If you live in Los Angeles, hopefully you already know about Tuesday Night Cafe, which happening every first and third Tuesdays, spring through fall. As one of the longest free public art space and revitalization projects of Little Tokyo/Downtown Los Angeles, it's practically an LA institution. Watch this TN KAT trailer for the audio/visual explanation.
Check out the flyer above for the upcoming Tuesday Night Cafe, featuring the likes of Alice Tong, Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai, Long Nguyen and the Kominas/Sarmust/Propaganda Anonymous. Tuesday, August 4 at the Aratani Courtyard. For more information about TN KAT, visit the website here.
The Obama clan is getting a little bit closer together. President Obama's half-sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, and her husband Konrad Ng, are moving their family from Hawaii to Washington D.C., where they'll spend the next several months: Obama and Sister to Share a Town.
Ms. Soetoro-Ng, who has given up her job as a high school teacher in Hawaii, has a book contract and a new baby. Her husband, Konrad Ng, a professor at the University of Hawaii, will become the scholar-in-residence at the Smithsonian Institution's Asian Pacific American Program next month.
They won't be living at the White House, but this, of course, brings the whole family a little bit closer. While they were certainly active during the presidential campaign, I wonder if this means they'll have more involvement with the Obama administration and other White House programs.
Fans of this video game probably already know this, but there's currently a Hollywood movie adaptation of King of Fighters in the works. Sorry, fans. Unfortunately, I have no good news to share about this movie. It doesn't look good. Think Speed Racer. Think Dragonball. Think Avatar.
Directed by Gordon Chan, the live-action feature based on King of Fighters stars an extremely Caucasian dude named Sean Faris as Kyo Kusanagi. Now, I'm not very familiar with this game... but I'm fairly sure that Kyo Kusanagi is not a white character. But hey, that's Hollywood magic for you.
With no knowledge of what this movie's about -- except that it involves fighting -- I'm going to go out on a limb and predict right now that this movie is going to suck multiple volumes suck, for three reasons: 1) It's based on a video game. 2) Sean Faris plays Kyo Kusanagi. 3) It's based on a video game.
Other notable cast members include Will Yun Lee as Iori Yagami, Maggie Q as Mai Shiranui, Bernice Liu as Vice and Francoise Yip as Chizuru. Everybody's gotta work, I guess.
According to IMDb, the movie is supposed to be released some time in 2010. Without seeing a single second of footage, something tells me that this is one of those movies that plays in theaters for one weekend then quickly gets dumped to DVD. Mercifully, for the sake of everyone involved.
Gather 'round, friends. It's time to meet another Angry Reader of the Week, spotlighting you, the very special readers of this website. Over the years, I've been able to connect with a lot of cool folks, and this is a way of showing some appreciation and attention to the people who help make this blog what it is. This week's reader is Jimmy J. Aquino, who I had the pleasure of meeting last week at San Diego Comic-Con.
Who are you? I'm Jimmy J. Aquino, an aspiring comedy writer who recently made my comic book writing debut in Secret Identities : The Asian American Superhero Anthology. The short story I wrote for that graphic novel is "Sampler," about a Korean American college student who works at a dry cleaning store where many of the customers are superheroes, and she discovers she can temporarily acquire their powers by touching their costumes. Live365.com and iTunes Radio listeners might know me as the programmer and main voice of the one-man Internet radio station A Fistful of Soundtracks, which streams film and TV score music.
What are you? Latin Till I Die. I'm kidding. I'm Filipino.
Where are you? I wish I could say New York. Unfortunately, I'm stuck in San Jose. I'm one of those Bay Area folks who worship New York, so suck it, Ben Tanaka from Shortcomings.
Where are you from? San Ho.
What do you do? I'm currently underemployed. Besides "Sampler," I've been doing occasional graphic design work for a Laotian American blogger named the Minority Militant, who hired me because he's a fan of my webcomic about art-house movie theater workers, The Palace, and I've had to resort to doing part-time data entry for my accountant parents.
After "Sampler," I hope I don't turn into the Michael Douglas novelist character in Wonder Boys, who suffered from the curse of not being able to finish writing a follow-up to his debut work. I've been creating ideas for comic books, short stories, TV series and films, all with Filipino or Asian American protagonists. The Palace started out as an idea for a single-camera sitcom, but because there's never been a U.S. sitcom with a Filipino American lead, its chances of becoming a TV series are slim, so I chose to turn it into a webcomic, even though I can't draw my ass out of a paper bag.
What are you all about? I'm all about creating Filipino or Asian American characters who aren't the same old underwhelming Asian characters you see on the page or screen. I want to see more Asian American screenplay or teleplay writers so that there can be juicier parts for Asian American actors and actresses.
My dream job is to write for a late-night talk show or a sketch comedy show. I'm all about the need for more Asian American comedy writers so that whenever there's Asian-bashing, we can fire back with vicious jokes about the Asian-basher. I'm not a stand-up comic because knowing how to handle hostile hecklers is a crucial skill, and the only way I'd know how to handle a hostile heckler would be to jump off stage, grab a fork off his table and stab him with it. I don't think you can do that in the club. But if I were a stand-up, I'd emulate my comedy idols Paul Mooney, Chris Rock and Patton Oswalt. Are there any Asian male stand-ups who are as angry or outspoken as those three? I don't know of any. In a Secret Identities interstitial by Tak Toyoshima, Larry Hama tells Secret Asian Man that he wants to see an Asian male comedian cover the same ground as Margaret Cho. I'd strive to be that comedian if I weren't so nervous about hecklers, and I'd shy away from ethnic humor. Most Asian male comics stick to ethnic humor, and while I do enjoy that kind of humor when it's done well, it's kind of tired. We need to see more Asian male comics like Aziz Ansari, who never does ethnic shtick.
I'm also all about seeing another go-round of Secret Identities or another project like it, but first, we need to learn to not let our egos, tempers or petty behavior get in the way. Secret Identities has been a challenge for contributors like myself because we've sometimes found ourselves getting into disagreements with our colleagues over little things. Whenever Asian American talents join forces for a groundbreaking project like Secret Identities, we need to put aside our egos and not lose sight of why we're doing this in the first place, or else our beefs will destroy what we're trying to accomplish, because at the end of the day, we all want the same things: to create interesting stories, to get Asian Americans to feel good about themselves and to get Michelle Malkin to shut the fuck up.
What makes you angry? Besides the long lines and crowded-ass crowds I had to squeeze through at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con (I wound up with the first cold I've had in two years--thanks, nerds!), the following things make me angry:
1. Hate crimes like the murders of Chinese food delivery drivers (those killings inspired me to create an idea for a comic book about the ghosts of Vincent Chin and Emmett Till, who get into trouble with Metatron when they go protect past or potential hate crime victims by killing their attackers).
2. The recession.
3. Not being able to move out of San Ho. I'm a reluctant Californian. The only California city I like is Sucka Free. I need a change of scenery.
4. The racist douches who are frequently employed by Fox News and the teenybopper pop music sitcom department of the Disney Channel.
5. I'm going to borrow one of recent Angry Reader Judy Lei's answers to this question: people who believe "racism is dead" or say they don't see color, a phrase that deserves all the skewering it gets on The Colbert Report. The "racism is dead" crowd, I've got two words for you: Cambridge, Massachusetts.
6. Hipsters, especially ones who are into Slanties eyewear or have Asian fetishes, like the Vice magazine staff.
7. Kickass scripted TV shows that are prematurely cancelled like Veronica Mars or promising shows that are never given the chance to air like John Cho's The Singles Table.
8. Cell phones. Though I own one, I'm like Bernard from Black Books. I hate them.
9. Attention whores who have loud and vapid conversations on cell phones. I want to be an attention pimp so I can slap the shit out of them. 10. Cigarette smoke (however, indo smoke doesn't bother me at all). Minority Militant, Dave Chappelle and chain-smokers who listen to A Fistful of Soundtracks or follow my writing, go ahead and light up because I like you despite your habit. The rest of you can go die of emphysema.
In May 2009, an American citizen, Melissa Roxas, was illegally abducted and tortured while on a medical relief mission in the Philippines. This is her story:
Dearest Friends,
The recent birth of my niece reminds me that life is something more than just presence, it is the earth rising inside of you, the earth that has been there since the beginning, but taking a different form.
I started to think about all the other babies I had seen as a community health worker in the Philippines before my niece was born. The marking of before and after, beginnings and endings. I remember their mothers taking them in for health screenings and basic check ups. Infants who went untreated for days with a fever, the softness in their eyes gives way to a hardness, their skin was tight from dehydration, they were so tiny, their hand in mine was as little as my thumbnail. I remember how much I wanted them to get better and be alive. With so many babies, children and families that I’ve met, I realized that the disease they had was more than an epidemic of typhoid fever, cholera, or malaria, it was the disease of poverty and oppression.
When I started to work more with particular issues of human rights violations I also met different babies, babies and children who had lost their mothers and fathers to a different death. A horrible and preventable death that takes the life not only of its victim, but robs the whole family and the world of their presence, all because they advocated and fought for a better world where their children have genuine freedom, a just peace, and true democracy.
Each day I was with the community, I learned how precious a birth can be, how to appreciate life, and I slowly began to understand what they meant when they whispered me their names and told their stories. There are no deaths that are forgotten, no fathers, no mothers, no sisters and brothers, aunts, uncles, or cousins that are forgotten. They live in the births of new babies each day.
When my own experience of abduction and torture ended and I was reunited with my family it was not a second birth for me, I realized that it is a continuing journey for the search for truth and justice. Repressive governments and military use torture as a form of control, to instill fear in people in debilitating ways, so they stay quiet and lose their light inside. But I realized no amount of pain or suffering or fear can stop that earth in me to keep rising. Instead it gave birth to new births. My experience has convinced me even more of the value of freedom and justice and the importance of fighting for and upholding the principles of human rights and human dignity.
Me being able to write this right now is testimony of how your collective love, support, prayers, and action is helping me and others like me through this experience. I know that your support is also part of a larger movement to create change towards a world free of poverty and oppression. Thank you to friends and family, family and friends of other desaparecidos, progressive people’s organizations, human rights groups, lawyers, civil rights advocates, church people’s organizations, concerned individuals, fellow poets and artists, and all believers in human rights and justice.
There are many more desaparecidos, more abductions, torture and extra-judicial killings going on in the Philippines and around the world. Let the new birth come where there is an end to all of the killings, abductions, and torture. Let the noise come from all directions—they are no longer whispers but shouts for justice.
To learn more about her experience, and the fight for all victims of state-sponsored human rights violations in the Philippines, go here: Justice for Melissa Roxas.
Hate crime news out of Australia... In Melbourne, 21-year-old John Caratozzolo has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for the racially-motivated gang murder of an Asian researcher at Victoria University: Man jailed over racist killing of university researcher.
Caratozzolo apparently told his group of friends he wanted to get a mobile phone from an Indian student "because they had better phones." They then brutally attacked Dr. Zhongjun Cao, who they took to be of Indian descent. (He's actually Chinese.)
The guy was just walking down the street, on his way home, minding his own business. Next thing he knows, he's on the ground, getting his head kicked in by a bunch of racist punks. Over a goddamn cell phone? Now he's dead an Caratozzol gets 15 years?
No, not the real Jackie Chan. This is a ridiculous, infuriating story out of Indiana, about an immigrant refugee with mental and medical disabilities who went missing for thirty-five hours, much to the concern of his loved ones.
Meanwhile, while they frantically searched for him, he ended up getting picked up by the cops, arrested for public intoxication... and ridiculed by police: Police knowingly misidentify man in custody.
Authorities apparently booked the man into the lockup as "Jackie Chan." Very funny, officer. You've got a mentally unstable Asian man, so you decide to have a little fun and name him after the only other Asian name you can think of. That's racist!
Okay, it's not the same thing as a straight-up racial slur, but they sure as hell aren't helping a guy who needs help. It looks like the Lawrence Police Department is in need of some serious sensitivity training -- at the very least.
There's a Deputy Chief interviewed for this news report who says he doesn't find the made-up name (or the term "Oriental") offensive or discriminatory at all. Yes, these are the people who supposed to protect and serve you, good citizens. You've got to be kidding me.
The surgery was performed on Wednesday, and the Yankees are now awaiting word on the results Until then, they won't know the severity of Wang's injury or his expected recovery/return time.
After winning 19 games the previous two seasons, Wang was 1-6 with a 9.64 earned run average this season, initially struggling to regain arm strength after his foot injury last June. He was gradually making progress until his shoulder flared up July 4.
Sounds like what the guy really needs is some concentrated time to fully recover. As it stands, Wang might not even return to the Yankees next season. More here: Posada empathizes with Wang's pain.
My friends at Chaos Theory Music tell me that Kang Eun-il's Haegum Plus returns to the United States next week for two concerts on Friday, August 7 at 12:00pm and 8:00pm at Grand Performances in Los Angeles.
In the amazing outdoor amphitheater of the California Plaza, come out for a fun, relaxing evening of Haegum Plus' unique, boundary-crossing blend of "new traditional" Korean music.
In addition, L.A.'s famous Kogi truck will be just outside the venue, so you can eat some good-ass food too. And best of all, the concert is free and open to the public. For more information about the event, go here.
I recently heard from a reader named Frank, who's making a frantic, last-ditch effort to find a student group in Southern California to host his organization's program, PreProBono. He sounded a little desperate, and it sounds like a good opportunity, so I'm helping him put the call out.
PreProBono provides resources to prelaw students (with a focus on public service law). The weekend program includes an intensive LSAT prep course, dinner with a keynote speaker, and access to law school application assistance. They provide scholarships to students interested in probono/public service law and have a financial assistance program for those who qualify.
Basically, they're on a summer tour, and looking for a last-minute student group to host their program at a campus somewhere in Los Angeles on August 15 and 16. They originally had a school lined up, but I guess that fell through, so they have a hole in their schedule.
There must be a bunch of prelaw-interested students out there who are willing to help these guys out, and you really wouldn't have to do any of the planning. But they need to know soon. To learn more about PreProBono and their work, go here. And if you can help them out (or just hear them out), contact Jerone Hsu at (408) 455-3119 or jerone@primeproduce.org.
So there's this Green Hornet movie allegedly in the works. It will apparently star Seth Rogen and will be directed by Michel Gondry. And once upon a time, Stephen Chow was signed on to direct and star as Kato. This would've been awesome on so many levels, but it was not meant to be.
Since then, the quest to find Kato has been a long, drawn-out process. But it appears they may have found their man. The Korea Times is reporting that actor Kwon Sang-woo, pictured above, is said to be up for the role: Kwon Sang-woo May Make Hollywood Debut.
They're reporting that the South Korean star recently passed an English audition attended by Seth Rogen and Michel Gondry. So is this guy one of the top choices to play Kato? A final announcement regarding the role will be probably be made within the next month.
I have to be honest -- I'm not very familiar with this guy. I haven't seen any of his movies or TV dramas, but he's apparently pretty popular and has made his name in Korea as an actor and model. And holy smokes -- would you just look at that photo? More here: Has 'The Green Hornet' Found Its Kato In Kwon Sang-Woo?
UPDATE: I'm told that this rumor is incorrect, according to reliable studio sources. Kwon Sang-woo has not been cast as Kato. Sorry to disappoint. Still, I don't think anyone is complaining that I posted that photo. The search for Kato continues...
The Institute, which launched in April 2009, "will advance the cause of Asian American civil rights and human rights through pan-Asian American alliances and programs that focus on education, activism and leadership." Here's the email that was forwarded to me:
The Asian Law Caucus is inviting applications for the inaugural director of the Fred T. Korematsu Institute for Civil Rights and Education.
The position provides an unprecedented opportunity to be the founding Director of a path-breaking organization in the field of racial justice and Asian American civil rights, the Korematsu Institute. The Director will be responsible for all aspects of the Institute's programs and will be primarily responsible for maximizing the resources available for the Institute's work.
The application deadline is Sept. 15, 2009.
TITLE: Director, Fred T. Korematsu Institute for Civil Rights and Education at the Asian Law Caucus
RESPONSIBILITIES:
Identify strategic opportunities to advance the mission of Asian Law Caucus and the Korematsu Institute through community education, strategic communications and leadership development
Develop and manage the programs of the Korematsu Institute
Serve as the primary spokesperson of the Institute and work closely with the Steering Committee to develop and implement a strategic plan for the Institute
Set medium and long-term priorities for the Institute's development
Take primary responsibility for developing and allocating the resources of the Institute
QUALIFICATIONS:
Demonstrated commitment to advancing the rights of low-income, API, people of color and/or immigrant communities
Minimum of five years professional experience in media, strategic communications, development of online content or other related fields.
Experience building and supporting collaborations among communities and organizations
Excellent analytical, written, and oral communication skills
Ability to work with a highly diverse group of mission-driven staff
Demonstrated leadership ability
Preferred bilingual skills in Asian and Pacific Islander language(s)
SALARY AND BENEFITS: Salary range for this position is $70-80,000, depending on experience. Salary is based on principles of internal equity. A generous benefits package including full medical, dental and vision without an employee contribution is included.
APPLICATION PROCESS: Interested candidates should submit via email (Microsoft Word compatible attachments) a cover letter, resume summarizing your interest, qualifications and experience, salary history, a brief writing sample (no more than 3-5 pages), and three professional references to Titi Liu, Executive Director, at titil@asianlawcaucus.org. Please no phone calls.
The Asian Law Caucus is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All persons are encouraged to apply, regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, sexual orientation or religious affiliation.
So you've seen the music video for pop princess BoA's "Eat You Up,"... but have you seen the video for BaO's "Eat You Up"? Pork buns, that is. And lots of them. The video's a spoof conceived by actress Patty Yu, who thought BoA was just having too much fun, and decided to make a video herself.
Because really, who doesn't like park buns? Lots of silly dancing and munching. And watch for a cameo by comedian Danny Cho. Cute, dumb fun all around. Go to Patty's website here to see how it all came together.
All right, New York readers. Another event for a great cause... My friend Jessica Ko, a previous Angry Reader of the Week, is throwing a birthday party/Fundraiser for the Orphans of Crossing Borders, a nonprofit organization that aids North Korean refugees in China. The event is this Friday, July 31 at Hudson Terrace in New York. Read on for details:
Fundraiser for the Orphans of Crossing Borders
Friday, July 31, 2009 6:00pm - 9:00pm Hudson Terrace 621 West 46th Street btwn 11th and 12th Avenues New York, NY
What better way to spend a beautiful summer evening (and help me celebrate my birthday) than to raise money and awareness for North Korean orphans on the Rooftop Garden Lounge at Hudson Terrace! All you have to do is show up and have a drink on us!
As many of you had seen on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," our founder, Mike Kim, was asked "Is your organization able to keep going?" And we can only reply "yes" with your support.
$20 admission at the door (just say you're there for "Crossing Borders"). Complimentary drink included. Reduced Happy Hour prices.
(IMPORTANT UPDATE: CASH only.
You MUST put all subsequent drink/food orders on the “CROSSING BORDERS" TAB from the server and at the bar, but GIVE THE CASH (plus tip) TO ONE OF THE CROSSING BORDERS STAFF.
There will be two stations, one where you can pay for drinks/food and another for donations. We won't have credit card machines, so be sure to have plenty of cash on you. Thanks so much for cooperating with us!)
All proceeds will be benefiting Crossing Borders' orphanages, going towards the orphans' clothing, food, school supplies, tuition, medical bills, etc.
So make your plans, and bring a friend. It's a nice way to spend a summer evening, enjoy a drink, and kick off the weekend. And best of all, it's for a great cause. To learn more about the event, and to purchase tickets, go here.
I don't know what show this video comes from, or when it was recorded, but it's pretty damn funny. Not only because of the girl's wrong answer, but because of who gets it right. Nice steal, Jerry! And least the girl was being honest. I've watched this clip over and over again, and I'm still laughing.
Some news out of Virginia about another Chinese food delivery driver murdered... This week in Richmond, an unidentified Asian male making a delivery from Wan Jing Lou restaurant was robbed and shot death while returning to his car: Restaurant delivery driver fatally shot.
Police have been working to determine the victim's identity. He had been shot multiple times and was pronounced dead at the scene. Police asked that anyone with any information call Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000. More here: Slain delivery driver not yet identified.
Another delivery driver killed. This is the area's second restaurant delivery murder in three months. A Chinese-food driver, 36-year-old Yong Sun, was shot to death making a delivery in April. And it's certainly not just in Virginia -- this is a disturbing trend that's been happening all over the United States.
If you're in New York, and couldn't make it out to the Asian American International Film Festival, you still have a chance to check out some of the film highlights at AAIFF community screenings in Harlem, Manhattan Chinatown and Flushing, Queens. Here are the events and venues:
AAIFF COMMUNITY SCREENINGS, JULY 30 - AUGUST 1, 2009
Whatever It Takes, dir. Christopher Wong USA / 97min / Documentary The first year of the Bronx Center of Science and Mathematics is documented in this film. While the school's stated mission is to patch the cracks in New York's education system, it's clear that the odds are stacked against its success.
Maysles Cinema 343 Lennox Avenue and 127th St., Harlem Thursday, July 30 @ 7:00 p.m. $7 suggested admission
Li Tong, dir. Nian Liu China / 74min / Narrative A restless young girl loses her bus pass one day after school. Her meandering trip home is the thread of this poignant “day in the life” tale, which wends its way through the various homes, personae and urban landscapes of contemporary Beijing.
Followed by: Karma Calling, dir. Sarba Das USA / 90min / Narrative The Raj family is definitely not comprised of stereotypical model minorities living the American Dream. On top of the family's troubled finances, the family hosts a recently widowed relative who is an endless source of comic disasters.
Followed by: Shorts Program, Home Is Where the Heart Is Immigration is more than a series of border crossings. Whether in New York, San Francisco, or Taiwan, the immigrants in these shorts must reconcile their places in the new world with their foundations in the old. Their lives, by choice and by force, plot a new course for the meaning of "home."
Featuring The Veiled Commodity, dir. Dickson Chow and Vinh Chung; A Green Mountain the Drawer, dir. Hwa Jun Lee; 20 30 40, dir. Mei-Yu Lee; Here to Stay, dir. ManSee Kong; Lower East Side: An Endangered Place, dir. MA Shumin.
Queens Library, Flushing Branch 41-17 Main St., Flushing, Queens Saturday, August 1 @ 12:00 p.m. Free admission
This is so cool. I really commend Asian CineVision for expanding its programming to bring its films to a broader community audience. And these are great films that deserve to be seen by as many people as possible. So if you missed out, and couldn't make it to the festival last weekend, you have a second chance. For more information about the screenings visit the AAIFF website here.
Khalid Sheikh, 53, and his two sons Rafi, 26, and Sami, 28, were sentenced to a total of sixteen years in prison. For three years, the family produced the fake DVDs at a phenomenal rate in a series of cramped 'factories' in rented industrial units or houses across London.
These were staffed by 'largely illegal Chinese immigrants', some of whom paid up to £20,000 to be smuggled into the UK to earn money to send back to China, basically living and working in 'virtual slavery. Take a look at the pictures in the article -- they had crazy operation going. More here: Family made £7m in fake DVD scam.
Another reason to regret missing this year's Comic-Con. This cool piece of art was put together by several of the Secret Identities artists as part of their San Diego Comic Con scavenger hunt.
Fans were encouraged to gather at least ten autographs from the various Secret Identities artists at Comic-Con on their SI copies for a chance to enter the raffle and win this kickass jam piece.
The artists who contributed to this one-of-a-kind piece were Bernard Chang, Jimmy Aquino, Benton Jew, Tiffanie Hwang, Jerry Ma, Ming Doyle, Larry Hama, Gene Yang, Walden Wong and Sonny Liew.
In the end, thirty folks were entered into the drawing, and one winner was plucked from the bunch: Cecil DeClaro of Orange, CA. Read more over at the Secret Identities blog: SDCC '09 Jam Piece Winner.
Here's an amusing New York Times story about John Doe. A 40-year-old Korean American software programmer whose actual name is John Doe, no joke: Meet John Doe. No, Really!
At age 11, Jang Do chose the name for himself when he immigrated to the United States from Korea. He changed "Jang" to "John" and "Do" to "Doe" (makes the pronunciation less confusing) and has been "John Doe" every since.
This, of course, has not made his life simple. John Doe gets funny looks all the time. And he apparently gets stopped by airport security every time he flies. It also makes meeting women and dating a little awkward.
