Don’t forget: Pearl Harbor Day, a day that has lived in infamy.
I thought that the NY Times’ editorial about the need to remember Pearl Harbor expressed notable thoughts.
Remembering it will be harder, when the first generation that was there is passing away.
The passing of Harry Morgan, actor who was on “Dragnet,” and is especially memorable as Col. Potter of “M.A.S.H.” An observance of Morgan by tv critic Alan Sepinwall and observance from tv critic James Poniewozik at Time.
Josh Ozersky ponders on the Jewish love for Chinese food as this week’s subject of his food column on Time.com.
Why am I not surprised that the Law & the Multiverse guys actually explore how Peter Parker is an independent contractor and Clark Kent isn’t? I’m not a Spiderman follower, but did Peter Parker ever take his photography work to a higher level? I mean, various versions of Clark have shown him to be a real journalist, not necessarily a bumbler… (must be that Superman thing).
Angry Asian Man blog on the world biggest Spam musubi. That is a lot of Spam.
h/t: wnyc’s tumblr blog – color photos of NYC from 1941 by Charles W. Cushman, over at the Daily Mail. Impressive. Bowling Green still looks the same…
Oh, and last but not least: Joey Lawrence and Melissa Joan Hart – how is it that you two make the 1980’s/1990’s nostalgia so easy to swallow? (especially Joey – even if he is now going by “Joseph” these days – but he’ll always be Joey to me!). I was watching their ABC Family tv movie, “My Fake Fiance” and was pretty entertained. They play a couple who meet in one of those “I hate you/I love” moments and then get a fake engagement for the gifts and money – only to actually fall in love for real. Yes, it’s a typical romantic-comedy, but I liked their nice vibe and sensual chemistry.
Melissa and Joey’s ABC Family tv series, “Melissa and Joey” is sort of a modern “Who’s The Boss,” but just a touch more yeah-eventually-they-will vibe in less than a season, than “Who’s The Boss” did after years of seasons on the air (I watched a lot of “Who’s the Boss” back in the day – and I liked how Judith Light’s Angela was such an empowered modern woman for the 1980’s and how Tony Danza’s Tony evolved from an ex-ball player to mature college student and future teacher). Is “Melissa and Joey” funny as a sitcom? Not really – I mean, “Sabrina The Teenage Witch” had more funny and that was because Salem the Talking Cat was just nuts – but the chemistry between Melissa and Joey (the characters) works for tv.
Interesting post from NPR on the subject of the end of Bin Laden from a religious perspective (highlighting the Dalai Lama’s thoughts and the statement from the Vatican). Not forgetting and searching for peace – not easy stuff. No surprise that there are no easy answers.
Interesting interview with the author/journalist Janny Scott on NPR’s All Things Considered, regarding her new book about Ann Dunham, President Obama’s mother, as she made quite a life between mainland USA, Hawaii, and Indonesia – and how it led to the making of Obama (who Scott says was definitely born in Hawaii, based on her exhaustive research, even without seeing a long-form birth certificate).
NAPABA issued a press release, congratulating Tony N. Leung on his appointment to the position of federal magistrate judge for the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota. He is the first Asian Pacific American to serve on the federal bench in Minnesota.
He is not this other Tony Leung, who was in such movies as “Chungking Express”, “In the Mood for Love”, “Hero,” “Internal Affairs,” and “2046” (I still haven’t watched most of these movies and I’d like to do so already; sigh).
And, yes, I’m being facetious… ultimately, kudos to Judge Leung, a longtime Minnesota state court judge, Yale alumnus and NYU Law alumnus.
Also, kudos from our very own AABANY’s press release: AABANY congratulating Vincent T. Chang and Andrew T. Hahn, Past Presidents of AABANY, on their selection as the 2011 City Bar Diversity Champion Award Recipients.
Oh, and this Sunday (Mother’s Day!) is the 32nd Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Festival 2011, at Union Square. Be there or be… well, you know.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has some interesting Asian and Pacific Island exhibits.
