Angry Reader of the Week: Jenny Ton

What's up, good people? It is time again 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 Jenny Ton.

Jinh Yu Frey knocks out Darla Harris in 24 seconds

Ouch. Your face broke my hand.



Boom. That didn't take long. Not much to explain in this video, which they're calling the women's MMA knockout of the year. I don't watch enough fights to know if this is true, but it's quite a knockout. Fighter Jinh Yu Frey kindly introduces Darla Harris to her fist. And then the ground:

Stop the deportation of Gurmukh Singh

Spreading the word... I just learned about the plight of Gurmukh Singh, a husband and father to two daughters, who has been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, separated from his family, and is now facing deportation to India -- where he fears for his life.

Gurmukh is a family man and an upstanding community member with no criminal record. He came to the United States to escape religious persecution, but was essentially screwed over by the immigration system on multiple levels. Now his family is being torn apart, and he faces possible death in India.

Here's a heartbreaking video with Gurmukh's wife and daughters:

New Music: Kina Grannis' ultra-cool cover of "Royals"

I prefer the Kina Grannis version of, well, everything.



You know I am big fan of Kina Grannis. I'm always down, because she always making that sweet, sweet music. So check her out in this gorgeous, ultra-cool cover of "Royals", featuring Fresh Big Mouf (he's the guy banging on stuff). Hell, I like this one better than the original version:

Language assistance is a key issue for Asian American voters

It's no secret that low voter turnout is a problem for our community. We suck at getting out to the polls. It doesn't help that many Asian Americans have to deal with hurdles like language assistance at the polls: New Report on 2012 Election Finds Language Assistance a Key Issue for Asian American Voters.

Last week, Asian American Advancing Justice released a report examining whether counties complied with their obligations to provide language assistance to Asian American voters during the 2012 presidential election. In short, access to translated materials and bilingual poll workers are still significant issues.

The report is based on advocacy with election officials and poll monitoring to ensure compliance with language assistance laws at nearly 900 election precincts across 14 jurisdictions in seven states, including California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Texas, and Washington state.

Jeremy Lin: You've Changed Bro

Disclaimer: No workouts were missed while filming this video.



One day, Linsanity arrived, Jeremy Lin became a household name, and things were never quite the same again. Ever wonder how your favorite Houston Rockets point guard is handling the pressure and scrutiny of public life? According to his friends, "You Changed Bro." A funny new short on Jeremy Lin's official YouTube channel, featuring Ryan Higa, Kevin Wu, Steven Nash, James Harden and more:

White Guy rises to the top of the Chinese Mafia in White Devil

Because white movie heroes are always better at being Asian than other Asians.

You've got to be kidding me. If you just can't get enough movies about white guys in exotic, awesome places, you can look forward to the white-dude-in-Chinatown thriller White Devil, courtesy of the fine folks at Warner Brothers: Warner Bros Sets James Gray For Boston Crime Thriller 'White Devil.'

According to Deadline.com, James Gray will write and direct the contemporary crime drama White Devil, the story of a white orphan who is adopted into a Chinese family and rises through the ranks to the top of Boston's Chinese Mafia. Seriously. And I'm sure he gets to romance a few Asian ladies along the way.

Things I Do Not Understand: Kal Penn tweets in support of "Stop and Frisk"

Say it ain't so, Kalpen.



Allow me to echo my blogging comrade Lakshmi over at The Aerogram, who expresses disappointment over Kal Penn's public support and defense of New York City's Stop-and-Frisk policy. This week, a judge ruled that the NYPD's "policy of indirect racial profiling" violated the constitutional rights of minorities in the city.

However, the actor we know and love from Harold and Kumar (and former aide to the Obama administration), tweeted a link to an op/ed on the merits of "Stop-and-Frisk," setting off some heated online debate:

Hell Yeah: They're making Eddie Huang's memoir Fresh Off The Boat into a TV show

Nahnatchka Khan will write and produce the comedy for ABC.

Man, this news makes my day. If you enjoy the mad musings of New York chef/restaurateur/provacateur Eddie Huang, you'll be pleased to know that his memoir Fresh Off the Boat is being adapted into a TV sitcom. For real: Nahnatchka Khan Immigrant Family Comedy With Jake Kasdan Lands At ABC As Put Pilot.

