Belated Birthday Wish: Connie Chung

Friday, August 31, 2007


Hey Connie Chung,

Just wanted to wish you a belated Happy Birthday.

Sorry I missed it.

I was still in mourning over Paula Zahn.

Anyway.

Here’s hoping to many more show cancellations in your future.

Don’t worry.

It takes everyone a little while to find their niche.

You’ll find yours soon too.

The last of the South Korean hostages are freed

Thursday, August 30, 2007

The seven hostages were handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross in two separate exchanges close to the central Afghan city of Ghazni, Red Cross officials and an Associated Press reporter said. The freed hostages did not speak to reporters.


Read the full story here.

When police officers get racist - and then post themselves on YouTube

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Protect, Serve, and Get Racist I think is the new motto this Columbus Ohio police officer (on the left) wants to get instituted because that last part is exactly what she does on her public videos and sites which you can view more about here in an AP news story down at AOL video.


But don’t worry.

She didn’t get suspended after making disparaging remarks about African Americans and the Jewish population.

Nope.

She’s just on desk duty.

An open letter to Yul Kwon

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Dear Yul,

I know that you are now one of the great Asian American faces of today - and please know that I having nothing but happiness for you in your newfound celebrity and what you’re doing with it.

But I do have a favor to ask.

Just a tiny one.

Could you maybe tone it down a bit?

I mean I think it’s great what you’ve done and how you’re trying to be this great symbol of an Asian American man - but have you really thought about the rest of us who don’t have chiseled faces and can’t pull off the “Look at me in my robe while I lay back on the couch” sexified look?

I mean I know some people like yourself have this innate quality of good looks, brains, and personality, but maybe you don’t have to smile so much and wear tank tops that show off your muscles that I know *sigh* you don’t work out to get.

I mean I get it - it’s not your fault -

you’re just built that way….

you were blessed….

….blah blah blah blah blah………

But could you at least try to keep your shirt on?

I mean do you have to set the bar so high for the rest of us?

Can’t you pack on a few extra beer and nacho pounds or something?

Please?

O.K.

I appreciate you listening.

Good luck and all the best.

I’ll see you in hell.

I mean around.

Well probably not.

Please cover your nipples.

Jeon Ji-Hyun, Gianna Jun, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Blood: The Last Vampire, and the My Sassy Girl Remake

Thursday, August 30, 2007

The ever popular Jeon Ji-Hyun - from Il Mare, My Sassy Girl, Windstruck, and Daisy - is set to be known among U.S. audiences as Gianna Jun in the upcoming live-action movie of Blood: The Last Vampire which will come out in the spring of 2008. According to reports, the name change is so that audiences will better be able to remember her because Western audiences are not as familiar with Korean names.

Gianna Jun….hmmm….kinda catchy actually.

While her movie roles have typically cast her in somewhat tomboyish (albeit romantic) roles, her endorsements and fashion shoots (she was the first Korean artist to appear on the cover of Elle and started out her career as a model) are almost the complete opposite and much more risque.

One wonders which Gianna we’ll see more of - the tomboy or the risque model - or perhaps both?…….

Here’s a trailer to the movie My Sassy Girl which she starred in and that also earned her a Best Actress award - and is currently being remade with Elisha Cuthbert and Jesse Bradford:

Here’s a mashup from a YouTube fan taking some of her commercials and photoshoots and adding them to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Phenomena:


Here’s the original Giordano commercial (which was rumored to be banned but wasn’t) from which the Phenomena mashup takes some video from with beats from DJ Benny Benassi:

Are you still here Fredo?

Wednesday, August 29, 2007


Hasn’t it sunk in yet? Wave goodbye now!

And forever let your nickname by Dubya of “Fredo”

be put to rest…..

South Korean Hostages To Go Free

Tuesday, August 28, 2007


Well it’s official - the South Korean hostages being held in Afghanistan are set to go free in the next few days. According to the agreement which you can read more about here at the Washington Post, the 19 remaining hostages will go free based upon South Korea pulling 200 noncombat troops out of Afghanistan as well as banning missionary work by Korean Christians in the country.

image source

Chinese miners make it out alive on coal and jokes about their wives

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

If you weren’t aware:

Eight Chinese miners are missing after another coal shaft was flooded, this time in southwest China, local media reported on Friday, a week after a mine flood in eastern China trapped and likely killed 181 miners.

Emergency crews continued to try to reach the 181 miners trapped in the eastern province of Shandong, but an official has said there is “no hope” of survivors in one of the nation’s worst mine disasters.

http://africa.reuters.com/world/news/usnPEK276268.html

But good news today on two miners that ended up surviving via jokes about their wives, eating coal, and drinking…umm…stuff (do what you have to do to survive and make it out alive):

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/08/28/asia/AS-GEN-China-Miners-Escape.php

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070828/wl_nm/china_mine_coal_dc

APA | FIVE Videos: "I Love the Asians!"

Monday, August 27, 2007

Check out the videos promoting the APA FIVE Conference Inspire 07 Friday Aug. 31 - Monday Sep. 3 @ Westin St. Francis in Union Square, San Francisco.

The videos have James Kyson Lee, Michelle Krusiec, Dat Phan, Far East Movement, Phil Yu, Justin Lin, Roger Fan, Ali Wong, Yul Kwon, Michael Kang, Apl.de.ap…

“I Love the Asians!” *BEST YEAR EVER*



“I Love the Asians!” *SEX SYMBOLS*




“I Love the Asians!” *HEROES*



“I Love the Asians!” *TRAGEDY & HOPE*

Actress Profile: Constance Hsu

Monday, August 27, 2007

Most Recent Role:
Julie, Jade’s mom in Bratz: The movie


What’s Next:
The Kevin Costner film Swing Vote with Dennis Hopper, Kelsey Grammar, Nathan Lane and George Lopez.

According to her site:
She is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and can dance the “Robot”.

Where it started:
NYU at the Tisch School of the Arts


Indie Film Watch: Never Perfect By Regina Park

Monday, August 27, 2007

Whether or not you think plastic surgery is fine for anyone and everyone, or you think those who do so should realize their own unique and inner beauty - plastic surgery is here to stay and director Regina Park (a second-generation Korean-American) takes a further look at it through the life of a 27 year old Vietnamese-American woman who is looking to redefine her life.


Here is piece from the film’s synopsis:

NEVER PERFECT explores the complex journey of a young Vietnamese-American woman’s struggle with popular perceptions of beauty and body image as she fights the stigma of racial self-hatred in her decision to undergo cosmetic surgery.

In 1982 her family left behind a tight-knit Vietnamese community for the suburban sprawl of California , U.S.A.

Now 27 years-old, having been reared amidst a backdrop of American malls, movies and magazines and living in the same suburban house in which she was raised, Mai-Anh challenges her self-diagnosed “quarter-life crisis” by way of “new location, new lifestyle, new look.”

She begins a literal and symbolic transformation and reinvention of herself: a relocation from quiet suburbia to the heart of urban Los Angeles, a new lifestyle defined by living on her own for the first time, and finally, a new physical makeover: double eyelid surgery only days after starting her new life.

But will she find the answers to her crisis on the operating room table?

View more information at the film’s website here.

Koda Kumi and Fergie Team Up For Music Single

Sunday, August 26, 2007


News came out a little bit ago that Koda Kumi will be teaming up with Fergie on a single for a yet to be named Japanese drama. Whether the song will be in English, Japanese, or both - which would be my bet - is still being hashed out.

No word on when it will be released.

Takashi Miike: Sci-fi romantic comedy?

Sunday, August 26, 2007

This sounds pretty cool, and a departure from Miike’s more classical films he is known for, but he’ll be re-doing a movie called Kamisama no Puzzle (God’s Puzzle) - which is based on a book (of the same name) by Japanese author Shinji Kimoto (which also won the 2002 Sakyo Komatsu Awards). Apparently the book is a sci-fi comedy romance about two twins and a girl who work together to try and figure out the secrets of the universe and create their own.

Slated for a 2008 summer release.

Read more at tokyograph and firstshowing.net.

Spike Lee: When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts

Friday, August 24, 2007


In case you’ve missed the past 2 installments Spike Lee’s four-hour HBO documentary about Hurricane Katrina will air in its entirety on August 29th, which is also the anniversary of Katrina’s landfall. Visit the HBO site here.

