a killer's manifesto

He had it all planned out. During the time between the first and second shooting sprees, Seung-Hui Cho went to the post office and mailed NBC a package containing photos and videos of him brandishing his guns and delivering a rambling, incoherent manifesto: Va. Tech gunman sent material to NBC. The package arrived at NBC's headquarters in New York this morning. As the article points out, the mailing helps explain one of the biggest mysteries about the massacre: where Cho was and what he did during that two-hour window between the shootings at the dorm and the classroom building. Watching the video, which will surely be replayed ad nauseum in the coming days and weeks, you get a chilling, more complete sense of this guy's anger and isolation—something previously reported details about him didn't quite fully convey. He let his hate and rage fester until he became a full-fledged monster. The guy was completely lost in his own world, but he knew exactly what he was doing. And that is scary.

UPDATE: Some people are comparing the image of Cho brandishing a hammer in his video with the a scene from Park Chan-wook's film Oldboy: An Image's Ties to a Dark Movie. While the two still frames placed next to each other appear similar, other than they both involve a hammer and are Korean-related, I'm failing to see a strong connection. Granted, Oldboy is a dark and violent movie—about as dark and violent as it gets—but highlighting the obvious similarities between the two images really doesn't get us any closer to understanding Cho and his motivations. It just connects a killer, already perceived by many as "foreign," with more reason to do so.

UPDATE: What's also somewhat disconcerting to me is how some media outlets continue to refer to the killer as "Cho Seung-Hui"—surname first, accentuating this idea of his "foreignness." If the guy has been living in the United States, growing up and going to high school here, shouldn't he be referred to in the same way as everyone else? Seung-Hui Cho. What it says on his driver's license. In no way am I trying to stick up for him, and it seems like a minor quibble, but it makes a huge difference in perception. He was a homicidal psychopathic. But we have to come to terms with the fact that he was an American homicidal psychopath. Here's a great, reasoned editorial from NPR's Robert Siegel: Weighing Cho's Heritage and Identity

and now... the backlash?

Virginia Tech students Vlavanh Ditharong, Agnes Kim and Casrin Shin watching a simulcast of the memorial service Tuesday.

It's been a long day. I woke up this morning knowing the when I turned on the TV there would be news of the Virginia Tech shooter's identity. Then I felt chills when I saw that grainy photo of Seung-Hui Cho, a Korean American student from Centreville, VA. Throughout the day, the media has been piecing together more and more information about his life, hoping to gain some insight into what led him to such a horrific act: Gunman Showed Hints of Anger and Isolation. He was an English major, and his teachers were apparently so disturbed by some of his writing that they referred him to counseling. In one writing class, he submitted two profoundly violent and profane plays, now posted by a former classmate on AOL: Cho Seung-Hui's Plays. I couldn't bring myself to read them. The guy sounds like he was troubled, isolated guy, with serious personal problems, and fit the classic profile of these kinds of situations. But after the shock and disbelief... anger. Frustration. I don't care how disturbed and alone this guy felt—going on a shooting spree, then shooting yourself, is not the way to address your isolation and anger. It's a cowardly and selfish act.

In the coming days, people are going to want answers, and one of the growing concerns right now is the potential backlash against Asian Americans. With the media's fixation on Cho's immigration status, and the constant reminders that he was a "student from South Korea" (which I guess is technically accurate, but somewhat misleading)—highlighting his "foreignness"—these might be legitimate concerns: Rampages and Ethnicity. More here: Asians fear backlash after Virginia Tech shooting. And at Virginia Tech, this article mentions such anxiety among Asian American students:

Asian-American students at Virginia Tech reacted to news about the gunman's identity with shock and some anxiety about a possible backlash.

"My parents are actually worried about retaliation against Asians,” said Lyu Boaz, a third-year accounting student who was born in South Korea and became an American citizen a year ago. "After 9/11, a lot of Arabs were attacked for that reason."

Mr. Boaz, a resident adviser at Pritchard Hall, said many Korean-American students left campus immediately. Parents of other Korean-American students were preparing to pick up their children this afternoon and take them home.

