… it’s Asian POP culture Remixed … in podcast form; music, news, games and interviews. After weeks of toil and a ton of money, I present to you the first teaser show of POP 88.
The official show with all its bells and whistles will be slated to go live May 1st. *We hope!*
Each new edition of the teaser will introduce new elements the official show will eventually incorporate. Of course, this takes time, and you all out there are our audio guinea pigs till we get it right.
So we, or rather I, welcome your feedback, comments, and suggestions. You can email them to christine [at] popcast88.com. Or visit the website POPcast88.com for more info and playlists.
*please note – I know I need to buy a new mic and also, please excuse my really poor Korean and Japanese pronunciations – I will get better, I promise!
POP 88 is in association with 8Asians.com.
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The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is looking to recruit a few more good Asian-American men & women. Apparently, Asian-Americans are under-represented in the Sheriff’s Department, where about 20% of Los Angeles County’s 10 million people are of Asian decent.
So, to help in recruiting more Asian-Americans, Sheriff Lee Baca has recruited actor Jackie Chan to star in a public service ad aimed at recruiting minorities to the force. As Chan puts it, “I’m the police ambassador in Taiwan, Japan, Honk Kong, China, everywhere, first time in America, thank you very much,” Chan said.
You can catch a video clip of the press conference on CBS’s KCAL 2 – here. And a photo of Jackie in a police uniform here.
I wonder what the police forces of Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, everywhere and America think about that?!?
To be honest, having been born and grown up on the East Coast, I’m shocked whenever I see an Asian-American police officer in California. Asian-Americans in California, in general, are just so assimilated into mainstream society – except I guess when it comes into law enforcement and a few other professions (like professional basketball, football, etc…)?
Shopping With GASP!
When I first heard the news that Manny Pacquiao, the Super Featherweight Champion Boxer, was running for Congress in his homeland of the Philippines, my first instinct was to cringe, and say WTF? The past decade of Philippine politics has changed from politicians, to even more well known super star actors and actresses from movies and television. So when I saw the actual link, Manny Pacquiao for Congress, I couldn’t help but feel the embarrassment people have had over the country’s political government.
To some extent I have to agree with the view that politics is acting, but when the majority of people running for seats in Senate and Congress in May have political resumes filled with movie credits rather than policies and a record of political stances, one has to definitely wonder the effects of leadership in helping to shape a better Philippines. The long-term health of the country is at risk when people are hired because of fame rather than the values, beliefs, and track record of political choices. Former President Erap was an example of the ineptitude of this new kind of politician. And current President Arroyo used that to state her case when she ran for office.
Manny: You’re a champion boxer. You’ve made tons and tons of money. More than the people of your homeland will ever make. You don’t need the money of a congressman’s salary. You should focus on your questionable move to De la Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, boxing and all the rest that you have accomplished. Give back in other ways to your homeland. Prove your worth politically, before you use your fame and popularity.
Just a reminder that The 25th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival is starting next week, running from 3/15 to 3/25. It’s always usually a great time to see some interesting and different films highlighting Asian/Asian-American themes, directors, films, actors & actresses, etc.
Today’s Daily Variety included the following blurb:
Aaron Yoo (“The Bedford Diaries”) has landed a lead role in Columbia’s “21,” about MIT students who take Las Vegas casinos for millions.
Thesp will next be seen in Par’s “Disturbia,” Warner Bros.’ “American Pastime” and Picturehouse’s “Rocket Science.”
Looks like Aaron is a very busy guy with so many upcoming major studio releases. “21″ is supposedly based on the book “Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas for Millions”.
I can’t wait.
Like so many other first generation Filipino’s in America, my parents immigrated to the United States in hopes of a better life. They studied hard in school, motivated by their poor economic upbringing to support their family back home, and create a new prosperous life in the United States. I am eternally grateful for the choices they’ve made and the opportunities they’ve provided for me. So when I came across this article first in the San Francisco Chronicle then on USA Today, it struck a profound chord that rings true in not just my life but also for every other Filipino who lives in the U.S.: The choice to stay and support a country, or move and support your family is a constant decision being made by thousands of Filipino’s graduating from college every year. Recent economic reports state that 70% of the nation’s economy is supported by overseas workers. Elmer Jacinto is one of them.
Once upon a time, Elmer Jacinto was his nation’s most promising young doctor. But doctors in the Philippines are not well paid, and so he boarded a plane to America.
To make more money. To become … a nurse.
Well, I found this New York Times article to be quite interesting, “[Asian-Americans] Trying to Crack the Hot 100” – Where is the Asian-American Justin Timberlake? Asian-Americans cite the “Asian thing” as keeping them from pop-star status.”
