Hey, Americans, Happy Thanksgiving. That means stuff your face and watch some movies! I’m catching up on film, including The Namesake from 2006. One scene got me thinking about relationships between Asians and non-Asians–how their cultural navigations are portrayed in film. Here’s just a few that stick out–add a few of your own.

In The Namesake, Mira Nair’s adaptation of the Jhumpa Lahiri novel, Gogol (Kal Penn) takes his white girlfriend Max (Jacinda Barrett) home to meet his very traditional Indian parents. Max ignores many of the politely-given instructions on cultural taboos to respect. I cringed. But the real kicker was when she asked to attend a family mourning ceremony. “I wanna go to India with you to spread the ashes!” Good Lord! Gogol’s in mourning, and she’s gripping his arm, wheedling her way into a trip abroad. I know what the white girl wanted….the trip to India would “prove their love.” But it came across like attending a family mourning ceremony was another notch to make in her cultural-experiences belt. That really bothered me.
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Tags: asian, Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, film, interracial, Jason Scott Lee, Jhumpa Lahiri, Kal Penn, Mira Nair, Mississippi Masala, Sarita Choudry, The Namesake

Meet Charice, a sixteen-year-old singing sensation from the Philippines. Singing contests got her started. The Internet lit a fire under her career. And Oprah and Ellen used their influence to give her a hand up into stardom. Now, she’s featured on the “Hitman: David Foster and Friends” album alongside Babyface and Michael Buble. Way to get your mom out of the garment factory!

Born in 1993 in San Pedro Laguna, Charice Pempengco had a lot to overcome. Domestic violence forced her mother to leave Dad, then pull 16-hour shifts at a sewing machine to make ends meet. Charice started singing at age four; her “concert debut” was at a Balibago basketball game at age seven. Wanting to earn income to help Momma, young Charice began working the Filipino singing-contest circuit soon after. “Even if the prizes are $50 or $10, it’s big money to us,” she told reporters.
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Tags: Celine Dion, Charice, contest, David Foster, Filipino, Internet, Little Big Star, Philippines, Pinoy, singing, Star King

As promised, here’s the latest installment in the Jump Shoes promotional short films by Sung Kang and Arowana films. This one elicited some interesting buzz on Sung’s blog. Sung claims that the New York City cops didn’t like him standing in the middle of Times Square. I will say, Sung, your body language is pretty intimidating. The Naked Cowboy also makes an appearance in this vid–and we all know that’s a no-miss. Strangely, this film is stirring up some deep thoughts…

This short film series has become a frequent blog topic because it’s hitting me on several levels–as a Sung Kang fan, an advertising writer, and an aspiring filmmaker. One of my favorite aspects of the film genre is the “afterplay.” That’s the best word I can find to describe the way some films stay with you after you watch them. The meaning behind the images, words, and events continues to unfold in your mind’s eye.
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Tags: advertising, Arowana films, identity, Jump Shoes, Korean, military, Naked Cowboy, race, short films, sung kang, uniform

A couple of weeks ago, I attended the 2nd Annual Asian Summit here in Cincinnati, presented by the Asian Community Alliance and hosted by Northern Kentucky University. I went with an open mind, not really knowing what to expect. It was good to meet people within the Asian-American community, but there was something missing—young people. So here’s a recap. I hope my coverage encourages you to get involved with similar events in your city.

At the opening session, I scoped out the fruit and doughnuts, then looked around for a table to eat with. A couple of white college students sat at a back table, but I felt that NOT sitting with them was my personal stand against segregation. A bunch of middle-aged Asian women were very glad when I brought out my secret weapon—a brag book of my adorable sons, aged almost three and eight months. Now, if you’ve read my blog at all, you know that my husband is Korean. One of the ladies asked me, “Will you send your sons to Korean school?” I hedged a bit, feeling that decision was better left to hubby.
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Tags: Asian Community Alliance, Asian Summit, chinese, Deepa Iyer, Japanese, Korean, Macy's, Mr Tanaka, Pawan Dhingra, racism

Yes, that’s Sung Kang’s face in the mural, part of his collaborative publicity campaign for Jump Shoes. Kind of crazy, huh? If you’re in the New York area, you can hoof over to the Jump Shoes flagship store at 89 Spring St., Soho, and see it for yourself, so large and incredible. I also have another of Sung Kang’s short films. It’s marketing, it’s art, and it’s cool. These are also posted on YouTube. You can make comments here, on YouTube, or on Sung’s blog.
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Tags: advertising, Arowana films, Election Day, Jump Shoes, marketing, sung kang, YouTube

He’s bad, he’s nationwide….or is that WORLDwide? In my previous interview with Sung Kang, I made a brief reference to Kang’s ad campaign with China-based Jump Shoes. But this recent collaboration is much more than “Kang as spokesmodel.” It truly is a sharing of ideas, and a new way for Sung to exercise his many creative gifts. Here’s the first short film from a series developed by Kang and the Jump Shoes marketing team, and produced by Arowana Films:
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Tags: advertising, Arowana films, Jump Shoes, short films, sung kang

Part 1

“I never thought that my relationship with food would result in me opening a restaurant,” says Sung Kang, acclaimed American actor and co-owner of Saketini in Brentwood, CA. But he gives credit where it’s due—to the special ladies in his life. Here’s a more introspective side of Sung Kang’s dinner table.

Sung Kang has developed a reputation for playing bad guys…most recently, he appeared as a car-racing thug on NBC’s Knight Rider. Click to watch the full episode.

But in real life, he talks softly and carries a big wok. Check out this video interview with journalist Sara Sohn:
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Tags: Fast and Furious, Jump Shoes, Knight Rider, Miki, Ninja Assassin, Saketini, sung kang

Technorati Profile

If you’re looking for the Sung Kang piece, look below…I had to update my Technorati profile to help people find my articles.

Part 2

Two basic questions reveal much about any animal: What does it eat? Where does it live? Sung Kang’s a breed of his own in the film world, winning fans with roles that shatter Asian stereotypes. He lives in Los Angeles, and he eats, well, some interesting stuff. Since he owns a restaurant, I thought it would be fun to talk chow with Sung. And it was. You won’t believe what he does with ice cream.

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Tags: asian american, cuisine, finishing the game, Food, K-Drama, Saketini, sung kang, The Fast and the Furious 3: Tokyo Drift, The Motel

It’s the most wonderful time of the year….and no, I’m not talking about Christmas shopping. I’m talking Asian film festivals, baby. Truthfully, they pop up all around the calendar, but two biggies are this week.

Here in the East, check out the First Annual Philly Asian-American Film Festival, October 9-12. Yes, that’s right—you can be a part of the inaugural run. They got the ball rolling with much hard work and grass-roots marketing.

Phil Lam will be there, representing as a producer of Santa Mesa, a really cool story set in the Philippines. Here are a few others attending, who will be around for Q&A:
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Tags: Kissing Cousins, Phil Lam, Philly Asian Film Fest, ping pong playa, San Diego Asian Film Festival, Santa Mesa