March 2012

3.31.2012

this week's angriest posts

Not really the angriest, just the most viewed.

sign the petition to free cindy chang

to jeremy lin, from stuyvesant high school: please speak at our graduation

jeremy lin meets with "chink in the armor" headline writer

plea deal in "sucker punch" murder

suspect wanted in apartment rental scam

the linjury

jim yong kim's got the moves

new jersey supreme court nominee phillip kwon rejected

mass murder suspect arrested in san francisco

be water my friend

Special shout out to the students I met this week on Stanford's Alternative Spring Break and at APYLP's high school conference. Stay Angry.

3.30.2012

angry reader of the week: gil asakawa

What's up? You know what time it is. Time to meet the 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 Gil Asakawa.

According to Deadline, award-winning playwright Julia Cho is writing HBO's new drama series in the works, The Madonnas of Echo Park: HBO Adapting Novel 'The Madonnas Of Echo Park' Into Drama Series.

Based on the novel by Brando Skyhorse, it's about the relationships and intersections of a diverse community in a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood in Los Angeles. Cho will also serve as co-executive producer. Here's the publisher's description of the book:

Got this great photo passed along to me and had to share. That's pioneer aviator Hazel Ying Lee, the first Chinese American woman to fly for the United States military, who served in the Army Air Forces during World War II. For more information about her amazing story, go here. (Thanks, Andrew.)

community groups appeal walmart permits in chinatown

This week in Los Angeles, small businesses, residents, and other community groups filed an appeal to the building permits approved for the proposed, controversial Chinatown Walmart grocery store.

This comes after the City Council unanimously passed a motion to regulate large retail chain stores in Chinatown, but not before Walmart quietly received last minute permits the day before the hearing.

Here's part of the press release from Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE):

another lesson in english swear words

It's this guy again, giving Korean speakers another highly entertaining lesson in English swear words. I kind of laughed my ass off the last time. And you don't have to understand Korean to enjoy it. Take a look:

Confirmed! On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate confirmed President Obama's nomination of attorney Miranda Du to become Nevada's newest U.S. District Court judge: Senate confirms Miranda Du to federal bench.

There was a bit of debate over Du's qualifications, but overall she received bipartisan support. With a Senate roll call vote of 59-39, she was confirmed for the lifetime appointment and becomes the first Asian Pacific American to serve on the federal bench in the state:

17th annual chicago asian american showcase, april 9-16

Hey Chicago! You've got a pretty damn awesome film festival coming your way.... The 17th Annual Asian American Showcase is going down April 9-16 at the Gene Siskel Film Center, with a super stacked lineup of films.

Things kick off with the Opening Night screening of Daylight Savings, starring Goh Nakamura. This is your chance to check out a bunch of films I'm always talking about around here, like Patrick Wang's In the Family, Richard Wong's Yes, We're Open and Michael Kang's Knots, among other works.

Here's a quick glance at the schedule:

Artists! Kearny Street Workshop and East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation invite Asian Pacific American artists nationwide to submit their work for an upcoming juried exhibition, Bring to Light.

Bring to Light asks where would we be without light and where will light lead us? They're looking for "works that reflect the qualities of solar power, light, lightness, energy, and the ability to propel movement." Oh, the possibilities!

Here are some important details about the call for submissions:

It's time to hop on the party bus with our globe-hopping friends in Far East Movement, who just want to show you a good time. Here's the official music video for "Live My Life (Party Rock Remix)," featuring Justin Bieber, Redfoo, that gold cardboard robot guy, and Quest Crew. Sorry, JB fans -- the Bieber doesn't actually show up anywhere in the video. But it's still fun:

So that house in San Francisco's Sunnyside neighborhood, where five family members were found dead last week? Turns out, it wasn't a murder-suicide, as originally speculated. According to police, the murders were committed during the course of a robbery.

35-year-old Binh Thai Luc was arrested Sunday morning on suspicion of five counts of homicide, with special circumstance allegations of committing multiple murders, robbery and burglary.

Initial reports said that the five victims were shot, but court documents describe the murder weapon as a "blunt instrument." In fact, it sounds like most of the details first reported last week were wrong:

Film fans, take note. After picking up several accolades on the film festival circuit, including an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best First Feature, writer/director/producer/star Patrick Wang's incredibly indie drama In The Family is hitting the road for a limited, city-by-city theatrical run. It might just be rolling through your town soon. Here's the trailer:

While the craziness of Linsanity has somewhat faded since February, it's no secret that New York still loves Jeremy Lin. But now it's official.

