Author: F C

There’s something completely disarming about The Polyphonic Spree. Best known for “Light and Day” from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the one part Beatles, one part Beach Boys, one part non-sectarian choir, one part refugees from a Hair hippy band kicked butt on Craig Kilborne tonight. Try out their Sgt. Pepper-ish flash game.

At the Asian American International Film Fest, “Bicycles & Radios” wins the shorts jury award. “Kal Ho Naa Ho (Tomorrow May Never Come)” and “Travellers and Magicians” tie for the audience award. I didn’t get a chance to see Travellers and Magicians, but the other two films were fantastic. Tomorrow May Never Come in India is like the Indian Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon — in its home turf very popular but not considered to be the best example of Bollywood, but goes gangbusters overseas. Here, it is critically acclaimed, even though it perpetuates some Indian stereotypes of Chinese, Catholics and homosexuals. However, even with those factors and some bizarre warping of city geography (the main character managed to run from St. Luke’s Hospital to Queens to NYU Midtown to the Brooklyn Ferry!) it was absolutely faithful in its love affair with New York City. The idea of breaking out into a Bollywood dance number on the (real) Brooklyn Bridge, on top of the ruins of the Brooklyn Stores in the Empire State Park, or in a Queens neighborhood actually works. It takes the Broadway Musical Motion Picture into the 21st Century. Rent it from Netflix.

I’m off to Rhode Island tonight for another conference Wednesday night. Honestly, I’d rather not go on this trip — it’s going to be raining all the way there, and I have to drive on I-95 at night, and I’m not holding too much expectation in the published sessions. At least P– is going along with me.

We all know that Asians (at least the ones that I know) are obsessed about food. When thinking about food tv and Asians, what comes to mind is Iron Chef. A series about Chinese Restaurants are the best that could be hoped by me.

Greg Pak’s Asian American Film website is pushing “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle“, in which two underachieving Asian Americans have misaventures while pursuing a craving for the slider-style burgers. From the people that brought you “Dude, Where’s My Car”, I wouldn’t expect much, but the initial reviews on RottenTomatoes are strong. OK, it’s a Cheech and Chong stoner movie, but apparently it’s smart, and like Better Luck Tomorrow, theatergoer response will drive future investment in Asian American film. So, think about the crave the weekend of July 30th.

1421, The Year that China Discovered America?, the book about the Ming dynasty treasure ships that may have discovered the Americas decades before Columbus, is now a PBS documentary. Watch it Wednesday night at 9 ET on WNET 13, or at 3 PM ET August 1 on WLIW 21.

Doki-Doki, the short film from yesterday’s stalking entry is on the schedule in December.