high school closed over possible threat

Yesterday at Glen A. Wilson High School in Hacienda Heights, CA, students were sent home early because of a rumored threat of violence, three days before the ninth anniversary of the massacre at Columbine High School, and one year after Virginia Tech: Parents concerned over school threat. And the school is closed today: SoCal High School Closed Friday Due To Rumored Threat.

From what I understand, the school has a large Asian American student body. Police searched students as they entered the campus yesterday, alarmed by a threat against the school that authorities discovered on a website. The message, apparently posted to Glen A. Wilson's Wikipedia page, specified the date of the shooting and the names of students who would be harmed. EDIT: I originally had the message posted and linked here, but I've taken it down for the sake of the students named, as they are minors.

Needless to say, it's pretty scary, regardless of whether or not this is a legitimate threat. It could certainly just be a stupid, sick prank. Unfortunately, we live in an age where these kinds of things have to be taken seriously. As you can see, the initial threat specifies several Asian names, as well as the badminton team (which I'm told is also largely made up of Asian kids) "and almost every single fob."

Sounds like someone out there has a lot of issues. I just wish people would find a way to deal with them in a way that did not involve a mass shooting. Hell, the way things have been going lately, whoever wrote this could very well be Asian too. We'll probably find out soon enough... (Thanks, Brian.)

UPDATE: A male student has been arrested in connection with alleged threats made against fellow students at Glen A. Wilson High School: Student arrested in high school threats. Interestingly, this article notes that even though many of the students named in the threats appeared to have Asian names, investigators haven't decided if it rises to the level of a hate crime. To be honest, that dimension hadn't really occurred to me.... but if they're bringing it up, I'm sure it's worth looking into.

john kwon's always be boyz

As you know, I'm a big fan of Benson Lee's Planet B-Boy. It's a great movie, and everyone should go check it out. But I also wanted to highlight another B-boy themed movie, John Kwon's Always Be Boyz. I haven't seen it, but I've been hearing some great buzz about it. This one's a narrative feature on b-boy culture in Korea, with real b-boys in the starring roles. Watch the trailer here.

The film played to a sold out screening and won the Special Jury Prize last month at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, and will screen next month, May 7, at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. To learn more about the film, go to the website here, and the MySpace page here.

j town voice rally this saturday in little tokyo

If you're in Southern California, come on out to Little Tokyo this weekend... On Saturday, J Town Voice will host "J Town VOICED!," a rally to bring attention to the Little Tokyo community's desire for a meaningful dialogue with 3D Investments and American Commercial Equities (ACE), new owners of the Kyoto Grand Hotel and Japanese Village Plaza. The rally will take place this Saturday, April 19, 1:00pm at the Noguchi Plaza.

The goal is to call upon 3D, ACE and major property owners to take formal steps to help preserve Little Tokyo's community institutions, small businesses, and traditions.... because the concern is, they won't. J Town Voice has had an online petition calling for dialogue with these companies: Preserve LA's Little Tokyo!.

The rally will be preceded at noon by "The Little Tokyo Tour of Memories," an interactive historical tour of Little Tokyo, with an emphasis on sites that demonstrate significant changes in the neighborhood over the past 100 plus years. For more information on this Saturday's events, go here or email jtownvoice@yahoo.com.

profile on lifetime ceo andrea wong

Last spring, Andrea Wong was named president and chief executive of the Lifetime network. In her position, she's responsible for day-to-day operations for Lifetime Television, Lifetime Movie Network, Lifetime Real Women and Lifetime's website, including advertising sales, affiliate sales, research, programming, public affairs, marketing, business and legal affairs, and strategic planning and operations. She's kind of a big deal.

Her recent big score was snatching the hit cable show Project Runway from Bravo, which got a lot of people talking. Here's a good profile on her in the Los Angeles Times: Lifetime CEO has designs for the channel lined up on runway. Not bad for someone who started out studying to be an electrical engineer.

dark matter now playing in theaters

Finally got around to re-watching Dark Matter, which is currently playing theatrically in limited release. Directed by renowned opera and theater director Chen Shi-Zheng, and starring Liu Ye, Meryl Streep and Aidan Quinn, the film tells the story of Liu Xing, a brilliant Chinese science student pursuing a Ph.D. in the U.S. in the early 1990s. Driven by ambition, yet unable to navigate the hazards of academic politics, Liu Xing watches as his personal and professional pursuits crumble. Pushed to the edge, he explodes in a final shocking act of violence.

