This is kind of cool... this Saturday, AMC will be airing a special network premiere Clint Eastwood's award-winning World War II epic Letters from Iwo Jima. The premiere event will feature the film with no commercial interruptions, in its original presentation in Japanese with English subtitles. (Frankly, I think it would be really really wrong to dub this movie.) The movie is a thoughtful portrait of the Japanese forces who held the island of Iwo Jima for 36 days during World War II. If you haven't seen the film, I'd recommend catching it or setting your Tivos...
This week, workers' rights advocacy group American Rights at Work launched a new campaign against Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao: ShameOnElaine.org. And why not? As George W's longest-serving cabinet member, she's turned the Department of Labor into an agency that screws America's workers and enables corporate giveaways, according to this very very critical Daily Kos post: What's wrong with Elaine Chao? Among other things, Chao's egregious policies include rollbacks of critical mine safety protections, hostility toward workers and their unions, and collaboration with corporate interests. Boooooo. Her awesome record goes on and on. Take a look for yourself over at ShameOnElaine.org.
So yesterday, Chris Matthews said his son hopped on the "Chinese Bus" from New York all the way to Washington. Whaaaat? Wonkette makes note of Matthews' remark, and what he probably meant to say: What Is This 'Chinese Bus' You Speak Of? Chinatown bus, right? Those creaky, cheap busrides that originate in Chinatown go all around the Northeast. But I guess Chris feels there's no need to make such a distinction. It's all Chinese, right? Minor quibble, but it definitely shows off his ignorance. (Thanks, Elaine.)
For those of you in New York, there's a very cool-looking exhibition opening today at Gallery Korea, Korean Cultural Service New York: Nam June Paik - Intimate and Meditative Works by the Master, dedicated to the work of late pioneer video artist Nam June Paik. He is often identified as one of the most significant representatives of art in the 20th century. Here are some details:
Nam June Paik Intimate and Meditative Works by the Master
February 13 - March 31, 2008 Gallery Korea, Korean Cultural Service New York
460 Park Avenue (between 57th & 58th St.), 6th Floor New York, NY 10022 (212) 759-9550
This exhibition highlights some of the less familiar, smaller and quieter works by Paik—drawings, sketches, prints, black-and-white photos, small objects and canvases. For further details, go here.
Here's a story on Japan's Kosuke Fukudome, who became the 10th Japanese position player to sign with a Major League Baseball team: A Cool-Thinking Hitter and a Long Title Drought. The left-handed, power-hitting outfielder will be playing with the Chicago Cubs, who go into spring training facing the 100th anniversary of their last World Series title. The goal for Fukudome: learn English, hit major league pitching, and help conquer the Cubs' curse.
This is a really well-written, powerful essay over at Salon.com by Gary Kamiya, who is hapa, on why he is supporting Barack Obama: Biracial, but not like me. It says he had been leaning towards Obama for a while, but hadn't yet made a final decision until he read the Senator's autobiography. So what made the difference? It was Obama's distinct journey of self-knowledge about his racial identity, and what that means for the future of America. The piece is a pretty good read, so take a look here.
The theatrical trailer for The Forbidden Kingdom popped up on Yahoo last week, and while it looks like it offers a few things to look forward to, there's not much to get excited about. As everybody knows, it's the long-awaited collaboration between action legends Jackie Chan and Jet Li. It's a matchup many have waited a long time to see... maybe a little too long now. Like I said, there's a lot of great looking stuff in this trailer. A Jet/Jackie fight? There's really no movie without it. The lovely Liu Yifei? Hot. The white-haired assassin lady? Extra hot. But then... you've got this dorky white kid. Whaaaat?
As we learned a while back, Forbidden Kingdom's story centers on an American teen who is transported back in time to ancient China (when/where everyone apparently speaks English), and joins a crew of warriors to help free the king. It seems that a Jackie Chan/Jet Li collaboration is not awesome enough to sell a movie. You gotta bring in the American teen to make it awesome. I fear this movie is doomed. And yet, I'd be lying if I said I'm not interested in seeing it. Personally, I would rather have seen a rough-and-tumble Jet/Jackie movie set in Hong Kong, circa 1994. But nobody asked me. You can watch The Forbidden Kingdom trailer for yourself here.
NAASCon, the National Asian American Student Conference, is seeking submissions for its newly launched campaign, "Hey Asian America, What's Goin' On?" in order to gain more insight into Asian Americans' experiences across the nation. Through your stories, they're hoping to connect students throughout various regions and discover the state of Asian America today. Here are the details:
What's Goin' On?
WHO: YOU! Asian-American students from around the country, high school, college, whatever!
WHAT: Telling our stories and experiences with and within the Asian-American student communities we come from, that we belong to, that we feel excluded from. This is not limited to activist stories! Tell us about the musical you sang in, the chemistry class you took, that girlfriend you fought with, that parade you were in, as long as it is through the lens of an Asian-American experience.
WHERE: Submit stories, 500-700 words, to naascon.news@gmail.com to be posted on our website at NAASCON.ORG
WHEN: Stories can be submitted between February 2 and March 1, 2008.
If you are from the East Coast, please join us for a discussion at the East Coast Asian American Student Union conference February 15-16, 2008 on the next steps to be taken after this campaign.
WHY: As Asian-American students spread across thousands of miles, we are isolated from each other’s experiences. Our hope as NAASCon is to use this collection of experiences to build solidarity and relationships across distance.
Students, speak out. What's your story? They want to know, in 500-700 words. The deadline is March 1. For more information, visit NAASCon.org.
This is absolutely crazy. In South Korea, a fire destroyed one the country's greatest national treasures, the 600-year-old Namdaemun gate in Seoul: South Korean Gate Destroyed in Fire. The oldest wooden structure in the city, it was completed in 1398 and served as the main southern entrance to Seoul, which was then a walled city. The gate survived both the Japanese occupation and the Korean War, only to be singlehandedly destroyed by a disgruntled arsonist.
A 69-year-old man suspected of setting the fire was arrested Monday night, apparently over some kind of land dispute. The man had also been charged in 2006 with setting fire to the Changgeyeong Palace in Seoul, which caused $4230 in damage. Sounds like this guy really needed a better way of dealing with his issues, rather than setting national treasures on fire. An entire nation is now mourning the loss of the Gate. And as we all know, Koreans take this kind of stuff seriously.
This story has apparently been making headlines in Illinois... In the city of Wheeling, 55-year-old Amante Enad was cited for getting his roasting pigs—getting his lechon on—which he donates to his church festival. He was ticketed earlier this month after appearing in a January 25 Chicago Tribune article about Filipino Americans who roast lechon, a cultural and culinary tradition, even during winter. Okay, no big deal, right? That's a fun story. But apparently, the town of Wheeling wasn't down with it...
Shortly after the article, officials from Wheeling's Community Development Department issued Enad a ticket for two violations of the village code: No barbecue is safe.. Why they gotta get in the way of a man's pig roasting? But wait. Since news of the citation got out, a libertarian group, the Philippines Consulate General in Chicago and the American Civil Liberties Union in Illinois have taken an interest in his case: Pig roaster's citations from Wheeling have Filipino consulate, ACLU, libertarians crying foul. Let the man roast!
My friends at the University of Southern California have partnered up with Visual Communications to present Hot Pants & Shorts: Best of the Fest, an APA short film festival highlighting some of the best work from last year's Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. The event happens tomorrow night, Wednesday, February 13 at USC. For details, see the flyer above. I'm not entirely sure about lineup of films, but I imagine it will look a little something like this.
A lot of people will be directing their attention to the "Potomac Primary" today, the latest battle in the race for the Democratic nomination... Here's an interesting Washington Post story looking at the impact of the area's diverse population of immigrants (one in five Washington residents is foreign born) and their U.S.-born adult children: Voices as Diverse as Their Backgrounds. The article includes some snapshots of young people who are mobilizing the vote effort, like Dave Kumar of "South Asians for Obama" and Annabel Park of 9500 Liberty. Get out and vote, my friends.
