There's not much to say on this.
Except, why would you want to ruin a perfectly good Bollywood flick with...John Travolta?
Sure he's had his moments but...
Wait...one song?
What the MF...
Oh yeah...he made this...
Travolta In A Bollywood Film? How Is That Good For Anyone?
Monday, April 28, 2014Far East Movement – ‘The Illest’ (Feat. ScHoolboy Q)
Monday, April 28, 2014Clippers + Sterling + I'm hoping For A Walkout Or A Championship (Or A Pay Per View Castration + Dick Chopping)
Monday, April 28, 2014There're just too many levels to this whole thing and I can't really decide what I'd like to see.
So here's my list of things I'd like (in a perfect set of multiverses).
1. Donald Sterling Gets Castration + Dick Chopping On Pay Per View. Sure, I don't want to see those nasty looking old whitey ballsacks, but I'd still pay per view it just to know it happened.
2. Clippers Do A Walkout For One Or More Games. I know there would be penalties and contract issues and I wouldn't want to see any of the Clipper players lose any money that they can take away from Sterling, but the other side is simply - who wants to take money from a racist boss? Money aside - I'd love to see that playoff series stop because of this and then let all hell break loose - because then you have take some drastic measures - and sure there would be an asterisk next to the final winner - if they can figure that out anyway - but it's not like the Spurs don't have one either...
3. Clippers Win The Championship. Sterling Gets Fined $100 Million And Loses Franchise. Nothing more on this one.
4. All Of The Above. Hear me out and just remember it's my multiverses and I can still have contradictions. Clippers walkout for one game. Series stops. They go back and decide to finish it out, move on, and win the championship. Sterling loses the franchise, goes completely broke, but gets an offer to make $1 million dollars by getting castrated + his dick chopped on PPV. Broke, shitting himself, and in dire need of anyone to touch his balls, decides to do it where after "the big night" gets a letter from the IRS saying that he owes them a million. Mmmmm...smells like chopped dick and justice.
What more could I want?
Labels: NBA, oh white people, sterling can kiss it
Millions Season 1 World Premiere April 28th
Thursday, April 24, 2014
I got word from writer/director Andrew Chung that the Millions Season 1 Premiere is happening this April 28th.
Millions, about a group of twenty-something friends who set out to become millionaires before they turn 30 after a tragedy in their lives, will be making its premiere on Monday April 28th at 8:00PM EST @ http://www.youtube.com/MillionsTheSeries, and will air for eight consecutive weeks, every Monday, making up eight episodes for Season 1. The Premiere Episode will be a special double 40 minute episode.It's a project of passion for Chung, who's spent his savings trying to get this out to the world, so definitely check it out and let the cast and crew know what you think.
Labels: andrew chung, millions, season 1, YouTube
I Just Don't Know If Twerking And Classical Music Go Together
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Hmmmm....
Belgium's B-Classic music festival, whose mission is to "give classical music the same recognition as pop and rock music," brings us a rather interesting sensory collision in the form of the music video below, promoting its "Classic Comeback" competition.Decide for yourself.
Korean pop-dance group Waveya interprets the godfather of Slavonik dance music (and Brahm's brosef) Antonín Leopold Dvořák in the three-minute synchronized bump-'n'-grind-gyration-twerk-fest set to "Symphony No. 9 Allegro con fuoco."
Well This Is A Shitty Avril Lavigne Video (And The Song Sucks Too)
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
No really.
It is.
The Fellowship Of The The Asian American Writers' Workshop (Margins And Open City Fellowships)
Wednesday, April 23, 2014Asian American writers in the NY area this ones for you!
If you're an emerging Asian American writer based in New York, get ready for a big hug. We're excited to announce the call for two separate fellowships tailor-made for you.
You may already know about our Open City Fellowship, now in its fourth year, which gives five writers the opportunity to write and publish short-form and long-form narrative nonfiction on the vibrant immigrant communities of New York City.
This year we're excited to announce a totally new fellowship: The Margins Fellowship, an all new opportunity for three emerging creative writers (fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction), aged thirty and under, to establish a home for their writing and a space to develop their careers.
All of our Fellows will receive $5,000, access to the AAWW space, publishing opportunities in our magazines, free workshops, and more. The Margins Fellows also receive residencies at the Millay Colony for the Arts, an innovative seven-acre artists retreat space at the former house and gardens of poet Edna St. Vincent Millay. All fellows will serve as writers-in-residence with our online magazines, which have published Chang-rae Lee, Jessica Hagedorn, Ashok Kondabolu, Sarah Gambito, Jad Abumrad, and been linked to by The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, and The New Inquiry.