It's not a perfect film, but it raises some very interesting and compelling themes. In the end, Dark Matter is a dark, powerful film about the unattainable American dream. Liu Xing naively holds on to the idea of American academia as a free market of ideas, and American society as wide open to immigrants like himself.... only to be ultimately stifled by egos, pressure and politics. I think many students, particularly from abroad, who toil in graduate studies will be able to relate to Liu's isolation.

The film's violent conclusion will undoubtedly draw comparisons to last year's Virginia Tech shooting, and the timing of the theatrical release this month, on the anniversary of the massacre, seems rather unfortunate. But Dark Matter is actually loosely based on another school shooting at the University of Iowa in 1991, in which a Chinese student reacted violently after being passed over for an academic prize, killing five people and paralyzing a sixth before killing himself.

Here's an interesting article on director Chen Shi-Zheng, who gives some insight on making the film: Bringing a School Shooting to the Screen. The film opens this Friday, April 18 at theaters in Southern California. To learn more about Dark Matter, visit the website here.

daniel kim's cry for help

CNN has another sad story on Daniel Kim, the 21-year-old senior at Virginia Tech who killed himself after falling into depression last December: Dad: Virginia Tech treated suicidal son like 'joke'. Daniel's father strongly believes that despite serious warning signs, including even emails from Daniel's friends warning the University of his suicidal behavior, officials did not do enough to prevent his death. This is an email sent by Shaun Pribush, one of Daniel's friends, in early November:

Emergency E-mail
Shaun Pribush sent this e-mail to Virginia Tech's health center on November 5, 2007.

"Dear health center,
This is a serious email, this is not a joke. I am Shaun Pribush, a student at RPI, but I am e-mailing because me and some other individuals are very worried about our friend at Virginia Tech, Daniel Kim.

Daniel has been acting very suicidal recently, purchasing a $200 pistol, and claiming he'll go through with it. In one incident, he said on a Friday, he would do it after the weekend, but then told us he failed to go through with it.

On about November 2nd, Daniel told me and a friend over "Instant Messenger" that he just swallowed 22 pills and said this is the end and signed off, but on the morning of November 5th, he logged on saying "third time will be a charm i made myself puke up the pills when i was on the road and then ... couldnt shoot myself so then i was thinking about getting into a car accident then i got all depressed over that sh-t and slept in my car. ..."

We are very concerned for his safety and are unsure the next time he might attempt suicide or go through with it, please forward this to who can give him the best care. Once again, this is very serious; this is not a joke.

Please update me if you acknowledge this and take action so I know if I reached the right e-mail adress. Thank you."

That is, without dispute, a cry for help. Daniel was lucky to have a friend like this. If only the University's psychological services had acted appropriately in reaction to this tip. University protocol states that a suicidal person needs to see the "psychologist on call," but that obviously never happened. Instead, Virginia Tech passed on the information to local police, who showed up at Daniel's doorstep for what police records show was a "welfare check." All they did was knock on his door, saw that he was "okay," and left. The visit took thirty seconds. But Daniel wasn't okay, and shortly after, he shot himself while sittin in his car.

My heart goes out to Daniel's family, for the anguish they must feel. This guy was surrounded by so many people who cared about him, and yet they couldn't do anything to save him. It's awful. You'd think after dealing with the worst school shooting in history last year, Virginia Tech would've handled something like this with more care. That should've been the real wake-up call. Instead, as Daniel's father says, they treated is like a joke.

yul kwon is engaged

Ladies, I'm sorry. Over the weekend, I got word from my man Yul Kwon that he is now engaged: Survivor Winner Yul Kwon Gets Engaged. The Survivor: Cook Islands winner proposed to girlfriend Sophie Tan, and the lucky lady said yes. They were at a benefit concert on Saturday night at Stanford, Yul's alma mater, where Seriously played the couple's special song. Yul then took the stage to pop the question, presenting Sophie with a platinum, 2.2-karat, cushion-cut diamond ring. Niiiiice. The man's got the moves. (A million bucks doesn't hurt either.)