The Knicks point guard was recently voted the most beloved sports figure in the Big Apple, beating the likes Derek Jeter, Eli Manning and other of New York's favorite athletes: Jeremy Lin is New York's Most Beloved.

So he's popular. On top of that, he's a class act. Remember ESPN's "chink in the armor" headline debacle from last month? Jeremy recently had lunch with the former ESPN employee who got fired for writing the headline. Apparently, there are no hard feelings: Jeremy Lin lunches with ex-ESPN headline writer.

At the risk of sending it any more traffic or attention than it deserves (I'm not even going to link it)... What the f#$k is this up with this crappy website? I'm just letting you know that it exists, and that somebody out there probably thinks this dumbass racist shit is funny. That is all. (Thanks, Foo.)

plea deal in "sucker punch" murder

In Oakland, two men have pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter in the fatal sucker punch slaying of a 59-year-old man two years ago: Deals in Oakland attack that killed dad, hurt son.

Remember this case? Lavonte Drummer and Dominic Davis were charged with murder in the April 2010 death of Tian Sheng Yu, who was randomly assaulted on the street while he was shopping with this son.

Two years later, reading about the assault is still pretty upsetting:

tn presents tuesday night cafe, april 3

Fall back in love, Los Angeles. Little Tokyo's free public art series, Tuesday Night Project, is back for its 14th season on Tuesday, April 3.

The kick-off show is kick-ass, and includes comedy from Jenny Yang, plus music from Connie Lim and Andrew Figueroa Chiang. Not swooning yet? Collaborative dance project Ninjas for Social Justice will be there, along with youth from Sessions L.A, and live art from Alfie Numeric! More information:

Hey, filmmakers. The San Diego Asian Film Foundation invites you to submit your work to the 2012 San Diego Asian Film Festival, the largest showcase of Asian cinema in the Western United States.

They're looking for narrative features, narrative shorts, documentary features, documentary shorts, and short animation. So a little bit of everything.

The early deadline (April 1) is coming up quick, so be sure to get your film in early to save a couple of bucks on the submission fee. Here's some more information:

Got this new music video passed along to me by some friends: "Crash a Party," by rising pop singer/songwriter Meeghan Henry, featuring the Speaker Junkies. Directed by Li Lu, the video features dance crew members of Instant Noodles, Collisions Crew, The Prototypes and more. Thought some of you might enjoy it. Take a look:

Asians behaving badly... apartment scam edition! Heard about this dude? In New York, police are have been looking for a suspect who rented out an apartment in Queens... to twelve different people. And it apparently wasn't even his to rent: Suspect wanted in Craigslist rental scam.

Peter Kim advertised his Sunnyside apartment for rent on Craigslist, collected rent from twelve unsuspecting potential tenants, told them all they could move in, then split with the money. One victim showed up to move into her new apartment, only to find other duped tentants -- and the cops -- already there:

Fund This: 'Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story'

Corky Lee has been chronicling the Asian American community with his camera for the last 40 years.

I recently heard about this cool film project, Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story, directed by Jennifer Takaki. It's a documentary on photographer Corky Lee, who has been chronicling the Asian American community with this camera for the last 40 years. He has been called, with good reason, the "undisputed unofficial Asian American Photographer Laureate," and this documentary aims to tell the world why. Check out this video, which includes a glimpse of some of his photos:

Deadline reports that Kamala Films has picked up the movie rights for Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima's iconic 1970s manga series Lone Wolf and Cub, with none other than Justin Lin attached to direct: Kamala Flms Acquires 'Lone Wolf And Cub' With 'Fast Five's Justin Lin Attached.

I dig this. We already know that Justin can film the hell out of a car chase. I'd love to see him tackle some serious samurai sword action. And they've got David & Janet Peoples, whose credits include Blade Runner, Unforgiven and Twelve Monkeys, working on the script. Solid.

Check it out. This is a pretty cool video tribute to Bruce Lee by actor/martial artist Mike Moh: Be Water My Friend. Nicely shot, with an impressive display of action, and of course, a few inspirational words from Bruce himself. Practically poetic. Take a look:

Last week in New Jersey, the Senate Judiciary Committee rejected Phillip Kwon's nomination to the state Supreme Court: N.J. Senate committee rejects Gov. Christie's Supreme Court nominee Phillip Kwon .