But judging from the article, he doesn't really seem to mind the hassle associated with his name. It's his name, after all. And, ironically, having a name like John Doe actually makes him kind of unique. John H. Doe, to be precise.
Thirst, the highly-anticipated latest film from South Korean director Park Chan-wook, opens in select theaters this Friday, July 31. If you know anything about this director, you know he makes movies that kick your ass. I had the chance to see Thirst a couple of weeks ago, and damn, I really liked it.
This one's a vampire movie. Specifically, a movie about a priest who becomes a vampire. That's almost all you really need to know, right? Park Chan-wook makes a movie about a priest who becomes a vampire. Say no more. Where do I buy my ticket?
Song Kang-ho stars as Sang-hyun, a priest who cherishes life; so much so, that he selflessly volunteers for a secret vaccine development project meant to eradicate a deadly virus. But the virus takes him, and he receives an urgent blood transfusion... of vampire blood. Uh oh.
Struggling with his newfound carnal desire for blood, Sang-hyun's faith is further strained when a childhood friend's wife comes to him asking for his help in escaping her life. Sang-hyun soon plunges into a world of sensual pleasures, finding himself on intimate terms with the Seven Deadly Sins.
The movie won the Prix du Jury at the 2009 Cannes International Film Festival, but I've heard that it's received some mixed reviews. I can see why, though anyone who's looking for a traditional vampire flick should probably look elsewhere. Believe me, this ain't no Twilight.
This is a thinking man's vampire movie, one that grapples with some really interesting questions and dilemmas. And as usual, Park manages to inject some dark, delicious humor in the most absurd situations. My only issue is with the movie's pacing; it runs pretty long and drags a bit in the middle.
Overall, this is an intriguing, enthralling movie... but definitely not for the faint of heart. There's a lot of blood (it's a vampire movie), violence and sex, and none of it is very pretty. Don't say I didn't warn you. To learn more about the movie, and to watch the trailer, go to the Thirst website here.
Another research study looking folks willing to fill out a survey... Someone recently passed along a message from Cirleen DeBlaere, a graduate student at the University of Florida working on a dissertation on the life experiences and well-being of Asian /Asian American women.
The experiences of Asian American women, in particular, have often been neglected in academic literature. Her goal is to change this, and give voice to Asian/Asian American women's experiences -- but your participation is essential. She's hoping you'll take part in the study.
Participation will involve completing a survey that will take approximately 30 minutes. In order to participate, you must identify as an Asian/Asian American woman, reside in the US, and be at least 18 years old. To fill out the survey, go to the Survey Monkey site here.
For more information on the study, follow the survey link, or contact Cirleen DeBlaere at deblaere@ufl.edu. And pass along the link to other Asian/Asian American women who might be interesting in taking the survey.
Check out the trailer for MegaBot, an upcoming new web series from 5432 Films and Cherry Sky Films. It's directed by Nathan Kitada and Aaron T. Umetani, produced by Chris Nguyen, Ryan Kim and Jonako Donley... and stars Randall Park as Yellow. Think Voltron and Power Rangers, but with really bad language:
In 1999, five attractive, multi-ethnic students from Anytown High discovered mystical PowerSleeves. United, the PowerSleeves control MegaBot, a colossal crime-fighting robot designed by Lord Galgon, who must defend earth from evil BioBorg invasion, week after week. Now, a decade later, they hate the job and they really hate each other - but they still need the work.
You like that? Looks like it has the potential to be pretty damn funny. And I'm a big fan of Randall's, so I'll watch anything he's in. The series will be premiering sometime next month, either on YouTube or Atom.com. Stay tuned, and in the meantime, subscribe to the 5432 Films YouTube channel.
This story is a couple of weeks old, but I think it's pretty cool... Earlier this month, the Los Angeles Unified School District announced that they would set up a middle school named after Korean American war hero Colonel Young Oak Kim: L.A. Names School for Korean-American War Hero.
Young Oak Kim Academy will open in Los Angeles' Koreatown in September. The late Colonel Kim was a highly decorated member of the U.S. Army's 100th Infantry Battalion/42nd Regimental Combat Team who served in World War II and the Korean War.
Born in Los Angeles, Colonel Kim was a second-generation Korean American widely remembered for his wartime heroics. He was awarded medals for courageous and exemplary achievements, and devoted the rest of his life to charity work, helping war orphans and young people. More on Col. Kim here.
Asian American sketch comedy troupe 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors presents their latest show, "Bow Down to Your Asians Masters," running July 31 - August 23 at The Complex in Hollywood. The photo and that title should be enough to get you in the door. Some more info:
18 Mighty Mountain Warriors
Present The World Premiere of
"Bow Down To You Asian Masters!"
It's the Asian Century. Be prepared to show obedience to your new Asian masters. 18mmw will show you how. We have ways of making you laugh! You will bow down...with laughter. We will torture you...with laughter! You will shiver with... oh, you get the picture.
Starring: Junko Goda, Michael Chih Ming Hornbuckle, Kevin Ocampo, Diana Toshiko, Greg Watanabe, and Peter J.Wong!
Brand New Theatrical Sketches! Including:
* David Carradine and Bruce Lee debate "Kung Fu" in the afterlife! * The 18 MMW News Show! * How to serve your new Asian masters properly And more!
The Complex's Dorie Theater 6476 Santa Monica Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90038 (East of Highland Ave)
July 31-Aug 23 (July 30 preview) 4 Week Limited Run! Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays at 8pm
$15 General $12 Students/Seniors $10 groups of SIX or more $5 for Preview July 30th Buy out the house for $8 per seat! (55 seats total)! 2 for 1 every Sunday (except closing Sunday 8/23!) SPECIAL: If you pay to see the show once, you can see it again for FREE if you bring a paying guest!
Reservation: 818-754-4500 (vm) or Purchase tickets online
The Asians overlords are coming! Indeed, it's time to bow down to your Asian masters! It's useless to resist, so you might as well come out to pay your respects. To learn more about the 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors and the new show, visit the website here.
Oh my. Here's the not-quite-safe-for-work music video for "Crazy Fucked Up Bitch" by the Fabulous Miss Wendy, featuring Karin Anna Cheung engaging in all sorts of very, very naughty behavior. It's risque -- you've been warned.
The song and video are from the upcoming indie feature film The People I've Slept With, directed by Quentin Lee. Karin plays Anna, "a promiscuous woman who finds herself with an unplanned pregnancy and needs to figure out who the baby daddy is... NOW."
The movie also stars Wilson Cruz, Archie Kao, Lynn Chen, and James Shigeta. There's not much currently on the movie's website, except for a pretty picture of Karin. But I'm told that the movie is supposed to premiere sometime this fall. So stay tuned.
UPDATE: Alas, the "Crazy F*cked Up B*tch" music video has been banned from YouTube! It was apparently "removed due to terms of use violation." If you had a chance to watch it, you've got to admit it was pretty racy -- but too sexy for YouTube? Maybe. It's okay though, you can still watch it on The People I've Slept With website here.
This is for everyone in San Francisco... My friends at the Center for Asian American Media and the Japantown Merchants Association invite to special outdoor screening of Tetsuya Nakashima's Kamikaze Girls on Friday, August 14 at Japantown Peace Plaza. Here are the details:
CAAM and the Japantown Merchants Association welcome New People to San Francisco with a special outdoor screening of
KAMIKAZE GIRLS A film by Tetsuya Nakashima
FRIDAY, AUGUST 14TH 8:15PM
Japantown Peace Plaza Post Street at Buchanan Street San Francisco, CA
SEATING IS ON A FIRST-COME, FIRST-SERVED BASIS. EARLY ARRIVAL HIGHLY SUGGESTED.
Kamikaze Girls 103 mins | Japanese w/ E.S.
Momoko (Kyoko Fukada) yearns to live in 18 century Versailles than in her back-country hometown of Shimotsuma, heartland of the Yakuza. To escape, she loses herself in the dreamy, doll-like fashions of the "Lolita" scene. Her idol is Akinori Isobe, chief designer of Baby, The Stars Shine Bright, her favorite Lolita design house. She travels all the way to Tokyo to shop at their store.
One languid summer, to help fund her expensive hobby, Momoko runs a classified ad for brand-name knock-off clothes for sale. She encounters a buyer named Ichiko (Anna Tsuchiya), super-rebel member of the Ponytails motorbike gang. Somewhat against Momoko's will, she and Ichiko slowly develop a strong friendship as they share their feelings on the odd going-ons around them.
If you haven't seen this movie, it's a crazy, fun ride -- unlike anything you've probably ever seen. This should be a really fun evening. Seating is first-come, first-served, so mark your calendars and get there early. For more information about the screening, visit the CAAM website here.
It's trashy and ridiculous in all the right ways. Is it me, or does Johnny get shinier as the video progresses? Bad wigs make everything funnier. You can catch Charlyne doing more silly stuff in Paper Heart, in theaters August 7.
So you've perused through part one of my Comic-Con recap. Here's the second half. Behold, two giant Ugly Dolls, just standing there, wobbling side to side, chillin' at Comic-Con. They were a big hit, and everyone wanted to take a picture with them. That's Big Toe and Babo, I think.
Also near the Ugly Dolls booth, I spotted Spider-Man and the Black Cat. Yes, Felicia Hardy is an Asian girl. Hey, at Comic-Con, you can be anyone you want to be. Don't know who's under the Spidey mask though. Pretty good costumes, but pretty tame compared to some of the crazy stuff I saw wandering around the main floor.
You can always count on Giant Robot. These guys have been coming to Comic-Con for years and years, and it remains an extremely popular booth, offering their unique brand of cool toys, books and shirts to eager Con-goers.
I bought Cursiv, "a book of dirty drawings by David Choe." Then I got it signed by the dirty drawer himself, who was hanging out in the Giant Robot booth. I don't think he was enjoying Comic-Con too much, but he paused to pose for this photo.
Right next door, the Secret Identities booth! Half the reason why I came to Comic-Con in this year -- to support these guys. That's Jerry Ma, Jeff Yang, Parry Shen and Keith Chow, the editors of the Secret Identities, the Asian American superhero anthology.
Secret Identities shared a booth with Jerry's art/design company, Epic Proportions. Jerry hooked up me up with one of his newest designs, Devil Mask He's got a bunch of really cool t-shirt designs, so take a look here.
Here's the listing for the Epic Proportions/Secret Identities booth in the Comic-Con Events Guide. No respect. Unfortunately, Larry Shen was nowhere to be seen. Editor/actor Parry Shen, however, was on hand and happy to meet fans at the booth.
Hey, there appears to be a line starting to form around the Secret Identities booth. Who or what are all these (mostly male) Con-goers waiting to see?
It's actress Kelly Hu, who contributed the character "Jia," with superstar artist Cliff Chiang, in Secret Identities. They were both hanging around at the booth on Saturday afternoon to meet fans and sign autographs.
Here's Keith doing some serious hustling to sell Secret Identities to this curious young lady. She had wandered over to the booth after seeing the sign for "Asian American Superhero Anthology," and Keith started going into all the reasons why she should get the book. I witnessed the whole thing. She ended up buying a copy. Nice, Keith.
While walking the exhibit hall floor, I was pleased to find out that actor C.S. Lee, who plays Vince Masuka on Showtime's Dexter, would be making an appearance to meet fans and sign autographs. Not only that, but Masuka has his very own...
Bobblehead! Available from Entertainment Earth. How cool is that? You know I had to pick one up. They also had a Comic-Con exclusive Benjamin Linus bobblehead. Yes, I got one of those too.
And of course, I got my Masuka bobblehead signed by C.S., who was rocking a red FRA t-shirt. Turns out, the guy has crazy fans. While I was standing in line, I chatted up the people around me, and a lot of folks were saying that Masuka is their favorite character on Dexter. It was fun to see him get the recognition and fan adoration he deserves.
It was a long, tiring day. But extremely fun for this fanboy. I'll leave you with this photo of the saddest Skeletor I've ever seen. I actually saw this guy at least year's Comic-Con, and noted then how sad his costume was. Turns out, Unemployed Skeletor comes to Comic-Con every year, wearing his sad, sad, costume. And as you can see, he's looking for work. Times are tough. See you at next year's Comic-Con, Skeletor.
When you come across things like this, you just don't know what to do. After you get over the initial w-t-f moment... then what? Get angry, and tell everyone else to get them angry, at the risk of giving it more publicity than it deserves? Or just ignore it altogether? I'm sorry, but I can't ignore this.
I'm talking about this shit-ass-looking movie, Golden Blade III. I swear, I'm not making this up -- this is the actual poster for an actual movie. And if you think that's bad, watch the crappy trailer. I don't even want to know if there's an actual Golden Blade parts I or II.
It's obvious that the people involved with this have an unhealthy appreciation for martial arts flicks... but seriously lack respect for Asian culture... or Asian people, for that matter. Or maybe they don't actually know any Asians who told them to shut this shit down. All I saw was a lot of racial mockery. That's racist! (Thanks, Koji.)
Oh yes. Check out this promo for the new season of America's Best Dance Crew, featuring season three champs Quest Crew doing what they do best. Season four premieres on its new night, Sunday, August 9 on MTV.
The crews have already been selected, and they're ready to prove they've got what it takes. Let's face it -- it's going to be hard to top the awesome crews of season past. But here they are: ABDC Season 4 Crews Announced!
Everybody knows that Korean dramas have a powerful lure. I don't know what it is, but anyone who has gotten caught up watching them can tell you that they can get downright addictive. So this article actually isn't remarkably surprising: NKoreans Risking Lives for SKorean Soap Operas.
According to a new report, in North Korea -- one of the world's most isolated and repressive nations -- more and more people have been found smuggling bootleg video tapes of South Korean dramas, by way of China. They're holding illicit screenings across Pyongyang or swapping tapes.
If they get caught, some pay off security agents who turn a blind eye in favor of cash -- or let them join them in watching the banned dramas. The draw of South Korean movies and music -- widely known across Asia as hallyu, or the "Korean Wave" -- is just that powerful. It's fascinating.
The trend has the government worried enough that they've been cracking down on the bootlegs. Teams of North Korean agents known as "109 squads" are sweeping through border towns at night, arresting smugglers and confiscating banned South Korean material.
Basically, the North Korean government is losing its tight grip on the flow of information, and it's freaking them out. Who would have known that outside influence would come in the form of South Korea soap operas?
A few years back, I visited South Korea and was part of a group that got to meet former president Kim Dae-jung. In his speech to us, even he suggested that the Korean Wave -- South Korean dramas, film, music -- would play an important in role in ultimately re-unifying the people of the Korean peninsula (that is, in addition to careful international diplomacy) by indirectly reaching out to the North through culture. That's the power of hallyu.
Wanna dance? Here's the high-energy video for BoA's "Energetic." The song, in which BoA instructs you to "report to the dance flooooor," is probably one of my favorite tracks on her self-titled English-language debut album.
The song is catchy, and it's obvious that this girl can dance her ass off. So will this be the single that really propels Ms. Kwon into mainstream U.S. pop consciousness? "Eat You Up" didn't quite catch on, and I wasn't too fond of "I Did It For Love." But maybe this is the one.
First announced was Iemi Hernandez-Kim, director of the short film Ayi's Story and winner of the One to Watch award, an audience-voted prize that recognizes talent in filmmakers under the age of 21. Ayi's Story follows the journey of a teenaged girl from Brooklyn to numerous destinations in China, capturing her experiences in documentary and video-journal style.
Kim Snyder, director of the short film Crossing Midnight, won the award for Excellence in Short Filmmaking. Her documentary on the efforts of health workers to treat Burmese refugees deals with the issue of human rights through the lens of medicine.
Also putting a spotlight on the plight of persecuted minorities is director Ngawang Choephel, who won the award for Best Emerging Director in Documentary Feature. His film, Tibet in Song, explores the traditional folk music of Tibet, China's impact on this tradition, and Choephel's own political imprisonment during his attempt to capture his subject on film.
Chinese director Nian Liu won the award for Best Emerging Director in Narrative Feature. Her film, Li Tong, used the fictional story of a schoolgirl losing her bus pass as a means of exploring and exposing the many cultural, socioeconomic and personal facets of contemporary Beijing.
Director Christopher Wong won the Audience Choice Award, which was based on votes cast by the audience during the Festival's various screenings. His documentary feature, Whatever It Takes, follows the progress of the Bronx Center of Science and Mathematics in its first year of operation, focusing especially on the relationship between principal Edward Tom and student Sharifea Baskerville.
I have to give special props to Whatever It Takes. I've been following this film's journey for a long time, and it's just awesome to see audiences respond to Sharifea and Principal Tom's story in such a positive way. The film is a bold, honest portrait of people trying to do the best they can in circumstances that seem stacked against them. If you get a chance to see this film, don't miss it.
To learn more about this year's film festival and all the award winning films, visit the Asian American International Film Festival website here.
The Cebu inmates are back with their latest tribute to Michael Jackson, an elaborately choreographed rendition of "Dangerous." Behold, as these crime-hardened prisoners show you who's bad... with dance!
Ever since the original "Thriller" video that made these prisoners an international YouTube sensation, I've always wondered... how do they determine which inmates get to be the featured dancers in black? Is there an audition process? Call backs? And most importantly, who gets to be Michael?
There's a movie in this, somewhere: the story of a new inmate -- a troubled, but gifted young dancer -- who rises up among the ranks to become the top dancer at Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Centre. Dare to dream.
Dr. Thomas Dao, a former research director at one of the nation's leading cancer institutes and an early advocate of a conservative approach to breast cancer surgery, died earlier this month in Buffalo. He was 88: Dr. Thomas Dao, Expert on Treatment of Breast Cancer, Dies at 88.
Dr. Dao was director of the breast surgery department at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute from 1957 to 1988. He made contributions in both the clinical treatment of breast cancer and research on how hormones stimulate the growth of tumors.
For decades, radical mastectomy -- in which the breast, underlying chest muscle and lymph nodes are removed -- was standard procedure and was often performed immediately after a biopsy determined a malignant tumor was present.
Dr. Dao's research supported the idea that a delay between the biopsy and surgery gave the patient time to consider various treatments. The two-step procedure is now common.
Over the weekend, as part of the Asian American International Film Festival, AAFilmLab announced the winners and presented awards for the 6th Annual 72 Hour Film Shootout.
If you're not familiar with the Shootout, basically, it's a nationwide competition where filmmaking teams have 72 hours to complete a five-minute short film based around a prescribed theme. This year's theme was was Time's Up.
Here are the competition's Top 10:
Top 10 1. Team HeadOn "Times [not] Up" 2. Color TV "Grace & the Staten Island Fairy" 3. Fish Grenade "25 Mins" 4. A Green Bowl "Just A Burger" 5. Vision "96-120" 6. Team Persimmon "Broken" 7. Barkada Inc. "Time Out" 8. The Sexiest One in the Bunch "A Date with Time " 9. imua! Theatre and Film Company "White Rabbit" 10. Fresh C Crew "Time After Time"
And here are the Shootout's award winners:
Best Actor Rain Noe "Grace & the Staten Island Fairy"
Best Actress Ginger Kroll "Broken"
Peer Choice Award Team HeadOn "Times [not] Up"
Peek Award Team HeadOn "Times [not] Up" Color TV "Grace & the Staten Island Fairy" Fish Grenade "25 Mins"
Student Filmmaker Award Team Fivelement "I'm Perfect"
Best Cinematography Fish Grenade "25 Mins" - WINNER Last Minute Films "An Untitled Project" Kevin Boston "The One" Wet Maynard "Season's End" AK9 Films "Now"
Best Story One Hundred Hand Clap "Is There Anything Else?" Fish Grenade "25 Mins" Color TV "Grace & the Staten Island Fairy" Barkada Inc. "Time Out" Team HeadOn "Times [not] Up" - WINNER
Most Original Use of Theme Fish Grenade "25 Mins" A Green Bowl "Just A Burger" - WINNER Vision "96-120" Fresh C Crew "Time After Time" Argosy "I Have A Rendezvous With Death"
Best Editing Vision "96-120" A Green Bowl "Just A Burger" Fish Grenade "25 Mins" Team HeadOn "Times [not] Up" - WINNER imua! Theatre & Film Company "White Rabbit"
Best Direction Color TV "Grace & the Staten Island Fairy" One Hundred Hand Clap "Is There Anything Else?" Fish Grenade "25 Mins" imua! Theatre & Film Company "White Rabbit" Team HeadOn "Times [not] Up" - WINNER
Congratulations to all the award winners -- especially grand prize winners TeamHeadOn for Time's [not] Up. Nice work. For the rest of you, there's always next year. To learn more about AAFilmLab's 72 Hour Film Shootout, visit the website here.
Check it out. The summer interns at Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics (LEAP) have put together a project called Locating Ourselves in History, which collects personal stories and narratives of Asian Pacific Islander Americans and places them on an interactive timeline/map to demonstrate their part in the larger fabric of the American experience.
They plan to officially launch the website on August 14. In the meantime, they're putting the call out for folks to share their own personal stories as part of the project. Go here and fill out the form to submit your story. To learn more about Locating Ourselves in History, go to future home of the website here.
Over the weekend, I joined thousands of fellow fanboys/girls at the San Diego Convention Center for the massive geek gathering known as Comic-Con. This year, I was only attending for one day -- the busiest day of the Con -- so I braved the lines, crowds and costumes to pack it all in. Here are some of the things/people I saw.
I get to the convention center, and the first person I run into? Filmmaker and friend Patricio Ginelsa, rocking the foam Spidey hand. This guy had the scoop on all the cool Comic-Con exclusives.
Here's line to get into Hall H, where all the big buzz panels take place. This is actually just the front of the line. I got there two hours before the start of the Lost panel, but some people actually camped out in line all night. I thought I was Lost fan... but compared to these folks, I'm a novice.
Ah, the extremely popular annual Lost panel, gathering at Comic-Con for the last time in anticipation of the final season. This is a shot of show producers Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof, projected on the big screen. They were joined by cast members, Jorge Garcia, Michael Emerson, Nestor Carbonell, Josh Holloway and Dominic Monaghan. Word is, the final season will "close the loop" of the show's story arc, so that means season six will somewhat resemble season one... whatever that means. Wait and see.
Inside the main exhibit, there are crowds. Lots and lots and lots of crowds. And no one gathered more crowds than the live taping of G4's Attack of the Show. Specifically, co-host Olivia Munn. The crowd went absolutely insane any time she would just look down and wave. Right around when I took this photo, I really wished I had a better camera.
MMA champion fighter Cung Le was at Comic-Con to shake hands and meet fans. He'll be appearing in upcoming the sci-fi thriller Pandorum. When I asked him about his role in the movie, he specifically told me he's there to "represent for the Asians." I thought that was pretty cool.
A man of action deserves an action figure.
Bryan Lee O'Malley, the creator behind the extremely popular Scott Pilgrim series was at the Oni Press booth to sign autographs, generating a long line of eager fans. I've never read this title, but have heard crazy good things about it. The guy working the Oni table tried to get me to buy all six volumes, but I ended just getting the first two to give it a try. I'll tell you how it is.
This is John Layman, writer behind the comic book Chew, which I've mentioned here before. The book's main character is federal agent Tony Chu -- an Asian guy -- who gets psychic impressions from the things he eats. I've read the first two issues, and it's one of the most original and weird comics I've ever read (in a good way). It's also quickly become one of the Image Comics' bestselling titles.
In interviews, John has said that Tony Chu's look is modeled after actor Ken Leung, who plays Miles on Lost. We got to talking, and he said that he's been approached by Hollywood types who are interested in adapting Chew for the big screen. The one thing that he insists, he says, is that Tony Chu has to be played by an Asian guy. I hope we get to see that one day. For now, I'm really enjoying the comic book.
Kazu Kibuishi is the creator and editor of the anthology Flight and the children's graphic novel Amulet. I hadn't picked either of these books up yet, but when I professed this to the people at the booth, they all freaked out and insisted that I had to read them. Random people hanging around the booth started chiming in. So I caved into peer pressure and bought volume ones of each book... and I'm really looking forward to digging in to them.
This is Derek Kirk Kim and Gene Luen Yang, the co-creators behind The Eternal Smile, and the authors behind two of my favorite books, Same Difference and American Born Chinese, respectively. As a huge fan of their work, I am extremely happy to tell you that they're both really cool guys.
And here's Ryan Suda, holding it down as usual at the Blacklava booth. I actually have almost the exact same photo of him from last year's Comic-Con. Heck, he's even wearing the same BARACK shirt. Very cool to see the Comic-Con audience discovering and buying Blacklava's Asian American empowerment apparel.
Okay, this is getting long, and I'm only halfway through what I was planning for this post. And I'm still kind of recovering from the weekend. So I'll cut it short here and post the rest later. Be sure to check back tomorrow for part two of my 2009 Comic-Con recap.
Everyone knows that dating in the big city is complicated. But it shouldn't be painful. This is a fun New York Times story on Helen Hong, a television producer and standup comedian who has come up with innovation for singles: speed matchmaking. To be more precise, it's speed matchmaking for singles in the audience of a comedy show: Get a Laugh? She Also Wants to Make a Match
Helen herself does some of the matchmaking, right there in front of a packed room full of singles. She just finds people who look like they should be together, cracks a few jokes, and makes a match. I guess she's just trying to un-complicate things and make it fun. If it doesn't work out, it's not the end of the world. I sense a possible new trend across the Asian American singles scene!
Hey, Bay Area. Kearny Street Workshop's third annual fashion show fundraiser, APAture Runway III is coming up next month, August 8 in San Francisco. This year is their biggest lineup yet, with ten emerging Asian American designers, including headliner Linda Wong of the Battalion. Here are some details:
APAture Runway III: Third Annual Fashion Show of Emerging Asian American Designers Co-presented by KSW and APICC
Saturday, August 8, 7:30pm - 10:30pm SOMArts Cultural Center 934 Brannan St., SF Admission: $10-20 sliding scale at the door or $8 online pre-sale
Attention local fashionistas - Be the first to experience fresh and eclectic collections from 10 up-and-coming fashion designers at APAture Runway III, featuring LA-based eco-couture designer Linda Wong of The Battalion.
Our lineup of emerging Asian American designers includes Heather Guevarra (Gingerbread Clothing), Amy M. Ho, Faithy Leong, Jarvinia Li, I Shan Liou, Loretta K Nguyen (fiftyseven-thirtythree), Erica Varize (Evarize), Brian Yee (Bok Choy Apparel), and Shani Solomon (MXW). Take home clothes hot off the runway by bidding in our live auction of designers goods!
All proceeds benefit KSW's 11th annual APAture, a multidisciplinary arts festival of emerging Asian Pacific American artists, happening September 17-26.
All proceeds from the event will benefit Kearny Street Workshop's 11th annual APAture, a multidisciplinary arts festival of emerging Asian Pacific American artists, happening September 17-26. For more information about APAture Runway, go to the KSW website here.
Here's a really candid, lengthy piece in the Chicago Sun-Times by former White Sox pitcher Jim Parque, who admits to taking human growth hormone, and explains the circumstances and decisions that led him to that place: Former Sox pitcher Jim Parque confesses: Why I juiced.
Parque is one of the few major league players to come out and openly admit he took performance-enhancing drugs. He's obviously sorry for what he did, but he also dares to ask the reader a sobering question: what would you have done in his place? In an age where professional baseball is mired with doping denials and finger-pointing, Parques' honesty is surprisingly refreshing.
I get a lot of messages and requests from folks asking for help spreading the word about individuals in need of medical help. It's tough, because I just can't write about all of them, but it's so hard to say no. I recently heard from Pitt, who tells me about Steven Lee, a friend seriously in need of funding for medical expenses. Here's his story:
I am writing to you in hopes of garnering some help for a close friend who was in a rock climbing accident in Upstate New York a few months ago. Because of the accident, he sustained a crushed hip, fractured leg, and a major neck injury. After several surgeries his leg and hip has healed, but because of his neck injury, is unable to move and feel anything below his shoulders voluntarily. His name is Steven Lee, and he has been going through intense rehabilitation at the Kessler Institute. Because of his inner strength, sheer will, determination, and the intense therapy he has been receiving, Steve's body is showing signs of progress everyday. His body can now feel sensations, and just quite recently has been able to move a finger. His body is slowly trying to heal itself and understandably, Doctors are reluctant to make any types of prognosis in terms of his recovery. It has been an uphill climb but he has been fighting everyday.
Due to the insurance industry and his medical expenses, it has become necessary for all of Steve's friends and family to start fund raising so that we can make sure he gets the best care possible. Without this care they will send him home and we fear all the progress Steve has made thus far will be for naught.
Fortunately, there is a company that keeps an accounting of the funds and makes sure they are dispersed for Steve's medical expenses only. If all of us could engage everyone we know, and all the groups we know, we could reach out and make a huge difference in Steve's recovery. He is one of the most sincere and giving persons I know and we are all trying to lift him and his parents up and over this seemingly unconquerable mountain.
Maybe you know Steve. You probably don't. But if he has a friend is Pitt who willing to reach out like this on his behalf, you can at least take a moment to hear more about his situation. You can find out more, and donate to Steven's fund here: NTAF Mid-Atlantic Spinal Cord Injury Fund.
Very sad, heartbreaking news. Michelle Maykin, whose public struggle with leukemia inspired so many people, finally lost her battle early yesterday. She was 27: Michelle is in peace.
The campaign that developed around fighting her illness managed to register over 18,000 individuals to be bone marrow donors for the APIA community. She fought not only for herself, but the countless lives of others who have slim chances of finding a marrow match.
Services will be held today at 7:00pm at the Fremont Buddhist Thai Temple (36054 Niles Blvd. Fremont, CA) to honor Michelle's life. All are welcome. The funeral itself will be next week, with details forthcoming.
I never met Michelle, but I knew her struggle, and she seemed like a beautiful, fearless individual. My deepest condolences go out to her family and friends. If you haven't yet registered as a bone marrow donor, please consider doing so -- you could save a life. To learn more about Michelle's story, go here.
I've mentioned David Boyle's indie comedy White on Rice here throughout its festival run, but I thought post about it again, since a new trailer recently popped up on Apple. Here's the film's official description:
Jimmy (Hiroshi Watanabe, LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA) loves dinosaurs and sleeps on the top bunk. Unfortunately, Jimmy is 40, and shares the bunk bed with Bob, his 10-year-old nephew. Freshly divorced, Jimmy has moved in with his sister Aiko and her family while boldly searching for a new wife. His brother in-law, Tak, thinks he's a disaster. And although Jimmy may lack social grace, he is convinced the best years of his life are just beginning. His plan seems like it's all falling into place when Tak's beautiful niece Ramona moves in. But once Jimmy sets his sights on her, he finds he has competition from his handsome co-worker Tim (James Kyson Lee, HEROES), and his intentions begin to go hilariously awry.
If this is your first time hearing about the film, believe me, it's as weird and quirky as the trailer indicates. Hiroshi Watanabe is kind of brilliant as one of the most annoying and unlikeable heroes you'll ever find yourself rooting for. To learn more about the movie, visit the White on Rice website here.
It's becoming a fairly common phenomenon. Chinese immigrants, facing mounting financial and cultural pressures, temporarily send their American-born children to live with relatives in China, bringing them back when the parents are more established and the children are older, around pre-school age.
This sucks. Because no parent wants to send their kid to China, even if it is with relatives. But for some working-class families, it might seem like the only viable option. Now that the developmental pitfalls are being identified, let's hope community efforts can help families find alternatives.
The ad was inspired by the Pre's ability "to let you effortlessly flow among all your life's diverse dimensions." It was apparently filmed entirely in China, with real Chinese kung fu students. Because, baby, you can't half-ass Asian spirtuality.
What an amazing device. With the Pre, you will have a subservient, well-choreographed Asian horde in the palm of your hand! Of course, the Gizmodo headline is a reference to the Cebu prison inmates. Hey, they're all wearing orange jumpsuits too.
Harold Koh, former dean of Yale Law School and now legal adviser at the State Department, and Howard Koh, assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services, both were confirmed by the Senate late last month.
The sons of Korean immigrants, their rise to the Obama administration is only the latest success story in their family of overachievers. The Kohs' four siblings include a retired college dean, a university professor, a doctor and an artist. Daaaaamn.
Oh, and their mom holds a Ph.D in sociology and anthropology. Got that, Rahm, Zeke and Ari? The Emanuels have nothing on this family.
It's that time again. Time to meet another Angry Reader of the Week, spotlighting you, the very special readers of this website. Over the years, I've been able to connect with a lot of cool folks, and this is a way of showing some appreciation and attention to the people who help make this blog what it is. This week's Angry Reader is Kate Agathon, representin' the Midwest.
Who are you? Kate Agathon - graduate instructor at Purdue University, community activist, and closet fan girl.
What are you? Proud possessor of a dynamic East/West zodiac. As a Dragon/Scorpio, I'm extremely passionate by nature and can be enthusiastic to the point of impetuosity! I actually do embody 99 percent of the personality traits attributed to each, so there must be some truth behind the text.
Where are you? Finishing a doctorate and helping to build a strong Asian American Studies program right here in West Lafayette, Indiana.
Where are you from? I was born in and spent the first couple years of my life in Bangkok, Thailand. However, I claim Fort Collins, Colorado, as my mother ship. Colorado is, after all, the land of Fat Tire, mountain biking and fun! It's the ultimate playground. I definitely claim the West as my home.
What do you do? During the day, I split my time as a doctoral student between the College of Education and the College of Liberal Arts juggling a handful of research assistantships and teaching undergraduate courses that range from an Asian American Studies survey to professional career development. Infused with a strong social justice component, my research interests include issues pertaining to contemporary Asian American identity (especially those of intercountry adoptees) and critically examining (mis)representations of Asian Americans in popular culture and the media.
In the evening, I moonlight as a community activist working on a plethora of projects that advance awareness of Asian Americans who live in Greater Lafayette. Last spring, I produced and curated the "commUNITY" traveling photo exhibition that profiled Asian Americans who live in the community. I'm currently working on a new exhibition that will debut in APA Heritage Month 2010. Entitled "ImaginAsian," the exhibition is intended to be a fund raiser whose proceeds will help build the Asian American collections in the Purdue University and Indiana University libraries.
What are you all about? As a stakeholder in the Asian American community, I'm about forming coalitions at a grassroots level, promoting social justice, and creating a sense of unity.
What makes you angry? Asian Americans who over look the unique historical and contemporary experiences of their Asian American brothers and sisters who reside in the Midwest. In essence, those who erroneously consider the idea of a Midwestern Asian American identity as nonexistent.
Google users, check this out... they're now offering all sorts of new free comic book themes for iGoogle, including Gene Yang's American Born Chinese, Gene and Derek Kirk Kim's The Eternal Smile, and art from Hellen Jo. Lots of fun stuff there for comic book lovers.
I recently heard from William Nguyen, a Ph.D student at at Alliant International University who is doing research for his dissertation on the Career Decision Making Styles of Chinese American undergraduate students. If you're a Chinese American student, he could use your help filling out his survey. From William:
Greetings. My name is William Nguyen, MA and I am a Ph. D Candidate at Alliant International University: CSPP. I am conducting a study that explores the beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors of Chinese American identified undergraduate students attending a 2 or 4 year college/university in regards to their career decision-making process. If you are interested in participating, you will complete a 20 – 30 minute survey that asks you a myriad of questions related to your career decision-making process. All responses and identifying information will be kept confidential. As incentive for your participation, all participants that provide contact information will be entered in a raffle for either a $75, $50, or $25 gift card to Gap, Inc. (or any other department store of choice). Should you have any questions about the research please contact: William Nguyen at wnguyen@alliant.edu. If you would like to participate, please click on the following link to survey monkey (https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=DQKGz8ZQQ58Uuyq4aROxvA_3d_3d). Also, if you are interested in receiving results to this study, please contact William Nguyen with that request. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Do you meet the criteria? William could use your help. If you could take 20-30 minutes of your time to fill out the survey, it would be really help for his research. And of course, all the information you give will be kept confidential. To take the online survey, go here.
This is an interesting story from The Dallas Morning News about 40-year-old Sinh Tho Nguyen, an Army and National Guard veteran who has made it his personal mission to walk across the United States to honor America and its troops: Fort Worth man puts heart, soles into message with walk across America.
Nguyen, who moved to Texas after growing up in Vietnam, is about 1,000 miles into his journey and arrived in Dallas-Forth Worth on Wednesday -- a pit stop for one week before resuming his walk across America. He's not getting paid or raising money for a cause. It's just his way of saying thanks to America and its troops.
He started his 2,600-mile journey in Atlantic Beach, Florida, and hopes to make it to San Diego by Thanksgiving. Nguyen always carries an American flag and has a sign strapped to his back displaying the message: "Shore to Shore: A Walk Across America to Honor Those Who Serve." Did I mention that this guy really loves America?
"Torture Memo" author John Yoo recently experienced an uncomfortable little incident when a prankster interrupted one of his lectures at Chapman University School of Law. I kind of love this Gawker headline: John Yoo Briefly Disturbed By Consequences of His Actions.
It's all on video. When Yoo mentions the Constitution during his lecture, and asks the students if he has any questions, the comedian, dressed in the now-iconic black hooded robe, stands up on the desk and asks "Uhm, how long can I be required to stand here 'til it counts as torture?"
Yoo, trying to keep it cool, promptly ends the lecture and gets the hell out of there. But he does let the prankster know he'll give him a few moments before calling security. Sorry, professor -- was that awkward? Maybe even a little awkward? But surely not torture.
The Feature Film Creative Producing Lab is a five-day Lab for narrative feature film producers, designed to develop creative instincts in all stages of film production and to evolve communication and problem-solving skills.
I was pleased to hear that You're a Big Girl Now, produced by Mynette Louie, was one of the projects selected to attend the Feature Film Creative Producing Lab. The film is the latest from Tze Chun, writer/director of Children of Invention. Here's a brief description and Mynette's bio from the Sundance press release:
YOU'RE A BIG GIRL NOW / Mynette Louie
A Singaporean orphan is bought by a brothel, escapes to Hong Kong with an older prostitute, then returns to Singapore to uncover the mysteries of her childhood. Based on a true story.
Mynette Louie A New York-based independent film producer, Louie produced Tze Chun's award-winning Sundance feature, Children of Invention, co-produced Andrew Bujalski's critically acclaimed Mutual Appreciation, and was selected by IFP as one of two emerging American independent producers to participate in Rotterdam Lab 2008. She is currently in post-production on P. Benoit's Ayiti, Ayiti, a Sundance Lab project and winner of the inaugural Time Warner Storytelling Award. She previously worked at the Hawaii Film Office, where she authored the state's production tax credit, and in business development and marketing at SportsIllustrated.com, Jupiter Research, and Time Magazine. She received a bachelor's degree in East Asian Studies, focusing on Chinese literature and film, from Harvard University.
Mynette posted a blog entry for Filmmaker Magazine, written before she left for the Sundance Lab, on why she's attending and what she hopes to learn there. She also sounds extremely busy: BLOGGING FROM THE SUNDANCE CREATIVE PRODUCING LAB: MYNETTE LOUIE. I think she intends to write another post when she returns from the Lab too.
UPDATE: Here's the second part of Mynette Louie's blog, collecting her thoughts and sharing about her experience at the Sundance Creative Producing Lab: BLOGGING FROM THE SUNDANCE CREATIVE PRODUCING LAB: MYNETTE LOUIE, PT. 2. It's a good read for anyone who's interested in becoming (and surviving as) an indie film producer.
If you're headed to San Diego this weekend for Comic-Con (you might already be there), you have the rare opportunity to see master director Hayao Miyazaki -- the mind behind the some of the greatest animated films of all time: Japan's Master Animator to Be Honored in U.S. Visit.
The normally very private Mr. Miyazaki will be in the U.S. to promote his latest film, Ponyo, which will be released here next month. He'll not only be at Comic-Con, but he'll be there to address a room full of 6,500 admirers. This is a guy who didn't even show up to collect his Oscar for Spirited Away!
So an appearance stateside is a pretty big deal. Fanboys, prepare yourselves (but be polite). The man is not only a great in feature animation, but one of the greatest storytellers of all time, period.
I received this intriguing community advisory from the Sikh American Legal Defense and Eduation Fund, regarding a recently enacted law in Oregon called th Oregon Workplace Religious Freedom Act. The law sounds like it ensure certain liberties for religious minorities, but it has some major complications... and believe it or not, it involves the legacy of the KKK. Read on:
Religious Freedom v. Ku Klux Klan
July 22, 2009 (Washington, DC) - The State of Oregon recently enacted a law called the Oregon Workplace Religious Freedom Act (WRFA). Although this should have generated fanfare among religious minorities, for whom there is insufficient protection under federal employment discrimination laws, Oregon's WRFA has, in fact, generated enormous protest among Sikh Americans and a diverse coalition of religious groups and civil libertarians throughout the nation.
What is the problem?
The problem is that Oregon's WRFA does not apply to public school teachers who wear religious clothing in private adherence to faith. Although Oregon's WRFA undoubtedly expands workplace religious freedom for most Oregonians, the public school exemption was designed to preserve an archaic law—enacted with the support of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s—which forbids public school teachers from wearing any form of religious clothing. In effect, observant Sikhs, Muslims, Jews—and others who wear religious clothing in private adherence to faith—are shut out of the teaching profession in Oregon. With the possible exception of Pennsylvania, no other state in the country restricts public school teachers in this manner.
When did the Ku Klux Klan come into the picture?
Oregon's teacher garb law was enacted nearly a century ago by sympathizers of the Ku Klux Klan for the purpose of suppressing Catholics. According to The Oregon Bluebook, an official publication of the State of Oregon about its own history:
"The Ku Klux Klan enjoyed a warm reception from many Oregon communities in the 1920s as Catholics and minorities suffered both blatant and subtle bigotry. The Klan, FOPS, and Scottish Rite Masons sponsored a bill, passed in 1922 in the general election, to compel all children to attend public schools. The overtly anti-Catholic measure threatened to close all parochial schools and military academies ... The legislature also passed a law forbidding wearing of sectarian clothing, namely priestly vestments or nuns' habits, in classrooms."
What is SALDEF's position on this issue?
The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) rejects Oregon's antiquated and immoral teacher garb law and demands an immediate repeal.
Here's what you can do to help... basically, spread the word. Most people don't know that the Oregon teacher garb statute was enacted in the 1920s by the KKK for the purpose of suppressing Catholics. Reach out to your friends in the interfaith community and spread the word about what's happening in Oregon.
If you live in Oregon, contact your state representative and ask them whether they can commit to moving beyond the 1920s and repealing Oregon's teacher garb statute during the next legislative session.
MTV just posted the online trailer premiere for Ninja Assassin, starring Korean pop superstar Rain: 'Ninja Assassin' Starring Rain - Watch The Trailer Here!. He plays Raizo, a kidnapped child who is raised to be a professional killer but ends up seeking revenge against the clan that made him who he is.
The movie, directed by James McTeigue, is set for release later this year. Yes, it's ninjas and Japanese gangsters and martial arts and all that crazy Asian stuff. It kind of looks like everything you'd expect a movie titled "Ninja Assassin" to be.
The trailer's okay. I like ninjas as much as the next guy, and Rain certainly looks the part, and the movie promises to be a crazy all-out action-fest -- which is a good thing. But something about it bugged me. Maybe it was all the CGI weapons -- ninja stars, blades -- flying at the camera. Maybe I'm just bothered by MTV's crappy video presentation.
The real question is whether or not Rain will prove that he's Hollywood leading man material. Fortunately for him, he's chosen a role that probably doesn't require a lot of dialogue, and a whole lot of asskicking. My feeling though, is that this might pigeonhole him into Hollywood's silent Asian man action roles. We shall see.
Saw this over on the Asian Pacific American for Progress blog... Dr. Li-Ann Thio, a visiting professor from Singapore, was supposed to teach human rights law this fall at NYU. However, her hiring drew protests from student activist groups for her past comments on homosexuality and her strong advocacy for its continued criminalization in Singapore.
Now, we get word that Dr. Thio has withdrawn her acceptance of the offer to teach at NYU. Here's part of a press release from the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission:
The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) commends student and other community activists at New York University (NYU) for successfully challenging the school administration and Dr. Thio Li-Ann in support of the human rights of people with diverse sexual orientations. Thio, a Singaporean academic and politician, had been invited to teach human rights as a Global Visiting Professor at New York University School of Law, despite her public vilification of homosexuality and her strong advocacy for its continued criminalization in Singapore.
On July 22, 2009, Professor Thio withdrew her acceptance of the offer to teach at NYU, citing pressure from the university community. Individual students, student groups, LGBT organizations, and other activists had signed a petition and written letters condemning Thio's hiring.
According to the press release, in a memorandum to the law school community announcing Professor Thio's withdrawal, Dean Revesz expressed his view that "the core principles of academic freedom and intellectual diversity on the one hand, and non-discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation on the other, were in conflict." Yes, you think? More here: Worst Human Rights Professor in the World Dr. Thio Li-Ann Withdraws from NYU.
Just got word that BruceLee.com, the official website of Bruce Lee, launched this afternoon. Years ago, the domain name was taken by a cybersquatter, and it's taken a loooong time for Bruce's family to get it back. But now the site is up and running, created and maintained by the people behind Bruce Lee's estate.
The site includes various bits of media, photos, an official merchandise store, and a blog maintained by Bruce's daughter Shannon Lee. There's apparently still a lot more to be added, but it's a fun spot for fans. Poke around and check it out.
The mental health records of Seung-hui Cho, the gunman in the Virginia Tech shooting massacre, have been found. The records, which could not be found during the investigation into the 2007 shooting, have been discovered in the home of the former director of the university's counseling clinic: Va. Tech Gunman's Mental Health Records Found.
The records were found by lawyers preparing for a civil lawsuit filed this year by families of two of the 32 people that Cho killed before turning the gun on himself on April 16, 2007. The center's former director, Robert C. Miller, left his position at the Cook Counseling Center more than a year before the massacre.
This discovery obviously raises new questions about how thoroughly the state investigated the shootings. All this time, the records were just sitting in his house? A criminal investigation is under way to determine how Miller was able to take the records and why the documents were not found earlier.
In April, the families of two slain students sued the state, the university, its counseling center, several top university officials and a local mental health agency. The lawsuit alleges gross negligence in the care and attention given to Cho before and during his shooting rampage.
The files will reportedly be made public within days, either with the permission of the administrator of Cho's estate or through a state subpoena. Who know what significance they'll hold for the case? Two years later, I'm doubtful that they'll shed any more insight on why this massacre happened.
Narrative and documentary features will screen at Clearview Chelsea, and short films will screen at the Museum of Chinese in America. If you're thinking about attending, here's another handful of film highlights to check out:
Hubad Fri, July 24 @8:45pm Directed by Mark Gary and Denisa Reyes (Feature) In a conservative atmosphere, theater director Andre tries to break new ground with a hyper sexual play. He faces obstacles in funding his project and working with his actors, but passion ignites between the two middle aged leads as theater and life becomes intertwined.
A Green Mountain in the Drawer Fri, July 24 @ 5pm Directed by Hwa Jun Lee (Short) In a state of reflective isolation, an elderly Korean American woman buys a plane ticket. The journey she makes is a moving return to the mountaintop of her most vivid memory.
Incongruent Body Sat, July 25 @ 6:45pm Directed by Jian Lee (Short) Self-image is an inescapable constant in our society. The incongruent body in this short leaps between live action, stop motion, and traditional animation to reveal the gruesome viscera of physical beauty in a watchful world.
Fruit Fly Sun, July 26 @6pm Directed by H.P. Mendoza (Feature) A naughty, fast-paced, punchy romp of a musical, Fruit Fly follows young performance artist Bethesda on her soul-searching journey to find a place for herself while trying her luck in the art scene.
Crossing Midnight Sat, July 25 @ 4:30pm Directed by Kim Snyder (Short) For persecuted minorities in Burma, sometimes survival necessitates flight. In neighboring Thailand, a growing community of refugees and health workers is actively helping the displaced Burmese.
The 2009 San Diego Comic-Con, the massive annual pop-culture geekfest, kicks off today and runs through the weekend. As I mentioned before, the Secret Identities crew will be at the Con in full effect. If you're planning on going, be sure to stop by the Secret Identities booth (#1735).
I also wanted to remind you that the Secret Identities Asian American superhero contest is still going on, and runs through the end of the month. I've partnered up with Secret Identities for a very cool contest, asking you to dream up your very own Asian American superhero.
We're challenging you to submit your own idea for a unique and original Asian American hero. I'll pick the ten coolest submissions, then the Secret Identities editors will choose their three favorite heroes, each of whom will get their superhero idea rendered by a Secret Identities artist, and also receive a signed copy of the book.
