baby opening in san francisco

If you're in the Bay Area, and you're looking for something different this weekend at the movies, check out the theatrical premiere of Juwan Chung's indie gangster drama Baby. The movie was a surprise festival hit a little while back, scoring multiple awards and getting a lot of great attention.

The movie is the nihilistic tale of an Asian American teen trapped in the world of East Los Angeles gang life. To be completely honest, I had pretty low expectations going into this movie, and it turned out to be pretty awesome. The movie stars David Huynh, who's fantastic, along with Tzi Ma, Feodor Chin, Ron Yuan and Kenneth Choi.

It's opening this Friday, December 12 for a one-week run at the Lee's 4-Star Theatre in San Francisco (daily showings at 2:00pm and 7:00pm). The director, producer and actors will be present for a Q&A after the 7:00pm show on Saturday night. For more information, go to the Baby website here, the MySpace page, and the Facebook event page.

And if you're not in San Francisco, and can't make the movie, it looks like Baby will out on DVD later this month, so you can catch it from the comfort of your own couch.

take out opening in san diego

Film fans in San Diego, check it out... Sean Baker and Shih-Ching Tsou's indie film Take Out, recent nominee for Film Independent's John Cassavetes Award, is opening this Friday, September 12 at Reading Cinemas Gaslamp Stadium.

The film tells the story of Ming Ding, an undocumented Chinese food deliveryman who has one day to earn the money he owes to the smugglers who brought him the U.S. I've written about it a few times this year, so I won't spend too much time talking about it. But it's an impressive little independent film that goes a long way with very little.

If you're in San Diego area, I recommend checking it out. Buy a ticket, bring a friend, spread the word. Their week-to-week box office draw is a crucial element in keeping the film going. And indie films like this need all the help they can get. To learn more about Take Out, and read some reviews about the film, go here

anh cao's unlikely rise to congress

Here's another New York Times story on Anh Cao, who beat the odds and defeated incumbent Rep. William J. Jefferson last weekend in New Orleans (the election had been delayed because of Hurricane Gustav) to become the first Vietnamese American elected to Congress: History and Amazement in House Race Outcome.

All things considered, his path to this moment is pretty incredible—a refugee from Vietnam at age 8, a former Jesuit seminarian, a philosophy student, an unknown activist lawyer for one of the least visible immigrant communities in New Orleans, and a Republican in a heavily Democratic district... and now a Congressman.

Still, the road for Anh Cao from here on out will not be easy. Here's an interesting analysis over at Daily Kos on Cao's poltical future: The future of Cao.

UPDATE: Another perspective on Anh Cao, and what his stunning upset victory means for the GOP: Future of GOP is Cao. Mainly, he gives Republicans a rare minority face in Congress. Not only is Cao the first Vietnamese American elected to Congress, as many have noted, he'll be the only Asian American Republican in the 111th Congress and the only non-Hispanic minority in the House GOP.

do it yourself music video night

Calling all musicians and filmmakers! San Francisco's Kearny Street Workshop presents an opportunity for Asian Pacific American musicians and filmmakers to team up to create music videos to be presented at the second annual LOCUS at Kearny Street Workshop Do It Yourself Music Video Night.

Last year's competition was sponsored by the Center for Asian American
Media and the videos competed for a spot in the 2008 San Francisco
Asian American Film Festival. The videos from the 2008 DIY event can be
viewed here under Locus Arts Do
It Yourself Music Video Contest.

No prior experience with music videos is necessary. Locus arts will even team you up with a band or filmmaker. But the deadline to let us know that you are interested in participating is December 14, so you have to act fast. For more information, and details on how to enter, go here.

why the media loves michelle rhee

The Washington Post recently ran another article on D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee, who has been getting a lot of press lately for her drastic measures to overhaul the District's failing school system. She made both fans and enemies, but for better or for worse, she's become the face of urban school reform.

When you're on the cover of TIME, you've hit the big time. You have to admit, Rhee's story is irresistible to journalists and pundits who follow education. And big time politicians have tried to latch on and associate themselves with Rhee's big ideas.

But what does it all actually mean for the schools and the students? This story attempts to cut through all the A-list hoopla, and look at what all the media attention has meant for the actual work that needs to be in DC's schools: Up Close, Rhee's Image Less Clear.

the white cast of avatar: the last airbender

More white people as cartoons! We heard a few years back that director M. Night Shymalan was working on a live-action version of the hit Nickelodeon animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender. Now, we get word that the principal roles have been cast... and surprise, suprise! All the actors are white: First Look: The Cast of The Last Airbender.

Newcomer Noah Ringer will star as Aang, Jackson Rathbone as Sokka, Nicola Peltz as Katara... and Jesse McCartney as the evil prince Zuko! Suprise! All these characters, who everyone just kind of assumed were Asian, are actually Caucasian. That's Hollywood, baby. The movie is set to open in summer 2010.

The show is set in an Asian-influenced world of martial arts and elemental manipulation, following the adventures of the hero Aang and his friends, who must save the world by defeating the Fire Lord and ending the destructive war with the Fire Nation.

Okay, so you can't definitively argue that anyone on Avatar's anime-inspired fantasy realm is actually "Asian." But all signs certainly point there. I never really watched show, but I always assumed those were Asian kids doing the martial arts. I'm willing to bet if you showed the cartoon to anyone, it's likely they'd come to the same conclusion.

I suppose we shouldn't really be surprised. It's just another example of the way Hollywood squashes race out of everything it does, including Asians only when it's convenient. Why bother casting Asians for Airbender when you've got so many good-looking white kids to put on the poster?

Besides, it's not like Asians are lacking opportunities in Hollywood. It's not like we want those leading roles, right? There will always be work playing Chinese delivery boys, liquor store clerks, nail salon workers and Asian gangster thugs number 1 through 6. Thanks again, Hollywood!

UPDATE: No one should really be surprised that there are a significant number of Avatar fans out there, and they are not happy about this casting news. They've started a letter-writing campaign directed at Paramount and the powers that be to protest these decisions. It probably won't amount to much, but who knows? At the very least, it will send the message that there are a lot of people who aren't cool with business as usual. Details here: Saving the World With Postage.

new dragonball trailer

We've been talking about the upcoming live-action Hollywood adaptation of Dragonball for what seems like a couple years now. Fans have been pretty upset about some of the casting in the movie—particularly white actor Justin Chatwin as Goku—as most folks were generally under the assumption that the characters they knew and loved, based on the now-classic manga and anime series, were Asian.

So, Dragonball fans, to irritate you some more... a new Japanese theatrical trailer has hit the web. The movie is now apparently titled Dragonball Evolution... and it looks awful, like a bad Sci Fi Channel movie-of-the-week, circa 1998. Seriously, the stunts and special effects make this movie look like it was produced ten years ago. James Wong, what have you done?

In the trailer, you'll see that Chatwin bloke along with real Asians Chow Yun Fat, Jamie Chung, Eriko Tamura and Randall Duk Kim. You know, for a while, I was actually curious. But after seeing this trailer, I can honestly say I have zero interest in seeing this movie. It opens in theaters on April 8, 2009.

obama chooses physicist steven chu as energy secretary

Another Asian American makes it into Obama's cabinet. Today, the news emerged that President-elect Barack Obama will nominate Steven Chu, director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, as his energy secretary: Officials say Obama chooses energy, EPA posts.

Chu was one of three scientists who shared the Nobel Prize for physics in 1997 for work in cooling and trapping atoms with laser light. That's right, baby. Nobel laureate. But that's only the start of what makes him awesome.

He's a professor of physics and molecular and cell biology at the University of California, Berkeley, and has been the director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory since 2004, where he has pushed for research into alternative and renewable energy as a way to combat global warming.

That experience will be useful as the next energy secretary, as Obama has said that he wants to spend billions of dollars to promote alternative energy sources and create millions of green energy jobs. More on Chu here: Obama chooses Steven Chu for Energy Secretary: report. And here: Steven Chu, next Energy Secretary.

research questionnaire on attitudes toward disabilities

I receive a lot of requests from grad students who need help getting subjects for their research. Here's another one... My Kim Nguyen is a grad student in psychology at the University of South Alabama, and needs some Asian American participants to fill out a survey on ethnic identity, acculturation, and attitudes toward disabilities. To fill out the survey and learn more about the study, go here.

koream benefit show

As I mentioned before, the monthly Korean American magazine KoreAm Journal has recently been facing some tough times. Like many publications of its kind, KoreAm has been feeling the pinch of economic reality.

To help in the fight to keep the magazine afloat, my man PK of Kollaboration fame has organized a benefit show for KoreAm Journal. If you're in Southern California, come out to Long Beach tomorrow night and show your support. All proceeds from the show will go to KoreAm Journal.

The show will be hosted by Heroes star James Kyson Lee, with music by DJ Shy (of KIIS FM), featuring comedians Kevin Shea, Eliot Chang, Randall Park, Walter Hong, Andy Hur and PK, and musical performers Dumfoundead, Caroline Kang and Sam Geunjin Kang.

VIP tickets are $100. Tickets at the door are $30 and if you're on the guestlist, they're only $20—and that includes a one year subscription to Koream (regularly $28). So you get a free show, a one year subscription at $8 off, and you're supporting an important community publication. I say that's a fair deal.

It's all going down tomorrow night, Thursday, December 11, 9:45pm at the newly opened Laugh Factory in Long Beach. Get on the guest list by emailing pkguestlist@gmail.com. For more information about the event, go here.

car dealership radio ad spreads the hate

So get this. In Savannah, Georgia, O.C. Welch, a Ford dealer who is angry over the proposed bailout of U.S. automakers, took out a radio ad criticizing buyers of Japanese cars, calling the vehicles "rice ready... not road ready." Say what? Say hello anti-Asian sentiment on the airwaves: Angry Ford dealer in SC blasts imports in ads.

Welch owns a dealership near Savannah in Hardeeville, South Carolina. He began airing the minute-long ad, which sounds more like a talk-radio tirade than a sales pitch, on a dozen stations in the area over the weekend:

All you people that buy all your Toyotas and send that money to Japan, you know, when you don't have a job to make your Toyota car payment, don't come crying to me," Welch says in the ad. "All those cars are rice ready. They're not road ready."

What the hell does "rice ready" mean anyway? Welch apparently believes he is doing his part to help the sagging American economy. What he's really doing is spreading ignorance, hate and xenophobia in the form of an economic scapegoat. Funny, we've heard this before. It's rhetoric like this that can lead to an Asian American guy getting his head bashed in with a baseball bat...

UPDATE: With all this rhetoric about "buying American," and people making idiotic radio commercials to that effect, this CNN article asks a very relevant question for our times: What makes a car American?.

sun yue makes his nba debut

This week, Sun Yue of China played his first NBA regular-season game with the Lakers, scoring four points in a little over five minutes of action during the fourth quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks: Lakers' Sun rises to the occasion. Finally, the guy gets some game time.

Sun filled open roster spot when Luke Walton got sick with the flu. The 6'9" guard was acquired by the Lakers with a second-round pick in 2007 (40th overall), but he didn't sign until August of this year, and he's been on the bench ever since. Until Sunday night. That's one game under his belt.

family killed in military jet crash

This absolutely is heart-wrenching. By now, you've probably heard about the Marine fighter jet that crashed in a neighborhood near San Diego, killing four members of the Yoon family in their home. Two children, their mother, and their grandmother died when a disabled F/A-18D Hornet crashed into their house in a fiery explosion. At first, the authorities could only locate three of the bodies: 3 killed as fighter jet crashes in San Diego.

The victims were identified as 2-month-old Rachel Yoon, her mother Young Yoon, and her grandmother Suk Im Kim, who had been visiting from Korea.

The second child, 15-month-old Grace Yoon, remained missing and was presumed dead when the search was called off due to darkness on Monday night. The search resumed this morning: Search resumes for girl missing from home hit by fighter jet. She was found this afternoon among the remains of the house: Fourth body found in home at site of military jet crash.

The father and husband, Dong Yun Yoon, was working at the family's wholesale company when a neighbor called him with the devastating news. In an instant, his entire family was gone in a freak accident. It's almost unbelievable, and I can't imagine what he must be going through.

The pilot of the fighter jet apparently ejected to safety just before the aircraft slammed into the ground. Two houses were destroyed, and three others were damaged. What went wrong? The military has set up a website to answer questions from University city residents about health issues or property damage related to the crash.

It would be understandable if Mr. Yoon was angry at the Marine Corps or the pilot himself, but at a press conference today, he expressed an astonishing amount of grace: Man who lost family when jet hit house: I don't blame pilot. He asked others to pray on the pilot's behalf. There's video here. It's pretty tough to watch. My heart goes out to him during this terrible time.

robberies targeting asians americans in philadelphia area

In Pennsylvania, state and local authorities suspect that they've uncovered a "shadowy organization" that has been terrorizing Asian Americans around Philadelphia and Delaware County with a series of gunpoint robberies and home invasions over the past two years: Cops warn Asian-Americans.

Last week, two men were charged with mugging a couple after they tailed their Mercedes-Benz from the mall back to their home. But there were three other similar cases in the same week involving Asian business owners, which prompted the District Attorney to put everyone on alert.

And this week, there were five more arrests, bringing the total number of arrests to seven: 5 More Arrests In Robberies Targeting Asian-Americans. The Philadelphia Police Department's Southwest Detectives, Pennsylvania State Police, the FBI and Delaware County were all involved in investigating the robberies.

The suspects can all apparently be linked to a larger crew responsible for dozens of armed robberies in the area, all targeting Asians. That's racist! My question is, according to the article, this "shadowy organization" has been targeting Asian Americans over the past two years. How is it that it took this long for authorities to figure out what was going on?

glitter glasses whatsisface responds to sean hannity

Over on Daily Kos, they post a letter Deepak Chopra wrote to Fox News' Sean Hannity basically calling him on his bullshit: Deepak Chopra let Hannity Have it!.

Chopra recently appeared Hannity's show to talk about the Mumbai terrorist attacks. Hannity later took Chopra's comments out of context and essentially boiled them down to somehow blaming America for the attacks.

I guess Elizabeth Hasselbeck gets her talking points from Sean Hannity. It certainly makes you wish Mr. "Glitter Glasses Whatshisface" would write Hasselbeck a letter too. Perhaps telling her to shut the hell up. Just a thought.

vietnamese american political power in orange county

Just sixteen years ago, Tony Lam, a 56-year-old refugee from Vietnam became the first Vietnamese American elected to public office in the United States. At the time, Lam was the lone Vietnamese face in the world of American politics, a distinction he held for nearly a decade.

Now, his fellow Vietnamese Americans are transforming the Orange County. Here's an interesting Los Angeles Times on the growing influence of Vietnamese Americans in Orange County politics: Orange County's Vietnamese American political scene comes of age.

It's pretty incredible. There are now ten Vietnamese Americans from Orange County who have been elected to school boards, city councils, the county Board of Supervisors and the state Assembly. And last week, Westminster because the first city in the nation with a majority Vietnamese American city council. That's political muscle, and it's only growing.

woman swept out to sea during marriage proposal

This is one of the saddest things I've ever heard... a woman in Newskowin, Oregon went missing when she was swept out to sea during a marriage proposal: Would-Be Bride Swept to Sea During Proposal on Oregon Coast.

22-year-old Leafil Alforque was at Proposal Rock with her boyfriend when a 3-foot-high wave suddenly came in and caught her in the receding waters. The wave moved so quickly, her boyfriend Scott Napper was unable to help her. More here: Woman swept to sea during proposal on Oregon coast.

Police don't suspect any kind of foul play in Alforque's disappearance. Thick fog and dangerous water conditions off Neskowin Beach hampered the rescue efforts, and the search was called off Monday.

Napper and Alforque had been dating since they met on the internet in 2005. She arrived in Oregon on a visa from the Philippines just three days before the fateful trip to the coast. Say whatever you want about the way the two met... I'll admit, it comes off pretty weird. But nobody deserves to come all the way to the United States, only to die like this.

carlos tevez does the slant eye

Oh look. Yet another athlete making the international gesture for "chink." That's Manchester United star Carlos Tevez of Argentina, rocking the slant-eye as he celebrates a goal last week against Blackburn: Oh Tevez, What Are You Doing, Son?. More here: Is Carlos Tevez Awakening Old Spanish Ghosts? Has this guy been hanging out with the Spanish basketball team? Why? Why are stupid people compelled to make this gesture?

lodestone after dark: the beginning of the end

It's the beginning of the end for Lodestone. If you're in Southern California, the award-winning Asian American theatre ensemble will kick off its tenth and final season, "Beginnings and Endings: 2008-09 Tenth Anniversary Season," with a special benefit performance, Lodestone After Dark: The Beginning of the End, running one weekend only, December 11-14 in Burbank.

Lodestone After Dark: The Beginning of the End is a cabaret-style show which will feature comedy sketches and musical numbers to celebrate Lodestone's ten years and launch the company's final season of shows before it closes its doors at the end of 2009.

Some of Lodestone's celebrity friends will making appearances on select evenings during the run of the show, including John Cho, David Ono, George Takei, Sung Kang, Roger Fan, Kaba Modern's Yuri Tag and Fysh N' Chicks' Taeko Collins, Gedde Watanabe, James Kyson Lee and other surprise guests.

It's all happening Thursday through Sunday, Decmeber 11-14 at GTC Burbank. All proceeds will benefit Lodestone's tenth and final season. For more information about the show, and Lodestone's upcoming productions, visit their website here and their MySpace profile here.

google's gatekeepers

The New York Times magazine recently ran an interesting, extensive profile on Nicole Wong, the deputy general counsel of Google (and by extension, YouTube) and the important role she and her colleagues have in regulating how users engage these extremely popular sites: Google's Gatekeepers.

Basically, they're the censors. I imagine it's not an easy job, simply due to the sheer volume of videos posted to YouTube—an estimated 13 hours of content uploaded every minute—but also because the parameters of the vetting process, and the way people use YouTube, must be changing constantly.

adidas commercial features tokyo break up service

Saw this over on Adrants and Jezebel... This is kind of an amusing Adidas ad about a (fictional) guy who runs a break-up service in Tokyo. Basically, you hire Akira and he'll break up with your significant other for you. Here's the website for the campaign: no sad big smile.

You've got to hand it to Adidas. The high-concept commercial is a very different way to peddle shoes. I guess when you perform a service like that, you need good sneakers... because you'll have to run away pretty fast.

By the way, the main character in Amyn Kaderali's indie romantic comedy Kissing Cousins also runs a similar break up service. "Relationship Termination Specialist," actually. I couldn't help but think of Kissing Cousins when I saw the Adidas thing.

john cho joins the cast of flash forward

John Cho, who we all know and love as Harold from Harold and Kumar, and will be seen playing Sulu in next summer's highly-anticipated Star Trek movie, has joined the cast of the new ABC sci-fi pilot Flash Forward: New Sulu Joins Cast Of ABC Sci-Fi Pilot FLASH FORWARD!!.

The series, scripted by David S. Goyer and Brannon Braga, and based on the novel b Robert J. Sawyer, is about what happens when physicists, conducting a super-high-energy experiment, accidentally cause everyone on Earth to experience two minutes and 17 seconds of his or her own life—21 years into the future. Crazy!

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the project centers on Mark Banford, "an FBI agent who is patching up his life and his marriage after winning a long struggle with the bottle. Disturbed by the harrowing premonition during his blackout, he races to unravel the mystery, fearful of the murky future that might spell disaster for himself and his loved ones."

Cho will paly Dominic Witten, a dedicated FBI agent who is Mark's partner and friend. His experience while unconscious was an absolute blank, which doesn't bode well for his own future as he realizes he might be dead.

The show sounds pretty intriguing, and it's cool to see John Cho on the starring cast of a show again. I imagine Flash Forward and its weird sci-fi/mystery plot will appeal to fans of Lost, Heroes, Fringe and the like. I think you can probably thank the success of diverse, challenging shows like Lost (with large, multi-ethnic casts) for creating a wave of these kinds of shows. I'll probably be giving this one a try.

sikh family mistreated by sheriff's deputies

Some news out of Houston, of racism towards a Sikh family... In Harris County, Ramandeep Sinth called the sheriff's office for help when thieves broke in and ransacked his family's home on the night before Thanksgiving. But when sheriff's deputies arrived, Sinth and has family were the ones treated like criminals: Victims Claim They Got Criminal Treatment.

The deputies were troubled by Sinth's turban, which he wears in accordance with his Sikh faith. They were also apparently "freaked out" by his sister's kirpan, and pointed their Taser gun at her. Soon, he, his sister, mother and another relative were in handcuffs, and were questioned about Muslims and terrorism. More here: Sikh family accuses deputies of abuse, taunts.

Sinth was locked up in the back of a sheriff's cruiser, held for two hours, then released with no charges filed. And of course, no one caught the people who actually committed a crime that night—the thieves who broke into Sinth's house. Mr. Sinth was mistreated, violated and discriminated against by the people who were supposed to help him. That's racist!

sensitive guys with guitars

Singer/songwriter Jay Legaspi informs me about a couple of cool upcoming gigs he and some friends have put together this month to raise funds for charity: Sensitive Guys With Guitars. The awesome flyer above and name alone make this event worth going to.

The shows are funding two charities: GILAS, a very cool internet initiative in the Philippines, and Team Kaila/Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Here are details about the shows and the charities:

Our December shows are funding 2 charities. The first charity is GILAS, which is an initiative in the Philippines to fully wire all the public schools in the country with the Internet, so the kids will be able to connect with the world, and hopefully, become familiar with upcoming technology so that the next generation of graduates won't get left behind in the digital age.

The second charity we're donating to Team Kaila/Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. The money we raise for the JDRF is actually being donated in honor of our friend Kaila, who is lives with Type 1 Diabetes. Team Kaila was the name of the walkathon team her mother formed.

The first event is being held here:
December 12, 2008
Silk Road Cafe
30 Mott St.
Chinatown, NYC
7:30PM
$10

We also have a second event in NJ:
December 20, 2008
PJ's Coffee
315 Raritan Ave
Highland Park, NJ
6PM
$5

The Sensitive Guys are Danny Katz, Jay Legaspi, John Violago, John-Flor and WonderMarq. I swear, I'm looking at these flyers and laughing my ass off. Those are some sensitive guys. For more information about the shows, go to the Sensitive Guys With Guitars website here.

red sox sign pitcher junichi tazawa

Last week, the Boston Red Sox signed their third pitcher from Japan, adding right-handed amateur Junichi Tazawa to their roster, which also includes Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki Okajima: BoSox finalize $3.3M deal with Japanese RHP Tazawa.

The team signed Tazawa with a $3.3 million, three-year deal... and probably just boosted the Red Sox's already-huge popularity in Japan through the roof. Last spring, the club opened its season with two games against the Oakland Athletics in Tokyo.

Tazawa, 22, played four years for Nippon Oil of the Japan Industrial League. He was 13-1 with 5 saves and a 0.80 ERA this season in 21 games, 11 of them starts, striking out 114 batters and walking 15 over 113 innings and pitching four shutouts.

Tazawa is expected to begin next season in Double-A Portland, where he'll be groomed for a spot in the rotation, but could soon join his Japanese countrymen with the big club. We'll just have to see what happens next spring.

bollywood goes chopsocky: chandni chowk to china

What the... I just watched the trailer for Chandni Chowk to China. I have no idea what I just saw, but it looks absolutely insane. Produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, it appears to be a Bollywood chop-socky action comedy starring Akshay Kumar, with kung fu star Gordon Liu.

In the movie, a cook from Chandni Chowk is mistaken for the reincarnation of an ancient Chinese warrior by the villagers of an oppressed Chinese village. Kung fu craziness ensues. It looks like they've taken some cues from Kung Fu Hustle and about a dozen other martial arts flicks.

This is either going to be really bad, or really... I don't even know. It's Bollywood, yet it's Hollywood, and all the exploitation that goes along with it. It's trippin' me out. Just watch the trailer. The movie is scheduled to open in theaters on January 16 (in India). I will have to seek it out eventually, because it just looks too strange not to watch.

paaff festival favorites screening

For all my friends in Philadelphia, here's a cool screening event happening this week. If you missed (or really really enjoyed) this year's Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival, check out a special re-cap screening featuring select works this Tuesday, December 9. Here are the details:

The Greater Philadelphia Film Office presents highlights from the 1st Annual Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival.

Films include:
Magritte Moment (Dir. Ian Fischer)
Kung Fu Granny (Dir. Myra Sito Velasquez)
Cookies For Sale (Dir. Wes Kim)
Skate Free (Dir. Tony Toka)
364 Cranes (Dir. Vincent Lin, starring Aaron Yoo "21" & "Disturbia")
Suspense's How To Jedi Mind Trick The Bitches (Team Azn Rejects)
No Holding Back (Team Big Egg)

Details:
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Time: 6:30pm (Doors open at 6pm)
Admission: FREE
Q & A with filmmakers in attendance.

Prince Music Theater (2nd Floor)
1412 Chestnut St., Phila, PA 19103
Refreshments by Pita Pit
Cash Bar

I've seen a handful of the works in this program, and they're pretty good short films. With several filmmakers in attendance, it should be a pretty fun evening. For more information about the event, visit the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival website here.

the first vietnamese american elected to congress

This weekend, Republican attorney Anh "Joseph" Cao ousted indicted Democratic U.S. Rep. William Jefferson from his New Orleans area district to become the first Vietnamese American in Congress: Louisiana voters oust indicted Rep. Jefferson.

In the 2nd Congressional District, which includes most of New Orleans, Cao won 50 percent of the vote to Jefferson's 47 percent. His only previous political experience was an unsuccessful 2007 bid for a seat in the state legislature. More on him here: 1st Vietnamese-American elected to US Congress.

Jefferson became Louisiana's first black congressman since Reconstruction when he took office in 1991, but has recently been embroiled in scandal, pleading not guilty to charges of bribery, laundering money and misusing his congressional office.

Even with these troubles, Jefferson's loss is a big of a shock. His district is considered one of the most Democratic in the country. But there you go. Cao's win is historic.. The first Vietnamese American in Congress. More here: Holy Cao: Republican defeats Jefferson.

pacquiao destroys de la hoya in eight rounds

Manny Pacquiao has done it again. This time, it was big. In what was touted as the biggest fight of the year, the Filipino boxer completely dominated Oscar De La Hoya, beating and battering him for eight rounds before De La Hoya called it quits: Pacquiao wins in eighth round over De La Hoya. More here: Smaller Pacquiao Topples De La Hoya. And here: Pacquiao too fast, too strong in lopsided win.

It wasn't even close. From the opening bell, a faster, stronger (and younger) Pacquiao completely overwhelmed the 10-time champion, bruising his face and giving him a swollen left eye before De La Hoya decline to come out of his corner after the eighth round. People will talking about this one for a long time. Here's a breakdown of the match, round-by-round: De La Hoya-Pacquiao round-by-round.

And of course, they were celebrating like crazy in the Philippines: Philippines celebrate Pacquiao's victory. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo apparently called Pacquiao to congratulate him on his victory. I thought this story was pretty amusing: PNP anticipates zero crime rate during Pacquiao-De la Hoya match. He is the man, and he's made his nation proud.

general eric shinseki appointed secretary of veterans affairs

President-elect Barack Obama has chosen retired General Eric K. Shinseki to be the next Secretary of Veterans Affairs: Rumsfeld nemesis Shinseki to be named VA secretary. He will be the first Asian American to hold the post of Veterans Affairs secretary. More here: General Eric Shinseki To Be Veterans Affairs Secretary.

The choice of Shinseki is interesting and well-deserved... and in many ways, redemptive. Obama said he selected Shinseki for the VA post because he "was right" in predicting that the U.S. would need more troops in Iraq than the Bush administration initially believed.

Shinseki, who served as Army chief of staff from 1999 to 2003, made headlines for his clashes with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. In 2003, Shinseki testified to Congress that it might take several hundred thousand U.S. troops to control Iraq after the invasion.

Rumsfeld and his deputy, Paul Wolfowitz, belittled the estimate as "wildly off the mark" and the army general was forced out within months. They were wrong.

Turns out though, Shinseki was very much on the mark, in a way no one really wanted to see. Early last year, President Bush announced a "surge" of additional troops to Iraq after miscalculating the numbers needed to stem sectarian violence. Suck it, Rumsfeld.

Shinseki will take over the government's second largest agency, which has been roundly criticized during the Bush administration for underestimating the amount of funding needed to treat thousands of injured veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Eric Shinseki is the first Army four-star general of Japanese American ancestry. What is perhaps most poetic about this appointment is that Obama will make the announcement today, December 7—the anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. All things considered, it's a pretty powerful moment.

UPDATE: Asian Americans for Obama has cross-posted this really great diary about General Shinseki by Homer J of Daily Kos: My experience with Eric Shinseki. And here are some Photos and Video from General Shinseki’s Nomination.

UPDATe: Here's a good New York Times on why General Eric Shinseki is a good choice to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs: A General for the War at Home. Basically, it boils down to the fact the he was right and the Bush administration wrong—and their poor judgment proved costly. Vindicated!

bringing burgers to the poor, exotic "whopper virgins"

I've been hearing from a lot of people about Burger King's latest ad campaign, Whopper Virgins. Mostly negative. I finally saw a commercial for it, and looks pretty bad. They've basically created a "documentary" where a film crew takes BK's signature hamburger to remote locations to perform taste tests with people supposedly untouched by fast food palates and marketing, and "don't even have a word for burger."

What makes this so offensive? Perhaps it's the implication that the people in these locations (in traditional cultural dress, for good measure) are somehow backwards and exotic because they've never had a burger in their lives. Or how about the fact some areas of the world have more important things to worry about—like basic human hunger—than being "Whopper Virgins."

Watch the commercial that's been running here. The campaign has already generated a lot of negative buzz from bloggers and pundits, who are calling the "experiment" tasteless and exploitative: Fresh Palates for Burger King. More here: Whopper Virgins: it doesn't get much more offensive than this. And here: Burger King's 'Whopper Virgins' Documentary Takes Whoppers to Remote Places.

The "Whopper Virgins" documentary premieres online on Monday. If you'd like get in touch with Burger King about how you feel about this particular ad campaign, there's some corporate contact info here. I'm skeptical that they'll give a damn, but it's worth letting them know.

UPDATE: Here's an ABC News report on the "Whopper Virgins" ad, with people talking about some of the controversy the campaign has drawn: Flame-broiled Advertising Controversy.

jack yoshihara's rose bowl redemption

This Los Angeles Times article is a few weeks old, but it's a pretty cool story. Jack Yoshihara was playing as a sophomore on Oregon State's football in 1941, when the team played second-ranked Duke in their first trip to the Rose Bowl. Jack, however, wasn't able to play in the game. He was sent to the Minidoka internment camp in Idaho: War and the Roses for Oregon State.

In June, Yoshihara was among the Oregon State students of Japanese ancestry, interned during World War II, who were given honorary degrees by the university. After receiving his diploma, Yoshihara was asked to hold up his 1942 Rose Bowl ring, given to him 1985, bringing cheers from the crowd at Reser Stadium. He never got to go to the Rose Bowl, but he's still a champ.

nbr names slumdog millionaire best film of the year

Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire has been named the best film of the year by the National Board of Review: "Slumdog Millionaire" Takes Top Prize From National Board of Review. The Board also awarded Slumdog best adapted screenplay honors for Simon Beaufoy, and best breakthrough actor for star Dev Patel.

The National Board of Review's honors are usually regarded as an early indicator of the films to watch for awards season. Last year, four of the five Academy Award nominees for Best Picture were featured in the NBR's top ten.

If you haven't Slumdog Millionaire yet, I can't recommend it enough. As you know, I liked it a lot. Without a doubt, one of the best movies I've seen this year. It really deserves all the acclaim its been getting, and it's a solid bet you'll be hearing more about it in the months to come.

big buzz for paper hearts

According to the Hollywood Reporter, one of the big movies keep an eye on next month at Sundance is Paper Hearts starring Michael Cera, a "semi-secret" project with some high expectations: Michael Cera comedy flies under radar.

The film is described as part documentary, part scripted comedy, centering on the real-life relationship between Cera and his girlfriend Charlyne Yi. You might remember her as the stoner girl Jody from Knocked Up.

The film apparently also boasts a bunch of other members from Judd Apatow's crew. There aren't a lot of other details, but early industry buzz is saying it's the film to watch. Could it be the next big indie hit? I guess we'll see.

children of invention to premiere at sundance

Great news. A few weeks back, I mentioned that I was really looking forward to seeing Tze Chun's debut feature film Children of Invention, which he shot and completed this year. I just heard from producer Mynette Louie, who informs me that Children of Invention will be premiering in the "Spectrum" category next month at the Sundance Film Festival. This is huge news.

In Children of Invention, two young children living illegally in a
model apartment outside Boston are left to fend for themselves when
their hardworking mother disappears. The film is loosely based on Tze Chun's own Sundance '07 short Windowbreaker, which earned him a spot on Filmmaker Magazine's annual "25 New Faces of Independent Film" list.

Here is indieWIRE's coverage of the "Spectrum" films at Sundance '09: Fewer Star Driven Premieres, Larger Spectrum Section on Sundance Non-competition Roster. To learn more about Children of Invention, visit the temporary website here, and the film's Facebook page here. For those heading out to Park City next month, be sure to check out this film.

saigon grill owners arrested on criminal charges

The owners of the two Saigon Grill restaurants in Manhattan were arrested this week on more than 400 criminal charges, including violating minimum-wage laws, falsifying business records and defrauding the state's unemployment insurance system: Restaurant Owners Charged on More Than 400 Counts.

Simon and Michelle Nget, the owners of the popular pan-Asian restaurants, pleaded not guilty to those charges as well as to charges of demanding illegal payments from their deliverymen, tampering with witnesses and creating fraudulent records to cover up their actions.

Back in October, a federal judge ordered the Ngets to pay $4.6 million in back pay and damages to 36 delivery workers. That's justice. Now it's time to face some criminal charges!

They were each charged with 151 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, 45 counts of tampering with physical evidence, and 46 counts of offering a false instrument for filing. All are class E felonies, which carry a sentence of up to four years in prison. Good luck with that, Simon and Michelle.

healthy choice's lonely fortune writer

You've got to be kidding me. Check out this idiotic interactive ad campaign for Healthy Choice's "Asian Inspired" dishes: Lonely Fortune Writer. The joke is, the guy who writes the fortunes is bored and lonely because of an apparent downturn in fortune cookie sales. No one seems to be ordering Asian takeout anymore. Why? Because this Healthy Choice crap is so good. Get it?

If you go to the site, the bored, accented Chinese guy behind the desk will write a fortune just for you (or a friend). It's incredibly annoying. And the fortunes, of course, are predictably inane and obnoxious. I'm reminded of the equally stupid Hot Pockets Dojo campaign from last year.

Why must all Asian-inspired food have to be marketed with stupid stereotypes? If this campaign bothers you, why not contact ConAgra Foods, the company behind Healthy Choice? You can find all sorts of useful contact information on ConAgra's corporate site here. That's racist!

looking for subjects for internment documentary

Kevin Walker, a Yonsei filmmaker, is taking a road trip across America to make a documentary on Japanese American internees, and the lingering effects of living behind barbed wire: Finding a Part in Internment History.

I'm told that he's currently looking for more people to interview for the film. If you know anyone who was interned, or any Caucasians that lived in the camps, he'll be traveling everywhere to interview. Next stop is San Francisco in December. Contact Kevin at kevin.walker.w@gmail.com. (Thanks, Leanne.)

teenager struck and killed by school bus

Oh man. Yesterday in Queens, a 14-year-old girl on her way to school was fatally struck by a school bus. Jasmine Paragas was crossing the street Thursday morning when she was hit: Teen Fatally Struck By School Bus.

Emergency workers found her laying on the ground unconscious and bleeding from the head, and took her to the hospital were she was pronounced dead from massive head trauma. She was a freshman at Francis Lewis High School. More here: Girl, 14, Is Struck and Killed by a School Bus in Queens.

prop 8 - the musical

This video from Funny or Die has been making the rounds... See none other than Margaret Cho in Prop 8 - The Musical! Also starring John C. Reilly, Jack Black, Allison Janney, Craig Robinson, Maya Rudolph, Rashida Jones, Sarah Chalke... and Neil Patrick Harris, among many others. It's pretty funny. Gay marriages will save the economy!

On a related note, here's an interesting Huffington Post piece on the significant number of Asian Americans in California who voted against Prop 8: Prop 8 Fight Reveals an Ally and an Alibi. In the aftermath of the passage of Prop 8, there's been a lot of finger-pointing over who voted for what. It's just interesting to see where Asian American voters fell along those lines.

east west players presents the joy luck club

East West Players, the nation's pre-eminent Asian American theater company, is currently running their adaptation of Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club. You know—mothers and daughters struggling to understand each other. Cultural/generational clashes and misunderstandings. Weeping. Love it or hate it, it's one of the most influential Asian American literary works of the 1990s. And it's on stage now through December 21.

As part of their presentation of the Joy Luck Club, East West Players is also hosting a series of Saturday discussion forums about Asian American women. This Saturday, December 6, I'll be participating in a panel on Asian American beauty along with Jen and Diana from Disgrasian and Ada Tseng from Asia Pacific Arts. Here are some details:

Beyond Brains or Boobs: Beauty in Asia America 2.0
Date & Time: Saturday, December 6 @ 2:00PM
Location: Barnes & Nobel at The Grove, 189 The Grove Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90036

With the growing awareness of Asian fashion and pop culture among Asian Americans, how has the Asian American definition of beauty changed? Has it? Will it? How will the Internet affect this definition? Using the Joy Luck Club as an example of Asia America then, how far has Asia America come in deciding what is beautiful, and where is it going now?

So if you're in Los Angeles, come on out to The Grove on Saturday afternoon and sit in on the discussion. I'm still not entirely sure how it's going to go, or what I'm doing in the company of such cool ladies, but it should be pretty interesting. See you there.

a vietnamese american-majority city council

It's official. This week, Westminster, California became the first city in America with a Vietnamese-majority city council after a final tabulation of votes shifted the winners in two Orange County cities: Orange County's final vote tally puts 2 Vietnamese Americans in winners' seats.

Two Vietnamese American candidates who had been trailing after initial vote counts on election day emerged as winners when the Orange County registrar certified the final results of the November 4 election.

In Westminster, Truong Diep initially trailed Penny Loomer by 1,500 votes. But the final vote count put Diep ahead by a few dozen votes, giving him the second-place win. A few dozen votes! Talk about a squeaker.

In neighboring Garden Grove, after thousands of absentee and provisional ballots were counted, Andrew Do secured a second-place finish for a seat on the City Council, edging out Robin Peace Marcario. Do's election makes him the second Vietnamese American City Council member in Garden Grove.

Finally, a month after general election, some results. Both elections mark a significant milestone for Orange County and the Vietnamese American community. Thank goodness for absentee ballots, I guess.

A Very Special Men's Bathroom

Unfortunate naming convention creates inadvertent racial slur at Bingamton University



This is almost unbelievable. DQ informs me of an odd situation at Binghamton University involving, of all things, a bathroom sign. The men's bathroom in a particular building, to be precise. It's all due to the unfortunate numbering convention used to make the sign:

stupid comments on the view, part 349

Not that it ever had much cred, but The View ceased to be a show anyone took seriously a long time ago (around the time Lisa Ling left). Over the years, it's essentially devolved into a daily opportunity for the hosts to say something really stupid, then get heckled by Defamer over and over again. I don't think I have to remind you of Rosie O'Donnell's awesome Chinese language "impression" from a years back.

So the other day, it looks like Elisabeth Hasselbeck had her own little "ching ching" moment: Peeved Elisabeth Hasselbeck Tells Noted Indian Scholar to 'Go Light a Bowl of Incense'. I know—Hasselbeck saying something stupid and offensive. Shocker.

On Tuesday's show, while discussing Deepak Chopra's recent remarks on the Mumbai massacre (he implied the terrorists had an eye on America), Hasselbeck referred to the Indian doctor/writer/guru as "Glitter Glasses Whatshisface," and then suggested he "Go light a bowl of incense."

Seriously, Elisabeth? It's amazing how fiercely she plays the role of the Ugly American... except that she's not playing. I'm no fan of Deepak Chopra (calling him a "scholar" is pushing it) but there's no need to go there. You're awesome, Elisabeth. Go eat a bowl of ignorance.

yellow is the future

This doesn't really have anything to do with Asian Americans, but according to this Associated Press article, yellow will apparently be the influential color of 2009: Yellow expected as a bright spot for 2009. Pantone, which provides color standards to design industries, specifically names "mimosa," a vibrant shade of yellow, the "symbolic color of the future." Recognize, suckas. It's all about yellow.

prove it, karate kid

What exactly is it about this t-shirt that bothers me? Is it that the shirt is basically the Japanese flag with some text over it? Or is it that I can imagine the fake kung fu sounds this guy is making? Or is it that the shirt conveys an entirely different meaning when this guy wears it, as opposed to if I were to wear it? Something to think about. (Thanks, Sarah.)

hey bill, remember wen ho lee? we do.

You've probably heard by now that Barack Obama has named Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico as his cabinet's Secretary of Commerce: Obama names Gov. Richardson to head Commerce. I don't think this appointment was much of a surprise to anyone, but it is a bit disappointing... and for some, downright upsetting. You can count me among those who are not supporters of Bill Richardson. Yeah, you bet your ass I'm holding a grudge.

Remember Wen Ho Lee? Back in 1999, the Taiwanese American scientist was working at Los Alamos National Laboratory when he was falsely accused of stealing U.S. nuclear secrets for China. He was indicted on 59 counts, jailed in solitary confinement for nine months, and eventually released on time served when the government's case against him fell apart. It was a debacle, a witch hunt, and a serious violation of Lee's civil rights.

At the time, Richardson was serving as Secretary of Energy under President Clinton, and was among the most vocal officials accusing Lee of espionage. He intentionally leaked Lee's name to the press as a suspect, and just generally made a mess of the whole ordeal, basically stripping an innocent man of his freedom and reputation. On a larger scale, the case was a huge setback in fighting the notion that all Chinese Americans are potential spies.

In the end, Lee was ultimately charged with only one count of mishandling sensitive documents, while all other 58 counts were dropped. President Clinton issued a public apology to Lee over his treatment by the federal government during the investigation. The New York Times also apologized for its faulty and irresponsible reporting of the case. The investigation was, from top to bottom, an utter mess.

Amidst all of this apologizing, Richardson stood by everything he said and did during the case. He has acknowledged the government made "some mistakes" (yeah, a few) in the Lee case, but he has denied that his public statements naming Lee as an espionage suspect represented racial profiling or exhibited a lack of judgment. Basically, he maintains that he did nothing wrong.

Fast forward to today. Almost a decade later, Richardson's severe lack of judgment does not sit well with an increasingly vocal group of Chinese American activists who oppose his nomination as commerce secretary: Chinese-American activists oppose any Bill Richardson cabinet nomination.

Richardson's refusal to acknowledge making serious errors in the Wen Ho Lee case makes it a moral imperative to oppose his nomination to Obama's cabinet. I supported and voted for Obama, but that certainly doesn't mean that I'm going to agree with every decision he makes. This is a bad one. Here's an online petition opposing the nomination: Gov Bill Richardson should not be nominated. More here: Bill Richardson Deprived Dr. Wen Ho Lee of His Rights; He Has No Place in an Obama Cabinet.

UPDATE: The following is an excerpt from a letter to President-elect Barack Obama and his transition team, asking them to reconsider Richardson's appointment, currently posted on WenHoLee.org:

To President Elect Obama and the Obama-Biden Transition Team,

As concerned citizens, we write to express our opposition to the appointment of Bill Richardson as the Secretary of Commerce. Our objection relates to Richardson's actions as Energy Secretary in violating Dr. Wen Ho Lee's due process rights by prematurely terminating Dr. Lee's employment, advancing the indictment of Dr. Lee when there was no evidence that he had engaged in espionage, and fueling suspicion about the loyalties of dedicated, hard-working Chinese-Americans. Richardson's actions raise serious questions about his judgment and sense of fairness, requisite qualifications of a presidential Cabinet nominee. Until Richardson concedes and apologizes for his actions, we will continue to object to his nomination.

Read the rest of the letter, downloadable in both English and Chinese, here. You can also submit your name to sign the letter, if you feel so inclined. (There are currently over a thousand names.)

oprah's "asian language gibberish" moment

Check this out. This is a video clip of Oprah Winfrey making a faux-Asian language gibberish joke on her show a few weeks back: Oprah Speaks Asian Gibberish. My friend Kathy wrote a really good blog entry on this last week.

The video quality is kind of low, but you can clearly hear Oprah's nonsense mockery. It's a lame joke for a cheap laugh. I guess multibillionaire talk show hosts are not above obnoxious, racist moments. It's just frustrating that something like this happens on national television, with millions watching, and everyone just laughs along. (Thanks, Cecilia.)

up the yangtze nominated for independent spirit awards

Nominations for the Independent Spirit Awards were announced yesterday, and I was pleased do see that Yung Chang's brilliant documentary Up the Yangtze is among the films up for Best Documentary. I've raved about it a lot in the last year, so this is pretty cool.

The film is a beautiful, intelligent examination of China's Three Gorges Dam project. I know, it sounds boring, but it's amazing. It was recently released on DVD, so check it out. And read my interview with director Yung Chang from earlier this year here.

Also nominated for Best Documentary is Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath's The Betrayal, which was recently released theatrically in New York. I haven't seen it, but it's also on the Academy Awards' documentary short list, so it's probably worth taking a look.

I just noticed that Sean Baker and Shih-Ching Tsou's Take Out is nominated for the John Cassavetes Award, given to the best feature made for under $500,000. If you've seen the film, which I've written about a few times this year, you know that Take Out is indeed a low-budget movie. But a pretty good one. Anyway, read about the full list of Spirit Award nominees here: here. The Independent Spirit Awards will take place on February 21.

chinese chef receives top michelin rating

This week, Michelin released its first directory to fine dining in China and awarded its top three-star rating to a Chinese chef for the first time in the gourmet guide's 108-year history: Michelin awards first Chinese chef coveted 3 stars.

The three-star award was given to head chef Chan Yan-tak of Hong Kong's Lung King Heen, a Cantonese restaurant in the luxury Four Seasons Hotel. Only 72 restaurants worldwide hold three Michelin stars.

The Michelin guide for Hong Kong and Macau awarded 28 restaurants in the two cities star ratings, including top billing for one restaurant in each city. Eight restaurants got two stars and 18 establishments received one star each.

UPDATE: Michelin's ratings for restaurants in Hong Kong and Macau have apparently drawn some criticism from those who insist the guide failed to understand the true, authentic Chinese dining experience: Michelin guide sparks criticisms from Hong Kong gourmets.

a secret fear of chinese people

The above image was recently spotted on the PostSecret blog, which encourages readers to send in their secrets. Someone out there is apparently terrified of Chinese people... but insists he or she is not racist. Not sure how that works. But I guess we'll never really know who sent this in. It's a secret. But you know who you are.

man dies while trying to save pregnant wife

This is a really sad, tragic story out of Michigan... Over the weekend in Farmington, 35-year-old David Shu-Kin Kwok was killed in a freak accident when he was trapped under his moving minivan while trying to save his pregnant wife: Farmington Hills man killed trying to save wife.

On Saturday morning, Kwok pulled his minivan up to the book return at the Farmington Community Library so his wife, Erika Kwok, could deposit books. On her way back to the van, she fell. He rushed out of the van and ran around the front of it to help her. In a panic, he forgot to put it in park.

He braced himself against the front of the van to stop it from rolling over his wife, but got trapped underneath instead. A rear wheel rolled over his wife, who is about seven months pregnant. A bystander entered the van, placed it in park and shut off the engine.

David Kwok was pronounced dead at the hospital. Erika Kwok was in stable but serious condition. Their 21-month-old daughter, who was in the backseat, wasn't hurt. More here: Man dies while trying to rescue pregnant wife.

Like I said, it was a crazy freak accident, and unbelievably tragic. I heard about this the other day, then realized later that David Kwok was actually the brother of one of my friends. I didn't know him, but I know he was loved. My thoughts and prayers go out to his wife and his family.

UPDATE: A memorial fund has been set up to support David Kwok's family during this difficult time. For more information, go to the David Kwok Memorial website here.

the sketch comedy show's last show of the year

If you're in Southern California this weekend and looking for some laughs, be sure to check out the award-winning Sketch Comedy Show, presented by Projekt Newspeak. Come on out for their last show of the year.

Fresh from their win at the 2008 International Sketch Comedy Competition, the troupe will be performing two nights, December 5 and 6, at the KIWA Cultural Center in Los Angeles. With special guest performers Liane Tominaga, DJ Ultraman, Big Phony and DJ Phatrick. For tickets and more information about the show, go here.



By the way, check out this extremely silly video by the Newspeak folks, featuring two of the worst robbers ever. Starring Eddie Kim, Davis Choh, Roger Fan, Karin Anna Cheung, Dante Basco (Rufio), Kaila Yu and Kit.E.Katt: Two Robbers. It's the return of Rufio, baby!

ancient asian math secret: rice farming

Outliers: The Story of Success is the latest book from New Yorker staff writer Malcolm Gladwell, author of Blink and The Tipping Point. In it, he examines the myth of self-made success and identifies "outliers" as those who have "been given opportunities, and who have had the strength and presence of mind to seize them."

Here's a NPR story on the book: 'Outliers' Puts Self-Made Success To The Test. Yay. Okay. Whatever. You're entitled to your crackpot theories. But at one point Gladwell attempts to look at why Asians kids tend to outperform others at math. He actually suggests that the key to supreme Asian mathematic prowess can be found in—I kid you not—rice farming:

"One of the puzzles that educators have thought about for years is why is it that kids from Japan, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong [and] China vastly outperform their American or Western counterparts in math," Gladwell says. "They score way, way, better than American kids do."

Gladwell says he thought that Asian children might be inheriting a particular cultural legacy from their parents and their society that was helping them succeed in math - and he says he found the answer in the agricultural tradition of rice farming.

"Rice farming lays out a cultural pattern that works beautifully when it comes to math," Gladwell hypothesizes. "Rice farming is the most labor-intensive form of agriculture known to man. It is also the most cognitively demanding form of agriculture... There is a direct correlation between effort and reward. You get exactly out of your rice paddy what you put into it."

Am I the only one who thinks this theory is absolutely ridiculous? Sure, Asians might consume a lot of rice. And a lot of Asians are good at math. But this does nothing to explain the millions of Asian kids who excel at math but have nothing to do with rice farming.

Dude, I absolutely suck at math. But I'm not blaming that on the lack of rice farming in my family background. Granted, I haven't read the book, but what he's hypothesizing here is simply crazy. Not that anyone seems to mind. Outliers is currently the number one nonfiction book on the New York Times Best Sellers list. There are going to be a lot of people out there believing that the secrets to math can be found on a rice paddy...

aaww's 11th annual asian american literary awards

New York friends, an event for you. Next week, the Asian American Writers' Workshop presents the 11th Annual Asian American Literary Awards, honoring Asian American writers for excellence in fiction, poetry and nonfiction. It's on Monday, December 8 at NYU.

The year, the Workshop reunites Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang and actor B.D. Wong in a special reading and discussion to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of M. Butterfly, their groundbreaking play.

AAWW will also be honoring four writers, including novelist Mohsin Hamid for The Reluctant Fundamentalist, poet Sun Young Shin for Skirt Full of Black, and professor Vijay Prashad for The Darker Nations. Here's some information:

The Eleventh Annual Asian American Literary Awards Ceremony
Monday, December 8, 2008

For the 11th Annual Asian American Literary Awards, The Workshop will present a Lifetime Achievement Award to playwright David Henry Hwang, who will reunite with B.D. Wong in a special reading and celebration for the 20th anniversary of their seminal contribution to Asian American culture, M. Butterfly. Hwang and Wong will discuss their seminal contribution to Asian American culture with Oskar Eustis, the Artistic Director of The Public Theater. Every audience member will receive a free paperback of M. Butterfly.

The winner of the Asian American Literary Award for Fiction is Mohsin Hamid for The Reluctant Fundamentalist (Harcourt). The winner of the Asian American Literary Award for Nonfiction is Vijay Prashad for The Darker Nations (New Press). The winner of the Asian American Literary Award for Poetry is Sun Yung Shin for Skirt Full of Black (Coffee House Press).

VIP Reception | 6-7:30 pm
Deutsches Haus at NYU
2 Washington Mews, New York
$100

Awards Ceremony | 7:30-9 pm
Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Film Center at NYU
36 East 8th Street, New York
$20 members, $30 non-members

It should be a really cool evening. Law and Order: SVU fans, come on out. And get yourself a complimentary copy of M. Butterfly. Purchase your tickets online here. For more information about the event, visit the Asian American Writers' Workshop website here.

lee anne wong talks top chef

Zagat has an interview with Lee Anne Wong, former season one contestant on Bravo's Top Chef, who currently works as the show's culinary supervisor. She shares some behind-the-scenes scoop on the show, now in its fifth season: Behind the Scenes of Top Chef. If you're a fan of the show, she divulges some pretty interesting information on how it all comes together.

This season, the chefs to watch for are Radhika, Gene and Leah. So far, I haven't been watching very carefully, but I think I'm rooting for Gene, who sort of gives off this underdog vibe. And I like that. But of course, there's my favorite reason to tune in: host Padma Lakshmi.

deported former gang member teaches b-boys in cambodia

The New York Times has a great story on Tuy Sobil, aka K.K., a former gang member from Long Beach, California who got into some trouble, got deported, but now teaches breakdancing to at-risk youth in Cambodia: U.S. Deportee Brings Street Dance to Street Boys of Cambodia.

K.K. was refugee from Cambodia's Khmer Rouge "killing fields" who came to the United States in 1980. Now 30 years old, he is one 189 Cambodians who have been banished from the U.S. in the past six years under a law that mandates deportations for noncitizens who commit felonies.

He wasn't an illegal immigrant—just a noncitizen by a technicality. He was an infant when he immigrated to America, and his parents never got around to completing the citizenship process when they arrived. But the mistakes of his youth caught up to him, and he was deported.

Arriving in a country he barely knew, without any family contacts, K.K. eventually founded his breakdancing club, Tiny Toones Cambodia, where he now earns a living teaching about 150 youngsters and reaching out to hundreds more. It's a pretty amazing story. Read it here.

ncso and capac statements on terrorist attacks in mumbai

This was passed along to me from SAALT... Here's the National Coalition of South Asian Organizations' (NCSO) official statement on last week's devastating attacks in Mumbai:

Statement from South Asian Organizations on the Mumbai Attacks

December 1, 2008 - Members of the National Coalition of South Asian Organizations (NCSO) offer our deepest condolences to those who have lost family and friends in the recent acts of violence in Mumbai, India that left an estimated 180 individuals dead and communities around the world in shock and grief.

We encourage individuals of all faiths and nationalities to unite in addressing the impact of incidents such as the tragedy in Mumbai and those occurring in other parts of the world with compassion and a commitment to non-violence, tolerance, and respect.

Our message is informed by the experiences of communities in the United States and abroad who have endured the impact of backlash, intolerance and suspension of civil liberties in the wake of September 11th. In these challenging times, it is important to remember that the values of democracy, openness, dialogue, and respect of diversity can pave the way to peace and stability.

For additional information or assistance, please contact members of the NCSO; the Indian Embassy; and the South Asian Journalists Association.

The National Coalition of South Asian Organizations (NCSO) is a network of 35 community-based organizations in 12 regions around the country that provide services to, work with, convene, organize, and advocate for South Asians in the United States. For more information, please contact South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT), the coordinator of the NCSO at (301) 270.1855 or saalt@saalt.org.

And here's the statement from Rep. Mike Honda, Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, condemning the attacks:

CAPAC Statement Condemning Mumbai Terrorist Attacks

Washington, DC - Today, Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA), Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), issued the following statement condemning the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India:

"On behalf of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, I send my deepest condolences to all the victims of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, and to their families. Unidentified victims include United States citizens, leaving many in the Indian American community unsure about whether loved ones are safe. Having experienced the tragedies on September 11, 2001, CAPAC members stand in solidarity with you against these horrendous terrorist acts driven by hate and fanaticism. You are in our thoughts and prayers.

"We look forward to continuing our work with organizations like USINPAC and the Indian American community to advance cooperation between the United States and India, and to strengthen this important partnership in our counter-terrorism efforts."

###

The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) is comprised of Members of Congress of Asian and Pacific Islander descent and members who have a strong dedication to promoting the well-being of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. Since 1994, CAPAC has been addressing the needs of the AAPI community in all areas of American life. For more information on CAPAC, please call (202) 225-2631 or visit http://www.honda.house.gov/capac.

Meanwhile, in the aftermath of the attacks, India has demanded that Pakistan hand over suspected terrorists believed living in the country—a list of about 20 names: India demands Pakistan hand over terror suspects.

big phony's "girls like you don't go for guys like me"

More music from Big Phony, this time in the form of a music video: "Girls Like You Don't Go For Guys Like Me," directed b Charles Yi. Shot around Los Angeles on a very cheap budget and entirely in stills, it's a charming little video starring Chris Dinh and Olivia Evita. And it's a cool song. To hear more from Big Phony, visit his website here and his MySpace page here.

bobby jindal is the future of the gop

The Washington Post has an interesting story on Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, who is widely regarded as the future of Republican Party: GOP Looks to Louisiana's Governor. The article goes as far as suggesting that the 2012 presidential race has actually (quietly) begun, and the 37-year-old Indian American governor could be the GOP's answer to Barack Obama.

Can you really blame the GOP? Can you really blame Republicans for looking to a younger and more exciting candidate for a better chance of winning the next around? Obama's win over 72-year-old John McCain seems to be a fairly obvious example of this dynamic. They need a figure to help reinvigorate the Republican party... and Sarah Palin certainly didn't cut it.

One can't help but wonder what things might've looked like if Jindal had been on McCain's ticket. Not that I like either guy—it's no secret how much I dislike John McCain, and Jindal pretty much stands in fundamental opposition to anything I could hope for in a candidate. That said, I'm still curious what a Jindal presidential campaign would look like.

But damn! We're talking about 2012! Obama hasn't even taken office yet! To his credit, despite all this premature speculation, Jindal adamantly insists he's ignoring the White House talk, focusing on the work to be done in Louisiana. Still, that's not stopping GOP strategists from talking.

sulu on uk reality show

I don't watch too much British television, but I'm told that none other than Star Trek's Sulu, George Takei, is a contestant on the UK reality show I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! I guess it's sort of like Survivor, but with "celebrities." They stick them all out in the jungle and make them endure all sorts of weird tasks for food.

At the moment, according to the Celebrity website, Mr. Takei is holding it down as one of the six remaining contestants yet to be voted off. Not bad, considering he's apparently the oldest contest ever on the show. Don't mess with Sulu.

sdaff presents kurosawa classics

If you're in San Diego, you'll want to check out this awesome film event... The San Diego Asian Film Foundation presents Kurosawa Classics, a seven-day series of films by master Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, including Rashomon, Yojimbo, Seven Samurai, Hidden Fortress, High and Low and Ikiru. It's happening December 5-11 at UltraStar Chula Vista 10. Some details:

The San Diego Asian Film Foundation, in partnership with the Japan Society of San Diego and Tijuana, the Japan Foundation, and UltraStar Cinemas, is pleased to present a retrospective of Akira Kurosawa's most celebrated films on the big screen. Enjoy the pioneering film, RASHOMON, that placed Kurosawa on the radar of international cinema. Cheer on Sanjuro in YOJIMBO, before he was recreated into roles for Clint Eastwood and Bruce Willis. Watch the original SEVEN SAMURAI before it was remade into so many Hollywood films. Discover the genius behind HIDDEN FORTRESS, George Lucas' inspiration to Star Wars Episode IV and V. Be swept up by the struggles of HIGH AND LOW. Examine the meaning of life and question its value, in perhaps Kurosawa's most humanitic film, IKIRU (to live). Watch them all throughout the week, December 5-11, 2008 at the UltraStar Chula Vista 10 .

Location: UltraStar Chula Vista 10
555 Broadway
Chula Vista, CA 91910

For all ticketing and scheduling information please visit www.sdaff.org.

It should be a really awesome series. If you call yourself a cinephile, but have some neglected to watch these films, it's to get schooled with some Kurosawa. For more information and the full schedule of films, go here.

jhumpa lahiri on being american

Last week, in honor of Thanksgiving, NPR pondered on what it means to become an American by asking three noted authors—Junot Diaz, Jhumpa Lahiri and Joseph O'Neill—who've all written about newcomers to the United States.

Lahiri, author of The Interpreter of Maladies, The Namesake and Unaccustomed Earth, has written extensively on these themes based on experiences in her own life. Here's her perspective: Jhumpa Lahiri's Struggle To Feel American.

oldboy remake will be based on the manga

Some more information about that Oldboy remake that Steven Spielberg and Will Smith are reportedly working on. According to the Fresh Prince, the project will not be a direct remake of Park Chan-Wook's film, but an adaptation of the original Japanese manga: Will Smith Says Oldboy is an Adaptation of the Comic.

Interesting, considering that the South Korean film apparently departed quite a bit from the source material. I'm told that the setup is the same, but the rest is completely different. I don't know if this information satisfies the naysayers. Frankly, when one mentions Oldboy, I immediately think of the Korean film (it's kind of hard to get out of your head)—not the comic book.

I wonder if this is the beginning of something we'll be hearing a lot with this project—the insistence that the movie will be based on Japanese, and not the Korean film. Why do I get the feeling that Will Smith finally got around to watching Park's crazy-ass film, realized what he might be getting into, and said, "Oh, hell no!"