And in this NPR story:

Cho and his family immigrated from South Korea in 1992, and members of Virginia's large Korean community tell NPR they fear a backlash. Centreville resident Pyung Jin Joe says his 17-year-old daughter was uncomfortable taking the bus to school Tuesday morning, so his wife drove her. "When she got to school," he says, "she felt that her classmates were looking at her a little bit differently… again because she's Korean, and it made her feel awkward."

I'll be completely honest. When I heard the shooter was Asian, I think I had selfish reaction similiar a lot of Asian Americans in this country, as Andrew Lam puts it: Let It Be Some Other 'Asian'. But it doesn't matter. In some people's eyes, we're all implicated now. Here's also a really good perspective from Tamara K. Nopper: What May Come: Asian Americans and the Virginia Tech Shootings. The Asian American Journalists Association has released this media advisory regarding coverage of the shootings, urging media to avoid using racial identifiers unless there is a compelling or relevant reason: Coverage on Virginia Tech Shooting Incident. And this follow-up: Continuing Coverage on Virginia Tech Shooting.

I can't believe it's only Tuesday.

why we hate kenneth eng

For those of you who for some reason needed more evidence that Kenneth Eng (author of AsianWeek's infamous "Why I Hate Blacks" column) is a raving asshead lunatic, here's a video of him expressing his take on the Virginia Tech shooting: Kenneth Eng -- Virginia Tech. The guy is seriously asking for a beatdown. Meet the biggest living piece of shit in Asian America, a guy who writes fiction about cyborg technodragons and laughs at school shooting massacres. Somebody put this freak on a watch list.

UPDATE: YouTube has taken down the video due to terms of use violation. Probably because it qualifies as hate speech. When I saw the video, I seriously had the urge to punch him the face through my computer screen. So no more video of Kenneth Eng the Asshead. Instead, do check out this awesome video from Kristina Wong: Re: Kenneth Eng

UPDATE: Kristina has posted a follow-up video, where LX 4000 propositions Kenneth Eng for sweet, sweet Dragon Love: LX 4000 + Kenneth Eng + Dragons= True Love. I can't understand half the stuff she's saying, but it's funny as hell. Rock the kazoo.

the shooter was korean american

Forget all the information you heard yesterday. The gunman responsible for killing 32 in a shooting spree at Virginia Tech was identified today at 23-year-old Seung-Hui Cho, a senior English major from South Korea: Va. Tech: Gunman student from S. Korea. According to the university, he was in the U.S. as a resident alien with a residence established in Centerville, Virginia, but living on campus in Harper Residence Hall. Who the hell was this guy? Why did he do this? He was apparently kind of a loner, and they're having difficulty finding information about him. Now he's a mass murderer. More here: Virginia Tech Killer Identified. More information to come... but we're already starting to see the emphasis on his ethnicity and nationality in the media. A lot of news reports seem to be highlighting the fact that Cho has "resident alien" status, though my guess is, he actually immigrated to the United States a long time ago. Keep an eye on this.

UPDATE: This Washington Post story identifies Cho as "a South Korean native who immigrated to this country as a child." In my book, that makes him a guy from Centreville, VA who happens to be Korean American. So why are all the media outlets going to such lengths to emphasize his "resident alien" immigrant status?

UPDATE: By the time all of this passes, everyone in American will know the details and intricacies of Seung-Hui Cho's immigration status and history, because of news articles like this: Campus gunman lived in U.S. 14 years. And lead paragraphs like this:

The Virginia Tech student identified as the assailant in Monday's deadly gun rampage was a South Korean immigrant who had been in the United States since 1992 and who held a green card signifying his status as a legal permanent U.S. resident, federal officials said Tuesday.

This has given way to concerns from Korea's Foreign Ministry about potential backlash: Korea fears prejudice with shooting link.