To enter, please include a description of the hero (physical description, origin, powers, background, goals and nemesis) in 500 words or less. Thumbnail sketch optional. Email your entry, along with your contact info, to secretidentities@angryasianman.com by July 31. Winners will be announced on August 1.
We've received some really cool entries so far, but you still have the chance to throw in your own superhero. Be creative, and have fun!
Check it out. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu was a guest on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart earlier this week. He gives Jon a nerdy shirt, talks about the future of American energy policy, and basically tells all the fools who say climate change is a hoax that they're a bunch of idiots.
Not so much that last part, but you know he really wants to say it. Instead, he suggests that everyone makes the transition to white roofs and light-colored pavements. And he and Stewart share a few laughs. It is a comedy show after all. You can watch the full episode here.
Another Korean American store owner killed in Philadelphia... Last weekend, Jongyoun Kim was shot to death on the sidewalk outside her corner shop, Andy's Food Market in East Mount Airy: East Mt. Airy shop owner shot dead.
Police arrested 27-year-old Nicole Dolby-Beckam, who lived only two blocks away from the store, on homicide and weapons charges. She had apparently been previously banned from the store for shoplifting, but later allowed to return.
Witnesses say that Dolby-Becham had opened a bag of chips from the store and had walked out without paying for it, and that Kim followed her outside with a gun.
The suspect hit Kim and knocked her to the ground. She then took the gun, stood over her, and opened fire "execution style." Dolby-Becham called police herself from a pay phone outside of the store, and was arrested around the corner.
Affectionately known around the neighborhood as 'Ms. Kim,' she left behind her 70-year-old husband, two adult children and a community that loved her. More here: Customer is charged in slaying of beloved store owner.
Here's video from the House floor of Judy Chu being sworn in to fill the 32nd district seat of California, becoming the very first Chinese American woman to serve in Congress. I have to admit, my eyes welled up a bit as I watched her take the oath. What an amazing moment.
In addition to all the great films screening this weekend at the Asian American International Film Festival, there's also a schedule full of workshops, panels, parties and other non-screening events throughout the weekend.
These include a work-in-progress screening of the documentary Anna May Wong: In Her Own Words, a one-on-one conversation with Hong Kong filmmaker Ivy Ho, and a staged reading of AAIFF's Screenplay Competition winner, The Emperor Has Arrived. Here's a brief rundown of happenings:
Work-in-Progress Workshop Anna May Wong: In Her Own Words dir. Yunah Hong Time: Friday, July 24, at 7:00 p.m. Location: Tribeca Cinemas
Red One Workshop Time: Saturday, July 25, at 1:00 p.m. Location: Museum of Chinese in America
One-on-One with Ivy Ho Time: Saturday, July 25, at 3:00p.m. Location: Museum of Chinese in America
Copyright, Independent Media, and the Internet - New Tools and Controversies Time: Sunday, July 26, at 3:30p.m. Location: Museum of Chinese in America
Screenplay Reading The Emperor Has Arrived written by Jay Paramsothy and Catherine Torphy Time: Sunday, July 26, at 1:00p.m. Location: Museum of Chinese in America
Opening Night Gala Time: Thursday, July 23, at 9:00p.m. Location: BLVD, 199 Bowery Time: Friday, July 24, at 10:00p.m. Location: Slate, 54 West 21st Street
Centerpiece Reception Time: Saturday, July 25, at 9:00p.m. Location: 310 Lounge, 310 Bowery Closing Night Gala Time: Sunday, 26, at 9:00p.m. Location: Velour, 297 Tenth Avenue
We're just one day away! AAIFF kicks off tomorrow night, July 23, and runs through 26 at Clearview's Chelsea Cinemas, the Visual Arts Theater and the Museum of Chinese in America. For more informatino about AAIFF, visit the festival website here.
The National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance's three-day conference, "Transgress, Transform, Transcend," is happening August 14-16 in Seattle at the University of Washington. The conference will showcase the leading lights in both Asian American/ Pacific Islander and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer communities.
Each day of the conference will be opened by a keynote address, given by keynote speakers Mia Mingus (Co-Executive Director of SPARK Reproductive Justice Now), Dakota (Seattle Youth Poetry Slam Series Finalist), and Vega Subramaniam and Mala Nagarajan (plaintiffs in a Washington state lawsuit for marriage equality).
The conference also features a full schedule of plenaries, workshops, caucuses and social activities. Speakers and presenters include: Miriam Yeung National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum), Darlene Nipper (National Gay and Lesbian Task Force), Kris Hayashi (Audre Lorde Project), musical artist Danny Morito Katz, and performance group Good Asian Drivers, and API Equality.
For further details on the conference, including the full schedule, programs and workshops, and registration information, go to the NQAPIA website here. Online registration (= cheaper) ends on August 5, so if you intend on going, make your plans soon.
This is about democracy in action. Power to the people. Making every vote count. Serious business. I'm talking, of course, about The Hill.com's sixth annual 50 Most Beautiful People list, naming the hottest congressional aides, campaigners and lobbyists on Capitol Hill.
This year, readers can vote for two people to make it on the list. The top vote-getters will be part of the final 50. Among the list of contenders you can vote for: 26-year-old Arjun Jaikumar, new media staffer for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and former blogger for Daily Kos.
Arjun apparently had only been in D.C. for five weeks before he received the call that he'd been nominated for the Readers' Choice contest. If you believe he is one of Most Beautiful People, submit your vote at 50mb@thehill.com (put 'Arjun Jaikumar' in the subject line). The deadline is July 24.
Check out the trailer for 9500 Liberty, a documentary by Annabel Park and Eric Byler. The documentary is an examination of the immigration debate, looking at the community of Prince William County, Virginia and how it became a flash point in the controversial battle over immigration policy:
Prince William County, Virginia becomes ground zero in America's explosive battle over immigration policy when elected officials adopt a law requiring police officers to question anyone they have "probable cause" to suspect is an undocumented immigrant.
9500 Liberty reveals the startling vulnerability of a local government, targeted by national anti-immigration networks using the Internet to frighten and intimidate lawmakers and citizens. Alarmed by a climate of fear and racial division, residents form a resistance using YouTube videos and virtual townhalls, setting up a real-life showdown in the seat of county government.
The devastating social and economic impact of the "Immigration Resolution" is felt in the lives of real people in homes and in local businesses. But the ferocious fight to adopt and then reverse this policy unfolds inside government chambers, on the streets, and on the Internet. 9500 Liberty provides a front row seat to all three battlegrounds.
Some of it is just absolutely infuriating. But I think that's what it's supposed to do. I know that Annabel and Eric have been working on this film for a long time, and it looks like it's shaping up to be a really interesting look at a real-life showdown affecting real-life people on both sides of this debate. For more information about the documentary, visit the 9500 Liberty website here.
I feel like we revisit this topic every couple of months. The issue: how we choose to honor and memorialize Bruce Lee. Statues, proposed theme parks, museums, TV miniseries, t-shirts... you name it. Thirty-six years after Bruce's death, his memory is still alive and kicking.
There's that Bruce Lee statue in Bosnia, of all places. Students at the University of Washington, where Lee once studied, petitioned to create a memorial on campus. Hell, I think I own about a dozen Bruce Lee-themed shirts (and counting).
This week in Hong Kong, officials announced a design competition to turn Bruce Lee's former home -- currently a love hotel, renting rooms by the hour -- into a museum: Competition aims to make Bruce Lee home a museum.
The property's owner wants the museum to include a memorial hall, a library, a kung fu studio and a film archive. Lee's daughter, Shannon Lee, and a panel of architects and town planners will judge the design competition, and the winners will be announced in November or December.
Meanwhile, Phoebe and Robert Lee, siblings of Bruce, have authorized a series of biographical films about the martial arts star, saying they want to produce a historically accurate account of their brother's life: Bruce Lee family approves biopics.
There are at least three films planned, with the first focusing on Lee's teenage years. If historical accuracy is their big thing, I'm guessing Phoebe and Robert weren't big fans of Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story or CCTV's The Legend of Bruce Lee. No word on when these new movies will begin production.
South Korean pop supergroup Wonder Girls made their U.S. television debut the other day on The Wendy Williams Show, performing their hit song "Nobody."
While someone described it to me as "tragic," all things considered, I think they did okay. At least they didn't lip-synch. I mean, at this point, they've probably performed that number so many times, they're on autopilot.
Still, Wendy Williams ain't Conan O'Brien, and I have to wonder how many people tuned in and saw that, outside the YouTube audience. Up until yesterday, I had never even heard of The Wendy Williams Show. Baby steps, I guess.
Last week, the California legislature approved a landmark bill to apologize to the state's Chinese American community for racist laws enacted specifically against Chinese immigrants as far back as the mid-19th century Gold Rush: California Apologizes to Chinese Americans.
The laws, some of which were not repealed until the 1940s, barred Chinese from owning land or property, marrying whites, working in the public sector and testifying against whites in court. The new bill also recognizes the contributions Chinese immigrants have made to the state, particularly their work on the Transcontinental Railroad.
It's about damn time. Thankfully, the resolution moved relatively quickly through the state legislature since it was first introduced in February and promoted heavily by state assembly member Paul Fong.
Unfortunately, most of the direct victims of the laws in question have already passed away. Fong's grandfather was held for two months at Angel Island, the immigration station near San Francisco where several hundred thousand Chinese immigrants were targeted and detained from 1910 to 1940.
Now, with the resolution passed, Fong plans to take the issue to Congress, where he'll request an apology for the Chinese Exclusion Act, the only federal law ever enacted to deny immigration based exclusively on race or nationality. I fully support this effort, and hope Assemblyman Fong takes the issue all the way to passage in Washington.
If you're in Los Angeles, be sure to mark your calendars for Visual Communications' summer screening series Best of the Fest 2009, a sampling of the many distinctive works that screened this past spring as part of the 25th anniversary Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival.
The program, which screening through early September, includes features like David Boyle's White on Rice, Curtis Choy's Manilatown is in the Heart, as well as an entire program of films curated by VC's summer interns. Things kick off this week with Global Groove, a showcase nonfiction works from all over the world. Read on for details:
Program One: SATURDAY, JULY 25 David Henry Hwang Theatre 120 Judge John Aiso Street | Showtime 8:00 p.m.
GLOBAL GROOVE Colorful, topical, and at all times provocative, we kick off "The Best of the Fest '09" with a showcase of non-fiction works that take us on a journey to the far corners of the world - and of the mind.
COTABATO CITY (USA, 2009) Dir.: Karen Lin | Video, 4 min. As tribal fusion music brings a deserted urban Bronx playground to life, a young boy's imagination flowers with the movement of multi-ethnic life.
THE DWELLING (USA/Japan, 2009) Dir.: Sheldon Candis | Video, 16 min. Tokyo is known for its technology, high-rises, businesses, and pop culture. Yet little is known about its homeless population. THE DWELLING follows one homeless Tokyoite and focus on his home, which often takes indie construction and ingenuity to new heights.
NO JOKE BURMA (USA/Singapore, 2008) Dir.: Li-Anne Huang | Video, 12 min. NO JOKE BURMA is a profile of comedians Par Par Lay, Lu Zaw, and Lu Maw - The Moustache Brothers - who served prison terms in their native Burma for performing against the laws of the military government.
GUAM IS CRYING (USA/Guam, 2009) Dir.: Alex Munoz | Video, 2 min. A history of colonization and resistance is a legacy that Chamorros (indigenous Guamanians) either run away from-or warily embrace.
SOUNDS OF THE NEW HOPE (USA, 2009) Dir.: Eric Tandoc | Video, 40 min. Growing up around Los Angeles neighborhood gangs during the '90s, a young Filipino American named Kiwi turned into an MC and community organizer, using hip-hop to educate youth across different cultures and get them involved in serving their communities, while advancing the struggle for national liberation and genuine democracy in the Philippines.
That's this Saturday, July 25 at the David Henry Hwang Theatre in Little Tokyo. My favorite of this bunch is Eric Tandoc's Sounds of the New Hope. Good stuff in there for any globally-minded hip hop head. For more information on the Best of the Fest screening series, visit the Visual Communications website here, or the Facebook event page here.
Today in Washington D.C., Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke on the House floor in support of legislation to designate the "Lim Poon Lee Post Office" in San Francisco to honor the life and achievements of the first Chinese American Postmaster. Here's the text from her speech:
"Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. It's such a cause of celebration for all of us in San Francisco to see Lim Poon Lee recognized on the floor of the House of Representatives.
"I rise in support of the legislation to commemorate the life and achievements of Lim Poon Lee, the first Chinese American Postmaster in the United States.
"Today, the House has an opportunity to honor Postmaster Lee's lifetime of public service and proud patriotism by naming the post office in the heart of San Francisco's Chinatown, the ‘Lim Poon Lee Post Office.'
"Lim Poon Lee came to these shores from Hong Kong as an infant. Like many immigrants, his family so loved this country and he spent his entire life in public service. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army as a counterintelligence specialist. He worked in the Public Welfare and Juvenile Court Systems in San Francisco. And Mr. Lee served as one of my predecessors in Congress and a friend to many of us here, Congressman Phillip Burton, as a field representative.
"In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson appointed Lim Poon Lee the Postmaster of San Francisco. At the time, it was the highest federal appointive post ever held by a Chinese American.
"In this position, Lee transformed the face of San Francisco's postal system by increasing the hiring of women, minorities and disabled postal workers. In San Francisco, we know the beauty is in the mix, and Mr. Lee worked to ensure while hiring that the post office looked like the rest of the city in terms of its great diversity.
"In 1977, Lim Poon Lee established San Francisco's Chinatown Post Office; the post office located at 867 Stockton Street. Today, we have the opportunity to name that post office for him.
"As we honor Postmaster Lee, we also recognize his family: his wife Catherine, his children Rosalind, Dorinda, Lynnette, and Chesley, and his grandchildren. They helped make his success possible.
"As was mentioned by my colleague Mr. Lynch, Mr. Postmaster Lee passed away in 2002 at the age of 91. His absence is felt throughout San Francisco. He was the Master of Ceremonies for the annual Chinese New Year parade, a columnist for Asian Week, and a leader on many distinguished boards and commissions.
"All who knew him - knew him to be a larger than life personality. All who knew Philip Burton knew that it took such a larger than life personality to be his field representative.
"I urge my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to the life of the first Chinese American Postmaster - by supporting this legislation naming the post office in honor of Lim Poon Lee."
While naming a post office might seem like such a small gesture, it's a way to honor the life and work of a man who contributed a great deal to his community. The full House is expected to vote on the legislation later this week. I can't see why they would vote no.
If you're in New York, and planning on the attending the Asian American International Film Festival, then make sure you party with AAIFF this weekend at SoumdMIX, a showcase of music videos and live performances from Big Phony, P.I.C., and a guest DJ set by Ahmed Hashim. It's this Friday, July 24 at Slate. Here are some details:
Join us for the AAIFF SoundMiX on FRIDAY, JULY 24 where we showcase an eclectic range of music videos from up and coming artists. With live performances by Big Phony and P.I.C. and DJ set by Ahmed Hashim!
Slate 54 West 21st St. New York, NY 10010
10:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m. (Doors open at 9:00 p.m.) Free for guests with same day festival ticket. Must present stub at the door. $5 General admission for the entire night. 21+
Music videos being screened include:
YOU WILL REMEMBER Lumaya Dir. Yasmine Gomez Trt. 4 min.
HUNT OK|OK Dir. Yohei Ito, Shingo Igata Trt. 2:20 min.
RETURN OF THE B-GIRL Masia One Dir. Cazhmere Trt. 3:31 min.
BAG OF HAMMERS Thao With the Get Down Stay Down Dir. Norman Foreman Trt. 3:02 min.
WORDS THAT DEFINE Big Phony Dir. Chris Chan Lee Trt. 5:00 min.
DANCE LIKE MICHAEL JACKSON Far East Movement Dir. Wong Fu Productions Trt. 5:00 min.
Steven from P.I.C. gives me three reasons why you should come out this Friday: 1) This is P.I.C.'s last show of the summer. 2) They've got new songs. 3) He and his wife are expecing their second child in August, so you won't be seeing him for a while. Anyway, for more info about the event, go to the AAIFF website here.
Yesterday, it was announced that Janice Min, the editor who turned Us Weekly into one of magazine publishing's major success stories, will step down next week after seven years there: Top Editor at Us Weekly Is Departing.
After publicized contract haggling in 2005 and 2007, with speculation each time that one of the field's biggest stars might just walk away from Us, Ms. Min said that this time she had decided not to renew her contract, which expires August 1.
Ms. Min has been credited with keeping the drama at Us Weekly to a minimum -- a rare feat in the field -- running a relatively calm and happy operation, and avoiding battles with publisher Jann S. Wenner.
She apparently doesn't have her next move planned, though she talked about online ventures and television as fields that would appeal to her. Whatever she does, I'm sure she'll be highly sought after.
One of my favorite cartoons from the 1980s, Voltron, is getting the big screen Hollywood adaptation treatment. You know -- five robot-lions, commanded by a fearless team of space explorers, combine to form Voltron, Defender of the Universe: Japanese cult hit "Voltron" heads to big screen.
Atlas Entertainment partners Richard Suckle and Steve Alexander, the producers behind Get Smart and The International have acquired the rights to make a live-action feature out of Voltron.
Is anyone really surprised by this? Giant, fighting robots -- as well as nostalgia for all things '80s -- are super hot right now. When a movie like Transformers makes a gajillion dollars at the box office, you know studios will be looking for a property to capture lightning in a bottle again. We know someone's already working on a Robotech movie. Voltron seems pretty ideal.
Atlas acquired the rights from World Events Prods., a St. Louis-based company that distributed the TV adaptation in the United States. The family-owned firm never made a feature from the title but did reboot an animated series in the 1990s.
While it's really too early to tell if a live-action Voltron movie is going to be any good, I am really looking forward to seeing five giant robot lions kicking ass, then combining to form Voltron to kick more ass, then finally forming Blazing Sword to kick ass once and for all.
According to The Chosun Ilbo, the U.S. and North Korea have started delicate negotiations over Euna Lee and Laura Ling, the two American journalists who have been detained in North Korea since March. The next three or four weeks will be crucial in deciding whether they'll be set free.
According to a source in Washington, the U.S. House of Representatives intended last week to adopt a resolution urging the North to release Ling and Lee, and the Senate intended to follow suit, but their plans have been postponed at the State Department's request.
The State Department made the request to Congress because it fears that a resolution could anger the North at a time when the two countries have entered sensitive negotiations. Earlier this month, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asked the North to grant the two an amnesty and allow them to return home to their families.
According to other sources, John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and former U.S. vice president Al Gore are being mentioned as possible special envoys to Pyongyang.
The U.S. government treats the release of the journalists is a separate issue from the North's nuclear provocations, but their release could lead to fresh nuclear talks. It's awful to think of Laura and Euna as chips on a bargaining table, but unfortunately, that's probably reality. Bring them home!
For those who enjoyed his first appearance last month, professional stuntman Steven Ho was back on The Tonight Show last week, showing Conan O'Brien some more asskicking moves. (But mostly just kicking his ass again.) Steven is obviously very knowledgeable, articulate, and gets the job done. It's a really fun segment, and I hope we'll see him become a regular guest on The Tonight Show.
A bunch of folks passed along this interesting BBC News article... According to drug workers in England, a growing number of young Asians are using steroids to try and build up muscle and achieve "the perfect body": More Asian teens 'using steroids'.
Needle exchange centers are reportedly seeing the number of Asian users jump from 5% to 25%. While only a small number are using traditional street drugs, many are primarily using anabolic steroids. And the users are apparently getting younger.
I don't know want to sound like a D.A.R.E. ad, but do you know what kind of havoc steroids can wreak on your body? Dangerous side effects include aggression, mood swings, baldness, infertility and in some cases heart attacks. And it shrinks your balls!
Is the pressure to "look good, have the six pack, the biceps and big calves" so intense, that this is the only way to achieve that image? It's called hitting the gym, kids. Stay away from the needles. And I'll say it again: It shrinks your balls!
Anyone who is familiar with common Asian beauty regimens is probably familiar with a product like this... sort of a stickier, less-permanent alternative to actual eyelid surgery, I guess. Someone sent me a link to this interesting blog post: Eyelid Gluing for a "Western" Look.
The above video is a makeup tutorial on achieving the fold effect with eyelid glue. Tadaaaa! Instant western eyes. When I watch this video, with all the glueing and poking and prodding, I'm just overcome with the extreme impulse to vigorously rub my eyes.
Over the years, I think I've expressed fairly clearly how I feel about the great lengths people will go to get these precious eyelid folds. Everyone's got the right to look and feel the way they want -- one, two, three eyelid folds, whatever. I just hope they think hard about where their standard of beauty is coming from.
The latest edition of America's Finest News Source, The Onion, has been taken over by the Chinese. Basically, the idea is that the paper has been sold to China. And I've got to admit... it's friggin' brilliant.
I know what you're thinking -- I'm supposed to hate this. There has to be something in this pisses me off. I haven't gotten through all of it, but I've seen a lot, and to be honest, I can't stop laughing. They've actually pulled it off. (Thanks, Martin.)
You know, when I see so much bad comedy being passed off as satire, it's so refreshing to see The Onion do it right -- with wit and intelligence, and without being insulting (well, maybe just a little insulting, where it counts). Can't wait for the North Korea issue.
The 2009 Asian American International Film Festival in New York is just days away -- July 23-26 in New York. Narrative and documentary features will screen at Clearview Chelsea, and short films will screen at the Museum of Chinese in America. In anticipation of the big event, here's another handful of some of the film highlights to check out:
Manilatown is in the Heart Sun, July 26 @12pm Directed by Curtis Choy (Feature) A documentary about the Manongs in San Francisco’s Manilatown and a look into the life of the late poet Al Robles, Manilatown Is In the Heart is a touching eulogy to an activist/historian who was outlived by the vanishing subject that he strived to preserve.
Karma Calling Fri, July 24 @6:15pm Sat, July 25 @12pm Directed by Sarba Das (Feature) The Raj family is definitely not a household comprised of your stereotypical Asian model minorities living the American Dream. On top of the family’s troubled finances, the family hosts a recently widowed relative, Mausi, a fount of comic disasters.
The Call Center Sun, July 26 @ 2:15pm Directed by Rumana Huq (Short) "The Office" is outsourced to Mumbai in this mockumentary on a telecommunications call center in India.
Tibet in Song Fri, July 24 @6pm Directed b Ngawang Choephel (Feature) Ethnomusicologist Ngawang Choephel travels across Tibet to record and study the rich diversity of traditional folk songs but is arrested by the Chinese government for suspected espionage.
The Eighteenth Birthday Party Sat, July 25 @ 2:15pm Directed by Ching-Shen Chuang (Short) A daughter, no longer able to shoulder her father's obsessive love, chooses to defy him on the occasion of her 18th birthday.
Attention, Chinamen! Who says there are no good roles for Asians in Hollywood? A reader named Jae passed along this casting call that popped up on LACasting not too long ago, for an Untitled SAG Feature Film. It's kind of extraordinary, on a couple of levels:
Chinamen / Co-Star / Male / 20 to 60 / Asian Looking for a small person. Dwarf or midget. Must be small and know how to speak Chinese. Bald head with a fu man chu.
Look, most Asian American actors know that casting calls for stereotypical Asian roles, in one form or another, are fairly frequent. This is one of them. But this one goes the extra step -- they're specifically looking for "Chinamen." You gotta love it. That's racist!
The 2nd Annual Philadlephia Asian American Film Festival, which runs October 9-11, is now accepting submissions for the PAAFF Trailer Contest, sponsored by HBO. Basically, they're calling on filmmakers to create a 30-second trailer to promote the film festival. Read on for details:
Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival Trailer Contest Sponsored by HBO
Philadelphia Asian American Film & Filmmakers (PAAFF) is now accepting submissions for original video or film trailers of 30 seconds, to promote the upcoming 2nd Annual Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival. The Festival will run from Friday, October 9 through Sunday, October 11, 2009.
It's free to enter and one winner will receive a cash prize and have their winning entry screened during the film festival and on the PAAFF website. Finalists will receive a pair of All Access Badges to the festival.
Judges include music video and documentary film director Todd Angkasuwan (Snoop Dogg, Far East Movement & many more), producer Philip Lam (Santa Mesa & Undoing) and Cliff Song, representing sponsor HBO.
