Posted by jennifer at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)

Just got this press release and it sounds like a film I'd really like to see... If you're in DC, go watch it and report back!

GROUNDBREAKING FILM EXPLORING TERRORISM DISCOURSE TO BE FEATURED AT DC FILM FESTIVAL

Accused Terrorists, Government Officials and Policy Experts Confront Each Other

WASHINGTON The powerful new documentary "What is Said About Arabs and Terrorism," shot in 11 countries, researched in 6 languages and including 125 interviewees, will be featured at the Arabian Sights DC Film Festival this Sunday evening. A question and answer session with Arab-American director and political science professor Bassam Haddad will follow.

The documentary presents direct exchanges between parties who lie on opposite sides of the spectrum of the war on terrorism. Using innovative film techniques, pundits and neoconservative think-tank intellectuals
directly debate the heads of organizations on the U.S. State Department's terrorist list. Interviewees include Hizbullah's Hassan Nasrallah and Hamas' Khalid Mish'al.

The film explores the discourse linking Arabs and Muslims to terrorism, examining definitions of terrorism, state terrorism, and terrorism and resistance. Haddad interviews over 100 individuals from a wide range of backgrounds, including political figures, media personalities, scholars and pedestrians from the U.S., Europe, Israel, and the Arab world. (See partial list of interviewees below). Haddad traces the evolution of media coverage, perceptions and definitions of terrorism and takes a critical standpoint in evaluating the consequences. The film received critical acclaim after airing throughout the Arab world on al-Arabiyya earlier this year.

"What is Said about Arabs and Terrorism" Screening and Discussion
Date: Sunday, November 5
Time: 5 p.m. ET
Who: Director Bassam Haddad, Quilting Point Productions
Where: AMC Loews, Wisconsin Avenue 6 Theatres, 4000 Wisconsin Ave., NW,
Washington, DC
Admission: $9 cash or check only
Watch the trailer at www.arabsandterrorism.com
http://www.filmfestdc.org/

Interviewees include:

Posted by jennifer at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)

Just got this press release and it sounds like a film I'd really like to see... If you're in DC, go watch it and report back!

GROUNDBREAKING FILM EXPLORING TERRORISM DISCOURSE TO BE FEATURED AT DC FILM FESTIVAL

Accused Terrorists, Government Officials and Policy Experts Confront Each Other

WASHINGTON The powerful new documentary "What is Said About Arabs and Terrorism," shot in 11 countries, researched in 6 languages and including 125 interviewees, will be featured at the Arabian Sights DC Film Festival this Sunday evening. A question and answer session with Arab-American director and political science professor Bassam Haddad will follow.

The documentary presents direct exchanges between parties who lie on opposite sides of the spectrum of the war on terrorism. Using innovative film techniques, pundits and neoconservative think-tank intellectuals
directly debate the heads of organizations on the U.S. State Department's terrorist list. Interviewees include Hizbullah's Hassan Nasrallah and Hamas' Khalid Mish'al.

The film explores the discourse linking Arabs and Muslims to terrorism, examining definitions of terrorism, state terrorism, and terrorism and resistance. Haddad interviews over 100 individuals from a wide range of backgrounds, including political figures, media personalities, scholars and pedestrians from the U.S., Europe, Israel, and the Arab world. (See partial list of interviewees below). Haddad traces the evolution of media coverage, perceptions and definitions of terrorism and takes a critical standpoint in evaluating the consequences. The film received critical acclaim after airing throughout the Arab world on al-Arabiyya earlier this year.

"What is Said about Arabs and Terrorism" Screening and Discussion
Date: Sunday, November 5
Time: 5 p.m. ET
Who: Director Bassam Haddad, Quilting Point Productions
Where: AMC Loews, Wisconsin Avenue 6 Theatres, 4000 Wisconsin Ave., NW,
Washington, DC
Admission: $9 cash or check only
Watch the trailer at www.arabsandterrorism.com
http://www.filmfestdc.org/

Interviewees include:

Posted by jennifer at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)

Last MATCHA event of the year...

DJ Zita

In celebration of our new exhibition Pioneers of Philippine Art: Luna, Amorsolo, and Zóbel, explore Pilipino and Pilipino American art and culture at the last MATCHA event of the year. Taking the stage will be Kularts' Kul Like That, a new-school live sound lounge series with a cabaret performance that radiates an urban, saucy beat.

Round out your night enjoying a reading and book signing by Pati Poblete, docent tours, a forum on the history of Pilipino American art, and music spun by DJ Zita. 6-8:30 p.m., Asian Art Museum, 200 Larkin Street, SF. 415.581.3500. Free with museum admission ($5 after 5:00 pm).

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

Last MATCHA event of the year...

DJ Zita

In celebration of our new exhibition Pioneers of Philippine Art: Luna, Amorsolo, and Zóbel, explore Pilipino and Pilipino American art and culture at the last MATCHA event of the year. Taking the stage will be Kularts' Kul Like That, a new-school live sound lounge series with a cabaret performance that radiates an urban, saucy beat.

Round out your night enjoying a reading and book signing by Pati Poblete, docent tours, a forum on the history of Pilipino American art, and music spun by DJ Zita. 6-8:30 p.m., Asian Art Museum, 200 Larkin Street, SF. 415.581.3500. Free with museum admission ($5 after 5:00 pm).

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

Last MATCHA event of the year...

DJ Zita

In celebration of our new exhibition Pioneers of Philippine Art: Luna, Amorsolo, and Z�bel, explore Pilipino and Pilipino American art and culture at the last MATCHA event of the year. Taking the stage will be Kularts' Kul Like That, a new-school live sound lounge series with a cabaret performance that radiates an urban, saucy beat.

Round out your night enjoying a reading and book signing by Pati Poblete, docent tours, a forum on the history of Pilipino American art, and music spun by DJ Zita. 6-8:30 p.m., Asian Art Museum, 200 Larkin Street, SF. 415.581.3500. Free with museum admission ($5 after 5:00 pm).

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

Tell me what you see when you read this:

DESI(RED)

Do you see the DESI or the RED first? (Is the cup half empty or half full? Is it a vase or a couple kissing?)

If it's not in your town yet, then it shall be soon: the Gap (PRODUCT) RED TM Limited Edition brand, which will provide limited funds to The Global Fund's HIV/AIDS programs in Africa. Their "Word T" line of red t-shirts currently obscures the boobies of Christy Turlington, Mary J. Blige and Penelope Cruz in store windows and billboards nationwide. I think that the shirts might actually all say INSPI(RED)--haven't actually been in a store to look--but the celebrity shots are paired with other words that have similarly undergone parenthesizing and ostensibly describe the particular celebrity, including EMPOWE(RED), ASSU(RED), ADMI(RED), DISCOVE(RED), UNCENSO(RED) and POWE(RED). Hey! That last one looks oddly like the first one! hmm...

Noble. Noble indeed. But not as noble as Newman's Own. And why limited edition? Why not all of the time? (Okay, they did commit to five years, and they say that they're expanding their use of African vendors to promote economic growth, blahbity-blah.) The effectiveness of the (PRODUCT) RED model of social entrepreneurship aside, on a simple nuts and bolts level, is this a Brilliant Brand, or a Stupid Brand?

I vote for Stupid.

For one, I am totally confused by Penelope Cruz being labeled as DESI(RED). Not because I think Penelope Cruz isn't desired, but because I do a little double-take and think they're saying she's Desi. Red. The other words where the (red) is happening have the same effect on me, except in a more nonsensical way. That people are inspi, and discove, and uncenso, and assu. It's like someone read a postmodernist paper back in the day and effed it all up. It's not the verb ending, people! Not only is it not the verb ending, it's not the verb ending with a random letter leftover from the root! They might as well have said (RED)ICULOUS.

With the DESI(RED), it's like they just didn't think it through. It's like they were pulling words that ended in "red" out of their butts back at ye olde office, and someone said, "That's awesome! Penelope Cruz is totally desired! Let's run with it!!!" and didn't realize that the part of the word that they didn't highlight actually draws out a different sort of meaning.

A better red t-shirt for the cause at hand would simply say REDRESS.

Posted by rebecca at 11:46 PM | Comments (9)

Tell me what you see when you read this:

DESI(RED)

Do you see the DESI or the RED first? (Is the cup half empty or half full? Is it a vase or a couple kissing?)

If it's not in your town yet, then it shall be soon: the Gap (PRODUCT) RED TM Limited Edition brand, which will provide limited funds to The Global Fund's HIV/AIDS programs in Africa. Their "Word T" line of red t-shirts currently obscures the boobies of Christy Turlington, Mary J. Blige and Penelope Cruz in store windows and billboards nationwide. I think that the shirts might actually all say INSPI(RED)--haven't actually been in a store to look--but the celebrity shots are paired with other words that have similarly undergone parenthesizing and ostensibly describe the particular celebrity, including EMPOWE(RED), ASSU(RED), ADMI(RED), DISCOVE(RED), UNCENSO(RED) and POWE(RED). Hey! That last one looks oddly like the first one! hmm...

Noble. Noble indeed. But not as noble as Newman's Own. And why limited edition? Why not all of the time? (Okay, they did commit to five years, and they say that they're expanding their use of African vendors to promote economic growth, blahbity-blah.) The effectiveness of the (PRODUCT) RED model of social entrepreneurship aside, on a simple nuts and bolts level, is this a Brilliant Brand, or a Stupid Brand?

I vote for Stupid.

For one, I am totally confused by Penelope Cruz being labeled as DESI(RED). Not because I think Penelope Cruz isn't desired, but because I do a little double-take and think they're saying she's Desi. Red. The other words where the (red) is happening have the same effect on me, except in a more nonsensical way. That people are inspi, and discove, and uncenso, and assu. It's like someone read a postmodernist paper back in the day and effed it all up. It's not the verb ending, people! Not only is it not the verb ending, it's not the verb ending with a random letter leftover from the root! They might as well have said (RED)ICULOUS.

With the DESI(RED), it's like they just didn't think it through. It's like they were pulling words that ended in "red" out of their butts back at ye olde office, and someone said, "That's awesome! Penelope Cruz is totally desired! Let's run with it!!!" and didn't realize that the part of the word that they didn't highlight actually draws out a different sort of meaning.

A better red t-shirt for the cause at hand would simply say REDRESS.

Posted by rebecca at 11:46 PM | Comments (9)

Tell me what you see when you read this:

DESI(RED)

Do you see the DESI or the RED first? (Is the cup half empty or half full? Is it a vase or a couple kissing?)

If it's not in your town yet, then it shall be soon: the Gap (PRODUCT) RED TM Limited Edition brand, which will provide limited funds to The Global Fund's HIV/AIDS programs in Africa. Their "Word T" line of red t-shirts currently obscures the boobies of Christy Turlington, Mary J. Blige and Penelope Cruz in store windows and billboards nationwide. I think that the shirts might actually all say INSPI(RED)--haven't actually been in a store to look--but the celebrity shots are paired with other words that have similarly undergone parenthesizing and ostensibly describe the particular celebrity, including EMPOWE(RED), ASSU(RED), ADMI(RED), DISCOVE(RED), UNCENSO(RED) and POWE(RED). Hey! That last one looks oddly like the first one! hmm...

Noble. Noble indeed. But not as noble as Newman's Own. And why limited edition? Why not all of the time? (Okay, they did commit to five years, and they say that they're expanding their use of African vendors to promote economic growth, blahbity-blah.) The effectiveness of the (PRODUCT) RED model of social entrepreneurship aside, on a simple nuts and bolts level, is this a Brilliant Brand, or a Stupid Brand?

I vote for Stupid.

For one, I am totally confused by Penelope Cruz being labeled as DESI(RED). Not because I think Penelope Cruz isn't desired, but because I do a little double-take and think they're saying she's Desi. Red. The other words where the (red) is happening have the same effect on me, except in a more nonsensical way. That people are inspi, and discove, and uncenso, and assu. It's like someone read a postmodernist paper back in the day and effed it all up. It's not the verb ending, people! Not only is it not the verb ending, it's not the verb ending with a random letter leftover from the root! They might as well have said (RED)ICULOUS.

With the DESI(RED), it's like they just didn't think it through. It's like they were pulling words that ended in "red" out of their butts back at ye olde office, and someone said, "That's awesome! Penelope Cruz is totally desired! Let's run with it!!!" and didn't realize that the part of the word that they didn't highlight actually draws out a different sort of meaning.

A better red t-shirt for the cause at hand would simply say REDRESS.

Posted by rebecca at 11:46 PM | Comments (8)

Let it be known that I have a weakness for excellent handwriting. Unfortunately, mine sucks.

A careful script is in a way superfluous in its effort, inefficient in its use of time with respect to fulfilling the basic goals of communication. But this is precisely what I enjoy, this excess in the desire to please.

When I was in elementary school I thought I wanted to be an manuscript illuminator when I grew up. Nerdy of me, I know. But what greater thing could be accomplished than to bring a text alive with flourishes? Poets craft lines, but others craft lines.

An expressive line—especially those that are thinly controlled yet apparently effortless— are to my eye the highest one can attain in mark-making. This is not to say that all art should have them, or consist solely of them. I mean, even brute marks made with crayons can say a lot. I guess this is just to say that if you can make marks like these, you know you've arrived, for whatever that's worth. You're capable of grace.

San Francisco State University's Fine Arts Gallery just closed an exhibition called The California Calligraphy Summit. More than being about the hippy dippy calligraphy of the sort you can find in vegetarian cookbooks from the 60s and 70s, for instance, it was about different approaches to texts and notations and what these indicate about cultures, and how you relate to them. But the show wasn't a heady treatise on semiotics, either. It's approachable on a lot of fronts.

Of note is Isaac Lin, whose riffs on Gregorian music notation are turned into a pattern element suggestive of cloudy atmospheres. Now That You Are Gone, according to the gallery didactic, is an homage to his father, a cello musician. I wasn't clear on whether he is you know, GONE gone or if he had merely left the house for the day.

Certainly it would be more romantic to believe that there were some sort of loss involved. Something to go with the floral curtains that are in the room. Regardless of all that, there is still a sense of absence since the seat is empty. Sound as well is absent.

The below image has sheet music as its substrate. It has the quality of an automatic drawing, which we can imagine are responses to music, bringing an emotive and sensual element to the codifications of standard notations.

more images of Isaac Lin's work. Lin also has a Poketo series, quite different from all this stuff.

Posted by rebecca at 10:49 PM | Comments (0)

Let it be known that I have a weakness for excellent handwriting. Unfortunately, mine sucks.

A careful script is in a way superfluous in its effort, inefficient in its use of time with respect to fulfilling the basic goals of communication. But this is precisely what I enjoy, this excess in the desire to please.

When I was in elementary school I thought I wanted to be an manuscript illuminator when I grew up. Nerdy of me, I know. But what greater thing could be accomplished than to bring a text alive with flourishes? Poets craft lines, but others craft lines.

An expressive line—especially those that are thinly controlled yet apparently effortless— are to my eye the highest one can attain in mark-making. This is not to say that all art should have them, or consist solely of them. I mean, even brute marks made with crayons can say a lot. I guess this is just to say that if you can make marks like these, you know you've arrived, for whatever that's worth. You're capable of grace.

San Francisco State University's Fine Arts Gallery just closed an exhibition called The California Calligraphy Summit. More than being about the hippy dippy calligraphy of the sort you can find in vegetarian cookbooks from the 60s and 70s, for instance, it was about different approaches to texts and notations and what these indicate about cultures, and how you relate to them. But the show wasn't a heady treatise on semiotics, either. It's approachable on a lot of fronts.

Of note is Isaac Lin, whose riffs on Gregorian music notation are turned into a pattern element suggestive of cloudy atmospheres. Now That You Are Gone, according to the gallery didactic, is an homage to his father, a cello musician. I wasn't clear on whether he is you know, GONE gone or if he had merely left the house for the day.

Certainly it would be more romantic to believe that there were some sort of loss involved. Something to go with the floral curtains that are in the room. Regardless of all that, there is still a sense of absence since the seat is empty. Sound as well is absent.

The below image has sheet music as its substrate. It has the quality of an automatic drawing, which we can imagine are responses to music, bringing an emotive and sensual element to the codifications of standard notations.

more images of Isaac Lin's work. Lin also has a Poketo series, quite different from all this stuff.

Posted by rebecca at 10:49 PM | Comments (0)

Let it be known that I have a weakness for excellent handwriting. Unfortunately, mine sucks.

A careful script is in a way superfluous in its effort, inefficient in its use of time with respect to fulfilling the basic goals of communication. But this is precisely what I enjoy, this excess in the desire to please.

When I was in elementary school I thought I wanted to be an manuscript illuminator when I grew up. Nerdy of me, I know. But what greater thing could be accomplished than to bring a text alive with flourishes? Poets craft lines, but others craft lines.

An expressive line—especially those that are thinly controlled yet apparently effortless— are to my eye the highest one can attain in mark-making. This is not to say that all art should have them, or consist solely of them. I mean, even brute marks made with crayons can say a lot. I guess this is just to say that if you can make marks like these, you know you've arrived, for whatever that's worth. You're capable of grace.

San Francisco State University's Fine Arts Gallery just closed an exhibition called The California Calligraphy Summit. More than being about the hippy dippy calligraphy of the sort you can find in vegetarian cookbooks from the 60s and 70s, for instance, it was about different approaches to texts and notations and what these indicate about cultures, and how you relate to them. But the show wasn't a heady treatise on semiotics, either. It's approachable on a lot of fronts.

Of note is Isaac Lin, whose riffs on Gregorian music notation are turned into a pattern element suggestive of cloudy atmospheres. Now That You Are Gone, according to the gallery didactic, is an homage to his father, a cello musician. I wasn't clear on whether he is you know, GONE gone or if he had merely left the house for the day.

Certainly it would be more romantic to believe that there were some sort of loss involved. Something to go with the floral curtains that are in the room. Regardless of all that, there is still a sense of absence since the seat is empty. Sound as well is absent.

The below image has sheet music as its substrate. It has the quality of an automatic drawing, which we can imagine are responses to music, bringing an emotive and sensual element to the codifications of standard notations.

more images of Isaac Lin's work. Lin also has a Poketo series, quite different from all this stuff.

Posted by rebecca at 10:49 PM | Comments (0)

A whole bunch of Korean American and Asian American organizations and individuals have signed an opinion piece published in the San Francisco Chronicle, saying the paper's Diary of a Sex Slave series is misleading and contains cultural misconceptions.

The Chronicle stories highlight the trafficking of prostitutes from South Korea to the United States and makes extensive use of anecdotal information from one woman who says she was forced to work in massage parlors and brothels.

Certainly titillating stuff. Seems like there was a lot of research done, but there is a leap of faith that this one person is telling the whole truth. That's not to discount the issue of the smuggling of prostitutes, especially coerced or forced sex slavery, which no doubt exists. Then there are all the issues that the opinion piece brings up.

Posted by harry at 12:52 PM | Comments (2)

A whole bunch of Korean American and Asian American organizations and individuals have signed an opinion piece published in the San Francisco Chronicle, saying the paper's Diary of a Sex Slave series is misleading and contains cultural misconceptions.

The Chronicle stories highlight the trafficking of prostitutes from South Korea to the United States and makes extensive use of anecdotal information from one woman who says she was forced to work in massage parlors and brothels.

Certainly titillating stuff. Seems like there was a lot of research done, but there is a leap of faith that this one person is telling the whole truth. That's not to discount the issue of the smuggling of prostitutes, especially coerced or forced sex slavery, which no doubt exists. Then there are all the issues that the opinion piece brings up.

Posted by harry at 12:52 PM | Comments (2)

A whole bunch of Korean American and Asian American organizations and individuals have signed an opinion piece published in the San Francisco Chronicle, saying the paper's Diary of a Sex Slave series is misleading and contains cultural misconceptions.

The Chronicle stories highlight the trafficking of prostitutes from South Korea to the United States and makes extensive use of anecdotal information from one woman who says she was forced to work in massage parlors and brothels.

Certainly titillating stuff. Seems like there was a lot of research done, but there is a leap of faith that this one person is telling the whole truth. That's not to discount the issue of the smuggling of prostitutes, especially coerced or forced sex slavery, which no doubt exists. Then there are all the issues that the opinion piece brings up.

