Interview with Treeless Mountain director So Yong Kim
So Yong Kim talks about her strategies for directing young children and the memories of her grandparents' farm in rural Korea that inspired her intimate second feature, Treeless Mountain.
Hara Kazuo and his "Renegade Cinema"
Out in Los Angeles to promote Camera Obtrusa, a companion book to his 1987 film The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On, director Hara Kazuo looks back at the film that made him a legend in documentary circles.
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Russell in Pixar's Up
May 22, 2009: News Bites
Harold and Kumar promise Christmas cheer, the Jih siblings win The Amazing Race, and a new young voice actor brings energy to Pixar's Up. All this and more in the latest edition of News Bites.
The gift of Cho and Penn, together again
Warner Brothers announced that A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas is in the works. After two films, the pair of stoners has become a beloved comedic duo close to all of our hearts. But there remains a looming fear... will Kal Penn still be in the film, despite his full-time job in the White House? During his publicity for the recent Star Trek film, John Cho confirmed that the project has been planned for next spring. Our fears will either be relieved or manifested November 10, 2010. --Megan Chun
Zee Avi's debut album is out
Malaysian artist, Zee Avi, was discovered on YouTube, the 21st century's harvest field of musical talent. On May 19th, 23-year-old Zee Avi released her first, self-titled album under Monotone and Jack Johnson's Brushfire Records. Zee Avi accents jazz tunes with her Billie Holiday reminiscent voice. Although it is easy to assume her cheery voice could only produce happy, lovey-dovey lyrics, she surprises listeners by juxtaposing her voice against cynical lyrics mooring over betrayal. Her album release also marked the start of her first tour across the US, starting and ending in California. --Megan Chun
New Actor Jordan Nagai in Pixar's Up
Written and co-directed by Bob Peterson, the newest installment of Pixar's animation movies is slated for release on May 29. The movie Up includes the voice acting debut of Jordan Nagai, who plays the role of the rambunctious and persistent Russell. Pixar and Disney's tenth movie has already been featured at numerous festivals, including the opening of this year's Cannes Film Festival. In traditional Pixar fashion, Up has received overwhelmingly positive reviews. As for the Japanese American Jordan Nagai, this may be the first of hopefully many acting opportunities to come. --Timothy Natividad
Sibling Lawyers Tammy and Victor Jih win The Amazing Race
Brother-and-sister team Victor and Tammy Jih traveled more than 40,000 miles through nine countries on three continents to win the 14th season of CBS's The Amazing Race. The former Harvard Law graduates overcame numerous obstacles and competitors to take the title and the one-million dollar prize. The duo, using their Mandarin Chinese skills to their advantage in their leg in China, were able to finish first in the final leg in Maui, Hawaii. They were followed to the finish line at Maui's King Kamehameha Golf Club by former NFL cheerleaders Cara Rosenthal and Jaime Edmondson, and in third place, the mom and son team of Margie and Luke Adams (the race's first deaf contestant). --Kristie Hang
Daniel Henney nabs role in New CBS medical show
A pilot for Three Rivers -- a TV drama starring Alex O'Loughlin (Moonlight), Julia Ormond, Katherine Moennig, and Daniel Henney -- has been officially picked up by CBS for its fall schedule. Three Rivers will follow the lives of transplant surgeons in a Pittsburgh hospital and deal with issues surrounding organ donations. Henney will play Dr. David Lee, a "womanizing surgical resident." The show is executive produced by director Curtis Hanson (Wonder Boys), and it will be run by Carol Barbee, who previously headed shows such as Jericho and Swingtown. This news is fresh on the heels of Daniel Henney's small but explosive role in the summer blockbuster, X-Men Origins: Wolverine. American audiences who were disappointed with his screen time won't have to wait long for more Daniel Henney, this time on primetime TV. Three Rivers will play at 9pm on Sundays, in between The Amazing Race and Cold Case. --Ada Tseng
Miyazaki makes grand appearance for the Berkeley Japan Prize
On July 25th, Hayao Miyazaki will make his second appearance at UC Berkeley to receive the second annual Berkeley Japan Prize for lifetime achievement on July 25th. That day, the Oscar-winning director of classic Japanese animated film such as Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle will also participate in a talk hosted by Roland Kelts, Japanese popular culture scholar. He is in town to promote the American release of his latest film, Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, which will be the closing night film for this year's Los Angeles Film Festival. --Joyce Huang