Cash prizes! And the winning entry will screen during the festival (as well as on the PAAFF website). The contest runs through September 6, so you've got some time to devise, shoot and edit a brilliant festival trailer. For the full rules and submission guidelines, visit the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival website here.
Last week, Christopher Lee Dunn, a decorated Asian American police detective, filed a civil lawsuit against the Burbank Police Department, alleging that he was the victim of discrimination and retaliation before being unlawfully fired: Sixth Burbank officer sues department over discrimination.
Dunn, who won the Medal of Valor as a Los Angeles Police Department officer before joining the Burbank force, says that he was subjected to years of racial taunts and discouraged from joining department's narcotics unit because he was not white. He was apparently targeted by management before eventually being run out of the department.
He isn't the first cop with grievances against the department. In May, five Burbank police officers sued the department and seven current police officials, alleging that they tolerated an environment in which officers commonly used slurs about race, ethnicity and sexual preference directed at them, their colleagues, suspects and the public at large.
Dunn's suit, filed separately, seeks civil penalties and compensatory damages. He specifically alleges that he was discouraged by members of an elite, "all-white" narcotics unit who said they didn't want to work with non-whites. When Dunn was ultimately promoted, he was subjected to racist jokes and comments.
The lawsuit also alleges that Dunn was given less desirable assignments in the unit despite having more narcotics seizures than any other Burbank officer. When one of the offending colleagues was transferred, the harassment apparently got worse. More here: Sixth Minority Officer Sues Burbank Police Department.
This is a fantastic video from Terry Keleher of the Applied Research Center, who breaks down, in a clear and concise way, what's problematic with the notion of reverse racism -- particularly in light of the recent ugly turns that discussions of Sonia Sotomayor's Supreme Court nomination have taken: Reverse Racism: Word Distracts from the Big White Elephant of Systemic Racism.
On the other hand, there's Pat Buchanan, who insists that Sotomayor isn't qualified for the Supreme Court because she's an "affirmative action appointment," and that the Supreme Court has been historically mostly white because "This has been a country built, basically, by white folks."
And I suppose it would stay like that, if good ol' Pat had his way. You can always count on Pat -- he'll never hide his racism. He waves it out there for all to celebrate and enjoy. I, too, really have to wonder: What would Pat Buchanan have to say to get himself fired from MSNBC?.
Okay, so you know I have a massive infatuation with Padma Lakshmi, the super-gorgeous host of Bravo's Top Chef. Well, according to Variety, Padma has signed a development deal with NBC to develop and star in her own sitcom: Padma Lakshmi could heat up sitcom.
She'll reportedly star as a woman working in the culinary world. Possible title: "Single Serving." (Blech.) Sure, she can explain a quickfire challenge and she's certainly shown that really really knows how to eat a Carl's Jr. burger... but can she carry her own sitcom?
Prior to the Top Chef gig, Padma's acting credits include the ABC miniseries The Ten Commandments, as well as the features The Mistress of Spices and Boom. She also played the singer Sylk in Glitter. Not an overly impressive resume, but hey, maybe she'll surprise us.
Really random observation. You know that TV commercial where this baby is talking to the camera about trading stocks and stuff? I hate that commercial. In fact, I really dislike any of kind computer-manipulated babies doing any non-baby activities. It's just sort of creepy.
So you can bet that this Evian commercial is particularly disturbing to me. Roller skating babies. Lots of them. Dancing to "Rapper's Delight." But do note the Asian baby doing some serious kicks at around 0:14. Weeeird. (Thanks, Kevin.)
Take a look at the Asian American Justice Center's Petition for Immigration Reform, calling for our elected officials to support the Reuniting Families Act and the broader goals of comprehensive immigration reform.
The letter specifically focuses on the Reuniting Families Act, because family-based immigration is a historically pertinent issue to our communities. The long backlogs and broken immigration system have been keeping Asian American families separated for far too long. Here's the letter:
Dear Elected Official,
I am signing this petition to ask for your vote to reform our country's broken immigration system. In particular, I urge you to protect the ability of U.S. citizens and green card holders to reunite with their loved ones through the family immigration system. The current system forces many legal immigrants to remain apart from their close family members abroad for years and even decades. The family unit is the bedrock of society, and I believe that comprehensive immigration reform that protects family unity reflects our American values. Therefore, I urge you to support the Reuniting Families Act introduced by Senator Menendez in the Senate (S. 1085) and Congressman Honda in the House (H.R. 2709).
Our current family immigration system, which has not been updated in 20 years, is badly in need of repair. Now is the time to do the right thing and fight for practical solutions that benefit all of us. Family reunification is a building block for comprehensive immigration reform, which must also restore due process, provide a pathway to earned legalization, enforce civil rights and labor laws, ensure our citizenship process is accessible and fair, and help new Americans learn English and quickly integrate into our society.
In fixing our broken immigration system, we must recognize that families make America stronger. This reform is about helping legal immigrants unite with their loved ones. Legal immigrants who have the support of strong families are better able to work hard, invest in education and homes, pay taxes, and start businesses that create jobs. Immigrants who have played by the rules and brought their families here are committed to becoming Americans and giving back to this country.
A real American solution is one that keeps families together. Once again, I urge you to support the Reuniting Families Act and comprehensive reform of our immigration system.
Sincerely,
Sign and send your own letter here. AAJC's goal is collect at least 1,000 signatures by the end of the summer in order to show lawmakers that Asian Americans do, in fact, care deeply about real immigration reform. Show Congress that immigration reform is not only a Latino issue -- it affects Asian American families too.
A bill concerning comprehensive immigration reform is expected to appear on the floor of the Senate in early September. Thus, AAJC's push to reach their signature goal is an urgent priority. For more information on the Reuniting Families Act, visit the Asian American Justice Center website Asian American Justice Center.
Here's a brief TV spot for the upcoming movie, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Nothing special, and not much we didn't see in the first couple of trailers. (As I've said before, I have extremely low expectations for this movie.)
But I'm posting this because I noticed something funny -- is it just me, or has Lee Byung-Hun's voice been dubbed in this commercial? ("He never gives up.") Something about it just seems odd, right? (Thanks, Tiffany.)
UPDATE: According to the G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra IMDb page, the credits list Ron Yuan -- an actor I know and respect -- as "Shadow (Voice)." Could he be the mysterious voice that appears in this commercial? (Thanks, Nicholas.)
UPDATE 2: So I've heard from a guy who knows a guy, who gives the assurance that Lee Byung-hun's voice is not dubbed in G.I. Joe. In fact, his English is apparently quite good -- no dubbing necessary. It just seems to come off kind of weird in the clip in question. I went back and watched this longer, better quality clip with the same bit of dialogue, and it's fairly clear it's his own voice. That said, I still don't think this movie is going to be very good. (Thanks, Robert.)
Thank you to everyone who has entered the Secret Identities Asian American superhero contest thus far. We got a handful of really strong submissions within the first twenty-four hours, and have a picked a winner for the San Diego Comic-Con guest pass giveaway portion of the contest. The winner is...
WILDSTYLE by Tiffany Namwong. A really cool, creative and thoughtful character. Here's a (slightly edited) description of Tiffany's winning hero:
Ratana Nantakarn is a teenaged Thai American girl, born into a struggling immigrant family, raised by television and saved from drug addiction by the only adult who's been able to win over her trust: A Buddhist monk who encourages her nascent artistic skills, and helps her gain admission to a prestigious art academy. But after her mentor's work with at-risk youth leads to run-ins with the "connected" local drug syndicate, an anonymous tip leads INS to revoke the monk's visa and deport him back to Thailand. An enraged Ratana drops out of school, returning to the streets to try to find the thugs responsible for her mentor's plight. In doing so, she finds another outlet for her artistic sensibilities, becoming the queen of the Los Angeles tagging scene. Ratana with a spray can on a dimly lit street is like a tiger in the jungle; she uses her artistic skills to feed her ego, but to feed herself she turns to petty crime, and soon falls back into the rabbit-hole of addiction.
Meanwhile, realizing that Ratana is on their trail, the same gangsters who arranged for her mentor's disappearance decide to remove her from the equation as well. She escapes to Thailand after scamming an elderly man looking for a young escort for his summer vacation. She succeeds in locating her old teacher, too late to reconnect with him: He'd been working with a local charity continuing his work with troubled youth, but recently passed away of cancer.
Arjun Gautama, a young Indian American man who has spent the summer volunteering for the charity, tells her that the monk asked for her in his final moments, and gives her his ashes. Ratana takes them to the monk's ancestral village hoping to find a suitable resting place for his remains. Instead, she finds a wrecked and empty hamlet, destroyed by drug lords, whose only surviving structure is the old, abandoned temple in which the monk once served.
In a fit of self-hatred and a desire to vent her frustrations over the fact that her mentor died without anyone to care for him or provide for his final respects, she impulsively pulls out her spray can and desecrates the shrine.
But the temple is not entirely empty: The holy place's long-forgotten guardian spirit rises up out of its altar, calling forth a curse on the blaspheming human invader. Her life and soul are forfeit for her crime, and all seems lost - until the spirit of the old monk rises out of his ashes, and bids the guardian to hold.
The sin Ratana has committed cannot simply be forgiven. But the monk asks that she be given the opportunity - and the power - to earn that forgiveness, using her talent to redeem the crime she committed with that talent.
A great evil, the demon Maya, is attempting to build a dominion on Earth, having taken human form as a pop idol on the verge of superstardom, and enslaving youths with the addictive combination of her music and a devastating new drug.
To defeat Maya and her army of followers, Ratana is given the ability to bring her art to life...using human canvases: She must seek out and befriend a series of youths who are ripe to become "vessels" for Ratana's power. Once these men and women have willingly made the decision to accept the burden, Ratana tattoos their backs the image of a creature and a holy mantra that transforms them into that creature - irrevocably, until Maya is destroyed.
Ratana's mission takes her and Arjun - whose friendship she increasingly grows to depend on, until it evolves into something more - to Hong Kong, Seoul, Tokyo, and finally back to Los Angeles, seeking out new allies, while pursuing Maya and battling her host of demons, hoping to simultaneously save the world and put her own personal demons to rest.
Nice work, Tiffany. She has scored herself a guest pass to next week's completely sold-out 2009 San Diego Comic-Con. Here's a note from the Secret Identities editors explaining why they chose Wildstyle:
Tiffany's entry impressed us on a number of levels. Her protagonist's story was gritty and believable, and there was an authenticity to Wildstyle's origin and powers - what they were and how she received them made sense, given her identity and cultural background. The story also scales up nicely, from the streets of L.A. to a globe-trotting quest to, well, a cosmic battle between ultimate good and ultimate evil; this narrative has a lot of texture and momentum, and could move forward in so many different ways. We also liked that Tiffany chose to include some personal relationships for her heroine - a mentor, who can continue to advise her from beyond the grave, and a love interest, or at least potential love interest, whom she grows to depend on but is afraid she's putting into mortal danger. There's a Whedonesque feel to Wildstyle, and we mean that as a huge compliment!
We liked the two runner-up hero submissions as well: Kevin Cheung's "The Sneak," a b-boy who gains powers after discovering a mysterious pair of kicks, and "Hapa," a half-Korean intelligence agent (calling Daniel Henney!) with the chameleonlike ability to transform his features. But the hero we felt had the most interesting combination of originality and future potential was Tiffany's, and we look forward to seeing her at Comic-Con next week... look us up at booth 1735, Tiffany!
Again, thank you to everyone who entered. Tiffany won the Comic-Con pass, but everyone is still eligible for the main contest, which runs through the end of the month.
Again, we're challenging you to submit your own idea for a unique and original Asian American superhero. I'll pick the ten coolest submissions, then the Secret Identities editors will choose their three favorite heroes, each of whom will get their superhero idea rendered by a Secret Identities artist, and also receive a signed copy of the book.
Be creative, and have fun with this! To enter, please include a description of the hero (physical description, origin, powers, background, goals and nemesis) in 500 words or less. Thumbnail sketch optional. Email your entry, along with your contact info, to secretidentities@angryasianman.com by July 31. Winners will be announced on August 1.
The 2009 Asian American International Film Festival in New York is just days away -- July 23-26 in New York. Narrative and documentary features will screen at Clearview Chelsea, and short films will screen at the Museum of Chinese in America. In anticipation of the big event, here's a handful of some of the film highlights to check out:
Li Tong Directed by Nian Lu Sat, July 25 @9pm (Feature) Li Tong, a restless young girl, loses her bus pass one day after school. Her meandering trip home is the thread of this poignant "day in the life" tale, which wends its way through the various homes, personae and urban landscapes of contemporary Beijing.
Waiting for a Train Sat, July 25 @6:45pm Directed by Oscar Bucher (Short) Toshio Hirano left his home in Japan to pursue his dream in Appalachian mountain country, singing bluegrass by the railroad tracks.
Whatever It Takes Directed by Christopher Wong Sat, July 25 @6pm (Feature) In 2002, the New York Board of Education initiated a movement to establish small, specialized schools that would attempt to patch the cracks -- both institutional and personal -- through which students are allowed to fall. This documentary is the fierce and fearless account of Edward Tom's first year as principal of one of those schools, the Bronx Center for Science and Mathematics.
Walking While Sleeping Directed by Han Lee Sat, July 25 @ 4:30pm (Short) Two dreamlike narratives entwine as paths cross between girl and cat, man and stranger. Unraveling the threads, however, does little to tie up loose ends.
No Joke Burma Directed b Li-Anne Huang Sat, July 25 @ 4:30pm (Short) Imprisoned in the past and currently under house arrest, three men known as the Mustache Brothers eke out a living as comic performers and set their sights on the eventuality of freedom.
I can't remember if I posted anything about this, so... Labor Pains, a new original movie starring Lindsay Lohan, premieres on ABC Family tonight. I definitely won't be tuning in, but in case your interested... view the trailer here.
Lohan plays a secretary who is on verge of getting fired, so she lies about being pregnant to save her job. It works -- she gets a raise and a promotion -- but now she has to keep up the deception to fool everyone around her. Awkward hilarity ensues.
I know, it sounds pretty awful. I only mention it here because Aaron Yoo has role in the movie as the slacker dude Lindsay recruits to play the fake baby daddy. However, I'm pretty sure he's not the romantic interest. Just thought you should know.
UPDATE: About a dozen people have told me that this is movie appears to be a remake -- or more likely, a complete ripoff -- of the 2001 Hong Kong movie Dummy Mommy Without a Baby. That said, neither movie sounds particularly good.
Here's the official music video for "Here's To You" by Kit Yan and Melissa Li, aka The Good Asian Drivers (best band name ever). They described it to me as a "5 minute music video focusing on female empowerment, feminism," featuring mostly people of color.
This fierce transgender slam poet/rockin' lesbian musician duo are currently in the middle of a summer tour through almost every major U.S. city. For more information on the Good Asian Drivers, including their tour schedule and other media, visit their website here.
Last week in Rockford, Illinois, police arrested 24-year-old Omarrian T. Jones in connection with the bludgeoning deaths of an elderly Filipino couple, 77-year-old Reynato Cardino and his 75-year-old wife Leticia: Man arrested in deaths of Rockford couple.
About two dozen officers had been chasing Jones on foot, assisted by all-terrain vehicles, a canine unit and a loaned helicopter. They reportedly arrested him after he fell through some acoustic tiles in the ceiling of a business where he was hiding.
Jones apparently lost it and broke down during his first court appearance, crying and screaming. His mother was also in court, arrested on a charge of obstruction of justice for allegedly destroying evidence in the case: Double murder suspect's mom charged in case.
Fellow geeks, get ready. Fresh from the extremely successful, first-ever Asian American Comicon, the Secret Identities is going to be in full force at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con, July 23-26 at the San Diego Convention Center. This is the big one, folks. For four days, it's sort of the center of the pop culture universe. Now, read on carefully, because you have to chance to win cool stuff -- including a free pass to the sold out Comic-Con.
The full Secret Identities crew -- all four editors -- will be at Comic-Con, along with dozens of the book's contributors. If you're planning on attending, be sure to swing by their booth (#1735) for signing sessions including the likes of:
Signing Schedule Thurs, July 23, 12:30-2pm Gene Yang & Sonny Liew Fri, July 24, 2-4pm Keiko Agena & Ming Doyle Sat, July 25, 2-4pm Kelly Hu & Cliff Chiang Sun, July 26, 2-3pm Bernard Chang (with inker Walden Wong, inking his sketches!)
The full list of Secret Identities contributors who will be at Comic-Con with booths includes:
Bernard Chang (#1821) Cliff Chiang (#1322) Martin Hsu (#G-02) Benton Jew (#EE-02) Kazu Kibuishi (#2329) Sonny Liew (#2329) Jerry Ma (#1735) Dustin Nguyen (#FF-04) Anthony Wu (#2329) Gene Yang (#AA-4)
As well as Vince Sunico, Francis Tsai, and, as noted above, Kelly Hu, Keiko Agena, Walden Wong and Ming Doyle. Given that they've got so many contributors in attendance, they're running a special "scavenger hunt" promo at the Con: get ten contributor signatures on your copy of Secret Identities and you'll be eligible to win a special prize at the SI booth.
.....
You should also be aware that editor Jeff Yang is moderating a special panel titled Four Color Reality: Making Comics Relevant to Readers Across Cultures in Room 3 on Friday, July 24, 6:30-7:30pm. Panelists include Dwayne McDuffie (Milestone Comics, JLA, Ben 10: Alien Force), Gail Simone (Wonder Woman), Gene Yang (American Born Chinese), Stuart Moore (Wolverine: Noir, The 99) and Jai Nitz (Blue Beetle, El Diablo). Here's the description:
Comic book stories have become the core of American pop culture - is there a big-budget spectacular that doesn't in some fashion owe its existence to comic book roots these days? But sales of traditional-format comic books themselves have been in decline for years. This panel explores one reason for this shrinking market: the divergence between the identities of mainstream comic icons - who are typically straight, white, male and American - and the demographic makeup of a new generation of readers. How can the comic book industry connect with changing audiences - not just of diverse races and backgrounds, but of different cultural and national origins as well?
That's a really cool, diverse grouping of panelists, and it should be a really interesting conversation -- the kind of conversation that ultimately sparks ideas for projects like Secret Identities.
.....
So... here's the part where we give away cool stuff. But you have to earn it. I've partnered up with Secret Identities to launch a very special contest. You've read the comics -- can you dream up your very own superhero?
We're challenging you to submit your own idea for a unique and original Asian American superhero. I'll pick the ten coolest submissions, then the Secret Identities editors will choose their three favorite heroes, each of whom will get their superhero idea rendered by a Secret Identities artist, and also receive a signed copy of the book.
Be creative, and have fun with this! To enter, please include a description of the hero (physical description, origin, powers, background, goals and nemesis) in 500 words or less. Thumbnail sketch optional. Email your entry, along with your contact info, to secretidentities@angryasianman.com by July 31. Winners will be announced on August 1.
But that's not all. If you've read this far, now you've got the chance to go to Comic-Con. But you have to act fast. The person who submits the best contest entry within the next 24 hours (by my count, before Sunday, July 19, 8:00am PST) will win a guest pass to the totally sold-out 2009 San Diego Comic-Con. And please, submit today only if you really plan on going to the Con. And of course, you'll be responsible for your own transportation to the San Diego Convention Center. Good luck!
Short notice, but worth noting... Motherland, a new indie film directed by Doris Yeung, and starring Francoise Yip, Kenneth Tsang and Byron Mann, makes its world premiere tonight, July 18, at Outfest in Los Angeles. There's also a screening tomorrow, July 19. I haven't seen the film, and don't know much about it, but the trailer's fairly intriguing. Here's the description:
After a long absence abroad, young Asian American woman Raffi Tang (Francoise Yip) is called home when her estranged mother is murdered. She becomes increasingly drawn into a web of deception and incompetence while at the same time dealing with her own grief. Equal parts noir thriller and dysfunctional family drama, Doris Yeung's bold debut feature is a sobering tale of the pursuit of the American Dream.
To learn more about the film, go to the Motherland website here. There's also a Facebook page for the film here. If you're in Los Angeles, and interested in attending a screening this weekend, go to the Outfest website here.
Just read this strange story about Matthew Kim, a special education teacher who has been floating around in school district bureaucracy hell for the last seven years: Teacher loses fight to keep job.
This week a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge gave school district officials the go-ahead to finally fire Kim, who hasn't worked since they decided he didn't belong in a classroom because of alleged sexual harassment.
Kim was accused of touching co-workers' breasts and making improper advances toward students. However, Kim has argued that any touching was involuntary; he was born with cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, and claims he didn't touch anyone intentionally.
Whatever the case, Matthew Kim's situation is an example of LAUSD's inability to act swfitly against teachers accused of egregious or immoral acts. Known as a "housed" employee, he and about 160 others reported every day to administrative offices, where they were assigned no work. It's pretty ridiculous.
After years of legal wrangling, the district finally came to the decision to fire Kim. Sure, the accusations against him were creepy, and his condition leaves room to argue on his behalf... but "housing" him for seven years? Did it really have to take that long? Seems like a big waste of everyone's time and money.
So I heard from a bunch of people telling me about Thursday's night edition of So You Think You Can Dance, featuring an opening group number to Janet Jackson's "So Much Betta," choreographed by Wade Robson. It has some big problems. Take a look here.
It's kind of appalling. I actually think the choreography is pretty damn good, even with the martial arts-inspired flourishes. But the costumes... what the hell is going on here? We're talking geisha girls and rice-paddy hat dudes. Whose bizarre Orientastic fantasy is this?
I'm told that the entire episode had a "multicultural" theme to it -- the all-girl group dance was Bollywood-inspired, and the all-guy routine was a traditional African dance, down to the traditional cultural costumes. But this... there's nothing "traditional" about this weird-ass spectacle. Who thought this was a good idea? (Thanks, David.)
Damn. This week, a federal judge found former Boeing Co. engineer Dongfan "Greg" Chung guilty of economic espionage for hoarding 300,000 pages of sensitive documents in his home: US gets conviction in 1st economic espionage trial.
Federal prosecutors accused the 73-year-old stress analyst of using his 30-year career at Boeing and Rockwell International to steal the documents.
Investigators apparently found papers stacked throughout Chung's house that included sensitive information about a fueling system for a booster rocket -- documents that employees were ordered to lock away at the end of each day.
The judge convicted Chung of six counts of economic espionage, one count of acting as a foreign agent, one count of conspiracy and one count of lying to federal agents. He was acquitted of obstruction of justice.
Prosecutors said they would probably recommend a 15- to 20-year prison sentence for Chung. Sentencing is scheduled for November 9. More here: Chinese-born engineer convicted of espionage.
This is a really cool, fascinating article on the recent discovery of a small brown notebook containing "coaching" materials that might have been used by a Chinese immigrant, Chung Fook Wing, when he entered the United States in 1923: 53 Questions That a Life May Depend On.
Though few of these old school cheat sheets survived (apparently, you were supposed to throw them overboard), they were fairly commonplace among aspiring immigrants, and used as study aids to prep for their interviews to get into the United States. Yes, even back then, we were studying.
The notebook has apparently been long overlooked in the National Archives and Records Administration in New York. Seventeen years after immigrating, Chung was arrested on a drug possession charge by New York City police and the notebook -- 50 pages of coarse sheets bound by string -- turned up in a search of his papers at a New Jersey opium den.
Taking up eight of the pages were handwritten answers to 53 questions that a newcomer could have anticipated being asked upon entry or re-entry leading federal agents to suspect they were written as study aids to "coach" the book's owner through the process.
It's a fascinating glimpse at the era, of paper sons and exclusion laws, and the way Chinese immigrants attempted to get around these sharply governed, racist restrictions to gain entry into America. Read the article, then take a look at the scan of the original notebook: A Chinese Immigrant's Coaching Document.
Okay, friends. It is time to meet another Angry Reader of the Week, spotlighting you, the very special readers of this website. Over the years, I've been able to connect with a lot of cool folks, and this is a way of showing some appreciation and attention to the people who help make this blog what it is. This week's Angry Reader is inter-discliplinary artist (among many other things) Traci Kato-Kiriyama:
Who are you? traci kato-kiriyama - inter-disciplinary artist, arts educator, community-connector, founder/grounder for TN KAT/Tuesday Night Project, Midtone Madeleine, avid experimenter, voracious dreamer, always-wanna-be-eating.. um.. eater.