The article goes on to say:
“There are Asian-American stars in sports, movies, television and classical music. But the “Asian thing” is what Mr. Lee and many other aspiring Asian-American singers say largely accounts for the lack of Asian-American pop stars. People in the music industry, including some executives, have no ready explanation, but Asian-American artists and scholars argue that the racial stereotypes that hobble them as a group — the image of the studious geek, the perception that someone who looks Asian must be a foreigner — clash with the coolness and born-in-the-U.S.A. authenticity required for American pop stardom. Asian-Americans may be expected to play the violin or know kung fu, some artists and scholars say, but not necessarily to sound like Kanye West or Madonna, or sell like them. The issue came to the fore most recently on “American Idol,” where a Korean-American contestant, Paul Kim, 24, said he was giving music one last shot after many disappointments.”
This really struck me as quite sad considering how the Asian-American stereotypes have been relatively “positive” (as opposed to let’s say the stereotypes for other races and ethnicities). And this part of the article brought it home to me. I used to make light of all the negative comments regarding William Hung, but now realize how much damage he has done to today’s Asian-American stereotype. I think William Hung’s intentions have always been good, but the damage he has done is unknown with lots of negative ramifications:
“Asked to name the most recognizable Asian-American pop solo singer today… younger Asian-American artists agreed on one person: William Hung, the “American Idol” castoff who became an overnight sensation in 2004 for his off-key rendition of Ricky Martin’s “She Bangs.” ….That is why the case of William Hung stings, some artists admitted. Of all the Asian-American singers trying to make it, the one who seemed to have no trouble finding the limelight was a comic figure. “For Asian-Americans it was a collective cringe,” said L. S. Kim, a professor of film and television studies at the University California at Santa Cruz.”
One small step for William Hung as he has gained “fame” in his music career (if you can call it that – he’s sold three albums with sales of 200,000, 35,000 and 7,000 units respectively and perform at concerts, events and private and corporate parties. ” ) – and one giant leap backwards Asian-Americans.
Thus I think the excitement in the past year at least with positive or popular Asian-American role models in the media such as Yul Kwon and Masi Oka are encouraging to see, but Asian-Americans need the anti-William Hung to break the barriers at least for the music industry.
Alberta-born, broadcast journalist, writer and actress Olivia Cheng has been cast to play the lead in ‘The Iris Chang Story: The Woman who Couldn’t Forget‘.
And only here can you listen to a very different interview you won’t see or hear anywhere else, as I told her she didn’t have to take me so seriously.
She talks about how she discovered freelance historian and journalist Iris Chang at 17, how she convinced the producers to see her, and how her own battle with depression mentally prepared her for the role.
[Side note: Olivia and I have known each other for 6 years but had never met face to face. So when I finally introduced myself, she gave me a funny look, "Not Christine Miguel, Christine Miguel?" I smiled, "Yes.")]
The other day, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan denied that Japan’s military had forced foreign women into sexual slavery (better known euphemistically as “comfort women“) during World War II, contradicting the Japanese government’s previous 1993 statement that acknowledged the military’s role in setting up brothels and forcing women into sexual slavery.
This is just plain ridiculous and an outrage. It just so interesting that on one extreme, Germany’s national psyche is haunted by the Holocaust, while Japan revisits every so often and denies the occurrence very well documented existence of “comfort women” and The Rape of Nanjing. It is this kind of behavior and statements that continually raises mistrust and near term acceptance as Japan as a regional and political economic power and continues to threaten Japan’s legitimacy during China’s rise.
Better for Japan to repent fully and put this issue to bed than to continue to revisit and re-interpret history.
When will Japan ever learn?
Tonight wasn’t a good night for AJ Talbado, as he was voted off American Idol tonight. The judges called him one of the better singers of the competition (and he was, honestly) but without a lot of early camera time, he had one of the lowest vote-totals of the night. The weird hand flippy thingies he did while he sung didn’t help either. Neither did the fact that another girl sang the exact same Nina Simone song, and she was eliminated tonight as well. Ouch.
The hopes of an Asian-American Idol now rest on Sanjaya Shalikar and his rabid, under-18 female fan base. (Thankfully, he has a HUGE fan base, as he was one of the relatively few contestants that had a safe chance of advancing to the next round, according to DialIdol. He just needs to stop singing weird.)
The Houghton Mifflin dictionary defines “racism” as:
- The belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others.
- Discrimination or prejudice based on race.
Kenneth Eng’s article is almost a textbook example of someone who fits this description. So I felt a mixture of confusion and shock when I read another article he published entitled, “Discrimination Against Asians at NYU” in Down in the Dirt, an Internet literary magazine. The article is towards the middle of the page.
Since the background makes the article a bit difficult to read, I’ll provide some juicy excerpts here:
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