By Katrina Romero

Another week, another Asian film festival requiring your attention; Yoko Ono squashes beef with Beatle; Beckham gets bent... again; Nuttin but a Cho thang. All this and more in the latest edition of News Bites.

Female Asian-American Interviews for General Manager Position
 
Kim Ng, Los Angeles Dodgers vice president and assistant general manager, recently interviewed for the team's vacated general manager job. If hired, she would become major league baseball's first general manager. Prior to her stint for the Dodgers, Ng was vice president and general manager for the New York Yankees from 1998-2001. The Dodgers' general manager position became vacated in October after previous general manager Paul DePodesta was fired after less than two years on the job for an ever-growing losing streak as well as an alleged inability to communicate with the players, Dodgers administrative employees, the media and the public eye. Prior to his release, DePodesta had signed a five-year contract with the Dodgers.

Filmmakers, volunteers sought for Asian Festival

Aiming to display the Asian-American experience, Asian and Asian-American filmmakers are invited to submit their work for the Disorient Asian American Film Festival of Oregon from Feb. 18-19 2006, to be held in Eugene, Oregon. Sponsored by the Asian Council and the Chinese American Benevolent Association (CABA) of Oregon, the festival will feature art, live performances, shopping, food, and film and video productions. Application deadlines for filmmakers are Dec. 9 for the early deadline and Dec. 30 for the final deadline. Festival partners and volunteers are also needed. More information about the festival as well as film entry forms can be found at the festival's website at www.disorientfilm.org.

Yoko Ono apologizes to Beatle

Yoko Ono, John Lennon's widow, has apologized to Paul McCartney for a negatively insinuated comment in the latest issue of Rolling Stone. While accepting an award on Lennon's behalf, Ono recalled her husband's insecurities and how he would ask her: “why do they always cover Paul's songs and not mine?” “I said, ‘You're a good songwriter, it's not June with spoon that you write." Ono said the comment was blown out of proportion by the press, who was attempting to feed the flames of a decade-long feud between her and McCartney. “I certainly did not mean to hurt Paul, and if I did, I am very sorry,” she said. “I think Paul's a great songwriter.”

Korean American becomes first city council member

Korean immigrant Sam Yoon recently won the title as Boston's newest council member, despite claims that he would never win due to his ethnicity, which makes up less than eight percent of the city's population. On the contrary, however, Yoon said he never put an emphasis on his Korean ethnicity, saying instead that he aimed at reaching out to Bostonians to show them his capabilities. Yoon immigrated from Korea, grew up in Pennsylvania and attended school at Princeton and Harvard.

“Beckham” aims to score…again

Gurinder Chadha, writer and director of 2003's sleeper-hit film Bend it Like Beckham, said that a sequel is in the works. Chadha said that the new film will be “more of a continuation of the characters than an actual sequel.” The original 2003 film, which starred ER's Parminda Nagra and Keira Knightley of Pirates of the Caribbean fame, focuses on the strife of an Indian girl who must choose between being an obedient daughter and achieving her ultimate dream of playing soccer. It is not known yet if both Nagra and Knightley will return for the second film.

Newspapers to feature ‘manga' in Sunday editions

In an effort to entice younger readers, several North American newspapers in the United States and Canada will soon begin featuring “manga” in their Sunday editions. The newspapers will feature “Van Von Hunter,” a series about a Gothic warrior and his female sidekick aiming to fight evil as well as “Peach Fuzz,” depicting nine-year-old Amanda's efforts to befriend Peachy, her pet ferret who believes himself to be a princess. Both mangas will be featured in the Los Angeles Times, the Denver Post, the Seattle Post-Intelligence and the Vancouver Sun.

It's ‘Take Two' for Cho

Margaret Cho, stand-up comedian and actress in 1994-1995's short-lived comedy All American Girl, is having a series developed with Fox Broadcasting Company. The comedy casts her as her mother based on a stand-up routine. Assassin, her comedy concert film, debuted on Nov. 8 and includes material targeting the Bush administration as well as religious rights.

Published: Thursday, November 17, 2005