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Explanations for the World Cup teams’ nicknames.

Still too bad about Team USA, but they did as well as they could with their World Cup showing.

Do your votes on Facebook, on the Chase Community Giving!

Coming soon: Asian American International Film Festival 2010!

Commentary coming soon: I did see the “The Last Airbender” movie last weekend, the opening weekend.  I’ll post some thoughts about it later, but I’ll note for the moment that Angry Asian Man’s blog has some interesting links on the subject of the movie’s casting, including a link to Dante Bosco’s thoughts (Bosco being the original voice actor for the character of Prince Zuko in the Nickelodeon cartoon: “Avatar: The Last Airbender.”).  Bottom line, to me anyway, is that it’s just tough for Asian Americans in the arts scene.

Summer tv – well, it could be better…

I barely watched the second season of  “Merlin” on Syfy, but finally got to watch the season finale – that was rather entertaining.  Not sure how deep into the Arthurian mythos the series plan to go into, but this variation of a young Merlin helping young Arthur and how they both got to grow up and one day be the heroes we know and love – it’s nice to watch a friendship grow on tv.  As for other items about the series’ take on the Arthurian stuff:

Arthur and Guinevere are still working on the romance department; it’s nice to think that there’s a version where Guinevere has a personality and the romance between the future rulers of Camelot gets to develop and not just destined (as for Guinevere’s future adultery with Lancelot, Arthur’s best knight and friend – well, maybe we don’t have to see that happen on tv – although, there’s an argument to be made that Arthur is a lot more aware and perhaps forgiving or understanding than would be assumed?  Consider, for instance, the variation by the webcomic, Arthur, King of Time and Space – where Arthur in the contemporary and space arcs seems to have reluctance about giving up his best friend and his wife).

Actually, Arthur’s really got to figure out that magic might be his friend and that things are a mess because of his father, Uther (played by Anthony Head, the ex-Giles of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series, the creepy villain of a Doctor Who episode, and the unforgettable Taster’s Choice coffee commercial guy).  And, let’s just say that Uther’s intolerance toward magic and his secrets from Arthur are going to mess him up in the future.  (Uther’s creepiness was there in the old stories, so I’m just amazed that they kept him alive in the tv series to show the creepiness after all).

Morgana’s at least not Arthur’s half-sister this time, so actual incest isn’t there; but the whole evolution of “she’s going to betray you” is still good tv.

Maybe I’ll catch up on the “Merlin” episodes that I missed, someday.

Season 2 of “Warehouse 13” on SyFy- season premiere was pretty entertaining.  My only question is: just how big is the warehouse?

The return of PBS’ “History Detectives.”  Some good stuff.