Slant Film Festival Starts Tonight

Hey movie fans - the Slant Film Festival starts tonight. Go to the site here, and also check out a post by curator Melissa Hung who helped start the festival.

Bloomberg: Just don't report on the NBA

I was doing a search on Kevin Garnett this morning to see what articles might have some extras in it (because I'd read everything from the Boston/Detroit papers and watched the post-game interviews, etc.) and one of the first pieces that popped up on Google News was an article from Bloomberg - and even though in a previous article I stumbled upon they told me the Cavs won when it was really the Celtics - I figured I'd check it out. No way they could blunder another one.

But then I read:

"Kevin Garnett, whose 13.2 points-per-game scoring average during the playoffs was more than 4 points less than his regular-season average, contributed 33 points...."

Do they write with one hand on a PDA while wiping themselves in the bathroom?

The sentence barely even makes sense for one, but Garnett is averaging 21.3 points per game in the playoffs (and 24.2 in the Detroit series, and he averaged 18.8 in the regular season).

That's an 8 point difference in the real number versus the fake Bloomberg number.

Mariah Carey's Bad Tokyo Pitch: Maybe it was the heels

Friendster Goes Vietnamese

Capitalizing on their large presence in Asia (Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, India, Hong Kong, Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea), and adding to their support of seven languages, social networking site Friendster recently came out with support for Vietnamese to make the experience easier and better for people that wanted to join up in Vietnamese and to hopefully tap more into the growing Internet users in Vietnam (18+ million).

Cool.

Gov. David Patterson: Because it's about human rights

While Gov. Patterson didn't need to do anything else except stay away from high priced hookers for the remainder of his term in order to make it a successful one, it's great to see that instead, he's actually doing something worthwhile:

Gov. David Patterson of New York has told state agencies to recognize same-sex marriages performed in states and countries where they are legal, his spokeswoman said Wednesday.

The governor's legal counsel told state agencies in a May 14 memo to revise policies and regulations to recognize same-sex marriages performed in California and Massachusetts as well as Canada and other countries that allow gays and lesbians to marry, said Erin Duggan, the governor's spokeswoman.

The memo informed state agencies that failing to recognize gay marriages would violate the New York's human rights law, Duggan said.

The directive follows a February ruling from a New York state appeals court. That decision says that legal same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions are entitled to recognition in New York.

Now I'm just wondering when everyone else is going to wake-up and realize the same thing.

Read more down at CNN.

Tokoni and Mary Lou Song

What or who is a Tokoni?

Here's what Techcrunch had to say about it:

Tokoni is essentially a community of connected blogs with a social networking slant. After creating a personal profile, members can write an unlimited number of stories. Each story (which is basically a blog post) can be tagged with keywords and placed in ‘Hubs’, which are essentially groups of related stories. Stories can include embedded images or YouTube videos, and other members are encouraged to leave comments and participate in a discussion at the bottom of each story.

Who's Mary Lou Song and what does she have to do with Tokoni?

Mary Lou Song has always been a storyteller of sorts. With a background in journalism and media, she has a nose for news along with an innate desire to spread the proverbial word. Now, she and her husband Alex Kazim are co-founders of Tokoni Inc. (http://www.tokoni.com/), a social media company that helps people share their first-hand stories and connect through shared experiences.

She was also eBay employee #3 which should hopefully add some credability to the venture. Catch more of her bio down at The Huffington Post.

New Word I Didn't Know Existed

Manimony. Sweet sweet Manimony.

Jimmy Au and $5000

Caught this via the SunHerald.com and while Jimmy probably doesn't need the extra 5 grand - it is nice to be recognized - and let me just say for the record that if you're 5'8 and under you aren't short at all, you're just not a giraffe (cute as they may be) who needs to duck for cover everywhere you go, and really, who wants to be taller than 5'8 because all you ever do is get called upon to change lightbulbs way too high for you anyway.

