By Jorgio Castro
As popular Asian films get set to invade the U.S., William Hung enjoys his fifteen minutes of fame, and much more in this issue of News Bites.
Real Life Science Fiction
Greg Pak's science fiction film Robot Stories has opened in New York and will continue to make its way around the country, arriving in L.A. on March 12th. Done in the tradition of Better Luck Tomorrow and Charlotte Sometimes, Pak's piece is an independent film written, produced, directed, and starring Asians actors. The film has already garnered rave reviews from many critics, as well as 23 different film festival awards. Check out the schedule to see when it's coming to a city near you.
For more information check out www.robotstories.net
Shaolin Soccer Finally Released?
This action comedy broke Hong Kong box office records when it was released (as Siu Lam Juk Kau) in the summer of 2001. It has since become a cult classic, and so it came as no surprise that Miramax bought up worldwide distribution rights in May of 2002. The film stars the rubber-faced Stephen Chow (likened by many to Jim Carrey in his comedic abilities) who, besides starring in the film, also produced, co-wrote and co-directed it. The movie was set for release back in the fall of 2002, after much editing was done to make the film more of an American action flick. However, the date was continually pushed back, until it became unclear whether Miramax would ever re-release the film in the U.S. But the distributor recently announced the most current release date of which is set for March 26th. So, keep a look-out for this film in March but don't be surprised if the release date is delayed or changed again.
For more information check out http://miramax.com/shaolin_soccer/.
A First From Beijing Central Conservatory
Impossibly hip Spanish, Brazilian and British classical guitarists are a dime a dozen, but who would have thought that a world-class guitarist would emerge from China? XueFei Yang was the first guitar major ever to graduate from Beijing's Central Conservatory, and, after a few years in London with a scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music, she has emerged as a leading talent among the newest generation of guitarists. Yang performs works by Albeniz, Ginastera, Walton, Carlo Domeniconi and Stephen Funk Pearsson. She will be performing the magisterial "Chaconne" from J.S. Bach's "Partita No. 2 in D Minor" at the Herbst Theater in San Francisco Saturday, February 22nd.
For more information check out www.performances.org.
William Hung gets voice coaching lessons
While many of American Idol's contestants hope to hit it big and win the coveted recording contract, one of the biggest stars of the show is someone who had no shot of making it in the first place. Twenty-one year old Berkeley engineering student William Hung has fast developed celebrity status since being shot down by the judges for his "stirring" rendition of “She Bangs” by Ricky Martin.
On February 17th, Will got the chance to work with voice coach to the stars Eric Vetro in Fantasy Studios in sunny SoCal. Nigel Lythgoe, executive producer of "American Idol," loves the reception Hung has gotten: "All of a sudden, I am watching the celebration of a certain Mr. William Hung out of San Francisco who people love. He has great charisma and we are celebrating a loser. That is fantastic to me because not everybody in this life can be a winner. To celebrate a loser is fantastic!" Will Mr. Hung ever be able to hit the high notes? While I wouldn't hold my breath, his 15 minutes of fame don't look to be over quite yet
For the full story visit http://et.tv.yahoo.com/tv/2004/02/17/hunghighnote/.
Scorsese to Head Infernal Affairs
Warner Bros. is set to produce an English language remake of the hit Hong Kong franchise Infernal Affairs, and has reportedly entered into negotiations with Martin Scorsese (Gangs of New York) to produce the film. The trilogy, which depicted a never-ending war between Hong Kong cops and local gangs, or triads, was a big hit domestically the last two years. The plot centers on a cop, who goes deep undercover inside the triads and ascends the ranks, and a mole for the mob who parallels his success with a rise through the police force. Both become increasingly uneasy about the double lives they lead and, as fate would have it, both men are assigned to uncover the identity of the other. These films are available on DVD in their original format already but there is no word yet on
when the American re-make will start production or be released.
Lucy Lui on Game Over
Lucy Liu has joined the voice cast of UPN's upcoming CG-animated series "Game Over," as the voice of the mother Raquel. "Game Over" is a half hour animated comedy based on the adventures of a family living in an extraordinary video game world. The show will debut in mid-season on the UPN network and be the first-ever CGI series on prime time. It's slated to hit the screen March 10th and will initially run 6 episodes.
