dirty dirty china, again

Everybody's favorite joke these days:

Yes, another one. (Thanks, Mariana.)

for your consideration... ken leung

This is pretty cool... Actor Ken Leung gets a solid mention in this Los Angeles Times article about recent Emmy nominations, basically lamenting that he didn't get a nod for his guest-starring turn in The Sopranos: Who's on the Emmy guest (starring) list? He was great in the role. But robbed of the guest starring nomination, due to a variety of factors. And I suppose violent, crazy Asian men aren't really popular in the media these days... Still, big props to Ken.

super mario was an immmigrant too

Interesting... A new video game, ICED!, apparently lets players step into the shoes of foreigners who run afoul of the U.S. immigration system: Video game lets players be immigrants. For example, you can be a Japanese computer science student who fails to take a full load of university classes and loses his student visa. Or a 10th-grade Indian girl who is detained because of high school essay she wrote on the Department of Homeland Security. This ain't World of Warcraft. The game is from Breakthrough, an international human rights organization that uses media and popular culture to promote social change, and the gameplay and characters are based on actual situations. I don't really play video games, but I might actually be curious enough to give this one a try. And this sounds a hell of a lot better than those games where you have to catch/kill illegal immigrants. The game is scheduled to be available as a free download next month.

dr. ken in all about steve

According to the Hollywood Reporter, stand-up comedian (and licensed physician) Ken Jeong has signed on to join the cast of the romantic comedy All About Steve, starring Sandra Bullock, Bradley Cooper and Thomas Haden Church: Jeong on 'Steve' news beat. The story follows "an eccentric, brilliant crossword puzzle fanatic (Bullock) who stalks Steve (Cooper), a CNN news cameraman, across the country after they go on one date." Oh, that sounds so charming. Dr. Ken, recently seen in the summer hit Knocked Up, will play Angus, "a news producer for CNN who travels with Steve and the rest of the crew." He also recently wrapped a role in The Pineapple Express, produced by Judd Apatow and starring Seth Rogen. Glad to see him getting more high-profile work. He's a talented guy and brilliant comic, and deserves the recognition. Check out his MySpace page here.

east west bancorp chairman dominic ng

The Los Angeles Times profiles Dominic Ng, chairman and chief executive of East West Bancorp: Banking on the American dream. You may remember him running up against a bit of controversy a few months ago when East West moved to acquire Desert Community Bank in Victorville, CA. Talk radio host Barb Stanton made some racist, disparaging remarks, calling the acquisition a "dirty little trick, a dirty little game," that would put the bank in the hands of a "foreigner." In no uncertain terms, she drew a line between Ng and folks like herself, "the true Americans." Never mind that Ng is a naturalized American citizen who came to the United States thirty years ago. But as we know, this is the kind of stuff we have to deal with from assclowns like Stanton. Thankfully, she was fired by Clear Channel for her tirade. Anyway, read the profile on Ng here.

weinstein co's big fat asian film fund

You can take this as either great news or horrible news. According to the Variety, the Weinstein Co. has unveiled a $285 million fund to fully finance the development, production, acquisition, marketing and distribution of a large slate of Asian-themed films over the next six years: Weinstein Co. sets fund for Asia slate. The fund will include a mix of over 30 theatrical and direct-to-video titles, "which will mostly be shot in Asia, explore the region's unique culture and showcase the talents of leading Asian filmmakers." Some of the upcoming titles include a live-action, non-Disneyfied version of Mulan; a remake of Seven Samurai; action epic Shanghai; an untitled Tony Jaa project; a trio of Hong Kong action films, to be shot in English, under the company's recently announced deal with 24 producer Tony Krantz and Infernal Affairs co-director Andrew Lau; and Forbidden Kingdom, which marks the first onscreen pairing of Jackie Chan and Jet Li.