Since, in times of tornadoes, I'd rather be closer to the ground.

5'8 and under and loving every minute of it.

Get your suit on at Jimmy Au's.

Video Views And Linkage

Here are some videos that happened to catch my eye over the past few days:

Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA)
Happy APA Heritage Month



Jamie Nared 12 year-old Hoops Phenom Banned Because She's Too Damn Good

I caught this over the weekend and all I can say is - you've got be kidding me. Priceless moment was seeing Jamie's mouth drop to the floor on the Good Morning America interview.

ImaginAsian TV - Your Voice, Your Choice PSA's

Some new PSAs on YouTube from ImaginAsian TV for their "Your Voice, Your Choice" campaign with James Kyson Lee, Lynn Chen and others.

Mock Olympics Tibetan Style

I caught this video of Tibetan exiles who held their own Olympics to mock the real ones in Beijing and keep on pushing for an independent Tibet.

Kobe's Response On The Snake Jump

Definitely not as good as the Aston Martin (and I'm sure you've seen the new one already), but I thought the response was even better than the jump.

More Jeff More Yang More Pop

Here's some more thoughts on the Jeff Yang ASIAN POP column I mentioned in a previous post from a blogger down at Byron's Blog where Yang also gets into the conversation via some comments afterwards.

Good read.

What's New Maulik Pancholy?

The new season of one of my favorite shows Weeds is coming up, so I thought I would do a quick post on some of the other projects Maulik Pancholy is slated to be in:

• See You in September (Romantic Comedy)
• Good Sharma (Feel Good Drama)
• Love Ranch (Brothel Drama)
• Tug (Comedy/Romance)

And yes. I'm wondering what happens with his love-child in Season 4 too.

Sharon Stone: When Dumbass White People Speak

I read about this over at Disgrasian yesterday and then read some follow-ups down at the AP and NEWS.com.au (which are also reporting that some cinemas have banned films with Sharon Stone in it) and just had to throw in some of my own commentary.



Get a clue.

Game 4: Kevin Garnett

Kevin:

You know I dig your game, and unlike a lot of people who seem to jump on and off the bandwagon at the turn of each quarter, I'll be a fan of yours for as long as you play and hope that one day I'll see you finally get that elusive championship ring.

But while I'll let you get away with some things, like calling yourself 6 '11, I can't really let you get away with that piss-poor performance from last night because let's face it - the Pistons pretty much wanted to give that game away from about the middle of the second quarter and all you and the Celtics needed to do was take it and say "Thank You" and you could have been on your way headed back to Boston with a 3-1 lead.

Now, it's tied up again.

It's not that you shot like crap (which you did), the lack of defensive rebounds (count a whopping 7), or even the fact that you dished out only 3 assists (even though the team as a whole barely had enough dimes to get a Spicy Chicken Burrito).

No Kevin, what I need to chastise you about is that after Jason Maxiell ended up blocking your run-away dunk (and it was a clean block), you seemed to fold physically and mentally.

You didn't even try to get involved in the majority of plays.

You decided to set up camp outside the free throw line waiting for someone to bring you some marshmallows.

You just checked out.

Now I don't know much, but I do know that if you can't rebound from one play by Jason Maxiell - especially in the next Game 5 - you'll have all the time to roast up as many smores as you want while you watch Detroit move on to the Finals.

And seriously - do you really need any more sugar?

Asian Pop and Jeff Yang

A quick thought:

I was reading the ASIAN POP column down at SFGate and I agree a lot with what Jeff Yang is saying which is part of the reason why I blog about some of the things I do, and I can't really help but not too.

I'm Asian, and I'm American, and the two can't really be untangled.

And I don't want them to be either.

Yao Ming goes NASCAR

Just a funny blurb about Yao Ming taking his turn as part of the pit crew at NASCAR:

Before the green flag dropped to start the 49th Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, one pit crew performance already stood head and shoulders above the rest – literally. Seven-foot, six-inch international basketball superstar Yao Ming and two-time U.S. Olympic taekwondo Gold Medalist Steven Lopez experienced the world of NASCAR today and invited NASCAR drivers and fans to “Connect with the World Over a Coke.”

Read more here.

CNN's Betty Nguyen

News anchor Betty Nguyen earlier this month received the Outstanding Young Texas Exes Award. Here's a little from her interview over at Asiance Magazine:

ASIANCE: How has Vietnam changed and have you seen any specific changes that surprised you or you particularly took notice of?

NGUYEN: For all that Vietnam lacks, no one can deny that it’s currently undergoing a period of aggressive growth. It has one of the fastest growing economies in Asia. Just look at Saigon, businesses are popping up everywhere. Every time I go back I see new buildings, new infrastructure – signs of economic progress.

Go here for the full interview.

ALTRA Magazine Gets Ready For A Makeover

Just a quick post about ALTRA Magazine and that they will be re-launching as an Internet magazine pretty soon. I e-mailed out their team and the revamp should be up and running in the next week or so (June). Look for a post when the new zine is live.

Cashmere Mafia: You've been cancelled

Well - I guess it's official. Cashmere Mafia and Lucy Liu have been voted off the Great Big White TV Island.

How sad is that?

Update: Go here for more shows with Asian Americans that have been cancelled.

IFC Snaps Up The Chaser

I've posted before on this flick back in late February and how the word of mouth had pushed it to #1, and while Warner Bros. has already snapped it up for a remake, IFC just picked up the North American rights.

Cool.

AsianWeek’s Comedy Night

If you want to check out some Asian American comedy, which is being hosted by AsianWeek and sponsored by Bud Light, definitely head on down to The Purple Onion where the lineup will feature Tessie Chua, Nitin Kant, Dhaya Lakshminarayanan, Joe Nguyen, Princess Leah, Duat Mai, and Edwin Li.

Here are the details from the press release

Comedy Night 2008 takes place on Friday, May 30 with two different shows at 7 – 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. – 12 midnight. The venue is The Purple Onion (140 Columbus Ave., San Francisco, Calif.), which has the world-renowned reputation as one America’s birthplace of stand-up comedy. This year, AsianWeek is proud to return to this storied venue and again feature already established and up-and-coming Asian American comics during the Asian Pacific Islander American Heritage month celebrations.Attendees of Comedy Night will receive free admission to the after-party at Suite 181 (181 Eddy St., San Francisco, Calif.)

Word to my Westchester County

Mark your calendars for Saturday, May 31, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., at Kensico Dam Plaza in Valhalla for the tenth annual Asian-American Heritage Celebration which is being put on by the Westchester and Hudson Valley Chapter of the Organization of Chinese Americans:

The day’s festivities will feature a wide array of live performances of the music and dance of many Asian countries, including China, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, India, Malaysia, Indonesia and Burma. The festival will feature the Magical Chinese Opera Face Show and include Kung Fu and Japanese drumming, along with Asian arts, cultural and religious exhibits. There will also be free medical and dental screenings.

For more about the festival check out Westchester.com.

Juliana Hu Pegues, David Mura, Bao Phi, and Q and A

For all my Asian Americans in MN, make sure you get on out and support the new production by Juliana Hu Pegues called Q and A which is playing down at the Mixed Blood Theatre in Minneapolis.

Here's a quick write-up:

For the past six months, Juliana Hu Pegues has been working over time. Besides taking on the second semester of her PhD program in American Studies at the University of Minnesota, she has also brought together two years of work, recruiting brilliant talent and marrying her academic and artistic passions to produce her play, “Q and A.” The play opens next week, at the Mixed Blood Theatre in Minneapolis, and will run through June 8th.