Umm… I’m not on the Fast Five thing, but I heard that it’s a fun enough movie and, hey, it has a diverse cast. Vin Diesel (who’s not Asian or Pacific Islander; oh well; he’s still Vin Diesel). Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (part Samoan) . Sung Kang (Korean American). And Justin Lin directed it!
But, around here at triscribe, everyday is APA Heritage Day… 🙂 Hope you’re enjoying APA Heritage Month so far.
Oh, and last but not least: weird stuff: a seal who doesn’t really like people lands in town (Inwood, apparently). Sounds like the perfect NY’er…
The devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Scary news, regarding the effects of these natural events toward Japan’s nuclear power plants.
NY Times’ Nicholas Kristof observes his sympathy and admiration of Japan, under these circumstances. He had been the Tokyo bureau chief for the Times and so he has some experience about his perceptions of the Japanese:
Uncomplaining, collective resilience is steeped into the Japanese soul. We sent our eldest son to Japanese school briefly, and I’ll never forget seeing all the little kids having to go to school in shorts even in the dead of winter. The idea was that it built character. I thought it just gave kids colds. But it was one more effort to instill “gaman.” And it’s “gaman” that helped Japan recovered from World War II and tolerated the “lost decade” after the bubble economy burst in about 1990. Indeed, it might be better if Japanese complained a bit more – perhaps then their politicians would be more responsive.
One factor may also have to do with our relationship with nature. Americans see themselves as in confrontation with nature, taming it. In contrast, the Japanese conception is that humans are simply one part of nature, riding its tides — including many, many earthquakes throughout history. The Kanto earthquake of 1923 killed more than 100,000 people. The Japanese word for nature, shizen, is a modern one, dating back only a bit more than 100 years, because traditionally there was no need to express the concept. In an essay in the Times after the [1995] Kobe quake, I made some of these same points and ended with a 17th century haiku from one of Japan’s greatest poets, Basho:
The vicissitudes of life.
Sad, to become finally
A bamboo shoot.I find something noble and courageous in Japan’s resilience and perseverance, and it will be on display in the coming days. This will also be a time when the tight knit of Japan’s social fabric, its toughness and resilience, shine through. And my hunch is that the Japanese will, by and large, work together — something of a contrast to the polarization and bickering and dog-eat-dog model of politics now on display from Wisconsin to Washington. So maybe we can learn just a little bit from Japan. In short, our hearts go out to Japan, and we extend our deepest sympathy for the tragic quake. But also, our deepest admiration.
I’m not sure about how to react to the tv coverage of the news so far, as I haven’t gotten to watch much of it. James Poniewozik at Time posts on the concern about how coverage is successful (or not) with the networks having cut back on their foreign bureaus and so coverage is due to the social network/Internet/cell phone systems.
I kind of expected more from “Nightline” than seeing Bill Weir at Santa Monica, CA, about a tsunami wave that didn’t devastate mainland USA; then, he spent a few minutes talking to the ABC Tokyo bureau correspondent; glad that they at least still have a bureau.
Nice that PBS Newshour does some context about the tsunami’s effect on the Pacific Rim; it’s good to hear that Hawaii has gotten better experience with these situations (after last year’s threat from the Chilean earthquake).
The images of the tsunami in Japan, though, are horrifyingly devastating. “Devastate” becomes a word used so often, it nearly becomes a cliche. But, I’m not sure what else one can say.
ABC did turn to Dr. Michio Kaku for scientific context about the earthquake and tsunami. I like how he explains things.
The troubling 21st Century continues.
Yeah, it’s still March. But, not yet the NCAA brackets time. We’re getting there…
Hat tip from Roger Ebert’s Facebook fan page (yeah, I checked off that I’m a fan – his blog is great writing): the happiest man in America is Alvin Wong, a Chinese American Jew from Hawaii. Why am I not surprised that the happiest man in America is in Hawaii? Angry Asian Man also does his acknowledgment of Alvin Wong.
Interesting blog post on MoCA’s blog – what is in a Chinese-American’s name and the more personal take on the 1882 Exclusion Act.
Hat tip from AALDEF‘s Facebook page: the Washington Post editorial says that Prof. Goodwin Liu don’t have bad values to be a US appellate court judge. This fear of his becoming a potential US Supreme Ct. nominee is making his current nomination for the 9th Circuit ridiculously more difficult than it has to be, I’d say…
Hat tip from NAPABA‘s Facebook page: interesting post on The Huffington Post about the Goodwin Liu confirmation hearing, from Richard Painter, a former Chief Ethics lawyer of the George W. Bush White House. Honestly, when even a George W. Bush administration ethics lawyer says that Prof. Liu is qualified to be a US appellate court judge, well, it goes to show how this craziness is.
Yeah, I’m on Facebook way too much…
The whole Borders in Chapter 11 bankruptcy saddens me, because the Wall Street Borders was pretty much my local Borders. Plus, Wall Street Borders was essentially the successor to the World Trade Center Borders, so it feels really sad. Yeah, the mega bookstores did harm to the mom-and-pop independent bookstores and so the e-book reader is the comeuppance of Borders – but I still feel depressed about any bookstore closing. Time.com has an article on how Barnes and Noble might continue doing better in this climate.
Over on “Law and the Multiverse,” the folks there analyze on the legal ethics of the She-Hulk. I had no idea that She-Hulk is a lawyer. Actually, of the comic book character world, I only knew that Daredevil is a lawyer. Kind of awkward to think of the legal implications when you’ve a secret identity and have legal ethics to think about.
Some TV commentary:
“Fringe” on FOX – umm, I don’t know where the arc is heading for Peter “the ex-Pacey” Bishop. Which Olivia or which universe will he choose? Assassin (of – spoiler! – shape-shifters)/psycho Peter was a little over the top. Peter “I hate my father-umm-which-father?” Bishop was also a little… well, the life of Peter isn’t easy.
The episode where Peter’s and Olivia’s first meeting as youngsters was an interesting episode – not only for what it revealed about Peter, Olivia, and the two Walters, but also about Elizabeth Bishop, who I think is a missing piece of the puzzle, no matter which Elizabeth of which universe it is.
Looking forward to the next episode, where the preview suggests that Walter thinks he can bring William “Belly” Bell back from the dead. Yeah, right, Walter, you crazy troubled mad scientist.
Of course, none of the foregoing commentary about “Fringe” makes any sense unless you’re a viewer of the show. Or if you do not mind sci-fi tv shows that cover two universes, and/or you don’t mind feeling blown away with simultaneous confusion and amusement over a tv show.
Will still catch up on “Community.” I sorely need a laugh.
Actually… I think we all need laughs. The world is too crazy, as usual, what with all the anti-public sector sentiment, political revolutions, continued economic problems, and craziness over Charlie Sheen (sad vs. amusing; Ken Tucker over at Entertainment Weekly posts the contrasting reactions of Craig Ferguson and Jimmy Fallon – it is crazy out there, it really is).
Gearing up for the big game tonight?
If not: PBS has counter-programming with Masterpiece Theatre’s “Emma” (all three-parts).
True, the Jets aren’t in, but it sounds like the Big Game (in Dallas this year) could be interesting with Packers v. Steelers. Not sure about whether the commercials will be interesting though.
That was pretty powerful though: a 20 second bit of FOX having actor Dan Lauria, who’s playing Vince Lombardi on Broadway, play Lombardi to goad the current Packers, as part of the mega pre-pre-game festivities.
Amid all the drama surrounding Amy Chua’s book (you can check the links I noted), her husband (yeah, another Yale Law professor), Jed Rubenfeld, has another historical thriller/mystery, “The Death Instinct.”
(I did a search – I actually did notice Rubenfeld’s past book; but I never get around to reading it)
Anyway, so Rubenfeld’s latest book seems to have positive reviews so far and when I skimmed the first chapter, it seemed to be pretty gripping. But, it must be tough to be in a household where you both have books out at about the same time and the reviewer in the NY Times couldn’t resist noting your wife’s controversial book in the review for your book. Geez.
