The Great GQ Pants-Off
GQ.com
Check out Hawaii Five-O’s Daniel Dae Kim in this GQ photoshoot.
This March we announced the Best New Designers in America and asked each of the six winners to redesign a pair of Dockers khakis. Here, Daniel Dae Kim of Hawaii Five-0 wears the pants.
the zombie engagement photos… set to music!
angryasianman
By now, you’ve heard of Ben and Juliana, the badass couple facing off against a zombie in those awesome engagement photos that went viral last week. But if you can’t get enough of them, check out this cool video by our composer pal George Shaw, who actually wrote a score and set the photos to music:
Check out the iAmKoreAm.com story about the zombie engagement photos and interview with Juliana!
Asian Americans face new stereotype in ads
Washington Post
Here is an interesting piece on Asian Americans in TV commercials that points out that Asians are often cast as tech support-types with technological know-how.
‘Walking Dead’: Four New Clips Feast On Your Brains
MTV.com
At a scant 11 seconds each, the clips themselves don’t show, tell or even imply much new information about the season, but they do feature pretty much the most important of the show’s assets: Realistic-looking zombies and stark, abject terror. Featuring returning castmembers like Andrew Lincoln, Steven Yeun, Laurie Holden and others, the teasers show off the bleak, zombie-infested world established in the series’ first six-episode season.
Producer imbues Korean color to math animation
Korea Times
“Team Umizoomi” is a popular animated show for preschoolers airing on [Nick Jr.], solving everyday problems using math. Milly, her brother Geo and robot friend Bot work in a team, travelling in Umi Car to settle such daily problems as fixing a watering can.
The animation has a hint of Korean culture — the characters fly kites and the patterns on Milly and Geo’s clothes and of the buildings come from traditional Korean designs. Soo Kim, producer and design director of the show, has contributed to its unique atmosphere. “The characters have simple black eyes, just like Koreans,” Kim said in a telephone interview with The Korea Times.
Born in Korea, Kim immigrated to the United States when she was a child. She majored in pre-medical studies as most Korean-American children do.
Check out our April 2010 feature story on Kim and Umizoomi.
USC’s Dornsife College introduces new minor in Korean Studies
The Daily Trojan
Beginning this semester, USC is offering a new minor in Korean Studies. The 20-unit minor will cover the political, economic, social and cultural changes in Korea. It will be interdisciplinary in nature, with course subjects spanning departments such as cinema, history, international relations, language and critical studies with a particular emphasis on Korea. There is no language requirement, but students are welcome to take Korean language courses to fulfill minor requirements.
Chiu and Kim are making a quick trip to Burning Man
San Francisco Bay Guardian
Board of Supervisors President David Chiu will take a day off from his busy mayoral campaign next week to attend Burning Man, which he’ll fly into on a small private airplane along with Sup. Jane Kim and spend less than 24 hours on the ground.
Daniel Henney Says He’s a ‘Regular Korean Guy’
soompi.com
Daniel Henney is handsome.
Choi Sung Bong confesses that he tried to commit suicide
allkpop.com
The “Korean Susan Boyle” told CNN, “I felt like my life was meaningless so I attempted to commit suicide multiple times.” He added, “I felt calm when I listened to music, music was my only friend when I was lonely.”
In First, South Korea Votes on Social Policy
New York Times
Voters in Seoul went to the polls on Wednesday to do what South Koreans had never done before: cast ballots in a referendum on welfare policy — in this case, whether to provide all children with free lunches regardless of family income.
For weeks, placards supporting or opposing the proposal have greeted citizens throughout this metropolis of 10 million people. Although the referendum was confined to the capital, it assumed national proportions with all political parties joining the debate in a sign that, after decades of bickering over civil liberties, the economy and North Korea, they were now entering the largely untested field of social welfare.
‘House’ exec: ‘Charlyne Yi is perfect casting’
digitalspy
House creator David Shore has claimed that new cast addition Charlyne Yi is “perfect” for her role.
The Knocked Up actress will appear in the medical drama’s eighth season as a junior doctor who joins House’s diagnostic team.
Yi’s father is Korean and Caucasian, her mother is Filipino.
Q&A with Singer/Songwriter Clara Chung
theotherasians
OA: What does it mean to be Korean American to you? How strongly do you identify with your background?
CC: I’m very much Korean-American. As far as music goes, I haven’t felt any stigma, put downs, or obstacles for being Korean or Asian. I am part of a local community of LA singers and songwriters and I feel really accepted.
Seoul Warns of Latest North Korean Threat: An Army of Online Gaming Hackers
New York Times
The North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has found a novel way of raising badly needed cash, according to the South Korean authorities: unleashing young hackers on South Korea’s immensely popular online gaming sites to find ways to rack up points convertible to cash.
Despite its decrepit economy, North Korea is believed to train an army of computer programmers and hackers. The police in Seoul said Thursday that four South Koreans and a Korean-Chinese had been arrested on charges of drawing on that army to organize a hacking squad of 30 young video gaming experts.
Hyun-a’s Latest Music Video Too Racy for TV Censors
Chosun Ilbo
The sexy dance moves of 19-year-old Hyun-a, one of the members of girl band 4minute, has caused Korea’s TV watchdog to place a partial ban on screenings of the pop video for her latest song, “Bubble Pop.”
Top 5 Korean Diet Trends
CNNGo
Even though the largest sizes at most clothing stores in Seoul seem to run equivalent to a U.S. size zero, Seoulites are constantly on the lookout for the newest-fangled ways to shed kilos and get that perfect body.
Bridgewater [N.J.] crash victim dies; other driver facing careless driving, drug charges
mycentraljersey.com
A man involved in a serious car accident on July 29 died due to his injuries Thursday, when police also announced that the other driver in the incident is facing three drug charges and a charge of careless driving.
Byung S. Kim, 37, of South Korea succumbed to severe head trauma he suffered during the accident, according to police officer Allen Mele of the Bridgewater Police Department’s Traffic Safety Bureau. The other driver, 18-year-old Alexandra Gerraputa of Massapequa, N.Y., is facing charges of possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of narcotics in a motor vehicle, possession of drug paraphernalia and careless driving, Mele said.
Students get to be Korean for a day
JoongAng Daily
Kim Bong-gon, 44, brought his best manners to Sungkyunkwan University last week, when he led a workshop on traditional Korean etiquette for a group of students from overseas who were in Korea to attend an international, student-organized forum.
Kim is a renowned etiquette instructor who has just made a new film that he hopes will help further his mission of introducing students, both Korean and foreign, to traditional Korean culture. The students at the forum were among the first to see the film, which Kim will also present overseas in the fall.
Unwanted Missiles for a Korean Island [OPINION]
New York Times
Gangjeong, a small fishing and farming village on Jeju Island 50 miles south of the Korean peninsula, is a pristine Unesco-designated ecological reserve where elderly Korean women sea divers, haenyo, still forage for seafood. It is also the site of a fierce resistance movement by villagers who oppose the construction of a South Korean naval base on the island that will become part of the U.S. missile defense system to contain China.
Daniel Dae Kim in ‘Arena’ Trailer
angryasianman
South Korean Lawyer Plans Class-Action Suit Against Apple
The Wall Street Journal
Apple Inc.’s South Korea unit last month paid about $950 to a South Korean lawyer who sued the company after Apple acknowledged that its iPhone retained location information about users.
The attorney, Kim Hyung-seok, on Thursday said he plans to file a class-action lawsuit against the company on behalf of other people allegedly affected by the matter.
U.S. Senate sets hearing on Sung Kim’s nomination
Yonhap
The U.S. Senate plans to hold a confirmation hearing for Sung Kim, the nominee to become ambassador to South Korea, next week, a related committee announced Thursday.
‘Hawaii Five-0′ back in action
Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Hugs and handshakes were the order of the day as a gallery of news cameras clicked to document the return of the show’s main players: Alex O’Loughlin, Scott Caan, Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park. They were joined by series regulars Masi Oka, Taylor Wily and child actor Teilor Grubbs, who plays Danny “Danno” Williams’ daughter on the series.
Grace Park talks about the upcoming second season for Hawaii Five-0
Man U’s South Korean soccer superstar coming to Seattle
Northwest Asian Weekly
Manchester United will continue its U.S. tour with a stop in Seattle July 20. Former South Korean national team captain Ji Sung Park scored a goal in the Red Devils friendly win over the New England Revolution yesterday.
The Find: Jun Won’s farm-fresh Korean cuisine
Los Angeles Times
A sparkling multicolored spread of dishes on every table gives the place the feel of a lavish tapas party. Fish is the star of the menu, but that’s only one reason the 18-year-old restaurant’s loyal clientele keeps returning. The seasonal array of eight or nine banchan (which may include a toss of sesame-dressed sukkat (young chrysanthemum greens), fresh parsley salad, tiny burger patties and seasoned eggplant) outshines those found at most Korean barbecues.
Owner Jung Ye Jun gets many of her leafy greens from friends who farm them in Bakersfield, says her son Jeff Jun, who now manages the restaurant. For years people would ask to buy extra banchan to go. Finally, at the urging of loyal customers, Jung Ye Jun opened a small retail boutique on Olympic Boulevard, where she makes and sells her banchan along with kimchi in the typical style of her home province, Chungcheongnam-do.
Camp teaches adopted Korean children about their native culture
Democrat & Chronicle (Rochester, N.Y.)
Attending Camp Chin-Gu as a youth and teenager, Amanda Ornt-Rezer had one overarching reaction: Everyone here is just like me.
Now 24 years old, Ornt-Rezer is married, lives in Virginia Beach and is expecting her first child.
But she still makes the weeklong trip to the Fairport camp each year, where she now helps teach young adopted Korean children — and their siblings — about their native culture.
David Chang Launches ‘Lucky Peach’
The Momofuku chef known for his exquisite ramen recently launched a new quarterly magazine for foodies and the early reviews of the publication, which hit newsstands yesterday, were largely positive.
The Chicago Tribune published an extensive review of the new venture, calling it “a powerhouse lineup of food porn.”
