May 2013

5.31.2013

Be an extra in Awesome Asian Bad Guys

As you may know, our friends in the National Film Society have been hard at work on an action comedy webseries called Awesome Asian Bad Guys. The crew is assembled, the plans have come together, and the shoot dates are set for next month. This is happening, and it's going to be awesome.

Wanna help? If you're in Los Angeles, and you're free on Monday, June 24, you can even join up by being an extra in a big scene they're shooting downtown. Check out Stephen and Patrick in this production update video with more information:

Damn. This is an awful story out of Alaska about a community rocked by the brutal murder of Cambodian couple by a stranger in their Anchorage apartment: Slain couple were cherished elders in Cambodian community.

Last Saturday, Touch Chea, 71, and his wife Sorn Sreap, 73, were killed by 24-year-old Jerry Andrew Active, who climbed into their home through an open window.

Active, a convicted sex offender, reportedly beat Chea and Sreap to death and sexually assaulted their 2-year-old great-granddaughter. He was arrested after a struggle with family members, who came home to find him naked with the child:

What's up, my people? Gather 'round 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 Sean Miura.

Man who saved farms of interned Japanese Americans dies

Sacramento farmer Bob Fletcher saved the farms of several Japanese American families during World War II.

Bob Fletcher, a farmer who saved the farms of several Japanese American families when they were interned during World War II, died in Sacramento on May 23. He was 101.

Obituary: Bob Fletcher saved farms of interned Japanese Americans during WWII.

While Japanese Americans lost their homes and businesses to thieves or bank foreclosures, Fletcher sacrificed his job and standing in the community to save the farms of the Nitta, Okamoto and Tsukamoto families. He worked the land, paid the mortgages and turned the farms back to the families when they returned to Sacramento after the war -- all this in a time of rampant anti-Japanese sentiment:

Ah. Here we have a cell phone video, hailing from Australia, of a woman unleashing a racist tirade on a bus. In Sydney, this charming racist lady goes off on two Asian guys in front of her won't sit down. Whether or not they should take a seat, Ms. Manners uses the moment to go crazy racist on the guys. And it's all caught on tape:

Knaidel. K-N-A-I-D-E-L spells victory. Yesterday, 13-year-old Arvind Mahankali of Bayside Hills, New York correctly spelled "knaidel" -- a word for a small mass of leavened dough -- to win the 86th Scripps National Spelling Bee: Arvind Mahankali, 13, of New York, wins the Scripps National Spelling bee.

After finishing in third place in both 2011 and 2012, this time Arvind was out for some spelling redemption -- a German redemption, of sorts. While he had previously been eliminated on German-derived words, this time he had it aced:

Back by popular demand: Midnight Makeout Session, June 1

For folks in the Los Angeles area, Dante Basco and Beau Sia invite you to another Midnight Makeout Session. After a sold out, standing-room-only debut, the hip-hop, spoken word, interactive, mind-blowing romantic comedy is back for one night only. It's happening Saturday, June 1 at Six0 1 Studios. Here are some more details about the show:

What the hell? In Sterling, Virginia, police shot and killed a woman who was handing out samples at Costco, after receiving reports that she was "acting oddly": Woman Handing Out Samples at Va. Costco Shot Dead by Police After Acting Strangely.

On Wednesday, store employees noticed 38-year-old Mhai Scott acting strangely while handing out pizza samples. She reportedly became upset when she ran out of pizza, and began waving a knife and scissors and threatening employees.

According to the Loudon County Sheriff, when deputies were called the store, Scott brandished the sharp objects at the officers, who used a stun gun then fatally shot her:

You're lonely. And you want an Asian Woman to share your apartment with, rent free. So you tape a hand-written sign to a metal pole. Well, that's not creepy at all. This "want ad" has apparently been around for a while -- a version of it was posted on Reddit several months ago -- but it just came my way, and it's weird. Good luck with that, Mario. (Thanks, Arthur.)

