Angry Asian Man

10.11.2010

available now: far east movement's free wired

Hell yeaaaaah. It's finally here. Free Wired, the much-anticipated new album from our favorite party-starters Far East Movement is finally here. It's available at iTunes, Amazon and all the usual retailers. Eleven fresh electro hip hop tunes to get your ass moving. I am listening to it right now as I write this, and dammit, it feels good. It feels good on a lot of levels.

I'm totally late coming to the "Cigar Guy" phenomenon... So last week, this great photo of Tiger Woods at the 2010 Ryder Cup started circulating. Neat.

While the shot is pretty cool, with the ball's trajectory -- as well as everyone's gaze -- heading straight for the camera, the best part is undeniably the Cigar Guy. You know who I'm talking about. And of course, he instantly became an online sensation: Tiger Woods Cigar Guy Photo Becomes Massive Meme.

b.y.o. chopstix

This funny-yet-pointed environmentally-themed music video, written and performed by Nobuko Miyamoto with Luke "Aidger" Patterson, and directed by Dan Kwong, will either amuse you or freak you out. Maybe both.

But hopefully, you'll watch it and think about the millions and bajillions of trees that are cut down every year to create disposable chopsticks. Never really thought about that, huh? Me neither. Buy yourself a portable pair of chopsticks at Blacklava here.

23 arrested in human smuggling bust

Last week, federal officers arrested 23 people suspected of smuggling up to 70 men from China to work in Chinese restaurants in and around New York City: 23 arrested in human smuggling bust in NYC.

The men were brought into the United States by business owners and illegal recruiters, who would get families to pay a fee of up to $75,000 each. It's not like it's hard to find folks willing to work honest restaurant jobs here in the United States. These people were specifically interested exploiting cheap, disposable human labor:

Rumor has it, on this week's Glee, we get a really big dose of Tina and Mike -- Jenna Ushkowitz and Harry Shum Jr. -- who actually get a duet together. Yes, we've heard some of Tina's solos (not enough, in my opinion), but we've never heard Mike Chang sing. Will this be his moment?

Cool! The creators of Secret Identities, the Asian American superhero comic book anthology, have officially announced that they're working on a second volume in the series: Secret Identities Volume 2: Shattered, thanks to a generous development grant from the Vilcek Foundation: ANNOUNCING SECRET IDENTITIES VOLUME 2: SHATTERED!

The book, targeting a 2012 publication date, will take the series in new directions, focusing on the darker side of the Secret Identities. Sure, anybody can come up with a cool Asian American superhero... but it's an even bigger challenge to create really compelling, interesting Asian American supervillains. Read on:

Did you see last night's episode of The Simpsons? The iconic opening title sequence was re-created by notorious UK graffiti artist Banksy, who stamped his playful, subversive sensibility on Springfield... then took dark turn by depicting Asian sweatshop workers laboring over Simpsons animation and merchandise: 'The Simpsons' Title Scene Secretly Created By Banksy. Take a look:

some craigslist idiot accuses restaurant of serving cats

Last night, I received an infuriating message from an angry reader named Malina, who described some of the terrible crap she has to deal with in her "meth/tweaker" town of Eureka. I actually receive a lot of emails like this, and I can't help but feel sympathetic to her plight...

Her family owns one of the few Asian restaurants in the area, a Thai/Vietnamese place called Hue, and has had to deal with some awful people and harassment. They've been robbed five times this year, and someone just ran in and stole the tip jar the other day.

They've put up with a lot of hooligan-ass crap, but this racist Craigslist she just found out about was apparently the last straw:

kollaboration seattle, october 23

It's your turn, Seattle. The world-famous Kollaboration movement is coming to your city, and you don't want to miss out. Kollaboration Seattle is happening Saturday, October 23 at the Auburn Performing Arts Center, showcasing some of the best and brightest up-and-coming talent in our community. Take a look at the flashy trailer they recently launched:

The Golden State Warriors played their exhibition opener Friday night, beating the Los Angeles Clippers 127-87. Sure, it's preseason... but baby, it was all about Jeremy Lin: Jeremy Lin stirs crowd in Golden State Warriors debut.

