We told you about Margaret Cho’s new album Cho Dependent in our Fall 2010 issue. Now she’s just released her latest video, “Lice,” featuring Ben Lee. This is what Cho says about the icky-titled song:
“I wrote this song with Ben Lee who I absolutely worship. He helped me so much with the album and I can never thank him enough. He send me the instrumental when I was in Morocco last year, and recovering from a rather mild case of head lice. I didn’t know what the song was yet, but then I thought, write what you know. I know about head lice. I love how the song came out, and Jack Rudy’s harmonica is a perfect punchline. Thanks to Kevin Avery as the louse!!” — Margaret Cho
Ready for it? Here it is:
The Asian American community got together for this PSA to encourage all of us to get out and vote! Featuring Tzi Ma, Elizabeth Sung, Amy Hill, Francois Chao, Nebula Gu, Katherine Iniba, Amy Hill and Megan Lee, directed by Mark Niu.
It’s time to exercise your rights! Get out and vote TODAY!!!
Former ER writer Shannon Goss, in her third installment of a continuing series, talks about life as a modern Asian American hapa woman.
I am not the person you want to hang something on your wall. Sure, I can hold up a frame, but if you ask me to hammer in the nail, be prepared to see your fabulous piece of art at a jaunty angle. Or, as I like to call it, wabi sabi.
Years ago, my parents introduced me to this Japanese worldview. Difficult to translate, it’s essentially the art of finding beauty in all things imperfect, which is in essence, all things. You, me, the chip in your favorite coffee mug, and everything that hangs on the walls of my humble abode are wabi sabi.
Since incorporating “wabi sabi” into my vocabulary I have found it to be a useful and convenient way to explain away the areas where I’m less skilled. Less useful is the word “mantastic,” which despite my best efforts I have yet to work into my everyday vocabulary.
New plants not evenly spaced? Wabi sabi.
Crack in my ceramic napkin holder? Wabi sabi.
Off-center lettering on a homemade card? Yup. Wabi sabi.
Brett Favre returning as a Minnesota Viking? Okay, that’s mantastic. However, his interceptions? Wabi sabi. I realize this isn’t exactly the correct usage, but it does illustrate that the Wrangler-hawking quarterback isn’t perfect. Although I think he made that abundantly clear when he threw the ball to Tracy Porter in the NFC title game last January. Note to the non-football fans: Porter was on the other team.
Regardless, I love the idea that we (Hall of Fame bound athletes included) are imperfect beings surrounded by imperfect things (in his case a less-than-perfect offensive line) that are meant to be accepted and celebrated (Viking fans would disagree on this one). As someone who has spent years attempting and subsequently failing at perfection, this is a relief.
Another aspect of wabi sabi is the acceptance of life’s impermanence. Whether it’s relationships, championships or my favorite Lily McNeal sweater, everything is transient. I should mention that my sweater’s life was cut short thanks to an absentminded laundry maid (me) who accidentally threw the sweater into both the washer and dryer.
Accepting my imperfections and life’s impermanence is not something I do gracefully and based on Favre’s return to the NFL, I would say he and I have that in common. The difference is that 300-pound men try to prevent him from doing his job whereas I only have to stare down my own psyche, which, while it may feel like a linebacker, is not. But then again, I also don’t have 64,000 screaming fans encouraging me. The enthusiasm of one loyal dog does not provide the same rush.
But I will continue to work toward this allusive acceptance of all things imperfect.
As it says in Taro Gold’s book, Living Wabi Sabi, “Appreciate this and every moment, no matter how imperfect.” But for the sake of my pals who are Viking fans, I hope those imperfect moments are less frequent than they were last year.
– Shannon Goss
Come join Audrey Magazine for the Spring 2011 launch of Anh Volcek’s debut collection for her women’s wear line L’une at Los Angeles Fashion Week.