Directed by David Mura, Q and A is a new play that observes Asian American identity through two incarnations of the question-and-answer motif: speed dating and prison interrogations. Three characters, who remain nameless throughout but for identifying numbers, are confronted with questions of racial and sexual identity ranging from the absurd to the severe. Ultimately, when indicted by an unspecified governing regime, they must confront difficult truths about themselves and their allegiances.

What: Q&A by Juliana Hu Pegues, directed by David Mura.
Who: Presented by Mu Performing Arts, featuring Katie Leo, Thien-Bao Phi, and Laurine Price.
When: May 22 – June 8 (previews May 20 and 21, no performance June 5), Thurs – Sat at 8 pm, Sun at 2 pm. Pay-what-you-can Mon, June 8 at 8 pm.
Where: Mixed Blood Theatre (1501 S Fourth St, Minneapolis)
Tickets: $18 adult, $16 student/senior, $14 groups 10+, $10 previews. 612-338-6131 or www.mixedblood.com.

Go the Twin Cities Daily Planet for the full article and interview.

Dale gets eliminated from Top Chef

So self-proclaimed badass Dale got the boot on last night's Top Chef - it should have been Lisa - here's a quick link to a Hyphen post A Letter to Top Chef's Dale Talde.

Confucius is laughing because Jesus still can't find his shot

We'd all be happy with just one three. Just one will satisfy us. After that you can go back to your chosen profession as a carpenter, who just for the record, works with wood, not bricks.

Is Zeng Li Asia's Sexiest Vegetarian?

Just a note to my Asian veggies - who I love but I still think have been brainwashed because as cute as a cow is they were still made to be milked, rubbed, and ate with a side of bacon - and that goes double for humans if I'm stuck on a plane in the Andes mountain range and you start making a "moo" sound -- you still have time to vote for Asia's sexiest vegetarian where recent votes have put Zeng Li in first place.

And if you're in Tulsa

Glad to see that my folks down in Tulsa are on their 6th annual Asian American festival, which continues next month on June 7th - but maybe next year they could add in more than two hours worth of Asian Americaness, because really, how much can you savor in two hours?

宇多田ヒカル

Nice beats. Good Melody. Catch the pen twirling. What more do you want?

May 31st: Asian Fusion Festival

For my peeps down in Elgin Illinois (or if you happen to be traveling down that way), make sure to check out the Asian Fusion Festival coming up this Saturday:

Liah Tehan comes from a country where three ethnic groups create a unique tapestry. Tehan is from Singapore, where the population has Chinese, Malay and Indian ancestors. "My background is Malay," she said. "(But) you cannot just say I am Malay and I just keep my Malay culture. You have to introduce all three (cultures)."

Tehan will teach Americans and Asian Americans about her country's dance, culture and art through the Asian Fusion Festival, a daylong event slated for Saturday, May 31, in downtown Elgin. The festival showcases 15 different Asian cultures in celebration of Asian American Heritage Month.

• What: Asian Fusion Festival
• When: 3 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, May 31
• Where: Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way, Elgin
• Tickets: $20 for adults and $10 for children 10 and younger
• Info: Call (847) 877-8224
• On the Net: www.aacelgin.org

Read more about the festival and what will be going on down at The Courier News.

NewsBytes

A few headlines and posts from blogosphere and beyond that caught my eye from the last few days:

Pin the tail on the Asian male: Asian American Feminism Pt. 3 (with Bi Bim Bap)

The story is this: some crazy Asian guy had a girlfriend who left him for a black man. He was crazy and angry, and he started writing threatening letters to black men married to white women, including (half-black) Derek Jeter and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. He posed as an angry white woman, sending threats to black men for two decades. Finally he was caught.

Oakland activist keeps spirit of revolution strong

Yuri Kochiyama embodies the spirit of activism that one might find in an ebullient college student, but this long-time activist for social justice turns 87 today. Kochiyama is most well known as the woman who cradled Malcolm X in her lap after he was shot Feb. 21, 1965, during a speech at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City.

Chicago kollaboration 5 this saturday

Chicagooooooo! This one's for you. This weekend, do not miss Chicago Kollaboration 5, the annual talent show extravaganza. Come see up-and-coming artists from the community compete in band, dance, vocal, songriter and rap categories. It's like Star Search, only with a lot more yellow people. With special guest performers Far East Movement, and guest judges Michael Kang, Elle Pai Hong, Joshua Lee, Sung Yang and Alice Kim. It's all going down Saturday, May 24 at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie.

Bruce Lee on Broadway

Playbill announced yesterday that the musical "Bruce Lee: A Journey to the West" will be coming to Broadway in the 2010-2011 season. The musical will be written by Tony award-winner David Henry Hwang (of M. Butterfly fame) and directed by Bartlett Sher whose revival of South Pacific was recently nominated for 11 Tony awards.

George Takei is getting married!

After the decision by California to allow same-sex marriages last Thursday, hundreds of queer couples are planning to get married, including George Takei and his partner, Brad Altman. In his announcement on his web site, George Takei notes parallels in the struggle for same-sex marriage to the struggle for redress for Japanese Americans who were placed in concentration camps during World War II, noting that it took the federal government nearly 60 years to finally compensate those who were placed in these camps.

You're My Hero, Sex and the City, And That Asian Girl's Got A Name

Sweet.

The nameless Asian kid from the upcoming Sex and the City film who I wondered about in a previous post apparently is a real live person and wasn't just a figment of my imagination after all (because I was seriously starting to wonder).

Head on over to DISGRASIAN who found out who she actually is.

Yeah that's right: Kristi Yamaguchi Wins DWTS

If Kristi Yamaguchi, who ended up with a perfect 90 between the show's two day finale (which was a first) didn't win the whole damn thing, I would have had to ask the question of what the world had against a slick Asian American woman who danced her ass off to perfection.

On a side note: I've slowly become a fan of that trophy. It's actually kind of cute.

Interview: Simon Young from The Slants

If you've been following this blog since its inception (and who hasn't?) you'll know that one of the bands I've tried to push is The Slants, even doing a CD giveaway with them early on. I figured since I hadn't done a post on them in a bit I should check in, see how they were doing, and decided to throw some random questions the way of bassist Simon Young.

Here's what he had to say.

It's been about two months since you withdrew from the Bodog Battle of the Bands contest where you were in the semi-final round and on your way to the finals where you could have been competing for a million dollar contract. For those who aren't familiar with the situation, can you talk a little bit about why the band withdrew, lessons learned, and what - if anything - you gained from the experience, or was it all a wash in the end?

We originally joined an international Battle of the Bands competition last year in order to get some face time on national tv as well as a chance to win a million dollar recording contract. We made it through several rounds fairly quickly, placing in first each time. However, we dropped out during the semi-finals because they wanted us to sign a huge non-negotiable contract that would have nullified any rights that we had as artists. Our legal help told us to stay away…not only did it seem risky, but the company itself was revealing its true colors and we didn’t feel comfortable working with them. We’ve always wanted to stay independent for as long as possible and this experience just supported that decision. I think its safe to say that The Slants won’t be joining anymore “battle of the bands” type competitions again.

How's the summer tour shaping up?

The tour plans are going well, just trying to fill in as many dates as possible! It’s a quite a bit of emailing, following up, and phone calls…but it’ll be worth it once we’re on the road. There are some great shows coming up and we look forward to playing new places that we haven’t been yet!

You took out a second mortgage on your house to produce Slanted Eyes, Slanted Hearts. Are you feeling the pressure yet? Have the sales been what you've expected?

The other day, I was joking with our publicist, Alex, and I told him that “I don’t need a girlfriend, I have The Slants…it’s enough to make me go broke on it’s own” The pressure is always there, especially since I’ve just been laid off of my day job. But I strongly believe in this band and I know that everything will work out. Sales have been pretty strong and the album is going to be available in stores nationwide starting this July, so there’s definitely a lot of excitement going on! I’m very proud of the album, so even if we didn’t sell a single copy, I’d say it was still worth doing.

