July 2010

7.31.2010

this week's angriest posts

Not really the angriest, just the most viewed.

straight outta comic-con: the cutest chun li ever

t-shirt love: banh mi

another asian man murdered in oakland

postsecret: I know who I am

two arrested in murder of jinghong kang

koreatown: where shirts must come off

what is your fake starbucks name?

patrick gallagher getting dropped from glee

international secret agents 2010 - los angeles/new york

white pride group urges tea party to embrace its racism

See you tonight at The TN Party.

7.30.2010

san diego asian film foundation: bruce lee celebration

As you know, this year marks the 70th birthday of Bruce Lee. To celebrate his legacy, our friends at the San Diego AsianFilm Foundation are presenting a free outdoor screening of the martial arts classic Enter the Dragon -- with none other than co-star Jim Kelly in attendance. It's happening Wednesday, August 4 at the Piazza Carmel Shoppping Plaza. Here are some details:

Last week, the newest Golden State Warrior Jeremy Lin got an unexpected call from none other than Yao Ming, with a last minute request to play at a charity basketball game in Taiwan for his foundation. Lin and his whole family flew out to Taipei for the game: Jeremy Lin, Jennings catch fans' eyes at Yao's charity basketball game.

fundraising campaign: descendants of the past, ancestors of the future

I received this press release from filmmaker Albert M. Chan, announcing the launch of the fundraising campaign for his independent film Descendants of the Past, Ancestors of the Future, based on the true story of his own family's immigration history. Here are some excerpts from the press release:

My man Tad Nakamura hits me up with some video from his latest project. Here's a cool new video of ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro performing "Blue Roses Falling," shot in Hawaii last month. It's beautiful. Take a look:

I am not cool enough for this eatery: xiao ye by eddie huang

Just read this recent Gothamist post on chef Eddie Huang and his recently opened bar/restaurant Xiao Ye, which "straddles hip Asian college student concept and eyebrow-raising racial joke": New Restaurant and Bar Radar.

Hell yeah. DJ Qbert -- hands down, one of the greatest turntablists of all time -- has reportedly been confirmed to appear in Activision's DJ Hero 2 video game: DJ Qbert Confirmed To Spin In 'DJ Hero 2.' Kind of a no-brainer, right?

Okay, everyone. Once again, time for 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 "jack of all trades" Paula Yoo.

Last year, I posted something about the Hollywood movie adaptation of the comic book The Weapon, about martial arts enthusiast and inventor Tommy Zhou, "who has developed a ground-breaking portable innovation that an evil order will stop at nothing to steal." In the comic book, the Tommy Zhou is Asian. But in true Hollywood fashion, the producers cast a white guy.

Here's a recent response to this whole thing by Fred Van Lente, co-creator of The Weapon, who gave this thoughts on the casting of white actor David Henrie as Tommy Zhou in the movie: FVanLente answered. I'm re-posting it here:

The folks at MTV Iggy passed this one along... Here's a performance video of rising star Chloe Wang doing a wacky webcam version of her single "Every Day In Between" at the Iggy studios, complete with crazy Photo Booth filters. Take a look:

the possible successor to warren buffet

Here's an interesting Wall Street Journal profile on hedge-fund manager Li Lu, who is currently in line to become a successor to Warren Buffet (you know, the gajillionaire investor/industrialist/philanthropist) at Berkshire Hathwaway Inc.: From Tiananmen Square to Possible Buffett Successor.

visual communications presents v for vuvuzela!

Next week, our friends at Visual Communications proudly present V for Vuvuzela!, a selection of short films to be screened as part of the VC Summer Series 2010, featuring works from the 26th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival as well as newer pieces by local artists. It's happening Thursday, August 5 at the David Henry Hwang Theatre in Little Tokyo. Here are some details:

The award-winning documentary feature Enemies of the People, directed by Thet Sambath and Rob Lemkin, is opening in limited theatrical release in New York on July 30 and Los Angeles on August 6 from International Film Circuit. The film explores the truth about the Killing Fields and the Khmer Rouge who were behind Cambodia's genocide. Here's the synopsis:

immigration judge sentence to 18 months for sex bribe

Remember Steve Ellis? He's the Toronto immigration judge who propositioned a South Korea refugee claimant with sex in exchange for citizenship in 2006. The slimeball has been sentenced to 18 months in prison: Immigration judge who wanted sex for granting citizenship gets 18 months.

