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Seeking Asian Female

bigWOWO — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:51:06 +0000

Seeking Asian Female Trailer from Seeking Asian Female Documentary on Vimeo.

Got this from Alpha/Mojo. I couldn’t tell if it was real or acted, but it looks like it’s real. It’s premiering at South by Southwest. As much as I question supporting this kind of thing, it does look from the trailer that it will work out fine. Dude seems nice enough. Older, but nice enough.

Here’s the description from their website:

Seeking Asian Female is an eccentric modern love story about
Steven and Sandy – an aging white man with “yellow fever” who is
obsessed with marrying any Asian woman, and the young Chinese
bride he finds online. Debbie, a Chinese American filmmaker,
documents and narrates with skepticism and humor, from the early
stages of Steven’s search for an Asian bride, through the moment
Sandy steps foot in America for the first time, to a year into their
precarious union. Global migration, Sino-American relations and the
perennial battle of the sexes, weigh in on the fate of their marriage
in this intimate and quirky personal documentary.

Superbowl Recipe and Xenophobic Superbowl Ad

bigWOWO — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:51:24 +0000

It was Superbowl weekend. Did y’all see it? I didn’t see it all, but it gave me an excellent excuse to try this awesome hot Asian wings recipe from Kai:

It was absolutely delicious. I was, however, surprised that the Sriracha sauce isn’t as spicy after cooking, and I wish I’d put in that “Asian chili flakes” that Kai said would “burn your ass.” The older I get, the more I find myself craving extremely spicy food.

Anyway, the Superbowl is known a lot for its commercials, and in keeping with the tradition, GOP Senate hopeful Pete Hoekstra ran the following ad saying that his opponent was spending too much money and borrowing from China. It depicts a Chinese woman riding a bike in the rice paddies and telling Americans how China is reaping the benefits of jobs and money from bad American policy. “Your economy get very weak, ours get very good.” Yeah, watch out for those Chinese women in the rice paddies–they’ll give you an earful about politics and economics if you let ‘em talk! Actually, I’m not sure what a woman in the rice paddies is talking about anyway…are the Chinese stealing jobs from American farmers growing rice in China?

The actress is clearly an American without an accent, but in keeping with the tradition, she’s gotta fake one. And this is one of the worst Chinese accents I’ve ever heard. Alexandra Wallace had a better accent.

Oh well, logic was never the forte of some of these politicians–at least not when talking to the American people. Hoekstra, according to his Wiki, is an immigrant himself, born in the Netherlands. So he can’t be racist! Err..right.

On a happier note, some black ministers in Detroit have gotten involved and have called on Hoekstra to apologize. At least Hoekstra is bringing the minorities together.

“The Asian woman speaking in this video would be no different than him having a black person speaking in slave dialect,” Williams said in a statement Monday. “If Pete Hoekstra does not see any wrong in this commercial, he doesn’t deserve to be in the race.”

Aung Sung Suu Kyi Movie with Michelle Yeoh

bigWOWO — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:28:22 +0000

For those of you who like historical movies, or for those of you who are hungry for yet another AF/WM movie, check out The Lady with Michelle Yeoh. I read about it on 8A. Check out the blogger’s thoughts, and also check out the opinion of the commenters.

I agree with the commenter xxxtine, who writes: “It is through the help of her husband Michael Aris, on the outside in England, that got her the recognition and ultimately the Nobel Peace Prize. No one would’ve known about her otherwise, or cared to hear if he wasn’t trying to get his wife freed.” What is true of Amy Chua is true of Aung Sung Suu Kyi and is true of Maxine Hong Kingston and Amy Tan–if there isn’t a White man involved with the subject matter, the Western world often doesn’t give a shit. It’s sad but true.

As for Aung Sung Suu Kyi, I like what she stands for, and there’s no doubt that she has some powerful tenacity and personal strength, but I wonder if she’d really make Burma a better place or whether she’d burn the place to the ground and mess it up worse than the military government ever could. Historically speaking, the U.S. government doesn’t always do the best job of picking leaders of other countries.

Anyway, the movie looks well done. And Michelle Yeoh really looks like ASSK.

Edit 5:30: Awww, fuck. I didn’t read the full DailyMail article before posting. You too, Michelle Yeoh?

Michelle Yeoh with her fiance

Michelle gradually fell in love with her subject with whom she had so many similarities. Like Suu, Michelle went to school in the UK; her Hong Kong based parents moved here when she was 15 and she attended the Royal Academy of Dance. She is also in love with a Westerner. The actress was briefly married to Harvey Nichols billionaire Dickson Poon but has been engaged to French Formula 1 boss Jean Todt for five years.

Her huge engagement ring sparkles as she describes how, like Michael Aris, Jean gives her the freedom to do as she chooses.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2084268/The-Lady-Michelle-Yeoh-brings-story-Aung-San-Suu-Kyi-big-screen.html#ixzz1jll8wdpk

That’s another thing the Western world does. Equates Whiteness with freedom.

Paper Pushers by the Stunt People

bigWOWO — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 05:55:57 +0000

Longtime readers of this blog are familiar with our conversations with the Stunt People, including Eric Jacobus and Ed Kahana. Check out the hilarious comedy short above. It just came out. These guys fight together well! Even if we disagree on politics, these guys are great, and I hope they go far. You can also see their rooftop scene from Contour right here:

My YouTube New Year

bigWOWO — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 04:58:39 +0000

Last night, I was in the mood for the Carpenters’ song “I Won’t Last A Day Without You.” So I went on YouTube, and the autocomplete suggested the video above. Sarah Geronimo is from the Philippines, and I like her version and thought I’d share it with you. Evidently, it’s also a movie (the dude is an Asian American hapa, so let’s not get started so early this year!):

No related posts.

Cheap Bites with Eddie Huang

bigWOWO — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 18:56:00 +0000

My aunt is a friend of Eddie Huang and asked me to spread the word. Sunday, January 1st, at 8 pm is the world premiere of Eddie’s show Cheap Bites on The Cooking Channel, in which he goes around and samples cheap but good food. My home doesn’t have The Cooking Channel, but if you have it, check it out. It’s awesome that an Asian American is getting his own show. We’ve only got the Food Network at our house, and outside of Iron Chef Chairman Mark Dacascos and Judy Joo from the Next Iron Chef (whom I mentioned in passing on the Clara Shih post), we’ve got no one. Diversity!

This is the same Eddie Huang who caused a stir last year when he published his mom’s reaction to a bad review. See the interview below where he talks about what he hopes to achieve and his feelings on Asian American identity and stereotypes. He brought his mom to the interview, which is great.

Christmas 2011

bigWOWO — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 16:32:01 +0000

The traffic here drops faster than the Pacific Northwest temperatures during Christmas, but if you’re here, Merry Christmas. Oh, music is by Jayesslee. They are twin sisters from Australia, where it’s not so cold.

The Shanghai Hotel (Review of Trailer)

bigWOWO — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 23:17:03 +0000

I love the beginning of this trailer. They start talking about human trafficking and how bad it is, like they’re performing some kind of public service or something. Then all of a sudden, they cut to some half-nekkid Asian women and good ol’ Asian thugs! They’ve got an oily White dude getting all horny with handcuffs in front of Eugenia Yuan, and some mean and violent yakuza (oh wait…is that Japanese?). They’ve also got some Black guys in it, although I’m not sure how they’re related to the rest of the movie. (You can guess this movie is written and produced by a Black guy (Jerry Allen Davis) because most White Orientalist writers seem to forget Black people exist when it comes to half-dressed Asian prostitutes and violent Asian thugs.)

I’ve noticed recently, after seeing the trailer for Touch, that while the production value of new movies is definitely going up, the overall quality of movies in general seems to be going down. It’s a technological paradox. By being able to create better movies with cheaper equipment, people have stopped thinking about what really makes great movies. Forget storyline, forget writing, we’ve got some awesome computer equipment and effects, so let’s bring out the naked Asian chicks and angry Asian thugs!

The Flowers of War is the Most Expensive Chinese Film Ever

bigWOWO — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 18:36:08 +0000

"Looking sexy, Mr. White Man."

