lazy link roundup

The Palos Verdes Peninsula's last farmer: James Hatano has been growing crops in Palos Verdes for more than 50 years -- the last link to an area dotted with farms worked by Japanese immigrants -- and when he retires, a century-old tradition will end.

Girl's death called suicide: The death of 16-year-old Elizabeth Mun, who was found in a shallow stream after leaving a underage drinking party, has been ruled a suicide -- but alcohol apparently did not play a role.

Tough Times for Head of Elite RI Design College: Prolific, highly-respected graphic designer John Maeda turned a lot of heads when he became president of the Rhode Island School of Design, but he heads into his second year with some serious turmoil brewing.

Two worlds blend uneasily in Koreatown: The Los Angeles Times has a story on all the hip, hot and glitzy new developments in Koreatown... which happen to be booting out longtime residents and shopkeepers, priced out by luxury apartments and retail chains.

Transnational Adoption and the "Financialization of Everything": Conducive has a great series of articles on transnational Asian adoption, written by adoptees. Another one here: International Adoption and the Fight for Human Rights. And here: Trading in Babies.

Top 10 Asian-Run Companies: As part of Inc.'s annual Inc. 5000 list, a rundown of the top companies in the United States, it also highlighted the top ten Asian-run companies.

Search for teachers goes overseas: This is another public radio story on how school districts across America are increasingly turning their focus outside the United States -- The Philippines, in particular -- to fill certain teaching jobs.

Outed blogger Rosemary Port blames model Liskula Cohen for 'skank' stink: Rosemary Port, the once-anonymous blogger of Skanks of NYC, was outed when a court order forced Google to reveal her identity in a defamation suit filed by Liskula Cohen.

"the most memorable person I've slept with" video contest

Here's something for you bold souls who might be interested in making a racy video for the internet... The people behind the indie sex comedy The People I've Slept With, directed by Quentin Lee and starring Karin Anna Cheung, are sponsoring a very unique contest: "The Most Memorable Person I've Slept With" Video Contest.

Basically, make a short two minute video with your phone, camera or webcam that answers the question: Who's the most memorable person you've slept with? Winning videos will be chosen by a panel of judges, on the basis creativity, originality, fun factor, sexy factor and quality.

Each of the top five most viewed videos will be included in the DVD release of The People I've Slept With and receive a "Virgins Do It Better" t-shirt.

One Grand Prize Winner, to be determined by the filmmakers, will win all the stuff above plus $500 dollars, and their video will be shown before a festival screening of The People I've Slept With. To find out how to enter, go here.

The People I've Slept With is a sexy comedy about a promiscuous young woman who finds herself with an unplanned pregnancy and needs to figure out who the baby daddy is... now. The movie is set to premiere this fall on the film festival circuit. To learn more about the movie, visit website here.

the cambodia project

The Cambodia Project is an organization that serves to provide secondary education and bring a better life to youth in rural Cambodia. For the next month, the Cambodia Project is participating in the Global Open Access Challenge hosted by Global Giving.

With the right support, they have the potential to benefit over 100,000 Cambodian children by helping to improve the local economy, create jobs and ultimately undo the damages done to the Cambodian education system by the Khmer Rouge.

But they need your help. Here's how you can do your part:

1. Donate: Donations are always appreciated. Even amounts as low as $10’s or $20’s go a long way in bringing education to poverty stricken children. Donate through http://www.globalgiving.com/projects/thecambodiaproject/

2. Personal Contacts: Email your closest friends and families, urging them to support the Cambodia Project as we strive to bring change to rural Cambodia.

3. Groups: If you are a member of groups or organizations, urge members to participate as well. Post spread the word on forums and list serves or contact a few members you know personally.

4. Facebook/LinkedIn/Twitter/Youtube: Social media is a great resource in spreading awareness: make this your status/tweet/etc of the week: check out CPI on Global Giving http://bit.ly/CPIGlobalGiving. We're selling education, are you buying?

To learn all about the work that The Cambodia Project is doing in rural Cambodia, go to the website here. And to donate to the project, even in the smallest amount you can give, visit the Global Giving website here: Building Secondary Schools in Rural Cambodia.

2009 asian american women in leadership conference

Sisters, mark your calendars. As I've previously mentioned, the 5th Annual Asian American Women in Leadership Conference, hosted by ASPIRE, is happening on October 3 at Boston University. This year, they'll be celebrating the theme of "Fearless Leadership: Taking charge with Confidence." Some details:

5th Annual Asian American Women in Leadership Conference
Fearless Leadership: Taking Charge with Confidence
Saturday, October 3, 2009 | Boston, MA

Asian American females often face cultural and societal pressures, thus fearing the exploration of all options before choosing a traditional path. Nevertheless, success and confidence can be attained by taking a fearless step forward. The AAWIL conference aims to:

- Provide Asian American women role models
- Explore all facets of leadership, as it relates to Asian American females
- Allow attendees to network, build relationships and spark discussions that extend beyond the conference
- Energize attendees to seek out future leadership opportunities
- Celebrate our achievements and honor the leaders in our community

ASPIRE (Asian Sisters Participating in Reaching Excellence) is a Boston-based non-profit organization dedicated to Asian American girls and women in the area of career and leadership development. For more information, and to register for the conference, go here.

ten-minute asian pacific islander play contest

Hey, playwrights! Pacific Asian American Women Writers West, Mavericks of Asian Pacific Islander Descent and Ken Choy present the BREAKING THE BOW: The 1st Annual Independent Asian Pacific Islander Performing Artists and Writers Festival running October 22-25, 2009 at the Miles Memorial Playhouse in Santa Monica.

As part of the festival, they're currently accepting submissions for the Ten-Minute Asian Pacific Islander Play Contest, with the winning plays to be performed on opening night of the festival, October 22. Here's some more information on the contest:

Interested playwrights should submit their stapled, ten miute plays along with $8 entrance fee by September 25, 2009. Any contact information should be included on a separate, unattached page. Any writer can submit their play to the contest which has a focus on promoting and discovering Asian Pacific Islander writers and on scripts that have prominent, non-stereotypical, and strong Asian Pacific Islander characters and themes. Scripts will be judged blind by three renowned, prominent writers and/or theater artists.

The winning plays will be read on stage by actors on opening night. Winning playwrights will also have their library of work along with short synopses of each prominently displayed during the festival. In keeping with the festival's goals, the ten-minute play contest focuses on the promotion of undiscovered, unattached, and unknown talent however any and all U.S. residents are eligible to enter. Cash prizes. Entrance fees are used to offset the promotion and presentation of the play contest and reading as well as provide a modest honorarium to judges and prizes to contestants.

This sounds like a pretty cool opportunity for any aspiring or up-and-coming writers to get their work looked at by other artists and theater professionals. And hey, put that epic six-hour script aside for next time -- it's just ten minutes! For more information on the contest, including full submission guidelines, go to the (rather poorly designed) website.

breakumentary: old to the new

This is a cool little documentary -- a "breakumentary" -- by Paul Rogers and Calvin Son over at online magazine More Than a Stance: Old To the New. Filmed in Rotterdam, it features interviews with Korean b-boy superstar Differ and Korean American b-boy Toyz. Among other things, they talk about b-boy history, fashion, and the origins of the "b" in "b-boy." Good stuff.

actor needed for indie gangster drama bang bang

I recently heard from James Bak, a producer who is currently in pre-production with the indie feature film Bang Bang, "a raw, authentic, and artistic portrayal South-East Asian-American street gangs" to be directed by Byron Chan. Here's the short synopsis:

Justin is a troubled teen looking for a way out of the gang life. His best friend Charlie is a rich Taiwanese kid who lives in the nice part of town. Justin runs away from home after a fight with his Mom and takes refuge at Charlie's house while Charlie's parents are away on a prolonged business trip.

The murder of a fellow gang member avalanches into a full blown war with a rival gang. Caught in the midst of teenage angst, gang life, and alienation, the two friends find themselves heading down two different paths of life.

I'm told that they've already cast two of the lead roles -- David Huynh of Baby and Vietnamese American rapper Thai Ngo -- but they're still looking for an actor to play they key role of "Rocky," a gang leader that serves as an old brother figure in the story. They're particularly interested in actors who have actually lived "the street life."

If you're interested in the role, email your headshot and resume to bangbangmovie@gmail.com. For more details on the movie, which is obviously still coming together, visit the website here.

this week's angriest posts

Not really the angriest, just the most viewed.

