Will Yun Lee and The Bionic Woman

Sunday, September 30, 2007


Depending on your schedule - your DVR schedule - you may have just saw the premiere of NBC’s The Bionic Woman. If that’s the case, or you saw it on its actual premiere night, you know two things:

  1. The show is INCREDIBLE.
  2. Will Yun Lee sets the series off with the opening scenes AND seems to play an integral part of the cast and storyline.

Check it out on NBC Wednesdays 9/8c.

Journey for Justice: 223 Years of Asian Pacific American Labor History in the Puget Sound

Saturday, September 29, 2007

Looks to be an interesting exhibit down at The Wing Luke Asian Museum showing how Asian-Americans have worked as labor activists to help the fight against racism and economic exploitation:

Produced by The Evergreen College and Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) Seattle Chapter
On display September 28 through November 30, 2007

Gallery of Contemporary Arts & Issues

A project that began in 1999 after receiving a grant from King County's Cultural Development Authority, APALA's goal was to counter the stereotype about Asian Americans as passive immigrants who have never played any role in the U.S. labor movement. Through photographs and interviews of Asian American labor activists, this poignant exhibit tells the rich story of Asian resistance to economic exploitation and racism.

Founded in 1992, APALA, AFL-CIO, is the first and only national organization of Asian Pacific American union members. It organizes and works with Asian Pacific American workers, many of them immigrants, to build the labor movement and address exploitative conditions in the garment, electronics, hotel and restaurant, food processing, and health care industries.

Mover over Criss Angel, meet Andrew Ngo

Friday, September 28, 2007


18, Asian - and the best damn stage magician in San Francisco.

So maybe he has a few more years until he starts competing directly with Criss Angel - but his future is looking bright:

Ngo, the youngest performer there at age 18, won not only the title of 2007’s “Best Stage Magician of San Francisco,” but also the People’s Choice Award, voted on by the 500 members of the audience. For the past four years, no one has won both simultaneously.

Ngo’s confident persona and sharp, quick moves wowed the audience at Noe Valley’s James Lick Middle School when he made two 15-inch umbrellas appear out of one. Clutching his trophy, Ngo stepped off the stage grinning from ear to ear. “It’s a dream come true,” said Ngo, a San Francisco native of Chinese and Vietnamese descent. “I’ve worked so hard for this. Everything’s fuzzy right now.”

Mychal Bell from the Jena 6 released

Friday, September 28, 2007



Mychal Bell from the Jena 6 case was released on $45,000 bail:

Mychal Bell, a black teenager accused of beating a white classmate and who was the last of the "Jena 6" behind bars, was released from custody Thursday after a juvenile court judge set his bail at $45,000.

Supporters surround Mychal Bell on Thursday after his release at the LaSalle Parish courthouse.

Yoko Ono goes Reykjavik

Friday, September 28, 2007



On what would have been John Lennon's 67th birthday on Oct. 9 '07, Yoko Ono will be unveiling the Imagine Peace Tower in Reykjavik, Iceland as a birthday present to the late musician.

Is it a big tower? What does it look like?

It's really not a tower per se according to reports but rather a beam of light that shoots 55 feet in the air which will be surrounded by capsules that contain "wishes" which Yoko has collected over the years (about 495,000 so far).

People may also send in wishes via the Imagine website or by regular snail mail.

Eternal light?

The beam of light will not be on all the time, but will be visible from Oct. 9 to Dec. 8 for the following reason according to Ono:

So it has the feeling of the shortness of life, but the light is eternal
Huh?

In non-related news, much like "eternal light" that is only on for 2 months, and towers that sky a whopping 55 feet in the air, Noriko Shimomura, a 42 year old teacher, was arrested for having sex with one of her ex-students at a hotel in Karatsu, Saga Prefecture.

Where is he now: Ed Jew

Friday, September 28, 2007

If you had followed a previous post (or other news source) on corrupt Asian-American San Francisco city official Ed Jew you might have been wondering what happened to him since then if you hadn't actually been following the full story that close...answer - he was suspended a few days days ago.

Tradgedy claims more victims in Vietnam

Thursday, September 27, 2007

The news out of Vietnam isn't looking any better from the terrible bridge collapse:

As of Thursday noon, death toll in a bridge collapse in Vietnam's southern Mekong Delta rose to 64, Vietnam News Agency reported Thursday. The collapse of a 90-m section of an approach ramp, which is over 30 meters above the ground and leading to the six-lane Can Tho bridge, with length of nearly 16 kilometers, the longest and most modern one in the delta under construction, on Wednesday morning also injured some 180 others.

When the accident happened, some 250 workers of the contractor TNK comprising three Japanese firms -- Taisei, Nipponsteel, and Kazima--were working at the construction site.

Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet and Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai have come to the incident's site, instructing rescue work, visiting injured people in hospitals, and asking localities and relevant agencies to support families of death victims.

Burma/Myanmar watch: 9 dead 11 wounded

Thursday, September 27, 2007

While the current protests have been going on peacefully for the most part in the Burma/Myanmar region, they have recently turned violent with the government's use of force now with a reported 9 dead and 11 wounded from shots fired into the peaceful protests.

Asian American Literary Award Winners

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Check out the winners of the Asian American Literary Awards from the Asian American Writers Workshop:

Samrat Upadhyay is the author of Arresting God in Kathmandu, which earned him a Whiting Award, and The Guru of Love, which was a New York Times Notable Book, a San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year, a finalist for the Kiriyama Prize, and a Book Sense 76 pick. He lives in Bloomington, Indiana, and teaches creative writing and literature at Indiana University.

