Top Chef: Seattle winner Kristen Kish.
Congrats to Korean American adoptee Kristen Kish, who has taken top honors on Top Chef: Seattle. The show, hosted by Indian American model Padma Lakshmi, had its finale tonight, and Kristen killed it with her Snapper with Leeks, Little Gem Lettuce, Tarragon, Uni and Shellfish Nage. With her win, she is the second woman to win Top Chef. Yes, she’s gorgeous — she of the swan-like neck, tomboy ‘do and model-like limbs — but what made us love her even more is her determination to discover her roots. “In the very near future, a trip to Korea for me,” she said, teary-eyed.
Freida Pinto at the Trishna premiere.
Trishna opens tomorrow! Freida Pinto talks Trishna below, courtesy of Gitesh Pandya, boxofficeguru.com.
Q: Take us through the process of how you became involved in the project. What attracted you to it and to the role of Trishna?
Freida Pinto: When I was told that Michael Winterbottom would like to meet me to discuss his new film project, I obviously jumped on the opportunity. He is one of those rare directors who makes films by boldly attempting and embracing any given genre. I was already familiar with Thomas Hardy’s 19th century novel Tess of the d’Urbervilles and the idea of having it set in contemporary India was absolutely brilliant and apt. I was pining to sink my teeth into a hardcore independent project and Trishna came along.
Now that Downton Abbey is done, I’m in some serious need of a good ol’ fashioned love story. I’ve been looking forward to Freida Pinto‘s next film, Trishna, due out next Friday, but now I, along with you, our Audrey readers, can watch the movie for FREE and talk to Freida Pinto herself about the film!
I took a dream vacation last month. Not to some tropical hideaway surrounded by crystal clear waters. Not to a romantic European capital overflowing with crumbling palaces and fine wine. No, I went on a shopping vacation. To Korea.
Shopping in Myeongdong, an old part of town revitalized with everything from nouveau Korean street food (french fry-covered corndog and french fries on a stick, anyone?) to cutting edge indie boutiques to Seoul's flagship Uniqlo store. Photo from flickriver.com.
For me, Seoul is the place to go to shop. Tokyo – too expensive. Singapore – too western. Hong Kong – too inconsistent. While Seoul may not be the bargain it used to be, the quality of goods and quantity of goods make it a shopper’s dream. So when my husband told me he was going on a once-in-a-lifetime Pebble Beach weekend with the boys, I took that as my cue to plan a once-in-a-lifetime-solely-to-shop-without-the-hubby trip with my mom.
They way we used to fly. Passengers on a Pan Am 307 Boeing in the 1940s. Photo courtesy of State Library and Archives of Florida.
It’s been a dozen years since I trekked around Asia for 100 days. Back then (those pre-9/11 days), airfares were relatively affordable and service in-flight still decent. I remember getting to know a flight attendant fairly well on one of my frequent flights on United as I flew from Hong Kong to Hanoi to Manila to Singapore, all via Narita Airport in Tokyo. He’d give me full bottles of wine from first class and move me to empty rows.
Five years ago, I was on another United flight, this time to Seoul. Relatively roomy seats, even in economy, and individual video monitors filled with games, movies (even Korean ones) and TV shows helped pass the time quite pleasantly on the 13-hour flight. They even offered paper menus to let us know what the “chef” had prepared for our flight. Things were still pretty good.
Ah, those were the days.
In our Spring 2012 issue, we feature Six Taste, the largest and highest rated food tour company in Los Angeles founded by USC alum Jeff Okita. Our writers got mushy on their Valentine’s Day tour and a pipin’ hot Thai Town tour. Now’s your chance to check out their “Shamrocks and Green Shots” tour, just in time for St. Patrick’s Day.
On March 16, from 5 to 10 pm, stroll Little Tokyo/Arts District (who knew the area was so Irish!) with a group of friends ready to imbibe. Check out green tea donuts from Cafe Dulce, pesto pasta from Fat Spoon, and the green tea pudding at Aburiya Toranoko. Drinks include Green Sangria, Green Iced Plum Wine from Izakaya Fu-Ga or green draft beers from Xlixe and District.
We know you love yourself some Jin Akanishi, so pick up Audrey’s Spring 2012 issue with our exclusive interview with him. Also catch him live for his U.S. album, Japonicana, debut and Five City Concert Tour.
WHEN:
Fri. March 9 – Los Angeles- Club Nokia
Sat. March 10 – Vancouver – Centre for Performing Arts
Mon. March 12 – Honolulu – Hawaii Theatre
Thurs. March 15 – New York – Best Buy Theatre
Sat. March 17 – *Venue Change*- San Francisco – The Regency Ballroom
INFO: Please visit www.jinakanishiusa.com for more concert tour information.