This news, of course, breaks the hearts of women everywhere. I know quite a few people who have had a crush on Yul since Cook Islands. Hell, I've had a crush on Yul since Cook Islands. Ah, well. Congratulations to the happy couple.

what did hite ever do to you?

I'm posting this photo because it is awesome. Though no doubt, a waste of good beer. It comes from this TIME photo essay on international law enforcement. Also, check out the photo of the ninja-looking South Korean rope guys, and the knife-fighting Filipino female commandos. Badass. (Thanks, Charlie.)

api community panel discussion at csu fullerton

Just so you know... Tomorrow night at Cal State Fullerton, I'll be participating in APIs Unite!, an API community panel discussion presented by the CSUF Multicultural Leadership Center, Asian American Studies Program, and the Asian American and Pacific Islander Leadership Institute.

Fellow panelists include Taz Ahmed, Founder and President of South Asian American Voting Youth (SAAVY); Phil Lee, President of Media Action for Asian Americans (MANAA); Tam Nguyen, President of Advance Beauty College and President & Founder of Vietnamese American MBA Alumni Association; Nusa Vaifale, Orange County Social Worker and Pacific Islander Community; and moderator Mike Matsuda of APIA Vote.

We'll be talking about various pressing issues facing the API community, and the actions we can take to get more involved and create change. Good times. It's happening Thursday, April 17, 7:00pm at CSUF Titan Student Union, Tuffree AB. For more information about the panel, take a look at the Facebook event page here. If you're in the area and plan on attending, please say hello. Hope to see you there!

looking for audience members for the cho show

Just got this bit of info passed along to me... the producers of Margaret Cho's new VH1 series The Cho Show are looking for audience members for an upcoming episode taping next week. Here's the information, originally posted as a MySpace bulletin:

Looking for Audience Members in LA

The producers of "The Cho Show" are currently seeking audience members for an upcoming episode of Margaret's new series on Vh1.

If you're at least 18 years old, live in the Los Angeles area, and available Wednesday, April 23rd from 10:00am to 6:00pm please email your contact info to the email address below. However, if you are unavailable for the full 8 hour taping please let us know what time you're available, and for how many hours.

Due to limited seating we can only admit the first 100 people that respond so send us your contact info as soon as possible to assure yourself a spot on the guest list.

Thank you!

Email:ChoAudience@yahoo.com

I know there are a lot of Margaret Cho fans out there who might be interested in this. So if you've got all of next Wednesday free, try getting in as an audience member of this taping... and then tell me how it goes.

another student arrested for gun possession

Come on, man. The University of Texas Police have arrested a student for bringing a gun onto campus. And guess what? He's Asian! An anonymous tip led to the arrest of 20-year-old Jason Liao, who apparently told friends who saw him with a semi-automatic weapon that he was "on a mission": U.T. student arrested for having a gun on campus. Liao is charged with unlawfully bringing a weapon into a prohibited place. If convicted he faces 2 to 10-years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

Ah yes. Another one of these guys. While having a gun on campus is no doubt a serious matter for the police, I can't help but wonder if the fact that Liao is Asian made everyone a little more jumpy. Who knows? His friends and roommates defended him, saying he's not a threat, and just "a harmless, gangster wannabe who got caught up in Chinese movies depicting gangs." This, unfortunately, makes him sound more like a loser.

the curse of quon gwon screening night

Here's another story on the earliest known Chinese American film, The Curse of Quon Gwon, written and directed by Marion Wong over 92 years ago: Chinese Film from 1916 is a rare gem. The 1916 film was recently uncovered by filmmaker Arthur Dong, on a very old nitrate film stock. It's an amazing find because the film was so well-preserved, but also because the silent film reveals a little bit about the regular lives of Chinese Americans in 1916—a rare depiction, since most Hollywood films of that era portrayed Asians as "mysterious, opium smoking deviants."