The Flowers of War is the most expensive Chinese film ever. The NY Times reports:

“Made at a cost of more than $90 million, part of which came from Chinese government sources, “The Flowers of War” is the most expensive Chinese film ever made.”

After experiencing the nationalistic ridiculousness that is Ip Man, and now seeing this ridiculous history-justified-by-the-presence-of-a-White-man film, I think I can safely say that Beijing needs to get out of the movie-approval and movie-promotion business. Sorry, Chinese propaganda doesn’t have the same appeal here that it might over there. It’s not the Chinese government’s forte.

China will be the next superpower. I just pray that they don’t inflict their sense of aesthetics on us. Please, if I’m condemned to a life of seeing government-backed movies of White dude rescuing poor China dolls from some evil yellow horde or seeing Yip Man reconfigured into a freedom fighter, I just might go batshit insane.

If I were a poor black kid

bigWOWO — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 07:00:56 +0000

Forbes writer Gene Marks wrote an article entitled, “If I Were a Poor Black Kid.” In the article, he identifies himself as a middle aged white man and admits that life is easier because of that, but he says that if he were a poor black kid from the inner city, he’d be taking advantage of the amenities that are now available. Check some of it here:

If I was a poor black kid I would first and most importantly work to make sure I got the best grades possible. I would make it my #1 priority to be able to read sufficiently. I wouldn’t care if I was a student at the worst public middle school in the worst inner city. Even the worst have their best. And the very best students, even at the worst schools, have more opportunities. Getting good grades is the key to having more options. With good grades you can choose different, better paths. If you do poorly in school, particularly in a lousy school, you’re severely limiting the limited opportunities you have.

And I would use the technology available to me as a student. I know a few school teachers and they tell me that many inner city parents usually have or can afford cheap computers and internet service nowadays. That because (and sadly) it’s oftentimes a necessary thing to keep their kids safe at home then on the streets. And libraries and schools have computers available too. Computers can be purchased cheaply at outlets like TigerDirect and Dell’s Outlet. Professional organizations like accountants and architects often offer used computers from their members, sometimes at no cost at all.

If I was a poor black kid I’d use the free technology available to help me study. I’d become expert at Google Scholar. I’d visit study sites like SparkNotes and CliffsNotes to help me understand books. I’d watch relevant teachings on Academic Earth, TED and the Khan Academy. (I say relevant because some of these lectures may not be related to my work or too advanced for my age. But there are plenty of videos on these sites that are suitable to my studies and would help me stand out.) I would also, when possible, get my books for free at Project Gutenberg and learn how to do research at the CIA World Factbook and Wikipedia to help me with my studies.

Much of the AA blogosphere has been slamming Marks for being condescending or racist, and many of these bloggers/posters are friends of mine.

But I strongly disagree. In fact, I think this is a message that black America probably NEEDS to hear, the same way Asian Americans need to hear that Asian kids should study the humanities. It’s the EXACT SAME MESSAGE that Russell Simmons shared in his book Do You!, when he mentions several times that the library is free and costs no money to use.

Now I totally hear the detractors who say that there’s a 20 minute limit on computer usage at the libraries. I hear those who say that kids don’t have money to get computers or even food. But I wonder if that’s really the case. I’ve visited some libraries in poor areas, and there wasn’t exactly a line running out the door to get in. Not to say that I’m an expert on libraries in poor areas…but you get what I’m saying–the place was basically empty. Poverty is a problem, but people still have money for good clothes. They still have leisure time. In some areas like Trenton or Camden, it might take longer to get to the library, but I think it ought to be possible for an entrpreneurial-minded person to get there with group effort. Ying Ma and Jean Kwok managed to rise out of poverty. Of course, they aren’t black and didn’t face the stereotypes, but it should still be possible. As Russell keeps saying, the library is free, so people ought to get there. So much information these days is also free. I think people like Marks ought to be applauded for stepping out of their comfort zone and writing information that could be useful for someone trying to rise from poverty.

What do you all think? Condescending? Racist? Or helpful and valuable?

(On a side note, maybe someone should write an article entitled, “If I Were an Unpopular Asian Kid” and tell us how we can reverse the Trend.)