Linh Dinh is the author of two collections of stories, Fake House (Seven Stories Press 2000) and Blood and Soap (Seven Stories Press 2004), four books of poems, All Around What Empties Out (Tinfish 2003), American Tatts (Chax 2005), Borderless Bodies (Factory School 2006) and Jam Alerts (Chax 2007), with a novel, Love Like Hate, scheduled to be released in 2008 by Seven Stories Press. His work has been anthologized in Best American Poetry 2000, Best American Poetry 2004, Best American Poetry 2007 and Great American Prose Poems from Poe to the Present, among other places.

Amitav Ghosh is the best-selling author of four novels, including The Hungry Tide and The Glass Palace. Born in Calcutta and raised in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and northern India, Ghosh holds a doctorate in social anthropology from Oxford. He divides his time between his homes in Kolkata, India, and Brooklyn, New York

William White - Caller of the Jena 6 lynchings

Thursday, September 27, 2007



The above is a picture of William A. White - the white supremacist that posted the personal information of the Jena 6 and called for them to be lynched - and the head of the ANSWP, a Roanoke-based neo-Nazi organization.

According to reports, his ISP took down the site, but White is back up and running with the help of another white supremacist hosting business that is "a private membership organization for straight, white, non-jews".

And some of you thought white supremacists just had that shaved look, rather than the financial analyst next door look...

Vietnam - Land of 11 new species

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

In the Thua Thien Hue province, in the tropical forests of the Annamites mountain range in central Vietnam - also known as the "Green Corridor" - where furry guys like this were found:



11 - and possibly more - new species were found.

From an AP article:

The new snake species, the white-lipped keelback, generally lives near streams and eats frogs and other small animals, the WWF said. It has a yellow-white stripe along its head, red dots on its body and can grow to more than 30 inches long.

The new butterfly species are among eight discovered in Thua Thien Hue since 1996. One is a "skipper," a butterfly that flies in a quick, darting motion.
From the Daily Green:
Proving that the natural world is still filled with life unknown to science, the WWF announced yesterday that it had discovered 11 new species in the remote the tropical forests of the Annamites Mountain Range in central Vietnam.

The species include two butterflies, five orchids and other plants and a snake that live no where else in the world but in the so-called Green Corridor of Thua Thien Hue Province.

Lee Hyori and Jessica Alba

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Older but still interesting to see video of Good Luck Chuck star Jessica Alba (Danish and French from her mother's side, and Mexican, Indian & Spanish from her father's side) and Korean star Lee Hyori from an Isa Knox commercial down at YouTube.



Here's a behind the scenes look (w/ english subs)


This is pretty cool.

From reports down at the official Finishing the Game website as well as Cinematical and The Hollywood Reporter IFC will release Justin Lin's latest movie Finishing the Game on Video On Demand on the same date of the movie's official theatrical release this October 5th.
So for anyone living in a city where the movie may not be premiering right away (or may not even be shown) - they can still see it (from the comfort of their own home) - which basically means more exposure for the film, the cast, and the issues that the movie is trying to bring up in its mockumentary way.

Check out the Official Trailer



The "Making Of" documentary

Watch this - BUILDING A JOURNEY: FROM BETTER LUCK TOMORROW TO FINISHING THE GAME Directed by Anson Ho - incredible.

Part 1



Part 2



Part 3



Theatrical Release Schedule


October 5th
New York, NY - IFC Center

October 19th
San Francisco, CA - Landmark Embarcadero Center
Berkeley, CA - Landmark Shattuck

October 26th
Los Angeles, CA - Landmark Nuart Theatre
San Diego, CA - Landmark Ken Cinema
Minneapolis, MN - Lagoon Cinema

November 2nd
Salt Lake City, UT - Broadway Centre Cinema

November 16th
Philadelphia, PA - Landmark Ritz at the Bourse
Dallas, TX - Landmark Inwood
Houston, TX - Landmark Greenway
Austin, TX - Landmark Dobie
Seattle, WA - Landmark Varsity Theater

DJ spin that classic morning Dragon Ash

Wednesday, September 26, 2007


From Dragon Ash's '03 album Harvest - start the morning - or end the evening right - with Morrow:



And if you want something a little newer from the Japanese Rock/Hip-Hop group, here's a single off their '07 CD Independiente, called Ivory:

Nip/Tuck it in South Korea

Tuesday, September 25, 2007


South Korea has been in the news more lately as their emerging plastic surgery business grows:

South Korea is fast becoming known as the plastic surgery capital of Asia. Now its doctors are looking to China as the next frontier of the cosmetic surgery market. In order to look like this, some Chinese women are turning to surgery. The strength of the beauty industry in South Korea gives them confidence in the surgical procedures. 42-year-old Grace Chen said, "I understand that more than 20 or 30 percent, or even a larger percentage of South Koreans have had plastic surgery. So their doctors should have a lot of experience compared to doctors from other regions or countries."
Here's another article titled Chae Rim's Eyes, Nose Make Korea the Place for Asia Double Lids.