For those of you in the Bay Area, The Curse of Quon Gwon will receive a one-time only special screening 7:30pm tonight at the Grand Lake Theater in Oakland. With live accompaniment by the Mighty Wurlitzer organ, the way silent films were shown back in the day. Sounds like it's going to be very cool. The screening will by followed by Arthur Dong's documentary Hollywood Chinese.

whoo hoo

I've been seeing a this WaMu commercial on TV a lot lately. It involves a very fast, pink vehicle and a lot of screaming.

bao phi's racist ideas for hollywood 3

Awwww yeah. Bao Phi returns with his latest installment of fake Hollywood movie ideas. This one's an epic, super-powered inspirational story:

BAO PHI'S RACIST IDEAS FOR HOLLYWOOD: CHAD, THE RACISM ANNILIHATOR!

THE PITCH: The story of young Southeast Asian refugees and their struggles with racism and class-ism in the Midwest as told through the explosive style of Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay!

In an effort to bring the story of race, class, and immigrant struggle to as broad an audience as possible, director Michael Bay radically re-envisions the story of displaced Vietnamese, Hmong, Cambodian, Lao, Thai, and Burmese refugees in the Midwest as a parable featuring the character Chad Peterson, a well-meaning white farm kid. In his first year of college Chad struggles with having a Black roommate and stumbles through the proper etiquette at the International Student's Dinner, all while feeling ignored and unloved by his city slicker peers. He soon becomes best friends with his roommate and begins to learn the ins-and-out's of social interaction when some multicultural bullies with English accents push him around during lunch in front of the whole school.

That night, while listening to his roommate/best friend's Chingy collection, a freak electrical storm fries Chad's Ipod and imbues him with super powers – super powers to end racism - and he becomes CHAD, THE RACISM ANNIHILATOR! See what Michael Bay calls "my version of The Departed meets Spiderman" as the campus literally explodes with Chad's paranormal abilities to end oppression: he proves his liberalism kissing a guy at the Queer Union dance, travels back in time so he can march with Black people for their rights, and bands together with a special cameo appearance by the Beastie Boys as they steel themselves for the ultimate showdown against the evil Red Chinee in an all-out battle to Free Tibet!

Starring Matt Damon as Chad and Cuba Gooding Jr. as Chad's Best Friend, with a special appearance by Lou Diamond Phillips as Che Guevera.

If we're not careful, Michael Bay might just ditch the Transformers sequel and make this his next movie. Another fine idea, Bao. Stay tuned next week for another edition.

the road to beijing

In light of all the protests surrounding the Olympic torch run in San Francisco last week, actress Joan Chen, who was born and raised in China, recently wrote a piece in the Washington Post giving reasons for her support of this summer's Beijing Olympics: Let the Games Go On.

On a related note, here's a story on the protests and some of its impact on the Chinese American community: Chinese Americans feel sting of Olympic protests. For many, the demonstrations seem to have gone beyond criticizing China's communist government and ventured into full-fledged anti-Chinese sentiment.

By the way, since we're talking about the Olympics, here's a Wall Street Journal article on the top ping pong players for teams around the world... who, as it happens, are mostly of Chinese descent: Pong Dynasty: In Table Tennis, Chinese Rule. In recent years, many have changed citizenship in order to play for national teams elsewhere.

And finally, here's an interesting story on 15-year-old gymnast Ivana Hong: Olympic Hopes Are Rooted in Tale of Escape. She's Chinese American, but her parents were actually born in Vietnam. At age 15, her mother fled Saigon in 1976, and survived the journey to the United States. And now her daughter is an American Olympic hopeful.

announcer refers to golfer as "chinaman"

Last week, during Friday's Masters broadcast, former pro golfer and current CBS announcer Bobby Clampett referred to golfer Liang Wen-Chong as "the chinaman" during the Masters broadcast. Yeah. He did. Some people might not be aware of this, but "chinaman" is actually a slur. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Clampett was taken off the broadcast after the comment, then subsequently released an apology:

"It has been a privilege to be here with you the last 2 days describing action of all of the players. In describing the Asian player Wen-Chong Liang if I offended anybody please accept me sincere apologies."

More here: Clampett apologizes for description of China's Liang. Like this guy, I'm always a little skeptical about apologies that begin with "If I offended anybody..." I appreciate apologies, but make sure you're apologizing for the right thing. In this case, you should apologize for uttering the slur, not the reaction of being offended by the slur. Consider yourself schooled, Mr. Clampett.

america's best dance crew season 2 auditions

America's Best Dance Crew is returning to MTV for season 2, and they're looking for dance crews to audition in New York, Los Angeles, Houston and Chicago. The above flyer landed in my mail box, with all the relevant audition details. Maybe your crew could be the next JabbaWockeeZ or Kaba Modern. Represent.

the system is broken

I can't believe this story. It's absolutely ridiculous... This New York Times story profiles the Servano family, who came to the United States from the Philippines more than twenty years ago, but are now battling a deportation order: Perfectly Legal Immigrants, Until They Applied for Citizenship. Unfortunately, the Servanos are among a growing group of legal immigrants working towards citizenship, only to run afoul of highly technical immigration statutes.

The Servanos have been legally living and working in Pennsyvania for years, with the hopes of eventually becoming American citizens by applying for naturalization. You know, the way legal immigration is supposed to work. However, they've encountered a legal hitch involving their marital status when they came from the Philippines many, many years ago—a detail that could get them kicked out of the country.

Dr. Servano has been a legal immigrant in the United States for over 25 years. He and his wife have four children, all Americans by virtue of being born here. Basically, the Servanos are long-term immigrants who were fine, and could have continued to live here legally... had they not actually sought to become citizens. How messed up is that?

guy proposes to girl with reprogrammed video game

Ah, nerd love. The lengths a man will go to woo his special lady... One guy, a software programmer in Jersey City named Bernie Peng, reprogrammed his girlfriend Tammy's favorite video game, Bejeweled, so a ring and a marriage proposal would show up on the screen when she reached a certain score. Tammy reached the score... and said yes. Congratulations to the happy couple. Bernie blogged about his nerdy-but-romantic feat last December, but the Associated Press got wind of it today: Programmer pops question on girlfriend's video game.

PopCap, the Seattle company that makes "Bejeweled," is apparently flying the couple to Seattle as part of their honeymoon, and supplying copies of the game to hand out as favors to their wedding guests. You gotta love it. The couple plan to marry over Labor Day weekend.

racist cop keanu in street kings

The movie Street Kings, starring Keanu Reeves, opened in theaters over the weekend. Though I haven't been following it very closely, this movie has been on my radar for a little while now... Formerly titled Kings X, or The Night Watchmen, the movie first popped up around here last year when we heard there were some racist Asian elements in the film. Now the movie's out, and this review gives an example of what's wrong with Street Kings:

Night: Koreatown. Tom Ludlow (Reeves) stops by a liquor store and gulps down a couple teeny airline bottles of vodka. He insults some Korean hoods, who want to buy a machinegun he's got stashed in his trunk, insinuating that they're Japanese. "You dress white, talk black and drive Jew," he tells them before throwing in an all-purpose anti-Asian slur.

Ludlow is a racist cop, a renegade cop, a vigilante cop. We know this because next he wantonly massacres a bunch of Korean bad guys and makes it look like they shot one another. Then, when he's confronted by his African-American ex-partner, Terrence Washington (Terry Crews), he yells, "I'm racist!" In response, Washington calls him a "white boy." This seems especially odd because the Chinese-Hawaiian-Caucasian Reeves is, ancestrally speaking, roughly as white as Barack Obama.

All this, I suppose, is to show that Keanu is a badass, don't-give-a-F cop on the edge blah blah blah. Ooooh. Of course, ultimately, we're supposed to root for him... so the fact that he exhibits all this racist behavior towards Asians during the course of the movie, that's negligible, right? Because, dude, in the end they're just bunch of nameless, faceless Asians. And nobody cares about them. Just another day in Hollywood!