Sources are saying that Cho was an English major whose creative writing was so disturbing that he was referred to the school's counseling service. News reports also said that he may have been taking medication for depression, that he was becoming increasingly violent and erratic, and that he left a note in his dorm in which he railed against "rich kids," "debauchery" and "deceitful charlatans" on campus: Sources: College gunman left note. It just gets uglier and uglier, doesn't it? Yes, it does. Some reports are starting to suggest that Cho was "obsessed" with his dorm neighbor, Emily Jane Hilscher: Obsession for girl may have led to slaughter. I'm not 100 percent sure about this theory, but once it picks up, you know people are going to run with it.

virginia tech: the aftermath

Cheng Hu attends a vigil for the Virginia Tech shooting victims at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church. Hu's wife, pictured left, was teaching during the shooting.

It's been a long day, and everyone is still trying to sort out the tragedy: 32 Shot Dead on Virginia Tech Campus. My thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by the violence. Details about the shooter have not been easy to come by. Police say they've identified the shooter, but won't be releasing his identity until tomorrow. We know the guy was Asian. Some are speculating the gunman might have been a young Chinese man who recently arrived in the United States. The usual debate about gun control will inevitably be on people's minds, but the fact that the guy might've been a Chinese national in the U.S. on a student visa will also enter the conversation. And it's not going to be a positive discussion. This Daily Kos entry expresses concerns about those those potential paranoid fears, and the irrational anti-immigrant spin: Viriginia Tech and the xenophobia narrative. Or maybe it'll just inspire idiotic racist bulls**t like this.

A leading criminologist suggests that the shootings might have been inspired by that mass shooting at a community college in Montreal a few months back: 'Premeditative and Selective'. His reasoning? The Virginia Tech killer was Asian. So was the Montreal killer. It's the copycat effect. What? I don't know. That doesn't exactly sound like a compelling connection to me. I'm starting to wonder how exactly this guy became known as a leading criminologist.

And in the weirdest twist of this whole thing, there's this guy Wayne Chiang. He is Asian, a student at Virginia Tech, lived in the dorm where the first shooting occurred, recently broke up with his girlfriend... and happens to be a gun enthusiast. But he's not the shooter: "I Want to Clear My Name." On his blog, he's got a whole bunch of photos of him posing with a ridiculous number of firearms—the perfect portrait of a rampage shooter. Except that it's not him. The problem is, everyone on the internet seems to think otherwise: Internet Names the Wrong Killer. His site apparently received over 117,000 page views today, and the guy has apparently had to deal with death threats. A quick posting along the lines of "Hey, I'm not the guy," probably would've alleviated the situation, since it's been confirmed that the shooter killed himself. He has since tried to amend the situation. That said, the people who sent the death threats can't be too bright either, since you can't kill a guy who has already reportedly killed himself...

More on this as it develops.

31 killed in virginia tech shooting rampage

This morning, a gunman opened fire in a Virginia Tech dorm and then, two hours later, in a classroom across campus, killing at least 30 people in the deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history: Gunman kills 30 on Virginia Tech campus. The gunman was killed, though it wasn't immediately clear whether the gunman was shot by police or took his own life. His name wasn't released, investigators offered no motive for the attack, and nobody is sure if the gunman was a student. However, this news story says one person described the shooter as "an Asian student wearing a vest." And this one says he is described as "a young Asian male." I don't know who that is in the above photo (found it here), if the gunman was reportedly killed. Details are obviously sketchy at this point. More on this as it develops...

UPDATE: Jozjozjoz over at 8 Asians reports that the guy in the photo IS NOT THE SHOOTER. He's Shaozhuo Cui, a photographer for the VT student newspaper. He probably got a little too close to the action before the police stopped him because he fit the description. News outlets carrying the photo probably connected the dots a little hastily, hearing the reports of an Asian male shooter then seeing this photo.

They've also got a rumor out there about who the gunman was:

According to unconfirmed rumors available to The Reference Frame, the killer was a 6-foot tall male Asian student between 20 and 25 years from Radford University whose girlfriend from Virginia Tech left him. He had two guns and wore a vest with too much ammunition.

In the morning, he went to her dormitory. She was not there so he shot her roommate and some staff of the dormitory. They didn't shut down the university, so he continued and tried to find the girlfriend in the classroom. He didn't know the exact location, so he has shot a couple of classes and then himself.

The info is over here. No doubt, we'll be hearing more about this story in the hours and days to come. I am dreading the headlines about the psycho Asian shooter. What a way to start the week...

UPDATE: According to this article, authorities are investigating whether the gunman was a 24-year-old Chinese man who arrived in the United States last year on a student visa issued in Shanghai. Police believe three bomb threats on the campus last week may have been attempts by the man to test the campus' security response. Oh yeah, investigators have not linked him to any terrorist groups. I guess that dispels this ridiculous theory that wanted so badly to link the shooting to Pakistani terrorism. Then again, this opens up the door to all sorts of racist and xenophobic rhetoric about immigration... brace yourselves.

power 105.1's "are you smarter than an asian?"

The hits don't stop... more racist radio news. Last week, around 9:00 am on Wednesday, the Ed Lover Show with Egypt and Ashy on Power 105.1 in New York aired a segment called "Are You Smarter Than An Asian?" Yeah. That title alone makes me scream that's racist! But it gets a lot worse. In the segment, an "Asian" guy named Mr. Hung Lo spoke broken English with a stereotypical Chinese accent, with "Kung Fu Fighting" music playing in the background. A listener then called in and competed with Mr. Lo to answer jacked up questions like "How does an Asian pronounce 'fried rice'?" That's racist! I first heard about this in this press release from the Organization of Chinese Americans:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Vicki Shu Smolin, President, OCA-New York: 646-263-6044
Florence Chen, President, OCA-New Jersey: 201-755-3260
Jeannette Wang, President, OCA-Westchester & Hudson Valley: 914-5520078
John Tandana, Executive Vice President, OCA-Long Island: 347-728-2612

OCA CONDEMNS POWER 105.1FM RADIO SEGMENT AS RACIST

April 14, 2007 - Today, the four New York City metropolitan area Organization of Chinese American Chapters - New York, New Jersey, Long Island and Westchester – condemned the recent segment aired on radio station 105.1FM, "Are You Smarter Than An Asian" as racist and is asking executives at 105.1FM for an on-air apology and a meeting with Asian American community leaders.

Close to 9am on Wednesday, April 11, the Ed Lover Show with Egypt and Ashy aired "Are You Smarter Than An Asian" where an "Asian" male named Mr. Hung Lo spoke with a stereotypical Chinese accent broken English, and Kung Fu fighting music in the background. A call-in listener then competed with "Mr. Lo" to answer extremely insulting questions, such as "How does an Asian pronounce 'fried rice?'"

In a letter to Power 105.1FM Programming Director, the OCA Chapters writes, "As a leading radio station in the most diverse city with the fasted growing immigrant population coming from Asian countries, your segment was...very ignorant of the community in which you service... it was a throw back to the era when Asian Americans were grossly stereotyped in American media...it is sad that your station chose to go backwards rather than move forwards."

Ms. Vicki Shu Smolin, President of OCA-New York: "It is disconcerting that immigrant and ethnic communities are the target of so-called 'humor' on the radio just to get ratings. As news spreads of this incident, the nearly 1 million Asian Pacific Americans living in New York City will not be listening to Power 105.1. Its executives, along with Ed Lover and his co-hosts must apologize on air."

Ms. Florence Chen, President, OCA-New Jersey: "Asian Americans are constantly having to prove ourselves as 'Americans.' OCA will not stand for this type of broadcasting. We were successful in getting NJ Radio Station 101.5FM to fire the Jersey Boys for hate media. Unless there is an on-air apology coupled with a community meeting, we will do all we can to ensure this will not happen again.

Ms. Jeannette Wang, President, OCA-Westchester: "This segment made a mockery of the many contributions of Asian Americans to the United States, right before the month of May, which is Asian American Heritage Month, when people all over the country celebrate the contributions of Asian Americans to United States' history, economics and culture.

Mr. John Tandana, OCA-Long Island: "The executives of Power 105.1FM are completely out of touch with its community. This type of stereotyping subjects Asian American children to racial taunting and hate crimes. We hope Don Imus' fall will serve as a catalyst for change and we all should learn from this bitter lesson. Degrading and mocking other people will only harm our civil society"

###

If someone out there has audio of this clip, sent it my way and I'll share it with everyone. This crap is racist and Power 105.1 needs to know it. Speak out, and tell them what you think—if this makes you angry, tell someone about it! Here's Power 105.1's contact information:

Power 105.1 FM
1120 6th Ave New York, NY 10036
Request Line: 800-585-1051
Business Line: 212-704-1051
Email: power1051fm@clearchannel.com

Some needs to answer for this. This kind of stuff has happened more times than I can count now, and nothing seems to change. The Asian American community continues to struggle for respect, while the rest of America conveniently writes us off as the punchline for a joke. Or a racist, idiotic radio gag. Don Imus makes an off-the-cuff racist, sexist remark, the entire nation goes into an uproar, and he gets fired. Rightly so. He should have to face those consequences. But radio stations across the country purposely build entire segments and jokes around Asian stereotypes all the time, and no one does a goddamn thing. Where is the justice? They need to know that we will not allow this any more. If this is going to happen, someone's ass is going down. That's racist!

UPDATE: Here's a list of the station's programming execs, courtesy of Liliana:

Helen Little, Program Director
(212) 704-1051
helenlittle@clearchannel.com

Rob Williams, President & General Manager
(212) 603-4600
robwilliams@clearchannel.com

Doc Wynter, Programming Vice President
(212) 704-1051
dwynter@ccjax.com

Kristin Roderick, Advertising Sales Manager
(212) 704-1051
kristinroderick@clearchannel.com

Tim Murphy, National Sales Manager
(212) 603-4630
timothymurphy@clearchannel.com

Do what you will with this information. Also, thanks to the hard work of Jim, here's a partial list of Power 105.1's sponsors and advertisers, compiled from information on the station's website. They're listed on the site as "Friends of 105.1." Some of the sponsors didn't have individual contact info, so James listed the brand's parent company. Contacting the money could be an effective way really letting them know how you feel about the "Are You Smarter Than An Asian?" segment:

Aquafina (Pepsi North America)
Gustavo Perez
Director, Multicultural Marketing
700 Anderson Hill Road
Purchase, NY 10577
(914) 253-2000
Gustavo.Perez@pepsi.com
Contact

Circuit City
Carol Fuller
Assistant Vice President, Mktg
9950 Mayland Drive
Richmond, VA 23233
804.527.4000
Carol.fuller@circuitcity.com
Contact

Mercedes Benz (Daimler Chrysler - Traffic Report Sponsor)
Mark McNabb
Vice President, Mktg.
One Mercedes Drive
Montvale, NJ 07645
201.573.0600
mailmaster@mbusa.com
Contact

Netflix
Neve Savage
Vice President, Mktg.
100 Winchester Circle
Los Gatos, CA 95032
408.540.3700
alliances@netflix.com
Contact

Geico.com
Tedd Ward
Vice President, Mktg.
One Geico Plaza
Washington DC, 20076
301.986.3000
tward@geico.com
Contact

Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
Kim Macula
Advertising Manager
19001 South Western Avenue
Dept. WC11
Torrance, CA 90501
310.468.4000
Contact

Cingular/AT&T
Charlie Payne
5565 Glenridge Connector
Atlanta, GA 30342
Charlie.payne@cingular.com
404.236.6655
Contact

This is far from a complete list, but it's a start. Now it's time for you to tell them what's up. Chances are, they'll have no idea what you're talking about, so it's important to let them know. Do not let this thing just go away! (Thanks for the information, Jim.)

koreans in hollywood: the good and the bad

The English edition of the Chosun Ilbo seems to have two kinds of articles about the state of Koreans in Hollywood. Stories about Korean Americans on the rise, like Sandra Oh, Daniel Dae Kim, John Cho, etc... and stories about movies and shows with negative depictions of Koreans: No End to Korea's Rough Ride in Hollywood. Like the recent romantic comedy Because I Said So, which was released in Korea earlier this month. It's a scene involving a Korean massage parlor (grooooaaan):

The romantic comedy "Because I Said So", released in Korea last Thursday, features a Korean-run massage parlor at the beginning where the staff shout “fast, fast”, are atrocious at massage, listen in on the conversations of the customers and talk about them behind their backs in Korean. Many viewers here felt it was hard to concentrate on the rest of the movie because of the unpleasant feelings that generated.