The deadline is Friday, May 16, by 11 pm
The Margins Fellowship | The Open City Fellowship
Intent To Appoint: Grace Tsao-Wu
Tuesday, April 22, 2014From the White House with love:
Grace Tsao-Wu, Appointee for Member, Commission on Presidential Scholars
Grace Tsao-Wu is currently a Partner at Laudi Vidni, a position she has held since 2009. From 1994 to 2014, Ms. Tsao-Wu was the founder and owner of her own business, Tabula Tua. She is on the board of One Million Degrees, an organization that empowers low-income, highly motivated community college students to succeed in school, work, and life. She is also on the advisory board of the Chinese American Service League. Prior to this, Ms. Tsao-Wu worked for Kraft Foods from 1990 to 1993 and Price Waterhouse from 1983 to 1988. Ms. Tsao-Wu received a B.S. from the University of California, Berkeley and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
Labels: Government
If Grandpa Makes That Joke I'm Kicking Him In The Nuts
Monday, April 21, 2014I was reading this article, and honestly, it is the right way to do things in many ways. Try to have a talk etc., etc.
But at the same time if someone makes the joke of "I sure love the new Obama Christmas ornament. There’s nothing like seeing a black man hanging from a tree." I think a good swift kick to the nuts might be appropriate as well.
Metaphorically, of course.
CNN.com Devotes Space To Wondering If The KKK Can Rebrand Itself...WTF
Monday, April 21, 2014I caught news of this down at Salon in the article CNN asks: “Can the Klan rebrand?”, which also has the best subtitle of "Racism is facing a branding problem, and CNN is on it" - and you just have to ask the question of why devote that much space to something so idiotic which has also spawned 4000+ comments with of course, awesome White people comments (you know, the usual purge and splurge...).
Waste.Of.Space.I.Will.Remember.
Labels: cnn kinda fucked this one up, Race, Racism
Randomly Crushing On Nadine Truong + Senior Project The Movie
Monday, April 21, 2014No.
No you cannot.
Check out her soon to be released film Senior Project The Movie.
And you can also check out Someone I Used To Know (making its way through the festivals of 2014).
Labels: Film, senior project, someone i used to know
You're A First: Gia Ly
Monday, April 21, 2014Gia Ly is co-owner of Crepe Corner and family business Zen Vegetarian Restaurant in Westminster. In addition she is also an owner of Arrow GTP, a company which works with Google to produce virtual interior tours of buildings which appear on Google maps. She's also the first female chair of the Vietnamese American Chamber of Commerce in Orange County.
Neighborhood Watch: Are Those Maids Devious?
Sunday, April 20, 2014So I was doing some work and had the TV on in the background and as the Heat game looked to be done mid 4th quarter, and for some reason turning to golf seeing that this too was over, and being HGTV'd, CNN'd, and MSNBC'd out, for some odd reason (again) saw Lifetime and Devious Maids and said "hmmmm...I was against this when it came out, but maybe it's not that bad?"
It's just background White Noise anyway...right?
Here's the deal. I'm not a Latino man or Latina women, so I can't speak to certain things. But I am a man of color, and in that way, representations of other POC matters in different ways, especially when you consider the oppression of us as a people on a whole.
I don't know.
I still have issues with seeing Latina women seeming to serve all the White People, versus the original telenova which was vastly different because it was an all Latino cast.
And then you can talk about the sexual aspect of it...what is that again? Something like "no language needed as long as the booty shakes"?
Again, I'm not a Latina woman, nor can I tell you what this might do for getting Latina women in the door of Hollywood to change the game from the inside (because sometimes you have to take the job on the bottom first to get ahead) but something still doesn't smell right to me on this one.
And then I wonder what this doesn't do for the Asian American community. Will Hollywood execs use this as an example for a Nail Salon show featuring Asian American women who not only serve wealthy White women but are also the desire of their husbands who come and pick them up?
Sigh.
Thirty minutes later and it's back to the airplane that will never be found...
FB + Texting: You Don't See That Coming Out From Nam...
Sunday, April 20, 2014From The K-Girl Files:
And some texting back and forth:
But if we can't poke the bear, then what are our fingers for?
Since, it's not like they're Asian American...
You've Been WhiteOuted: Sky Ferreira + I Blame Myself + Past Video Archive
Sunday, April 20, 2014I never heard of Sky Ferreira before this, but I was curious to read it, watch the video as well as some of her other videos, and I can't help but think to myself:
1. How come the majority of dealers are Black but the detectives interviewing her in the room are White?
2. When I looked at her other videos, I swear, there's not a Person Of Color in sight. I just see White Guys when I see other people in the videos.
3. Why do people still consistently use the phrase "They are more well spoken..." when in defense mode? If you know POC and you're for pulling POC up, then you should know we kind of hate that shit.
4. I love how in her response she never looks inward or touches on how, yeah, as someone who's looking pretty pale, that maybe there is something to what people are saying because of the constructs of race and power (around the world). Why is it always the sentiment of "Fuck you, I'm not racist" versus "That was never my intent, but maybe I need to think about this a little more"?
5. White People aren't always going to get it right, and as an Asian American man, I'm willing to give them chances to grow (sometimes...) but when they come out and just get all kinda White about it, versus being introspective about it then I really don't have anything more for them.
Labels: Race
Get Some History: Sessue Hayakawa + LAAPFF
Sunday, April 20, 2014Sometimes I have this dream where I'm supposed to rattle off 25 Asian American actors to get into some crazy dance club (which is weird because I don't really dance anymore unless it's in my house, or in the store when I'm getting groceries, where I also like to sing...) and the first thing out of my mouth is "Let's go old school first, Sessue Hayakawa....".
I'm sure other people have these dreams too.
Labels: Film, laapff, Sessue Hayakawa
Teacher Gets Fired For Telling Black Student "We do not need another black president."
Saturday, April 19, 2014Yeah...that's a shocker.
Really? You're Messing With Hank Aaron? AKA When White People Don't Believe And Getting Some Facts Straight
Saturday, April 19, 2014First, let's start with the actual article, not some pundit, some media outlet. Let's get it straight.
The USA Today article is here.
This is the snippet everyone is talking about:
"To remind myself," Aaron tells USA TODAY Sports, "that we are not that far removed from when I was chasing the record. If you think that, you are fooling yourself. A lot of things have happened in this country, but we have so far to go. There's not a whole lot that has changed.
"We can talk about baseball. Talk about politics. Sure, this country has a black president, but when you look at a black president, President Obama is left with his foot stuck in the mud from all of the Republicans with the way he's treated.
"We have moved in the right direction, and there have been improvements, but we still have a long ways to go in the country.
"The bigger difference is that back then they had hoods. Now they have neckties and starched shirts."
Does he reference Republicans in regard to a Black President?
Yes.
Does he reference hoods from back in the day?
Yes.
Is there a break between them talking about moving in the right direction?
Yes.
Are the Republicans and hoods intertwined?
No.
He actually didn't liken the Republicans to the KKK.
But...
Honestly, who the fuck cares anyway if he intentionally wanted someone to make the connection, or put them into the same pool of racism in our country?
Because the Republicans don't have issues with People Of Color?
Because they're the party of diversity?
And People Want Apologies For What He Said...
There's nothing more insulting then when White People want to discredit People of Color and their views on race and racism when they talk about how far we really haven't come and that's what people are doing now.
They want the great Hank Aaron who's now 80 to apologize for telling the truth? And in a nice way?
What? He doesn't know what he's talking about?
Are White People that thin skinned that they can't take...
Oh wait.
Not need to finish that.
I already have the answer.
Labels: Baseball, hank aaron, Race, Racism
From The Mouths Of White People: TIME Says Your Baby Is "Racist" But It's Okay. Hmmm....
Saturday, April 19, 20141. Constructs of racism are more than this. Dilution of the word minimizes the oppression of People of Color.
2. Even if we take the title as truth (which it's not) it's okay for your baby to be racist? I don't even get the play here...
3. Of course this was written by some White Guy who only winces when his White Kid says to the Black Woman "Are you sad that you don’t have light skin?" and lets the Woman Of Color respond.
4. The whole tone of the article is laughable anyway. Kids are bad. But did you know how bad? Not a problem! Seriously...was there a deadline pending?
Labels: from the mouths of white people, Race
Cover: Hide and Seek - Jason Chen ft. Amy & Ellen
Friday, April 18, 2014Labels: amy and ellen, Jason Chen, Music, YouTube
Imagining Equality: Your Voices on Women’s Human Rights
Friday, April 18, 2014You really actually don't have a lot of time for this, but if you want to be a part of this exhibit/project, you have until April 30th.
Don't miss your chance! International Museum of Women, now part of Global Fund for Women, is still accepting submissions of any media type for our upcoming online exhibition Imagining Equality: Your Voices on Women’s Human Rights. However, time is running out, and the call will close on April 30, 2014. Submit your work today >>
Imagining Equality: Your Voices on Women’s Human Rights shines a light on the state of women’s human rights around the world today. As the UN prepares to create a new set of international development goals, we want these voices and ideas to spark a global conversation about a new decade for women’s human rights. Will you help us generate this important conversation?
Tell us what equality is to you. What are your hopes for the world’s women and girls in the decade ahead? We welcome work from around the world, including photography, video, audio, journalism, creative writing and more. Submissions can fit within any of the project’s online galleries, including Power, Poverty, Violence, Education, Work, Health, or a topic of your creation.
Share this opportunity to contribute to our exciting exhibition! Tell your friends on Facebook, Twitter, or email.
Labels: imowomen
Comedy For A Cause + Coalition For Asian American Children And Families
Friday, April 18, 2014Here's the lineup and more about the show:
MC: Ramzi Bautista, host of Redrum Comedy
Sheng Wang, from "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon", Comedy Central, and the John Oliver NY Stand Up Show
Sachi Ezura, from MTV Comedy Showcase, the New York Comedy Festival, Laughter in the Park, and producer of MTV's Girl Code
Joel Kim Booster, writer for the critically acclaimed "live news magazine" The Paper Machete in Chicago
Subhah Agarwal, from the New York Comedy Festival, Women in Comedy Festival, Bridgetown Comedy Festival
--
BUY TICKETS HERE: bit.ly/actioncouncil_cfac2014
$15 pre-sale tickets (first 35 only!)
$25 at the door
--
Action Council, the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families' young professionals group, is hosting a stand-up comedy show to 1) Raise money for the organization so it can continue to improve the health and well-being of Asian American children and families in NYC, and 2) Raise awareness about these issues. We hope to speak with potential interns and members at the fundraiser while putting on an entertaining show featuring Asian American comedians!
*All proceeds benefit the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF), the nation's only pan-Asian children's advocacy organization.
FB: https://m.facebook.com/events/306812232800694
CACF site: http://cacf.org/supportus_actioncouncil.html
New Addiction: Viddsee BUZZ
Thursday, April 17, 2014Viddsee, an online video platform that helps independent filmmakers throughout Asia distribute their work, has launched the beta version of Viddsee BUZZ, a new site that is meant to help content reach a wider audience on social networks. The site, which launched last year, also announced that Viddsee has hit five unique million viewers.
Viddsee currently serves artists from Hong Kong, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Thailand, while about 30% of its viewership comes from outside of Asia.
Read it in full.
AALDEF vs Philadelphia City Commissioners
Thursday, April 17, 2014When I read about the AALDEF and their filing of a complaint against the Philadelphia City Commissioners for refusing to provide language assistance to Asian American voters, I just can't help think about how some people might say that it's a drain on resources and why should they be giving their tax dollars for people who need language assistance - and then I just want to flick 'em in the nipple and invade their personal space.
You live in America. I don't care if you like it, because America, at least the way it's supposed to be, is to open its arms to everyone, give a foundation and structure to grow, and invest in its people because a better educated multilingual community is powerful for everyone.
The Muslims Are Coming + The Asian Women Giving Circle
Thursday, April 17, 2014Featuring filmmaker Negin Farsad
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 2014
6:30-9 pm
Helen Mills Theater
139 West 26th Street | New York City
6:30 - Doors open
7:00 - Screening
8:30 - Q&A with Negin Farsad/Reception
$60 Ticket
$100 Double Happiness (2 tickets)
All proceeds will benefit the Asian Women Giving Circle's 2014 grant making pot.
Fair market value of the ticket is $20 and the remainder of your contribution is tax-deductible.
themuslimsarecoming.com
For more information, contact
hali@asianwomengivingcircle.org.
Nice Girls Crew 2
Thursday, April 17, 2014Creating Home, A Storytelling Program For Young People
Thursday, April 17, 2014
This is a great project that's trying to get some Kickstarter funds to get up and running and is a pilot project of COMPAS and Land of Gazillion Adoptees trying to connect tens of thousands of adopted persons, many Asian American and transracial, with local and national artists - definitely get on down and check it out here.
From the Kickstarter:
Creating Home, a pilot program of COMPAS and Land of Gazillion Adoptees (LGA), will connect adoptees and world-class artists.
Although Minnesota is the home to tens of thousands of adopted persons, the state nevertheless has struggled to offer meaningful services and programming, especially to young adoptees during their most formative years. Teen and college age adoptees, who according to recent research struggle with issues of identity and the ability to express how they truly feel, do not have resources designed specifically for them, let alone resources that appeal to them. To address this need, COMPAS, Land of Gazillion Adoptees (LGA), and Kyle Tran Myhre, aka, Guante, have teamed up to develop Creating Home. The Twin Cities pilot and first of its kind program will connect young persons who identify as adoptees with world-class artists.
“A program like this is really promising because adults in the adoptee community have been so influential in helping me come to the place I am in my adoption journey. And art is a fabulous thing, and so I feel like if you put them together it’s bound for greatness." - Grace Newton, student at Macalester College
Creating Home is a multidisciplinary storytelling program for teen and college age adoptees, and is driven by the idea that finding one’s voice through the arts can be an empowering experience. The three month pilot program will feature world-class teaching artist mentors (like the artists, actors, and writers featured in our video), interactive workshops, performance opportunities, and much more. It will serve as a space to affirm identity and build community in whatever ways that makes sense to the participants. Whether through spoken-word, visual art, dance, or other forms, the teen and college age adoptee participants will be given tools and resources to tell their stories and talk about their thoughts and perspectives on their own terms.
"It's wonderful what the arts can do to unlock your potential and to give you a feeling of agency and a voice...The feeling that you deserve to be heard and that you can make a difference by telling your story" - Sara Ochs, Actor & Arts Educator
Overview of Creating Home
Creating Home is a three month pilot project, which COMPAS and LGA hope to eventually turn into a state-wide and national program. Here is an overview:
Kickoff: The event will feature a mix of youth performers and locally and nationally recognized artists. It will give participants the opportunity to see the work of up-and-coming and established artists and also to meet some of the program’s artist mentors.
Workshops: Lead by Kyle Tran Myhre, a veteran teaching artist mentor, the workshops will have core faculty/facilitators and guest artists who will work directly with the participants in various mediums. The workshops will be a mix of structured lessons and activities, as well as open space for participants to create.
Regular Exhibition Opportunities: Participants will have ample opportunities to showcase their work at open mics, art galleries, and theaters.
Online/Magazine Exhibition Opportunities: Gazillion Voices, the online magazine of LGA, will feature participants who are interested in showcasing video and photography.
Closing Ceremony: The event will be a final exhibition that will be open to the public. Participants will show their final works to friends, family, and the Minneapolis/Twin Cities arts community.
Inaugural Creating Home Book: The participants’ creations will be published in an online and print book, with proceeds going back into the program.
Labels: DIY
Magnetic North & Taiyo Na live at the Brooklyn Museum!
Thursday, April 17, 2014Magnetic North & Taiyo Na with the Home:Word Band & special guests live at the Brooklyn Museum on Saturday, May 3 at 5pm.
Reunion time for these OGs in celebration of arts, activism & Ai Weiwei. You don't want to miss it!
Target First Saturdays at the Brookyn Museum
Labels: Magnetic North, Music, Taiyo Na
Note To Self: That's Director Dennis Liu In That Catchy Justin Timberlake Video For "Not A Bad Thing"
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Don't blame me for not being up on everything (because I still try to live under a rock when I can) but as I've been listening to that JT song and then finally catching the video (released a few weeks ago) I was wondering who that Asian American guy was - part of the filmmaker team searching for the couple on the LIRR in the video - and if you were wondering too - well you actually should already know from the title of this post who it is...
Here's a little more on Dennis Liu:
1. http://haveyouseenthiscouple.tumblr.com/
2. https://twitter.com/dennisaliu
3. https://www.facebook.com/DennisLiuDirector
And now for a little sweet and romantic video (featuring a lot of POC).
Labels: dennis liu, Music, music video, sweet and romantic
Submit To NBC's White Comedy Playground!!!
Tuesday, April 15, 2014I'm not saying that this isn't a good idea to go on out and look at different places to find ideas and stars for shows - and it's great to see people like Aziz Ansari, Mindy Kaling and Craig Robinson on the board and hopefully they'll have more weight - but NBC's advisory committee is still about 70% White, so it's not really a game changer in my eyes.
Just the same old same old.
Napalm B'd for profit under the guise of diplomacy.
Click on the image to go larger.
Labels: Race, Racism, suck it nbc
Re: The Response To The White Woman Who Told Asian Women To Stop Dating White Men (AKA An Asian Woman Needed To Smack Her Down)
Tuesday, April 15, 2014A little bit ago I got into a conversation about this craptacular article Asian Women Need To Stop Dating White Men and well....read it and then tell me you didn't want rant for a while too.
Ahh...but what's better than a good rant?
Reading this response by word junkie and writer Mei Mei titled "If You Think Asian Women Need To Stop Dating White Men, You Need A Reality Check":
Are there fetish-driven white males out there who seek out submissive Asian females because of their fantasy-driven ideals provided through anime and porn? Sure. There’s plenty. But that’s not enough of a platform for you to assume that every Asian female/White male couple was originated off of that. That also gives you absolutely no grounds or lucidity into how Asian women think, operate or make decisions. So to immediately assume we’re victims because we’re being “fooled” or “tricked” by the almighty white man is not just insulting, it’s completely and utterly ignorant.
Can I get an Amen up in this MF?
Oh Yeah.
After your done reading her response in full (see the link above) check out some of her other articles including "10 “Reasons” That Shouldn’t Stop Women From Being Sexy" and "11 Ways To Treating Women Right".
P.S.
I want to be a dexterous purple unicorn...
The Grandmaster + Wong Kar Wai + Zhang Ziyi + Winning Big
Tuesday, April 15, 2014Labels: Film
Replay: "Pursuing the Doctorate" For And By Asian American Pacific Islander Womyn in Student Affairs & Higher Education
Tuesday, April 15, 2014Labels: Education
Reporter Jonathan Choe Doesn't Take Shit From Drunk Ass U of M College Kids And Calls Them The Idiots That They Are
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Here's a clip from a riot in Minneapolis in the Dinkytown/East campus area a couple days ago after the U of M lost to Union College.
Drunk kids getting in his way?
Yeah, gotta stiff arm that shit.
And as you can tell from the video, it's mostly White College kids who mess up the camera and surround Choe who has to get off the air because they're drunken idiots who have no clue. You may ask me why I point out that they're White kids and I'll just say that I notice when drunk testosterone filled White kids, actually, young men, surround the Asian American reporter.
Just something I really can't help not seeing.
I was hoping that out of the corner of the screen I would see members from the Asian American Student Union form an invincible barrier around Choe so he could finish his reporting but that's just my vivid imagination going wild...
h/t kmoj
Labels: awesome reporting, dumb college kids, Race
That's Just The Cutest Baby. Ever. No Really. It Is (AKA Grace Chon + Zoey + Jasper)
Tuesday, April 15, 2014Random Photo + Brian Tee
Tuesday, April 15, 2014P.S.
Don't miss him in "The Gabby Douglas Story" coming in a day or so on DVD.
I Am Happy, But Can't Chad Hugo Get More Love?
Monday, April 14, 2014Call me crazy (and I know you will) but even though we're all happy to see the big hat on TV, I kept on asking myself how come Chad Hugo isn't getting more love? Sure he's not the front man, and duo's take on different projects, but as a producer and musician, I feel like I should be hearing a lot more about him.
At least there's this.
And this production of Yuna's "Someone Who Can".
I just want more.
But I'm greedy, so what do I really expect anyway?
Arthur Dong + Forbidden City, USA: Chinese American Nightclubs, 1936-1970
Monday, April 14, 2014Before Flower Drum Song exploded on the Broadway stage and silver screen, a golden age of Chinese American nightclubs and performers flourished from the 1930s–1960s. Cabarets with names like Forbidden City, Kublai Khan, Chinese Skyroom, China Doll, and the New Shanghai Terrace Bowl were venues, mostly in San Francisco, where Chinese American singers and dancers could finally perform regularly in routines that had previously been considered white forms of entertainment. Forbidden City, U.S.A.: Chinese American Nightclubs, 1936-1970 is a ground-breaking exhibition that chronicles the history, legacy, glitz and glamour of this little known Chinese American story.
Need To See This: The Lost Fighters of Vietnam (Công Binh)
Monday, April 14, 2014Think of France during World War II, and one might recall images of Paris’ denizens, suffering under German occupation.
But even Vietnamese are unlikely to know of the 20,000 countrymen trafficked to France in 1939, to work under conditions of near slavery in the factories.
A documentary by director Lam Le, Cong Binh tells a forgotten history, of laborers recruited from then-French Indochina to man assembly lines for the French war effort. They were exploited by the government and capitalists both before and after France fell under Nazi Germany's control. When France was liberated by the Allies, these "worker soldiers" were returned in small batches from 1946-1952. Approximately 1,000 remained and settled in France.
The film follows two dozen of the surviving Cong Binh, the youngest of whom is eighty-five years old. Much credit is due to the director for having rediscovered these "worker soldiers," who had been leading difficult and forgotten lives in both France and Viet Nam. Sadder still are those who had barely been interviewed and recorded on film, whose stories Le had only begun to capture, before they slipped silently away forever.
Synopsis by: Mai Phi-Long
LAAPFF 2014
Monday, April 14, 2014Mmmmmmm.
See it all down at the LAAPFF site.
Labels: Film Festivals, Films, LAAPFF 2014
Because You Need A Kero One Break In Your Day Just As Much As I Do (AKA Spanish Joint Re-Mix)
Monday, April 14, 2014I Feel Like I Want More Vern Yip
Sunday, April 13, 2014Lately I seem to have a lot of HGTV on and I just don't seem to see Vern Yip on as much anymore. I know he has a design business and does a lot of non-profit work and also hosts up on HGTV Star, but it's a short show. Sure, most of the higher rated shows are diy/reno/house hunting/flipping shows where they do a lot of the design, so I wonder if it leaves room for much else, but maybe there's a room for something a little different (Vern + questions from online viewers + tips and tricks?).
Labels: HGTV, Television, Vern Yip
Family Conversations: Don't Be One Of Those Asian American Young Women...
Sunday, April 13, 2014I was driving back with the second oldest and as is my way, went on a rant which went something like this:
"Don't be one of those girls who just cares about what she looks like all the time, goes clubbing, winks at boys and doesn't attain to be more. Sometimes a dime a dozen in our community only caring about the outside. You know what's not? Asian American women like your mom who has her masters and doctorate, raises a family, been published, respected by her peers. That's what you shoot for. That's your role model to be more."
Labels: fam convos
Georgia Tech Asian American Student Association's "I am not" Campaign
Friday, April 11, 2014
Great reading about campaigns like this and students getting out and trying to break down barriers.
Last week, the Asian American Student Association (AASA) set out to break stereotypes across Tech’s campus through their “I am not” campaign. The AASA stopped students on Skiles and asked them to think of a stereotype they had recently been a victim of [...] The “I am not” campaign was inspired by Harvard’s “I am Harvard” campaign but AASA hoped to increase the effect by reaching out to all students, not just Asian-American or African-American students, who could be a victim of stereotypes. The “I am not” campaign is part of a larger Asian Awareness Month which is being run by AASA. Although Asian Awareness Month is typically in May, because Tech students are out of school then, AASA is celebrating the month in March and April [...] Anthony Tsou’s, second-year CS Major and Vice President of AASA, favorite was Grace Halverson, second-year STC major, who said, “I am not artistic because I am Asian. I am artistic because I am passionate.” “This campaign was a really good opportunity for me, actually. I was able to see stereotypes I had not even considered. It was an interesting to see what campus has perspective wise,” said Tsou.
Labels: college, DIY, Race, Racism, University
Lost For Words + Jeremy Lin + And Yes, It Did Make Me Tear Up
Friday, April 11, 2014Labels: Jeremy Lin, Race, Racism
The Bar - Mits (Ft. LA and Kixxie Siete)
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Some late night music if you are so inclined. I like the video notes...
I Guess I Just Have To Give It Back (aka You Gotta Help Build The Community...If You Have Time)
Thursday, April 10, 2014I decided to check on stats for this POS and even though I hadn't posted anything new, about 40,000 people still came for something generally APIA related in the last year and it just made me think that in a way it had to be picked back up. It's not millions of people, but when compared to offline in either work needed, cost, or both, if one of the goals is to help promote, I have to use it.
Gotta give it back.
Labels: Random Thoughts
Daybreak Cover: AJ Rafael + Kina Grannis + The Moon Song
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Now I feel like giving someone a hug. Sweet.
Re-Post: Sikhtoons
Thursday, April 10, 2014The Micro-Aggression? Maybe It Really Doesn't Exist
Thursday, April 10, 2014I'm not saying anyone who talks about getting the micro-aggression is on the wrong side of anything, but I was reading this article and I couldn't help but think to myself how so many times these days we seem to sugarcoat everything to make everyone else feel better.
Part of me wants to call bullshit - really really loud.
Micro-aggression?
How about just tenets of life handed down from generation to generation steeped in racism from a corrupt society that hasn't always given us a chance?
It's not racist to bring up my Asian being even though it has nothing to do with anything? It's just a little micro-aggression?
I say bullshit. It is racist and I think we should just call it like it is.
People are always talking about how we need to use better language to engage better dialogue, but until White People can learn to be called White People and take the heat that they deserve, sometimes I don't always want to have that nice dialogue - because it's me having to tip toe through the tulips instead of having real dialogue where yes - I am the winner and there is a clear loser.
For myself, I just prefer to start something off like "You know what this racist MF said...."
Labels: micro-aggression, Racism, Racist
It's The Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa B & W Picture Post
Wednesday, April 09, 2014Labels: Film, Film Legends
Myx TV's "I'm Asian American and..."
Wednesday, April 09, 2014Definitely something I'm going to have to check out. The show premieres at 8 p.m. on April 23.
Here's a link to the Variety article.
An Open Letter To The Non-Existent Asian And Asian American Male Cock Archive
Wednesday, April 09, 2014Dear Non-Existent Asian And Asian American Male Cock Archive,
The reason you are non-existent is because I have not created you yet.
But I will.
Because I still find it hard to believe that there are Asian American women out there who perpetuate the stereotype that Asian and Asian American men have small penises.
Even when they haven't slept with any.
WTF is that about??!!!!
And this is all on top of the rest of the non-Asian American women who already believe that.
So I'm going to create you, or at least something as close as I can to you, using all of the incredible porn in the universe at my disposal (for educational purposes of course).
A glistening mountainous cock archive to showcase to the world.
Yes.
Yes I can.
I love you soon to be existent Asian And Asian American Male Cock Archive!
Rubbing You Soon,
Adam
Labels: Asian American Cock Archive, Open Letters
Amy Chua: You've Been Min Zhou'd And Jennifer Lee'd
Wednesday, April 09, 2014I still have yet to actually read anything of substance (see book) but it is nice to hear---here and there of course, about the uprisings, this time courtesy of Min Zhou, professor of sociology and Asian American Studies at the Univ. of California at Los Angeles, and Jennifer Lee, professor of sociology at the Univ. of California at Irvine.
From the WP:
[...] a new study published in the journal “Race and Social Problems” by two California scholars takes on Chua, suggesting that with all the economic resources at her disposal — she and her husband are Yale professors with highly-educated parents — her children’s success is just as likely the result of socioeconomic and cultural advantages, generally cited by scholars as the main reason some children do better than others [...] A better way to understand Asian American academic success, they write, is to look at families who don’t have resources and succeed nonetheless.
I Want This....Enfu: Cute Grit
Wednesday, April 09, 2014If you've followed the artistry of Ken "Enfu" Taya you probably already knew he had a book to pre-order last month, but just in case you didn't, you can pick it up at Chin Music Press. Here's a portion of the description:
Cute Grit is the debut collection of digitally designed pop art by Japanese American artist Enfu. So named for its fanciful, yet edgy style, this comprehensive compilation of over 100 colorful illustrations merges childlike imagination with serious exploration of Asian American identity.
Bold images of cityscapes, cartoon characters, landmarks and cosplayers are arranged to chronicle the evolution of Enfu's prolific career, exploring not only the cultural paradigm shifts encountered while straddling Japanese, American, and Asian American identities, but also the whimsy of childhood as seen through the eyes of a young father.
Neighborhood Watch: the1491s And "It's not what it looks like!"
Wednesday, April 09, 2014I love POC humor and I've really gotten to love the1491s.
See?
Hitler never gets old White People....never gets old.
Labels: Native, Neighborhood Watch, POC, Race, YouTube
Vimeo On Demand New Release: Detroit Unleashed
Wednesday, April 09, 2014I've only watched the trailer for this film, but it's definitely on my queue to rent--and it's great to see Vimeo offering another avenue for APIA filmmakers to show and get paid for their work.