Posted by harry at 12:52 PM | Comments (2)

This has been breaking all last week, but in case you haven't heard, Vietnamese immigrant and California congressional candidate Tan Nguyen has been linked to the 14,000 letters sent out to Spanish speakers, warning immigrants that they could be arrested if they tried to vote.

Read Chronicle article here.

Is it just me, or is this totally sick? Nguyen of course is saying he had no idea his staff was sending out this letter, and that he's not going to drop out of the race. And his spokesman is splitting hairs over the words used, "emigrado" means this and not that, we didn't mean to include legal immigrants in this, yadi yadi. What's lacking is any kind of explanation why this would seem to be a good idea under any circumstances, correct translations or not.

An immigrant targeting other immigrants, that's what it boils down to.

Or maybe it's: Republicans fight dirty, no matter where they come from. That's what this boils down to.

Or perhaps: if you forget where you come from and that you too are brown, you end up making an ass of yourself on the national stage. that's what this boils down to.

Anyway, chalk up another one in the villain column.

Posted by jennifer at 11:19 AM | Comments (5)

This has been breaking all last week, but in case you haven't heard, Vietnamese immigrant and California congressional candidate Tan Nguyen has been linked to the 14,000 letters sent out to Spanish speakers, warning immigrants that they could be arrested if they tried to vote.

Read Chronicle article here.

Is it just me, or is this totally sick? Nguyen of course is saying he had no idea his staff was sending out this letter, and that he's not going to drop out of the race. And his spokesman is splitting hairs over the words used, "emigrado" means this and not that, we didn't mean to include legal immigrants in this, yadi yadi. What's lacking is any kind of explanation why this would seem to be a good idea under any circumstances, correct translations or not.

An immigrant targeting other immigrants, that's what it boils down to.

Or maybe it's: Republicans fight dirty, no matter where they come from. That's what this boils down to.

Or perhaps: if you forget where you come from and that you too are brown, you end up making an ass of yourself on the national stage. that's what this boils down to.

Anyway, chalk up another one in the villain column.

Posted by jennifer at 11:19 AM | Comments (5)

This has been breaking all last week, but in case you haven't heard, Vietnamese immigrant and California congressional candidate Tan Nguyen has been linked to the 14,000 letters sent out to Spanish speakers, warning immigrants that they could be arrested if they tried to vote.

Read Chronicle article here.

Is it just me, or is this totally sick? Nguyen of course is saying he had no idea his staff was sending out this letter, and that he's not going to drop out of the race. And his spokesman is splitting hairs over the words used, "emigrado" means this and not that, we didn't mean to include legal immigrants in this, yadi yadi. What's lacking is any kind of explanation why this would seem to be a good idea under any circumstances, correct translations or not.

An immigrant targeting other immigrants, that's what it boils down to.

Or maybe it's: Republicans fight dirty, no matter where they come from. That's what this boils down to.

Or perhaps: if you forget where you come from and that you too are brown, you end up making an ass of yourself on the national stage. that's what this boils down to.

Anyway, chalk up another one in the villain column.

Posted by jennifer at 11:19 AM | Comments (5)

Just a reminder, Bay Area folks, that Michael Kang's The Motel opens tomorrow in San Francisco and Berkeley. And just to tie this into title of this post, let me mention that hottie Sung Kang is in this film, playing Sam, a hard-partying, womanizing rogue who visits the motel with a lady on his arm. (You may remember him as Han from Better Luck Tomorrow where he was likewise getting it on with the ladies.)

Also, this weekend:

Launch party for the Asian Men REDefined 2007 Calendar this Saturday. Proceeds from the calendar benefit Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center, a nonprofit HIV/AIDS service organization.

And in other breaking hot guys news, Seventeen magazine is running a contest called The 17 Hottest Guys in America. A guy gets voted off every other day. There are 9 guys left and Satoshi Mitsuda is one of them. I would tell you more about him, but there's no info on him. Just a photo. I guess they're being honest about how shallow this is.

Posted by Melissa at 11:10 AM | Comments (4)

Just a reminder, Bay Area folks, that Michael Kang's The Motel opens tomorrow in San Francisco and Berkeley. And just to tie this into title of this post, let me mention that hottie Sung Kang is in this film, playing Sam, a hard-partying, womanizing rogue who visits the motel with a lady on his arm. (You may remember him as Han from Better Luck Tomorrow where he was likewise getting it on with the ladies.)

Also, this weekend:

Launch party for the Asian Men REDefined 2007 Calendar this Saturday. Proceeds from the calendar benefit Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center, a nonprofit HIV/AIDS service organization.

And in other breaking hot guys news, Seventeen magazine is running a contest called The 17 Hottest Guys in America. A guy gets voted off every other day. There are 9 guys left and Satoshi Mitsuda is one of them. I would tell you more about him, but there's no info on him. Just a photo. I guess they're being honest about how shallow this is.

Posted by Melissa at 11:10 AM | Comments (4)

Just a reminder, Bay Area folks, that Michael Kang's The Motel opens tomorrow in San Francisco and Berkeley. And just to tie this into title of this post, let me mention that hottie Sung Kang is in this film, playing Sam, a hard-partying, womanizing rogue who visits the motel with a lady on his arm. (You may remember him as Han from Better Luck Tomorrow where he was likewise getting it on with the ladies.)

Also, this weekend:

Launch party for the Asian Men REDefined 2007 Calendar this Saturday. Proceeds from the calendar benefit Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center, a nonprofit HIV/AIDS service organization.

And in other breaking hot guys news, Seventeen magazine is running a contest called The 17 Hottest Guys in America. A guy gets voted off every other day. There are 9 guys left and Satoshi Mitsuda is one of them. I would tell you more about him, but there's no info on him. Just a photo. I guess they're being honest about how shallow this is.

Posted by Melissa at 11:10 AM | Comments (4)

Perhaps you know him from Infernal Affairs...

A piece by Jeff Chang (author of Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip Hop Generation) on HK/Vancouver/in transit star Edison Chen, who's making his Hollywood debut this Friday with The Grudge II. You might know Chen from the HK police saga Infernal Affairs by director Andrew Lau.

Speaking of, I haven't seen The Departed, but it's based on Infernal Affairs. Not sure how I feel I would feel about The Departed since I've watched the first two parts of Infernal Affairs, but I hear it's a good film. I hope people who check out The Departed get a chance to watch the original too - it's pretty awesome (though violent) and has an all-star cast (hullo, Tony Leung, Andy Lau, Eric Tsang, Anthony Wong, Sammi Chen...).

Anyway, I'd be curious about what folks think of Infernal Affairs, Edison Chen and The Departed.

Posted by momo at 4:35 PM | Comments (3)

Perhaps you know him from Infernal Affairs...

A piece by Jeff Chang (author of Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip Hop Generation) on HK/Vancouver/in transit star Edison Chen, who's making his Hollywood debut this Friday with The Grudge II. You might know Chen from the HK police saga Infernal Affairs by director Andrew Lau.

Speaking of, I haven't seen The Departed, but it's based on Infernal Affairs. Not sure how I feel I would feel about The Departed since I've watched the first two parts of Infernal Affairs, but I hear it's a good film. I hope people who check out The Departed get a chance to watch the original too - it's pretty awesome (though violent) and has an all-star cast (hullo, Tony Leung, Andy Lau, Eric Tsang, Anthony Wong, Sammi Chen...).

Anyway, I'd be curious about what folks think of Infernal Affairs, Edison Chen and The Departed.

Posted by momo at 4:35 PM | Comments (3)

Perhaps you know him from Infernal Affairs...

A piece by Jeff Chang (author of Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip Hop Generation) on HK/Vancouver/in transit star Edison Chen, who's making his Hollywood debut this Friday with The Grudge II. You might know Chen from the HK police saga Infernal Affairs by director Andrew Lau.

Speaking of, I haven't seen The Departed, but it's based on Infernal Affairs. Not sure how I feel I would feel about The Departed since I've watched the first two parts of Infernal Affairs, but I hear it's a good film. I hope people who check out The Departed get a chance to watch the original too - it's pretty awesome (though violent) and has an all-star cast (hullo, Tony Leung, Andy Lau, Eric Tsang, Anthony Wong, Sammi Chen...).

Anyway, I'd be curious about what folks think of Infernal Affairs, Edison Chen and The Departed.

Posted by momo at 4:35 PM | Comments (3)

I'm not sure if this opinion writer for the UCLA Daily Bruin is trying to be funny, but if he is, he's not succeeding. Jed Levine's premise is that the problem with UCLA is that there are too many Asian American students and their numbers should be limited so more space can be given to the real underrepresented groups.

There's no denying that Asian Americans are overrepresented at UC campuses, and there are valid questions as to whether that's good, bad or an issue at all when it comes to balancing diversity with California's no affirmative action policy.

But when you write lines like:

"If you're going to blame anyone, I say we blame the Asians."

"I agree that it's hard to find other white people I can identify with on a campus that feels more like Taipei than L.A."

"I hear some liberal arts colleges accept head shots from applicants, and I think a similar program at UCLA would be monumentally successful at helping us weed out the young Maos and Kim Jongs from potential Mandelas, Lincolns and Estefans."

"These overflow Asians could then be funneled into a new UC campus where they can be free to explore their identities. Indeed the UC system has a brand new campus that fits the bill perfectly. Say hello to the UC Merced Pandas."

There's a great potential to be misinterpreted if this is an attempt at humor or sarcasm. Any chance of having or promoting worthy discussion is lost, and at worst, you can be accused of being a racist idiot.

Posted by harry at 10:11 AM | Comments (22)

I'm not sure if this opinion writer for the UCLA Daily Bruin is trying to be funny, but if he is, he's not succeeding. Jed Levine's premise is that the problem with UCLA is that there are too many Asian American students and their numbers should be limited so more space can be given to the real underrepresented groups.

There's no denying that Asian Americans are overrepresented at UC campuses, and there are valid questions as to whether that's good, bad or an issue at all when it comes to balancing diversity with California's no affirmative action policy.

But when you write lines like:

"If you're going to blame anyone, I say we blame the Asians."

"I agree that it's hard to find other white people I can identify with on a campus that feels more like Taipei than L.A."

"I hear some liberal arts colleges accept head shots from applicants, and I think a similar program at UCLA would be monumentally successful at helping us weed out the young Maos and Kim Jongs from potential Mandelas, Lincolns and Estefans."

"These overflow Asians could then be funneled into a new UC campus where they can be free to explore their identities. Indeed the UC system has a brand new campus that fits the bill perfectly. Say hello to the UC Merced Pandas."

There's a great potential to be misinterpreted if this is an attempt at humor or sarcasm. Any chance of having or promoting worthy discussion is lost, and at worst, you can be accused of being a racist idiot.

Posted by harry at 10:11 AM | Comments (22)

I'm not sure if this opinion writer for the UCLA Daily Bruin is trying to be funny, but if he is, he's not succeeding. Jed Levine's premise is that the problem with UCLA is that there are too many Asian American students and their numbers should be limited so more space can be given to the real underrepresented groups.

There's no denying that Asian Americans are overrepresented at UC campuses, and there are valid questions as to whether that's good, bad or an issue at all when it comes to balancing diversity with California's no affirmative action policy.

But when you write lines like:

"If you're going to blame anyone, I say we blame the Asians."

"I agree that it's hard to find other white people I can identify with on a campus that feels more like Taipei than L.A."

"I hear some liberal arts colleges accept head shots from applicants, and I think a similar program at UCLA would be monumentally successful at helping us weed out the young Maos and Kim Jongs from potential Mandelas, Lincolns and Estefans."

"These overflow Asians could then be funneled into a new UC campus where they can be free to explore their identities. Indeed the UC system has a brand new campus that fits the bill perfectly. Say hello to the UC Merced Pandas."

There's a great potential to be misinterpreted if this is an attempt at humor or sarcasm. Any chance of having or promoting worthy discussion is lost, and at worst, you can be accused of being a racist idiot.

Posted by harry at 10:11 AM | Comments (22)

San Diego, get ready! Tomorrow, the San Diego Asian Film Festival kicks off. Our friends there have an impressive lineup. "Journey From The Fall" -- Ham Tran's tale of a Vietnamese American family struggles during and after the Vietnam War is playing tomorrow night and is already sold out. Other great stuff: "Punching at the Sun" and "Colma: The Musical" (By the way, we interview the filmmakers of both these films in the next issue of Hyphen, which is coming out any day now.)

Click here for the schedule. The festival continues through the 19th.

Also, Bay Area folks, if you missed Michael Kang's "The Motel" during the SF Asian American International Film Festival here, your chance to see it is coming up.

"The Motel" opens October 20th in San Francisco and Berkeley. It's a quirky coming age story about a boy whose family runs a -- tada -- motel.

SAN FRANCISCO - LUMIERE THEATRE
1572 California Street at Polk
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 267-4893
SHOWTIMES AND DIRECTIONS VISIT:
Showtimes here.

BERKELEY - SHATTUCK CINEMAS
2230 Shattuck Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94704
(510) 464-5980
SHOWTIMES AND DIRECTIONS VISIT:
Showtimes here.

Here's some more about the Motel at Asian CineVision.

Or check out Angry Asian Man's interview with Michael here.

Posted by Melissa at 9:15 AM | Comments (0)

San Diego, get ready! Tomorrow, the San Diego Asian Film Festival kicks off. Our friends there have an impressive lineup. "Journey From The Fall" -- Ham Tran's tale of a Vietnamese American family struggles during and after the Vietnam War is playing tomorrow night and is already sold out. Other great stuff: "Punching at the Sun" and "Colma: The Musical" (By the way, we interview the filmmakers of both these films in the next issue of Hyphen, which is coming out any day now.)

Click here for the schedule. The festival continues through the 19th.

Also, Bay Area folks, if you missed Michael Kang's "The Motel" during the SF Asian American International Film Festival here, your chance to see it is coming up.

"The Motel" opens October 20th in San Francisco and Berkeley. It's a quirky coming age story about a boy whose family runs a -- tada -- motel.

SAN FRANCISCO - LUMIERE THEATRE
1572 California Street at Polk
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 267-4893
SHOWTIMES AND DIRECTIONS VISIT:
Showtimes here.

BERKELEY - SHATTUCK CINEMAS
2230 Shattuck Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94704
(510) 464-5980
SHOWTIMES AND DIRECTIONS VISIT:
Showtimes here.

Here's some more about the Motel at Asian CineVision.

Or check out Angry Asian Man's interview with Michael here.

Posted by Melissa at 9:15 AM | Comments (0)

San Diego, get ready! Tomorrow, the San Diego Asian Film Festival kicks off. Our friends there have an impressive lineup. "Journey From The Fall" -- Ham Tran's tale of a Vietnamese American family struggles during and after the Vietnam War is playing tomorrow night and is already sold out. Other great stuff: "Punching at the Sun" and "Colma: The Musical" (By the way, we interview the filmmakers of both these films in the next issue of Hyphen, which is coming out any day now.)

Click here for the schedule. The festival continues through the 19th.

Also, Bay Area folks, if you missed Michael Kang's "The Motel" during the SF Asian American International Film Festival here, your chance to see it is coming up.