In San Diego, a 40-year-old travel agent was convicted last week for sexually assaulting two UCSD medical students in 2005 and 2006. Teddy Baek, dubbed the "Asian male smoker rapist"(!?) by members of the media, faces multiple life sentences for convictions on seven charges, including multiple counts of forced rape: Man Convicted of Raping Two Students. Creepy. All his victims were young Asian American women, whose apartments he broke into through an open window. Freak. Baek's sentencing will occur on March 14. Please get this guy behind bars as quickly as possible.
I first heard about this incident over a month ago, but it seems that the situation still hasn't gotten a proper resolution, or any satisfactory answers... On New Year's Eve, police in La Habra, CA shot and killed Michael Cho in a strip mall parking lot when he allegedly threatened officers with a tire iron. The killing has set off a great deal of criticism and controversy from community leaders who say police were too quick on the trigger when responding to a simple vandalism call: Deadly police shooting in O.C. angers Korean Americans.
The story of the shooting has been closely followed in the Korean-language media, gaining widespread scrutiny within the community, and putting pressure on the police to provide some answers about what happened, and why. Cho's family has reportedly hired attorney Mark Geragos' firm to represent them in a possible lawsuit against police. In addition, the Korean Community Lawyers' Assocation has assigned an attorney and hired an investigator to conduct a separate probe. Hopefully, legal action will lead to answers that authorities haven't provided.
I got caught up with last week's awesome episode of Lost, and forgot to mention all the other noteworthy stuff happening on TV last Thursday... As I've already mentioned, I instantly became a huge of fan of Kaba Modern after seeing their appearance on the audition show for MTV's America's Best Dance Crew. The crew, representing UC Irvine, is made up of Tony Tran, Mike Song, Yuri Tang, Lawrence Kao, Cindy Minowa and Jia Huang. Their audition killed, and last week's performance was even better, blowing the judges away once again. Check out the video from last week's performance. I also have to mention the JabbaWockeeZ, a crew of masked (mostly) Asian dudes who are absolutely phenomenal.
Forgot to mention the recent premiere of Eli Stone on ABC. The show's about a San Francisco attorney who has visions that guide him along to help people, like a modern prophet. Yay. Providing him with sage, Miyagi-like advice along the way is James Saito as Dr. Chen, an acupuncturist straight out of Chinatown. While I would've objected to yet another mystical Asian teacher character, I thought the show's take (at least, based on what I saw in the pilot episode) was a nice change of pace. The guy has no accent, though he fakes one for regular customers, because most people like to buy into that magical Ancient Chinese Secret crap. But it isn't all a sham, since he apparently has actual legit degrees in holistic medicine. He seemed like a regular dude with some good advice. Hopefully they'll give him more to do then offer a fortune cookie every week.
And last week, we saw the premiere of NBC's Lipstick Jungle, about a trio of successful career women living and loving in New York. Hey, isn't there already a show just like this on TV? Yeah. Not to be confused with the ABC's Cashmere Mafia, which is also about a group of successful career women living and loving in New York. They both even have Asian American actors as one of their central characters. In Lipstick Jungle's case, it's Lindsay Price, who you may recognize from a handful of failed television shows. She plays a fashion designer. I watched the premiere episode, and that's all I really needed to see—it's bad. I thought Cashmere Mafia was bad. This was almost painful. Maybe the two shows should have a crossover episode where all the ladies fight each other. I might actually watch that.
And finally, last Thursday was also the premiere of Survivor: Micronesia. This time around, it's Fan vs. Favorites, where a new crop of contenders are pitted against the show's past contestants. This includes our man, fan favorite Yau-Man Chan, the 55-year-old IT guy from Martinez, California. Despite his age, the guy was a serious contender two seasons back, and would've made it all the way to end if it wasn't for a fool named Dreamz. I'll be rooting for him again this time around. Go Yau-Man!
I know I've been posting a lot of casting calls lately, but I've got to post this latest one because it's just... funny. There's apparently a TV pilot currently in the works called The Deadliest Warrior, where they essentally take two warriors from different cultures/eras and pit them against each other and see who would win. For instance, the pilot episode is going to be Ninja vs. Spartan. I'm not kidding. But they're apparently having some trouble finding their ninja. I got this email:
Right now, I'm working on a TV pilot for called "The Deadliest Warrior". It's basically a show where they're going to take two warriors and pit them against each other and see who would win. They're going to test the strength of armor and weapons, put all that info into a computer and have the computer be the judge. Then there's going to be a final showdown between the two warriors. The pilot episode is going to be a Ninja vs. a Spartan. We found our Spartan but we're having trouble finding a Ninja. We're looking for someone Asian, over 18, has great martial arts skills (preferably Ninjitsu) and has great camera presence. If you know anyone or if you're able to post this on your site please have people contact me at ninjavspartan@gmail.com.
Does anyone else find this really funny... but also kind of awesome? Come on—tell me you're not curious about who would win in a fight between a Ninja and a Spartan. How about an army of 300 Spartans versus 300 ninjas? Holy moly, someone should make a movie about that.
Oh please. Stop with the fear-mongering. The CNN report from last week suggest that Chinese espionage operations within the U.S. maybe "much more extensive than perviously thought." That's right. Hordes of sneaky Chinese spies among us: Chinese spies in the US. Engineers in the office, teachers at your school, tourists at Disneyland, cooks at the Chinese restaurant... all here in America to steal your secrets. Fear them.
Except for, you know, the millions and millions of regular law-abiding folks of Chinese origin living in the United States. (Thanks, Brenda.)
UPDATE: Well, then again, I guess there are these guys: Analyst, Ex-engineer charged in spy case. A Defense Department analyst and a former engineer for Boeing Co. were charged Monday in separate spy cases for allegedly handing over military secrets to the Chinese government, according to the Justice Department. The two cases apparently have no connection, and it's just a coincidence that charges would be brought against both on the same day. Wait... real Chinese spies among us?
But hey, I guess China ain't the only country sending spies abroad: U.S. Diplomat Recalled After 'Spying' Allegations in Bolivia. ABC News reports that a U.S. diplomat asked a Fulbright Scholar and Peace Corps volunteers to "spy" on Cubans and Venezuelans in Bolivia. It happens.
Here's a good interview with Chinese Canadian director Yung Chang, talking about his documentary Up the Yangtze: Yung Chang on The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos on CBC. The film examines the effects of the construction of the massive Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River in China. It sounds pretty interesting, and has been receiving quite a bit of attention, screening last month at the Sundance Film Festival. Here's another interview from last month, straight from Park City: "Up The Yangtze" Director Yung Chang. To learn more about the film, visit the official site here. The movie opens in theaters in Canada starting February 8. (Thanks, Al.)
Be the first on your block to pick up the Festival guide hot off the press, meet local filmmakers, and mix and mingle with fellow festivalgoers!
Michelob Ultra drink special all night.
Tues, February 12, 2008 | 8pm-Midnight 111 Minna Gallery, 111 Minna Street, San Francisco $5 | Free Admission for CAAM Members, 21+ Tickets available at the door.
Featuring the sounds of: DJ Similak Chyld (Butterfly, FTC) - Hip Hop, Soul, Reggae DJ Brent Hall (Tasty Music) - Indielectrotechfunk Jams DJ Phatrick (Native Guns) - Soul, Hip Hop, Dancehall
Sponsored by Michelob Ultra and Energy 92.7
SFIAAFF knows how to kick things off right. Come on out, hang with your fellow festival fans, have a few drinks, and make some new friends. Also be sure to pick up the official festival guide, where you can check out this year's full lineup of films. It's always a fun time.
Also, just another reminder... be sure to vote for your favorite videos entries and help pick the winner of the I Luv Film Contest. The Top 6 finalists can be viewed here. Voting officially ends Tuesday, February 12, 2008 at 3pm PST.
This sounds like absolute madness, and I like it. According to Metroblogging Los Angeles, this fall, the L.A. Opera will be present an opera based on The Fly, with music by Howard Shore, libretto by David Henry Hwang, design by Dante Ferretti, conducted by Placido Domingo and directed by David Cronenberg: L.A. Opera to produce "The Fly." Yes, an opera based on Cronenberg's creepy 1986 film starring Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis. I can't even fathom what kind of insane experience this will be. But dude, where is that Bruce Lee musical David Henry Hwang is supposedly working on? That's what I really want to see.
In Japan, there is an entire town of Barack Obama supporters... the residents of Obama City in Fukui Prefecture in central Japan are down for Obama: Japanese Town of Obama Has New Hero. A group of Obama fans have actually formed a support group called "Group that Supports Barack Obama Voluntarily." Of course, none of them can actually vote for Obama in the election, but I guess they're just excited at the possibility that their city could share a name with the possible next American president. The cities of McCain and Clinton could not be reached for comment.
Could this be true? James Brown, The Godfather of Soul, has some Asian Soul running through his veins? Saw this over at Ed Lin's blog: Soul Brother #1 Was…Chinese? According to James Brown's autobiography, I Feel Good: A Memoir of a Life of Soul: "I also have some Chinese in me, at least as much as I have black (and maybe a little Egyptian King Tut thrown in for good measure). All you have to do is look at my face--it's all there." It's right there on page 54. Like Ed says, Soul Papa wasn't necessarily known for coherent thought, and had his share of mad moments... but at the very least, it's funny bit of trivia. Say it loud.
Got this from an keen-eyed reader named Alfie, who came across a stack of these flyers at a bar outside of Raleigh, North Carolina last week. Slant-eyed? That's creative. What a way to honor the occasion! Of course, you knkow, there's apparently "no offense" intended, as indicated by the little paranthetical disclaimer. An afterthought, most likely. I wonder how many people actually showed up in their "best Chinese outfit." That's racist! (Thanks, Alfie.)
ABC News has yet another story on the crazy saga of Anna Mae He, which appears to be drawing to a close of sorts: For the Love of Anna Mae. (As with previous articles reporting on this story, I feel like this one largely leans towards the Bakers' side of the conflict. But that's just me.) After years and years of legal battles and tears, the Hes are leaving for China today, February 9. Once out of the country, there's no guarantee when, or even if, they can return.
Before they left, for the sake of Anna Mae, they made one last effort to reconcile with the Bakers, the only family she knew and loved for most of her life. The Hes extended an invitation to the Bakers to help them celebrate Anna Mae's ninth birthday, which they accepted. I wonder how awkward that party was. Now, the He's are off to China, and there's no telling how this transition is going to rock Anna Mae's life. Best of luck to her...
According to the Selig Center for Economic Growth, Asian Americans represented $253 billion in spending power in 2001, and this number is projected to reach $528 billion by 2009. According to the most recent Census Bureau findings, there are 13.5 million Asian Americans, comprising 5% of the total U.S. population. There is also a sizeable proportion of Asian Americans who are business owners and entrepreneurs. Collectively speaking, we've got the money. So. The headline asks the key question: Asian Americans Are Good for Advertisers So Why Aren't Advertisers Listening?
Actress Camille Mana, a regular reader of this website, told me a while ago that she has a small role in the movie Smart People, with Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker, Thomas Haden Church and Ellen Page. Fresh from its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, the trailer hit the web a few weeks back. And look! Camille made it into the trailer! Very nice work, Miss Chen. The movie opens in theaters on April 11.
Ah, I almost forgot. The six finalists for the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival's I Luv Film Contest were announced last week, and their video entries are currently up and running here. They were supposed to create and submit a short video explaining why they should be SFIAAFF's next Festival Blogger. The winner will get a trip to the festival, including airfare, hotel stay and an all-access pass to all the screenings and events. It's a pretty sweet prize.
So, voting is now underway to select the winner. Go here, watch the entries, and rate your favorite. The video with the highest rating wins. Voting officially ends on Tuesday, February 12, at 3:00pm PST.
Portland-based Asian American dance-rock band The Slants are currently battling it out for supreme awesomeness in the Bodog Music Battle of the Bands. Having conquered the third round, sweeping the Northwest semi-regional finals, the band moves on to round four for an opportunity to win a million dollar recording contract. If you haven't heard their music, you should give it a try here. They've got a unique, powerful sound that recalls some serious old school synthpop. It's pretty wicked.
Next stop, Los Angeles, where The Slants will be performing on March 12 at The Avalon against several other bands. The band has set up a MySpace page specifically dedicated to rallying their fans for the Bodog battle. Check it out: myspace.com/slantsrockbodog.
There is currently some speculation going around that Pat Riley will be stepping down as coach of the Miami Heat. It's widely assumed that he'll choose a successor from his staff, with assistant coach Erik Spoelstra the front-runner take the reins if/when Riley steps down: Is a Coaching Change Coming in Miami? If that's the case, could Spoelstra be the first Asian American head coach in the NBA? (He's part-Filipino.) It could happen. Here's his coaching profile over at NBA.com: Erik Spoelstra.
"First of all, I think they have mentors who are much older than them who are training them up. You know -- how those terrorists have kids blow up, you know, Benazir Bhutto and so forth? You think the kids thought of it? I don't think so," Carcieri was quoted as saying.
The calls for an apology are coming from the Providence Youth Student Movement, which tries to develop leadership among Asian youth. Carcieri made the remark on January 22 to a columnist for The Providence Journal in response to students who had called the governor's decision to lay off three Southeast Asian-language interpreters "racist." Wrong or right, these kids were speaking their mind. Does that really warrant likening them to terrorists? That's just talking out of your ass, First Lady.
So, Chien over at Actually, Records sends me this link, the video for "Whiteley Screams, Denver Sleeps" by The Gold Medalists. I just checked it out, and I have no idea what I just watched. What the heck is this dude? Lots of people with bad hair, bad clothes, and really bad dance moves. In short, kind of awesome. The album is The City Lights Us On Fire, which came out a few months back. To learn more about The Gold Medalists, go here.
Spoiler warning: I'm going to talk about the TV show Lost, including tonight's episode. Yes, I saw last week's season premiere of Lost, and yes, it was awesome. The wait was worth it. As usual, we didn't get to see too much of Sun and Jin, and Sayid didn't get a whole lot to say either, but it was definitely great to have the whole gang back. (RIP, Charlie.) The episode opened up a whole new crazy direction for the show, throwing another dozen mysteries out there for us to wrap our heads around. We have entered the era of flash-forwards, and it's pretty damn ingenious.
I actually got an early look at tonight's episode, and it introduces a bunch of new characters—members of the team who have come to "rescue" the castaways... or maybe not. The new characters include Miles Strom ("maelstrom"?), played by Ken Leung, who appears to have some very interesting skills. I've been looking forward to seeing him on the show for months, and he does a great job. Tonight's episode, "Confirmed Dead," delves into a bit of the backstories of the new arrivals. It's the beginning of the end, my friends. I love this show.
So what happened? Why did Asian Americans and Latinos vote overwhelmingly for Clinton? I think Jeff Chang's analysis is well-written and makes some observations that are pretty dead-on (and rather provocative): Why Latinos and Asian Americans Went for Hillary. I like it so much, I'm reposting it here:
Why Latinos and Asian Americans Went for Hillary
Among Latino and Asian American circles, Super Tuesday brought a sense of giddiness. Thanks to the central importance of California to the primary elections, here was a chance to not just be heard, but to be recognized as a voting bloc right up there with the privileged masses of Iowa or New Hampshire. Boy, did they make some noise.