Burma/Myanmar watch: From 20,000 to 100,000 strong now

Tuesday, September 25, 2007


While the protesters are now 100,000 strong with nuns joining the protest as well, there is now a threat of force by the military junta. More news from the wire on the situation:

Myanmar junta's warnings ignored as 100,000 join new protest

Buddhist monks led 100,000 people through the streets of Myanmar's biggest city Tuesday, defying threats of a crackdown from the military junta facing the stiffest challenge to its rule in 20 years. In another day of public defiance against the generals and their iron grip on the country, some 30,000 monks dressed in saffron and red robes, followed by about 70,000 supporters, surrounded the Sule Pagoda and nearby city hall.
Anti-riot police move in as protests continue in Myanmar
In Myanmar, heavily armed anti-riot police have been sent in to Yangon where tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets again today.
Burma's Growing Dilemma
With as many as 100,000 people on the street in a holiday atmosphere and film stars joining the crowds, there were increasing signs Tuesday that a nervous Burmese government is nearing a crisis point after six weeks of protests against the repressive regime.

Johnnie To's "Exiled" gets Oscar run

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

To's underworld crime drama Exiled, already a winner of awards at the Golden Horse Film Festival, and the Hong Kong Film awards (for best film and director) officially got the nod to represent Hong Kong in U.S. Oscar race for the Best Foreign-Language category. This will be the first time a To picture is getting the nod from the HK Motion Picture Industry Association to represent HK in this category.

View a trailer of the movie below:

Mid-Autumn Festival and the super sized mooncake

Tuesday, September 25, 2007


Image from CCTV's coverage

Today is the official day of the Mid-Autumn Festival - or Moon Festival - or Lantern Festival - or Children's Festival. Much like the Thanksgiving holiday with its roots deep in agriculture, it has become a time more for family and giving thanks for those around you, and while different types of celebrations happen in different parts of the world, one of the main staples is the mooncake filled with anything and everything.

But a 13 ton mooncake?

Citizens in a dozen of Chinese cities had opportunities to taste super moon cakes while the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching. In Lanzhou, capital of northwest China's Gansu Province, hundreds of people ate up a 40-kilogram moon cake within one hour on Wednesday. It took the chefs nearly six hours to make the cake, which is 2.8 meters in diameter.

One month ago, a super large moon cake weighing nearly 13 tons, was made in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province. Referred to as the "No. 1 of Chinese Moon Cakes," this cake is 8.15 meters in diameter and 20 centimeters in height, and has a coating weighing one ton, and filling weighing 12 tons.

It took ten chefs more than 10 hours to make the king cake.
More Festival News

CCTV 2007 Festival Coverage
Mid-Autumn Festival kicks off today in China. People across the country are preparing to celebrate in many different ways. In Fuzhou, east China, the Mid-Autumn Festival means building towers of tiles. People do this so their lives and fortunes will grow just as high. Overseas Chinese and those living in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan are heading to their hometown, Fujian, to spend the festival with their families. The local airport witnessed a 40 percent surge of passengers
Mid-Autumn for disadvantaged and blind children
In the festival called "The festive night of full moon" organized for the eighth year, the children had a fun day participating in the lantern and banquet decorating and karaoke contests, as well as watching lion dances, and music and circus performances. On this occasion, State President Nguyen Minh Triet and other leaders of the city's government joined the children to celebrate the festival.
Giving gifts down, barbecues up during festival, poll shows
The gift giving culture among office workers is on the decline, but the practice of having barbecues during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday is rising unabated, the results of an online survey released yesterday showed.

Big Bad TV List #1: New network fall shows with cast diversity

Monday, September 24, 2007

The Lists

Below is a list of the new network fall shows which have at least some diversity in their lineups. The list does not include reality television, and was compiled from the new shows listed from the MSNBC Fall 2007 TV Preview. Unless where noted, cast members are listed in the show's main cast/bio credits - however this may not always indicate a prominent role.

Shows which are bold in all navy/blue are ones where the main stars (or faces which seem to be promoted according to the network, or other marketing materials) are persons of color. Note that in many ways while this is based on what is being put out by the networks and other media, this can be more subjective in regard to an ensemble cast.

For instance Women's Murder Club and Private Practice are bold in navy/blue, while shows like Carpoolers and Pushing Daisies are not because there is still a question mark in regard to prominence and screen time (however in the end the star power of someone like Chi McBride may push that show over the line no matter what).

Early Analysis

While some things could change in this list (additions or subtractions of cast, more prominence etc.) here are some early numbers (and remember that this does not include new reality television shows like Kid Nation which is very diverse):

  1. Out of the 27 new shows listed from the Fall 2007 preview, 23 contained at least one cast member of color.

  2. Out of those 23, 7 of the shows are ones where the main stars (or faces which seem to be promoted according to the network, or other marketing materials) are persons of color.

  3. CW has 4 shows out of the 23
    CBS has 4 shows out of the 23
    ABC has 7 shows out of the 23
    NBC has 4 shows out of the 23
    FOX has 4 shows out of the 23

  4. Out of the 7 shows where the main stars (or faces which seem to be promoted according to the network, or other marketing materials) are persons of color, ABC was the leader with 3, and then came Fox with 2, and then CBS and the CW each had 1 as well. NBC did not have a new show with that designation.


For those eager K-pop and J-pop fans - the new BoA maxi single/cd/dvd hits stores officially in two days on September 26 from places like YesAsia.com.

Don't know BoA?

