The End Of An Era: Yao Ming

I've been so far out of the news-o-sphere that while you may have known this - well - I just found out:

A large scroll behind the player who brought China to the NBA and the NBA to China summed up the occasion.

"Ming xie," it said in large Chinese characters that, loosely translated, mean "Yao Ming, thanks, the end."

Yao, with teary eyes at times and dressed in an equally somber black suit, closed the book Wednesday on his eight-year career with the Houston Rockets, conceding that injuries finally got the best of him.

5-on-5: Sizing Up Yao

How does Yao Ming measure up as his career comes to an end? The 5-on-5 crew explores his legacy -- and what might have been if not for injuries. Story
• Yao vs. NBA's greatest Insider
• Yao leaves hole in Rockets' D Insider

"My past six months were an agonizing wait. I had been thinking (about my future) over and over," the 30-year-old Yao said in comments translated into English. "Today I am announcing a personal decision: ending my career as a basketball player and officially retire. But one door is closing and another one is opening."

Yao said he would return to work with his former Chinese team, the Shanghai Sharks, with the possibility of becoming general manager. He already owns the club and wants to contribute more.

"My playing career started with the club. I hope I can do something for it," Yao said.

Yao's wife, Ye Li, and their 14-month-old daughter, Yao Qinlei, and Yao's parents, Yao Zhiyuan and Fang Fengdi, were in the room. Qinlei was dressed in a red qipao, a traditional Chinese dress.

He later appeared with his family on the stage to the applause and cheers of the crowd.

"I will be always with you," he said.

Read it in full.

Can I Just Say

Qwest Sucks Ass. And even though I'm only blogging half-time there's nothing worse than wanting to feed the need and then you can't...sure there are coffee shops and friends cable, but somehow...paying for something that doesn't always work kind of spoils the mood (and yes, somehow I think that will be telling down the line).

Yay For Monday's And Yay For DSL (Oh Wait)

I'm on someone else's cable...

Kat 010 + Jupiter

National APIA Spoken Word Poetry Summit: Beau Sia, Christy NaMee Eriksen, Sahra Nguyen, Bao Phi, Giles Li, Parag Khandhar, Kelly Tsai + Everyone

I'm not really sure what else to tell you to get your ass on down to this event other than the fact that if you're single (or maybe not - but that's none of my business) that who knows - you might just meet the militant, soft spoken, grungy, semi spiffed up love of your life.

But that's only if you need another incentive to go this already incredibly sounding kick ass event.

The Asian Pacific Islander American Spoken Word Poetry Summit 2011 takes place in the Twin Cities August 4-7! It is a biennial gathering of Asian Pacific Islander American community artists and activists.

The Summit is a space intended specifically for artists and activists who self-identify as Asian American, Asian, and/or Pacific Islander. These definitions are inclusive of West Asian (Middle Eastern), South Asian, LGBTT and Multi-Racial peoples.

You do NOT have to be a spoken word artist to register! If you are an APIA community member who is interested in arts and activism, you'll love the Summit.

Registration is required for all events except Saturday's show, which we will sell public tickets for. *But* if you register, the cost includes *all* Summit events including Saturday's big show!

Here's what the $25 registration gets you:

*Admission to all three Summit showcases
*Admission to all Summit workshops and plenaries
*Admission to the two after-parties featuring food, wine and beer cash bar, and music by DJ Nak!

The Summit includes workshops, performances, and participation from Lawson Fusao Inada, Brenda Wong Aoki, Joe Kadi, David Mura, Beau Sia, Regie Cabico, Parag Khandhar, Kelly Tsai, YaliniDream, Robert Karimi, Ed Bok Lee, Tou Saiko Lee, Guante, Juliana Hu Pegues, San Francisco Board of Supervisors member Jane Kim, Christy NaMee Eriksen, Catzie and Michelle of Yellow Rage, DJ Nak, Sahra Nguyen, Bao Phi, Giles Li, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, and many, many more.

REGISTER! https://www.loft.org/summit-registration

If you'd like to volunteer for Summit in exchange for free registration, please contact Eva at evalynnsong@gmail.com

For more info, go to apiasummit.com

Primary Collaborating Partner: the Loft Literary Center

Co-sponsors: The Jerome Foundation, Council of Asian Pacific Minnesotans, Coffee House Press, The Saint Paul Foundation, The University of MN Asian American Studies Program, In Progress, MacPhail Center for Music, Metropolitan State University, Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, Kaotic Good Productions, Hmong Arts Connection

Community Partners: Mizna, Mu Performing Arts, Center for Hmong Arts and Talent

This activity funded, in part, by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008.

P.S.

Don't blame me if you don't find that love of your life - and especially don't blame me if you don't get your tickets.

P.S (x2)

And if you do find someone who you thought was the love of your life but they really weren't and you just got a case of the Oh My God I Can't Believe I Fell For That Line And Even Though It Was Pretty Good It Wasn't Worth A Trip To The Clinic - well - that's not my issue either.

Ramen-off: Second Harvest, Eating Ramen, And Helping Japan

All I have to say is this: Get your tickets now.

Ramen-Off Fundraiser benefiting 2nd Harvest Japan

This goes way beyond the small, crumbly packages of hot pot noodles that kept you going through college. Ramen is cooking in the minds of chefs and eaters alike.

So what better time than now to throw the first ramen-off in the Twin Cities, and help the native land that inspires the dish? On Thursday, July 21st a gaggle of local chefs will come together at the Create Catering Dining Studio with their own signature ramen dish to be sampled by eaters and judged by a panel of experts in the hopes of earning Top Ramen honors. Of course we have Masu and moto-i competing, but can Russell Klein of Meritage and Jack Riebel of Dakota crank out the goods? Let's face it, ramen/noodle soups have long been the late-night sustenance for many chefs and most are just itching for a reason to cook something new.

Tickets cost $10 (can be purchased through the web or at the door) and guarantee admission and one bowl of ramen, while additional bowls and beer/beverages may be purchased at the event. Proceeds will benefit the food shelves of Second Harvest Japan, which have no affiliation to the American organization. Instead, they are on their own and facing insurmountable need as the devastation from the earthquake and tsunami continues to be felt, even as their plight has disappeared from the media spotlight.

WHEN: Thursday July 21 / 6pm - 10pm

WHERE: Create Catering Dining Studio
1121 Jackson St. NE, Mpls. 55413
createcaters.com

WHAT: Eat Ramen/Help Japan: Ramen-off! Come sample chef-created ramen dishes and see what's evolving in the world of noodles. Local chefs will sample their signature ramen, created with ramen donated by Sun Noodle, in an effort to win bragging rights and a fabulously crafty ramen crown. DJ Nak will help set the tone, "Norae Time" karaoke and a Snapz Photobooth will be there for kicks and giggles. Beer/beverages will be available for purchase.

Tickets can be purchased ahead of time from the website or at the door. Cost is $10 for entrance, which guarantees one bowl of ramen. Additional bowls may be purchased at the event.

WHY: Second Harvest Japan is struggling to meet the need of the families affected by the tsunami. It is our goal to help feed those in Japan with a $5,000 donation from funds raised by this event.

--

Kenji Okumura
http://flavors.me/kenjiokumura
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kenjiokumura

Blog It: My Culture Is Not A Trend

http://mycultureisnotatrend.tumblr.com/

That's Sweet: By My Side + David Choi

Transformers: WTF Is Wrong With These People?

I'll admit that in some ways I do actually like the Transformers - big action + robots who turn into machines = letting my mind slip away into a non-work related food like coma - but I don't understand - and I never will - why movies decidedly insert racist speak and stereotypes into films that would be altogether the same without them.

1. Keiko Agena who plays Frances McDormand's aide speaks one line in the whole movie. I actually let out a loud noise of surprise when I heard her finally speak because I just expected her to run around and follow her White Boss just like she did in the whole film leading up to it (and compare that with John Turturro's assistant who plays a much larger role in the film and at least has some character).

2. A scene in the film where a worker who happens to be a woman is referred too as a "Latin Meltdown". Really?

3. At the place where Shia LaBeouf ends up working there's a floor called the "Yellow Floor". John Malkovich's character who runs the place is apparently into martial arts - all of which says White Guy loving the "Asian", but failing to see that calling something the "Yellow Floor" is kind of dumbass.

4. When Shia LaBeouf is interviewing for jobs, he bows to the Asian interviewer and also can't pronounce his name. This is the only person he can't seem to do this with. Nor does he bow to anyone else. It's like someone saying "Hello" and shaking hands to all the White People in the room but then when they meet a Black Guy goes for the fist pump and says "What's Up!".

5. In an elevator at LaBeouf's character's place of work one of the Asian American workers is drinking some milk (from an Asian store we're guessing) and someone says something to the effect of "Stop drinking that exotic milk". That's just old and tired.

6. And then there's Ken Jeong who's character in some ways I didn't mind, but on a whole basically spelled: traitor to the country + creepy + homophobic.

Yeah - maybe I shouldn't have spent my money on this MF after all.

It's Visceral: "The Help" Film Poster

When I was at the movies over the weekend, for some reason I saw this gigantic poster for a film called "The Help" and automatically - without knowing anything about it - just thought the following (and yes, I know it's judgmental, but hey - I'm a dictator - that's what dictators do):

I'm betting this film has something to do about race relations back in the day between African American women and the White women they worked for and I wondered why the Women Of Color seem to be taking up less space on the movie poster than the Women Who Aren't Of Color -- especially assuming that in some way the film is supposed to be a lesson about race and power (because change starts with a whisper).