It’s part-literary magazine, part-conversation between friends and a whole lot of attitude about the state of noodles and cooking, the first of what will be a sprawling quarterly mix of ideas, art and recipes in exploration of a single topic.
LA Weekly called it “an enormous amount of fun.”
Yes, recipes. 22 recipes. David Chang recipes, mostly. Worth the price of admission themselves. So that you can make your own tonkotsu broth to spill on the journal’s pages. Or make cacio e pepe from instant ramen. Or instant ramen gnocchi. Or bacon dashi. And if that isn’t highbrow enough, Chang provides a recipe for Alain Passard’s famous egg, called here the Arpege egg, too. Knock yourself out.
‘Lost’ Star Daniel Dae Kim Was Going To Be Comic Relief In ‘The Adjustment Bureau’
IndieWire
Kim had a part that was ultimately cut from the sci-fi thriller starring Matt Damon, a “blackly humorous” role, according to an IndieWire interview with director George Nolfi.
“[Kim] did a great job—just two scenes—and they’re in there so people can see what it would have looked like if we had gone that direction. I ultimately decided that the Bureau needed to be a little more dark or it would risk being silly. It’s already such a difficult concept to kind of sell in a realistic way, so that’s why it’s out.”
In other DDK news, veteran actor Terry O’Quinn will join the cast of “Hawaii Five-0,” reuniting the two former “Lost” cast members.
Kim said the show is lucky to have the actor on board.
“He’s a great actor who brings a sense of professionalism to every project he works on and I’m excited to work with him again,” Kim said in a release.
O’Quinn, 58, played the mysterious and obsessive character John Locke on “Lost.”
Asian New Yorkers Surpass a Million, and Band Together
New York Times
Asians, a group more commonly associated with the West Coast, are surging in New York, where they have long been eclipsed in the city’s kaleidoscopic racial and ethnic mix. For the first time, according to census figures released in April, their numbers have topped one million — nearly 1 in 8 New Yorkers — which is more than the Asian population in the cities of San Francisco and Los Angeles combined.
That milestone, in turn, has become a rallying cry for Asian New Yorkers who have been working for years to win more political representation, government assistance and public recognition. Many leaders have seized on the one-million figure as a fresh reason for immigrants and their descendants who hail from across the Asian continent to think of themselves as one people with a common cause — in the same way that many people from Spanish-speaking cultures have come to embrace the broad terms Latino and Hispanic.
Check out the cool interactive map to see where Asian American New Yorkers live. Chinatown? Obviously. Flushing? Check. Jackson Heights? Yes. Bay Ridge, Brooklyn? Didn’t know that.
My Life As An Undocumented Immigrant
New York Times
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas wrote a stunning first-person piece for the New York Times Magazine which revealed that he is an undocumented immigrant. Vargas came to the U.S. from the Philippines when he was 12 years old.
At 16, he tried to get his driver’s license and was hit with a bombshell.
When I handed the clerk my green card as proof of U.S. residency, she flipped it around, examining it. “This is fake,” she whispered. “Don’t come back here again.”
Vargas’ story is engaging, in-depth and thought-provoking and is sure to spark heated discussion on the highly-sensitive issue of immigration.
There are believed to be 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. We’re not always who you think we are. Some pick your strawberries or care for your children. Some are in high school or college. And some, it turns out, write news articles you might read. I grew up here. This is my home. Yet even though I think of myself as an American and consider America my country, my country doesn’t think of me as one of its own.
Photo via NY Times. Continue Reading »
The Wall Street Journal recently published a recap of the Asian Americans in Hollywood panel which took place this past Sunday at the San Diego Asian Film Festival. (We have a video of SDAFF events coming up soon, so hang tight!)
The panel featured actors Daniel Dae Kim (”Hawaii Five-O”), C. S. Lee (”Dexter”), Harry Shum Jr. (”Glee”), Aaron Yoo (”Friday the 13th”) and actress Ellen Wong (”Scott Pilgrim vs. The World”), who all touched upon the struggles that Asian American actors have to go through.
Interestingly enough, Daniel Dae Kim seems to have some sway in his new show, “Hawaii Five-O.” Kim told the audience that he was currently discussing what race his love interest on the show should be.
“He noted that while he was excited that race was a topic of discussion, the decision was more difficult than he originally thought, because he realized that the ultimate choice would have cultural ramifications.”
What do you guys think- should Kim’s love interest be Asian, non-Asian (but still a minority), or Caucasian? Or does it even matter?
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Featured Event
One of the the biggest Asian cinema events to hit Southern California opens on May 10. The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, presented by Visual Communications, features the latest works by established and emerging filmmakers, along with seminars, panel discussions and symposiums on topics relevant to Asian Pacific cinema.
Opening Night features “Shanghai Calling,” directed by Daniel Hsia and starring Korean American Daniel Henney, who plays a Chinese American expat lawyer navigating his way through the mean streets of Shanghai (the picture above also indicates he is a raisin smuggler). But does he take off his shirt? Go watch the movie to find out! read more
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