I’m a big fan of Jane Lui, from her silky smooth voice to her magical cover of Michael Jackson’s “You Are Not Alone” to the fact that she’s just so damn nice when you meet her in person. Now she’s working on her third album, hoping to expand from her acoustic sound: think “more upbeat, less melancholy.” But producing an album costs money, so what’s an indie artist to do? Ask her fans for donations, of course! But lest you think she’s just putting up a PayPal button and waiting for the cash to roll in, you can purchase exclusives such as getting in her album credits, showing up in her YouTube videos, emceeing a show or a night of karaoke with her and a friend; I Will Survive will never be the same.
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If you live in a big city, you may have subscribed to Daily Candy for their dispatches regarding things to do, places to shop, and where to eat.
In the latest “Weekend Guide” from Washington, D.C., Daily Candy recommends the Terra Cotta Warriors Film Festival this weekend at the National Geographic Society. They say that you can watch “Kung fu classics like Lao Tou Ho introduced by martial arts guru Craig D. Reid.” Cool!
But why is this worth attending? According to Daily Candy, it’s because “It makes total sensei.” LAME! Do I need to tell you that “sensei” is a Japanese word and kung fu is not Japanese? Should I mention that all the films in the festival are Chinese?!
WTF, Daily Candy? Who do you think you are?! Karate Kid 2010?! Bah!
(Don’t let Daily Candy’s idiocy prevent you from checking out the Terra Cotta Warriors Film Fest, if you are in DC, though. I love the NGS and the film festival features one of my favorite Chinese films– despite Zhang Ziyi’s inclusion in it– Hero (2002).)
h/t: Ming & Stephanie
Shopping With GASP!
AsianinNY.com is proud to host a festive celebration of the Lunar New Year on Feb 20th with a night full of great performances, good music, and amazing food and drinks! We are also pleased to have one of the best comedians in New York City, Esther Ku, as our MC for the night! Also, there will be a runway fashion show presented by a high-end designer brand, Lucullen. In addition, we will have Manhattan Monologue Slam introduce their one-of-a-kind skit. To carry the spirit of the New Year celebration, Tora Brava will perform her electronica pop/rock music and to top it off, the renowned The Hsu-Nami will be rocking the night away with their progressive rock instrumental band!
This is going to be a night to remember for the start of the Lunar New Year – the year of the Tiger!
FEATURING
Esther Ku: one of the top ten best comedians in NBC’s Stand-up for Diversity Showcase and a finalist on “Last Comic Standing” Season 6.
Philip Galinsky: co-creator of the Manhattan Monologue Slam and a performer on Comedy Central, MTV, A&E, & USA networks.
The Hsu-nami: an internationally renowned progressive rock band with a song featured during the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games.
Tora Brava: electronica pop/rock singer who has toured and performed across Europe, Asia, and North America.
and a Runway Fashion Show by Lucullen: a one of a kind, high-end fashion brand that has successfully launched various collections around the world.
SPONSORS: Bennett Media Studio, Brooklyn Fashion Festival, China1 Antique Restaurant and Lounge, Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans, Culture Catch, Ivy Bakery, Kallisti Jewelry, Lucullen, Maggie’s Meals, MX2 Design Force, Noyu Teas, ORIENTED, YehYehClub, and 247Feature.com.
Date: Feb 20th Saturday
Time: 7~10pm (please arrive early)
Address: 725 Washington Street, New York
RSVP: must sign up before midnight Feb. 19th for $10 admission
Visit: www.AsianinNY.com for more information.
A Visual Art Workshop with Truong Tran
Sat Feb 20, 10am-2pm
Mina Dresden Gallery
312 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
Spend a Saturday learning how to reuse, reimagine and repurpose found objects with artist Truong Tran. The workshop will start at Mina Dresden Gallery, where students will see Truong’s work and he will describe his artistic process. After inspiring myriad of creative ideas, he will lead students on a treasure hunt through the streets and thrift stores of the Mission.
Registration fee: $40
America’s Best Dance Crew is back and this season — just like every other season — practically every crew has an Asian member and the all-Asian crew. The all-Asian crew this season is Poreotix (aka Poreotics); these guys got the name from popping, choreography and robotics. Can Nguyen, and his other Vietnamese crew members Dumbo and Charles are from Orange County, known for having one of the biggest Vietnamese population in the United States. Making news in the dance scene at competitions such as Hip Hop International, their first performance on the show got very positive comments from the judges, especially from Lil Mama. She said that their performance was the best of the night, and also took into account their elements of theater and lyrical. WOW! I didn’t expect that from Lil Mama. Overall, I enjoyed their performance and was entertained by the fact that they would dance to a song by Taylor Swift and even throw in the Kanye West’s VMA comments. They seem to really enjoy what they do and try to put on a good show with their various forms of comedy as well.
Their appearance on ABDC didn’t go without some questions about their humor, however: before their performance, Can Nguyen (incorrectly labeled as Lawrence Devera in the video) responded to a question about why they wear sunglasses. He responds in a Vietnamese accent saying,”because we da Asian … we have da small eyes … and we like robot.” I’ve seen previous performances where he uses the Vietnamese accent for comedy purposes, so I expected this, but questions of his humor being degrading or enforcing stereotypes have been discussed on other blogs. I personally don’t think he meant any harm and was just trying to get a laugh, even a stupid one if he had to. Can Nguyen, and his other Vietnamese crew members Dumbo and Matt are from Orange County, known for having one of the biggest Vietnamese population in the United States.
I’m anxious to see what Poreotix can bring further in ABDC. Many past winners in ABDC has some breakdancers or crew members who show great athleticism with their tricks; it will be interesting if Poreotix can use their style and win it all.
It’s TV pilot season, which means the networks are loading up on new projects they’d like to pursue in hopes of finding the next hit series. Since I work in TV research, I hear pilot news on a regular basis. Every day, I hear about this actor or that actor signing on to star in this new show or that one.
Guess what? Not a single lead actor is Asian or Asian American.* Yes, I am elated that Daniel Dae Kim has found life after Lost, but he’s technically in a supporting role to Alex O’Loughlin. And there aren’t many other Asian Americans in the dozens of pilot projects currently in development: a minor role here, a minor role there. It’s the same as always.
The Hollywood Reporter recently came out with an article discussing the expansion of minorities in lead roles in TV pilots. Forest Whitaker, an African American man, is heading the Criminal Minds spinoff on CBS. Biracial actors Gugu Mbatha-Raw (South African/English) and Boris Kodjoe (German/Ghanaian) are leading NBC’s new JJ Abrams drama, Undercovers. Afro-Cuban Laz Alonso is headlining Fox’s new project, Breakout Kings. According to THR, casting for the leads in Undercovers “was done color-blind, with producers looking for the actors who best fit the characters and had the best chemistry … [E]arly breakdowns had Michael Keaton and Kiefer Sutherland as prototypes for the role on the Criminal Minds spinoff that was offered to Whitaker.”
I applaud the producers of Undercovers for being able to look beyond race, so they could cast purely based on chemistry and how the actors fit into the roles. (Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Mbatha-Raw and Kodjoe are both gorgeous.) I’m happy for all these actors; since I am not familiar with most of them or their work, it’ll be a pleasure to see some fresh talent on the small screen next season.
I just wish that Asian American actors could take part in what looks like a breakout year not just for new actors, but actors of color.
* Is Iranian considered Asian? ABC ordered a pilot called Funny in Farsi, based on the memoir by Iranian American Firoozeh Dumas. Iran is geographically in Asia but Persians are racially Caucasian. I’ll leave this up to you guys to figure out.
(Image Credit: ABC)
If you like good music, check out guitar & cello duo, Aaron & Jane. Come check out self-taught guitar man Aaron and classically trained cellist Jane as they blend their voices and instruments.
February 20, 8pm at House of Blues Sunset Strip in the VooDoo Lounge.
$10 at the door
It’s been while since my interview with Kina Grannis, about three years now me thinks, and it’s been a long ride. But the wait is finally over with a fabulous album coming out called “Stairwells” after winning the Interscope contract and then leaving the label later on to become an independent. This album blends the well known voice of Kina with what I couldn’t really describe from the preview songs except for a style kind of like John Mayer. Maybe I’m just crazy but this album is probably one of her most polished yet and is already looking to be a hit.
What’s even more fun about this is that if you pre-order “Stairwells” before February 23rd, you’ll get your copy signed. And apparently she’s been spending many hours signing these babies if that’s any indication of where this album is going already. If you’ve never heard of her music, I would suggest you check out the official music video of Valentine above and entice your eardrums to those lovely vocals and gentle strumming of the acoustic guitar.
Beautiful stuff. Really.
Biochemist by day and comedian by night, Boston-based Joe Wong made his second appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman the other night, and to no surprise, was not as nervous as the first time around. Joe had a lot of new material which I had not heard of in his five minute set, which got a nice reception. Joe’s next big gig will be performing for President Obama for the The White House Radio & Television Correspondents dinner in the spring. You can catch him again in San Francisco from April 1st to the 3rd.
I don’t know about you, but I find this Metro PCS television commercial pretty offensive. The ad — which debuted sometime around the Superbowl — plays to the stereotypes of Indians being techno-geeks in a mocking manner. I was almost wondering if this was some bad Saturday Night Live parody. Sure, there are a lot of Indians and Indian Americans working in tech, but the manner that they are portrayed in this commercial is ridiculous. CNet seems to agree.
Locus@KSW’s Do It Yourself Music Video Contest
Feb 18 – Mar 4, 2010
WATCH AND VOTE NOW!
http://asianamericanmedia.org/videos
LOCUS@KSW teamed up Asian American filmmakers and musicians, challenging them to make a music video in a matter of two months with little to no budget. The DIY Music Video teams are competing for a spot in the 28th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival and an exciting prize provided by Toyota. Your vote will determine which video makes to the film festival!
For more information visit http://kearnystreet.org/programs/locus/
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APA Events
Feb 9: (Los Angeles, CA) East West Players presents THREE YEAR SWIM CLUB
Feb 9: (Los Angeles, CA) OR (Orphan Relief): China Care Bruin’s 4th Annual Awareness Night
Feb 10: (Los Angeles, CA) CAUSE: Women in Power Annual Luncheon
Feb 15: (Seattle, WA) Pork Filled Players Enter The Year of the Dragon Spam*O*Rama
Feb 16: Adam WarRock and Kirby Krackle: West Cost Tour Dates!!!
Feb 16: (New York, NY) Amar Chitra Katha: Monica Ferrell, Chitra Ganesh, Keshni Kashyap, and Himanshu “Heems” Suri of Das Racist
Feb 17: (Los Angeles, CA) All My Sons- Feb 18: (San Francisco, CA) NAAAP-SF Lunar New Year Gala 2012
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- Moye Ishimoto - Co-Editor, Editorial
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