angry asian man

vote for your favorite aaiff short on dramafever

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT

This is cool... Our friends at DramaFever and Asian CineVision have partnered up to showcase a selection of short films from the Asian American International Film Festival in New York. Check them out here.

From now until September 6, viewers can vote thumbs up or thumbs down for their favorite short films. DramaFever will add up the thumbs up,
subtract the thumbs down, and the short film that has the best ranking
will be featured on the front page of DramaFever for a week in September. Here's the list of films:

Narrative Short Films

Aquarium
Civilian
Fate Scores
Once
Red Yellow and Blue
Tatang
The Call Center
The Eighteenth Birthday Party
The Perfect Woman
Walking While Sleeping

Documentary Short Films

A Song For Ourselves
Ayi's Story
Crossing Midnight
I Want to be Desi 2
No Joke Burma
State of Yo
You Can Call Me Nikkie

There are a bunch of films I love, as well as some I've never heard. It's a great opportunity to get acquainted with some of the great Asian/Asian American short films out there. Voting closes noon EST, September 6. They'll announce the winner September 15 on the front page of DramaFever. So go here, watch some short films, and vote for your favorites.

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welcome to the neighborhood: oregon family threatened with hate crime

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT

In Oregon, the FBI and local police are investigating a hate crime against an Asian American family who recently moved into a new house in Happy Valley: Vandals target Happy Valley family with racist graffiti, threaten to burn down their house. Here's a local news report:

Since moving in last weekend, the Huynh family has been harrassed with multiple instances of threatening notes and graffiti left by anonymous racist haters telling them to leave:

Racial slurs were spray painted on a Happy Valley house this week shortly after an Asian family moved into the home, deputies said.

Sang Huynh and his family found the vandalism Monday, three days after starting their move-in process, said Detective Jim Strovink in a Clackamas County Sheriff's Office news release.

There was a note found at the house that read, "Leave." Another note said, "Last warning. We will burn your house down if we have to," according to deputies. Investigators said they also found a book of matches and a clear plastic water bottle filled with gasoline.

Deputies said the racist vandalism happened between 1:30 p.m. and 3:08 p.m. on Monday.

Detectives said they're vigorously investigating the racial intimidation. The FBI has also been contacted.

More here: Hate crime threatened in Happy Valley .

Seriously, what the hell? This family has been living in the Portland area for over twenty years. Why can't an Asian family just move into a new neighborhood and live in peace, without getting harrassed and having to worry that some moron is going to burn down their house?

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the sheriff's confidential tip line at 503-723-4949. Confidential text messages can be sent to CRIMES (274637 on a cell phone keypad), with the keyword "CCSO" as the first word in the message.

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glee promo: tina + mike hook up?!

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Another Glee promo: Hook Ups. This one's just 22 seconds long... but it's a bit of a doozy. Is it me, or at the :02 mark are we seeing a bare-chested Mike Chang making out with Tina Cohen-Chang? I don't think my eyes are deceiving me. See for yourself:

[UPDATE: Sorry folks, it looks like Fox has yanked the clip from YouTube.] Indeed, that is Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Ushkowitz locking lips. Complete with, um, Chinese characters in the background?

I had heard some early rumors of a Tina/Mike (aka "Chang²") romance happening in season two... This seems to confirm we'll bee seeing such shenanigans. Or at least, one really hot moment between the Shum and the Ush. I like it. (Thanks, Hannah.)

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suspect shot dead; linked to at least four murders

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT

This has been all over the news in the Bay Area... In Vallejo, California, a murder suspect who led officers on a high-speed chase with his dead girlfriend in the passenger seat is a central figure in the investigation of at least four killings: Dead suspect may be linked to 4 slayings in Calif.

38-year-old Efren Valdemoro was shot and killed by California High Patrol officers Tuesday night after refusing to drop a meat cleaver. Inside the car, officers found the dead body of Valdemoro's girlfriend, Cindy Tran. He had apparently kidnapped her earlier that day. And that's only the beginning:

Valdemoro's deadly confrontation with CHP officers occurred as Vallejo investigators came across the grisly discovery of two decomposing bodies in a home.

One of the victims, Segundina Allen, 63, was an acquaintance of Valdemoro who had allowed him to stay in her home off and on for about 10 years, authorities said. Close friends said she had grown fearful of him.

Allen and her longtime friend, Marcaria Smart, 60, were reported missing last weekend and hadn't been seen since Aug. 25.

Investigators on the missing-persons case searched Allen's home Tuesday afternoon after noticing numerous flies in the house earlier and found the bodies — one in the backyard and one inside the house, Tenorio said.

They also found chemicals used to make explosives in the home.