"The Motel" opens October 20th in San Francisco and Berkeley. It's a quirky coming age story about a boy whose family runs a -- tada -- motel.

SAN FRANCISCO - LUMIERE THEATRE
1572 California Street at Polk
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 267-4893
SHOWTIMES AND DIRECTIONS VISIT:
Showtimes here.

BERKELEY - SHATTUCK CINEMAS
2230 Shattuck Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94704
(510) 464-5980
SHOWTIMES AND DIRECTIONS VISIT:
Showtimes here.

Here's some more about the Motel at Asian CineVision.

Or check out Angry Asian Man's interview with Michael here.

Posted by Melissa at 9:15 AM | Comments (0)

Who knew that the most popular artist on MySpace was a Vietnamese American named Tila Tequila?

I guess her 1,428,055 MySpace friends do. That must mean that all of you are already her friends and I’m just the poor smuck who read about her in Rolling Stone’s HOT issue, where she is profiled as “Hottest Add.”

(Okay, just listening to her song “Fuck Ya Man” on her MySpace page, in which the chorus goes “I ain’t trying to fuck your man, erebody knows he’s my number one fan.” Later there is a line: “I ain’t trying to fuck your man, looking at my myspace, lotion in his hand.” Great, now this song is stuck in my head. Good beats though.)

Is it gross that I’m excited that the most popular person on MySpace is Asian American?

Posted by neela at 11:26 AM | Comments (8)

Who knew that the most popular artist on MySpace was a Vietnamese American named Tila Tequila?

I guess her 1,428,055 MySpace friends do. That must mean that all of you are already her friends and I’m just the poor smuck who read about her in Rolling Stone’s HOT issue, where she is profiled as “Hottest Add.”

(Okay, just listening to her song “Fuck Ya Man” on her MySpace page, in which the chorus goes “I ain’t trying to fuck your man, erebody knows he’s my number one fan.” Later there is a line: “I ain’t trying to fuck your man, looking at my myspace, lotion in his hand.” Great, now this song is stuck in my head. Good beats though.)

Is it gross that I’m excited that the most popular person on MySpace is Asian American?

Posted by neela at 11:26 AM | Comments (8)

Who knew that the most popular artist on MySpace was a Vietnamese American named Tila Tequila?

I guess her 1,428,055 MySpace friends do. That must mean that all of you are already her friends and I�m just the poor smuck who read about her in Rolling Stone�s HOT issue, where she is profiled as �Hottest Add.�

(Okay, just listening to her song �Fuck Ya Man� on her MySpace page, in which the chorus goes �I ain�t trying to fuck your man, erebody knows he�s my number one fan.� Later there is a line: �I ain�t trying to fuck your man, looking at my myspace, lotion in his hand.� Great, now this song is stuck in my head. Good beats though.)

Is it gross that I�m excited that the most popular person on MySpace is Asian American?

Posted by neela at 11:26 AM | Comments (8)

Jumpstart your Halloween celebrations early with the spirits of the Asian underworld at October's MATCHA at the Asian Art Museum in SF.

The night kicks off with a short talk at on Doggebi, a goblin-like creature of Korean folklore by UC Berkeley Professor Hilary Finchum-Sung. Next, dancer Kyoung-il Ong of the OngDance Company puts a contemporary spin on the creature, set to a mix of Korean classical music, drumming, and electronica performed by wHOOL.

Throughout the evening, encounter more mythological characters through guided tours of the galleries: demons in Indonesian puppets, legends and folk stories in Japanese netsukes (miniature sculptures adorning garments), imaginary animals on Chinese art, and more. Go here for more info.

Posted by momo at 11:12 PM | Comments (0)

Jumpstart your Halloween celebrations early with the spirits of the Asian underworld at October's MATCHA at the Asian Art Museum in SF.

The night kicks off with a short talk at on Doggebi, a goblin-like creature of Korean folklore by UC Berkeley Professor Hilary Finchum-Sung. Next, dancer Kyoung-il Ong of the OngDance Company puts a contemporary spin on the creature, set to a mix of Korean classical music, drumming, and electronica performed by wHOOL.

Throughout the evening, encounter more mythological characters through guided tours of the galleries: demons in Indonesian puppets, legends and folk stories in Japanese netsukes (miniature sculptures adorning garments), imaginary animals on Chinese art, and more. Go here for more info.

Posted by momo at 11:12 PM | Comments (0)

Jumpstart your Halloween celebrations early with the spirits of the Asian underworld at October's MATCHA at the Asian Art Museum in SF.

The night kicks off with a short talk at on Doggebi, a goblin-like creature of Korean folklore by UC Berkeley Professor Hilary Finchum-Sung. Next, dancer Kyoung-il Ong of the OngDance Company puts a contemporary spin on the creature, set to a mix of Korean classical music, drumming, and electronica performed by wHOOL.

Throughout the evening, encounter more mythological characters through guided tours of the galleries: demons in Indonesian puppets, legends and folk stories in Japanese netsukes (miniature sculptures adorning garments), imaginary animals on Chinese art, and more. Go here for more info.

Posted by momo at 11:12 PM | Comments (0)

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