White Man Claims $150,000 in racism lawsuit: Powershift?

Thursday, August 23, 2007

From newsday.com:

A federal jury awarded a white man $150,000 in a reverse racial discrimination lawsuit Wednesday.

Mark Pasternak, who is white, said he was dismissed from his state job helping troubled youths because he could not tolerate being called names like “cracker,” “polack” and “stupid white boy.”

A seven-member all-white jury found that Tommy Baines, who is black, discriminated against Pasternak and created a hostile work environment.

Read the full article here

I have many thoughts on this….a few which are:

1. No one - including white people should have to tolerate racial slurs.

2. On a whole, racial slurs against white people (specifically white males) when looked at in context of the history of oppression against people of color, do not hold the same weight as a racial slur against a person of color in regard to power and prejudice.

3. I question the ALL WHITE jury, just as I would question an ALL BLACK jury.

4. $150,000 in comparison to the person’s salary seems fair based upon the time they could not work due to the job conditions.

5. The settlement does make you think about how the imbalance of power seems to still be apparent even in a racial case when compared to settlements from Nike and Target and the paltry sums that were given out to African Americans in the cases. In a way when juxtaposed together one says “If you are black you get next to nothing in a racial discrimination suit”, but “If you are white, you deserve more money.”

And remember - this isn’t saying the person shouldn’t have gotten the settlement that they did, or that it was the wrong settlement - but it sheds A LOT OF LIGHT on how so many things are still unequal for persons of color in our country.

The response from the Target Corporation on the racist e-mail chain

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

In regard to the racist e-mail from Target Corporation and their woes this year (see post), I got this response from the Target Corporation - and really - should I have expected anything different?

Dear Target Guest,

The e-mail in question is in clear violation of our mission statement and contradictory to what Target stands for. Target is taking prompt and appropriate actions, including using our forensic lab, to bring swift resolution to this matter.

We appreciate the time you’ve taken to share your thoughts and feelings about this issue. I’ll be sure to make your comments available to our executives.

We always welcome your feedback, so if there’s ever any question you have about our products or service, please call our Target Guest Relations team at 800-440-0680. We also invite you to share your comments whenever you visit a Target store or on the Internet at http://www.target.com/. We look forward to serving you again soon and thank you for shopping at Target.

Sincerely,

Michael
Target Guest Relations
http://www.target.com/

[THREAD ID:1-3QX6B2]

So I wonder what will happen when I go to a Target store and “share” what I think to a manager there?

Viacom and YouTube Part 2: Update on the banned video and being legal

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Instead of carelessly uploading the video to torrents and mirrors as was threatened - but never actually done - Slant Eye For The Round Eye is taking the correct legal measures and counter-notifying the false claims of copyright infringment and asking YouTube to lift the ban on the video “When White People Go Bad: Episode #1 - Trisha Cummings” (at the same time, the previous post was deleted/edited).

More videos will be added in the future though, because you shouldn’t have to be a large company or organization with hundreds of lawyers to utilize Fair Use and the First Amendment, and everyone should be free to critique and make social commentary.

For those interested here is the counter:

TO: YouTube DMCA Complaints
FROM: **** ****, Slant Eye For The Round Eye

The video on the YouTube site, entitled “When White People Go Bad: Episode #1 - Trisha Cummings”, was wrongfully taken down because of a false copyright infringement claim charged by Viacom International Inc.

The video which previously was found at this url: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmX3m5FaVR0from the slanteye4theroundeye account, does in fact use clips from Viacom’s television production of MTV’s The Real World: Sydney, but does so under the guidelines of Fair Use for social and cultural critique and to illustrate an argument and point, specifically about racism , which is made very clear by watching the full video, which was wrongfully taken down because of the false charges from Viacom International Inc.

Slant Eye For The Round Eye is a social news and op-ed blog which sheds light on issues revolving around race, racism, and the APIA community. The video which was pulled down under the false copyright infringement claim from Viacom International Inc, was an extension of that same social commentary, much like current television shows that satirize or critique, current political, social, entertainment, and other public figures.

Because the video is clearly not in any infringement of Viacom International Inc.’s copyrights, but is used clearly within the guidelines of Fair Use, we are asking that YouTube remove the ban on the video and re-enable the video for viewing.

**** ****,
Slant Eye For The Round Eye
slanteyefortheroundeye@gmail.com

When White People Go Bad: Episode #1 - MTV Real World’s Trisha Cummings - Updated 8/22/2007

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Updated: 8/22/2007

See this post concerning the video ban:

http://slanteyefortheroundeye.wordpress.com/2007/08/22/viacom-and-youtube-part-2/

Witness Slant Eye’s first foray into video commentary via its first YouTube video entitled: When White People Go Bad: Episode #1 - Trisha Cummings - on her rant about an Asian worker at McDonalds.


Read more about the story here at news.com.au.

Apparently Trisha is having a hard time getting her career off the ground in L.A. these days….

FDNY

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Check it: Disgrasian’s Amazian of the Week is David Wong - the first Asian-American fire marshal in FDNY history.

Movie Watch: Harold And Kumar 2

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Great clip from TrailerManiaBBQ’s YouTube page.

Follows the cross-country adventures of the pot-smoking duo as they try to outrun authorities who suspect them of being terrorists when they try to sneak a bong on board their flight to Amsterdam.”


Santa Clara - Ton O' Asians

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Good article down at the San Jose Mercury News on the growing Asian population in Santa Clara, meeting the demands of the new demographics — and getting past the model minority myth.

More Sixteen Candles…

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Hyphen Magazine has a post about the movie Sixteen Candles titled “Sixteen Candles: Offensive or over it?”

“A recent San Francisco outdoor public screening of the 1984 John Hughes film Sixteen Candles has the Asian American community up in arms. Again.”

Read More

One of the simple questions is just that as an Asian American actor - how many choices were there AT THAT TIME? Can you really blame someone for drinking water - any water - when they are really that damn thirsty - and at the same time - is it really about that one role - or IS IT MORE about the fact that it was one of the only mainstream portrayals of an Asian American and there was nothing else to compare it too?

Has Gedde Watanabe never been given his due as an actor because of this one role and its affect on the AA male population?

Something to ponder…

Michael Paul Chan - Cool leading man

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Michael Paul Chan - kicking it for a second season down on THE CLOSER on TNT. Stats from his bio from TV.com:


Most Recent Role: Detective Lt. Michael Tao on The Closer

Alias Name(s): Michael Chan, Mike Chan, Michael Paul Chen

Birthplace: San Francisco, California USA

Chan, a third-generation Chinese-American born and raised in the San Francisco Bay area, spent several years as a keyboard player for bands in Northern California. He became a founding member of the Asian-American Theatre Company and trained at the American Conservatory Theater. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife and son….

Read his full bio here.

More Kimora Lee Simmons and her Fab Life...

Monday, August 20, 2007

Whether you’re watching to see if she’s really a demon dressed up as — well a demon really — or if there is a heart of something that could resemble a gold-like metallic type of substance underneath the snarls — or maybe just to see how long it will be before she breaks every tooth in her new assistant’s mouth — maybe this show does have a hook that will pull in viewers after all….it’s kind of like watching The Apprentice really….except you get to see gold plated toilets….

So I guess the GOP and Jim Herring really don’t like black people?

Sunday, August 19, 2007


This week Chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party Jim Herring said the following:

“(Democrats) will say they’re like you. They’ll say, ‘I go to church with you,’ ‘My kids go to school with yours,’ ” he said in the McComb Enterprise-Journal. “But when they go to the Legislature, they’ll vote with the black caucus and support Hillary Clinton.”

Oh Jim Jim Jim….where do I even begin?

I guess they don’t call it the Grand Old Party for nothing….I wonder if that makes Jim Herring like a Grand Wizard or something?

Get more from the Clarion Ledger.

British firms pull advertising off Facebook because of racist groups

Sunday, August 19, 2007


From the Gulf Times:

LONDON: Social networking website Facebook was yesterday urged to scrap its British National Party groups amid claims that they featured extreme racist language and calls to “hang gollywogs”.

The US-based site, which is rapidly becoming the latest internet phenomenon, saw six big British firms pull their advertising after they discovered their brands were appearing alongside that of the BNP.

But yesterday former minister Keith Vaz led a group of Labour MPs, MEPs and unions to call for the website to axe all user groups linked to the far-Right party.

Apparently First Direct, Vodafone, Virgin Media, the AA, Halifax and the Prudential have all taken off advertising on the site.

Read more here.

The Target Corporation: A bullseye on black employees

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Hmm - This doesn’t seem to be a good year for the Target Corporation…

Earlier this year they had to pay out $775,000 to black workers in eastern Pennsylvania from a lawsuit that alleged Target condoned and made a racially hostile work environment possible - almost a million bucks to thirteen employees….I’m guessing they had some evidence that stuck…

NOW - there was recently an e-mail that was circulated to every Target management employee in western Pennsylvania and West Virginia that had a listing of 31 racist jokes about black people. According to news reports there are references to physical appearance, sex, Ku Klux Klan lynchings, and general forms of murder.


From Target Employees (from thepittsburghchannel.com):

“It was directed specifically at minority guests that shop at Target, making fun of the people who shop at Target,” said one employee.

“There was references to blacks and monkeys, blacks and the Ku Klux Klan,” said another employee.

“It was very harsh. I mean, I read the first couple ones, and I was literally appalled to where I had to stop reading.”

“I couldn’t believe my eyes,” said the employee. “It was offensive, demeaning, and it was something that came from a higher-up at Target, and I just felt outraged. Total outrage.”

Here’s the kicker - the manager who sent this out IS STILL WORKING AND ON THE JOB OVER A WEEK LATER.

So what is Target waiting for? Why can’t they at least suspend the higher-up who sent the e-mail?

Do they want another lawsuit?

Wait….that’s coming already I’m sure….will companies NEVER LEARN?

Demand answers from Target Corporation and contact them.

U.S. diplomat “retires” after anti-Arab comments

Sunday, August 19, 2007

I guess if you are a U.S. diplomat you get “retired” rather than fired after you get accused of making comments like this:

  • “The only good Arab is a dead Arab.”

  • “‘The only good Lebanese is a dead Lebanese.”

  • “Death to Lebanon and death to the Arabs.”


I can think of a few other people who should get “retired” as well….read more at Yahoo News.

Regular scheduled programming will now resume...

Sunday, August 19, 2007

The Slant Eye had to take a quick LOA - hence the limited posts this last week. Regular scheduled programming will now resume…

The Slants

Thursday, August 16, 2007


From their site:

THE SLANTS are an Asian dance/rock band from Portland. OR. Formed in 2006, the band features members of The Stivs, Son of Rust, and Evening at the Black House. Their music is a cacophony of melodic rock intricacy tempered by darker, dance themes with anthemic choruses and shattering hooks reminiscent of groups such as The Faint, Depeche Mode, Daft Punk, and Joy Division-except with an asian spin. Perla Cadena of Sony BMG Music Entertainment claims

‘If you like danceable rock or anything Asian, you’ll love THE SLANTS!’”

Check out their videos, interviews and other assorted clips - all definitely cool - and look here later on for a CD giveaway from their new album.

Vote for Asian American Idol hopeful Paul Hahn to get an Idol audition

Tuesday, August 14, 2007


This is pretty cool. Apparently FOX posted an open Idol audition slot to their site where 10 people go head to head and then the final five get to perform on the Philadelphia morning show where the winner gets a guaranteed audition during the Philadelphia Idol auditions and a chance to get to Hollywood - and Paul Hahn is one of the final 10!

Check out Philly Idol for more information and vote for Paul!

Two women S. Korean hostages freed

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Kim Gina, 32, and Kim Kyung-ja, 37 were two of the remaining 21 hostages freed and could be back home as early as Wednesday.

Ah Jook Leong Ku - First Asian American Associated Press Journalist, passes away

Tuesday, August 14, 2007


“Ah Jook Leong Ku was a groundbreaking young reporter in the 1940s, covering life in China and the government of President Chiang Kai-Shek for the Associated Press.

She was the first Asian-American reporter for the wire service and the first Asian-American female writer for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin.

But she was best known for her later decades as a feisty advocate for freedom of information and journalism standards. Ku was a founding member of the Honolulu Community-Media Council and served for 25 years as its unpaid administrative secretary.

Ku, 97, died Monday in Leahi Hospital.” - Read more about Ah Jook Leong Ku at the starbulletin

Rush Hour 3...

Friday, August 10, 2007


So Rush Hour 3 opens up today in the U.S. - and I don’t understand how they can keep taking the fish out of water premise and make it worse and worse and worse to the point where from the previews alone you know what you’re getting into….see it at your own peril.

Roundup: China the country versus Chinese American, Asian on Asian, Workplace racism

Friday, August 10, 2007

Some posts of late:

  • A post on how to react to a racist joke told to you in the workplace (or any other place really) down at Race In The Workplace - from personal experience I can say it does work.

  • Blogger Jenn down at Reappropriate has been getting into a debate with a group called The Fighting44s over Asians dating and marrying non-Asians - the latest of which can be found here. I really don’t view the 44 site much (at all really except for reading through the debate) - but The Fighting44s must be code for ”I have mind of drunken 12 yr old, let me bloggie.”

  • Good post down at Angry Asian Man on the differences between covering and talking about various goods from different plants in China that have fallen short or have been suspect versus applying that to all things Chinese and just plain Chinese bashing and where that could lead too.

Say goodbye Sara Nguyen, Say goodbye…

Thursday, August 09, 2007


Word: Lil’ Keesha

Thursday, August 09, 2007

Heard about this 16 year old R&B prodigy a few weeks ago:

Lil’ Keesha is best known for her explosive 4-octave range voice which is on full display on “The Prodigy” whose first single is a remake of the Donna Summer, Oscar® and Grammy®-Award winning song “Last Dance.”

You can view more on her site and listen to some of her music on her myspace page as well as see a clip from LA18.

More Tintin news

Thursday, August 09, 2007


Mbutu Mondondo Bienvenu, a political science student living in Brussels is challenging Tintin in the Congo sales and says, “I want to put an end to sales of this cartoon book in shops, both for children and for adults. It’s racist and it is filled with colonial-era propaganda."

Start em young…

Soccer still has a ways to go...

Thursday, August 09, 2007

Bottom line is that when you have a player such as American DaMarcus Beasley, who was pretty well known in the MLS before playing for the Glasgow Rangers, getting racist taunts from fans and no one really bats an eye - it becomes an issue. The UEFA has had a long tradition of turning a blind eye to racism in soccer and it needs to get things cleaned up before soccer can truly become a world sport.

Floods kill 32 in central Vietnam and submerges 48,000 houses

Thursday, August 09, 2007

There hasn’t been a lot of good news coming out from Vietnam about this:

Floods have killed at least 32 people in central Vietnam, displacing thousands and cutting the north-south railway, officials said on Wednesday.

The floods triggered by a storm that weakened into a depression since the weekend have isolated many areas from emergency aid, said an official in Quang Binh province. Quang Binh is the hardest-hit of the central coastal provinces with about 40,000 houses submerged. The government said overall more than 48,000 homes and 65,700 hectares (162,300 acres) of crops were under water.

Let’s just hope those who have survived but displaced are in contact with their families and the other people that have been reported missing are alive. Read more at Reuters everyone affected by this in your thoughts.

Intel apologizes for Slave Recruiting Ad…I mean racist product Ad…I mean, I’ll stick with AMD processors...

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

If you haven’t already seen the ad from Intel you can see it now:


You can give credit to Intel for being very open about this and putting a nice apology on their website from Don MacDonald the vice president of sales and marketing which you can read here, as well as commend them for taking shots via their blog here, and for calling the advertisement “culturally insensitive” and “insulting”…

But really - what the hell else could they do? Deny it? Let it ride and hope no one noticed?

If they wanted to correlate something in the real world like a sprinter for their processors - why not instead use a real sprinter with some name recognition? What about a simple campaign like “Who holds more world records, Michael Johnson or Intel’s new Core 2 Duo?” and have them battling each other in different tasks - I mean Intel could have made it into a fun campaign and one that said ”We have some of the fastest processors, and we’re cool”.

Instead?

They decided to not have any historical perspective whatsoever and have 6 faceless black men breaking their back and sweating their asses off so that the white man gets all the recognition and credit and stays in power. Basically what I like to call a Slave Recruiting Ad.

