1-28-05 Latern Festival! (2-19-05)

http://www.camla.org/events/lantfest2005/lanttoc.htm


When
Saturday, February 19, 200512 pm – 6pm
Where
Chinese American Museumat El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument(across from Union Station, between Main and Los Angeles Street)
Entertainment Stage Performances:
Chinese lion dance
Chinese traditional dance
Chinese drummers
Chinese music
Acrobatics
Contortionist
Martial art
Puppet show
Magic show
Arts and crafts booths on:
Lantern making
Chinese string-knotting
Chinese calligraphy
Chinese opera face painting
Chinese paper-design cutting
Mexican paper-design cutting
Origami
Kite building
Tea drinking
Feng shui
Plus:
Storytelling with local community artists Cindy Suriyani, Dominique Moody, and Michael Massenburg
Lantern contest for children in grades 1-6
Lantern parade
Extended Museum hours until 5p.m.
Free docent-guided tours of the Museum
Admission
FREE to the Public

1-28-05: APALC discusses the diverse face of Asian and Pacific Islander

The Asian Pacific American Legal Center of Southern California proudly presents:

You are cordially invited to the launch of the new demographic profile report on Asians and Pacific Islanders in the Golden State. Join LARRY MANTLE, HOST OF "AIRTALK" and a panel of experts as we explore issues facing the state's fastest growing major racial group during a LIVE BROADCAST on 89.3 KPCC.

The Diverse Face of Asians and Pacific Islanders in California
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2005
THE CENTER AT CATHEDRAL PLAZA 555 W. TEMPLE STREET, LOS ANGELES, CA 90012

8:30 a.m. Registration and Continental Breakfast
9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Program and Live Broadcast of Panel Discussion

Admission is free, but reservations are required. Please RSVP by Thursday, January 27 via email: rsvp@apalc.org or phone: 213-241-0232. Visit our website at www.apalc.org for updated information on speakers and topics. Each attendee of the launch event will receive a complimentary copy of The Diverse Face of Asians and Pacific Islanders in California.




RESEARCH AND LAUNCH SPONSORS

Platinum Sponsors Chung Ying Tang Foundation Bank of America The James Irvine Foundation

Gold Sponsors Fannie Mae Foundation Kaiser Permanente Sempra Energy Washington Mutual

Silver Sponsors Union Bank of California Pacific Gas and Electric Company


PRINCIPAL LAUNCH PARTNERS

Sacramento Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality / Chinese for Affirmative Action (AACRE / CAA)
San Francisco Asian Law Caucus (ALC)
Fresno Fresno Center for New Americans (FCNA)
Orange County Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance (OCAPICA)
San Diego The Union of Pan Asian Communities (UPAC)


COMMUNITY SPONSORS

89.3 KPCC
Asian Americans / Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy - Southern California Chapter (AAPIP)
Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA)
Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council (A3PCON)
Corporate Asian American Employee Network
Southwest Center for Asian Pacific American Law (SCAPAL)
United Way of Greater Los Angeles

1-26-05 Movie Reviews straight from the Sundance Film Festival

SL,UT ! (we mean... Salt Lake, Utah)

The Motel
Director/screen writer: Michael Kang.
Every boy-to-man can relate to Michael’s The Motel. The story centers on a boy growing up fatherless, while running a motel with his mother. He learns about masculinity and manhood through different guests at the motel. He befriends one of the guests, Sam (played by Better Luck Tomorrow’s Sun Kang) and Sam sees himself in the little boy… The audience reaction was awesome: a single-parent mother raised her hand and thanked the director for telling the story of her life… the two Caucasian mothers sitting next to me sobbed endlessly, repeatedly said: “Now I know what my son had to go through…” It was truly a powerful film. Congratulations Michael. I know you were extremely nervous before Sundance… I hope you can actually sit down and enjoy the fruit of your hard work! [Speak.AsianAmerican gives The Motel “LOVE-IT-A-Must-SEE!”]

Green Chair
Director Park Chul-Soo
Screenwriter Kim Jun Han
With a film as erotically charged and aesthetically adventurous as it is emotionally truthful, director Park Chul-soo brings us the provocative story of amour fou between a 32 year old divorcee and a 19 year old college student (who under Korean law is considered a minor until he turns 20). Park shifts stylistic gears with a humorously theatrical, almost surrealist scene in which an unlikely group (the young man’s mother, the divorcee, and the young man’s obsessive admirer) got together and discussed the couple’s relationship. The movie is highly critical of Korea’s way of life: words are unspoken and drama is always under the table. Summary courtesy of Caroline Libresco.


Saving Face
Director/Screen writer: Alice Wu
Wedding Banquet: Asian American female style. Saving Face is a harsh comedy that deals with female homosexuality in the Asian community. Wil and her Ma come from a traditional Chinese family in Flushing, Queens. On the surface, they seem perfect: Wil is a doctor and Ma is a wonderful mother. However… It is obvious that Wil is a bit too tomboyish. And Ma got her own skeleton in her closet… a widow pregnant… and who is the father? This film conveys a strong message through comedy: familial love is important. Through humiliation, confusion, and jubilation, Saving Face exhibits a potential biographical story with pure honesty.


212
Director/Screenwriter: Anthony Ng
Ever feel so lonely in life? Ever just want to feel the warm touch of another person? Ever want to just find love? New face director Anthony Ng interconnects a quirky tale of three sets of New Yorkers, all looking to connect in the big city. However, they could only connect through machines… for example, the girl working at the copy machine center finds artificial warmth through well… placing her face and hand on the copy machine. Audience might sense Ng’s influence in this film; the lighting and angles are reminders of Wong Kai Wei’s style.

special thanks to: Risa, John, Diane, Winston, Leslie, Pia, Chi-Hui, George, Sam from AsianCineVision, Visual Communications, National Asian American Telecommunications Association, and San Diego Asian Film Foundation for one kick-assing weekend!

Asian Americans 'represent' in SL,UT!

1-26-05 Jin kicks radio show's ass

Jay of HipHopMusic.com notified us that the Hot 97 "Miss Jones in the Morning Show" is "suspended indefinitely" over her recent racist "Tsunami Song"

Listen to the Hot 97 announcement: http://209.15.102.92/hot97announcement.mp3

BUT...

But... here is Ruff Ryder rapper Jin's response:
http://www.alljin.com/Audio/Exclusives/jin-tsunami_response.mp3

F* it Hot 97 and thumbs up for Miss Info (as seen on VH1, go Asian Sister you...)


***********************************************

1-22-05 LIVE from Sundance Film Festival!

Hello. Speak.AsianAmericans is currently at the 2005 Sundance Festival!

Updates to come on Wednesday 1-26-05. With rewiews on Asian Ameican films!

-The Motel, directed by Michael Kang
-Saving Face, directed by Alice Wu
-Green Chair, Korean film, directed by Park Chul-Soo
-212, directed by Anthony Ng.

Stay Tuned.

finally: Congratulations to the folks @ TC:DM & Associates... for picking up two Oscar Nominations! Supersize Me & Ryan and Hardwood.

1-18-05 The Diverse Face of Asians and Pacific Islanders in California

You are cordially invited to the launch of the new demographic profile report on Asians and Pacific Islanders in the Golden State. Join LARRY MANTLE, HOST OF "AIRTALK" and a panel of experts as we explore issues facing the state's fastest growing major racial group during a LIVE BROADCAST on 89.3 KPCC.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2005
THE CENTER AT CATHEDRAL PLAZA 555 W. TEMPLE STREET, LOS ANGELES, CA 90012

8:30 a.m. Registration and Continental Breakfast
9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Program and Live Broadcast of Panel Discussion

Admission is free, but reservations are required. Please RSVP by Thursday, January 27 via email: rsvp@apalc.org or phone: 213-241-0232. Visit our website at www.apalc.org for updated information on speakers and topics. Each attendee of the launch event will receive a complimentary copy of The Diverse Face of Asians and Pacific Islanders in California.

Thanks to our friends at the Asian Pacific American Legal Center.

1-16-05 Korean American Pride... on TV

PLEASE watch EGG WESTCOAST on the International Channel on Wednesdays at9pm PST/12am EST! Follow this link to see if you get the channel: http://ichannel.com/channelsearch/index.asp.

Segments this month include aprofile of LODESTONE THEATRE ENSEMBLE (scheduled to air January 26th), artist DavidChoe,poet laureate of Queens, Ishle Park and World Air Guitar Champion, Miri"SonykRok" Park.For more info on the show, please visit: http://www.eggwestcoast.com/

1-15-05 Proof on sale now!

East West Players will present this Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning play for the first time with an all-Asian American cast.Catherine, a troubled young woman, has spent years caring for her brilliant but unstable father, a famous mathematician. Now, following his death, she must deal with her own volatile emotions; the arrival of her estranged sister; and the attentions of a former student of her father's who hopes to find valuable work in the 103 notebooks that her father left behind. A burgeoning romance and the discovery of a mysterious notebook draw Catherine into the most difficult problem of all: How much of her father's madness—or genius—will she inherit?Tickets $20-$38Student, Senior and Group discounts available

for more info: http://www.eastwestplayers.org/

Donate your time to East West Players by being an usher for a performance of PROOF and see the show for free. We need ushers for almost every performance. For more information or to volunteer contact Alden Villaverde at (213) 625-7000 x18 or avillaverde@eastwestplayers.org.

1-13-04 Campaign Event

APIAs for AV are having a Lunar New Year's Eve fundraising reception for Antonio Villaraigosa February 8th, 5:30 to 8 PM at Empress Pavilion in Los Angeles Chinatown.
The address is 988 N. Hill Street.

Cost: $100, $250, $500, $750, $1000 max.

Contact: Warren Furutani: email Warrentf@aol.com

caveat: speak.asian american is not endorsing any candidates for the Los Angeles Mayoral Race. But we ARE big fans for Warren Furutani. :-)

1-13-05 Korean American Day!

Korean American Day here in California...!

EXCLUSIVE!!: Jet Li & Speak.AsianAmericans

Interview with actor Jet Li next week!

Jet Li, best known for his role in Romeo Must Die, will be revealing his new controversial film, Unleashed, with Speak.AsianAmericans.

Stay tuned to find out what this film is about. Meanwhile, check out: Unleashed.

1-12-05 URGENT! DUE TODAY! Visual Communications

Visual Communication's Armed With a Camera Deadline Extended - New Deadline is January 12 at 5 pm...

Get it in !

Do it!

1-11-05 VisionShock Club fundraiser

VisionShock is hosting a tsunami fund... through their club venue. at Level 3

When: Friday, January 14th, 2005

Where:
Level 3 Nightclub
6801 Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood, CA 90028
(located within the 3rd level of Hollywood & Highlands complex, next to LOFT)

1-11-05 Welcome to The Motel...

Check out Korean American actor/director/writer... Michael Kang. His new film The Motel.

Please support his film in the upcoming 2005 Sundance Festival ! World Premiere!

so we invite you to come to The Motel... It is truly an achievement in Asian American cinema.

Sun Kang from Better Luck Tomorrow is one of the man characters!

1-10-05 APEX Mentorship Program

WHAT: What has low time commitment, but still remains a high-value added program?
The APEX Mentoring Program (AMP)

BE A MENTOR of MENTEE as we participate in the nationally recognized mentorship month of January! (www.apamentor.org) Star mentors include:

Hon. Ronald Lew, Judge, U.S. District Court, Central District of California
Tad Yo, Vice President & General Manager of Time Warner Cable

Application deadline is this Saturday, January 15, 2004. There is an information session at UCLA tomorrow, January 11, 2005. Click here for more details.
For more information, please contact Susan Ngo, APEX Director of Mentorship, at Susan@apex.org.

courtesy of Mr. Jason Park

1-10-05 Mulan II sneak preview

Be one of the first in America to see Walt Disney's much-awaited sequel to the animated movie Mulan, based on an inspiring tale about a young Chinese girl who fought against the invasion of the Han and became a national hero.

When: 11:00am
Screening12:30pm
Reception $75 Individual, $200 Family See Mulan II at Walt Disney's very own Frank G Wells Theater and mingle with cast members including Ming Na (Mulan) and Lauren Tom (Princess Mei) at the post screening reception. Proceeds to benefit the Helen Fong Dare Scholarship Fund for the Arts at Columbia College Chicago. Presented by the Center for Asian Arts and Media in collaboration with the Buena Vista Home Entertainment.

What: for tickets or information: 312.344.7870

courtesy of Mr. Jason Park

1-08-05 Laugh to Help Asian Tsunami Victims

Hermosa Beach's Comedy and Magic Club will be having two shows next week

When: (Tuesday 1/11and Wednesday 1/12).

How much: Tickets are $15 with a two drink min. All procedes go to Operation USA

http://www.comedyandmagicclub.info/

courtesy of Ms Stacy Toda.

1-07-05 Celebrate Korean American Day (free Korean bbq)

Yup. Jan 13th, 2005 is Korean American Day. Celebrate with community leaders and the vibrant Korean American community with a... (hold your breath) free Korean bbq.

