Hyphen Blog

March 31, 2008

Jabba Baby

First of all, congrats to the JabbaWockeeZ for winning America's Best Dance Crew!

It looks like they're already inspiring the youngsters. Check out this video of a 2-year-old dancing to the Jabba routine. This is the "superman" routine they did a while back.

And here's a video showing the Jabbawockeez's routine superimposed over the little one dancing:

Posted by momo at 12:22 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)

March 28, 2008

Hyphen Celebrates the Unveiling of Hyphen 2.0

Wow. So here it is.

This baby has had us running around like headless chickens for the past couple of months. For the designers and coders behind this, I won't even go into how this site had them twirled around its little fingers. But yes, finally, the birth of our new web presence. Why does Outkast's, "so fresh and so clean clean" seem so appropriate at this moment?

So, what do you all think?!

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Posted by lisalee at 12:40 AM | Comments (7)

March 26, 2008

AZN Award Nominees Announced

AZN announced their list of nominees today for their 3rd annual Asian Excellence Awards. Though AZN TV is now defunct, the (award) show must go on...

This year's hosts are Carrie Ann Inaba, a judge on Dancing With the Stars, and MADtv actor/comedian Bobby Lee.

This is the same award show that Adam Carolla made fun of on the radio a couple years ago. (insert angry emoticon here).

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Posted by momo at 4:13 PM | Comments (5)

"The Fortune Cookie Chronicles" Launch Party

Ever wondered about the history of chop suey, General Tso's chicken, fortune cookies? Let me give you a clue, the answer does not include China. This is for all you curious foodies out there, including people like me, someone who's way into food but cannot cook to save her life.

New York Times reporter and author Jennifer 8. Lee will be in San Francisco tonight to celebrate the launch of her first book, "The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food." I heard that Jennifer will be giving a multimedia presentation and sharing some stories from her travels to 42 states and countless countries to uncover the mysteries of Chinese food.

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Posted by lisalee at 1:13 AM | Comments (0)

March 25, 2008

Hindu Leaders Worried About "The Love Guru"

Mike Meyers is coming to multiplexes near you this summer with his first original character since Austin Powers in "The Love Guru." This time he is Guru Pitka, “an American who was left at the gates of an ashram in India as a child and raised by gurus.” The rest of the story is refreshingly strange, involving a black hockey player, sports curses, Justin Timberlake and Jessica Alba. Your usual summer movie froth. But of course, the majority of the jokes seem to revolve around Pitka’s spiritual sayings and his Austin Powers-esque libido – this time curtailed by an elaborate chastity belt of sorts.

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Posted by neela at 12:34 PM | Comments (6)

The Donger Speaks

NPR's In Character series recently did a feature on the character Long Duk Dong, the horny Chinese exchange student from John Hughes' eighties classic Sixteen Candles.

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Posted by sylvie at 9:27 AM | Comments (2)

March 24, 2008

Shaun Majumdar: Worst Indian Accent Ever

Picking up on Rebecca’s earlier post about Asian Americans in the current television line-up, I accidentally watched the Farrelly Brothers sitcom Unhitched last week.

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Posted by neela at 10:08 PM | Comments (3)

Career Builder's "Self-Help Yourself" Commercial

I spotted an Asian person on T.V. that speaks fluent English, without an accent! Holy cow! Saw this Career Builder commercial tonight. Has anyone else seen this and who is this dude?

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Posted by lisalee at 9:47 PM | Comments (2)

Ichiro On Cover of ESPN The Magazine's 10th Anniversary Issue

This month's issue of ESPN The Magazine is its Special 10th Anniversary Issue, and it features Ichiro on the cover with the text: “For Making Singles Sexy and Taking Baseball Global, Ichiro is a Perfect 10”. Here is a link to a previous 8-page ESPN special feature on Ichiro. He is one of only a few people in all of sports who uses his first name on the back of his uniform, and why not? The man is simply amazing, a baseball living legend in Japan and in the United States. Here is a breakdown of some of his greatest feats since entering the league.

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Posted by Alvin at 7:15 PM | Comments (3)

I Would Give Ken Leung My Lungs

(Photo: ABC)

Though we're a couple months into Season 4 of Lost, I just had to say that I'm really enjoying watching Ken Leung on the telly -- or rather, my laptop.

He charmed me in last year's rotoscoped, admittedly saccharine, fairy tale feature Year of the Fish (but now I am thoroughly sick of people talking to goldfish in films), and when I saw him standing across the way at last year's SFIAAFF I wanted to run up to him and jump into his arms and ask him to rescue me.

Miles Straume, his swarthy Lost character, is the most fascinating of the new batch and arguably of the entire show. Not only is Miles a daredevil jerk with a temper, but he's a fricking medium. He talks to dead people! I totally dug the scene in Episode 2 where he's channeling the dead druggie kid and the room starts to get all crazy.

Also in my notes: Not so cool on TV -- Kal Penn in House.

Posted by rebecca at 4:26 PM | Comments (2)

New Album from Shanghai Restoration Project: 'Story of a City'

Congratulations to David Liang for recently signing a record deal with Warner! He has released his second album to coincide with Lunar New Year, titled 'Story of a City'. I have heard it and it is excellent, highly recommended, if you loved the first album ('Shanghai Restoration Project') you will definitely enjoy this one as well. Here is a note from David:
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Posted by Alvin at 9:51 AM | Comments (2)

March 19, 2008

The Five People You Will Always See at the SFIAAFF

1) Sam Chanse (Kearny Street Workshop's mistress of the arts)
2) Ali Wong (diminuitive, bespectacled Hyphen hoochie cover girl)
3) One of those Asian Am scene photographers
4) A member of a local indie Asian American band
5) Someone from Hyphen (possibly stoned)

Who did I leave off? Post in comments.

Posted by lisamac at 11:54 AM | Comments (6)

Controversy Over '21' Movie Casting

Here is some eyebrow-raising news about the casting for the upcoming '21′ blackjack movie, due out March 28th. This is the movie based off the best-selling book 'Bringing Down the House', about the real-life team of mostly Asian Americans who won big in Las Vegas. The two main characters in the book, 'Kevin Lewis' and 'Steve Fisher', were Jeff Ma and Mike Aponte, two Asian American males.

The Hollywood version stars Jim Sturgess, and according to the book author, the Hollywood casting directors initially wanted to completely exclude any Asian male characters from the film...

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Posted by Alvin at 8:00 AM | Comments (14)

March 18, 2008

1882's Spring 2008 Collection

One awesome thing about working (or technically, volunteering) for Hyphen is the amount of support I get from my friends. Aside from subscribing to the magazine when I demand they do (my rationale -- hey it's for their own good), I know that they're thinking of me and Hyphen when I get random messages pointing me towards cool and interesting things in the world of Asian America.

Thanks Paul for sending me this link about 1882 featured on hypebeast.

Continue reading "1882's Spring 2008 Collection"

Posted by lisalee at 4:34 PM | Comments (0)

First Fil-Am Visionary Awards

LOS ANGELES – Two artists from the Philippines. Two singers with hit albums. Two legends that have mutual admiration for the other but have never met.

One is known as Apl. The other is tabbed the Philippine “Concert King.”

It’s hard to believe that popular artist Allen Pineda better known as Apl.de.Ap of the Black Eyed Peas and Philippine singer Martin Nievera have never formally met until the inaugural Filipino-American Visionary Awards held at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood last March 7.

They were among the many Filipino and Filipino-American stars that gathered for the red-carpet gala.

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Posted by Joseph at 1:54 PM | Comments (1)

March 17, 2008

Offensive New Asian Restaurant

A new Asian fusion restaurant called 'Chinese Laundry' recently opened in Rhode Island, and one of its posters is catching the wrath of the Asian American community. There are multiple things offensive about it. The poster objectifies the naked body of an Asian woman, with the text, "see what you are missing", over her nipples.

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Posted by Alvin at 6:46 PM | Comments (5)

March 16, 2008

A Hypersexual Afternoon Delight

Ever wonder what it's like to watch grainy 1920s silent porn in a room full of strangers?

Well, when accompanied by Professor of Asian American Studies (UC Santa Barbara) Celine Parreñas Shimizu’s accessible (and often hilarious) analysis of racialized sexual imagery and the various expressions of sexuality through performance, it's actually not that awkward.

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Posted by sylvie at 10:30 PM | Comments (1)

March 15, 2008

harold and kumar: escape from guantanamo bay at the sfiaaff

I wanted to be the first one to to blog about the screening today -- all I have to say is: "Y2K?"

Well-played, JC, well-played. Dare I say that it will be the new "I drink your milkshake?"

Posted by lisamac at 11:52 PM | Comments (0)

Joan Chen at Her Best

I have not seen a lot of Asian American dramas recently that really moved me, but this one did.

The Home Song Stories, directed by Australian filmmaker Tony Ayres, focuses on a single mom (played by Joan Chen) and her two kids.

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Posted by momo at 3:19 PM | Comments (1)

March 14, 2008

Ping Pong Playa

Here's a film to watch if you're itching for some good laughs: Ping Pong Playa, directed by Jessica Yu.

The film focuses on Christopher "C-Dub" Wang, a 25-year-old slacker who would rather play video games all day and dream about starting up a t-shirt biz than get a job. Oh yeah, and he wants to play in the NBA. Jimmy Tsai, who also co-wrote the film, plays the role with good comedic timing. Among some of his character's notable traits is that he likes to school kids half his size (and age) on the basketball court.

Continue reading "Ping Pong Playa"

Posted by momo at 2:40 PM | Comments (1)

Q&A with John Cho

For those SFIAFF-goers that were looking to catch a glimpse of John Cho but were unable to snag tickets to Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay or West 32nd (both sold out), Hyphen has you covered.

We sat down with the actor at last month’s WonderCon comic book/film expo where he was promoting the Harold and Kumar sequel with writer/directors Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg.

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Posted by sylvie at 12:58 AM | Comments (0)

March 13, 2008

All Things South Asian at SFIAAFF

Okay, so last year I threw a little tantrum at the end of the festival about the lack of interesting South Asian programming. I called out (the newly-named) Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) for marginalizing good South Asian film, especially when it came to the International selections.

So, I am happy to see that this year, along with the requisite Bollywood film at the Castro – which really does look awesomely over the top – viewers can also check out The Voyeurs by Bengali director Buddhadeb Dashgupta. I haven’t seen this yet, but I highly recommend this to anyone who thinks South Asian films are all about flimsy plots and dance numbers – this should change your mind.

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Posted by neela at 1:24 PM | Comments (0)

March 12, 2008

Korean American Film at SFIAAFF

Korean and Korean American filmmakers have a strong showing at this year's San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, including Academy Award winner Jessica Yu's Ping Pong Playa and Cannes Film Festival prize winner Chan-wook Park's I’m a Cyborg, But That’s Okay.

I was lucky enough to get an early viewing of three cinematic offerings by emerging Korean American filmmakers that will be screening at SFIAAFF which has its opening night this Thursday.

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Posted by sylvie at 9:38 PM | Comments (1)

Benson Lee's Planet B-Boy

Lately there's been a lotta hype around Asians and dancing, namely that Asians can dance, despite stereotypes.

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Posted by momo at 11:01 AM | Comments (5)

March 11, 2008

OCHO #16: The poetry journal as mixtape

Barbara Jane Reyes – the former poetry editor of Hyphen – is one of those writers who seems to be constantly churning out a steady stream of amazing poetry, maintains an intellectually stimulating blog, and always manages to look stylish and rested when I see her out at events. This makes me think she knows the secret to life, and maybe it’s poetry.

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Posted by neela at 10:34 AM | Comments (4)

March 10, 2008

Lana, Lana -- Oh, Lana Dear

OK, I admit this trailer for "The Lana Show"--coming soon--already has me hooked. It's the irresistible music! And finely-tuned shots that look just a bit unhinged!

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Posted by melanie at 11:26 PM | Comments (2)

Searching for The Great Asian American Film

So, it's that time of year again when we get to finally see ourselves reflected back from the big screen: the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival.

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Posted by neela at 10:52 PM | Comments (0)

Scenic Route

Tired of staring at commercial billboards while you're waiting for Muni? I am. So, it's time to take those doodles off your notebook and put them on the wall, through the Central Subway Public Art Program run by the SF Arts Commission. The Central Subway Program is looking for local artists to shape the aesthetic of a new underground, light-rail system that will serve a vibrant stretch of neighborhoods spanning Chinatown and SOMA, downtown.

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Posted by melanie at 12:52 PM | Comments (0)

March 6, 2008

TABLACENTRIC | Month @ Machine Project | Los Angeles

Dear Friends, Mr Hyphen 2006 is heading to Los Angeles!

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Posted by robin at 2:07 PM | Comments (1)

March 5, 2008

Collaboratory V: Leaps of Faith

This is for our Southern California friends and families -- boy you're in for a treat this weekend! Presented by Great Leap, the organization that our Mr. Hyphen 2007 represented, Collaboratory is a series of mentorship initiatives that aims to pass down the knowledge of doing art in and for the community. Obviously this program has been very successful because two years into it and they're on Collaboratory V already.

Luke is working hard behind the scenes to make this happen so be sure to head out and support him!

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Posted by lisalee at 8:56 PM | Comments (0)

No Little Saigon in San Jose

A big controversy in San Jose over the naming of predominately Vietnamese American shopping area came to a head early this morning when the city council took back its decision to call it the "Saigon Business District."

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Posted by harry at 12:56 PM | Comments (38)

Indicorps - Accepting Applications

For any South Asian Americans seeking to spend a full year in India leading challenging service projects, I highly recommend applying to Indicorps.

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Posted by robin at 10:13 AM | Comments (2)

March 3, 2008

Marianne Villanueva and Chitra Divakaruni Read Tonight

Lots of exciting readings this week, starting tonight (March 4th) with a reading by short fiction writers Marianne Villanueva and Nona Caspers at Books Inc. Opera Plaza (601 Van Ness Ave San Francisco, CA 94102.)

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Posted by neela at 10:50 PM | Comments (0)

Who Says Asians Can't Dance?

I indulge my inner cheeseball way more than I care to admit, and most recently I’ve become a fan of a little show on MTV called America’s Best Dance Crew. Normally, a show hosted by the erstwhile AC Slater and a judging panel featuring an ex-N*Sync member that’s not Justin Timberlake wouldn’t be a draw for me.

But, I’ve got a soft spot for talent-driven reality shows, especially when two of the top dance crews are chock full of Asian Americans: San Diego-based Jabbawockeez and Orange County natives Kaba Modern.

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Posted by sylvie at 4:45 PM | Comments (9)

March 1, 2008

Everyone Loves to be a Winner

The voting for Locus Arts DIY Music Video online contest ended officially yesterday and CONGRATULATIONS to Jason Nou and The Autonomous Region for coming out on top!

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Posted by lisalee at 6:31 PM | Comments (0)

SNL, Barack Obama and blackface

Saturday Night Live is getting some flack for casting Fred Armisen as Barack Obama.

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Posted by momo at 2:22 PM | Comments (15)

Stuff White People Like

I have to admit, these days I spend a lotta my spare time at home online.

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Posted by momo at 12:52 PM | Comments (6)