Nahnatchka Khan, creator of now-canceled (but very funny) Don't Trust The B--, will write/executive produce the single-camera pilot for ABC. Based on Huang's own childhood, the show will be set in the 1990s and will focus on an immigrant Chinese family that moves to Orlando. (How can you look at that book cover and not laugh?)

I see much potential for hilarity and good stories. The trick will be striking the right balance of nostalgia, immigrant humor and Huang's unmistakably original voice.

Vote Wei Chen for the Peace First Prize

"We were once victims; now we are organizers."

Hey, everybody. Meet Wei Chen. Hailing from Philadelphia, he's one of fifty finalists up for the Peace First Prize, a $50,000 fellowship that honors young people who are engaged in peace-making projects in their community. Will you cast a vote for him by showing some social media love?

I've actually written about Wei's work before. He was one of the leaders of the student boycott at South Philadelphia High School in 2009. As a young student, he organized fellow immigrant youth to speak out against racial harassment and violence at his school -- a community story we followed very closely.

Not only did the work result in a groundbreaking civil rights settlement by the U.S. Department of Justice, Wei and the community organizing around the struggle won new leadership and staff, changed policies training and practices at the school, and built multiracial student coalitions to dismantle zero tolerance policies.

Recently, Wei co-founded the Chinatown Youth Organizing Project to help new immigrant youth come together to build leadership for collective action.

He's an impressive young leader, right? He gets my vote. To support and vote for Wei, you can tweet, +1, or recommend the link to Wei's page. To learn more about Wei and Peace First Prize, go here.

Crazy Cute Photos: It's Kanna's World. You're just in the way.

Warning: extreme cute. This 4-year-old Kanna. Her father Toyokazu Nagano likes to photograph her in a variety funny, crazy and wonderfully cute situations, all on the same road in Ishikawa, Japan. And that's all you really need to know. Enjoy: 20 Frickin' Adorable Photos Of A Girl And Her Imagination.

Here are some more fun photos of Kanna:

Apply to the Sundance/A3 Foundation Feature Film Fellowship

Hey Asian American filmmakers! Got an awesome screenplay? This is for you.

The recently established A3 (Asian American Artists) Foundation Fellowship is part of the Sundance Institute's Feature Film Program Screenwriters and Directors Labs. This Fellowship aims to support Asian American writers (or writer-directors) through the development of their feature screenplay, as well as screenplay content that is Asian American-themed.

The A3 Fellowship is now accepting applications to participate in the 2014 January Sundance Screenwriters Lab. Here are some more details:

Music Video: "Life Is Too Short" by HeeSun Lee

Some new music for you... this recommendation got dropped in my mailbox from none other than Jin. Yes, Jin the emcee. So check it. "Life Is Too Short" is the new single/video by New York City-based Korean American emcee/poet HeeSun Lee, from her forthcoming album Stereotypes. Check it out:

Court documents reveal chilling details in the murder of Vanessa Pham

The murder remained a mystery for two and a half years.

An update on this awful murder case out of Virginia from a couple of years ago... Next week, Julio Miguel Blanco Garcia will face trial in the 2010 murder of 19-year-old Vanessa Pham, who was stabbed repeatedly and left to die in her car: Pretrial filings reveal details in 2010 killing of Falls Church teen Vanessa Pham.

According to pre-trial documents filed by the prosecution, Pham was giving Blanco Garcia and his infant daughter a ride to the hospital after they approached her at a shopping center in Falls Church. At some point, Blanco Garcia, who was apparently high on PCP, grabbed a butcher knife from his bag and stabbed Pham. Thirteen times.

The fatal assault sent the car into a roadside ditch. All of this happened while Blanco Garcia's 1-year-old daughter was riding in the car with them:

Film, live music and storytelling merge in Himalaya Song

Enter to win tickets to the New York City premiere of Himalaya Song, August 23.



Himalaya Song is a live film performance that debuted at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. Named as one of the Top 10 Music films at the festival by Rolling Stone, the project is a collaboration between Chinese American artist Dave Liang (Shanghai Restoration Project) and two Indian American artists: musician Gingger Shankar and filmmaker Mridu Chandra. Through a combination of film, live music, and storytelling, the tale explores the Himalayas, its people, and the environmental challenges they face.