Al Robles passes away
Poet and community activist, Al Robles, passed away on May 2nd. Heavily involved in the I-Hotel and Manillatown Heritage Foundation, he was a revered public figure and a community leader. Not only that, he also wrote a collection of poetry entitled Rappin' With Ten Thousand Carabaos in the Dark in 1996. Involved in the Asian American Movement in the San Francisco area, Al Robles was the focus of Curtis Choy's recent documentary, Manilatown is in the Heart. Sadly, Al Robles passed away on the same day the documentary was screened at the recent Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. A memorial service was held in his honor in the Bay Area last weekend involving poetry reading, jazz musical performances and speeches commemorating Al Robles' life and influence. --Megan Chun
BoA signs with CAA
Korean Singer BoA continued on her American odyssey by signing a contract with the Creative Arts Agency. The Agency, formed in 1975, has managed talent from multiple industries including film and music, and it has handled celebrities such as George Clooney, Cameron Diaz, and AC/DC. The BoA news comes in recently after the March 17th release of her self-titled debut English album. Topping the list of young showbiz professionals at the Next Gen Asia Awards and the album's rank of 3 in the "Heatseekers" category of the Billboard Charts, BoA has received a degree of interest from the American entertainment Industry. CAA and BoA are consequently discussing a US Tour for the second half of the year. In any case, BoA teaming up with CAA ensures that Americans have not heard the last of her. --Frederick Stiehl
Kim Longinotto at The Museum of Modern Art
From May 7th-23rd, New York's Museum of Modern Art is presenting a self-titled exhibition by Kim Longinotto, an internationally-acclaimed filmmaker who is known for her Asian studies portraits that tackle controversial topics. The two week exhibition will showcase fourteen documentaries that were made over a thirty-year period, including Gaea Girls (about Japanese women wreslers), Dream Girls (about a theater company in Japan), The Good Wife of Tokyo (which follows a woman who returns to Japan after a long absence), and Eat the Kimono (about an activist/avante-garde performer). Longinotto is scheduled to make a trip from her native London for the New York premiere of Rough Aunties, which won her the Sundance World Cinema Jury Prize this year. --Kristie Hang
M.I.A. Speaks Out Against Sri Lankan Civil War
With gunshots intermittently splayed throughout the chorus of her hit single "Paper Planes," M.I.A. isn't unfamiliar to revolutionary images. In fact, M.I.A. has found herself using her rising fame to bring attention to the current civil war in Sri Lanka. After nabbing a spot on Time's 100 List, the politically active superstar has asked Oprah to bring attention to the Sri Lankan struggle, discussed the issue on Tavis Smiley's PBS show, and used her MySpace blog to bring more attention to human rights abuses in her homeland.
Because M.I.A.'s father was a member of the Tamil Tigers, a military group against the Sri Lankan government, M.I.A. has been forced to fend off numerous terrorist sympathizer accusations. Along with her rising stardom, her political activeness has become mistaken for public terrorist support. However, as she puts it herself in a statement back in August, "I don't support terrorism and never have. As a Sri Lankan that fled war and bombings, my music is the voice of the civilian refugee." Her latest MySpace blog post [link] includes links to stories about the Sri Lankan government's deportation of a British reporter and the UN's efforts to force a peace with the Sri Lankan government to stop the fighting. Give the singer credit. It seems that with a home in conflict in the East, and a big name and fame in the West, all M.I.A wants is a little awareness. --Timothy Natividad
Kung Fu Panda Joins Nickelodeon!
On the heels of the success of DreamWorks' hit film Kung Fu Panda, Nickelodeon offers an exciting show dedicated exclusively to Po. Kung Fu Panda: The Series is planned to premiere next year. It will follow Po in his adventures mastering his art as a kung fu master. This new CG-animated comedy is one of the new productions of Nickelodeon with DreamWorks. The Penguins of Madagascar, which was premiered on March 28, was ranked as the highest-watched TV series in the network's history with a booming 6.1 million viewers. Perhaps Kung Fu will top that. --Joyce Huang
Date Posted: 5/22/2009