The guy only played for 11 minutes in the fourth quarter, totaling seven points, three rebounds and two assists... but when he took the court, the crowd at Oracle Arena pretty much went insane for the rookie from Harvard:

It's not just Christine O'Donnell. If you haven't noticed, candidates from both political parties have focused their energy on scapegoating their favorite villains: China. If you're in Pennsylvania, you might have seen senatorial candidate Joe Sestak's gong-tastic campaign ad against opponent Pat Toomey:

video: dawen, esna and james kyson lee perform "imagine"

Check it out! Another video from the API Rock the Vote that happened last month, featuring Dawen, Esna and James Kyson Lee(!) performing their rendition of John Lennon's "Imagine." Inspired? Make sure you register to vote here.

ftc shuts down tax relief scam

Asian behaving badly... tax scam edition! Last week in Beverly Hills, the Federal Trade Commission shut down a company offering tax relief services, alleging that the the national operation bilked 20,000 consumers out of $100 million by falsely claiming it could reduce people's tax debts: Court shuts down Beverly Hills firm in alleged tax-relief scam.

American Tax Relief, owned by husband-and-wife Alexander Seung Hahn and Joo Hyun Park, used TV, radio and Internet advertising to lure consumers by falsely claiming that it could settle their delinquent federal and state taxes for far less than they owed:

coffee vote 2010

Real quick! Eric Byler sends me this Coffee Party video encouraging young people to vote, coming at you from a 15th floor balcony at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky. Get active, get informed, and get out the vote. Vote your ass off. For more information, and to find out how you can get involved, go to the Coffee Party website here.

timothy tau wins 2nd prize in playboy's college fiction contest

For those you who read Playboy (ahem, for the articles, of course)... Just wanted to give a little shoutout to reader Timothy Tau of UCLA, who placed second in Playboy's annual College Fiction Contest. You'll see his name mentioned in the current issue, on page 66.

Groupies, Sexed-Up Asians, Vengeful Sluts, And Feminist Killjoys - Meet The Women Of The Social Network: If you've seen The Social Network, then maybe you agree: this is an compelling, well-told story about really unlikeable fast-talking guys and the women -- particularly Asian women -- who stand next to them as props. Seriously, there are few women of substance in this movie.

this week's angriest posts

Not really the angriest, just the most viewed.

the korean kimchee crisis!

samurai umbrella

retro asian fetish porn is still asian fetish porn

the roundtop computer will save the "asian glance"

81-year-old charged with killing man for singing in vietnamese

dwight howard & slim chin: fast don't lie

christine o'donnell: this woman is the cray-cray

t-shirt love: monkey king

ktown cowboys bonus episode

president obama signs bill honoring world war II's japanese american soldiers

Bruno Mars on Saturday Night Live!

10.08.2010

2010 asian american music festival, october 15-17

If you're in Southern California, just wanted to throw out another reminder about the Asian American Music Festival, the world's leading festival celebrating Asian American music: jazz, world, hip-hop and beyond. It's happening October 15-17 at the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo, and man, they've got a hell of a lineup:

Jeff Yang's latest "Asian Pop" isn't a whole lot of pop this time, but it's still quite good, looking at the historic legacy of Japanese American civil rights hero Fred Korematsu, who boldly defied the U.S. government and challenged the social injustice of the internment: The man who said no.

Last month, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law AB1775, a bill establishing January 30 of each year as the Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution, which encourages schools across the state to teach students about Fred Korematsu's story and its relevance for Americans today:

Check it out... Apple recently posted the theatrical trailer for The Taqwacores, which is getting a limited theatrical run from Strand Releasing. Based on the underground novel that defined a movement, and directed by Eyad Zahra, it's an eye-opening drama about the Muslim punk rock scene. Here's the synopsis:

Wow. The 2010 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to jailed Chinese democracy advocate Liu Xiaobo -- perhaps China's best-known dissident -- "for his long and nonviolent struggle for fundamental human rights in China": Nobel Peace Prize Given to Jailed Chinese Dissident.