Sorry, it's been a minute since Slumdog Millionaire, and I forgot how friggin' gorgeous Freida Pinto is. Spotted her in the trailer for Woody Allen's new movie You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger. Just letting you know. That is all.

wordstrike: writers join boycott of arizona

Today, the Asian American Writers' Workshop announced Wordstrike, an initiative to unite writers to boycott the state of Arizona until it revokes SB 1070, which requires law enforcement officers to detain anyone they think is an illegal immigrant.

More than 100 writers have signed the Wordstrike letter, including Jhumpa Lahiri, Junot Diaz, Ha Jin, Jessica Hagedorn, Luis Rodriguez, Noam Chomsky, Maxine Hong Kingston, Adrienne Rich, Salman Rushdie, and Sandra Cisneros. Here's the letter:

I was flipping channels the other day and came across a promo for The Great Food Truck Race, in which seven food trucks travel the country and compete in various challenges for a $50,000 grand prize. Among the teams competing, I immediately recognized the bright green Nom Nom Truck, serving up banh mi to the good people of Los Angeles:

two arrested for stealing $2.6 million from software firm

Asian behaving badly... super embezzlement edition! This week in San Fracisco, Maria Lourdes B. Dionisio and Hannah Yau were arrested and charged with embezzlement after allegedly writing $2.6 million in bonus checks to themselves over a four-year period at a software company: 2 held in $2.6 million theft from software firm.

The investigation started shortly after Dionisio filed for unemployment insurance in May after she was fired from the firm for unrelated reasons. Dionisio listed annual pay of nearly $450,000, waaaaay above her $63,000 salary. From the district attorney's press release:

Just wanted to throw out a little wrap-up post for the Asian American International Film Festival in New York. The ten-day festivities began with renown Filipino director Raymond Red's Manila Skies and closed with Quentin Lee's The People I've Slept With followed by weekend community screenings in Harlem and Queens.

In addition, AAIFF handed out awards, celebrating the best achievements in film and media by Asian and Asian American artists. Here's the list of winners:

Ah, yes. The Hill.com's annual 50 Most Beautiful People list, the totally serious, not-frivolous-at-all lowdown on what's really important in our nation's capital: who's hot. Check out two noteworthy names that made the Top 10:

jinghong kang's killer might face the death penalty

George Huggins was charged yesterday with special-circumstances murder in the downtown Oakland shooting death of Jinghong Kang, who was in town from Virginia for a job interview and was killed after being robbed of $17 -- a case that could bring the death penalty: Death penalty possible in $17 Oakland killing.

reminder: the tn party this saturday, july 31

Okay, my Los Angeles friends... Just wanted to throw out one last reminder that The TN Party, presented by Tuesday Night Project and the JACCC, is happening this Saturday, July 31. It's going to be epic!It's art and music and food and dancing and community, all under the downtown sky. Here are the details:

There are a handful of noteworthy independent films that have recently been released on DVD. I've got a bunch sitting in a stack next to my TV, but I just haven't had time to watch any of them yet. However, I figured you might want to know about them...

Like How to Make Love to a Woman, "a comedy of miscommunication between the sheets." Okay, I had no awareness of this movie until producer Sheri Bryant shot me an email a few weeks back. Like I said, I haven't seen it, but it does have a handful of Asian American names attached to it. Here's the trailer:

chinese american community leader irvin r. lai dies at 83

Irvin R. Lai, a revered Chinese American community leader in Los Angeles best known for his efforts to save the roast duck in Chinatown and to ensure the proper handling of burial remains exposed during the Metro Gold Line extension, has died. He was 83: Irvin R. Lai dies at 83; Chinese American community leader in Los Angeles.

Some more K-Town reality show photos. Is it me, or does a night of partying out in Koreatown always result in one or more shirts coming off at some point in the evening? A new Asian male stereotype? Disgrasian might be on to something: K-Town Reality Show Promotes New Stereotype Of Asian Men.

federal judge blocks key parts of arizona immigration law

Whoa, really? Some actual hopeful news out of Arizona? Just passing along the news... Today in Phoenix, a federal judge blocked the most controversial part of Arizona's new immigration enforcement law -- just hours before it was supposed to take effect: Judge Blocks Key Parts of Immigration Law in Arizona.

Is toxic waste disposal colorblind? Apparently not. According to researchers at UC Irvine, Latinos and Asians in Southern California are "disproportionately exposed to toxic waste sites," putting members of affected communities "at risk for numerous diseases and disabilities": Region's Asians and Latinos "Disproportionately Exposed to Toxic Waste Sites": UCI Researchers.

