bad band name: ching chong song

Ever heard of a band called Ching Chong Song? With a name like that, definitely not my kind of band. (But maybe Rosie O'Donnell is a fan.) So last semester at Bryn Mawr college, the school booked the band to play on campus.

Not taking this lightly, Bryn Mawr's Asian Student Association protested the band's scheduled appearance, and the school agreed to cancel the event. I'm told that the matter was handled pretty quietly and resolved in early December. Everything cool, right? Nope.

Last week, the school's newspaper published a letter from Julia LaMendola of Ching Chong Song, responding to what occurred between her band and Bryn Mawr: Letter to the Editor; Ching Chong Song Treated Unfairly.

It pretty much boils down to a incoherent, whiny, offensive tirade againstt some entity she refers to as the "asian society," calling them "stupid twats" and "retards." Yeah, taking the high road. Let the war of words begin...

beyond dim sum and trinkets

When you think of Chinatown, maybe all you're really familiar with is the best place to get dim sum or purchase a set of fake plastic nunchucks. Maybe that's all you want to be familiar with. But a nonprofit organization in San Francisco is conducting tours that take participants through some of the lesser-known stories and darker corners and alleys of Chinatown—way more than the average tourist usually ever gets to experience: San Francisco: An insider's take on Chinatown. It sounds really fascintating. Learn more about Chinatown Alleyway Tours here.

can we get a token asian friend? maybe?

Carmen over at Racialicious brought this little bit of information to my attention: MTV's new Laguna Beach will be in Brooklyn. MTV is working on a new series that will "paint an accurate picture for America of what life is like for the average Brooklyn high school student." (Ah, because they did such an awesome job showing what life is like for the average Orange County high school student.) They've picked H.S. 430 Brooklyn Technical High School, better known as Brooklyn Tech. I have to echo Carmen's skepticism: "How much do you bet the show will revolve around a group of white kids, with occasional appearances from a token black friend? Even though the school is 49% Asian?"

ufc fighter brandon vera

Here's an interesting profile from the San Diego Reader on Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight fighter Brandon Vera, one of the few successful Asian American competitors in the UFC: Don't Fight Mad.

sticks and stones

Some news from last week, out of American University... Rick Kamdar, a senior at AU, was expelled for "discrimination, physical abuse and conduct that endangers others" over an incident that occurred last November:

Rick Kamdar, formerly a senior in the Kogod School of Business, was expelled for an incident that occurred Nov. 18, in which a verbal fight on the Letts-Anderson Quad escalated into a physical altercation.

Kamdar said the incident began when he asked a student on the quad for a light, and the student's friend told Kamdar to "Go back to India." Kamdar then used an anti-gay slur against the student and the two began pushing each other. The fight was quickly broken up by Public Safety.

"The word fag is a very common word; it doesn't always mean gay," Kamdar said. "Did I know he was gay? No. Apparently American University has concluded that people can look gay."

While JAMS also charged Kamdar with physical abuse and conduct that endangers others, he said he was told by the Student Advocacy Center that discrimination leads to an immediate dismissal. However, he said he feels the other student's "Go back to India" comment was also discriminatory.

Here's the article: Expelled student to appeal ruling. Okay, Kamdar is pretty much an idiot for saying what he did (and his "common word" defense is a bit ridiculous), whether he knew the other guy was gay or not. I don't know much about what happened outside of what's in the article, but according to the administration, discrimination leads to and immediate dismissal. That said, I gotta ask, shouldn't the guy who provoked Kamdar with "Go back to India" also have to face some disciplinary consequences?

chinese teachers are coming

The Chinese government recently sent 38 teachers to the United States to teach in 19 school systems across the country as part of a partnership between China and the College Board. They're hoping that "exposing American children to 5,000 years of rich history and an exotic language will help bring about a new focus on their country": Introducing China. This, of course, is cause for concern to those who fear that this is a Chinese campaign to "dominate the world"... starting with the precious minds of schoolchildren!

you couldn't pay me to watch this stuff

The photo above is of Eddie Murphy... and Eddie Murphy in the new film Norbit, opening in theaters today. According to Yahoo! Movies, it's about "a meek man forced into marrying a monstrous woman, only to meet the woman of his dreams." Okay, but Norbit also happens to be adopted by Chinese parents. Yes, Eddie rockin' the Chinese man makeup. In addition to Norbit and Rasputia (the monstrous woman), Eddie Murphy plays Mr. Wong, the Chinese man whose restaurant apparently doubles as an orphanage. I know Eddie Murphy has made a career out of doing radical makeup to play multiple characters in his movies, and this doesn't really come as a surprise... it's part of his tired schtick. So is it still considered yellowface when it's Eddie Murphy doing the yellowfacing? Besides the look, he seems to fall on other stereotypes too. ("You ugry brack baby!" Mr. Wong exclaims when he finds the infant Norbit in his driveway.) Either way, I have no plans to see this movie. Here's A.O. Scott's review in the New York Times: That Was No Elephant, That Was My Wife


