Angry Asian Man

2.09.2011

one book, one san diego: the gangster we are all looking for by lê thị diễm thúy

San Diego readers! Here's an interesting radio conversation with writer lê thị diễm thúy, whose 2003 debut novel The Gangster We Are All Looking For was chosen as the KPBS One Book One San Diego selection for 2011: Novel Traces Vietnamese Refugee Family Adapting To Life In San Diego.

The book, selected by public online voting, is a true-life novel about a Vietnamese refugee in San Diego, told from the perspective of the family's daughter, who is just six years old when they arrive. While it's not memoir, the book draws heavily from le's own childhood experiences as a new immigrant:

YES. At long last, new music from Priscilla Ahn. And it's free. The title track off Priscilla's upcoming album When You Grow Up is currently available as a free download from Bandcamp. I love it, and I've had it on repeat since yesterday. Listen for yourself:

Speaking of Target... Check out this local news story about Elizabeth Jayne Liu, who I've mentioned here a couple of times before. She's the shopaholic blogger behind Flourish in Progress, chronicling her efforts to go one year without shopping: Compulsive Buyer Tries To Go A Year Without Shopping.

She's not in debt, she's living fairly comfortably, and she didn't have to do it. But to mark the start of her thirties, this self-described compulsive shopper is living in self-imposed exile outside the mall, not buying anything (with a few odd, unreasonable exceptions).

another target commercial: valentine's gift

Yet another Target commercial featuring Asian person! This one's a little boy who pretty much ruins any chance of some sweet recess hand-holding. Poor kid. Next time, try some chocolates. Unless, of course, your next crush is into froggies too. Then you know she's a keeper.

beatles-themed time travel comedy takes aim at yoko ono

What would you do with a time machine? Thought this movie news was pretty amusing... Variety recently reported about a Beatles-themed time travel comedy, Get Back, which is set to start production later this year: Waters wades toward Beatles comedy.

The script, written by Chris McCoy, is about two diehard Beatles fans who discover a time machine and travel back in history to prevent John Lennon from meeting Yoko Ono, who they blame for the break-up of the Fab Four.

This is a really interesting public radio story out of Seattle about a new exhibit at the Henry Art Gallery at the University of Washington, "Shadows of a Fleeting World: Pictorial Photography and the Seattle Camera Club," showcasing 200 photos taken by a group of mostly Japanese photographers from the 1920s: A snapshot of local history: the Seattle Camera Club.

fuse: third annual awareness night, february 10

Cool event happening this week in Los Angeles... China Care Bruins, a student organization at UCLA dedicated to providing greater opportunities for Chinese adoptees in the United States and orphans in China, invites you to FUSE: Third Annual Awareness Night.

The event will feature free musical performances from Jane Lui, Ryan Huang and Dr. Weisberg, and a speaker panel to raise cultural awareness and discussion. It's happening Thursday, February 10 at UCLA's Kerckhoff Grand Salon. Here are some more details:

Some TV news... Just read that one of my favorite actors, Ken Leung, last seen as Miles "I Talk To Dead People" Straume on Lost, will guest star on an upcoming episode of the CBS drama The Good Wife: Actors from Lost, The Big C to Guest-Star on The Good Wife.

According to TV Guide, Ken will play a man who sues a social networking site for failing to protect his privacy. After he posts an anonymous blog about democracy in China, the government then jails and tortures him. Leung's character is represented by Lockhart, Gardner and Bond.

In case you missed it, here's the video of Far East Movement performing their current hit "Rocketeer" last night on Conan. I don't care how often I see these guys on the tube -- they've already performed on Lopez Tonight and The Tonight Show -- I'm still not used to seeing FM representin' on national freaking television. And I love it. Check out my boys:

kartika review: the 500 project

Kartika Review, a national Asian American literary arts journal, has partnered up with award-winning poet Bryan Thao Worra to launch The 500 Project, an initiative to answer the question: Does Asian Pacific Islander American (APIA) literature matter to you?

The correct answer is yes.

Remember brothers David Fung and Andrew Fung? They cracked us up last year with their hip hop ode to San Gabriel Valley eats. They're back with a new rap outfit, Model Minority -- as D-One, Grand Master Chu, and Inglish -- and are overtly making music that reflects the lifestyles of young Asian Americans.

Model Minority recently dropped their first mixtape, The Model Minority Report, with song covering topics like academic pressure from parents ("Overachiever") to, of course, Asian food ("Asian Food Rap"). Check it out:

Just wanted to throw out another reminder about the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival's Best Fest Shirt Contest. The festival is looking for the most creative design to be the official 29th SFIAAFF shirt, and it's up to you to vote for the winner.

Check out this video out of Vancouver... In honor of International Anti-Bullying Day, students from David Lloyd George Elementary and Churchill Secondary came together at Oakridge Centre last month to stage a massive flashmob and take a stand. The song: "Just the Way You Are" by Bruno Mars. The dance:

In Southern California, the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office has confirmed that a body found in the hills above Glendale is that of 57-year-old Yoshiya Watanabe, who had missing from Rancho Palos Verdes since last week: Body confirmed as that of missing Rancho Palos Verdes man.

Yoshiya Watanabe, who suffered from memory impairment seizures, diabetes and other health problems, was reported missing from his home Thursday night. He had taken off in his son's dark gray Mercedes, which was found over the weekend by a hiker. Watanabe's body was discovered yesterday afternoon:

29th sfiaaff launch party, february 10

Awwww yeah. It's that time of year again, Bay Area. This week, the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival starts revving its engines with the official 29th SFIAAFF Launch Party. Come out, pick up the official Festival Mini-Guide hot off the press, mingle with cool folks, and enjoy some live music. It's happening Thursday, February 10 at 111 Minna Gallery. Here are some more details:

You all know I'm a big Kina Grannis fan. So is our buddy George Shaw, composer extraordinaire. (Seriously -- who isn't a Kina fan? We'll fight you.) Thus, he put together this epic, eight-part instrumental version of her song "Valentine." Here the video, starring George, George, George and more George:

call for applications: leap's 2011 leadership in action summer internship

Hey, college students! Have you heard about LEAP's paid summer internship?

Leadership Education for Asian Pacific (LEAP) presents the 2011 Leadership in Action Summer Internship Program, an eight-week paid summer internship program designed to develop emerging young leaders by providing college students with practical leadership skills and the opportunity to work hands-on with the API community in Southern California. Here's the deal:

Did you see the Super Bowl commercial giving us the first glimpse of footage from the new Captain America movie? Marvel Comics' star-spangled, shield-slinging superhero hits the big screen this summer in Captain American: The First Avenger. It's kind of fun to see Steve Rogers, played by Chris Evans, and his transformation from short, scrawny recruit into full-fledged Super Soldier.

What I wasn't expecting was to see an Asian face. But wait a minute.

assemblywoman pushing for official lunar new year holiday

Happy Lunar New Year! What better way to celebrate than a day off school? Kids, your champion is Grace Meng. For the third year in a row, the Queens Assemblywoman is asking city and state officials to close schools in observance of the Lunar New Year: New year, new push.

Actress Tura Satana, aka Tura Luna Pascual Yamaguchi, best known for kicking ass and rocking some gravity-defying cleavage in director Russ Meyer's 1965 cult exploitation classic Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, died last week in Reno, Nevada. She was 72: Tura Satana, Cult Actress, Dies.

Born to a father of Japanese and Filipino descent and a mother who was Cheyenne Indian and Scots-Irish, Ms. Satana spent part of her childhood in the Manzanar internment camp. Starting off as an exotic dancer and nude model, she later pursued an acting career and got her big break as the badass Varla in Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!

As I mentioned before, this month marks the tenth(!) anniversary of this blog. As part of the ongoing celebration, here's another unexpected tribute track, "Angry Asian Man" by self-described "comic book nerdcore rapper" Eugene Ahn, aka Adam WarRock. As a fellow nerd, I'm a fan of his work, and I'm honored that he was inspired to create this song and share it. Get it now as a free download:

The Army has denied the request to bury Hmong general and community leader Vang Pao, a U.S. ally in the Vietnam War, at Arlington National Cemetery. A board made up of senior military and civilian officials reviewed the request and unanimously recommended that officials decline the burial waiver: Army Denies Vang Pao Burial At Arlington Cemetery.

Vang Pao, who died on January 6, led thousands of Hmong soldiers as they fought alongside the United States against the North Vietnamese Army during the CIA-backed "secret war" in Southeast Asia. His family, with the support of several lawmakers, had asked the Army to grant an exception to Arlington's rules to allow him to be buried at the cemetery.

groupon exploits tibet for super bowl commercial

I don't have much to say about that messed up "Tibet" Groupon commercial that aired during the Super Bowl, except that it was quite possibly the most tasteless, insensitive spots aired during the broadcast -- and that's saying a lot, considering all the terrible bullshit that viewers had to slog through this evening. (Seriously, did you see any of those Doritos ads?) Here's what you missed:

this week's angriest posts

Not really the angriest, just the most viewed.

a bold and the beautiful fan who really hates asians

it had to happen: bruce lee xxx: a porn parody

abc family picks up nine lives of chloe king with ki hong lee

gamer girl annie leung sets guitar hero world record

the invisible liu bolin

asian supermom in nissan quest commercial

18 mighty mountain warriors: proper chinese mockery

teach me how to dougie... indian style!

[10 angry years] free download: "birthday wish" by emi meyer & the shanghai restoration project

asian american leaders in chicago are not happy with rahm emanuel

Gonna eat some dim sum today. Have a great weekend.

2.04.2011

gr2 presents year of the rabbit, february 5 - march 2

For those of you in Los Angeles, Giant Robot is doing the Lunar New Year thing with Year of the Rabbit, a group art exhibition celebrating the 4709th resetting of the lunar calendar. It runs February 5 through March 2 at GR2, with an opening reception on Saturday, February 5. The details:

It's the Year of the Rabbit! And we all celebrate in different ways. Would you like to know how to crochet a special Chinese New Year Doll and bunny? Because really, who wouldn't? Then look no further than All About Ami, a blog dedicated to the art and craft of crocheting cute stuffed animals. Stephanie shows you how it's done: Chinese New Year Doll. Happy New Year.

family awarded $1.7 million in lapd wrongful death case

Saw this posted on Sepia Mutiny... This week in Los Angeles, a federal jury found that a police officer was responsible for the wrongful death of Mohammad Usman Chaudhry in Hollywood in 2008. The victim's family was awarded $1.7 million: $1.7 million awarded to family of man killed by LAPD officer.

Ex-LAPD officer Joseph Cruz shot and killed Chaudhry in March 2008, when Cruz and his partner encountered the 21-year-old autistic man lying in the bushes alongside a Hollywood apartment building. Cruz has claimed that he fired in self-defense, but a jury found that he had acted in "a reckless, oppressive or malicious manner":

Just wanted to show some love to teen brother-and-sister ice dancing team Maia and Alex Shibutani, who made the senior national level debut last weekend at the U.S. National Figure Skating Championships in Greensboro, North Carolina. They finished second behind Olympians Meryl Davis and Charlie White, with a respectable score of 173.18 points.

Another quick reminder about BANANA 2 APIA blogger conference happening February 26 at CBS Studios in Studio City. Thank you to everyone who entered the free conference pass giveaway. We have some winners! Congratulations to:

All right, good people. Time for 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 martial artist and stuntman Steven Ho.

This is awesome. Check out the crazy work of Chinese artist Liu Bolin, who paints himself to become practically invisible. Crazy! With the help of two assistants, he paints "camouflage" on his clothes to blend in with his surroundings as seamlessly as possible. The invisible man! It's pretty impressive: The man who isn’t there.

Here are some more photos of his amazing disappearing act:

Received some interesting news from the Asian American Institute about some trouble brewing in Chicago, where some Asian American organizations are up in arms about mayoral candidate Rahm Emanuel's "machine" political tactics.

For Chicago's upcoming election, they've partnered up with ten Asian ethnic community organizations to promote voter education, and have invited the top five candidates to attend a Pan-Asian Voter Empowerment (PAVE) Candidates Forum, happening Tuesday, February 8 at St. Augustine College.

Not surprisingly, Rahm Emanuel has declined to attend, because he's apparently been dismissing most community forums. But here's where he's pissed some people off: Emanuel has scheduled a fundraiser with the Korean community at the exact same time as the PAVE Candidates Forum. Here's an excerpt from AAI's press release:

museum of chinese in america: happy year of the rabbit

If you're in New York, the Museum of Chinese in America invites you to join them in ringing in the Year of the Rabbit with an exciting lineup of community programs celebrating the Lunar New Year: MOCA Celebrates the Lunar New Year with Exciting Programs.

They've got fifteen days packed with everything from film screenings to literary talks happening throughout the month. Here's a rundown of events:

Heard from my man Evan Jackson Leong of Arowana Films, who shares this special project in honor of the Lunar New Year: Chinatown Connection. It's a really cool, moody performance video that blends Chinatown street scenes, traditional lion dance, and hip hop. Great stuff! Take a look:

More Korematsu Day celebratin' in California... Our friend Jay Chen, Board Member of the Hacienda-La Puente Unified School District, points us to this local news coverage, reported by Gordon Takamatsu, of a civic class at Los Altos High School learning the lessons of Fred Korematsu -- the first school in the state to incorporate the curriculum:

IGN just premiered the brand new poster for Fast Five. It's a teaser poster, so it gives you just a simple taste of what the big budget blockbuster is promising. Stars and fast cars -- isn't that all you really need to know? I'm digging it. Click below to see the full version:

Here's a nice piece in the San Francisco Chronicle by author/activist Helen Zia, who writes about recent milestones in Bay Area politics -- Asian American mayors in both San Francisco and Oakland: State's racism delayed Asian Americans' victories.

Considering both of these cities have long boasted significant Asian American populations, it's about damn time. Actually, come to think of it, what took so long to get to this moment? The answers go way back into some of the darkest parts of California's history -- and it ain't pretty:

Happy Lunar New Year! Here's a special video greeting from Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, Co-Chair of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, with warm wishes of peace and prosperity for you and your family in the Year of the Rabbit:

Saw this posted on Facebook the other day... and it was simply too awesome not to share: Teach Me How To Dougie - Indian Version. Those clothes! Those moves! Now you can be teached how to Dougie... swingin' old-school India style.

Uh... wow. I suppose it had to happen sooner or later. Got this crazy press release passed along to me the other day, announcing that pre-production has started on Bruce Lee XXX: A Porn Parody. That's right. Bruce Lee, the porno, starring Asian adult superstar Keni Styles as the X-rated version of the Dragon himself.

It's like Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story... the Porno. The movie will feature parody scenes from Game of Death, Enter the Dragon and The Green Hornet TV show, as well as porn actors playing real-life characters from Bruce Lee's life, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Steven McQueen, John Saxon, Faye Dunaway, and even Lee's wife Linda:

manilastar events presents pin@ypolooza, february 5

Hey, Chicago! Do you have Pin@y pride? ManilaStar Events invites you to the second annual PIN@YPALOOZA 2011, a benefit showcase for ABS-CBN Foundation, Inc., featuring Kat Badar, Kierra Folsom, Lydia Paek, Victor Kim and strong lineup of Filipino talent out of Chicago. It's happening this Saturdyay, February 5 at the Portage Theatre in Chicago:

three arrested in vancouver machete attack on korean students

Holy crap. Some insane-ass news out of Canada... In Vancouver, authorities have arrested three young men for a brutal machete attack on two exchange students from Korea: Charges laid in Vancouver machete attack.

The victims were waiting with friends at the Lonsdale Quay bus loop near the Seabus terminal in North Vancouver when they were approached by three young men who demanded money before attacking them with a knife and a machete:

The crazy players of Asian American sketch comedy troupe 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors take issue with Rush Limbaugh's lazy "Ching Chong" mockery, and gives the radio assclown a lesson in Proper Chinese Mockery... with a little help from Kai-Lan of Nickelodeon's Ni-Hao, Kai-Lan! Let the re-education begin:

the largest human trafficking case in u.s. history?

Got this info passed along to me from the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund... A group of Indian guestworkers are suing Signal International, LLC along with its co-conspirators and other entities for human trafficking and racketeering: Class action sought for worker abuse claims.

The workers were lured to the United States after Hurricane Katrina and subjected to abusive working conditions. This week, their lawyers filed for class certification to include hundreds of additional Indian guestworkers in the lawsuit. If class status is granted, the lawsuit could be the largest human trafficking case in U.S. history. From AALDEF's press release:

Check it. The Like Me's just dropped a brand new music video for "Music Love." Introducing the band's new lineup, the now "all female half Cambodian half Filipino" rock band from San Jose has made a little tune dedicated to "all the beautiful things that music has done for us." Take a look:

Disney seems to have made some forward progress on its proposed new version of the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs story -- with an Asian twist. Snow and the Seven, a live-action martial arts take on the fairy tale, has actually been in development for years. (I first wrote about it back in 2002.)

Just imagine the seven dwarfs as seven badass Shaolin monks. Or something. It practically writes itself! But word on the street is that Michael Arndt, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter of Toy Story 3, is currently in talks to work on the script: 'Toy Story 3' Writer to Take on Disney's Snow White Project.

If you weren't able to make it to the first ever Fred Korematsu Day celebration in Berkeley on Sunday, here are some photos from this milestone event.

veteran's caretaker charged with elder abuse

Horrible story out of El Cajon, California... Milagros Angeles, the caretaker of Arnold Bauer, is accused of elder abuse and other felonies after authorities found the 93-year-old World War II veteran disoriented and living in filth in his home last week: WWII veteran's caretaker charged with elder abuse.

Angeles is charged with false imprisonment of an elder, theft by a caretaker and altering checks to drain her employer's life's savings. She is suspected of stealing thousands of dollars, while completely neglecting care of Bauer:

ksw presents a sensory feast, february 4-24

If you're in San Francisco, SOMArts Cultural Center and Kearny Street Workshop invite you A Sensory Feast, a fun and interactive food-themed Asian American art exhibition inspired by Bay Area foodie culture and Asian culinary traditions. The show opens this Friday, February 4 at SOMArts Cultural Center in San Francisco. Here are some more details:

Oh my. This is Annie Leung. Not only is she a babe, she holds the female world record for a single track on Guitar Hero III, with a score of 789,349 points on the expert level of "Through the Fire and Flames" by the band DragonForce.

Okay, if you don't know what any of that means, that's okay. Just know that this is this fast-fingered UC Berkeley graduate is the girl of every gamer geek's dreams: Irvine Gamer Gal Sets Guinness World Record in 'Guitar Hero.'

shaolin monk throws a needle through glass. in slow motion.

Stumbled across this one YouTube. It's a cool video of a Shaolin monk throwing a sewing needle through a piece of glass. Do I have to say anything more? Oh yeah -- it's in slow motion. BADASS.

authorities investigate california "sham university"

In California, authorities are coming down hard on Indian students who were enrolled in a "sham university" which was apparently a front for illegal immigration: Feds probe Calif. 'sham university' for visa fraud.

According to the U.S. attorney's office, Susan Su, the owner of Tri-Valley University in Pleasonton used the unaccredited "school" to charge millions of dollars in tuition fees and help students obtain visas to stay in the country:

Yo, I had no idea Adrian Tomine had a new book out. But thanks to Amazon's eerily aware recommendation feature, I learned that the graphic novelist's latest work, Scenes from an Impending Marriage, is out today. Billed as "a prenuptial memoir," it's described as Tomine's most personal and autobiographical work. Here's the publisher's description:

Some television news... Just heard the word that ABC Family has picked up the hourlong drama The Nine Lives of Chloe King, based on the popular book series by Celia Thomson. This is noteworthy because actor Ki Hong Lee is included in the cast as "Paul": ABC Family Greenlights Three Series.

The show follows a teenager as she develops special abilities and finds out that a mysterious figure is pursuing her. She soon learns that she's part of an ancient race that's being hunted by human assassins. Here's the show's official description according ABC Family:

This is so awesome. Believe it or not, this year -- later this month, actually -- marks the 10th anniversary of this blog. I have a hard time believing it myself.

To celebrate the occasion, my friend Dave Liang of The Shanghai Restoration Project collaborated with singer/songwriter Emi Meyer to record a special, super-cool "birthday song" for all of you to enjoy: BIRTHDAY WISH. Here's a little video message they recorded about the track:

I started hearing word (via Facebook) the other day that acclaimed Nisei writer Hisaye Yamamoto passed away on Sunday. She was 89.

Best known for her short stories about the Japanese American experience, most notably collected in Seventeen Syllables and Other Stories, she was a considered a pioneer among Asian American authors.

I have yet to find any news stories published about her passing, but a quick search turned up this nicely written tribute by a blogger who knew and worked with her many years ago: Hisaye Yamamoto (1921-2011).

2.09.2011

2.08.2011

2.07.2011

2.06.2011

2.05.2011

2.04.2011

2.03.2011

2.02.2011

2.01.2011

angry archive