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APA
& MEDIA NEWS
R.I.P. - CHANG-LIN TIEN
Chang-Lin Tien, who became the first Asian American to
head a major U.S. university in his seven years as chancellor
of the University of California, Berkeley, died at the age
of 67. Tien,
who had a debilitating stroke after surgery for a brain tumor
in fall 2000, was an internationally known expert on heat
transfer and thermal science - - he helped developed the insulating
tiles for the space shuttle -- Tien was also famous for his
support of social causes, speaking out in favor of affirmative
action before and after University of California's governing
board of regents dropped race-based admissions in 1995.
R.I.P. - HARRY KITANO
Harry H.L. Kitano, a UCLA social scientist and leading
authority on race and ethnic relations, particularly Asian
Americans' experiences, died in October 2002 at the age of
76. During
Kitano's more than four decades at the university, he served
as co-director of UCLA's Alcohol Research Center and twice
as acting director of the Asian American Studies Center, the
nation's largest facility for such research. In 1990, he became
the first recipient of the endowed chair in Japanese American
studies at UCLA, the only academic chair of its kind in the
United States. He
was a pioneer in community research studies of interracial
marriages, juvenile delinquency, mental health and alcohol
abuse among the rapidly growing, diverse Asian Pacific American
population.
R.I.P. - BEULAH QUO
Beulah Quo, a film and TV character actress who co-founded
one of the first Asian American theater groups in Los Angeles
in the 1960s, died of heart failure. She was 79.
R.I.P. - MEHLI MEHTA
Mehli Mehta, the father of conductor Zubin Mehta and
mentor to generations of music students through the American
Youth Symphony, died at the age of 94. Born
in India, Mehta was a lifelong devotee of Western classical
music. He discovered it as a child, and focused on it during
a career of more than 60 years as a violinist, conductor and
teacher with the American Youth Symphony, which he remade
in 1964 and led until his retirement in 1998.
R.I.P. - TOORU KANAZAWA
Tooru Joe Kanazawa, a pioneering journalist and novelist
who was one of the oldest members of World War II's legendary
Japanese American fighting unit, the 442nd Regimental Combat
Team, died Oct. 2 at his home in Topanga. He was 95.
R.I.P.: WU-CHI LIU
Wu-chi Liu, 95, a leading scholar of Chinese literature
whose work helped American readers understand the writings
of his homeland (Shanghai China), died. Liu
published more than 25 books, including the anthology "Sunflower
Splendor: Three Thousand Years of Chinese Poetry." On its
release in 1975, a New York Times reviewer termed it the "largest
and, on the whole, best anthology of translated Chinese poems
to have appeared in a Western language." The anthology is
often used as a text in schools.
LISTINGS OF APA’S ON TELEVISION
SONY’S “HUMAN RESOURCES” PROGRAM
AFL-CIO disapprove of the concept behind "Human Resources"
where the show's producers locates people seeking employment,
provide on-the-job training and selected by television
viewers.
CIVIL RIGHTS WEBSITE
MMTC's new website will include "a vast storehouse
of knowledge about civil rights issues in the media and
telecommunications industries," according to MMTC Executive
Director David Honig.
100TH ANNIVERSARY OF KOREAN IMMIGRATION
The Korean American Coalition, Washington D.C. Area
Chapter (KAC-DC) applauds last week's unanimous passage
of a resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives that
recognizes the historical significance of 100 years of
Korean immigration to the United States.
BILL SIMON AND APA COMMUNITIES
Commentary on Bill Simon’s support of the various
needs within the Asian/Asian Pacific American communities.
It addresses the lack of political representation within
the platforms offered by Gray Davis and Bill Simon.
DEMOCRATS’ APA WEBSITE
The Democratic National Committee launched its new
Asian Pacific Islander American that will be “a new tool
that enables us to continue to have effective two-way
communication with the APIA community," said DNC Chairman
Terry McAuliffe.
“THE RING” AND ROY LEE
Roy Lee is an independent producer that tries to turn
obscure Asian films into Hollywood
blockbusters such as the recent “The Ring.”
During the past two years, Lee
has carved out a niche for himself as the sole go-between
for Korean and Japanese filmmakers eager to sell the remake
rights to their movies and Hollywood executives scrounging
to find new sources of commercial
ideas.
PERFORMING ARTS CENTER FOR CHINATOWN
Proposed Asian cultural and performing arts center,
modeled after Lincoln Center, would be constructed in
New York’s Chinatown. The proposed facility would be dedicated
to Asian art and culture, hosting operas, dance and theatrical
performances and exhibits. It could also serve as a meeting
place for community groups in Chinatown and Lower Manhattan,
City Councilman Alan Gerson said.
