Here’s a SuperBowl commercial that annoyed me, courtesy of Doritos. In this ad, some guys in a gym take Doritos from samurai– and suffer the consequences!!!111!!1 OMGLOLWTFBBQ! This ad was popular enough that it ranked in the Top 20 of the USA Today Super Bowl Ads Meter. (This was one of 4 consumer-created ads which aired during the big game.)
I don’t care that the Doritos Samurai is a white guy– in fact, I think it might be kind of racist if it was an Asian guy. This ad annoyed me because it used various martial arts in combination with each other– mixing up of the martial arts– not to be confused with intentionally featuring “mixed martial arts” (MMA).
Maybe I’ve just seen too many depictions of various martial arts being confused for each other– I’m talking about you Karate Kid 2010 and The Foot Fist Way– that my first reaction to the commercial was “Why is the Doritos Samurai throwing Doritos shurikens and swinging a Doritos nunchaku?” I mean, would it be so hard to make the guy swing a Doritos katana? Maybe shoot the guy with a Doritos yumi?
Then again, we are talking about a guy wearing a samurai outfit made out of Doritos, so who cares about accuracy?
On a side note, his outfit does look quite cheesy, crunchy, and delicious. Too bad it probably chafes. (Ow.)
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Harvard senior and basketball phenom Jeremy Lin has just be named one of the top 11 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award from an original list of 73 – an award given to “the top collegiate male basketball point guard annually spanning across all divisions.” Congratulations to Jeremy!
You can help Jeremy win this award by voting for him at www.cousyaward.com – The player that receives the most fan votes will receive one vote toward the final committee vote. Fan voting will run one month – beginning February 5 and will conclude March 5. Jeremy has got some stiff competition, including nominees from such storied programs as Duke, Michigan State, Villanova and Kentucky.
Jeremy has gotten quite a bit of press lately: This past week, Jeremy was interviewed on NPR. And last week, Sports Illustrated did a story on him and the Harvard men’s basketball team.
Shopping With GASP!
Lost star Daniel Dae Kim is going to star in CBS’ upcoming Hawaii Five-O remake. He will play Detective Chin Ho Kelly, in the role originated by Kam Fong.
I gave up on Lost after the first season, but I am excited to hear that Kim, a terrific actor and one of the few Asian American males on network television, has found life after Lost. He is the first member of the cast to sign on to a new show. Sure, it’ll take some time getting used to him as someone other than Jin. But I’m sure he will have no problem settling into his new role.
Hawaii Five-O is a cop series that ran from 1968-1980. I’ve never seen so much as a clip. And I abhor TV remakes. But this time, I will make an exception.
This recent interesting polling data from Gallup finds Asian Americans more liberal or leans Democratic — after initially identifying as independents — than other racial/ethnic groups:
“Overall, 41% of Asians identify politically as Democrats, 41% as independents, and 16% as Republicans. As a result, Asians are above the national average in terms of the percentage of political independents (37% nationwide) and Democrats (34%), and below average in terms of the percentage of Republicans (27%).”
At first, I was kind of surprised by this given my experience growing up in the Northeast, where I found my parents and their peers tended to be at least fairly socially and fiscally conservative. But having now lived in California for over 10+ years, where a majority of Asian Americans do live, you kind of sort of expect those kind of results.
Additionally, Asian Americans tend to be highly educated compared to all other ethnic groups, showing a correlation with higher education and liberalism. But mostly, I have found in my experience is that Asian Americans tend to be fairly apathetic and not terribly involved in civic life and politics — ironically, they also vote to a lesser degree than most and thus a large percentage of Asian Americans are independent and not very ideological and more practical. The few Asian American Republicans I know tend to be small business owners, where Republicans tend to do well with.
Having coached both of my sons in basketball, I can understand how frustrating it can be to have your team lose. But Mark Ho and Jannie Han took things a bit too far when the 21 year old Han, coach of the freshman girls basketball team at heavily Asian San Gabriel High, suited up and played on Ho’s JV girls team. Because of this and after accusations of a cover-up attempt, the entire girls basketball coach staff was fired. I wonder how Han thought that she could get away with passing herself off as being much younger. Pearl Cream? Asian beauty secrets? I could never do that with my sons’ teams. I think my graying temples and receding hairline would give me away!
Submission period is now closed. An astounding response. Judges are in the adjudication process and will deliver their decisions late April.
FOR IMMEDIATELY RELEASE
FEBRUARY 19, 2010
Visual Communications Announces Asian Pacific Islander Short Screenplay Contest
The 2010 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival announces the 1st annual LAAPFF Short Screenplay Competition. Co-presented with Mavericks of Asian Pacific Islander Descent, the inaugural competition will award the top three finalists with WRITE BROTHERS SOFTWARE PACKAGE ($200 VALUE). The Grand Prize will receive an intensive consultation on the script with Academy Award winner Chris Tashima as well as additional prizes to total over $1300. The announcement of the Grand Prize winner will be held at the awards ceremony of the 2010 LAAPFF May 6, 2010 at the Aratani Japan America Theatre.
Shinae Yoon, Executive Director of Visual Communications, the presenter of the LAAPFF, is “thrilled to be able to bring to the APA screenwriters community an opportunity to showcase their talent through the first screenplay contest of its kind in Southern California. We are very pleased to have the support of Write Brothers Software and the Writers Guild of America, West”
Submissions are accepted electronically only via email. Applicants must download an application form and send the completed form and submitted work to [email protected] A $15 entrance fee must accompany each submission. Complete information including application, rules, release, and payment button can be found at www.vconline.org.
Sponsors include the Writer Guild of America West, Write Software, Cedar Grove Productions, and Brian Raimondi photography.
Visual Communication’s mission is to promote intercultural understanding through the creation, presentation and support of media works by and about Asian Pacific Americans. VC was created with the understanding that media and the arts are important vehicles to organize and empower communities, build connections between generations, challenge perspectives, and create an environment for critical thinking necessary to build a more just and humane society.
The 26th Annual Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival will be held from April 29 to May 8, 2010. Presented by Visual Communications, the nation’s premier APA media arts center, screenings will showcase 150 films and videos from over 20 countries. 200 industry professionals including filmmakers, celebrities, and press are in attendance. In addition to screenings, the festival offers a wide range of activities including seminars, workshops, and special events. Every year, over 14,000 people attend the film festival which launches the celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
MAPID is the producer of Breaking the Bow and is committed to the promotion and development of Asian Pacific Islander Artists.
For more information, please contact [email protected]
Direct link:
http://www.vconline.org/alpha/cms//index.cfm/programs/presentation/the-los-angeles-asian-pacific-film-festival/screenplay-competition/
If I asked you, Mister/Ms. Asian American, to name an Asian American magazine — any Asian American magazine — you could probably come up with a list of a couple: Hyphen, KoreAm, and a couple of now-defunct print magazines as well: Jade, Yolk and A Magazines come to mind. Giant Robot seems to be forgotten on a lot of people’s lists, but is a damn shame; what started as a humble zine has turned into a solid magazine devoted to Asians and Asian Americans in the art, film and pop culture worlds, with retail outlets in California and New York. My friend Schlomo puts it best: “Giant Robot has done more to bolster/unite/hype Asian American arts culture than anyone else I have ever seen. As a curated outlet, this is indispensable.” And let’s be honest: you know that statement is true if a guy named Schlomo is saying it.
But now — as with a lot of print based publications out there and like a couple of AA magazines — Giant Robot is in financial trouble, and is asking for financial support from fans. The idea of donating has gotten a fair amount of criticism from readers, of which co-editor Martin writes about in the GR blog:
… [W]e’re not looking for a free ride. Other changes are in the works to get help, evolve GR, and secure its place. We have support of our printer, large advertisers, and other plans that are kicking in. But this is something to provide stability while they take effect. It’s not easy to ask for assistance — and we’re not saying that we expect it or necessarily deserve it — but if you can offer help, we can use it.
To which I say this: Giant Robot is one of the most successful Asian American-based brands to successfully crossover to mainstream pop culture. As someone who has visited the New York store and has met one of their managers, it would be a shame to see all of that go away. If you have the money and want to see a brand you believe in stick around, donate to the cause. But if you don’t believe in the way their doing it, hey, buy a magazine or a subscription.
Disgrasian.com recently blogged a BABEWATCH spotlight on Catherine Chow and Corina Nurimba, the co-founders of Tobi.com. I instantly recognized Catherine as the woman who also co-founded [with Corina] the San Francisco-based Azalea Boutique in 2003.
I’m no fashionisto — as many people can tell by the way I dress — but I’ve dropped by the store a few times to say “hello.” The Hayes Valley boutique is inviting and showcases a wide selection of clothing and accessories and even gets glowing Yelp reviews! I’m always amazed and impressed by entrepreneurs like Cathy, because I can imagine that it can be particularly challenging to jump-start, maintain, and grow a retail business.
In 2006, Cathy and her business partner, Corina launched Tobi.com, a “1-to-1 shopping” experience with personal stylists you can call, chat, and email with about any questions you may have. Most recently in 2009, to further build upon their fun and personal online shopping experience, Cathy and Corina launched a web video series, aptly branded, Tobi TV.
Make sure to tune in — and check out all the episodes — as Cathy and Corina visit designer showrooms, speak candidly about buying for the season, and what trends they love to share with their customers. Also, a bit of insider information, follow Tobi on Facebook and Twitter to access exclusive giveaways, stylist tips, and more on fashion.
Back when Hines Ward was a rookie, I knew about his career. Not because I followed him, but because my friends would be sure to keep me updated. I have to admit, I do pay closer attention to Korean news makers so I can keep up with the people I’m lumped with by ethnicity, and I guess I swell with pride when “my people” do good and feel shame when they act like buffoons. I feel the same way about any Asian American news makers.
Hines Ward has been a bleep on my radar ever since my friends told me about his NFL career way back when. Since I don’t really follow any football unless it’s about the Colts, I hadn’t kept up with Ward religiously. But I recently (and by recently, I mean November of 2009) read something about Ward that made me smile: Hines Ward is doing his part in trying to help other Korean biracial youths.
I have a biracial cousin I don’t see as often as I would like, but I remember how hard it was for her to be the only biracial kid in our family. She wasn’t loved any less, but there seemed to be a certain divide; while I have no firsthand experience on how challenging it can be to live as a biracial Korean, I’ve witnessed enough hurdles here and there to appreciate what Ward is doing.
Even as a non-biracial Korean, and Korean being my first language, I lived with certain prejudices from my fellow countrymen back when I lived in South Korea. I still feel it when I venture into Korea Town and felt a smidge when I visited Korea in 2008, so it’s no surprise that the plight of biracial kids in South Korea was mostly ignored until 2006, when Ward became MVP of Superbowl XL. And while the plight still continues, Ward is doing what he can to help and I appreciate his efforts. I’m thankful that he is being vocal about it so that it leaves less room for South Koreans to try and ignore a glaring problem.
I’m hardly a football fan by any means, but because I have a lot of blogger friends who live in New Orleans, I’ve become a temporary fan of the Saints. (Never been to the Superbowl! Obligatory story of the Superdome going from sub-par Katrina shelter to a place of celebration!) And because I’m a liberal, tree hugging blogger from hippie California, I’ve been sent links to Linebacker Scott Fujita speaking out on abortion and gay rights.
The reason a post like this is showing up on 8Asians, of course, is because I took notice of his last name, Fujita. No, the 6’5″, 250lb Linebacker isn’t ethnically Asian, but he’s candid in talking about being adopted by a family with a Japanese father, and is very candid about talking about being raised with Japanese culture and life with his grandmother, who was sent to an internment camp in Arizona during World War 2. “I have no Japanese blood in my body,” he says, “but I’m Japanese at heart.”
6’5″ with a bunch of presumably smaller Japanese people? I would love to see some of those family photographs.
30 year old Kinman Chan was charged in a criminal complaint for interfering with the duties of a flight attendant on a flight Philadelphia to Los Angeles on Sunday. Why was he making odd gestures, screaming as the plane took off and attacking a flight attendent “with his pants down?” Because he took double his dosage of medical marijuana cookies. Dude, why couldn’t you just be like every other stoner and just steal all the honey roasted peanuts? (Hat tip: Min)
If you’re like me, then you’re probably sitting at your desk at work, surrounded by fanatical coworkers discussing last night’s premiere of Lost. Yes, it’s the start of the final season and yes, more questions have been asked than answered in last night’s episode, but can we please talk about the most important thing revealed?
THERE’S A NEW ASIAN GUY! And he seems really important! One of the reasons why I enjoy this show (which I’ve only started watching very recently because for some reason, catching up on Real Housewives seemed more important in the past 6 years) is their storyline around Sun and Jin’s relationship–and the fact that they continue to tangle and unravel their personal history and marriage. And don’t forget about Ken Leung, who plays the smart-ass “I can hear dead people” Miles. Their Asian characters are portrayed as I want all Asian television characters to be done: well developed roles with a connection to their cultural background but without having their racial identity overshadow the plot, require some sort of cheesy kimono costume…or mean that they’re going to be killed off very soon.
Okay, so maybe Daniel Dae Kim’s Korean accent is sub-par but at least he’s involved with a fellow Korean actress and like…stuff. Whatever.
Let’s get back to Hiroyuki Sanada, who you may recognize from such movies like Sunshine or The Last Samurai. Last night’s premiere didn’t reveal too much about his role, except that he seems to be super important to the island, he’s bilingual, can grow facial hair and doesn’t like the way English sounds on his tongue. That’s fucking BAD-ASS. Maybe I should try that with my family. I don’t know how that will work.
And no, that’s not a spoiler if you haven’t seen the episode yet. I can’t wait to see where Sanada’s character goes next. Maybe the island turns out to be some sort of giant mecha robot from Japan?
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