Well, I suppose it was inevitable. My first piece of hate mail regarding the Kenneth Eng/AsianWeek "Why I Hate Blacks" column. Fun times:
FROM: "keith lilly" DATE: Wed, 28 Feb 2007 10:27:26 -0600 TO: [angryminsoo@angryasianman.com] SUBJECT: YWhy I should hate Asian people.
You eat dog. You jam 30 people in a house that was made for 4.
You set up stores in the neighborhoods where people live you claim to hate....................THAT's DUMBASS ON YOUR PART. Set your shit up in WHITE NEIGHBORHOODS. Oh.................I forgot. White people don't like you SLANT EYED ASSES EITHER.
Most of you motherfuckers can't speak English. None of you motherfuckers want to deal with BLACK PEOPLE yet you want our money.
You hate Black people........................Big deal. Take your ass back to where you came from and surround yourself with a whole country of dumb, dog eating motherfucking 3 fott tall monkeys like yourself.
To the Editors of the trash.........................How do it feel. We all know you knew the backlash that would come. You money hungry hookers printed it anyway because bullshit sell's.
Gotta go lock my dog up. Would not want him to end up here.
Hey, dumbass. I didn't write the damn column. And it sure as hell doesn't reflect the views of all Asian Americans. And yet somehow this email lands in my In-Box. Man, that's one more reason to hate Kenneth Eng. Ignorant assfools like this guy are confusing me with him.
Check it out... the official trailer for the 25th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, starring H.P. Mendoza of Colma: The Musical. They've gone all out, sing-a-long musical style! Crazy fun.
The 25th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival runs March 15-25. For more information, go here.
Among all the talk about the possibility of the "First Black President" or "First Woman President," this Daily Kos diarist asks the question nobody is asking: will there ever be an Asian American president? Of the United States, that is: The Forgotten Minority. Let's face it. Nobody ever talks about it because nobody—even a lot of Asian Americans—believes it's a possibility. Just another way of saying that we still have a long way to go in this country...
File under weird. At this site, if you buy a new pair of sandals, you'll get a free Ninja Throwing Star. Hell of a deal. Note the totally awesome picture of a white girl fighting ninjas on the beach. That girl needs a throwing star.
Korean American community leaders are planning to launch a protest against the publisher of a popular South Korean comic book that contains anti-Semitic images: Anti-Semitic cartoon spurs Korean outrage. The book was written by South Korean university professor Lee Won-bok, and is part of a series of comics that tries to teach youngsters about other countries. The problem is...
One comic strip in the book shows a man climbing a hill and then facing a brick wall with a Star of David and a STOP sign in front.
"The final obstacle to success is always a fortress called Jews," a translation says.
Another strip shows a newspaper, magazine, TV and radio with the description: "In a word, American public debate belongs to the Jews, and it's no exaggeration to say that U.S. media are the voice of the Jews."
Cooper, who learned of the book from bloggers in Seoul, said some of the cartoons "echo classic Nazi canards" by "recycling various Jewish conspiracies."
It seems that Professor Lee has been taking a few cues from Adolf Hitler. Not the kind of misinformation you want to be teaching impressionable young Korean kids. Unfortunately, the series has sold more than 10 million copies.
Law students at the University of Wisconsin accused Professor Leonard Kaplan of making statements that denigrate Hmong people, apparently telling his legal process class that "Hmong men have no talent other than to kill," and that second-generation Hmong become criminals, among other crazy racist statements: UW professor accused of Hmong slurs.
Kaplan claims that this was all a "terrible misunderstanding," though I have to wonder what he was actually trying to say if he was indeed misunderstood. More here: Anti-Hmong Comments Set Off a Law School. That's racist!
Not a great week of news for Hmong Americans... According to this article,the USA Patriot Act has apparently classified many Hmong residents as terrorists, and thus unable to obtain a green card: Patriot Act Classifies Hmong as Terrorists.
The snag comes because of the Patriot Act's definition of "terrorist." A number of Hmong veterans are considered terrorists because they were guerrilla soldiers during the Vietnam War. The part that doesn't make any sense: they fought as allies alongside American troops. Shouldn't this service make things easier for them to obtain citizenship?
And in Fresno, Southeast Asian farmers have been hit hard by the recent severe winter freeze, with many losing more than half their crops: Fresno's Hmong farmers stung by freeze. The city is stepping in to help.
Just wanted to throw a little shout out for The Five Points (formerly Teabag), an arts organization that promotes Asian American artists in New York City's Chinatown. They recently launched a blog featuring interviews with Asian American artists and other news items. They've also added a podcast to their website with commentary and interviews with artists, like this one, with Kevin So. Check it out, and if you're in New York, visit the Variety Hour happening every week.
Forget Eng. He's a punkass hack with a pathetically limited worldview, no better than a neo-nazi or a member of the KKK. His racist barking will be his own undoing. The people who really need to answer for this are the editors of AsianWeek, who chose to run the piece in the first place. Here's the apology AsianWeek issued regarding the matter:
"AsianWeek sincerely regrets any offense caused by the one opinion piece which reflected that author's personal views. We apologize for any harm or hurt this has caused the African American community. AsianWeek has great respect for all that the African American community has done for Asian Pacific Americans
AsianWeek's operation and editorial policy are based on a philosophy of diversity. This includes fighting to promote diversity of opinion in our own community and even to expose its disturbing warts. It also includes a proven record on promoting cross-cultural diversity and inter-racial interaction. AsianWeek as an organization is proud of its deep and unparalleled history of working with, interacting with, and building connections among all the diverse groups that make up America."
Not much of an apology. This statement does nothing to denounce Eng's views. There's a big difference between promoting "a diversity of opinion" and a publishing an all-out racist hate rant. And don't give us fakespeak about "cross-cultural diversity" and "building connections" if you're going to give a guy like Eng a platform to spit on diversity. It's ridiculous. Continue to contact AsianWeek and tell them how you feel about this at asianweek@asianweek.com.
More reason for folks to suspect something shady is going on at their local Chinese restaurant... in New York, the city Human Rights Commission has filed a discrimination complaint against the Canal Seafood Restaurant for allegedly giving a different menu with lower prices to customers who are Chinese: How mean for chow mein!. Non-Chinese customers got one menu, while Chinese customers got "special" menus—written in Chinese—with prices an average of $1 cheaper per dish. Thought you were being sooo clever, eh? Caught, suckas.
Last year during the Winter Olympics, U.S. skier and bronze medalist Toby Dawson told reporters that he was looking for his birth parents. He was born in Korean but adopted by American ski instructors in Colorado at age three.
Through all the publicity, a number of people came forward claiming to be Dawson's parents, including a guy named Kim Jae-soon, who said he actually lost Toby ("Bong-seok") at a market in 1981. Looking at his photo, there was definitely a strong resemblance.
So... The Departed wins Best Picture. Big whoop. But what does Hong Kong think about their beloved Infernal Affairs getting the American remake treatment, becoming all Boston Leonardo-fied, and winning Hollywood's highest honor? Not much, apparently: Martin Scorsese's Movie, The Departed, Weakens Hong Kong Classic. I know I've said this many, many times before, but if you haven't watched the original, do yourself a favor and watch Infernal Affairs. Heck, watch the whole trilogy.
ESPN is running a five-day series on the impact of Asia on baseball, with some interesting stories and information on the all the Asian players that have made it over to the Major League: Inside Asia
The latest dessert craze to hit the nation (at least, Southern California) is... frozen yogurt. Not just any frozen yogurt, but frozen yogurt topped with fruit and stuff. It's the Pinkberry takeover, a trend that originally creeped over here from Korea. A store will be opening near you soon. There's one opening right now, as you read this. The original Pinkberry location in West Hollywood has drawn the ire of neighbors complaining about all the crowds and traffic—all gathering to get a piece of that crack-like addictive fro yo goodness. The trend has also sparked a number of copycat store rivals, all wanting to get in on the action. All this, over frozen yogurt: Heated Competition. Steaming Neighbors. This Is Frozen Yogurt?
Tila Nguyen aka Tila Tequila, a model-turned-musican who has gained notoriety by having MySpace's most popular profile, releases her first single "I Love U" today, and is counting on her gazillion "friends" to help her become the first unsigned artist in history to land on the Top 20 Billboard chart: Tila Tequila To Engage In The Ultimate Test Of Her MySpace Friends' Loyalty. "Hell... even make #1!" she says on her blog. Basically, she's hoping to leverage her phenomenal MySpace popularity into record sales: The Toast of MySpace Tries the Music Business. I don't know... something tells me her popularity on MySpace thus far doesn't have a whole lot to do with music... Also, if I'm not mistaken, isn't Lisa Loeb the first unsigned artist ever to hit number one? For her single "Stay (I Missed You)" in 1994.
I missed this when it was published a few weeks back... a press release from SnapDragon consulting, a "brand insights firm": Ten Things Every Brand Should Know About Asian-American Youth. These insights were developed in partnership with performer and artist Kate Rigg, who spoke with hundreds of Asian American youth about their experiences and thoughts about growing up in America. Here are some key insights:
1. Many Asian-American youth feel excluded and misunderstood by most brands. It's made worse by the fact that they see advertisers actively wooing the African-American and Hispanic markets.
2. Mixed race kids are proudly identifying as Hapa, a once derogatory word in Hawaiian to mean "half." Hapa is also slang for marijuana in Japanese (spelled Happa). Hapa is supplanting terms like Amerasian, biracial, and blasian.
3. Asian-American youth are secret fans of "easy listening" adult contemporary music. Lite FM is a hidden passion.
4. There's a "hero gap" among Asian-American kids, which is being filled for many by activists from other cultures. Martin Luther King is a role model and hero to many young Asian-Americans.
5. Most Asian-American kids refer to white people as "white people" the same way African-Americans do.
6. Underage gambling is huge. The "new" American poker obsession is nothing new to Asian-American kids. Gambling has a long history in Asian culture. Many students Rigg spoke with are avid online gamblers and card players. Some organize private online poker tournaments.
7. Asian-American kids want an end to the hyper-nerdy images of themselves on TV and want to see more punked-out skater and graffiti DJ images which reflect a different energy. The feeling is: Enough with the math geeks, future doctors and violinists. Asian-American kids crave street credibility -- not just academic accolades.
8. Asian-American kids universally hate the question: Where are you from -- especially since the answers are usually something like "Westchester" or "Boston."
9. All things Korean are hot and getting hotter. Fashion. Foods. DJs. Online communities. Korea is the new Japan.
10. The 15 minutes of seemingly benign American Idol fame for William Hung had a surprisingly negative effect on Asian-American students. There's a feeling that Hung perpetuated the worst stereotypes about Asian people and gave non-Asians permission to indulge in two years of racial stereotyping and mocking.
There you go. Interesting, but definitely nothing we already didn't know. And now... this information can be used for the glorious good of capitalism.
And man, while we're on it, I really have to agree with number 10, the William Hung thing. Like I've said many times, he's the living stereotype that will just not go away. I guess that's why I was so hopeful about Paul Kim making it to the top 24 on American Idol. The guy made it clear that he was there to address those stereotypes, and make sure American knew that there was more to us Asians than that goofy guy who sang "She Bangs." And he was going to do it the old-fashioned way, with solid talent. But alas, America didn't give him a chance to get further: 'American Idol' contestant Paul Kim says song choice, illness got him bounced. Hey, at least there's still AJ Tabaldo and Sanjaya Malakar competing in the top 20...