WOES OF NEW YORK
One advocacy group for poor and homeless New Yorkers,
the Urban Justice Center, announced that its own analysis
of FEMA, based on the agency's records and census data,
revealed that people in less affluent downtown neighborhoods
had applied for aid in far few numbers, and thus ultimately
received far less help.
ZHANG YIMOU’S “HERO”
Zhang YiMou’s “Hero," a martial arts movie about
a man protecting his emperor from killers more than 2,000
years ago, follows the lead of Academy Award-winning "Crouching
Tiger, Hidden Dragon" in seeking an international audience
well beyond China.
JOHN WOO’S “LAND OF DESTINY”
Director John Woo’s upcoming film titled "Land of
Destiny" would center around Chinese and Irish railway
workers in the United States with Nicholas Cage and Chou
Yun-fat.
DAVID HENRY HWANG’S FLOWER DRUM SONG
David Henry Hwang’s thoughts on if he could “write
the book that Hammerstein might have written had he been
Asian-American? Could I re-envision the musical in a way
that would feel relevant and moving to more sophisticated,
contemporary audiences?”
STATE OF ASIAN AMERICAN THEATER
Karen Wada’s commentary on why David Henry Hwang
has been the only APA writer to have made it. A handful
of artists have carved out distinguished careers, and
chorus lines are becoming more integrated. Too often,
however, roles have been limited to the niche nicknamed
"geishas, gangsters and gooks" or to the dozen or so shows
set in Asia, the foreign having more audience appeal than
the domestic. As a result, it has been stated that there
are three
“waves” of Asian American Theater.
CRIMES BETWEEN BLACKS AND ASIANS
On October 11, 2002 - the San Francisco Police Department
says three juveniles and a teacher were arrested in a
racially motivated riot between Blacks and Asians at Thurgood
Marshall Academic High School prompted police to evacuate
students from the Bayview District campus.
LIU XIAOQUING’S FINANCIAL TROUBLES
She is a target of the Chinese government’s crackdown
on industry titans shows how China's economy - however
robust and Westernized it appears on the surface - still
answers to an ossified political system. The country has
a growing number of multimillionaires and even a few billionaires,
but their fortunes depend on the whims of a handful of
Communist Party officials.
CORKY LEE
“The Undisputed Unofficial Asian-American Photographer
Laureate' has a day job in sales and customer service
at Expedi Printing in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, the
company that prints India Abroad, News Tibet, Dog News,
Dan's Paper, The New York Sun, The New York Law Journal
and Bamboo Girl zine. His main job is to photograph anything
that happens in the lives of Chinese-Americans, Japanese-
Americans, Korean-Americans, Indian-Americans, Pakistani-Americans,
Sri Lankan-Americans, Hmong-Americans, Thai-Americans,
Cambodian-Americans, Burmese-Americans, Filipino-Americans,
Malaysian- Americans, Hawaiians and other Asian-Pacific
Americans.
REMEMBERING VINCENT CHIN
In the cramped suburban office of a group called
American Citizens for Justice, a gathering of mostly Asian-American
college students mulled over programs and speakers, buttons
and T-shirts to make their message of remembering the
20th anniversary of Vincent
Chin’s death resonate.
CULTURAL DIFFERENCES
Forms of corporal punishment differ among Chinese
immigrants and the American general public. ''The Chinese
believe I hit you because I love you. The harder I hit
you, the more I love you.'' As a result, social workers
employed by advocacy groups distribute cautionary tales
from real life intended to make immigrant parents think
twice before administering an imported version of tough
love. Parents are warned that Muslim children of parents
accused of abuse can be placed in non-Muslim families,
where they may inadvertently be fed pork. Children from
nonreligious families may be taken to Christian services
by their foster families, parents are warned.
APA MUSIC ARTIST’S SONG ON SOUNDTRACK
Chops, member of the Mountain Brothers rap group,
has a song on Magic Johnson’s soundtrack for the film
“Brown Sugar.”
NO DOUBT’S TONY KANAL
No Doubt’s bass player, Tony Kanal, is of East Indian
decent. He was born in Kingsbury, England. There he lived
until his parents, Gulab and Leena, moved to Yorba Linda,
California in 1981.
KENNEDY CENTER SUPPORTS EWP
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
in Washington, D.C., is extending access to managerial
expertise over the next two years to East West Players.
This effort is partly funded by $500,000 from SBC Communications
Inc. Help will come via seminars and online dialogues
during the program's first year; then the Kennedy Center
will pick up the tab as graduates of its Vilar Institute
for Arts Management join participating companies' staffs
for up to a year.
DEMISE OF THE INDEPENDENT FILM?
