Specter is at odds with Senator Bill Frist, who has his own immigration bill. Frist's version punishes employers for hiring illegal immigrants, adds more border patrol agents, and makes it a crime to be in the US without proper papers. It would also increase the number of employment-based green cards so that more visas would be available.

Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton says the GOP's bills are not in keeping with the Bible. "It is certainly not in keeping with my understanding of the Scripture because this bill would literally criminalize the Good Samaritan and probably even Jesus himself," she said. "We need to sound the alarm about what is being done in the Congress."

Hillary, what are you doing? What's with the Bible talk? I know you're trying to move over to the middle and sell yourself as a moderate but it's not really working. Do you think you're going to win some conservative's heart just cause you used the word "scripture?"

"His mother networked among parents in Texas, where the Indian-American community is very active in spelling bees. They advised her to move to Texas, saying that Georgia didn't have a reputation of taking spelling competition seriously."

It's been a fun week at the festival, Daniel Dae Kim sightings and all. For proof, press here and you might spy a photo or two by Jay Jao of some happily-partying Hyphen staffers at this past Saturday's film fest party.

Posted by Melissa at 12:22 PM | Comments (1)

In non-film festival news, here's a couple stories that have grabbed my eye lately.

Specter is at odds with Senator Bill Frist, who has his own immigration bill. Frist's version punishes employers for hiring illegal immigrants, adds more border patrol agents, and makes it a crime to be in the US without proper papers. It would also increase the number of employment-based green cards so that more visas would be available.

Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton says the GOP's bills are not in keeping with the Bible. "It is certainly not in keeping with my understanding of the Scripture because this bill would literally criminalize the Good Samaritan and probably even Jesus himself," she said. "We need to sound the alarm about what is being done in the Congress."

Hillary, what are you doing? What's with the Bible talk? I know you're trying to move over to the middle and sell yourself as a moderate but it's not really working. Do you think you're going to win some conservative's heart just cause you used the word "scripture?"

"His mother networked among parents in Texas, where the Indian-American community is very active in spelling bees. They advised her to move to Texas, saying that Georgia didn't have a reputation of taking spelling competition seriously."

It's been a fun week at the festival, Daniel Dae Kim sightings and all. For proof, press here and you might spy a photo or two by Jay Jao of some happily-partying Hyphen staffers at this past Saturday's film fest party.

Posted by Melissa at 12:22 PM | Comments (1)

In non-film festival news, here's a couple stories that have grabbed my eye lately.

Specter is at odds with Senator Bill Frist, who has his own immigration bill. Frist's version punishes employers for hiring illegal immigrants, adds more border patrol agents, and makes it a crime to be in the US without proper papers. It would also increase the number of employment-based green cards so that more visas would be available.

Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton says the GOP's bills are not in keeping with the Bible. "It is certainly not in keeping with my understanding of the Scripture because this bill would literally criminalize the Good Samaritan and probably even Jesus himself," she said. "We need to sound the alarm about what is being done in the Congress."

Hillary, what are you doing? What's with the Bible talk? I know you're trying to move over to the middle and sell yourself as a moderate but it's not really working. Do you think you're going to win some conservative's heart just cause you used the word "scripture?"

"His mother networked among parents in Texas, where the Indian-American community is very active in spelling bees. They advised her to move to Texas, saying that Georgia didn't have a reputation of taking spelling competition seriously."

It's been a fun week at the festival, Daniel Dae Kim sightings and all. For proof, press here and you might spy a photo or two by Jay Jao of some happily-partying Hyphen staffers at this past Saturday's film fest party.

Posted by Melissa at 12:22 PM | Comments (1)

So often when you boil down a question, it becomes one of those perennial unaswerable ones: nature or nurture? heart or mind? chicken or fish? And it's so annoying, because we asked those questions in high school english and I already know that you're just in for endless debate with murky morality and rationalizations all around.

Another one of those questions came up for me last night at, where else: the SF Asian American Film Festival.

It was a really amazing documentary, called "China Blue." Shot over the course of many years in a denim factory in southern China, the film followed both the factory owner and a young girl named Jasmine through their travails of getting out orders on time and trying to make a buck. Literally.

The whole time I was watching the film I kept wondering, "How did they get this kind of access?" They were shooting inside the factory, following the owner to a brutal negotiation with a client in Shanghai, recording a standoff between workers (whose pay was 9 weeks overdue) and management. They interviewed the girls (mostly age 14 -20) in their dorm room, filmed during forced overtime hours -- literally all night for days on end, without pay -- and recorded Jasmine's disappointment when her first paycheck was withheld as a "deposit" by the company, and consequently she couldn't go home to visit her family that year.

The film gave an incredibly candid look inside a contemporary sweatshop, and it was a huge accomplishment.

But here's the dilemma part, for me:

During the Q&A, filmmaker Micha X Peled and his coproducer admitted that they told the factory owner they were making a film about the "great economic boom in China." They courted him for months, "became friends," and thus were given almost completely unfettered access to the factory floor, to workers, and to some business meeting.

As someone who's worked both as a journalist and in documentary film, I find this extremely problematic. It's true, there's no way they'd have been able to make this film if they had said, "we want to show how you exploit your workers for profit, how the world's jeans are made by 14-year-old girls forced to work all night who get paid $1 or $2 a day." And I'm really glad I was able to see this film.

So... Do the ends justify the means?

It just seems unethical to me to lie to your subjects about the nature of your film. You have a special position of power as a filmmaker (or journalist) -- in the edit room you can manipulate their image, select their speech, and lay down music to create empathy or antipathy. You can distribute this created image around the world freely, make money, get famous, use it to get your next grant, whatever. Their image is your capital, and a good filmmaker exploits that capital to their best advantage.

And therefore I feel like we have great responsibility to treat our subjects fairly. The film explained that this was actual a pretty decent factory: it was new, clean, and the owner was proud of it. It said that 100% of factories in China have to operate like this, or worse, in order to stay competitive. "We're in a race to the bottom," Peled said, and it really seems to be true. But if that's the case, then it seems especially unfair to make this factory owner the face of China's exploitative labor market.

Maybe the filmmakers thought of it as an undercover investigation, rooting out the bad guys and exposing them to the world. And in certain circumstances I think that's okay.

So I don't know what to think. I have to respect the filmmakers for their vision, their dogged persistence in the face of arrests and confiscated footage and being forced to start over after two years of shooting. And I especially respect them for bringing a story that few in this country have seen so close up -- the place where our jeans come from.

So I'm rather flummoxed about the whole thing. And it feels relevant to me, because there have been a lot of times where I've wanted to be deceptive about a project I was working on, or just not tell the whole truth. Where you draw that line just seems to be one of those unanswerable questions.

I'd be interested if anyone else has had this kind of dilemma, and what they did about it.

Posted by jennifer at 9:29 AM | Comments (5)

So often when you boil down a question, it becomes one of those perennial unaswerable ones: nature or nurture? heart or mind? chicken or fish? And it's so annoying, because we asked those questions in high school english and I already know that you're just in for endless debate with murky morality and rationalizations all around.

Another one of those questions came up for me last night at, where else: the SF Asian American Film Festival.

It was a really amazing documentary, called "China Blue." Shot over the course of many years in a denim factory in southern China, the film followed both the factory owner and a young girl named Jasmine through their travails of getting out orders on time and trying to make a buck. Literally.

The whole time I was watching the film I kept wondering, "How did they get this kind of access?" They were shooting inside the factory, following the owner to a brutal negotiation with a client in Shanghai, recording a standoff between workers (whose pay was 9 weeks overdue) and management. They interviewed the girls (mostly age 14 -20) in their dorm room, filmed during forced overtime hours -- literally all night for days on end, without pay -- and recorded Jasmine's disappointment when her first paycheck was withheld as a "deposit" by the company, and consequently she couldn't go home to visit her family that year.

The film gave an incredibly candid look inside a contemporary sweatshop, and it was a huge accomplishment.

But here's the dilemma part, for me:

During the Q&A, filmmaker Micha X Peled and his coproducer admitted that they told the factory owner they were making a film about the "great economic boom in China." They courted him for months, "became friends," and thus were given almost completely unfettered access to the factory floor, to workers, and to some business meeting.

As someone who's worked both as a journalist and in documentary film, I find this extremely problematic. It's true, there's no way they'd have been able to make this film if they had said, "we want to show how you exploit your workers for profit, how the world's jeans are made by 14-year-old girls forced to work all night who get paid $1 or $2 a day." And I'm really glad I was able to see this film.

So... Do the ends justify the means?

It just seems unethical to me to lie to your subjects about the nature of your film. You have a special position of power as a filmmaker (or journalist) -- in the edit room you can manipulate their image, select their speech, and lay down music to create empathy or antipathy. You can distribute this created image around the world freely, make money, get famous, use it to get your next grant, whatever. Their image is your capital, and a good filmmaker exploits that capital to their best advantage.

And therefore I feel like we have great responsibility to treat our subjects fairly. The film explained that this was actual a pretty decent factory: it was new, clean, and the owner was proud of it. It said that 100% of factories in China have to operate like this, or worse, in order to stay competitive. "We're in a race to the bottom," Peled said, and it really seems to be true. But if that's the case, then it seems especially unfair to make this factory owner the face of China's exploitative labor market.

Maybe the filmmakers thought of it as an undercover investigation, rooting out the bad guys and exposing them to the world. And in certain circumstances I think that's okay.

So I don't know what to think. I have to respect the filmmakers for their vision, their dogged persistence in the face of arrests and confiscated footage and being forced to start over after two years of shooting. And I especially respect them for bringing a story that few in this country have seen so close up -- the place where our jeans come from.

So I'm rather flummoxed about the whole thing. And it feels relevant to me, because there have been a lot of times where I've wanted to be deceptive about a project I was working on, or just not tell the whole truth. Where you draw that line just seems to be one of those unanswerable questions.

I'd be interested if anyone else has had this kind of dilemma, and what they did about it.

Posted by jennifer at 9:29 AM | Comments (5)

So often when you boil down a question, it becomes one of those perennial unaswerable ones: nature or nurture? heart or mind? chicken or fish? And it's so annoying, because we asked those questions in high school english and I already know that you're just in for endless debate with murky morality and rationalizations all around.

Another one of those questions came up for me last night at, where else: the SF Asian American Film Festival.

It was a really amazing documentary, called "China Blue." Shot over the course of many years in a denim factory in southern China, the film followed both the factory owner and a young girl named Jasmine through their travails of getting out orders on time and trying to make a buck. Literally.

The whole time I was watching the film I kept wondering, "How did they get this kind of access?" They were shooting inside the factory, following the owner to a brutal negotiation with a client in Shanghai, recording a standoff between workers (whose pay was 9 weeks overdue) and management. They interviewed the girls (mostly age 14 -20) in their dorm room, filmed during forced overtime hours -- literally all night for days on end, without pay -- and recorded Jasmine's disappointment when her first paycheck was withheld as a "deposit" by the company, and consequently she couldn't go home to visit her family that year.

The film gave an incredibly candid look inside a contemporary sweatshop, and it was a huge accomplishment.

But here's the dilemma part, for me:

During the Q&A, filmmaker Micha X Peled and his coproducer admitted that they told the factory owner they were making a film about the "great economic boom in China." They courted him for months, "became friends," and thus were given almost completely unfettered access to the factory floor, to workers, and to some business meeting.

As someone who's worked both as a journalist and in documentary film, I find this extremely problematic. It's true, there's no way they'd have been able to make this film if they had said, "we want to show how you exploit your workers for profit, how the world's jeans are made by 14-year-old girls forced to work all night who get paid $1 or $2 a day." And I'm really glad I was able to see this film.

So... Do the ends justify the means?

It just seems unethical to me to lie to your subjects about the nature of your film. You have a special position of power as a filmmaker (or journalist) -- in the edit room you can manipulate their image, select their speech, and lay down music to create empathy or antipathy. You can distribute this created image around the world freely, make money, get famous, use it to get your next grant, whatever. Their image is your capital, and a good filmmaker exploits that capital to their best advantage.

And therefore I feel like we have great responsibility to treat our subjects fairly. The film explained that this was actual a pretty decent factory: it was new, clean, and the owner was proud of it. It said that 100% of factories in China have to operate like this, or worse, in order to stay competitive. "We're in a race to the bottom," Peled said, and it really seems to be true. But if that's the case, then it seems especially unfair to make this factory owner the face of China's exploitative labor market.

Maybe the filmmakers thought of it as an undercover investigation, rooting out the bad guys and exposing them to the world. And in certain circumstances I think that's okay.

So I don't know what to think. I have to respect the filmmakers for their vision, their dogged persistence in the face of arrests and confiscated footage and being forced to start over after two years of shooting. And I especially respect them for bringing a story that few in this country have seen so close up -- the place where our jeans come from.

So I'm rather flummoxed about the whole thing. And it feels relevant to me, because there have been a lot of times where I've wanted to be deceptive about a project I was working on, or just not tell the whole truth. Where you draw that line just seems to be one of those unanswerable questions.

I'd be interested if anyone else has had this kind of dilemma, and what they did about it.