I'll admit, it sounds intriguing, but I'm not getting my hopes up. This news probably induces a collective groan from Asian cinema fans who aren't happy with the way the Weinsteins (previously at Miramax) have handled the distribution of Asians films in North America. They've done a pretty crappy job of bringing these movies to U.S. audiences—buying up the rights, then re-editing and retitling films, adding awful dubs and soundtracks, and sometimes letting them gather dust on the shelf for several years before getting a release. Basically, they haven't shown a whole lot of respect for Asian cinema. How will this new arrangement be any better?

outdoor music event: soundfest

For those of you in New York, this weekend Asian American Arts Alliance presents Soundfest, its very first outdoor music showcase in Chinatown featuring a cool lineup of local Asian American performers. Saturday, August 11th, 2-6pm at Columbus Park. The event will be hosted by spoken word artist Kelly Tsai, feature performances by Abstract Vision, Bora Yoon, Chinese Music Ensemble, Falu, Happyfunsmile, Indo Pak Coalition, The Jack Lords, Koba & DJ Boo, Slanty Eyed Mama and Stone Forest Ensemble. Should be a good time. And it's free! I'm told this event marks the first music fest in New York's Chinatown since the events of 9/11, and aims to symbolize of rebirth and rejuvenation in the community since the rebuilding fo Lower Manhattan. For more information about the event, go here. And if you can't attend, you can actually watch the webcast on Saturday afternoon here.

dirty dirty chinese

This cartoon is a couple of week old, but it's still worth mentioning... another stupid jab at the questionable safety/sanitation of Chinese food products. It's wrong on so many levels, but what really gets me is that the cartoon conflates the questionable safety of food from China with Chinese restaurants in America. The message, if it isn't obvious: when it comes to Chinese restaurant food, you might as well be eating out of the garbage. But dude, I thought we were talking about food products from China? Some people can't seem to distinguish the difference: China Food Scare: A Dash of Racism. Oh, here's the Asian American Journalists Assocation's response to this cartoon: AAJA Writes Letter to Universal Press Syndicate Opposing Pat Oliphant's Latest Racist Cartoon

I've heard from a lot of people who think I shouldn't be so quick to side with China amidst all this mess in the news. Let me make this clear: I'm well aware that not all is well, and there definitely has to be some major monitoring and scrutinizing of products/food that comes out of China: pet food, toothpase, sea food, whatever. But what I've also become increasingly aware of is this anti-Chinese reporting and rhetoric that often has nothing to do with food safety. A lot of people and outlets have eagerly jumped to report on this, because it opens the door to all sorts of China-bashing. It's hard enough that it's generally considered fair game to make fun of Chinese people—and by extension, all Asians—but nowadays, it's practically considered fashionable. And in the United States, when it's "cool" to bash all things Chinese, you don't have to take too many leaps before some dumbass thinks it's "cool" to bash an Asian American guy in the head with a baseball bat. Dramatic, yes, but it's happened before, hasn't it?

hello kitty: the mark of shame

Weird, but funny. In Thailand, police officers who break the rules will be forced to wear hot pink armbands featuring "Hello Kitty" as a mark of shame: Bad Thai cops to endure Kitty shame. Cops caught littering, parking in prohibited areas, or arriving late, among other violations, will be forced to stay in the division office and wear the armband all day. Stay in the office all day? Why not make them wear the armbands outside, on the streets, on patrol! A little public humiliation, Hello Kitty style, might do wonders for police conduct. Hell, I can think of a few U.S. cities' police departments that might benefit from this program.

wfan replaces imus with racist "jersey guy"

WFAN, the New York City radio station that served as a flagship for Don Imus' show before he was fired over his racial and sexual remarks, has apparently hired former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason as the principal host of its morning show, along with a partner, Craig Carton, co-host of the New Jersey talk radio show "The Jersey Guys": WFAN Said to Be Replacing Imus With an Ex-Quarterback and a 'Jersey Guy'. You might recall that Carton was one of the guys who made racist, on-air remarks about a Jun Choi's successful run for mayor of Edison, NJ a couple of years ago, insisting that "an American" should be mayor. That's racist! I guess he'll be joining New York airwaves now. Beware...

korean reggae artist skull

Been hearing a lot lately about Skull, aka Cho Sung-jin, a Korean reggae artist who's been getting some buzz in the U.S. His debut single "Boom Di Boom Di" has risen to the number five spot on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop Single Sales chart, and number 17 on the Hot Singles Sales chart. Cracking the top twenty! It's appparently the highest ranking ever for a Korean artist on the U.S. charts: Korea Reggae Artist Making Buzz in U.S.. He plans to release his first album in the U.S. later this year. Korean reggae, huh? Who'da thunk it?

who will be the new sulu?

As Trekkies (like myself) are aware, a new Star Trek movie is currently in the works over at Paramount, an attempt by Alias and Lost creator J.J. Abrams to revive the creaky sci-fi franchise. It's been announced that the story will go back to the beginning, the younger years of iconic Trek figures like Kirk and Spock, with Heroes' Zachary Quinto already cast to play the pointy-eared Vulcan. But hey, you can't have a Trek movie without the rest of the gang... including our man Sulu. Here's a casting breakdown that's been going around for the rest of the original series characters:

STAR TREK
Feature Film
SAG
PARAMOUNT PICTURES/BAD ROBOT

[JAMES KIRK] 23-29 Handsome,cocky self assured and
earnest. Great physical condition. 6 ft or less

[LEONARD(BONES)MCOY] -28-32 Medic on the Enterprise.
Smart, clever and a bit danger-loving. Dark hair, blue
eyes.

[UHURA] 25ish -African American. Brilliant, beautiful,
heroic and FUN!, Uhura is almost tom-boyish - as if
she grew up in a houseful of brothers.

[SULU] 25-32 -Asian American male (preferably
Japanese). Helmsman on the Enterprise. Extremely fit,
capable and dedicated. A bit of a wildcat.

[MONTGOMERY(SCOTTY) SCOTT] -28-32 a brilliant ship's
engineer. Must be able to do a flawless Scottish
accent!

"A bit of a wildcat"? This should be interesting. I imagine the part will probably be pretty small. So who will be the next Sulu? Man, I would love to hang out at the auditions for this role. I can think of a good handful of talented Asian American actors who might be able to fit George Takei's shoes quite nicely. (No, not Masi Oka.)

film/music fundraiser event: soundtrack

For those of you in Los Angeles, there's a cool event happening this Saturday, August 11th called SOUNDTRACK, a fundraising event for a short film omnibus directed by 4 different filmmakers. It'll be a showcase of live performances, DJs, artists, short films and music videos at the Grandstar Jazz Club in Los Angeles' Chinatown. But the coolest thing, I think, will be the debut live performance of Jerry Chan's short film DJ:LA. I caught this film a couple of months back at VC Filmfest 2007, part of this year's Armed With a Camera Fellowship program, and absolutely loved it. Jerry's a talented guy, and he's put together something really cool. It's basically a hip hop soundtrack set to the streets of Los Angeles—but you really have to see it to get it. View it here. On Saturday night, three DJs will mix and scratch the sound effects and music live and in sync to the images on screen, creating a live soundtrack. Sounds pretty kickass. Saturday, August 11 from 9pm-2am at the Grandstar Jazz Club. For more info about the event, go here.

racist caricatures for your kitchen

Everybody's talking about this little guy today... it's the Mr. Chin Kitchen Timer, brought to you by Alessi, everybody's favorite designer of overpriced kitchen items shaped like stereotypical Asian caricatures. Yay. You may remember the Mandarin Juicer from way back. The thing has been around for years, despite numerous campaigns to get this thing off the shelves (here's a recent effort). It's obvious they simply don't care. Case in point, Mr. Chin here. Along with his pals, the Egg Cup with Salt Castor and Spoon and the Salt and Pepper Set. Because everybody needs a few stylish yet oh-so-functional racist Chinaman figures in their kitchen!