In Case You Were Wondering I Did In Fact Check This Film Out (Sort Of ...)

Film Synopis

Aibileen Clark (Viola Davis) is a middle-aged African-American maid who has spent her life raising white children and has recently lost her only son; Minny Jackson (Octavia Spencer) is an African-American maid who has often talked back to her employers, leading to being fired multiple times and causing her to have difficulty finding work; Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan (Emma Stone) is a young white woman who has recently moved back home after graduating from the University of Mississippi to find that her beloved childhood maid has mysteriously disappeared. These three stories intertwine to explain how life in Jackson, Mississippi revolves around "the help"; yet despite the intimate quarters in which whites and blacks live, there is always a certain distance between them because of racial lines.

Book Synopsis

Three ordinary women are about to take one extraordinary step.

Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.

Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.

Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.

In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women--mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends--view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don't.

All of which still leads me to ask the same question that I did in the first place.

Michelle Krusiec + Taking Roles With Accents

Caught this down at YOMYOMF and wanted to post a snippet of it up here.

I was in an audition for a big franchise film when the casting director who happened to be Asian sheepishly asked me, “Could you…did you see the note about doing it with an Asian accent?” She was a little apologetic and I detected her discomfort for having to put me in what she assumed was an uncomfortable situation. I’m not an actor who is uncomfortable with doing accents, but I have an Asian American actor friend who would have said, “Absolutely not.” It got me thinking, are we equating Asian accents with stereotypes because there’s a communal shame surrounding our lack of diverse representation for Asian Americans? When I appear on panels about AAs in the media, I’m almost always asked if we are moving away from stereotypical Asian characters, such as accented ones, and I’m torn because I want to say, there’s nothing wrong with accented characters. It’s how you portray them.

Read it in full.

White Frog: Quentin Lee, BD Wong, Harry Shum, Jr., Margaret Cho, Joan Chen, David Henry Hwang + More

I don't even know much about this other than what's below - and I already can't wait to see it.

I'm kinda guessing it's got your attention too.

White Frog LLC announced today that its original young adult drama White Frog has cast The Twilight Saga’s Booboo Stewart to star in the leading role. Stewart will play Nick, a neglected teen with mild Asperger’s syndrome whose life is challenged and ultimately affirmed by the unexpected fate of his adored older brother Chaz, played by Harry Shum Jr. (Glee). Joan Chen (The Last Emperor) and BD Wong (Law and Order: SVU) are confirmed to play the roles of their parents. Margaret Cho (Drop Dead Diva) will play the role of Nick’s unconventional psychiatrist.

Quentin Lee (The People I’ve Slept With) directs from an original script by Fabienne Wen and Ellie Wen on which David Henry Hwang served as Script Advisor. White Frog is produced by Christopher Lee, Joel Soisson, and Ellie Wen along with Executive Producers Kevin Iwashina and David Henry Hwang.

White Frog is an emotional young adult drama with comedy and heart about Nick, a neglected teen with mild Asperger’s syndrome, whose life is challenged and ultimately affirmed by the unexpected fate of his adored older brother Chaz. White Frog is a universal story of the power of family, friendship, and love positioned to appeal to a broad audience in the same way as Ordinary People, Joy Luck Club, and The Kids Are All Right.

Film On.

You Want It: Visual Communications + Armed With A Camera Fellowship

Fellowship Cultivates New Generation of Asian Pacific American Filmmakers Applications Due July 29th

Visual Communications is now accepting applications for its 10th annual Armed With a Camera Fellowship. The fellowship fosters the education, training and professional development of up-and-coming Asian Pacific American filmmakers. In doing so, it seeks to shed light on the experiences of communities traditionally underrepresented by visual media.

The fellowship is open to filmmakers under 30-years-old of Asian Pacific descent. South Asian, Southeast Asian and women filmmakers are strongly encouraged to apply. From November 2011 to March 2012 Visual Communications will provide the support and resources for ten fellows to each to create a five-minute digital video.

These resources will include:

• $500 cash grant
  
• Training, workshops and mentoring from industry professionals
  
• Opportunity for collaborative work with other fellows
  
• Access to equipment and editing facilities
  
• World premiere of completed film in the “VC Digital Posse” showcase of the 2012 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival
  
• All-access pass to films, panels and events of the 2012 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival
  
• Opportunity to network with professional filmmakers and Visual Communications staff and supporters

In the past decade, Visual Communications has supported 70 filmmakers through the fellowship. Last year’s portfolio represents a characteristic diversity of topics. One documentary traces the disappearance of a Filipino-American R&B star. Another tells the emigration story of a filmmaker’s Vietnamese father. Several narrative works explore family relationships. In one, a South Asian lesbian woman spends the Hindu New Year with her partner. In another, a Japanese woman questions her marriage to an American. Settings range from a World War II battlefield in France to a sci-fi future.

Applications are available at http://www.vconline.org/.

The Armed with a Camera Fellowship is partially funded by the James Irvine Foundation, the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, and the Morgan Stanley Foundation.

About Visual Communications: Founded in 1970, Visual Communications has a long and prominent history promoting intercultural understanding through the creation, presentation, preservation and support of media works by and about Asian Pacific Americans.

Please contact Daina Solomon (daina@vconline.org or 213 680-4462 ext. 30) for more information.

Open Call For Performers

Just in case.

The Filipino American Arts Exposition is inviting talented up-and-coming artists to grace its stages and perform for an enormous crowd at its 18th Annual Pistahan Parade and Festival.

Pistahan is proud to have presented numerous renowned and emerging talent including Apl.de.Ap of the Black Eyed Peas, Cheryl Burke of Dancing with the Stars fame, and local favorites like the Likha Dance Ensemble.

Musicians, vocalists, martial artists, dance groups, spoken word artists, comedians, hosts/MCs and other entertainers are encouraged to apply.

The 18th Annual Pistahan Parade and Festival will be held on Aug. 13-14 at the Yerba Buena Gardens.The free two-day event will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is expected to draw over 60,000 people and will feature the best of Filipino art, dance, music and food. The festival features the return of the popular Adobo Cook-off and balut eating contests, delectable Filipino cuisine and desserts, and cultural exhibits.

For more information and updates about the festival: pistahan.net

Performer Submission Guidelines:

To apply, email a brief biography/resume, video and/or audio links, website/facebook/myspace or other applicable online supplementary material to:

Pisthan Entertainment Committee at artists.faae@gmail.com

Email subject line:
Artists Submission/Pistahan 2011 - Artist Name

Deadline:
Friday, July 15

Netflix Watch: Ip Man 2

I Hate Mondays...And I'm Still Not Into Those Showers

Even though it's a Wednesday...but since I had off the last two days it really is a Monday - but tomorrow will still feel like a Thursday because it's buffet night at the local club and no matter what anyone tells you I have never found a pubic hair in the foot long hot dog buffet.

Kinda Roman.

Pick Up That Album: Prometheus Brown And Bambu Walk Into A Bar

From the land of the Beatrock.

And yes. You do want to pick this up.

Now.

Beatrock Music and In4mation are proud to present Prometheus Brown and Bambu Walk Into A Bar. Pro Brown and Bam joined forces during a week-long visit to Hawaii to create an album that pays homage to the islands. Laced with beats by local Hawaiian producers and rounded out by some of LA and Seattle's most talented beatsmiths, this album promises to knock!

Tracklist:

1. Fuck Dog the Bounty Hunter - produced by Osna
2. At It Again - produced by MTK
3. Nowhere – produced by DJ Nphared
4. Mahalo – produced by Just D’Amato
5. National Treasure – produced by Vitamin D
6. The Bar – produced by Vitamin D
7. Molotov Tiki Torch Cocktail Rap – produced by 6Fingers
8. Lookin Up – produced by Fatgums
9. Rashida Jones – produced by Budo
10. Slow Down [Yavash Remix] – produced by Sabzi

The album is also available online at:
Beatrock Music Online Store
Bandcamp
iTunes
Amazon.com

and in stores:
In4mation, HI
Amoeba LA/SF/Berkeley
Access Music, San Diego
Fingerprints, Long Beach
Fifth Element, MNPLS

Enemies Of The People + POV

Enemies of the People has its national broadcast premiere on Tuesday, July 12, 2011, at 10 p.m. on PBS during the 24th season of POV (Point of View) (check local listings). American television's longest-running independent documentary series, POV has won a Special Emmy for Excellence in Television Documentary Filmmaking and an IDA Award for Best Continuing Series.

Because You Should Know: Tran Khai Thanh Thuy

From the news wire:

Vietnamese dissident author Tran Khai Thanh Thuy met Friday with a US congressman active on human rights, days after she was released from prison in a rare move by the Hanoi government.

Representative Ed Royce, whose district in California's Orange County has a large Vietnamese American community, met there with Thuy and said they discussed strategies for advancing rights in the communist country.

"Tran Khai Thanh Thuy has been leading the fight for democracy and human rights in Vietnam. She has paid a great price, including physical assault by communist government thugs," Royce said in a statement.

"Her release is great news for Vietnamese Americans and all committed to freedom," Royce said.

Thuy was sentenced to three and a half years in prison in February 2010 on an assault charge, which she said during her one-day trial was "a fabrication and total slander."

Read it in full.

It's Chinese! It's Jewish! The Tiles That Bind Us!

I just couldn't help but post this up simply because of the title.