Best R&B From The Dirty Midwest

IBU



Easily one of the best produced albums I listened to all year, with tracks like 911 Emergency, Compromise, Broken Record, Do It Right Tonight, and Still In Love, even if R&B isn't your vibe it's still easy to see why IBU won Best R&B Project By A Group, Best Single In Any Category, and Best Commerical Single repping hard for API's in the scene.

The Year In Music Videos By Asian American Artists

Part of the reason I love doing what I do here is that I get exposed to so much great music, so many talented artists who put themselves out there for the world to see - not just as Asian Americans - but as musicians, singers, songwriters, activists - people who have a story to tell, a point to get across, a portrait of what they've felt and what they've been through.

In that way, probably even more so than film this year, the combination of music and images kept on taking me to another place -- and I loved going there. I loved seeing Asian American faces intertwined with each unique style - these palettes of colors and beats from hip hop to slow jams, mainstream to indie, pop to acoustic, all with their own place and their own setting - and hopefully - giving us a view of what's coming next.

This definitely isn't an all inclusive list, just what I liked and what I vibed too, or what came around my way. Feel free to add on or just enjoy the ride.

Sleep By Deep Foundation f/ Jay Legaspi



Lovely to Me (Immigrant Mother) By Taiyo Na



Keep Pushin By Kero One



Black Wedding By Meg And Dia



Addicted by Kawehi



Feel By Marie Digby



Closer - Ne-Yo (KNY Remix) By Vudoo Soul, Taiyo Na, Magnetic North, Alfa, G*LEE, Marie Choi, and SiC



Leave Me To Dream By Heather Park



Careless by Mud



Wicked Smile By Cast of Thousands



Fetish By Far East Movement



Come Back To Me By Utada



Not One For Words By After School Special



Won't Even Start By David Choi



Bitter Heart By Zee Avi



Got What It Takes By The Upstarts



Pushed Aside, Pulled Apart By Lyrics Born



HI-808 By Blue Scholars



Rapper-O's By Dumbfoundead



Date An Asian By Jen Kwok



Words That Define By Big Phony



Mike Relm vs Zoetrope By Mike Relm



Here's To You By Good Asian Drivers



Lipstick By Nylon Pink

Hottest Asian American Male Who Makes People Spontaneously Soil Themselves To Get Booted Off A Network Television Show

Daniel Henney



There just wasn't enough naked Daniel Henney going around in "Three Rivers" to keep it afloat. I mean yes - he needs to have lines - and he's good at saying those lines - in fact - he's a great actor with star charisma who has a long career ahead of him in both television and film - but c'mon - if you want a medical drama to succeed - on CBS no doubt - you need more naked Daniel Henney.

In fact, I think if they just would have titled the show "Naked Daniel Henney Swims Down Three Rivers" aka "A River Runs Through A Naked Daniel Henney" with a 75/25 ratio of naked to non-naked Daniel Henney (because plot is important) the show would still be around.

So let this be a lesson to network execs everywhere who put Daniel Henney in their next show:

More naked Daniel Henney = not getting it cancelled.

And you may want to make him the lead versus the White Guy.

Just putting it out there.

Best Game Changing Vampire Movie Of The Year Which Also Had The Most Bizarre Threesome

Thirst



While it was great to see heartthrob Justin Chon on the big screen in New Moon this year you knew a vampire film by Park Chan-Wook was going to be exactly what you thought it would be - visceral, thought provoking, imagery that catches you by surprise when so many other films don't almost making you think "Did he just redefine the whole genre?".

Park took the Hollywood veneer off and gave us not just one of the most unique stories the year had to offer but did it in a way that gave us a whole knew perspective stripping it to its core: A love story. A portrait of longing and desire. The juxtaposition of where we are versus who we really are - and that balance - that loosely tethered line we all walk between doing what we want and what we need to do.

In that way - cinematically engaging on every single level -- I think the answer to the above is a simple yes.

Runner-Up: Låt den rätte komma in (aka Let The Right One In)

While the 2008 film Let The Right One In premiered in fall of 2008 in the U.S. it was in limited release with the DVD coming out in 2009 finally giving U.S. viewers a chance to see the Swedish film - and if I wouldn't have seen Thirst last year - this definitely would have topped the list because it was just that good.