In California, while Obama took a plurality of white voters (including white males) and the overwhelming majority of African American voters, Hillary won the popular vote by 8 points. So how did Hillary make her 10% margin of victory? A big part of the answer was in the Latino and Asian American votes. A CNN exit poll last night indicated that Latinos in California went for Hillary by a 2-1 margin, and Asian Americans went for her 3-1. Democratic polls showed Hillary winning Latinos by 3-1.
Soon we'll be hearing a number of crackpot theories as to why this was so. Are Latinos and Asian Americans in fact slightly more conservative on immigration issues than everyone previously thought? Ridiculous. Are Latinos and Asian Americans unwilling to bring themselves to vote for a Black man? Get out of here with that.
The reason Hillary won is because the Latino and Asian American votes remain emergent, not yet insurgent.
Emergent voting blocs respond to leaders in their community. If the candidate wins the leader, she wins her followers. Insurgent voting blocs instead respond to calls for change, and may focus more on single issues or agendas. If a candidate stakes out a good position, she captures the community. Hillary played the politics of emergence.
Early, she locked down important leaders in the Latino and Asian American communities. In Los Angeles, that meant securing Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's support, and the predominantly Latino unions that have supported him. She also landed the support of Fabian Nunez and Dolores Huerta. In San Francisco, that meant seizing on Mayor Gavin Newsom's popularity amongst Asian Americans. She also captured a who's who of Asian American elected officials starting with Controller John Chiang and moving on down. Just as important, Hillary's campaign locked up a huge number of the leading Latino and Asian American party operatives--the people who actually deliver the voters.
All of them--from Villaraigosa to the Asian American precinct captain--were responding to what might be called aspirational politics. The individuals become proxies for the community. You hear them say in their campaigns, "When I win, you win." Clinton's main advantage is that she has the access to power and the party structures that deliver promises to officials and operatives. Obama doesn't. Emergent politics favors individuals seeking power. Think of it this way: Hillary, the woman candidate, is bringing Latino and Asian American leaders into the old-boy's network.
These leaders, in turn, deliver votes via their community's structures of power: business groups, labor unions, voter groups, community organizations. Those groups tend to deliver an older voter who is already "in the game", who can directly benefit from the opening of the old-boy's network. "Experience" really is a cover for "access".
Latinos and Asian Americans in California are overwhelmingly Democratic, and will likely remain so for a very long time because of Reep immigration demagoguery. But they also tend to be more mainstream and conservative. Remember that, to the great embarrassment of many Asian Americans, it was the influential Chinese American Democratic Club in San Francisco that sponsored anti-affirmative attacks on the prestigious Lowell High School. It's also possible Obama's call for change is received differently even among dissatisfied immigrants. Who better understands the disruption and dislocation that change can bring?
And finally, one should never underestimate the ability of Democratic party operatives to screw up a good thing. Although Obama is from Hawai'i, has Asian family members, and is beloved there, his largely white campaign staff blew it big time early in the campaign last year. After circulating an anti-outsourcing memo to the media that called Hillary "the Democrat from Punjab", Obama was forced to apologize and distance himself from his staff. The episode barely rippled outside of the community, barely inside of the community, to be fair. But it had a number of Asian American political insiders and campaign donors bolting for Hillary's camp.
Emergent groups are highly sensitive to perceived snubs. The so-called 80-20 Initiative, an effort led by former Delaware lieutenant governor S.B. Woo (a Democrat) to unite 80% of the Asian American electorate "defeat Obama", began when Obama staffers answered a yes-no questionnaire with a "well, yes but..." on a question asking whether he'd promote affirmative action for Asian Americans. Hillary's campaign, with ample access to Latino and Asian American leaders, never made any of these mistakes.
So Hillary won by old party-style top-down appeals to Latinos and Asian Americans. Dems shouldn't rest thinking that this strategy will hold for long. Younger Latino and Asian American voters were energized by Obama, and formed a visible and crucial part of his GOTV ground troops. They had an impact. Roberto Lovato notes that Obama was able to bring down Hillary's overall 4-1 advantage among Latino voters to a 3-2 advantage by Super Tuesday. It could be argued that Obama's bottom-up machinery hasn't yet taken full advantage of the pent-up energy amongst young Brown and Yellow voters.
When that power is unleashed, it will be unpredictable. The 1.5 generation, young Latino and Asian Americans from the ages of 16-40 who were born elsewhere but raised multilingual and multicultural in the U.S., represents a massive demographic bulge in those communities only beginning to feel itself. Before long, they will turn their communities' emergent vote into an insurgent vote. And then the country will really discover not just the necessity of the Latino and Asian American vote, but what it is that they really want.
It tells the story of Grace Kwon, a young Korean-American girl who, on her 18th birthday, finds herself in the company of her six-year-old self, her 29-year-old self and her 70-year-old self, three women who become a part of her life as she finishes out her last semester of high school before going off to her freshman year at Stanford.
Okay, I know it's intended for young readers, but I've been wanting to check this book out for a while, as I am a huge fan of Derek Kirk Kim's award-winning graphic novel Same Difference & Other Stories. Great book.
NPR's The Bryant Park Project recently had a great feature on one of my favorite books of all time, Gene Luen Yang's American Born Chinese. The link includes an audio slideshow narrated by Gene Luen Yang, where he explains some of the ideas that went into his characters and the story: Growing Up Chinese American, Graphically. Very interesting stuff.
Another book I really want to pick up is Kaz Kibuishi's Amulet, s new all-ages fantasy adventure series. The first book, The Stonekeeper, was published last month. Here's an excerpt from Amulet published in New York Magazine: Exclusive Comics Excerpt: Amulet
This year in Seattle, two new museums and a new traditional gate marking the city's Chinatown will be completed, formally acknowledging the role minority groups have played in shaping Seattle and the region (as well as remembering its racially turbulent past). In the Spring, the Wing Luke Museum, named for the first Asian American elected to public office in the Northwest, will reopen after a major expansion into a historic building in the Chinatown section of the city's International District. And this Saturday, the new Chinatown gate--more than fifty years in the making--will be formally opened.
A couple of keen readers spotted this on a casting website, a call for an Asian character in an upcoming spoof comedy, Not Another Underdog Story. And it sounds really, really, really bad:
Union Status SAG Rate Meals
Submissions Due By 2/7/2008 Director TBD Producer Alejandro Salomon Production Company Takito Productions / Open Window Productions
Submission Due By Note NO AGENTS OR MANAGERS PLEASE
Synopsis NOT ANOTHER UNDERDOG STORY is a parody of the entire Rocky saga, The 40 Year Old Virgin, The Girl Next Door, The Pursuit of Hapyness, and more. Even though it's a parody, it is written more in the style of movies like superbad and knocked up.
Project Notes This is only for a table read. We encourage SAG actors to read because the movie will be under a SAG contract, but if you are a non union actor feel free to submit yourself too. NO PAY, only meals, and a chance to get to know the producers of the movie. Some characters may be casted off the reading.
IF YOU ARE NOT COMFORTABLE WITH OFFENSIVE MATERIAL PLEASE DO NOT SUBMIT
CHINK / SAG / Lead / Male / Asian / 20-40 Chink is an evil man. Has the mentality of a selfish and disrespectful human being. His number 1 priority is getting his money for crack. Very short and skinny. ALSO: If you have a prolem with OFFENSIVE material please do not submit. Rate: MEALS/TABLEREAD
No good can possibly come out of this. It obviously intends to be offensive. I mean, the dude's name is Chink. Good Lord, I hope nobody submits for this. That's racist!