When: January 13, 2005, 12-3pm

Where: Seoul International Park, Olympic & Irolo in the city of Los Angeles

Who: you and hosted by: Korean American Federation of Los Angeles, Korean American Coalition, Korean American Foundation, KYCC and Los Angeles City Councilmember Martin Ludlow.

Contact: Peter Hong @ peter@koreanfed.org for more info/questions.

1-07-05 Left of Zed performs 1/28/05

John Cho as lead singer? Yup. The band is pretty good. They bring rock and alternative back with deep lyrics. (speak.asian americans approved)

When: 1-28-05

Where: at thelegendary Whisky on the Sunset Strip

How much: IN ADVANCE at a discountof virtually half off - $8 versus $15 the night of the show. So get your tickets now.

1-06-05 California state assemblymembers remember the late Congressman Matsui

In Memoriam
speak.AsianAmericans Remembers Congressman Robert T. Matsui

Asian Pacific Islander Legislators Issue Statements On Death Of Congressman Robert T. Matsui

1-06-05 (TOMORROW! Fareast Movement Performs!)

Mah boys of Fareast Movement are right back at ya... 2005.

When: 1-07-05

Check out their performance this friday!!
www.visionshock.com

Where: Level 3 Nightclub
6801 Hollywood Blvd.Hollywood, CA 90028
(located within the 3rd level of Hollywood & Highlands

Why: Support Asian Americans in arts. And besides... these boys can rap! dl their single featurin Ruff Ryder's Jin, here.

1-06-05- National Asian American Student Conference seeks boardmembers

The ass-kickin' National Asian American Student Conference is seeking passionate and more ass-kickin Asian American college students to be on their board, and serve a 2yr term.

Application due by January 31, 2005

for the complete application, please sign up for the speak_AsianAmerican yahoo group above.

1-06-05 Apply for CA State Assembly/Senate/Executive Fellowship

Application Due Date: 2-23-05

for more information on this fellowship go to:
State Assembly Fellowship
State Senate Fellowship
Executive Fellowship

1-06-05 LA's East West Players presents Proof, the play

When: Wednesday 2-2-05
7pm Hosted Bar
Special presentation by the S. Mark Taper Foundation
8pm Performance
10pm Reception

Where: 120 Judge John Aiso St. Los Angeles, CA 90012
RSVP to East West Players by Friday, January 28 by calling (213) 625-7000 x 20
or e-mail boxoffice@eastwestplayers.org

David Henry Hwang Theater
www.eastwestplayers.org

1-05-05 Special Screening of Director Jessica Yu's film!

WHAT: SPECIAL SCREENING OF JESSICA YU's NEW DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM "IN THE REALMS OF THE UNREAL" Jessica's film is on the "short list" for the 2004 Academy Awards for Best Documetnary Feature.

WHEN: Wednesday, Jan 5 7pm Early Arrival is suggested

WHERE: UCLA HAMMER MUSEUM 10899 Wilshire Blvd (WESTWOOD) Los Angeles, CA 90024 310.443.7000

MORE INFO: In the Realms of the Unreal (2004) Oscar-winning director Jessica Yu presents In the Realms of the Unreal, her 2004 documentary about outsider artist Henry Darger followed by a Q & A with the director.
Nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival, "In the Realms of the Unreal" recreates the incredible fantasy world of self-taught artist Henry Darger and is narrated by actress Dakota Fanning. Henry Darger grew up in an asylum, worked as a janitor during his adulthood, and died penniless and alone. Upon his death, his landlords entered his room and discovered over 300 paintings and a 15,000 page illustrated work full of disturbing and mysteriously beautiful images. Considered a prominent outsider artist, Darger has been the subject of numerous exhibitions, and has inspired theater, fashion, art and literature.

Come and see this great new film and meet the awesome Jessica Yu!
Special thanks to Wellspring Pictures


courtesy of APA FirstWeekend

1-4-05 Harold and Kumar DVD release!

Harold and Kumar go to White Castle DVD releases... TOMORROW.

check out www.xanga.com/haroldlee or www.xanga.com/docKumar for more info.

If the DVD sales go well, a sequel is most likely... check back for upcoming southern California H&K events

1-2-05 Welcome to Speak.Asian Americans!

Welcome to 2005! This blog was inspired by the active southern California Asian American community. Here, you can find out the latest news in Asian American entertainment and politics, and opportunities to help out the community. Thank you for visiting.

Site updated daily.