More here: Hercules murder suspect shot, killed; linked to missing Vallejo women. Kidnapping, murder, missing persons, dead bodies, explosive chemicals... As more details emerge, the situation gets weirder and weirder, and authorities and media are piecing together who this guy was and what the hell happened. One thing's for sure, Valdemoro did not sound like a very pleasant person. More here: Series of slayings prompted by jealous rage?

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photo: kal penn at the dmz

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Something about this photo, posted on Kal Penn's Twitter, amuses me. The actor we know and love as Kumar is currently visiting U.S. troops with the USO in South Korea. If I'm correct, this photo was taken at the DMZ between the North and South. It looks like he's up to some mischief. Do not mess with that soldier, Kalpen.

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discovery hostage fallout: the hate mail begins

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT

...aaaand the hate mail begins. A word about the hostage situation that went down yesterday at the Discovery Channel building in Maryland. When something like that happens, and the perpetrator's Asian face is flashed all over the news, I brace myself for inevitable emails I receive from assbrained idiots who want to take their racist frustrations out on somebody. Like this guy:

From: Dirty Hippie
To: angryasianman@angryasianman.com
Subject: something to share with asian americans
Date: Wednesday, September 01, 2010 6:44 PM

ive been watching the news all day and have becoming increasingly disturbed at the frequent occurrences of asian "americans" attacking real americans.

learn to control your anger. learn to drive. learn to eat without smacking your lips. then youll earn the right to call yourselves americans.

until then, youre just gooks -- the same as back when we were raiding your villages and rice paddies. that goes for you too, angry asian (NOT american) man.

I realize I'm reprinting this at the risk of giving voice to some dumbass in his momma's basement, but I did want to illustrate that these sentiments do exist. When situations like this flare up, people use it as an excuse to talk shit and justify their hate. Thanks, Dirty Hippie. Now go back into your hole.

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smtown live '10 world tour in los angeles

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT

This is for all you K-pop fans in Los Angeles (and I know you're out there)... This Saturday, AEG Live, SM Entertainment and Powerhouse present the SMTown Live '10 World Tour, featuring BoA, Kangta, U Know, Max, Super Junior, Girls' Generation, SHINee, f(x), TRAX and other artists. It's happening September 4 at the Staples Center. Here are some more details:

SMTOWN LIVE '10 WORLD TOUR in Los Angeles

Saturday, September 4, 2010
7:00pm

STAPLES Center
1111 S. Figueroa St.
Los Angeles, CA

AEG LIVE, SM ENTERTAINMENT, and POWERHOUSE are proud to present the SMTOWN LIVE ’10 WORLD TOUR in Los Angeles at the world-famous STAPLES Center on Saturday, September 4th at 7:00 PM.

This concert is a part of SM Entertainment’s world tour project which will begin in Seoul, then continue to LA, Tokyo, Shanghai, and other major Asian cities. It is the first time that AEG LIVE, one of the largest concert promoters in the world, is hosting an Asian concert at STAPLES Center.

The SMTOWN LIVE ’10 WORLD TOUR will go beyond Asia and take place globally as a grand music festival featuring top-notched artists from SM Entertainment, one of the largest artist management agencies not just in Korea but in Asia overall.

The artist lineup for the Los Angeles concert is KANGTA, BoA, U KNOW, MAX, SUPER JUNIOR, GIRLS’ GENERATION, SHINee, f(x), Zhang Ri Yin, Trax and other SM artists.

To be honest, I've never even heard of most of these artists. I am not what you would call an enthusiast of Korean popular music. However, I know there many of you out there who are, and this sounds kind of like a big deal. Right? For more information, go to the Powerhouse website here, and the Facebook page here.

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jin: bilingual beats, rhymes and life

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Here's a cool Wall Street Journal piece on Jin, and what the Chinese American emcee has been up to these days (hanging out in Hong Kong, finding God, building an acting career, still making cool music... in English and Cantonese): Chinese-American Rapper MC Jin Discovers God, Cantonese.

Known for his clever rhymes and wordplay as an English-language artist, he admits his grasp of Cantonese, at first, was fairly simple. But since making the jump into rapping in Cantonese, his grasp of the everyday, idiomatic aspects of the language has improved, making for some more interesting, sophisticated verses. It's pretty interesting:

"What I have been able to do in the last year or two that I've been here is incorporate more of those idioms, the phrases," says Jin. "The thing is, you have no way of learning these things unless you're living in that environment. You have to be in Hong Kong, day to day, with the local people, talking. You hear it, and you're like hey, that thing you just said, what does that mean?"

Jin tossed bits of Cantonese into much of his early work, and his 2007 album "ABC," which stands for American-born Chinese, was almost entirely in Cantonese. But, despite speaking Cantonese at home with family and several trips to Hong Kong as a child, he admits that his use of it in songs was fairly simple. Native speakers often pointed out that his wordplay wasn't as deft in Cantonese as it was in English.