So by now, you've probably heard about those two racist commercials for Salesgenie.com that aired during the Super Bowl. You know, the ones with the Chinese Pandas and the South Asian dude named Ramesh. Judging from the amount of mail I got about them, you're like me, and when you saw them during the broadcast, you yelled a big fat WTF at the TV screen.
As we pointed out before, the messed up part is that the company was apparently trying to make these commercials the worst Super Bowl ads possible: Salesgenie.com Ready to Reclaim Crown as Super Bowl's 'Worst Ad' Champion. No expensive ad firms hired here. The commercials were conceptualized and written personally by Vin Gupta, founder and chairman of InfoUSA, parent of Salesgenie.com. Yes, because even the worst Super Bowl ad gets some attention.
Yesterday, Gupta said he was sorry for the ads ("We never thought anyone would be offended"), and promised to stop running the one with the Chinese pandas: An Ad With Talking Pandas, Maybe, but Not With Chinese Accents. Why does this apology seem less than genuine? He already admitted he wanted to make the worst ads possible. It's not a stretch to think they purposely decided to offend a few million Asians to get people talking. And it worked.
Look at us. We're mad, we're talking about the damn ad, and now they've got another story about their company in the New York Times. Hell, they didn't even have to hire an ad agency. With the announcement that they're pulling these ads, there will now be legions of folks who flock online to watch the commercial and see what the fuss is about. All this, and now you've got a lot of people suddenly aware of a no-name company nobody would've given a crap about in the first place. Nobody's sorry about anything here.
All day, been reading which candidate won what, how they won it, who voted for them, and how Asian Americans fit into all the madness... particularly the Democratic race in the key state of California. The way it breaks down, Senator Obama carried white voters in the Golden State because of overwhelming support among white men. White women, as in other states, more often supported Senator Clinton. Black voters overwhelmingly favored Obama, but Asian American voters, whose numbers are comparable to blacks, went overwhelmingly for Clinton. The deciding factor seems to have been Latino voters, who make up roughly 30 percent of California's Democratic vote, and chose Clinton by a two-to-one margin. Here's a full breakdown of the Democratic vote in California.
When all was said and done, among Asian Americans, who make up 8% of Democrats in California, Clinton received 75 percent of the vote compared to Obama's 25 percent. Here's a story on the influence of the Asian American vote: Overlooked Asian voters boost Clinton. Really. It's worth noting how mainstream media has largely ignored the influence of Asian American voters in this race up to now. Most of the coverage I watched on Tuesday night barely even mentioned us, even though Asian voters actually outnumber Black voters in California. What are we, invisible? Not anymore, so you better check it.
Oh, it's on. And it's obviously going to be one hell of a race. On to Washington, Kansas, Louisiana, DC, Maryland, Virginia... View the complete primary calendar here.
For weeks, I've been hearing about a new Nickelodeon show, Ni Hao, Kai-lan, intended to introduce preschoolers to Chinese culture and language. The animated half-hour series is designed to teach 2-5 year olds Mandarin words and phrases, kind of like a Chinese Dora the Explorer. The show was created by Karen Chau, who apparently drew on her own experiences growing up in a Chinese American family. Here's an excerpt from the press release:
Ni Hao, Kai-lan stars Kai-lan Chow, a playful, adventurous bi-lingual preschooler with a big heart, who speaks both English and Mandarin. Kai-lan's world is infused with Chinese culture, from the dumplings she eats and the lanterns that adorn her house to the huge Chinese New Year celebration she has with her family and friends. The series centers on Kai-lan and her relationships with her grandfather Yeye and her animal friends. Yeye plays a major role in her life as he gently and playfully guides her to her own discoveries. Kai-lan is a natural leader who is thoughtful and caring and has a gift for helping her friends when they really need her. Her best friends are Rintoo, a rambunctious five-year-old tiger who loves to play; Tolee, a five-year-old koala who always puts his friends first; Hoho, a three-year-old monkey full of boundless energy; and Lulu, a happy six-year-old pink rhino.
The series focuses on issues common to preschoolers such as taking turns, disappointment and jealousy, and supports an emotional intelligence curriculum highlighting cause and effect thinking in the social/emotional world. Ni Hao, Kai-lan provides simple coping strategies, set to song, that teach valuable lessons. Kai-lan strives to understand how things are linked together and she always wants to find out the reason why. Every episode follows the adventures of Kai–lan and her friends as they learn to identify their emotions and stop to consider the feelings of others. Kai-Lan leads them as they tackle such issues as what caused Rintoo to get mad, or how patience and practice help Tolee get better at rhyming.
Learn a little more about the show in this behind-the-scenes video. Goodness, it's insanely cute. The show premieres tomorrow, Thursday, February 7, the first day of the Chinese New Year, on Nick Jr.
I think this show is a great idea. We're living in a day and age where all you hear about are the evil Chinese government, the contaminated Chinese food, the toxic Chinese toys... Basically, as a society, we've built a rhetoric about being wary of all things Chinese. So introducing young American children to Chinese culture and language through this show is an interesting way to cut through that mystique. Granted, it's Nick Jr. There are going to be dancing koalas and tigers and stuff. But the kids are gonna dig it... and learn some Chinese along the way.
This is for you folks in New York... this Saturday, check out the Korean American Film Festival New York. It's a one-day only deal—the only New York event dedicated to showcasing work by Korean American filmmakers.
The festival includes a really nice collection of short films, a 11-minute preview of Benson Lee's documentary Planet B-boy, and a feature screening of Juwan Chung's award-winning gangster drama Baby. And complimentary Red Mango. Yes, you want it.
It's all going down Saturday, February 9 at the Skirball Center for The Performing Arts at NYU. Should be a really interesting, fun event. To learn more about KAFFNY, visit the website here, and visit the festival's MySpace page here.
I don't really follow the sport of mixed martial arts, but it's worth pointing out that UFC President Dana White recently appeared on a radio show and referred to South Korea fighter Choi Hong-Man as "Long Duck Dong": Dana White Dana calls Choi Hong-Man "long duck dong." He was trying to emphasize how much Choi's recent opponent, some dude named Fedor, sucks. That's a hell of a cheap shot. And no, he didn't call him "Long Duck Dong" because Choi reminds him of Gedde Watanabe. It's the easiest little pejorative Asian name he could think of. That's racist! I'm surprised he didn't just call him "Ching Chong." I guess Dana White is a Sixteen Candles fan.
Got this little casting call from Michael Ching, who's casting a non-union Korean indie film in the Bay Area called Chaw. They're looking to cast 11 Korean-speaking actors as principles, men and women of varying ages who must speak Korea fluently. Here are the details:
We would like to cast 11 Korean speaking actors as principles. 8 men 30-50 yrs old 1 old man 70-90's, 1 toddler, boy or girl, age 3 to 4yrs old (Non speaking principle) 1 female 30-40 yrs old and 1 school girl 14-16 yrs old. All speaking roles paid $250.00 per day. Must speak Korean fluently. Distribution in Korea, possible International distribution.
Auditions Feb 8 and 9 in San Rafael. Can only hire as local actors so housing and per diem not available. I will give audition appointment and location to those who fit the characters above. Out of town actors who are not available for audition dates may send DVD or Tapes of themselves in the scenes. Remember all dialogue is in Korean. Contact Grant Ave Casting for sides. Must be available for callbacks the week of Feb 13th.
Background actors needed as well. 140 of all types Asian only should look Korean paid $100.00 per day. Just send photo and contact info directly to Grant Ave Casting.
Shoots March 10th to April 11th in Northern California Marin County.
Synopsis: Present time Korea : Hunters find regurgitated human remains while in the forest at the foot of Mt Jiri. They run for their lives when "Chaw" finds them.
Email contact info, headshot and resume to michael@grantavecasting.com or call 925-284-1890.
Bay Area Korean American actors, maybe this you. Wouldn't you like to play a Korean hunter who gets chased and eaten by "Chaw"? I guess they'll find a way to make Marin County double for South Korea.
