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Margaret Cho turns heads at the Annual Grammy Awards show in January. Her CD, "Revolution," was nominated for best comedy album of the year. Courtesy of msnbc.msn.com
May 7. 2004: News Bites
Margaret Cho starts a "Revolution," "Robot Stories" opens the Trenton Film Festival, and Daniel Kim is cast in "Spiderman 2" and "Lost." Catch all this and more in this issue of News Bites.
Contributed by Chau Nguyen
Victor Vu's new film "Spirits"
Even though Halloween is a long ways off, that doesn't mean audiences won't be scared witless in Victor Vu's new film Spirits (Oan Hon).
Set in modern day Vietnam, the movie is about a tragic love story between an aspiring writer Loc (Tuan Cuong) and Linh (Kathleen Luong), the young nurse sent in to take care of him in his temporary state of insanity. Everything seems well until Linh's disturbing past comes back to haunt her. All is unraveled with the help of Lan (Catherine Thuy Ai), the traveling fortune teller who rents out a portion of Loc's home in his latter years. Dealing with issues such as fate, karma, and reincarnation, the film offers audiences a glimpse of the traditions and spiritual beliefs that surround a Vietnamese ghost story.
The film premiered today and will be shown as an exclusive engagement between May 8 - 16. The film is in Vietnamese with English subtitles.
What: Spirits (Oan Hon)
Where: Edwards South Coast Village 3
1561 West Sunflower Ave.
Santa Ana, CA 92704
Show Times: 4:30 PM, 7:00 PM, 9:30 PM
To view the trailer, please visit www.spiritsthemovie.com.
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UCLA’s Fowler Museum hosts Indian Cultural Show
UCLA’s Fowler Museum of Cultural History hosted the “Festival India!” on May 2nd. The five hour long event, which began at noon, celebrated the many diverse cultures of India by presenting an array of dance shows ranging from the contemporary Bollywood dance to the more traditional South Indian dance of Bharatanatyum. UCLA’s Hindi Film and Dance team performed a popular Bollywood style dance/skit. The UCLA Bhangra team also performed as well as offered to instruct the audience in this high energy dance. The Nupoor Spiritual Dance Company demonstrated the Krishna devotee dance; while the Blue 13 Dance Company gave performances in Bollywood style, Bharatanatyum, and neo kathak dance. The festival also offered Indian cuisine, henna tattooing, art-making, and walk-throughs of the exhibition Traces of India which is currently being shown at Fowler.
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Spencer Nakasako’s Refugee Goes National with PBS
Spencer Nakasako’s film Refugee was screened for free screening Herbst Theater in San Francisco on April 29 in celebration of the film’s upcoming national PBS premiere in May. The venue was hosted by NAATA, in collaboration with the Vietnamese Youth Development Center (VYDC), the East Bay Asian Youth Center (EBAYC), Hard Knock Radio, the Independent Television Service (ITVS) and KQED Education Network.
This film is the story of Mike Siv, a refugee who escaped Cambodia as a child, and later decides to go back to his motherland to meet his dad and brother. The trip begins like any other, with the bombardment of receiving vaccines, visas, and buying gifts for his family; however, even before he sets foot in the country, he learns that his father is remarried with a new family and his brother raised by an aunt. Even though it’s more truth than he can handle, he is determined to carry on with his plan, and boards the plane to meet his family.
Check local PBS listings for show times.
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Daniel Kim Cast in Spiderman 2 and Lost!
Daniel Kim, best known for his role on Fox’s politically charged crime drama 24 as an agent for the Los Angeles Domestic Counter Terrorist Unit, and for his recurring role as a social worker on the hit NBC drama ER, has been cast in this summer’s blockbuster film Spiderman 2. He will be playing a scientist who works with Dr. Octopus, played by Alfred Molina. Sam Raibi and Tobey Maguire are both returning to star in the sequel and the movie is scheduled to hit the theaters on July 2, 2004.
In addition to this exciting film project, Kim has also landed a role as a series regular in J.J. Abrams new pilot, Lost!, in which he plays a character known as Jin. The pilot is currently filming in Mokuleia Beach, Hawaii, and is estimated to be the most expensive pilot ever filmed.
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Greg Pak’s Robot Stories Opens at the Trenton Film Festival
Greg Pak’s film Robot Stories, which has already won over 30 awards, is screening today, May 7th, at the Trenton Film Festival in New Jersey. Co-producer Karin Chien, and stars Cindy Cheung and Julienne Hanzelka Kim are personally attending the event.
Robot Stories is a science fiction film from the heart. It consists of four different stories in which utterly human characters struggle to connect in a world of robot babies, robot toys, android office workers, and digital immortality.
Pak also wrote the screenplay for the feature film MVP, which premiered at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. He is currently working on projects for Antidote Films and Marvel Comics.
Check out APA’s interview with Greg Pak and our review of the film at: http://www.asiaarts.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=8586
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Antigone Falun Gong
Antigone Falun Gong, playwright Cherylene Lee’s adaptation of Sophocle’s great tragedy Antigone, is now being shown at the Off Market Theater in San Francisco from April 30-May 29 2004. Lee, a fourth generation Chinese American and also the author of Legacy Codes, explores how the past connects to the present, the persecution of the Falun Gong, and how there may be more to America’s global reach than can be imagined. She utilizes forms of Tai Chi, Wu Shu, Kung Fu, Chinese opera, and the five Falun Gong exercises, to tell the story of a woman who is willing to risk everything to defend the honor of her family.
What: (Play) Antigone Falun Gong
When: April 30-May 16, 2004
Where: Aurora Theater
2081 Addison St.
Berkeley, CA 94704
Telephone: (510) 843-4822
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Margaret Cho Stirs up a Revolution
Margaret Cho, the 35 year-old caustic Korean-American stand up comedian, has turned her one woman shows into a multi-faceted media machine, producing nationwide concert tours, feature films, and even a best selling book I’m the One that I Want. Cho is utilizing her status as a celebrity to push for a variety of causes, which is the impetus for her new tour “Revolution,” which will premiere on the Sundance channel in June. This tour is slated to be her most political to date, forcing her audience members to speak out and advocate the causes they believe in. Top among Cho’s are gay marriage rights.
She is also currently working on the film, Bam Bam and Celeste, which is described as a gay Dumb and Dumber that also critiques reality shows.
What: Margaret Cho’s new tour, “Revolution”
When: June 2004
Where: Premiers on the Sundance Channel
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________________________________________________________________ Contribution from Meina Banh Do a Good Deed for the Children and Your Ears If you didn’t get enough of the local band Mary Jane at the Kollaboration of Korean American Talent then you can catch them again Saturday, May 16 at the 5th annual UCLA Run/Walk benefiting the Mattel Children’s Hospital. Along with other bands, Mary Jane will be serenading Run/Walk participants with their vocal styling. Opening ceremonies begin at For more information, please visit:
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Date Posted: 5/7/2004