I noticed the band isn't selling individual tracks via your MySpace page. Any plans in the future to do so, or was this a conscious effort on the band's part? The reason I ask is because more and more you're seeing bands and artists sell their tracks individually as well as one complete CD.

Our publicist advised us to stop selling our music through Snowcap (the company that links music sales to bands’ MySpace sites) but we’re still selling strong through iTunes and other companies. Fans can still buy individual tracks, though I always think its best to get the whole album so that you can get the whole feel of what we’re doing.

Recently you teamed up with clothing designer Tina Richard for a custom line of clothes. How has it been working with her?

It’s been great! Tina’s very innovative and has brought a lot of unique, creative merchandise pieces to our lineup. She’s also designed some personal stage wear for Aron and Jen Cho. We’re all looking forward to what she comes up with next!

Almost immediately the band started getting a lot of attention, playing a lot of shows, and also finding a niche in anime conventions. What do you credit that success too?

I think it’s a combination of things….there aren’t many synth-pop bands out there right now, certainly not many that are inherently Asian, so I think that’s been getting us some attention. The Asian community has been especially supportive, writing about our band and encouraging us to continue what we do. We also have an amazing publicist helping us get press, as well as a very enthusiastic fan base willing to share our music with others.

I was reading on your blog about a write-up you got in Music Spectator magazine which said (sic) "The Slants are a self parody, a tongue-in-cheek mocking finger pointing at themselves. This is an American band using their ethnicity as fodder for their own brand of humor, which carries over to their marketing and even their sound to a degree". When I think of a "self parody" I think The Notorious MSG, not really The Slants. What do you think of the description, and then how do you think fans see you?

I don’t really see ourselves as a self parody, but we do take on Asian stereotypes with a certain sense of humor. We don’t wear wigs of awkward “Asian” hairstyles and we certainly don’t speak with fake Asian accents or anything. However, we do incorporate a lot Asian themes in our merchandise, image, and songs. It isn’t necessarily aimed to be humorous, most of the time its because its something we enjoy (such as Asian artwork, cinematic themes, or food). I think our fans understand that we maintain this theme because of we’re proud of who we are (just look at the name of our band). They understand that we do have a certain sense of humor, but we’re certainly not mocking ourselves nor the cultures that we stand for.

Right now you're doing a lot of touring and promoting the album which also just got re-mastered. How long do you plan on promoting this album before starting on your second album? Is there a timetable for a release?

We’ve already started writing songs for the next album, which should be released in early 2009. In the meantime, we’ll probably continue touring and promoting Slanted Eyes, Slanted Hearts into late fall. It will always be our debut album so I’m sure it will always have a special place in our hearts.

So I gotta ask - what's up with Gaijin only getting to show his belt buckle and having to wear shades? Is there no love for the white guys?

It’s his personal preference; maybe he’s a bit camera shy. We don’t force him to wear a mask on stage or anything : )

I had talked with April Baer about a NPR story she was looking to do on The Slants and one of the things I had mentioned was that while I think in the world of hip hop and spoken word there's more talk about race and racism and ethnicity - there's an awareness there - in the genre of techno/synth/dance there isn't that awareness out there, and that's where I think The Slants are different - you bring that awareness about race and ethnicity and being Asian American to a genre that hasn't typically had that. While I know it's about the music, it's also about the message too and I was wondering about the reaction so far from your fans about that message and being Asian American.

We’ve had some mixed responses to our ethnic theme, though for the most part it has been positive. We’ve had a lot of fans tell us that its refreshing to find an Asian artist playing dance rock, that they kind of sing certain songs like “Sakura, Sakura” as an anthem (“We sing for the Japanese and the Chinese and all of the dirty knees…”). It’s an amazing feeling to be playing these songs and watching kids sing along to every word.

We had one review recently that took some jabs at us for being Asian; saying that we had self-confidence issues and because of our Asian themes. Rather than reviewing our music at all, the entire article focused on this – which resulted in a substantial amount of hate mail sent to the publication for their “racist” remarks.

Last question. Five things you really miss when you're touring on the road.

1. Seeing my friends in my hometown or having any semblance of a “normal” relationship.
2. Home cooked meals.
3. Sleeping in my own bed
4. Time to myself (not that I don’t love my band…but think about being in a 15 passenger van everyday for a few months with the same 5 people and you’ll understand).
5. Sitting down in something that isn’t moving (the van).

Actually this is the last question. Where are you and what are you wearing right now (because I'm sure someone wants to know)?

I am sitting in the airport wearing a black D&G jacket, some kind of rising sun t-shirt, jeans, and some rock n’ roll boots.

And underwear too.

For more on The Slants check out their site and their MySpace page.

The Finals: Kristi Yamaguchi

Here are the final dances from Kristi Yamaguchi on DWTS where she got a perfect 60.

The Cha Cha Cha dance off



The Freestyle



Update: These were the last two dances from part one of the finals.

The Cultural Revolution, The Gang of Four, and The Detroit Pistons?

Is it just me, because I'm an Asian American who knows about these things, or is it that sometimes people aren't just up to snuff on their history?

If it doesn't pertain to them, do they just care less?

Take for example Bob Ryan, a Boston Globe columnist who wrote a recent article on the upcoming Celtics/Pistons matchup in the Eastern Conference, and when talking about the four veterans from the Pistons that have been together now for five years, he referred to them in the following way:

This exemplary Gang of Four consists of [...]

Because he capped the words "Gang" and "Four", I have to believe it was intentional emphasis, but I'll also give Ryan the benefit of the doubt in that he probably didn't realize that when someone who's Asian American read that line - like me - that they immediately thought of the infamous Gang of Four and the violence they spread during the Cultural Revolution where millions of people were persecuted, stripped of their human rights and displaced, and where scholars have put the numbers of the deaths during this period in the millions.

But I also have to ask the question "How can you not know?".

I love basketball, and I love the NBA, but when you use a reference to the Gang of Four for something that in the end is a game - no matter how much that game inspires - it essentially minimizes one of the worst periods in history; a history that Asian Americans who immigrated to the U.S. from China haven't forgotten about because of the toll that it took on their families and loved ones. A history that just like the Holocaust should never be forgotten.

I'm not sure if I'm trying to give Bob Ryan and The Boston Globe editors a way out, or if I'm pointing out to them that they should know better and that not knowing only takes you so far.

It's probably a little bit of both.

The Hyphen Asian American Short Story Contest

Just a FYI out there to all of you writers that the Hyphen Short Story Contest has begun, and that they are taking submissions up through July 11, 2008. Here's the scoop from their site (where I'm also helping to blog):

Hyphen magazine and the Asian American Writers' Workshop are taking submissions for their 2008 Short Story Competition.

The winner pockets a $1,000 prize and has his or her story published in Hyphen magazine.

The winner of the 2007 Short Story Competition was Preeta Samarasan (for her story "Our House Stands in a City of Flowers"), whose debut novel Evening is the Whole Day will be published by Houghton-Mifflin later this year.

Writers of short fiction are encouraged to enter the 2008 Short Story Competition jointly sponsored by Hyphen and The Asian American Writers' Workshop (AAWW). The winner will receive a $1,000 cash prize, publication in Hyphen magazine, a one-year subscription to Hyphen and a one-year membership to AAWW. Ten finalists shall also receive a one-year membership to AAWW and a one-year subscription to Hyphen.

The competition is open to all writers of Asian descent living in the United States and Canada. To be eligible, manuscripts must be previously unpublished and in English. No email submissions allowed. Only authors who have not published a book-length prose fiction manuscript are eligible. The competition is limited to short works of fiction, including short stories, novellas and excerpts from novels; the latter must stand alone as a separate work. There is no required theme or page limit.