I haven't seen the movie in question, but it sounds rather awful. But hey, don't despair. Here's a recent Chosun Ilbo interview with none other than Sandra Oh: Sandra Oh on the Challenge of Being Korean in Hollywood

crime watch!

This story reports on the recent wave of violence in Oakland's Chinatown involving Mongolian immigrants and other Asian American youth: Fights in Oakland's Chinatown

In Pomona, CA a woman and her mother sued Best Buy Stores last week after a technician from Geek Squad videotaped the woman taking a shower: Geek Sued For Peeking At Woman In Shower Via Video. According the lawsuit, the Geek Squad employee, Hao Kuo Chi, allegedly started up the cell phone's video camera to tape Sarah Vasquez just before she stepped into the shower. But he got caught! And arrested. Way to go, you perv. Not only do you work for a company called "Geek Squad," you're now the creepy peeping dude. Thanks, on behalf of Asian guys everywhere.

Vuthavy Phay, a teenager in Lowell, MA was shot in the head while playing cards at a buddy's house last weekend: Lowell teen dies after shooting at friend's house. Police have arrested two suspects who witnesses say repeatedly shot indiscriminately into the apartment from outside. Prosecutors say an old dispute might've led to the shooting: Old dispute might have led to killing in Lowell

Nikhil Dhar plans to plead guilty to stabbing his former science professor: Man to plead guilty in attack on professor. He is accused of attacking his professor at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell because he was flunking out of school and feared he would be deported to his native India. Looks like he's going to be deported for sure now... after a prison term.

Four people who pleaded guilty in a scheme to sell counterfeit handbags were sentenced to prison last week: Four sentenced in counterfeit handbags case. Minh Vu, Katherine Luong, Kim Luong, and Camphung Luong were charged in 2005 with running a scheme to sell counterfeit Louis Vuitton, Prada, Gucci and Coach bags at flea markets and more than 200 "purse parties" at homes across Massachusetts. Sell fake Prada, you're going down.

Sanjay Kumar, the former chief executive of Computer Associates, will pay $800 million to investors who lost money because of the company's accounting fraud: Ex-Executive Agrees to Pay $800 Million in Restitution. He pleaded guilty last year to a conspiracy to inflate Computer Associates' sales in 1999 and 2000 and to interfere with the subsequent federal investigation. He'll begin serving a 12-year prison term this month. Several other former company executives also pleaded guilty in the scheme, though Charles B. Wang, the founder and longtime chairman of Computer Associates, was never charged. But CA's board says Wang oversaw the whole thing: CA Says Its Founder Aided Fraud

eff pinkberry

There are so many reasons why I love this commercial. Can you count them all?

Easy fix, kid.

bobby lee is funnier than you

The latest edition of Jeff Yang's "Asian Pop" column features a great interview with funnyman Bobby Lee, star of MADtv and the upcoming comedy Kickin' It Old Skool: Mad Man. It's good stuff. He says he's got a show in development for Comedy Central, and it sounds like it's got the potential to be pretty damn awesome:

That's why, given a once-in-a-lifetime chance to develop a show for Comedy Central, Lee told them he wanted to do a show about a screwed-up Asian American family -- his. Starring his real family. "It's like an extension of that sketch, but obviously, a lot more in-depth," says Lee. "And I'm going to make it really Korean. It's going to be set predominantly in Koreatown, and it'll be a totally ethnic comedy show, shot single-camera, kind of like 'Curb Your Enthusiasm,' only with singing, dancing. Maybe some sketches and animation. They bought the idea -- we'll see if it ever gets on the air."