5.29.2013

File Under Badass: 80-year-old mountaineer is the oldest man to climb Mount Everest

Daaaaaang! Last week, an 80-year-old Japanese mountaineer became the oldest person to reach the top of Mount Everest: Yuichiro Miura, 80, scales Everest.

Let me say that again: the guy is 80 years old. Last Thursday, Yuichiro Miura conquered the 29,035-foot peak, becoming the oldest man to make it to the top. The previous record was held by Nepal's Min Bahadur Sherchan, who was 76 when he reached the summit in 2008.

Oh, by the way, this was Miura's third time spanking Everest's ass -- he previously climbed to the top when he was 70 and 75. How badass is that?

On Tuesday, I had the honor of attending the Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Celebration at the White House, which included a fun reception and program that was emceed by Lisa Ling and included performances/remarks from Karsh Kale, Paula Fuga, John Cruz, Amy Tan, Dana Tai Soon Burgess and Jessica Sanchez, as well as an address from President Obama himself. Here's the video of his remarks:

Dumbfoundead stars in the webseries RUN DMZ

Our friend Dumbfoundead is expanding his horizons, and stars in a new scripted comedy webseries, RUN DMZ. When a new Korean BBQ spot opens up across the street from his mom's restaurant, old tensions between North and South Koreatown boil over and Jon Park must take matters into his own hands to hold down the neighborhood. Here's the trailer:

Disturbing news out of New York... In Queens, a mother who disappeared last week was found dead inside the trunk of her own car: Missing Mother of 3 Found Strangled in Trunk of Her Own Car, Sources Say.

42-year-old Young Joo Byun, a former missionary and mother of three, was discovered strangled in a plastic garbage bag inside the trunk of her blue Honda Civic parked in Woodside. The Chief Medical Examiner's Office says she died of compression to the neck and chest, and ruled her death a homicide.

Byun had been missing since last Friday after leaving her nightshift job:

Portraiture Now: Asian American Portraits of Encounter at JANM, May 11 - September 22

Los Angeles, the Smithsonian's "Portraiture Now: Asian American Portraits of Encounter" is now on view at the Japanese American National Museum. Portraiture Now displays the diversity of contemporary Asian American identity through the groundbreaking work of seven visual artists -- CYJO, Zhang Chun Hong, Hye Yeon Nam, Shizu Saldamando, Roger Shimomura, Satomi Shirai, and Tam Tran. Catch the exhibition before September 22:

Hell yes. Who needs Arrested Development? Randall Park and Co. recently dropped the latest episode of his genius comedy web series Baby Mentalist, starring his daughter Ruby as the amazing titular baby crimefighter. In her latest case, she takes on a shady kids' TV show host. Take a look:

Boom. A big fat congratulations to Justin Lin and the Fast & Furious crew. The holiday weekend ain't over yet, and the totals are still coming in, but the sixth installment of the auto action series celebrated the biggest Memorial Day weekend box office opening ever, raking in a well-deserved crap-ton of summer blockbuster money: Box Office Report: 'Fast 6' Earns $122 Million-Plus, Runs 'Hangover III' Off Course.

This is a really cute proposal story out of Vancouver involving a girl, a guy, a circus performance, and a giant balloon: Circus Marriage Proposal: Performer Uses Giant Balloon To 'Pop' The Question.

Nigel Wakita, director of recreational education and a performer at the Vancouver Circus School, wanted to propose to his girlfriend, Fiona Walsh, who also works at the school as the performer and office administrator. So he concocted a scheme around a crowd-pleasing balloon act.

During a circus show with over 250 spectators -- including family and friends -- he "popped" the question:

Got this passed along to me from AALDEF... Why We Rise is a compelling new 13-minute documentary featuring three young Asian American New Yorkers who reveal what it's like to grow up without having legal immigration status. It's a unique glimpse into the struggles of real individuals whose lives are affected by the debate raging in Congress over immigration reform. Check it out:

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[SPOILERS] 'Fast & Furious 6': Sung Kang talks about Han's journey from 'Tokyo Drift' -- SPOILERS: Seriously, SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER. Sung Kang talks about Fast & Furious 6, playing Han for a decade, and closing the loop on his character's final ride to Tokyo.

Justin Lin's "Yellow Face" is Fast & Furious: After you've watched Fast & Furious 6 a couple of times, get yourself ready for that other Justin Lin project, YOMYOMF's direct-to-YouTube feature adaptation of David Henry Hwang's Yellow Face -- premiering in two parts on June 8th and 9th.

Give Spam a Chance: Slate takes on what Asians have been saying for years. A great synopsis on the history of the canned meat -- including its place in Hawaiian cuisine.

Why I'm Tired of Being an (Asian) Actor: When Alexis Camins auditioned for a part parodying a tribal chief, he was shocked to find out who was actually cast: a white guy.

Asian-Americans: Smart, High-Incomes And ... Poor?: Asian-Americans have the highest income and education levels of any racial group in the country. So it might be surprising that they have a higher poverty rate than non-Hispanic whites. Michel Martin discusses the issue with Algernon Austin of the Economic Policy Institute and Rosalind Chou, co-author of The Myth of the Model Minority.

This Week's Angriest Posts

Not necessarily the angriest, just the most viewed.

"What kind of Asian are you?" The kind you don't mess with.

Will the real Psy please stand up?

Injured teacher tried to shield students from tornado

Vancouver man accused of stalking Jennifer Lawrence

The guy behind the fastest and furiousest movie of the summer

Help Sikh Coalition take action against offensive textbooks

Angry Reader of the Week: Yaejoon Kwon

Nina needs a bone marrow match

Sri Srinivasan confirmed to DC Circuit Court

ISA! Variety Game Show Premieres

Have a great Memorial Day weekend. Stay Angry.

5.24.2013

ISA! Variety Game Show Premieres

Our friends in ISA just launched ISA! (please note the exclamation point) their take on the Asian American Variety Game Show. If you've seen shows like this from Asia, you'll be familiar with the format. Great idea. They've recruited the likes of Freddie Wong, Wong Fu Productions, KevJumba, Brandon Laatsch, Clara C, Ally Maki, Mike Song, Anthony Lee, Jen (FrmHeadToToe), and David Choi, and it's a lot of fun. Here are episodes 1 & 2:

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund is a national organization that protects and promotes the civil rights of Asian Americans. Central to AALDEF's initiatives is educating Asian Americans, policymakers, and the general public about the legal rights of Asian Americans, litigating cases that have a major impact, providing legal resources to community-based organizations, and facilitating grassroots community organizing efforts.

AALDEF is currently accepting applicants for their Communications Internship for summer 2013. Undergraduate and graduate students will have the opportunity to develop skills in social media, writing, media outreach, public policy education, research, web site maintenance and design, public relations, event planning, and databasing. Here are some more details:

Oooooh boy. The producers behind the controversial admit-it-you-watched-it reality show K-Town are at it again, and this time they've set their sights on the underground car scene, sexy import models and go-go dancers. Here's the trailer for Roll Models, exploring a very different side of Asian American youth culture:

What the heck is up with these Microsoft ads? This Mashable post points out a series of weird ads promoting Windows 8 in Asia. Aside from all the Wacky Asian Craziness the commercials employ to illustrate Windows' power and versatility, there seems to be some confusion over what language the actors in these ads are actually speaking -- neither Japanese nor Korean nor Mandarin nor Cantonese. It's some kind of garbled Asian Wah Wah speak:

Hey, everybody. It's time again 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 Yaejoon Kwon.

The latest edition of Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell celebrated Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month by tackling the bad Asian driver stereotype. Writer Kevin Kataoka gives props to a modern Asian American hero -- Elton Kim, that guy who clung to the hood of a moving car to stop a hit-and-run driver: Totally Biased: Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Spectacular!

A jogger is minding her own damn business when some fool has to come up and ask that question: What kind of Asian are you? Well, first he has to ask some warmup questions, starting with the one we all know and love: "Where are you from?" Tell me if this scenario looks familiar:

By now, you've heard all about the devastating tornado that tore through Moore, Oklahoma on Monday, destroying thousands of homes and killing 24 people. Here's the story of one survivor, a teacher who tried to protect her students when the tornado hit: Injured third-grade teacher tells of trying to protect students.

Jennifer Doan, a third grade teacher, was pulled from the rubble of Plaza Towers Elementary School. She suffered a fractured sternum and spine while using her body in an attempt to shield some of her students. She can barely speak, but she recalls everything that happened when the tornado struck her classroom:

Nina needs a bone marrow match

I recently heard from some friends about Nina Louie, a wife and mother who is in dire need of a bone marrow transplant after being diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. She has two months to find a donor.

As I've said her many times before, there's a severe shortage of minority donors in the National Registry, and her chances of finding a match will be much more likely from someone of Asian descent. Could you be the match that saves Nina's life? Here's some more information about her situation:

Internships, yo. The MinKwon Center for Community Action works to meet the needs and concerns of the Korean American community of New York City and Asian American community of Flushing, Queens through various grassroots organizing, education, and advocacy initiatives.

The organization places a special emphasis on meeting the needs of marginalized community members who have less access to resources, including the youth, the elderly, recent immigrants, low-income residents, and limited English proficient residents.

The MinKwon Center has announced five fall internship openings in the following areas:

Today, the Senate unanimously voted to confirm Srikanth "Sri" Srinivasan to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit: Sri Srinivasan confirmed to judicial seat in unanimous Senate vote.

Srinivasan, who was confirmed in a 97 to 0 vote, is currently the administration's principal deputy solicitor general. He will be the first circuit court judge of South Asian descent in history.

His confirmation is particularly significant, as he becomes a front-runner to be nominated for a Supreme Court vacancy should one arise in the next three years, with some serious bipartisan credentials.

Here's a cool NPR interview with Fast & Furious 6 director Justin Lin, who talks about his journey from making no-budget indie films to getting behind the wheel of the biggest, loudest, furiousest blockbuster of the summer: Director Justin Lin Shifts The Identity Of 'Fast & Furious.'

Back when Justin inherited what was left of the franchise with Tokyo Drift, who would have thought he'd be responsible for reviving the series and turning it into an international multi-movie box office smash? And somewhere in there, he was able to sneak in some interesting explorations of race, culture and family:

Funny, considering he initially turned down the Tokyo Drift gig:

All Asians look the same... fake Korean pop star edition! Will the real Psy please stand up? This week at Cannes Film Festival, the guy behind the global megahit "Gangnam Style," became the toast of the town, partying down, collecting free swag and chumming it up with fellow celebs. Except this wasn't Psy. It was a Psy impostor, who apparently had the festival fooled: Cannes falls for the fake Psy.

Got this information passed along to me on behalf of the Sikh Coalition, a community-based civil and human rights organization that serves as a resource on Sikhs and Sikh concerns for governments, organizations and individuals.

The Sikh Coalition is asking for help in looking for social studies textbooks that make mention of Sikhs or Sikhism, in order to identify incorrect and/or damaging information that perpetuates misinformation and promotes stereotypes.

The truth is, educators often teach from the textbook without bothering to verify the accuracy of the information they're teaching. This, unfortunately, includes a world history textbook that calls Sikhs "terrorists": Help Us Create a "Most Wanted" List of Offending Textbook Manufacturers.

18th Annual Asian American Showcase, May 17-30

Heads up, Chicago film fans. I'm a little late getting this posted, but I wanted to make sure you knew about the 18th Annual Asian American Showcase, presented by the Foundation for Asian American Independent Media. It's a celebration of Asian American cinema and independent film, boasting an exceptionally strong lineup this year, going on right now through May 30 at the Gene Siskel Film Center.

You've still got time to check out films like Seeking Asian Female, The Crumbles, Someone I Used to Know, Sunset Stories and more. Here are some more details about the remaining lineup:

The Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles is the largest museum in the United States dedicated to sharing the experience of Americans on Japanese ancestry. It's an amazing facility and a valuable resource to Asian Americans and the greater Los Angeles community.

The Museum is currently seeking to fill a full-time Public Programs Assistant position who will be responsible for coordinating, implementing, and managing National Museum public programs. Here are some more details about the job:

Check out this awesome recent Los Angeles Times profile on California Labor Commissioner Julie Su, who fights to ensure that workers get "a just day's pay for a hard day's work": Her job: Stopping wage theft.

In her two years as California's top labor law enforcer, Su has filed criminal charges and civil lawsuits and issued citations that identified more than $185 million in unpaid wages and other compensation legally due workers.

Basically, she kicks ass on behalf of the everyday working person:

Vancouver man accused of stalking Jennifer Lawrence

Asians behaving badly... celebrity stalker edition! In Kentucky, a man is being held on bail after allegedly stalking and threatening Academy Award-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence and her family. And yup, dude is Asian: Jennifer Lawrence Alleged Stalker, Han Cong Zhao, Is From Vancouver.

23-year-old Han Cong Zhao, a former university student from Vancouver, is accused of sending more than 200 messages and a threatening voicemail to Lawrence's brother before flying to Louisville last month. According to court documents, Zhao referred to Jennifer Lawrence as his "Mary." As in his Biblical Mary:

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24 Photos Of Chinatown From Before You Were Born: Gothamist has posted a collection of amazing vintage photographs from New York City's Chinatown, from the late 1800s to 1940.

Lucy Liu Talks Candidly About Racism And Stereotypes In Hollywood: Lucy Liu is perfectly happy naming, and talking about, the elephant in the room: racism is a problem in Hollywood.

America's newest Public Enemy No1: The humble pressure cooker: Sandip Roy on the Boston bombing suspects, pressure cookers, and South Asian cooking.

The New TV Season, One Stereotype at a Time: The broadcast upfronts, held in New York last week, offered a first look at 35 new prime-time television shows due in the 2013-14 season. Based on the trailers released by the major broadcast networks, here are a few characteristics of made-for-TV America.

Seeking College Edge, Chinese Pupils Arrive in New York Earlier: A growing number of teenagers from wealthy families in China are attending schools in New York City, seeking an advantage in admission to American universities.

This Week's Angriest Posts

Not necessarily the angriest, just the most viewed.

Son surprises mom with a house for Mother's Day

This Was Supposed To Be Funny: Fox's Dads

Sulu vs. Sulu

This couple survived the Aurora movie theater shooting. Exactly one year later, they're getting married.

"Is it me or do I look Asian?" It's just you.

Is the TMNT movie whitewashing The Shredder?

Ming-Na Wen kicks some ass in the Agents of SHIELD teaser

Casting Call: SNL seeks diaper-wearing chubby Asian male

Angry Reader of the Week: Joy Osmanski

Music Video: "In All the Wrong Places" by Kero One

Congratulations to all the graduates. Stay Angry.

5.17.2013

#UndocuAsians Film/Theater Performance, May 20

Heads up, New York. On Monday, May 20, catch a performance of #UndocuAsians, a new film and theater performance by undocumented Asian youth. The night opens with a short film following the lives of three undocumented Asian American youth followed by an onstage performance by more than a dozen undocumented youth, all members of AALDEF's undocumented youth group). Poet Kelly Tsai will be a special presenter.

All right. It's that time again. 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 Joy Osmanski.

"Is it me or do I look Asian?" It's just you.