She's one of the biggest Korean music stars winning awards like Best Hallyu (Korean Wave) Star (2 years in a row) and MTV Asia's Most Influential Asian Artist - as well as taking over not just Korea but countries like Japan and Taiwan as well (she speaks Korean, Japanese, and conversational English)

Cinematical's TIFF Interview with Jessica Yu

Sunday, September 23, 2007


A snippet from the full article and interview at cinematical.com:

One of the most dynamic female documentarians today, Jessica Yu, has made the big jump into narrative features with the Asian American-led comedy, Ping Pong Playa'. The film is about a carefree guy named C-Dub, who would rather gripe about his missed basketball prospects than get a solid job or take up the family sport of ping pong -- that is, until his mother and brother are hurt, and he has to save the family's honor at the ping pong championship. Cinematical got a chance to chat with Jessica, after the world premiere of the film, about how she got into narrative features, what it's like to make a ping pong movie, and what's next on the docket.

Buddhist Monk's challenge gains 20,000 strong

Sunday, September 23, 2007

An update from the wire on the current protests:

ABOUT 20,000 people, half of them Buddhist monks, protested yesterday in an escalating show of dissent against Burma's military government.

The protest in the capital began with 5000 people led by monks, but within an hour the crowd had swelled to 20,000.

For the first time since they began daily protests last Tuesday, the monks urged the public to join.

"We are marching for the people," they chanted. "We want the people to join us."

It was by far the biggest protest in Rangoon since demonstrations broke out five weeks ago after a huge hike in fuel prices that left many unable to afford even a bus ride. They are now the most serious challenge to the junta in almost two decades.

Burma/Myanmar - The continued protests of Buddhist Monks, and the greeting of Aung San Suu Kyi

Sunday, September 23, 2007


Hundreds of Buddhist Monks continue their successive protests and marched along flooded streets in Rangoon (Mizzima.com)

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, non-violent activist, and leader of the National League for Democracy - Aung San Suu Kyi - currently still under house arrest by the Burmese government - stepped outside to greet and show support for the Buddhist monks currently marching against the military junta and dictatorship in power.


Aung San Suu Kyi (from her biography on womeninworldshistory.com)

Put under house arrest again in 2003 by the government, Suu Kyi has not made a public appearance since then. With her showing, along with the growing support for the Buddhist monks, there is speculation that this latest challenge will be the most substantial to the government since General Ne Win stepped down, and the current military took hold of Burma (and subsequently renamed it to Myanmar).

From the UK Independent:

Burma's imprisoned democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, made a rare public appearance yesterday when thousands of Burmese monks, marching in protest against the military regime, passed the Rangoon property where she is under house arrest.

...

The alliance of Ms Suu Kyi and the Buddhist clergy could be crucial as the Burmese regime confronts its most sustained challenge in two decades.

"Aung San Suu Kyi has not been seen in public since 30 May 2003, when her convoy was attacked by [government-sponsored] thugs," said Mark Farmaner, of Burma Campaign UK. "By visiting her the monks are putting their spiritual authority behind the democracy movement. It is a strong message of unity."
From the Washington Post:
"Today is extraordinary. We walked past lay disciple Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's house today. We are pleased and glad to see her looking fit and well," a 45-year old monk told about 200 people at Sule Pagoda in downtown Yangon, Myanmar's biggest city. "Daw" is an honorific used in referring to older women.

"She came out to the gate and paid obeisance to us and later waved at the crowd when we left," said the monk, who did not give his name.

Government, Human Rights, and the current protests by Buddhist Monks



Burmese Christians at a Hindu temple in New Delhi, India, conduct a prayer ceremony on Monday for the release of political prisoners in Burma who have been detained during protests for the reduction of fuel and commodity prices in Burma. Photo: Huai Pi - Mizzima


While the latest protests have been sparked due to the sharp increase in commodities and fuel from the government, they are a continuation of the almost twenty years of struggle between the nation's people and the current military government.

After the military regime took control in 1988, elections were held in 1990 to elect a new government and Prime Minister. While Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy won decisively, the military nullified the results, never allowing Suu Kyi to lead Burma as a democratic nation causing a national outcry. Since then, over the long periods of unrest, Burma (officially named the Union of Myanmar), while being the largest country in Southeast Asia geographically, is still one of the poorest countries in the region where the current military regime has had a long history of human rights abuses.

From Wikipedia:
Several human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have reported on human rights abuses by the military government.[30] They have claimed that there is no independent judiciary in Myanmar. The military government restricts Internet access through software-based censorship that limits the material citizens can access on-line.[31][32] Forced labour, human trafficking, and child labour are common.[33] The military is also notorious for rampant use of sexual violence as an instrument of control, including systematic rapes and taking of sex slaves as porters for the military. A strong women's pro-democracy movement has formed in exile, largely along the Thai border and in Chang Mai. The Women's League of Burma is the leading women's civil society organization, an umbrella organization uniting many smaller women's ethnic organizations into a political force working for democracy and women's human rights in Burma. There is a growing international movement to defend women's human rights issues.[34]

More links about the protests:

Summer's over but you can still "Mahaloha" with Yuna Ito and Micro

Saturday, September 22, 2007


Micro's Vitals


Yuna Ito's Vitals

  • 1/2 Japanese and 1/2 Korean

  • Born in the U.S. and grew up in Hawaii

  • She sings in both English (1st language) and Japanese (2nd language)

  • Had immediate success on the Japanese music scene with her single Endless Story in '05 from the movie NANA (which much to the surprise of everyone even out-sold the Mika Nakashima hit Glamorous Sky).

  • Has since released top selling singles like Precious and her #1 CD/DVD Heart

  • 1 million+ total sales


The MV for the team-up of their
recent summer release Mahaloha





...

