Hyphen magazine - Asian American arts, culture, and politics

For fans of movies like Robert Rodriguez's Sin City or Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, The Girl from the Naked Eye is a slick new thriller worth watching. 

What the increased use of token Asian models potentially says about the fashion industry, as well as our own buying patterns and preferences.

Christine Yoo's film is a hilarious, heartwarming romantic comedy about a Korean American ad exec facing increasing family pressure to marry (or die, according to family superstition).

Recent evidence suggests that Rebecca Zahau did not commit suicide, as was originally concluded by San Diego police.

Less than a month after leaving as general manager of the Portland Trialblazers, Rich Cho was hired as GM of the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats, the franchise owned by Michael Jordan.

Alexandra Wallace made a typical non-apology apology to "the entire Asian culture" (wtf?), while also making some bold accusations about threats she received that were never confirmed or validated, therefore painting herself as a victim. I've been observing the aftermath of this event given how much mainstream attention it has received.  What we do know is that this wasn't a one-time accidental mistake from this woman; Wallace had actually planned a series of internet releases about Asians.

California-based pipa artist Jie Ma has spent the past few years creating a unique blend of music that incorporates traditional Eastern instruments with Western musical elements. Her CD is an innovative contribution to the overall body of American music. Her work is a twist on classical and new age genres, in much the same way that Shanghai Restoration Project is a combination of Eastern sounds with modern hip hop and electronica.

Today is the National Day of Action for the Dream Act, to encourage Americans to call on Congresspeople and Senators to pass a ten-year piece of immigration legislation. This law would give high school students, who have lived in the United States for over five years, the opportunity to earn conditional permanent residency if they spent years in US military service, or earned a college education. To contact your state's senators and your representative, please visit: house.gov and senate.gov.

The Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival (PAAFF) recently finished after a strong lineup of films and events. One extremely moving, honest, and powerful film was Stephanie Wang-Breal's Wo Ai Ni Mommy, which Hyphen's Momo Chang reviewed back in March. The film's ability to create such strong emotional reactions from the audience merits some additional review and commentary. Please note that the review below includes a spoiler. Before proceeding, the film can be watched on PBS online now, for free, until the end of the month.

Far East Movement's song "Like a G6" (featuring Dev and The Cataracs) has been tearing up the music billboards lately. It's receiving major play on pop radio stations everywhere. It currently sits at #16 on the billboard top 100, which is easily the highest ever for an Asian American musical group. This is unprecedented territory, and encouraging news for other talented musical groups like Legaci that faced early barriers but see recent traction.