Liu is currently serving an 11-year prison sentence and two years' deprivation of political rights in China for inciting subversion of state powers. He is one of three people to have received the prize while incarcerated by their own government. The news, of course, did not sit well with Beijing:

Hey, everybody. It is time to meet another 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 Chris Yun.

I have to show some big love for pitcher Tim Lincecum, who threw like a beast in his playoff debut and led the San Francisco Giants to a 1-0 victory last night over the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of the 2010 National League Division Series: Lincecum pitches Giants to victory in Game 1.

Because you need to check yourself. Here's spoken word badass Beau Sia performing "Check Yourself," a piece he wrote and performed last month at an APA Rock the Vote concert rally in Los Angeles. Watch Beau drop some serious knowledge:

casting call: "nervous, bad-driving asian man..."

This casting notice dropped in my mailbox the other day... Not a lot of information, but it immediately had me wondering what reality TV show this was for, and what the hell they're planning to do with "Split-Personality Asian Man." And I'm scared. Whatever it is, it can't be good. Take a look:

2010 asian american women in leadership conference

ASIRE (Asian Sisters Participating in Reaching Excellence) invites you to participate in the 6th annual Asian American Women in Leadership Conference, a gathering designed to set forth strategic dialogue on the importance of leadership for Asian American girls and women.

This year, the conference theme is "Discovering the Leader Within." It will build upon last year's theme of "Fearless Leadership: Taking Charge with Confidence" and aims to encourage attendees to explore, learn, and flourish. It's happening October 16th, 2010 at Boston University. Here are some more details:

music video: unofficial "still no. 1" by big phony

Take a look at the unofficial music video for "Still No. 1" by Big Phony, aka Bobby Choy, directed by Nic Cha Kim. I don't know what makes it unofficial, but it does actual include Bobby in the video -- rocking his old hairdo -- so it can't be too far from official. I like it, and I like the song. For more information about Big Phony and his music, go to his website here.

paperdoll's china tour 2.0 blog: countdown to china 2.0

Check it. New York-based band Paperdoll, is headed back to China on tour after a successful run in Shanghai last August. They'll be playing shows in multiple cities, from Shanghai to Hangzhou, October 12-29.

Since they're one of my favorite bands, I've invited lead singer (and former Angry Reader of the Week) Teresa Lee to contribute some guests post chronicling the band's journeys. Here's Teresa on the eve of their departure...

This is just a reminder for all of my people in the Washington D.C. area... the 11th annual D.C. APA Film Festival starts tonight with the Opening Night presentation of Arvin Chen's romantic caper Au Revoir Taipei. The film screens at 7:30pm at Landmark E Street Cinema, with a reception following at Asian Nine. Here's the trailer:

Tony Jaa stars in Ong Bak 3, available on demand/download December 3, and in limited theaters on January 14 from Magnet Releasing.

apply to aajc's youth advisory council

Young leaders! I'm talking to you. The Asian American Justice Center is recruiting recent high school graduates and college students to represent its national Youth Advisory Council, working to address issues of civil rights and racial equity pertinent to the Asian American Pacific Islander community. Youth Advisory Councilmembers will have the opportunity to:

Just wanted to let you know that our good friends in the rock and roll band Seriously have released their new song "Redemption", the fourth tune off the On Your Mark single release campaign from Chaos Theory Music. Here's some background information about the song:

jay maebori named washington teacher of the year

Didn't want to forget this cool piece of news out of Seattle... Last month, Jay Maebori, who teaches language arts at Kentwood High School, was officially recognized for his awesomeness and named Washington state's teacher of the year for 2011: Kent man named Wash. Teacher of Year.

Last week at an awards ceremony, the Superintendent of Public Instruction announced Maebori as Washington's nominee for national teacher of the year, which is awarded by the Council of Chief State School Officers during a ceremony at the White House:

id film fest 2010

What, another film festival? Yep. We're just about plunging into a very busy fall festival season. And you know I'm a sucker film festivals. As a supporter of Asian and Asian American cinema, I just appreciate the opportunity for independent films to get screened in communities all around North America.

Thus, this weekend in Los Angeles: ID Film Fest 2010. Now it's third year, IDFF is a unique cinema festival of Asian / Asian American film presentations and workshops. It's happening October 8-10 at the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy in Little Tokyo. Watch the festival trailer:

Still catching up on stuff I missed while I was on vacation last month... Here's an excellent new online resource to track the political development and progress of the Asian Pacific American community: APAICS AND YUM! BRANDS LAUNCH ONLINE APA POLITICAL DATABASE.

The Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies recently launched the Asian Pacific American Political Database, a comprehensive national directory of Asian Pacific American elected officials and political candidates at all levels of government, from local school boards to the U.S. Congress. From the APAICS press release:

This recommendation comes from our man Lac, spreading the word about his friend, up and coming emcee Mondega, who just released his official debut album For the People. It's described as "Asian Hip Hop for higher achievement." Here's the music video for his single "Stand My Ground." Take a look:

I recently heard from Andrew Chung, a Toronto-based filmmaker who is currently raising funds to produce an original web series project called Millions. It sounds interesting, so I thought I'd help spread the word...

In Andrew's words, Millions is about "a group of six Asian North American suburbanites that go on a quest to become millionaires after one of their friends dies. It's ultimately about a group of friends that just want to make something of themselves, and how money can fuel or destroy that." Here's some more information:

This new Adidas Basketball campaign starring Dwight Howard and Slim Chin (aka Ken Jeong) is pretty damn hilarious: Fast Don't Lie. I don't know if any of it makes me want to buy or wear those shoes, but the sight of Ken Jeong in a gold tracksuit had me laughing from the moment I hit 'play.' Feel the smoove groove:

81-year-old charged with killing man for singing in vietnamese

This is a crazy news story out of Orange County... An 81-year-old man has been charged murder after hitting his 94-year-old rehabilitation center roommate several times in the head with a metal rod after becoming angered by the other man's singing: 81-year-old charged with killing man for singing in Vietnamese.

William Leo McDougall apparently became angry at Van Nguyen for singing in Vietnamese. They were both recovering from hip surgery and shared a room at Palm Terrace Healthcare Center in Laguna Woods:

Another awesome video that could only come from Bollywood... Check out this mind-blowing trailer for Endhiran, aka Robot, a crazy-ass action spectacle featuring robots, machine guns, a giant snake forged from interlinked bodies, a beautiful woman, and auto-tune. I can't really describe it. Just watch it:

job opportunity: director, smithsonian asian pacific american program

Got this interesting job posting passed along to me, for the Director of the Smithsonian Institution's Asian Pacific American Program. Since I know for a fact that folks have actually gotten jobs from opportunities I've posted here, I figured one of you talented, special individuals out there might be qualified for the position. Here's some more information:

martin hsu art show at compound gallery, october 7-31

If you're in the Portland, here's a cool art show to check out featuring Los Angeles-based designer and illustrator Martin Hsu. He's the guy behind that cool Think Alternative shirt I wrote about a few months back. You can sort of describe his style as modernized renditions of Asian folkore and fantastical figures.

Martin will be displaying more than six original works painted on wood inspired by Taiwanese floral fabric, flower-picking ladies, and giant forest creatures. He'll also have shirts and books for sale, including his newest art publication Multigrain. The show runs October 7-31 at Compound Gallery in Portland. Here are some more details:

First, two words: FREE DOWNLOAD. That got your attention. So yeah, at long last... Goodnight Company, the new album from singing/songwriting awesomelady Jane Lui, is now out. I've had the chance to listen to it for the better part of a week, and it's seriously supergood. Here's a little YouTube video with a taste of the album:

'Glee's' Harry Shum talks 'The Situ-Asian,' Asian Camp and The LXD: Because I know you love the Shum. His Glee character may have spent the first season largely silent as "Other Asian," but in season two, his smooth moves -- and damn, those abs --- have earned him some lines and even a love triangle storyline (with Jenna Ushkowitz as Tina).

'Nikita' star makes a stand for diversity, animals: Have you been watching Nikita? I haven't. The show premiered while I was on vacation and I haven't had a chance to catch up. But here's an Associated Press article on actress (and ardent animal rights activist) Maggie Q.

Forks Township man is 'All American Handyman': Meet Peter Wong of Forks, Pennsylvania. Last week, he was crowned the winner of the HGTV reality competition All American Handyman, winning a $10,000 Sears prize package and an HGTV development deal.

volunteer for aaldef's asian american election protection 2010

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund is looking for volunteers to serve as non-partisan poll monitors in the upcoming November elections. Your help could be essential in defending Asian American voting rights. Here are some more details:

Today, President Barack Obama signed a bill granting the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest U.S. civilian honor, to members of renowened World War II units of Japanese American soldiers, the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat team: Obama to sign law honoring Japanese-American troops.

I had to read this over several times to determine whether or not it was a hoax. It still sounds preposterous, but here goes...

A Chinese company named Revo-Round is creating a "roundtop" computer with a round screen and keyboard. Cute. The kids will dig it. But the real reason for the circular screen? According to Revo-Round: "to preserve the special features and characteristics of the Asian population for the future generations." Whaaat?

I'm talking about our characteristic Epicanthic folds -- single eyelids, y'all. Traditional square computer screens are apparently transforming the "Asian glance": Revo-Round: Bravely Saving China From the Square-Eye Menace.

If you're going to carry around an umbrella, you might as well look like a friggin' samurai warrior. Open it up, and it looks like this:

Do not mess with Koreans and their kimchee. It's madness in South Korea, as freakish fall weather has created a cabbage shortage resulting in a "national kimchi crisis." Don't laugh. The government has gotten involved: Kimchi crisis leaves South Koreans hot under collar.

11th annual dc apa film festival, october 7-16

Heads up, film fans in Washington D.C. The 11th Annual D.C. APA Film Festival, showcasing some of the best works in contemporary Asian American cinema, starts October 7 and runs through next week in locations throughout downtown D.C. Word on the street is, it's going to be awesome.

If you're in Southern California, here's some info about an interesting event happening this week at Cal State Northridge... Asian Americans for Community and Talent (AACT) has partnered up with several other campus organizations and departments to host a forum and educate students about human trafficking.

The event will also address CSUN economics professor Kenneth Ng, who made headlines earlier this year when it came to light that he happens run a Thai sex tourism website in his spare time, promoting advice to American tourists interested in meeting young Thai women. Yeah, great guy. Here are some more details about the event:

In order to understand Frizzy Fresh's "Find My Muffin," a music video parody of Drake's "Find Your Love," you have to first watch the original video. And even then, you still probably won't get it. I don't know what the hell's going on, but I laughed a lot. Warning: lots of sensual caressing of pastries:

Are you a fearmongering political candidate who wants to appeal to conservative voters' deepest, darkest xenophobic fears? Just say the magic word: China. That's Delaware Republican Senate nominee Christine O'Donnell did. (Among all the other crazy awesome crazy claims and feats for which she's made a name for herself.)

The Associated Press has dug up a crazy claim that O'Donnell made back in 2006, when she claimed that she was privy to classified information about a secret Chinese plot to overthrow the United States: O'Donnell said China plotting to take over US.

You know I love cool t-shirts. Check out this sweet Monkey King t-shirt design, based on the character that appears in Gene Luen Yang's award-winning graphic novel American Born Chinese.

The shirts were produced and sold just in time for this year's Comic-Con (I've been rocking mine all summer!), but just became available online. They're available in all adult sizes for $18.50 each, shipping included.

Oh, and if you haven't yet read American Born Chinese, what the heck are you waiting for? For more information about the book, and all of Gene Luen Yang's comics, go to his website here.

phyllis wise takes over as interim president of university of washington

Last week, Phyllis Wise officially started her new job as Interim President of the University of Washington. The daughter of Chinese immigrants, she will be the first woman, and first Asian American to serve as president. Stepping in for departing President Mark Emmert, Wise previously served five years as the university's Provost: Phyllis Wise takes over as interim president at the UW. Here's some of background, according to the Seattle Times:

Awwwww yeah. Ktown Cowboys fans, check it out. At long last, it's the highly anticipated bonus episode. Directed by Daniel DPD Park and written by Danny Cho, the hit web series tells the story of one guy's epic crash-course introduction to Los Angeles' Koreatown over the course of one fateful evening. Here's the bonus episode:

I recently heard from Sydne, who posted about this on the Japanistic/Blog... The New York Times Sunday Styles ran a piece about the new Brooklyn-based magazine Jacques, which fancies itself as a cool, hip and edgy "re-imagining of the classic men's magazines of yesteryear." In other words, retro-porn: Taking Pornography Low Tech.

Which is... well, you can think whatever you want about that, but for the purposes of this blog, you should know that the Fall 2010 issue, which reaches newsstands this week, has an Asian theme and includes articles about massage parlors and martial arts. Yup, gag, it's the All Asian Special Issue. From Japanistic:

this week's angriest posts

Not really the angriest, just the most viewed.

crazy cute brilliant awesome kid photos by jason lee

pete rouse is the first asian american white house chief of staff

hey losers! design your dream asian girl

secret dorm sex tape leads to student's suicide

tablo vs. netizens: the battle over an academic record

hey losers! move to thailand, find a wife

phyllis just wants her ipod touch

john cho is one of the g.a.y.s. (guys against you serving)

more students attacked in philadelphia

who's bad?

Hoping my teams win today...

10.01.2010

am I on speakerphone, october 2

If you're in Southern California this weekend, here's a cool music/performance/art event some of my friends are putting together: Am I On Speakerphone, featuring Dawen, Sue Jin, Elson Trinidad, Narinda Heng and others. It's happening this Saturday, October 2 at Nucleus in Alahambra. Here are some more details:

"you don't belong here. this is not your neighborhood."

Someone emailed me this Reddit post that had me shaking my head: Just moved to a new neighborhood, told by neighbors I am not allowed here. Why can't an Asian family move into a new neighborhood without getting harassed? Here's the short version:

Moved two blocks over to new neighborhood. Have cars with parking permits. Got cursed out by one household saying, "You don't belong here. This is not your neighborhood. This is your first and last notice to never park here again."

Also: I live on the border between old Italian families and the projects. I went to grade school here with the kids from the projects and we all get along. The other side, well, this is the result. I moved only TWO BLOCKS away from my old house.

So what? A parking dispute? Not quite. The "you don't belong here" should be the tipoff. Read the long version:

The big movie everybody's talking about this weekend is The Social Network, aka "The Facebook Movie." And apparently, it's pretty good. Written by Aaron Sorkin and directed by David Fincher, it's based on the true story of the founding of everybody's favorite time-sucking social networking website.

As observed in the trailer, Brenda Song is in the movie as Christy Lee, looking rather grown up and a long way from her Zack and Cody days.

Asians behaving badly... forced student labor edition! Cecilia Chang, a former administrator at St. John's University is accused of forcing students to clean, cook and act as her personal servants to keep their scholarships: Ex-Dean Accused of Using Students as Servants.

Previously accused of embezzling about $1 million from the university while she was dean and vice president, Chang now faces charges of forced labor and bribery, according to a federal complaint made public this week:

Okay. It's time to meet another 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 Junko Goda.

"Ninjas. Damn." Apple recently launched the trailer for The Warrior's Way, directed by Sngmoo Lee and starring South Korean actor Jang Dong-gun. Judging from the trailer, it can best be described as a fantasy martial arts western action flick:

Saw this Funny or Die video posted on John Cho's Twitter the other night, and thought it was pretty damn funny. Passing it along to you: G.A.Y.S. (Guys Against You Serving). Don't ask, don't tell, my friends. Take a look:

pete rouse is the first asian american white house chief of staff

This week, as many expected, news broke that President Barack Obama's chief of staff Rahm Emmanuel is stepping down from the administration and headed back home to Chicago to make a run for mayor. The official announcement is imminent.

Emmanuel's replacement? Pete Rouse, long-time senior adviser to President Obama, who doesn't have much of a public profile but considerable influence in the West Wing. And happens to be Japanese American (his mother is Japanese): Emanuel's Departure Set; Replacement Is Longtime Aide.

10.11.2010

10.10.2010

10.09.2010

10.08.2010

10.07.2010

10.06.2010

10.05.2010

10.04.2010

10.02.2010

10.01.2010

angry archive