Monthly Archives: April 2008

Weekend Box Office results – Harold and Kumar 2 and Forbidden Kingdom

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“Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay” debuted at No. 2 with $14.6 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. The sequel cost only $12 million to make and is close to beating the theatrical take of $18.2 million for the first “Harold & Kumar” movie. In its second week of release, “Forbidden Kingdom” held on to 3rd place in box office receipts. However, the film debut at #1 in China this past weekend.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. “Baby Mama,” $18.3 million.

2. “Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay,” $14.6 million.

3. “The Forbidden Kingdom,” $11.2 million.

4. “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” $11 million.

5. “Nim’s Island,” $4.5 million.

6. “Prom Night,” $4.4 million.

7. “21,” $4 million.

8. “88 Minutes,” $3.6 million.

9. “Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!”, $2.4 million.

10. “Deception,” $2.2 million.

Also important to note are that both “Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay” and “Forbidden Kingdom” were not produced by major studios. Hopefully, Hollywood executives recognize these box office results and will start producing more films with Asian and Asian Americans in the main roles. Asian faces on the big screen can draw. We hope the upcoming movie “The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor” will yield similar esults.

Where did the funding come from?

Forbidden Kingdom

Casey Silver Productions (US)

Relativity Media (US)

Huayi Brothers (China)


Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay

Mandate Pictures

Kingsgate Films

New Line Cinema

If you want to see more Asian Americans on the big screen, keep voting with your dollars by watching these films. Vote for Harold and Kumar!

29th Annual Asian Pacific American Heritage Festival

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The Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans, a nonprofit organization based in New York City announces its 29th Annual Asian Pacific American Heritage Festival with free outdoor music and dance featuring the most exciting traditional and contemporary Asian American artists. The festival is the largest Pan-Asian event on the East Coast. The Asian Pacific American Heritage Festival features music and dance showcases, arts & crafts, martial arts demonstrations, children’s fair programs and Asian delicacies. The event will be on Saturday, May 10th from 12-6 p.m. at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza on East 47th Street and 2nd Avenue just steps away from the United Nations and Grand Central Station.

This year’s festival will be co-hosted by the following:

Ti-Hua Chang – Investigative Reporter, WWOR/My9

Nina Pineda – Reporter, Eyewitness News Team

Michelle Yu – Sports Reporter, NY1 News

Minya Oh – News Director, Hot 97

Eliot Chang – Comedian

The festival features performances by Soh Daiko, C. Eule Dance, DVL Dance, Misnomer(S), Taiyo Na, Hsunami, Makalina’s Hawaiian Express, Yosakoi Dance Project and Bollywood Axion.

Event: 29th Annual Asian Pacific American Heritage Festival

Date & Time: Saturday, May 10, 2008 from 12-6 p.m.

Place: Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, East 47th Street & 2nd Avenue, New York

See what the festival is all about:

Brenda Song sues over escort ad

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Brenda Song, star of Disney’s Suite Life of Zack & Cody, was pictured in an escort ad in the back of LA Weekly last week. A Disney rep told TMZ that “This is an unauthorized use of Brenda Song’s image and her personal attorney has issued a cease and desist to the advertiser.” Here’s the ad:

The ad clearly tarnishes Brenda Song’s image and the person that put the ad together can’t spell. For the record, Brenda Song is not Hawaiian. She’s half Hmong and half Thai.

As of Friday, Brenda Song has filed a lawsuit against Vibe Media for “illegally and shamelessly” using her picture for an escort service ad. She’s asking for $100,000 in damages. See the lawsuit at TMZ.com. We think Brenda should sue for more!!!

Here’s Brenda Song as London Tipton on “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody” :

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Newport Beach Film Festival Asian American Entertainment Panels

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ALTRA Magazine has teamed up with the Newport Beach Film Festival to kick off their “Asian Films Cinema” showcase, by hosting two separate discussion panels to honor successful Asian American Media and Entertainment professionals in the US. All Seminars are FREE and seated on a first come, first served basis. Attend them today if you are in the area.

The first panel is the post screening Q&A of the film West 32nd, scheduled to take place at 3:15pm. Director Michael Kang, Producer Teddy Zee, and cast members including Hans Kim will be in attendance. This session will allow audiences to interact with the filmmakers in order to gain a better understanding of the film and its portrayal of New York City’s Korean American community.