• lonely lincoln park doctor has a serious case of yellow fever


• foot-in-crotch-flavored doritos


• pervy youtube kid discovers vanessa hudgens' "tittaaaays"


• protest the goods at paramount


• youth in asia will kill your grandma


• former south korean president kim dae-jung dies


• wong fu productions on cnn


• paramount doing damage control?


• student arrested for making threats at local college


• america's best dance crew season four: week two

Anybody going to Kollaboration Acoustic 3 tonight? See you there.

reminder: kollaboration acoustic 3

Just wanted to throw out a quick reminder for Kollaboration Acoustic 3, happening tomorrow night, August 22 at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre in Hollywood. Here's some basic information about the event:

KOLLAB ACOUSTIC 3

Saturday, August 22, 2009
7:30PM
Ford Amphitheatre
2580 Cahuenga Blvd East
Hollywood, CA 90068

To purchase tickets, click here.
Students (with valid ID) & children only pay $12!!

Park on Site
Stacked parking costs $5 per vehicle for evening shows.

Shuttles start running 2 hours before the show time at 20 minute intervals
A FREE shuttle to the Ford stops at the
- Universal City Metro Station at Lankershim Blvd. and Campo de Cahuenga in the "kiss and ride" area. Parking is free in the Metro Station lot. The address of the Universal City Metro Station is: Lankershim Blvd & Universal Terrace Parkway, North Hollywood, CA 91608

The evening's lineup of performers include:

Afraid of Everest
AJ Rafael Band
Alfa Garcia
Applesauce
Gabe Bondoc
Jinah Kim
Megan Lee
Mike Isberto
Susanna Yoon
Yoori Park

Special guests comedians include Jimmy Brogan and Monrok, and of course, the whole thing will be hosted by my man PK. It should be a really fun way to spend a summer evening -- music, comedy and community. For more information, visit the Kollaboration website here.

nichi bei times is shutting down

I received word yesterday that the Nichi Bei Times, Northern California’s oldest Japanese American community newspaper, will be closing on September 30 after 63 years of business. Its last issue will be printed on September 10: Nichi Bei Times Decides to Close; Nonprofit Hopes to Continue Legacy.

This is unfortunate news. The paper, which began publishing after World War II in 1946, was considered a community institution for many Japanese Americans.

But it also doesn't come as a surprise. Like many mainstream newspapers across the country, the Nichi Bei Times succumbed to the economic realities of the industry -- a long, steady decline in circulation and advertising revenue, and the movement of readers to online sources for news.

However, this doesn't mean the end of the Nichi Bei imprint. A group of the paper's staff and community members plan to start the Nichi Bei Foundation, a charitable and educational nonprofit that will publish the paper and maintain its commitment "to keeping the community connected, informed and empowered."

There aren't a lot of specifics about what the new paper will look like, or how soon it will start publishing, but the Foundation is hoping that they can push forward with community support. More here: Leaders try to save Japanese American newspaper.

ocean of pearls now playing in san francisco

If you live in San Francisco, I just learned that Sarab S. Neelam's critically acclaimed, award-winning indie drama Ocean of Pearls opens today, August 21 at the Landmark Bridge Theatre. I actually haven't seen this film, but I've heard nothing but great things about it since its festival run. Here's the synopsis:

Amrit Singh is of two worlds, but belongs to neither. A turban-wearing Sikh, he has lived his life in North America out of sorts and out of place, cast adrift at an uneasy crossroads between East and West. But when he is offered a prestigious position as a transplant surgeon in a Detroit hospital, the young doctor sees it as an opportunity to start fresh. He struggles to be the man he believes he is and at the same time the person he wants to be. His ambitious pursuit of success, however eventually leads to tragedy and it is only in defining his singular identity that he finds peace.

The result is the moving, sincere and dramatic experience that is OCEAN OF PEARLS, the first film by director Sarab S. Neelam. Equal parts love story, medical drama, and journey to self-discovery, the film is a moving, sincere, hard look at faith and compromise. Starring Omid Abtahi of "24," the cast also includes Heather McComb ("Party of Five"), Ron Canada ("Boston Legal"), Navi Rawat ("Numb3rs"), Dennis Haskins ("Saved by the Bell") and Brenda Strong ("Desperate Housewives").