Many have lamented on why the truly exciting independent
films given way to the movies that are based more on the
“art of the deal?”
FILIPINO MUSICIANS ON COMEDY CENTRAL
Comedy Central has selected P.I.C (which features
4 Filipino Americans) to be the house band for the long-running
comedy showcase, Premium Blend. They will be performing
tunes from their wildly successful debut album, hiphopunkfunkmamboska,
and from their upcoming record, Sexy Picnic.
ASIAN DIVERSITY CONFERENCE
On November 14 & 15, 2002 - Asian Diversity Inc. and
Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics (LEAP) are sponsoring
a conference on diversity and a job fair in New York.
Some of their exhibitors include the
following companies
- Enterprise
Rent-a-Car
- Verizon
- U.S.
Department of State
- U.S.
Food and Drug Administration
- U.S.
Department of Housing & Urban Development
- U.S.
Coast Guard
- New
York State Police
- Department
of Veterans Affairs
- U.S.
Fish & Wildlife Services
- Department
of Energy
- Mercedes-Benz
and
- Coca
Cola
Some of their sponsors include the New York Times, Verizon,
Daewoo Electronics, The Korea Daily, The Asahi Shimbun
and Filipinas Magazine
Conference will cover the subjects of networking, career
development, APA’s in the workforce and government careers.
KAHANAMOKU STAMP
U.S. Postal Service released a new 37-cent commemorative
stamp honoring Duke Kahanamoku, the legendary swimmer
and Olympian is best known as the father of international
surfing.
URI AND HYUNDAI
Hyundai Motor America has named Uri, Los Angeles,
as agency of record for its estimated $3 million Asian-American
account.
HATE CRIME IN TEXAS
On Oct.5, a group of Asian-Americans is charging
that Stephen P. Reid, owner of the *75 percent off* bookstore
in the Plano Market Square Mall on East Spring Creek Parkwary
(Texas) had singled them out of his store and refuse to
sell them books without explanation.
STONY BROOK’S ASIAN AMERICAN CENTER
Wang Foundation provides Stony Brook's Asian American
Center to study Asians and Asian Americans.
Six years in the making, the center is nearly three years
behind schedule. But there is an excuse. A professor asked
Mr. Wang to pay for a hallway renovation, and that talk
blossomed into a proposed 25,000-square-foot center, a
plan that has since mushroomed nearly fivefold to 120,000.
Mr. Wang's gift, through his foundation, is the largest
private donation to the state university system, part
of a welcome trend in these times of tightening government
aid.
GET FUNNY ON A STIR FRIDAY NIGHT
Chicago's premier Asian American improv & sketch
comedy troupe, Stir-Friday Night! and Hi Ricky Asia Noodle
Shop & Satay Bar are teaming up to bring a delicious taste
of comedy via their latest piece titled “Lucky Red Dragon
Karaoke Night.”
AMERIE ON SOUL TRAIN
Be sure to check out AMERIE on Soul Train this Saturday,
November 9th on the WB Network at 1pm. She will perform
"Why Don't We Fall in Love" and "Talkin To Me."
APAIT Observes World AIDS Day on Dec. 1
The Asian Pacific AIDS Intervention Team (APAIT), Southern
California's largest provider of HIV/AIDS services to Asians
and Pacific Islanders, observes World AIDS Day on December
1, 2002 by presenting "A Journey to Hope" in Little Tokyo.
The
event will be hosted by award winning actor/comedian Alec
Mapa. The proceeds will benefit the Day Room for HIV-positive
clients and general operating costs. Awards
will be presented to actor Rodney Kageyama, Asian American
Theatre Company, East West Players and the Red Dragon Nightclub,
Southern California's first gay Asian weekend nightclub.
Artists
scheduled to appear include Dan Kwong and Deborah Nishimura/Tulis.
EBERT’S REVIEW OF “CHARLOTTE SOMETIMES”
“Charlotte Sometimes” show Asian-American characters
who do not "represent their community" or project a "positive
image" or do anything else except what characters in all good
movies do: be themselves, in a way that is fascinating and
illuminating - so states Roger Ebert. “Charlotte
Sometimes” is not about those commonplace and moronic movie
romances often seen. It is about very particular people with
needs and fears, and the way they dance around the lies that
separate them. Writer-Director
Eric Byler’s film features the performances of Michael Idemoto,
Eugenia Yuan, Jacqueline Kim and Matt Westmore.
"BUDDHAHEADS"
Brian Maeda's "Buddhaheads" is playing at Pasadena's
Lammle Playhouse 7 Theater in Southern California. Movie
features Calvin Jung, Eddie Mui and Helen Ota.
