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TROY: The City of Yesterday…Today

  • December 13, 2011 4:24 pm

CURTIS

Curtis Chin is a Motown-born, New York-bred, Los Angeles-based writer, producer and community activist. He’s proud to have co-founded the Asian American Writers Workshop and Asian Pacific Americans for Progress and for writing and producing the documentary Vincent Who? He’s less proud of having started the Young Republicans Club in high school. He’s currently working on a new website with a former ABC and HBO exec, widelantern.com, and developing a teen comedy with director Quentin Lee and producer Chris Lee.

I live in Los Angeles now, but Southeastern Michigan will always be my hometown. I am a fourth-generation Michiganian, born and raised here. For many years, my family ran the popular Chung’s Restaurant on Cass Avenue. Living in the suburbs, I went to Troy High where I received a great education. There, I was elected Senior Class President and President of the National Honor Society. I graduated from the University of Michigan, earning a degree in creative writing.

I sometimes think about moving back to the metro Detroit area to help revitalize the city. But then I read about people like Janice Daniels, the new mayor of Troy, saying, “I think I am going to throw away my I Love New York carrying bag now that queers can get married there” and realize that’s just a fantasy.  Read more...

From the Disney Channel to YouTube

  • December 2, 2011 1:36 pm

CHESTER

Chester See has been playing the piano since the age of 6 and writing songs since the age of 10. He’s currently sold over a quarter million songs on iTunes and has had his songs played all over the world. But his mom would be most proud that his songs reached the Philippines. His most successful songs are titled “God Damn You’re Beautiful” and “Nice Guys”–the two songs collectively have been played for a combined total of over 50 million views on the web. Which is 50 million more views than he dreamed of ever getting! He’s currently the 41st most subscribed actor/musician on the internet giving him a larger YouTube following than, oh…Taylor Swift. He also likes talking in the third person. You can check out his work on his youtube page and keep up to date with his next project by stopping by his facebook or his twitter. Chester joins us as one of our partners for our new YOMYOMF Network on YouTube and writes about how he got started online.

Let’s start out by saying I’m not a writer. Okay, more than excited to be working with YOMYOMF! My entire world revolves around the internet and being a part of the next big thing. This is the first time I feel like I’m a part of the next big thing from the other side.

So a little bit about me! I’m an actor/musician/singer-songwriter living in LA. So I basically represent 99 percent of the people out here! I’m also half Filipino which seems to be a shock for most because I look as white as they come. But a 4’11″ mom reminding you that it’s not too late to become a nurse is a sure way of knowing you’re Filipino! I graduated from the TFT program at UCLA just like Offender Justin Lin. Go Bruins! I was one of few kids fortunate enough to land a consistent acting gig as soon as I graduated. Yup, I became the face of a Disney Channel show called Disney 365 for a little over 3 years. I would basically interview Disney Channel stars in the most energetic way possible. Given that I wasn’t actually 15 years old, I was pretty happy to be on the show for as long as I was.  Read more...

10 Gift Books For Film Nerds

  • December 1, 2011 11:40 pm

BRIAN

Brian Watanabe wrote THE ROGUES GALLERY, which turned into the hodge-podge cult film OPERATION: ENDGAME starring Rob Corddry, Maggie Q, and Zack Galifianakis. He’s developed scripts for production companies at Fox and Sony, won awards as an advertising copywriter, and changes a diaper like nobody’s business.

Do you collect movie ticket stubs? Can you name three films starring Earnest Borgnine? Can you spot the Billy Zabka action figure in this photo?

If you answered yes, you’re a film nerd. Sadly, it’s an incurable condition, much like herpes or Bieber Fever, just far more enjoyable. But there is some good news: With the recent releases of some amazing, coffee table books, gift-giving for the movie geek has never been easier. So whether you’re Christmas shopping for your favorite development exec or you’re dropping hints to your significant other or spouse, check out these 10 gift books for film nerds.  Read more...

Finding Anna May Wong

  • November 15, 2011 7:38 pm

YUNAH

Yunah Hong has made eight films. All of them focus, in one way or another, on Asian American women. Between the Lines: Asian American Women’s Poetry is a one-hour documentary that weaves together autobiographies and readings by 16 poets. Becoming an Actress in New York shows the efforts of three Korean American hopefuls. Yunah Hong has made several experimental films, including Memory/all echo, based on the work of multimedia artist Theresa Hak Kyung Cha. Her new documentary Anna May Wong: In Her Own Words, had its world premiere at the 15th Busan International Film Festival and has been in four other festivals in the U.S. and Canada. The film is scheduled to air on national public TV and she is currently raising funds to secure the broadcast rights to archival footage through a kickstarter campaign. Yunah enjoys exploring NYC, cooking at home and watching figure skating on television with her family.

I spent eight years making the documentary Anna May Wong: In Her Own Words. I wasn’t all that interested in Anna May as a victim – condemned to play stereotyped Asian roles — lotus flower or dragon lady – and shouldered aside by white actors in yellowface. I was interested in Anna May Wong the person. I wanted to find out who she really was.

Not long after I moved to NYC from Seoul, Korea, I saw Anna May in Shanghai Express with Marlene Dietrich. She saves a group of hostages by seducing their captor, a Chinese warlord, and then killing him. She is tough, fearless, and funny. To me as an immigrant from Korea, she offered startling proof that Asian American woman aren’t necessarily quiet and submissive. They are independent and strong!  Read more...

How YouTube Changed my Life

  • November 7, 2011 6:00 am

KEVJUMBA

Kevin Wu, also known as KevJumba, started making videos for the web five years ago. Outside of YouTube you may have seen him on CBS’s Amazing Race, or his show on Cartoon Network called Flicks. Right now he is writing, starring, producing, co-directing his first feature film that starts shooting in two weeks. Other than that, Kevin loves soccer, fishing, R&B music and Thai food. Kevin joins us as one of our partners for our new YOMYOMF Network and writes about how he got started on YouTube.

Before I even started posting videos on YouTube, I was just a viewer. I made an account called “kevjumba” 6 months before I ever got the courage to post my first video. Back then, I used to watch a lot of dance videos on YouTube. I was inspired by people who put themselves out there and danced in front of a camera and then broadcast it for the world to see.

Finally, I decided I was going to do the same. My first video ever uploaded to YouTube is a video of me dancing in my backyard. It wasn’t good. But I thought…even if no likes this or sees it, it’ll be okay because I had fun making it. Fortunately people did see it, I got maybe 2 or 3 comments, which was a big deal back then. They encouraged me to post more videos and so I did.  Read more...

8 X 10: Bringing Dad Home

  • October 7, 2011 12:05 am

CURTIS

Curtis Chin is a Motown-born, New York-bred, Los Angeles-based writer, producer and community activist. He’s proud to have co-founded the Asian American Writers Workshop and Asian Pacific Americans for Progress and for writing and producing the documentary Vincent Who? He’s less proud of having started the Young Republicans Club in high school. He’s currently working on a new website with a former ABC and HBO exec, widelantern.com, and developing a teen comedy with director Quentin Lee and producer Chris Lee.

Last week, my friend, Arthur Dong, sent me an email asking, “are you related to this person?” He was referring to a photo that was being auctioned on ebay. Arthur had accidentally stumbled upon it while doing research for another film project.

Anyway, I clicked on the link and was shocked. The caption read, “You are bidding on an original 8 x 10 Wire Photo of Detroit’s Chinatown store owner Allen Chin. Photo is dated May 27,1961 showing Allen Chin store Owner in Chinatown.” It was my dad and he was standing in the store that my great grandfather had opened in the 1930′s. Talk about a blast from the past.  Read more...

99%

  • October 6, 2011 1:00 pm

DOMINIC

Dominic Mah is a writer, editor, director, and ex-professional gambler. He is also @dommah and @thorhulkcritic (for nerdcore reviews of film and pop culture) on Twitter. Mispronounced in the right way, his name is a strong Vietnamese curse word. 

Lately, I’ve been so moved by the events in New York and the #Occupywallst movement. As a native Berkeleyan Californian, I’m all in favor of taking to the streets when the ruling powers are untouchable by conventional means. The Occupiers’ rallying cry/slogan “I am the 99%” shrewdly appropriates a generation’s debilitating tendencies towards narcissism and whining (two things I’m perfectly good at) and redirects them towards an idea that is both unifying and empowering; that is, you are not a “special victim” nor a lonely hero; you are most people, and most people are you.

I can’t say I’ve had a hard existence. As a middle-or-somewhere-around-there-class American I still enjoy vast riches compared to the beleaguered majority of the world. But as far as ticking off to-do items on the Economic Collapse Checklist, I’ve hit a lot of the benchmarks:  Read more...

Attack of the Sequel, the Prequel: Notes on the ‘Star Wars’ Prequels to Mr. George Lucas

  • September 15, 2011 1:51 am

BRIAN

Brian Watanabe wrote the screenplay THE ROGUES GALLERY, which turned into the film OPERATION: ENDGAME starring Rob Corddry, Maggie Q, Ellen Barkin and Zack Galifianakis. Amazing cast aside, it wasn’t quite the film he intended. But that’s another story.

Mistakes were made.

We’re all on the same page about that. So there’s no need to get even angrier about the STAR WARS prequels or at the changes George Lucas made to STAR WARS: THE COMPLETE SAGA Blu-ray (in stores tomorrow) because anger leads to hate and hate leads to suffering and let’s face it, we’ve all suffered enough.

No, I will not succumb to the dark side of nerdom because others have done a far better job dismantling the prequels than I ever could. In fact, they made a great documentary about it called THE PEOPLE VS. GEORGE LUCAS (which I saw last year at the Hawaii International Film Festival. You’re welcome offender, Anderson):

 Read more...

From OUTSOURCED to WIDOW OF NO IMPORTANCE

  • September 12, 2011 3:47 pm

PARVESH

Parvesh Cheena (that’s me, yup, I’m writing my own bio, as we tend to do) grew up in Aurora/Naperville, the suburbs outside of Chicago, Illinois. He studied acting at the University of Illinois in Urbana/Champaign and transferred to Roosevelt University in Chicago so he could act in addition to school because he was jealous of his friends getting agents in Chicago who hadn’t even done much theatre. Anyhoo, he did some commercials, got cast in BARBERSHOP and then did more theatre and then did the sequel, BARBERSHOP 2: BACK IN THE HABIT – no, that was SISTER ACT 2. Oh well. After that sequel, he auditioned for BOMBAY DREAMS, the Broadway musical, and didn’t get cast because, oh yeah, he can’t sing. So then, he – Parvesh that is, moved to Los Angeles and gave demonstrations of ice cream gelato and chicken in grocery stores and did commercials and TV and movies. He was cast as Gupta in the NBC series OUTSOURCED and can next be seen in EWP’s A WIDOW OF NO IMPORTANCE. Blah. Aren’t you bored now? Please like me. Or follow me. Or YouTube me. I’m cute but getting older.

Hi YOMYOMFers. I say it like Yom Yoff. At least when Danny Pudi and I hosted the opening night of LA ASIAN PACIFIC FILM FESTIVAL this past year, we said that. You know Pudi, right? He is that charming pal who I knew in Chicago before we both moved out here. He’s on television, killing it on COMMUNITY and I was on OUTSOURCED. But our show got killed this May. Funny, how KILL can be a good and bad word. Like bad, or fat (or is that PHAT for good?) or the phrase ‘shut up,’ when we hear something cool or unbelievable. I said ‘shut up’ a la Phoebe from FRIENDS (I was backstage at the CONAN show this year because his assistant is a pal, and Lisa Kudrow was on and I was scared to go up to her) … anyway, I said ‘shut up’, like that to my Mom once trying to be all hip and pop culture-y and cool and I don’t think she talked to me for a week.  Read more...

Why 9/11 Truth-Seekers Will Never Go Away

  • September 11, 2011 12:01 am

CORY

Cory Chu-Keenan is a father and a proponent of getting Civics back into American schools. He is an activist for Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth, Media Reform, and Restoration of Civil Rights. He will be debuting a Politically Conscious Hip-Hop Album in 2012 entitled Technofetishistic Psychodrama under the emcee name, Cory the Keen One.

We don’t teach Civics in America anymore. We teach Literature, Mathematics, and, ahem, History, but we don’t teach our youth how to keep a Democratic Republic. We’ve gotten to the point where we no longer understand what it means to do civic duty.

America was designed as an experiment. It was the first time in human history where the People, the citizenry, were called upon to govern themselves. And this system, designed by the framers of the Constitution, became a beacon of freedom for the rest of the world.

What freedom meant to our founding fathers was chiefly freedom from tyranny. But they couldn’t just say, “Okay, from now on, no more tyranny.” They had to replace monarchical rule with a different form of rule: Rule by the People, for the People.  Read more...

Coming Full Circle: From Dim Sum to White Frog

  • August 29, 2011 12:05 am

CHRIS

Chris Lee is a 4th generation American hapa — some very brave or desperate great grandfather from Toi San in Guang Dong province in China came to build the railroads and eventually begat him: a Chinese-Scottish motion picture producer, studio executive (at TriStar Pictures) and unexpected educator who travels a lot, but lives in Hawaii where he started the Academy for Creative Media at the University of Hawaii. Currently in post in LA as Producer of Quentin Lee’s White Frog and in prep in Beijing producing Chen Da Ming’s Seven, The Chosen Killer, Chris most loves working closely with directors to help them bring their visions to the screen. He used to be a lot of things but he’s too terrified to ever read about himself on google or imdb to find out what. He suspects there’s actually nothing there. (Editor’s note: Actually, Chris’ credits as producer or executive producer are very well-represented and include Superman Returns, S.W.A.T. and Valkyrie)

Chris w/Joan Chen on the set of "White Frog"

While very honored to be newly included among the Offenders, I have struggled to find something to say. If you know me, this is rather odd as I am frequently and accurately accused of saying too much. Now that we have wrapped principle photography, I do have a few thoughts on what it’s like to journey full circle, from my first job in film over twenty years ago on Wayne Wang’s second film, Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart, to now, as producer of Quentin Lee’s fifth film, White Frog.  Read more...

Reflections on My “Nine Lives”

  • August 16, 2011 11:38 am

KI HONG

Ki Hong Lee is a Korean American actor currently residing in Los Angeles. Upon graduating college, he served as an indentured servant at his parents’ restaurant while pursuing a career as an actor. He is currently starring in the new series The Nine Lives of Chloe King (the summer finale airs tonight at 9/8 C on ABC Family). You can interact with him on twitter, facebook or youtube. When not on set, he likes to play pickup basketball with little kids twice his size so he can feel like Michael Jordan. Ki Hong previously wrote about his experiences as his show was about to debut (click here to read). Today, he writes about how things have changed as the summer season comes to an end.

“Why does everyone try to kill Chleo (Chloe) all the time?” asks my grandpa in Korean.

“Well – her name is Chloe, Granpa, and it’s because they think she’s dangerous,” I reply.

“Well, I think they should stop trying to kill Chleo”

This is only a tiny snippet of the weekly conversations between my grandpa and I. He likes to call me after every episode airs to tell me he’s seen me on T.V.  Read more...