By APA Staff
Jason Wu gets more exposure on Vogue, MIA performs pregnant, and... next stop Oscar for Slumdog? All this and more in the latest edition of News Bites.
Michelle Obama wearing Jason Wu once again on Cover of VOGUE
America's first lady Michelle Obama graces the March issue of American Vogue magazine -- only the second First Lady to do so since Hilary Clinton in December of 1998. Obama was interviewed by legendary Vogue's editor-at-large Andre Leon Talley and photographed by the famed photographer Annie Leibovitz. Inside the magazine, Michelle talks about the importance of being there for her young daughters Sasha and Malia, as well as her newfound role of fashion icon. Unlike typical photo shoots, the First Lady chose her own outfits instead of being styled by the Vogue stylists who typically select the clothing worn. Mrs. Obama chose stylish ensembles by Jason Wu, J. Crew, and Narciso Rodriguez. On the Vogue cover she appears wearing a magenta silk dress designed by no other than Jason Wu, the same designer who created her infamous white Inaugural Ball gown. The March issue of Vogue is on newsstands now. --Kristie Hang
Pregnant M.I.A. brings down the house
Known for its unpredictable performances, the 51st annual Grammys Award show brought in 19 million viewers with the nine-month pregnant M.I.A.'s performance of "Swagger Like Us," which was made from her hit single "Paper Planes." Always one for controversy and shock, M.I.A. performed on stage alongside T.I., Jay-Z, Kanye West and Lil Wayne on her baby's due date. Her song "Paper Planes" was nominated for the prestigious Record of the Year award but lost to Robert Plant and Alison Krauss' "Please Read the Letter;" however, she'll get another shot at the Oscars this Sunday for her part in "O Saya," from Slumdog Millionaire. --Megan Chun
More Grammy winners...
At this year's Grammys, artists from 110 categories were awarded the much coveted and esteemed golden gramophone. R&B artist, Ne-Yo, who was up for six awards, left Sunday night as the winner for Male R&B Vocal Solo with his song, "Miss Independent," from his album, Year of the Gentleman (Def Jam/Compound). Other winners that night include Tia Carrere and Daniel Ho's Ikena for Hawaiian Music Album; Juno (Fox Music/Rhino), of which Margaret Yen was a producer, claimed the trophy for the category of Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media; and pianist Gloria Cheng won her first Grammy for Piano Music Of Salonen, Stucky, And Lutoslawski (Telarc) in the category of Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without Orchestra). --Megan Chun
Slumdog Continues Winning Streak
With a week to go until the Oscars, Slumdog Millionaire has continued to take home multiple awards. The movie picked up top prizes at the American Society of Cinematographers, American Cinema Editors and Art Directors Guild. Confirming what was already was widely anticipated, following its winning steak of four Golden Globes last month including Best Motion Picture, Slumdog took seven awards home at the BAFTAs (the British Academy Film Awards), including Best Film. Their closest rival, David Fincher's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, was up for 11 awards but took home only three. Now with the Oscars impending, Slumdog's wins are only increasing the movie's momentum to perhaps take home the coveted the Best Picture prize. --Kristie Hang
BoA's English album coming soon
International pop queen BoA has announced the release of her self-titled English Album BoA in March. This is shortly following the release of her single "Eat You Up," which will be featured in the Korean-American annual gala Kollaboration, opening this coming Saturday. The single includes a dance beat and sexualized lyrics. Overall the work has an extremely Americanized feel, and she has even worked with American singers such as Flo Rida and Sean Garnett. This debut into American mainstream entertainment coincides with Production/Managing company SM Entertainment's current auditions in Los Angeles with ambitions of discovering talent for the world market. --Frederick Stiehl
Anna Sui's Fall Line
Known for her vibrant patterns and historically themed runway shows, Anna Sui's Fall 2009 line was revealed Wednesday at the famous Bryant Park. While many big names such as Vera Wang, Betsey Johnson and Donna Karan have opted out this year's show due to the sobering economic situation, Anna Sui sees this time as an opportunity to be more practical about fabric choices. Staying true to her style, which has established her as a major name in fashion since 1991, Anna Sui fashioned outfits inspired by the Belle Époque and Proust in a more cost-efficient manner. Black lace dresses dominated the runway, with accents of yellow, purple and blue, contrasted with heavy boots. Although the economic situation has put some limitations on this year's line, Anna Sui's vibrant and playful attitude still shone through. --Megan Chun
Morning Musume goes to LA
Hold on to your uchiwas, fanboys and fangirls – Morning Musume, Japan's biggest all-girl supergroup, is making their way to Anime Expo, as recently announced by the organization as their first guest of honor. As the lead group of the umbrella agency for all-female idols Hello!Project, Morning Musume recently celebrated their 10th Anniversary in 2008. The group is known for their shuffling of members -- as they graduate members and recruit new faces – and as of the moment, the members include Ai Takahashi, Risa Niigaki, Eri Kamei, Sayumi Michishige, Reina Tanaka, Koharu Kusumi, Aika Mitsui, JunJun, and LinLin. JunJun and LinLin are two members not from Japan – they were added in 2007 as new members from China to reach an international audience. Anime Expo will take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center this year, from July 2-5, 2009. --Kanara Ty
Time again for the City of the Angels Film Festival
From February 27th to March 1st, the Director's Guild of Los Angeles will host the 15th annual City of the Angels Film Festival (CAFF) which boasts "the most inspiring, important, and imaginative independent films of the year." This year's quality line-up includes Lee Isaac Chung's Munyurangabo and Ramin Bahrani's Chop Shop, both playing the evening of Saturday, February 28th. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2008 AFI Film Festiavl, Munyurangabo is a Kinyarwanda-language film about two Rwandan youth after the genocide. Chop Shop is Bahrani's second film, between his critically-acclaimed Man Push Cart and his latest film to be hitting the festival circuits, Goodbye Solo. Other films playing at the festival include The Garden (an Oscar nominee this year for Best Documentary), The Exiles, Price of Sugar, The Edge of Heaven, Stellet Licht, The Third Wave, and They Killed Sister Dorothy. For the complete schedule, click here to go to the film festival's official website. --Ada Tseng
Letters of a Student Revolutionary playing one weekend in Los Angeles
A commemoration of the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre, Letters of a Student Revolutionary, directed by Peter Kuo, begins with a chance encounter between a Chinese woman and a Chinese American visiting Beijing, and it tells the story of their decade-long penpal friendship that ends during the crushed democracy protests in Tiananmen. It's been nearly 18 years since the play, written by Elizabeth Wong, first premiered at the Pan Asian Repertory Theater in New York, and it was the first American play to address this infamous moment in history. Kuo's production of Letters of a Student Revolutionary is part of a benefit performance and will be showing for only one weekend: February 28 through March 1 at the Democracy Forum of the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy in Little Tokyo. Following the March 1 performance, there will be a panel discussion with human rights advocates including a China Specialist from Amnesty International, a photographer and eye-witness of the massacre, and the Chairwoman of the Visual Arts Guild, Ann Lau. For more information, click here for their official website. --LiAnn Ishizuka
Published: Friday, February 20, 2009
