Wisconsin Man Harassed Asians For Wearing Masks

And Other Things to Know From Angry Asian America.



Man Faces Hate Crime Charges for Harassing Asians at the Grocery Store
In Wisconsin, police are recommending hate crime charges against a man they say harassed Asian Americans for wearing masks in a grocery store. 57-year-old Robert Shrote admitted to verbally harassing Asian Americans at the Save A Lot store in Stevens Point. According to police, "customers were called names and harassed for wearing masks because of their race." Shrote faces a charge of disorderly conduct and a hate crime "enhancer," meaning the misdemeanor charge could carry up to 90 days in jail and a $10,000 fine.

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'American Idol' Crowns Season 3 Winner Virtually
The season 18 winner of American Idol was crowned last night -- from home -- and it's worth noting that the runner-up was Dibesh Pokharel (stage name: Arthur Gunn), a 22-year-old Nepalese singer-songwriter who, for had emerged as the front-runner of the competition. I'm told he was clearly the judges' favorite, and many watchers thought he'd end up winning it all. But alas, at the end of the night, amidst the televised confusion of the remote finale, the title awkwardly went to Just Sam, a 21-year-old subway singer from Harlem. Congratulations. And I wouldn't worry about Arthur Gunn -- just watch the video of him performing and you'll see. This guy is runner up to nobody.

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Remembering Our Co-Founder, Thomas Low
Thomas Low, co-founder and CEO of multicultural children's publishing house Lee & Low Books, has died of cancer at his home in Connecticut. He was 78. Low co-founded Lee & Low Books with Philip Lee in 1991. Though they had no previous publishing experience, both men had noticed, and been dismayed by, a dearth of contemporary diverse stories for children and believed there could be a business opportunity in pursuing their passion to fill that gap in the industry. Since then, Lee & Low has been a leader in supporting new voices in children's literature, particularly from authors of color.

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Far East Movement Debuts New Song for Heritage Month
"Identity: Project Blue Marble" is an eight-hour relief event happening March 20 on Twitch in honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. To mark the occasion, hip hop group Far East Movement is debuting a new song, "We Are the Truth," which can be heard in the trailer for the event (watch video above).

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Parasite: A Graphic Novel in Storyboards
Remember when Parasite won all those Oscars? That was awesome. Now you can experience the movie in graphic novel form, sort of. With hundreds of mesmerizing illustrations, the new book Parasite: A Graphic Novel in Storyboards, is a fresh look at Bong Joon-Ho's award-winning, genre-defying masterpiece, featuring storyboards drawn by the director himself prior to the shooting of the film. The book also contains a foreword written by Bong that shares early concept drawings and photos from the set which take the reader even deeper into the creative process. If you enjoyed Parasite, the book is a fascinating glimpse at Bong's creative process.

ISA! Charity Basketball Game 2015

Friday, May 29 at Mark Keppel High School in Alhambra



If you are in the Los Angeles area -- 626 represent! -- our friends at International Secret Agents, Wong Fu Productions, Far East Movement, and The Fung Bros invite you to eh 2015 ISA! Charity Basketball Game. The event will feature lots of familiar fan-favorite faces and will benefit Nepal Disaster Relief and the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. It's happening Friday, May 29 at Mark Keppel High School in Alhambra.

Here's a promo video for the game:

Far East Movement returns to their roots with 'K-Town Riot' EP

Globetrotting electro-rap group's new mini-album is dedicated to their Koreatown community.



It's been a minute, but Far East Movement is back. The Los Angeles electro-rap group has dropped its latest record K-Town Riot EP. And it kicks some ass. Definitely a harder sound than they're typically known for. Kev Nish, Prohgress, J-Splif and DJ Virman have dedicated this six-track mini-album to the city and community that made them who they are. According to FM, "We're proud to see how the community has grown and inspires us to grow as artists and people."

Angry Asian America Ep. 5: "Fresh Off The Boat Coming to TV"

With co-host Jenny Yang and special guests Chriselle Lim and Far East Movement



Hey, everybody! I am proud to share the latest edition of Angry Asian America, my web talk show on ISAtv. In Episode 5, co-host Jenny Yang and I welcome special guests Chriselle Lim and KevNish, Prohgress and J-Splif of Far East Movement to discuss the latest developments with ABC's Fresh Off The Boat, controversy over the show's title, and FM's own struggles with "repping" Asian Americans in their work.

Check it out:

Far East Movement, TokiMonsta & Dumbfoundead join forces for SPAM N EGGS

Awwww yeah. Who wants some SPAM N EGGS? TokiMonsta, Dumbfoundead and Far East Movement have joined forces to throw an epic party in KTown next week, with sets by Antiserum, Two Fresh, Rell the Soundbender, ESTA and special guests. It's happening Thursday, November 21 at VIBE in Koreatown, Los Angeles. Here are some more details:

Enter ISA's Fly Away & Trick Photo Contest

Take your best trick photo and enter to win a trip to see Far East Movement in Florida



Just helping our friends Wong Fu and Far East Movement spread the word about their contest... ISA invites you to enter the Fly Away & Trick Photo Contest for a chance to win a special X-mini prize pack. An X-mini, for your information, is a pretty awesome little capsule speaker.

But wait, there's more! One lucky Grand Prize winner from all the entries will receive two tickets to see Far East Movement at Scream Fest in Sunrise, Florida -- flight, accommodations and backstage passes included. Awesome, right? But you'll have to take some photos... and you'll have to be creative.

Watch this video:

Music Video: Far East Movement wreaks office havoc in "The Illest"

Some new music for you... Far East Movement recently dropped the music video for their latest track, "The Illest" feat. Riff Raff (and a whole bunch of cameos). I don't know know what the heck is happening in here, but it's fun. Note Prohgress rocking those Bill Lumbergh/Office Space suspenders:

Far East Muppets

Far East Movement and puppets. I don't exactly know what's going on here, but this photo, posted the other day on Facebook, of the FM guys with their legless, puppet counterparts is like the best thing ever. Please tell me there's a Far East Muppet music video in the works.

Far East Movement turns up the love in this HTC One spot

Oh snap! It's our friends Far East Movement and their song "Turn Up the Love," all of a sudden all over the TV in this commercial for the new HTC One campaign. I first saw the spot on MTV, but then I started seeing it nonstop everywhere. Heck, it just played on the tube as I was writing this. No joke! Because FM's music sounds better with BoomSound, duel speakers with built-in amplifiers:

Watch Far East Movement's epic "Turn Up the Love" mashup

FM fans! Don't miss this cool video of Far East Movement performing an epic mashup of their hits. Filmed as part of the "Turn Up The Love" Experiment in conjunction with BioBeats and ISA, the video is twelve minutes long, filmed in one take, and features "Girls on the Dance Floor," "Get Up," "Like a G6" and "Turn Up the Love." Check it out:

music video: "change your life" by far east movement

Almost missed this one... The guys in Far East Movement, aka the hardest working act in popular music, recently released their latest music video for "Chang Your Life" featuring Flo Rida and Sidney Samson, from their album Dirty Bass. Check it out: