vienna teng's live at world cafe live dvd

Hey, everybody's favorite software engineer-turned-singer/songwriter Vienna Teng has released her first-ever DVD Live at World Cafe Live, recorded in Philadelphia last January. I've seen a couple of Vienna's concerts, and she puts on a great live show, so if you're a fan of her music, you might want to check it out. Buy it at Vienna's online store.

kung fu-powered chinese food delivery

At Comic-Con a few weeks back, New York-based Animation Collective and Fatkat Studios announced a new half-hour action-comedy animated series Three Delivery, about a group of teenage delivery kids/superheroes set in Chinatown. The 26-episode series will be produced in association with Nicktoons, YTV and the BBC, and will premiere in early 2008. Here's the story:

Years ago, an evil young apprentice named Kong Li unleashed the power of a magical cookbook, scattering its dangerous recipes throughout Chinatown. Thanks to an ancient spell, a force field was placed around the city, keeping the magic in. For many years, the rest of the world was protected, but now Kong Li has returned to find the powerful recipes. If he succeeds, evil power will be released and the world will be in danger.

Luckily, three teenage heroes, skilled in Kung Fu, have been trained to stop Kong Li. When orphans Sue, Sid, and Toby are recruited by Nana to make deliveries for Wu's Garden Chinese restaurant, they see it as a chance to move out of the orphanage and ride cool bikes. Little did they know that every evening they would be locked in a lightning-fast battle against evil for the fate of the world.

A modern day superhero tale packed with martial arts action, high speed bike races, paranormal mystery and kid-relatable comedy, "Three Delivery" is set in a Chinatown at twilight with rich hues and spectacular lighting that enhance the mystery. The action unfolds in extreme close-ups and dramatic angles as if ripped from the pages of a comic book.

While I'm always glad to see more Asians on television, animation or otherwise, why does it always have to be Asians who are also secretly trained in the mystical, magical martial arts? And dude, here, they're freaking Chinese food delivery kids! I hope they use their extaordinary kung fu skills to stop would-be muggers. These days, Chinese food delivery is a dangerous game. Anyway, here's a press release on the series: Animation Collective and Fatkat Studios Announce Co-Venture for "Three Delivery," New, Animated Take on Super Hero Series

snakes in the river

This is kind of weird one... Last week, members from a New York sect of Amitabha Buddhists—devout vegetarians who believe in the sanctity of all living creatures—purchased hundreds of live reptiles and released them into the Passaic River as part of a Buddhist rite. The group apparently believed in letting the reptiles complete their natural life cycle and realize their full karmic potential. However, state environmental authorities say that the practice was illegal, a civil offense punishable by a fines: Authorities find a lot wrong with Buddhist reptile rite

here she comes... miss new york chinese

The New York Times recently ran a really interesting, amusing, behind-the-scenes story on one of the most important events for the city's Chinese American community, an annual hallmark of cultural pride and dignity... the Miss New York Chinese pageant: The Rainbow Runway. I guess there's no better way to show your Chinese pride than prancing around in a string bikini and heels.

some heroes news

Here's a recent interview with Heroes' star Masi Oka, talking about the show's upcoming second season (which premieres September 24th), next week's release of Season One on DVD, and his recent Best Supporting Actor Emmy nomination: Masi Oka on Heroes. The guy is on top of the world right now...

In other Heroes news... seems like there's a bit of Heroes casting news every other day. So... the other day, it was announced that Janel Parrish, most recently seen as "Jade" in Bratz, will appear in a few episodes of Heroes next season. She will play "May," the head cheerleader at the new school that Claire attends: "Bratz" starlet joins "Heroes" team. Yay, whatever. Still no details on the very white actor David Anders playing Takezo Kensei...

hiv youth project

The HIV Youth Project is soon-to-be-launched online community and support group for HIV-positive youth and people of color. It was started by William Ching, who thought up the idea after seeing there was a tremendous lack of resources for recently diagnosed youth and other marginalized communities. The project is currently seeking stories, testimonials, articles and any other type of submissions on peoples' experiences on testing positive and/or living with HIV. They're encouraging submissions particularly from youth, LGBT-identified, women and communities of color. Check out the website placeholder (not much there right now) and contact info here.

12th annual la tofu festival

Almost forgot! Good people of Southern California, get yourself down to Little Tokyo for the 12th LA Tofu Festival. Happening right now as write this, August 18th and 19th. A weekend of food, fun and friends, all powered by super tofu goodness. Lots of food vendors, an entertainment stage, a cosplay contest(!), a tofu eating contest, prizes, and people... and all proceeds go to the Little Tokyo Service Center. So come on out, support a good cause. And wear sunblock because it's going to be a hot one. And be sure to stop by the Blacklava table buy a t-shirt or two.

harold and kumar 2 teaser trailer

Well, they're back. Here's your first look at the Harold and Kumar sequel:

Starring John Cho and Kal Penn. Hitting theaters in 2008.

two arrested in fatal grocery shooting

It's not just restaurants.... In the Philadelphia area, two teens have been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of Lu Jiaxing at his grocery store last week. According to police, Darrin White, 19 and James Canady, 15, apparently tried to rob Lu, but he stood up and fought back, managing to get them out of the store. But then Canady pulled a gun and shot him. This story was written last week, when the cops had White in custody on murder, robbery and weapons charges: Lawncrest slay suspect surrenders. Canady turned himself in a few days later: Boy surrenders in grocer slaying. Devastated by their loss, the Lu famly has now given up on Philadelphia and plans to move to New York: As suspect surrenders, a family gives up on city.

free "bebot" promotional dvd

A year ago this month, the folks at Kid Heroes Productions debuted not one, but two Filipino pride-packed videos for the Black Eyed Peas' "Bebot." The videos were a huge internet sensation, with over 50,000 views in just the first few days. This month, they're celebrating the one year anniversary of the video with a special release of the BEBOT Promotional DVD. But it's not for sale. The DVD will be free to anyone who purchases any two items a the Kid Heroes Cyber Store. The DVD contains both versions of the video, a making-of featurette, and other extra goodies. Best of all, a portion of all online sales during the month of August will be donated to the Little Manila Foundation. For more info, go here.

ah jook ku, first asian american ap reporter

Ah Jook Ku, the first Asian American reporter for the Associated Press and retired executive secratary of the Honolulu Community-Media Council, died last week in Hawaii. She was 97: Star-Bulletin reporter pushed for free press. In the 1940s she covered life in China and the government of Chang Kai-Shek as the first Asian American reporter for the Associated Press, and in later years, she was known by her colleagues for her advocacy for freedom of information and journalism standards. Definitely a pioneer in the field.

the real home run king

All the hoopla and fanfare over Barry Bonds record-breaking 756th home run has sort of come and gone. But at this point, between being one of the most disliked players in baseball and allegations of performance-enhancing substances, I think a lot of folks just rolled their eyes at Bonds' feat. Besides, beating Hank Aaron's record? 755? That's nothing. The real home run king is Japan's Sadaharu Oh, who played with the Tokyo Yomiuri Giatns from 1959 to 1980 and hit more home runs than any other professional player... in the world. 868. Beat that, Barry. Here's a good profile on Oh from the Los Angeles Times: Home run king and gentleman. Humble and revered in Japan, he sounds a bit like the anti-Bonds.

asian american shows at the new york fringe festival

Check it out, NYC. There are a handful of Asian American shows playing as part of the New York International Fringe Festival, the largest multi-arts festival in North America...


I'm particularly interested in the musical Victor Woo - The Average Asian American, with music and lyrics by the prolific Kevin So. The story: "1980's preteen Victor Woo dreams of becoming a pop star "sensation." His Chinese-born parents see a different future. Confronting cultural expectations and media stereotypes, 'The Average Asian American' reconciles his duty to his family, his heritage, and himself." I'm a big fan of Kevin's music, and the show stars my by boy Raymond J. Lee. For more info on Victor Woo at the festival, go here. And the show's official site. And the requisite MySpace.


Also playing at the festival, Lauren Yee's Asian American identity comedy Ching Chong Chinaman. The story: "A privileged life. A stable home. Indentured servitude in the name of galactic conquest. Upton Wong has it all. But when his Chinese slave starts romancing his mother, will the Wongs ever learn how to be Asian American? A dysfunctional, madcap comedy that redefines what it takes to grow up Asian in America." For more info about the Fringe shows, go here.


And finally, there's Byron Yee's critically acclamed solo show Paper Son, about his own journey growing up in Oklahoma, moving to California, becoming a stand-up comedian, then finding his heritage. Boom! Born again Asian American. Learn more about the show at the official site, Byron Yee's blog, and the remaining Fringe shows here. Lots of great reviews for this over the last few years, so check it out.

another dream shattered

Song Ni had a dream just like many Chinese immigrants... move to a small town from New York, open a restaurant, raise a family. So he moved to Stantonsburg, NC (population: 800) and opened Jin Jin Chinese Restaurant, a "hole-in-the-wall" offering the usual Chinese American cuisine. Probably not very good, but it had its place in the small community, right next to the laundromat, the diner, and the Piggly Wiggly.

However, Ni's dream came to an end last month when robbers shot him dead in his home—just across the street from his restaurant: Slain immigrant lived a dream, briefly. Unfortunately, Ni's death, just like his dream, is also a common occurrence for Chinese restaurant workers—and it doesn't matter whether you're in a big city or small town. This has got to stop.

housing crackdown on indian immigrants

Here's a New York Times story from last week about a housing crackdown that's putting the squeeze on Indian immigrants in New Jersey: Housing Crackdown Hits Indian Immigrants. The city has basically been investigating and cracking down on illegally subdivided homes being turned into unauthorized boarding houses and multifamily dwellings. It's been a common practice for middle-class Indians in the area to rent rooms (or parts of rooms) to students, technology workers and others from India. Heck, this practice is not limited to Indian immigrants—it happens in all immigrant communities in one way or another. But I guess city authorities, as well as cranky neighbors, aren't happy with it...

federal charges for kenneth eng, freak

Recap: so when last we left the one and only Kenneth Eng, the self-proclaimed "Asian supremacist" was sentenced to counseling for threatening to assault his neighbors. With a hammer. He was then promptly arrested on federal charges. The 23-year-old science fiction writer apparently made threatening phone calls to a NYU classmate a couple of years back, which constitutes transmitting "in interstate commerce a communication containing a threat," according to sworn affidavit from an FBI agent who investigates hate crimes. Basically, because the threats were transmitted over state lines, it's a federal issue. This Village Voice blog entry details some of Eng's hateful actions while at NYU (and beyond), and holy smokes, it's pretty much complete insanity: Kenneth Eng Threatened a 'White Pussy' With Violence. This time, a conviction could mean real jail time. What the hell are you going to do in federal lockup, Kenneth? It's just you and your dragons now. (Thanks CV.)

three white dudes in india: the movie

Here's the trailer for The Darjeeling Limited, the latest film from Wes Anderson. Ooh, so quirky. It looks like the movie takes a trio of Anderson usuals and sticks them on a journey through India. By train. Or something. And it looks like Jason Schwartzman romances one of the locals. Greaaatttt. Kind of surprised Kumar Pallana isn't in this one.

august 16 is 'yul kwon day'

Tomorrow is Yul Kwon Day. I'm not kidding. The city of Concord, CA, where the Survivor winner grew up, is designating Thursday, August 16th as "Yul Kwon Day": Warm welcome for reality star. Yul will make a special appearance at the Thursday Night Market & Music program at Todos Santos Plaza starting at 6:30pm. City officials will present him with a proclamation, and true to his causes, Yul will be using the occasion to raise awareness for and promote the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, which will have a table at the event. For more information, here's the city's press release: Concord 'Survivor' Yul Kwon special guest at music program

blame china. for everything.

Seems like I can't turn on the news these days without hearing about how something has gone wrong in China, or how some company is recalling defective/contaminated products... made in China. This was all over the news the other day: A Death over Tainted Toys. According to China's Southern Metropolis Daily, Cheung Shu-hung, co-owner of Lee Der Industrial Co. Ltd., hanged himself in a warehouse on Saturday afternoon. His company apparently manufactured all of the nearly 1 million toys recalled by Mattel earlier this month. Very dramatic, rather sensational.

And yesterday, we get the news that fourteen people were killed and 65 were missing after a bridge under construction in southern China collapsed: Fourteen die in China bridge collapse, 65 missing. You can just see folks in America hearing this news, shrugging their shoulders, and blaming the usual bad Chinese engineering. Never mind that we saw a bridge collapse here the United States just two weeks ago (or are we blaming the Chinese for that one too?).

Heck, China is even responsible for a huge wave of counterfeit Harry Potter books. And I'm not talking about unofficial reproductions of Deathly Hallows. I'm talking about phony unauthorized installments of the series, written by hack Chinese writers (posing as J.K. Rowling) trying to cash in: Chinese Market Awash in Fake Potter Books. Bootleg titles include Harry Potter and the Hiking Dragon, Harry Potter and the Chinese Empire, and Harry Potter and Leopard-Walk-Up-to-Dragon. Here's a list of some of the fake books, with plot summaries: Memo to the Dept. of Magical Copyright Enforcement

And now, with the 2008 presidential election looming, China is starting to become a major foreign policy issue in the race: China becomes popular issue in 2008 race. Given the way China is looking in the news lately, it's likely some candidates will embrace bashing China as a way of winning votes.

roy pearson, you idiot

And it don't stop. DC's sad sack of a legal loser, Roy Pearson—the $54 million pants guy—filed a Notice of Appeal today signifying his intent to appeal Judge Bartnoff's verdict: Judge Who Filed Suit Plans to Appeal Defeat. Is anyone really surprised? No. But I think everyone was really hoping the Chungs would finally get some peace. They've done everything possible to put all this behind them and lay the matter to rest. Yesterday, they withdrew their demand that Pearson pay the $83,000 for their legal bills: Dry Cleaners Cut Plaintiff Some Slack. But Pearson, being the soon-to-be-fired idiot that he is, will not let this ridiculous lawsuit go. The fool. No matter! The Chungs will prevail, because this lawsuit has been a load of ass from the very beginning. An appeal is not going to change that. Just let the damn thing go, Roy. Let it go.