Triscribe

Category: Manhattan

  • Follow Up: Lawrence Block Reading/Signing

    Last post on Lawrence Block was here, referring to Ken Tucker posting at Entertainment Weekly about Block’s appearance on the Craig Ferguson show.

    Thursday night – went to Partners & Crime for Lawrence Block’s book reading/signing.  I had a great time!  The reading and the Q&A were terrific; and I admired how Block was pretty even-handed about the e-book development (at least, from what I could tell; he was right about how the development is still not clear, especially about pricing, but it has been great for bringing back older books). 

    In addition to signing my purchased copy of his A Drop of the Hard Stuff (the latest Matthew Scudder book, but apparently a good entry for new Scudder readers – which would include me, since I’m behind on many things), Block signed my copy of Telling Lies for Fun & Profit!  I can’t stop highly recommending this book, not just because it’s such a great title, but because there are great fiction writing tips. Block did say, though, that he felt Spider, Spin Me a Web was the better writing book, because it goes deeper into writing topics; either way, his tips are good stuff and he’ll be issuing more compilations of his Writer’s Digest columns (I think in ebook format).  Yay!

    I’m eager to read the Scudder book – the Block tone is rich stuff as I noted previously, after reading The Girl With the Long Green Heart. 

    See here for Amazon’s Lawrence Block page.

    Plus, it never ceases to me how much great stuff is at Partners & Crime; I haven’t been there in so long, but I can’t seem to leave without buying something. Ah, those unique Lower Manhattan bookstores…

    (cross-posted on sswslitinmotion.tumblr.com)

  • June Already?

    Last Friday: saw Kung Fu Panda 2. Great movie – entertaining; great art. I thought it was missing a scene (plot-wise), but otherwise fun. However, I do wonder if 3D is going to be everything…

    Emil Guillermo posts on the AALDEF blog about the retirement of Shaquille O’Neal (recalling the anti-Asian problems of Shaq) and the possible side effects of Goodwin Liu’s withdrawal; Guillermo notes:

    I’m concerned for the young legal minds out there who may take D’Affaire Liu as the way not to act. Speaking out on behalf of the generally silent community? Against the nomination of Samuel Alito? Against the nomination of John Roberts?  What? And jeopardize my career?

    But I’m also concerned for Asian Americans in general, who have trouble enough being what I call “Public Asians.” Voting? You mean taking a stand in a private booth?

    It’s too easy for Asian Americans to lay back and do nothing. So when a Goodwin Liu stands up and loses, you’ll inevitably hear someone mention that age old quote about the nail that sticks out. The virtue of docility. You never get hammered.

    But you never get to nail anyone either.

    Dare to be the nail.

    Hat tip to Angry Asian Man: the passing of Matt Fong, the first Asian American Republican elected to state-wide office in California; see also the obit in the L.A. Times.

    Korean grocers are slowly decreasing in the demographics of NYC, as they decide (or their kids decide) not to continue the family businesses; as the article by Sam Dolnick notes, this is similar to the dilemma faced by other demographics of NYC-immigrant communities, such as the Italians and the Jews.

    Last but not least: New York’s night court drama (particularly in small claims court) shall continue, despite cutbacks.

  • More APA Heritage Month Stuff

    Over at wnyc radio: on why NYS has no South Asian elected officials – maybe it is a matter of time. Listen also below, the embed of the audio:

    NY1.com has its APA Heritage coverage – for a week… – still, interesting things:

    A profile of Corky Lee, the photographer of the NYC APA community.

    And, coverage about APA’s in films – and how much progress/lack thereof there has been.

  • What’s Really On TV?

    On cable: I watched a rerun of “Law and Order” – and found that I still mildly enjoyed the episode.  It was the episode where Lara Flynn Boyle as Irritating Reporter and Linus Roach as ADA Cutter used each other (and Cutter was hot while Detective Lupo was sweet, and gosh do I miss Detective Green).

    Check out the post at Time.com by James Poniewozik about the CBS previews.  When it comes to dramas, I really don’t get into CBS dramas (gave up the CSI’s and the NCIS’s; would like to watch The Mentalist and Hawaii 5-O, but never really get around to it; never got into Criminal Minds).

    But, the previews for two new CBS shows actually looked intriguing to me:

    Person of Interest – brought to you by the Exec. Producer J.J. Abrams, and starring Michael Emerson (the ex-Ben Linus of “Lost”) and Jim Caviezel (yeah, guess I’ll wind up being a sucker for yet another Abrams show).  Creepy Emerson who retains Caviezel to be a vigilante; they’re sort of an Odd Couple of crimefighting, as the brains and the brawn.  Hmm…

    A Gifted Man – starring Patrick Wilson as a surgeon whose ex-wife – played by Jennifer Ehle (best known to me for “Pride and Prejudice” with Colin Firth), has died but comes back to him as a ghost (or a hallucination) to have him take over her medical clinic for poor people.