I really do hope it gets on the air. It'll be the anti-All American Girl. The good folks over at Asia Pacific Arts also have a good interview with Bobby (he's so hot right now): The Discreet Charm of Bobby Lee. The article includes a lively video interview. I had the chance to meet the guy a few weeks back, and he is one crazy, funny dude. Look for my own interview with Bobby later this week...

your friendly neighborhood hazardous waste facility

According to a newly released study, California has the nation's highest concentration of minorities living near hazardous waste facilities: State has most minorities near toxic facilities. The study examined census data for neighborhoods adjacent to 413 facilities nationwide that process or store hazardous chemical waste produced by refineries, metal plating shops, drycleaners and battery recyclers, among others. Though about one-third of U.S. residents are nonwhite, more than half of the people living near such facilities were Latino, African American or Asian American. Although low-income neighborhoods were much more likely to have hazardous waste facilities, some of the areas examined were quite affluent, including one in Seattle that is predominantly Asian. What's up with that? Well, the answer is obvious. Ethnic minorities like living in the vicinity of dangerous toxic substances. We just love it. That's probably the best explanation, right? Right? No? Uh...

tiny bubbles no more

Legendary singer Don Ho, perhaps Hawaii's best-known and most beloved performer, has died. He was 76: Don Ho, Hawaiian Musician, Dies at 76. His style and music helped define the Waikiki nightclub scene in the 1960s, achieving nationwide fame with several successful albums and his memorable hit singature single, "Tiny Bubbles." You know, I couldn't tell you a single other Don Ho tune, but I know "Tiny Bubbles." The guy personified island leisure. Honolulu's mayor recently named Ho and Hawaii Five-O as the two major contributors to the tourism industry in the islands' history. The Honolulu Star Bulletin has extensive coverage on the passing Don Ho: Entertainer Don Ho, Hawaii's best ambassador, dies at 76

tad nakamura's pilgrimage at ucla

This is for all my people at UCLA... Don't miss the UCLA premiere of Tad Nakamura's Pilgrimage, a powerful short documentary about "how an abandoned World War II concentration camp has been transformed into a curent-day symbol and retrospection and solidarity in the aftermath of 9/11." It's a free screening on Monday, April 16th at The Cooperage (located on the A level of the Ackerman building), with a performance by hip hop group Native Guns. I've seen the film a couple of times now, and it's great—an insightful, entertaining and inspiring look at the activists of the 1960s who created a new consciousness about the internment experience. And if you can't make it out to UCLA on Monday night, the film is playing at VC Filmfest next month. For everyone else, I highly recommend seeking out this film.

today's yahoo! pick

Hey! Check it out! Angry Asian Man is today's Yahoo! Pick (April 14, 2007). I did not know there was such an honor, but it feels good. Like I'm special, and no one can take this feeling away. Thank you, Yahoo. Somebody over there must like me.

vc filmfest is coming

All right. It's about time we talked about VC Filmfest 2007, the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. It's back! Just three weeks away, spotlighting the best in Asian and Asian American cinema for its 23rd year. They've got a solid, diverse program of narrative features, documentaries and shorts, as well as seminars, workshops and parties—basically, the very best of what a film festival of its kind has to offer. The festival kicks off Thursday, May 3rd with its Opening Night feature, Justin Lin's 1970s Bruce Lee-centric comedy spoof Finishing the Game. It looks like this film is quickly becoming the big festival favorite of 2007.

The program continues for a weeklong showcase of Asian American features like Gene Rhee's The Trouble With Romance, Desmond Nakano's American Pastime, Socheata Poeuv's New Year Baby, Fay Ann Lee's Falling For Grace, and Juwan Chung's Baby. The festival program also includes an impressive selection of films from Asia, including Lou Ye's Summer Palace, Lee Jun-Ik's King and the Clown, Pen-ek Ratanaruang's Invisible Waves, Othello Khanh's Saigon Eclipse, and whole mess other great works. I highly recommend Ruby Yang's Academy Award-winning documentary The Blood of Yingzhou District. And I'm quite interested in seeing Taika Taititi's Eagle vs. Shark.

VC is highlighting Grace Lee's innovative zombie mockumentary American Zombie as the festival's Centerpiece Presentation. It's a clever, hilarious and creepy twist on the zombie genre, about a community of the undead living and working among us, just trying get by in everyday human society. They're also paying tribute to the late, great Mako with a presentation of free presentation of The Wash. The festival winds down with the Closing Night presentation of Charlie Nguyen's action/adventure romance epic The Rebel, a film I know absolutely nothing about... but the photo on its festival page features a dude holding a gigantic knife, and that's kind of badass.

That should do it for now. It's gonna be a good time, my friends, so make your plans, mark your calendars, buy your tickets, and go here for more information.

mta bus attack and fallout central

Some follow-up on the racist beating of Marie Martinez while she was riding the bus home from school last month in New York: AA Community Rallies Around 17-Year-Old Teen Beaten on New York MTA Bus. A group of youths attacked her for "looking Chinese," while the bus driver allegedly stood by and did nothing. The incident has rallied members of New York's Asian American community, who are demanding accountability from the MTA and that the NYPD look into the incident as a hate crime. Martinez has now filed a civil lawsuit against the MTA seeking monetary damages and changes to the current MTA policies. The online petition that was started in support of Marie currently has over 3000 signatures: Condemn anti-Asian hate crimes and hold MTA accountable! And this editorial at Philippinenews.com goes as far as calling Marie Our own Rosa Parks. I wouldn't necessarily compare the two situations, aside from the fact that they both ocurred on a bus. But it is extremely important that the community keeps the pressure on, stands up for justice, and does not let this situation just fade away.

By the way, I should mention a great, recently launched website, Fallout Central, "an online space designed to inform, spur dialogue and mobilize Asian Americans against the racism and prejudices facing us in the United States and beyond." They've got sections for news, community alerts, and a highly informative, interesting podcast. I've been enjoying it quite a bit these last few weeks. They've been keeping a close eye on what's being currently being down about Marie Martinez and the MTA: No word from the MTA about the case of Marie Stefanie Martinez.. BUT.. Big props to William and the guys over there...

bruce lee: the tv series

China's national broadcaster, China Central Television, has started shooting a 40-part television series on Bruce Lee: China begins filming Bruce Lee TV series.

The dramatic series, The Legend of Bruce Lee began production last weekend in Shunde in southern Guangdong Province, and will later shoot in Hong Kong and the United States. Actor Chen Guokun, who played the goalie in Shaolin Soccer (and did a fair job of imitating Bruce), stars in the title role. Talk about pressure.

This ought to be really interesting, as there have actually been numerous re-tellings of the Bruce Lee story, though most of them have largely been informed by rumor, legend, and sometimes blatant fabrication. So it'll fascinating to see how this one goes. The series is scheduled to start airing in 2008.

kite operations album release party

Tonight in New York, something for you to do... indie band Kite Operations celebrates the release of their second full-length album Heart Attacks, Back to Back... Tonight, April 13th at Cake Shop in NYC. With performances by Autoharp, Jack Tung, Volts, Kite Operations and the Pacemaker. They're also going on tour in May, and need some help with stuff. For more information on the show, the tour, the band, go here. And here's their MySpace.

nationwide call for photos and stories

Check it out. The Museum of Chinese in the Americas is collecting images and stories for its new core exhibition honoring the adventurous and creative
spirit of Chinese in America. The exhibit will open in January 2008 in the Museum's new facilities designed by architect Maya Lin, and they want all of you who share Chinese ancestry to be a part of it. Is there a photo that captures your strongest memory of you and/or your family arriving in the United States? Is there a story/memory that speaks of that moment, when you knew and felt for the first time, that America was your new home? And if you've spent your entire life in the United States, what photos objects and stories have been passed down over the years to become symbolic of your family's immigration to America? The Museum particularly encourages you to submit your photos and stories if you and your family arrived in the U.S. after 1965. For more information, go here, or download a PDF flyer. Sounds like it's going to be a really amazing exhibition.