The product was recently featured on Uncrate, which acknowledges its "questionable use of ethnic stereotypes," but then goes on to recommend it anyway. To make matters worse, the insanely popular Pinkberry yogurt chain has chosen Alessi products as its decor of choice (at least, the locations I've visited), including the friggin' Mandarin Juicer. No doubt, we'll soon see Mr. Chin here join the collection. Why is it that Asians are constantly subjected and reduced to this kind of ridiculous physical stereotyping? That's racist! If you've got something to say about Mr. Chin, here's Alessi's contact information in the United States (the company is a subsidiary of Alessi S.P.A. in Italy):

ALESSI USA INC.
155 Spring St. - 4th Floor
10012 NEW YORK
info@alessi.com
Tel. 212 4311310
Fax 212 4311390

There are also online contact forms on the Alessi site. Chances are, they're not going to do a damn thing, but it's still important you tell them how you feel about this product. Give 'em hell. (Thanks, Rog.)

the deliverymen fight back

Here's a really interesting story in New York Magazine on the legions of Chinese food deliverymen in the city: The Deliverymen's Uprising. Fed up with all the crap they have to deal with, from abusive employers, to unfairs wages, and violent muggings, they're fighting back the all-American way: legal action.

yao ming got married

Forget Eva Longoria and Tony Parker. The hottest wedding of the summer is China's Yao Ming and Ye Li, who got married Monday at the Shanri-La Hotel in Shanghai: Yao Ming marries girlfriend in Shanghai. It's also quite possibly the tallest wedding of the summer, between 7-foot-6 Yao and his 6-foot-2 bride. The honeymoon will have to wait though, since the couple are headed to Beijing to take part in festivities celebrating the one-year countdown to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. More on the nuptials here: Yao's wedding unites East, West cultures

stories about people doing things

Newsweek has a good interview with Tammy Duckworth, the war veteran who lost both her legs in Iraq, unsuccessfully ran for Congress in Illinois' Sixth District last November, and was recently appointed director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs: Fighting the System from Within

Here's a really interesting story on Phan Thi Kim Phuc, the naked 9-year-old Vietnamese girl who was photographed running from a napalm attack on her village—one of the most iconic photographs of the Vietnam War... she's now grown up and using her notoriety for good, serving as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Peace: Napalm victim: I know the value of peace

A month after her old contract expired, Us Weekly Editor Janice Min has signed a new two-year deal totaling somewhere around $2.5 million to keep running the celebrity "news" magazine: MIN SIGNS 2-YR. DEAL TO RUN US. Whew. I can keep counting on Janice to run the latest celebrity weight loss/gain photos.

Has Raymond Chow, who built a reputation as one of Chinatown's most notorious gangsters, turned a new leaf? He says he's changed his ways and now leading a law-abiding life. Here's a very interesting SF Weekly article on the man known as "Shrimp Boy": Enter the Dragon Head

The New York Times has an article on Harvinder Anand, the recently elected mayor of Laurel Hollow, on Long Island—the first member of any minority group to be mayor of this 95-percent-white community of 2,000: This 'Harry' Stands Out From the Crowd. He's part of an interesting recent trend, a small but growing number of Indian American officeholders getting elected in communities across the nation where they are part of just a small minority.

First heard about this weird case over at Poplicks, about Robert Woo, an oral surgeon in Washington who pulled a bizarre prank on his assistant (involving fake boar tusks), who quit and sued Woo, who then turned around and sued his insurance company... and won: Oral surgeon gets last laugh over boar-tusk prank. Talk about a big legal mess. Woo starts all this, and yet ends up walking away with $750,000? Ridiculous.

Chaplain Rajan Zed, the first Hindu to deliver an opening prayer in the U.S. Senate, writes about his experience delivering the 90-second prayer, which prompted quite a bit of discussion and protest: My Prayer for the Senate and the Nation. Some idiots protestors interrupted his reading, but he handled it with dignity and respect.

The reality TV show world just got a little more cluttered... Just saw a commercial for Baby Phat designer Kimora Lee Simmons' new reality show Life in the Fab Lane on the Style Network: 'Life in the Fab Lane': We Want to Be Kimora Lee Simmons. More here: Smile! It's candid Kimora. I think I'll pass on this one.

Queens Councilman John Liu, the first—and only—Asian American elected to New York's city council, has raised a whoppin' $1.6 million for an unspecified campaign in 2009, when his term on the council must end: Lotta loot for Liu's future. The only question is, what is he going to use the money for? In other words, what will be his next stop in politics?

Here's an interview with Hung, one of the contestants on the current season of Bravo's Top Chef: Hung Up on Top Chef. The guy definitely comes across on the show as just a tad overconfident. But heck, he makes things interesting. Also note that Sara N. is also one of the contestants this season.

the beginning of the end for pearson

An update on Roy Pearson, the $54 million pants man... According to the Washington Post, Pearson has been under review by a panel who will determine whether or not he'll continue to serve as a D.C. administrative law judge: Plaintiff in Pants Suit Awaits Decision on His Fate. The commission is apparently working on a letter that state its concerns and doubts about granting Pearson re-appointment. Basically, it begins the process of giving Pearson the boot. This blog entry explains some of the behind-the-scenes details: First, Pants Man Loses Case. Next, His Job. I like this part:

The panel had expected to complete work on the Pearson case last night, but discussions were complicated by a series of conflicting recommendations to the Commission on Selection and Tenure of ALJs by the chief ALJ, Tyrone Butler. In rapid succession this spring, Butler told the commission that "I do not oppose" Pearson's reappointment, that "I recommend reappointment," and that "I do not recommend" reappointment, according to sources who have seen the letters.

The first switcheroo came as a result of the commission notifying Butler that he had not complied with the law that requires the chief judge to submit a yes or no recommendation to the commission that decides whether judges' performance merits an extension of their time on the bench. ALJs sit on cases involving disputes between city agencies and between citizens and those agencies.

But after Butler came back with a pro-Pearson letter, Pearson sent a series of emails within the ALJ staff disparaging the chief judge, calling him "evil" and mean-spirited. That helped sway Butler to switch yet again, to a recommendation against reappointment.

Basically, Roy Pearson is an incredible fool. Like we've said from the beginning of all this, any guy who would sue a dry cleaners for $54 million over a friggin' pair of pants has no business being in any kind of position of legal authority. Fire his ass.

the top ten 72 hour shootout films

I had the pleasure of attending this year's 72 Hour Shootout awards screening a couple of weeks ago at the 30th Asian American International Film Festival, and had a great time. This year's competition produced some really solid, creative work. For those who missed out, now you can watch the top 10 films from this year's Shootout and vote on your favorite over at AZNTV.com through August 9th. The top three winners from the online vote will get a special screening on AZN Television. So check out the films and vote (a quick registration is required). Like I said, it's a solid group of work. My personal favorite is the piece that won, You've Got Male (terrible title) by Nadine Truong, Christopher Nguyen, and Ryan Kim. Also, the Shootout organizers have begun to archive all of the competition entries. So if you're looking to see more than just the top ten, check them all out here.

interviews with steven okazaki

A couple of more interviews with Steven Okazaki, the Academy Award-winning director of the documentary White Light/Black Rain... I've already mentioned to one over at Asia Pacific Arts: The Difficult Questions. Here's one from NPR's On Point: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And another one over at cult/foreign film site Twitch: WHITE LIGHT BLACK RAIN—Interview With Steven Okazaki. The documentary airs Monday, August 6th on HBO, and is out on DVD, the next day, the 7th. For more information on the film, go here.