Are you passionate about telling the stories of Asian America, from news to products to people?
Are you a creative thinker who goes above and beyond to get the job done?
Do you have good interpersonal skills, including interviewing on camera?
Are you a social media rockstar, able to maneuver through the world of Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and WordPress?
If so, then come join our team of dedicated, hardworking, fun staffers to put out the nation’s premier Asian American women’s magazine! Audrey Magazine is looking for an ONLINE MANAGER/ASSISTANT EDITOR! This is a rare opportunity indeed, so spread the word!
The ONLINE MANAGER must:
- manage the production of Audrey Magazine’s online content, from communicating with writers and photographers to editing and scheduling blog posts
- attend events and functions on behalf of Audrey Magazine.
- interview celebrities on the red carpet and photograph and/or video-record events and functions.
- coordinate with PR and marketing groups for story content.
- assist and work together with editorial staff to produce stories on both print and multimedia platforms (online, YouTube, etc.)
If you think you qualify, send us the following to EDITOR@AUDREYMAGAZINE.COM by MONDAY, MARCH 12, 2012:
1. Cover letter
2. Resume
3. Three writing samples — a feature story, a profile, and a blog post reviewing a restaurant or product, or discussing a topic relevant to Asian America
4. Two professional references
Hope to see you soon!
The style-cognoscenti have been holding their breath waiting for H&M‘s latest designer collaboration with Marni, due out March 8. Here’s a look at the launch party last week held in Los Angeles, hosted by Marni’s Founder and Creative Director, Consuelo Castiglioni; the Director of the Marni at H&M campaign, Sofia Coppola; and Margareta van den Bosch, H&M´s Creative Advisor. Among the 200 guests were Frieda Pinto, Winona Ryder and Drew Barrymore.
Frieda Pinto in Marni at H&M.
Every year, I resolve to keep the resolutions I make come January 1, and every year — usually around January 14 — I break every last one. Well, this year, it’s not even February and already I’ve accomplished three! Granted, some of my turnaround has to be attributed to my job; I’m taking credit for the accomplishments nevertheless!
It’s Teetotal Time
Maybe it was the over-partying I did over the holidays. Or maybe it was Assistant Editor Janice Jann‘s eye-opening feature story in our Winter 2011-12 issue about the dangerous effects of binge drinking on Asian women, but my Ketel One martinis have not been very appealing lately. In fact, it’s been almost an entire month and I have had nary a sip. I feel cleansed, I’m less bloated, my skin isn’t so dry anymore, and I have more energy. We’ll see how long this keeps up — there are a number of birthdays looming on the horizon — but for now, I’m feeling mighty good about myself.
For Eyes
It’s been ages since I’ve gotten my vision checked, which probably explains why I haven’t been able to appreciate our new plasma TV — my glasses were so scratched and so outdated, it was like I was living in a Vaseline-smeared world. So when the opportunity arose to interview an optometrist, let’s just say, my eyes were finally opened to the sharp reality of my existence. Yes, I no longer squint, but yes, I can no longer obscure the fact that the face looking back at me in that mirror is a far cry from 32.
The good news is my new vision prescription allowed me to indulge in some new eyewear, which these days is practically as important an accessory as shoes. My favorite? The Derek Cardigan eyeglasses from Coastal.com. It’s perfectly big but not cartoonishly oversized, and the nerd in me adores the multiplication and division signs at the temples. Another plus? It does a better job at hiding my wrinkles than that $200 tub of eye cream.
Entertainment Upgrade
You know you’ve devolved into some form of boob tube Neanderthal when a tabloid headline reads “Will Ashley choose JP or Ben?” and you know exactly what they’re talking about. Determined to claw my way out of pop culture purgatory, I bit the bullet and switched over to DirecTV. (Good riddance wretched cable companies!) Essentially, I had about a half dozen weekends of marathon television, but not just any television. Breaking Bad, Dexter, Game of Thrones — my gawd, does entertainment get any better? But the highlight was by far Season 2 of Downton Abbey. Sure, the clothes weren’t as good as in Season 1 (a dreary war will do that), but the mischief and romantic angst (Lady Mary and Matthew Crawley!) rivaled those of any Korean drama. And then there’s the brilliant Maggie Smith who always seems to steal every scene she’s in.
The Crawley sisters in all their sartorial finery.
You can buy Downton Abbey, Seasons 1 and 2, here.
