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

Get this: a director from Iceland films a story about a Filipina transgendered prostitute. How did that happen? Well, truth is stranger than fiction, and director Olaf de Fleur took many cues from real life in “The Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela.” In fact, he created a new genre—a “visionmentary.” The unique way he filmed “Queen Raquela” shows how this subculture unfolds in the Philippines and beyond.

By happenstance, de Fleur ran into a couple of overdressed “ladyboys” on a trip to the Philippines. A ladyboy will sometimes describe herself as “a chick with a dick.” Crude, but hey, it gets the point across. These people have not undergone sex-change surgery—they believe they are female on the inside, male on the outside. They dress as girls, and often work as prostitutes, but dream of marrying straight men and having children like little girls anywhere.

De Fleur was fascinated by this “conundrum—it was like a snake eating its tail.” So he found Raquela Rios, one such transsexual, and allowed her to play “herself” in a story that was loosely based on her own life. This filming method gives “Queen Raquela” an engaging plot with the ring of realism.
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Tags: fantasy, Filipino, iceland, movie, queen, Raquela, transsexual