The film's been slowly creeping along on a city-by-city theatrical release from Lightning Pictures and Echo Lake. I'm looking forward to eventually checking it out. To learn more about the film, and to watch the trailer, visit the Ocean of Pearls website here.

paramount doing damage control?

Word on the street is, Paramount Pictures sent out an urgent request across the internet today, asking online outlets to remove all trailers (both green and red band) for The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard, as well as the "Never Again" clip (aka the scene where the mob beats up Ken Jeong). They want it done immediately, and they mean business.

Could Paramount be shifting into damage control mode? Probably. Someone over there appears to be a little scared of the bad publicity The Goods is beginning to drum up, especially with the protest happening outside the studio this afternoon. You can wipe all the trailers and clips from the internets. That certainly doesn't change what happens in the movie.

secret identities superhero contest winner: tumbas

As promised, here's the first rendering of the winning entries from the Secret Identities Superhero Contest, where readers were asked to submit their own original idea for an Asian American superhero. This is TUMBAS by Rochell Reyes, as drawn by Jef Castro. And all the details...

EDITORS' NOTES ON THE HERO

We thought this was a well-conceived and nicely developed character, and liked the way the story was set up to establish two brothers as equal and opposite forces -- a classic face-off of nemeses. At first we were a bit put off because the concept does have quite a bit of similarity with the story "Trinity" in SECRET IDENTITIES (which, written and drawn by Greg LaRocque, features not two but three half-siblings who are the children of a super-soldier and have each inherited some of his powers -- and dog tags are central to that story as well!), but we ultimately decided that this character complemented rather than duplicated "Trinity" and gave the creator the benefit of the doubt (Tumbas/Trinity crossover, anyone?).

In tightening the character and editing this origin, we made some small changes -- increasing Tumbas's age slightly from 13 to 15 (would a 13 year old be able to wear his dad's military uniform?) and altered Tumbas's powers slightly. To make the half-brothers more clearly an equal match, Tumbas has super-strength and heightened vision, while his sibling has super-speed and the power of invisibility. Strength versus speed and sight versus camouflage are classic counters. We also gave him a limitation -- his powers are initially limited, requiring "recharge," and must be triggered by adrenaline and an act of will. It's always better to give a hero room to grow!

And now, here's Tumbas, as drawn by Jef Castro, SECRET IDENTITIES' senior artist; Jef chose to draw John as he imagined him immediately after he discovering his powers, rather than "in action" in his dad's military uniform -- so you see him in this pic in all his surfer-boy glory!

EDITED DESCRIPTION

TUMBAS by Rachell Reyes

John Reyes is an ordinary 15-year-old Filipino American surfer kid from the San Diego coast. His name and complexion -- and the fact that he lives right next to the America's southern border -- often leads people to mistake him for Mexican. On the other, he's also often asked if he's Hawaiian, Samoan, Chinese, and at least one time, Egyptian. His ambiguous ethnic identity would be a source of irritation for many, but John has learned to take advantage of it, to fit in, or even disappear, as needed.

That skill at camouflage may be a legacy of his father, Marco Reyes, a 15-year veteran of Army military intelligence who recently was reported dead after a covert mission in Afghanistan; although the Army was unable to recover Marco's body, his unit's commanding officer has stated that the circumstances of Marco's death make it impossible that he might have survived.

When John's mother Jaya tearfully tells him the news, she expects him to be devastated; any other normal 13-year-old would be. But John tells her he feels nothing. His father's profession has made him an absentee for most of John's young life; how, he asks his mother, could he miss someone he'd never connected with at all?

A week after the news of Marco's death, John and Jaya receive a small package in the mail -- a box, containing a small metal rectangle bearing the name and rank of his father, LT. MARCO REYES, U.S. ARMY; his father's old dog tag from basic training. Jaya places the tag and its chain around John's neck, encouraging him to use it to remember his father, and to release whatever he has bottled up inside of him.

Later that day, sitting on the beach and holding the tag in one hand, John tries unsuccessfully to remember and mourn his father. In a fit of anger, he picks up a small rock and hurls it at the ocean. As he releases the stone, he feels a surge go through his body; when the rock hits the water, it doesn't skip -- it skates along at supersonic speed, raising a foot-high wake and sending mist and steam rising behind it as it disappears into the horizon.

John, shaken, tries to figure out what happened. He couldn't have thrown that stone that fast -- no human could. But somehow, he did. Piecing together what happened, he realizes that the sudden flash of strength came as he held Marco's tag and focused on his father's memory. But, try as he might, no amount of concentration can bring that power back.

Remembering that beneath his parents' bed is a foot locker of Marco's old memorabilia, John races home, hoping to discover some kind of clue. But the chest contains an old uniform, some snow globes collected from around the world, pictures of Marco's Army buddies. As John grits back tears of frustration and squeezes his father's dog tag in his fist, he feels another surge and the world goes white -- then refocuses with an entirely new perspective. He can now see with microscopic detail and perfect clarity, and even, as his eyes dart around the room, view the interiors of hollow objects. He blinks in surprise, and his hypervision fades, revealing the world in its ordinary state again...but not before he sees that the foot locker has a false bottom. John slides the bottom back. Beneath it is a yellowing notebook -- a diary going back to Marco's days before he'd met John's mother, recounting his days as a promising young high school grad who'd signed up with the Army to honor his late father, a Filipino veteran of the Second World War.

What they reveal is that Marco wasn't an ordinary member of military intelligence, but a recruit for a secret covert unit of super-soldiers, volunteers to undergo a series of experiments that gave them inhuman abilities. But then the diary stops, and John notices that a sheaf of pages have been torn from it. The only other thing left, tucked into the binding of the notebook, is an old black and white photograph -- a Polaroid of his father with his arm around a young Asian woman, who has a laughing baby in her arms. The woman, who looks East Asian, is not John's mother. The baby is not John.

In the days that follow, John learns more about his powers, activated by adrenaline and the memory of his father; the tag is a trigger, but the abilities seem inborn, a legacy of Marco's mutated genes. Unfortunately, the powers have limits; he can use either his strength or his vision, but not both simultaneously, and he can maintain them only for a short period of time. And after using either, he has to allow them to recharge; at first, he's unable to summon a "surge" more than once a day, though as he trains himself, using his father's old uniform and a souvenir mask his mother had brought back from a visit to the Philippines as his "costume," he quickly reduces the time lapse to an hour.

And then comes an encounter that will change John's life again forever. As he prepares to finish high school, San Diego is hit with a string of "silent robberies": Banks are being broken into and their contents stolen, without a trace of evidence -- except for a name graffiti spraypainted on the walls of every ransacked bank: "MARCO REYES."

The authorities question John and Jaya, investigating whether Lt. Reyes is in fact truly dead, and asking if they have any connection to the crimes. The combination of the harsh interrogation and the reminder of the loss sends Jaya into a state of depression, leading John to investigate the crimes himself, to clear his late father's name and raise his mother's broken spirits.

And that's when he encounters Marco Jr. -- the young boy in the secret photo, John's half-brother and elder by a year. Marco had met Marco Jr.'s mother, married her, and fathered Marco Jr. during his secret training overseas, at the USAG Humphreys base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea. But when Marco Jr.'s mother passed away from an accident, his grandparents barred Marco from seeing him again, and ordered him to cut off all ties.

But upon Marco's death, each of his sons received one of his two dog tags -- activating the hidden secret within their chromosomes. John has inherited and is learning to use his father's superhuman strength and paranormal vision; Marco Jr., unnatural speed and the power to blend into the shadows. Fueled by rage at their deceased father (enhanced by the lies he's been told by his late mother's family), Marco Jr. has made it his goal to destroy Lt. Reyes's name; John, meanwhile, adopts the alias "Tumbas" (which means "equal" in Tagalog), John goes on a mission to stop his half-brother and clear his father's reputation -- while discovering the truth about the side of Marco Reyes that neither he nor his mother ever knew.

To learn more about Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology, visit the website here.

angry reader of the week: ken chen

Time for another edition of Angry Reader of the Week, spotlighting you, the very special readers of this website. Over the years, I've been able to connect with a lot of cool folks, and this is a way of showing some appreciation and attention to the people who help make this blog what it is. This week's Angry Reader is Ken Chen, Executive Director of the Asian American Writers' Workshop.

project: involve's "city stories"

Lots of great short films to watch! Project: Involve is Film Independent's signature diversity program, dedicated to increasing cultural diversity in the film industry by cultivating the careers of under-represented filmmakers.

