watch the trailer for ping pong playa

Check it out! Yahoo! Movies has posted the trailer for Jessica Yu's sports comedy Ping Pong Playa. It's a fun little indie movie, but I'll be honest—this trailer is rather bad. It definitely lays on the wacky cheese factor really thick, starting with that awful voiceover. Ugh. Try not to let that discourage you from watching the movie. View the trailer here, and see photos from the movie here.

For those of you in New York, Ping Pong Playa will screen as the Closing Night presentation this weekend at the Asian American International Film Festival. I saw the movie earlier this year at SFIAAFF and enjoyed it a lot. For the rest of you, the movie will be released theatrically this fall from IFC Films, starting on September 5 in New York and Los Angeles (and presumably more cities after that). For more information about the movie, go the official website here.

new report on asian american political engagement

This being an important election year, there's been a lot of talk about the growing influence of Asian American voters and the important role we could have in electing the next president. But what does that actually mean? Super Tuesday showed that we can have an impact, and we certainly possess the numbers and momentum. But how do we keep it going where it matters?

Yes, our influence is growing, but more can still be done to increase voter registration and citizen rates in our community, according to a recent analysis conducted by the UCLA Asian American Studies Center, the UC Asian American and Pacific Islander Policy Initiative, and the Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics.

The report, based on 2006 U.S. census figures, charts Asian American electoral trends in the context of population growth, demographics and immigration status and highlights the challenges of translating Asian Americans' growing numbers into strength at the polls: INFLUENCE OF ASIAN AMERICAN VOTERS INCREASING IN STATE, U.S. ELECTIONS.

You can download and read the report here: Awakening the New "Sleeping Giant"? Asian American Political Engagement (PDF) by Paul Ong, Melany Dela Cruz-Viesca, and Don Nakanishi.

beninaha founder rocky aoki dies

Rocky Aoki, founder of the ubiquitous Benihana Japanese steak house chain in North America, died last week in New York. He was 69: Benihana Founder Rocky Aoki Passes Away. No cause of death was specified, but he had been battling diabetes, cirrhosis of the liver, and hepatitis C.

Aoki was a former wrestler on the Japanese Olympic team, but apparently couldn't compete at the 1960 games in Rome because he was over the weight limit. He found his way to New York City in 1964, where he opened the first Benihana... a restaurant chain which has grown to about 90 restaurants worldwide.

The concept for the restaurant was inspired from specialty restaurants Aoki knew of in Japan where patrons sit around a communal grill as chefs prepare meals with a flourish (thus, the acrobatic knife performances). He chose to serve food Americans were familiar with, such as chicken, steak and shrimp.

The guy led a very crazy, colorful life, which included financial run-ins with the law, competing in a number of cross-country and cross-ocean races, and three marriages (three of his seven children were apparently conceived in a single one-year span by different women). His kids include model/actress Devon Aoki and Dim Mak Records CEO Steve Aoki. More here: Hiraoki 'Rocky' Aoki, 69; former Olympic wrestler founded Benihana restaurant chain.

racist remarks at the u.s. air guitar championships

The following email was sent to the organizers of the U.S. Air Guitar Championships by Francis Hsueh, who attended the Brooklyn Regional last week. Basically, it highlights some racist remarks made by one of the idiot judges at the competition. Read on for details:

Dear US Air Guitar Organizers:

Last night, a group of us attended the show in Williamsburg to watch our friend Jonathan Mendez perform in the competition. The Bee Gees metal band was amazing, and the opportunity to step back and enjoy a bygone era was fun and nostalgic.

It was a great time until the judges started talking.

Many of us were shocked and astounded that US Air Guitar would allow one of the judges (the man on the right) to spew racist comments about Asians (apparently referring to Japanese or other Asian contestants as "nips" and "riceballs"). The gist of his rant was that Americans had to defend their honor by not letting Asians dominate the competition, especially by not letting the Japanese, who "gave us Pearl Harbor", to continue dominating the competition. Ironically, there appear to be NO Japanese or Japanese-American contestants in the Hall of Fame. They have Korean or other Asian last names.

And yet, we can only imagine what would have happened if he had said something about African-Americans or any other race. Clearly US Air Guitar must be above this double-standard?

I myself am a guitarist and really looked forward to last night's show but I had to be reminded yet again that people like myself are not always welcomed at these events or in that world.

We only wanted to be able to rock out like everyone else and not be subjected to racist taunts for once. Is that too much to ask for?

Francis Hsueh
and
Steven Hahn
Jimmy Lee
Christine Lee

What the hell? It seems that anywhere you go, or whatever arena Asians are trying to make a difference in—even air guitar, where several Asian Americans have dominated—there's always going to some racist ass who has to shoot off his mouth like this. Never mind the fact that former champions David 'C-Diddy' Jung, MiRi 'Sonyk-Rok' Park, and Fatima 'Rockness Monster' Hoang are all indeed 100% American. That judge needs to get his head out of his ass. That's racist!

no dogs allowed on the menu

Next month, tourists from all over the world will visit Beijing for the Olympic games. I'm sure many fearful and reluctant foreign diners will be happy and relieved to hear this news: Dog meat off the menu during Beijing Olympics.

Dog meat has reportedly been removed from the menus of officially designated Olympic restaurants, and Beijing tourism officials are telling other outlets to discourage consumers from ordering dishes made from dogs.

Then again, tourists who are actually looking forward to trying dog dishes are going to be disappointed. According to city tourism bureau Vice Director Xiong Yumei, waiters and waitresses should "patiently" suggest other options to diners who order dog. Nice try, Beijing.

internment-era baseball players honored

The Sacramento Bee has another good article on the many Japanese Americans who played baseball in internment camps during World War II: California's Japanese Americans loved their baseball, even behind barbed wire.

Last week, 32 Japanese Americans from the era were honored at a luncheon and at an evening ceremony before a minor league Sacramento River Cats game. Now in their 80s and 90s, they were remembered for their contribution to baseball—a sport that didn't always welcome them.

help: benefit concert for burma and sichuan

Bay Area friends, mark your calendars... here's another cool event for a good cause. Over twenty community and professional organizations are partering up with AsianWeek to present help: Benefit Concert for Burma and Sichuan, Saturday, August 2 at Glas Kat Nightclub in San Francisco.

The event will feature American Idol semifinalist Paul Kim, Burmese-American singer Natalise, and local band Mud, performing a rare acoustic set. All net proceeds from the concert will be donated to UMCOR to provide food, water, and temporary shelter in the most devastated areas of Burma and Sichuan. Purchase your tickets here.

vote in caam's free your story contest

The Center for Asian American Media has narrowed down the pool of contestants for the Toyota Matrix Free Your Story Contest to seven semi-finalists. Six of these filmmakers will advance to the final round where they'll compete to be the grand prize winner. It's up to you to determine who moves to the next round. The winner will win a brand new HD camera and one year Supporter level membership to CAAM. Vote for your favorite filmmaker here. Voting ends on Monday, July 21 at 5:00pm.

5th annual 72 hour film shootout awards

The 5th Annual 72 Hour Film Shootout Awards are happening today, 12:30pm at Asia Society in New York. The Shootout Awards are presented with Asian Cinevision as a special program of the Asian American International Film Festival. Find out who will be in the Top 10 Films, who will be Best Of, who will win the Chinatown Award, who will claim the Audience Award, and who will be crowned Grand Prize Winner.

Oh, the suspense! I went to the awards presentation last year and had a really great time checking out all the films. It's amazing what you can accomplish with some very specific restraints. To purchase tickets, go here. Immediately following the awards, there will be a hors d'oeuvre reception at Stir NYC. Receive a free beer with your ticket stub compliments of Singha Beer (while supplies last). And who doesn't love free beer?

UPDATE: Here's the list of winners from the 5th Annual 72 Hour Film Shootout Awards, presented July 13, 2008 at the Asia Society in New York as part of the Asian American International Film Festival:

GRAND PRIZE WINNER
Team Big Egg
"No Holding Back"

1ST RUNNER-UP
Team Fish Grenade
"Drain"

2ND RUNNER-UP
Team Color TV
"Cold War"

TOP TEN FILMS
(Alphabetical Order by Team Name)

Azn Rejects
"Suspense’s How to Jedi Mind Trick the B*tches"

Big Egg
"No Holding Back"

CinemAsia
"Say Goodbye"

Color TV
"Cold War"

Fish Grenade
"Drain"

Inspirasian
"First Goodbye Cleaning Agency"

Last Minute Films
"Killer Headline"

Sans Humor
"A First Goodbye"

Vision
"Say Goodbye"

White Rabbit
"Miles Apart"

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS

Best Actor
Rain Noe
Team Color TV, "Cold War"

Best Actress
Tess Paras
Team Color TV, "Cold War"

Best Cinematography
Nara Garber
Team White Rabbit, "Miles Apart"

Best Direction
Derek Shimoda
Team Fish Grenade, "Drain"

Best Editing
Derek Shimoda
Team Fish Grenade, "Drain"

Best Story
CinemAsia, "Say Goodbye"

Most Original Use of Theme
Presented and Sponsored by Aspire Asian Film Circle
Team Color TV, "Cold War"

Audience Award
Presented and Sponsored by NINGIN.com
Team Grace, Wtf, "Discard"

Chinatown Award
Presented and Sponsored by Museum of Chinese in America's Chinatown Film Project and Deluxe
Team Zeitgeist ArtWorks, "Spofford Alley"

john woo's red cliff finally arrives

John Woo's long-anticipated epic movie Red Cliff opens this week in Asia. It's been a long, hard road for the project from the start, filled with major cast dropouts (then drop-ins, then dropouts again), a massive ballooning budget, and even a death on the set. But the movie has finally arrived, and according to the one person I know who's actually seen it, it's "spectacular." Could this be John Woo's return to glory? The world will soon find out: 'Red Cliff' ready for its closeup.

Red Cliff, adapted from China's classic novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, is over four hours long. It's one of those big-ass costume action spectacles. For Asian territories, the movie is being split into two parts, with the first released yesterday in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea. Audiences outside of Asia will get a single movie, expected to be 2 1/2 hours long. We'll get to see it stateside here in January.

The story is set in the final days of the Han Dynasty, in the year 208, covering the war that established the Three Kingdoms period, when China had three rulers. The movie stars Tony Leung, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Zhang Fengyi, Chang Chen and Lin Chiling. Yeah, it's a big deal. Watch this 9-minute promo reel above to get a glimpse of the scale and scope of the production. Sorry, no English subtitles. But you get the idea.

Oh, how I want this movie to be good. I want to see the John Woo that made Hard Boiled and The Killer, not the John Woo that made Hard Target and Paycheck. I want Red Cliff to be awesome, and not a big, fat, four-hour piece of stink. I want a lot of things. Anyway, TIME recently did an interview with the director, featuring reader-submitted questions: John Woo will now take your questions. And here's video from the interview: 10 Questions for John Woo.

tv's second asian american family

This week at the Television Critics Association Press Tour, Margaret Cho talked to reporters about her upcoming "semi-scripted" comedy on VH1, The Cho Show: TCA: Margaret Cho brings television its second all-Asian series.

The show revolves around Cho's real-life parents (a frequent source of material for her stand-up) and her 3-foot-10-inch assistant Selene Luna. She describes it as "kind of a cross between Madonna's 'Truth or Dare,' 'Joy Luck Club' and 'Little People, Big World.' What the-!?

In truth, the series follows Cho and her family as they improv their way through scripted situations. During the first episode, Margaret tells her parents that a magazine has named her "Korean of the Year," and the show follows the family's trip to San Francisco, where she'll accept the award. More here: Margaret Cho says new 'Cho Show' promises tomfoolery.

I'm very intrigued about this show. Hopefully, it'll be so awesome, we'll all forget the suckiness of 1994's All-American Girl, Margaret's first attempt to bring the Asian American family to television. Those were dark years. The Cho Show premieres on August 21 on VH1.

lodestone's my man kono part of the l.a. history project

Phil informs me of the L.A. History Project, six new plays about the city of Los Angeles and its rich history. Presented by Edge of the World Theatre Festival, the Project features workshop productions of six new plays by six L.A. theater companies including Lodestone Theatre Ensemble's My Man Kono. Read on theater fans:

MY MAN KONO
(Act One: The Chaplin Years)
Written by Philip W. Chung (THE GOLDEN HOUR)
Directed by Jeff Liu
Featuring: Garrett Wang (STAR TREK: VOYAGER) as Toraichi Kono with J. Stephen Brady, Paul Byrne, Elizabeth Ho, Stephanie Lincoln, Nghia Luu, Donovan Oakleaf & Ryan Wilkins

The story of Toraichi Kono, who worked as movie star Charlie Chaplin's personal valet for 17 years before being arrested as a Japanese enemy spy on the eve of World War II. This is an off-book workshop presentation of Act One of the play which covers Kono's years with Chaplin.

FREE ADMISSION and PARKING
NO RSVP required.

Sunday, July 13 at 3:30 PM
Autry National Center of the American West (in L.A.'s Griffith Park, across from the L.A. Zoo)
Wells Fargo Theater
Griffith Park Campus, 4700 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles, CA, 90027-1462
Info: information@edgeoftheworld.org
Info about the Autry Center including map/directions: http://www.autrynationalcenter.org/visit.php

For more info about Kono: www.myspace.com/toraichikono

Other plays include Tom Jacobson's The Chinese Massacre, based on the first race in Los Angeles history, and Judy Soo Hoo's At Risk, which explores the history of United Teachers of Los Angeles. For more information on all plays, go here.

america's best dance crew season 2: week four

Not the strongest week for America's Best Dance Crew. Most of the teams did decent jobs, but ultimately the speed-up challenge tripped a lot of people up. It doesn't seem like it should be so difficult—dance slow, then dance fast—but it definitely proved to be a challenge. My three favorite crews:


Fanny Pak. Easily the best performance of the night. From the very beginning, Fanny Pak have been the scrappy underdogs of the competition, but they've managed to hang in there, winning over more and more fans along the way. They totally killed this challenge. Go Cara.


Super Cr3w. After last week's shows-stopping performance, this one was a little underwhelming. Just a little. Still, there's no doubt that these b-boys are the top contenders in this competition.


SoReal Cru. There's really no one better in this competition than SoReal when it comes to doing the slow and smooth. They have it perfected. It's the second half where they sort of stumbled. Not their strongest performance, but how can you not like these kids?

man charged with killing daughter over arranged marriage

This week in Atlanta, a Pakistani man was charged with killing his daughter because she wanted out of an arranged marriage: Dad charged with murdering reluctant bride. In his first court appearance, 54-year-old Chaudhry Rashid was somber and tearful as he told the judge that he had done nothing wrong. A preliminary hearing in the case has been scheduled for July 24.

Chaudhry's daughter, Sandeela Kanwal, had recently wed in Pakistan in an arranged marriage. But she apparently wasn't interested in remaining married to her husband, which caused a great deal of friction between her and her father. According to police, she and Chaudhry were arguing over the marriage, and at some point during the altercation he ended up killing her.

I wouldn't be so quick to blame the arranged marriage for the murder. And it's certainly not a Pakistani thing. Let's face it, this news story has a tinge of sensationalism to it, discussing "honor killings" and all that. But what really killed this woman was domestic violence, which cuts across all communities.

takeshi kaneshiro is the new face of underwear

Damn, now that is a beautiful man. Takeshi Kaneshiro is the new face of Armani. The half-Japanese, half-Taiwanese heartthrob will reportedly be appearing in Emporio Armani Underwear's fall 2008 ad campaign alongside the likes of David Beckham: Meet Emporio Armani Underwear's First Asian Model.

That makes Takeshi the first Asian model to appear in one of Armani's major ads. I know you like that. Having starred in more than 30 Asian films since the 1990s, Takeshi's got crazy fans. So it's nice to Armani adding a little color to their advertising. Maybe some day we'll actually get see an Asian American male star or two shilling for high-end fashion lines. But one thing at a time.

chinese is the new english

At some point, we've all gotten a kick out of sites like Engrish.com, which point out examples of poorly executed English signage in Asian countries. For the past 18 months, teams of "language police" have been scouring Beijing on a mission to wipe out all such embarrassing mistakes before the world descends on the city for the Olympics next month.

But what if these sentences aren't really bad English? What if they're actually evidence that the English language is simply evolving into an entirely different, alternative language without us? This Wired article offers a very interesting theory: How English Is Evolving Into a Language We May Not Even Understand.