Posted by jennifer at 9:29 AM | Comments (5)

Did anyone watch this film tonight? I heard the theatre was packed.

I watched a sneak peek of it a while ago, and I just remember thinking, dang, I wish I could see this on the big screen.

Now, I am a showtunes/musical geek (among my other geeky habits). But I was seriously singing along. First Asian American musical since Flower Drum Song. How can you beat that?

I also loved the fact that the story is about Colma - but I don't think you need to have ever been to Colma to like it.

I have been to Colma several times in my life - thrice to have dim sum at Koi Palace, once to drive a driver at the driving range, and once to visit a friend who rented a pad there (though he's since moved away). Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

For those of you who saw it, what did you think? And what is it about the musical genre that is so damn entertaining? For those of you don't like musicals but saw Colma: The Musical anyway, what did you think?

And does anyone know if the people who made Colma are actually from there?!

Posted by momo at 12:45 AM | Comments (7)

Did anyone watch this film tonight? I heard the theatre was packed.

I watched a sneak peek of it a while ago, and I just remember thinking, dang, I wish I could see this on the big screen.

Now, I am a showtunes/musical geek (among my other geeky habits). But I was seriously singing along. First Asian American musical since Flower Drum Song. How can you beat that?

I also loved the fact that the story is about Colma - but I don't think you need to have ever been to Colma to like it.

I have been to Colma several times in my life - thrice to have dim sum at Koi Palace, once to drive a driver at the driving range, and once to visit a friend who rented a pad there (though he's since moved away). Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

For those of you who saw it, what did you think? And what is it about the musical genre that is so damn entertaining? For those of you don't like musicals but saw Colma: The Musical anyway, what did you think?

And does anyone know if the people who made Colma are actually from there?!

Posted by momo at 12:45 AM | Comments (7)

Did anyone watch this film tonight? I heard the theatre was packed.

I watched a sneak peek of it a while ago, and I just remember thinking, dang, I wish I could see this on the big screen.

Now, I am a showtunes/musical geek (among my other geeky habits). But I was seriously singing along. First Asian American musical since Flower Drum Song. How can you beat that?

I also loved the fact that the story is about Colma - but I don't think you need to have ever been to Colma to like it.

I have been to Colma several times in my life - thrice to have dim sum at Koi Palace, once to drive a driver at the driving range, and once to visit a friend who rented a pad there (though he's since moved away). Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

For those of you who saw it, what did you think? And what is it about the musical genre that is so damn entertaining? For those of you don't like musicals but saw Colma: The Musical anyway, what did you think?

And does anyone know if the people who made Colma are actually from there?!

Posted by momo at 12:45 AM | Comments (7)

...Whose Children Are These? and Dastaar are films I've seen within a 48-hour span.

So I have been watching a bunch of documentaries at the SFIAAFF. I'm not sure why I'm drawn towards documentaries, and Asian American documentaries at that. Perhaps I feel like it's my job, since Hyphen is an Asian American magazine.

I think another factor is that a lot of documentaries aren't shown elsewhere. Because I'm not directly involved with justice work, I feel like I have to catch these films here. I watch them for my own education.

Oh yeah, I've been bringing my mom to these films too. She's visiting this week, and I thought, what better way for mother/daughter bonding than over Asian American films about deportation, racism, and overall injustices? Apparently, I am not the only one with this idea, 'cause yesterday at Grassroots Rising I saw someone I knew, who'd brought her father (go dads!), and one of the filmmakers brought his dad to the screening, but I guess that's a little different.

Anyway, like I said, yesterday we watched Grassroots Rising. They also showed two shorter documentaries, Dastaar: Defending Sikh Identity and Whose Children Are These? I think out of all the film programs I've seen, this one is one of the best - if not the best - not only because the documentaries are well-made, but because they are timely and explore/expose important issues. The theatre was mostly full, but of course certainly not as packed as the crowd for opening night at Americanese. The theatre itself was much smaller than the Castro.

On Saturday we watched Sentenced Home about Cambodian Americans who've been deported. After we watched the film, I think my mother said something to my friend along the lines of, "something should be done about this." The film says 1,500 Cambodian Americans are awaiting deportation, and many have been deported already.

I think what all films were good at showing, which I am not doing a good job of, is showing how all of this affects families. If you just look objectively at data - say, 1,500, we might think, well, that's not a lot of people compared to ___. But that shouldn't matter. And especially in tight-knit communities, things tend to have a much larger impact on the community. It's 1,500 people, but think about how that impacts all the friends, relatives, families. All torn apart (again).

Same with Whose Children Are These?, about the special registration after 9/11 (83,000 men registered, 14,000 detained, all are men - just thinking about what that does to families hurts). None were found to be terrorists, but many were still deported for technical reasons, like not having their immigration papers in order. What?

Dastaar is about how Sikhs have suffered every single time there was anything terrorist-related news in the world, for the last 20 or so years or even longer. Beyond the "Sikhs are not Muslims" reasoning, it's just really messed up. So the film explores a little bit about what Sikhism means and why people wear the dastaar (turban). They juxtaposed that with images of bin Laden and Hussein. The reasoning is simplistic but makes a lot of sense: if the only images we see of people wearing turbans are those two, then we might associate turbans with terrorists. And for people who've suffered harassment and violence as a result of this, they don't need any intellectualizing of the issue. It's real.

The only non-documentary in the list above is Punching at the Sun, which feels somewhat like a documentary. I blown away with the writing/storytelling and acting. There's already another discussion of this film elsewhere on our blog, so I'll just leave it at that.

Tonight my mom and I are going to watch China Blue. Then it's closing night for me.

Posted by momo at 9:33 AM | Comments (1)

...Whose Children Are These? and Dastaar are films I've seen within a 48-hour span.

So I have been watching a bunch of documentaries at the SFIAAFF. I'm not sure why I'm drawn towards documentaries, and Asian American documentaries at that. Perhaps I feel like it's my job, since Hyphen is an Asian American magazine.

I think another factor is that a lot of documentaries aren't shown elsewhere. Because I'm not directly involved with justice work, I feel like I have to catch these films here. I watch them for my own education.

Oh yeah, I've been bringing my mom to these films too. She's visiting this week, and I thought, what better way for mother/daughter bonding than over Asian American films about deportation, racism, and overall injustices? Apparently, I am not the only one with this idea, 'cause yesterday at Grassroots Rising I saw someone I knew, who'd brought her father (go dads!), and one of the filmmakers brought his dad to the screening, but I guess that's a little different.

Anyway, like I said, yesterday we watched Grassroots Rising. They also showed two shorter documentaries, Dastaar: Defending Sikh Identity and Whose Children Are These? I think out of all the film programs I've seen, this one is one of the best - if not the best - not only because the documentaries are well-made, but because they are timely and explore/expose important issues. The theatre was mostly full, but of course certainly not as packed as the crowd for opening night at Americanese. The theatre itself was much smaller than the Castro.

On Saturday we watched Sentenced Home about Cambodian Americans who've been deported. After we watched the film, I think my mother said something to my friend along the lines of, "something should be done about this." The film says 1,500 Cambodian Americans are awaiting deportation, and many have been deported already.

I think what all films were good at showing, which I am not doing a good job of, is showing how all of this affects families. If you just look objectively at data - say, 1,500, we might think, well, that's not a lot of people compared to ___. But that shouldn't matter. And especially in tight-knit communities, things tend to have a much larger impact on the community. It's 1,500 people, but think about how that impacts all the friends, relatives, families. All torn apart (again).

Same with Whose Children Are These?, about the special registration after 9/11 (83,000 men registered, 14,000 detained, all are men - just thinking about what that does to families hurts). None were found to be terrorists, but many were still deported for technical reasons, like not having their immigration papers in order. What?

Dastaar is about how Sikhs have suffered every single time there was anything terrorist-related news in the world, for the last 20 or so years or even longer. Beyond the "Sikhs are not Muslims" reasoning, it's just really messed up. So the film explores a little bit about what Sikhism means and why people wear the dastaar (turban). They juxtaposed that with images of bin Laden and Hussein. The reasoning is simplistic but makes a lot of sense: if the only images we see of people wearing turbans are those two, then we might associate turbans with terrorists. And for people who've suffered harassment and violence as a result of this, they don't need any intellectualizing of the issue. It's real.

The only non-documentary in the list above is Punching at the Sun, which feels somewhat like a documentary. I blown away with the writing/storytelling and acting. There's already another discussion of this film elsewhere on our blog, so I'll just leave it at that.

Tonight my mom and I are going to watch China Blue. Then it's closing night for me.

Posted by momo at 9:33 AM | Comments (1)

...Whose Children Are These? and Dastaar are films I've seen within a 48-hour span.

So I have been watching a bunch of documentaries at the SFIAAFF. I'm not sure why I'm drawn towards documentaries, and Asian American documentaries at that. Perhaps I feel like it's my job, since Hyphen is an Asian American magazine.

I think another factor is that a lot of documentaries aren't shown elsewhere. Because I'm not directly involved with justice work, I feel like I have to catch these films here. I watch them for my own education.

Oh yeah, I've been bringing my mom to these films too. She's visiting this week, and I thought, what better way for mother/daughter bonding than over Asian American films about deportation, racism, and overall injustices? Apparently, I am not the only one with this idea, 'cause yesterday at Grassroots Rising I saw someone I knew, who'd brought her father (go dads!), and one of the filmmakers brought his dad to the screening, but I guess that's a little different.

Anyway, like I said, yesterday we watched Grassroots Rising. They also showed two shorter documentaries, Dastaar: Defending Sikh Identity and Whose Children Are These? I think out of all the film programs I've seen, this one is one of the best - if not the best - not only because the documentaries are well-made, but because they are timely and explore/expose important issues. The theatre was mostly full, but of course certainly not as packed as the crowd for opening night at Americanese. The theatre itself was much smaller than the Castro.

On Saturday we watched Sentenced Home about Cambodian Americans who've been deported. After we watched the film, I think my mother said something to my friend along the lines of, "something should be done about this." The film says 1,500 Cambodian Americans are awaiting deportation, and many have been deported already.

I think what all films were good at showing, which I am not doing a good job of, is showing how all of this affects families. If you just look objectively at data - say, 1,500, we might think, well, that's not a lot of people compared to ___. But that shouldn't matter. And especially in tight-knit communities, things tend to have a much larger impact on the community. It's 1,500 people, but think about how that impacts all the friends, relatives, families. All torn apart (again).

Same with Whose Children Are These?, about the special registration after 9/11 (83,000 men registered, 14,000 detained, all are men - just thinking about what that does to families hurts). None were found to be terrorists, but many were still deported for technical reasons, like not having their immigration papers in order. What?

Dastaar is about how Sikhs have suffered every single time there was anything terrorist-related news in the world, for the last 20 or so years or even longer. Beyond the "Sikhs are not Muslims" reasoning, it's just really messed up. So the film explores a little bit about what Sikhism means and why people wear the dastaar (turban). They juxtaposed that with images of bin Laden and Hussein. The reasoning is simplistic but makes a lot of sense: if the only images we see of people wearing turbans are those two, then we might associate turbans with terrorists. And for people who've suffered harassment and violence as a result of this, they don't need any intellectualizing of the issue. It's real.

The only non-documentary in the list above is Punching at the Sun, which feels somewhat like a documentary. I blown away with the writing/storytelling and acting. There's already another discussion of this film elsewhere on our blog, so I'll just leave it at that.

Tonight my mom and I are going to watch China Blue. Then it's closing night for me.

Posted by momo at 9:33 AM | Comments (1)

Omigosh you'll never guess who I saw yesterday! It was after a screening of 'Conventioneers' at the SFIAAF* and the filmmaker, the gorgeous Mora Mi-Ok Stephens, was talking to a guy with cheekbones out to HERE. "that guy looks totally familiar," i said. "he's someone famous," my date confirmed.
... "Daniel Dae Kim!" i said rather indiscreetly (but i didn't yell it, and of that I'm am proud). and i did feel a little giddy. a lot giddy. I have been called a starf&%cker in the past, and I can't deny it. well, I can deny it in a literal sense... but not necessarily by personal choice.

Anyway, ahem, moving right along...
That's not why i've pulled my head out of the sand to blog today, not at all.

I actually volunteered to take notes in the dark for a program of shorts, called "The Life Quixotic." All were centered around the theme of "love". And if you can hurry up and get there, in the 30 minutes between posting this blog and when the next showing of it starts on Sunday at noon, GO SEE IT.

Last year I saw a program of shorts at the festival that basically totally sucked. I don't remember much about it except total disappointment. But it's the luck of the draw, and this year every single one was awesome.

Standouts? "Spy Moms" by William Lu takes the typical Chinese mom's prying and control to another level --a world of hi-tech surveillance and undercover tactics. It definitely got the loudest laughs, because despite rather weak acting the satiric yet somehow affectionate take on the overbearing Asian mom is all too familiar to most of us.