Hazardous waste removal sites and manufacturing plants (producing chemical-laden petroleum products, cleaning solvents and paints) are far more likely to be located within the proximity of Latino and Asian communities:

Next time you're in Southern California and partying in the South Bay, make sure you ride in style and in tune with my man Muffasa, who runs his very own Karaoke Taxi -- fairly common in Asia, but not so much in, say, Redondo Beach: A tuneful taxi hits South Bay streets. It all started with a karaoke machine... and a dream:

Still catching up on bits of Comic-Con info... On Saturday, CW premiered the pilot episode of the spy drama Nikita, starring Maggie Q, to a packed crowd: COMIC-CON 2010: 'Nikita' debuts and Maggie Q says 'Dudes are gonna love it!'

Oh, it is on! The International Secret Agents concerts are back for another round of shows in Los Angeles and New York, with an exciting lineup of emerging, kickass performers. The announcement went out just yesterday, and tickets are already going fast -- the traffic surge apparently crashed the ISA website! Here's the Los Angeles lineup:

white pride group urges tea party to embrace its racism

Saw this on Daily Kos and could only laugh... A group called the Council of Conservative Citizens, who are described as "a modern-era, suit-and-tie version of the KKK," apparently aren't happy that the Tea Party has run away from the "racist" label after recent clashes with the NAACP: White pride group urges Tea Party to be honest about its racism.

a village called versailles screening/discussion, july 30

If you're in or around Oakland, you've got a chance this week to check out a screening of the award-winning documentary A Village Called Versailles, the story of one community's fight to turn disaster into a chance for a better future. It's happening this Friday, July 30 at the EastSide Cultural Center in Oakland. Here are some details:

There are a handful of noteworthy independent films that have recently been released on DVD. I've got a bunch sitting in a stack next to my TV, but I just haven't had time to watch any of them yet. However, I figured you'd want to know about them...

Like the conspiracy thriller Formosa Betrayed, co-written and produced by Will Tiao, and directed by Adam Kane. Based on a true story, it's about a FBI agent who uncovers an international conspiracy while investigating the murder of a Taiwanese American professor. Here's the synopsis:

Just catching up on episodes of Funemployed, the comedy webseries collaboration from KevJumba and Wong Fu Productions. After a month of fun, the series just wrapped up with the launch of its final episode. Last time, I posted episodes 4-7, so here are the rest:

It looks like we won't be seeing much more of Coach Tanaka on Glee. Patrick Gallagher, who played the lovesick football coach on the hit Fox comedy, has reportedly been dropped from the series: Say Goodbye to Coach Tanaka, 'Glee' Fans. His character has apparently been written out to make room for another character -- a female football coach:

jane austen's fight club

Been seeing this one make the rounds... Finally! Both fans of Jane Austen and Fight Club can come together and find some common ground: Jane Austen's Fight Club. Do note Farrah Walker as Emma. Mildly amusing, if you can get past the bad British accents, and watching early-19th century women kicking ass is always fun.

two arrested in murder of jinghong kang

In Oakland, two suspects have been arrested in the murder of Jinghong Kang, who was shot to death last week after being robbed of $17. Kang, a computer engineer from Virginia, was visiting the Bay Area for a job interview at Google: Arrests in slaying of Virginia job interviewee.

24-year-old George Hugguins was arrested on Monday afternoon on suspicion of robbing and fatally shooting Kang, based on a tipster who recognized his girlfriend, Althea Housley, in surveillance video released by police:

A reader named Ricky brings this funny t-shirt design to my attention: Banh Mi Dac Biet by Impress Ink Apparel. Get yours now for just $15, and wear it with pride. Here's the product description:

Still catching up on news coming out of Comic-Con... On Friday, it was announced that Will Eisner's groundbreaking graphic novel A Contract with God is being adapted into a live action feature film, and our friend Tze Chun is attached to direct one of the story's four adjoining chapters. From the press release:

Aaaggghh. Check out the littlest Street Fighter at Comic-Con, spotted this weekend roaming the halls of the San Diego Convention Center. This Chun Li was apparently an awwww-inducing hit, drawing a crowd of adoring fans at the Con. This little one could kick your ass... with her cuteness. (Thanks, Elaine.) EDIT: This photo was apparently taken prior to Comic-Con (Anime Expo, maybe), but this little girl was definitely spotted in San Diego over the weekend.

americans with accents judged less credible than native speakers

Got an accent? There's a good chance you aren't being taken seriously. According to a study recently published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, people with "a noticeable accent" are considered less credible than those with no accent: Study: Americans with accents judged less credible than native speakers. The stronger the accent, the less credible the speaker:

unavsa-7 conference in washington d.c., july 29 - august 1

Just wanted to show some love for all of you students headed to the uNAVSA 7 Conference happening this weekend, July 29 - August 1 in Washington DC. The conference is an annual gathering dedicated to uniting and developing young, emerging leaders within the Vietnamese community. Here's the conference trailer:

There are a handful of noteworthy independent films that have recently been released on DVD. I've got a bunch sitting in a stack next to my TV, but I just haven't had time to watch any of them yet. However, I figured you'd want to know about them...

Like the indie comedy Why Am I Doing This?, written, directed and starring Tom Huang. The movie's about a group of young people chasing their Hollywood dreams, while juggling relationships, family and the ominous feeling that they're never going to make it. Here's the synopsis:

president obama appoints daphne kwok to advisory commission on asian americans and pacific islanders

Received word today that President Obama has appointed Daphne Kwok as Chair of his Advisory Committee on Asian American and Pacific Islanders.

Kwok, who currently serves as the Executive Director of Asians and Pacific Islanders with Disabilities of California, has more than two decades of experience as a community leader at both the national levels. From the White House Media Affairs Office press release:

Here's some new music from Blue Scholars, "Summertime in the SEA," a summer jam tribute to Seattle, largely inspired by Dove Shack's "Summertime in the LBC." Here's Geologic's explanation:

Among the many movies and TV shows that came to San Diego to woo the fanboys and fangirls of Comic-Con, the new CBS reboot of Hawaii Five-0 at least boasts a couple of built-in fan favorites in the cast: Daniel Dae Kim of Lost and Grace Park of Battlestar Galactica.

Here's a brief TV Squad recap of what went down at the H50 panel: 'Hawaii Five-0' Cast at Comic-Con: Everyone From 'Lost,' Come on Down.

Really happy to hear the news that this weekend at the 22nd annual Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards (sort of the Oscars of comic books), our friends Gene Luen Yang and Derek Kirk Kim took home the award for Best Short Story, for their story "Urgent Request" in The Eternal Smile.

michigan couple charged with selling auto secrets to chinese carmaker

Oh man, come on. According to a federal indictment unsealed last week, a former General Motors engineer and her husband conspired to steal trade secrets about hybrid technology and use the information to make private deals with Chinese competitors: Shanshan Du, Ex-GM Worker, Allegedly Tried To Sell Hybrid Car Secrets To Chinese Companies.

Last week, to commemorate the anniversary of Bruce Lee's passing, Jin posted the news that he'll be appearing in an upcoming movie based on the teenage years of the legend himself: Be water my friend. No, he's not playing Bruce. He'll be playing the role of Bruce's childhood friend:

Another good one spotted on PostSecret. I know there are a lot of people out there who can relate to this one on some level or another. But come on, is this really a secret? I know who I am too.

another asian man murdered in oakland

Just days after the death of Jinghong Kang, we get news of another murder... On Friday, 53-year-old Cristorey Mariano was returning home from his late-night job as a hospital janitor when he was shot and killed in his East Oakland neighborhood: Man slain returning home from work in Oakland.

comedy zen: jokes of death, july 29

This is for all you comedy fans in Los Angeles... The place to be this Thursday night is in Little Tokyo for the latest edition of Comedy Zen, a night of laughs featuring Eliot Chang, Aiko Tanaka, and K.T. Tatara, with host Rajiv Sayal and special guests Just Kidding Films. It's happening July 29, 8:00pm at the Japanese American National Museum. Here are some more details:

This weekend at the Netroots Nation conference in Las Vegas, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid recognized gay rights activist Lt. Dan Choi before giving his speech, telling those gathered that Choi shouldn't have been booted by the U.S. military: Harry Reid Gives Dan Choi a Moment in the Sun. Here's video of their exchange (watch the security guy get a little antsy when Dan gets up on stage):

Earlier this month, the Washington Post's "On Leadership" series spoke with Tony Hsieh, CEO of retailer Zappos.com and author of Delivering Happiness: On Leadership: Zappos.com CEO Tony Hsieh on whom he won't hire.

Zappos has been on Fortune's "Best Companies to Work For" list for the past two years. It grosses over $1 billion in annual merchandise sales. How does Tony do it? It's all about committable core values and creating a culture.

what is your fake starbucks name?

I got a kick out of this Village Voice blog post from earlier this month, because I know many people who can relate: Why I Give Starbucks A Fake Name.

The simple transaction of ordering a latte at Starbucks or a Razmatazz at Jamba Juice can get a whole lot more complicated for folks with names like Chethan, Thuy or Jae-Hong, who just don't want to deal with the how-do-you-spell-that? line of questioning. Thus, the fake name:

I've been seeing promos for ABC's upcoming fall drama My Generation. It's about a documentary crew that follows a disparate group of high schoolers from the class of 2000, then revisits the former classmates ten years later. I thought it was a reality show at first, then quickly realized it's scripted. Here's some video:

austin sikh group told to move new temple

Some news of controversy out of Austin over a Sikh group that is being told they must move or tear down their recently opened temple after a court of appeals reversed a trial court's decision that allowed the group to build the temple on its property: Sikh group told to move new temple.

Okay, real quick. Remember the Pyongyang Express, that "North Korean" food truck spotted roaming the streets of Los Angeles about a month ago? Turns out, as suspected, the damn thing was a promotion for the video game Homefront: Pyongyang Express Revealed As A Fake.

china's "birth tourism" boom

Here's an interesting article from last Sunday's Washington Post about agencies that arrange for expectant Chinese mothers to give birth in the United States, with the hopes of getting a U.S. passport and citizenship -- and thus, a more secure future -- for their new baby: For many pregnant Chinese, a U.S. passport for baby remains a powerful lure.

music video: "halcyon days" by the jack lords orchestra

Fresh from its world premiere at the Asian American International Film Festival, check out the new music video for The Jack Lords Orchestra's ""Halcyon Days", directed by Steven E. Mallorca. It's the first single off of the band's forthcoming sophomore album. For more information about the Jack Lords Orchestra and their music, visit the band's website here.

new york times profiles ask a korean!

Got a question about Korea? Koreans? Korean-ness? If you've got a burning question, but have been too afraid to ask, the anonymous blogger behind Ask a Korean! has the answers: How Are Koreans Different? Please Ask.

this week's angriest posts

Not really the angriest, just the most viewed.

do not mess with this ajumma

video! koreatown reality show cast reel

google job interviewee killed in oakland robbery

full uncut k-town cast reel

avatar: the last airbender spinoff series coming in 2011

it's official: jeremy lin signs with the golden state warriors

burgrlar fell asleep in victim's bed... while watching porn

jeremy lin is signing with the golden state warriors

everybody's talking about jeremy lin

journalist asks m. night shyamalan why his movies suck

Have you bought your tickets for The TN Party yet?

7.23.2010

comic-con geeks vs. westboro baptist church

This post is primarily an excuse to post the awesome photo above.

Religious fundamentalists, meet your match. The intolerant idiot minions of Westboro Baptist Church made an appearance at San Diego Comic-Con this week. Their mission has apparently expanded from hating gays to hating geeks:

A couple of folks passed along this food blogger's restaurant review of a recent visit to Oceana in New York. The verdict? The food was great... but "Chubby Chinese Girl" couldn't help noticing that the hostess had the peculiar practice of seating all the Asian patrons to the rear of the restaurant:

I am getting more and more excited about the upcoming AMC zombie series The Walking Dead. As I've mentioned before, Steven Yeun is part of the cast as Glenn. Last week, they releases first picture above. And check out this cast photo -- our first real glimpse of Glenn:

call for entries: 29th sfiaaff

Hey, filmmakers! My friends at the Center for Asian American Media have announced the Call For Entries for the 29th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, happening March 10-20, 2011. Be part of the largest showcase of Asian and Asian American cinema in North American. All genres and lengths accepted. Here are some more details:

A bit bummed that I couldn't make the pilgrimage to San Diego this weekend, and will not be participating in the geek festivities converging at Comic-Con, where they'll be showing off all sorts of crazy movie/TV/comic book-related goodness...

Like this newly unveiled character banner of Jamie Chung as "Amber" in the upcoming movie Sucker Punch. I don't know much about the movie, but it appears to be about a bunch of attractive women holding guns, or swords, or guns and swords. (But Amber only gets a lollipop?)

two charged in beverly hills stabbing

In Beverly Hills, police have arrested a woman and her current boyfriend in the stabbing murder of her ex-boyfriend, Katsutoshi Tony Takazato, the son of filmmaker Fuminori Hayashida: Two charged in fatal Beverly Hills stabbing of Japanese filmmaker's son.

Scott Joe Barker and Chie Alexandra Coggins Johnson each face a single count of murder in connection with the slaying of Katsutoshi Tony Takazato, who was found dead Tuesday outside his father's estate:

Okay, everybody. 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 Serena Kao.

SF Gate has posted a Q & A with Jeremy Lin, the newest Golden State Warrior, with select quotes from his media availability after he signed on Wednesday. Note the great photo with his parents:

7.31.2010

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