Better Luck Tomorrow

The first real Asian American movie I ever watched. A great movie! If you haven't seen it already it's a must see movie!

Usain Bolt is the Fastest Again!

Usain Bolt is once again the fastest man in the world. He just destroyed the field in the 100 Metre Final of the 2012 London Olympics. Tyson Gay, Yohan Blake, and Asafa Powell were no match for him. Congrats Usain!

"The Dark Knight Rises" - story details in production notes

So looking forward to this movie! In the meantime I found some interesting details about the story which might interest a lot of fans (credit: Zap2it):

Warner Bros. has released the production notes for "The Dark Knight Rises," which in normal circumstances wouldn't be a big deal. But because the movie so heavily anticipated and because details of the film's story have thus far been closely guarded, it's definitely a big deal.

The notes -- which are usually given to reviewers and reporters seeing advance screenings of a movie -- reveal some details about the setting and story for "The Dark Knight Rises." Since they're studio-approved, it's hard to call them spoilers, but if you want to go into the movie completely clean, you might not want to read past here.

OK? OK. Let's get on to some of the things we learned from the notes:

Time has passed: "The Dark Knight Rises" is set eight years after "The Dark Knight," and the lie Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) and Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) concocted about Batman having killed the virtuous Harvey Dent has done its job: Gotham has been relatively safe, and Batman hasn't been seen (or really needed) since. Carrying the secret about Dent, though, is eating away at Gordon, and he looks for the right time to reveal the truth.

Cat and Bat: Anne Hathaway's Selina Kyle/Catwoman, and not Tom Hardy's Bane, is the impetus for Bruce Wayne to come out of the self-imposed shell he's been living in since "The Dark Knight." He has rebuilt Wayne Manor "just as it was" and the mansion is the site of a benefit honoring Harvey Dent Day that Selina sees as an opportunity. Her encounter with Bruce sparks something in him that he hasn't felt for quite some time.

Bane = pure evil. If "Batman Begins" villain the Scarecrow was a psychopath and the Joker in "The Dark Knight" represented chaos, then Bane "is a terrorist in both his mentality and his actions," Hardy says. "He is physically intimidating and he's also very intelligent, which makes him even more dangerous." Adds director Christopher Nolan, "Bane is raw strength with a fanatical devotion to duty, and that combination makes him unstoppable."

Meet The Bat: That's the name given to Batman's newest toy, a plane that's described as part helicopter and part jump jet and which is seen maneuvering through the concrete canyons of Gotham City in trailers.

New characters: Both Marion Cotillard and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are playing characters not in the Batman comics. Cotillard's Miranda Tate is a philanthropist and an ally of Bruce's on the board of Wayne Enterprises, while Gordon-Levitt's John Blake is a young, idealistic cop who reminds Commissioner Gordon of his younger self.

The prologue? Mostly real. One of the more surprising revelations in the production notes has nothing to do with the plot. It's that much of the hijacking sequence that opens the film (and which was screened in IMAX theaters in December) was actually shot in the air. Nolan and cinematographer Wally Pfister filmed the sequence from a helicopter traveling alongside the two planes.

Actor Profile - Jayson Li

Jayson grew up in Canada and is one of the few actors who has worked with Nora Miao. He most recently was in Merry-Go-Round.

Filmorgraphy: www.imdb.com/name/nm3736271/

Official Site: www.alivenotdead.com/JaysonLi

Actor Profile - James Chen

James grew up in New York state and attended the acting program at the Yale School of Drama. He most recently was in We Need to Talk About Kevin.

Filmography: www.imdb.com/name/nm1429853/

Official Site: jamescchen.com/

Actor Profile - Julia Cho

She has performed/toured with East West Players, Will & Company, hereandnow theatre company, Lodestone Theatre Ensemble, and sketch comedy group OPM. She is a founding member/producing partner of the theatre collective Artists at Play. She most recently was in Larry Crowne and The Lizzie Bennet Diaries.

Filmography: www.imdb.com/name/nm2971227/

Official Site: www.juliacho.com/

Actor Profile - Archie Kao

He was born in Washington D.C. and attended George Mason University. He is best known for his role as Archie Johnson in the hit television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, as well as the role of Kai Chen in Power Rangers Lost Galaxy.

Filmography: www.imdb.com/name/nm0438055/

Official Site: www.archiekao.com/

Congrats to Kyla Ross and Anna Li!

Congrats to Kyla Ross and Anna Li for making the Women's U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Team. GO USA!

Kyla Ross

Anna Li

Actor Profile - Daniel Wu

Asian American actor Daniel Wu was born in Berkeley and raised in Orinda. His parents were immigrants from Shanghai. Since his debut in 1998, he has been featured in over 40 films and just starred in Inseparable with Kevin Spacey.

Filmography: www.imdb.com/name/nm0943079/

Official Site: www.alivenotdead.com/daniel

Jeremy Lin Wins “Social Breakout Player of the Year” Award

"NBA TV announced today that New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin is the recipient of the first-ever “Social Breakout Player of the Year” Award for his increase in popularity with fans across Twitter and Facebook this season."
http://news.turner.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=6135

CONGRATS JEREMY!!!

"That’s a clown question, bro": Quote of the Year

Baseball player Bryce Harper 's response to a reporter's Canadian beer question. It is in my books the quote of the year so far. Take a look.

Linsanity Continues! Jeremy Lin Up for "The EPIC Award" in NBA Social Media Awards

Linsanity is alive and well. Jeremy Lin's 38-point outburst in a win against the Lakers at the Garden, which the NBA dubbed "Linsanity Begins," is one of five contenders for "The EPIC Award" in the first-ever NBA Social Media Awards being held on June 20 on NBA TV at 9 p.m. More about the awards on NYDailyNews.com http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/linsanity-continues-ny-knicks-jeremy-lin-epic-award-first-ever-nba-social-media-awards-article-1.1092374.

Movie Review: Merry-Go-Round

So I finally got around to watching this Hong Kong movie called "Merry-Go-Round". I've been wanting to watch it for a long time but just couldn't find the DVD. The main reason is because Nora Miao is in it. She starred in I think just about every Bruce Lee movie ever made. This is not your usual Hong Kong action thriller kung fu flick, I'm really getting tired of those, how many Ip Man movies does one have to endure? This is not your typical Hong Kong movie and that is good. It's not your typical Hong Kong movie because it is one darn good movie. It's pretty much about how we really need to change how we perceive our choices in life. We always seem to regret everything and that somehow if we did things differently life would be so much better. This movie tells us that you know what it wouldn't be any better. I'd have to agree with this message. Just looking at my friends around me and how they just wish things would be different I can see that different wouldn't necessarily mean better. Anyways, it's a fairly deep movie and I enjoyed it. Just a side note but while looking up some of the cast on IMDB (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1756487/) I noticed at least two are Asian Americans Lawrence Chou and Jayson Li. One of the directors Clement Cheng is too. Anyways, I highly recommend it.

Is It Offensive to Ask An Asian American If They Can Read Chinese, Japanese, etc.?

I asked this question to a friend of mine. These days more and more Asian Americans know how to read, and even speak, their own Asian language. I think I wouldn't be offended by it but if someone were to ask me if I could read English or speak English I would be really offended. I guess it all depends on how you see yourself and on what you value most.

Andy Lau Joins Cast of Iron Man 3

Found this article http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/MarvelFreshman/news/?a=60863, it mentions Hong Kong superstar Andy Lau is a part of the cast for Iron Man 3:

"Described as a “technological crisis thriller,” set in the world of international war, arms & terror, Marvel Studios' “Iron Man 3” stars Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Andy Lau, Ashley Hamilton, James Badge Dale, with Sir Ben Kingsley and Jon Favreau. Shane Black (“Kiss Kiss Bang Bang”) takes over directorial duties from Jon Favreau, who helmed the first two “Iron Man” films. Principal photography will occur primarily in North Carolina and China. And “Iron Man 3” is set for release in May 3, 2013."

It's going to be sooooooo cool seeing Iron Man fly over the Great Wall!

George Takei: More Than Just Mr Sulu

While everyone else wanted to be Captain Kirk or Mr Spock I wanted to be Mr Sulu. This is how it was when I was a kid. It was only when I got older that I found out that Mr Sulu is actually Mr Takei. George Takei is a great actor. He's done so much over his career just look at his filmography on IMDB http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001786/. He is also becoming more and more active in politics which is great. I think he has a lot of great ideas that could change things for the better. Last but not least he is a very funny comedian. If you want a few good laughs check out his Facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/georgehtakei.

http://www.georgetakei.com/

Bruce Lee: The First Asian American Superstar

Even though he is considered Hong Kong's first international superstar Bruce Lee was not born in Hong Kong but in San Francisco. As it is well known, he returned to the United States in 1959 where he eventually had a fairly successful career in Hollywood. Of course, for an Asian actor supporting roles were all that he was ever offered and as a result, he returned to Hong Kong where he became the legend that he is today. Bruce Lee definitely broke down a lot of barriers, no pun intended, in Hollywood. He made Hollywood execs take notice that Asians could have a presence on screen that was on par with his non-Asian counterparts. Undoubtedly, he helped pave the way for so many of the Asian American actors that we see today. Hopefully, this recent trend towards using Asian American actors in Hollywood continues.