Yun Jin Kim

Wow... I must thank Yun Jin Kim for providing me with most of my hits. Almost everyone that stumbles upon my page seems to be coming here because of her photograph. I just wonder if these guys actually read my blog or just "right-click" and "save" the image they want... then move on to the next site. *sigh*

...

you're right, I doubt they actually read the blog.

In other news, I went to my first casting agency "Central Casting" in Burbank today. I turned in my forms and got my photograph taken. I really doubt I'll have as much luck as my female friend, who got a call from the agency 3 hours after getting her photo taken. She is now doing background work (atmosphere acting) for CSI: Miami. Lucky girl. I'm just fortunate to have attractive friends. AHahahaha.

21 movie unfair to America and it's cultural history.

What is the connection between John Wayne's "The Conqueror" released in 1956 with the recent gambling movie "21" in 2008?

If you guessed "whitewashing history" then you get a cookie. A lot of people have called it racism, while other say it was just intelligent casting. Those who say it's intelligent casting reason it's because Jim Sturgess (a UK actor who starred in "Across The Universe" [ATU]) can attract viewers. Those who enjoyed his performance in ATU, which are women (probably below age 21) and guys who enjoy musicals will watch this movie too. Nuff' said.

This reason goes hand in hand with the idea that he will give the studio more of a return on their investment than a Asian-American actor, much less a whole ensemble cast of Asian-Americans. This same tired line was probably first used when John Wayne wanted to play the role of Genghis Khan in "The Conqueror." Believing a white lead will make more money than an Asian lead, and let historical facts be damned.

To be honest, I've read a lot of bulletins and arguments regarding this topic. The defenders of the movie argue that:

1) It's all about money and they are just protecting their investment.
2) The story is about gambling and the ethnicity of the students wouldn't have mattered for the movie, which is also to say that it wouldn't have mattered in real life.
3) The MIT Blackjack team was a club/organization/business that had multi-ethnic and both sexes for its members.

Which is what the book (eventually the movie) drew its inspiration from and nullifying any reason why Asian-Americans should feel cheated by MGM, it's Producers, and Casting Directors. The very reason I am writing this blog is to clarify and shed light to the people in the dark. To let them see why Asian-Americans feel cheated and insulted, along with vandalizing the rich cultural history of America.

1) The MIT blackjack team was multi-ethnic. It started with Strategic Investments, which eventually failed. Then a spin-off called the "Amphibian Team" was created. From the Amphibian team, another spin-off called the "Reptile Team" was created by Jeff Ma and Mike Aponte. It was this team called the "Reptile Team" that the book is based on. This team was all Asian-American and was the most successful team in the history of the MIT Blackjack team (to date).

You can even reference it from the Discovery Channel Special "Breaking Vegas." Where they were mentioned briefly. Go to TIME CODE 4:32 - 4:43 on this youtube video called "Breaking Vegas Part 18 of 19."


Mike Aponte, better known as MIT Mike and one of the legendary players the book and movie is based upon even had this to say about "Breaking Vegas" in an interview with Blackjackinfo.com.

RS: How accurate was the Television Show "Breaking Vegas"?

Mike: It was a bit dramatized, which was to be expected. One thing that struck me was that "Breaking Vegas" was based on Strategic Investments and the show made it seem as if everything was great on SI. They glossed over the fact that in the end Strategic Investments failed, and didn't make much money. The show made it seem as if Strategic Investments dissolved because the team decided to move on to other things, but the reason it broke up was because SI didn't do very well.

Even the TV show glossed over the actual team that the book and movie was inspired by, completely glossing over the fact that the most successful team in the Clubs History was an Asian-American team who was able to evade the casino security the longest, which enabled them to win more money in a longer period of time.

2) Yes, the story is about gambling. But ignoring the ethnic backgrounds of the MIT Reptile Team would be to ignore the very reason why they succeeded. Along with the conflicts and drama that comes along with the risk they placed themselves in. Ignoring their race is ignoring who they are, how they grew up, and any influence their family or heritage had in making them achieve that status.

I explained it like this to my younger sister.

Imagine YOU became the first woman to set foot in Mars. Then they made a movie about you, but instead of an Asian-American actress to play you, they cast a black-male or a white-female-tomboy. Having those changes in the script and character, changes the story. It negates the obstacles you had to overcome to be the first PERSON to set foot on Mars. May they be challenges due to your sex or ethnicity. It also takes away any advantage you may have had or used, to achieve your goal of setting foot in Mars.

Being a writer, I understand how changing the sex or ethnicity of a character dramatically changes the "story." Which is why the movie "21" becomes formulaic and boring. Although it was #1 for 2 weekends in a row, I doubt it will go any farther than that, since most of the reviews for it are not too flattering.

3) To argue that the studios was just protecting their investment is baloney. Protecting their investment cost them 2 weeks on the #1 spot, but will now go down in history as another Hollywood movie that is racist, bigoted, and had casting discrimination. Then to make matters worse, will probably lose the Asian and Asian-American fan base that would have bought the DVD in support of the all Asian-American cast... that the studio didn't have the balls to cast.

MGM studios also missed an opportunity to make history and try casting an Asian-American ensemble cast and bet that it would succeed in the USA and in international markets. Because if they had done so, they would have had the support of Asians and Asian-Americans as being visionaries who made a movie about an extraordinary achievement by Asian Americans. Instead, they will now be seen as bigots and thanks to the Internet, people... (not just Asian-Americans) will ask the denizens of the world to boycott this movie. Just like VELCROFATHOMS of youtube who is not Asian-American, but understands how insulting it is to white-wash history and achievements by people of color in American History.


I can go on and on about how disappointed I am with:
MGM Studios

Its Producers:
William S. Beasley .... executive producer
Dana Brunetti .... producer
Michael De Luca .... producer
Ryan Kavanaugh .... executive producer
Brett Ratner .... executive producer
Kevin Spacey .... producer

and Casting Agency:
Lauren Grey (as Lauren Gray)
Francine Maisler

These are the people who had the power and control to make the important decisions that we are debating today. I personally don't blame the actors for this faux pas, but one actor I am disappointed in is Kevin Spacey who was an actual producer and could have had an influence in making sure it was an Asian-American cast.

If any of you doubt my reasoning and research, please view the links/sites below to understand where I found my material.

Articles:
Genghis Khan and John Wayne Review by SOMA
Blackjackinfo.com - Complete interview with Mike Aponte (AKA: MIT MIKE)
WIRED Magazine - Hacking Las Vegas
MIT NEWS - Film loosely based on MIT blackjack team opens Friday
GOLDSEA - Asian American Mike Aponte Inspiration for Box Office Topper 21
The Yale Herald - Do you know where the Asian leading men are?

Wikipedia Articles:
MIT Blackjack Team
21 (2008 Film)

Youtube.com videos:
Breaking Vegas
Jeff Ma on KRON 4 with Gary Radnich
Jeff Ma on SiTVdotCom during the movie premiere.
Mike Aponte on FOX 5 news
Mike Aponte on Ultimate Blackjack Tour (UBT)

I hope this article shed some light as to why there is so much controversy about this movie and why you should avoid it in theaters and DVD. Not only because of its bigoted casting, but because of its negative reviews that it's a cookie cutter movie and nothing fresh comes from it. Something they could have avoided if they used and Asian-American cast that had the conflicts and dilemmas of Asian-Americans who were expected to get a degree in Medicine or Engineering, only to graduate (or drop out) with millions of dollars due to their skills in Blackjack.

So I hope I enlightened you today with another Euphemism.

Money = Reason for Bigotry.

I love my Honda Civic!!!

Alright. So I finished working on the SAP and Microsoft commercial in San Francisco. After which, I decided to take a vacation and visit Las Vegas. According to google maps, it is 529 miles to Las Vegas from San Jose.


View Larger Map

So I decided to fill up my tank and head south for the desert.


On my way down, I saw the wonderful Wind Farms of California.

Then half-way through the drive, I realized that I have the potential to beat my prior driving record from Las Vegas to San Jose (non-stop). Last time, I was able to get 433 miles and nearly got stranded in the desert. Due to the fact that I decided to skip a gas station with my reserve tank. Once the reserve light turns on, it can only take me 30 - 33 miles; then two seconds after my light turns on, I drive past the exit for a gas station then a sign that says, "Next Gas Station 36 miles."

Luckily, I made it to the gas station. Fast forward to the present and coming up to Barstow (California); Which I decide to drive past, knowing that Baker (California) is the next city over. I figured that I had one gallon left before the "Empty Tank" light turns on and I can refill at Baker, California. What I didn't know was how FAR Baker was from Barstow. Then I see a sign that says,Baker 45 miles away. Then I knew.
View Larger Map


I figured I was okay, but suddenly the light comes on at 410 miles, then doing the math realized that I need to get to Baker within the next 30 miles or risk being stuck in the Mojave Desert or walk several miles to the nearest gas station to fill up my gas tank. I figured it can be done, I just can't use the brakes and continue traveling at my current speed on cruise control. So I kept driving at 85mph down the freeway and swerving through traffic to make sure I don't use my brakes to slow down my momentum. After some tense moments climbing a few hills I finally made it to Baker and filled up my tank.





There I noticed that I was able to get 448.2 miles on one tank. Being a nerd that I am, I was amazed that I was able to make my car run so efficiently. Not only that, beat my own record of distance. In six hours I was able to drive 448.2 miles to Baker, California. Proving that driving 80 - 85 MPH is just as fuel efficient as driving at 60 - 70 MPH, provided that you don't use your brakes too much and continue using cruise control. Once I filled up my tank, I was able to continue on to Las Vagas with Baker on my rear view mirror.

Freestylers!!!

Oh ya! I really think that these videos have to be shared with everyone. These are some of the rehearsal videos I took on set.

Amazing Freestylers

So I worked on a commercial for SAP and had the great opportunity to meet and learn about Freestyle Soccer/Futball. I've never heard of it, but after watching it. I was impressed and now a fan of the sport. I was fortunate enough to hang out with these athletes and didn't even realized until later that one of the guys was the current European Champion of the sport. The athletes were wonderful people, they were humble and easy to talk to... After the production, we went and toured San Francisco along with going to a nightclub. Below is the link for the website of the current European Champion... "NAM the Man."

http://www.freestylesoccerera.com/

There is a hole in Belize waiting for me.

I am obsessed with this gaping hole in Belize, just waiting for me to go in it. It's just there waiting for me to dive into it's wetness.

What hole am I talking about?

What's her name you ask?

Well, her name is "The Blue Hole."

Why? What were you thinking of sewer rat? Get your mind out of the gutter and into the ocean. This seems like a beautiful and scary dive destination. I'm no dive master, but I am a sucker for thrills. Slowly descending down a dark hole in the middle of the ocean is a scary thought. Especially when you have to be really good at buoyance control during this dive. If you don't, then you will either sink into oblivion or over compensate and inflate your vest to get back to the surface. A big mistake!

Because if you panic and rise to quickly and with out decompressing... well, you might as well sink into oblivion, because that can also kill you. If you are not a diver, just look up "The bends" and "Nitrogen Poisoning."

These are the things that make diving one of the most dangerous sports/hobbies in existance. Yet, I love it.

Here it is on google maps:

View Larger Map

A close up view:

How to cook Lengua (tongue). Filipino and Mexican style.

One of my favorite hobbies is cooking. Most people assume I learned from my mother, but I actually learned from my father who is an excellent cook. I learned how to make Adobo and various forms of Sinigang (a tamarind stew) from the man. When I moved to college and got my own place, I became a cooking beast. I would experiment with whatever crap I had in my fridge and attempt to make something that seemed fancy and full of flavor.

In hindsight, I really wished I documented those experiments to share with you at this time. Sadly, they are lost in time.

FEAR NOT! I actually documented the labor it took to cook Lengua. That's Beef Tongue to those mono-lingual readers out there. Why Lengua? Why not?!?! When I went to Philippines I tasted a dish that they called Lengua, with meat that just fell apart in your mouth, soaking in a delicious mushroom sauce. When I asked what the meat was, due to the texture being "different" from the meats I've eaten before, I was blown when they informed me it was Beef Tongue... They being my aunt and her cook.

[Don't ask]

Anyways!!! People kept warning me how tough it was to prepare, much less make. Being the stubborn person that I am, I chose not to listen to them and look up online various suggestions on how to make Lengua. Here is what I learned:

Step 1: Prepare the meat. Go to your local butcher shop or Asian Market and ask for Lengua or Beef Tongue. The usually come fresh and whole.I suggest taking the portion you can eat, then freeze the remainder.

Wash the meat with cold water.

STEP 2: Boil Water in a pot (or pressure cooker). Throw in the meat and leave it for about an hour and a half.
[NOTE: It really depends on the amount of meat you throw in the pot. Pressure cookers can cut that time in half]


Sadly, I don't own a pressure cooker. So I had to settle with this.

STEP 3: Peel off the skin/outer membrane. You see all that white stuff on the right? Peel all that off. What remains is what you see on the left.


STEP 4: CUT or DICE the pieces. This is where I went to two directions, Filipino Version and Mexican Version.

For the Filipino version, I created long thin slices of the softened lengua.
For the Mexican version, I diced them into cubes.


STEP 5: Do what you want! From here, you can cook the lengua in an form.

MEXICAN -
When I wanted to make it Mexican style for a quesadilla. I decided to take some olive oil, garlic, onion, salt, and pepper and stir fry it with the boiled lengua.

After that is cooked, I take a quesadilla/buritto wrapper and heat it on the pan. Where I melt some cheese on one side and throw in the meat on the other. Then I fold it up to create my quesadilla.


Philippines -
For this version, I just got a can of "Cream of Mushroom" then mixed it with the lengua. AFTER... I sauteed it with some oil, garlic, onion, pepper, salt, and a soy sauce. The end product being this.


[NOTE: If you add more soy sauce, it will get a darker color.

Change to the page

I'm beginning to realize that being anonymous in a blog can be boring... I'm considering making it more personal and write more about myself... what do you guys think?

Moving to LA

Okay. So I haven't made a blog entry in a week. I have a good excuse. I moved to Los Angeles, CA. I made the move due to my interest in pursuing a career in film and entertainment. I didn't get too many opportunities in the bay area, except for a few commercial work... which I hope becomes a regular gig for me.

So instead of stating the obvious as to why I moved to Los Angeles after Film School, let me tell you about my last week in San Jose, California. It started with a farewell party on Sunday. Correction. A BBQ/Potluck. I had friends whom I haven't seen in 11 years show up to bid me farewell for Los Angeles. It was amazing to see some of my closest friends from the past and present have dinner with me. The event lasted for 12 hours, when we eventually quit drinking, while others sobered up enough to drive home.

Then on Wednesday, April 2nd I went out to dinner with some more friends at HANA Sushi on El Camino and Bowers. Great sushi restaurant!!! Order the Pinapple Roll, trust me. Anyways. After we stuffed ourselves at the restaurant, we returned to the TILE HOUSE (my house) where we drank and played drinking games till 3 AM... AGAIN!!! Then my friend Jeff and I took some of our friends home, then Jeff passed out in his room. Leaving me to walk home alone. LoL.

Then, my friend Jason (my old house mate) treated me to dinner and we caught up with each others lives. There we discussed how everyone he knew was married, except him... where I proceeded to let him know that he's lucky he knows me and my other friends. Because out of MY group of friends... I only know ONE guy who is married. *whew*

Then Friday night, the night before I was to drive to LA... I was invited to a Birthday party in Club Voodoo in downtown San Jose. Again, the gang got together... Where we drank and partied till 2AM... where I then continued to pack when I returned home at 3AM till 6AM. After my nap, I was really regretting going out the night before. Oh well!!! Thats how we roll.

THEN THE DRIVE TO LA...

After an uneventful 4 hours on CA-152 and I-5, the grapevine happened. Halfway through the Grapevine, which is a section of the Interstate 5 (I-5) that winds through the mountains which eventually leads you to the Los Angeles Valley... Anyways, back to my story.

Halfway through the grapevine, I begin to get stomach pains in my stomach which I later realize/diagnose as Acid Reflux from lack of food. Since the only thing I ate on the road was 2 cans of energy drinks and a handful of trail mix. This was due to my lack of interest to stop anywhere along the way to eat or fill up on gas... since my car can drive from San Jose to Las Vegas on one tank of gas and in only 5 hours. =)

Eventually, I make it to LA and have a late night snack and begin to unpack. Only until today (4 days later) have I finished unpacking. My room looks somewhat normal now.

Living in LA

Now that I've moved to Los Angeles, I've gotten several warnings about road rage and how people get shot in the freeway (I-710 especially). Due to gangsters inciting road rage amongst other drivers, only to shoot them when they get the chance. Lucky for me, road rage is a thing of my past. I also keep hearing how ghetto Long Beach was... not until I realized my neighborhood was only several blocks from Compton did that settle in. So far so good. I've been cruising around at night looking at late night shops and found a nice place near Cal State Long Beach, its called "Cha for tea." In fact, I'm sitting here right now. They have food and milk tea drinks... the food is good, but the Milk Tea's and coffee are a little too expensive for me, but it does taste good. but I am still a QUICKLY and CREMA Cafe of San Jose FAN!!!

Anyways, I had breakfast meeting with some friends and met some industry people. Where I basically met a guy who worked on STARGATE and 24. I also had a chance to meet a director from Norway, who does music videos. I'm not quite sure if I know most of his work, but he had some good advice, not to mention a real humble guy. It was cool meeting people from the industry and several actors I won't mind working with in the near future. Things look promising, as a matter of fact, I am already invited to a few parties next week. Hopefully, I can make some more friends... because as of right now. All my friends are either working or living in Central LA, which is quite a distance away. Oh ya... I'm here at "CHA for Tea" sitting alone in a cafe, typing on my laptop and catching people glance at me as they wonder, "Why is he here alone?"

As if sitting alone is a thing weird people do... but as I look around and notice how everyone is with a friend, partner, or group of friends; I begin to realize that sitting alone in a cafe isn't for weird people, its just for losers like me who have no friends. *pout*

Enough self pity... I thought it would be a while before I return to the Bay Area.... but I just got a call yesterday which makes "a while" stand for a week. As fate would have it, I was asked to work on a commercial this weekend. YAY for work. Stay tuned on my life in LA.

First there was "Seven Samurai" which became "The Magnificent Seven. Then "The Ring" and more recently "Internal Affairs" which became "The Departed. Now, the American Film Industry has began to remake romantic movies from Asia.


Below are two trailers. One is the original Corean(Korean) movie trailer and the second is the American remake trailer with Elisha Cuthbert. I don't know about you, but the American remake doesn't seem to have the same chemistry and odd couple pairing as the original. Elisha doesn't seem to be the right fit for an alcoholic musician. While Jesse Bradford seem too good looking and clean cut to play Charlie Bellow and fall for a crazy girl like Elisha's character (Jordan).

I think the original movie got it right, where they cast a pudgy and average joe type of actor to play the lead. An element missing in the Hollywood remake. Hollywood must be running out of ideas to take romantic films from Asia. I personally think that Romantic Comedies are some of the best things Hollywood puts out on a constant basis. Yet, if you are going to remake a film... would it be too much to ask that they cast Asian-American talent when recreating Asian Films? How about taking a risk and using talent that more closely resembles the original actor's traits and attributes.

When they remade Le Femme Nikita into Point Of No Return, did they cast a black woman to play the lead character? No. They cast Bridget Fonda. Why not cast Asian American Actors and Actresses for this remake. For the female part alone, I can think of several women. The first one would be Yunjin Kim from Lost or Grace Park from Battle Star Galactica. Any suggestions on the male lead?

I must admit, a few Asian American stand up comedians come to mind. Comedians like Eliot Chang or Bobby Lee. Men who have comedic timing and a charming face. I wonder if the casting director considered this during pre-production. Anyways, you be the judge. Check out the trailer and leave me a message to tell ME what you think.




Original Corean Film:


American Remake:

Potential Race Riot at a Spelling Bee Competition

Ahahahaha! This is hilarious! You have to watch this kid. I bet he thought the judges were playing a joke on him. I wonder if he thought he would get his ass whooped by all the black people in this event after the competition was over. I bet his parents thought, "Oh shit!"

See for yourself:






Now that you've seen the video. Here is the real word.
- According to the freedictionary.com
ne·gus
n. - A beverage of wine, hot water, lemon juice, sugar, and nutmeg.

- According to Wikipedia.com
Negus (Ge'ez ንጉሥ, nigūś, Amharic nigūs; cf. Tigrinya ነጋሽ negāš) is a title in Ge'ez, Tigrinya, Tigre and Amharic, used for a king and at times also a vassal ruler in pre-1974 Ethiopia and pre-1890 Eritrea. It is subsequently used to translate the word "king" in Biblical and other literature. It is a noun derived from the ancient Semitic verbal root N - G - Ś meaning "to reign."

In more recent times it was used as an honorific title bestowed on governors of the most important provinces (kingdoms): Gojjam, Welega and the seaward kingdom (where the variation Bahr Negus 'King of the Sea', was the ancient title of the ruler of present-day central Eritrea) and later Shewa.

Both uses and the imperial dignity would meet in the person of a regional prince, Lij Kassa Hailu, third youngest son of Dejazmach Hailu Wolde-Giyorgis, Governor of Qwara province, by his second wife Woizero Attitaggab, who rebelled against Empress Menen and her son Ras Ali II the Viceroy, in 1845 and spent the next nine years alternating between rebellion and submisison until he was proclaimed as Negus at Amba Chera, (19 September 1854), and after the battle of Derasge proclaimed himself Emperor 8 February 1855 and was crowned as Tewodros II, at Derasge Maryam the next day.

NOW... I only wonder if the look of shock on the kids face was the look of...
"Oh shit! I got it right."
or
"Oh shit! I'm not going to get my ass whooped."