What are you? 2 parts craving a run, 1 part craving a cigarette, all the way delirious as we are planning for THE PARTY, a big 'ol fundraiser this weekend as we celebrate the 10th anniversary of aforementioned Tuesday Night Project.
Where are you? i love Gardena. i loved living in Eagle Rock and the short time i was in Chinatown, that was amazing, too. i'd never move back to the mall of Torrance - sorry, mom. i am back in the South Bay, yes, but in a smaller enclave that is nice, yummy, and close to freeways.
Where are you from? People like eggs. People "love!" eggs. i know this to be true. People -human beings - go out.. just for.. eggs. Eggs are often the featured element of breakfast menus. Restauranteurs - human beings - create establishments and put "Eggs" in the name. WHAT IS THIS ABOUT? i have not heard or understood a sufficient explanation.
When i give thought to the apparently immense popularity for eggs in this country, society, world...THESE are the moments it hits me, somewhere in my core -> you human being are weird! - and that i am perhaps not from this dimension... not originally anyway.
What do you do? i try to seek to draw out the best and the yet-undiscovered in strangers, others, myself. i have unrelenting hope in people and even assholes. Yes, assholes are people... this is what i try to remember. But i digress... Since somewhere around 1996, much of my performance/artist life has been about writing, about poetry, about collaborating with all kinds of artists in theatre... doing shows in lots of places throughout the country, and on various tours with the amazing dudes of zero 3 (we still talk about getting back together, oh how Behind-The-Music). It's also about cultural work/community organizing work through collaboration in performance with folks who like to tell stories but don't quite call themselves "artists" or "writers." And i have to say, i'm particularly excited by certain projects like PULL, Edge Of The World, and anything Oymun's 11 and Jason Oymun Fong... The practice/study of both theatre and community organizing has informed the other in my life. Art... Struggle... Story moves people to learn and act and change their lives towards working for all beyond self.
What are you all about? ah, a dangerous question. it is best not to think we can answer it, ever. and maybe because i am a sunny scorpio - i am totally open once we are sitting together talking one-on-one, yet i'd rather not try to encapsulate my entire self nor spell out what you might just find out as we get to know each other.
What makes you angry? pheeeew. when people misread my focus on a positive light for a given situation or person and label it "diplomatic" or worse, "P.C." (i hate P.C.)... or when the most rude comment gets lauded as "honest" when it might just be fucking rude, ignorant, or unthoughtful. i fucking hate when people feel most comfortable being near people they think (assume) are "just like them." No one is just like anyone. i get angrrrry with assumption -> judgement. i hate feeling judged. i hate when i make bonehead moves like forgetting to get a VISA when going to China... that made me angry at me. The stupid-asses of the world running governments make me angry... going back on promises or playing it safe makes me angry. Many, many things make me angry. BUT i like anger, too. HA! i value anger because it leads me towards what i need to articulate better for myself... it leads me to my passions... it leads me ultimately to genuinely deep love. Ah, there, anger to love.
Last week, I posted this cool photo, and everyone really seemed to dig it. So I'm posting this follow-up photo ("Yellow Power to Yellow People," Oakland, California - 1969), found among lots of other great photos here, taken at the same demonstration. (Thanks, Carmina.)
This is for my friends in the Austin area who love Asian American cinema... The Austin Asian American Film Festival is looking for dedicated, passionate folks to get involved as staff for the upcoming festival in November. Maybe that's you. Read on:
Do you love Asian and/or Asian American Cinema? Are you frustrated with the lack of Asian Americans in the media? If you are passionate and responsible, we have the perfect opportunity for you:
On November 12-15th, the 2009 Austin Asian American Film Festival (AAAFF) is back and ready to take Austin by storm. With over 60 film from all around the globe, many special guests in person and over 2,500 attendees, the AAAFF has quickly become Austin's fastest growing film festival. This year, our scope is larger than ever and in order to be successful, our festival needs a few more reliable and out-going staff members. Are you interested?
Open Positions:
- Marketing Director - Assistant Director (Assists the Festival Director) - Community Outreach Leaders - Festival Programming Assistants - Graphic Designers - Fundraising Assistants - Special Event Assistant
If you are interested, please send an email to info@aaaff.org. In your email, please specify what position you would like to apply for. Please describe yourself and why you would be a great candidate for the position. All positions require at least 2 hours a week of responsibilities.
The AAAFF is a non-profit organization and all staff positions are completely voluntary. We are a group of passionate filmmakers, film lovers and community leaders all working together to showcase diverse and talented Asian American artists. You will receive an all access badge to our festival and recognition in our print and online materials.
Okay, so the positions are unpaid. If you get involved, it'll truly be a labor of love... but it's worth it. Film festivals run on the blood, sweat and tears of its volunteers, and in the end, you get to be part of a pretty awesome event. To learn more about the Austin Asian American Film Festival, which runs November 12-15, visit the website here.
Liberty in North Korea (LiNK) is going on tour this fall to screen the film Seoul Train, a 50-minute documentary examining the life and death of North Koreans as they try to escape their homeland and China.
But before any screenings can come to your town, LiNK needs people adventurous enough to go on the road for three months, from September to November, to help make it happen.
Thus, they're looking for Nomads -- outgoing, motivated, and deeply committed individuals who believe in LiNK's mission and can help spread the word. To learn more, and to apply for the internship, go here.
Maybe you can't be a Nomad, but perhaps you or your school/organization is interested in hosting a screening of Seoul Train this fall. Sign up here to find out how you can book the film and make sure the tour stops in your community.
My man Tze Chun, director of the independent feature Children of Invention, is directing a sci-fi short film for ITVS next month, and is looking for locations in New York. They need two interior spaces (ideally, both in the same location) to shoot in for about two days. Here are the location descriptions:
SEEKING LOCATIONS FOR ITVS SHORT FILM: (Tentative Dates: Aug 15-16, Sat-Sun)
MODERN-LOOKING LARGE OFFICE INTERIOR * Luxurious, comfortable, modern office (film takes place in future, but doesn't have to look super futuristic). Should look like it belongs to a company that occupies the entire floor of a commercial high-rise. * Has the following areas: 1) Hallway/Reception 2) Presentation Room - Large enough to holds 10 chairs or 3 couches/benches (like in an art gallery) - can be conference room if table can be removed 3) Meeting Rooms - Office-sized rooms (probably just offices or cubicles where furniture could be rearranged)
MEDICAL OFFICE INTERIOR 1) 2-4 Examination Rooms - Small office or room that can be dressed to look like a modern medical exam room; should have window to the outside, and ideally a window looking out to the hallway 2) Ladies' Room - Bathroom with multiple stalls that looks like it belongs in a modern office building
They're hoping to shoot in these locations on August 15-16. They have insurance and can pay a small fee. If you work in an office that fits the description (or can be rearranged to fit the description), contact thecomplications@gmail.com.
Just have to share this cover of Michael Jackson's "Rock With You by Jane Lui and Gabe Bondoc, because it's absolutely lovely and groovy. It also happens to be one of my all-time favorite Michael Jackson tunes. A really fun way to start off your Friday. Nice job, you two.
As I mentioned earlier this week, the University of California Board of Regents were set to vote on granting honorary degrees to the hundreds of students who were forced to leave their studies at the University as a result of the U.S. government's forced relocation Japanese Americans during World War II. Yesterday, they voted yes:
UC honorary degrees for Japanese-American students interned during WWII
The University of California Board of Regents today (July 16) voted to grant special honorary degrees to hundreds of young men and women forced to leave their studies at the University of California as a result of the internment of people of Japanese ancestry during World War II.
The Regents' Committee on Educational Policy took the action after UC President Mark G. Yudof said that addressing the "historical tragedy" in this manner was long overdue and merited a one-time suspension of a 37-year-old UC moratorium on honorary degrees.
Approximately 700 students enrolled at four UC campuses - Berkeley, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Davis - were removed from the West Coast in 1942 after President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the executive order giving the military the power to send Japanese Americans and Japanese nationals to internment camps.
All of those students, whether living or deceased, will be awarded honorary degrees, as recommended by a UC task force co-chaired by Vice President of Student Affairs Judy Sakaki and UC Davis Professor of Law Daniel Simmons. The diplomas will bear the inscription Inter Silvas Academi Restituere Iustitiam - or "to restore justice among the groves of the academe."
Yudof noted that the Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians Commission, established by Congress in 1980, found that relocation and internment were not justified by military necessity, and that the broad historical causes were "race prejudice, war hysteria and the failure of political leadership," resulting in a "grave injustice."
"This action is long overdue and addresses an historical tragedy," Yudof said. "To the surviving students themselves, and to their families, I want to say, 'This is one way to apologize to you. It will never be possible to erase what happened, but we hope we can provide you a small measure of justice.' "
The University of California is encouraging family members and others to help identify students who were unable to graduate because of internment and asking that e-mails with information be sent to HonoraryDegree@ucop.edu or call (510) 987-0239.
"I am extremely proud of the action that the regents took today to address this 'unfinished business' " Sakaki said. "It means a great deal to me personally, to all former internees and to the entire Japanese American community."
The UC students were among more than 110,000 Japanese nationals and Japanese Americans forcibly relocated to "War Relocation Camps" in the wake of Japan's 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. President Roosevelt's Order 9066 authorized military commanders to exclude all people of Japanese ancestry from "military areas," including all of California and most of Oregon and Washington.
At the time, UC faculty and administrators protested the inclusion of students in the order, arranged for some students to complete the semester's course work from internment camps and helped arrange for some students to enroll in universities outside the exclusion zone. After the war, some students eventually completed their studies and earned degrees at UC, but the majority did not.
One of the students, Aiko "Grace" Obata Amemiya from Iowa, was at the Regents' meeting and said, "Today's vote for honorary degrees fills my heart with joy. I'm glad the university is recognizing that what the government did was wrong, and now my classmates and I can finally take our place as full-fledged UC alumni."
The full press release is available here. To Ms. Amemiya, and the hundreds who have been waiting for this news -- both living and deceased -- congratulations. Your degrees are long overdue. This does not undo the injustice you were subject to, but the gesture is significant. I'm glad the Regents determined that this merited a suspension of the moratorium on honorary degrees.
I never thought I'd hear nunchucks being discussed during a Supreme Court confirmation hearing, but hey, there's a first time for everything. This week, Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah questioned Judge Sonia Sotomayor on Maloney v. Rice, a case that involved the banning of the martial arts weapon.
The mention of nunchucks, which Sotomayor judged to be a deadly weapon and thus subject to a ban in New York, apparently sparked off a huge flurry of searches for "nunchucks" and the alternate spelling "nunchaku": Did Somebody Say "Nunchucks"?
And of course, we had folks like Conan O'Brien coming up with funny bits like the one above, featuring Judge Sotomayor selling the finer points of the deadly weapon in an infomercial: Sotomayor's Nunchucks Sotomayo're gonna get your face bashed in!
This week in New York, the owner of a downtown Thai restaurant was accused of underpaying restaurant workers by a total of $770,00 over the last six years, sometimes as little as $2.08 an hour.
They are now seeking back wages as well as $192,000 in damages from Hann Low, the owner of two Lemongrass Grill restaurants in the city: Thai Restaurant Accused of Underpaying Labor.
According to the complaint from former employees at the restaurant's financial district location, Low paid delivery workers just $25 a day for 10 to 12 hour shifts. The food preparation workers made about $50 a day for 12-hour shifts.
According to the attorney general's office, once Mr. Low became aware of the investigation, he apparently began paying his employees more, though still less than required under law. Too little, too late, it seems.
I don't think I'll ever really understand the Twilight phenomenon. But that's okay. I don't think I'm part of the target demographic that launched the book series/movie franchise into higher levels of pop culture hotness.
Anyway, EW recently revealed this panel from the upcoming Twilight graphic novel, drawn by Korean artist Young Kim: 'Twilight' exclusive: Graphic novel version on the way!. Not sure when it'll be published, but then again, you're probably asking the wrong guy.
Recently came across this brief bit of movie news... Warner Brothers will be producing a Top Gun-esque action picture, Vegas Avengers, with a script written by up-and-coming screenwriter Soo Hugh: "Vegas Avengers" taking flight at WB.
Vegas Avengers is kind of an awful title. Based on a Men's Journal article of the same name, the movie tells the story of a hot-shot pilot who, after taking too many risks, is forced to enter a top-secret program that flies experimental, unmanned planes.
Much of action takes place at Nellis Air Force base just outside Las Vegas. Established during World War II, Nellis has a rich history, having stored large caches of advanced weapons and served as headquarters to a top-secret Cold War program involving U.S.-piloted Russian MiGs.
Hugh is an up-and-coming scribe who landed on the Black List last year for her script Deadline. That project follows a disgraced journalist who undertakes a mission to rescue an endangered aid worker. More here: 'Vegas Avengers' lights up WB.
This is for all you Vietnamese American students out there... The Union of North American Vietnamese Student Associations presents the uNAVSA-6 Conference, happening in Atlanta, Georgia, July 30 - August 6.
The annual gathering is intended to inspire attendees with purpose and courage to find their unique path. Workshops, speakers, entertainment, networking... you know the drill. Here's some more info:
It is with great pleasure that we would like to announce the return of our amazing uNAVSA (The Union of North American Vietnamese Student Associations) conference for the year 2009! Come out and see what all the fuss is about! This year, our 6th uNAVSA conference will be hosted in Atlanta, Georgia from July 30th to August 2nd.
Want to learn leadership skills to bring back to your VSA or even improve yourself as an individual? Come check out the many workshops we provide!
Interested in meeting fellow passionate leaders and making new friends? Our past conferences have always had a turn out of at least a few hundred exciting individuals for you to mingle with!
Always wanted to travel? Now you have a great reason to visit a great place with great company! That’s great x3!
Curious about discovering more Vietnamese culture? Ranging from live performances to fun activities and discussions, daily doses will be administered with much enthusiasm throughout your stay!
Want to find out different ways you can contribute and give back to the community? Take part in voting for our next Collective Philanthropy Project (CPP) along with other worthwhile causes!
So keep that date open, start saving, and make any preparations you need to get yourself ready for the greatest conference ever!
Have you made your plans to be there yet? It's not too late to register. You still have about two weeks to plan your trip to Atlanta. For more information about the conference, visit the uNAVSA-6 website here.
This is an interesting story about a man named Ben Steele, now 91 years old, who survived the Bataan Death March as a soldier during World War II, when the Japanese army forced American and Filipino prisoners of war on a brutal, horrific march across sixty miles: A POW's 'Tears in the Darkness'.
Steele, one of the last living survivors of Bataan, recounts his story in a new book, Tears in the Darkness. The book not only describes his ordeal, but also the anger and prejudice he felt towards Japanese people after the war, and how he overcame that hatred, finding help through an unlikely source.
This is one of the more useless press releases I've received from the White House Press Secretary (yes, somehow I'm on the list), but I guess it's nice to know the President paid his respects and acknowledged Judy Chu's historic election victory this week:
READOUT OF THE PRESIDENT'S CALL WITH CONGRESSWOMAN-ELECT JUDY CHU OF CALIFORNIA
The President called Representative-elect Judy Chu to congratulate her on her victory in last night's special election in California. The President told her that he is looking forward to working with her in Congress, especially when it comes to reforming our health care system and lowering health care costs for all Americans. The President also congratulated her on being the first Chinese American woman elected to Congress and told her that he admired the way she ran her campaign.
It's all good, Mr. President. Thank you for appointing Hilda Solis to Labor secretary and opening up that House seat. Judy was able to take it from there. The first Chinese American woman elected to Congress -- it's about time!
Oh, brother. Madeline sends this pathetic Craigslist posting from some guy looking for an "Asian Hottie" to pose next to his car. He apparently loves his car (probably a little too much), and loves Asian women (also probably a little too much), so his genius idea is to put them together for his personal little photo-op:
Asian Hottie Wanted for Photoshoot (mountain view)
Date: 2009-07-15, 1:15PM PDT
Hi,
I'm looking for a hot asian female to pose next to my smoking Black Dodge Charger. I love this car & I Love Asian women, so why not combine the two in a commemorative photo? Please wear something sexy (up to your discretion) and be ready for a lovely summertime photo-shoot. You can keep digital copies of the photos for you portfolio, show off how good you look, show your grandchildren... Don't let your beauty fade without some type of historical proof! ;^)
Thank you.
* it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests * Compensation: 100 Dollars cash bucks
You are a sad, sad man, Mr. Black Dodge Charger. It's not quite enough for him to just admire the latest cover of Import Tuner or whatever. He wants to create his own little Asian/auto-fetish photo shoot. Oh, I'm sorry -- I mean, "commemorative photo." And ladies, if you're out there, perhaps considering answer this ad... please, do yourself a favor. Respect yourself.
This is for my readers up north, in the Vancouver area. I recently heard from Alden, who informs me about a special community screening of Iron Road. There apparently a lot of buzz about this film because it's the first Canada-China co-production in 25 years, with a fairly substantial budget. Here's info about the screening, happening on Thursday night:
Please join us for a preview screening of IRON ROAD, a gripping love story set against the historical contribution of Chinese immigrants whose lives and personal sacrifice made the construction of Canada's transcontinental railroad through the Rockies possible. The screening is followed by a youth response to the movie and a Q&A with Producer Raymond Massey and Executive Producer Tiger Hu.
Thursday JULY 16, 2009 at the Lillooet Room (301) in the Chapman Learning Commons, 3rd Floor Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, [map] 1961 East Mall, UBC
This epic film stars Oscar-winning Peter O'Toole, Sam Neill (Jurassic Park, Wimbledon), Sun Li (Fearless with Jet Li), Chinese mega-star Tony Leung Ka Fai (The Lover), Luke Macfarlane (Brothers and Sisters, ABC), Ian Tracey (Intelligence, Da Vinci's Inquest), Kenneth Mitchell (Jericho, NBC) and Charlotte Sullivan (MVP, Alice in Wonderland).
IRON ROAD has been winning awards at international film festivals: Best Actress in Rome, Audience Favourite in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Best Cinematography, Production Design, Costumes and Makeup at the Leo Awards this year.
Visit the website www.ironroadthemovie.com to view the trailer and the Behind the Scenes video. [user name: ironroad [no spaces], password: railroad123 ]
IRON ROAD is the first film co-production between Canada and China since Bethune with Donald Sutherland. It is co-written by Barry Pearson and Raymond Storey, directed and edited by David Wu. Vancouver casting by Sue Brouse and Lynn Carrow. Financial support from the CTF, through Telefilm Canada, the CBC, Astral Media The Harold Greenberg Fund, Cogeco Fund, and the Shaw Rocket Fund, and FIBC and OMDC.
Iron Road is also screening Avenue Cinema (Fifth Avenue & Burrard), one night only on Wednesday, July 29 at 7:00pm. You can also catch the two-party broadcast version of Iron Road on August 9 and 16, 8:00-10:00pm on CBC Television. To learn more about Iron Road, visit the website here.
If you're in Los Angeles, and you like to sing (and maybe even if you don't), come on out to get your karaoke on at Karaoke Idol, a fundraiser to support Lodestone Theatre Ensemble's tenth season and the production of Closer Than Ever. Come on out to sing and compete for cool prizes, or just cheer on your friends. It's happening this Sunday, July 19 at Cafe Bleu in Los Angeles. Read on for details:
LODESTONE THEATRE ENSEMBLE under the artistic direction of Philip W. Chung & Chil Kong presents
KARAOKE IDOL
A fundraiser to support Lodestone's 10th season and the production of CLOSER THAN EVER. Come out to sing and compete for cool prizes. Don't want to sing? Cheer on your favorites plus free appetizers, raffle prizes, drink specials and great friends to hang with. Karaoke Idol's celebrity judges include: MICHAEL ORLAND, assistant music director and vocal coach from American Idol; RYAN O'CONNOR from the YouTube The Ryan O'Connor Show and MICHELLE KRUSIEC from the film Saving Face. Plus, a special sneak peek performance from the cast of CLOSER THAN EVER.
Cafe Bleu 3470 W 6th St Los Angeles, CA 90020
Sunday, July 19th, 2009 6:00pm - midnight Doors Open at 6pm Karaoke Idol Starts at 7pm
TICKETS AT THE DOOR: $12 General Admission $25 General Admission & Entry fee for Karaoke Idol contest
SPECIAL LOW PRESALE PRICES (If checks received by July 17): $10 General Admission $20 General Admission & Karaoke Idol Contest
Please make checks out to Lodestone Theatre Ensemble and mail to: Lodestone Karaoke Idol Fundraiser PO Box 1072 Studio City, CA 91614
All pre-sale tickets must be received by July 17th, 2009. No "prizes" won are redeemable for cash or have cash value. Please include your name, # of tickets you're buying and phone/email for confirmation. Please include all names of karaoke entrants separately.
All proceeds will go towards the production of CLOSER THAN EVER, running August 8th - 30th, 2009 at GTC Burbank (1111-B West Olive Ave., Burbank, CA 91506, located inside George Izay Park).
For more information about the event, as well as Closer Than Ever, which runs next month, visit the Lodestone Theatre Ensemble website here.
Lodestone Theatre Ensemble is a nonprofit Asian American theatre company founded by Alexandra Bokyun Chun, Philip W. Chung, Chil Kong & Tim Lounibos with a mission to develop, create, promote and present edgy, compelling and impassioned works that bridge communities through truthful and entertaining artistry.
Holy moly. Check out the teaser trailer for Raging Phoenix, the new movie from Thai action sensation Jeeja Yanin, star of Chocolate. It's short, you only get a brief glimpse of the action, and there's no real indication of the plot... but like that really matters? As you can see, it promises lots of serious and inventive asskicking. Don't know when it's expected to be released here in the states, but I can't wait to see it.
Calling all emerging media artists... Visual Communications' Armed with a Camera Fellowship is now accepting applications for all people of Asian Pacific American descent, 30 years old and under. This is a great opportunity for up-and-coming filmmakers who want some training and exposure, with the guidance of a seasoned media arts organization.
Recipients will be awarded $500, access to VC's post- production facilities, and a one-year VC Filmmaker Membership valued at $100. Fellows will use the $500 to complete a five-minute digital video within a seven-month period. Final projects must be shot in digital format, and completed by March 2010.
All completed projects will be showcased at various VC exhibitions across the city of Los Angeles, including the 2010 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and other venues nation-wide. VC will co-own the productions and will also package and distribute completed works.
Women, South Asian, and Southeast Asian filmmakers are highly encouraged to apply to the AWC Fellowship.
This is a really wonderful program, and I know several friends and acquaintances who have gone through the Armed with a Camera Fellowship over the years. For more details and how to apply, visit the Visual Communications website here. The application deadline is July 31, 2009.
Up to now, Lloyd has largely been on the receiving end of the boss' racist, homophobic rants, primarily to show what a giant prick Ari can be. Contrary to popular belief, I've actually liked the Lloyd character, because he always maintains his dignity, and it's usually Ari who ends up looking like an ass.
Strangely enough, Lloyd might have popularized a very specific, recent Asian stereotype in Hollywood -- the Gay Asian Assistant. I've heard anecdotally, from auditioning Asian American actors, that there's recently been a wave of roles for "the gay Asian assistant" on various movies and TV shows.
But anyway, according to the interview, and judging from the first two episodes of Entourage I've seen this season, Lloyd's character is stepping up. He's angling for a promotion within the agency, and appears to have a major storyline brewing. Hopefully, we'll get to see that character break out, because it's about damn time.
The attack occurred on April 22, 2008, on the track of a junior high school in San Dimas, California. The victim, Yoon Sun, was stabbed in the back and ear. According to news reports from last year, Duggan shouted racial epithets and "White Power" while stabbing Sun.
Duggan was arrested shortly after the attack and held on a probation violation stemming from an assault conviction in San Luis Obispo County in September 2004. He was charged with the San Dimas attack on March 13, 2008, and remained in custody on $1.12 million bond.
Duggan was charged with attempted voluntarily manslaughter, with additional enhancements because it was a hate crime, he used a knife, and that he personally inflicted great bodily injury on the victim. More here: Man sentenced 22 years for San Dimas hate crime.
Say hello to your newest congresswoman. As most expected, Judy Chu has claimed the vacant Los Angeles-area House seat in yesterday's special election, becoming the first Chinese American woman elected to Congress: Democrat claims US House seat in Calif.
With 80 of 209 precincts reporting Tuesday night, the former state Assembly member had 10,686 votes, or 60 percent. Republican opponent Betty Chu -- Judy's cousin by marriage! -- trailed with 5,974 votes, or 34 percent. These numbers will obviously be updated later, but Judy Chu is the winner.
Chu's victory makes her Southern California's only Asian American in Congress. The seat was left vacant after Rep. Hilda Solis was named U.S. Labor secretary to the Obama administration.
Most residents in the 32nd Congressional District are Hispanic (64% Hispanic, 20% Asian, % white and 2% black), but Judy Chu assembled a diverse coalition and stressed her ability to work across racial and ethnic lines. More here: Judy Chu trounces rivals in congressional race.
Got this time-sensitive action alert from OCA forwarded along to me, regarding important hate crimes legislation currently in the Senate. The important thing is for you to call your Senator today between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm EST and urge support for the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act (S. 909). Read on for details:
End Hate Crimes Now! Pass S 909!
CALL YOUR SENATORS!
Wednesday, July 15
Call your Senator toll free at 866-659-9641 today between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm EST and urge support for the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Hate Crimes Prevention Act (S. 909).
Current law limits federal involvement in hate crimes cases to those involving crimes motivated by race, ethnicity, religion, or national origin. This Act will expand this law to include crimes that are motivated by a victim's actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability. It will give federal government jurisdiction to prosecute hate crimes in states where current law is inadequate and also provide greater access and grants to assist federal authorities to investigate hate crimes.
For APAs, the murder of Vincent Chin in 1982 still resonates throughout the community. Vincent, a Chinese American man, was beaten to death by two autoworkers who blamed Asians for the economic woes of U.S. autoworkers. Twenty-seven years later, Thanh Hong, a Vietnamese American student was assaulted and had racial epithets yelled at him when walking past a fraternity house. Thanh suffered a facial laceration requiring several stitches. Although Vincent's murder galvanized the APA community to launch its first nationwide pan-ethnic movement to stop anti-Asian violence and hate crimes, Thanh's case reminds us how much more needs to be done to stop these crimes from occurring.
The Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act is a comprehensive and measured response to a problem that continues to plague our nation - violence motivated by prejudice. These crimes are especially destructive because their perpetrators seek not only to harm the immediate victim, but to make a statement to an entire community.
OCA joins other civil rights, religious, law enforcement, professional and civic organizations in supporting this Act. Call your Senator now and help put an end to hate crimes!
I can't find it anywhere on the OCA National website, but you can find the original posting here. Like it says, while it would be nice to think that hate crimes like the Vincent Chin murder are a thing of the past, but as recent incidents have shown, hate crimes are alive and kicking in a serious way. If you can, call your Senator to support this act.
Check it out. Jeannie Mai is the new host of Style Network's makeover show How Do I Look? An experienced makeup artist, fashion expert and actress, you might have seen her as a host on shows like Bravo's Miss America Reality Check and USA's Character Fantasy.
I first became acquainted with Jeannie waaaay back when she was one of the fashionable co-hosts on the now-defunct Asian American magazine-style show Stir. She interviewed me, and I remember thinking there was no way I'd be able to get my on-camera energy up to her level.
She's really cool, telegenic and the perfect personality to host a show like this. It's not really my kind of show, but heck, I'd tune in to see Jeannie. And watch them trash bad clothes with that vacuum thing. The new season of How Do I Look? premieres July 23 on the Style Network.
Have you been following along with the Judge Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearings? I haven't. But Martin writes in to point out a brief exchange from today, where Sotomayor spoke about rulings made during wartime:
Never Rule From Fear | 3:04 p.m. In trying to get at rulings made during wartime, Senator Feingold mentions the World War II decision Korematsu v. United States (in 1944), which permitted the detention in camps of citizens of Japanese descent. (A brief explanation of the case here.)
"A judge should never rule from fear," Judge Sotomayor says in a very strong voice. "A judge should rule from the law and the Constitution." She calls it "inconceivable" that a decision today would permit the arrest and detention of people based solely on their race.
Thought that was a brief but significant moment to point out. Inconceivable, indeed. To read the full New York Times live blog from today's proceedings, go here. The extended grilling continues tomorrow.
This is for all music fans with an internet connections... Tomorrow night, our friends The Invisible Cities will be performing live via webcast for all to experience and enjoy. It's Wednesday, July 15, 8:00pm PST at their website, invisiblecities.com.
If that happens to be too late for your time zone, they'll be looping the webcast directly after the show for a day or two so you can catch it at your convenience. They're a cool, friendly band with good music, so it should be a fun little web show.
To learn more about Invisible Cities, visit their website here, and their MySpace page here. There's also Facebook and Twitter. And if you haven't yet gotten your copy of their album Houses Shine Like Teeth, you can actually download it here for free.
This Thursday, the University of California Board of Regents will in vote in open session on whether or not to recognize and present a special degree for students who were forced to leave their studies as a result of Executive Order 9066, which unjustly sent thousands of Japanese American citizens to interment camps during World War II. Here's an excerpt from the action item:
CONFERRING OF HONORARY DEGREES AND SUSPENSION OF BYLAW 29.1
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In September 2008, the Academic Senate and the Vice President for Student Affairs jointly charged a special task force to consider how the University of California might recognize its students whose educations were interrupted by Executive Order 9066. That task force completed its work in March 2009, and has recommended to the administration and the Academic Senate that the University of California award a special honorary degree to students enrolled in the University in 1941-1942 who were unable to complete their degree because of Executive Order 9066. The Academic Senate unanimously adopted the recommendations at the meetings of the Academic Council on April 29, and the Assembly of the Academic Senate on June 17, 2009.
In spring 1942, approximately 700 University of California students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs at the Berkeley, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Davis campuses, were ordered to be removed from the coastal zones of California as a result of Executive Order 9066, which led to the confinement of persons of Japanese descent in internment camps. Although some of those students eventually completed their studies and earned degrees at the University, the majority did not. Executive Order 9066 also resulted in over 400 students being removed from the University of Washington and over 40 students being removed from the University of Oregon and Oregon State University. In spring 2008, the universities of Washington and Oregon awarded honorary degrees to their students affected by Executive Order 9066.
Regents Bylaw 29.1 permits the President to recommend to the Board, after consultation with the Academic Senate, that an honorary degree be awarded. Under Bylaw 29.1, three quarters of the members of the Board present at the meeting following the meeting at which the President makes the recommendation typically are required to approve the proposed honorary degree. Bylaw 29.1(c) limits the total number of honorary degrees that may be awarded at one campus to four in a single year. The Policy on the Awarding of Honorary Degrees sustains a moratorium on the award of honorary degrees which has been in place since 1972, first as a prerogative of the President and later as the policy of the Board adopted in 1986.
RECOMMENDATION
The President recommends that the Committee on Educational Policy recommend to the Regents that a special class of honorary degrees be awarded to students prevented from completing their University of California degrees as a result of Executive Order 9066 pursuant to regulations adopted by the Assembly of the Academic Senate on June 17, 2009.
The President recommends further that the Committee on Educational Policy recommend to the Regents that the Board, on a one-time basis justified by unique circumstances, temporarily suspend Bylaw 29.1 (Honorary Degrees) and the Policy on the Awarding of Honorary Degrees pursuant to Bylaw 7.3 to permit the award of a special honorary degree to these students.
As it says, in the spring of 1942, approximately 700 Japanese American students enrolled in graduate and undergraduate programs at Berkeley, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Davis were forced to interrupt their studies as a result of Executive Order 9066.
Last year the universities of Washington and Oregon awarded honorary degrees to students affected by the internment. Isn't it about time the University of California did the same? To read the complete Regents' item, download the PDF here.
Some new character headshots from The Last Airbender movie recently surfaced on the web, courtesy of some German fansite. As you can see, Dev Patel plays the villain Zuko. While the others -- Aang, Sokka and Katara -- well, I guess they're not going with that brilliant spray tan idea.
If you haven't heard, or it isn't plainly obvious, except for a few minor roles, most of the characters from the Asian-inspired world of the popular Nickelodeon animated series have been magically changed to white for M. Night Shyamalan's live-action adaptation.
The production is well underway, and there's no stopping this ship now. No doubt, the studio powers-that-be simply don't care about this issue. This movie is a giant disasteroid hurtling toward July 2, 2010. For more info about the race issues surrounding this movie, go to racebending.com.
Well, I guess there ain't no stopping it now. The upcoming remake of 1984's The Karate Kid, starring Jaden Smith -- son of Will -- started filming in Beijing over the weekend: Jackie Chan, Jaden Smith start 'Karate Kid' remake.
As previously reported, Jackie Chan is indeed playing the part of the iconic Miyagi character, this time a martial arts master who trains the youngster in the ways of kung fu. This one will apparently be titled the Kung Fu Kid.
The movie, directed by Harald Zwart, is a co-production between state-run China Film Group and Columbia Pictures. My guess is, we'll see young Jaden getting beat up by bullies a bunch of times, learning some kung fu, then beating up said bullies. The end.
Next up, you'll see Jackie Chan in the Hollywood action comedy The Spy Next Door, about an undercover spy whose cover is blown, and the Chinese production Big Soldier, about the friendship between two soldiers set in China's ancient Qin dynasty.
As I'm sure you know, at-large city councilor Sam Yoon is running for mayor of Boston. Last week, he contributed a post to Daily Kos outlining why he's running, and why he needs your help. Basically, sixteen years is a long time for anyone to be mayor, and business-as-usual politics in Boston has got to end: Beating Machine Politics in Boston.
He's got a hell of a challenge ahead of him, lagging in funding behind incumbent Mayor Thomas M. Menino and fellow Councilor at Large Michael F. Flaherty Jr., but his passion and obvious drive to bring change to Boston is inspiring activists and supporters across the board: Yoon ushers in new wave of volunteers.
Still, he has his share of detractors and critics, and bullshit illustrations like the one accompanying this article certainly don't help. The article questions whether or not Yoon possesses the support he claims to have within Boston's Asian American community. What any of that has to do with a goddamn Chinese food takeout box, I have no idea.
I have to echo this post over at Asian Pacific Americans for Progress, which asks, "How, in this day and age, is it acceptable to represent an entire community with a takeout box and chopsticks?" Damn right. That's racist!
Anyway, if you're in Boston, and want to learn more about Sam Yoon and his run for mayor, visit his campaign website here. And like I said, Yoon's campaign is seriously behind in funding. If you'd like to make a financial contribution, click here.
For those of you who enjoyed seeing Hollywood stuntman Steven Ho kicking Conan O'Brien's ass last month on The Tonight Show, it looks like there's more where that came from. According to the Tonight Show website, Steven is scheduled to be back on show this Friday, July 17.
Presumably for more stunts and asskicking? Count on it. According to his Twitter, he's "trying to figure a different way to beat up Conan so it doesn't look the same as last time." To learn more about Steven's Hollywood stunt work, visit the XL Action Team website here.
For those of you in the San Francisco area, here's another signing/release party for Secret Identities, the Asian American superhero comic book anthology. It's happening this Thursday, July 16 at Giant Robot San Francisco. Here are some details:
Giant Robot San Francisco - Secret Identities
Thursday, July 16, 2009 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Giant Robot San Francisco 618 Shrader Street San Francisco, CA
Giant Robot is proud to host a book release party and signing for Secret Identities, a graphic collection that explores Asian-American culture, identity and history through all new superhero comics.
Join Walden Wong, Jimmy Aquino, Alexander Shen, Tanuj Chopra, Tiffanie Hwang and Jeff Yang this Thursday, July 16, 6 - 8 PM at GRSF.
Come on out, geeks. For more information about the event, go to the Giant Robot website here, or the Facebook event page here. And of course, to learn more about Secret Identities, go here.
Finally! After Infernal Affairs, The Ring, The Uninvited and all the rest, here's a Hollywood remake of an Asian movie where the main character's ethnicity isn't magically changed to white... I'm speaking, of course, of Hachiko: A Dog's Story, starring Richard Gere. Wait, what?
Based on the 1987 Japanese film Hachiko monogatari, it tells the famous, heartwarming true tale of a loyal Akita in Japan who remained faithful to his master, even many years after his owner's death. When I say Asian, I'm definitely not talking about Richard Gere -- I'm talking about the dog!
Sure, all of the actual Japanese humans in this production have been magically wiped from history and replaced with white actors (save for Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, who is the lone Asian name listed in the IMDb credits), but hey, at least Hachiko is still played by an Akita, a breed that originates from Japan.
Yes, Asians finally get to play Asians... when they're dogs. So we can all stop complaining, I guess. The battle is won. We finally have our Asian in a starring title role. (Thanks, Greg.)
Late last year, I wrote about the 2009 Asian Men Redefined Calendar, which I'm told was able to raise $2,000 for the Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center. Well, the calendar is back for 2010, and is now available online and at a few select stores. That's right. Twelve more months of glossy, full-color, 12"x12" Asian male hotness.
Bolder, smarter, sexier. Now in its fourth year, Asian Men Redefined is an all-volunteer calendar photographed and produced by dannydan. Sure, 2010 is still several months away. That doesn't mean you can't start celebrating some beautiful Asian men. And it's for a great cause.
Proceeds from the calendar benefit the A&PI Wellness Center, the oldest non-profit HIV/AIDS services organization in North America targeting Asian & Pacific Islander communities. The rest of the profit goes back to the calendar production for the following year. To learn more about the Asian Men Redefined calendar, go to the website here.
The lovely Lynn Chen informs of a new film, Silent Partners, premiering this week in Los Angeles. It's part of a documentary series, In Their Boots, about the impact the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are having on people here at home. Silent Partners looks at the hidden effects of the U.S. military's 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' policy through the eyes of three partners of deployed service members:
"Silent Partners" is a moving story about the same-sex partners of three American service members whose lives are shrouded in secrecy because of our military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. While these partners make the same courageous wartime sacrifices as our nation's military spouses, they are denied basic benefits like next-of-kin notifications, deployment counseling and access to military support networks. This injustice is compounded by the reality that mere knowledge of the partners' existence will lead to the service member's discharge. "Silent Partners" is a powerful look at the unexpected consequences of love, commitment and patriotism while our nation is at war.
There will be a screening of Silent Partners this Thursday, July 16 in Los Angeles. The film will be presented by Lt. Dan Choi, who was recently discharged from the United States Army as a result of the 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' policy. Here are the event details:
Silent Partners - An Evening with Lt. Dan Choi
Thursday July 16, 2009 Backstage Theater at Sony Pictures Studios 10202 W. Washington Blvd Culver City, CA 7PM Reception 8PM Screening
Q & A session immediately following the film This event is FREE and open to the public CLICK TO RSVP: http://bit.ly/cv1Nw
Complimentary parking available at the Madison Gate Photo ID will be checked at the gate against the RSVP list Click below for map of parking lot entrance: http://bit.ly/DsX5o
This screening of Silent Partners is sponsored by n Their Boots, Knights Out, Servicemembers United, Equality California and API Equality-LA. RSVP for the event here. You can watch a preview of the film, which was recently featured as a New York Times Op-Ed video, here.
After a couple of tricky download problems, I finally got a chance to listen to Early Believers, the sophomore album from San Francisco-based emcee/producer Kero One, and damn, this thing has instantly become one of my favorite summertime records. I can't stop listening to it.
The CD, which was released in April from Plug Music, is just a really fun, feel-good album of cool rhymes and breezy beats, embracing a little bit of everything from soul to disco, electro, and Brazilian rhythms. You can listen to some samples here. You will dig it.
Early Believers has already won a fan in none other Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, who sent Kero One a personalized message telling him how much he dug the album. Does this mean we might be hearing a Kero One/Will.i.am collaboration in the future?
To learn more about Kero One, visit his website here, and his MySpace page here. And check out the music video for "When the Sunshine Comes" (feat. Ben Westbeech). Early Believers is available from all the usual spots like Amazon and iTunes.
Last week in Kansas, State Rep. Raj Goyle (D-Wichita) announced that he'll run for the 4th Congressional District being vacated by Rep. Todd Tiahrt, setting up a potential marquee race in the 2010 election: Goyle says he's running for Congress.
It's been known that Goyle, a second-term state representative, had been interested in the race for months, but he only made the formal announcement on Saturday. A prolific fundraiser with a reputation for party crossover appeal, Goyle has won two terms in a Republican-leaning district in east Wichita.
The only other announced candidate for the Democratic primary is Robert Tillman, a retired court services officer making his first run for elective office. More here: State Rep. Goyle in race for Tiahrt's House seat. Here's Raj Goyle's official campaign website: Raj Goyle for Kansas.
Well, it appears that Stephen Chow is definitely out of the Green Hornet movie. He dashed the hopes of a lot of fans when it was announced that he wouldn't be directing (that's going to Michel Gondry). But now it's fairly certain he won't be starring as the Green Hornet's badass sidekick Kato either.
Without official word, we pretty much figured he had dropped the role a long time ago. But /Film has posted a casting call that leaves us without a doubt that they are indeed opening it up and looking for a new guy to play Kato: Kato Casting Call Kicks Chow To The Curb?
[KATO] ALL ASIAN ETHNICITIES, Male, 20's - early 40's. Brit Reid's manservant/chauffeur by day and Green Hornet's martial arts-skilled sidekick by night. Actor doesn't have to have Martial Arts experience.
Well, now it's wide open. Kato could be played by any Asian actor, of any ethnicity. Hell, the actor doesn't even have to know martial arts. I have no idea what to expect anymore. My hope is that they just get someone capable, and make this damn project finally happen.
But hey, at least they're keeping him Asian. You could certainly see studio execs trying to pull something sneaky, like an Airbender, and re-envisioning Kato as a non-Asian character. Because that's edgy. But honestly, who the hell knows what Seth Rogen and Michel Gondry are going to do with the character now?
If you're in Philadelphia, and want to support Asian American cinema, mark your calendars and make plans to spend an evening of friends, food and fun at the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival's Benefit Dinner, happening next week on Thursday, July 23 at the Ocean City Restaurant. Read on for details:
Philadelphia Asian American Film & Filmmakers Benefit Dinner
Join PAAFF for an evening of food and fun to support the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival! Featuring a delicious 8-course Chinese dinner, a silent auction and door prizes including All Access film festival passes and prizes provided by HBO.
Thursday, July 23, 2009 6 - 9p.m.
$50/Individual seats $80/Parties of 2 $40/Member of partner organizations (AAI, APABA PA, ICON, OCA, NAAAP, etc.) $30/Student (w/current ID)
TICKETS MUST BE PURCHASED BY THU. JULY 16: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/70133
Please note meals are NOT tax-deductible.
Shoudl be a fun evening, and it's all for a good cause. So call up some friends and bring them along too. But you've got to get your tickets by this Thursday, July 16. Purchase tickets online here. And for more information about the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival, coming in October, go here.
Behold, video of another Fox News idiot digging himself a giant, deep hole of stupidity... the jumping in. This one's Brian Kilmeade, host of news network's morning show, Fox and Friends, discussing... well, it doesn't really matter: Fox News' Kilmeade: We "marry other species," Finns "pure."
There's no justifiable context to explain why someone would say that, here in the United States, "...we keep marrying other species and other ethnics and other..." Wait, what? He explains, "See, the problem is the Swedes have pure genes. Because they marry other Swedes .... Finns marry other Finns, so they have a pure society."
...as opposed to here in America, where we're all dirty with the mixing and the mating and marrying and all that. With other ethnicities and, um, "other species," whatever the hell that means. No pure society for us Muggle-borns, I guess. More here: Brian Kilmeade Would Like Species and 'Ethnics' to Remain Pure.
No one should be allowed to hit their kids. No one. But I can't help but feel sympathy for the entire family in this awful situation. Two children from Palo Alto, California were taken from their parents last month and placed in a foster home in Nebraska after a family fight near Omaha: Palo Alto parents fight for children's return from Nebraska foster care.
The bizarre chain of events began when the couple -- Suwen Wang and his wife Charlotte Fu -- traveled to Nebraska last month so their 12-year-old daughter, Alice, could be honored in an international art competition. On June 6, a witness told police the parents had hit their son, 13, while their car was parked on a road outside Omaha:
According to police, a witness saw Fu get out of their car and punch the boy, sitting in the back seat, in the face several times. The couple's Omaha attorney, Michael Nelson, said "there was an incident with their son. He was needling his sister, and they pulled over to discipline him," he said. "He used an expletive to his mom, but beyond that I can't go into specifics."
Nelson said the incident lasted "probably for 20 minutes or so, as they lectured the son. A witness made the call after watching from their front lawn."
After the boy allegedly pushed his mom away, police said, Wang turned around from the front seat and also hit him several times in the face. Nelson said the boy was not treated for any injuries. Wang and Fu were arrested and kept in jail for two nights before posting a $250 cash bond each, said Nelson, adding that they had not been formally charged in the abuse case.
Last week, authorities in Nebraska agreed to turn over the case to child welfare officials in Santa Clara County, so at least the children won't be stuck out of state and can return to the Bay Area. It remains to be seen whether of not they'll eventually be allowed to go back with their parents: Palo Alto kids will be returned to Santa Clara County; may not go home.
According to the mom, the "ultimate victim" in all this is 12-year-old Alice, who probably won't be able to travel to South Korea next month as part of the international art contest that firs brought her Omaha. It's unclear whether Santa Clara County child-welfare officials will allow the family to travel out of the country: Young artist's mom sees her daughter as 'ultimate victim' paying steep price.
I recently heard from Stephen, a Korean American attorney who lives on Wall Street in New York City's Financial District, who tells us this crazy story about some drunk, racist fool who picked a fight with him, but ended up getting a face full of floor when Stephen got all Brazilian Jiu-jitsu on his ass:
am a Korean-American attorney who lives on Wall Street in the Financial District of NY. I was out getting some icecream late at night at the corner store when I was approached by a big drunk guy who asked me if I was Korean. He went on to tell me that his wife is Korean so he "knows all about Koreans". I tried to humor him and nod but he started getting offensive saying that Koreans get pushed around all the time but never fight back. Then he started telling me all Korean parents are insane.
At that point, I told him I didn't want to continue talking to him and left the store. He followed me out onto a dark street off of Wall Street and started getting in my face. I told him to take a step back and he socked me in the face. I used to box in college so I responded with a pretty brutal set of punches that put him on the ground and told him the fight was over.
As I walked away, he got up and followed me into my apartment building at 63 Wall Street. I tried to get the doorman to call the police but he refused because apparently the guy lives in the building. The drunk guy then came at me again and hit me in the mouth, breaking one of my front teeth off, and called me a chink. We ended up fighting on the ground where I subdued him using Brazilian Jiujutsu and MMA. I held him in a chokehold and told him I'd kill him before the police arrive if he didn't stop struggling and clawing at my eyes.
This happened about two months ago, but he just got the video above from the prosecutor handling the case. The quality isn't very good, and it's a little hard to tell what's happening, but there's a obviously a pretty fierce struggle on the ground for several minutes.
My favorite part is a toss up between the guy behind the desk who is of no help at all, and the people who walk through the door and literally step over the fight like nothing out of the ordinary is going on.
Stephen, both an attorney and a practitioner of martial arts, apparently sued both his attacker and the building for a tidy sum. It appears that fool picked the wrong Korean guy to mess with.
I recently head about Bravo's The Fashion Show, a "fashion creative competition series" in which fifteen professional designers compete for a chance to have their designs sold in the retail market and win a $125,000.
I have never actually seen the show... but I guess Bravo decided it really needed a replacement fashion competition after Project Runway jumped ship and found a new home on Lifetime.
Anyway, I'm told that James-Paul is currently one of the show's contestants. They're up to episode ten, and he's made it into the show's top four. Angel Chang was also a contestant, but she got eliminated a while back. For interested viewers, the show airs Thursday nights on Bravo.
Just four years ago, few athletes promised the kind of seemingly limitless potential exhibited by Michelle Wie. Just a young teenager, she was rocking the professional golf world. Today, she's definitely not quite the same Michelle Wie everyone was expecting her to be. What happened?
Another character poster from the upcoming live-action G.I. Joe movie. That's South Korean actor Lee Byung-hun as the Cobra ninja Storm Shadow. Is it just me, or does this movie look terrible? The more I see from this movie, the more it looks like it's going to be a big-budget disaster.
I know there are a lot of people who are excited about this movie, but it just looks bad. And this is coming from a longtime G.I. Joe fan. Let's hope that at the very least, we'll get to see some badass action from Storm Shadow. But I'll be going in really really really low expectations.
Friends, when it comes to paying for college, we all know students could use a little help these days. That's why State Farm, OCA, the Japanese American Citizens League, and the Asian American Studies Program at University of Maryland have collaborated to present the 2009-2011 National Directory of Scholarships, Internships, and Fellowships for Asian American and Pacific Islander Students. Read the press release:
New Scholarship Directory for Asian American and Pacific Islander Students
As the pressures of the economy place financial obstacles to Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities, State Farm®, OCA, the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), and the Asian American Studies Program at University of Maryland (AAST) collaborated to present the 2009-2011 National Directory of Scholarships, Internships, and Fellowships for Asian American and Pacific Islander Students.
According to Camden Lee, an OCA intern and University of Maryland student, the directory is "an amazing resource that provides opportunities that I never even knew about." Available at OCA & JACL events and online at www.aast.umd.edu, this one of a kind Directory includes information and resources for AAPI students and their families.
"State Farm is pleased to offer this publication to assist students and parents make informed decisions about higher education. Our commitment to education excellence for all students is a top priority as we help build safer, stronger, better-educated communities," said Leslie Moe-Kaiser, corporate public affairs staff assistant at State Farm.
The Directory will be formally launched on July 14, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. during a briefing at the OCA National Center, located at 1326 18th Street NW, Washington, DC, 20036.
"OCA believes this directory is important for AAPI students to prepare them to be future leaders," said OCA National President Ken Lee. "OCA is happy to collaborate with our partners State Farm, AAST and JACL. As a scholarship and internship provider, OCA knows how empowering this information will be for our community."
"Education and Scholarship is basic to the values of the AAPI family. We are happy to provide this resource to assist our youth gain information and access to opportunities that are often hidden from their view. We also thank our staff and associates for making this possible," said JACL National Executive Director Floyd Mori.
Professor Larry Shinagawa, director of AAST, said: "The directory is a handy reference that can be used by all students and parents who are interested in finding the financial means and experiential resources to pursue higher education. You will find here a wealth of information, tips, and resources that can help enable students to pursue a quality higher education. The adage that education can never be taken from you and enables you to persevere and succeed continues to be the age-old truth. We hope this directory serves the purposes of advancing educational opportunities to collegiate-age students of APA background."
For more information or to RSVP for the event, contact OCA Communications Manager Sarah Smith Nester atssmith@ocanational.org or 202.223.5500.
Like it says, they'll be officially launching the directory at a briefing next week, on July 14 at the OCA National Center in Washington DC. After that, if I understand correctly, the Directory will be available both as a physical copy and online at www.aast.umd.edu.
So far, however, they haven't received any submissions. I recently heard from them because they're putting the call out, particularly to younger folks. Your submissions can be anything, ranging from personal narratives to event announcements. The purpose of the blog is to better inform and archive Indian American history and community activities on the internet.
For inquiries regarding submissions, contact Ricky Leung at leungw@si.edu. HomeSpun is also collecting donations with the ultimate goal of creating a traveling exhibition and middle-school curriculum guide, both for Indian American history. Learn more about HomeSpun here.
Have you seen The Listener? It's a relatively new NBC drama about a guy who has the power to read minds, and uses his special gift to help people blah blah blah. I was flipping channels last night and came across it, and last night's show just happened to be a repeat of The Chinatown Episode.
You know what I'm talking about. Every legal or cop drama eventually gets around to the Chinatown Episode, maybe even once a season. Sometimes it's the Koreatown Episode, or the Little Saigon Episode... but for that one episode, a handful of Asian American actors get some work as a helpless lotus damsel, an Asian street thug, or an honorable elderly Asian.
In last night's show, Toby ("The Listener") befriends a beautiful young woman, Kim, when her brother Raymond is killed in a shooting. It seems that Raymond was into something shady, and now Chinese thugs are after Kim to find an important document. So of course, the mind-reading hero dude has to step in and get to the bottom of this.
Did I mention that Kim is blind? And plays violin? She's also totally helpless. It's a little odd how Toby gets totally wrapped and obsessed with saving her. There's even an odd, interesting moment when his friend accuses him of being beguiled by her Asian mystique:
"It's the girl, right? You have trouble reading her, so you're stuck on her."
"No man, I'm not stuck on her."
"It's the total 'Dragon Lady' stereotype."
"Dragon lady?"
"The beautiful, unknowable Asian woman -- she's seductive as hell but she hides dangers and secrets. Come on, you're falling for a stereotype."
"You're wrong. That's not it."
"Uh, I'm actually pretty sensitive to these things."
"What are these things."
"Racism."
"Please.
"Toby, you may not have noticed this, but I'm not white."
"Okay. Shut up now."
"Just like the man. Trying to keep a brother muzzled."
It's kind of a frank, refreshing moment, though Toby completely laughs it off as sidekick nonsense banter. Meanwhile, Kim never really questions why this dude, a paramedic, is suddenly all up in her business. Eventually, of course, Toby is there to save her when a dangerous Asian thug attacks her in her apartment. Turns out, her brother hid a slip of paper... in her violin.
The paper is the number of a shipping container... full of illegal Chinese immigrants. Turns out Raymond was working for Chinatown's benevolent elder, who was running in a human trafficking operation. Silly Chinese people, always exploiting other Chinese people. Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown.
This episode of The Listener guest starred Steph Song, Kean Lui, Darrel Gamotin, Warren Chow and Sean Lu. The show's starring cast includes Mylene Dinh-Robic as Dr. Olivia Fawcett, but she was only in this episode for a hot second. And that's my recap of The Listener Goes to Chinatown.
Here we go again. It's time for another Angry Reader of the Week, spotlighting you, the very special readers of this website. Over the years, I've been able to connect with a lot of cool folks, and this is a way of showing some appreciation and attention to the people who help make this blog what it is. This week's Angry Reader is singer/songwriter Dawen Wang:
Who are you? Dawen, a singer-songwriter, producer, and avid reader of Angry Asian Man.
What are you? Bostonian by birth; Asian by blood; Chicagoan by heart; musician by trade; over-caffeinated by noon.
Where are you? Los Angeles, waiting in line at the Kogi truck, across the street from Yogurtland on Sawtelle, but mostly here.
Where are you from? I used to hate it when people asked me this question. If I said "Boston" or "Chicago" people would then ask, "No, I mean, where are you really from?"
When I moved to Hong Kong during high school, I told all my new classmates that I was from "Lexington, Massachusetts, the Birthplace of the American Revolution." And because my new classmates, being predominantly British, were quiet and reserved, and I, being from the US, was loud and brash, they believed me. Subsequently, I became known as "the American."
I thought I had finally reached the point where people believed me when I said I was from the US, or that I was from America. And then, on my first day in college back in the States, it was the familiar tune: "No, I mean, where are you really from?
What do you do? I write and perform music! Currently, I'm preparing for my CD release show. I have just finished my first full length album "American Me" and can't wait to introduce it to everyone.
I am also a producer, having just finished my second showcase "Declare INDIEpendence! 2" with the 14th Chicago Asian American Showcase in April.
And once every blue moon, I don the actor's coat and dabble in the theater.
What are you all about? Asian American Empowerment. I love being Asian. I love being American. And I try to express that sentiment in any way I can. Whether it be through my music, or by showcasing other Asian American performers, I am all about supporting the AA community at large.
What makes you angry? 1. The disregard and intolerance people have for one another 2. Auto-racists 3. Casting for "The Last Airbender" 4. LA traffic 5 "No, I mean, where are you really from?
Here's a New York Times article on the newly expanded, newly relocated Museum of Chinese in America, which has chosen to open the doors of its new home on the edge of Chinatown quietly and gradually as it settles in over the summer. But don't worry -- a big opening is coming: New Home for Chinese Experience in America.
That building, a converted industrial machine repair shop at 211-215 Centre Street, was designed by Maya Lin, who also designed the Vietnam Memorial in Washington. With about 12,000 square feet spread over two floors, the Centre Street building is nearly six times larger than the museum's current home, and cost $8.1 million to revamp.
In the lobby Ms. Lin has created an art installation called "The Journey Wall," which consists of bronze tiles that link Chinese-American families' names and places of origin in China with the towns or cities where they settled in America. I can't wait to take a look at this.
While the Centre Street location opened without fanfare late last month, though this weekend, the Museum hosts the very Asian American Comicon, a gathering of Asian American comic book artists, editors, writers and fans. To learn more about the Museum of Chinese in America and the new location, visit the MoCA website here.
Blood: The Last Vampire opens in select theaters today. The film marks the English-language debut of South Korean actress Jun Ji-hyun, of My Sassy Girl fame. For her leap to Hollywood, she's now simply credited as "Gianna." I caught a screening last week, and I regret to inform you... it's kind of awful.
The movie is based on Hiroyuki Kitakubo's hit anime of the same name, about a vampire "halfling" who has dedicated herself to destroying demons. It's sort of an odd production -- based on a Japanese anime, with a Chinese producer, a French director and a Korean star speaking English.
In some ways, demon-slaying Saya is the perfect role for Ms. Jun's stateside debut. She doesn't have a lot of lines, and pretty much is either kicking ass or standing around looking tough throughout the entire movie. She's perfectly fine, given the parameters of the character.
Unfortunately, that only gets you so far, and doesn't amount to a very good movie. There are so many things wrong with Blood, I don't know where to begin -- between the poor direction, awful script, dull action sequences and the laugh-out-loud bad special effects, there's very little to praise.
In short, it's a mess. I really wanted to like this movie, and Jun Ji-hyun really deserved a better project to show off her English acting chops. Too bad she got this. Here's an idea: save yourself the trouble and just rent and watch the original Japanese animated feature. Trust me, it's a lot more interesting.
According to a scholar who has heard from North Korean officials, Euna Lee and Laura Ling have not yet been sent to a prison labor camp as called for in their sentences, and are instead being kept at a guest house in Pyongyang: Report: 2 US journalists staying in guest house.
The delay in sending them might be an attempt to seek talks in Washington on their release. North Korea's move not to carry out the sentence suggests that it could release them through a dialogue with the United States. They could even be set free at an early date, depending on the U.S. gesture.
This is all according to Han Park, a political scientist at the University of Georgia who recently visited North Korea. Okay, so it's good to hear that they're doing okay in a guest house, and not suffering awful conditions in a remote gulag. That said, let's continue to see what we can do about getting them home.
First of all, I would like to say that whoever first modified and designed those awful "Calvin"-pissing car decals should punished. Not in a violent way or anything. The original artist, those who sell the stickers, and of course, the drivers who put the damn things on their cars, should just have to endure some kind of penalty for subjecting the rest of us to those stupid stickers.
That said, the above photo was snapped by an observant reader who recently spotted these decals for sale at the Big Butler Fair near Pittsburgh. As you can see, very tasteful. I think it takes a certain kind of sensibility to put one of these on your car. Isn't it nice to know there are people out there who think it's appropriate to ride around with "JAP CRAP" as auto decor? (Thanks, Nic.)
Kearny Street Workshop and Intersection for the Arts, two of San Francisco's oldest multidisciplinary arts organizations, have announced the release of the 2009 Interdisciplinary/ Intergenerational Writers Lab Online Anthology, Flick of My Tongue.
Comprised of poetry, short stories and other prose written by the diverse group of students and instructors who participated in the sixth annual Interdisciplinary/ Intergenerational Writers Lab, this special collection is now available for public viewing online.
Contributors include: IWL students Starbright Elizabeth Bilyck, Drea Brown, Richard Kevin Cartwright, Mai Doan, Victoria Gannon, Betty Johnson, Carolyn Kameya, Kenji Liu, Carrie Leilam Love, Karim Scarlata and Vidhu Singh; and instructors Jewelle Gomez and Truong Tran.
The Interdisciplinary/Intergenerational Writers Lab is a program that challenges writers to explore and develop their writing skills and styles in multiple genres. The IWL 2009 program took place April 11 - June 6, 2009 and was led by two acclaimed artists: author and playwright Jewelle Gomez and poet and visual artist Truong Tran.
To view the anthology online, go here. To learn more about the Interdisciplinary/Intergenerational Writers Lab, go here. For more information about Kearny Street Workshop, go here. And finally, for more information about Intersection for the Arts, go here.
You could seriously make an entire gallery out of all the household kitchen items designed to look like racist Asian caricatures. Here's another one. Serve up your next Asian meal in style with an Uncle Ho Stainless Steel Bowl.
Ah, yes. Good ol' Uncle Ho. Because nothing says Asian like slanted eyes and a conical-shaped hat. So clever. This little piece of kitchen foolishness was designed in France by Crea Crea, who should check with Alessi to straighten out why they're stealing ideas from each other. That's racist!
So, earlier this week, I caught a screening of Bruno, the latest movie from comedy chameleon Sacha Baron Cohen, which opens in theaters this Friday. The movie follows a flamboyant Austrian fashionista trying become famous in America. It's basically like Borat, except, you know... gay.
What can I really say about this movie? There are funny moments, but without a doubt, it will offend the sensibilities of many people, on a lot of levels. Lots of crude jokes (two words: talking penis), but overall, I didn't think it was a very complete or satisfying movie experience.
But I bring it up here because of Clifford Banagale, who has a brief role in the beginning of the movie as Bruno's lover, Diesel. Things don't last too long between them, and Diesel ends up dumping Bruno, but not before we are given a quick montage of the couple engaging in lots of vigorous and athletic sex.
Like most of what transpires in the movie, the scene is very graphic, outrageous and intended to shock -- and it occurs fairly early in the film. I just thought I'd prepare you, and note that he's really the only Asian face in the movie. You will never look at a bottle of champagne the same way again.
I came across this video clip a few months back, and have been meaning to post it here for a while. This is an old video of Ron Dellums, current Mayor of Oakland, speaking out for redress of Japanese American internees, back when he was serving as a member of Congress, circa 1987-88.
At the time, there was a campaign underway seeking an official apology and reparations for the U.S. government's internment of Japanese American during World War II. It was ultimately successful, and President Ronald Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 into law.
Here, Dellums is arguing against an amendment that would have watered down the reparations. Say what you will about Dellums' politics today -- the video's old, and the quality's pretty bad, but his emotion and conviction in the moment are completely evident. It's a moving, powerful piece of history.
We are writing on behalf of OUTLaw, NYU Law's LGBT student group, to raise awareness of anti-gay statements made by a NYU visiting professor. Dr. Li-ann Thio, a professor at the National University of Singapore, will be teaching Human Rights Law in Asia during the Fall 2009 semester as a Global Visiting Professor of Law at NYU.
In 2007, the Singaporean Parliament was considering repealing 377A - the statute criminalizing consensual sex between men in Singapore. Dr. Thio, a Nominated Member of Parliament, gave a speech before Parliament arguing against the repeal. In her speech supporting the continued criminalization of "acts of gross indecency" between two males, she made such statements as, "You cannot make a human wrong a human right," "Diversity is not a license for perversity," and that anal sex is like "shoving a straw up your nose to drink" (http://theonlinecitizen.com/2007/10/377a-serves-public-morality-nmp-thio-li-ann). The efforts to repeal 377A failed, and consensual sex between men is still illegal in Singapore.
While respecting Dr. Thio's right to her opinion and without questioning her teaching abilities, OUTLaw believes it is important for LGBT students and allies to be aware of her views in order to make fully informed decisions regarding class registration. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the OUTLaw Board at nyu.outlaw@gmail.com.
haven't bothered to watch the videos, but Above the Law observes that Dr. Thio "speaks persuasively and with conviction," like a great high school debater. So far, NYU has refused to to rescind its invitation to Dr. Thio, despite individual student and alumni complaints.
Over on the APA for Progress blog, Eugenia observes and wonders, "...while no one can deny that Dr. Thio's credentials are very impressive... one wonders whether Dr. Thio has actually shoved a straw up her nose to drink before (or if she's ever actually had anal sex)." You never know.
Take a moment to watch this nicely-made little short film, A Journey to the West by Lawrence Chen. In it, a rural Chinese cobbler finally earns enough money to travel to Beijing, and what he discovers there is a world completely unlike his own. I like that the story's simple and told without dialogue.
It's not a sneaker commercial. At least, I don't think it is. (You'll see what I mean.) Very interesting comment on China and globalization though.
Lawrence, a graduate of Duke University, was invited to screen the film this year at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival: 2009 Trinity Grad Invited to Cannes Film Festival. For more information about this work, check out Lawrence Chen's website here. (Thanks, Henry.)
If I'm not mistaken, this marks the 17th week that Laura Ling and Euna Lee have been imprisoned in North Korea. The two American journalists were sentenced to twelve years hard labor on charges of illegally entering the country to conduct a smear campaign.
She said her sister "was very specific about the message that she was communicating, and she said, 'Look, we violated North Korean law and we need our government to help us. We are sorry about everything that has happened, but we need diplomacy.'"
Yes. Hell yes. They need diplomacy. Nothing is going to happen on any level if the United States and North Korea refuse to engage in diplomatic talks. Everyone seems to be saying the same thing, and saying it over and over again, yet no one in a real position to do something is doing anything.
So here's what you can do to help. First, sign the petition for amnesty for Laura and Euna. You can also send a letter to the North Korean government, as well as your own local representative in Congress.
According to this Facebook group, they're also collecting postcards to send to Laura and Euna. For more on what you can do to help and spread the word about their situation, go to this website: Free Laura Ling & Euna Lee. And this Facebook page: Laura and Euna. And continue to pray for their release and safe return.
This is for all of you poets out there... The 5th Annual APIA Spoken Word & Poetry Summit is coming to the San Francisco Bay Area this month, July 30 - August 2. The event is a gathering of spoken word artists, poets, writers, musicians, thespians, activists, organizers and artists from all over, in the name of art and activism.
Since 2001, the Summit has gathered every two years in a different city in the United States, and for a span for four days engage in workshops, performances, and discussions directed toward the upliftment of the APIA arts and activism community. Here are some details:
THE FIFTH ANNUAL APIA SPOKEN WORD AND POETRY SUMMIT IS COMING TO THE BAY AREA JULY 30TH TO AUGUST 2ND
What: Since its inception in 2001, the APIA Spoken Word and Poetry Summit has brought together young Asian and Pacific Islander American artists together in an attempt to serve as a bridge to their shared experiences across the country. 8 years later, the summit continues on and has managed to draw many established and up and coming Asian American artists to this 4 day celebration of art and community.
Where: Berkeley, CA
When: July 30th to August 2nd
Who: APIA Spoken Word and Poetry Summit
Why: To bring together Asian and Pacific Islander American artists from across the country to connect, to build, and to share each other’s stories.
Bay Area, represent! This is going to be an awesome gathering. For more information about the Summit, including program, schedule and registration details, go to the website here. You have one week left to register (the deadline is July 15), and space is filling up, so get to it.
Police say the shooting appears to have stemmed from a family dispute. According to neighbors and relatives, He and Liang had recently ended a bitter custody dispute over their 9-year-old daughter. The girl had moved in with He and her husband within the last three months.
Two people who were also inside the townhome escaped without serious injury, including the woman's 9-year-old daughter and He's husband Shane Coffman, whose earlobe was grazed during the shooting. Coffman called 911 and told arriving officers that his wife was still inside the home with the gunman.
Details about the shooting are still sketchy. Anyone with information on this case is urged to call detective Sgt. Pete Ramirez or detective Sgt. Dave Tindall of the San Jose Police Department's Homicide Unit at 408-277-5283. Persons wishing to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 408-947-STOP.
Check out the U.S. trailer for Ponyo, the latest animated feature from master director Hayao Miyazaki. True to Miyazaki's fascination with the fantastic, it's the tale of a fish who magically becomes a young girl. It's looks weird and crazy and delightful, and I can't wait to see it.
Already released with record-breaking box numbers last year in Japan as Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, it's scheduled for theatrical release in North America next month from Walt Disney Pictures, and features the voices of Cate Blanchett, Noah Cyrus, Matt Damon, Tina Fey and Frankie Jonas. It opens in select theaters on August 14.
As editor of the English-language section of the Rafu Shimpo, Tanaka helped oversee the last issue in the spring of 1942 before 110,000 Japanese Americans on the West Coast were rounded up under Executive Order 9066 and forced to relocate to detention centers scattered across several states.
Tanaka was sent to Manzanar, where he worked as a camp historian documenting the internee experience for the War Relocation Authority. He also wrote reports for a UC Berkeley study on the evacuation and resettlement of Japanese Americans during the war.
According to historians, Tanaka's diligent reporting on every aspect of camp life, including political factions dividing Manzanar's population, apparently got him into a lot of trouble. HIs reports are considered a rare and intelligent window into not just Manzanar but Japanese American life in pre-war Los Angeles.
Next month marks the tenth anniversary of the hate crime murder of Joseph Ileto. On August 10, 1999, white supremacist Buford O. Furrow, Jr. walked into the lobby of the North Valley Jewish Community Center in Granada Hills, California and opened fire with a semiautomatic weapon, unloading 70 shots into the complex and wounding five people.
Shortly thereafter, Furrow murdered postal worker Joseph Santos Ileto in Chatsworth, a few miles away from the center. Ileto had just delivered mail to a home and was returning to his postal truck when Furrow asked Ileto to mail a letter for him. As Ileto agreed, Furrow pulled out a Glock 9mm handgun and shot Ileto nine times.
Later, Furrow confessed that he murdered Ileto because he thought Ileto was Latino or Asian (Ileto was Filipino American), and because Ileto was a federal employee. Furrow also stated that he wanted his shooting to be "a wakeup call to America to kill Jews."
Ten years later, how far has our community come, and what is left to be done in addressing hate? To remember Ileto's death, the Asian Pacific American Legal Center is organizing a press conference and memorial service next month. Here's some information that was passed along to me:
On behalf of the Asian Pacific American Legal Center and the family of Joseph Ileto, you are invited to attend the 10th Annual Commemorative Event for Joseph Ileto and the North Valley Jewish Community Center Victims. This very special event will be held on Monday, August 10, 2009, from 9:30AM - 1:00PM at the Asian Pacific American Legal Center's newly renovated community room.
This year, we will pay tribute to Filipino American postal carrier, Joseph Ileto, who was brutally and senselessly killed ten years ago by a white supremacist, and to the five children and adults who were also shot and severely wounded on the same day at the North Valley Jewish Community Center. We are holding a press conference on the day of the shooting at 10:00AM where the Ileto family and victims of the NVJCC will have an opportunity to reflect on the past 10 years. After the press conference, a memorial service will be held in honor of Joseph Ileto and we will highlight the accomplishments and activism around hate crimes prevention work.
Please RSVP with Shukry Cattan at 213-241-0269 or scattan@apalc.org.
They're also collecting letters from community members to share how the death of Joseph and the work of the Ileto family after his death, has affected individuals and groups. You can submit a letter using this form.
They'll present the letters to the Ileto family on August 10, the anniversary of Joseph's passing. Write as little or as much as you want, but of course, please be respectful.
This is a really wacky and cool video for "Hibi no Neiro" by the Japanese band Sour, from their Water Flavor EP. All the people in the video were apparently selected from the band's actual fan base from around the world, and shot entirely via webcams. It's pretty darn fantastic. (Thanks, Chanh.)
This week, Speaker Nancy Pelosi intrduced the Lim Poon Lee Post Office Act, commemorating the life of the first Chinese American Postmaster in the United States, and dedicating the post office located at 867 Stockton Street in San Francisco's Chinatown as 'The Lim Poon Lee Post Office':
Pelosi Introduces the Lim Poon Lee Post Office Act
Washington, D.C. - Speaker Nancy Pelosi introduced the Lim Poon Lee Post Office Act this week with a bipartisan group of 35 original co-sponsors. Speaker Pelosi released the following statement:
"The Lim Poon Lee Post Office Act will commemorate the life of the first Chinese American Postmaster in the United States. By dedicating the post office located at 867 Stockton Street in San Francisco's Chinatown as 'The Lim Poon Lee Post Office,' we honor the life of a dedicated public servant and proud American.
"President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Lim Poon Lee Postmaster of San Francisco in 1966. At the time, it was the highest federal appointive post ever held by a Chinese American. Lee transformed the face of San Francisco's postal service, increasing the hiring of women, minority, and disabled postal employees. In 1977, Lee established San Francisco's Chinatown Post Office, the post office located at 867 Stockton Street. It is fitting that this post office now be named for him.
"Born in Hong Kong in 1911, Postmaster Lee moved to San Francisco with his family as an infant. After serving as a U.S. Army counterintelligence specialist during World War II, he attended the College of the Pacific and the L
English-language debut album. 
