Things that Make Me Hungry

  • May 22, 2013 10:20 pm

Since this week’s flavah topic is “hunger,” I thought I’d make a stream-of-consciousness list of things that make me hungry:

Food.
The smell of food.
Pictures of food.
Pictures of people eating food.
Pictures of starving children in third world countries.
Sally Struthers.
Angelina Jolie.
Fantasizing about Angelina Jolie eating a hot dog.
Fantasizing about my hot new neighbor who likes to undress with her window open and the lights on eating a hot dog—after she’s finished undressing though ‘cause she doesn’t look like she can multi-task.
Hot dogs.
Hamburgers.
The McDonald’s Golden Arches.
Remembering that time when a guy dressed like Ronald McDonald asked if he could rub his crotch against my leg ‘cause he had an itch in his groin and his arms were too short to reach it.  Read more...

2 Comments on Things that Make Me Hungry

Asians Can’t be the Villains in Movies Anymore?

  • May 20, 2013 10:25 pm

(SPOILERS AHEAD for Star Trek Into Darkness, Iron Man 3, Die Another Day and Batman Begins)

We all know that Asians as the leads/protagonists in Hollywood movies is a rare thing, but I remember a time—not too long ago—when it was not so rare to see Asians as the villains. Whether it was the insidious Fu Manchu plotting revenge against some pasty British white dude or the Vietcong general biding his time before Rambo or Chuck Norris killed him, there seemed to be a regular stream of “Oriental” baddies. Sure, many of these roles were stereotypical, but at least they were real roles. Not like the nameless, faceless yellow hordes you see today in films like Red Dawn.

But all that seems to be a thing of the past because nowadays when a kickass villain does appear in a movie that should by all rights be Asian, he often turns out to be…well, that pasty British white dude that the Asian villain should be plotting against.  Read more...

11 Comments on Asians Can’t be the Villains in Movies Anymore?

WTF Ad Placement

  • May 19, 2013 11:57 pm

In the world of advertising, it’s not just the content that’s important, but the context. And here are some examples of ads compiled by the good folks at Bored Panda (see all of them here) where their not-so-great placement unintentionally changes the intended message.

 Read more...

1 Comment on WTF Ad Placement

Around the Horn: The Digital Newfront

  • May 13, 2013 12:00 pm

I was recently in New York for the Digital Newfronts which is the online world’s equivalent of TV upfronts where the big names trot out their content for the upcoming year to get advertisers and brands on board. All the biggies from YouTube to Hulu to Yahoo, etc… made their bid for internet dominance (I’ll write more on my thoughts later) but one thing was crystal clear–everyone is getting into creating original online video content and they’re putting real money behind it.

Along those lines, check out these YouTube stats that were recently released: 1 billion unique visitors watch YouTube every month–that’s a whooping 15% of the planet. And in a month, those 1 billion people watch 6 billion hours of content (up from 3 billion just one year ago). 93% of teens visit YouTube every week–the closest competition is Facebook where 65% of teens visit weekly. Those are staggering numbers. Imagine if a traditional outlet like ABC or CBS can claim to have 15% of the planet or 93% of teens watching–that would be unheard of. And how we consume online content is rapidly changing too. Almost 50% of online videos are consumed on mobile devices.

I can go on, but clearly the landscape is shifting and very quickly. As YOMYOMF has our own YouTube channel that’s supported by YouTube, we’re in an interesting position being in the middle of the storm.

So my question to everyone is how have these changes in the digital space affected you? Has it affected what you watch and how you watch things online? Most of us fall into the category of content creators so especially curious to know if these changes have also impacted how you create your work? The fact that we’re adapting Offender DHH’s play Yellow Face for YouTube–the first time anyone has ever done such a thing–is both exciting and scary since it’s unprecedented but that’s an example of taking risks in this space with no guideposts.  Read more...

Comment on Around the Horn: The Digital Newfront

Why Japan is Awesome #1,009: The Ramen Burger

  • May 12, 2013 7:04 pm

Yes, the Lotteria fast food chain in Japan is now serving the ramen burger aka Menya Musashi Ramen Burger. Here’s the description of this new culinary creation:

The noodles are lightly fried into a ramen patty, which is placed between two burger buns along with tender pork cutlet and mayonnaise. The burger is also served with “katsuo dashi” (a type of Japanese broth) soup.

And if you need me to explain why this is awesome, then you are clearly reading the wrong blog.  Read more...

1 Comment on Why Japan is Awesome #1,009: The Ramen Burger

The Injustice League of North Korea

  • May 7, 2013 9:30 pm

As if North Korea wasn’t problematic enough, it is apparently now home to some of the greatest supervillains.

German artist Aslan Malik has taken Korean won notes and reimagined them to feature some of Batman’s greatest foes (along with one Superman supervillain) to create his The Injustice League of North Korea series. Check them out here:

 Read more...

1 Comment on The Injustice League of North Korea

The YOMYOMF Network: We’re on a Boat (with YouTube)

  • May 1, 2013 10:56 pm

Regular readers of this blog know that some of the YOMYOMF Network gang are in New York for Digital Newfronts this week—the annual event where the major players in the online world showcase their wares to advertisers. And tonight was what is arguably the granddaddy of all Newfronts events—YouTube’s Brandcast.

Ryan Higa & D-Trix

As YOMYOMF is a part of YouTube’s Original Channels Program, I can’t claim to be completely objective, but when it comes to online video content, YouTube is king (with over a billion visitors every month watching YouTube for a total of 6 billion hours) and they threw the party of all parties to match their status.

The view from Pier 36 as the event starts.

Brandcast took place at a huge warehouse at New York’s Pier 36, which was followed by dinner on board two huge yachts. Yup, we were on a boat.  Read more...

2 Comments on The YOMYOMF Network: We’re on a Boat (with YouTube)

The Billion Dollar Man

  • April 30, 2013 10:36 pm

Congrats to our fellow Offender Justin whose next project—a little film called Fast & Furious 6—hits theaters this Memorial Day weekend. Apparently, according to today’s cover of Variety (aka Hollywood’s Bible), he’s the Billion Dollar Filmmaker.

Which is cool for many reasons, but not least of all for this reason—when I was a kid, I loved Steve Austin aka The Six Million Dollar Man.  Read more...

1 Comment on The Billion Dollar Man

The YOMYOMF Network: A New York State of Mind

  • April 29, 2013 11:15 pm

I’m in the Big Apple this week with my YOMYOMF Network colleagues Abdul Khan and Chester See for Digital Newfronts. This is the equivalent of the annual TV upfronts for the online world—where big players like YouTube, Yahoo, Hulu, etc… showcase their upcoming content for brand and advertisers. This is only the second year for Newfronts, but if the crazy scene at the Yahoo presentation that I just returned from tonight is any indication, it’s already become a very big deal.

Today may have been the official kickoff for Newfronts, but I’ve been in town since Saturday when the organizers of En Route: the 7th Annual New York Asian American Student Conference invited my fellow Offender David Henry Hwang, YouTube’s Christine Kim and me to speak at New York University about our upcoming YouTube adaptation of David’s award-winning play Yellow Face and what it means to create original content for our YouTube channel (speaking of which, if you want to win free ticks to our L.A. screening of Yellow Face this Sunday, you have until 11:59PM EST on April 30 to enter–all the info is here).  Read more...

2 Comments on The YOMYOMF Network: A New York State of Mind

Can the Ruining of Kickstarter be a Boon to Asian American Cinema?

  • April 26, 2013 12:01 am

On the heels of the successful Kickstarter campaign to bring cult favorite Veronica Mars to the big screen, comes word that other Hollywood types are also turning to the online crowd-sourcing site to raise money for their own passion projects. Most recently, Scrubs’ Zach Braff took to Kickstarter a couple of days ago to raise funds for his indie Wish I Was Here which is sort of/but not really a sequel to his earlier indie hit Garden State.

While he has already raised over $1.7 million as of this writing toward his $2 million goal, it hasn’t been all love and roses for Braff as he has incurred the wrath of many netizens who are accusing the actor of “ruining Kickstarter.” It seems there are folks who just don’t like the idea of a “rich” Hollywood celebrity taking advantage of a platform that was created to support those who are more…needy. The criticism got so bad that Braff had to respond by stating that he doesn’t have Oprah Winfrey money i.e. he’s not as rich as you think. Well…he’s rich but he’s not Oprah “I’m worth billions of dollars” rich.

Still, regardless of where you stand on this issue (I would’ve thought a more appropriate criticism would be—was anyone really hankering for another Zach Braff-directed indie?), it’s clear that the success of the Veronica Mars crowd sourcing campaign has opened the flood gates and online fundraising will most likely undergo drastic changes that we might not have even seen coming just a month ago.

I’ve blogged previously about “Kickstarter fatigue” but I’m now wondering if the “ruining” of Kickstarter by Hollywood’s intrusion might serve to benefit Asian American cinema.  Read more...

4 Comments on Can the Ruining of Kickstarter be a Boon to Asian American Cinema?

Looks Like Sailor Moon Needs a Shave

  • April 25, 2013 12:16 am

Meet Hideaki Kobayashi aka “Sailor Suit Old Man.”

Yes, this Tokyo native likes to dress up as Sailor Moon on the weekends and has become somewhat of an internet celebrity in Japan for…well, dressing up as Sailor Moon and doing his thang.

 Read more...

Comment on Looks Like Sailor Moon Needs a Shave

Why Japan is Awesome #848: Beer Made From The Remains of Elephant Shit

  • April 22, 2013 9:53 pm

Who knew elephant shit could be so tasty and intoxicating?

There’s already a Black Ivory Coffee in Asia which is coffee brewed from beans chewed up by elephants and excreted as waste aka poop aka shit. Apparently, passing through the elephant gives the beans a particularly smooth flavor. But why stop at coffee?

Japan’s Sankt Gallen Brewery released their Un, Kono Kuro Beer (loosely translated as “Shit Black”) earlier this month and, yes, it’s brewed from the same elephant excreted beans. So far the reviews for the beer have been positive and it sold out within hours of its release.  Read more...

Comment on Why Japan is Awesome #848: Beer Made From The Remains of Elephant Shit