8 Questions for Asians Arts Museum

Posted on August 28, 2009 by Ernie

lord-its-the-samuraiAs previously blogged by Moye, the Asians Arts Museum — note the plural, it’s what threw me off — is a pretty detailed parody site of the Lords of the Samurai exhibit in San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum. So much so that I forwarded their press release to the active blogger’s e-mail list, thinking it was a legitimate attempt for the museum to gain additional attendance by focusing on Korean slaves and their penchant for Shudō, the samurai tradition of man-boy love.

The jokes on me for that one, obviously, but given how much time and detail had been put into the website, I was curious as to the person or team behind this: do they have a problem with the museum? With samurais? A bunch of us bloggers collected some questions — some serious, others not so much — and we conducted an e-mail interview with the anonymous Asians Arts Museum staff. You’ll find their answers after the jump; you may be interested in what they have to say.
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Posted in (featured), 8Questions, The Arts | 13 Comments

Survivor: Samoa’s Token Asian Contestant: “Shy” and “Forgettable”

Posted on August 28, 2009 by Ernie

Another year, another season of Survivor and — for better or for worse now — another token Asian contestant.  This year’s Asian contestant on Survivor: Samoa comes in the form of 33 year old Liz Kim, an attorney out of New York City. For those wondering if she’s going to play the typical dragon lady role like previous Asian women on Survivor — Shii Ann of Survivor: Thailand, I’m talking about you — don’t be so sure of that, as Andy of RealityBlurred recently had a chance to travel to Samoa to interview all twenty contestants and thought Liz “shy and demure,” and was so forgettable that he “seriously [doesn’t] recall talking to” her. That combined with the fact that I haven’t seen her in any major CBS promos probably means that she doesn’t make much of an impact this season; as much as I hate to say it, my prediction is that she’ll be the first one voted off the island.

Posted in (simple), Entertainment | Leave a comment

Events: Nail Salon Worker Panels in San Jose

Posted on August 28, 2009 by Guest Writer

To get your event blogged about on 8Asians, join our social network!

  • A Hidden Side of Beauty: Hazards Facing Nail Salon Workers – Part of South Bay First Thursdays, a panel discussion uncovering the true health cost of a $16 manicure: nail salon workers — mostly immigrant Asian women — are chronically exposed to harmful chemicals. Community organizers are leading the charge for social justice in the nail salon industry. (9/3, San Jose, CA: More info here.)
Posted in (simple), San Francisco Bay Area | Leave a comment

“Asians Arts Museum” Parodies SF Asian Arts Museum Samurai Exhibit

Posted on August 26, 2009 by Moye

asiansartmuseum

Being Asian American is hard, but can you imagine how much more complicated it is to be an Asian American BLOGGER? And life only gets harder each moment with the sheer amount of Asian American news that you have to read, digest and write about. Asian Americans in the health care crisis! Another politician running for mayor! Hollywood portrays Asian Americans in a negative way yet again! *Cue world’s tiniest violin*

So at times, we get confused. It’s understandable. We here at 8Asians naturally view everything Asian-related with a serious and critical outlook, even when it’s not really meant to be. Joz’s 6’4″ cousin is signed to Ford Models: what does this say about the cultural stereotype of emasculated Asian American males in US pop culture? Wait, he’s just a hot guy? No, there has to be more meaning behind this!

This train of thought can lead to fun times on our internal email list, especially when Ernie suggested that someone covers the “Lord, It’s The Samurai” exhibit — which includes a section on Samurai man/boy love — at the “Asians Art Museum.” To which, this exchange occurs:

Efren: Honestly, isn’t this a parody/response from the real Asian Art Museum exhibit about the Samurai? I don’t think this is from the museum.
Ernie: From what I can gather, it doesn’t look to be a parody.
Efren: Actually it is. This is the real page Asian Art Museum’s samurai website: http://www.asianart.org/Samurai.htm The parody is asiansart.org, not asianart.org.
Ernie: Damn. To quote Moye, “samurai pnwed.”

Oh snap! I’ve seen people get tricked by sneaky ninjas, but samurais bring this to a whole new level.

On a more serious note, the Asians Art Museum (where “Asian still means Oriental”) showcases a creative method of protest against what many assume to be a well intentioned exhibit, The Lords of the Samurai, at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. Who knew that the history of samurais could evoke the disdain of today’s critics? We all may not find the parody site to be humorous, but it’s refreshing to see a unique approach to how our community can objectify our own culture for the public.

With that said, I’m off to iron my Gothic Lolita outfit.

[EDITORS NOTE: A follow-up interview has been posted here.]

Posted in San Francisco Bay Area, The Arts | 15 Comments

Asian, Westerners Accents & Language Barriers

Posted on August 25, 2009 by Guest Writer

By Maricris

Imagine talking to someone and everything sounds like gibberish, yet the person talking to you is also speaking in English.

Doesn’t that frustrate you sometimes? I’m sure it does and the culprit is mostly our accents and how we pronounce our words.

Surprisingly, this is not solely isolated in the US. Take the Philippines, which has 180 spoken languages with varied tonal and regional accents. If there were two people in a room are from different regions and are chatting with each other and both speak Tagalog — the official language of the country — I can guarantee you that there will be a big chance they won’t understand each other. The way words are spoken and pronounced are always the key ingredient to better communication. You just have to speak the lingo!

Similarly, US seem to have the same issue. They have regional and tonal accents depending on what side of the country they’re from. This variety also poses as a hurdle and makes it harder for most Asians to adapt while already struggling to lose their native tongues to achieve speech discernability.

According to Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, initial exposure to foreign and regional accents can trigger a delay in word identification, but that repeated exposure results in better comprehensibility. I can personally attest to this; six straight years of speaking mainly English on a daily basis has proved beneficial. The immersion and exposure made it easier for me to communicate without uttering the annoying “say that again” or the “what did you just say?” most times.

Strangely though, a lot of people tell me that now I sound and talk differently, like I was born here and have always spoken the language. Immersion would do that to you, but it’s not perfect — there are certain words that I still mispronounce. And no matter what my Mom says after she overhears me speaking to someone in straight, nonstop barrage of English that I’m “Americanized”, it will not change the fact that I’m Asian and I will occasionally blunder the pronouns her and his! Who else have this problem? It is annoying even to me.

ABOUT MARICRIS: Maricris shares her journeys in life through her personal blog ZenVentures, her views on being Asian in Toasty Brown, her insight as a working mother in Working Mother Magazine, and who’s creative side can be found at Golden Flower Creations.

(Flickr photo credit: timothy b. buckwalter)

Posted in Lifestyles, Observations | 6 Comments

More of my cousin, Daniel Liu (or maybe a little too much!)

Posted on August 25, 2009 by jozjozjoz

Daniel Liu #1
After I asked for people to keep an eye out for my cousin Daniel as his image begins appearing in commercial ads, I began receiving requests from people for asking for “introductions” and “more hot pixxx pls!” Um, sorry… no can do on the former — but the latter is do-able!

The awesome Disgrasian gals have tapped him as their Babewatch: Babe of the Week and in that spirit, I’ll share some pictures that John Tan Casting was the first to post: Daniel’s photos of “The Outlaw” by Karl Simone, along with the following short interview:

Full Name: Daniel Liu
Hometown: Los Angeles
Age: 26

Discovery/How did you get into modeling: My sister sent in some digital photos from a modeling contest I’d won and I got a call from Ford shortly after that. She never told me she submitted them so I was surprised to get a phone call from the main agent in LA.

Previous career before entering the wonderful world of modeling: I’ve had a couple career jobs before modeling but this is what I love doing most. I get to work with and meet great people, travel, and have flexibility in my schedule. It is perfect for me at the moment.

Other career goals: I definitely have some plans for the future that are aside from modeling. I’d like to own my own business at some point and to also impact some kind of positive change with whatever resources I have. Whether it’s helping the environment, providing for the homeless, or sending medicine overseas, I definitely want to help in any way that I can.

Favorite hobbies: I really enjoy working out, staying healthy, playing the guitar, watching movies, and spending time with the people I love. I can have fun doing just about anything when I’m in the right company.

Favorite music/films: I listen to different music to match my moods. When I’m just getting through the day, I like listening to The Kooks, Arctic Monkeys, Keane, The Shins, or lots of Indie Rock. When I’m trying to mellow out or wind down after a long day, it’s Dave Matthews, Ben Harper, or something relaxing. As far as my favorite movies go, Top Gun is definitely one of them. I also liked the films Fight Club and Pulp Fiction.

How did you enjoy doing this shoot? I loved working with the team. They were amazing to work with and very professional.

People will be surprised to know this about me: I can be serious at times, but really I’m a guy that loves to have fun. I work hard but I also enjoy the little things in life.

Ok, ok, sorry I made you go through all that when I know people really just want to see the pictures. (Hey! I want people to know what an awesome person Daniel is and that there’s more to him than just being good looking! Is that so wrong?!) But be warned… you may see more of Daniel than you asked for! (More photos after the jump; click to — um — embiggen.)
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Posted in (featured), Family, Fashion, New York, Southern California | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

Health Care Protest Signs Declare “Youth in Asia” Will Kill Your Grandma

Posted on August 25, 2009 by Ernie

Yes yes, I get the pun in this photograph: It’s not Youth in Asia that will kill your grandma, it’s euthanasia, or — if you ask the protesters in this photograph — Obama’s liberal, tree hugging death squads that will be the death to your loved ones. Whatever. Here’s what I don’t get: given that this is some angry conservative town hall protest somewhere in Ohio or Vermont or something, my granola-eating bleeding-heart Democrat self isn’t so sure if these particular protesters are being sarcastic, or if they honestly think a bunch of Asians are going to try to kill a bunch of old ladies somewhere in Tennessee. Give the racial name calling that has been thrown around lately at town halls, it wouldn’t surprise me.

Posted in (simple), Current Events | 3 Comments

Paramount Apologizes for Racism in “The Goods,” Pulls Scene from Trailer

Posted on August 24, 2009 by jozjozjoz

As a result of the protests staged last Friday by a coalition of Asian American groups, Paramount has issued an apology for using racist language in the trailer for “The Goods.” Nikkei View and Angry Asian Man have posted copies of the email that Paramount issued to the JACL which confirms that “the marketing tools in question had been pulled.” This means the “Pearl Harbor” scene no longer appears in the trailer. They don’t apologize for the hate crime; just at the use of the word “Japs.” The scene has not been removed from the film, but at least this apology from Paramount is a better one than the original, “We’re sorry you were offended” apology that was previously issued. At least now we don’t have to be subjected to this stupid hate crime scene unless we are dumb enough to shell out money to see the film in theaters or buy the DVD. (More pictures of the protest on the MANAA blog)

Posted in (simple), Discrimination, Entertainment, Movies, Southern California, WTF | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

New YouTube Channel: DaPhamily

Posted on August 24, 2009 by Moye

Move over, Ryan Higa and other Asian YouTubers attempting to find fame online with their silly little videos. I’m placing all my bets on young DaPhamily who’s been making his own waves around the Internet tubes with his youthful exuberance over the recently leaked photos of Vanessa Hudgens. This twelve year old (I think…I’m totally guessing his age) has it all: sass, confidence, a gold chain, cute cheeks and a fine appreciation for the beautiful female body. I’m almost afraid to see how he acts on the school playground.

Okay, seriously, he knows, I know and we know that he’s just a young Vietnamese kid having a good time with a YouTube channel, but I cannot get enough of his too-old-for-his-tiny-age act–especially when he shows off his love for Spam and rice! That’s some real authentic Asian American-ness right there, people. And with almost 5,000 subscribers, I can only hope that DaPhamily keeps his vlogging up through the awkward years of puberty.

Posted in WTF | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

John Cho in ABC’s New TV Series, FlashForward

Posted on August 24, 2009 by John

A lot of the television networks are starting to show their upcoming new television series premiere trailers, but I was a bit surprised to see the trailer for ABC’s new science fiction drama FlashForward with John Cho as one of the lead characters playing FBI agent Demetri Noh, with the show’s premise being:

“A mysterious global event causes everyone to black out simultaneously for two minutes and seventeen seconds, and each person sees a glimpse of their lives six months from now. When they wake up, everyone is left wondering if what they saw will actually happen.”

The new series premieres on Thursday, September 24th. The trailer and premise looks compelling and pretty intriguing. I hope the show is decent and that Cho’s role is more than just a token role. I’m sure ABC hopes that the show will be the next Lost, as that series will be winding down in Spring 2010.

Posted in Current Events, Entertainment | Leave a comment

Not Everyone Thrilled With Laura Ling & Euna Lee

Posted on August 24, 2009 by Moye

The backlash against American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee has already begun, but not on our own soil.  Human rights advocates are speaking out against the two freed women, stating that their research for Current TV and stint in captivity has compromised the identities of activists who rescue refugees from North Korea. According to the Los Angeles Times, Ling and Lee’s carelessness over their investigation into refugee efforts in China has brought the wrong attention onto their secret operations: one South Korean pastor whom the two visited found himself under police scrutiny and was eventually deported, forcing him to shut parts of his organization down and leave his refugees behind.

Current TV is still keeping Ling and Lee’s reasons for being at the North Korean border under wraps, and though the two journalists could have kept themselves out of danger, I have a hard time understanding why these human rights advocates are focusing their time condemning the two women rather than the North Korean government. Shouldn’t these activists utilize the media’s attention to bring awareness to North Korean policies than two women who were striving to help their efforts?

Posted in (simple), Current Events | 2 Comments

Ryan Higa’s Channel is #1 for YouTube Subscribers

Posted on August 23, 2009 by Jeff

While Hollywood studios are busy making light of hate crimes on Asians,  Ryan “Nigahiga” Higa’s “Asian” style video channel is, at of time of this post, the most subscribed channel on YouTube.  In the video below, he thanks his fans for subscribing to his channel and making him #1.

We have talked previously about Asian American YouTube Celebrities like HappySlip and KevJumba and how a new generation of Asian Americans are using YouTube to create their own work that speaks to and reaches Asian Americans (and others too).  Higa has even parlayed his YouTube fame into a movie that was shown in theatres around the country.  Many well known Asian Americans on YouTube hang out and network together and are seemingly dominant (they joke about token white people here at 4:30).  The attraction to YouTube doesn’t surprise me seeing how Asian Americans are often washed out of traditional media.  Taking advantage of technology that make it easier to produce and distribute your own work makes a lot of sense, and many do take advantage.

I personally find nigahiga to be hit or miss – some of his videos are really funny to me while others are not.  Speaking of #1’s, another Asian has been the #1 in Australia  for a while.  Natalie Tran’s CommunityChannel has been the most subscribed in Australia for some time now.  I like this vlog about how she goes as Starbuck to a Sci-Fi type convention, but people think she’s Boomer because she’s Asian.

Posted in Entertainment, Technology | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments