justonecrane campaign for japan

Got this passed along to me from our friend Emily over at Absolutely Fobulous... JustOneCrane campaign is a Facebook campaign she created to unite, raise funds and maintain awareness efforts about the ongoing post-disaster situation in Japan. It's based on the legend that says if you fold a thousand cranes, your wish will come true. The wish, of course, is for healing.

It's simple: you make one origami crane and upload a photo of it with a message for Japan onto the JustOneCrane Facebook page (or you can email it to Emily at justonecrane@gmail.com and she'll upload it). The hope is to get cranes coming from all over the world. Here are the quick instructions on how to participate:

christian bale starring in new nanjing massacre drama

The first couple of images of Christian Bale on the set of his latest movie, currently filming in China recently hit the web. 13 Flowers of Nanjing, director Zhang Yimou's first multi-lingual film, is a war drama set during the 1937 Nanjing massacre. Bale plays an American priest named "John." Here's the official synopsis and production details:

composer lei liang wins prestigious rome prize

Some good news for San Diego composer and UCSD faculty member Lei Liang... He was as recently named winner of the prestigious 2011 Rome Prize, which is given to individuals "who represent the highest standard of excellence in the arts and humanities": UCSD composer wins prestigious Rome Prize.

Liang, who has been a member of UCSD's internationally acclaimed composition faculty since 2007, won the Elliott Carter Rome Prize for his Sextet and Chamber Concerto. Aside from prestige, honor and Composer Bragging Rights, the award gets him a sweet year-long residence in Rome:

c3: conference for creative content, april 30 - may 1

If you're in Southern California, or have plans to be in Los Angeles at the end of the month, I want to make sure you're aware and have the opportunity to attend the inaugural C3: The Conference for Creative Content, happening Saturday, April 30 and Sunday, May 1 at the Directors Guild of America.

Presented by Visual Communications and the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment, and running concurrently with the 2011 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, the conference will explore the growing influence and success of Asian Americans within the realm of new media:

emerson college film student falls to his death

Some terrible news out of Boston... Justin Amorratanasuchad, a 21-year-old film production student at Emerson College, died this week when he fell to his death from the roof of an apartment building: Emerson student dies in fall from building.

Amorratanasuchad, who was from Seattle, was apparently working on a school project and filming on the rooftop when he lost his footing trying to get a shot and fell from the four-story building. According to police, a preliminary investigation indicates the fall was an accident:

video: adam warrock performing at kollaboration atlanta

Finally tracked this down... just wanted to share this video of geek rapper Adam WarRock doing his thing, performing the track "Angry Asian Man" and taking home the grand prize last month at Kollaboration Atlanta. Naturally, I have a particular fondness for this performance. Take a look:

do college admissions hold asian american applicants to higher standards?

Thanks to recent headlines and controversial news items like Amy Chua's now-infamous "Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior" essay, there's been a lot of attention given to the crazy great lengths Asian parents will go to in order to ensure their kids get into the best colleges.

But according to this Boston Globe article, all that hard work (plus the crazy extreme measures) might not necessarily pay off, since many colleges might actually be holding Asian American students to higher standards than other groups: Competitive disadvantage.

this week's angriest posts

Not really the angriest, just the most viewed.

• "kimchee-scented kleenex fiction"? oh no you didn't.


• seriously, people? rain? again?


• waikiki restaurant charges 15% for not speaking english


• music video: "machine civilization" by genki sudo/world order


• four arrested in san francisco teen's murder


• political strategist kam kuwata found dead


• 235 star trek characters in pixelated form


• mortal kombat: legacy digital series launch


• yo-yo ma x lil buck = something awesome


• research study: stories of adult transnational adoptees and their american parents

Thank you to all the great folks I met this week at Loyola University Chicago and Columbia College! Good times. Stay Angry.