Yuna Ito's Endless Story from NANA
(For a version with karaoke lyrics
go here)





Micro's recent solo single HANA唄


F4, Vicky Zhao, Golf and Mike, Seoul's Asian Music Festival and The Chuseok Holiday

Saturday, September 22, 2007



F4, Vicky Zhao, and Golf & Mike

From the Korean Times:

Top stars from around Asia are kicking off the Chuseok holiday with exciting pop performances at the 4th Asia Song Festival, Saturday evening.

Thousands of fans are expected to flock to the Sangam World Cup Stadium to see Taiwan's F4 and A-mei, China's Vicky Zhao, Hong Kong's Gigi Leung, Japan's Kuraki Mai, Thailand's Golf & Mike, Philippines' Barbie Almalbis, Vietnam's Lam Truong, and Indonesia's Peter Pan. Korean pop stars TVXQ, Lee Hyo-ri, Super Junior and SG Wannabe will also perform.

With 13 performers from nine countries, this is the largest Asia Song Festival since it started in 2004.

The Chuseok Holiday



Image from Tour2Korea.com

Read more about Chuseok from Tour2Korea.com:

This year Chuseok comes early on September 25, 2007, one of Korea’s major holidays. According to the solar calendar, the official Chuseok holiday is from September 24 to 26. However, because this year’s Chuseok is right after the weekend, the holidays will be from September 22 to 26 for 5 days. Chuseok offers a great opportunity for foreign visitors to tour Korea’s cities and enjoy Korea’s culture without the usual bustle. But first, let’s begin by understanding what Chuseok is.

Chuseok (Hangawi)

As one of the three major holidays, which include Seollal and Dano, Chuseok is also known as “Hangawi,” which means the very middle of August, or August 15 according to the lunar calendar. As an agrarian society throughout history, Hangawi was the day in which Koreans thanked the ancestors for the year’s harvest and shared their abundance with family and friends.

File under: Did he really say that?

Saturday, September 22, 2007

If adding the phrase "good morning my n-----s @ US 1 holla bak" to Nykii Southerland's T-Mobile bill AND charging him an extra $25.00 for that "service" wasn't enough of an incredible insult - adding to injury was employee Vinny Vermarco's response when he heard that Southerland wasn't pleased with what he read on his bill:

“Did something happen to them that they had flashbacks or something? I thought this happened in the 1950s, and it was squashed. You go to MTV; they use it all the time.”



Hopefully no further explanation should be needed.


Read more at wcbstv.com.

Go Get It: Shanghai Kiss

Friday, September 21, 2007

Out on DVD now - Shanghai Kiss.

Here is the full trailer from videodetective.com:


Below is a short clip from the movie:



From Easternlightcom

Liam (Ken Leung) is a struggling actor wasting his time picking up on beautiful, plastic girls in hip Hollywood bars with his buddy, Joe (Joel David Moore), a writer who hasn't written a damn thing. The closest thing to an emotional connection in Liam's life is a flirtatious friendship with 16 year old Adelaide (Hayden Panettiere), a precocious high school girl who is actually more mature than Liam.

When Liam learns he has inherited his grandmother's home in Shanghai, China, he travels to the bright and beautiful city and discovers a profound connection to his family legacy. Liam meets a sophisticated Chinese woman named Micki (Kelly Hu) and finds himself falling into instant infatuation with her. Liam decides to move to China, leaving behind Adelaide who is quite possibly the only girl who has ever loved him, but running away from his problems only lands him in deeper trouble.

Cast: Ken Leung, Hayden Panettiere, Kelly Hu, Joel Moore, Oliver Yan, James Hong, Byron Mann, Spencer Redford, Summer Altice, Timothy Bottoms, Kathleen Lancaster (Credits may not be contractual)
Read more from an article down at Asianconnections.com

Mattel apologizes for toy recalls - to China and the Chinese people

Friday, September 21, 2007

We knew this wasn't what it was made out to be a long time ago - now however - it's been actually confirmed by Mattel THEMSELVES:

U.S.-based toy giant Mattel Inc. issued an extraordinary apology to China on Friday over the recall of Chinese-made toys, taking the blame for design flaws and saying it had recalled more lead-tainted toys than justified.

The gesture by Thomas A. Debrowski, Mattel's executive vice president for worldwide operations, came in a meeting with Chinese product safety chief Li Changjiang, at which Li upbraided the company for maintaining weak safety controls.

"Our reputation has been damaged lately by these recalls," Debrowski told Li in a meeting at Li's office at which reporters were allowed to be present.

"And Mattel takes full responsibility for these recalls and apologizes personally to you, the Chinese people, and all of our customers who received the toys," Debrowski said.

Mattel ordered three high-profile recalls this summer involving more than 21 million Chinese-made toys, including Barbie doll accessories and toy cars because of concerns about lead paint and tiny magnets that could be swallowed.

The recalls have prompted complaints from China that manufacturers were being blamed for design faults introduced by Mattel.

On Friday, Debrowski acknowledged that "vast majority of those products that were recalled were the result of a design flaw in Mattel's design, not through a manufacturing flaw in China's manufacturers."

What's funny though about this post is how EVERYONE from China seems to get lumped into the toy scandal - there's no difference whatsoever between Chinese workers who actually work at plants that make Mattel toys, and Chinese workers who never touched a Mattel toy in their lives.

An Asian is an Asian is an Asian is an Asian - and that goes double for everyone in China it seems.

At least there won't be any more smack talk about how everything from China is tainted - at least for a while.

