Daily Archives: June 5, 2008

Anna May Wong profiled on TCM

As part of the Race & Hollywood: Asian Images in Film, Anna May Wong is profiled tonite on TCM. They will be showing a documentary about her life – Frosted Yellow Willows: Her Life, Times and Legend. If you don’t know, Anna May Wong is the first female Chinese-American movie star and the first Asian American to be an international star. She accomplished this while the Chinese Exclusion Act was still going one. Even people in China knew her as a major Hollywood celebrity.

Here’s a synopsis of the documentary

With disarming sensuality and commanding presence, Anna May Wong defined the role of the “Dragon Lady.” Narrated by Nancy Kwan, Anna May Wong ~Frosted Yellow Willows: Her Life, Times, and Legend is a story about a Chinese American woman who endured many hardships and heartaches to become an international film star. From humble beginnings in a Chinese laundry, she went on to star in pictures such as Technicolorʼs Toll of the Sea (1922), E.A. Dupontʼs Piccadilly (1929) and Josef von Sternbergʼs Shanghai Express (1932) with Marlene Dietrich. Never one to rest on her laurels, Anna would utilize her fame to aid her country and the country of her ancestors during times of war. Her body of work establishes her as a true pioneer of early cinema.

Along with the documentary, the following films will be shown as well: The Toll of the Sea (1922), Old San Francisco (1927), Piccadilly (1929), Daughter of the Dragon (1931), Shanghai Express (1932). Interestingly enough, the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival spotlighted Anna May Wong back in 2004.

Watch the promo for Anna May Wong

Kickin’ It In Geumchon with the EV Boyz

Kickin’ It In Geumchon is the first music video from the EV Boyz about a little town called Geumchon. Christian Zonts, Mike Nance, and Brian Peterson ― call themselves the EV Boyz named after their employers, English Village. These English instructors from the US wrote a song about their experience teaching abroad in South Korea. The Beastie Boy like song is pretty catchy. The video shows footage of different things you can do in Geumchon and the food and drink you can eat in Korea.

Watch Kickin’ It In Geumchon

Here’s the lyrics to Kickin’ It In Geumchon by the EVBoyz

Intro:

This song goes out to all the waygooks lookin’ for the place to be

Chorus:

Kickin’ it in Geumchon, Oh, Oh

Komsomnida, Annyong Haseyo

Kickin’ it in Geumchon, Oh, Oh
,
Komsomnida, Annyong Haseyo

Kickin’ It, Where? In Geumchon Where?

In Geumchon. Where? In Geumchon Where?

Kickin’ it in Geumchon, Oh, Oh

Verse 1:

South Korea’s got Jeju, South Korea’s got Seoul

Busan and Ilsan if that’s how you roll

But when you work at EV, and live in Paju

Then the town to get down is 15 minutes from you, How do I get there?

Hop on the 900 bus

I use my T-money card so there’s never no fuss

Jump off at the station, or shall I say “yuk”

Are you fluent in Korean? No I got a phrasebook

Pang Pang, now we’re off to the races

To the backstreet market checkin’ out pig faces

Octupus on sale, squid 2 for 1

Let’s hit the waterpark for fun in the sun, I got my swimcap!

Baskin Robbins and Pizza Hut

Knock Domino’s down then slam Dunkin’ Donuts

Geumchon rocks, then it rocks some more

The street meat is sweet and corndogs galore

Chorus:

Kickin’ it in Gumcheon, Oh, Oh

Komsomnida, Annyong Haseyo

Kickin’ it in Gumcheon, Oh, Oh,

Komsomnida, Annyong Haseyo

Kickin’ It, Where? In Gumcheon Where?

In Gumcheon. Where? In Gumcheon Where?

Kickin’ it in Gumcheon, Oh, Oh

Verse 2:

Sometimes it’s spelled with a G, I’ve seen it spelled with a K

Sometimes it’s spelled with an E, I’ve seen the E go away

But regardless of spelling, pronunciation’s the same

The town’s so explosive, Boomchon could be it’s name

The movie theater keeps it real with no subtitles

But we never go cuz there’s no subtitles

But birthday party time it’s so simple to rally

We alls grab our balls at the bowling alley

Then to the Sky Golf hittin’ nothin’ but net

The locals wanna wager but it’s illegal to bet

If your mouth is dry, or if your throat’s got a tickle

Part for the Family Mart, to lick a popsicle

Hungry for bibim bop? The choices never stop

The spice is so nice could make a tear drop

We dedicate the bridge, but not in haste

To the cabbage that we ravage with the chili paste taste

Bridge:

Kimchi, Kimchi, it is good for you and me

Kimchi, Kimchi, it is good for you and me

Kimchi, Kimchi, it is good for you and me

Kimchi, Kimchi, it is good for you and me

Pre-Verse 3:

Kickin’ it

In Boomchon

Kickin’ it

in Boomchon

Verse 3:

When I go to Geumchon, I look at all the hotties

Those ahgashis, they got the hottest bodies

The padded bras, the high heeled shoes

Hey ladies? Can I buy you some brews?

Drinkin’ Cass-uh, drinkin’ Hite-uh

Feelin’ alright-uh, drinkin’ all night-uh

La festa’s no longer the best

Ride your scooter to Guemchon and head over to Zest

The barman’s got flair, flippin’ bottles in the air

Tom Cruise in Cocktail can’t even compare

Upstairs at Posse yogurt soju’s flowin’

Plus Froot Loop balls and the roofdeck’s blowin’

Nature videos while I’m singin’ my song

Number six one three seven at the local Noraebong

Want a night on the town? Wanna spend some won?

Come kick it with us, come kick it in Gumcheon

Chorus:

Kickin’ it in Gumcheon, Oh, Oh

Komsomnida, Annyong Haseyo

Kickin’ it in Gumcheon, Oh, Oh,

Komsomnida, Annyong Haseyo

Kickin’ It, Where? In Gumcheon Where?

In Gumcheon. Where? In Gumcheon Where?

Kickin’ it in Gumcheon, Oh, Oh

Take Out Movie coming to NYC

This is a great film. If you are in NYC, go watch the film this weekend.

Take Out is a day-in-the-life of Ming Ding (Charles Jang), an illegal Chinese immigrant working as a deliveryman for a Chinese take-out shop in New York City. Ming is behind with payments on his huge debt to the smugglers who brought him to the United States. The collectors have given him until the end of the day to deliver the money that is due. After borrowing most of the money from friends and relatives, Ming realizes that the remainder must come from the day’s delivery tips. In order to do so, he must make more than double his average daily income.

In a social-realist style, the camera follows Ming on his deliveries throughout the upper Manhattan neighborhood where social and economic extremes exist side by side. Intercutting between Ming’s deliveries and the daily routine of the restaurant, Take Out presents a harshly real look at the daily lives of illegal Chinese immigrants in New York City.

Fro yo wars heating up in San Francisco

Over the weekend, about 8 Quickly cafes across the San Francisco Bay Area added frozen yogurt to the menu with more locations coming soon. Quickly is known for its tapioca milk tea and has over 2000 locations globally. Look for fro yo coming to a Quickly near you. Not a bad way for Quickly to capitalize on the fro yo trend and potentially increase business across all Quickly locations.

None of the Quickly locations are near Yul Kwon’s Red Mango shop.

Here’s a Quickly commercial