Also opening in theaters today, Hannibal Rising, the totally unnecessary Silence of the Lambs prequel telling the story of Hannibal Lecter as a young man. Gong Li apparently has a fairly large role as Hannibal's aunt(?) Lady Murasaki, who teaches him "Oriental warrior traditions." Ah, the ways of the Oriental warrior. Perfect for a future of serial murder and cannibalism. Why, Gong Li, why? It sounds pretty awful, and according to this review, it is: Hannibal sinks in 'Rising'. Yup, that's another one I won't be watching.

bay area theater love

Bay Area, don't forget to buy your tickets for Telemongol this weekend (and next). The hilarity is happening at the Theatre on San Pedro Square in San Jose. Also opening, up in the city, Filipino American performing arts center Bindlestiff Studio in San Francisco presents its latest production, The Love Edition 2: Turned On!, five original stories about "love, heartache and the weirdness in between." I'm told that the play includes comedic pieces that will make you laugh your ass off, and at least one incredibly intense drama that "will have all the girls crying and maybe even a few guys." Read more about the stories here, and buy your tickets online here.

ancient korean secret

I got crazy hungry while reading this story, about the growing trend of Korean-style fried chicken places in the New York area: Koreans Share Their Secret for Chicken With a Crunch. What is the secret?

china cleans up engrish

For years, we've seen sites like Engrish and Chinglish pointing out bad (and often hilarious) English signage translations in Asia. Try as they may, they just can't seem to get it right over there, with signs like "Show Mercy to the Slender Grass," or "After first under on, do riding with civility." No more, says Beijing. With the world watching, and tons of foreign visitors expected to visit the city for the 2008 Summer Olympics, they're cracking down on the bad translations: Tired of Laughter, Beijing Gets Rid Of Bad Translations. For the next eight months, 10 teams of "linguistic monitors" will patrol the city for spelling and grammar errors to fix. It's probably not as easy as it sounds. I mean, what the heck does this even mean: "It is here prohibition against to stop to put the bicycle and throw to lose the result compacent."

mistrial for lt. ehren watada

A judge declared a mistrial yesterday in the court-martial of an Army lieutenant Ehren Watada, who refused to deploy to Iraq: Officer's court-martial ends in mistrial The judge ruled that Watada didn't fully understand a document he signed in which he admitted to elements of the charges. Prosecutors argued that he admitted in the document that he had a duty to go to Iraq with his fellow soldiers, but Watada said he had intended to admit only that he had not gone to Iraq, not that he was duty-bound to deploy to Iraq with his unit. When it became evident that there was disagreement over Watada's admission, the judge indicated he was unsure whether he could accept the document, and declared a mistrial. A new trial date has been set for March 19. The saga continues...

pat robertson is an ignorant ass

Pat Robertson, being an ignorant crazy ass once again. This week, on the February 7 edition of the Christian Broadcasting Network's The 700 Club, Robertson said that people who have received too much plastic surgery "got the eyes like they're Oriental" while he put his fingers up to the side of his face. You know, like they used to do on te playground. Where'd you learn that, Pat—third grade? He was referring to Fox News host Greta Van Susteren's plastic surgery: Robertson: Too much plastic surgery gives people "Oriental" eyes. They've got a video clip over at Media Matters, but here's the basic transcript:

ROBERTSON: You know there's a lady named Greta Van Susteren, who's on Fox.

WATTS: Yeah.

ROBERTSON: Got a very popular --

WATTS: Oh, I saw her.

ROBERTSON: She looked gorgeous last night, but she had a really serious facial deal. And it did a wonder --

WATTS: Sister needed help.

ROBERTSON: Sister got the help.

WATTS: Sister -- she needed some help, yeah.

ROBERTSON: But she got it. She just looks great, and she's so popular.

WATTS: But have you ever seen someone who got it too much, and so they come up to you, and they're like, "Pat, how are you doing? It's so good to see you."

ROBERTSON: Yeah, they got the eyes like they're Oriental, and, you know, it's all pulled. So, make sure you do it right. But -- it's -- that's one way you can go, but it'll cost you five or six thousand dollars probably. All right. What else?

Was that really necessary? Robertson, of course, has a history of ridiculous and ignorant remarks. It's scary to think a guy like this wields so much power through CBN. Oriental eyes? That's racist!

beau sia's words will kick your ass, rosie

You gotta check this out... over on MTV Chi's "Overdrive" website they've got various videos and treats, including spoken word artist Beau Sia responding to Rosie O'Donnell's ching chongs: an open letter to all the rosie o'donnells.

Sure, the incident's over a month old, but frankly, we never really got proper resolution. It just... went away. And I'm sorry, but the "ching chong" still stings. It has been, still is, and sadly, probably still will be a painful part of the Asian American experience.

Anyway, it's a great piece, with Beau appropriately standing in a classroom—because dude, he's got some serious knowledge to drop. And if you don't know, now you know. Consider yourself schooled, Rosie.

this guy can sing

People have been emailing me like crazy about this guy Paul Kim of Saratoga, CA, who auditioned and wowed the judges on American Idol last night. No doubt, the guy's got some serious talent. Take a look at the clip. I like how Paul makes it a point to bring up William Hung (the guy set us back years and years), and that he's there to show that there are Asian Americans who can and will represent in music. And damn, the guy can sing. He ain't no William Hung. Idol fansites in the know are speculating that Paul has actually made it to this season's top 24. So who is this guy? Where did he come from? Here's his MySpace, which includes more of his music. His rendition of "Jealous Guy" seriously channels Donny Hathaway. Keep an eye out for this guy... I'm already rooting for him.

bich minh nguyen's stealing buddha's dinner

NPR's All Things Considered did a story on author Bich Minh Nguyen and her first book Stealing Buddha's Dinner, a memoir about her family's journey from Vietnam to America, and "a young Asian girl's struggle for acceptance growing up in 'a sea of blonde'": From Pho to Fast Food, an Immigrant's Tale. It includes an excerpt from the book. Oh, how cruel mean American schoolkids can be to a girl named "Bich."

gothamist co-founder jen chung

Gothamist.com co-founder Jen Chung was recently on WNBC in New York talking about "the power of blogs": Gothamist.com Co-Founder Discusses N.Y. Blogs. News flash, friends: blogs are informative and powerful tools. And they're everywhere. Welcome to the 21st century.

kevin so's a brighter day

If you didn't know, soulful singer/songwriter Kevin So's first studio album in four years, A Brighter Day, is out this month. It's currently available on iTunes and soon over at CD Baby. I haven't heard it yet, but he's got some clips over at his MySpace, and I like it. He'll also be touring all over the place this spring in support of the new record. Treat yourself to the smooth sounds of Kevin So.

mike honda on bush's budget

This week, Congress Mike Honda, chair of the Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, issued a statement regarding President Bush's FY2008 budget, which was announced earlier this week:

"The Bush budget ignores the challenges of Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) and middle class families that are struggling to achieve financial security. The budget fails to create jobs, creates record deficits, and shortchanges health care, education, veterans' benefits, small businesses, and seniors."

Read the rest here: Bush's Budget Will Hurt Middle Class
and Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities

get your telemongol on

All right, Bay Area. I'm giving you something to do this weekend and next. This is my semi-weekly reminder about the sketch comedy madness known as TeleMongol. It is coming to San Jose, and it is coming after you! Asian American Theater Company and Contemporary Asian Theater Scene present the powerful Voltron-like collaboration between Lodestone Theatre Ensemble and three of the nation's most renowned Asian American comedy troupes, Cold Tofu, 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors, and OPM. It's a show about the ups and downs of programming of an all-Asian American television network. Nothing is sacred! No one is spared! Best of all, they make fun of Bai Ling (not that that's very hard).

The show runs for two weekends, February 9-11 and 16-18 at Theatre on San Pedro Square in San Jose. And you, my friends, do not have to pay full price. Readers of the website get discounted tickets! When you purchase you tickets at Brown Paper Tickets, enter the password "tmangryasian" and get yourself a few bucks off the ticket price. A few bucks off is better than no bucks off, right? So buy your tickets, go see the show, laugh with Asian people for a change. More info on the show, go here.

25th sfiaaff website

The website for the 25th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival is up and running. There isn't much there yet—the full program will be announced on February 13—but it'll be place to get all your info for what has to be my favorite Asian American film festival, running March 15-25. 25th anniversary! This is a big year. Due to renovations currently underway at the Kabuki Cinemas, the festival will be taking place at two new venues this year: AMC Van Ness Theatres and Landmark Opera Plaza Cinema. So don't be showing up in Japantown on opening night. Speaking of opening night, word on the street is, SFIAAFF's Opening Night film will be Justin Lin's Finishing the Game, fresh from Sundance. Here's a recent review of the film from the Hollywood Reporter: Finishing the Game ("Bottom Line: A boisterous '70s comedy spoofing the flaws of studio moviemaking.")