Daily Archives: November 9, 2008

Grace Kim – Playboy Playmate for November 2008

Korean American Grace Kim is the Playboy Playmate for November 2008. Grace is the first Korean centerfold in Playboy history. The Los Angeles based model was a former publicist for Guitar Hero, a video game she also likes to play. You can see some of her Guitar Hero moves here. (The footage may be NSFW.) You can add her as a MySpace friend.

Here’s the entry in her blog post about her selection as Playboy Playmate for November 2008

Okay this is pretty damn funny, I must admit…people in Gamerville are in upheaval b/c they don’t understand 1) why I’m posing nude with a Harmonix/MTV’s Rock Band guitar controller when I used to work for Activision, publisher for Guitar Hero. The main reason is pretty simplistic, actually– when I was asked to bring in both my RB and GH guitar controllers, my thrashed GH one was a mess! I’d crudely etched my name in it, there were crinkly, peeling stickers all over it (you know, the cheesy ones that go with the kit), and the whammy bar was bent (my dog Cubby got to it), so it wouldn’t have made for an aesthetically-looking pictorial.

Then there are those who are a bit confused as to why I made the decision to jump ship from ATVI to pose nude for Playboy if I’m “so in love with musical gaming.” I know it’s a little weird and hard for some people to fathom, since we all know that the gaming industry’s pretty tough to get into since most applicants LOVE games, and I’m especially lucky b/c I had zero gaming industry experience, just a passion for Guitar Hero (when I heard there was an opening in the PR department for the very popular GH account, I never thought I’d get the gig since there were over 100 applicants, many of whom had gaming industry experience, already had worked at Red Octane or ATVI, and ALL of whom had a strong passion and love for the game. I mean, it’s fun as hell! (And with GH:World Tour, I don’t think my friends and I will ever leave the house- you can create your OWN songs? Watch out, Zepagain! New LZ cover band in the house!) So back to the subject- the answer to that is that I simply COULD NOT turn down the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to pose as the first Korean centerfold in Playboy history– no matter how good of a gig I had at ATVI. Even if my parents wouldn’t be happy about it at first, even if my job at ATVI had some pretty damn good perks (although I noticed that after GH:3, and with the lackluster advent of GH:Aerosmith and the DS handheld, my passion for GH kind of dwindled down….and I started playing RB on the side with total gusto….ssh!) Aside from that– hey, testing out the DS and GH: AS prototypes, coordinating pretty cool launch parties, and working with some really cool co-workers who were truly passionate about the game (big ups to Production!) was pretty sweet. But I’m a risk taker, and I knew that I couldn’t say “no” to Holly and Hef when they found me. They personally hand-selected me, and I wasn’t a model, I never was. There was no hesitation. I’m getting a lot of props from people who think it’s a gutsy and smart move (“high five!”- proverbial o’course); then there are people who just need to stop overanalyzing it and/or put down the Hatorade (it’s not your life, you aren’t the one posing butt nekkid, so why do you care so much? especially when I don’t know ya?) Plus, in all honesty, I thought I could balance my newfound parttime gig as a new Playmate and my current fulltime job as a GH publicist and do both without anyone finding out- b/c Holly and Hef asked me to try out for Playmate, RIGHT after I started my first day at ATVI. I tried to do both– aaaaand let’s just say I almost had a freakin’ ulcer…

And THAT’s the real story. 🙂 I know I made the right decision in taking up a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to pose for Playboy(especially in representing not just Koreans, but Asians in general, who aren’t typically in the classy rag much). I just rolled with it, especially since it kind of came out of nowhere, and it was a pretty big compliment (I didn’t submit photos b/c I never thought I could be in it, obviously). I absolutely did NOT do it for the money (ATVI’s salary and perks were excellent). Moreover, becoming a Playmate opens me up to a new host of overwhelming possibilities and endless opportunities (in fact, it became the catalyst for my goal in writing a dating book for guys and dating in LA (kind of like a Leykis 101 through the eyes of a girl born and bred…and now a Playmate- the perfect “wingman,” so to say). I have an education (anyone watch the Bruin game the other night??!) and even if being a nude model doesn’t seem as “stable” or “prestigious” as being an overworked, unhappy but still “publicist for ATVI’s Guitar Hero account”, I have the credentials and education to obtain a 9-5 (or should I say 9-midnight in the PR world) position should Playmate-dom come to a standstill (which I’m putting my money on that it won’t). 😉 (wink!) I owe everything to Playboy and how much it’s changed my life and opened (and strangely, re-opened) doors to so many opportunities. I never have looked back, and I never will.

Btw- something’s that’s been bugging my gamer self- I meant to compare the PS2:PS3 analogy as such: Pinto:Lambo. (the XBOX360 can be compared to a vintage Shelby, and the Wii to an NSX. (I’ll come up with better analogies later, I had my first (hush hush) issue release soiree last night so I’m pretty tired…I’ll spruce up my console analogy later b/c I KNOW it’s buggin’ you hardcore gamers already….sheesh! 🙂 Much Love!

Grace Kim is the Playboy Playmate for November 2008

Asian American Vote Results

CNN exit polls showed that 62% of Asian Americans voted for Barack Obama, while only 35% voted for John McCain. In California, where 6% of the voting population is Asian American, the vote was 64% Obama and 35% McCain. In Hawaii, where 30% of the voting population is Asian American, 68% vote for Obama and 30% McCain. Additionally, studies showed that Asian-Americans were a “deciding factor” in the presidential race in several states including Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington, Virginia, Nevada and Minnesota.

How does this differ from the National Asian American Survey?

National Asian American Survey (NAAS) shows that 41% of Asian Americans are likely to favor Obama, while 24% support John McCain. 34% were undecided. Looks like the undecided Asian American vote went to Obama 2 to 1.

In California, Proposition 8 – Ban on Gay Marriage was evenly split among Asian American Voters (49% voted Yes, while 51% voted No) in the CNN exit poll. There was a big difference here from the National Asian American Survey, where 57% of likely voters favored a No vote, 32% favored a Yes vote, and 11% said they did not know if they favored or opposed the proposition.

All six Asian-Americans in the House of Representatives successfully defended their seat in congressional elections including:

Mazie Keiko Hirono (D) : Hawaii – District 2

Mike Honda (D) : California – District 15

Doris Matsui (D) : California – District 5

David Wu (D): Oregon – District 1

Several other Asian Americans failed to win House seats including:

Edwin “Ed” Chau (D) : California – District 42

Raymond Chui (R) : California – District 13

Navraj Singh (R) : California – District 27

J. Ashwin Madia (D) : Minnesota – District 3

Charles Hahn (R): California – District 29

Hank Eng (D) : Colorado – District 6

Asian American leaders expect president-elect Obama to appoint members of the community in key posts in his administration to reflect the rapidly growing ethnic group. Two names being floated as possible cabinet appointees are Congressman Mike Honda and Former WA State Governor Gary Locke. Preeta Bansal, currently a senior advisor on the Obama campaign, may be considered for the position of Solicitor General in the Department of Justice according to Sepia Mutiny.

Asian Americans, especially new citizens and first-time voters, turned out to vote in record numbers, but many encountered barriers at polling places, ranging from inadequate language assistance, improper requests for identification, and missing names on voter rolls. The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) dispatched over 1,400 attorneys, law students and community volunteers to over 130 polling places in 11 states with large Asian American populations, who recorded voter complaints and conducted a nonpartisan multilingual exit poll.

AALDEF received hundreds of complaints from Asian American voters on their telephone hotline, 800-966-5946, and from their volunteer poll monitors in 11 states: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Illinois, Louisiana, Texas, Nevada, and Washington, D.C. A preliminary list of voting incidents include :

NAMES OF REGISTERED ASIAN AMERICANS NOT ON VOTER ROLLS

RACIST REMARKS AND IMPROPER POLL WORKER CONDUCT

INADEQUATE NUMBERS OF ASIAN-LANGUAGE INTERPRETERS

ASIAN-LANGUAGE ASSISTANCE NEEDED, BUT NOT AVAILABLE

IMPROPER REQUESTS FOR IDENTIFICATION

BROKEN VOTING MACHINES

DELAYS AND LONG LINES/NOT ENOUGH POLL WORKERS

AALDEF Election Protection PSA