mira nair's the namesake

A couple of stories on Kal Penn, who stars in Mira Nair's The Namesake—definitely a bit of a departure from his recent work of late (Harold and Kumar, Van Wilder, Epic Movie), but he's fit for the job: The White-Castle Ceiling. And here: 'Kumar' makes a name for himself. He was apparently trying to buy the rights to produce The Namesake with John Cho when he found out Nair was already directing it. Here's also a Fresh Air interview with Mira Nair: Mira Nair Brings 'The Namesake' to Film. And another good interview here: Exclusive: Filmmaker Mira Nair.

I had the chance to catch a screening of The Namesake a few weeks ago, and really enjoyed myself. It's a well-directed, gorgeously shot portrait of an Indian American family, spanning two cultures and two generations. I never got around to reading Jhumpa Lahiri's novel, but I'm told it's a very faithful adaptation, at least in spirit. The story isn't primarily about Kal Penn's character Gogol, as some of the trailers indicate. And the movie isn't necessarily all about his identity struggle with being Indian American, caught between two worlds and all that (though it's certainly a part of it). It's more to do with that fact that Gogol has a really weird name, and his parents don't get him (and vice versa). I would argue though that the movie is more a story about Gogol's parents, played by Tabu and Irrfan Khan (who are absolutely incredible). Their story is deeply affecting, and as a second generation Asian American kid, I couldn't help but think of my own parents' immigration story. In that sense, the universal way this story hits home—a wholly American family story, regardless of ethnicity—it's an incredibly moving film. I'll admit, a few moments had me reaching for the tissues. Nair ends the film with a dedication "to all the parents," which prompted me to call my mom after the screening. The Namesake opens in select cities tomorrow, March 9th.

eric byler at depaul, student conferences

This is for my pals at DePaul. For those of you in Chicago, here's something for you to do tonight... filmmaker Eric Byler will be speaking at DePaul University, showing clips from Americanese and My Life Disoriented in presentation called, "Asian Pacific Americans in 2006-2008: Art, Media Representation, and Social Responsibility." He'll be joined by other APA activists who will answer some questions from the audience and talk about their experiences during the Virginia Senate campaign. Tonight, March 8th at DePaul University, Schmidtt Academic Center (SAC) 161. For more information, go here.

Speaking of colleges... the Midwest Asian American Student Union's (MAASU) annual spring conference is happening this weekend, March 9-11, at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. This year's conference theme is "Embrace, Empower and Envision." Looks like they've got a pretty solid program (Eric Byler will be speaking here too). For more information, go here.

And since we're talking about student conferences... heads up, the 21st KASCON (Korean American Student Conference) happens later this month, March 29-April 1, at the University of California at San Diego, where it's always sunny and warm. The conference theme is "New Wave." As usual, lots of great workshops, speakers and entertainers, including Sung Kang; Eddie Kim, Founder of Projekt NewSpeak; Judge Tammy Ryu, California's first Korean American woman judge; Dai-Sil Kim Gibson, Producer of Silence Broken: Korean Comfort Women; Lee Ann Kim, anchor and reporter for KGTV in San Diego; Ken Oak Band, Chan, Burning Tree Projekt... and a whole mess of others. For more information about the conference, go here.

kenneth eng is dragon crazy

Wow. This has to be seen to be believed. "Asian Supremacist" and dragon-obsessed Kenneth Eng, who, if you haven't heard, "hates blacks," finally comes out of hiding to say all sorts of crazy things on Fox News. And man, the guy is just straight-up insane, like from the fourth dimension: Kenneth Eng. The guy asks him about his racist column and Eng starts going on about... dragons? Awesome. Gibson must have been thinking, "Where the hell did we dig up this freak?" Something is seriously wrong with Kenneth Eng. But we already knew that. Now we just have it captured on video.

