Author Archives: John

About John

I'm a Taiwanese-American and was born & raised in Western Massachusetts, went to college in upstate New York, worked in Connecticut, went to grad school in North Carolina and then moved out to the Bay Area in 1999 and have been living here ever since - love the weather and almost everything about the area (except the high cost of housing...)

Film Review: ‘Blinded by the Light’

Posted on August 18, 2019 by John

I’m not big Bruce Springsteen fan, but am a big fan of the film ‘Bend It Like Beckham,’ which Gurinder Chadha directed so I was definitely going to see ‘Blinded by the Light’ where Chadha is credited directing and being … Continue reading →

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‘The Farewell,’ starring Awkwafina, Opens Nationwide August 2nd

Posted on August 1, 2019 by John

To be honest, I was not really aware of the film ‘The Farewell‘ prior to a week to its opening in Los Angeles and New York City (opening July 12th), when I started seeing #GoldOpen type postings in those cities.  … Continue reading →

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The Daily Show: Andrew Yang – Bringing Bold and Unique Ideas to His 2020 White House Bid

Posted on July 31, 2019 by John

As many 8Asians readers may know, I’m a big fan of The Daily Show, so I was happy to see that Taiwanese American presidential candidate Andrew Yang interviewed on the show (rather than simply be in a comedic sketch). I’ve … Continue reading →

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For Beatles-singing star Himesh Patel, ‘Yesterday’ represents the future of film

Posted on July 22, 2019 by John

I saw the film ‘Yesterday‘ on its opening weekend and enjoyed the film. What struck me though was when I saw the trailer, that the film had an Indian male lead with a white female counterpart who had unrequited love … Continue reading →

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Modern Love: When a Dating Dare Leads to Months of Soul Searching

Posted on July 15, 2019 by John

 Since the beginning of time (or at least me being on the Internet since in the Fall of 1989), I’ve seen the topic of Asian American women having a preference for white men being a subject of consternation. And certainly … Continue reading →

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ICYMI: Toronto Raptors’ Jeremy Lin first Asian American to Win NBA Championship

Posted on June 24, 2019 by John

View this post on Instagram First Asian-American ever to be an NBA champ!! Promise Ill never stop reppin Asians with everything I have! GOD established my step after step after step, allowing me to be 9 inches taller and over … Continue reading →

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ICYMI: Crazy, Political Asians & California State Democratic Party Convention

Posted on June 17, 2019 by John

Back at the end of May and first weekend of June, the California State Democratic Party held its annual convention in San Francisco, and I had the great pleasure to have attend the 2019 California State Democratic Party convention as … Continue reading →

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Asian American Commercial Watch: What are LISTERINE® Ready! Tabs

Posted on May 30, 2019 by John

For some reason, this Listerine commercial has *27 million* views on YouTube (maybe it’s also used as a YouTube ad?). In any case, a little more info about Listerine® Ready Tabs™: “With LISTERINE® Ready! Tabs™, there’s now there’s an easier … Continue reading →

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CAAMFest37: Joy Luck Club Anniversary Screening – Q&A

Posted on May 23, 2019 by John

https://caamfest.com/2019/movies/joy-luck-club/ It was my great honor and pleasure to attend this year’s CAAMFest37’s 25th anniversary year screening (the film actually came out in September 1993) of The Joy Luck Club, with many of the actors present: “Come join us as … Continue reading →

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CAAMFest37: Love Boat: Taiwan – Q&A after SF Premiere

Posted on May 21, 2019 by John

It was my great honor to attend the San Francisco premiere of the documentary Love Boat: Taiwan at CAAMFest37: “Fearless, inventive and outspoken are a few words to describe CAAMFest37 Spotlight Honoree Valerie Soe. From the 80’s to now, Soe’s … Continue reading →

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Netflix’s ‘Always Be My Maybe’ Coming May 30th Starring Ali Wong and Randall Park

Posted on May 20, 2019 by John

I’ve only seen comedian Ali Wong as a stand up comic, either live in San Francisco or her two Netflix comedy specials, Baby Cobra and Hard Knock Wife, so I’m eager to see Wong as well as Randall Park co-star … Continue reading →

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BTS Takes Over America & the World

Posted on May 16, 2019 by John

I hate to admit it, but I hadn’t listened to one song or seen one of their music videos before BTS made their appearance on ‘Saturday Night Live’ on Saturday, April 13th, 2019 – the first ever for a K-pop … Continue reading →

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