Daily Archives: May 8, 2008

Yao Ming wants top 8 finish in Beijing Olympics

According to the Associated Press, Yao Ming wants the Chinese Olympics Basketball team to advance from pool play into the quarterfinals of the Olympics. China was drawn into a tough group and their top two players (Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian) are recovering from injuries.

If Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian are healthy, China will have a strong presence on the court. Yao Ming had surgery in March to repair a stress fracture in his left foot and said his rehab is on schedule. Yao Ming last played Feb. 24 and said he needs to play in “a couple” of exhibition games with the Chinese this summer before they face the US team on Aug. 10. Yi Jianlian missed the final eight games of the regular season with a sprained ligament in his left knee. Hopefully, Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian get better in time for the Olympics.

Yao Ming was hobbling at this press conference in April:

19th Annual Corporate Dinner

The Chinese American Service League’s (CASL) 19th Annual Corporate Dinner Benefit “Building Futures. . . Housing Dreams” takes place at the Hilton Chicago. This year’s event will include a Special Asian American Fashion Show featuring the works of nine different Chicago area designers. Held in conjunction with the celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, the event is expected to attract more than 500 leaders from Chicago’s business community and raise over $250,000.

Here’s some of the Asian American designers for the fashion show:

Cyndi Chan (www.malabarboutique.com)

Michelle Tan (www.michelletan.com)

Medini Joshi (www.helenyi.com)

Anna Fong (www.anna-fong.com)

Calvin Tran (www.calvintran.com)

Kevin Vong (www.kevinvong.com)

Sujata Gazder (www.sujatagazder.com)

Vatit Virashpanth & Itthi Metanee (www.vatititthi.com)

See a sample of the designers:

The Home Song Stories

The Home Song Stories is the true story of Rose (Joan Chen), a glamorous Shanghai nightclub singer, who struggles to survive in seventies Australia with two young children. Based on writer/director Tony Ayres’ own life, it is an epic tale of mothers and sons, mothers and daughters, unrequited love, betrayal and secrets.

This film has been shown at film festivals around the world and has won numerous wards including Best Original Screenplay and Best Director for Tony Ayres. Joan Chen also won the Best Actress award from the Torino International Film Festival, 2007 Inside Film Awards, 2007 Australian Film Institute Awards, and 2007 Golden Horse Awards. “The Home Song Stories” was the Australian entry for nomination consideration in the Foreign Language Film category of the Oscars.

If you are in the Los Angeles area, you can catch “Home Song Stories tonite. This is the Closing night film for Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival 2008 and the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival 2008.

Watch the Home Song Stories Trailer:

APA Month Day 8 – Sandra Oh

Born and raised in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Sandra Oh is a two-time Genie Award-winning (Canada’s Emmy), Golden Globe Award-winning and a three-time Emmy Award-nominated Canadian actress. Since the age of four, she has been involved in entertainment including ballet, theater, and improv. Her first major role was in CBC television film The Diary of Evelyn Lau. Her performance brought her a Gemini nomination for Best Actress and the 1994 Cannes FIPA d’Or for Best Actress. A year later, Sandra won her first Genie (Canada’s Oscar) for her leading role in Double Happiness, a bittersweet coming-of-age story about a young Chinese-Canadian woman.

She moved to Los Angeles in 1996 to begin the first of seven seasons as Rita Wu, the smart and sassy assistant on the HBO comedy series Arli$$, for which she won the final Cable Ace award for Best Actress in a Comedy. Her other television work also includes the acclaimed series Six Feet Under, Further Tales of the City, and Judging Amy. Among her feature film credits are The Night Listener, For Your Consideration, Three Needles, Long Life, Happiness & Prosperity, Under the Tuscan Sun, Sorry Haters, Rick, Bean, Guinevere, The Red Violin, Waking the Dead, Dancing at the Blue Iguana, The Princess Diaries and Pay or Play. Her lead performance in Last Night, won her a second Genie Award for Best Actress, and in 2003 the enormously successful feature film Sideways, earned her a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

A talented and driven actress, Sandra Oh is also a Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award winner and has also received two Emmy Award nominations for her role as Dr. Cristina Yang on the hit series Grey’s Anatomy. With all the awards, she knows that she is one of the few Asian actresses in Hollywood recognized for her talent. Although her success in Canada opened doors for her, she still experienced many difficulties in Hollywood based on her race. Getting a lead role in the US is much more difficult than in Canada. The Hollywood entertainment industry always want to keep her in the supporting roles.

Sandra Oh talks about being Asian American on the set of Grey’a Anatomy:

Watch Sandra Oh as Dr. Cristina Yang in Grey’s Anatomy on Thusday nights at 9pm/8pm Central on ABC: