Lots of cool videos from Japan for the Toyota IQ. We don’t think they used any special effects for the videos. Although, they may have used some effect for the “cleanup” video. Watch the easy parking (also watch the one they try to leave the parking spot too.) For soccer lovers, the heading & shooting videos are great. For frisbee players, try to play catch with your car. There’s a total of 7 videos. See it below.
TOYOTA iQ Commercials from Japan
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If you don’t know who Zero Kazama is, you will this year. Japanese American Zero Kazama in the new host of MTV’s Silent Library. (We posted this last year – MTV Japanese game show host wanted). The first season of Silent Lbrary has 20 episodes. And from what we’ve seen, it’s gonna be hilarious. Look for it sometime in June 2009.
If you were watching SpikeTV’s “Deadliest Warrior” yesterday, you saw him as the Yakuza weapons expert for the “Yakuza vs Mafia” episode. We’re not done yet. He does movies too. Zero Kazama is in the upcoming movie “Dark Island,” a sci-fi/action movie shot in Vancouver. (Kinda has some LOST-like elements.) Not only did he have the lead role in the film, but he was also the stunt coordinator.
It hasn’t been a easy road for him to get where he is today. Zero’s blog offers great insights behind the scenes in the Hollywood industry. (There’s also sneak peeks of MTV’s Silent Library.) Trying to break into Hollywood is not always as glamorous as it seems. Tune into MTV’s Silent Library in June 2009 and support Zero Kazama.
Zero Kazama Interview with channelAPA.com
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Dark Island Trailer
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Controversy has arisen over the past few months over racial bias in M. Night Shyamalan’s “Whitewashed” Casting of “The Last Airbender.” The controversy is about to kick up another notch. Thousands of people have already signed the petition to “Protest the Unethical Casting of “The Last Airbender“. Secret Asian Man got involved with the protest too. Check this comic strip out.
Recently, MANAA (Media Action Network for Asian Americans) has issued an official press release “PARAMOUNT DISCRIMINATES AGAINST ASIAN AMERICAN ACTORS FOR MOVIE ADAPTATION OF ASIAN-BASED TV SERIES” (In 2003, MANAA got the show Bonzai pulled from FOX.)
With all the protest, the Asian American blogs and twitters are lit up with a site racebending.com, an information site for the protest against Paramount Pictures’ upcoming live-action movie THE LAST AIRBENDER. This website intends to provide information about why we should protest and how you can help. Asian Americans have already faced the white washing of casts in 21 and Dragonball Evolution. Hollywood has got to stop this!!
Recently, the racebending.com store on Zazzle got shut down by Viacom, parent company of Paramount Pictures, for copyright infringement. Read more about the whole experience on the blog here. Some of the products have been restored, but the protest only gets louder online. A YouTube channel has now been created to faciliate the ongoing protest here. The protest will not be silenced. If you want to get involved, but don’t know how, go here and you can help the cause.
The Last Airbender Movie Boycott — Intro
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Update:
18mmw presents the World Premiere of “AVATAR: The RACE BENDER” with ALL NEW material! Check out the show on May 7 and May 10, 2009 in Los Angeles. More details here.
David Choi first official music video is here.
Back in March, we learned that Wong Fu Productions and David Choi were collaborating on a music video. (We even got a chance to talk to the guy from Wong Fu Productions about it.) Last month David Choi and Wong Fu even made a teaser video with “behind the scenes” footage.
Well, the “Won’t Even Start” music video is finally here for APA Heritage Month. Great job by everyone involved. What’s even more impressive is Wong Fu Productions shot and edit the music video just weeks before they showed it at ISA SF 2009. These guys work hard. (Also love the product placement for Nice Guy gear in the video).
Other interesting facts on the music video:
The budget for this video was just a few hundred dollars. It was shot in 2 days.
The supporting characters are David Choi’s friends.
Check under the video for the Director’s concept
If you like this song, it is available on David Choi latest album “Only You“. If you like the Nice Guy gear, pick it up from the Wong Fu Productions store. Support theys guys if you wanna see more collabos.
Won’t Even Start by David Choi x Wong Fu Productions
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Directors’ concept:
For those that didn’t get it totally, here’s the full concept behind the video.
David and Lana are both sitting in this white room. We also show them going on with the rest of their lives (hanging out w/ friends, shopping, meeting new people) but they are still always in this room together. The idea is that, no matter where we go and how we move on in life, we’re still always somehow connected to that special someone we were with, in a frozen place and time. In this video, that place is the white room; and here in this place, David explains (sings) to Lana that if he were to see her again, he wouldn’t try to talk to her.
Towards the end of the video, we see them switch positions as well (David was on the right, at the end he’s on the left). We also show each of them revisiting each other’s locations. (Lana went to the bball court, David went to the salon, etc). This could imply that maybe they did try to find each other again, but missed. Now in this suspended white room, he gives up, and she watches him go.
Cool collabo between singindork888 and Jane Lui. (You may recognize Jane Liu from her participation in Kollaboration.) “Happy Together” is a great upbeat song for hump day. If you like The Turtles, even better. ALso kind reminds us of the collabo for “What a Wonderful World” with David Choi and Kina Grannis.
“Happy Together” by singindork888 x Jane Lui
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