matcha: contemporary chinese art, april 21

For my friends in San Francisco who like to mix their nightlife with a little bit of art, it's time again for the latest edition of MATCHA, the Asian Art Museum's after-hours art/music/mixer series. This month's event is a spotlight on contemporary Chinese art. It's happening Thursday, April 21 at the Asian Art Museum. And you can win some free passes! See below for more details:

yo-yo ma x lil buck = something awesome

This is awesome. This amazing performance video, posted on director Spike Jonze's Opening Ceremony blog, features world-renown cellist Yo-Yo Ma dueting with L.A.-based dancer "Lil Buck" to create something really unique and wonderful. Just watch it:

2011 laapff jury award finalists: narrative feature

The 2011 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival is pleased to present juried awards for narrative feature films, to celebrate the creative endeavors of the APA filmmakers -- both veterans and newcomers alike -- with feature works screening at this year's festival.

The winners will be decided by a panel of jurors and announced at a special awards ceremony on Closing Night. Which film will win? Here's the rundown of the narrative feature jury award finalists:

BERTHA BAY-SA PAN
Director, ALMOST PERFECT
Saturday, April 30, 2011 at 5:30 PM
Directors Guild of America - Theater 1

Vanessa Lee is still her large and boisterous family's go-to girl, with a threadbare excuse of a life of her own. A long-coveted romantic relationship is threatened by her family's inevitable implosion. Desperate to find her way back to love, she discovers that the only person she really has to save is - herself!

BYRON Q
Director, BANG BANG
Tuesday, May 03, 2011 at 9:00 PM
CGV CINEMAS - Theater 1

Justin, a troubled teen looking for a way out of the gang life, takes refuge at the home of his best friend Charlie, a rich Taiwanese kid who lives in the nice part of town. Caught in the midst of teenage angst, gang life, and alienation, the two friends find themselves heading down two different paths of life.

BILLIE RAIN
Director, HEART BREAKS OPEN
Monday, May 02, 2011 at 9:15 PM
CGV CINEMAS - Theater 3

A model queer activist and advocate, Jesus's world implodes after discovering that he is HIV positive, forcing him to confront his innermost fears, his relationship with his ex-boyfriend, and a future living with HIV.

IAN GAMAZON
Director, LIVING IN SEDUCED CIRCUMSTANCES
Saturday, April 30, 2011 at 9:45 PM
Directors Guild of America - Theater 2

A pregnant woman kidnaps a man who has done her wrong and makes him confess to his sins. With no help in sight his only chance of escape is to convince her of his innocence.

CHUCK MITSUI
Director, ONE KINE DAY
Sunday, May 01, 2011 at 4:00 PM
Directors Guild of America - Theater 1

Over the mountains, hidden from the tourist beaches of Waikiki, 19-year-old Ralsto awakens to the news of his girlfriend Alea's pregnancy. Ralsto embarks on a journey to raise funds for "da kine," while Alea contemplates her situation.

STEPHANE GAUGER
Director, SAIGON ELECTRIC
Friday, April 29, 2011 at 7:00 PM
Laemmle's Sunset 5

BAD NEWS BEARS meets BEAT STREET on the mean streets of Ho Chi Minh City as a young ribbon dancer ingratiates herself into Vietnam's nascent underground street-dancing scene.

CHRISTINE YOO
Director, WEDDING PALACE
Friday, April 29, 2011 at 7:00 PM
Directors Guild of America - Theater 1

Pressured to get married by family and friends, 29 year-old advertising executive Jason Kim finds the woman of his dreams in cyberspace, 9000 miles away in Seoul, Korea. Complications arise when she arrives in Los Angeles for the first time and he comes face to face with an alarming reality... (Tickets are currently sold out for this screening; rush tickets may be available on the day of.)

MUN CHEE YONG
Director, WHERE THE ROAD MEETS THE SUN
Saturday, April 30, 2011 at 10:00 PM
Laemmle's Sunset 5

The lives of four strangers intersect for a brief time in the city of Los Angeles. Intercutting between two friendships that blossom among the men, a series of wild and often gut-wrenching adventures ensue.

