ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
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APA & MEDIA NEWS
R.I.P. – SPACE SHUTTLE “COLUMBIA’S” FLIGHT CREW
With a booming roar and incandescent flashes of light, the space shuttle Columbia-- flying at 12,500 mph-- broke apart Saturday over east Texas, killing all seven of its astronauts and scattering chunks of metal and machinery across at least two states, only 16 minutes before its scheduled landing at Cape Canaveral, Fla.

CELEBRATING KOREAN’S 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF US IMMIGRATION
Discover what the Centennial Committee, the legislation and the Centennial's Board of Advisors are doing in celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the immigration of Koreans to the United States.

POLITICS AND THE KOREAN AMERICAN COMMUNITIES
We have no voice. There's no one to represent us. Those were the collective laments heard repeatedly among Korean Americans in the aftermath of the 1992 L.A. Riots, whose violence and fires uprooted thousands of KA lives. Read about their various stuggles.

100TH ANNVERSARY OF KOREAN IMMIGRATION INFO
2003 marks the 100th Anniverary of Korean immigration to the United States that leaders state was started on January 13, 1902.

PLIGHT OF NORTH KOREAN REFUGEES
Korean and American activists who work with refugees are touring U.S. churches, urging congregants to work toward toppling the Communist regime.

MONSOON WEDDING & OTHER NICHE FILMS SUCCESS
Flying well under "Spider-Man's" big-budget radar was an intriguing spate of little movies that made lots of money by playing against Hollywood stereotype. Movies such as "Bowling for Columbine," "One Hour Photo," "Monsoon Wedding," "Empire," and even the obscure French film "Brotherhood of the Wolf," made 2002 one of the most successful years ever for specialized fare.

GENE RHEE’S SEARCH FOR LENGTH
Richard Roeper writes "Gene Rhee's `The Quest for Length'… It's hilarious, and it garners the most enthusiastic reaction of any film of any length (ahem) I've seen so far. And the star of the film, one Roger Fan, has to be the bravest actor in history."

STATE OF BOLLYWOOD
Recently, Indian movies have found their way into American cineplexes and art houses. Famous crossovers like Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding and the Oscar-nominated Lagaan are finding an audience in America and lending a newfound credibility to an industry that had, until recently, found itself more lampooned than acclaimed by international movie-goers and critics.

RUSH HOUR 2
Rush Hour 2 is the second highest grossing “police-theme” movie of all time.

GETTING MEDIEVAL ON KUNG FOOL
Imagine a KoreAm article that states “Oh, those touchy Asians with their chips on their shoulders. Almost anything will set them off. Like late-night talk show hosts who make jokes about Koreans eating dogs or cute T-shirts of slant-eyed Asians with catchy slogans like "Two Wongs Can Make it White."

ANGELA OH ON APA LEADERSHIP
Learn her views on the tenants of leadership that includes aspects of practical education, the tenacity/clarity/persistence, friends/family, experience(s) of failure/criticism, reflection, identifying allies, trust, control/lack of control, value of your presence and to invest your energy into things that affirm being alive.

GLASS CEILINGS FOR APA’S
Asian Americans have fewer paths available than White faculty to increase earnings and that several characteristics translate to higher salaries for Whites but not for Asian Americans

SAD STATE OF CHINESE AMERICANS
The sad truth about Chinese Americans is our inability and unwillingness to assert our rights and to scream and protest when our constitutional rights as American citizens are trampled upon and taken away.

PERCEPTIONS OF APA CHRISTIANS
Rev. Donal Ng (Asian American Baptist Caucus Convocation) shares the Baptist denomination preconceived misconceptions of the APA communities –invisible, then seen mainly as trivial. We represented our groups and have been participating inside many of the denomination's organizations. He shares that the future relationship between Asian American Baptists and the denomination needs to be based on mutual partnership.

ANG LEE’S BIOGRAPHY
In his recently published autobiography, the Ang Lee talks about struggling to make it, his insecurities, and the new challenges ahead.

DIVERSITY IN MEDIA OWNERSHIP
MediaCom was joined in its remarks by Sony Pictures Television, the Directors Guild of America, the Screen Actors Guild of America and other entertainment organizations. The groups, which call themselves the Coalition for Program Diversity, are fighting a bid by the television networks and big TV station groups to expand their media holdings.

MICHELLE KWAN’S FUTURE PLANS
Advertisers/sponsors agree that Michelle Kwan embodies desirable traits such as perseverance and dependability, if not the white-hot flash of gold-medal glory.

WUSHU IN THE OLYMPICS
The sport of wushu/kung fu has become a stronger contender for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. With a long and illustrious history in China, wushu/kung fu is finally coming together after a bifurcated past in America — divided mostly between the southern, more traditional sparring style, of "kung fu" and the northern, more contemporary acrobatic performance style, of "wushu."

BAY AREA’S MANILA TOWN
Finally, after 25 years since the dramatic eviction that destroyed a community and displaced elderly tenants, the Manilatown Heritage Foundation reported that construction is underway to rebuild 104- units of senior housing at the International Hotel site.

FIVE PEOPLE THAT SHAPED US’ FOREIGN POLICIES
Understand how Theodore Roosevelt, Henry Cabot Lodge (who defeated Woodrow Wilson and blocked Senate ratification of the Treaty of Versailles to keep America out of the League of Nations), John Hay (Abraham Lincoln's confidential assistant, Ambassador to Britain and secretary of State), Elihu Root (New York lawyer, Secretary of State and helped to start the Carnegie Endowment) and Rear Adm. Alfred Thayer Mahan (wrote "The Influence of Sea Power Upon History 1660-1783" which is regarded as the most important work of strategic thought ever written by an American) shaped America’s foreign policies.

TRACY QUAN’S VIEW ON BEING “BARE”
Read Tracy Quan's Review of "Bare - On Women, Dancing, Sex and Power" – from her perspective as the author of the novel "Diary of a Manhattan Call Girl" and a contributor to "NYC Sex: How New York City Transformed Sex in America."

CIRQUE DE SOLEIL’S DRAILION
Dralion is the fusion of ancient Chinese circus tradition and the avant-garde approach of Cirque du Soleil. The show's name is drawn from its two main symbols-the dragon, representing the East, and the lion, representing the West. Dralion derives much of its inspiration from Eastern philosophy with its perpetual quest for harmony between humankind and nature.

YAO MING GOES FOR APPLE
Houston Rockets center Yao Ming made his television advertising debut this week with a spot for Apple Computer's new notebook computer. In the ad, the 7-foot, 5-inch Yao is flying on a passenger jet and pulls out a new PowerBook G4 computer from the overhead compartment.

YAO GOES WIRELESS GAMING
Yao Ming Featured in New Basketball Video Game from game publisher Sorrent for wireless phones in China.

YAO LEADS SHAQ
Yao passed Shaquille O'Neal to become the leader (and starter) among Western Conference centers in the fan voting for the starters in the NBA All-Star Game, to be played Feb. 9 in Atlanta.

JIN IS A ROLLING STONE FAVE
Rolling Stone has tabbed “Jin Tha MC” as “Somebody to Watch” in 2003!

MURDOCH IN CHINA
China has approved dissemination of News Corp.'s STAR TV Chinese-language entertainment channel to limited locations across the mainland.

J-POP IN THE US
J-Pop invasion, lead by groups such as Cornelius, Number Girl, Ex-Girl, Zoobombs, Mono, Rashinban, Indian Rope, The Stars, Takako Minekawa and Buffalo Daughter was noted by “Southwest by Southwest,” Rolling Stones and other media.

SHAQ ON YAO
Read what Shaq’s initial response to the furor surrounding his unfortunate statements in describing Yao.