Movie: Project Makeover/Go Go Sister/Eonni-ga ganda

Thursday, September 20, 2007

An earlier '07 release which is a cute little go-back-in-time-right-the-wrongs-of-the-past-romantic-komedy. If you have the couch and the time it's not a bad pick for a lazy day off - just remember the popcorn. Stars So-young Ko as old Na Jung-ju and An Jo as young Na Jung-ju.



No English subs on the trailer (movie has English subs).

Thousands rally to Support Jena 6

Thursday, September 20, 2007


From MSNBC:

JENA, La. - Thousands of chanting demonstrators filled the streets of this little Louisiana town Thursday in support of six black teenagers initially charged with attempted murder in the beating of a white classmate.

The crowd broke into chants of “Free the Jena Six” as the Rev. Al Sharpton arrived at the local courthouse with family members of the jailed teens.

Martin Luther King III, son of the slain civil rights leader, said the scene was reminiscent of earlier civil rights struggles. He said punishment of some sort may be in order for the six defendants, but “the justice system isn’t applied the same to all crimes and all people.”

Sex in Seattle

Thursday, September 20, 2007


Sex in Seattle, Episode 15: The Anatomy of Love
October 19 - November 10, 2007
Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm & 10:30pm



SIS Productions offers a brand new episode of Seattle's longest running, original episodic series, Sex in Seattle! Share the adventure as the sexy and sassy Asian American gals of Sex in Seattle discover what love means! Sex in Seattle – a smart and sexy theatre show with a sense of humor.

WHERE?:
Richard Hugo House
1634 11th Avenue
On Seattle's Capitol Hill just North of Pine Street on 11th Avenue, in a 2-story Victorian house with a front porch, across from the playfield by Seattle Central Community College

Don't miss our upcoming episode featuring the continuing adventures of four contemporary Asian American women! Sex in Seattle is a hilarious exploration of the loves and lives of Tess, Jenna, Elizabeth and Chloe!

Opening Night Gala:
Join the Sex in Seattle Cast for a reception and opening night party between the 8:00pm and the 10:30pm performances on Friday, October 19 (starting around 9:30pm)! Admission to the gala is free with an opening night ticket to the show.

Mix & Mingle Night:
Join us Friday, October 26 between the 8:00pm and the 10:30pm performances for a lively panel discussion on the dynamics of race when it comes to dating! Ask the questions you've always wanted to ask! Mingle with others! Win fabulous prizes! Don't miss out on our fun-filled Mix & Mingle Night!

...

Read more about Writer and Creator Kathy Hsieh in Seattle Weekly.

More Updates and Trailers: The Contender Muay Thai

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

As previously talked about in a summer post here’s some more info on The Contender Muay Thai that will be shown across Asia.

The latest trailer for the new series:




Here’s a sampling of the fighters and descriptions from mymuaytai.com - where you can get a full list and more descriptions on all the fighters.



Yodsaenklai Fairtex

Yodsaenklai is one of the biggest stars of Muay Thai
today. A former Lumpini Stadium and Toyota Marathon Champion, Yodsanklai is the current reigning WBC Muay Thai Champion. He currently fights for the Fairtex
camp, he’s a dynamic south paw fighter who’s known for his technical and
methodical fighting style. He has a 131 wins, 64 Losses and 3 draws.

John Wayne Parr

Parr is fighter based out of Queensland Australia. He’s started off life as a boxer and transitioned into Muay Thai. Parr was one of the original great “Farang” (Foreign) fighters who lived and fought in Thailand. Parr currently fights out of his own gym the Boonchu gym. Parr (66-22) is known for his explosive hands and an aggressive
fighting style. Some of his achievements include: IMF World Champion, S-1 World
Champion. Parr was also voted by the “Strongest Westerner in Thailand ‘97″ by
the sports writers of Thailand.

Naruepol Fairtex

Naruepol is another star in Fairtex’s stable of fighters, In addition to his 110 -41 record he’s a former Lumpini and Rajadomnern Stadium champion. Currently he’s the no.1 contender to challenge Nopadetch Choowattana for the WBC title. Naruepol is considered tall for a Thai fighter and is very effective with his knees and elbows.

George Takei, Sci-Fi, Laser light shows, and the Seattle Symphony

Wednesday, September 19, 2007



Nice:

Sci-Fi Favorites

Travel to distant dimensions with Seattle Symphony! Hear music from your
favorite science fiction films, including Star Wars, Superman, Harry Potter,
2001: A Space Odyssey and more! Featuring a laser light show and narration by
George Takei, best known as Mr. Sulu on the acclaimed television and film
series, Star Trek. September 20–23. Costumes welcome!


Go to the Seattle Symphony’s site to learn more and buy tickets for this laserific event.

Racism, Connecticut, CCSU, and The Hartford Advocate

Wednesday, September 19, 2007


Apparently the Central Connecticut State University’s student run paper The Recorder - already known and condemned for racist, sexist and homophobic attitudes - is under fire again for a comic strip that makes fun of a abusing and locking up an underage Hispanic girl and urinating on her - and this comes on the heels from their last year (which gained them national “attention”) when the editor-in-chief Mark Rowan published an “opinion” piece, which was supposed to be “funny” touting how rape was “magical” and it was great for “ugly women”.

Nice huh?

But while everyone’s against it - the editorial faction of the paper is hiding behind free speech, and the student editor-in-chief Mark Rowan won’t step down - and the administration is saying they can’t do anything about it either (even though they’re against it).

Listen - free speech is one thing - but promoting racist hate speech is another - and that’s exactly what it is - because what else do you call making fun of abusing an underage Hispanic girl by urinating on her - it wasn’t a white girl was it?

And a major university is letting it fester and build and take root in a place where ALL STUDENTS OF COLOR should feel comfortable to be able to work - because WE NEED MORE JOURNALISTS OF COLOR - and part of getting there is sometimes through their student newspaper - which is being hindered by a University that is essentially supporting an intolerant and racist editorial staff.

So what are people doing?

Students and faculty are protesting - and protesting hard - and Yessica Amparo, President of the Latin American Student group on campus is going around to advertisers to have them pull ads until Rowan is made to step down - and hopefully it will all work - but they need help - and they need support.

Here’s what you can do to help the cause:

1. E-mail the good folks down at the Hartford Connecticut where Rown interns and ask people like publisher Janet Reynolds, Editor Alistair Highet, Managing Editor John Adamian, or Associate Editor Emily Dreyfuss why they would continue to allow an intern to work at their paper who supports such racist bile.

2. Go to the L.A.S.O site and contact Yessica Amparo or others in the organization to offer your support and to see what you can do to help - especially if you’re an alumni or can help organize protests and calls to advertisers locally.

3. E-mail the CCSU President’s office @ universitypresident@ccsu.edu and let them know that the response by President Jack Miller was nothing more than - well nothing really - and they need to do more to ensure a safe and non-racist environment for students of color to participate - and make sure to say how bad this makes not just the University look - but the whole state.

4. E-mail the Governor’s office @ governor.rell@po.state.ct.us for good measure to throw in how it doesn’t really bode well for CT’s state tourism with people of color.

Typhoon Wipha and Shanghai Watch

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

A clip from the full story at Bloomberg on Typhoon Wipha:

Typhoon Wipha slammed into the east coast of China with winds of 185 kilometers per hour (116 miles per hour), causing almost $400 million in damage as it headed toward Shanghai. About 2 million people were evacuated.

Wipha’s eye crossed the coast in eastern Zhejiang province after 2 a.m. today with winds gusting to 232 kilometers per hour, according to the U.S. Navy Joint Typhoon Warning Center. Winds later decreased to 90 kilometers an hour, meaning Wipha was downgraded to a tropical storm. No deaths have been reported, China’s official Xinhua News Agency said.

More links and information:

I Just Didn’t Do It, Koji Yakusho, Masayuki Suo, and the Oscars

Wednesday, September 19, 2007


According to reports from Variety Asia, the Japanese movie I Just Didn’t Do It, by writer/director Masayuki Suo of Shall We Dance fame (the original) has just been selected as Japan’s official entry into the Oscars for foreign language film.

The movie which stars Ryo Kase(Letters from Iwo Jima) and Koji Yakusho (Babel, Memoirs of a Geisha, Shall We Dance) takes a critical look at the Japanese legal system through the story of a falsely accused man.

From the The 45th New York Film Festival description:

Masayuki Suo, the director of Shall We Dance, trades sweetness for a tart taste of Kafka in his new film, with a dash of Hitchcock’s The Wrong Man. Falsely accused of groping a schoolgirl on a jammed train, Teppei (Ryo Kase, from Letters From Iwo Jima) is advised to plead guilty, pay a small fine, and get on with his life. But he maintains his innocence and won’t be persuaded to compromise. Suo’s follow-up to his 1996 smash hit begins as a criminal justice procedural and develops into an engrossing study (and damning indictment) of a flawed justice system, in which the presumption of innocence is basically non-existent.

A trailer from YouTube:

46 million dollar K-Drama

Wednesday, September 19, 2007


Last week was the rollout of the Korean Drama Taewangsasingi (The Four Guardian Gods of the King) and according to all reports, the television drama - which had a budget of $46 million (in U.S.) - is making news and attracting viewers:

From the Korean Times:

The long awaited drama, “Taewangsasingi” (The Four Guardian Gods of the King), starring hallyu icon Bae Yong-joon, finally met its audience on television Monday. A “Taewangsasingi Special” was aired with a sneak peek of highlights from the drama and behind-the-scenes interviews with the director and actors.

The special, aimed to give watchers a better understanding of the complicated storyline, sketched out an overall introduction to the drama and gave watchers a taste of the extravagant sets on Jeju Island and the vast planes of Kyrgyzstan, as well as the spectacular computer graphics that add a fantastical touch.

Scenes from the preview showed a striking resemblance to the highly credited graphics of the “Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003),” and the recent box office hit “D-War,” thanks to the drama’s massive budget of 43 billion won.

Music Interlude: Amerie’s Gotta Work

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Enjoy a break with a music video from Amerie:



From a recent article in Singapore’s The Electric New Paper about Amerie who is 1/2 Korean & 1/2 African American:

In keeping up with her Asian heritage, Amerie, whose mother is Korean and father is African-American, has joined hands with Korean heart-throw Se7en.

Se7en is featured on Amerie’s single Take Control which can be found on the Asian edition of her latest album, Because I Love It.

She takes pride in being half Asian.

‘There aren’t a lot of people in this industry who are of Asian descent,’ she said.

‘I have a lot of Asian-American fans and I’m proud to represent them. Being in Asia now, is something very special for me.’

Her foray into the Korean market doesn’t end here.

‘It would be great if I could collaborate with other Korean singers like Rain and Uhm Jung Hwa in the future.

‘I would love to sing in Korean or even be in a Korean movie,’ said the charismatic singer who can converse in basic Korean.