For more information check out www.gameover.net
Contribution by Minnie Chi
Yiyun Li wins the first ever Plimpton Prize
The literary quaterly publication, The Paris Review, has awarded newcoming writer, Yiyun Li the first ever Plimpton Prize for her short story "Immortality," which appears in issue #167. Li will receive $5,000 for the best work of fiction or poetry by a previously unpublished writer. The Paris Review, launched by a group of friends that included the late Editor in Chief, George Plimpton, has made a splash in the literary world by publishing a number of unknown writers who later became great literary vanguards such as Philip Roth, Jack Kerouac and V.S. Naipaul. The Plimpton Prize has been inaugurated by The Paris Review Foundation to honor its longtime editor who presided over the magazine for fifty years until his death last September. The prize will be awarded annually to recognize the best piece of writing by a newcomer, continuing the tradition of the publication's Discovery Prize. Li will be appearing at the Paula Cooper Gallery (Manhattan, NY) along with Michael Chabon, winner of The Paris Review's 2003 Agha Khan Prize, for a celebratory reading on March 8.
For more information, please visit: www.theparisreview.com/events.html
South Asian Theater takes charge
Rasa Theater, a new company in New York, has been established to give actors, directors and playwrights of South Asian descent the opportunity to tell their own ethnically accentuated stories. It was founded by a trio of theater professional including actor Manu Narayan who is featured in an upcoming Bollywood-meets-Broadway rendition of Andrew Lloyd Webber's “Bombay Dreams.” Co-founder Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj says, “We wanted to show what a great arts culture we come from. The black, Asian and Latino theater movements have been fully realized in this country, but the South Asian movement is only in its early genesis.”
Rasa is presenting two one-act plays for its inaugural production directed by Maharaj from Feb 7-22: “Abortion,” which is an adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's unproduced social drama, and “The End of the Apurnas,” an original black comedy written by Sarovar Banka. Both plays will be reinterpreted with Indian themes of traditional social conventions.
The official website for Rasa Theater is: www.rasatheater.org.
Celebrating Cambodian Culture in Riverside
The Riverside Public Library will be featuring a month-long series of programs and exhibitions celebrating the traditional and contemporary culture of Cambodia. The program will include various art presentations such as dance, music, poetry, photography and oral history from March 3 - 31. All events will be held in the auditorium of Riverside's Main Public Library (3581 Mission Inn Avenue, Riverside, CA). The event and exhibits are free to the public. Schedule of events:
March 3-31: Interactive Exhibit - Photographs of Cambodia by Amy Conger. This exhibition will feature photographs that have been taken mostly at Angkor and Siem Riep during November 2003 and will be displayed in an innovative installation that encourages visitors to express their reactions. Amy Conger is a noted authority on the history of photography and resides in Riverside.
March 3 at 7pm: Cambodian Renewal through the Arts - Illustrated lecture & video clip by Ann Norton. Dr. Norton is a professor of Art History and Director of Asian Studies at the Providence College in Rhode Island and the author of The Spirit of Cambodia: A Tribute. She will present and discuss slides of art from Cambodia including work in the diaspora, colorful New Year banners, mythical figures from ancient stories and dramatic visions from recent history.
March 13 at 3pm: Reading & Discussion of Her Turn to Talk: Poetry and Oral Histories by Young Khmer Women. The authors of this recently published book are teenage girls who are first-generation Cambodian-Americans and members of the organization Khmer Girls in Action. The Khmer Girls' writings reveal incidences of loss to humorous social commentary, giving an honest and poignant look at their personal struggles of balancing the old and new.
March 20 at 3pm: Classical Cambodian Dance and Music performance. The Khmer Arts Academy will present a performance of “Roban kbech boraan,” Classical Cambodian dance and music, under the artist direction of Sophiline Cheam Shapiro and music coordinator Ho C. Chan. This refined art is a highly stylized dance that was originally developed for worship in the temples of ancient Angkor and is accompanied by an ensemble of xylophones, gong, cymbals and oboes. Chan, a teak xylophonist who was forced into slave labor by the Khmer Rouge in 1975, moved to California in 2000 and joined the Khmer Arts Academy where he still works with master dancer Shapiro. Shaprio is currently the foremost exponent of classical Cambodian dance who survived the destruction of the Khmer Rouge years when 90% of Cambodia's dancers were killed. She devoted herself to mastering the art and became a teacher to help keep Cambodian dance alive.
March 27 at 3pm: Rap Music performance and discussion by Prach Ly. Rap artist Prach Ly will perform and discuss music from his debut album, Dalama K: the endin' is just the beginnin' and his latest, Dalama K: the lost chapter. The subject of a Newsweek International article, Prach Ly is the young man from Long Beach who recorded his first CD in his parents' garage, which had risen to the top of the charts in Phnom Penh. He has cultivated a style that mixes non-violent hip hop/rap lyrics with classical Cambodian flute and other eclectic sounds. Ly also illustrates his own CD covers with beautiful sketches merging two cultures, exemplifying the identity of Cambodian Americans. Enlarged reproductions of Ly's drawings will be exhibited during his program.
For more information contact: Kathryn Morton, Cultural Programs Coordinator, Riverside Public Library at (909) 826-5541 or 5213.
Published: Friday, February 20, 2004