CHINESE CAME BEFORE COLUMBUS?
Read about Gavin Menzies, a retired Royal Navy submarine commanding officer, declaring that the Chinese -- traveling on a fleet of ships under the auspices of Emperor Zhu Di -- had reached America 70 years before Columbus.

APA YOUTHS’ DRUG PROBLEMS
Discover the magnitude of the drug addiction problems from “Model Minority” youths and Hapas!

OCA REGARDING SHAQ
Within their response, OCA writes “On the show, you threatened Yao Ming with mock-Chinese gibberish, clearly intended to taunt not only Ming but any American of Asian descent. However, this was not an isolated incident. On June 28 of last year, on Fox Television's Best Damn Sports Show Period, you again made mockery of the fact that Yao Ming is Asian, in your use of a fake Chinese accent and supposed kung-fu moves. You even combined these verbal comments with a threat to Yao Ming's physical harm, announcing that you would like to take an elbow to Yao's face.

PREGNANCY RATES OF APA YOUTHS
Learn about how "Teens of Japanese and Chinese descent tend to be less likely to experience unplanned pregnancy than their peers, while Filipino and Southeast Asian teens are more likely to experience teen pregnancy among Asian American/Pacific Islanders."

OFFICIAL APOLOGY FROM SHAQ
"To say I'm a racist against Asians is crazy. ... I said a joke. ... If I hurt anybody's feelings, I apologize." -- Shaquille O'Neal

CHOU WILL BE A “DRAGON”
Asian martial arts hero Chow Yun-Fat ("Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon") will star in the action-drama "Walk Like a Dragon." The Paramount Pictures project centers on an Asian official menaced by Golden Triangle crime lords who threaten to turn his San Francisco-based daughter into an drug addict. The daughter and her American love interest, who have not yet been cast, flee to Arizona.

ASIANWEEK ON SHAQ
AsianWeek writes “APA Community Should Tell Shaquille O'Neal to `Come down to Chinatown.” Read the rest of their article.

“THE ROCK’S” FILM CHOICES
Five studios are hoping to nab "The Scorpion King" star before his next flick is even out. “Helldorado” is due in September 2003. He’s been offered MGM’s “Walking Tall,” Universal’s “Johnny Bravo,” Paramount’s “Walk Like a Dragon” and Sony Pictures “Skip Tracer” and “King Kamehameha.”

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ROCKER & SHAQ
It's 100% correct to say that O'Neal was wrong. What shouldn't even be considered for one second is that O'Neal is a racist. In private conversations I've never heard him denigrate anyone on the basis of race.

What makes his comments different from those of John Rocker, for example, was that Rocker implied that New York in general and the No. 7 train in particular were worse places because of foreign-born people and homosexuals.

INTERESTING APA VIEW ON YAO MING
Rick Chan, a writer for University of Washington’s “The Daily,” stated that “Chinese men are now both emasculated and physically brutal, analogous to arguing that black males are both immature and super strong. Shame on him and thousands of Asian fans for treating this new phenomenon as a great leap forward.

I find it beyond essential to encourage more Asian Americans to join the republic of letters rather than the thug gangs of the NBA. Our Asian boys need to aspire to become teachers, professors, writers, reporters and even politicians because they have a responsibility to interrogate the negative images of Asian men that circulate public space.”

UPCOMING EWP EVENTS
Read about East West Players’ upcoming event in January 2003 which includes their version of “Little Shop of Horrors.”

REVIEW: ZUBIN MEHTA & SAYAKA SHOJI
Zubin Mehta's soaring adieu in his final program at L.A. Dorothy Pavilion, the former L.A. Philharmonic leader conducts a touching Seventh Symphony by Bruckner that also featured the performance of Sayaka Shoji.

CHINESE AMERICAN IDENTITY ISSUES
Discover an overview of various issues that are strategic in identifying the Chinese American identity within the general public.

CHILDREN NOW’S DIVERSITY REPORT
Read Children Now’s "Fall Colors 2001-02" that documents the television industry's progress on diversity and serves as a tool to help executives, writers and producers improve the images of race, class and gender on prime time television. It is the most comprehensive study to date of prime time diversity.

CHINESE AMERICAN AWAKENING
In recent years, Chinese immigrants have been converting to Christianity and aggressively proselytizing. Nearly a third of Chinese Americans now attend church, compared with the small fraction who did 50 years ago, said Fenggang Yang, a leading scholar on Chinese Christianity at Purdue University.

In the same time frame, the number of Chinese churches in the United States has grown from 66 to more than 1,000, including about two dozen in the Washington region.

DON DUONG & “WE WERE SOLDIERS”
Read about actor Don Duong, under virtual house arrest since he was labeled a traitor by authorities in his native Vietnam, was speaking out for the first time since his plight involvement with the film “We Were Soldiers” made him a Hollywood cause célèbre.

LATEST ON JACKIE’S “GOING ROUND THE WORLD”
Paramount Pictures confirms that it will not act as the domestic distributor of Walden Media's Around the World in 80 Days, which stars Jackie Chan and will be directed by Frank Coraci (The Wedding Planner).

GUILDS UNITE TO DEFEND MEDIA OWNERSHIP LIMITS
An unusual alliance of Hollywood producers and creative workers is mobilizing here for a stiff fight against company efforts to relax long-standing limits on media ownership.

They fear that further consolidation in the TV business would kill jobs and stifle creativity – also diversity.

ANGELA OH ASKS “WILL APA’S STEP UP?”
Angela stated “For some reason, Asian Americans in particular are absent from any organized effort to examine the implications of the changes that are taking place right now. What is the reason for this complacency?”

MARGARET CHO’S UPCOMING TOUR
Premium Tickets (first 10 rows) for Margaret's new tour, "Revolution," which starts March 1st are available online.

BILL MOYER’S “BECOMING AMERICAN: THE CHINESE EXPERIENCE
Bill Moyer explores the historic saga of Chinese immigrants and their ongoing struggle to become “American” in his upcoming PBS documentary “Becoming American: The Chinese Experience”

ADACHI ELECTED S.F.’S PUBLIC DEFENDER
Jeff Adachi's uphill battle for San Francisco's Office of the Public Defender came to fruition with his inauguration at San Francisco’s City Hall.

KOREAN AMERICAN CONTRIBUTIONS
Discover prominent Korean American leaders and achievements that are part of the unique tapestry that make up the multi-ethnic strengths of the United States.

KEANU REEVES & THE MATRIX
Few sequels (that stars Keanu Reeves) have been greeted with as much anticipation and high expectations as the final installments of "The Matrix" trilogy: "The Matrix Reloaded," which opens in May, followed by "The Matrix Revolutions" in November.

The first movie sparked a revolution in movie-making, delivering a mind-bending look at the future and stunning visuals. Its greatest strength, however, came from an emotionally gripping plot.

2003 FILMS WITH APA’S
Listings of upcoming films featuring Asian/Asian Pacific American actors and directors can be found by clicking HERE

SUPPORT “CHARLOTTE SOMETIMES
The movie "Charlotte Sometimes" has been nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards, more specifically the JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD (given to the best feature made for under $500,000) and BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS, Jacqueline Kim.This is the only Asian American film nominated this year, and the first since 1995 (Picture Bride).

RACISM AT GONZAGA UNIVERSITY
Read the account of an unfortunate incident of where a few Gonzaga basketball players uttered some very inappropriate phrases at an Asian American in San Francisco

REVERSE RACISM
Tamara Nopper (Korean teacher/activist from Philadelphia) writes “It is not that I am not concerned or bothered by O'Neal's statements. Nor do I want Asian Americans to not fight back against capitalism, whites supremacy, (hetero)sexism, and homophobia.

I am just not interested in promoting a response and a political agenda that reproduces racist and sexist constructions and treatment of Black people generally, and in this case, Black men specifically.