Check this out: The (PBS) Newshour does a review of how their new format’s been doing. Impressive that the new format of The Newshour has turned out well (at least, better than I expected; but then again, I’m probably the generation that’s watching more Newshour on-line than ever).
Slate article pondering the popularity of “Hawaii 5-O.” I haven’t watched the show in awhile. But, I do like Scott Caan and Daniel Dae Kim. And, hooray for diversity for on tv! This show probably has more APA’s on screen than anywhere else, not to mention that it is helping the economy of Hawaii (kind of like how “Lost” and “Magnum, PI” and original “Hawaii Five-O” did).
Mark Bittman moving on from The Minimalist column; he’s heading to the opinion side, to talk about food (as an industry, as politics, as culture – because we’re screwing ourselves with bad food – take a look at the first post of his new blog on the opinion side of the NYTimes.com). Good luck, Bittman! Loved your videos!
With all the horrible weather that we’ve been having: find your inner Cory Booker. Dig out yourself and your neighbors.
Fell a bit behind on this, but: Fred Korematsu Day in California! Time coverage here, by Ling Woo Liu, director of the Fred T. Korematsu Institute for Civil Rights and Education and a former reporter for Time in Hong Kong (I remembered that she used to be part of Time.com’s old China Blog). More coverage on Angry Asian Man blog: here, here, and here.
Will post more about tv commentary and other things (as usual) later…
Yes, it’s been awhile since my last post and I still haven’t made my comments about “The Last Airbender.”
Suffice it to say that the more I think about it, the more disappointed I am with “The Last Airbender” for not having a better cast. I’m not suggesting that M. Night Shyamalan had to cast Asians (okay, maybe I kind of am), but it felt awkward to have seen such very white looking characters living among a tribe of a very Asian looking populace – unless they were among more diverse people, the awkwardness didn’t go away (a light-skinned Aang the Airbender living among the diverse Airbenders was actually fine, in comparison; that didn’t feel so awkward).
I’d be curious to see how a sequel would work, if only in hopes that it’d somehow show improvement. The stories are there; the cast needs some bulking up.
And, well, I guess Hollywood has ways to go to put Asians/Asian Americans on the screen (big or little). Hence, I’ve gotten more into the Asian American Int’l Film Festival, as noted in my July posts.
I did get a kick out of “Inception” (pun intended; the “kicks” in the movie were entertaining). Thought-provoking movie with such original plotting, even if it was a little short on deep emotion. Plus, there was some diversity (Ken Watanabe as Saito! Dileep Rao as The Chemist! Asians on Big Screen!) and I still can’t get over how did Joseph Gordon-Levitt end up being so hot?
I shall have to have a separate post on the movies watched during the summer of 2010 and what I could look forward to for the rest of 2010.
And, then there’s “Hawaii Five-O” – Asian Americans (or, in Grace Park’s case, Asian Canadian) playing Asian Americans!
I mostly liked the cast – Daniel Dae Kim as Chin Ho Kelly and Scott Caan as Danno – cool! Grace Park as the rookie cop (Kono was once a male role) – was also pretty cool (Park’s turning into the go-to person to play roles that used to be male, isn’t she?).
I agree with Danno: McGarrett is a pain in the ass. I couldn’t tell if the writers basically gave McGarrett the worst lines or if Alex O’Loughlin’s acting left much to be desired. Honestly, Alex O’Loughlin’s no Jack Lord. O’Loughlin’s Steve McGarrett’s a little on the crazy side (apparently, being ex-Navy Seal/naval intelligence and having his dad killed by the ex-Spike (of “Angel”) James Marsters, made McGarrett wacko).
Plus, the new Hawaii Five-O team (in their first episode, anyway) seems to be about violating civil rights while being preachy about doing right – ex., while arresting the Chinese smuggler – i.e., a snakehead – McGarrett goes into a monologue about threatening to send said Chinese snakehead’s wife, a Rwandan, back to Rwanda with their son. Seriously? You have that kind of power?
And, boy, is Hawaii that diverse? A Chinese man and a Rwandan woman? Interesting! Not actually shown on screen, but the reference is appealing. Plus, even Hawaii-raised McGarrett gets teased for being white by the APA’s of the islands. Oh well.
Jean Smart was kind of cool as Hawaii’s super powered governor – so super powered that she gives McGarrett a carte blanche to wipe out the Bad Guys. Wow. (ok, that’s a sort-of sarcastic “wow”)…
Back to my rant: The show enters such ridiculous old-school 1960’s/1970’s punch-’em bad guys level with the disregard of rights, which is… kind of fun, actually, if I really, really think about it (does it even make sense that I have to think about it? Uh…).
Okay, so you don’t have to be all NYPD Blue to show the cops v. bad guys. And, CBS had to recycle that same lot that they used for original Hawaii Five-O and Magnum P.I. (not to mention that Tom Selleck’s about to be back on the air – we are so recycling the 1970’s and 1980’s!).
James Marsters – not enough of him on Hawaii Five-O! He was sufficiently evil, by the way, but, he barely had lines. And, will he ever act with his real American accent? Hmm.
And, after all that preaching and lack of civil rights, where were the lawyers? Surely the Attorney General of Hawaii wouldn’t like what McGarrett’s doing (that Danno’s by-the-book is pretty nifty; he misses his life in NJ – awww).
Not a perfect series premiere. So, I do agree with tv critic Alan Sepinwall: “Hawaii Five-O” is not very deep, but it’ll do. Entertainment Weekly’s Ken Tucker recalled that original Hawaii Five-O wasn’t exactly deep either, but he appreciates that the new series can capture the spirit of fun.
Got to love that theme song though. Classic.
The other new Monday show, “Lone Star,” on FOX, was a strong series premiere. I couldn’t resist watching it, since the lead actor, James Wolk, is so good looking – drool-worthy, even – and his picture, with his character’s two wives, have been on all the city buses (yes, I’m superficial). He acted pretty well as the con man Bob Allen, who’s a little angsty but playing his con game as best he can.
Who is Bob, really, when he is torn between the two loves of his life and thinking he can try out a semi-honest life for once, after learning the art of the con from his dad since his childhood? Can Bob get away with it? I doubt it, but he’s going to darn well try.
I agree with tv critics Alan Sepinwall and James Poniewozik: I’m not sure how will “Lone Star” will last a season. It feels like the kind of show that would be fine as a movie or a mini-series on PBS or cable. It was like a throwback to the old 1970’s style of show (say, Robert Wagner’s “It Takes a Thief,” well before my time), or a cross between a WB show (considering the rather entertaining soundtrack and tense family relationships) with a FOX show (sex, scandal, sex, scandal…; but, Bob is supposed to be a nice guy – right?), and a touch of “Friday Night Lights” (not that I ever watched the show, but apparently, the Texas life was portrayed fairly well on “Lone Star” as it was on “Friday Night Lights” and they apparently share producers or something).
Bob oozed charm; but can he – will he – be redeemed? We’ll see.
I did watch the series premiere of “Outlaw” on NBC. Jimmy Smits plays US Supreme Court Justice Cyrus Garza, who was a conservative justice selected by the alternate universe George W. Bush. Losing his father in a fatal car accident, Garza flips to the liberal camp and decides to be a practicing lawyer again, giving up the highest court of the land. Seriously?
Garza’s switch wasn’t entirely convincing (not necessarily Smits’ fault; I think the writing was weak); apparently, he was already feeling his (more liberal) father’s disappointment in him and his life as a gambling addict was not doing him any good. If anything, I thought Garza’s gambling problem was interesting; Lawyers Assistance Program could get on tv, maybe?
Garza’s law clerks are surprised to be practicing with him in the crusade to save people. I’d sympathize, but the clerks seemed so bland. Plus, the idea that one of Garza’s clerks would blurt out her love for him, while believing that he would die of a fatal illness (as opposed to, say, getting his legs broken by unsavory types due to his gambling) — that was a “That’s NOT good tv” moment.
Jimmy Smits – you deserve better than this. “Outlaw” is not “West Wing” or “L.A. Law.” I don’t need 9 out of 10 tv critics to know this.
Also, if you want to see Supreme Court justices on tv, consider the fact that the last couple of shows that tried to be the fictitious versions of the Supreme Court didn’t do well (ex’s., “The Court” (with Sally Field as a justice) and “First Monday“(with James Garner as a justice)).
If you really want to watch a Supreme Court Justice, watch a real one who appeared on Charlie Rose’s show, with a great interview, aired last Friday, Sept. 17, 2010, with Justice Stephen Breyer.
I liked the season premiere of “How I Met Your Mother” – it finally felt like the show is moving forward. I stopped watching a good chunk of last season because I hated that they backtracked on the Barney and Robin thing, and for a show that originally felt charming and innovative, it started to feel tiresome.
While not a perfect season premiere episode, there’s some hope that Ted will move forward, and that Barney and Robin might move forward too. Oh, and Marshall and Lily got a little touch of reality, in the wackiness of trying to conceive a baby.
I more or less agreed with James Poniewozik on the subject: I like HIMYM, and I want to believe in it again.
I am looking forward to seeing “The Whole Truth” on ABC, which seems to be sort of “Law and Order” but with Rob Morrow and Maura Tierney. Alan Sepinwall in his review was not exactly impressed, but I do agree: Rob Morrow and Maura Tierney back on tv! I’ll take a chance on it.
Plus, returning shows that I will look forward to seeing: “Community” (what will be the fallout of Jeff and Annie kissing each other? Will Senor Chang stop being such an ass? The latter seems unlikely…) and “Fringe” (how long will Olivia be stuck in the Other Universe? how much havoc will Alternate Olivia cause in the main universe?).
I wish I had BBC America so that I could watch “Law and Order: UK” (coming soon to a BBC America cable package to people other than me). Think about it: Freema Agyeman (ex-Martha of Doctor Who) as a prosecutor!
Also, considering how much I’ve watched British tv mysteries, it’d be interesting to see a British police procedural L&O style.
Of late, I’ve been watching Inspector Lewis on Masterpiece Mystery. Lewis is hitting a groove (heck, he’s gotten a cat and his daughter’s getting him on the Internet; apparently older people really do need their grown kids to still help them).
PBS’ editing of the episodes made plot holes glaringly obvious, unfortunately.
Also, Lewis’ sergeant Hathaway has better be careful; he’s going to become Inspector Morse if he doesn’t get a little happier (N.B.: Morse was Lewis’ old partner; Inspector Morse kept making Sergeant Lewis drink orange juice, as the designated driver, while he himself drank beer and tried to solve cases with his brain).
Hathaway’s angst – it’s so Morse, even if Hathaway’s too young to succumb like that. Lewis’ affection for the young man like a son is nice, but I do wonder why he keeps company with the depressed. Lewis used to be such a happy guy (long before the series killed off his wife, off-screen).
I’m also looking forward to the upcoming new Sherlock Holmes on Masterpiece Mystery! Taking place in modern day England, some things don’t change: John Watson, M.D., is still an army guy coming back to England from Afghanistan. Benedict Cumberbatch as Holmes? Hmm. Even curiouser – Martin Freeman (who played Arthur on The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy movie) as Watson (who blogs!)? And, Rupert Graves as a not stupid Inspector Lestrade? This could be cool.
J.J. Abrams’ “Undercover” could be interesting for his return to spies on tv. NY Times’ critic Ginia Bellafante seems to think the series is a little light-weight (blame it on USA Network’s influence, I guess). I suppose we could all give it credit for having a black couple as the leads (diversity on tv – thumbs up!), but I’ve been exhausted by “Alias” from giving another go with spies on tv. I might give it a try, just to see if there’s fun in it or not. I like my shows to have the combination of characters and plots – let’s see if “Undercover” has that.
Of all things to be mildly entertained by, I’ve actually enjoyed watching “Melissa and Joey” on ABC Family, where Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence do a throwback to the 1980’s type sitcom – in front of a live audience and a la “Who’s the Boss” (sick as it sounds, I practically did watch all the episodes of the Tony-Angela saga of “Who’s the Boss” when I was a kid).
I feel old though – I grew up with Joey Lawrence (yes, way back on “Gimme a Break” and when he was “Joey” – pre-Joe Lawrence days; even through his “Blossom” days!).
Last but not least: Time’s Techland has a fun interview with Alex Trebek!
“Hawaii 5-0” gets a Hawaiian blessing; hopefully, this means that it’ll be a decent show and gets some decent ratings.
Of the “Facts of Life” cast, I’ve admired Kim Fields for having a prolonged career – that she went on to do “Living Single” by the 1990’s – that’s not a bad deal (I think Nancy McKeon was the other cast member who didn’t do too badly either). Thought that this was a nice article about Fields, as she proceeds to do more directing and producing in her career, and still act, and not disassociating herself from “Facts of Life” (although, I kind of agree with her – being forever “Tootie” probably gets a little annoying as an adult).
(oh, and yes, I did see that silly reunion Facts of Life tv movie – nothing impressive, but it was nice to see most of the cast together again, although they acted like the characters played by Cloris Leachman, George Clooney, and Mackenzie Astin didn’t exist, to my vague recollection).
Asian American International Film Festival 2010! I saw “Back to the Future” (the compilation of sci-fi/sci-fi-ish/abstract short films) on Friday night. “Mao’s Last Dancer” at AAIFF was postponed to Sunday; it was its NY debut; see trailer here.
The thing is – maybe I’m a little more fascinated in seeing more diverse casting and work by APA’s (in front of and behind the screens) – possibly since I’m still a little bewildered by “The Last Airbender” by M. Night Shyamalan (and yeah, I still haven’t posted my full comments on that subject).
NY Times’ Sunday Routine: Q & A with NY Philharmonic’s Alan Gilbert (who spends his Sunday in a very NY way, he being a native NYer; he’s also half-Japanese, lest anyone thinks this is somehow completely un-Triscribe-relevant).
The return of “Mad Men” on AMC. I’m so behind this particular series, but it’s visually gripping – the style!
“Royal Pains” – Dr. Hank’s dad actually helped Hank this past episode, as Hank rescued the rich teenagers of the Hamptons from their hijinks and their medical problems. I still can’t get over seeing Henry Winkler as the father of brothers Hank and Evan – “Fonzie” as his slippery best. Plus, Divya, the physician’s assistant, might actually be smarter than either Hank or Evan. Thumbs up for this past episode.
Let’s deal with the latest heat wave in the city; may I never complain about snowstorms again.
A-Team and The Karate Kid! Oh My God – it’s the return of the 1980’s, in a revised kind of way.
I got to see The A-Team movie; nothing perfect, but if you liked the old tv series, this was a fun. Plot made no sense; but what was there was an origins story of how my generation’s favorite tv soldiers of fortune got together to be the gang that we know and love.
Oh, and putting aside the excessive CGI and explosions (yeah, I know – explosions in anything related to A-Team) – but the cast was pretty good – Liam Neeson! Bradley Cooper! And, the guys playing the B.A. and Murdoch roles!
See also: Steven James Snyder’s review on Time Magazine’s Techland; and even Richard Corliss’ review (Corliss being the official Time movie critic); review by EW’s Owen Glieberman; and Dana Stevens on Slate. Roger Ebert really didn’t care for it – which I understand and empathize, but I seriously don’t go into watching the movie on the A-Team to hope that I’d get “Hurt Locker” (seriously – no.).
The Smurfs movie is in progress. Actor Hank Azaria as Gargamel – there was a picture floating in one of the entertainment magazines catching him in the city in his Gargamel costume. But, Neil Patrick Harris as Johan? Oh My God!
Speaking of the 1980’s, the man behind “Voltron,” Peter Keefe, passed away. The 1980’s as a decade keeps coming back.
World Cup time; Slate has a good explanation for why North Americans call the sport “soccer” while the rest of the world calls it “football.”
Pretty entertained by the US v. England World Cup game: ending on a 1-1 tie. It seemed festive in South Africa, and even stateside (in the city, anyway). Not sure how they took it in England, but oh well.
I do thank the Angry Asian Man blog for posting a very hot photo of the Japanese team – these fit men in suits – so hot.
Oh, a funny yet hot look at David Beckham’s reactions to the US v. England tie – the pictures were funny indeed (including a photoshopped look at the Obama White House laughing at Beckham. Oops!).
What’s with soccer athletes looking so good?
Finished reading Bonnie Tsui‘s book “American Chinatown: A People’s History of Five Neighborhoods,” where she examines the contexts for the Chinatowns of San Francisco; NYC; Honolulu; Los Angeles; and Las Vegas. Smooth read; especially fascinated about the Chinatowns I knew least (Honolulu and Las Vegas). The rest could have been more original – but then again, the book might be more for an audience who need to be more aware about Chinatowns.
World Science Festival in the city; some good stuff.
So, along with wacky service problems on weekends (shuttle bus, anyone?), MTA’s going to be issuing a new map (probably to reflect the end of some subway lines and other things). It’s supposed to look sleeker. Hmm. We’ll see how good it’ll be.
But, it’s a pain in the neck over the weekend, when subway lines aren’t going between Brooklyn and Manhattan and buses all clumped up.
Coming up, on 6/12/10: Save NYC Libraries.
Here’s a link to a trailer of the new “Hawaii Five-O,” coming this fall on CBS. I’m getting more into the new Hawaii Five-O than I expected, based on the trailers alone, which look good. They seem to fit in this era of “Can we please have a more diverse tv cast” and “are we losing Miranda rights?” — plus, Daniel Dae Kim, Grace Park, even Scott Caan! (oh, and Alex O’Loughlin, who is in need of a… show that doesn’t get canceled; but, he’s no Jack Lord though as “Steve McGarrett” (and I never really watched the original Hawaii Five-O).
I posted the trailer on Facebook, and FC noted that there’s one continuity blooper – at 1:02, one of the cops is holding his badge upside down, and at 1:03 his badge is right side up. Clearly, they’re still working on the show (well, tv is tv).
But, I’m not sure what does it mean if I’m not really into much fall tv as it is. Hmm.
Via Angry Asian Man blog: by Jeff Yang, on the SF Gate, “The Book of Daniel,” profiling Daniel Dae Kim. Good stuff to read.
Apparently, “Heroes” wants one more shot to say goodbye (from Time’s Techland, of the TVGuide.com posting). — seriously, no. I gave up when they had unceremoniously killed off the Adrian Pasdar character Nathan. I’m not getting on board just to see more mess and say goodbye. “Lost” earned a goodbye, because they cared about their characters; “Heroes” did not, because they didn’t care about their characters (or stopped doing so).
On the other hand, I’ll still give “Heroes” credit for its diverse cast. Sure. But, it didn’t do more appropriate stuff with the characters.
Shakespeare in the City: check it out the list on WNYC and Wall Street Journal’s review on New York Classical Theatre’s scheduled “Richard III” at Central Park (yes, roving Shakespeare).
Lawyers as writers – Scott Turow was on Charlie Rose a couple of weeks ago about his newest book. John Grisham was on NPR’s All Things Considered, about his own legal thriller for kids (seriously; I’m not entirely sure how it works either, but it sounded intriguing). I’m impressed that these two pioneers in legal thrillers are still at it.
Linda Greenhouse on J. Souter’s commencement speech at Harvard and her observation that he hasn’t completely disappeared. Good for him!
The passing of John Wooden, UCLA’s legendary men’s basketball coach.