According to this San Francisco Chronicle story, reporting for ethnic media has been the most dangerous journalism job in the United States for the last thirty years: Grassroots ethnic reporting a perilous calling.
Since 1976, 11 of 13 journalists killed in the United States in apparent retaliation for their reporting worked for the ethnic press. These slain reporters include Lam Trong Duong, who was shot in 1981 by an anti-communist group in San Francisco, and Henry Liu, killed in 1984 by hit men hired by the Taiwanese government.
Man, you hear a lot about American journalists running into danger abroad, but who knew reporting for ethnic media in America could be so deadly?
The international trailer for John Woo's Red Cliff hit the web last week, and it's... interesting. View it here. It's definitely not the kind of movie you've come to expect from John Woo, who hasn't done a period martial arts movie in over 30 years. The movie's a big, bulging costume epic starring Tony Leung and bunch of other dudes with swords, and based on the legendary Battle of Red Cliff, in which a force of fifty thousand defeated an army of nearly one million.
Frankly, I sort of see this movie as John Woo's last grasp at greatness. Let's face it—with a growing resume of stinkers like Mission: Impossible, Windtalkers and Paycheck, he hasn't really made anything even close to Hard Boiled in a really long time. Red Cliff could be the comeback we've been waiting for. I'm actually kind tired of the genre, which got jumpstarted by Crouching Tiger, but it seems like people just get can't enough of these big, swooping Chinese costume epics. And I'll admit, this doesn't look half bad.
True to John Woo's signature style, expect to see lots of slow motion shots, and maybe a random dove or two. Hell, maybe we'll see Chow Yun Fat making a cameo, jumping through the air with two guns with two guns blazing.
At number 6, the list includes Masanori "Mash" Murakami, the first Japanese-born player ever to play in the Major League. Enjoying a solid two-year stint with the San Francisco Giants in 164-65 before returning home, he paved the way for future Asian players to come... sort of. Unfortunately, it would be another thirty years until another Japanese player came along, when Hideo Nomo joined the Major League in 1995, later followed by guys like Ichiro, Matsui and Matsuzaka. It ain't easy being a trailblazer. (Thanks, Curtis.)
Just a reminder... Eric Byler's indie anti-romance Tre is currently playing in Southern California, and opens this Friday in Chicago, and in San Francisco next week. Thank you to everyone who entered last week's ticket giveaway. Congratulations to our winners: Steve K., Jonathan W., Jenny P., Grant K. and KG S. They each scored a pair of tickets to see a screening of Tre at the Laemmle Sunset 5 or Laemmle One Colorado.
If you haven't heard, it's "Super Tuesday." If your state is having elections today, please get out and vote. Maybe more than ever before, your vote will count, and it will make a difference. Because, man, the race is tight: Your vote really, really, really matters in the Democratic primaries. For information on finding your nearest polling location today, go here.
Barack Obama for President. View the big, hi-def version here. More on the origins of this song and video, from Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas: Why I Recorded Yes We Can
Here's an article on Asian American Democrats, whose voice and vote are more significant than ever, and are playing a key role in this year's elections: Asian Americans weigh in on Dems
Hon. Norman Y. Mineta, Member of Congress (D-San Jose;1975-1995), US Secretary of Commerce (2000-2001), and US Secretary of Transportation (2001-2006), has endorsed Senator Barack Obama for President: Two Senior California Democrats Endorse Obama. He's a well-respected, experienced veteran of civic and political leadership, and one of Asian America's true pioneer leaders, and to me, this endorsement means a big deal.
Here's an opinion piece in the San Francisco Chronicle on why Asian Americans should vote for Barack Obama, written by Grande Lum, a mediator, author and lecturer on negotiation at UC Berkeley Law School: PRIMARY VIEWS
Hey, my blogger friends over at Racialicious have also officially stepped out and are endorsing Obama for President, with some very well-written appeals: Racialicious for Obama
This TIME article about Obama's celebrity supporters mentions Kelly Hu and her effort to mobilize Asian American voters, making note of the campaign parties she attended over the weekend, and her participation in the "Yes We Can" video: Obama's Celebrity Army
Got this passed along to me froma friend. Movie producer Janet Yang has some thoughts on voting for Barack Obama for President:
I am exhausted and bleary-eyed from too many nights with too little sleep. My mind can't stop racing and my heartbeat is unusually quickened. I speak to many who are in a similar state. Am I in love? Have I caught a fever?
Actually yes on both fronts, and the culprit of this heightened state of existence is a married man whom I have met only a handful of times. Once, I got to kiss him on the cheek. He is having an effect on so many people like me for a reason -- because for the first time in our lives we care DESPERATELY that he become the next President of the United States of America. His name is Barack Obama and we are convinced, that whatever the outcome of the election, he is already making history.
I ask myself why this man? What are the qualities he embodies that have created a veritable national movement? I try to look at this moment in time with objectivity, and I see two revolutions taking place simultaneously. One is the technological revolution. It is the one that's changed my life because I no longer have to worry about returning phone calls within the proscribed hours of a business day. I can instantaneously and effortlessly "talk" to people all over the world – and if I don't get to them when I need to, I have only myself to blame. It is the revolution that allows people to find the right mate, apartment, object, factoid, to near perfection. It brings like-minded people together, whether one's thing is collecting 18th century antiquities or "furries," exploring the limits of the universe or reveling in the nuance of a birdsong. It is a revolution that encourages people to be extremely particular, evolved, and individualized in their identity. If you can design your profile with your own words and pictures, checking boxes to declare who you are is suddenly terribly unsatisfying. Those boxes just don't fit who we are most of the time.
This revolution has given the individual the tools for unlimited empowerment -- to flourish, express, seek, beckon -- in an uncompromised way.
The second revolution is the spiritual revolution. This revolution has been quietly taking place for decades. It is evidenced by the books that make it to NY Times bestseller lists. Although often termed "new age", this revolution is fueled by notions taken from ancient and Eastern religions and medicine. It recognizes what scientists today now say is "provable" -- that we are comprised not so much of matter as energy. Our very beliefs can affect the "real" world around us. We are all interrelated in this swirl of energy that we call the universe. What one person does affects another.
These two revolutions have something in common – they are truly grass-roots by nature. They are not being dictated from above by government or any institution. Rather, the traditional institutions have some trepidation about their uncontrolled nature and must try hard to stay abreast of their emerging trends. In these revolutions, each person counts. Each person is a hit on a site, or someone newly empowered. There is usually no regard to race, status, geography, party affiliation. These revolutions, in my opinion, together can bring about something akin to our liberation as a human race. By this I mean we can strive to become our most fully realized selves, in all our uniqueness and authenticity, and still recognize that we are irrefutably in this together as one. Rather than trying to "fit in" to the types cranked out by statistical analysis or lifestyles projected from TV shows, as many of us have done in the past, I have a soaring hope that we can now create a world that truly represents who we are.
Barack Obama is so popular, especially amongst youth, because he has an innate understanding of this phenomenon. He recognizes that our separation will be our downfall, that we can no longer afford to compartmentalize our demographics or ignore what's going on on the other side of town or the world. Artists must talk to scientists; young must talk to old; Muslims must talk to Christians; laborers must talk to CEO's, if we are to survive. For the first time ever, we have the tools for reaching virtually everyone. And we have no excuse not to.
We have been living at least this past century overly enamored with the notions of categorization, specialization, division of labor, delineation of race, differences of age, differentiation of gender. We have lost our humanity, and even an innate sense of logic, in the process.
More and more, young people especially don't want to be categorized. They seem to recognize that society should not be dominated by any one group of people. They are better informed, more self-aware and more worldly than we were at their age. I tell my nine-year old that he will be better equipped to solve the problems of the world than I am. These are new problems that we have never faced before – how could anyone trust someone like me, who was foolhardy enough to slather baby oil on my body to further attract the sun's rays, to handle global warming?