The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival runs April 28 through May 7. Come on out, check out some films, and cast your vote for the Audience Favorite award. For further information about the festival, including the full schedule of films (Opening Night is completely sold out!) go to the LAPFF website here.

community conference call on family immigration reform, april 18

Check it out. It's time for you to join in on the conversation on immigration reform. The Asian American Justice Center and NAKASEC invite you to a community conference call they're hosting with Rep. Mike Honda, Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus' Immigration Taskforce, on the reintroduction of the Reuniting Families Act Bill. It's happening Monday, April 18 at 4:00pm EST/1:00 pm PST. Here are some more details about the call:

angry reader of the week: kristina mascarenas

Okay, good people. It's time to meet the 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 Kristina Mascarenas, student at Loyola University Chicago.

sdaff spring showcase, april 15-22

San Diego film lovers, this one's for you... Our friends at the San Diego Asian Film Foundation are proud to present their inaugural Spring Showcase, starting this Friday. It's basically smaller version of the film festival, with just a series of of 11 films. It's happening April 15-22 at the Mission Valley UltraStar Cinemas at Hazard Center. Here are some more details:

man created fake u.s. army unit for immigration scam

Asian behaving badly... immigration scam edition! This one's pretty creative. This week in Pomona, California, a Chinese national was arrested for creating a phony U.S. Army special forces unit out of an office in Temple City, as a front for an immigration scam: El Monte resident arrested for creating phony U.S. Army unit in Temple City, recruiting Chinese nationals to pay to serve.

Yupeng Deng is suspected of recruiting more than a hundred Chinese nationals into the fake Army unit by offering a path to citizenship. He is charged with 13 counts of theft by false pretenses, manufacturing deceptive government documents and counterfeit of an official government seal.

235 star trek characters in pixelated form

Please excuse me for a moment. This is so friggin' nerdy, I can't contain myself. Saw this on Boing Boing and had to share... this is a limited edition print from John Martz and Koyama Press depicting 235 different Star Trek characters from across the franchise in pixelated form.

They're major and minor characters (with repeats) from the original series (including the animated series), the movies, and all four modern shows -- including the Asian characters like Sulu, Keiko O'Brien, Alyssa Ogawa, Harry Kim and Hoshi Sato.

I'm really amused (and not at all ashamed) that I can name, or at least recognize, a vast majority of these characters. If you can identify them all, you're a geek-ass Trekkie and I love you.

hmong dealers file discrimination lawsuit against fresno's club one casino

This week in Fresno, more than twenty current and former casino workers filed two class action lawsuits against the Club One Casino, charging that it engaged in discrimination by segregating and reducing the hours of Hmong poker dealers, as well as firing its older employees: Hmong dealers file lawsuits against Club One Casino.

Club One Casino, which runs the biggest card room in central California, is one of the largest employers in Fresno. The lawsuits, filed by the Asian Pacific American Legal Center and law firm Minami Tamaki in Fresno Superior Court, allege that under new management, Club One sought to remake its image by excluding Hmong and older workers even though many had been working at the casino for more than ten years.

From APALC and Minami Tamaki's press release:

ali wong headlines the hollywood improv, april 16

Uh oh. Here's comes trouble. If you're in Los Angeles, funny gal Ali Wong is headlining a show this weekend, and wants you to come out. I am not sure if she's going to be wearing the funny hat in the flyer above, but she promises to make it a funny night. It's happening Saturday, April 16 at the Hollywood Improv. Here are some more details:

one beat for japan: relief benefit showcase, april 14

If you're in Southern California, the Center for Asian Pacific American Students and student organizers at the Claremont Colleges invite you to One Beat For Japan: Relief Benefit Showcase, an outdoor event featuring top local and community talents to raise and money for disaster relief.

The evening will feature performances from the likes of America's Best Dance Crew's Beat Freaks, violinist Paul Dateh and more. It's happening April 14 at Pitzer College. Here are some more details:

aaja launches "ourchinatown" blog

The Asian American Journalists Association recently announced launch of Our Chinatown, a hyperlocal news and culture blog covering Manhattan's dynamic Chinatown community. The goal is to fill in the gaps of reporting on this critical yet underserved New York City neighborhood. From AAJA's press release: