a North Korean person you could find? Anywhere? FAIL. (Thanks, Kevin.)

aaww presents come together: arts in the asian american movement

Short notice, but this event happening tomorrow afternoon a the Asian American Writers' Workshop sounds really cool: Come Together: Arts in the Asian American Movement. The event will feature a reading from author Karen Tei Yamashita and a panel with artist/activists Corky Lee, Tomie Arai and Jack Tchen. Here are the details:

asians! dancing! in justin bieber's "somebody to love" music video

While I purposely try to avoid anything related to Justin Bieber (who?), the kid keeps finding ways to claw back into my consciousness. Case in point, his latest music video...