I am glad Barack Obama is relatively young. He is, for the record, barely younger than Bill Clinton or JFK when they assumed office. But his refreshingly unencumbered life in politics is a tremendous asset for me. How else can someone be clear-thinking and bring fresh ideas to the mix? How else can you see through the glass we've made murky and clouded to see it still, half-full?
Barack Obama is a person first, and a politician second. In this coming era, it is so important that we look at who are, and not just what we do. He has the substance of character and that unseen power the Chinese call "qi" that serve him well beyond the political arena. He is an authentic human being with an unneat personal history – like so many of us. He has taken his God-given attributes and made the most of them. He has courageously embraced his soul's journey and found his calling in life. He has tapped into the zeitgeist of what undeniably already is. Barack Obama is the one whose hand I want to hold when marching into the uncertain future.
Janet Yang is a film producer of such works as THE JOY LUCK CLUB, THE PEOPLE VS. LARRY FLYNT, ZERO EFFECT, HIGH CRIMES, and the soon to be released DARK MATTER, with Meryl Streep and Chinese star Liu Ye.
Concerned that China and ethnic Chinese are not always understood in the United States, Walter and Shirley Wang, a couple from Bel-Air, CA, announced on Friday that they would give $1 million to UCLA to establish the nation's first endowed academic chair on U.S.-China relations and Chinese American studies: Couple gives UCLA $1 million to further Chinese American studies.
The gift will also fund a media program to educate the public and policymakers. The program will establish a website, media and policy handbook, and a database of experts about Chinese American issues. This is great gift and opportunity. Given all the negative press U.S.-Chinese relations has gotten over the last few years, and with news of lead-poisoned toy recalls happening, like, every week, this is seriously some welcome news.
Here's some interesting news about the new Rambo movie that I hated so much. Police in Myanmar have reportedly given DVD bootleggers strict orders not to stock and sell the movie: Myanmar junta takes aim at latest Rambo movie. Can't say this is unexpected, right? Considering the movie features Sylvester Stallone taking on country's ruling military junta#151;and winning. And also no suprise, despite the prohibition, pirated copies of the movie are widely available, and selling like crazy. It's apparently become a very popular talking point among Myanmar's population, which has been under military rule for over 40 years. I suppose if anyone might be happy to see Rambo kicking the junta's ass, it's them.
In this video, some leaders in the API community voice their support for Senator Obama and his campaign for President.
A Field Poll released today shows California respondents labeled "Asian/Other" now favoring Obama by 36 percent to Clinton's 32 percent: Poll Indicates California Asian Americans Now Favoring Obama. Crazy. Sure, there's a margin for error, but that's still a huge gain for Obama among Asian Americans, considering the same poll showed him trailing Clinton by 19 percent in mid-January.
AsiansVote.com has posted a good interview with San Francisco School Board member Jane Kim about her endorsement of Obama: SF School Board member Jane Kim discusses her endorsement of Barack Obama. She quotes writer Michael Chabon, regarding his decision making process to support Obama, "I had to give myself permission to feel hope. I had to allow myself to do something I had never done before in my life -- to believe."
For those of you in the Bay Area, my buddy Gene Rhee's film The Trouble With Romance will be screening at Berkeley's Pacific Film Archive tomorrow night, February 4, as part of the Asian Pacific American Student Development (APASD) office's annual film screening, co-presented by the Center for Asian American Media. It's an indie romantic comedy revolving around four couples (and their dysfunctions) spending one crazy evening at the same hotel. The movie stars Roger Fan, Emily Liu, Sheetal Sheth, Steve from Sex and the City, Mayor Gavin Newsom's girlfriend, and more. It's a fun little flick (my favorite story is easily the one with Roger and Emily). Here are some details on the screening:
"The Trouble With Romance" February 4th Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive 2625 Durant Avenue Berkeley, CA 94720-2250
7:00 Doors open 7:10 Opening remarks 7:15 Short Film called "Fishbowl" will screen 7:55 Feature Screening of "The Trouble with Romance" 9:30 Q&A session
Director Gene Rhee will be in attendance, as well as actress Jennifer Siebel (Gavin's gal). For more info about the event, go here. For more information about The Trouble with Romance, go here. Also screening that evening before Trouble is the late Kayo Hatta's short film from a few years back, Fishbowl. It's this wonderful coming-of-age story set in 1970s Hawaii. I highly recommend checking it out. So there, you have two good reasons to head out to Berkeley on Monday night. Be there!
Got some info recently passed along to me about the death of 27-year-old Kapali Swamy. Kapali was killed in Cullman, Alabama on November 18, when he was punched twice in the face by Christopher Brett Pennington—a guy he was actually giving a ride home that night. Somehow, in January, a grand jury inexplicably decided—in a closed hearing—not to indict Pennington on a single charge. And now friends and family, who are alleging incompetence or bias in this process, are searching for any kind of justice for Kapali. Here are some key facts about the case:
The details of the events leading to the crime are as follows. Three individuals (all names have been released to the public)—Kapali Swamy, Gina Gonzalez, and Christopher Brett Pennington were driving to Pennington's residence shortly after 6am on 11/18; Kapali was kindly giving Pennington a ride home from a night out in Birmingham. Apparently, during the drive and after stopping the car, Kapali and Gina became involved in a heated verbal argument. Once they exited the car the argument continued, at which time Pennington approached Kapali. Words were exchanged, and then Pennington escalated a verbal confrontation to a physical one by punching Kapali—apparently twice. Kapali fell to the ground and was found to be pulseless and without any signs of life when emergency medical personnel arrived a few minutes later. Pennington's right fist was bruised, but his body was without any other signs of an altercation. Gina and a third party witness both assert that Kapali did not touch either Pennington or Gina.
The key evidence supporting the crime is as follows: 1) The alleged perpetrator fully confessed to punching Kapali in his statement to police. 2) Two independent eye-witnesses gave consistent descriptions of the events surrounding his death, directly implicating Pennington as the responsible party. 3) These witnesses confirmed that Kapali did not initiate any physical conflict. 4) The autopsy confirmed the cause of Kapali's death as massive brain hemorrhage and brainstem herniation, the direct result of "homicide."
Despite the concrete, compelling evidence that a crime was committed, a Cullman, Alabama grand jury, in January 2008, inexplicably decided — in a closed hearing — not to indict Pennington on a single charge. And so a killer walks free.
The grand jury determined that there was insufficient evidence to move forward and the case was dismissed.
Based on the Grand Jury's decision, we can only conclude that this appalling injustice was likely the result of either complete incompetence on the part of the local legal system, or, more concerning, a crude and malicious bigotry that devalued Kapali Swamy's life because he was not white and not local, and hence not worthy of being defended by the law.
Read more about the situation here. This is ridiculous. It's worth noting the Cullman, Alabama is very small, racially homogenous community. The population is nearly all-white, and the region apparently sees frequent KKK activity. Excuse me if I'm a little skeptical about the jury's decision, given the circumstances of Kapali's murder. His friends have started an online petition calling for the Alabama State Attorney General's Office or the Federal Government should mount an investigation into the prosecution of Kapali's case: Justice for Kapali Swamy: A Call to fight Bias and Racism in the Justice System
The above photo popped up on TMZ.com the other day: Lil' Kim Goes Asian -- and Dim Sum. It's really freaky. I don't know if that's really Lil' Kim (if so, plastic surgery and mental health has seriously failed her) or someone who's just the bad Asian look-alike version of her, but the worst part is really TMZ's commentary:
"For the love of Bai Ling, somebody call Dr. Jan Adams! Lil' Kim's face (left) is a completely different race than the rest of her body. Paging the Joy Luck Club! ...Lil' Kimchee almost got people to forget about her Rainbow Brite ensemblemess of an outfit -- by debuting her new Kabuki face. She's gone too far this time -- Far East! Sayonara!"
Wow, someone thinks they're being clever. How many stereotypical references can you cram into one photo caption? It's just lazy. That's racist!
The sports world's biggest event went down this weekend, and no, it wasn't the Super Bowl... on Saturday night, the Houston Rockets played the Milwaukee Bucks, but more importantly, it was the rematch of 7'6" Yao Ming and 7-foot Yi Jianlian—a game expected to draw a television audience in China greater than the size of the Super Bowl: Lunar New Year Is Like Christmas. Their first matchup back in November was broadcast on four stations, including the government-run CCTV, and drew an audience of more than 200 million fans. Alas, last night's much-hyped Yao vs. Yi matchup didn't quite live up to its billing, with relatively quiet nights for China's greatest NBA stars. Houston beat Milwaukee, 91-83: Yao's Rockets beat Yi's Bucks
Okay. Just saw this wack stupid Super Bowl commercial for Salesgenie.com, featuring a bunch of poorly animated pandas with idiotic Asian accents. So unnecessary. They appear to own a furniture store that's not doing so well, but thanks to Salegenie.com, they turn their store into an Ikea-like megastore, complete with a stereotypical wonton font sign. Boo. As if that wasn't bad enough, they've got another commercial with an Indian-accented guy behind a desk getting yelled at by his boss. You know, because foreign accents are funny—from both pandas and people. View both the commercials here. That's racist!
This SFGate blog has already made note of the commercial, remarking, "The most notable ad in these two breaks was the horribly unfunny and tasteless Salesgenie ad, with Pandas speaking in Chinese accents. Someone's going to be apologizing tomorrow. And the next day. And the day after that." Yeah, thanks for reinforcing racist stereotypes to the nation's largest television viewing audience of the year.
UPDATE: The worst part is, the company was apparently trying to make these commercials the worst Super Bowl ads possible: Salesgenie.com Ready to Reclaim Crown as Super Bowl's 'Worst Ad' Champion. They succeeded. And here's the sad truth: any sort of controversy these ads stir up will likely just give more publicity to a no-name company that nobody ever gave a crap about in the first place. We can't win.
Holy smokes! Kina won! I'm watching the Super Bowl right now and what do I see during the commercial break right after the first quarter? The music video for Kina Grannis' "Message From Your Heart." She won! Your votes got her the top spot in Doritos Crash the Super Bowl contest. As a result, her music video got aired during the Super Bowl (huge) and she gets a record deal with Interscope Records (also huge). That's pretty awesome exposure. Congratulations, Kina! We're expecting great things from you. Check out her website here.
I really like this letter-to-the-editor written by Jenn Fang of Reappropriate, in support of Obama for President, written to New American Media: One Asian Passionate About Obama. I'm re-posting it here:
Dear Editor,
This year will be a turning point for Asian and Pacific Islander. More than in any other election year, a growing number of Asian Americans—from all walks of life—are becoming involved in the American political process. Most Asian Americans vote Democratic, and in this year's tight Democratic race, we have the unique opportunity to demonstrate our political will in support of a diverse group of candidates. Of the three candidates, Senator Barack Obama most closely represents the interests of Asian Americans. Senator Obama has formed an Asian Pacific Islander American Leadership Council that brings the concerns of Asian Americans to the forefront of this campaign season. Consequently, the Obama campaign does not merely perceive our community as an ample source of fundraising dollars; Obama is the only Democratic candidate to recognize the obstacles still faced by Asian Americans and to release a plan for aiding the Asian American community. As a people, Asian Americans are very familiar with the struggles of being an immigrant in a new country. If we are not ourselves naturalized immigrants, we are the sons, daughters, brothers and sisters of first-generation Asian Americans. Many immigrants arrive in America without furniture or clothing, and must save every penny just to get by. Many immigrants have trouble finding or keeping jobs matching their level of education either because of their broken English or their Asian faces. And many immigrants feel isolated from their families and neglected by a country that provides few resources to help struggling immigrants and their children achieve the American Dream that brought every American (Asian or otherwise) to this country. As an Illinois state senator, Obama was also a strong advocate for protecting minority-owned small businesses and improving K-12 education. Obama was influential in immigration reform to ease the process of immigration and naturalization. Under an Obama presidency, Asian Americans would benefit from a $2500 reduction in healthcare costs for the average family, allowing the estimated 17.2% of uninsured Asian Americans to afford quality healthcare. Recognizing that over half of the Asian American community has achieved a bachelor's degree or higher, but that an increasingly large segment of the Asian American community is having a difficult time paying for tuition, Obama would make the first $4,000 of college-level tuition free. And Senator Obama has committed to the Asian American community that he will end workplace discrimination and maintain open lines of communication to established Asian American leadership throughout his presidency.
Obama's full plan for Asian Americans can be downloaded at http://apaforobama.com/. (The site contains translations of Obama's plan in Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese.)
But beyond this list of propositions for aiding the Asian American community, Senator Barack Obama is the candidate who most closely understands what it is like to be an Asian American. Obama grew up in Hawaii surrounded by a majority of Asian American people. As a child, Obama lived in Indonesia, where he experienced first-hand what it is like to adapt to a new country. Obama's immediate family includes two Asian Americans: his part-Indonesian half-sister Maya Soetoro and her Chinese-American husband—Obama's brother-in-law—Konrad Ng, both of whom are now Obama's close advisors. Returning to America for higher education, Obama dedicated his life to helping communities like ours find a political voice. In return, several influential Asian American leaders and organizations have endorsed Barack Obama for president, including the Asian American Action Fund of Greater Chicago and Asian Pacific Americans for Progress.
Asian Americans can ill-afford to remain divided, or to continue to vote against our community interests; we must unite behind a candidate who is willing to have an open and honest conversation with us about improving our lives and the lives of our children. Senator Barack Obama recognizes Asian American people as Americans deserving of the same opportunities, benefits and protections afforded to every other citizen. He has a demonstrated history of fighting for a new America that takes care of all its citizens, not just those who have been here the longest and have had the fewest problems.
But it is our responsibility to help Obama make that vision a reality. On February 5th, I strongly urge Asian Americans to vote the candidate who is the most familiar with, the most committed to, and the most respectful of the Asian American community: Senator Barack Obama.
Sincerely,
J. Fang
Jenn also put a call out for everyone to write their own letter. Sending a letter to the editor of your local newspaper is a great way to spread the word about who your supporting for President (in my and Jenn's case, Barack Obama), and is another component of taking part in the political process. Contact information for many newspapers and magazines around the country can be found at www.publishaletter.com.
An informal group representing more than 300 elderly Vietnamese Americans in Boston are hoping to establish a central burial ground for their final resting place: Coming of age. Basically, as they enter their twilight years, they'd like to know that they'll be buried together, at a place where the religious and communal rights of their culture will be honored. At this point in their lives, it's a real concern. But cemetary space in the city is apparently running out... and so is time.
Asian behaving badly... voter fraud edition. This week in Chicago, Anish Eapen, a ward superintendent handpicked by the City Council's 80-year-old elder statesman, Ald. Bernard Stone, was arrested and charged with improperly steering primarily Indian and Pakistani voters toward absentee ballots for Stone: Ward superintendent charged with vote fraud.
Eapen faces two counts of official misconduct, three counts of absentee ballot fraud and one count of mutilation of election materials. A source familiar with the investigation said Eapen "would target different people—primarily Indian and Pakistani voters—and suggest that they take absentee ballots. They would give them reasons why they should be taking absentee ballots—not necessarily valid reasons. They would be present when they filled out the application for the absentee ballot and, in some instances, they would bring the absentee ballot back to the people to vote." Caught, sucka!
, and editor of 