1st Panel Location:

Edwards Island Cinemas – Screen 6

999 Newport Center Drive

Newport Beach, CA 92660

The second panel “Insights from Asian American Entertainment and Media Professionals” will feature both successful and rising Asian American professionals in the Entertainment and Media industries with the following speakers:

Bill Imada – Chairman & CEO of IW Group Inc.

Janet Yang – Producer, Dark Matter, The Joy Luck Club, The People vs. Larry Flynt

Camille Mana – Actress, Smart People, Equal Opportunity

Simon Yin – Actor, VJ of the channel formerly known as MTV Chi

Ron Oda – Writer/Director, Asian Stories Book

2nd Panel Location:

Edwards Island Cinemas – Screen 1

999 Newport Center Drive

Newport Beach, CA 92660

Watch the trailer for the Newport Beach Film Festival:

The festival’s Asian Films Showcase will start on Monday, April 28th at 7pm, featuring renowned films from Asia and the US. The post-screening celebration will be held from 10:30pm – 1:30am, at Fury lounge. Here’s a list of Asian films playing during the festival:

Korea

Hellcats (Ddeugeoun geotsi joa)

4/28/08 – 7:30PM – Edwards Island Cinemas – Fashion Island

West 32nd

4/27/08 – 2:00 p.m. Edwards Islands Cinemas- Fashion Island

Road to Holland (short film – 16 min)

4/28/08 – 5:15PM – Edwards Island Cinemas – Fashion Island

(Within “Expect the Unexpected Shorts” Program)


China

Slam (China)

4/30/08 – 4:00PM – Edwards Island Cinemas – Fashion Island

Up the Yangtze (China)

4/28/08 – 8:00PM – Edwards Island Cinemas -Fashion Island


Japan

Accuracy of Death

4/25/08 – 2:30PM – Edwards Island Cinemas – Fashion Island

4/28/08 – 3:30PM – Lido Theater – Newport Beach

Always: Sunset on Third Street 2 (Always Zoku San-Chome No Yuhi)

4/28/08 – 7:00PM – Edwards Island Cinemas – Fashion Island

5/1/08 – 12:30PM – Lido Theater – Newport Beach

Big Man Japan (Dai-Nippenjin)

4/26/08 – 3:45PM – Lido Theater – Newport Beach

Love My Life

4/29/08 – 3:30PM – Edwards Island Cinemas – Fashion Island

5/1/08 – 1:45PM – Edwards Island Cinemas – Fashion Island

India
Before the Rains

4/29/08 – 6:00PM – Lido Theater – Newport Beach

Amal

4/30/08 – 8:30PM – Edwards Island Cinemas – Fashion Island

5/01/08 – 8:30PM – Edwards Island Cinemas – Fashion Island

Lucy Liu leaves Mafia to get Dirty Sexy Money

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According to Hollywood Reporter, Lucy Liu may be leaving “Cashmere Mafia” for ‘Dirty Sexy Money’. “Cashmere Mafia” may not be renewed for a second season due to low ratings. The show was also one of the very few with an Asian couple. Where does this leave Jack Yang, who played Jason Chun, Lucy Liu’s love interest on Cashmere Mafia? Stay tuned.

See the one of the much talked about kiss between Lucy Liu and Jack Yang toward the end of the clip:

Lucy Liu also did an arc on “Ugly Betty.” She will also be the voice of Master Viper in the upcoming film “Kung Fu Panda” this summer.

Baby

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Baby

The DisOrient Asian American Film Festival is screening “Baby” as its Centerpiece film. Last year the film was the Official Selection the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, Los Angeles VC Film Festival, Chicago Asian American Showcase, and the San Diego Asian Film Festival. At the Los Angeles VC Film Festival, the film also won the SPECIAL JURY PRIZE BEST EMERGING ACTOR: DAVID HUYNH and SPECIAL JURY PRIZE BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE: BABY. If you are in the Eugene, Oregon area, check out this film.

Movie Synopsis

Baby is the tragic tale of an Asian youth trapped in the world of East Los Angeles gang life. Our story winds through the streets of Monterey Park and Alhambra and the seedy, dead end worlds of hostess bars, pool halls and drug dens.

Baby is a motherless, poverty stricken teenager with only an alcoholic father left to raise him. Things get worse when he gets mixed up with a pack of older gangsters who live next door. At the age of eleven he gets convicted of manslaughter and spends the next six years in Juvenile Hall.

Once released from prison, Baby struggles to fit into a society that rejects him. He soon finds his way back to a lifestyle of drugs, murder and street gangs. A lost love and a best friend are his last hopes to turn his life around before it is too late.

Watch the “Baby” trailer