In this year's program, sponsored by Vanity Fair and Banana Republic, the Fellows created 3-minute "City Stories" shot in the style of French New Wave with inspiration from the Banana Republic Fall 5.

If you watch the shorts, and take a look at the film teams, you'll notice that Asian Americans are extremely well-represented in this year's program. It's pretty cool, and the films look pretty damn good. Take a look at them here.

You can watch the films, then vote for your favorite. (And be entered for a chance to win a $1000 Banana Republic gift card. Yay.) The winning team will be awarded with a cash prize of $2500 and supreme bragging rights at a special ceremony next month.

beware the enfamil bandits!

Last week in Colorado, a grand jury indicted the men and women of an organized crime ring, accusing them stealing thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from retailers and reselling it on the internet. Their black market specialty? Baby formula. They're the Emfamil Bandits: Suspected 'Enfamil Bandits' Indicted For Baby Formula Thefts.

For over a year, the "Enfamil Bandits" loaded up shopping carts with dozens of cans of baby formula at Target, Safeway, Albertson's, King Soopers and Wal-Mart and left without paying. The group then sold the baby formula at a cheaper price to people either by word of mouth or through the Internet.

Slick, but you got caught. The nine suspects were indicted on 78 counts, including racketeering. They were identified as Tam Huynh, 45; Thuy (Tien) Nguyen, 38; Do Hieu, 37; Erica Martinez, 26; Joseph Nieto, 21; Matthew Nieto, 27i; Vinh Van Vu, 28; Hahn Thi Tran, 39; and Kieu Tri Huynh, 47. They're the Emfamil Bandits!

seung-hui cho's mental health records released

This week, Virginia Tech released the mental health records of Seung-Hui Cho, the gunman responsible for the nation's worst campus killing spree in April 2007: Files Show University Gunman Denied Homicidal Thoughts.

Records show that Cho was interviewed several times by university health officials more than a year before his attack, twice by phone and once in person, after concerns were raised about his behavior.

But in each instance, he wasn't admitted for treatment because he denied being a threat to himself or others:

"He denies suicidal and/or homicidal thoughts," wrote Sherry Lynch Conrad, a counselor at the Cook Counseling Center at Virginia Tech, after a meeting on Dec. 14, 2005, prompted by a suicidal text message from Mr. Cho to a friend. "Said the comment he made was a joke. Says he has no reason to harm self and would never do it."

In an earlier telephone session, on Nov. 30, 2005, Mr. Cho described a "depressed mood" along with panic episodes "when having to talk to people."

The documents also indicate that the day before the session with Ms. Conrad, Mr. Cho entered St. Albans Behavioral Health Center, an off-campus center where a therapist concluded that he had a "mood disorder" and suggested that he "can be treated on an outpatient basis with counseling."

When Mr. Cho was released from St. Albans on Dec. 14, a judge ordered that he undergo mental health treatment at Virginia Tech. After being briefly assessed at the campus center by Ms. Conrad, he was not seen there again.

On April 16, 2007, Cho killed 32 students and faculty members on campus before taking his own life. A state panel convened by Governor Tim Kaine faulted the campus center for failing to "connect the dots" related to the dangers of Mr. Cho's mental condition.

While it's certainly easy to say all this after the fact, and records indicate that Cho was definitely in need of help, can anyone really say that they saw this coming? Going forward, I just hope better systems are implemented to anticipate and prevent further violence or harm.

music video: apl.de.ap's "mama filipino"

Hey look! It's the music video for "Mama Filipina" by Apl.de.Ap, aka the Filipino guy in the Black Eyed Peas. Yes, friends. It's not all about Fergie and Will.i.am. I think there's even another guy too.

This track is from Apl's upcoming solo album U Can Dream. And much like the two music videos for "Bebot," it's got a healthy dose of Filipino pride. And I presume that's his real mama in the video.

protest the goods at paramount

Negative reaction to The Goods -- specifically, the "Pearl Harbor" scene -- is starting to pick up some steam. MANAA and JACL, along with other community groups, are planning to stage a protest tomorrow (Friday) afternoon outside of Paramount Pictures in Los Angeles. Some details:

Protest at Paramount

Friday, August 21, 2009
4:30pm - 6:30pm
Paramount Pictures
Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA

JACL, Imada/Wong, and MANAA are looking for volunteers to join in protesting at Paramount Pictures in Los Angeles on FRIDAY AUGUST 21.

These groups are infuriated by "The Goods," which depicts Ken Jeong's character getting attacked by fellow auto salesmen for looking Japanese.

If you are in the Los Angeles area, please join us for the protest on FRIDAY AUG 21!

If possible, those who think they will be able to show up should e-mail MANAA their contact info (phone number, e-mails and such) at letters@manaa.org.

They'll be joined by folks from Racebending -- fans of the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender -- who, as you are aware, also have issues with Paramount. If you're in the Los Angeles area, and can make it out, they could use your strength-in-numbers support.

I also wanted to direct your attention to this thoughtful letter by Ken Narasaki, written to Sumner Redstone, Chairman of Paramount's parent company Viacom. He tries to communicate, in very human terms, why the Pearl Harbor scene cannot simply be dismissed as a joke:

Mr. Sumner M. Redstone
Executive Chairman of the Board & Founder
Viacom, Inc.
1515 Broadway
New York, NY 10036

Dear Mr. Redstone:

I'm writing to protest the disgusting depiction of a hate crime-as-humor in the film, the television trailers, and the online ads for THE GOODS. I know, I know, everyone keeps saying that "it's a joke," "it's satirical," "the film is intentionally offensive to many different kinds of people," but this is beyond hurt feelings and offended sensibilities - this is racist hatemongering disguised as humor. I'm assuming you've heard similar analogies, but I have to ask: If those white car salesmen had beaten up a Jewish salesman "for killing Christ", and Jeremy Piven's character egged them on by describing "the Kikes nailing our Savior to the cross", would you expect your Jewish audience to just take it as a joke? Especially if your company ran the clip as part of its ADVERTISING on network TV? How about if Ken Jeong's character was black and Jeremy Piven's character urged the white salesmen to cover up their hate crime by saying he attacked them with a spear? Can you imagine your African American audience sitting still for that one?
I know THE GOODS is pretty much tanking at the box office, but it'll go to DVD, and then to cable, and every time, in every incarnation, there will be that scene where white salespeople beat up an Asian who later has to apologize, saying he's Korean, not Japanese.

I'm sure others have brought up the spectre of Vincent Chin's brutal murder by baseball bat by out-of-work auto workers in Detroit. It's real. Racial violence taken to the level of murder – and the filmmakers are either so insensitive, they think it's time to laugh about it (It's satire! We're making FUN of the racists!), or they are so ignorant, they have no idea that they are invoking an incredibly painful incident still fresh in many Asian Americans' minds.

I have a personal incident to share with you: On December 7, 1992, the 50th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, it was impossible not to see the footage of the bombing, playing over and over on all media outlets. Fair enough, it was the Day that will live in Infamy. It didn't matter that my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles were all put into concentration camps as a result; it didn't matter that my father fought in Europe as part of the famed segregated Japanese American fighting unit, the 442nd: Someone decided to commemorate that day by throwing a brick through my front window. The brick and the glass landed on my then baby daughter's changing table. Luckily for us, we were not at home at the time.

I've seen Paramount's incredibly lame non-apology, and I, for one, am sick to death of Asian bashing masquerading as humor, and ask that you, in your capacity of Executive Chairman of Viacom, demand that this scene, which laughs at the very idea of hate crimes, be removed from the film and that Paramount Vantage issue a very real apology this time.
Sincerely,

Ken Narasaki
cc: The Los Angeles Times

As someone who has followed and kept track of this kind of racist Hollywood nonsense for years, it can get pretty tiring. I still have to constantly remind myself that nothing will change unless there are people out there who give a damn about changing it.

watch tran quoc bao's bookie

Check it out. Writer/director Tran Quoc Bao's short film Bookie is now available for viewing online. Set in 1963 Seattle, and presented in stark black and white, it tells the tale of a gambling bookie who risks everything for a beautiful waitress down on her luck.

I caught this film on the festival circuit a while back, and it was easily one of the strongest shorts I saw that year. Give yourself twenty minutes to take a look, and enjoy. For more information about the film, and for high-quality downloads, visit the Bookie website here.