If advertising sends a message, this message basically says “Buy Intel and you too can have black men at your disposal just like in the good old slave days.”

Yeah - I think I’ll stick with AMD processors for a while…

Hollywood sets to launch $285 million Asian film fund

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

According to information down at the International Herald Tribune, The Weinstein Company has initiated a fund that will directly invest in Asian-themed projects. While it is still unclear whether or not all the money has been raised and there is only limited information available, apparently some high-profile names have signed on already including:

  • Zhang Ziyi who is signed on for Mulan and The Seven Samurai
  • Tony Jaa for a yet to be titlted movie
  • Andrew Lau and Tony Krantz
  • Quentin Tarantino, who will help manage the Dragon Dynasty label of 10 movies released on DVD.

Direct contact with South Korean Hostages

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Apparently there has been contact with at least one and maybe more of the 21 South Korean hostages:

South Korean officials have made direct contact with at least one of 21 South Korean hostages in Afghanistan, an official said Monday, as the Afghan and U.S. governments refuse to swap Taliban prisoners for hostages.

“During a telephone call between our officials at the (Korean) embassy in Afghanistan and the Taliban on Saturday, our officials were allowed to speak to one of the hostages,” an official at the South Korean Foreign Ministry told reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The official refused to identify who the hostage was or what they had discussed, citing safety concerns.

A self-claimed commander of the Taliban, who declined to identify himself, later told Yonhap News Agency that the militants had allowed three female hostages to speak with South Korean officials in Korean.


Read more here at THE HANKYOREH

Hong Kong man pays $5,000 to get BRUCELEE on car’s license plate

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Now they auction vanity plates - which also have the names of dead celebs:

“A Hong Kong man paid $5,000 (U.S.) on Saturday for a car license plate that reads “BRUCELEE,” after the late kung fu movie star.

‘When I studied in England, foreigners would only know two Chinese people. One is Bruce Lee. The other is Chairman Mao (Zedong),’ the buyer, identified only by his surname, Wong, said on a Hong Kong cable television station.

Apparently Asians played a large part in settling Europe as well

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

According to an article on MSNBC citing information from the National Academy of Sciences PNAS - Asians helped settle Europe as much as, or more than Africans. Basically it means that when people tell you to go back to your country you can now say something like “O.K. - I’ll hit Spain and then France.”

Remembering the week of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Monday, August 06, 2007

August 6, 1945 the first of only two nuclear bombs ever used in warfare was dropped on Hiroshima. Three days later on August 9, 1945 the second of those bombs was dropped on Nagasaki. Because of those bombings, over a quarter of a million people’s lives were taken.

John Woo, Hou Hsiao-Hsien, and Shu Qi

Friday, August 03, 2007

Famed Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-Hsien and Best Actress Shu Qi (2005 Golden Horse Awards) are rumored to be working together in a new martial arts movie that will start shooting later on this year.


Read more here

In related news, Shu Qi is also starring alongside Chang Chen from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Liu Ye from Curse of the Golden Flower, and Daniel Wu from The Banquet in the John Woo production of Blood Brothers which will be closing the 64th Venice Film Festival Aug. 29-Sept. 8. Blood Brothers is being directed by Alexi Tan who was mentored by Woo after he saw a short of Tan’s called Double Blade.

The Host on DVD

Friday, August 03, 2007


In case you missed it, The Host came out on DVD last week in the U.S. - if you were waiting for it to come out on DVD to see it - now is your chance - and YES - it takes the monster movie to a whole new level.

From Wikipedia:

The Host (괴물, Gwoemul “Creature” or “Monster”) is a 2006 South Korean monster film, which also contains elements of comedy and drama films. The film was directed by Bong Joon-ho, who also co-wrote the screenplay, along with Baek Chul-hyun. Starring in the film as members of an unremarkable family thrust into the middle of extraordinary events were Song Kang-ho, Byeon Hee-bong, Park Hae-il, Bae Doona and Ko Ah-seong.