Another favorite: "Slip of the Tongue" by Skyline High School junior Karen Lum. Using the slam poetry of Adriel Luis as a soundtrack, the film's quick and unpredictable editing -- and Luis's even faster speaking--deconstructs the protagonist's attempted pickup line, "What's your ethic makeup?" to a girl at the bus stop. Really interesting cuts and cinematography, plus the extremely sharp spoken word, completely made up for the low-budget, DV look of the piece. Lum admitted in the Q&A later that the film "cost about 5 bucks."

Hauntingly beautiful was the Japanese entry, "Blue." Nominally about a woman deeply in love with a married man, the film captures the quiet, desperate longing and loneliness of Sakura, who sees her story reflected in a threesome of young schoolkids that visit her fruit stand. She has slow, meaningful conversations with the left-out girl who's asked for cherries: "You can't eat them. It's not yet the season. But if you wait long enough, you can eat them." Laden with double meaning.

The slow shots and ponderous cinematography are the target of what was probably my favorite film, "My Prince, My Angel." I was so disappointed that the filmmakers weren't in attendance, because I wanted to ask them about the strange, made-up language they had their actors intone in melodramatic tones throughout. Though the characters had names like "Shen" and "Ship Ship Roo" --they spoke what seemed to be a gibberish that sometimes resembled Chinese, sometimes Korean, sometimes almost Vietnamese, all with varyingly strong American accents. The soundtrack used the evocative music from Wong Kar-Wai's "In the Mood for Love," but you could see the filmmaker's poking fun at the arthouse films coming out of China --the girl in the rickshaw, the fortune pinned to a blue rose on the ceiling, the montage of the two lovebirds frolicking through picnics and parks. The film was innovative and beautifully shot, and it never lost it's undercurrent of fun beneath the a dramatic emotions of its storyline.

Three other films, "Bunny and Clydo" -with a $100,000 budget spent on pyrotechnics! and "Not a Fucking Blonde -following an Asian couple's fight in the subway through an ugly subterrain of ethnic insecurity, and "The Light" a weird little film about a guy who can't make a traffic light in his morning routine -rounded out the program. If this is the direction that Asian American cinema is going to take, I'm really psyched.

Meanwhile, starspotting is still a viable pastime as you wait in line at the festival, so keep your eyes peeled and I'll see you at the festival!

*San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival

Posted by jennifer at 11:02 AM | Comments (6)

Omigosh you'll never guess who I saw yesterday! It was after a screening of 'Conventioneers' at the SFIAAF* and the filmmaker, the gorgeous Mora Mi-Ok Stephens, was talking to a guy with cheekbones out to HERE. "that guy looks totally familiar," i said. "he's someone famous," my date confirmed.
... "Daniel Dae Kim!" i said rather indiscreetly (but i didn't yell it, and of that I'm am proud). and i did feel a little giddy. a lot giddy. I have been called a starf&%cker in the past, and I can't deny it. well, I can deny it in a literal sense... but not necessarily by personal choice.

Anyway, ahem, moving right along...
That's not why i've pulled my head out of the sand to blog today, not at all.

I actually volunteered to take notes in the dark for a program of shorts, called "The Life Quixotic." All were centered around the theme of "love". And if you can hurry up and get there, in the 30 minutes between posting this blog and when the next showing of it starts on Sunday at noon, GO SEE IT.

Last year I saw a program of shorts at the festival that basically totally sucked. I don't remember much about it except total disappointment. But it's the luck of the draw, and this year every single one was awesome.

Standouts? "Spy Moms" by William Lu takes the typical Chinese mom's prying and control to another level --a world of hi-tech surveillance and undercover tactics. It definitely got the loudest laughs, because despite rather weak acting the satiric yet somehow affectionate take on the overbearing Asian mom is all too familiar to most of us.

Another favorite: "Slip of the Tongue" by Skyline High School junior Karen Lum. Using the slam poetry of Adriel Luis as a soundtrack, the film's quick and unpredictable editing -- and Luis's even faster speaking--deconstructs the protagonist's attempted pickup line, "What's your ethic makeup?" to a girl at the bus stop. Really interesting cuts and cinematography, plus the extremely sharp spoken word, completely made up for the low-budget, DV look of the piece. Lum admitted in the Q&A later that the film "cost about 5 bucks."

Hauntingly beautiful was the Japanese entry, "Blue." Nominally about a woman deeply in love with a married man, the film captures the quiet, desperate longing and loneliness of Sakura, who sees her story reflected in a threesome of young schoolkids that visit her fruit stand. She has slow, meaningful conversations with the left-out girl who's asked for cherries: "You can't eat them. It's not yet the season. But if you wait long enough, you can eat them." Laden with double meaning.

The slow shots and ponderous cinematography are the target of what was probably my favorite film, "My Prince, My Angel." I was so disappointed that the filmmakers weren't in attendance, because I wanted to ask them about the strange, made-up language they had their actors intone in melodramatic tones throughout. Though the characters had names like "Shen" and "Ship Ship Roo" --they spoke what seemed to be a gibberish that sometimes resembled Chinese, sometimes Korean, sometimes almost Vietnamese, all with varyingly strong American accents. The soundtrack used the evocative music from Wong Kar-Wai's "In the Mood for Love," but you could see the filmmaker's poking fun at the arthouse films coming out of China --the girl in the rickshaw, the fortune pinned to a blue rose on the ceiling, the montage of the two lovebirds frolicking through picnics and parks. The film was innovative and beautifully shot, and it never lost it's undercurrent of fun beneath the a dramatic emotions of its storyline.

Three other films, "Bunny and Clydo" -with a $100,000 budget spent on pyrotechnics! and "Not a Fucking Blonde -following an Asian couple's fight in the subway through an ugly subterrain of ethnic insecurity, and "The Light" a weird little film about a guy who can't make a traffic light in his morning routine -rounded out the program. If this is the direction that Asian American cinema is going to take, I'm really psyched.

Meanwhile, starspotting is still a viable pastime as you wait in line at the festival, so keep your eyes peeled and I'll see you at the festival!

*San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival

Posted by jennifer at 11:02 AM | Comments (6)

Omigosh you'll never guess who I saw yesterday! It was after a screening of 'Conventioneers' at the SFIAAF* and the filmmaker, the gorgeous Mora Mi-Ok Stephens, was talking to a guy with cheekbones out to HERE. "that guy looks totally familiar," i said. "he's someone famous," my date confirmed.
... "Daniel Dae Kim!" i said rather indiscreetly (but i didn't yell it, and of that I'm am proud). and i did feel a little giddy. a lot giddy. I have been called a starf&%cker in the past, and I can't deny it. well, I can deny it in a literal sense... but not necessarily by personal choice.

Anyway, ahem, moving right along...
That's not why i've pulled my head out of the sand to blog today, not at all.

I actually volunteered to take notes in the dark for a program of shorts, called "The Life Quixotic." All were centered around the theme of "love". And if you can hurry up and get there, in the 30 minutes between posting this blog and when the next showing of it starts on Sunday at noon, GO SEE IT.

Last year I saw a program of shorts at the festival that basically totally sucked. I don't remember much about it except total disappointment. But it's the luck of the draw, and this year every single one was awesome.

Standouts? "Spy Moms" by William Lu takes the typical Chinese mom's prying and control to another level --a world of hi-tech surveillance and undercover tactics. It definitely got the loudest laughs, because despite rather weak acting the satiric yet somehow affectionate take on the overbearing Asian mom is all too familiar to most of us.

Another favorite: "Slip of the Tongue" by Skyline High School junior Karen Lum. Using the slam poetry of Adriel Luis as a soundtrack, the film's quick and unpredictable editing -- and Luis's even faster speaking--deconstructs the protagonist's attempted pickup line, "What's your ethic makeup?" to a girl at the bus stop. Really interesting cuts and cinematography, plus the extremely sharp spoken word, completely made up for the low-budget, DV look of the piece. Lum admitted in the Q&A later that the film "cost about 5 bucks."

Hauntingly beautiful was the Japanese entry, "Blue." Nominally about a woman deeply in love with a married man, the film captures the quiet, desperate longing and loneliness of Sakura, who sees her story reflected in a threesome of young schoolkids that visit her fruit stand. She has slow, meaningful conversations with the left-out girl who's asked for cherries: "You can't eat them. It's not yet the season. But if you wait long enough, you can eat them." Laden with double meaning.

The slow shots and ponderous cinematography are the target of what was probably my favorite film, "My Prince, My Angel." I was so disappointed that the filmmakers weren't in attendance, because I wanted to ask them about the strange, made-up language they had their actors intone in melodramatic tones throughout. Though the characters had names like "Shen" and "Ship Ship Roo" --they spoke what seemed to be a gibberish that sometimes resembled Chinese, sometimes Korean, sometimes almost Vietnamese, all with varyingly strong American accents. The soundtrack used the evocative music from Wong Kar-Wai's "In the Mood for Love," but you could see the filmmaker's poking fun at the arthouse films coming out of China --the girl in the rickshaw, the fortune pinned to a blue rose on the ceiling, the montage of the two lovebirds frolicking through picnics and parks. The film was innovative and beautifully shot, and it never lost it's undercurrent of fun beneath the a dramatic emotions of its storyline.

Three other films, "Bunny and Clydo" -with a $100,000 budget spent on pyrotechnics! and "Not a Fucking Blonde -following an Asian couple's fight in the subway through an ugly subterrain of ethnic insecurity, and "The Light" a weird little film about a guy who can't make a traffic light in his morning routine -rounded out the program. If this is the direction that Asian American cinema is going to take, I'm really psyched.

Meanwhile, starspotting is still a viable pastime as you wait in line at the festival, so keep your eyes peeled and I'll see you at the festival!

*San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival

Posted by jennifer at 11:02 AM | Comments (6)

The San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival continues with week - check out www.asianamericanfilmfestival.org for a full list of films and events in San Francisco, Berkeley and San Jose. And visit Hyphen’s SFIAAFF page!

Friday, March 24 – SF/Bay Area

Discuss Memoirs of a Geisha with members of the APA community in “Film, Fact, or Hollywood Fantasy: Deconstructing the Asian Mystique.” Panelists include Judi Nihei, artistic director of Northwest Asian American Theatre, Pearl Wong of the 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors and Jennifer Yamamoto, editor of www.rottentomatoes.com. (8pm, Dryden Hall, Saint Mary’s College. 1928 Saint Mary's Rd., Moraga, CA. 925.631.4239. Free).

Saturday, March 25 – Oakland

Making Connections features reflections of oral history participants and artists involved in Still Present Pasts, a multimedia exhibit by Korean American artists about the Korean War, including a dialogue about connections between exhibit themes and the experience and struggles of non-Korean communities in California and beyond such as the Philippines, Iraq, Afghanistan, Chile, El Salvador and the Muslim diaspora. (1-3pm, ProArts Gallery, 550 Second St., Oakland. www.stillpresentpasts.org, www.proartsgallery.org. 510.763.4361. Free).

email events to: momo@hyphenmagazine.com.

Visit www.manja.org for up-to-date API arts events and news in the SF/Bay Area.

Posted by momo at 9:17 AM | Comments (0)

The San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival continues with week - check out www.asianamericanfilmfestival.org for a full list of films and events in San Francisco, Berkeley and San Jose. And visit Hyphen’s SFIAAFF page!

Friday, March 24 – SF/Bay Area

Discuss Memoirs of a Geisha with members of the APA community in “Film, Fact, or Hollywood Fantasy: Deconstructing the Asian Mystique.” Panelists include Judi Nihei, artistic director of Northwest Asian American Theatre, Pearl Wong of the 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors and Jennifer Yamamoto, editor of www.rottentomatoes.com. (8pm, Dryden Hall, Saint Mary’s College. 1928 Saint Mary's Rd., Moraga, CA. 925.631.4239. Free).

Saturday, March 25 – Oakland

Making Connections features reflections of oral history participants and artists involved in Still Present Pasts, a multimedia exhibit by Korean American artists about the Korean War, including a dialogue about connections between exhibit themes and the experience and struggles of non-Korean communities in California and beyond such as the Philippines, Iraq, Afghanistan, Chile, El Salvador and the Muslim diaspora. (1-3pm, ProArts Gallery, 550 Second St., Oakland. www.stillpresentpasts.org, www.proartsgallery.org. 510.763.4361. Free).

email events to: momo@hyphenmagazine.com.

Visit www.manja.org for up-to-date API arts events and news in the SF/Bay Area.

Posted by momo at 9:17 AM | Comments (0)

The San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival continues with week - check out www.asianamericanfilmfestival.org for a full list of films and events in San Francisco, Berkeley and San Jose. And visit Hyphen�s SFIAAFF page!

Friday, March 24 � SF/Bay Area

Discuss Memoirs of a Geisha with members of the APA community in �Film, Fact, or Hollywood Fantasy: Deconstructing the Asian Mystique.� Panelists include Judi Nihei, artistic director of Northwest Asian American Theatre, Pearl Wong of the 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors and Jennifer Yamamoto, editor of www.rottentomatoes.com. (8pm, Dryden Hall, Saint Mary�s College. 1928 Saint Mary's Rd., Moraga, CA. 925.631.4239. Free).

Saturday, March 25 � Oakland

Making Connections features reflections of oral history participants and artists involved in Still Present Pasts, a multimedia exhibit by Korean American artists about the Korean War, including a dialogue about connections between exhibit themes and the experience and struggles of non-Korean communities in California and beyond such as the Philippines, Iraq, Afghanistan, Chile, El Salvador and the Muslim diaspora. (1-3pm, ProArts Gallery, 550 Second St., Oakland. www.stillpresentpasts.org, www.proartsgallery.org. 510.763.4361. Free).

email events to: momo@hyphenmagazine.com.

Visit www.manja.org for up-to-date API arts events and news in the SF/Bay Area.

Posted by momo at 9:17 AM | Comments (0)

I know the festival is already in full-swing, but I just wanted to point out some awesome South Asian picks for you to attend in the next few days. And the best thing about the South Asian films is that if you miss them this weekend or this week, you can make a field trip out of it next weekend and head down to San Jose and maybe stop for some yummy South Indian food on the way.

[I know this is off-topic entirely, but a new South Indian” restaurant opened in my neighborhood recently and all I wanted it to be was a greasy hole-in-the-wall where I could get dosas bigger than my head. The place is more up-scale and Mission hipster and I have a friend who downright dissed on it, but I still haven’t managed to eat there – they’re only open for dinner and then only until 10. I might have to do another post dedicated to my diatribe about the monopoly of North Indian restaurants and the need for the South Indian flavors to take-over. But yes, another time ….]

Anyway, my number one pick for a MUST-SEE South Asian film at the festival has got to be Punching at the Sun, directed by Tanuj Chopra. It is about a South Asian kid in Queens who is dealing with his anger and confusion in the aftermath of his older brother’s senseless death and with basic survival in the post-9.11 world. I can honestly say that this is the best South Asian American film I have ever seen – and I’m pretty sure that I’ve seen almost all of them – [well except for Chutney Popcorn, which you can get at Blockbuster but just never seemed interesting to me.] Chopra filmed it with mostly non-actors from South Asian Youth Action (SAYA!), a South Asian youth community organization in Queens. It really reminded me of the brilliant Raising Victor Vargas because of the raw community aspect – and all the youngsters in the film nailed it. There is hip hop, heartbreak, magic and a little bit of romance. You can’t go wrong. Anyway, make sure to check it out and if anyone has seen it thus far – I’d love to hear what you think.

Of course, the Third-I Shorts program is always a great show. This year they have some really interesting international picks. Specifically, Lucky, which concerns a South African AIDS orphan and his relationship with an older Indian woman and Grinding Machine from India, which is frightening and does amazing things with sound and framing. The short Time and the Hour Run is a great surrealist piece that made me think about how excited I am that South Asian directors and putting some fantastical touches into their films. I can’t wait for the South Asian American David Lynch to burst onto the scene – I might have to quit this writing thing and go be a key grip or something when that happens.

Otherwise, Deepa Mehta’s Water – the third of her elemental trilogy, which was so controversial that the filming was stopped in India – is also playing. This is a great opportunity to beat the crowd and see this film before it gets a wider release next month. In terms of international films from India, I have loved everything I have seen by Bengali auteur Buddhadeb Dasgupta – perhaps the David Lynch of India – so his Memories in the Mist would be a good one to get high and check out. And it is always a blast to see Bollywood in full-Technicolor glory at the Castro. This year’s pick Parineeta has one of the best (meaning most ridiculous) Bollywood finales that I’ve seen lately.

Posted by neela at 10:43 PM | Comments (5)

I know the festival is already in full-swing, but I just wanted to point out some awesome South Asian picks for you to attend in the next few days. And the best thing about the South Asian films is that if you miss them this weekend or this week, you can make a field trip out of it next weekend and head down to San Jose and maybe stop for some yummy South Indian food on the way.

[I know this is off-topic entirely, but a new South Indian” restaurant opened in my neighborhood recently and all I wanted it to be was a greasy hole-in-the-wall where I could get dosas bigger than my head. The place is more up-scale and Mission hipster and I have a friend who downright dissed on it, but I still haven’t managed to eat there – they’re only open for dinner and then only until 10. I might have to do another post dedicated to my diatribe about the monopoly of North Indian restaurants and the need for the South Indian flavors to take-over. But yes, another time ….]

Anyway, my number one pick for a MUST-SEE South Asian film at the festival has got to be Punching at the Sun, directed by Tanuj Chopra. It is about a South Asian kid in Queens who is dealing with his anger and confusion in the aftermath of his older brother’s senseless death and with basic survival in the post-9.11 world. I can honestly say that this is the best South Asian American film I have ever seen – and I’m pretty sure that I’ve seen almost all of them – [well except for Chutney Popcorn, which you can get at Blockbuster but just never seemed interesting to me.] Chopra filmed it with mostly non-actors from South Asian Youth Action (SAYA!), a South Asian youth community organization in Queens. It really reminded me of the brilliant Raising Victor Vargas because of the raw community aspect – and all the youngsters in the film nailed it. There is hip hop, heartbreak, magic and a little bit of romance. You can’t go wrong. Anyway, make sure to check it out and if anyone has seen it thus far – I’d love to hear what you think.

Of course, the Third-I Shorts program is always a great show. This year they have some really interesting international picks. Specifically, Lucky, which concerns a South African AIDS orphan and his relationship with an older Indian woman and Grinding Machine from India, which is frightening and does amazing things with sound and framing. The short Time and the Hour Run is a great surrealist piece that made me think about how excited I am that South Asian directors and putting some fantastical touches into their films. I can’t wait for the South Asian American David Lynch to burst onto the scene – I might have to quit this writing thing and go be a key grip or something when that happens.

Otherwise, Deepa Mehta’s Water – the third of her elemental trilogy, which was so controversial that the filming was stopped in India – is also playing. This is a great opportunity to beat the crowd and see this film before it gets a wider release next month. In terms of international films from India, I have loved everything I have seen by Bengali auteur Buddhadeb Dasgupta – perhaps the David Lynch of India – so his Memories in the Mist would be a good one to get high and check out. And it is always a blast to see Bollywood in full-Technicolor glory at the Castro. This year’s pick Parineeta has one of the best (meaning most ridiculous) Bollywood finales that I’ve seen lately.

Posted by neela at 10:43 PM | Comments (5)

I know the festival is already in full-swing, but I just wanted to point out some awesome South Asian picks for you to attend in the next few days. And the best thing about the South Asian films is that if you miss them this weekend or this week, you can make a field trip out of it next weekend and head down to San Jose and maybe stop for some yummy South Indian food on the way.

[I know this is off-topic entirely, but a new South Indian� restaurant opened in my neighborhood recently and all I wanted it to be was a greasy hole-in-the-wall where I could get dosas bigger than my head. The place is more up-scale and Mission hipster and I have a friend who downright dissed on it, but I still haven�t managed to eat there � they�re only open for dinner and then only until 10. I might have to do another post dedicated to my diatribe about the monopoly of North Indian restaurants and the need for the South Indian flavors to take-over. But yes, another time �.]

Anyway, my number one pick for a MUST-SEE South Asian film at the festival has got to be Punching at the Sun, directed by Tanuj Chopra. It is about a South Asian kid in Queens who is dealing with his anger and confusion in the aftermath of his older brother�s senseless death and with basic survival in the post-9.11 world. I can honestly say that this is the best South Asian American film I have ever seen � and I�m pretty sure that I�ve seen almost all of them � [well except for Chutney Popcorn, which you can get at Blockbuster but just never seemed interesting to me.] Chopra filmed it with mostly non-actors from South Asian Youth Action (SAYA!), a South Asian youth community organization in Queens. It really reminded me of the brilliant Raising Victor Vargas because of the raw community aspect � and all the youngsters in the film nailed it. There is hip hop, heartbreak, magic and a little bit of romance. You can�t go wrong. Anyway, make sure to check it out and if anyone has seen it thus far � I�d love to hear what you think.

Of course, the Third-I Shorts program is always a great show. This year they have some really interesting international picks. Specifically, Lucky, which concerns a South African AIDS orphan and his relationship with an older Indian woman and Grinding Machine from India, which is frightening and does amazing things with sound and framing. The short Time and the Hour Run is a great surrealist piece that made me think about how excited I am that South Asian directors and putting some fantastical touches into their films. I can�t wait for the South Asian American David Lynch to burst onto the scene � I might have to quit this writing thing and go be a key grip or something when that happens.

Otherwise, Deepa Mehta�s Water � the third of her elemental trilogy, which was so controversial that the filming was stopped in India � is also playing. This is a great opportunity to beat the crowd and see this film before it gets a wider release next month. In terms of international films from India, I have loved everything I have seen by Bengali auteur Buddhadeb Dasgupta � perhaps the David Lynch of India � so his Memories in the Mist would be a good one to get high and check out. And it is always a blast to see Bollywood in full-Technicolor glory at the Castro. This year�s pick Parineeta has one of the best (meaning most ridiculous) Bollywood finales that I�ve seen lately.

Posted by neela at 10:43 PM | Comments (5)

For those of you who came to the Opening night movie last night, here's your chance to give your opinions some air time. Again, no proper review from me. Is it that I'm just lazy? Maybe. Whatever it is, I'm jumping to the fun part: the So What'd You Think?

Of course, I always hate it when after a movie someone actually comes out and asks me that first, because if I say I liked it and then it turns out my viewing partner didn't, then I feel like an idiot. But since this is my blog, *I* get to ask first. I'll share some of the comments/ questions my friends and I threw around afterwards, though, as diving boards.

-- Americanese or American Knees? For those of you who've read the book too, how do they compare to you?
Some of my friends noted that the casting of Allison Sie, for one, made for a very different Aurora than we'd pictured from the book -- and I for one liked her better in the movie. This may be related to the next question, which is...

-- American Knees is a straight Asian male fantasy of the ideal Asian man and his ideal Asian female partner (Aurora as luscious young hapa beauty, Raymond as Asian man repeatedly able to sleep with white women) -- agree or disagree? Would you say the same or different about the movie? More or less texture & traction to the characters?

-- At the Q&A session after the movie, someone from the audience asked (and was never answered) about ethnic considerations in the casting. Namely, how can the AsAm community protest careless ethnic casting in Memoirs of a Geisha, when in our own films we cast Asians interchangeably? Joan Chen as a Vietnamese woman, Sab Shimono & Chris Tashima as Chinese father & son? oo, good question.

-- My favorite part of the movie was Joan Chen. A friend of mine came up to me during the party and swore that he thought she had managed to channel a Vietnamese woman on camera. Whether she gave a terrific performance as a Vietnamese woman, I don't know; I was aware of her as Joan Chen the entire time, and frankly I don't know any women of any ethnicity that remind me of Joan Chen. So I was smitten by the vividness of the character & her performance. But anyway, since she's my favorite I picked her picture. Your favorite?

-- Anything else you care to toss in the discussion mix, go for it.

Posted by erin at 10:39 AM | Comments (14)

For those of you who came to the Opening night movie last night, here's your chance to give your opinions some air time. Again, no proper review from me. Is it that I'm just lazy? Maybe. Whatever it is, I'm jumping to the fun part: the So What'd You Think?

Of course, I always hate it when after a movie someone actually comes out and asks me that first, because if I say I liked it and then it turns out my viewing partner didn't, then I feel like an idiot. But since this is my blog, *I* get to ask first. I'll share some of the comments/ questions my friends and I threw around afterwards, though, as diving boards.

-- Americanese or American Knees? For those of you who've read the book too, how do they compare to you?
Some of my friends noted that the casting of Allison Sie, for one, made for a very different Aurora than we'd pictured from the book -- and I for one liked her better in the movie. This may be related to the next question, which is...

-- American Knees is a straight Asian male fantasy of the ideal Asian man and his ideal Asian female partner (Aurora as luscious young hapa beauty, Raymond as Asian man repeatedly able to sleep with white women) -- agree or disagree? Would you say the same or different about the movie? More or less texture & traction to the characters?

-- At the Q&A session after the movie, someone from the audience asked (and was never answered) about ethnic considerations in the casting. Namely, how can the AsAm community protest careless ethnic casting in Memoirs of a Geisha, when in our own films we cast Asians interchangeably? Joan Chen as a Vietnamese woman, Sab Shimono & Chris Tashima as Chinese father & son? oo, good question.

-- My favorite part of the movie was Joan Chen. A friend of mine came up to me during the party and swore that he thought she had managed to channel a Vietnamese woman on camera. Whether she gave a terrific performance as a Vietnamese woman, I don't know; I was aware of her as Joan Chen the entire time, and frankly I don't know any women of any ethnicity that remind me of Joan Chen. So I was smitten by the vividness of the character & her performance. But anyway, since she's my favorite I picked her picture. Your favorite?

-- Anything else you care to toss in the discussion mix, go for it.

Posted by erin at 10:39 AM | Comments (14)

For those of you who came to the Opening night movie last night, here's your chance to give your opinions some air time. Again, no proper review from me. Is it that I'm just lazy? Maybe. Whatever it is, I'm jumping to the fun part: the So What'd You Think?