And she has something in common with Singaporeans - a soft spot for Korean TV dramas.

She added with a laugh: ‘As much as I love Korean dramas like 1942, I can’t watch them all the time. They’re too depressing. Someone’s always crying and yelling. It gets too dramatic sometimes.’

Kim Myles: HGTV’s Design Star

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

In the world of Reality TV, Kim Myles was just recently crowned as this year’s Design Star for HGTV - and from watching the show and the final “design-off” - definitely deserved to win. Cool, calm, neat designs - and a person of color helming their own show on a major cable network channel - here’s a little more info on Kim from her profile down at HGTV:

Three favorite styles:

1. Modern

2. Boho (bohemian chic)

3. Contemporary


A design do: Texture and color.


A design don’t: Bare, white walls.

Favorite designer: I’m inspired by all kinds of designers — interior, fashion, furniture, pottery and jewelry. I could never choose just one!

More on plane crash in Thailand

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

In one of its worst aviation disasters in a decade with over eighty-eight dead, more information is starting to come out about the airport and pilot:

From the Canadian Press:

Probe into Thai plane crash focuses on wind shear; monks pray for dead

Buddhist monks chanted prayers Tuesday for the souls of the 89 people killed in a plane crash on the southern Thai resort island of Phuket as distraught relatives began identifying and retrieving badly disfigured bodies.

From the Bangkok Post:

Airline chief defends pilot of doomed Phuket flight

“He was not hot-headed by character and had plenty of aviation experience under his belt …He was very experienced, patient and very decisive,” One-Two-Go Airline chairman Kajit Hapananont told the Bangkok Post.

From the Guardian:

Survivors angry that pilot tried to land plane in monsoon storm

Survivors of the Phuket air crash expressed disbelief and anger yesterday that their plane had been given permission to land despite a monsoon storm with winds so fierce that they bent back palm trees.

Gamer: John Woo, Chow Yun-Fat, Stranglehold - sequel to Hard Boiled?

Tuesday, September 18, 2007



Whether or not a game can actually be a sequel to a movie, the game Stranglehold is being billed as the sequel to Hard Boiled - and agree or not on the sequel aspect - everyone seems to agree that this is an exceptional game which does in fact live up to the hype, as well as having the names John Woo, Chow Yun-Fat and Hard Boiled attached to it.

The images are grabbed from the game’s official site where you can see images, play trailers, as well as demo the game created by Midway.

Here’s a clip from a review down at sfgate.com:

Stranglehold has been billed as the sequel to John Woo’s movie “Hard Boiled,” casting Chow Yun-Fat (or, rather, his likeness and voice work) as Tequila Yuen, the “hot-handed god of cops” who has a talent for stylishly shooting his way out of - and into - bad situations. There’s not much of a plot to work with here, but the game absolutely nails how it feels to have Chow walk into a room and destroy it with bullets.

Here’s another clip form a review down at signonsandiego.com:

Director John Woo and actor Chow Yun-Fat team up once again for what could be the most intense and stylish action game of the holiday, “Stranglehold.” As the official sequel to their popular movie collaboration, “Hard Boiled,” the game mirrors the awesome “gun ballet” sequences that made the movie such a hit.

Emmy Roundup: Oh, Masi, America, 30, Wounded Knee, Roots, and Sanjaya makes a comeback?

Monday, September 17, 2007

So the Emmys have come and gone and here’s what’s left on the Slanted front:


Sandra Oh didn’t win but I guess the black dress went over way better than last year according to the many various online polls - and wouldn’t she rather have online fashion love instead of an Emmy?




Masi didn’t win either, but he did get to spend some time in the spotlight with Ryan Seacrest while he “hooked up” MySpace founder, friend #1 Tom, with buddy Al Gore….does it get any sweeter in defeat?



America Fererra - she did win - Best Actress For A Comedy Series for Ugly Betty - and seriously - how could she not have won? Since she lept on the screen in HBO’s Real Women Have Curves - she’s kept on impressing.



Tracy Morgan didn’t get the individual nod - but his show 30 Rock! did win for Best Comedy - beating out other comedies like The Office.



Adam Beach didn’t get a nod either - but his HBO Film Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee won six awards including Best TV movie.


The epic movie Roots received a standing ovation for its 30 year anniversary tribute - and if you can’t stand for Roots I’m not sure what gets you out of your seat…


And no - Sanjaya didn’t win anything - or make a comeback - but he was referred to as that “little boy from India” - how nice huh?

Vera Wang looking to change the face of Kohl’s Department Stores

Saturday, September 15, 2007


When you think Vera Wang you don’t just think elegant - you think expensive, you think elite. The words “Kohl’s Department Store” don’t quite roll off your tong right away. But if Wang and Kohl’s Department Stores have anything to say about that - it will all change - and will also add $150 million dollars of extra sales to Kohl’s and Wang’s bottom line.

The department store has just recently (Sept 9th) rolled out her Simply Vera line - its first designer collection ever and doing so in the largest product launch of the company’s history looking to help align itself with more upscale designers in order to help create more of an upscale brand - and the experts are expecting Vera’s new line of clothing to be a success:

There are girls here in the office who are so excited about this,” says Nicole Phelps, executive editor of Style.com, which is based in Manhattan. “And given that the prices are so affordable, I think it will appeal to younger women, possibly college age and even high schoolers.”

Experts believe Wang’s foray into the middle-class will be very successful.

Asian-American woman helping to change the face of a franchise.

How cool is that?