"I would like to think that my English vocabulary is rather extensive, whereas my Cantonese vocabulary is relatively limited," Jin says. "What is in my Cantonese vocabulary is just a lot of day to day, you know, a little bit of mottoes and sayings here and there, but ultimately, there's a long way to go."

For the rest of us who have zero grasp of Cantonese, don't worry -- Jin hasn't given up on rapping in English. A few months back, he released a free mixtape of English tracks, Say Something. And he still has quite a lot to say. To keep up with what's going on with Jin and his music, check out his website here.

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refugee families face homelessness in the united states

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT

This is a heartbreaking article in The Seattle Times about increasing numbers of refugee families -- displaced people from war-torn parts of the world -- who are finding their way to the United States only to face homelessness all over again: Refugees face homelessness all over again in U.S.

Refugee families like this one - displaced people from war-torn parts of the world - are confronting homelessness all over again in their new homeland.

As tough to navigate as the homeless-support system can be for growing numbers of families in the Northwest, it can prove profoundly challenging for refugees, who may be unfamiliar with how the system works, may have few if any marketable job skills, often don't speak English and don't understand the culture here.

Yet despite those obstacles, advocates for refugees lack any real voice or influence in plans underway to change the homeless-support system.

"We are bringing people from refugee camps to get a new start in the U.S. only to see them Dumpster-diving somewhere," said Tom Medina, who heads the state's office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance.

One of the refugees profiled in the article is 56-year-old An Na, whose family was brought to the U.S. after years in a refugee camp on the Thai-Burmese border. Her 17-year-old daughter has had to drop out of high school to work and support the family. I know the current job market is pretty dismal everywhere, but there has to be a better way of addressing the needs of homeless families.

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first glee season two promo

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT

It's been kind of a crappy day. How about some singing. Vulture's got the first promo for the second season of Glee. We don't get to see too much of Jenna Ushkowitz as Tina, or Harry Shum Jr. as Mike... but it's Glee. And a lot of people love this show. So here's a 30-second taste of what's coming up:

The new season premieres Tuesday, September 21 on Fox. And while we're at it, here are a couple of cool promo shots of the characters:

Jenna Ushkowitz as Tina Cohen-Chang

Harry Shum Jr. as Mike Chang

Iqbal Theba as Principal Figgins

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gunman holds hostage in discovery channel building

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT

DAMMIT. Police in Maryland are responding to a hostage situation after reports that a man with a handgun entered the Discovery Channel headquarters building and fired at least one shot: Police respond to hostage situation at downtown Silver Spring building.

The suspect is being described as an Asian male.

According to an official with Montgomery County Police Department, the man has some sort of explosive device and is holding at least one person hostage in the lobby of the building. Employees have been evacuated, and so far, there are no reports of injuries.

UPDATE: Some media outlets are identifying the gunman as James Jay Lee, who has had issues with the cable network for years over its programming on various global issues:

A note posted online July 18 issues a list of demands to the Discovery Channel, saying the station "MUST broadcast to the world their commitment to save the planet." It lists 11 demands about airing shows that would promote curbing the plant's population growth, finding solutions for global warming and dismantling "the dangerous US world economy."

"All programs on Discovery Health-TLC must stop encouraging the birth of any more parasitic human infants and the false heroics behind those actions," it reads. "In those programs' places, programs encouraging human sterilization and infertility must be pushed. All former pro-birth programs must now push in the direction of stopping human birth, not encouraging it."

The manifesto was published on savetheplanetprotest.com. The site is registered to James Lee, who gave a post office box in Canada as his address. There is no confirmation from authorities that the Web site has anything to do with the current situation at Discovery.

In 2008, Lee was arrested for disorderly conduct after a lengthy protest outside the company's headquarters. Lee was upset by what he perceived as a "pro-capitalist, anti-environmental agenda" in Discovery's shows. More here: James Jay Lee: Discovery Channel Alleged Hostage-Taker.

UPDATE: Federal law enforcement sources have confirmed the suspect is James Jay Lee. Police say he's holding a "small number of hostages." The building, as well as surrounding businesses and schools, have been evacuated.

UPDATE: Montgomery County Police officials have described suspected gunman James Jay Lee as "an Asian male wearing vest with what appeared to be two pipebombs and two canisters strapped to it." He was also seen waving a gun. Negotiations have been going on for an hour.

They're referring to him as an "environmental activist": Environmental Militant Takes Hostages at Discovery Channel Headquarters.

UPDATE: Reports are coming in that police have shot James Jay Lee. No information on his condition yet, but he is currently in custody. All of the hostages are safe and accounted for: Official: Discovery Channel suspect shot, hostages safe.

UPDATE: James Jay Lee was shot and killed by police. At least one explosive device went off when he was shot, and other explosive devices could still be in the building, but the three hostages are safe: Police kill Discovery building gunman.

UPDATE: I'm glad this situation was resolved without any innocent hostages getting hurt. Now, the news cycle turns to figuring it all out -- who the hell James J. Lee, and what drove him to such deadly actions?

Most reports are painting Lee as some sort of environmental militant hell bent on saving the earth, who took serious issue with Discovery Channel's programming. Too many shows about sharks and babies, apparently.

While damning pundits try to attribute, affiliate and/or blame Lee with one political viewpoint or another, there are those who will inevitably make some kind of Asian connection between him and Virginia Tech shooter Seung-hui Cho. It's just too easy, and it's happened before.

I'll be honest. When I started hearing news of an Asian shooter this morning, my first thought was "Dammit, not again." Because from here on out, he's not just some crazy guy on the news, he's the Asian Guy who took the Discovery Channel building hostage.

But dude, the Discovery Channel? Really? I can think of a dozen other networks whose dumbass programming is working overtime to destroy the earth.

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kevjumba (and his dad) on the amazing race season 17

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT

CBS has announced the lineup for the new season of The Amazing Race, and yes there are Asians in the cast. And holy crap, it's KevJumba and his dad. I am not lying. 58-year-old Michael and 20-year-old Kevin Wu, of YouTube fame, are going to be contestants on the 17th season of the popular reality show: 'The Amazing Race': Meet the new cast. Take a look:

Meet Michael and Kevin Wu:

Michael and Kevin

Michael Wu
Age: 58

Hometown: Sugar Land, Texas

Connection to your Teammate: Father

Current occupation: Software Consultant and Content Creator/Internet Entertainer

Favorite hobbies: My favorite hobbies include reading a good book, watching old movies and going to the park/lake.

Achievements: I have provided a stable and comfortable environment for my two kids to grow up. My wife and I did our best to raise them while running our own business.

Lifelong to do list: Travel around the world, be good at martial arts like Tai-Chi and pursue an advanced degree

What scares you most about traveling? Being in an airplane accident

What excites you most about traveling? Seeing different places and people, and getting out of the routine to do something different

What are you passionate about? I like to make friends smile and laugh. I also love to share my knowledge with young people and hope to make a difference in their lives.

What would you do if you won the million dollars? I would share half of the amount equally among the 11 teams and the rest I would donate to charity.

People would be surprised to learn: I am not really comfortable in a competitive situation.

Favorite place you have ever visited: North European countries

Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on the Race together: We need to try and put our different personalities aside and work to be the best team we can be.

What do you hope to accomplish by running the Race (other then winning one million bucks)? I hope the Race will be an exciting and fun experience that we can share for the rest of our lives. I'm also sure that facing the challenges and solving them together will definitely make us understand each other better. I hope to improve our relationship.

Pet peeve about your teammate: He uses foul language in situations when it's not really called for.

Kevin Wu
Age: 20

Hometown: Sugar Land, Texas

Connection to your Teammate: Son

Current occupation: Student/Internet Entertainer

Favorite hobbies: Making videos, competitive sports and traveling

Achievements: I just recently hit one million subscribers on Youtube. Also I'm the youngest person ever to be on Amazing Race!

Lifelong to do list: Ultimately I would like to learn how to cook, travel the world, start a production company.

What scares you most about traveling? Losing my luggage

What excites you most about traveling? Getting to experience new places

If I could switch places with someone: I'd rather not switch places with anyone.

Role model/hero: My dad. He knows how to keep it real.

What are you passionate about? Food

What would you do if you won the million dollars? I would use it to fund a show I have in mind.

People would be surprised to learn: I make YouTube videos with my dad. My dad is hilarious!

Favorite place you have ever visited: Amsterdam

Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on the Race together: Being decisive and using our heads more than others, because as a team we might be at a disadvantage physically.

What do you hope to accomplish by running the Race (other then winning one million bucks)? The experience of traveling around the globe.

Pet peeve about your teammate: Sometimes we have a difficult time comprehending one another.

This is awesome news. (This also explains the mysterious extended trip Kev took earlier this summer.) I am suddenly really looking forward to watching The Amazing Race. It's always a fun show, but even better now that it's got someone I know and like.

I should also note that Kat Chang, a doctor for Santa Monica, is one half of a team of friends also competing this season.

The race will hit 30 cities in its 32,000-mile journey, including stops in Ghana, Bangladesh and above the Arctic Circle. The new season premieres Sunday, September 26 on CBS.

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