NEWDAY | Phan Ngọc Luân ft Mai Ngô | Official MV

I like the song, but I think I wanted a different video, even though it still kept me watching.

#forgetaboutme #lovethisyourself #mytwocentsisworthapenny

Oh Yes: Mina Oba + Akiko Noguchi + Joy And Sorrow2

This is just four minutes of awesome.

What more do you need?

The Overlooked Consumer Group...Us

Always good to see some articles talking about how we're overlooked (for the most part).

Yet this fixation may lead some to overlook today’s fastest-growing ethnic consumer group: Asian Americans. In 2015, they had an estimated buying power of $825 billion, which is expected to grow to $1.1 trillion in 2020, according to the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia. In the past 15 years, the Asian American consumer market grew by 199 percent, outpacing gains in the disposable income of Latinos, whites, blacks, and Native Americans. The U.S. Latino population might be three times larger than the Asian American community, but the Asian American population is now growing at a faster rate overall.

Watch It: Annalé + Roses

Good soul.

Korean American Soul.

Nice.

Pick up the track @ http://smarturl.it/Roses-Single-iTunes

Not Lifted: Well...That New CL Video And Song Kinda Sucks Doesn't It? What's Wrong With The Marketing People? Who Does This Shit? I Need Asian Americans?

I've been wrong before, but when it comes to Asian stars trying to make a splash in the music biz here in the U.S. - they've all died the death that technically they should - and remember I love my pop of all varieties - but I've been right in knowing that their U.S. singles or the way they were marketed - just suck.

And that's the best way to put it.

Remember BoA's video that got panned? How about Utada going on the morning show (like who got that gig) - and yes Utada is technically Asian American and they should have done a lot more.

Where's Girls Generation now in the U.S. Where's Se7en after he dropped it with Lil Kim?

See - you can't try and make someone U.S. hip hop, when they aren't (although I thought Se7en's single was pretty good).

You need Asian Americans to kick it like that - 'cause you know - we're a part of U.S. hip hop.

And it has to be genuine.

On one hand I'm up for Asian stars trying to do it in the U.S. - I'm down with that. But not when you do it like this, and not when Asian American musicians and artists aren't getting the respect that they deserve.

And this video by CL....it just reeks of appropriation *not* being genuine - even though it wants to be cool.

But we all know you can want things...even if you never get them.

I almost feel like I need to manage someone because no one seems to know how take an Asian star and make them a crossover here. It's like they take the best parts of what made them good, drop it all, and then mold them into something they're clearly not. And sure - I have no experience in this whatsoever - but I feel like I could do a better job then what's been done because the bar keeps getting set pretty MF low.

P.S.

Way to steal that line from Jin. Clearly it is "lifted".

Goodread: I Started A Viral Hashtag For More Asian Representation

Kick it:

Then, during my sophomore year of high school, Fresh Off the Boat started to air. It was the first television show I had ever seen that featured multiple Asian-American leads. I was especially inspired by Constance Wu, who expertly played the leading female role of the family matriarch. The show gave me hope that one day more Asian-American stories would be heard, and that more Asian-Americans actors and actresses would be given more opportunities to do what they love. While I had already decided not to pursue acting by the time the show aired, it was still great to finally see people who looked like me on TV, to feel like I was finally represented. Fresh Off the Boat's success also proves that Hollywood’s conviction that only white actors and actresses are "bankable" is a lie (which, in fact, past studies have already proven).

MV + Dumbfoundead + Harambe

That will wake you up.

CAAM + "Who is American?" Immigration, Exclusion & The American Dream Educational Outreach Campaign (Now Until September 15th)

From the campaign:

The campaign, "Who is American?" Educational Outreach for the PBS Documentary THE CHINESE EXCLUSION ACT will run from Monday, August 15 - Thursday, September 15, 2016. Our goal is to raise $50,000 to distribute free educational resources and host community screenings to reach thousands of students, teachers, and community members in support of the new PBS documentary THE CHINESE EXCLUSION ACT by acclaimed filmmakers Ric Burns and Li-Shin Yu of Steeplechase Films. CAAM is leading the outreach and is one of the co-producers of this landmark project.

Check it out and donate here.

Trailers: Spa Night + Andrew Ahn

A little bit about Andrew Ahn

Read It: Acting While Asian An Essay by Ann Harada At Stage And Candor

I know things are getting better for actors of Asian descent. I know efforts are being made to increase diversity in casting and that awareness is being raised in regards to yellowface and race-specific casting. I know this because I hear white actors complaining that they are losing roles “because of diversity.” I also know this because black actors have made it a point to come up to me and say, “Wow, I thought we had it bad, but you guys REALLY don’t have many opportunities.”

Read it in full.

Some Chasing, Some Lovely, Some Reviews

From Audiofemme:

Hailing from Nashville, sister duo Chloe and Taylor are able to weave a vivid tale with their voices and light acoustic guitar that’ll give you goosebumps. This folky pair advocate working toward positive change, and their music is a fantastic reflection of that. “Always and Never Enough” is an introspective peak into how they process the positive yet tragic elements of the human element and everyday existence.

A Little DNC @ The 8 Of The Asians

Just gonna peep you over here down @ 8Asians by one of their longtime bloggers John and his coverage at the DNC.

Nice.

"Seoul Man" Just Feels So White And It Reminds Me Of That Bad C. Thomas Howell Movie Too

So this article down at the Washington Post caught my eye called "Slippers at work? Nonstop alcohol? Tales of an American executive in Korea" and I don't exactly know why I wanted to read it, but I felt like I should, and apparently the article is an excerpt from "Seoul Man: A Memoir of Cars, Culture, Crisis, and Unexpected Hilarity Inside a Korean Corporate Titan".

I'm not saying the author is some rude brash and racist American - he seems like a pretty normal guy - out of his element of course, and it's not like I'm sure he doesn't have a fondness for his time there...I guess it just seems White.

You can hang out with Koreans here in the U.S. and get your soju and mic on --- and replace Korean with a decent amount of Asian ethnicities and the same thing goes (and yes, we are not one monolithic singleton, blah blah blah blah blah, but c'mon - ...you were never singing too loud with someone after a shot?).

He seemed so surprised by everything, and it's just so White to be so surprised by some of those things - if not maybe all of them.

What did we know about South Korea coming in? Little more than most Americans do: It’s the most wired nation on earth, the kids are ultra-high-achievers in academics, and they eat kimchi. Surrounded by our LG flat-screen TVs, Samsung smartphones, and Hyundai and Kia cars, most Americans know Korea for its powerhouse consumer brands — and perhaps for the murderous Kim dynasty in the North, whose periodic outbursts alternate between lethal threats and farce.

I get it.

We play percentages and numbers. But when those numbers and percentages are millions of people, it makes you wonder a little bit about someone's depth of field and what's in focus and what's not. I know it's not quite my right to feel slighted - but I do.

Just a little.

It's kinda like - dude. This is all you knew about SK coming into it?

Did you not have any Asian American friends?

A subscription to DramaFever maybe?

Something?

I feel like you deserve what you get in that scenario - and it's this painted picture of this "unseen" "mysterious" culture that kind of gets to me - perpetuating the myth of the Ancient Chinese Secret which I can use to describe this, because it's the same piece of paper written by the same thought - and in all reality - some of this, is just asking some people over some bubble tea you know?

It's not that ancient and it's not that secret.

I'm not saying I know what it's like to work in his position at Hyundai and that there's not something of educational value there from his POV. But it's a White POV which also doesn't seem to have a lot Asian American or Asian influence - and don't you hate those people sometimes who know the foreign exchange student, or someone's brother's wife is from some country in the Motherlands but other than that they don't actually have any Asian American sphere's of influence in their life?

It's almost as if it's dismissive by omission.

And by omission we don't exist and don't enter the narrative for so many people.

It's like we're forgotten.

I think that's what gets me the most.

#TBT: Racial Stereotyping of Asians and Asian Americans...A Reflection On The Wayne Lo Case

http://scholarship.law.berkeley.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1060&context=aalj

If My Balls Were Famous Temples I Would Call Them Temples, But They're Not, So I Just Call Them Balls

This probably should have been a tweet...

But I'm lazy.



I don't know if I'd want those near my tem...my balls.

I'll give it a try though...'cause I own one.

Maybe I should do a reaction video...hmmmm...maybe.

Dear Big Fat Cock Fucker

Honestly, I just wanted to use that in a post title because I don't think I've ever used that exact phrase in a post title.

And yes, I'm sure I can come up with a photo or two, but then I'd digress into a series of posts that are just childish.

And why would I want to do that?

Ok.

I'm going to resume watching bad TV now...

What Does Being The Only Super Regional Korean American Bank Mean? Will There Be A Bank Of Bánh Mì Too?

I read through the press release and I'm still not quite sure what this really means.

They say it will be called the Bank of Hope.

They say "Bank of Hope will serve as a cornerstone for Korean-American communities across the United States, and we look forward to introducing our new brand to our customers, communities and shareholders".

Special loans for Korean Americans?

Dramafever in the lounge while you wait for your personal banker?

Ahjussis getting ready to one hand smack you when you didn't make your payment?

Or just serving the Korean American community?

I'm a little confused but also intrigued.

And as I asked in the title I wonder if BBCN Bancorp and Wilshire Bancorp will create a new subsidiary called the Bank Of Bánh Mì?

Sure it may not be as enticing as Bank of Hope - but I also have to wonder about putting my money into a bank with the word "hope" in it - as in "I hope my money stays safe".

I mean with Bank of Bánh Mì at least you know some White hipsters are gonna ask if they can put some money in ('cause you know - they want to be on the bleeding edge).

Hmmm....I'll have to ponder this for another 5 minutes or so.

Coming Soon To The Americas: Seoul Station

Kick it.

#‎LaoAmericanArtistHeritageMonth‬

HT That BTW.

Bad Viet. Bad Viet. Bad Viet. AKA Minh Quang Hong

We can't all be as amazing as me I guess (and by amazing I simply mean not sexually assaulting children).

In a case that’s gained international attention, a comedian from Vietnam who traveled to Orange County to make a video was convicted Wednesday of sexually assaulting a boy. Minh Quang Hong, better known by his stage name Minh Beo, or Fat Minh, pleaded guilty to two felonies: oral copulation of a minor and attempting to commit a lewd act on a child younger than 14. He appeared at the West Justice Center in Westminster, grim and thinner than at previous hearings, facing two rows of Vietnamese media documenting his plight to a rapt audience in Little Saigon and across his homeland.

Aint nobody ever gonna pray to you MF.

No one.