Submissions must be postmarked by Friday, July 11, 2008 and accompanied by a $10 entry fee per story. Please send four copies of your story using paper clips. Manuscripts will not be returned and will be acknowledged only if a SASE is provided. Include a cover letter with name, address, email, daytime telephone number and a 3-sentence bio. The story title and page number should be clearly labeled on each page of the submission. Your name must not appear anywhere on the manuscript, except on the cover letter. Manuscripts should be typewritten and double-spaced on 8 1/2 X 11 plain white paper. Incomplete submissions will not be considered.

Manuscripts may be under consideration elsewhere, but please notify us immediately if your story is accepted for publication. Hyphen retains first publication rights and the right to publish a portion of the story on its website. All rights revert to the author upon publication.

To enter the short story competition, please send submission to:

The Asian American Writers' Workshop
2008 Short Story Competition
16 West 32nd Street, Suite 10A
New York, NY 10001-3808

Make checks payable to "Asian American Writers' Workshop."

Entrants will be notified by or on Monday, Oct. 6, 2008.

4bia: Getting Your Thai Horror Flick On

If you're looking for a Thai horror flick to sink your teeth into when it comes out on DVD (if you can't catch it before then), a movie that's been doing well at the box office with crowds in Thailand is 4bia (aka See Prang). The film has four stories to it with one of the stories "In the Middle" directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun, part of the team that brought us Shutter and Alone.

Check out the trailer



For more on the movie go to Scheda Film, Chiangmai Mail and the official site.

Wing Luke Asian Museum Gets A Makeover

I posted on the renovation last year, and it's almost time for the doors to be opened. Check out the article on the newly revamped Wing Luke Asian Museum:

The new Wing Luke Asian Museum, opening May 31, doesn't just have artifacts -- it is one.

Although it has moved just one block from its former home in a one-time garage, the 42-year-old museum has undergone a complete transformation, expanding to more than eight times its previous size.

The centerpiece of the $23.2 million project is the building itself, the 1910-vintage East Kong Yick Building, financed by 170 Chinese immigrants who pooled their resources to establish a foothold and offer a place where new residents could find a room, a meal and social support.

Yeah. I'm there. See more down at their site.

Is APAH month for us or for them?

So I was reading this post down at Gil Asakawa's blog about who the audience of APAH month should really be:

Then it occurred to me that the event didn’t feel satisfying to me because it was still, 10 years later, just Asians celebrating APA Heritage Month with other Asians. It’s time, I think, for this group to follow the examples of a couple of other high-profile local events, the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival and the Boulder Asian Festival, and start showing off the myriad APA communities not just to each other, but to the public at large.

And I can definitely see some of that because while APAH month should be about us, it's also about exposing great Asian/Asian American culture to the communities that haven't been exposed to it, who aren't really sure of even where to begin.

Read more from Gil here who also has a new post on “Twittering” the APIA Vote Town Hall.

James Hong Interview

Last week there was a good article and interview on veteran actor James Hong who talked about how he got into acting, the frustration of being an Asian American actor, and his push for diversity. Here's a quick snippet:

Hong has been active in fighting discrimination in the film industry since his early days as an actor. When the 1962 film Confessions of an Opium Eater was going into production, he organized a group of concerned actors to speak to producer Albert Zugsmith.

"The film was full of those Fu Manchu types, sneaking around, eating opium," Hong recalls. "So we went in to see Albert, who didn't like me leading that protest. In essence, he warned me I might not work again."

Asked if he feels the roles have gotten better for Asian actors today, Hong pauses.

Read the full article here.

Instant Classic

What Do You Expect?

I was reading about the deportation of an American pro-democracy activist and all I could really think of was simply "What the hell did you expect was going to happen?".