Best Abs On Billboard Who Also Showed Just How Hot Asian On Asian Images Really Can Be

Jay Sean



If you didn't move your head even just a little when you heard Jay Sean's #1 Billboard hit "Down" it just begs the question of if you have any groove whatsoever - but more importantly - if you didn't like seeing the imagery of a hot Asian male getting his groove on with Asian women who weren't a geisha cum fuck me comfort doll WMF I don't just want to not know you - but I don't even want to know that you exist - because while you may not like the hooks of Jay Sean and Cash Money - you just can't deny what he's doing for the images of Asian men and hot Asian on Asian action.

Down

Jay Sean - New Music - More Music Videos

Do You Remember

Best YouTube Cover Of The Year

Knock You Down By Cathy Nguyen And Andrew Garcia



With close to two million views featuring Cathy Nguyen (aka lilcdawg) and Andrew Garcia do I even need to say why this is the best cover of the year?

No.

No I do not.

Best Asian American Non-Profit Organizations

Guest Post By The Minority Militant

I think it's great when we get to highlight nonprofits that have proved their existence and have, in one way or another, brought together Asian American communities online and in real life. There are probably many smaller organizations that have done well for their local communities and flew under the radar, but these are the honorable mentions that brought people together and held their own in the face of the mainstream media.

Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA)

- Slammed Miley Cyrus and her camp for not apologizing for the "chink eye" photos that surfaced on the internet. Not once, but twice.

Japanese American Citizens League (JACL)

- Took on Paramount Pictures for the grotesque beating of an Asian character while using racially-offensive language in the movie The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard.

Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF)

- Filed Civil Rights Complaint on behalf of the Asian students against the South Philadelphia High School District.

As you can see, evidenced by the three biggest events that affected the AA/API community in 2009 that garnered nationwide attention, Asian Americans still have a long way to go with respect to a balanced and healthy media image.

Best (And Worst) Asian Vlogger

Peter Chao
Guest Post By The Minority Militant



If Borat had an Asian twin, his name would be Peter Chao. Like him or not, in just less than a year, he's grown a subscriber base on YouTube that is just shy of 200,000.

His accent is Martin Yan on Ritalin and you will never find him without his shades on in a video. If there's any demographic that hasn't been overtly offended by his skits already, he probably just hasn't gotten to you yet.

I can't think of any racial stereotype he hasn't parodied.

Without a doubt, funny or offensive, or both, his online popularity will continue to grow steadily as many of us (especially those that speak out against racially-charged incidents in the media) are hesitant on embracing him. Rightfully so.

Is Peter Chao manifesting negative portrayals of Asians or is he just a silly Asian man with a camcorder looking for shock value?

I'll leave that one to you.

See it for yourself down at Peter Chao's YouTube Channel.

The Letter I've Been Wanting To Write To The API Blogosphere All Year Long

Dear API Blogosphere:

I have to be really honest and say that while I love what each and every one of you stand for I can't help but hold this grudge against all of you as well - and I know what you're going to say - I shouldn't harbor these feelings against you - but I can't help it.

I'm petty.

And this is my blog.

And like I've always said - if there's one thing I'll do, it's tell it like it is, and when push comes to shove - this needs to be said - it has to be said.

So I'm just going to say what nobody else wants to say.

API blogosphere - you all need to get a lot more fucking uglier.

Seriously - I can't even tell anyone that I'm a guy with a blog because now when people think about bloggers it's not just about what they post, how good it is, or how much they post (all of which I suck at) - now it's about how they look too - and all of you - you're not doing me any favors here.

Think I'm wrong? Think I'm just being sensitive? Think I should just suck it up?

Let's break it down a little.

Angry Asian Man: Who wouldn't want to take a romantic walk on a Carnival Cruise with Phil Yu under the moonlight? And just in case you were wondering, that would be anyone with a heartbeat. Sure, you might say something wrong and then he might throw you overboard while screaming "That's Racist!!!" - but really - it'd be worth it.

Disgrasian: Even though I'd probably get slapped for improper use of the thumb maneuver without asking you better believe I'd change my sheets on the hour every hour for these insanely hot uber trendsetting dep qua and gomapseumnida and domo once again for being as hot as they are women.

8 Asians: When seven out of the eight are better looking than you and you round that number up, the score is Slanty 0 and really hot Asian American people blogging 1 (and I'd ask for a recount, but we all know how that would turn out).

Strictly Platonic: Who wouldn't shove themselves into a grinder and lather themselves in wine must so Zoe Yang might pass by the table and just think about putting a piece of them on her plate next to a freshly made tasty motz burger? Exactly. And seriously - when you can take pictures holding food above your head and still look that fabulous - we should all have a problem with you.

8 Asians: Fine. It's actually 8 out of 8. Do you feel better now that I have absolutely no dignity left whatsoever?

Nikkei View: This my dream. Gil Asakawa invites me over to his house and that night there's a huge thunderstorm. Being that I'm afraid of thunder (or at least that's what I tell him) the ever so gracious and really hot host for the night doesn't mind when I ask to sleep in the same bed with him completely naked. And I'm talking Letters to Penthouse completely naked (well you know - if Penthouse had hot man on man action). It's one of my favorite dreams and no - that Erin woman is no place in sight (at least not in that dream).

Bicoastal Bitchin: Even with bars over their faces they're better looking than most everyone else on the face of the earth - myself obviously included - and that's just not fair because how can people be that good looking with bars over their faces? Stunning good looks, hip, and they're great bloggers who also DIY for kick ass causes? I'm just going to say it for the ugly people who have no prospects whatsoever - we don't like you and we'd appreciate it if you became a little less cool.

The Delicious Life: I don't know about all of you but I'm kind of getting sick and tired of classically beautiful women like Sarah Gim who make me weep because of how utterly beautiful they are - I mean really - who wants to be so good looking you make people weep? No one. It's counterproductive. The only people it benefits are stockholders in P & G and witches from novels who need the tears of ugly people to make fake potions to combat fake evil creatures. Again - this benefits no one.

The Antisocial Ladder: There's nothing worse in this world than someone who's not only smoking Gil Asakawa hot - but who's also intellectually hot - and all I've got to say is that SK needs to tone down that Asakawa hotness because it's kind of blinding which means not only is it infuriating but it could also lead to medical conditions and I don't know about you people - but I like my retinas.

The Minority Militant: No lie - the top of Militant's head is better looking than my left ass cheek, and let me tell you something - my left ass cheek is the best thing I've got going for me and when the top of someone's head is better looking than the best thing about you - and it's only one of your ass cheeks - this isn't what I'd call a good thing. Stay militant but for god's sake cover your head with a hat.

You Offend Me You Offend My Family: Like being devilishly breathtaking and in the movie biz isn't good enough? They have to blog too? And be fucking good at it? I know life's not supposed to be fair, but really - this isn't fair.

Yes. I realize this is turning into a hate post

But can you blame me?

Sure. On one hand I'm really turned on. In fact, I'm going to have some private Slanty time in a moment (which won't take long seeing as how H&B I am) but once that subsides - it's back to the hate.

So to all the above and everyone else like Ed Moy, Degenerasian, channelAPA, MANAA, Alpha Asian, Hyphen, Asian-Nation, NEAAT!, Big WOWO, YellowBuzz, Original Spin, Sepia Mutiny, Kimchi Mamas, Rice Daddies, MetroDad, Asian American Movement Blog, Asian Pacific Americans For Progress, Racebending, Absolutely Fobulous, AAA-Fund, BPR - and all you other gorgeous MF's out there:

Do us ugly people a favor.

Stay inside.

Slanty

Bestest, Coolest, Hottest, Cutest, Perkiest, Winningest, Yummiest, Most Watchable API Reality TV Contestants I Loved (Insert More Superlatives Here)

Victor And Tammy From The Amazing Race



From Anoop (who got the shaft) on American Idol, to Mark Dacascos dancing his little martial arts heart out, all the way to people like Thia Megia, Jany Lee, Cathy Grosam, Jennifer on ANTM, and the man everyone loved to hate (see Jon Gosselin) - it seems like this year, just like the last, we filled the screen of Reality TV (and that's just the short list).

But out of everyone I got to see, or even just read about - the people I loved the most - the ones who kept me glued to the screen sometimes cursing, sometimes cheering, other times just shaking my fist and screaming "Take That Beeyaaaach!!!" was the brother and sister team out of CA.

Maybe it was the dynamics of the younger sister and older brother relationship that kept me interested (and if you cry in the woods and there's a camera on you, it really did happen), or the fact that people complained about the "unfair" advantage of them actually knowing a second language (to which I did and still do scoff at) fueling me more to see them win - or maybe - I just enjoyed seeing Victor creaming his little lawyer heart out as he plummeted to the ground suspended by a few thin elastic cords.

Whatever the reasons - and it's not just that they won (although that always helps) - they were great to watch. They were good TV. I think if anything can be learned from their stint on The Amazing Race, it's that compelling characters with backdrops that you want to know more about come in all shapes and sizes, colors and languages, and when all is said and done -- everyone looks good with pie on their face.

Best New Japanese Rock Band Who Kicked Serious Ass And Also Happened To Sing In A Language You Might Know

The Hiatus

Some might say that since The Hiatus is actually the brain child of Ellegarden's lead singer Takeshi Hosomi that they're not quite new - but split hairs all you want (and then get ready to get kicked down by all the other musicians in the group who would beg to differ) - Trash We'd Love, released earlier this summer, hit #1 on the Oricon charts and gave audiences a reason to get on down and thrash like it was the last concert they'd ever attend.

Intense. Complicated. And some of the most incredible progressions this year had to offer - if they aren't on your top five - I just don't want to know you.

The Flare



Antibiotic

The Post I Couldn't Believe I Agreed With (At Least In Part) From The Worst Asian American On The Face Of The Earth

"The indelible whiteness of MSNBC" By Michelle Malkin

I'm just going to say this one like it can only be said - it's kinda fucked up - I know it's kinda fucked up. In fact I had to fuck myself up a little just to even think about posting this one for the Year In Review.

But if there's anything I can say about myself, it's that I'm going to tell you like I see it and the way I saw it - and fuck me one more time before I say it - people - I actually agreed with a Michelle Malkin post - at least a few parts of it.

I don't read her blog, I just caught it from a Google alert, but goddamn, and fuck me one more time (just because) - it's true.

I love the lefties down at MSNBC, but shit - they're all fucking White People. And I'm not saying White People can't be down - because you know you can, and you know some of you are - but if you're going to rep for People Of Color - why not also - just an idea here - get some real People Of Color to rep for - you know - People Of Color. I'm not saying we never see journalists who aren't White on MSNBC - but the masthead does kind of say "When push comes to shove - we actually don't want anyone as figureheads for our cable network who aren't White People."

Giving Myself A Pass (And You Should Too)

So this is my thought. I think in part the reason I actually put this post up is because deep down there's a burning question inside of me and that question is this:

Maybe there's some hope for her yet?

Best Site To Get Your Korean Drama On While Fantasizing About Otani Ryohei And Lee Soo Kyun

Drama Fever



From Mysouju and Crunchyroll, to Chinky's movie spoiler and the file upload and sharing behemoth that's become Megaupload - when it comes to watching free stuff online (and let's not forget about one of the best sites just by name alone called "luutit") - there's more than enough options out there to keep the MPAA busy.

So what's a K-Drama addict to do if they don't want to stare down a gavel or if they're sick of broken links and grainy pictures from what sometimes can't even be called halfway legit copies?

Just head on down to DramaFever.com.

This year they came out of private beta, went public, put on a kick ass launch party (at least that's what I heard) and they've continued to keep on adding new episodes and shows while still keeping their servers up and running.

A ton of content + great quality and you don't have to worry about your ISP selling you out.

What more could you ask for?

Best Progressive Campaign Of The Year

Drop Dobbs/Basta Dobbs
Guest Post By Cbruhs From Bicostal Bitchin



We’ve all witnessed a lot of heartache and heat in the kitchen this year, politically and policy-wise. We went from flying high as a kite on the Obama victory to the jaw-grinding comedown of dismal political realities and unfulfilled pre-election promises. Bank bail-outs drew criticism from both the left and the right. The health care debate, including the disastrous teabagger-swamped town halls (and the left’s failure organize any comeback), made the fight for reform a discouraging one. Fox News’ host Glenn Beck called Obama a “racist”, with “a deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture”, and instead of confronting it head on, the Administration stayed consistent in its practice of evading rather than confronting racial accusations, giving more space and power to pundits’ cockamamie crap.

So amid all these wingneezys, pansy progressives, and administrative waffling, were there any wins for lefties?

Well, if anything would inspire hope for the possibility of progressive change, I would look to the “Drop Dobbs/Basta Dobbs” campaign.

Presente.org, in partnership with civil rights groups and grassroots membership, launched a campaign in September 2009 targeting CNN to drop the right-wing Dobbs (who also promoted racially-charged conspiracy theories about the legitimacy of Obama’s birth certificate and American citizenship).



With the power of social media, Drop Dobbs called CNN out on its hypocrisy of employing Latino reporters and promoting Soledad O’Brien’s Latino in America series while supporting Dobbs and his racist, downright bogus anti-immigrant rhetoric. Even Geraldo Rivera got up in the mix, saying “Lou Dobbs has done more to slander Latin people in this country than other single human being.”

Pressure mounted, and on November 11, Dobbs resigned and aired his last show.

The Basta Dobbs campaign demonstrated the power of the people to take down an enormous talking head and let corporate media know that this horseshit won’t be tolerated. And with immigration reform looming on the horizon, taking out one of the most vocal anti-immigrant hate-mongers – and continuing to combat such racism – will be critical to winning policies that are just and humane for our community.

While the Drop Dobbs campaign mainly targeted the Latino community, the wider backdrop– the immigration system and the need to reform it – hugely affects APIs as well. APIs are one of the fastest growing undocumented groups, with over 1.5 million. Whether we’re being exploited while “illegally” toiling in restaurants and sweatshops, waiting years or even decades to be reunited with family members due to backlogs, or prevented from accessing financial aid and job experience, or in some cases even enrolling in higher education due to immigration status (a recent report by the University of California Office of the President revealed that 40 to 44 percent of undocumented students in the UC system are Asian), the way immigration reform shakes out will impact our lives drastically. The Drop Dobbs campaign serves as a great source of inspiration, and a model to look to for galvanizing our own communities around issues affecting us in 2010.

Yes, you bet your ass we can!

Most Wanted Blogger In Vietnam

Elly Tran Ha (aka Elly Kim Hong)



I'll just admit right now that some of you may take exception to this title because you may not think that Elly Tran Ha is a blogger - however - some people call me a blogger too but as we all know by now I'm not literary, have a masters, am working towards my Ph.D (did I even spell that right?) and well - I'm just a hack - so I guess in that sense it's all up to how you define yourself.

But whether or not you think she's an actual blogger, or just likes to call herself one, the thing you can't deny is that sexes of all ages have decided that she's the IT Girl of young Vietnamese bloggers right now (age disputes and scandals aside).

I mean she's even getting showered in love from South Korea.



Is it right? Is there a message it sends - good or bad? Should media in Vietnam be chastising her for the suggestive poses? Is she breaking a mold, or just conforming to one that's already existed?

I don't really know. I'm just putting it out there (and everything's not as black and white as we like to think it is).

I will say this though - specifically to someone who commented on her pictures and said "i would fight 1000 nazi zombies for hr to be my wife :3".

Dude - that's a lot a Nazis.

Worst Jay-Z Song And Video Of The Year

Run This Town

There's nothing wrong with saying that you want to kick it with some hot women.

There's nothing wrong with hitting the club and getting your groove on.

Hell, there's nothing even wrong with saying that instead of kicking it with hot women and getting your groove on that you'd rather just stay home and make some kick ass biscuits (and if this seems out of place I just thought it was an opportune time to give a shout out to homemade biscuits and the goodness that they are when they come out fresh from the oven).

But you know what is wrong?

It's still using the dumbass phrase "No Homo" as we're on the verge of 2010.

It's old, it's tired, and it creates an atmosphere where people get killed simply because of who they are and what turns them on - and to any of you asking the question - the answer is no.

The phrase "No Homo" doesn't make you a real man.

Being a real man means taking care of your business - your work, your studies, the people around you - making sure that you're being responsible day in and day out.

What parts of Anatomy 101 that you happen to love?

No bearing on that status whatsoever.

P.S. To The Jay-Z Klan

If you're going to have people on your tracks throwing out the phrase "No Homo" - maybe you should think about changing your record label's name because if you haven't noticed already - it's called Roc-A-Fella.

Best Acoustic Rock Folk Vibe From A Musician With The Last Name Nguyen

Sunrise from a Rooftop





Don't be fooled by the title of the post because this song was the best in its class regardless of the name Nguyen, and the album that it came from - Shoebox Letters - one of the most well crafted and laid down pieces of music I listened too all year.

Reason for the title?

Simple.

Because sometimes people don't put those two together - and for everyone that never has - or doesn't want too - I'm just making sure they don't forget where this came from.

Special Thanks

A ton of gratitude to Long Nguyen for giving me permission to put up "Sunrise from a Rooftop" and being able to get everyone a listen.

Pick up the album at Blacklava, iTunes, or Amazon.

Most Anthemic Hook Of The Year

Peddlin' Music






This year there was an incredible amount of great music coming out from the AAPI community and in a lot of ways I gravitated towards the music almost more so than anything else.

In that sense you could say I just felt it.

I craved it.

When I caught a serious hook it went on repeat - nonstop - because it got me through the day, it kept me conscious - good music just gives you strength - and this hook - it was just some of the best this year had to offer, no questions asked.

And Some Special Thanks

Huge shoutout to Fatgums for letting me drop "Peddlin' Music" on the post so everyone can get a listen - and definitely - if you're feeling the vibe (and why wouldn't you) - get on out and pick it up.

Support the artists that inspire you.