Disney does animated Asian Marvel superheroes in Big Hero 6

Disney's first animated Marvel Comics adaptation is based on a superteam of Japanese heroes.



Earlier this year, Walt Disney Animation Studios announced its next big animated feature, Big Hero 6, an Asian-themed action comedy adventure based on the Marvel Comics superteam of the same name.

Set in the fast-paced, high-tech city of San Fransokyo (yes, a cross between Tokyo and San Francisco), the story follows brilliant robotics prodigy Hiro Hamada and his team of first-time crime fighters, who find themselves in the grips of a criminal plot that threatens to destroy city.

Over the weekend at the D23 Expo, the studio unveiled some details and footage from Big Hero 6. Here's a very brief bit of first-look footage that gives a feel for the San Fransokyo setting:

No Thank You, Try Again: "Oh Me So Hoppy to Wheat You..."

"A derisious wheat ale with a hoppy finish that lingers long time!"



Yup, this again. This is actual label art from a Michigan-based brewery called Odd Side Ales. As you can see, this particular Asian-themed offering is called "OH ME SO HOPPY TO WHEAT YOU," with the description "A derisious wheat ale with a hoppy finish that lingers long time!"

I'm sure somebody thought they were being real clever when they came up with this... no harm intended! But it's just the usual tired Oriental schtick. Let me guess: you have Asian friends, and they think it's hi-lar-ious.

And it's not just me. Others have apparently objected to this brew too. One Michigan retailer pulled the beer from its shelves in response to customer complaints about the name. Odd Side Ales left a Facebook comment with the usual "sorry you were offended" non-apology and promised to "make some changes" to the label, whatever that means, when they brew it again next year. How about right now?

Again, for future reference, phrases that need to die: "me so horny" and "love you long time."

Fund This: An adoptee reunites with his birth family in aka Dan

Dan Matthews, a Korean American adoptee, meets his birth family -- and his twin brother -- for the first time.



If you read his awesome guest post from a couple of weeks ago, you know that my good friend Dan Matthews, a musician and generally cool guy, has been in Korea this summer on the journey of his life.

Dan, a Korean American adoptee who grew up in California, recently went on a search for this birth parents... and found them. He not only has a biological family in South Korea, where he traveled to meet them for the first time, Dan also has a twin brother. Whaaaaat. Needless to say, this has been an identity-altering trip.

And the cameras have been rolling. aka Dan is a documentary project following Dan's journey to Korea for the International Korean Adoptee Association, performing his first live concert in Korea, and of course, his reunion with his birth family. The project will also include a full-length music album inspired by his experiences.

Here's Dan in a nationally-televised interview for Korea's Arirang Today:

Read These Blogs

A day on the set of AWESOME ASIAN BAD GUYS! Visual Communications' "A Day in Photos" feature chronicles a day on the set of National Film Society's webseries Awesome Asian Bad Guys.

IT HAPPENED TO ME: A Stranger Called Me A Chinese B*tch and Then Spat In My Face: When Andrea Park confronted a racist, sexist pig one night in New York City, she got spat in the face. If you're not an angry Asian yet... this story might guide you in the right direction.

An Oak Creek massacre can happen again: Opinion: "Consider: While the Wisconsin ceremony took place, national news channels broadcast images of al Qaeda terrorists with beards and turbans. Such misguided images of a turban and a beard continue to ignite bigotry."

Asian Passengers are Second Class Citizens on Major Airline: Recently, a passenger flying on Air France was ignored, refused a meal, and then taunted by the staff. What the hell?

This Week's Angriest Posts

Not necessarily the angriest, just the most viewed.

Watch people lose their sh*t when Alexander Wang gives away free clothes

FishbowlDC, racist jokes and the phrase that needs to die

Free Matt and Grace Huang

Is this the next "Gangnam Style"?

I Want To Go To There: The Ramen Burger

Chink's Steaks: Is this what happens when you do the right thing and change the racist name of your restaurant?

Behold, The World's Biggest Cup of Boba

No, ESPN. This kid's favorite band is not "Wandai Wrection."

KTVU's fake racist Asiana crew names came from an ex-pilot

Kevin Kwan's Crazy Rich Asians gets a movie deal

Stay Angry, my friends.