UPDATE: Here's a transcript of the segment, for those you can't watch the video: 'Why I Hate Blacks' Author Defends Column. But honestly, you really have to see the video to get the full effect.

life after the view

Here's an article on journalist Lisa Ling, who's been taking on some serious subjects as a correspondent for National Geographic Channel's Explorer—most recently reporting undercover in North Korea: TV journalist Lisa Ling's new view. Man, I'm bet she's glad she left The View before it turned into a full-fledged joke. She seems to be the only one on the show that had her head on straight. On to bigger and better things...

imaginasian's new theater

I mentioned this when the deal was first struck... Asian American multimedia company ImaginAsian has plans to revitalize the old Linda Lea Theater in downtown Los Angeles, which has been boarded up for the last twenty years, into a new theater specializing in Asian and Asian American cinema: Curtain rises again in Little Tokyo. It'll be downtown Los Angeles' first new theater in more than twenty years. Demolition was completed recently, and they've been uncovering quite a few interesting relics from the theater's past. The new theater, the ImaginAsian Center, is scheduled to open late in the summer.

legislation for filipino veterans

Filipino-born veterans who fought alongside U.S. troops during World War II are hoping that new legislation will allow them to be reunited with their families without further delays in the lengthy immigration process: Hope for Amends to Filipino Immigrants. They're also still pushing for a bill that would grant Filipino veterans military pensions. About 5,000 veterans in the United States would stand to benefit from a change in immigration provisions, and an additional 10,000 in the Philippines could be eligible for pensions.

paul kim needs a job

An update on ejected American Idol contestant Paul Kim: 'American Idol': Paul Kim taking it slow in Saratoga. What's he been up to? Not a whole lot. But it looks like his short stint on the show made him a lot of fans. Now that he's off the show, his MySpace page is back up and running, with sound clips.

first look: kid heroes' the ones and twos

The prolific forces over at Kid Heroes Productions have unveiled their latest project, a short film called The Ones and Twos. Watch it here. Good stuff. That's the five-minute version. An extended cut will be available soon... and possibly even a feature film. It could happen. Meanwhile, they've also just premiered the music video for Native Guns' "Champion." Very cool, nicely done.

david henry hwang's golden child in chicago

This one's for you, Chicago... The midwest premiere of David Henry Hwang's Golden Child is currently playing in Chicago, presented by the Silk Road Theatre Project.

Set in China in the early 1900’s, the Obie Award winning Golden Child tells the story of Eng Tieng-Bin, a wealthy merchant who returns from abroad filled with Western ideas and Christian beliefs and hopes of liberating China from its superstitious past. But in a polygamous marriage riddled with jealousy and suspicion, what will Eng’s religious conversion mean for each of his three wives? Can new ideas and old traditions co-exist or are they destined to collide?

The production runs through April 22 at the Historic Chicago Temple Building. For more tickets and show info, go here.

gwen loves asians... a little too much

Here's one for the Gwenihana blog. MadTV spoofs Gwen Stefani and her four Asian accessories, the Harajuku Girls: "Aren't Asians Great?" Funny, but I think this is the 56th time we've seen
Bobby Lee in drag. And dude, the guy is not getting any prettier.

new sunshine trailer

Cool-looking new trailer for Danny Boyle's sci-fi flick Sunshine, from a UK site. You get a glimpse of Michelle Yeoh somewhere in there. Really looking forward to seeing this movie. Too bad the U.S. release date has been shuffled around again to near the end of the year. Booooo. (Thanks, Ryan)

snow white and the seven shaolin monks

We've heard a few things over the years about plans to retell the Snow White and the Seven Dwarves story as a martial arts movie, directed by the master Yuen Wo-Ping. Snow White and Seven Shaolin Monks. Sounds pretty stupid, but I'll admit, I kind of want to see it. So where's the movie? Jim Hill has quite a few new details about the project, slated for a 2008 release:

Speaking of action-adventure, Walt Disney Pictures is looking to put a martial arts spin on the studio's animated masterpiece, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" with the studio's 2008 release, "Snow and the Seven." This live action feature (Which the studio hopes to shoot on-location in China) is set in the 1880s, when an reluctant English princess suddenly finds herself in need of protection while traveling overseas. And who then comes to her aid? Seven Shaolin monks.

I know, I know. "Snow and the Seven" sounds kind of bizarre. Though -- truth be told -- this production has a pretty amazing pedigree. The film's screenplay has been written by Michael Chabon, the 2001 Pulitzer Prize-winner who also crafted the scripts for "Spider-Man 2" and "Wonder Boys." And for Woo-ping Yuen, the movie's director ... This is the guy who choreographed all of the fight sequences in the "Kill Bill" films as well as the "Matrix" trilogy.

And Yuen ... According to what studio sources have told me, Woo-ping is looking to make "Snow and the Seven" the "Ocean's 11" of martial arts movies. Meaning that Yuen is out to recruit some of the biggest names in martial arts film history to make appearances in this motion picture. Then add to this Chabon's clever concept that each of the Shaolin priests will have at least one trait that will remind viewers of the dwarfs from Disney's 1937 animated version ... And it sounds like "Snow and the Seven" could be one fun flick.

Okay, the premise still sounds pretty dumb. But written by Michael Chabon? Directed by Yuen Wo Ping? Possibly starring the biggest name in martial arts? That sounds like a hell of a movie. (Thanks, Philip)

wasabi spill!

Kind of funny when spilt wasabi is considered newsworthy... but I guess it's a big deal when it happens on the international space station: Astronaut Has 'Wasabi Spill' in Space. Astronaut Sunita Williams was trying to have herself a sushi dinner in space when the wasabi went flying. Zero gravity style. Bet that was hell to clean up.

halle berry as vanita gupta?

Halle Berry is going to star in the movie Tulia, about a lawyer investigating an infamous Texas drug bust. The story centers on the 1999 arrests of 46 black men in the impoverished town of Tulia, Texas—a sting effort where no money, drugs or illegal weapons were found on any of the suspects: Director Franklin stung by "Tulia". Yay, but so what? The woman Berry will portray is real-life lawyer Vanita Gupta, lead attorney for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, which intervened to free the wrongly convicted citizens. Interesting, so is Berry really going to play Gupta? Or will change the ethnicity of the character?

asians playing football

A story from a few weeks back on the Boston Asian Football League, started by some dudes who wanted to get together, play some football, and give back to the community: Touch Down. Here's the league's website: BAFL--The Baddest Asian Football League in this Galaxy!

Speaking of Asians playing football... the NFL is training Gao Wei, Ding Long and Shen Yalei to become the first Chinese to play pro football in America. According to this little news bite, the three are hard at work learning how to kick a football, with the possibility of playing this summer in the NFL's first exhibition game in China. All this, so the NFL can potentially tap the crazy profitable Chinese market. Can these guys make it in the NFL? It's not like baseball, which already has a global presence.

carol lam appears on capitol hill

Former U.S. Attorney Carol Lam appeared on Capitol Hill today, to answer questions about her dismissal, along with other federal prosecutors. Congressional Democrats want to know more about why Lam and seven other U.S Attorneys were abruptly asked to step down by their bosses at the Department of Justice, suspecting political reasons: Dismissed federal prosecutors testify in Congress. Lam was best known for her high-profile prosecutions of politicians and corporate executives. So, was her firing meant to smother corruption investigations? Some concerned lawmakers want to know: A New Mystery to Prosecutors: Their Lost Jobs

good times in boston

I had a great time in Boston this weekend attending the APALSA Conference at Harvard Law School. Thank you to the organizers for inviting me to participate, and thank you to all who attended Saturday morning's panel featuring Eric Hananoki, C.N. Le and myself talking about blogging and APA political activism.

On Saturday afternoon I had the chance to sit down for coffee with Tak Toyoshima, the artist behind the comic strip Secret Asian Man. As I mentioned here a couple of weeks ago, he's signed with United Features Syndicate to publish Secret Asian Man daily, including Sundays. Right now they're in the process of actively selling the strip to papers. That means you could possibly see Secret Asian Man in the funny pages of your local daily paper, right next to Garfield and Marmaduke. If you think you'd like to see that, why not write to your paper's editor requesting Secret Asian Man? Every letter counts. The official launch date is May 7th, just in time for APA Heritage Month. Exciting times for SAM.

crappy t-shirt alert

File under crappy, idiotic t-shirts:


Spotted at a Dillard's. (Thanks, Diana)

the shanghai restoration project: special edition

Dave Liang, the mastermind producer behind The Shanghai Restoration Project, mixing traditional Chinese instruments with modern hip hop and electronic beats, has just released The Shanghai Restoration Project: Special Edition CD, available this week at Amazon.com. For those of you who didn't get your hands on the original releases, this special edition version contains 18 of the top-selling tracks from the first three albums (The Shanghai Restoration Project, Reinterprations and Insrumentals).

naisy dolar: history in the making

In Chicago, it's all about Naisy Dolar, who is now in a run-off for Chicago's 50th ward. Backed by a community grassroots campaign, she's in a heated, close race against the 34-year incumbent and vice-mayor of Chicago Bernard
Stone. If elected, she'll be the first Asian American ever elected to Chicago's city council. They said it couldn't be done—an Asian
American woman forcing the 34-year incumbent into a run-off. But they did it. And they need help for the April 17 election. Learn more about Naisy Dolar's campaign here. It's history in the making.