After hours of questioning and debate, the Democratic-led committee ultimately voted 7-6 against Chris Christie's pick, marking the first time in modern history that New Jersey lawmakers have turned down a governor's choice for the state's highest court.

spotlight 2.0 at temple university, march 29

Philadelphia! Don't want to miss this one. Clara C. and D Pryde are coming to Temple University this Thursday, March 29 as part of Spotlight 2.0, a showcase of Asian American talent. A select group of student performers will also be sharing the stage and getting their chance to shine. More details:

The Southeast Asian Student Coalition at UC Berkeley is currently accepting applications for the SASC Summer Institute, a five-day educational program running this summer, June 20-24.

This is a great opportunity for Southeast Asian high school students to network, share peer experiences and build community in a safe and constructive learning environment. And it's free! Here are some more details:

Jeremy Lin, this is for you. This is a message to No. 17 from the students at Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan. They've made a video asking the New York Knicks point guard to be their graduation speaker this year. The video starts out a little rough (the "rap" is... less than compelling) but by the end I actually found it kind of endearing. Take a look:

A couple of folks have sent word my way about the plight of Ueen Joung Chang, a 26-year-old DREAMer and Sunday school teacher from San Jose who is currently detained in Arizona and at risk of deportation to South Korea, where she has no home or family.

Ueen Joung, also known as Cindy, has been in the United States since was 7 years old, and wasn't even aware of her immigration status until she was stopped at an immigration checkpoint on her way to a friend's wedding in Phoenix. Here are some more details about her situation:

Don't be alarmed, but Jeremy Lin is injured. Your favorite starting point guard sat out tonight's game nursing a sore knee, joining fellow injured teammates Amar'e Stoudemire and Jared Jeffries on the bench. Despite the injuries, the Knicks beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 89-80.

So what does that mean for Jeremy? We'll see. He aggravated his knee during Saturday's game against the Pistons, and things apparently hadn't gotten better by this morning. It's certainly not as bad as Stoudemire's bulging disk, but he's going to take it day-to-day. Here's Jeremy talking to reporters about the decision to sit out tonight's game:

Hmmmm. According to EW, Kal Penn could be back to reprise his role as Dr. Lawrence Kutner in the upcoming series finale of the Fox medical drama House: 'House' finale scoop: Kal Penn in talks to return -- EXCLUSIVE.

This would be pretty interesting, considering that the character committed suicide in the fifth season, in one of the most shocking turns of the entire series. You'll remember that Kal departed the show to take up a job at the White House. But you might get to see him on House one more time:

He sings! He dances! He raps! With the recent announcement of Dr. Jim Yong Kim's nomination to head the World Bank, this awesome video has resurfaced, showcasing the Dartmouth president's extracurricular skillz. From the finals of the fourth annual Dartmouth Idol, held in March 2011. I give you the laser-enhanced Jim Kim:

Last week, the U.S. Census Bureau released a new brief, based on 2010 Census figures, that shows that America's Asian population grew faster than any other race group over the last decade: 2010 Census Shows Asians are Fastest-Growing Race Group.

According to The Asian Population: 2010 (PDF), those that identified as Asian, either alone or in combination with one or more other races -- a total of 17.3 million people -- grew by 45.6 percent from 2000 to 2010.

Out of the total U.S. population, 14.7 million people, 5.6 percent of all people identified as Asian, either alone or in combination with one or more other races. Some more findings:

read these blogs

'Hunger Games' Vs. 'Battle Royale': With Friday's release of The Hunger Games movie adaptation, Jeff Yang's latest "Tao Jones" column holds it up to the Japanese cult classic Battle Royale, which has a suspiciously similar premise about a dystopian future in which teenagers are forced to kill each other in a last-kid-standing competition.

Similar Show for New Coach, With Lin Still in Picture: Despite some hasty declarations from the skeptics, the haters and the unfaithful, it seems that reports of Linsanity's demise were greatly exaggerated.

DIFFERENT RACISMS: On Jeremy Lin and How the Rules of Racism are Different for Asian Americans: Author Matthew Salesses, a Korean American adoptee, on how Linsanity has cast light on the many, many issues of identity and racism in America.

this week's angriest posts

Not really the angriest, just the most viewed.

chinese takeout attack victim dies

honda commercial's "foreign language couple"

another asian business owner targeted in home invasion

survivor cast members do the chink-eye

jeremy lin signs endorsement deal with volvo

yunjin kim to star abc's mistresses

there's too much ninja in this jeremy lin action figure

hines ward retires from nfl

rep. walter jones calls china "uncle chang"

usc to award degrees to former interned students

Wearing my hoodie today.

3.23.2012

matcha: lol, march 29

What's up, San Francisco? The Asian Art Museum invites you to another evening out for its monthly after-hours art/music mixer event, MATCHA. This month, they're bringing the comedy. It's happening Thursday, March 29 at the Asian Art Museum. And you have the opportunity to win some free passes. See below for more details:

This one's for actor folks and wannabe actor folks in the Los Angeles area... East West Players, Visual Communications and the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment present "Breaking Into Television," an evening with ABC TV director Talent Development and Diversity Frank B. Gonzalez, who will discuss various topics pertaining to -- you guessed it -- breaking into network television. It's happening Tuesday, March 27 at the David Henry Hwang Theatre in Little Tokyo. Here are some more details:

It's the Jeremy Lin cake! So much fun for your next birthday party. I guess I like this a little better than the ninja-fied Jeremy Lin action figure... but it's still pretty goofy. (Thanks, Han.)

five found shot dead in san francisco home

Oh man. Some terrible, tragic news out of San Francisco's Sunnyside neighborhood, where a five family members -- three females and two males -- were found dead in their home this morning in a possible murder-suicide: Five shot dead in house near City College.

A family member -- a 12-year-old girl, according to SF Weekly -- came home to find three of victims shot to the death. Police found another two when they arrived a short time later. The victims have not yet been identified, but they're all apparently Asian:

It's that time again. Everybody, meet the 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 Anna John.

So I heard that Jeremy Lin's representation had been taking steps to trademark "Linsanity" and other uses of his name. This is understandable, but at this point, nearly impossible to regulate. But one thing that's definitely not going to get the official Linsanity seal of approval: marijuana.

Lawyers for the Knicks' point guard have reportedly sent cease-and-desist notifications to three California medical marijuana dispensaries who have been offering a variety of weed they've named "Linsanity": Linsanity Marijuana Has Jeremy Lin's Lawyers Seeing Red.

Oh, hell no. I haven't been keeping up with the current season of Survivor, but check out this recently uploaded "secret scene" from the CBS reality show, in which cast members Colton Cumbie and Alicia Rosa make a crazy racist gesture towards another cast member they don't particularly care for. Yup, you all know and love it. They give her the chink-eye:

President Obama has nominated global health expert Dr. Jim Yong Kim, the president of Dartmouth College, to be the next president of the World Bank: Dartmouth President Is Obama's Pick for World Bank.

Dr. Kim is now the frontrunner to lead the multinational development institution when current president Robert B. Zoellick steps down in June. He's an interesting choice, considering his background is in medicine, not finance or economics.

Dr. Kim, the first Asian American president of an Ivy League institution, would be the first physician and first Asian American to head the World Bank. Here's an excerpt from President Obama's remarks this morning:

walmart wants to move into los angeles' chinatown

In Los Angeles, community activists are angry that Walmart wants to move into Chinatown to build a grocery-focused store that could decimate small Asian businesses: Walmart Pushes for First New Store in LA in a Decade - Activists Push Back

The 33,000 square-foot grocery-focused store would be one of their smaller stores but opponents say its development would harm local small businesses and diminish the character of Chinatown.

Word on the street says Walmart has been flooding ethnic press and attending community meetings trying to convince residents that this is good for them.

However, the city council member who represents Chinatown, Ed Reyes, is introducing a motion to stop the development. Activists have started a petition and a Tumblr page to educate the community and gather signatures opposing the development. Click here to sign the petition.

watch the congressional hearing on military hazing

The tragic deaths of Private Danny Chen and Lance Corporal Harry Lew brought public attention to the issue of hazing and harassment in the U.S. military. Congresswoman Judy Chu -- Lew's aunt -- has been leading the charge to address this serious problem.

Tomorrow, March 22 at 1:00pmET/10:00am PT, the House Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing on hazing in the military. This is an important step towards holding the military accountable, and Rep. Chu will pushing them to implement a zero-tolerance hazing policy.

The hearing will be live streamed, so you can watch it here.

Meanwhile, OCA has another online petition calling for accountability from the Department of Defense to have a zero-tolerance harassment policy. Sign it here: Support a Zero-Tolerance Harassment Policy in the Military.

another asian business owner targeted in home invasion

Seriously, what the hell is going on in Philadelphia? In yet another home invasion of an Asian business owner, a Korean American couple was ambushed and robbed at gunpoint on Sunday night when they pulled into their house in Oxford Circle: Korean American couple attacked, robbed.

A group of robbers in hooded sweatshirts surprised the couple outside as they arrived home, forcing them inside the house and demanding money. The Philadelphia Police Department has released home surveillance video in the hopes that someone will recognize the assailants:

Yesterday at an emotional press conference, a tearful Hines Ward announced his retirement after fourteen seasons in the NFL as a Pittsburgh Steeler: Hines Ward retires from NFL.

The 36-year-old receiver was recently released from Pittsburgh's roster, along with some other veterans, in the team's attempt to get below the salary cap.

Rather than putting on another team's uniform, Ward decided to end his career -- which included two Super Bowl rings, a thousand receptions and over 12,000 receiving yards -- as a Steeler:

after 1989: race after multiculturalism - are asians black?, march 21

New York residents, don't miss this one. The Museum of Chinese in America and the Asian American Writers' Workshop present a panel discussion, "Are Asians Black?" happening Wednesday, March 21.

This event comes twenty years after the Los Angeles riots, and assesses the many ways in which Blacks and Asians have been pitted against one another in discussions about race in the United States. Chef Eddie Huang, Princeton University's Annie Cheng, and many others will be there to weigh in. More information:

Oh what? Did this congressman just invent a new slur? This week, at a House Armed Services Committee hearing about the war in Afghanistan, Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) seized the moment to take a dig at U.S. ties to China, referring to the Chinese as "Uncle Chang." Groooaaaaan.

Clever. Very clever, Congressman. Did you just make that up? He was talking about the money that the United States is borrowing from China in order to finance the war. Uncle Sam, Uncle Chang. Oh, I see what you did there: Rep. Walter Jones: America Borrowing From 'Uncle Chang' To Fund Afghanistan War.

Funnyman Aziz Ansari just released his latest standup comedy special, Dangerously Delicious. But rather than airing it on cable networks or getting it out through other traditional means, he's making it exclusively available to fans through his website: Aziz Ansari releases comedy special online for $5.

I was happy to hear that actress Yunjin Kim, who played one half of everybody's favorite Korean couple on Lost, has landed a lead role on the upcoming ABC drama Mistresses, to premiere next year: 'Lost's' Yunjin Kim to Star in ABC's Summer Series 'Mistresses.'

Mistresses is an adaptation of the BBC One series, and centers on four women balancing scandalous, complex love lives. Kim will play Karen, a therapist who was having an affair with one of her patients before his death:

While I love the fact that someone was inspired to make a Jeremy Lin action figure... did it really have to look this dopey?

Not a fan of the face, nor of the Storm Shadow-inspired ninja uniform -- really, a modified sun of the Taiwanese flag? And a weapon? I think Jeremy is pretty cool on his own; there's really no need to ninja-fy him.

More photos of the figure on the sculptor's website here. (Thanks, Chris.)

congressional candidate grace meng receives endorsement from queens democratic leaders

It's on. In New York, State Assemblywoman Grace Meng is running for Congress, and she's got herself some serious support: Queens Democratic Leaders Back Meng For Congress.

Yesterday, Democratic leaders in Queens announced that they are fully backing Meng in the race to replace retiring Congressman Gary Ackerman.

If elected, Meng would become New York's first-ever Asian American member of Congress, and would represent a newly redrawn district that would be almost forty percent Asian American.

Here are the remarks the Assemblywoman gave yesterday at the Queens Democratic Party Meeting:

not for sale benefit concert, march 21

Everyone everywhere! Get ready for great music and a good cause. On Wednesday, March 21, David So hosts a benefit concert featuring Clara C., Joseph Vincent, and more at the Avalon in Hollywood.

Proceeds go to Not For Sale, whose mission is to end human trafficking. If you can't make it out to Los Angeles, you can stream the concert live for a $5 donation. More information:

3.31.2012

3.30.2012

3.29.2012

3.28.2012

3.27.2012

3.26.2012

3.25.2012

3.24.2012

3.23.2012

3.22.2012

3.21.2012

3.20.2012

3.19.2012

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