Of course, I always hate it when after a movie someone actually comes out and asks me that first, because if I say I liked it and then it turns out my viewing partner didn't, then I feel like an idiot. But since this is my blog, *I* get to ask first. I'll share some of the comments/ questions my friends and I threw around afterwards, though, as diving boards.

-- Americanese or American Knees? For those of you who've read the book too, how do they compare to you?
Some of my friends noted that the casting of Allison Sie, for one, made for a very different Aurora than we'd pictured from the book -- and I for one liked her better in the movie. This may be related to the next question, which is...

-- American Knees is a straight Asian male fantasy of the ideal Asian man and his ideal Asian female partner (Aurora as luscious young hapa beauty, Raymond as Asian man repeatedly able to sleep with white women) -- agree or disagree? Would you say the same or different about the movie? More or less texture & traction to the characters?

-- At the Q&A session after the movie, someone from the audience asked (and was never answered) about ethnic considerations in the casting. Namely, how can the AsAm community protest careless ethnic casting in Memoirs of a Geisha, when in our own films we cast Asians interchangeably? Joan Chen as a Vietnamese woman, Sab Shimono & Chris Tashima as Chinese father & son? oo, good question.

-- My favorite part of the movie was Joan Chen. A friend of mine came up to me during the party and swore that he thought she had managed to channel a Vietnamese woman on camera. Whether she gave a terrific performance as a Vietnamese woman, I don't know; I was aware of her as Joan Chen the entire time, and frankly I don't know any women of any ethnicity that remind me of Joan Chen. So I was smitten by the vividness of the character & her performance. But anyway, since she's my favorite I picked her picture. Your favorite?

-- Anything else you care to toss in the discussion mix, go for it.

Posted by erin at 10:39 AM | Comments (14)

Only one day til the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival starts! I'll be at the opening night film, Americanese by Eric Byler. (Byler was the director of Charlotte Sometimes, which screened at the festival three years ago.) The film is based on Shawn Wong's novel American Knees. I'm curious to see how this novel will be translated on to the screen.

Here's a story in the Chron about our friends who run the festival: Asian American Vision Expands.

Better get your tickets now because screenings tend to sell out, especially on the weekends. That goes for me too. I've usually mapped out what I will be seeing by this point, but this year I'm behind and haven't read the catalog yet! Any recommendations? What do you plan to see?

Posted by Melissa at 11:12 AM | Comments (1)

Only one day til the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival starts! I'll be at the opening night film, Americanese by Eric Byler. (Byler was the director of Charlotte Sometimes, which screened at the festival three years ago.) The film is based on Shawn Wong's novel American Knees. I'm curious to see how this novel will be translated on to the screen.

Here's a story in the Chron about our friends who run the festival: Asian American Vision Expands.

Better get your tickets now because screenings tend to sell out, especially on the weekends. That goes for me too. I've usually mapped out what I will be seeing by this point, but this year I'm behind and haven't read the catalog yet! Any recommendations? What do you plan to see?

Posted by Melissa at 11:12 AM | Comments (1)

Only one day til the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival starts! I'll be at the opening night film, Americanese by Eric Byler. (Byler was the director of Charlotte Sometimes, which screened at the festival three years ago.) The film is based on Shawn Wong's novel American Knees. I'm curious to see how this novel will be translated on to the screen.

Here's a story in the Chron about our friends who run the festival: Asian American Vision Expands.

Better get your tickets now because screenings tend to sell out, especially on the weekends. That goes for me too. I've usually mapped out what I will be seeing by this point, but this year I'm behind and haven't read the catalog yet! Any recommendations? What do you plan to see?

Posted by Melissa at 11:12 AM | Comments (1)

The countdown to opening night of the film festival being only a few days now, I'm going to kick off Hyphen's SFIAAFF movie blogging -- with the closing night film.

But this is not going to be a review, the way you expect films to be reviewed. There's a fine review by Ravi Chandra (Hyphen subscriber & friend :) ) all wrapped up and ready to roll, which you can find here. No need for me to reinvent that wheel.

This is more of a meditation on what "Journey from the Fall" surfaces for me and perhaps other 2nd-generation Vietnamese Americans like me. This is a movie my parents saw before I did. This is a film they asked me to see. Because through it, they hope I will see a war I never witnessed, and have never quite known how to form my own opinion about.

You may have heard before, from some other Vietnamese American kid growing up in the States, how raw it felt whenever our country, that war, came up in social studies, in passing remarks, in movies... Always, Viet Nam was spoken in someone else's bitterness, someone else's shame or anger or loss.

I grew up in a sea of my parents' mourning: everything that had been taken from them they superimposed on everything they were trying to rebuild. And so it was never just the past -- it was also the rosy-if-third-world future they'd seen on their honeymoon, the perfectly-obedient-Vietnamese (not Vietnamese American) children they would have had, if only all the forces that had created us would have just stopped and let us be. My family was tethered to a frozen moment, a flight from a garden that existed nowhere now on earth.

The U.S. withdrew from Sai Gon in 1975; I started school in 1978. My teachers were not deliberately political, and I don't have a memory of being singled out for humiliation. But I remember cringing when the recriminations flew around me, not sure if I was actually at fault. I took after my dad in developing an aversion to any movie about Viet Nam. The U.S. seemed intent on winning on screen the war it had lost in real life: killing in fantasy or studio the vermin they had not eradicated in villages overseas. And even though, as an ex-Navy officer for the South Vietnamese, my father had no qualms about Viet Cong dying -- I suspect that like me, watching these staged massacres, he did not feel far enough from the line of fire.

But if I couldn't take Hollywood's word for what happened to us, neither would I really take my parents'. In neither case, it seemed, were the implications for me quite favorable. Then I left for college. There I learned that the Viet Cong were heroic freedom fighters and the U.S. were post-colonial oppressors, which made both my parents *and* Hollywood wrong, which really seemed quite perfect.

If you were formed in the kind of Marxist/ ethnic studies/ post-colonial studies crucible that I was, then you have likely heard this third representation of the war -- one that serves a larger and admirable anti-imperialist doctrine, but I think, has refused to listen to the stories of Vietnamese refugees in order to keep its convictions firm, its denunciations clear. And I wonder if, between the two Western representations I've mentioned here, the academic account hasn't done the greater disservice to Vietnamese refugees -- given its professional obligation to educate, and its political boast to champion the oppressed.

But as the resources for movie production and distribution move increasingly out from under the thumb of big studios, the movie screen becomes increasingly a place (perhaps *the* place) for dissenting voices, even overtly political case-making. In movie theaters arguments are won, public opinion formed or changed; interestingly, the American public will pay for a ticket and some popcorn to be educated.

And so in "Journey from the Fall," a film (as Ravi says) of, by and for Vietnamese Americans, we have a different Viet Nam war on screen than the one that plagued my childhood. We have the images my parents have wanted me to see for thirty years, so that I could make up my mind as to who was really on my side. Hope my fellow armchair Marxists are lining up for their tickets; time to get a little more edumacated.

Posted by erin at 2:41 PM | Comments (4)

The countdown to opening night of the film festival being only a few days now, I'm going to kick off Hyphen's SFIAAFF movie blogging -- with the closing night film.

But this is not going to be a review, the way you expect films to be reviewed. There's a fine review by Ravi Chandra (Hyphen subscriber & friend :) ) all wrapped up and ready to roll, which you can find here. No need for me to reinvent that wheel.

This is more of a meditation on what "Journey from the Fall" surfaces for me and perhaps other 2nd-generation Vietnamese Americans like me. This is a movie my parents saw before I did. This is a film they asked me to see. Because through it, they hope I will see a war I never witnessed, and have never quite known how to form my own opinion about.

You may have heard before, from some other Vietnamese American kid growing up in the States, how raw it felt whenever our country, that war, came up in social studies, in passing remarks, in movies... Always, Viet Nam was spoken in someone else's bitterness, someone else's shame or anger or loss.

I grew up in a sea of my parents' mourning: everything that had been taken from them they superimposed on everything they were trying to rebuild. And so it was never just the past -- it was also the rosy-if-third-world future they'd seen on their honeymoon, the perfectly-obedient-Vietnamese (not Vietnamese American) children they would have had, if only all the forces that had created us would have just stopped and let us be. My family was tethered to a frozen moment, a flight from a garden that existed nowhere now on earth.

The U.S. withdrew from Sai Gon in 1975; I started school in 1978. My teachers were not deliberately political, and I don't have a memory of being singled out for humiliation. But I remember cringing when the recriminations flew around me, not sure if I was actually at fault. I took after my dad in developing an aversion to any movie about Viet Nam. The U.S. seemed intent on winning on screen the war it had lost in real life: killing in fantasy or studio the vermin they had not eradicated in villages overseas. And even though, as an ex-Navy officer for the South Vietnamese, my father had no qualms about Viet Cong dying -- I suspect that like me, watching these staged massacres, he did not feel far enough from the line of fire.

But if I couldn't take Hollywood's word for what happened to us, neither would I really take my parents'. In neither case, it seemed, were the implications for me quite favorable. Then I left for college. There I learned that the Viet Cong were heroic freedom fighters and the U.S. were post-colonial oppressors, which made both my parents *and* Hollywood wrong, which really seemed quite perfect.

If you were formed in the kind of Marxist/ ethnic studies/ post-colonial studies crucible that I was, then you have likely heard this third representation of the war -- one that serves a larger and admirable anti-imperialist doctrine, but I think, has refused to listen to the stories of Vietnamese refugees in order to keep its convictions firm, its denunciations clear. And I wonder if, between the two Western representations I've mentioned here, the academic account hasn't done the greater disservice to Vietnamese refugees -- given its professional obligation to educate, and its political boast to champion the oppressed.

But as the resources for movie production and distribution move increasingly out from under the thumb of big studios, the movie screen becomes increasingly a place (perhaps *the* place) for dissenting voices, even overtly political case-making. In movie theaters arguments are won, public opinion formed or changed; interestingly, the American public will pay for a ticket and some popcorn to be educated.

And so in "Journey from the Fall," a film (as Ravi says) of, by and for Vietnamese Americans, we have a different Viet Nam war on screen than the one that plagued my childhood. We have the images my parents have wanted me to see for thirty years, so that I could make up my mind as to who was really on my side. Hope my fellow armchair Marxists are lining up for their tickets; time to get a little more edumacated.

Posted by erin at 2:41 PM | Comments (4)

The countdown to opening night of the film festival being only a few days now, I'm going to kick off Hyphen's SFIAAFF movie blogging -- with the closing night film.

But this is not going to be a review, the way you expect films to be reviewed. There's a fine review by Ravi Chandra (Hyphen subscriber & friend :) ) all wrapped up and ready to roll, which you can find here. No need for me to reinvent that wheel.

This is more of a meditation on what "Journey from the Fall" surfaces for me and perhaps other 2nd-generation Vietnamese Americans like me. This is a movie my parents saw before I did. This is a film they asked me to see. Because through it, they hope I will see a war I never witnessed, and have never quite known how to form my own opinion about.

You may have heard before, from some other Vietnamese American kid growing up in the States, how raw it felt whenever our country, that war, came up in social studies, in passing remarks, in movies... Always, Viet Nam was spoken in someone else's bitterness, someone else's shame or anger or loss.

I grew up in a sea of my parents' mourning: everything that had been taken from them they superimposed on everything they were trying to rebuild. And so it was never just the past -- it was also the rosy-if-third-world future they'd seen on their honeymoon, the perfectly-obedient-Vietnamese (not Vietnamese American) children they would have had, if only all the forces that had created us would have just stopped and let us be. My family was tethered to a frozen moment, a flight from a garden that existed nowhere now on earth.

The U.S. withdrew from Sai Gon in 1975; I started school in 1978. My teachers were not deliberately political, and I don't have a memory of being singled out for humiliation. But I remember cringing when the recriminations flew around me, not sure if I was actually at fault. I took after my dad in developing an aversion to any movie about Viet Nam. The U.S. seemed intent on winning on screen the war it had lost in real life: killing in fantasy or studio the vermin they had not eradicated in villages overseas. And even though, as an ex-Navy officer for the South Vietnamese, my father had no qualms about Viet Cong dying -- I suspect that like me, watching these staged massacres, he did not feel far enough from the line of fire.

But if I couldn't take Hollywood's word for what happened to us, neither would I really take my parents'. In neither case, it seemed, were the implications for me quite favorable. Then I left for college. There I learned that the Viet Cong were heroic freedom fighters and the U.S. were post-colonial oppressors, which made both my parents *and* Hollywood wrong, which really seemed quite perfect.

If you were formed in the kind of Marxist/ ethnic studies/ post-colonial studies crucible that I was, then you have likely heard this third representation of the war -- one that serves a larger and admirable anti-imperialist doctrine, but I think, has refused to listen to the stories of Vietnamese refugees in order to keep its convictions firm, its denunciations clear. And I wonder if, between the two Western representations I've mentioned here, the academic account hasn't done the greater disservice to Vietnamese refugees -- given its professional obligation to educate, and its political boast to champion the oppressed.

But as the resources for movie production and distribution move increasingly out from under the thumb of big studios, the movie screen becomes increasingly a place (perhaps *the* place) for dissenting voices, even overtly political case-making. In movie theaters arguments are won, public opinion formed or changed; interestingly, the American public will pay for a ticket and some popcorn to be educated.

And so in "Journey from the Fall," a film (as Ravi says) of, by and for Vietnamese Americans, we have a different Viet Nam war on screen than the one that plagued my childhood. We have the images my parents have wanted me to see for thirty years, so that I could make up my mind as to who was really on my side. Hope my fellow armchair Marxists are lining up for their tickets; time to get a little more edumacated.

Posted by erin at 2:41 PM | Comments (4)

The SF International Asian American Film Festival (SFIAAFF) launches this week, plus Philly arts events…

Wednesday, March 15 – SF

Author Shawn Wong discusses his sexy novel American Knees at SF’s Cody Books this evening. The film incarnation of his novel, Americanese, directed by Eric Byler, is this year’s opening film for the SFIAAFF. (6pm, 2 Stockton St., SF. 415.773.0444. www.codysbooks.com. Free).

Thursday, March 16 – SF

The SFIAAFF opens this Thursday with Eric Byler’s Americanese, starring Chris Tashima, Allison Sie, Joan Chen, Kelly Hu. Film festival opening night gala follows at the Asian Art Museum. For full details about films and ticket information, visit www.asianamericanfilmfestival.org . (7pm, Castro Theatre, 429 Castro Street, SF; 9:30pm, Asian Art Museum, 200 Larkin Street, SF. $25-55).

Friday, March 17 – SF

Directions in Sound presents brave new indie rock featuring From Monument to Masses, Whysall Lane, Love Like Fire and Mike Park. (9pm-1am, Café du Nord, 2170 Market St., SF. www.cafedunord.com. $10).

Friday, March 17 – Philly

Re:location 2006 Artist Exchange performance event with a dozen APIA artists. Featured artists include Mango Tribers, Rodney Camarce, Ching-In Chen, Sham-e-Ali al Jamil, Mytili Jagannathan, Pradeepa Jeevamanoharan, Achinta McDaniel, Michelle Myers, Alison Park, Hanalei Ramos, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarsinha and Kristina Wong. (8pm, Asian Arts Initiative, 1315 Cherry St., 2nd Fl., Philadelphia, PA. 215.557.0455. www.asianartsinitiative.org. $6-8).

Saturday, March 18 – SF

Directions in Sound’s hip-hop showcase features Chicago’s The Pacifics, Bay Area’s Kero One, beat-boxer Leejay Abycayan and DJ’s Mike Nice, Haboko and Proof. (9pm-2am, 111 Minna Gallery, 111 Minna St., SF. www.asianamericanfilmfestival.org. $15).

Sunday, March 19 – Philly

Community Movement Workshop facilitated by APIA women’s performance group Mango Tribe. Develop individual movement and improvisation skills, and use these skills to express your thoughts about critical issues that impact our community such as violence, war, gentrification, and displacement. (10am-12pm, Asian Arts Initiative, 1315 Cherry St., 2nd Fl., Philadelphia, PA. 215.557.0455. www.asianartsinitiative.org. www.mangotribe.com. Free).

email events to: momo@hyphenmagazine.com.

Visit www.manja.org for up-to-date API arts events and news in the SF/Bay Area.

Posted by momo at 12:11 PM | Comments (1)

The SF International Asian American Film Festival (SFIAAFF) launches this week, plus Philly arts events…

Wednesday, March 15 – SF

Author Shawn Wong discusses his sexy novel American Knees at SF’s Cody Books this evening. The film incarnation of his novel, Americanese, directed by Eric Byler, is this year’s opening film for the SFIAAFF. (6pm, 2 Stockton St., SF. 415.773.0444. www.codysbooks.com. Free).

Thursday, March 16 – SF

The SFIAAFF opens this Thursday with Eric Byler’s Americanese, starring Chris Tashima, Allison Sie, Joan Chen, Kelly Hu. Film festival opening night gala follows at the Asian Art Museum. For full details about films and ticket information, visit www.asianamericanfilmfestival.org . (7pm, Castro Theatre, 429 Castro Street, SF; 9:30pm, Asian Art Museum, 200 Larkin Street, SF. $25-55).

Friday, March 17 – SF

Directions in Sound presents brave new indie rock featuring From Monument to Masses, Whysall Lane, Love Like Fire and Mike Park. (9pm-1am, Café du Nord, 2170 Market St., SF. www.cafedunord.com. $10).

Friday, March 17 – Philly

Re:location 2006 Artist Exchange performance event with a dozen APIA artists. Featured artists include Mango Tribers, Rodney Camarce, Ching-In Chen, Sham-e-Ali al Jamil, Mytili Jagannathan, Pradeepa Jeevamanoharan, Achinta McDaniel, Michelle Myers, Alison Park, Hanalei Ramos, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarsinha and Kristina Wong. (8pm, Asian Arts Initiative, 1315 Cherry St., 2nd Fl., Philadelphia, PA. 215.557.0455. www.asianartsinitiative.org. $6-8).

Saturday, March 18 – SF

Directions in Sound’s hip-hop showcase features Chicago’s The Pacifics, Bay Area’s Kero One, beat-boxer Leejay Abycayan and DJ’s Mike Nice, Haboko and Proof. (9pm-2am, 111 Minna Gallery, 111 Minna St., SF. www.asianamericanfilmfestival.org. $15).

Sunday, March 19 – Philly

Community Movement Workshop facilitated by APIA women’s performance group Mango Tribe. Develop individual movement and improvisation skills, and use these skills to express your thoughts about critical issues that impact our community such as violence, war, gentrification, and displacement. (10am-12pm, Asian Arts Initiative, 1315 Cherry St., 2nd Fl., Philadelphia, PA. 215.557.0455. www.asianartsinitiative.org. www.mangotribe.com. Free).

email events to: momo@hyphenmagazine.com.

Visit www.manja.org for up-to-date API arts events and news in the SF/Bay Area.

Posted by momo at 12:11 PM | Comments (1)

The SF International Asian American Film Festival (SFIAAFF) launches this week, plus Philly arts events�

Wednesday, March 15 � SF

Author Shawn Wong discusses his sexy novel American Knees at SF�s Cody Books this evening. The film incarnation of his novel, Americanese, directed by Eric Byler, is this year�s opening film for the SFIAAFF. (6pm, 2 Stockton St., SF. 415.773.0444. www.codysbooks.com. Free).

Thursday, March 16 � SF

The SFIAAFF opens this Thursday with Eric Byler�s Americanese, starring Chris Tashima, Allison Sie, Joan Chen, Kelly Hu. Film festival opening night gala follows at the Asian Art Museum. For full details about films and ticket information, visit www.asianamericanfilmfestival.org . (7pm, Castro Theatre, 429 Castro Street, SF; 9:30pm, Asian Art Museum, 200 Larkin Street, SF. $25-55).

Friday, March 17 � SF

Directions in Sound presents brave new indie rock featuring From Monument to Masses, Whysall Lane, Love Like Fire and Mike Park. (9pm-1am, Caf� du Nord, 2170 Market St., SF. www.cafedunord.com. $10).

Friday, March 17 � Philly

Re:location 2006 Artist Exchange performance event with a dozen APIA artists. Featured artists include Mango Tribers, Rodney Camarce, Ching-In Chen, Sham-e-Ali al Jamil, Mytili Jagannathan, Pradeepa Jeevamanoharan, Achinta McDaniel, Michelle Myers, Alison Park, Hanalei Ramos, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarsinha and Kristina Wong. (8pm, Asian Arts Initiative, 1315 Cherry St., 2nd Fl., Philadelphia, PA. 215.557.0455. www.asianartsinitiative.org. $6-8).

Saturday, March 18 � SF

Directions in Sound�s hip-hop showcase features Chicago�s The Pacifics, Bay Area�s Kero One, beat-boxer Leejay Abycayan and DJ�s Mike Nice, Haboko and Proof. (9pm-2am, 111 Minna Gallery, 111 Minna St., SF. www.asianamericanfilmfestival.org. $15).

Sunday, March 19 � Philly

Community Movement Workshop facilitated by APIA women�s performance group Mango Tribe. Develop individual movement and improvisation skills, and use these skills to express your thoughts about critical issues that impact our community such as violence, war, gentrification, and displacement. (10am-12pm, Asian Arts Initiative, 1315 Cherry St., 2nd Fl., Philadelphia, PA. 215.557.0455. www.asianartsinitiative.org. www.mangotribe.com. Free).

email events to: momo@hyphenmagazine.com.

Visit www.manja.org for up-to-date API arts events and news in the SF/Bay Area.

Posted by momo at 12:11 PM | Comments (1)

Some of us here at Hyphen love us some Project Runway. Last night Chloe Dao won season 2.

Now, I don't have cable so I haven't been following along exactly. I had no idea she's from Houston (my hometown!) nor that she owned this boutique called Lot 8 (which I had already heard about from my friends in Houston before the show). I'm totally dropping by the store next time I'm in town. I want to hear more about her story. About how she's one of 8 sisters, how her family fled following the fall of Saigon, how they ended up in Houston.

Here's an interview with Dao before her win. Anyways, now we can add her to our chart of Asian American reality show stars that ran a few issues back. Whoo hoo!

Posted by Melissa at 3:10 PM | Comments (1)

Some of us here at Hyphen love us some Project Runway. Last night Chloe Dao won season 2.

Now, I don't have cable so I haven't been following along exactly. I had no idea she's from Houston (my hometown!) nor that she owned this boutique called Lot 8 (which I had already heard about from my friends in Houston before the show). I'm totally dropping by the store next time I'm in town. I want to hear more about her story. About how she's one of 8 sisters, how her family fled following the fall of Saigon, how they ended up in Houston.

Here's an interview with Dao before her win. Anyways, now we can add her to our chart of Asian American reality show stars that ran a few issues back. Whoo hoo!

Posted by Melissa at 3:10 PM | Comments (1)

Some of us here at Hyphen love us some Project Runway. Last night Chloe Dao won season 2.

Now, I don't have cable so I haven't been following along exactly. I had no idea she's from Houston (my hometown!) nor that she owned this boutique called Lot 8 (which I had already heard about from my friends in Houston before the show). I'm totally dropping by the store next time I'm in town. I want to hear more about her story. About how she's one of 8 sisters, how her family fled following the fall of Saigon, how they ended up in Houston.

Here's an interview with Dao before her win. Anyways, now we can add her to our chart of Asian American reality show stars that ran a few issues back. Whoo hoo!

Posted by Melissa at 3:10 PM | Comments (1)

By William Wong

It may be churlish to insert a dissonant note in the lilting symphony of praise that the Oscar-winning best picture, Crash, is getting these days, but here it is: As impressive as Crash is in showing the multidimensional humanity – the good, the bad, and the gray in-betweens – of Los Angelenos of different ethnic backgrounds, the movie continues a Hollywood tradition of mostly one-dimensional portrayals of Asians.

Oh, no, you say: Not another yellowish whine! If Crash weren’t about complex racial and ethnic relationships, then my complaint would, indeed, be inappropriate, paranoid even.

But that was exactly the point of Crash, to portray the nuances of Los Angeles’s – and by extension, America’s – racial and ethnic relationships. So why would it portray East Asians in such an inept and unflattering way?

The movie has won deserved kudos for how it shows different facets of white, black, mideastern and Latino characters. Many of the characters in the film move from one set of attitudes to another, during the course of the film’s limited timeline. All except the two principal East Asian characters, who by the way are minor players compared with Matt Dillon’s racist cop and Terrence Howard’s uptight junior executive.

Granted, one of the East Asian characters goes through a transformation of sorts, but his denouement is anything but flattering. The East Asian woman is shrewish throughout.

Not that there isn’t truth to the characterizations of these particular East Asian stereotypes. We know of shrewish Asian and Asian American women. We know of criminally inclined Asian and Asian American men.

But if Crash’s director and screenwriters want to explore the depths of how people of varied racial and ethnic heritages behave toward one another, how come they didn’t add an East Asian or Asian American character that showed a modicum of humanity beyond the bitchy and evil?

It should no longer be a surprise or revelation that people of East Asian descent are a presence on the Technicolor American landscape. That’s been the case for more than a century and a half. Yet, it seems for some Americans, Asians and Asian Americans are Johnny and Janie-Come-Latelies and may not deserve more wide-ranging media portrayals.

More to the point of Hollywood movies – the fantasy and mythmaking factory nonpareil – it’s rare that Asian characters, whether American or not, are shown as complex and multidimensional.

There have been exceptions, of course. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was one, directed, ironically, by this year’s Oscar winner (for the pioneering Brokeback Mountain, the early best-picture favorite) Ang Lee, who got his artistic start in Taiwan and who has now transcended into Hollywood directorial stardom.

(As an aside, Lee may be a celebrated mainstream director now, but where was he in all those post-Oscar shows like Entertainment Tonight, Oprah, and Good Morning America? Why didn’t the celebrity-salivating interviewers give Lee a few moments of post-Oscar glow?)

(One more aside: Lee’s closing remark as he accepted his Oscar in only slightly accented English were quite revealing in itself; he spoke a Mandarin phrase aimed at TV audiences in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China, the future of global media messaging perhaps?)

Another exception was The Joy Luck Club from Amy Tan’s blockbuster novel (that, unfortunately, painted a one-dimensional nasty portrayal of East Asian men – ah, hah, a yellow gender war case study!).

A few other exceptions are Justin Lin’s Better Luck Tomorrow and, perhaps, Eric Byler’s upcoming Americanese, which will headline the annual Asian American Film Festival next week in San Francisco.

I am old enough to remember the goofy Charlie Chan movies with the main “Chinese” character played by taped-eyelid white actors. Some Asian American intellectuals and writers have complained about the Chan movie portrayals, a point of view I generally share, except for the fact that the Hollywoodized Chan is a pretty smart guy – yet another stereotype about Asians and Asian Americans.

Younger Asian American artists and writers are repeating the refrain of why aren’t there more multidimensional mainstream media portrayals of people from their ethnic backgrounds. With the help of the latest technology, some are creating their own works that may, one day, capture the imagination of the mainstream Hollywood machine.

Till then, Crash, as good as it is, missed a golden opportunity to break some new ground in a fully multidimensional way.

William Wong is author of Yellow Journalist: Dispatches from Asian America and Images of America: Oakland’s Chinatown. He is also a Hyphen advisory board member.

Posted by Melissa at 11:36 AM | Comments (33)

By William Wong

It may be churlish to insert a dissonant note in the lilting symphony of praise that the Oscar-winning best picture, Crash, is getting these days, but here it is: As impressive as Crash is in showing the multidimensional humanity – the good, the bad, and the gray in-betweens – of Los Angelenos of different ethnic backgrounds, the movie continues a Hollywood tradition of mostly one-dimensional portrayals of Asians.

Oh, no, you say: Not another yellowish whine! If Crash weren’t about complex racial and ethnic relationships, then my complaint would, indeed, be inappropriate, paranoid even.

But that was exactly the point of Crash, to portray the nuances of Los Angeles’s – and by extension, America’s – racial and ethnic relationships. So why would it portray East Asians in such an inept and unflattering way?

The movie has won deserved kudos for how it shows different facets of white, black, mideastern and Latino characters. Many of the characters in the film move from one set of attitudes to another, during the course of the film’s limited timeline. All except the two principal East Asian characters, who by the way are minor players compared with Matt Dillon’s racist cop and Terrence Howard’s uptight junior executive.

Granted, one of the East Asian characters goes through a transformation of sorts, but his denouement is anything but flattering. The East Asian woman is shrewish throughout.

Not that there isn’t truth to the characterizations of these particular East Asian stereotypes. We know of shrewish Asian and Asian American women. We know of criminally inclined Asian and Asian American men.

But if Crash’s director and screenwriters want to explore the depths of how people of varied racial and ethnic heritages behave toward one another, how come they didn’t add an East Asian or Asian American character that showed a modicum of humanity beyond the bitchy and evil?

It should no longer be a surprise or revelation that people of East Asian descent are a presence on the Technicolor American landscape. That’s been the case for more than a century and a half. Yet, it seems for some Americans, Asians and Asian Americans are Johnny and Janie-Come-Latelies and may not deserve more wide-ranging media portrayals.

More to the point of Hollywood movies – the fantasy and mythmaking factory nonpareil – it’s rare that Asian characters, whether American or not, are shown as complex and multidimensional.

There have been exceptions, of course. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was one, directed, ironically, by this year’s Oscar winner (for the pioneering Brokeback Mountain, the early best-picture favorite) Ang Lee, who got his artistic start in Taiwan and who has now transcended into Hollywood directorial stardom.

(As an aside, Lee may be a celebrated mainstream director now, but where was he in all those post-Oscar shows like Entertainment Tonight, Oprah, and Good Morning America? Why didn’t the celebrity-salivating interviewers give Lee a few moments of post-Oscar glow?)

(One more aside: Lee’s closing remark as he accepted his Oscar in only slightly accented English were quite revealing in itself; he spoke a Mandarin phrase aimed at TV audiences in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China, the future of global media messaging perhaps?)

Another exception was The Joy Luck Club from Amy Tan’s blockbuster novel (that, unfortunately, painted a one-dimensional nasty portrayal of East Asian men – ah, hah, a yellow gender war case study!).

A few other exceptions are Justin Lin’s Better Luck Tomorrow and, perhaps, Eric Byler’s upcoming Americanese, which will headline the annual Asian American Film Festival next week in San Francisco.

I am old enough to remember the goofy Charlie Chan movies with the main “Chinese” character played by taped-eyelid white actors. Some Asian American intellectuals and writers have complained about the Chan movie portrayals, a point of view I generally share, except for the fact that the Hollywoodized Chan is a pretty smart guy – yet another stereotype about Asians and Asian Americans.

Younger Asian American artists and writers are repeating the refrain of why aren’t there more multidimensional mainstream media portrayals of people from their ethnic backgrounds. With the help of the latest technology, some are creating their own works that may, one day, capture the imagination of the mainstream Hollywood machine.

Till then, Crash, as good as it is, missed a golden opportunity to break some new ground in a fully multidimensional way.

William Wong is author of Yellow Journalist: Dispatches from Asian America and Images of America: Oakland’s Chinatown. He is also a Hyphen advisory board member.

Posted by Melissa at 11:36 AM | Comments (33)

By William Wong

It may be churlish to insert a dissonant note in the lilting symphony of praise that the Oscar-winning best picture, Crash, is getting these days, but here it is: As impressive as Crash is in showing the multidimensional humanity � the good, the bad, and the gray in-betweens � of Los Angelenos of different ethnic backgrounds, the movie continues a Hollywood tradition of mostly one-dimensional portrayals of Asians.

Oh, no, you say: Not another yellowish whine! If Crash weren�t about complex racial and ethnic relationships, then my complaint would, indeed, be inappropriate, paranoid even.

But that was exactly the point of Crash, to portray the nuances of Los Angeles�s � and by extension, America�s � racial and ethnic relationships. So why would it portray East Asians in such an inept and unflattering way?

The movie has won deserved kudos for how it shows different facets of white, black, mideastern and Latino characters. Many of the characters in the film move from one set of attitudes to another, during the course of the film�s limited timeline. All except the two principal East Asian characters, who by the way are minor players compared with Matt Dillon�s racist cop and Terrence Howard�s uptight junior executive.

Granted, one of the East Asian characters goes through a transformation of sorts, but his denouement is anything but flattering. The East Asian woman is shrewish throughout.

Not that there isn�t truth to the characterizations of these particular East Asian stereotypes. We know of shrewish Asian and Asian American women. We know of criminally inclined Asian and Asian American men.

But if Crash�s director and screenwriters want to explore the depths of how people of varied racial and ethnic heritages behave toward one another, how come they didn�t add an East Asian or Asian American character that showed a modicum of humanity beyond the bitchy and evil?

It should no longer be a surprise or revelation that people of East Asian descent are a presence on the Technicolor American landscape. That�s been the case for more than a century and a half. Yet, it seems for some Americans, Asians and Asian Americans are Johnny and Janie-Come-Latelies and may not deserve more wide-ranging media portrayals.

More to the point of Hollywood movies � the fantasy and mythmaking factory nonpareil � it�s rare that Asian characters, whether American or not, are shown as complex and multidimensional.

There have been exceptions, of course. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was one, directed, ironically, by this year�s Oscar winner (for the pioneering Brokeback Mountain, the early best-picture favorite) Ang Lee, who got his artistic start in Taiwan and who has now transcended into Hollywood directorial stardom.

(As an aside, Lee may be a celebrated mainstream director now, but where was he in all those post-Oscar shows like Entertainment Tonight, Oprah, and Good Morning America? Why didn�t the celebrity-salivating interviewers give Lee a few moments of post-Oscar glow?)

(One more aside: Lee�s closing remark as he accepted his Oscar in only slightly accented English were quite revealing in itself; he spoke a Mandarin phrase aimed at TV audiences in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China, the future of global media messaging perhaps?)

Another exception was The Joy Luck Club from Amy Tan�s blockbuster novel (that, unfortunately, painted a one-dimensional nasty portrayal of East Asian men � ah, hah, a yellow gender war case study!).

A few other exceptions are Justin Lin�s Better Luck Tomorrow and, perhaps, Eric Byler�s upcoming Americanese, which will headline the annual Asian American Film Festival next week in San Francisco.

I am old enough to remember the goofy Charlie Chan movies with the main �Chinese� character played by taped-eyelid white actors. Some Asian American intellectuals and writers have complained about the Chan movie portrayals, a point of view I generally share, except for the fact that the Hollywoodized Chan is a pretty smart guy � yet another stereotype about Asians and Asian Americans.

Younger Asian American artists and writers are repeating the refrain of why aren�t there more multidimensional mainstream media portrayals of people from their ethnic backgrounds. With the help of the latest technology, some are creating their own works that may, one day, capture the imagination of the mainstream Hollywood machine.

Till then, Crash, as good as it is, missed a golden opportunity to break some new ground in a fully multidimensional way.

William Wong is author of Yellow Journalist: Dispatches from Asian America and Images of America: Oakland�s Chinatown. He is also a Hyphen advisory board member.

Posted by Melissa at 11:36 AM | Comments (33)

It was probably little noticed in most sports pages other than an agate listing, but NFL player Dat Nguyen retired last week after an eight-year career.

There are few Asian Americans in pro or big-time college sports and even fewer in the NFL. Nguyen was the first Asian American that I can remember playing pro football and for America's team, the Dallas Cowboys, no less.

The son of refugees who fled Vietnam, Nguyen is telling his story in an autobiography, Dat: Tackling Life in the NFL. (Commercial break: Be sure to use the Amazon link in the upper right corner if you'd like to buy the book. Hyphen, a nonprofit, all-volunteer magazine, gets a cut of the sale if you use the link.)

Nguyen's had a nice career and hopefully he turned a few heads in the NFL, breaking stereotypes and proving that an Asian American can play in the macho, rough-and-tumble world of pro football.

This story says, "A Hollywood scriptwriter could not have created the Dat Nguyen story." I'd really hate to see what Hollywood would do to Nguyen's story. Luckily, David Carradine is too old to play him.

Posted by harry at 10:48 AM | Comments (35)

It was probably little noticed in most sports pages other than an agate listing, but NFL player Dat Nguyen retired last week after an eight-year career.

There are few Asian Americans in pro or big-time college sports and even fewer in the NFL. Nguyen was the first Asian American that I can remember playing pro football and for America's team, the Dallas Cowboys, no less.

The son of refugees who fled Vietnam, Nguyen is telling his story in an autobiography, Dat: Tackling Life in the NFL. (Commercial break: Be sure to use the Amazon link in the upper right corner if you'd like to buy the book. Hyphen, a nonprofit, all-volunteer magazine, gets a cut of the sale if you use the link.)

Nguyen's had a nice career and hopefully he turned a few heads in the NFL, breaking stereotypes and proving that an Asian American can play in the macho, rough-and-tumble world of pro football.

This story says, "A Hollywood scriptwriter could not have created the Dat Nguyen story." I'd really hate to see what Hollywood would do to Nguyen's story. Luckily, David Carradine is too old to play him.

Posted by harry at 10:48 AM | Comments (35)

It was probably little noticed in most sports pages other than an agate listing, but NFL player Dat Nguyen retired last week after an eight-year career.

There are few Asian Americans in pro or big-time college sports and even fewer in the NFL. Nguyen was the first Asian American that I can remember playing pro football and for America's team, the Dallas Cowboys, no less.

The son of refugees who fled Vietnam, Nguyen is telling his story in an autobiography, Dat: Tackling Life in the NFL. (Commercial break: Be sure to use the Amazon link in the upper right corner if you'd like to buy the book. Hyphen, a nonprofit, all-volunteer magazine, gets a cut of the sale if you use the link.)

Nguyen's had a nice career and hopefully he turned a few heads in the NFL, breaking stereotypes and proving that an Asian American can play in the macho, rough-and-tumble world of pro football.

This story says, "A Hollywood scriptwriter could not have created the Dat Nguyen story." I'd really hate to see what Hollywood would do to Nguyen's story. Luckily, David Carradine is too old to play him.

Posted by harry at 10:48 AM | Comments (27)

Sam Chu Lin, one of the first Asian American reporters on network TV, died Sunday. He was 67.

Chu Lin has been a television and radio reporter since the 1960s, mostly in Southern California, and worked for CBS in the 1970s, all in a time when there were even fewer Asian Americans in broadcast journalism, and journalism in general, than there are now.

I've never lived in Southern California, so I'm not that familiar with Chu Lin's work. He sounds like someone who was a huge advocate for getting more and better stories about Asian Americans into the news. He was still working up till his death.

Anybody out there remember or know of some good stories he worked on?

Posted by harry at 8:56 AM | Comments (5)

Sam Chu Lin, one of the first Asian American reporters on network TV, died Sunday. He was 67.