Following the success of the director’s previous work, Memories of Murder, The Host was heavily anticipated and hyped. It was released on a record number of screens in its home country on July 27, 2006 and broke box-office records throughout its domestic run. By the end of its run on November 8, the film had been seen over 13 million times, making it the highest grossing South Korean film of all time, beating the previous leader The King and the Clown, which had attracted 12.3 million people. The film was released in the United States on DVD, Blu-Ray and HD-DVD formats on July 24th, 2007

RJ De Vera is Tricking it out with MTV and more

Friday, August 03, 2007

If you’re not a high performance/import tuning car fan you may not know this name - but RJ De Vera is one of the premiere names in the industry and is slowly becoming his own worldwide brand working with the likes of Microsoft, Pepsi, and Honda just to name a few - and coming back with MTV for a second season of the show Trick it out where import tuning shops/contestants are given 15,000 and 10 days to trick out out a car with the winners getting the fame - and the keys to both cars.

From Eagle One:

“RJ de Vera is a guy that wouldn’t even know what to do with a dull moment.

Jack-of-all-trades, and master of all best describes RJ, whose resume boasts accolades such as playing Danny Yamato in “The Fast and The Furious,” an MTV2 documentary-style show called “Life in the Fast Lane”, a hosting gig on MTV’s “Trick It Out”, writing and photographing for a variety of automotive magazines, designing his own Grease Monkey Outfitting Co. clothing line and signature shoe and developing the upscale RO_JA wheel line, to name just a few.

A pioneer of the tuner phenomenon since the age of 17, RJ specializes in creating ideas. He works with partners to aid in the conception, development, and marketing of various products, events, and projects. RJ also helps his partner companies understand the passion involved in the youth oriented tuning and racing industries. He was created projects and worked with such partners as Valvoline, Microsoft/XBOX, Pepsi Co., American Racing Wheels, Denso NA, American Honda, Unilever (AXE), BF Goodrich, and various entertainment properties.”

Businessman, spokesperson, even a little acting - learn more from his company bio on rojawheels.com

Takashi Miike And Shannyn Sossamon

Thursday, August 02, 2007



The Japanese Horror flick “One missed call” by freak out master Takashi Miike is being remade, which will also star Shannyn Sossamon (French-German-Filipino-Hawaiian) who is also playing on Moonlight this fall on CBS.

Into Week Three: South Korean group to meet Taliban to discuss release of the 21 Korean hostages

Thursday, August 02, 2007


While the details are minimal, it’s being rumored that a new group from South Korea (ambassadors and government officials) will be planning to meet with the Taliban to discuss the release of the 21 remaining South Korean hostages in Afghanistan - there on an aid mission and then kidnapped on July 19th in the central Ghazni province. It is hoped that the meeting will deter any more executions, two of which have already been carried out, and that at least some of the aid workers can be released, two of whom are being reported as being seriously ill. Read more from RTE News, Al Jazeera, and the People’s Daily Online.

More links to news about the Korean hostages in Afghanistan:

*Image from RTE News*

That’s a busy Asian - Vern Yip: Design Star & Designing Spaces

Thursday, August 02, 2007

From the HGTV website:

One room at a time, Vern Yip is designing his way across America, having knocked down walls and made over countless homes and restaurants during his four seasons on two design television shows as well as through his private practice. He is now spreading the word on digital home makeovers through AOL and promoting the designs of Stainmaster carpet, Moen faucets and Procter & Gamble’s Bella & Birch Division and the integration of high-end electronics through Best Buy’s new Magnolia store concept. His most recent projects include his return as a judge on the exciting second season of HGTV Design Star, in which he’ll help discover America’s next great design talent. In addition, he will star in his own HGTV show, Deserving Design, premiering on Wednesday, September 12. Also in the works is his soon-to-be-released book for Regan Books/Harper Collins titled Designing Spaces and a new home product line with a nationally well-known company

Like the title says - that’s a busy Asian….

Jin and No Sleep Til Shanghai

Thursday, August 02, 2007

Article down at ballerstatus.com about Jin, his last record ABC Jin, and wrapping up his tour down in Shanghai this month as well as the recent release of the DVD “No Sleep Til Shanghai”.

Resident Evil 5 - Racist game playing or no cause to be concerned?

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

Just got wind of this a bit ago and I’m not sure what to think myself as I’m not a huge gamer of first person shooters so I can’t tell you about it in context of other REs or other games of that ilk - but there could be something to this - or maybe not: