Continue reading "Link Time: Harragossip Girls"

Posted by melissa at 12:19 PM | Comments (0)

So what did we all think of the premiere episode of Project Runway?

Continue reading "The Asian Aesthetic: All Look the Same?"

Posted by lisamac at 12:07 PM | Comments (1)

San Francisco songwriter Goh Nakamura is featured on the front page of YouTube right now with a music video for his song "Embarcadero Blues." The video was directed by Dino Ignacio (known by some for being the mastermind behind Bert is Evil).

As of this writing, there are more than 700 comments on it and they are all over the place. Lots of people are digging the song. But there are also some people trying to figure out Goh's ethnicity (Does Nakamura not clue you in?) or asking if the people who worked on the video (they are listed in the info bar on the side) were Latin American or Spanish (If you really want to know, they are Filipino American) or expressing surprise that the songwriter is an Asian dude.

So, an Asian American guy picks up a guitar and that instantly shatters stereotypes or blows people's minds? Well, good I guess, though I hope we can get to a point one day where it’s not oh-so-surprising that a songwriter has the name Nakamura and people can just concentrate on the music. (Full disclosure by the way: Goh is a friend and I’ve included Dino’s work in film festivals I’ve curated.) Anyways, check out the video. I really like it.

Posted by melissa at 11:51 AM | Comments (6)

Since I posted on the dating study by economists last week, I’ve seen the topic pop up all over the place.

Continue reading "Asian Fetish Myth, Part II"

Posted by neela at 10:22 AM | Comments (2)

Adrian Tomine's graphic novel, Shortcomings is generating a lot of buzz these days.

Continue reading "Shortcomings Stands Tall"

Posted by harry at 6:03 PM | Comments (1)

Just a quick heads up to be sure to check out the upcoming three-day Third-i San Francisco International South Asian Film Festival this weekend (November 16th to 18th).

Continue reading "Third-i South Asian Film Fest in Effect This Weekend"

Posted by neela at 12:26 AM | Comments (0)

I, of course, was drawn into this Slate article on racial preference and dating by the teaser on the front page, which read: “The Myth of the Asian Fetish,” and featured an Asian woman’s face.

Continue reading "Asian Fetish Myth: Not Debunked"

Posted by neela at 12:41 PM | Comments (64)

There have been some interesting studies/conversations about which young people are using what social networking site, basically what it means about you and your background if you are on MySpace all day versus Facebook.

Continue reading "What Your Social Networking Site Says About You"

Posted by neela at 5:28 PM | Comments (3)

The Asian American Arts Alliance celebrated its 25th anniversary with a star-studded gala, GALAXXY. Since 9/11 the AAAA has reached out to community organizations to help in rebuilding Chinatown. Karma paid them back, with plenty of big names coming out to the AAAA gala to support their efforts on behalf of artists. Hyphen's Rikki Massand reports from the Tribeca Rooftop on Tuesday, October 16th, while enjoying sushi and an open bar.

Willa Kim was also honored by the AAAA. One of the foremost costume designers in ballet, theatre, opera and TV, Kim has been honored many times since 1964 including Emmy, Tony and Obie Awards.

Margaret Cho watches the presentation from the front table with Knox Chandler.

Continue reading "GALAXXY: The Asian American Arts Alliance's 25th Anniversary Gala"

Posted by melanie at 11:45 AM | Comments (1)

Eric Wong was honored alongside Kal Penn and Willa Kim at the Asian American Arts Alliance's “GALAXXY” gala on the TriBeCa Rooftop last month. Wong is the Chief Marketing Officer of Bad Boy Entertainment and Senior Vice President of Marketing for Atlantic Records. Hyphen's Rikki Massand shared a few words with the man of the hour.

Continue reading "Eric Wong, AAAA's 25th Anniversary Honoree"

Posted by melanie at 11:13 AM | Comments (0)

Gala co-chairs B.D. Wong and Nusrat Durrani take the podium at the beginning of the presentation.

San Francisco’s own favorite son B.D. Wong, the accomplished Broadway and Hollywood actor who currently stars in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, said he is encouraged to see the progress made by Asian Americans in the arts. Hyphen's Rikki Massand chatted with Wong at the Asian American Arts Alliance Gala this October.

Continue reading "A Check-up With B.D. Wong"

Posted by melanie at 10:56 AM | Comments (0)

DJ Rekha performed for the audience at the Asian American Arts Alliance's 25th Anniversary Gala on October 16. Hyphen's Rikki Massand caught up with DJ Rekha just a week before the launch of her first album, "Rekha Presents Basement Bhangra," in stores now.

Continue reading "Q&A with DJ Rekha"

Posted by melanie at 10:39 AM | Comments (0)

James Kyson Lee, who plays Ando Masahashi on NBC’s television series Heroes, attended the Asian American Arts Alliance's 25th gala. Here's a chat Hyphen's Rikki Massand shared with Lee atop the TriBeCa Rooftop in New York City last month.

Continue reading "Mixing Drinks with Stars, Heroes"

Posted by melanie at 10:20 AM | Comments (0)

Speaking of Asian American theatre, Hyphen is proudly sponsoring (along with TimeOutChicago) the presentation of “Trial by Water" by Qui Nguyen in Chicago. This is for you, Chicago! dueEast Theatre Company in conjunction with A-Squared Theater Workshop is presenting the Midwest debut of this play, and we're all very excited about it here at Hyphen.

The play is about an event that took place on May 22, 1988. 110 Vietnamese crowded onto a small boat to escape their country. The first day at sea, they met a vicious storm. When the storm passed, the engine could not be restarted. They began to drift. Instead of floating back to Vietnam as everyone had hoped, the waves carried them further out to sea. The expected weeklong voyage stretched into 38 days. Ten days into the trip people began dying of thirst and hunger. Murder and cannibalism took over. When Filipino fishermen came to the rescue, there were 52 survivors.

A 10 year old boy who was on the boat is Mr. Nguyen's cousin. The playwright reports that after his cousin reached the United States, he told Mr. Nguyen, "I think my soul is dead." The survivor was 10; Mr. Nguyen was 12. Based on these events, Qui Nguyen's play "Trial by Water" chronicles the voyage of two young brothers, Huy and Hung, from Vietnam to the Philippines in order to start new lives. As the engine on their boat breaks, their voyage becomes an Odyssey forcing each brother to examine their morality as they face peril of nightmarish proportions.

Bloody, shall we say?

Continue reading ""Trial by Water" Opens in Chicago"

Posted by lisalee at 2:36 PM | Comments (5)

For all you Bay Area folk, swing by the Asian Art museum tonight and check out the last MATCHA event of the year, "Photography, Fashion, + Film".

Continue reading "MATCHA : Photography, Fashion, + Film : Thursday, November 1st"

Posted by lanlian at 12:56 PM | Comments (0)

Your Hyphen editorial staff was hard at work on Issue 13 when the strongest earthquake since the 1989 Loma Prieta one hit on Tuesday night.

Continue reading "Hyphen Rocks"

Posted by lisamac at 11:59 AM | Comments (3)