    But… the thing with intriguing previews is whether the series itself would work as series.  We’ll see…

    Not on tv, but… found this link from wnyc’s tumblr blog: CDC is getting us ready on what to do with when a zombie apocalypse arises. I’ll give CDC credit for being creative to get us thinking about emergency preparedness and all that. Also, I’m thinking that the world won’t come to an end this weekend. Who’s with me on this?

  • Other Items

    It’s that time again: previews for the 2011-2011 tv season.  Check out James Poniewozik’s post at Time.com about NBC previews, which, after checking them on-line at nbc.com, strangely intrigue me.  But, that’s the trouble of previews – they’re just previews.

    Poniewozik’s analysis of NBC’s previews also hits on some of my concerns (besides the whole Donald Trump’s-only-out-for-Trump business).

    For instance, as much as Maria Bello is fascinating as Detective Jane Timoney in the American network version of “Prime Suspect” in contemporary NYC, I’m a little disturbed.

    So, there’s a name change.  Ok.  And American Jane brandishes a gun, which the original British Detective Inspector (later Superintendent) Jane Tennison  – as played by Helen Mirren – wouldn’t really do that (well, because it’s more of a British thing).  And, Bello as Jane – in the preview anyway – isn’t nearly as self-destructive as Mirren as Jane (Jane Tennison kept failing with men; it got too sad to watch.  Actually, I fell so behind on watching “Prime Suspect,” so perhaps I shouldn’t say what was sad about Tennison).

    And, I’m not saying that a NYPD homicide unit isn’t sexist – it might very well be; but is it so masculine as to hate women in their midst, when it’s 2011?  Why wouldn’t the men mask their bastard behavior just a bit more? (as if we hadn’t learned anything from years of “Law and Order” and “NYPD Blue”).

    And, it’s really weird to see Kirk Acevedo in the “Prime Suspect” preview, because he was so recently Alternate Charlie on “Fringe” and, seeing him with the blonde Bello – well, it does look an awful lot like a redux of Charlie and Olivia from the first season of “Fringe.”

    And, if “Prime Suspect” gets picked up for a full season, will/can Acevedo still make a guest appearance on “Fringe” as Alternate Charlie (or even a non-dead Charlie, because time-traveling is a bitch, after all?).  I’d hate for Acevedo to lose a chance at weird tv. And, according to his profile on imdb.com, he’s part Chinese, so I’m all for representation and diversity on tv.

    “Grimm” could have been more interesting in its preview about a series of a modern day cop who finds out that he’s from a long line of Grimms, people who fight (were)wolves (and he seems to befriend one anyway; huh?).  I couldn’t really tell from the preview and I’m never sure of what to think when NBC makes a stab at fantasy/sci-fi (they find a way to botch it).

    The preview for “Awake” looks great – a bit of detective story with inter-dimensional/philosophical/dream versus reality and which is which.  And… Jason Isaacs as the lead! (continuing the trend of Brits as Americans; but he’s done it very well for quite awhile now (see the ex. of “Brotherhood“).  Plus, he’s clearly available after the end of the Harry Potter series anyway.

    But, as tv critic Alan Sepinwall notes: “Awake” is made by “Lone Star” creator Kyle Killen.  And, “Lone Star” looked good – but couldn’t last as a series (as I’ve noted previously (and when it first aired)).  I wonder if “Awake” is going to be the same – sure it’s high-concept, but its staying power for purposes of a series is another story.  And, Sepinwall’s right – previews aren’t exactly the best ways to judge the potential of a tv show.

    Also, over at Entertainment Weekly, check out Ken Tucker’s commentary about the NBC previews (I like his take – pretty even-handed about “Grimm” and I totally agree about the out-of-era sexism of “Prime Suspect”), about the FOX previews (the un-evenness is making it that, yeah, I think I’ll only watch “Fringe” on FOX, unless this new Abrams show is somehow fascinating), and about the ABC previews (another fairy tale show?  why is it that NBC and ABC keep trying to vie with each other – “Community” vs. “Modern Family” and now this?).

    I have to say, following the travails of the NFL lockout has been fascinating for all these legal gambits (and yet another opportunity for mediation – assuming the parties will negotiate in good faith). Crazy, though…

    The passing of Edward Hardwicke, who played Dr. Watson to Jeremy Brett’s Holmes; now, both men are gone. I grew up watching those episodes on PBS, when “Mystery!” was not under the “Masterpiece” umbrella. Edward Hardwicke was also the reader for Sherlock Holmes audiobooks (check out his imdb page – I honestly wouldn’t have thought that he did a voice in the Lara Croft game).

    The passing of Murray Handwerker, the son of Nathan Handwerker – of Nathan’s (hot dog) fame.

  • APA Heritage Month Continues

    From NAPABA: call to urge the Senate to confirm Goodwin Liu for the 9th Circuit.

    From AABANY: an article by current AABANY President Linda Lin in the NY Law Journal on the APA experience.

    Some items from NY1 about the growth of APA’s in the five boros: diverse APA groups in Queens and Chinese in Staten Island.  Curious to see what the coverage will be about APA’s in Brooklyn.

    Profile in the Daily News of Rahul Rai, Indian-American/Pace U student/ex-US Open ball boy/actor of “When Harry Tries to Marry” and resident of Brooklyn Heights.   Time Out New York review didn’t think much of the movie, but it sounds like a harmless romantic comedy with Asian Americans in NYC (with great NYC shots) – the kind of stuff for which I’m a sucker because they’re harmless amusement.

    Chef Morimoto, Iron Chef, hosting an event on Wednesday at the Harvard Club, for Japan earthquake fundraising.

    So… McDonald’s is changing some chicken sandwiches and McNuggets sauces and… bringing back the Asian salad.  Hmm…

    Many more items out there, I’m sure…

  • May 2011 Continues

    A charming interview on NPR’s Morning Edition with Dick Van Dyke.

    A hat tip from a friend of mine on Facebook (NS) lead this link to CNN about lawyers who meditate, to balance the work-life stress.  The article, by Amanda Enayati, states that US Supreme Court Justice Breyer told Oprah that he wasn’t really a meditator, yet what he described a practice that is pretty much meditation, and honestly, meditation ain’t a bad thing.  More lawyers ought to do it to just chill out. I ‘m still working on it myself, though, so… who knows what really works to find balance?

    The passing of Bill Gallo, a New York City institution.  The Daily News Sports Section won’t be the same without Gallo, his characters (no more new Basement Bertha or Yuchie?), his fondness for lovable losers (well, the Mets were in that category for awhile now), and his drawing “the goat” for playoffs.

    A gallery of some of Gallo’s work here at the Daily News website.

    Thoughts from Daily News’ Mike Lupica about Gallo; see also NY1’s coverage, including a One On One by Budd Mushkin with Gallo, back in 2006.  Gabe Pressman at WNBC also wrote a nice piece about Gallo.

     

  • APA Heritage Month 2011 Continues

    Couldn’t make the 32nd AAPI Heritage Festival at Union Square this past Sunday because I foolishly re-injured my knee.  But, I expect to see pictures…!

    Hat tip to Angry Asian Man blog: the US Senate has confirmed Edward Chen, US magistrate judge, to be US federal district court judge for Northern District of California.

    As Angry Asian Man notes: Judge Chen will be “the first time an Asian American judge has been appointed to the federal district court in San Francisco, and he’s only the second Asian American federal district court judge in the Northern California district (after Lucy Koh, who was confirmed last year).

    See also the NAPABA press release on Judge Chen’s confirmation.  Congratulations to Judge Chen!

  • Happy APA Heritage Month and Stuff Like that…

    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…

  • A Moment to Observe

    President Obama:

    Finally, let me say to the families who lost loved ones on 9/11 that we have never forgotten your loss, nor wavered in our commitment to see that we do whatever it takes to prevent another attack on our shores.

    And tonight, let us think back to the sense of unity that prevailed on 9/11. I know that it has, at times, frayed. Yet today’s achievement is a testament to the greatness of our country and the determination of the American people.

    The cause of securing our country is not complete. But tonight, we are once again reminded that America can do whatever we set our mind to. That is the story of our history, whether it’s the pursuit of prosperity for our people, or the struggle for equality for all our citizens; our commitment to stand up for our values abroad, and our sacrifices to make the world a safer place.

    Let us remember that we can do these things not just because of wealth or power, but because of who we are: one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

    I added the italics to the line I thought was most interesting.  If we can remember our past, if we can not forget the horrors and the victories – that in great sadness, we were together – then, maybe Obama’s right.  We can do it.

    The emotions are far more complicated, speaking as a New Yorker and an American.  It’s not over, but let’s take a moment of observation.