Is this really a thing? CollegeHumor has compiled a "Twidiots" article featuring multiple Twitter users who posted a photo of themselves and asked, "Is it me or do I like Asian?" People, I don't know what you think makes you look Asian, but the answer is no: "Is It Just Me or Do I Look Asian?" No, You Do Not.

Got this awful-looking casting call passed along to me...

Saturday Night Live is apparently looking for someone to play a character named "DJ Baby Bok Choy," described as a mid 20s-30s chubby Asian male, conversational/fluent in Mandarin... and comfortable wearing a giant diaper. They're also looking for male and female dwarves. Do I even want to know what kind of sketch SNL is planning? Here's the breakdown:

They said WHAT!? A Media Consumer Panel, May 17

If you're in Los Angeles, come out to Westwood on Friday evening for They Said WHAT?! - a media consumer panel featuring me, Jen Wang of Disgrasian, Marissa Lee of Racebending, Professor L.S. Kim and Professor Renee Tajima-Pena. It's a free event presented by the Asian Pacific Coalition, the Office of Residential Life, and the On Campus Housing Council as part of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. It's happening May 17 at Rieber Fireside Lounge. Here are some more details:

If you tuned in to season three of the Fox cooking competition MasterChef, you were probably enthralled by the inspiring rise of contestant Christine Ha, a home cook who wowed the judges with her Vietnamese-inspired comfort dishes and some surprising skillz in the kitchen -- despite being legally blind.

As the winner of MasterChef, one of her prizes was a cookbook deal. Christine Ha's book, Recipes from My Home Kitchen: Asian and American Comfort Food, is out on shelves now.

Our friends Patrick and Stephen from National Film Society recently posed a difficult question to Asian American Star Trek fans -- which Sulu is better? George Takei or John Cho? You might have your favorite, but the folks in this video appear to have a hard time making up their minds. Both Sulus are quite charming in their own right. Check it out:

Oh no. Noooooo. So the networks have been unveiling previews of their fall series pickups... and here's one that looks like a stinker. In the Fox comedy Dads, Seth Green and Giovanni Ribisi star as childhood best friends whose lives are turned upside down when their nightmare dads unexpectedly move in with them. I don't know what that has to do with dressing up Brenda Song in a schoolgirl outfit, or any of the other awful Asian jokes that plague this painful preview, but here you go:

If you haven't heard, they're making a new live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. With Michael Bay producing, so far, it does not sound very promising. Last week, news broke that actor William Fichtner had been cast in a major role: 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adds William Fichtner.

Details are vague, but according to Deadline, Fichtner will play "a lead with iconic stature in the Turtles' mythology. With the roles of all four turtles and Master Splinter already cast, there's speculation that Fichtner could be taking on the role of the villainous Shredder. But yo, isn't he supposed to be an Asian guy?

Yellowface & YOMYOMF at UCLA, May 15

If you're in the Los Angeles area, YOMYOMF, the YouTube network started by filmmaker Justin Lin and friends, invites you to check out a free panel as part of UCLA's Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month events. The panel will feature David Henry Hwang, Lana McKissack, Chester See, Jeff Liu and Phil Chung. It's happening Wednesday, May 15 at De Neve Auditorium. Here are some more details:

Hey, how about helping out some grad students? Patty Chung, Marissa Lee, and Joanna Tol are Master's of Social Welfare candidates at UCLA. They're currently conducting a research project on Asian Pacific American LGBTQ individuals' wellness outcomes, with a focus on parental relationships, and are asking eligible folks complete a research survey.

If you are at least 18 years old, identify as API LGBTQ, and reside in the United States, please consider participating in the "The QAPI Study." It should take you about 30-40 minutes to complete. Here are some more details about the study:

California producer/emcee Kero One recently dropped this awesome official music video "In All the Wrong Places" from his debut album Windmills of the Soul. Whoa, isn't that kind of an old track? It's one of my favorite Kero One songs, and after all these years, it finally gets the proper video treatment. Check it out:

5.31.2013

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