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

You probably knew about Tiger Woods, Steve Byrne, and Kimora Lee Simmons. Yeah, they’ve got Asian in ‘em. But did you know that funny man Rob Schneider is half Filipino? Or that model Naomi Campbell had Chinese blood? Vladimir Lenin, the father of Communist Russia, was part Mongolian, and Bruce Lee had German ancestry. Here’s more from Frank Agostinelli and asiansofmixedrace.com.

Plenty of famous, and talented people have partial Asian ancestry. And good-looking people….well, maybe not Rob Schneider. Ann Curry of NBC News is Japanese and Irish. Eddie Van Halen is Indonesian and German. New York Yankee Johnny Damon is half Thai, and singer KT Tunstall is a quarter Chinese. But the tag line on asiansofmixedrace.com is, “Percentages Don’t Matter!” Even if you have only a tiny fraction of Asian in you, be proud of who you are.
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Tags: asian, celebrity, Frank Agostinelli, Jason Tobin, Kelly Hu, Kimora Lee Simmons, mixed Asian, race, Russell Wong, Tiger Woods

He’s not a celebrity, just a regular Rhode Island guy. But what he has to say about race in America today is funny, hard-hitting, and well worth a read. He’s Frank Y. Pak Agostinelli, founder of asiansofmixedrace.com. With Frank, what you see is what you get. Everything about him, from his name to his “Random Thoughts of an Angry Half-Asian Man,” sets a powerful example of self-acceptance.

I wanted to learn more about the mixed-race experience because of my own half-white, half-Korean children. A mixed-Asian friend introduced me to Frank and the awesome content of his site. In the first part of this interview, you’ll get to know Frank. Stay tuned for Part 2, which features more about his site, including the fascinating issues and celebrities covered there.
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Tags: asian, Frank Agostinelli, hapas, Korean, mixed race Asians, race, white