112 Active Asian American Blogs For 2014
Wednesday, April 09, 2014While I have my staple of APIA and POC blogs and news sources, I was curious to see some of the new blogs and sites dedicated more towards APIA voices that I hadn't been to as of late. I knew that if there was anyone keeping up a full list these days it was Gil Asakawa down at Nikkei View and so I hit up his list of blogs down @ http://www.nikkeiview.com/blog/nikkeiview-links/aapi-blogs/ and went through his list A-Z (love that list).
I ended up making a list of the active blogs who had posted in 2014, the majority of them with mostly new posts this month. Not a full list but still fairly comprehensive.
http://www.8asians.com/
http://www.aarising.com/content.php?
http://www.absolutelyfobulous.com/
http://theactorsdiet.com/
http://alpha-asian.blogspot.com/
http://lasamurai.blogspot.com/
http://blog.angryasianman.com/
http://www.angryzenmaster.com/
http://aapress.com/
http://www.examiner.com/asian-pacific-entertainment-in-national/ed-moy
http://www.asianmommy.com/
http://asianlifestyledesign.com/
http://www.asiansonfilm.com/
http://a-tunes.net/
http://www.bakitwhy.com/
http://indigowilling.blogspot.com/
http://www.beingpeterkim.com/
http://benhuh.com/
http://benefsanem.blogspot.com/
http://bettymingliu.com/
http://bicoastalbitchin.com/
http://www.bigwowo.com/
http://www.theblindcook.com/
http://teresawu.tumblr.com/
http://christinewei.com/
http://www.asiancinevision.org/
http://coolasiankids.blogspot.com/
http://www.daigo.org/
http://www.thecatdish.com/
http://www.debito.org/
http://djchuang.com/
http://www.amok.com/
http://www.giantrobot.com/
http://www.esperanzagarcia.net/
http://eugenecho.com/
http://everythinghapa.com/
http://fairyprincessdiaries.com/
http://famousasiansonline.com/
http://fascinasiansblog.com/
http://afistfulofsoundtracks.blogspot.com/
http://www.flipfob.com/
http://foodfoodbodybody.com/
http://foundasian.org/
http://girlgrowingbrighter.com/
http://hansarangmovement.wordpress.com/
http://helenekwong.com/
http://highyellow.me/
http://ahmongwoman.com/
http://indigowilling.blogspot.com/
http://eignaciofilms.com/blog/
http://kirbiecravings.com/
http://hyphenmagazine.com/blog
http://janmorrill.wordpress.com/
http://japaneseamericaninboston.blogspot.com/
http://jonyangorg.blogspot.com/
http://www.jozjozjoz.com/
http://keesaocampo.com/
http://www.keiteay.com/
http://kimchimamas.typepad.com/
http://iamkoream.com/
http://koreanish.com/
http://kristinawong.com/blog/
http://lisamariechen.wordpress.com/
http://blog.littletokyounplugged.org/
http://littleyellowdifferent.com/
http://www.leesunhee.net/blog/
http://blog.manzanarcommittee.org/
http://themaykazine.com/
http://melissadreamsofsushi.com/blog/
http://mikeshinoda.com/
http://www.mochimag.com/
http://morethanservingtea.wordpress.com/
http://www.musashimixinq.com/
http://www.myx.tv/
http://www.nikkeiview.com/blog/nikkeiview-links/aapi-blogs/
http://www.officialbailing.com/
http://www.abejero.net/
http://neaato.tumblr.com/
http://tigersophia.blogspot.com/
http://newyorkseoul.com/
http://ofanotherfashion.tumblr.com/
http://ohmyasian.tumblr.com/
http://paulayoo.com/blog/
http://brain.queenkv.org/
http://www.reappropriate.com/
http://www.rememberingvincentchin.com/
http://riceball.com/d/
http://ricepapermagazine.ca/
http://www.robertwoo.com/
http://roxanasaberi.com/blog/
http://sffood.net/
http://tazzystar.blogspot.com/
http://schemamag.ca/
http://secretasianmancomics.blogspot.com/
http://seoulshakedown.com/
http://simonstam.wordpress.com/
http://stuarte.co/
http://superseniormoments.tumblr.com/
http://www.taiwaneseamerican.org/ta/
http://team-yellow.com/
http://www.tednguyenusa.com/
http://www.thickdumplingskin.com/
http://atigerinthekitchen.com/
http://www.twentyyork.com/
http://www.nancymatsumoto.blogspot.com/
http://watermelonsushiworld.blogspot.com/
http://werocktheboat.com/
http://whatacupoftea.blogspot.com/
http://wongfuproductions.com/category/blog
http://www.geekyandgenki.com/
http://youoffendmeyouoffendmyfamily.com/
Fuck It. No One Remembers This Blog Anyway
Wednesday, April 09, 2014Over the past year (and four months) one thing I've learned is that things are just different.
But I still want to randomly type as much shit as I feel like typing without any remorse because I can't take it anymore.
I have to be able to just let my mind wonder into any direction it feels like.
And I'm lazy.
So I figured I'd just start up here again.
Delete the messages in the inbox that I haven't looked at, turn off comments (because I'm a dictator) and write this post.
To myself.
Sweet.