Thanks to globalization, the Allied victories in World War II, and American leadership in science and technology, English has become so successful across the world that it's escaping the boundaries of what we think it should be. In part, this is because there are fewer of us: By 2020, native speakers will make up only 15 percent of the estimated 2 billion people who will be using or learning the language. Already, most conversations in English are between nonnative speakers who use it as a lingua franca.

In China, this sort of free-form adoption of English is helped along by a shortage of native English-speaking teachers, who are hard to keep happy in rural areas for long stretches of time. An estimated 300 million Chinese -- roughly equivalent to the total US population -- read and write English but don't get enough quality spoken practice. The likely consequence of all this? In the future, more and more spoken English will sound increasingly like Chinese.

It's a fascinating thought. With huge, growing numbers of Chinese continually learning to read and write English, but without enough quality spoken practice, the language could very well take on a life of its own... and eventually look very different from our "proper" version. Hey, it could happen.

vote for secret asian man!

My man Tak Toyoshima, the guy behind Secret Asian Man, could use your help. The San Francisco Chronicle is currently running a vote, asking readers to help them choose some new comic strips. SAM is one of the strips being considered. Vote for Secret Asian Man here. Can you dig it?

They can even comment as to which strips they like and why. The paper is currently publishing a test run of eight comic strips they're considering for its comics page, including Secret Asian Man: Your vote on comics will count. I think Chronicle readers could really benefit from a comic strip like SAM, which is sort of an underdog compared to some recent industry darlings. So vote! Tak thanks you.

katee and joshua go bollywood on so you think you can dance

Lots of folks writing in to tell me about Katee and Joshua's Bollywood-inspired routine last night on So You Think You Can Dance. Very impressive. The routine was choreographed by Nakul Dev Mahajan, and the song is "Dhoom Taana" from the Om Shanti Om soundtrack.

They totally knocked it out of the park. I don't regularly watch this show, nor am I an expert on Bollywood dance... but damn, this looks pretty good to me. Which two contestants will go home tonight? It better not be these two. I'm totally rooting for Katee now.

the guy behind zappos

ABC News has a really interesting story on Tony Hsieh, the CEO of online shoe retailer Zappos: Shoe-ing Away Convention. The company, headquartered in Las Vegas, is basically doing for shoes what Amazon did for books. This year, nine years after going into business, Zappos is on track to sell $1 billion worth of shoes.

It also sounds like a really fun place to work, maintaining a cool company culture while avoiding the careless excess of pre-bubble burst startups. It helps that the CEO is setting an example by making a lower salary than some of the call center employees. $36,000 a year, apparently. Downright revolutionary.

But he can afford it. Just a few years out of college, Hsieh sold an internet company to Microsoft for $265 million. So I think he's doing okay. In the meantime, he'll continue running a kickass company and building his footwear empire. I wonder if friends and family bug him for free shoes. I would.

restaurant owner claims discrimination

In Monroeville, Pennsylvania, and Indian American restaurant owner is claiming that the city council has been biased in its consistent denials of the restauraunt's liquor license: Restaurant owner claims discrimination in Monroeville. Because sometimes, you want a little vino with your vindaloo.

Shingara Singh, owner of India Garden Classic Cuisine, said the council asked him questions regarding his immigration status—questions completely irrelevant to his eligibility to receive the license. That's racist! The council apparently raised a number of concerns over granting Singh the license, including the restaurant's "proximity to churches, residences and schools," and while those concerns might be relevant to this community, they have nothing to do with when and how Mr. Singh came to the United States. So why ask?

Mr. Singh was naturalized as an American citizen last year and has lived in Pennsylvania as a lawful permanent resident with a green card since 1994. Not that it matters. This man and his restaurant have been unfairly denied!

los angeles premiere of mighty warriors of comedy

Next week, ImaginAsian presents the Los Angeles premiere of Mighty Warriors of Comedy, Sung H. Kim's Emmy-winning documentary about the groundbreaking Asian American sketch comedy ensemble 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors. Featuring insightful interviews and performance footage, the film follows the troupe in the Bay Area as they struggle for success and deal with the ups and downs of life.

The film will screen on Thursday, July 17 at the ImaginAsian Center in downtown Los Angeles. The event will include Tamlyn Tomita as emcee, a live performance by 18MMW, and a special collaboration with Tuesday Night Cafe featuring Keiko Agena, Alison De La Cruz, Shin Kawasaki, and traci kato-kiriyama. Portions of the proceeds will benefit the Little Tokyo Recreation Center. Should be a fun time. Order your tickets online here.

reaching out to the vietnamese community

This is an interesting Los Angeles Times story on how social service organizations in Orange County—home to the nation's largest Vietnamese population—are finding more effective, culturally sensitive ways to provide health care advice to clients with different values and traditions: Orange County social services reach out to Vietnamese community.

It isn't quite as simple as translating brochures and hiring native-speaking staff. Agencies are now seeing a need to craft programs that reexamine the subtle parts of Vietnamese culture, including food and lifestyle habits as well as cultural taboos. It's a more nuanced, culturally relevant approach to conveying some very basic information.

For instance, it's probably not the best strategy for Planned Parenthood to start yelling out, "Free condoms! Free condoms!" at an information session with recent Vietnamese immigrants, no matter how strongly you feel about the practice of safe sex. Bad idea, which they apparently learned the hard way.

aaiff opens tonight

Good people of New York! This is it. The Asian American International Film Festival kicks off tonight with the Opening Night presentation of Wayne Wang's The Princess of Nebraska, a complex drama about the conflicted emotional landscape of a young woman at a crossroads. Based on a short story by award-winning writer Yiyun Li, the film stars newcomer Li Ling in a stunning debut as Sasha, a pregnant teen who travels alone from Omaha to San Francisco for an abortion.

The film screens tonight, 7:30pm at Asia Society, followed by the Opening Night Gala. Director Wayne Wang, cinematographer/co-director Richard Wong, and star Ling Li will be in attendance. For more information about the film/screening, go here. Also read this cool interview with Wayne Wang here.

AAIFF runs tonight through July 19, featuring an amazing, diverse lineup of programs with a little bit of something for everyone. Narrative features, documentaries, shorts, music videos—it's the best and brightest of Asian American independent cinema. For more information about the festival, including tickets, venue info and the schedule of events, visit the festival website here.

miss washington's scandalous photos

Ah, another beauty queen engaging in some very un-ladylike behavior. Some rather embarrassing candid photos of Miss Washington 2007, Elyse Umemoto (previously mentioned here), recently ended up the on the internet, causing a bit of a stir: Elyse Umemoto Photos Spark Latest Beauty Queen Scandal. Does anyone really find this very shocking?

Scandal! Nothing too graphic, just Miss America's second runner-up taking part in your usual run-of-the-mill drunken party photo behavior—beer pong, flipping off the camera, oral sex simulation. Bet she's wondering right now which of her "friends" fell short in the discretion department. You know, there are few things in life that are certain, but one thing is for sure: whenever there is a camera present at any situation involving alcohol and revelry, those photos will eventually find their way onto the world wide web. Guaranteed.

What's the big deal? Twenty-something beauty queens are human too. It's ridiculous and naive to hold them to a higher standard. But as you can imagine, pageant officials weren't too happy with dear Elyse, who competed in Miss America on a platform of "promoting diversity and women's empowerment." Here's the Miss Washington Scholarship Organization's response to the photos: Statement From Field Director of Miss WA Pageant.

people power win's toronto's dora award

I'm not exactly well-acquainted with the Toronto Asian theater scene... but I was pleased to learn that Nicco Lorenzo recently won a Dora Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male in the Carlos Bulosan Theatre Collective's People Power. I'm told that the Dora is Toronto's equivalent of the Tony, and to have a male Asian lead win the award is a pretty big deal. (Thanks, Alex.)

lisa ling joins nightline

I just heard that journalist Lisa Ling will be joining ABC's Nightline as a contributor this summer with a series of special reports. The first one explores the concept of aging and the challenges the elderly face in their golden years, as well as the growing trend in luxury retirement communities, It airs this Thursday, July 10. Here's the news release that was forwarded along to me:

LISA LING JOINS ABC NEWS "NIGHTLINE" AS A CONTRIBUTOR THIS SUMMER

FIRST REPORT ON AGING AND RETIREMENT LIVING TO AIR THURSDAY, JULY 10, 2008

ABC News "Nightline" announced today that journalist Lisa Ling will contribute a series of reports to air on the leading late-night news program this summer.

"I have wanted to work with Lisa for a long time," said James Goldston, Executive Producer of "Nightline." "She is a terrific journalist with a very distinctive style that fits really well with the Nightline sensibility."

In her first report for "Nightline," Ling explores the concept of aging and the challenges the elderly face in their golden years, as well as the growing trend in luxury retirement communities. She visits one high-end retirement complex in Northern California, where the residents speak candidly with her about the challenges of losing a spouse, the desire to live independently, and the fear of loneliness.

Lisa Ling is a special correspondent for the National Geographic Channel and the "Oprah Winfrey Show." Ms. Ling has had a distinguished career covering international social and humanitarian issues, including stories about the Lord's Resistance Army and the crisis of AIDS orphans in Uganda, rape in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and bride burning in India. Prior to becoming a host of "National Geographic Ultimate Explorer," Ms. Ling was a co-host of ABC's "The View."

Lisa Ling's report on the challenges facing the elderly airs on ABC News "Nightline" Thursday, July 10, 2008 at 11:35pm ET/PT.

Go Lisa. I've always kind of liked her, and thought she was way too cool for The View. It's good to see that she's leveraged her stint as a co-host on that show and gone on to do some really awesome things as a journalist. Represent.

passing poston opens friday in los angeles

This Friday, Joseph Fox's film Passing Poston opens for a limited theatrical run at the ImaginAsian Center in Los Angeles. It's a documentary that tells the moving and haunting story of four former internees of the Poston Relocation Center in Arizona during World War II, struggling to reconcile this painful part of their past with their identities as Americans. Watch the trailer here.

Here's a Los Angeles Times article on the internees from back in February: Celebrating a shared history. The film opens on July 11, for a one-week run. For showtimes, go here. The director and the featured Poston internees present for a Q & A after all shows on Sunday, July 13. For more information about the film, visit the website here.

review of cronenberg's fly opera

Earlier this year, we heard about plans for 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. One could only imagine what such a bizarre spectacle would look like.

Last week, an eclectic audience gathered in Paris for the world premiere of the musical version of the creepy classic 1986 film: The Fly lands on Paris stage as a Cronenberg opera. It apparently features lots of gore and a singing teleport machine. Huh? The show is set to have its U.S. premiere at the L.A. Opera in September.

crazians! group art show

Just heard about this cool art show opening this week in Hollywood. Entitled CRAZIANS!, it's showcasing over 30 super talented Asian American/Canadian artists with a fun theme of crazy art. Featuring original works by Aya Kakeda, Dave Chung, David Ho, Daniel Hyun Lim, Derek Yu, Egomochi, Eric Toyofuku, Howie Tsui, Julienne Hsu, Lawrence Yang, Mari Araki, Mari Inukai, Martin Hsu, Michael C. Hsiung, Ming Doyle, Motomichi Nakamura, Nanospores, Skye Hwang, Steve Kim, Taiyo La Paix, and more. From the press release:

With the ongoing prevalence of Asian culture in America, "the most common misconception is that this is all new, crazy and edgy," says Moye Ishimoto. "On the other hand, most Asian Americans feel like we've already been there and done that." World of Wonder invited a group of Asian American/Canadian artists to showcase their response to their culture's transformation into American pop.

"We're constantly inundated with our own culture as interpreted by the West," Moye continues. "This show is our blatant response about taking ownership of our cultures--and to show that we can do more than just draw oversized anime eyes." The exhibition features over 30 established and up-and-coming artists, photographers and sculptors from around the continent, exploring their ethnic backgrounds in American culture.

She adds, "I was also blown away by the wide range of art in our community: we've got innovative paintings, traditional photography, etchings, comic art and ceramics. This won't be your room full of Memoirs of a Geisha fan art."

The show also features a piece by the late Michael Cho, the art student from UCLA who was tragically shot to death by La Habra police on New Year's Eve. As you may know, this case has sparked quite a bit of outrage in the community over the circumstances surrounding Mike's death. (For more information, go here.)

The show opens this Friday, July 11 with an opening night reception at the World of Wonder Storefront Gallery, and runs four weeks through August 8, Tuesday through Saturday during daytime hours.

the booming field of immigration law

The Washington Post has a story on the growing number of law students jumping into the burgeoning field of immigration law, a trend that has been fueled by the ongoing immigration debate: Law Students Rush to Meet Needs In Booming Field of Immigration. Thirty years ago, the subject was a secondary technical field delegated to adjunct professors. Now it's apparently a booming, high-profile subject in law schools across the United States.

aaiff ticket winners

Thank you to all who entered the NY Asian American International Film Festival ticket giveaway. I got an overwhelming response. Apparently, people like free stuff. Alas, only five could win. If you didn't hear from me, it wasn't you. The lucky winners, whose names were drawn at random, are:

Wai-Yean L.
Stephanie S.
Mi Hyun Y.
Byron C.
Kristina P.

Congratulations. They each scored themselves a pair of tickets to see John Kwon's Always Be Boyz this Friday, July 11 at Asia Society. For the rest of you, tickets are still available. The Asian American International Film Festival kicks off tomorrow night! For more information about the festival, go here.

have food will travel: pearl river delta by leonard shek

Have Food Will Travel: Pearl River Delta from Leonard on Vimeo.

I saw this over at Poplicks and thought it was pretty cool. It's the teaser for a travelogue video, Have Food Will Travel, by Leonard Shek. In it, he travels to the Pearl River Delta to learn something about Chinese food and the stories from where it originates. It's a really interesting, well-made piece on food and culture. And it made me hungry. Watch the embedded video above or check it out here.

eva mendes says "it's harder for asians stars"

I've never thought much of Eva Mendes as an actress, and this doesn't do much to change that... but it does raise her stock several points in my book. In the latest issue of Interview, she comments on the sad state of diversity in Hollywood, and the lack of roles for her as a Latino American woman... but makes note that it's even worse for Asians. Read about it here.

Mendes also says being a Cuban-American actress has helped her career " but Hollywood executives are slow to realize that ethnic diversity is "the future" of America.

"We are the future," she says. "I mean, we're all just mixing together that much more. We are the future in that sense. I don't mean Latinos, I just mean ethnic diversity."

Though Mendes " who stars in the upcoming films The Women (September) and The Spirit (December) " thinks "being a woman in Hollywood is a big enough challenge" because of "the lack of roles," she says she is often passed over for roles.

"What makes it frustrating is when a director or a studio head doesn't see me for the same part that they'll see, let's say, Drew Barrymore for," Mendes says.

"Drew's a great friend of mine," Mendes adds. "But it's like, 'No, we want more of an American type of girl.' And it's like, American has opened up. I'm an American girl, born and raised."

But Mendes doesn't consider it a challenge and thinks it's harder for Asian stars: "We have so many Asian girls in this country, and they're so not represented up on the screen."

Tell us something we don't know. Unfortunately, no one gives a damn. Most people will probably just dwell on her stint in rehab and be done with it. Still, it's kind of nice to see someone, anyone in mainstream media comment on this and give the issue a little attention. If only we could expect the same of Lucy Liu.

asian american populations growing in the mountain west

We all know there is a large concentration of Asian American populations in the United States on the East and West Coast. New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, et cetera, et cetera. We know this. But did you know that the Asian American population is rapidly rising in other, more unlikely areas as well?

This decade, the Asian population has grown at a faster rate than that of the Hispanic population in 14 states—including Nevada, Arizona and Texas—as well as Washington D.C.: In a twist, USA's Asians are heading to the Mountain West.

Contrary to historical settlement patterns, growing numbers of Asian Americans are beginning to leave the traditional main gateways to the west, like California and Washington. Blame ridiculous home prices, poor schools, jammed freeways and/or persistent crime. Whatever the reason, they're packing up and moving to other spots in the west, like Las Vegas and Phoenix, hoping for better lifestyles.

Take Nevada, for instance. Since 1990, the state has had the most rapid growth of any state in the number of Asians and Pacific Islanders. According to Census Bureau estimates, he number jumped 174% in the 1990s and 67% so far this decade to about 211,000. Asians now make up about 8.2% of Nevada's 2.6 million people—a higher percentage than the national share of 5.4 percent.

Asians. Diversifying your state!

bruce lee's former home to be a museum

Cool! The billionaire owner of Bruce Lee's final home in Hong Kong is planning to build a museum dedicated to the martial arts legend, opting not to sell the multi-million dollar property, and instead giving in to fans' desire for the site to preserved: Tycoon to turn Bruce Lee's last home into museum. (By the way, that's not Bruce's house pictured above.)

Philanthropist hotel and real estate tycoon Yu Panglin had put Lee's two-story, 5,699 square-foot town house in Kowloon up for sale but changed his mind, saying that he would donate the property to Hong Kong's government for use as a museum and memorial to the icon. He's apparently got big plans for the space.

According to Yu's property consultant, he wishes to retain the house as it was, while expanding the property to 30,000 square feet to include a library, a martial arts centre and a movie house to showcase Lee's martial arts philosophy. That's awesome. If this indeed happens, I promise to one day visit this museum and pay homage to Bruce.

man gets life in prison for contract killing

Eight years ago, Chiman Rai paid Mississippi hitmen $10,000 to choke and stab his daughter-in law to death in her apartment while her seven-month-old daughter was nearby. Why? 22-year-old Sparkle Michelle Rai married his son, Rajeeve "Ricky" Rai, who is Indian. And she was black: India native accused in death of son's black wife. It's pretty damn appalling.

Just a month after the couple were married, a contract killer showed up at their door and viciously murdered Sparkle. She was stabbed at least 13 times in the back, neck, chest and ribs. She was strangled and her throat slit. Savagely murdered, because Chiman Rai apparently didn't approve of his son marrying a black woman. Sick.

Last month, Rai was sentenced to life in prison without parole for ordering the hit: Jury chooses life without parole in contract killing. Prosecutors had been seeking the death penalty. This was indeed a hate crime, and Rai now has the rest of his life to rot in his cell and think about what he's done.

anthony kim wins again on pga tour

Over the weekend, golfer Anthony Kim became the first American under 25 since Tiger Woods to win at least twice in the same year on the PGA Tour, winning the AT&T National at Congressional Country Club: Kim first American since Tiger as players under 25 to win twice in year. Just two other players under 25 have done it.

With three birdies over a four-hole stretch in the middle of his bogey-free round of 5-under-par 65, Kim took the lead after his 11th hole and never let go. After taking the trophy, he got a call from Tiger himself: Kim Wins AT& T, Looks Set for More Challenges.

Looks like Tiger (or "T-Dub," as Kim calls him) could be looking at a potential young rival when he returns to golf next year: A possible heir. But perhaps Anthony might first need to consult a stylist: Who the heck is dressing Anthony Kim these days?

hyphen's issue 14 release party: spaces

Bay Area friends, our friends at Hyphen are throwing a party. In honor of Issue 14, they're inviting you this weekend to a release party: Spaces. Saturday, July 12 at 111 Minna in San Francisco. Here are the details:

SPACE out!

Come celebrate the release of Hyphen magazine's Spaces issue and rock out to a live set by 80s cover band, Budabelly, with eclectic beats by DJ Esquire, DJ Mel, DJ Rav-e and Nako.

***raffle and win a Nintendo Wii!***

saturday, July 12, 9-2a
@111 minna gallery < http://www.111minnagallery.com >
21+ w/ID
9-2a | $10 cover ($20 with subscription @ 50% off price list!)

Please RSVP at http://sanfrancisco.going.com/hyphenspaces

featured LIVE set by:
Budabelly (SF's ultimate 80's cover band)

eclectic beats by:
Nako
DJ Esquire (rebel click)
DJ Rav-E (non-stop bhangra)
DJ Mel (Segue)

Be sure to pick up a copy of the Spaces issue to check out our stories on Asians behind bars, John Cho, the Filipino comic invasion and much more of the art, literature and cultural reviews you can't live without.

It's going to be a fun party. And the flyer has Space Ghost on it. That is cool. Have you read the latest issue? Maybe you should subscribe. Hyphen actually has a friends and family discount going on right now through July 11. Just click here. You get 4 issues for $16 or 8 issues for $28. It's a solid Asian American magazine, and you should be reading it.

call out for diwa: illuminating pilipina voices

Calling all Filipina writers! I recently heard from Amee Velasco, who is in the process of putting together the first issue of Diwa: Illuminating Pilipina Voices, a multidisciplinary publication for Filipino women. They're looking for writers, artists, professionals and service providers in the community to contribute writing, art and advertising. Here's some basic information:

DIWA: Illuminating Pilipina Voices©

would like your contributions!

Diwa [Tagalog]: "essence," or intrinsic nature of things; "soul," or cause of inspiration and energy; "spirit" or a human being's moral, religious or emotional nature; "thread" or main thought that connects different parts; "sense"; "consciousness"; "gist"; "meaning"; "idea". (Leo James English, Tagalog-English Dictionary)

Through the written word, artistic endeavors, and scholarly research, Diwa: Illuminating Pilipina Voices is a multidisciplinary publication that aims to augment the visibility of the Pilipina by providing an avenue to explore diversity amongst Pilipinas (or Filipino women); highlight Pilipina achievements in the community; create dialogues on Pinayism or Pilipina feminist paradigms; educate and provoke critical thought and discussion; bridge issues about the Pilipina in the Philippines, the U.S., and the larger global scene; and bring awareness about the Pilipina community to youth and adults within general and professional audiences.

Issue #1: "INVISIBILITY"

DEADLINE: August 4, 2008

Filipinos have long been known as the "invisible minority" within the Asian/Pacific Islander community as well as the greater community at large. Diwa's first issue will explore any aspect of the Filipino woman's experiences regarding this "invisible" status. We strongly encourage contributors to think beyond cultural representation and also highlight subpopulations, issues, and people or artists in the community that have been stigmatized and/or given little exposure. Some topics could explore issues pertaining to older Pilipina adults, "mail-order brides," domestic violence between Pinays and Pinoys, the LGBT community and definitions of femininity/masculinity, experiences of Filipino women overseas, indigenous forms of spirituality, Filipino women who are biracial, etc.

Although the subject of Diwa focuses on Filipino women, we welcome contributions from any individual regardless of race, ethnic or national origin, gender, or religious affiliation.

The deadline is August 4. For more details, including important submission guidelines and requirements, visit the Diwa MySpace page here. This sounds like a really great opportunity for new writers trying to get their voices out there (outside of their blogs).

racist yellowface bit on last comic standing

Big, big props to Slant Eye for the Round Eye for spotting this... Last week on Last Comic Standing, comedian Heath Hyche busted out some serious Yellow Face in his act, imitating a Japanese World War II fighter pilot and wearing—I kid you not—Chop Suey Specs and a wack fake Japanese accent. What an idiot.

Anything for a laugh, right? You have got to be kidding me. What year are we living in? What comedian in their right mind thinks they can get away with something like this on national television? And yet there he is, making an ass out of himself with this tired garbage excuse for comedy. That's racist!

Thankfully, the judges apparently weren't having it, and gave Hyche the verbal beatdown he deserved. Slanty (that's what he calls himself) has the lowdown, plus screenshots, here. I also came across a YouTube clip of him doing this racist bit on another show here. Sadly, the audience eats it up.

police arrest man in texas shooting rampage

Asians behaving badly... crazy random shooter edition. Another one of these guys! In Texas, police arrested Thai-An Huu Nguyen for committing a three-day shooting rampage in Garland, Mesquite, Richardson and Plano: Man accused of shooting at motorists confesses. Nguyen was arrested last week after reports of a sixth shooting outside an Asian restauraunt. He apparently confessed.

Nguyen has been charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one count of deadly conduct by Garland police. Police in Richardson have filed one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Unfortunately, nobody has any idea why he did it in the first place.

milwaukee trades yi jianlian to the nets

For those who don't follow basketball and aren't aware of this news... The Milwaukee Bucks recently traded former first round pick Yi Jianlian of China to the New Jersey Nets: Bucks trade China's Yi to Nets.

This might be a pretty good move for both Yi and the Nets. Since joining the NBA, Yi has always expressed interest in playing in a major North American market, but let's face it, Milwaukee isn't really known for its massive Asian American population. New York, however, easily has one of the largest Chinese populations in the United States, and Yi would certainly boost the Nets' fan base. So long, Milwaukee: Bucks hardly knew Yi.

mcdonald's olympic media blitz; thoughts on kung fu panda

McDonald's is another company jumping on the Beijing Olympics bandwagon, creating Asian-inspired versions of its food around the world as part of a media blitz for the Games: McDonald's Creates Asian-Inspired Versions of Food as Part of Olympics Blitz.

Of course, they've already kicked things off with a Kung Fu Panda tie-in, featuring this commercial with two kids kung fu fighting over a McNugget. It's kind of stupid. But, you know, I guess kids do that in China. And we all know a Chicken McNugget is worth kung fu fighting for.

Speaking of Kung Fu Panda, they apparently really dig the movie in China. They like it so much, some Chinese artists are actually criticizing their own film industry, calling for fewer government controls on culture, and wondering why China itself was incapable of producing such a film: "Kung Fu Panda" prompts soul-searching in China.

Reading this article actually prompted me to finally bite the bullet and check out Kung Fu Panda this weekend. As you all know, I haven't been too thrilled about this movie, but after all the good stuff I've heard about it, I figured I'd give it a chance. And I'll admit it—I thought it was pretty good. It was silly, but I found myself really enjoying it. Curse you, Dreamworks, for making me laugh at kung fu-kicking animals.

hot 97 fires miss jones

Oh, how this news brings a little bit of joy to my day... New York radio station Hot 97 recently fired morning talk show host Tarsha Jones, aka "Miss Jones" and replaced her with another host: Hot 97 Fires Miss Jones. She should've been fired a long time ago.

If you recall, Miss Jones and her crew were embroiled in that "Tsunami Song" debacle a from a few years back, when they recorded and aired an awful parody tune mocking the victims of the 2004 Asian tsunami disaster. People got mad, there were protests, the show was suspended for a few days. A producer or two got fired. And that was it. Miss Jones has been doing her thing as usual since then. But hey, that's morning radio. You can piss on the memory of more than 200,000 dead people and no one gives a damn.

I guess I'm happy to hear that she's getting canned, though it's for entirely different reasons. (The article doesn't indicate why the station fired her.) Good riddance. Unfortunately, Miss Jones will now be exclusively heard on the airwaves in Philadelphia. Sorry, Philly. (Thanks, Jason.)

asian americans are the majority at top magnet school

Saw this interesting statistic in the Washington Post... It seems that this fall, Asian American students will outnumber white classmates for the first time in the freshman class at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, the region's most prestigious and competitive public magnet school: At Magnet School, An Asian Plurality.

More than 2,500 applicants applied for 485 seats at the school. Asian American students got 219, or 45 percent of the total, while white students got 205, or 42 percent. About 38 percent of the school's students were Asian American in the past school year. Fewer than one in 10 residents in the Washington region is Asian American. Though in Fairfax, where most of the school's students come from, people of Asian descent account for 16 percent of the population, according to census data.

The story explores some of the possible reasons for this demographic shift, as well as the rising debate at colleges and top magnet high schools as the number of Asian American applicants continues to rise. Sooner or later, you're going to come across the growing sentiment that there are "too many Asians at this school." This isn't the first time the issue has been raised, and it sure as hell won't be the last.

kollaboration acoustic 2

For all my friends in Southern California, another cool event for a summer night. Kollaboration is back with a little something different: Kollaboration Acoustic 2, a toned-down, chilled-out, unplugged version of the world-famous talent show, with "a focus on musical pieces that incorporate vocals, acoustic, guitar, and other non-electrical instruments." Saturday, August 2 at the Ford Amphitheatre in Hollywood. Mark your calendars, because it's going to be a good time.

Twelve talented, up-and-coming Asian American acts will be performing and competing for a cash prize: The Ken Oak Band, Jane Lui, Lady Danville, Richey Lam, Jennifer Chung, The Shinobies, Sam "Geunjin" Kang, Million Dollar Babies, Benny Mao, Tier2, Jaewon Choe and Jason Armoto. With guest performers Paul Dateh and Ken Belcher, and guest comedians Edwin San Juan and Ali Wong. Come on out for an evening of music under the stars. To learn more about Kollaboration, and to purchase tickets, go here.

ed park's personal days

Here's a New York Times book review of Personal Days, the recently published first novel by Ed Park: Cubicle Rats. Based on the review, and some of the other things I've heard about the book, it sounds like a really funny, witty observation on contemporary office work/life. Anyone who has spent any miserable amount of time making a living in such a setting (myself included) will probably be able to relate. Another book to add to my list.

Author Ed Park is the a former editor of Voice Literary Supplement, a founding editor of The Believer magazine and the creator of the e-zine the New York Ghost. Here's a recent interview with him I came across in LAist, which describes Personal Days as "Office Space + shades of The Good Shepherd with a dash of invasion of the Body Snatchers tossed in": LAist Interview: Ed Park, founding editor of The Believer and author of Personal Days.

student pleads guilty to university threats

You freaking idiot. In the latest news involving disturbed, potentially violent Asian guys... Last week, 19-year-old Hwi Lee, a University of British Columbia student, pleaded guilty to two counts of threats and two counts mischief that twice led to the partial shutdown of the university back in January and February: Student pleads guilty to threats against UBC. He now awaits a pre-sentencing report and a psychiatric evaluation, and will appear in court for sentencing in September.

On January 29, authorities were notified of an undisclosed threat directed at the UBC biological sciences building on campus, which put the premises on lockdown for several hours On February 6, a less specific threat was made to the university by telephone, which closed down the biosciences building again for the day. No one was harmed in either incident. More here: Student, 19, pleads guilty to making threats in UBC lockdowns.

Lee has been described as a bright kid, and a "talented and hard-working student." The news stories don't really give much indication as to what drove him to make these threats. I guess we should be thankful that he didn't actually go through with anything, and hope that he gets the help he needs...

kobayashi loses again

I thought he retired. Once again, Takeru Kobayashi competed in the annual hot dog eating contest in Coney Island. He was hoping to reclaim the title after a disappointing three-dog loss last year shattered his six-year winning streak. Alas, he came in second again: Chestnut wins hot dog contest after eat-off.

It was a good try, but Kobayashi ultimately lost to rival Joey Chestnut after first tying with him by eating 59 dogs in a 10-minute chow-down, then getting beaten in a five-dog eat off. Oh well. It was not meant to be. There really is nothing you can say to a guy who comes in second in hot dog eating contest. Because when you eat that many dogs, and lose, you really really lose.

kim ng breaking baseball's barriers

Here's a cool profile on Kim Ng, assistant general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers: Can Kim Ng break the gender barrier? According to the story, she's one of only two women who hold the title of assistant general manager in baseball—one of three ever. She's pioneer, no doubt.

At 39, she has advanced on the job for 17 years, the last 11 seated at the right hand of general managers for the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers. A handful of women have become major-league owners and team presidents, but no woman has risen to lead an organization's day-to-day baseball operations. But she could be the one. Not that it's going to be easy.

You might recall that incident back in 2003 involving New York Mets special assistant to the general manager Bill Singer, who openly mocked Ng's Chinese background at a hotel bar during general manager meetings in Phoenix. He asked her who she was, why she was there, about her heritage... and then threw in some mock-Chinese gibberish for good measure. Singer was subsequently fired for his remarks. Damn right.

Throughout that whole ordeal, Ng kept her cool. You've got to respect how far she's come despite all the racist and sexist obstacles in a traditionally male-dominated field. She's built a solid resume and reputation in baseball and now stands among the most capable of candidates among the next generation of baseball's general managers. I guess it's only a matter of time now.

two charged in mutliple samurai sword murder

Gruesome. Los Angeles County prosecutors filed four capital murder charges against a man and his alleged accomplice who are accused of using a samurai sword and a baseball bat to chop and beat to death the man's ex-wife, her two children and a relative: Ex-husband, alleged accomplice charged in Quartz Hill killings of 4.

Jae Hwan Shim and Steve Kwon are accused of killing the victims and then setting fire to a house to cover up the bloody scene. The pair were taken into custody last weekend after Mexican police found them near the border. They were charged with four counts of murder, burglary and special circumstances of multiple murder and murder in the commission of a burglary.

rock band party!

It's a Rock Bank Party, y'all. If you're in Los Angeles, here's a cool event going on next weekend, for a really good cause... Some folks are throwing a Rock Band Tournament at Grand Star Jazz Club in Chinatown on Saturday, July 12. And you know you wanna get in on this.

Folks can come out and sign up with their "bands" for a fun, chill night Rock Band, DJs and dancing. Players will also get a chance to compete against some real, actual rock bands, like Thomas' Apartment, Big Phony or Black Party Politics. The first place band will go home with a Rock Band game system for Xbox 360, and of course, supreme bragging rights.

All of the proceeds from the event will be going to a Mercy Corps program called Comfort for Kids. It's a great program working with kids in earthquake-affect regions in China, helping them deal with the psychological effects of the earthquake through the use of writing and arts. How cool is that? For more information about the event, go here and here.

hines ward, one of the smartest players in football

Here's a good story on Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Hines Ward, who is widely considered one of the smartest offensive players in the NFL: Well-schooled Ward earned advanced football degree in college. It's true. They voted on it.

In a recent survey of NFL head coaches, Ward received the most votes when coaches were asked to name the smartest offensive player in the league. Among the non-quarterbacks, he was apparently the clear choice. I'm not exactly sure what criteria they used to come to this decision, but I guess that's why I'm not a football coach.

america's best dance crew season 2: week three

On Tuesday night, I attended the taping of this week's episode of America's Best Dance Crew (it tapes on Tuesday, airs on Thursday). As a big fan of the show, it was a real treat to see it all happen live. Without giving anything away, here are a couple of observations on the taping and the season thus far...

My favorite three crews going into this week: SoReal Cru, Super Cr3w and Fanny Pak. All three teams delivered amazing performances—the best of the evening, in my opinion. This week's theme revolved around the interpretation of song titles, and they busted out some really inventive, show-stopping stuff. Skills.

See ya. I have absolutely no problem with the team that gets eliminated this week.

The dancing is waaaay better live. One thing I really hate about the MTV broadcast is that the editing really diminishes the full impact of the choreography. All the cuts and angles usually obscure parts of the crew's routine. Seeing it live just confirmed this gripe. It's annoying, but that's MTV, I guess.

Not my generation. I'm not an old geezer, but I ain't so young anymore either. I've certainly grown out of MTV's target demographic. Sitting there in the studio audience... I felt old. And struck by the realization that the bulk of the audience was born in the 1990s. Wow. But that did not stop me from enjoying the show.

Asians, represent. We've already made the interesting observation that there's at least one Asian American member in every remaining crew. Do they realize the kind of impact they're making? I actually had the chance to go backstage and meet some of the crews. I briefly talked to SoReal Cru and told them I really appreciated what they're doing, and how they're holding it down. Continue to expect great things from them.

I guess that's all I can say, before I start giving away what happens. You'll have to find out for yourself. The show airs on MTV tonight. Watch and vote for your favorite crew. To learn more about America's Best Dance Crew, go here.

UPDATE: This week's performances from my favorite three crews, courtesy of YouTube:


Super Cr3w, "We Fly High"


SoReal Cru, "Snake"


Fanny Pak, "Toy Soldier"

the weird kid who loves math

Oh, what the hell is this? The above comic strip is yesterday's edition of the nationally syndicated strip Curtis by Ray Billingsley. Great. The weird kid who loves math just happens to be Asian. Why? WHY? He had to go there. Another cheap laugh at the expense of Asians. (Thanks, Henry.)

bryan clay, decathlon asskicker

This week at the U.S. Olympic trials, 28-year-old decathlete Bryan Clay achieved a record-setting score of 8,832 points (his personal best), paving the way for him to compete in Beijing this August. And he's going to kick some ass: Clay's furious five-event finish pushes him to decathlon win.

During 11 hours of grueling competition, Clay burned roughly 8,000 calories and lost roughly 15 pounds as he ran hurdles, threw a discus, vaulted over a pole, heaved a javelin and ran four times around the track. Daaaaamn. It won him his third U.S. title: A Tired Clay Rallies, Clinches Olympic Bid.

Clay also set the Olympic trials record and posted the highest total for an American in 16 years and the highest in the world for the last four years. His previous best had been 8,732 points in 2005. More here: Bryan Clay leaves doubts in the dust. He's definitely one to watch this summer.

barack's sister is spreading the word

Here's another story on Maya Soetoro-Ng, Barack Obama's half-sister, who has been vigorously campaigning on his behalf: Obama's Sister Becomes Asian-American Surrogate.

She definitely represents an aspect of Obama's background and identity that makes him unique as a presidential candidate. I'll admit, their relationship and his multicultural upbringing is part of what makes him appealing to me. That said, I really do hope that Obama steps up his efforts to reach out and court the Asian American vote. So far, his sister seems to be doing an okay job.

the return of quick kick

Way big props to longtime reader Ritchie, who knew I'd get a kick out of this news... Last weekend, G.I. Joe fans gathered in Texas for JoeCon2008, the Hasbro International G.I. Joe Collectors' Convention. Yes, this was no doubt an ultra-geeky event, but that would never stop a true Joe fan.

Among several big announcements made at the convention, Hasbro unveiled several new figures of old fan favorite characters... including Quick Kick, apparently as part of the "Pyramid of Darkness" Enterainment Battle Pack. The figure has received a bit of an update, but has unfortunately retained all of the character's stereotypical features—barefoot, no shirt, headband, throwing stars, etc. View some photos of the new action figure here and here.

As many readers know, years ago, I adopted Quick Kick as an unofficial mascot of sorts for this website. My original intention was to periodically switch out images for the opening splash page... but for some reason I really liked the Quick Kick action figure, and it just stuck. Now I really want one of these new ones. The figure is scheduled for release in October.

my big fat korean wedding: the movie

Oh boy, this ought to be interesting... Lionsgate Films has acquired a pitch by writers Jason Filardi that will ofer a "comedic look at a Korean wedding": Jason Filardi to pen Korean comedy.

What's sort of different about this movie is that it takes an original movie concept from the U.S. for production in Korea, as opposed to the usual reverse remake situation. Vertigo Entertainment's Roy Lee (the remake guy) and Doug Davison will produce, along with Miky Lee and Ted Kim of Korea's CJ Entertainment. It sounds an awful lot like My Big Fat Korean Wedding:

In the vein of "Meet the Parents" and inspired by real events, the pitch follows an American guy who falls in love with a Korean woman while teaching English as a second language. He proposes marriage and she says yes, with a condition: Her Korean family must approve and they must have a traditional wedding in Korea. So the groom makes the trip with his family in an effort to marry his true love.

The story's apparently inspired by real events. I have to wonder what was on Filardi's cousin's wedding video that made him see movie potential. Heck, I know people—in my own family—who have had courtships and weddings like this. This movie, which does not yet have a title nor a script, sounds like it has the potential to be a real disaster. But I will withhold judgment until we actually see something. (Thanks, Phil.)

idiot school board considers english-only commencement

This is absolutely ridiculous. I cannot the believe the lengths people will go to demonstrate the ignorance, intolerance and xenophobia. In Louisiana, school officials in Terrebonne Parish are considering a policy that would require all commencement speeches to be in English only. The proposal comes after the two Vietnamese American co-valedictorians at Ellender High School delivered part of their commencement address in Vietnamese last month: Calls in Louisiana to Require English at Commencement.

Last month, cousins Hue and Cindy Vo honored their parents for their sacrifices by briefly incorporating their native Vietnamese language into parts of their commencement speech, but also translating the words into English for the general audience. Now the school board is looking at this ridiculous English-only policy, apparently pushed by irate idiots who can't bear to hear any language spoken other than English. More here: Valedictorian's speech sets off call for English-only at graduations.

Let's be real. This proposal is not motivated by a desire to see America more English-proficient, as many English-only proponents generally argue. I'm going to guess there's something more sinister and intolerant at work here: a desire to suppress the diversity and multiculturalism of this school and community, which has a growing and flourishing Vietnamese American population.

Cindy said one sentence in Vietnamese, dedicated to her parents. The line, roughly translated, was a command to always be your own person. Hue spoke more at length in Vietnamese during her speech, expressing gratitude to her parents for the hardships they faced as immigrants. Would anyone have raised this kind of stink if the language in question had been French, Italian or Latin rather than Vietnamese?

There's no question these kids are proficient in English—they're the frickin' valedictorians! Bi-lingual co-valedictorians. In fact, it's a testament to their education that they come from family backgrounds where English was not the first language. The school board seems to have forgotten who the commencement ceremony is really for—the students and the loved ones that got them there. Did Hue and Cindy really go too far in trying to personally honor their parents for their sacrifices and struggles?

We should be celebrating these kids and how much they've accomplished. We should be proud and happy alongside their parents, who overcame a great deal to get to this moment. We should not be drafting discriminatory policies to stifle a graduate's culture and heritage. These words, from Hue's speech (in English), now ring rather ironic: "Ellender is very diverse. We have many cultures there. They encourage us to be an individual. That's why I love Ellender. It helped me be an Asian American and not be ashamed of it because no one judged me."

"the hunting of the snark"

Last week, federal appeals court reviewing evidence at Guantanamo Bay compared a Bush administration legal argument to one made by "a hapless dimwitted character," from "The Hunting of the Snark," a 1876 nonsense poem by Lewis Carrol. Huh? The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit cited the poem in ruling that the military improperly labeled a Chinese Muslium as an enemy combatant: Judges cite nonsense poem in Guantanamo case

It was the first time a court has reviewed the military's decision-making and considered whether a detainee should be held. And damn, they busted out the super-obscure literary reference to do it. The ruling provides guidance to federal district judges, who are about to begin reviewing dozens of such cases now that the Supreme Court says detainees can challenge their detention in federal court.

This particular case pertains to Huzaifa Parhat, one of a group of Chinese Muslims, known as Uighurs, being held at Guantanamo Bay. Their case has become a diplomatic and legal headache for the United States, which has tried to find a country willing to accept the Uighurs even as it defended its decision to hold them as enemy combatants. The Justice Department concedes that Parhat never fought against the U.S. and says it has no evidence he was planning to do so. So what gives? It's the hunt for the Snark.

murdered woman's baby cut from womb

This is some horrifying news out of Washington... Police say a pregnant woman was killed after being stabbed multiple times in the chest and her nearly full-term baby was cut from her womb: Police say Wash. woman's baby was cut from womb. Sick. The baby boy was hospitalized in Spokane in critical condition.

According to court documents, 27-year-old Araceli Camacho Gomez had her hands and feet bound with yarn and suffered "massive trauma to her stomach area" late Friday night. An autopsy showed she died of the chest wounds, but had other wounds "consistent with the cutting of the body to remove an unborn child." Her body was found early Saturday in a local Park.

23-year-old Phiengchai Sisouvanh Synhavong has been arrested for investigation of first-degree murder and is accused of trying to pass the infant boy off as her own in calls made late Friday night to emergency dispatchers. She was being held without bail Monday, with another court appearance scheduled Wednesday.

Gloves soaked in blood, a boxcutter, bloody paper towels, yarn, a baby bottle and baby socks were apparently among some of the items found in Sisouvanh Synhavong's purse. It's seriously disturbing. What could compel someone to do something like this?

sour man

Saw this commercial on TV last night, for Skittles. It's just weird. Who thinks up something like this? And does their vision require a mustached Asian dude as "Sour Man"? Or did that decision come later, in casting process? At some point, somebody had to say, hey, inscrutable, gibbering, gesturing Asian men are funny! And eureka. Sour Man.

scotty nguyen wins big at world series of poker

Another win for Scotty Nguyen. Yesterday, the veteran poker pro won nearly $2 million at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, taking down a field of 148 players, beating out 23-year-old Michael DeMichele and emerging from the final table with his fifth gold bracelet: Nguyen wins $2 million at World Series of Poker.

Nguyen won the final hand Monday at limit Hold 'em, pushing DeMichele all in with an ace and a 10. DeMichele, far behind in chips, called with an ace and a three, and Nguyen's 10 gave him the win when both players paired their aces. DeMichele won $1.24 million for his second place finish. Not too shabby either.

Scotty, the self-styled "Prince of Poker," has an official website here.

patricio ginelsa prize-winning being reel

This is pretty cool. My man Patricio Ginelsa, the do-it-yourself indie filmmaker behind films like Lumpia and the music video for Black Eyed Peas' "Bebot," won big last week at the Los Angeles Film Festival Canon BRING IT 72-Hour Film Competition. After being chosen on June 18 to be one of four filmmakers to take part in the competition, he took home the prize with his film Being Reel.

The filmmakers were all required to write, shoot, and edit a short movie about "festival stories" in just 3 days. The process apparently took a lot of Patricio, as he fought a sore throat, lost his voice, and shot the movie in the middle of a summer heat wave. Ah, the things an artist will do for his craft. In the end, he barely made it to the finish line with only 6 minutes left on the clock. But he won! The audience at an industry event voted his film the winner. For his efforts, he won a brand new HF10 Camcorder, and supreme bragging rights.

You can follow along with the entire grueling process of making the film, as well as the prize-winning finished product, over at the KidHeroes website here. Nice work, Patricio. And congratulations.

rebuilding the bridge: new york to sichuan

Okay. Make your plans for this event, NYC. The Museum of Chinese in America presents Rebuilding the Bridge: New York to Sichuan, a benefit for disaster relief funds established by the charitable organizaiton MercyCorps, featuring a performance from America's Best Dance Crew winners the JabbaWockeeZ, hosted by Hot 97's Miss Info, and with special guests Ken Leung (Lost), Park Jin Young (JYP), and NYC Councilman John C. Liu. Here's the info (which is all basically on the flyer above):

MUSEUM OF CHINESE IN AMERICA

presents

REBUILDING THE BRIDGE

New York to Sichuan

A benefit for disaster relief funds established by the charitable organization MERCYCORPS.

Please join a ground breaking coalition of Asian American performers and not-for-profit organizations as we raise awareness and dollars to help rebuild China's Sichuan region after one the most devastating natural disasters in recent memory. Proceeds will go to the special disaster relief funds established by charitable organization Mercy Corps.

DATE:
Saturday July 12th 7:30pm-10:30pm

LOCATION:
Pace University
Michael Schimmel Center for Performing Arts
3 Spruce Street, New York, NY 10038

HOSTED BY:
Minya Oh, Miss Info of HOT 97

PERFORMANCES BY:

JABBAWOCKEEZ
America's Best Dance Crew winner

RYAN LESLIE
R&B Artist

BEAU SIA
Spoken Word Artist

ANDREW CHOI
Vocalist

VIP RECEPTION SPECIAL GUESTS:
Ken Leung (ABC's LOST), Park Jin Young (JYP), NYC Councilman John C. Liu

SCHEDULE:
7:30PM-8:30PM: VIP Reception - $150
8:00PM: Doors Open
8:30PM-10:30PM: Performance - $35

TICKET SALES:
RSVP 212-619-4785 EXT 106 | www.RebuildingTheBridge.com
VIP Package Includes Performance Ticket

CO-PRODUCERS:
Ron T. Kim & Philip Lam

CO-SPONSORS:
Imaginasian, ICON Philadelphia, Lee's Rehab, Ningin.com

MEDIA PARTNERS:
World Journal, HOT 97, Theme Magazine

COMMUNITY PARTNERS:
A/P/A Institute at NYU, Asian American Arts Alliance, Asian American Film Lab, Asian American Writers' Workshop, AsianCinevision, Asian Pacific Americans for Progress, Asia Society, Bosco Design Group, Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans, Manhattan Neighborhood Network, Ma-Yi Theater and New York Chinese Cultural Center

More performers and sponsors to be announced.

This sounds like an amazing event, benefiting a great cause. And dude, it's the JabbaWockeeZ. Dancing for disaster relief. Mark your calendars. It's going down Saturday, July 12 at Pace University in New York. For more information about the benefit, go here.

fantasy tea time

This is an extremely stupid story that's over on CNN, about a Japanese cafe with a very unique service: Cafe provides royal treatment. Basically, Japanese women came come to the cafe, escape the oppressive doldrums of their daily lives... and get their tea served up by a shining white western knight. And they love it. Every Japanese girl's dream! Ugh.

I just shake my head at this. But the more I thought about it, I realized the concept could be interpreted in a couple of different ways. There's the idea that Japanese women fantasize about having a western prince sweep them off their feet (which literally happens in the segment). Yuck.

Then again, I realized there is a bit of a role reversal happening here—instead of the subservient Asian woman, we're seeing the white man in the servant role. And that's hella fantasy. Perhaps it's actually a little bit of both. Either way, it's a really stupid idea, a stupid story... and nobody comes off looking very good.