Heard this news about an event held by a Republican student group at NYU last week: 'Find the Illegal Immigrant', a mock hunt for a student posing as an illegal immigrant, while other students play the part of border patrol agents and wearing nametags saying "INS." I've heard of similar events happening at other college campuses around the country. The College Republicans said the event is intended to "bring attention to the issue of illegal immigration." Seems to me it's just a bunch of people running around acting like fools. Like this kid Wesley Chan, a NYU freshman who took part in the "game." According to this article, he was actually one of the few nonwhite students among the group. Young Wesley, who is Chinese American, seems to be uninformed of the history of U.S. immigration... including racist laws like the Chinese Exclusion Act: How easily he forgets racism. An unjust law that never would've let his parents come to America in the first place, if it was still on the books. Prejudice and xenophobia at its American finest. But hey, this... this is just fun and games, right Wesley?
Good readers of this website, here is your chance to help a brother out. As I mentioned a few weeks back, I've been running this site for about six years now. It's been a kickass, fun time, and I've made some great friends and allies (and enemies) along the way. When I first started this site, I never expected to gain any sort of audience or following, but here you are. So what I want to know is, who the heck are you? Who's out there? Where do you live? What's your deal? Thus, I am launching the very first angry asian reader survey. Basically, it's about thirty or so questions that will tell me a little bit about yourself, where you're coming from, what you think of this site, and how the site could be better.
To be completely frank, the demographic information would also help me out a great deal. If you haven't noticed, I've recently introduced paid advertising on the site. Nothing too flashy or intrusive. Just a few banner ads that help pay the bills. Since day one, I've been paying for the cost of running the site out of my own pocket. It's a labor of love, so I really don't mind. But as years have gone by, and I've toiled and made a living one way or another, it has become increasingly clear to me that I certainly wouldn't mind making a living from what I really love—writing and maintaining this website. And so... advertising. It's a small but necessary step that a lot of people are surprised I didn't take a long time ago. But one thing I need is a clearer sense of who you are. Not only because I'm really curious, but also because it's the first thing advertisers want to know. I promise, none of your personal information will be shared with third parties.
As an incentive, I'm giving away some free stuff. If you fill out a survey, for your help you can be included in the drawing for the Big Fat Angry Asian Giveaway. Prizes include an iPod Shuffle, free subscriptions to Tiger Cinema, DVDs from Tartan and Palm Pictures, and whole bunch of other cool random stuff--goodies for your collection. Winners will be picked at random from the pool of survey responses received. Answer the questions, help a brother out... and maybe you'll win a prize. Again, your personal information will be kept strictly confidential. One survey per person, please.
Please take a moment to fill out the angry asian reader survey here. And thank you for your cooperation.
A few weeks ago, I posted something about CW11 in New York, which ran a story about something resembling a mouse that was discovered in an order from a Brooklyn Chinese takeout restaurant. The segment was criticized by Councilman John Liu for being unfair and inflammatory, to say the least. Today, Chinese community groups in New York are planning more protests against CW Channel 11: Chinese Community Plans More Protest of 'Broccoli Mouse' TV Report. It's happening 2:00pm today at WPIX-CW11, 220 East 42nd Street in New York. Be there, and speak out!
Did you watch the Academy Awards? Booooooring. The highlight of the evening was seeing Ruby Yang win for her short subject documentary, The Blood of Yingzhou District, about a community orphans in China who have lost their parents to AIDS. It's probably one of the most depressing films I've ever seen, but it's an amazing film and absolutely deserves the award. That said, I was suprised that it actually won. Other than that, it was another sorry night for Asians scraping at the Academy for some recognition. There was Rinko Kikuchi pretty much resigned to that fact that Jennifer Hudson owned the Best Supporting Actress trophy. You had Ken Watanabe presenting an award. You had some Asians dressed up in silly costumes for Curse of the Golden Flower. And there was Mako included in the annual tribute montage for those who passed. Oh, and on the red carpet, Al Gore joked to Ryan Seacrest that he'd like himself to be played by William Hung in the movie about his life. Ugh, the name that will not go away.
What probably sucked the most was how little recognition Infernal Affairs received for being the original source material for The Departed, which won several Oscars including Best Picture. Martin Scorsese, ever the director's director, did acknowledge Andrew Lau ("Andrew Law," I think he called him) in his acceptance speech for Best Director. But when it won for Best Adapted Screenplay, the announcer said The Departed was adapted from a Japanese film. Completely wrong. What a slap in the face. The guys who write the copy couldn't do even the basic freaking level of research? I guess all Asians really are alike to them. And when it won for Best Picture, producer Graham King made absolutely no mention of Infernal Affairs at all. You've got the top spot of the evening and you can't throw a bone to the movie that made your win possible? That's disrespect.
A few weeks back, I posted Beau Sia's powerful, amazing, eloquent open letter to all the rosie o'donnells, his response to Rosie O'Donnell and her now-infamous "ching chong" mockery on The View, asking her to just do the right thing and own up to her mistakes.
A few days ago, Beau reposted the video (prompting everyone to email me about it all over again) with added remarks addressing his critics. The video has sparked quite a discussion in the comments, ranging from "a well done response" to "get over it, chinkboy." A
But wai. Rosie O'Donnell has apparently seen Beau's video and posted the following message on her blog:
last night i saw def poetry jam on HBO i love that show i wish it was an hour not half
2 day i found beau sia poet on you tube
with great delivery wonderful editing set in a school room he spoke
an open letter to all the rosie o’donnells
"ching chong ching chong is not an accent it is a racist interpretation of a language often associated with being buried alive in a mine shaft"
"i would never make fun of who u r and then make u feel wrong for just trying to inform u of y i shouldn't say whatever it is i am about to say about plus sized lesbians"
"so listen 2 me because i dont think ur evil i dont care if ur mean"
"learn from this rosie apologize darling tap into the humanity i know that u posses"
2 beau an open response to ur informative creative and quite beautiful video
i apologize for any and all pain caused to any and all by my comments ignorance lack of compassion - empathy understanding
u r right i didnt get it
i know my intent was not to harm yet obviously i did
there ya have it
and beau before u refrain from all observations comments or comedy in any context or capacity about the queer community in all it variations
arttst 2 artist beau say whatever it is u need i trust after seeing u 4 all of 3 minutes - ur soul is in the right place ur aim is 2 enlighten not debase as is mine
peace out rosie o'donnell - plus sized lesbian
Nice to know those words did not fall on deaf ears, and good to see O'Donnell going further than just that sad excuse for an apology on The View. Again, big props to Beau.
Tonight's the Academy Awards, Hollywood's annual night of self-congratulatory pomp and circumstance. There is actually a noteworthy degree of Asian/Asian American representation in the awards, including Rinko Kikuchi's Best Supporting Actress nomination for Babel, Iris Yamashita's Best Original Screenplay nomination for Letters from Iwo Jima and Ruby Yang's The Blood of Yingzhou District, nominated Best Documentary Short Subject. I guess some people are pretty happy about that: Asians cheering Oscar inclusion. But should we really be all that pleased that Hollywood threw us Asians a bone? Considering what this really means for us: the same old story. I think I lean a little more with Bao Phi's point of view, nicely spelled out this essay he wrote a few weeks ago: One Cranky Asian During Oscar Season. Who's going to win tonight? Honestly, I'm not all that thrilled to care.
When I first heard about this, I thought it was a joke... but it is indeed true. I received an email on Friday afternoon alerting me about an opinion piece in the latest edition of AsianWeek titled "Why I Hate Blacks" by Kenneth Eng. I took a look, and it was as blatantly racist as it sounds. I was shocked. AsianWeek is far from perfect, but it's been around for a while, and has established itself as a publication that operates with a minimal amount of journalistic responsibility. So I'm surprised that they'd let an unabashedly hateful piece like this see print. But there it was, on the website and in the print edition as well. I read it over carefully, perhaps looking for the possibility that it was some kind of joke gone wrong. But no, it's just one guy and his ridiculous hate.
I checked back a few hours later and the column had been taken down off AsianWeek's homepage. Upon further searching, I came across some of Kenneth Eng's previous diatribes. The guy has got some serious issues, with inflammatory pieces like Proof That Whites Inherently Hate Us and Why I Hate Asians. The self-proclaimed "Asian Supremacist" doesn't really offer any substantial or compelling arguments—just a lot of offensive stereotypes and bitter, self-righteous whining in order to provoke cheap controversy. (Oh yeah, Eng also calls himself "God of the Universe.") I'm really perplexed as to why AsianWeek would allot regular column space to this joker, whose credentials include authoring two science fiction novels nobody's ever heard of. Impressive.
AsianWeek has taken down the column off its website, but I managed to save a copy. By reprinting this, in no way do I support Eng's views. I just thought people should be aware of this piece:
Why I Hate Blacks
Kenneth Eng, Feb 23, 2007
Here is a list of reasons why we should discriminate against blacks, starting from the most obvious down to the least obvious:
- Blacks hate us. Every Asian who has ever come across them knows that they take almost every opportunity to hurl racist remarks at us.
In my experience, I would say about 90 percent of blacks I have met, regardless of age or environment, poke fun at the very sight of an Asian. Furthermore, their activity in the media proves their hatred: Rush Hour, Exit Wounds, Hot 97, etc.
- Contrary to media depictions, I would argue that blacks are weak-willed. They are the only race that has been enslaved for 300 years. It's unbelievable that it took them that long to fight back.
On the other hand, we slaughtered the Russians in the Japanese-Russo War.
- Blacks are easy to coerce. This is proven by the fact that so many of them, including Reverend Al Sharpton, tend to be Christians.
Yet, at the same time, they spend much of their time whining about how much they hate "the whites that oppressed them."
Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Christianity the religion that the whites forced upon them?
- Blacks don't get it. I know it's a blunt and crass comment, but it's true. When I was in high school, I recall a class debate in which one half of the class was chosen to defend black slavery and the other half was chosen to defend liberation.
Disturbingly, blacks on the prior side viciously defended slavery as well as Christianity. They say if you don't study history, you're condemned to repeat it.
In high school, I only remember one black student ever attending any of my honors and AP courses. And that student was caught cheating.
It is rather troubling that they are treated as heroes, but then again, whites will do anything to defend them.
On a really weird note, an internet search revealed this crazy webpage dedicated to hating on Kenneth Eng: Kenneth Che-Tew Eng - Songbook. That's right, an entire page of songs lyrics written about dear Kenneth. Songs include "Kenny's Brain" and "Shut The F*ck Up You Kenneth C. Eng." I don't know whose page this, or why they crafted these songs, but man, they must really hate one Kenneth C. Eng.
Richard Tom, who was the first Asian American to win an Olympic medal, died this week at his home in Hawaii. He was 86: First Asian-American Olympic medalist dies. Competing as a bantamweight in weightlifting for the United States, Tom won the bronze medal in the 1948 Games in London. Odd fact: his teammate was Harold Sakata, who went on to play "Odd Job" in the 1964 James Bond movie Goldfinger.
Hey filmmakers, another festival... the DC APA Film Festival is now accepting entries for its 8th annual festival, happening September 27 through October 6, 2007. They're looking for works directed, produced, or principally acted by Asians or Asian Pacific Americans (even if the subject matter is not Asian). The early deadline is April 20 and the late deadline is June 1st, so get your entries in. For more information, go here.
Last week, with 26 years on the police force, Gin Yee became commander of Manhattan's 5th precinct in Chinatown, becoming the only Asian American heading a precinct in the New York City: He's Finest pick for Chinatown
This Los Angeles Times article is about Chinese Americans, talking to a bunch of different people in Southern California, but I honestly couldn't get a handle on the story's focus. Something about Chinese Americans, business and traditions: Feeling the tug of tradition. This other LA Times article is an interesting look at the long history of Chinese restaurants in the Los Angeles area: From chop suey to Chiu Chow. Why all the Chinese-interest stuff in the Times? It's the Year of the Pig, baby.
Saw this ABC News segment on the Anna Mae He case the other night... it was absolutely heartbreaking: Custody Battle Gets Desperate. Last month, the state supreme court granted custody of Anna Mae back to her birth parents, ruling that the original judge on the case wrongfully took away their parental rights. What absolutely incenses me about this news segment is that it's really skewed toward the plight of the Bakers. They're obviously desperate over how things have gone, and now they're reaching out to get sympathy and support from national media. The segment showed them playing together as a family, all happy and fun homelife, but now this new ruling is going to split their family apart. What about the Hes? They've been separated from Anna Mae for eight freaking years. How does it feel now?
As I've maintained from the very beginning of all this, like six years ago, the real victim has always been Anna Mae. And now, the 8-year-old completely denies her Chinese heritage (she says she's "Mexican"), because being Chinese represents those who will take her away from the only parents she's ever known. What did the Bakers think would happen? That after all this, Anna Mae's birth parents would just relent, give up and forget about her? It's just a sad situation.
UPDATE: More on the case, and the Bakers' last-ditch desperate media ploy: After custody battle, Chinese girl set to be united with birth parents. I can't believe what they're putting her through—the sidebar ("All Eyes On Anna Mae") is the worst part. There's also an informative timeline of events, for those unfamiliar with the case.
Peter James Smith guest stars on tonight's episode of Monk, "Mr. Monk and the Really Really Dead Guy." He does not play the really really dead guy. He plays an FBI dude named Agent Keao. You may remember Peter from several seasons as the recurring character "Ed" on The West Wing. There's an interview with him on the Monk Fun Page here. And brief video clip of him here (he's the dude with the gadget thing). You can also catch Peter as a regular on the upcoming NBC half-hour comedy Andy Barker P.I.
EDIT: Scratch that. Peter tells me his character has apparently been excised from Andy Barker, P.I.
Aw crap. Alas, our hopes of Paul Kim becoming the next American Idol were short lived. He was among the four contestants who got the boot on Thursday night's elmination show: American Idol: Saratoga's Paul Kim eliminated. He just didn't get enough votes to go the distance. I will admit, I missed the show the other night, and did not call in to cast my vote. I apologize, Paul. Hopefully, his brief moment in the spotlight was enough to turn a few heads... let's hope we haven't seen the last of Paul Kim.
Did you catch Lost this week? Worst episode of the series. Seriously. After such an awesome, mind-bending episode last week, they come back with this disaster, and a useless Jack flashback. What was the point? Dude, I don't give a crap about Jack's tattoos (ooh, so exotic!), and I sure as hell don't want to see any more of Bai Ling's special nasty brand of guest starring. She was awful in this episode, and just... gross. In true Bai Ling fashion, her clothes practically fell off while she was just standing there. Ugh. Gave me the creeps. No more Bai Ling! Ever. Please. Thankfully, next week we're back with Jin, Sun, Sayid and the rest...
I just received this press release from the Asian American Justice Center... the AAJC, Hmong National Development, Inc. (HND) and the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC) are disappointed that law enforcement authorities did not charge James Nichols with a hate crime for the murder of Cha Vang in his preliminary hearing in Marinette County, Wisconsin last week: National Asian American Organizations Concerned With Omission of Hate Crimes Charge in the Murder of Cha Vang. Nichols has already been charged with first-degree intentional homicide, being a felon in possession of a firearm and concealing a corpse, and he will be formally arraigned on March 19. But with no hate crime charge?
Two Brown University students have started Asian Equality in Admissions, an organization with the goal of investigating and identifying possible sources of Asian and Asian American discrimination in the University's admissions processes. Basically, they think the admissions process is messed up, and they want some transparency. They're just starting out, but this whole dialogue started a long time ago. Check out the website here.
The Chinese Historical Society of America in San Francisco comes at you with another cool exhibit: Miss Chinatown USA, all about the history and culture of the Miss Chinatown USA Pagaent. The exhibit includes archival photos, gowns, and interviews with Miss Chinatown queens, contestants and pagaent organizers. It runs now through June 30th. For more information, visit the CHSA website.
Putting part of his million dollar Survivor winnings to good use, last week Yul Kwon donated $50,000 to the Asian American Donor Program, in the hopes the money will help educate Asian-Americans about the importance of bone marrow donation: Local 'Survivor' puts winnings to good use. Meanwhile, Yul is also taking part in The BARE Campaign, a benefit fashion show created by Citizens for the World, a nonprofit organization that aims to promote awareness about poverty issues affecting Asia. Yul will be getting bare "to embrace the essence of having nothing and to internalize the bonds of poverty." Whatever the case, it will surely bring some attention to the cause. It's going down March 3rd at the Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco. For more information, go here.
Influential jazz singer and guitarist Mary Kaye, who is credited with introducing the word "lounge" into the lexicon of Las Vegas shows and whose jazz trio helped pioneer all-night performances on the strip's secondary stages, has died. She was 83: Mary Kaye, 83; singer ushered in all-night lounge acts in Vegas. Born Mary Ka'aihue, her grandfather was Prince Kuhio, brother of Queen Liliuokalani, who was the last monarch of Hawaii.
Police in Queens are searching for three men who robbed and murdered Hungqi Zhang last weekend: 3 sought in Qns. deliveryman slay. He was stabbed to death on the street after leaving a Chinese New Year celebration on early Sunday night. Zhang had apparently immigrated to the U.S. five years ago, and was supporting a wife and teenage daughter in China by working as a restaurant deliveryman. Another Chinese deliveryman killed—this time not even while on the job.
Another old Asian dude imparting ancient wisdom in Snapple's Super Bowl ad for green tea: Snapple's Green Tea Big Game Day Ad. Note the totally awesome gong sound effect. It's on the back of the bottle, fool. It's a companion piece to this older white tea ad: Snapple White Tea - Light But Powerful!
Interesting, more Iris Chang/Nanking news... Here's a casting call for The Woman Who Couldn't Forget, a documentary feature film about the life Iris Chang, author of The Rape of Nanking. The call is from last month, looking for a 23 to 30-year-old Chinese Canadian actor to play Iris Chang. There's more information on the project here, on the production company's website. The film also gets a brief mention in this article from last month, on Iris Chang's mother: The real healing begins for mother of Iris Chang
Heads up... some interesting conferences coming up all over the place in the next few weeks/months. Next weekend, APALSA presents the 13th Annual Asian Pacific American Conference on Law and Public Policy: "The New Yellow Peril?" March 2-3 at Harvard Law School. There will be a strategic focus on the significance and impact of Asian Americans—for better or for worse—becoming increasingly influential economically, politically and culturally in the United States. Speakers include Congressman Mike Honda and Professor Vikram Amar, with entertainment from the comedic stylings of Dat Phan. I will actually be participating in the conference as panelist during the "Blogging and APA Political Awareness" session. If you're planning on attending, please come say hello. For more information about the conference, go here.
Next month, VASCON3, the Vietnamese American Student Conference, goes down March 30 through April 1 at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas. All the usual conference craziness, with speakers and workshops and entertainment and networking. Looks like it's going to be a lot of fun. The conference organizers stress that you do not have to be Vietnamese to attend—it's open to everyone and anyone who wants to learn and engage in Vietnamese American community issues. To learn more, go here. Also see VASCON's MySpace.
Also next month, SAALT (South Asian American Leaders of Tomorrow) presents the South Asian Summit 2007, March 16-18 in Washington, DC. It's an opportunity for South Asian American organizational leaders and community members to engage with policymakers, governmental agencies, South Asian advocates, and funders. Looks like going to be a really solid event. The website indicates that registration is closed, so if you weren't already planning on going, you may be out of luck. But it wouldn't hurt to try. For more information, go here.
Looking further ahead, for educators... the Asian Educators Alliance 2007 National Conference, April 20-21. After being hosted in San Francisco for the past two years, the conference is coming to New York, and will be held at Little Red School House and Elizabeth Irwin High School in Greenwich Village. Speakers will include artist Maya Lin and filmmaker Kavery Kaul. To learn more, go here.
And looking way, way ahead for APA Heritage Month, the Asian Pacific American Legal Center presents the very first Asian Pacific American Book Festival, focusing on the literary contributions of APA writers. Saturday, May 12th at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo. Save the date! There will be panel discussions, readings and book signings exploring the festival's inaugural theme of "Family." I will be participating on one of the panels. More details forthcoming on that. For more information, download this PDF over at the APALC website.
So... former NBA player Tim Hardaway has recent come under fire for making homophobic remarks. Basically, he said he "hates gays." No real way to misinterpret that. And now, actor/activist George Takei responds, in fine form with this video: George Takei owns Tim Hardaway. It's pretty funny. Hear that, Hardaway? Sulu loves you back. He loves sweaty basketball players.
In honor of Chinese New Year, New York Magazine presents "The Everything Guide to Chinatown," with a buttload of related articles: The Enduring Micro-City. I haven't had the chance to look through it all, but the articles have cool titles like "Random Cool Cheap Stuff," "Successful Bargaining in Six Easy Steps," and "The Best Late Night Spots." Very informative to a west coast kid like myself.
Last week, I wrote about this fun, clever song "YouTube (A Love Song)" posted by David Choi on YouTube (obviously). I'm normally not a fan of watching webcam videos of people singing and/or lip synching, but I thought it was pretty catchy. I went back to listen to the song again, and noticed a ton of responses to David's video. It's a hit! But I was particularly taken by this harmony sing-a-long, by this girl who's got one hell of a voice: Youtube(a love song) David Choi. ft. Ailee. It also helps that she's enormously cute. A look at her other videos and some searching revealed that she's a professional singer, or at least trying to be. Here's Ailee's MySpace.
Well, kids. Tonight's the episode of Lost I've been dreading for weeks—the one where Bai Ling guest stars. Oh, Bai Ling, how I detest thee. We will likely find out in a flashback the story of how Jack got his tattoos... from the crazy exotic Asian woman whose clothes always seem to fall off. I will try to resist any urges to throw things at my TV.
Also, according to this Lost spoiler site, next week's Hurley-centric episode is entitled "Tricia Tanaka is Dead." Not really sure what that means, or if it has anything to do with the 2000 Queen of Los Angeles' Nisei Week Festival, but it's certainly intriguing. Sung Hi Lee will play the episode's titular character.
Did you know that Las Vegas' Chinese New Year celebration is one of the city's biggest and most profitable events of year? It's a big-ass 15-day bash that draws thousands of Asian and Asian American visitors and hundreds of millions of their dollars every year: Las Vegas Adapts to Reap Chinese New Year Bounty. The casinos have gone to great lengths to cater to the holiday's Asian gamblers... and there are a lot of them.
A tribute to James Kim, the husband and father who died in the Oregon wilderness trying to save his stranded family, was held this past weekend in San Francisco: James Kim remembered in San Francisco tribute. His wife, Kati Kim, thanked the hundreds who gathered at Golden Gate Park on Saturday to celebrate her husband's life. More here: San Francisco tribute remembers father lost trying to save family. It's been two months and his death still haunts me. The guy was a hero and an inspiration.
I don't know a whole lot about fashion, but here's a pretty good article in the San Francisco Chronicle on "hot" fashion designer Derek Lam, who grew up in San Francisco's Chinatown: Young designer at the crossroads
I've been hearing quite a bit about the controversy surrounding Toyota and its entrance for the first time into the sacred tracks of NASCAR. Basically, a lot of NASCAR folks, fans and professionals alike, are upset that a Japanese company has invaded this wholly ultra-American pasttime, and the sentiment has quickly crossed over into unabashed, naked xenophobia: The Jingoism 500. It's the same kind of racist rhetoric that killed Vincent Chin in 1982.
In Alhambra, CA, several prints part of a city hall art exhibit intended to commemorate Chinese New Year have actually offended some residents because of their pig-themed depictions of Mao Zedong and the Chinese Red Army: Art exhibit in Alhambra offends some residents. One of the pieces imposes Mao and George Washington's images onto four piggy banks. I don't know what that's supposed to me, but you can't tell me that's not supposed to evoke some kind of political undertones. The works in the exhibit were created by four Chinese American artists. Guess you can't please everybody...
Here's an article on the film Crossing the Line, Daniel Gordon's documentary on James Joseph Dresnok, an American deserter who has been living in North Korea since he defected in 1962: Deserter film offers glimpse of a life in N.Korea. The guy literally ran across a minefield to his new life, eventually becoming a star of North Korean cinema by depicting evil Americans in young Kim Jong-Il's propaganda movies. The film sounds pretty fascinating, rounding out Daniel Gordon's trilogy of films about North Korea. I saw his documentary Game of Their Lives a few years back, about North Korea's 1966 World Cup soccer team, and thought it was great. I found it, as well as A State of Mind, available on DVD here.
Saw this item over at Curbed LA (a blog about Los Angeles), about "onslaught" of Asian businesses and supermarkets in Chino Hills, which has many local residents (= white people) worried that their 'hood is being taken over: Some in Chino Hills nervous about ethnic shift exemplified by Asian supermarket. Wow, open up a 99 Ranch Market in the area and everybody gets all crazy and xenophobic. It's the Asian Invasion! God forbid your neighborhood should experience a shift in demographics.
Just wanted to throw some link love to Ninja Pants, a recently-launched blog dedicated to Asian American music. Things got started just a few weeks ago, but I'm really enjoying the news and reviews. Check it out here. Good stuff. One day, though, I would like to see a blog entry on actual pants for ninjas.
I've been hearing quite a bit over the last week about Akira's Hip Hop Shop, a film by Joe Doughrity, starring James Kyson Lee (Ando on NBC's Heroes). Here's the description:
A Japanese man falls in love with a black woman. Akira co-owns a record store on Melrose in L.A. with his friend Jeremy (a black guy who loves Japanese culture). His life changes when he meets Daphne, a passionate African-American woman with her own ambitions. Exploring issues of race, friendship, love, and the globalization of hip-hop culture, this is a romantic comedy for a new generation.
One of those two-worlds-collide kinda romance films. Here's the teaser trailer. Here's a "sneak peek.". And here's the film's MySpace. Not an entirely original concept, but intriguing nonetheless...
My pal Marian Liu, plucky entertainment reporter for the San Jose Mercury News, wrote a story on Jin and his new all-Cantonese album ABC: Rapper's road. The record drops tomorrow, February 20th. The few tracks I've heard off of it are pretty kickass... and I don't even understand Cantonese. It's just too bad Jin hasn't blown up with the mainstream success and acclaim he truly deserves, because releasing an indie Cantonese-language hip hop album probably isn't going to get him any closer to that. Read the story here, and listen to a podcast of Marian's interview with Jin here.
Marian also interviewed American Idol contestant Paul Kim, "the pool boy" with some soul: 'American Idol': Interview with Saratoga's Paul Kim. South Bay represent! The guy has given me a reason to watch American Idol, instead of just cursing the show for introducing the world to William Hung (I still curse it for that). Also listen to a podcast of Marian's interview here (don't mind the clickety-clack sound of Marian's keyboard). He sounds like a guy you really wanna root for. All the way, Paul.
Another edition of "24" with Bobby Lee from MadTV, with Mary Lynn Rajskub (Chloe from the real24) confusing him with "the guy from Heroes": 24 with Bobby Lee. Yeah, it's a big ol' mixup of TV shows on a four-minute YouTube clip.
Weirdest movie rumor I heard this week? That Jet Li is going to be the villian in the third Mummy movie: Jet Li the Villain in Mummy 3?. Nooooo. Goodness, I really really hope this isn't true.
Master sculptor Lei Yixin of China was chosen yesterday to carve the image of Martin Luther King Jr. for a memorial to be built on the National Mall in Washington DC: Chinese sculptor to carve King memorial. That's a pretty amazing responsibility, one that Lei does not take lightly: "When I was assigned to the task, I felt tremendous pressure and responsibility... This is the most important project I have ever had." According to officials, he will carve King's likeness in the memorial's 28-foot granite "Stone of Hope." The project is expected to be completed in 2008.
Out on DVD this week, The Departed, Martin Scorsese's critically acclaimed remake of Andrew Lau's Infernal Affairs. That's cool. But even cooler, the same day (probably not a coincidence) saw the U.S. release of The Infernal Affairs Trilogy on DVD. All three installments (one is a prequel and one is a sequel) in one box set. The series has been called the "Godfather Trilogy" of Hong Kong cinema—it's that good. Highly recommended viewing.
This week at a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee hearing, three former "comfort women" pleaded with lawmakers to adopt a resolution urging Japan to "formally acknowledge, apologize and accept historical responsibility in a clear and unequivocal manner" for the sexual enslavement of comfort women—women who were forced to have sex with millions of Japanese soldiers during World War II: WWII sex slaves testify against Japan
I'm supposed to have a conversation with someone over at MTV World regarding the slaughter that reportedly happened this week with MTV Chi, MTV K and MTV Desi, but my contact and I haven't gotten in touch. I want to hear some details. The Hollywood Reporter paints a pretty grim picture: MTV Nets layoffs include executives. When all these Asian Amerian television ventures started popping up around the same time, a lot of people were wondering if there was room for everybody. I figured we'd just have to wait and see until the dust cleared. With this latest news, and AZN still sort of barely limping along, it looks as though ImaginAsian is the one still standing. For now.
How many times can a guy say "gook" on television? Ask Bill Donohue of the Catholic League, trying to make a point, but really just finding ways to say "gook" over and over again in front of this kid Andy Hao: Bill Donohue's "Gook Joke". That's all I hear, at least. There's a video clip and a transcript of what has to be the most unproductive conversation ever. Donohue's analogy just does not work, and he ends up sounding like an ass. That's racist!
Heads up, save the date... if you're in the Los Angeles area, here's something to check out next month. The Center for the Pacific Asian Family presents The Vagina Monologues, featuring an all-Asian American cast that includes Tamlyn Tomita, Tsai Chin, Janet Choi, Michelle Krusiec, Amy Hill and others. Friday, March 2 at the Aratani Japan American Theatre in Los Angeles. All proceeds from this performance shall go to the Center for the Pacific Asian Family (CPAF), which runs shelters and prevention programs in Los Angeles County for Asian and Pacific Islander survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, and to the 2007 V-Day spotlight of women in conflict zones throughout the world. To learn more about the show, go here.
Here's a story from the San Francisco Chronicle on a handful of publishers/online retailers in the Bay Area focusing on Indian language and culture and catering to the region's growing population of Indians: Sharing heritage with next generation. It's pretty interesting, the kinds of projects and initiatives that can grow out of the simple desire to preserve cultural heritage within your child.
I'm trying not to make a habit of posting every little casting call that comes my way (there are just way too many), but this project sounds particularly interesting... It's for an indie film called the American Dreams Trilogy, and it's about "the complete destruction of an Asian American family because of the so called American Dream." Sounds pretty heavy. Here's who/what they're looking for:
Film: American Dreams Trilogy
SAG Union film. ( days worked on this film will count towards union card )
We need:
Asian man: (late 30's -early 50's) ( Lead. Preferably Chinese or Chinese American)
Asian woman: late 30's - late 40's (supporting lead. Preferably Chinese or Chinese American)
Asian teenager girl : (supporting lead) 13-18 years old. ( or can pass for a teenager)
Asian young girl (supporting lead) 4-10 years old.
The project will be shooting around the Bay Area in May. If you're interested, get in touch with Doris at dorisng@cinemasia.nl.
First Project Runway, then Top Chef... and now Top Design. Basically Bravo's interior design-focused version of the two previous shows. And there's an Asian American contestant among the chosen: Goil, a self-employed interior designer/architect and teacher at Parsons School of Design. I haven't seen the show, but apparently he's done pretty well in the first two episodes. Keep an eye for this guy.
All right, to all my people in the Bay Area, this is your last reminder (for now)... this weekend is your final frakkin' chance to see the hilarious sketch comedy extravaganza TeleMongol, presented by Asian American Theater Company and Contemporary Asian Theater Scene, featuring the crazy talents of Lodestone Theatre Ensemble, Cold Tofu, 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors and OPM. This is the final weekend, with shows February 16-18 at the Theatre on San Pedro Square in San Jose. So it's time to get your ass to the theater! But before you go, head over to Brown Paper Tickets and get yourself a discount, good readers. When you order your tickets, enter the code "tmangryasian" and you get a couple bucks off the ticket price. Wataaaaah! It's that easy. Wow, reading this website will finally pay off. To learn more about the show, go here. Oh, and here's a review: TV Takeoff. Have a good time.
The San Jose Mercury News has a story on local American Idol hopeful Paul Kim, who has indeed made it to the competition's coveted top 24: Saratoga singer gets 'Idol' break. The way I see it, the guy is the Anti-Hung. William Hung, that is. The guy who, with one lousy rendition of "She Bangs," set back Asian Americans in music a good twenty years. When he auditioned on Idol, Paul said:
"It kind of bothers me that when people think about 'Asian singer,' they think 'William Hung,'" Kim, a Korean-American, said in an "Idol" interview. "And I'm not hatin' on William Hung, but I mean, come on... There are many talented Asian people out there, you just don't see them. They don't get an opportunity in the entertainment industry... at all."
That's all right, Paul. Feel free to hate on William Hung all you want. Now, millions will see Paul perform on national television, and have the chance to vote him into the next round. And maybe he'll get that big break we've all been wanting to see...
For those of you who didn't get a chance to listen to Glaceau's racist voicemail system greeting before they took it down last week, Eric Stoller has posted the audio on his blog: Glaceau + Racist Voicemail Message. Just in case it gets forgotten as some sort of urban myth. The funny thing is, someone named "Lauren" actually posted a comment on Eric's blog in defense of the greeting. A little sleuthing revealed that Lauren's IP address happens to match the IP address of Energy Brands... aka Glaceau. Pretty damn funny, considering that the commenter tries so hard to sound like the average casual vitamin water consumer. Nope, corporate flunky in disguise. Busted! Anyway, listen to the clip. You'll be saying, that's racist!
The latest in the saga of Ching Chong Song... I've been hearing from folks who attended last night's protest of the band Ching Chong Song at NYU, passing out flyers educating attendees about the term "ching chong." Hey folks, guess what, it's racist. According to the press release I received, the band is going to change its name:
When the band learned of the impending rally, it agreed to change its name and to make an apology during its performance. Band pianist and singer Dan Gower said the name wasn't changed until now because of "all the action people have taken."
Jinglu tells me the new name is "Church of Lurch." Before we all go celebrating, I'm told that the band was really sarcastic and insincere with their "apology," and refused to see why people were so upset over the whole thing:
NYU senior Lily Yuan expressed concern about the sincerity of the band's apology. "But, even though the band changed their name, they announced it with sarcasm and pride and few words that meant nothing and left us standing in humiliation and shock." Yuan was brought to tears during the band public apology when band member LaMendola said, "The college banned me from performing and then I wrote them a letter calling them retarded twats [the audience laughed]...Yea I thought it was pretty funny too..."
I guess LaMendola's pulling a Rosie—a slap in the face shrouded in a crappy non-apology. Here's the NYU campus paper's coverage of the protest: Protests meet V-Day band
Saw a video of this guy David Choi singing songs on YouTube the other day, and thought he was a really clever and charming guy. I particularly like "YouTube (A Love Song)", but he also does some really great acoustic covers and funny songs about bodily functions. Who the heck is this guy? He's apparently a staff producer/songwriter for Warner Chappell Music. I think I'm a fan. He's also got a MySpace page here.
Just heard about this realy cool opportunity... In conjunction with the upcoming theatrical release of Ham Tran's Journey From The Fall, ImaginAsian Pictures is inviting Vietnamese Americans and Vietnam veterans to share the story of their own personal journey from Vietnam to America. Submit a video (up to five minutes in length) of you, your friend, or family member narrating a personal story of leaving Vietnam and coming to America. Selected submissions will be included in the special features of the Journey from the Fall DVD. To learn more about how to submit your story, go here: My Journey, My Story
The Korea Times reports that Korean American model and actress Ursula Mayes, on a recent trip to Korea, said that she wants to help biracial children in need in Korea: Mayes Aims to Help Biracial Kids in Korea. Kind of like Hines Ward. That's really great... but I have to ask—who the heck is Ursula Mayes? The article says she "starred in the hit television series Lost, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and 24. I have a feeling they're applying a very broad definition of what it means to "star" in something. Her claim to fame these days seems to be as "Model #5" in Deal or No Deal. But good for her.
A new exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution, "Exit Saigon, Enter Little Saigon," tells the story of the Vietnamese American experience in America, from 1975 (the fall of Saigon) to today: Smithsonian exhibit focuses on Little Saigon. It's curated by Vu Pham, a professor of Asian American studies who teaches at UC Irvine and UCLA. It sounds pretty fascinating, apparently the first exhibit of its kind in the nation. It runs through March 31st at the Smithsonian. For more information, go here.
Former Dallas linebacker Dat Nguyen has been added to the Cowboys' coaching staff as assistant linebackers coach: Cowboys add Wesley Phillips and Dat Nguyen to coaching staff. The guy had a pretty impressive career, but had to retire last year because of a neck injury. Looks like he'll still get to put his talents to good use.
Well, hey. It's Valentine's Day, and that's all well and good. Love one another. But today also happens to be the sixth anniversary of angryasianman.com. Crazy, but an early incarnation of this site went live six years ago today. And man, it's been quite a ride. I certainly never expected this space to grow into some kind of full-fledged online destination. In the beginning, I just wanted a space to write about some of the stuff I was thinking about... but somewhere along the way, folks out there seem to have connected with it. So thank you, good readers, for making this site what it is. And a big fat thank you to all of you out there who have helped me out along the way, providing story ideas, articles and links, moral support, good laughs, and free food. I know I write a little message like this every year, but I do really mean it. Thank you. And to all the Haters, keep it up. You fuel my anger.
There are actually some big changes and plans in the works, including a big fat contest, new features, a significant layout change, and a cool event or two. Coming soon! Good times. Thanks, again. Stay Angry.
Word on the street, according to Gawker, is that MTV World—which includes Chinese American-themed MTV Chi, South Asian-themed MTV Desi and Korean American-themed MTV K—have completely folded: What's Left At MTV After Slaughter. This news seems to be coming from someone who works there. Can anyone out there confirm this rumor? Have the three Asian American MTV networks really gone to the chopping block? And things really seemed to be looking up... Of course, we were reporting the demise of AZN a while back and they seem to be still hanging on. So what's the real deal?
UPDATE:I got an email from Simon Yin of MTV Chi, and posted it here earlier today. Since then, I was asked by one one of the behind-the-scenes people to take it down until they sorted things out over there. Things at MTV are still apparently up in the air, so who knows what could happen? One thing's for sure, it's not very stable at the moment. But let's wait and see what happens. Maybe there's some hope for Asian Americans on MTV...
Awwww yeah. The 25th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival website is now fully operational, including the full festival schedule. Yes, you read that right: 25 years of Asian American cinema. It's a landmark year, and they're going all out to celebrate with an amazing schedule of events. I'm really digging the lineup. Where do I begin?
Opening and Closing Night present what you could call the future of Asian American cinema, with two very distinct works, Justin Lin's Finishing the Game and Chen Shi-Zheng's Dark Matter. This year's Narrative Competition is populated by twelve exciting new feature films, several of which I've had an eye on for quite some time, including So Yong Kim's In Between Days, David Ren's Shanghai Kiss, Joy Dietrich's Tie a Yellow Ribbon, Chris Chan Lee's Undoing, and Grace Lee's American Zombie (fresh from Sundance), among others. This is the best and brightest of Asian American cinema, and it's pretty damn exciting.
The festival's 25th anniversary will also include a special spotlight acclaimed veteran documentary filmmaker Spencer Nakasako (AKA Don Bonus, Refugee), in conversation with another trailblazer, Justin Lin. They're also doing a special retrospective program, Out of the Vaults, showing crazy stuff like Big Trouble in Little China and crazy fun stuff like a Flower Drumg Songsing-a-long at the Castro Theater. Crazy fun! That's just a quick glance at the schedule. I could go on and on. It's gonna be a great time at SFIAAFF next month. Peruse the festival schedule here. The festival runs March 15-25 in locations throughout the Bay Area. Make your plans now!
And while you're at it, the place to be tomorrow night is at the official Festival Launch Party. Pick up the Festival Program Guide, have a drink, and mingle with fellow festival-goers... Thursday, February 15th at 111 Minna Gallery in San Francisco. Always a good time. For details, go here.
The latest on the Ching Chong Song controversy at Bryn Mawr College... As I mentioned here the other day, the school recently canceled the band Ching Chong Song's scheduled campus performance. (Because, you know, the name.) Band member Julia LaMendola wrote to the school's paper to whine and point fingers about the show's cancelation: Ching Chong Song Treated Unfairly. This caused all sorts of trouble. Here's a response from the paper's managing editor on why she decided to run LaMendola's offensive letter: Ching Chong, this Witch Is Dead. For the most part, I have to agree with her. How else would we know that the Ching Chong Song lady is a raving crazy? The paper's editorial board also chimed in: On Letters to the Editor. Meanwhile, the school's Office of Intercultural Affairs also responded to the letter: Office of Intercultural Affairs Responds to LaMendola. And here's a good one from a student: Ching Chong Song Letter Shows Ignorance. Don't mess with Bryn Mawr, and don't be coming around there with your Ching Chong Song. Bryn Mawr don't play that.
UPDATE: The fight against Ching Chong Song continues... I received this a little too late (I'm working on Pacific Standard Time), but Ching Chong Song was apparently scheduled to perform tonight at New York University, opening for Jeffrey Lewis & the Jargonauts. Organizers of NYU's Asian Heritage Month, as well as other concerned groups, were planning on staging a peaceful protest this evening outside the event. I hope it went well...
What's up, NYC? Forget your Valentine's Day plans. It's all a Hallmark sham. Tonight, February 14, you want to head over to Mo Pitkins for the official release party of Kevin So's new album A Brighter Day. Guaranteed good times. Learn more about the release party here: An Evening with Kevin So & Friends
Yul Kwon, winner of Survivor: Cook Islands, makes good on his promise and announces his support of the Asian American Donor Program at press conference tomorrow, February 14th (his birthday) at Pier 27 in San Francisco. Here are the specifics:
Yul Kwon, who on Dec. 16, 2006 was the winner in the reality show "Survivor: Cook Islands", announces his support of the Asian American Donor Program
Pier 27 (the Embarcadero and Battery St.)
San Francisco, CA 94102
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Press conference from 11:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
With time afterwards for one-on-one interviews
Reception
When he won Survivor back in December, Yul said that he really wanted to use his newfound fame and notoriety to draw attention to some of the causes he cared about, including Asian American marrow donor registration: 'Survivor' winner turns to charity. Back in college, Yul had a close friend who died of leukemia. Good to know that it's a cause that remains close to his heart.
Uh oh. Kids, don't let your parents see this one—it's your one-way ticket to SAT prep class. This 10-year-old kid, 5th-grader Darryl Wu of Bellevue, WA, scored a perfect score on the SAT math section: 5th-grader scores perfect SAT. When I was ten, I sucked at math. I still suck at math. I will always suck at math.
Disturbing news of another Chinese food delivery robbery, out of Springfield, IL... Two men were arrested after Kin Ming Poon, the owner of Mr. Eggroll, was badly beaten and robbed while making a delivery late Saturday: Two men arrested after owner of Mr. Eggroll beaten, robbed. According to police, the robbers stole cash from the victim and hit him twice in the head with baseball bat or similar object. When did delivering Chinese food become such a dangerous task?
In other Chinese food news, this week a food factory worker in Ontario, CA pleaded not guilty to federal charges he sprinkled glass and other debris into wontons packaged and shipped across California three years ago: SoCal man pleads not guilty to federal food tampering charges. The company was alerted to the contamination when customers complained about finding odd items in their wontons. Besides glass, prosecutors alleged the guy also placed seeds, pebbles and spit inside. Dude, that's nasty. What the hell was this guy's problem?
Over the weekend in the Philippines, more than 6,000 couples kissed simultaenously in a Manila parking lot, apparently breaking a world record: Philippine couples pucker up for world record. Good job, Philippines. I knew you could do it. Let us follow their lead! This is what the world needs. More mass kissing! Who's with me?
Third Thursdays, the Bay Area's monthly APA dinner/discussion series, is doing their annual Valentine's Day-themed event on relationships, and it looks like a fun one: i only date chinese*..., talking about inter-ethnic Asian relationships.
If you say you only date Chinese, you might be going for the largest pool, trying to appease your parents, or just a bit narrow-minded.
This month, we look at what's often considered the next most acceptable option, inter-ethnic Asian relationships. We'll talk about why, what, and leave out most of the how. Join us for some perspective.
* DISCLAIMER: Insert your ethnic group of choice. Third Thursdays does not recommend any particular dating preference or strategy. We do recommend coming to our lively discussion on February 15th.
Panelists include Wei Ming Dariotis, Assistant Professor of Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University, and Frederick Y. Huang, MD, psychotherapy and general adult psychiatry. This Thursday, Feburary 15 at the Japanese Cultural & Community Center in San Francisco. Should be a very interesting discussion, to say the least. For more information, go here.
On sort of a related note, according to a new sociological study, there were "unprecedented" declines in interracial and inter-ethnic marriage in the United States during the 1990s: New American Sociological Review study shows increase in Hispanic and Asian intra-ethnic marriages. The findings, published in "Social Boundaries and Marital Assimilation: Interpreting Trends in Racial and Ethnic Intermarriage," suggest that the growing number of Hispanic and Asian immigrants to the United States has led to more marriages within these groups, and fewer marriages between members of these groups and whites. This should give people something to talk about...
The New York Times has a story on Maggie Q, who seems poised as Hollywood's up-and-coming Asian It-girl of the moment: Stuck in Asia, Dreaming of Hollywood. She's got a slate of high-profile releases this year, including the upcoming Die Hard sequel and the dreadful-looking comedy Balls of Fury. The article mentions that she's part of a trend of Asian American actors who head over to Asia for a crack at stardom—sort of a roundabout way of hopefully making it back to Hollywood. She seems to be one of the few who have been able to make the jump back.
I've been getting a ton of email about this... who knew so many people watch The Real Housewives of Orange County on Bravo? It's a trashy reality show about a group of wealthy, shallow (white) women from Orange County. On a recent episode, one of the ladies, Vicki, mocks a customer of hers after talking with him on the phone: "He's a ching-chong Chinaman." She said what? That's racist! This moment apparently caused a bit of controversy on the Real Housewives message board, eventually prompting Vicki to post an apology on blog:
Please accept my sincere apology for the comment about one of my Asian clients. It was no way meant to be racist in any way. I have a very large clientele that are Asian and I respect their communities and cultures. I would appreciate accepting my apology for anyone that was offended.
Regards, Vicki Gunvalson
It was not meant to be racist in any way? Are you serious? It seems that people think the only way to be racist is to shave your head and join a hate group. You can be racist with your lame-ass "ching chong" jokes. You can be racist thinking it's okay to belittle someone because of their Asian name and culture. You can be racist whether you intended to be or not. And don't give me that B.S. about "respecting" your Asian clientele's communities and cultures. If that were true you wouldn't have said what you did in the first place. Ridiculous. Your apology offends me. What's worse are all the commenters below the apology who come to her defense. Like I said, ridiculous.
The Iris Chang Memorial Fund has announced the theme ("The Denial and Its Cost") and rules for the 2007 Iris Chang Memorial Essay Contest, in honor of late writer Iris Chang, author of the critically-acclaimed Rape of Nanking. All are eligible to enter the contest, and they've even added Youth Award this year for the top three essays submitted by high school students. The deadline is June 30th. For more information about contest, go here. To learn more about Iris Chang, go here.
So I got all these emails last month from Aaron Ikeda, who has a recurring bit role as "Rex" on Scrubs, telling me about this big Bud Light commercial he shot that was going to run during Super Bowl. It sounds like he basically emailed everyone he knew and ever met in his entire life, telling them to keep an eye out for this Bud Light commercial called "Japanese Restaurant." Well, the Super Bowl came and went, and no commercial, no "Japanese Restaurant," and no Aaron. What happened? Don't know, but Aaron was pretty bummed. However, the spot is now online and available for viewing here. Type in the code "1876," choose your player/speed, and wait for the video to load. Check it out and make Aaron feel better. It's a pretty goofy spot (it's a beer commercial). Was it worth the hype, dude?
Good news! United Features Syndicate has picked up Tak Toyoshima's comic strip Secret Asian Man as its newest feature for daily syndication. That means Secret Asian Man will be the very first daily American comic strip featuring an Asian lead character. Cool, right? The official launch date is Monday, May 7, 2007—just in time for Asian American month. If you like Secret Asian Man, consider writing to your local daily paper and asking them to run the strip. Tell them Family Circus and Marmaduke just aren't doing it for you anymore. Secret Asian Man is just what the comics section needs to kick some ass and liven things up. Learn more about the strip over at www.secretasianman.com.
South Asians are so hot right now! Trends seem to indicate a "growing American fascination with books by and about Indians, Indian-Americans and the South Asian subcontinent": South Asians suddenly popular in U.S. books, culture
Ever heard of a band called Ching Chong Song? With a name like that, definitely not my kind of band. (But maybe Rosie O'Donnell is a fan.) So last semester at Bryn Mawr college, the school booked the band to play on campus. Not taking this lightly, Bryn Mawr's Asian Student Association protested the band's scheduled appearance, and the school agreed to cancel the event. I'm told that the matter was handled pretty quietly and resolved in early December. Everything cool, right? Nope. Last week, the school's newspaper published a letter from Julia LaMendola of Ching Chong Song, responding to what occurred between her band and Bryn Mawr: Letter to the Editor; Ching Chong Song Treated Unfairly. It pretty much boils down to a incoherent, whiny, offensive tirade againstt some entity she refers to as the "asian society," calling them "stupid twats" and "retards." Yeah, taking the high road. Let the war of words begin...
When you think of Chinatown, maybe all you're really familiar with is the best place to get dim sum or purchase a set of fake plastic nunchucks. Maybe that's all you want to be familiar with. But a nonprofit organization in San Francisco is conducting tours that take participants through some of the lesser-known stories and darker corners and alleys of Chinatown—way more than the average tourist usually ever gets to experience: San Francisco: An insider's take on Chinatown. It sounds really fascintating. Learn more about Chinatown Alleyway Tours here.
Carmen over at Racialicious brought this little bit of information to my attention: MTV's new Laguna Beach will be in Brooklyn. MTV is working on a new series that will "paint an accurate picture for America of what life is like for the average Brooklyn high school student." (Ah, because they did such an awesome job showing what life is like for the average Orange County high school student.) They've picked H.S. 430 Brooklyn Technical High School, better known as Brooklyn Tech. I have to echo Carmen's skepticism: "How much do you bet the show will revolve around a group of white kids, with occasional appearances from a token black friend? Even though the school is 49% Asian?"
Here's an interesting profile from the San Diego Reader on Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight fighter Brandon Vera, one of the few successful Asian American competitors in the UFC: Don't Fight Mad.
Some news from last week, out of American University... Rick Kamdar, a senior at AU, was expelled for "discrimination, physical abuse and conduct that endangers others" over an incident that occurred last November:
Rick Kamdar, formerly a senior in the Kogod School of Business, was expelled for an incident that occurred Nov. 18, in which a verbal fight on the Letts-Anderson Quad escalated into a physical altercation.
Kamdar said the incident began when he asked a student on the quad for a light, and the student's friend told Kamdar to "Go back to India." Kamdar then used an anti-gay slur against the student and the two began pushing each other. The fight was quickly broken up by Public Safety.
"The word fag is a very common word; it doesn't always mean gay," Kamdar said. "Did I know he was gay? No. Apparently American University has concluded that people can look gay."
While JAMS also charged Kamdar with physical abuse and conduct that endangers others, he said he was told by the Student Advocacy Center that discrimination leads to an immediate dismissal. However, he said he feels the other student's "Go back to India" comment was also discriminatory.
Here's the article: Expelled student to appeal ruling. Okay, Kamdar is pretty much an idiot for saying what he did (and his "common word" defense is a bit ridiculous), whether he knew the other guy was gay or not. I don't know much about what happened outside of what's in the article, but according to the administration, discrimination leads to and immediate dismissal. That said, I gotta ask, shouldn't the guy who provoked Kamdar with "Go back to India" also have to face some disciplinary consequences?
The Chinese government recently sent 38 teachers to the United States to teach in 19 school systems across the country as part of a partnership between China and the College Board. They're hoping that "exposing American children to 5,000 years of rich history and an exotic language will help bring about a new focus on their country": Introducing China. This, of course, is cause for concern to those who fear that this is a Chinese campaign to "dominate the world"... starting with the precious minds of schoolchildren!
The photo above is of Eddie Murphy... and Eddie Murphy in the new film Norbit, opening in theaters today. According to Yahoo! Movies, it's about "a meek man forced into marrying a monstrous woman, only to meet the woman of his dreams." Okay, but Norbit also happens to be adopted by Chinese parents. Yes, Eddie rockin' the Chinese man makeup. In addition to Norbit and Rasputia (the monstrous woman), Eddie Murphy plays Mr. Wong, the Chinese man whose restaurant apparently doubles as an orphanage. I know Eddie Murphy has made a career out of doing radical makeup to play multiple characters in his movies, and this doesn't really come as a surprise... it's part of his tired schtick. So is it still considered yellowface when it's Eddie Murphy doing the yellowfacing? Besides the look, he seems to fall on other stereotypes too. ("You ugry brack baby!" Mr. Wong exclaims when he finds the infant Norbit in his driveway.) Either way, I have no plans to see this movie. Here's A.O. Scott's review in the New York Times: That Was No Elephant, That Was My Wife
Also opening in theaters today, Hannibal Rising, the totally unnecessary Silence of the Lambs prequel telling the story of Hannibal Lecter as a young man. Gong Li apparently has a fairly large role as Hannibal's aunt(?) Lady Murasaki, who teaches him "Oriental warrior traditions." Ah, the ways of the Oriental warrior. Perfect for a future of serial murder and cannibalism. Why, Gong Li, why? It sounds pretty awful, and according to this review, it is: Hannibal sinks in 'Rising'. Yup, that's another one I won't be watching.
Bay Area, don't forget to buy your tickets for Telemongol this weekend (and next). The hilarity is happening at the Theatre on San Pedro Square in San Jose. Also opening, up in the city, Filipino American performing arts center Bindlestiff Studio in San Francisco presents its latest production, The Love Edition 2: Turned On!, five original stories about "love, heartache and the weirdness in between." I'm told that the play includes comedic pieces that will make you laugh your ass off, and at least one incredibly intense drama that "will have all the girls crying and maybe even a few guys." Read more about the stories here, and buy your tickets online here.
For years, we've seen sites like Engrish and Chinglish pointing out bad (and often hilarious) English signage translations in Asia. Try as they may, they just can't seem to get it right over there, with signs like "Show Mercy to the Slender Grass," or "After first under on, do riding with civility." No more, says Beijing. With the world watching, and tons of foreign visitors expected to visit the city for the 2008 Summer Olympics, they're cracking down on the bad translations: Tired of Laughter, Beijing Gets Rid Of Bad Translations. For the next eight months, 10 teams of "linguistic monitors" will patrol the city for spelling and grammar errors to fix. It's probably not as easy as it sounds. I mean, what the heck does this even mean: "It is here prohibition against to stop to put the bicycle and throw to lose the result compacent."
A judge declared a mistrial yesterday in the court-martial of an Army lieutenant Ehren Watada, who refused to deploy to Iraq: Officer's court-martial ends in mistrial The judge ruled that Watada didn't fully understand a document he signed in which he admitted to elements of the charges. Prosecutors argued that he admitted in the document that he had a duty to go to Iraq with his fellow soldiers, but Watada said he had intended to admit only that he had not gone to Iraq, not that he was duty-bound to deploy to Iraq with his unit. When it became evident that there was disagreement over Watada's admission, the judge indicated he was unsure whether he could accept the document, and declared a mistrial. A new trial date has been set for March 19. The saga continues...
Pat Robertson, being an ignorant crazy ass once again. This week, on the February 7 edition of the Christian Broadcasting Network's The 700 Club, Robertson said that people who have received too much plastic surgery "got the eyes like they're Oriental" while he put his fingers up to the side of his face. You know, like they used to do on te playground. Where'd you learn that, Pat—third grade? He was referring to Fox News host Greta Van Susteren's plastic surgery: Robertson: Too much plastic surgery gives people "Oriental" eyes. They've got a video clip over at Media Matters, but here's the basic transcript:
ROBERTSON: You know there's a lady named Greta Van Susteren, who's on Fox.
WATTS: Yeah.
ROBERTSON: Got a very popular --
WATTS: Oh, I saw her.
ROBERTSON: She looked gorgeous last night, but she had a really serious facial deal. And it did a wonder --
WATTS: Sister needed help.
ROBERTSON: Sister got the help.
WATTS: Sister -- she needed some help, yeah.
ROBERTSON: But she got it. She just looks great, and she's so popular.
WATTS: But have you ever seen someone who got it too much, and so they come up to you, and they're like, "Pat, how are you doing? It's so good to see you."
ROBERTSON: Yeah, they got the eyes like they're Oriental, and, you know, it's all pulled. So, make sure you do it right. But -- it's -- that's one way you can go, but it'll cost you five or six thousand dollars probably. All right. What else?
Was that really necessary? Robertson, of course, has a history of ridiculous and ignorant remarks. It's scary to think a guy like this wields so much power through CBN. Oriental eyes? That's racist!
You gotta check this out... over on MTV Chi's "Overdrive" website they've got various videos and treats, including spoken word artist Beau Sia responding to Rosie O'Donnell's ching chongs: an open letter to all the rosie o'donnells.
Sure, the incident's over a month old, but frankly, we never really got proper resolution. It just... went away. And I'm sorry, but the "ching chong" still stings. It has been, still is, and sadly, probably still will be a painful part of the Asian American experience.
Anyway, it's a great piece, with Beau appropriately standing in a classroom—because dude, he's got some serious knowledge to drop. And if you don't know, now you know. Consider yourself schooled, Rosie.
People have been emailing me like crazy about this guy Paul Kim of Saratoga, CA, who auditioned and wowed the judges on American Idol last night. No doubt, the guy's got some serious talent. Take a look at the clip. I like how Paul makes it a point to bring up William Hung (the guy set us back years and years), and that he's there to show that there are Asian Americans who can and will represent in music. And damn, the guy can sing. He ain't no William Hung. Idol fansites in the know are speculating that Paul has actually made it to this season's top 24. So who is this guy? Where did he come from? Here's his MySpace, which includes more of his music. His rendition of "Jealous Guy" seriously channels Donny Hathaway. Keep an eye out for this guy... I'm already rooting for him.
NPR's All Things Considered did a story on author Bich Minh Nguyen and her first book Stealing Buddha's Dinner, a memoir about her family's journey from Vietnam to America, and "a young Asian girl's struggle for acceptance growing up in 'a sea of blonde'": From Pho to Fast Food, an Immigrant's Tale. It includes an excerpt from the book. Oh, how cruel mean American schoolkids can be to a girl named "Bich."
Gothamist.com co-founder Jen Chung was recently on WNBC in New York talking about "the power of blogs": Gothamist.com Co-Founder Discusses N.Y. Blogs. News flash, friends: blogs are informative and powerful tools. And they're everywhere. Welcome to the 21st century.
If you didn't know, soulful singer/songwriter Kevin So's first studio album in four years, A Brighter Day, is out this month. It's currently available on iTunes and soon over at CD Baby. I haven't heard it yet, but he's got some clips over at his MySpace, and I like it. He'll also be touring all over the place this spring in support of the new record. Treat yourself to the smooth sounds of Kevin So.
This week, Congress Mike Honda, chair of the Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, issued a statement regarding President Bush's FY2008 budget, which was announced earlier this week:
"The Bush budget ignores the challenges of Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) and middle class families that are struggling to achieve financial security. The budget fails to create jobs, creates record deficits, and shortchanges health care, education, veterans' benefits, small businesses, and seniors."
All right, Bay Area. I'm giving you something to do this weekend and next. This is my semi-weekly reminder about the sketch comedy madness known as TeleMongol. It is coming to San Jose, and it is coming after you! Asian American Theater Company and Contemporary Asian Theater Scene present the powerful Voltron-like collaboration between Lodestone Theatre Ensemble and three of the nation's most renowned Asian American comedy troupes, Cold Tofu, 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors, and OPM. It's a show about the ups and downs of programming of an all-Asian American television network. Nothing is sacred! No one is spared! Best of all, they make fun of Bai Ling (not that that's very hard).
The show runs for two weekends, February 9-11 and 16-18 at Theatre on San Pedro Square in San Jose. And you, my friends, do not have to pay full price. Readers of the website get discounted tickets! When you purchase you tickets at Brown Paper Tickets, enter the password "tmangryasian" and get yourself a few bucks off the ticket price. A few bucks off is better than no bucks off, right? So buy your tickets, go see the show, laugh with Asian people for a change. More info on the show, go here.
The website for the 25th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival is up and running. There isn't much there yet—the full program will be announced on February 13—but it'll be place to get all your info for what has to be my favorite Asian American film festival, running March 15-25. 25th anniversary! This is a big year. Due to renovations currently underway at the Kabuki Cinemas, the festival will be taking place at two new venues this year: AMC Van Ness Theatres and Landmark Opera Plaza Cinema. So don't be showing up in Japantown on opening night. Speaking of opening night, word on the street is, SFIAAFF's Opening Night film will be Justin Lin's Finishing the Game, fresh from Sundance. Here's a recent review of the film from the Hollywood Reporter: Finishing the Game ("Bottom Line: A boisterous '70s comedy spoofing the flaws of studio moviemaking.")
It has begun: Asian Americans for Obama, an organization started by Ramey Ko, a lawyer in Texas. Right now, it's obviously in the early stages, just trying to get people excited, involved, etc. I know more than a few folks who are excited at the prospect of Barack Obama as President of the United States. We're still a long way off, but there's no doubt it would be an interesting race... Email info@asianamericansforobama.org for more information.
My pal Priscilla Huang, Project Director of the Reproductive Justice Program and the Women's Law and Public Policy Fellow at the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum, has a guest post (her first blogging experience!) at Feministing.com on the impact of immigration reform on immigrant women: Killing the immigrant body. Not bad for your blogging debut, Priscilla.
Oh boy. I'm sure I will get a flood of email about this, so let me just post this item and get it over with... Check out this awesome letter, written to Salon.com's advice column: From dating an Asian man to living with him: Parents still don't know. Let's give it up for the stereotypically weak Asian dude who's too chicken to tell his parents he's living with his white girlfriend.
I originally heard about this last week but I just couldn't bring myself to give Paris Hilton any more attention that she deserves, which is none. From now on, I shall refer to her as She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. According to this press release, GLAAD is calling on the hotel heiress to explain and apologize to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) and African American communities for her use of anti-gay and racial slurs in a video that began circulating on the internet last month: GLAAD Calls On Paris Hilton to Explain, Apologize for Anti-Gay, Racial Slurs In Video. This press release, however, makes no mention of the fact that she has some apologizing to do to the Asian American community as well. Indeed, I have seen the video in question, and She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named nonchalantly refers to some Asian guy talking to her boyfriend as "the Chink." Like it's no big deal. I did a quick search and couldn't find the video anymore, but believe me, you don't need to see it. Sadly, that's five minutes I will never get back. Is anyone really surprised at this behavior? No. Absolutley no one. But it needs to be said: That's racist!
This news is truly disturbing: Report: Supremacist activity flourishes. According to a new report released by the Anti-Defamation League, groups linked to the Ku Klux Klan, skinheads and neo-Nazis have grown significantly more active, holding more rallies, distributing leaflets and increasing their presence on the Internet—much of it focused on stirring anti-immigrant sentiment. Between 2000 and 2005, the number hate groups grew by 33 percent and Klan chapters by 63 percent. And it's not just in the South, where the Klan has traditionally been centered, but all over the place. It's just scary. And stupid.
Over the weekend, New York City Councilman John Liu led a protest against TV station CW11 over two newscasts that reported a woman found a mouse in her Chinese food takeout: 'Mouse' report makes pol roar. CW11 aired two segments about the New Food King restaurant in Brooklyn: one showing a weird piece of meat that a customer said she found in an order of chicken and broccoli, and a followup with a food inspector pronouncing it was a rodent. Here's the first segment: Mouse in Chinese Food?. And the second: Chinese Food Mouse pt2.
Let the jokes begin. Unfortunately, this isn't just bad news for New Food King, this harms Chinese food restaurants everwhere. The "oddly shaped piece of meat" may or may not be an actual mouse... the fallout, of course, is the enduring stereotype that Chinese/Asian restaurants throw anything and everything into their food—cats, dogs, mice, whatever. Said Councilman Liu, the coverage "perpetuates [a] ridiculous stereotype that does exist out there - that somehow mouse meat [is] fair game in a Chinese restaurant." The damage has been done.
Check it out... Rice Daddies, the crazy awesome Asian American daddy blog (and one of my favorites), celebrates its one-year anniversary today with a contest: The Rice Daddies 1st Blogaversary Children's Book Review Contest. Send in a review of your favorite children's book and you'll be entered in a chance to win some more awesome books from Kane/Miller Book Publishers (they're responsible for Taro Gomi's classic Everyone Poops). For details, go here. Thank you, Rice Daddies, for your funny/serious/sappy stories and insights, and the super-cute photos of your kids, over the last twelve months. Keep on bloggin'.
Asians in America has an interview with Karin Anna Cheung, most recently seen in the PBS pilot My Life Disoriented: Writing Karin Anna Cheung. She's currently working with writer Koji Steven Sakai, director Quentin Lee and producer Stanley Yung on a new project, The People I've Slept With, which she describes as "the first Asian American female driven romantic comedy that is sexy and empowering to women." According to Koji (who conducted the interview), the project has been through several drafts and they've done a couple of table reads. Should be pretty interesting...
Residents in a Chicago suburb are opposing plans to provide a new shelter for undocumented Indian and Chinese children: Suburban Chicago residents oppose shelter for immigrant children. The children, apprehended after entering the country illegally without a parent or guardian, are currently held in a federal immigrant shelter, a former nursing home near the city's lakefront that houses. They spend months there—mostly indoors—before they know whether they will be deported or allowed to stay. The plan is to provide more room by converting a 2.5-acre estate near Naperville into a first-rate facility for the kids. But the neighbors ain't having it!
Here's something that'll please all you Sayid fans out there... Lost's Naveen Andrews all over an OK Magazine spread, looking rather dashing: Naveen Andrews in OK Magazine. By the way, Lost-Media.com is a heck of a resource for Lost fans looking for photos, video clips, screen caps and all that. The show returns from its mid-season hiatus tomorrow night!
More from George Takei, talking about his role on Heroes: George Takei on Starring in Heroes. He played a pretty prominent role on the show last night as Hiro's father. I thought he was great, but I really wished there was more to it. Hopefully they'll expand his role into something bigger than just the menacing, powerful Japanese father...
This NPR story reports on the latest fitness craze in China... pole dancing: Exotic, Not Erotic: China's Latest Fitness Fad. Putting the exotic back in to exotic dancing! Grooooaaan. Is this for real? It sounds pretty damn silly. Like the good reader who brought this item to my attention says, "My head just exploded."
Mike Myers, trying to return to Austin Powers-era glory, is now the Guru Pitka, the "new ultra hush-hush" character he has been work-shopping live on stage for the past few years... and it sounds like its guaranteed to offend: A Sneak Peek at Mike Myers's Latest Racial Romp. He returned to New York's Magnet Theater this weekend to perform his show Padsana on Human Potentiality and Equipoise by His Holiness the Guru Pitka (I foresee a new comedic trend: long-ass titles). The act has him appearing in a white robe with a fake white beard and putty nose, speaking with an "Indian" accent. This is only the beginning—Myers apparently has two Guru scripts in development at Paramount, sure to spawn a new generation of annoying catch phrases.
Here's a really brief interview with Lost's Yunjin Kim, but what really bugs me is the green headline at about a paragraph in: Yunjin Kim Says Me So Lost. Could the person who came up with that one be any more freaking ignorant? What's the logic that went into it? Oh, Yunjin Kim is an Asian woman. Let's do the "Me so..." line, because it's so funny and original, and that's what I think of when I think of Asian women. That's racist!
UPDATE: The headline has been changed to "Yunjin Kim Is Oh So Lost" ... which doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but at least it doesn't recall Asian prostitutes. Hey editor, just because you ran it by your Vietnamese friends and they thought it was okay, doesn't necessarily mean it's actually okay.
Call this number: (718) 746-0087. It's for Glaceau, maker of drinking water products ("Hydrate responsibly.") On the other end, you'll get their voicemail system, narrated by some dude with a horribly fake Asian accent, doing kung fu schtick. I'm not kidding. Are they trying to be cute? Clever? Completely unnecessary and ridiculously offensive. That's racist! Conveniently, now you've got their number, and can hopefully get someone on the line to tell them exactly how you feel about it...
UPDATE: The greeting has been changed. No more bad Asian accent, just some bored woman reading badly off a script. Guess they got the message. I hope the guy who came up with that original greeting got fired, but that's probably just wishful thinking...
For those of you with the Sundance Channel, Grace Lee's awesome documentary The Grace Lee Project will be showing throughout the month of February, premiering tonight at 6:00pm PST. More airdates and times here. Check it out. I indirectly helped her find (sort of) the Grace Lee that tried to burn down her high school. I am proud of that.
Santa Clara County, represent! NPR recently did a story on the area's reputation for APA political leadership—the county has five Asian-American mayors, all of them first-generation immigrants: Asian-American Politicians Flourish in Calif. County
Well, today's the Super Bowl, where America comes together to watch really expensive commercials. And guess what? There will be an Asian dude pacing the sidelines. According to this article, Chicago Bears defensive assistant Lloyd Lee is football's first Asian American coach in the Super Bowl: First Asian Coach Goes to the Super Bowl
Now that the dust (or snow) from Park City's Sundance and Slamdance Film Festivals has settled, Jeff Yang's latest "Asian Pop" column talks with the filmmakers behind some of this year's high-profile Asian American works, including American Zombie's Grace Lee, Dark Matter and Year of the Fish's Janet Yang and Finishing the Game's Justin Lin: Indie Jones. My favorite part is the very end, where Justin Lin recounts that he almost got into a fight with Tom Arnold:
Ultimately, as bright as the way ahead looks for Asian American filmmakers, there are still a few potholes in the road. "You know, I'm walking down the street in Park City, and people think, 'Oh, it's just some Asian dude,' and they ignore me," says Lin. "But if someone points me out and says my name, they act differently. It is what it is. I was doing a photo shoot with the cast of the movie, and some idiot was being really obnoxious in the background, making ching-chong noises. I was like, 'Who the f-- is that?' And I looked over and said, 'Damn, that's Tom Arnold. I'm not going to take that. I'm going after him.' So I almost got into this huge fight with Tom f--ing Arnold. At the end of the day, it's still a struggle. It's still the same struggle."
Moral of the story? You can think you've "made it" as an Asian American filmmaker in Hollywood, but there's always going to be some racist ass making "ching chong" noises in the background.
Forgot to mention that The Messengers, directed by the Pang Brothers—Danny and Oxide—opened in theaters on Friday. It's their Hollywood debut, but they're responsible for such films as The Eye and Bangkok Dangerous, and Danny was editor on Infernal Affairs. Unfortunately, The Messengers is currently scoring a lowly 18% over at Rotten Tomatoes. Whoops. But that's okay, because the movie was number one at the box office this weekend, earning $14.5 million.
This week, the American Basketball Association's Maryland Nighthawks announced that they have signed 7-foot-9 Chinese center Sun Ming Ming to a contract. He'll be in uniform for tonight's game against the Brooklyn Cyclones on the campus of Montgomery College-Rockville: Maryland Nighthawks make really big acquisition. 7-foot-freaking-9. That's taller than Yao Ming, people. He was originally passed over in the 2005 NBA draft because of a lack of strength and fitness, and has been playing around in basketball's minor leagues the last two years. Now the Nighthawks have the world's tallest professional basketball player: Sun set to shine for ABA Nighthawks. More here: 7-foot-9 player joins ABA club. Yeah, but is he any good?
According to the article, Sun has an appearance in the upcoming Rush Hour movie (aka the franchise that will not die), probably for the role director Brett Ratner originally wanted Yao Ming for—a reverse-homage of the Bruce Lee vs. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar fight in Game of Death. Ratner couldn't get Yao, so I guess he went with the next tall-ass Chinese dude he could find. Someone make it stop...
In Philadelphia, Joseph Cho, a Korean American law student at the University of Pennsylvania, was arrested this week for shooting a dozen pistol rounds into his neighbors' door... because he thought they were "Indian spies" (aka brown-skinned terrorists): Police: Penn student fired at apartment, suspecting 'spies'. More here: Law student arrested for firing at neighbors. Cho is being charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, burglary and other related charges. He's also been suspended from the law school: Law student suspended after 'terrorist' shooting. Terrorists living next door? No dude, just a couple of regular engineering students. This is what happpens when deluded people get their hands on Glock 9mm handguns, or any other gun. The guy must've been watching too much 24.
NPR's Morning Edition did a story on the man many consider to be the best pool player in the world—Efren "Bata" Reyes, "a skinny, almost toothless, 52-year-old Filipino with a slight paunch, an infectious grin and a legion of fans both at home and abroad": Billiards Star Reyes Gets Everyone into the Pool
Oh goodness. This year we will be subjected to a third installment of the Rush Hour series starring Jackie Chan and the insanely irritating Chris Tucker. As the teaser trailer makes abundantly clear, the duo's latest adventure will be taking them to France. I think it wins the award for the most annoying trailer in the history of cinema. Thank you, Brett Ratner and Co., for unleashing this evil unto the world. What saddens me most is the reported $25 million payday Chris Tucker got for doing this movie. Why? Tell me why. Twenty-five million bucks to act like an ass. I shake my fist at you, New Line Cinema.
Short notice, but there's an event happening this weekend in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo in support of soldiers like Ehren Watada and Agustin Aguayo, who are resisting and refusing to participate in the United States' war in Iraq. Come hear their parents speak an learn about what you can do. Gather Saturday, February 3rd, 4:00pm at the northwester corner of Second St. and San Pedro. The event will features performances by Quetzal, Nobuko Miyamoto, Olmeca, traci kato kiriyama, and SKIM. For more information, check out the flyer here.
Hey filmmakers! Check it out... Asian CineVision has extended the deadline to submit film and video works for the 30th Asian American International Film Festival in New York. The early deadling is February 9th and the extended deadline is February 16th. Narrative, documentary, new media, animation, experimental, music video—they want it. Come on, dudes. It's a big one. Celebrating thirty years of film festivaling. For details on how to submit your film, go here.
And... Slant: Bold Asian American Images, curated by Hyphen editor-in-chief Melissa Hung, in Houston is seeking works for its seventh annual festival. It's neat little event that showcases an eclectic mix of the best in emerging Asian American cinema. It takes place May 19 and 20 at the Aurora Picture Show. The postmark deadline for entries is March 1st, and best of all, no entry fee! Yeahhhhh, boy. Good times.
And... the San Diego Asian Film Festival is accepting submissions for the eighth annual festival—experimental, animation, music video, short documentary, feature documentary, narrative short, and narrative feature. The early entry deadline is April 13th, and the final entry deadline is June 15th. For details on how to submit, go here.
This one's for you all you students, and I know there's a lot of you out there... East Coast, represent! The East Coast Asian American Student Union Conference (ECAASU), "Breaking Through," is happening next week at Yale University, February 9th-10th. It's the 30th annual conference, so it's kind of a big deal. And of course, they've got a cool schedule lined up of workshops, panels, speakers and entertainment, including rapper Jin, a screening of Eric Byler's Americanese, and that guy Jian Li, possibly now the most famous applicant Princeton ever rejected (you're famous, dude). The website says registration is closed, but maybe it's not closed, you know? Sounds like it's going to be a pretty good weekend.
Also, Midwest, heads up... the Midwest Asian American Student Union's annual spring conference is happening next month, March 9th-11th at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. Again, this is a great resource for all you students in the midwest (who says the coasts get all the love?), with a great lineup of workshops and events. Speakers include Karen Umemoto, Eric Byler, Dr. Glenn Fujiura, Shawn Wong. Heck, Americanese is screening here too! (Eric, you really get around.) For more information about the conference, go here.
Sounding suspiciously like a PR person (or one hell of an enthusiastic fan), a reader recently emailed telling me about indie/powerpop band Kung Fu Girls, fronted by Mia and Ava Koo, a duo of teen sisters who have been "kicking ass in the indie music scene." They also have colorful hair. I had never heard of them before, but I checked out some of the songs on their MySpace, and they've got an okay sound. Maybe you'll like it. They've got a full-lenght album, Thinking of You, available here.
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Yone Minagawa of Fukuchi, Japan is the world's oldest person at age 114. She was born January 4, 1893: At 114, Japanese woman 'really grateful' to be No. 1. She sounds like quite a lady. As it happens, the world's oldest man is also Japanese—Tomoji Tanabe, 111, born September 18, 1895.
An update on the production of the Harold and Kumar sequel... Shooting began last week in Shreveport, LA: 'Harold & Kumar 2' takes red-eye. Here's the plot summary, according to the article:
The sequel is set in motion on the same morning that Harold and Kumar finally satisfy their munchies at White Castle and the object of Harold's affection, Maria (Garces), sets off for Amsterdam. The pair decide to pursue her so Harold can proclaim his love. But when an overzealous passenger mistakes Kumar for a terrorist, the plane is diverted and the boys are off on a new escapade of mistaken identity. From Guantanamo Bay through the Deep South, Harold and Kumar encounter myriad wackos, jerks and whores as they are pursued by the Department of Homeland Security all the way into Bush Country.
I got an early look at the script, and it's pretty crazy. If you liked the first one, you'll probably dig this too. I'm just glad Doogie Howser is back.
What the hell is this... Another bad bad bad commercial with a truckload of Asian stereotypes, this time for the Georgia Lottery: Georgia Lottery Keno - Master. It's got a little bit of everything. Ancient "China," an old bearded master, "Chinese" music, gongs, bad accents, Asian people doing "Asian" things, ninja stars, and a monkey for good measure. This blog takes issue with the voiceover near the end—it sounds like someone trying to do a Chinese accent, but sounding more like Eastern European. I think the accent is the least of this commercial's problems. That's racist!
This is really cool... The students in UT's Asian American Leadership Institute have planned a conference for Asian American high school students: Building a Better FoundASIAN. Okay, kind of a goofy name, but it has good intentions (at least it's not "FoundAZN"). It's a "Pan-Asian conference for high school students to discuss and explore different facets of the Asian American experience, while also preparing them for the transition into college." Sounds like a really great opportunity, with speakers and workshops and all that good stuff. A funny thing—on the website under "Why Come?" one of the reasons is "New MySpace/Facebook friends." Ah, way to sell to the demographic. The conference is February 24th at the University of Texas at Austin. Go here for more info.
Talks are apparently underway at Warner Bros. to produce a sequel to Martin Scorsese's The Departed, which of course, is based on the Hong Kong crime thriller Infernal Affairs (which also had two sequel/prequels): "Departed" on way to afterlife. Rumor has it, writer William Monahan is working on a take that would involve Dignam, the foul-mouthed cop played by Mark Wahlberg, and introduce a new character to be played by Robert De Niro. With all the critical acclaim, five Oscar noms, and a domestic take of $125.2 million, I suppose talks of a sequel were inevitable...
Here's a brief clip of a scene from the upcoming second-half season of Lost, featuring Daniel Dae Kim and Josh Holloway... it's a bit of a spoiler (Sawyer, how did you get out of the clutches of The Others?) but kind of amusing: Lost Moments No. 11 Promo. Funny, but what I'm wondering is, where the hell did that van come from? And who's skeleton is that? And where did they get the beer?
This custom shoe site for Puma goes way way overboard with the Asian imagery: PUMA MONGOLIAN SHOE BBQ. If you didn't get it, you can put together your own shoe like you're dining at a Mongolian barbecue place, right down the smiling Asian waitress and ambience music (it gets really annoying really fast). They've even got a tab that says "What is Mongolian BBQ?" just in case you didn't get it. There are many ways this could've been done—was this really necessary?
The TV Squad blogger had just one question for Today's Ann Curry: "Were you disappointed when you didn't get the anchor job?" She had some things to say: Ann Curry's long answer to a short question
. Heck, watch the whole 