Chu Lin has been a television and radio reporter since the 1960s, mostly in Southern California, and worked for CBS in the 1970s, all in a time when there were even fewer Asian Americans in broadcast journalism, and journalism in general, than there are now.

I've never lived in Southern California, so I'm not that familiar with Chu Lin's work. He sounds like someone who was a huge advocate for getting more and better stories about Asian Americans into the news. He was still working up till his death.

Anybody out there remember or know of some good stories he worked on?

Posted by harry at 8:56 AM | Comments (5)

Sam Chu Lin, one of the first Asian American reporters on network TV, died Sunday. He was 67.

Chu Lin has been a television and radio reporter since the 1960s, mostly in Southern California, and worked for CBS in the 1970s, all in a time when there were even fewer Asian Americans in broadcast journalism, and journalism in general, than there are now.

I've never lived in Southern California, so I'm not that familiar with Chu Lin's work. He sounds like someone who was a huge advocate for getting more and better stories about Asian Americans into the news. He was still working up till his death.

Anybody out there remember or know of some good stories he worked on?

Posted by harry at 8:56 AM | Comments (5)

API events this week!

Thursday, March 9 & Saturday, March 11 – Oakland

Still Present Pasts is a multimedia exhibit of Korean American artists about the forgotten legacy of the Korean War. Opening program and reception today, including an opportunity to meet California oral history personalities and project artists. Performance of Korean drumming by Oakland’s Korean Youth Cultural Center. Artists’ Talk this Saturday. (6-8pm opening reception, artists’ talk Saturday, March 11 1-3pm. ProArts Gallery, 550 Second St., Oakland. 510.763.4361. www.stillpresentpasts.org, www.proartsgallery.org. Gallery hours: Tues-Fri 12-6pm, Sunday 12-5pm. FREE).

Friday, March 10 – SF
Join the Asian and Pacific Islander Wellness Center in their annual public event promoting physical, mental and sexual health for API women. Free wellness services from acupuncture and massages to STD screenings. (4-7pm, API Wellness Center, 730 Polk St. 4th Fl., SF. 415.292.3400. www.apiwellness.org. FREE).

Friday, March 10 – SF

The bimonthly API hip-hop showcase APEX Out of the Box features Dennis Kim, aka Denizen Kane, Jenro and Not Your Average Superheroes. Presented by Apex Express 94.1 KPFA and Locus Arts. (9:30-midnight, Space180, 180 Capp St., SF. www.locusarts.org. $7-10).

Saturday, March 11 – Oakland

Get Hyphee for Education: Join Asian and Pacific Islander Youth Promoting Advocacy and Leadership (AYPAL) to support their More Funding for School campaign and learn more about the William’s Settlement that mandates every public school student should have instructional materials, safe and decent school facilities, and qualified teachers. Free food, educational booths, live performances and music. (11am-3pm, Fruitvale Transit Village, 34th Ave and International Blvd., Oakland. FREE).

email events to: momo@hyphenmagazine.com.

Visit www.manja.org for up-to-date API arts events and news in the SF/Bay Area.

Posted by momo at 12:26 PM | Comments (0)

API events this week!

Thursday, March 9 & Saturday, March 11 – Oakland

Still Present Pasts is a multimedia exhibit of Korean American artists about the forgotten legacy of the Korean War. Opening program and reception today, including an opportunity to meet California oral history personalities and project artists. Performance of Korean drumming by Oakland’s Korean Youth Cultural Center. Artists’ Talk this Saturday. (6-8pm opening reception, artists’ talk Saturday, March 11 1-3pm. ProArts Gallery, 550 Second St., Oakland. 510.763.4361. www.stillpresentpasts.org, www.proartsgallery.org. Gallery hours: Tues-Fri 12-6pm, Sunday 12-5pm. FREE).

Friday, March 10 – SF
Join the Asian and Pacific Islander Wellness Center in their annual public event promoting physical, mental and sexual health for API women. Free wellness services from acupuncture and massages to STD screenings. (4-7pm, API Wellness Center, 730 Polk St. 4th Fl., SF. 415.292.3400. www.apiwellness.org. FREE).

Friday, March 10 – SF

The bimonthly API hip-hop showcase APEX Out of the Box features Dennis Kim, aka Denizen Kane, Jenro and Not Your Average Superheroes. Presented by Apex Express 94.1 KPFA and Locus Arts. (9:30-midnight, Space180, 180 Capp St., SF. www.locusarts.org. $7-10).

Saturday, March 11 – Oakland

Get Hyphee for Education: Join Asian and Pacific Islander Youth Promoting Advocacy and Leadership (AYPAL) to support their More Funding for School campaign and learn more about the William’s Settlement that mandates every public school student should have instructional materials, safe and decent school facilities, and qualified teachers. Free food, educational booths, live performances and music. (11am-3pm, Fruitvale Transit Village, 34th Ave and International Blvd., Oakland. FREE).

email events to: momo@hyphenmagazine.com.

Visit www.manja.org for up-to-date API arts events and news in the SF/Bay Area.

Posted by momo at 12:26 PM | Comments (0)

API events this week!

Thursday, March 9 & Saturday, March 11 � Oakland

Still Present Pasts is a multimedia exhibit of Korean American artists about the forgotten legacy of the Korean War. Opening program and reception today, including an opportunity to meet California oral history personalities and project artists. Performance of Korean drumming by Oakland�s Korean Youth Cultural Center. Artists� Talk this Saturday. (6-8pm opening reception, artists� talk Saturday, March 11 1-3pm. ProArts Gallery, 550 Second St., Oakland. 510.763.4361. www.stillpresentpasts.org, www.proartsgallery.org. Gallery hours: Tues-Fri 12-6pm, Sunday 12-5pm. FREE).

Friday, March 10 � SF
Join the Asian and Pacific Islander Wellness Center in their annual public event promoting physical, mental and sexual health for API women. Free wellness services from acupuncture and massages to STD screenings. (4-7pm, API Wellness Center, 730 Polk St. 4th Fl., SF. 415.292.3400. www.apiwellness.org. FREE).

Friday, March 10 � SF

The bimonthly API hip-hop showcase APEX Out of the Box features Dennis Kim, aka Denizen Kane, Jenro and Not Your Average Superheroes. Presented by Apex Express 94.1 KPFA and Locus Arts. (9:30-midnight, Space180, 180 Capp St., SF. www.locusarts.org. $7-10).

Saturday, March 11 � Oakland

Get Hyphee for Education: Join Asian and Pacific Islander Youth Promoting Advocacy and Leadership (AYPAL) to support their More Funding for School campaign and learn more about the William�s Settlement that mandates every public school student should have instructional materials, safe and decent school facilities, and qualified teachers. Free food, educational booths, live performances and music. (11am-3pm, Fruitvale Transit Village, 34th Ave and International Blvd., Oakland. FREE).

email events to: momo@hyphenmagazine.com.

Visit www.manja.org for up-to-date API arts events and news in the SF/Bay Area.

Posted by momo at 12:26 PM | Comments (0)

Pulitzer-prize winning author Jumpha Lahiri talks about her bi-cultural upbringing as part of the "The New India" package that graces the cover of Newsweek this week, probably to coincide with Dubya trip to South Asia.

She says: "Like many immigrant offspring I felt intense pressure to be two things, loyal to the old world and fluent in the new, approved of on either side of the hyphen." It made me think of our little magazine!

Also, here's a great commentary by Sandip Roy about how India is in bed with Bush.

Posted by neela at 11:52 AM | Comments (0)

Pulitzer-prize winning author Jumpha Lahiri talks about her bi-cultural upbringing as part of the "The New India" package that graces the cover of Newsweek this week, probably to coincide with Dubya trip to South Asia.

She says: "Like many immigrant offspring I felt intense pressure to be two things, loyal to the old world and fluent in the new, approved of on either side of the hyphen." It made me think of our little magazine!

Also, here's a great commentary by Sandip Roy about how India is in bed with Bush.

Posted by neela at 11:52 AM | Comments (0)

Pulitzer-prize winning author Jumpha Lahiri talks about her bi-cultural upbringing as part of the "The New India" package that graces the cover of Newsweek this week, probably to coincide with Dubya trip to South Asia.

She says: "Like many immigrant offspring I felt intense pressure to be two things, loyal to the old world and fluent in the new, approved of on either side of the hyphen." It made me think of our little magazine!

Also, here's a great commentary by Sandip Roy about how India is in bed with Bush.

Posted by neela at 11:52 AM | Comments (0)

There's a lot of Hyphen folks who are from the Midwest and South, it seems. Theories?

I'm taking an informal poll of where Asian Americans are from, or currently live. There are API folks across the country - in places where you'd least expect it - paving the way in many, well, ways.

I have always wondered what it would've been like to grow up in multicultural, urban hubs like NYC or SF. I lived in South Carolina for 10 years.

And sometimes living in a place like the Bay Area, it's easy to take stuff for granted. API this and API that. And then too often, we forget the PI. What? I bet most of us don't even know what that really means. A challenge with this whole pan-Asian American identity.

Anyway, please partake in my informal poll: Where are you from? Where do you live? What's going on out yonder, in terms of API communities and issues? What does it mean to be Asian American where you live? How do you identify yourself?

Posted by momo at 7:51 PM | Comments (33)

There's a lot of Hyphen folks who are from the Midwest and South, it seems. Theories?

I'm taking an informal poll of where Asian Americans are from, or currently live. There are API folks across the country - in places where you'd least expect it - paving the way in many, well, ways.

I have always wondered what it would've been like to grow up in multicultural, urban hubs like NYC or SF. I lived in South Carolina for 10 years.

And sometimes living in a place like the Bay Area, it's easy to take stuff for granted. API this and API that. And then too often, we forget the PI. What? I bet most of us don't even know what that really means. A challenge with this whole pan-Asian American identity.

Anyway, please partake in my informal poll: Where are you from? Where do you live? What's going on out yonder, in terms of API communities and issues? What does it mean to be Asian American where you live? How do you identify yourself?

Posted by momo at 7:51 PM | Comments (33)

There's a lot of Hyphen folks who are from the Midwest and South, it seems. Theories?

I'm taking an informal poll of where Asian Americans are from, or currently live. There are API folks across the country - in places where you'd least expect it - paving the way in many, well, ways.

I have always wondered what it would've been like to grow up in multicultural, urban hubs like NYC or SF. I lived in South Carolina for 10 years.

And sometimes living in a place like the Bay Area, it's easy to take stuff for granted. API this and API that. And then too often, we forget the PI. What? I bet most of us don't even know what that really means. A challenge with this whole pan-Asian American identity.

Anyway, please partake in my informal poll: Where are you from? Where do you live? What's going on out yonder, in terms of API communities and issues? What does it mean to be Asian American where you live? How do you identify yourself?

Posted by momo at 7:51 PM | Comments (33)

We're little late on this, but radio show host Adam Carolla apologized last week to the "Asian community" for a skit in January that consisted mostly of someone saying "ching chong" over and over.

There was a bit of discussion on the Hyphen Blog about the skit, with many defending Carolla and others finding it offensive.

Here's an audio clip of the apology he gave on-air last Wednesday, courtesy of our friend Angry Asian Man.

Here's what he said if you're computer is audio deficient:

A quick of business to take care of. An apology to the Asian community. We did a bit a few weeks back that offended many people. It was unintended to offend these people. We do a show here that is a little irreverent and sometimes we cross the line and we definitely crossed it this time. And it was not meant to offend. It did. And for that we sincerely apologize to the good people of the Asian community. So we apologize and we thank you for your support.

Posted by harry at 10:27 AM | Comments (0)

We're little late on this, but radio show host Adam Carolla apologized last week to the "Asian community" for a skit in January that consisted mostly of someone saying "ching chong" over and over.

There was a bit of discussion on the Hyphen Blog about the skit, with many defending Carolla and others finding it offensive.

Here's an audio clip of the apology he gave on-air last Wednesday, courtesy of our friend Angry Asian Man.

Here's what he said if you're computer is audio deficient:

A quick of business to take care of. An apology to the Asian community. We did a bit a few weeks back that offended many people. It was unintended to offend these people. We do a show here that is a little irreverent and sometimes we cross the line and we definitely crossed it this time. And it was not meant to offend. It did. And for that we sincerely apologize to the good people of the Asian community. So we apologize and we thank you for your support.

Posted by harry at 10:27 AM | Comments (0)

We're little late on this, but radio show host Adam Carolla apologized last week to the "Asian community" for a skit in January that consisted mostly of someone saying "ching chong" over and over.

There was a bit of discussion on the Hyphen Blog about the skit, with many defending Carolla and others finding it offensive.

Here's an audio clip of the apology he gave on-air last Wednesday, courtesy of our friend Angry Asian Man.

Here's what he said if you're computer is audio deficient:

A quick of business to take care of. An apology to the Asian community. We did a bit a few weeks back that offended many people. It was unintended to offend these people. We do a show here that is a little irreverent and sometimes we cross the line and we definitely crossed it this time. And it was not meant to offend. It did. And for that we sincerely apologize to the good people of the Asian community. So we apologize and we thank you for your support.

Posted by harry at 10:27 AM | Comments (0)

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