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ROCK OF ASIAN: Kollaboration 10 Ticket Giveaway!
Another Kollaboration extravaganza is upon us!
We’re soooo looking forward to the competition (frankly, we’re happy enough just watching the video of the contestants’ group cover of Chris Brown’s “Forever” over and over again), which will take place at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles this Saturday, March 6.
(Okay, maybe we just want to stalk our cougar crush, the ever-adorable YouTube star KevJumba, who is among the judges at the event.)
Get this! As media sponsors of Kollaboration 10, we’re giving away 4 pairs of tickets to readers! Here are the contest deets:
* Intern Jasmine will be judging the event.
* To enter, write a haiku on the subject: “Why Intern Jasmine Is Amazian.”
* Email your entry to info@disgrasian.com.
* Jasmine will pick winners by Friday at 3pm PST.
Here is my entry:
She taught me to tweet
We eat the same comfort food
Pinay pride for life
What’s yours? Good luck and party on!
[Kollaboration: Empowerment Through Entertainment]
Filed under: Abraham McDonald, and Peter Rocks and the Kollaboration House Band, Contests, Cougars, Haiku, Inappropriate Crushes, Intern Jasmine, Joseph Kahn, Just Kidding Films, KevJumba, Kollaboration, Kollaboration 10, Lisa Ling, Los Angeles, Michelle Phan, Nita Song, Patty Yoon, Pigeon John, Rex Lee, Rex Navarrete, Shrine Auditorium, TIcket Giveaway, Tony Rock, Vudoo Soul, We Are Heroes, Young Dudes
Guess It’s Settled: Miley Was Just Smiling With Her Eyes, Really Really Hard
It was announced today that Lucie Kim’s $4 million dollar lawsuit against Miley Cyrus–which we knew in our hearts she would never win–was thrown out by Los Angeles judge Robert Sohigian today.
Fierce. Fierce!
Sohigian “was not convinced Cyrus had violated a state law protecting citizens from discrimination by businesses,” and tossed the case without so much as a stern talking-to about social responsibility, the significance of buck-teef and slit eyes, or a verbal list of things that toothy, chubby-faced Disney troll-models should not do…especially in front of cameras.
So it’s likely that what Cyrus will take away from this experience is a big, fat PHEW! And a cheerful reminder that when you’re famous, you can do really stupid, shitty, racist crap and never, ever be sorry for it.
[AFP: Judge Dismisses Miley Cyrus 'slant eyes' suit]
Source
Thanks, Jasmine and Kelly!
Filed under: $4 million Lawsuit, Annoying Things Celebrities Do, Apologies, Bad Judgment, Fuck 'Em All, Lawsuits, Los Angeles, Lucie Kim, Miley Cyrus, Miley Cyrus Chink Eye, Miley Cyrus is a Disease, Miley Cyrus Lawsuit, Not Sorry, Robert Sohigian
Lynn Chen: The Hotness, the Interview [VIDEO]
Wouldn’t you know it–just days after declaring our lust for White On Rice actress Lynn Chen’s mug, one of us (Diana) bumped into her ever-so-casually while fruit shopping at The Farmers Market!
We sat down for an exclusive, intimate interview about a range of topics, like how she got motivated for her Rice role and how she keeps that face so fucking infuriatingly perfect. Who the hell is that pretty? It’s infuriating. And no, this is not jealousy talking. Shut up. Shut up!
Enjoy!
Now go see the movie!
[IMDB: White on Rice (2009)]
[DISGRASIAN™: BABEWATCH - The Ladies of White on Rice]
xo, Lynn!
Filed under: Actresses, Awkward Interviews, Beautiful Ladies, Exclusive Interview, Farmers Market, It's All About Framing, Jealousy, Los Angeles, Lynn Chen, White on Rice
ROCK OF ASIAN: Woods
As you may or may not know, Los Angeles is burning right now. An uncontrolled blaze is tragic and terrible–but sometimes for Angelenos, the L.A. fire seems like an almost necessary purge of all things impure (and oh, there are many), wiping the slate clean for another magical incarnation.
Perhaps it is this routine that turns fire times into days of anomalous calm, our millions of city dwellers just waiting and watching as thick rolls of gray smoke cloud the sunshine over our strip malls, reminding us that we don’t have as much control over tomorrow as we think we do. And perhaps our dirty deeds will just burn up and blow away.
Fascinatingly enough, it is not the hills of the metropolis engulfed in flame at the moment, but the Angeles National Forest (Non-cellphone-tower trees in our midst. For those of you who don’t believe, trust. It exists). Seems almost appropriate, then, that the album we can’t stop spinning is the latest from Woods, called Songs of Shame.
The Woods are based in Brooklyn, but one of the most infectious tracks on the album is an expectant heartbeat-instrumental called “Echo Lake” (a tribute, we hope, to the common name of a strange urban oasis on our city’s east side, not our neighbor in the Sierras), which could easily be the soundtrack to the day’s fire-calm. The rest of the album is a messy, raw compilation of psychedelic lullabies made distinct by both irregular composition and layered teeny vocal tracks–so small, lilting, and ethereal that they remind me of Miyazaki’s Kodama.
But let’s be real here. Um, hello, the album is called Songs of Shame. Isn’t a record, in its own way, simply a vehicle to purge thoughts and emotions (and arguably in this case, guilt/shame)? If it’s possible for an LP to be custom-made for DISGRASIAN, this would be it.
So why don’t you listen here. Then buy here.
And for those of you whose city is burning, temper your calm with Woods *live*: tonight at the Troubadour or tomorrow night at Echo Curio.
[MySpace: Woods]
[Amazon: Woods - 'Songs of Shame']
Source Source Source
Thanks, Maris!
Filed under: "Songs of Shame", Angeles National Forest Fire, Asian Shame, Calm, Fire, Hayao Miyazaki, Kodama, LA Is Burning, Los Angeles, Morris Fire, Portland Bands, Purging, Starting Over, Tree Spirits, Woods
ROCK OF ASIAN: Nosaj Thing
L.A. beatmaster Nosaj Thing (real name: Jason Chung) was profiled last week by Flavorwire’s Tomas Palermo, who celebrated the young Angeleno as chief among Southern California’s hot bunch of experimental beatmakers (or, more lovingly, “MIDI warriors”).
In this dense Q&A (prepare to take an ego hit if you hear about 35 artist names dropped that you don’t know), Chung emerges as a charming, ambitious electronic producer–a self-confessed web geek whose inspiration comes equally from Chopin and Daedelus, that composed much of his latest and greatest on a laptop while in air transit (an approach we’re happily familiar with).
We’ve tasted his newest tracks, and trust us, they’re delicious–lulling yet alive, dangerously smooth and complex. Now we’re dying to buy his new release, Drift, which drops digitally next week (a week earlier than the CD/LP)–so might we suggest buying the mp3 version if you’re a web geek, too?
[Flavorwire: Exclusive - Nosaj Thing Rides LA’s Post-Dilla Glitch-Hop Wave]
Thanks, Josh!
Filed under: Album Releases, Angelenos, Beat Freaks, Chopin, Daedelus, Drift, Electronic Music, Hot Asian Men, Inspirasian, Jason Chung, Keyboards, Los Angeles, Nosaj Thing, Web Geeks
ROCK OF ASIAN: Maggie Kim
Paris-based Maggie Kim is absolutely stunning to look at, but don’t let that distract you from her many illustrious musical gifts. Kim’s voice drips with desire–a smoky, alluring blend of PJ Harvey, Chrissie Hynde, and something all her own–she adds a knowing, bluesy, quirky, New York-y tenor to lyrics like, “Baby please, come back to me” and “Why don’t you know… I could be yours?” All of this, of course, made the more interesting by an eclectic mix of punk riffs, gentle pop beats, r&b bass lines.
Kim’s newest, an album sweetly entitled, “Love Like Everyone” (which features the production genius of Chris Fudurich and Brent Arnold, as well as an instrumental cameo by Mike Watt) is due for a May release, and she’s in the States to spread the word. If you’re in SF, NYC, or LA for her mini-tour dates this month, and you don’t show your face, you’re a gigantic asshole and we promise you’ll regret it.
Find out more at her official site.
Source
Merci, Maggie!
Filed under: Beautiful Ladies, Brent Arnold, Chris Fudurich, Chrissie Hynde, Ladies Who Rock, Los Angeles, Maggie Kim, Mike Watt, NYC, Paris, PJ Harvey, San Francisco, Voices We'd Like To Hump
Aloha! And Aloha!
Guys, I’m moving to Hawaii. I’m leaving to go eat tiny, delicious hamburger sliders at The Counter. That is, The Counter in Honolulu, Hawaii. If anyone wants my place here in LA, It’s got a ridiculous simultaneous view of Downtown and the Hollywood sign, two avocado trees, two orange trees, an expansive yard, and (sadly) a very annoying neighbor.
Why move, you ask? I just like burgers.
Either that, or I just like first-time restaurateurs:
Mmmmmmmmm…
[via IMDB: Lost Star Kim Opens Honolulu Restaurant]
Filed under: Aloha, Celebrity Restaurants, Daniel Dae Kim, Delicious Things, Hamburgers, Honolulu, Hot Asian Men, I'm Moving Out, Later Skaters, Los Angeles, Lost Stars, New Business Ventures, The Counter, Yum
We Are Not Elephants
The man with a stimulus plan is in beautiful Los Angeles today for a good old fashioned town hall meeting!
And we… forgot to pick up our tickets. Yes, we forgot. So we won’t be there to ask the Prez: “How often do you read blogs? Particularly DISGRASIAN? What kind of role will the stimulus package play in the blogger lifestyle? Do you like DISGRASIAN? In this economy, do you still have time to read DISGRASIAN?”
We know, we know. We’re ashamed of ourselves, too. But just this once.
Filed under: Burning Questions, Forgetting Stuff, Los Angeles, President Barack Obama, Shame on Us, Shame Spirals, Stimulus Package, Town Halls Are So Awkward, Visits, Whooppsie
Harsh Realizasians
It’s difficult to really wrap your head around the reality of the recession when you live in Los Angeles. There are the warning signs–the NYT and CNN coverage is grim, the Thai restaurant you always ordered takeout from closes its doors, the Circuit City on Sunset is suddenly an empty lot. But while listening to the speculation from Washington unfold on the satellite radio in the car, you’re still getting cut off by a brand-new Audi R8 with dealer plates and an Obama/Biden bumper sticker. You’re in bumper-to-bumper traffic on thoroughfares like Robertson and 3rd Street and Melrose, where everybody seems to have time and pocket money for a two-cocktail lunch. Jesus, the end of the street is closed, not because we can’t afford to repair it, but because the fucking Oscars are about to go live–that sort of thing. Looking around LA, one does not see people formerly employed at the car manufacturing plant lining up for 40 available jobs, nor rows of housing foreclosures, nor empty food banks and emptier supermarkets. In this city, yes, the recession is happening. But this place must be so wrapped up in make-believe that it barely feels real.
Even though I loathe watching Oprah, I tuned in for a Lisa Ling’s special report yesterday. She traveled back to her hometown of Sacramento, to investigate a basically-illegal tent city where displaced citizens are trying to keep their lives afloat without jobs or homes.
It’s impossible not to hurt for the people featured in the piece, who were working, middle-class people until they lost their jobs and were forced out of their homes. But what I find most troubling about these very personal stories is the amount of shame each person seems to harbor in their situation–whether it be for dirt on their faces and fingernails, or in their reluctance to burden their children with the knowledge of their homelesness.
These troubled economic times should not be about shame, or about shouldering that shame alone. It’s everybody’s issue, everybody’s loss, everybody’s failure. And this recession is real. Very real.
Want to do something? Click here.
Filed under: America We Have A Problem, California We Have A Problem, Homelessness, Lisa Ling, Los Angeles, Oprah Winfrey, Sacramento, Special Reports, Tent City, The Recession, This Country Is FUBAR
White Bentley Car Chasian
While most of you who don’t live in Los Angeles were sleeping Monday night, we Angelenos were glued to the set, watching a three-hour, low-speed car chase involving a new white Bentley unfold. The chase began around 8 pm, not long after the driver allegedly assaulted his girlfriend with a deadly weapon in North Hollywood, and wound its way all over the city (on the 101, 5, 10, and 405 Freeways) before ending near its start point, by Universal Studios.
It’s difficult to explain to non-La La residents why car chases–high-speed, low-speed, ones involving stolen U-Hauls–are so compelling. Part of it is that we live in our cars. Part of it is that we live in a sunny “It’s All Good” bubble that is only punctured–and called into question–by calamity, whether it’s by fire, mudslide, earthquake, or car chase. It’s a Didion-esque way of looking at the world; the dream is held together by the underpinnings of disaster.
The White Bentley Car Chase was particularly narrative-friendly, because of the make of the car. Internet rumors quickly spread that the driver was Chris Brown. When the driver finally stopped in Universal City and cameras actually captured his face, the story changed. It wasn’t girlfriend-beater Chris Brown after all, but Miami-based DJ Khaled. So not only was the driver rich, but he was famous, too. How very L.A.
Once the driver stopped, he sat in his car for an hour-and-a-half, surrounded by cops, before shooting himself in the head. He later died at a local hospital.
As it turns out, the driver of the White Bentley was a “businessman of Pakistani origins.” He was probably rich, but he was not famous, until, of course, the few hours before his death. He was not famous until he put a gun to his head in the shadow of the movie studio whose first European production was Fahrenheit 451, a movie about a dystopian future wherein television is killing free thought. He was not famous until his last moments were uploaded a dozen times on YouTube. He was not famous until he shot himself in a $100,000 car, right next to one of the largest Toyota dealerships in L.A., one that promises on its website “to provide you with the car of your dreams.”
How very L.A. indeed.
Filed under: Chris Brown, DJ Khaled, Fahrenheit 451, Holy Calamity, Joan Didion, L.A. Car Chases, Los Angeles, Low-Speed Car Chase, Mistasian Identity, White Bentley Car Chase, White Bronco
Ka-Changlish
The Wall Street Journal reported a few days ago on a very interesting phenomenon taking place in L.A.’s Koreatown:
“In Los Angeles, You Say, ‘Hola!’ I Say, ‘Ahn-nyung’
These days, English isn’t the second language of choice anymore for some immigrants settling in the U.S. In the city that is home to the country’s largest foreign-born population, many Spanish- and Korean-speaking immigrants are choosing to learn each other’s language before they tackle English.
…More than a courtesy, the language exchange is born out of economic necessity…
…Students like Han San Lee spent more than two hours enunciating “uno, dos, tres…” and other Spanish words and phrases beamed on a screen from the instructor’s laptop. As the manager of a garment factory in L.A.’s fashion district, Mr. Lee says he’s too busy to study English since moving here from Korea seven months ago.
…Among the Mexican workers at the Galleria grocery is Rúben Hernandez. In three years he has risen from an apron-wearing bag boy to a necktie-sporting front manager, thanks to picking up Korean informally from his colleagues and friends. The 30-year-old immigrant also speaks English. But, because he spends the day dealing with Koreans, “I think I speak Korean just as well as English now,” he says.
This is why I love America.
Click here for full story.
Filed under: Cross-Cultural Pollinasian, Ka-Changlish--A Hybrid of Spanish and an Asian Language Spoken Out of Economic Necessity, Koreatown, Los Angeles, Multiculturalism Can Be More Than Lip Service