French for “one,” L’une is about becoming one with your clothes, and to that end, Volcek creates a line of dresses that are as comfortable as they are beautiful. The Parsons School of Design honor grad honed her old world draping techniques in Paris from a patternmaker who worked for Dior and Louis Vuitton, before fine tuning her skills at the couture house of Koji Tatsuno and Lapidus. The Vietnamese American designer, who was born at sea on the Pacific Ocean in 1975, has also worked at Calvin Klein, Nautica and Gap.
Missed Audrey’s Night Out, or just want more fashion? Join us at L’une’s debut this Thursday, October 21! Just RSVP at rsvp@lunecollection.com.
Wanna see your photo in print? This is your last chance to show us what “winter” or “the holidays” mean to you! Maybe snow angels? Maybe partying it up on New Year’s? Maybe all the resolutions you failed to keep in 2010?
Regardless, we want to see it! We want to see what “winter” (specifically, December through February) means to you, whether it’s the holidays, New Year’s, even Valentine’s Day! You just might get your photo into the next issue of Audrey Magazine!
Submit your photos that in some way reflect the Asian American experience as well as the theme of “winter.” You don’t have to be a pro, so submit your photo to editor@audreymagazine.com by October 25, 2010. To submit, please see instructions below.
We’re looking forward to seeing your work!
Submissions
Images should be in digital jpeg format, at least 300 dpi resolution and 2400 pixels on the long end. Along with each image, please include your name, location and an explanation of how your image relates to the theme. Only submit photos that you’ve taken yourself. Please do not digitally alter your photos, besides cropping and applying basic tonal adjustments. Send your photos to EDITOR@audreymagazine.com, maximum three entries per person.
Legal & Releases
By submitting, you are granting Audrey Magazine permission to publish your submitted photos online and/or in print with your photo credit. You must be 18 or older to submit; if you’re under 18, a parent or legal guardian can submit on your behalf. We cannot accept photos of “recognizable” people in your photograph without a personal release signed by the person, authorizing our publication of the photo.
We here at Audrey are huge fans of Lynn Chen. She made a red carpet and catwalk appearance at Audrey’s Night Out, and blogged about her experience here. Instead of participating in the debauchery of the after party, she went around posing with the vintage cars at the Petersen Automotive Museum. She is so refreshing!
Her turn as the uptight older sister to Karin Anna Cheung’s more … shall we say … morally carefree sister in The People I’ve Slept With (the title says it all) was classic, but if you want to see another side of Chen, you have to go get White on Rice, out on DVD today.
The disc is loaded with never-before-seen features, including a documentary film of the Japanese premiere, deleted scenes, and a voice cameo by legendary actor Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead, Spider-Man 3). White on Rice was born of collaboration between Dave Boyle (Big Dreams Little Tokyo) and lead actor Hiroshi Watanabe (Letters from Iwo Jima, The Last Samurai), who worked together in Boyle’s first film. “I knew right away [Watanabe] had the comic charisma to carry a lead role in a comedy. He’s the only guy who could pull of this role, and I’m proud of our work together on the film,” said Boyle.
The Honolulu Advertiser calls the film “A Satisfying Comedic Feast,” while the San Francisco Chronicle said the film was “A cinematic milestone.”
Check out our interview with Lynn Chen here. Chen plays the love interest of Jimmy, a misguided 40-year-old divorceé trying to navigate his way through a new life (and find a new wife) in America out of his sister’s basement.
Hiroshi Watanabe (Jimmy) on the left and Justin Kwong (Bob) from Dave Boyle's "White on Rice."
Check out the trailer here: WHITE ON RICE-THEATRICAL TRAILER from Dave Boyle on Vimeo.
For more information on the film, visit: http://whiteonricethemovie.com
To watch the first five minutes of the movie go to:
http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/independent/whiteonrice/
A continuing series by former ER writer Shannon Goss.
If I could travel back in time and have a tête-à-tête with my kid-self, I would say, “While in college, go on a study abroad. You’ll think your world revolves around what happens stateside, but it doesn’t. And while you’re at it, learn a foreign language. Oh, and take more creative writing classes.”
I would also add: “There are guys who won’t treat you right and will break your heart. Wait it out. Good things happen during the writers’ strike of ’07.”
At that point, my kid-self would ask, “What do you have to do with a writers’ strike?” And that’s where I, self-proclaimed nerdy square-pants, get to look cool in front of my younger self.
As a kid, I had Tiger Beat posters on my wall. I wrote fan letters and, like Joanie, I loved Chachi. According to my diary, I also loved John Stamos.
So, when I joined the ER writing staff, I got to meet the guy I first knew as Blackie on another hospital show. After dropping the “John Stamos is my co-worker” bombshell, I imagine my kid-self would gloss over the fact that I landed a coveted job I had long pursued and go straight to, “Why aren’t you two married?” My kid-self apparently has an inflated sense of how much mojo I have as a grown-up.
I would explain that I have a boyfriend who I love very much. Boyfriend? As recently as college I imagined my 30s to include a husband and children, to which I say “boyfriend and dog” are the new “husband and children.”
So while my kid-self bombards me with questions about why I’m not yet married, I would distract her with tidbits such as: The man who created your favorite show, Laverne & Shirley, guest starred on this ER show (which made Jo Polniaczek’s boyfriend on The Facts of Life a huge star). And during a table read you will get to read opposite him. That’s right, kid-self; you will run lines with Garry Marshall.
And speaking of The Facts of Life, your second episode of ER featured Charlotte Rae, TV’s Mrs. Garrett. You will have and use Mrs. Garrett’s phone number.
I’m not sure how my starry-eyed younger self would handle this onslaught of awesomeness. To know that as an adult I would live blocks away from the man who played Jameson Parker’s brother on the TV show Simon & Simon?
“You mean, the guy who played AJ Simon’s brother? The AJ Simon I named my gerbil after?”
“Yes, that guy.”
Side note: I just realized Jameson Parker is two years younger than my parents. It’s a little weird to think that had things worked out as I had once hoped, I’d be married to a full-fledged member of the AARP.
Life is funny. I may not be able to hold a conversation in any other language or say I have ever lived abroad, but I can say that I’ve met Judd Nelson. And that’s saying something.
– Shannon Goss
Photo by Kiino Villand, courtesy of Style Section L.A.
Check out this cool story about the unofficial Filipino Fashion Club, made up of some of the hottest names in fashion on the West Coast, including Los Angeles Times fashion editor Melissa Magsaysay, WWD west coast chief Marcy Medina, designers Oliver Tolentino and Monique Lhullier, Michelle Ravelo-Santos, the west coast PR manager for W Hotels, and Decades owner Cameron Silver (who is not so much ethnically Filipino as he is culturally apparently):
http://www.stylesectionla.com/area/article/2010/10/08/filipino-fashion-club
I don’t know about you, but home exercise DVDs are pretty useless for a non-athletic workout-phobe like me. I mean, working out is a huge chore, and when it comes to chores, there are plenty of them around the house (wash the dishes, organize files, read mags, give yourself a facial). Plus, you’re at home, so there’s no one busting your butt about holding that pose or going for one more rep.
Dancer Andrea Lin’s exercise DVD, Dance a GoGo: Sexy Nightclub Workout Ultimate Edition, on the other hand, is a whole different story. For these provocative moves, home is the best place to practice. Seriously, until you perfect her swaying, sashaying, ka-powing, you’re not gonna want to take this public. But once you do, these moves will have all eyes in the club on you, not just because you’ve got some serious dancing cred now, but I’m pretty sure all that hip swiveling and pelvis thrusting is giving your core one serious workout.
After all, Lin’s got “sexy” and “nightclub” down. She’s danced for everyone from Britney Spears and Madonna to Li’l Kim and Dave Chappelle.
And it’s not some boring 1-2-3 how-to. No, Lin pretty much throws you into the fray. So just go with it. Simulate, don’t imitate. Have fun. Let go. It’s a cool version of Christina and Meredith in the apartment after a badass surgery.
Here’s a taste:
Get ready to groove on New Year’s, or shock that cutie in IT at your office holiday party. We’ve got five DVDs to give away to five lucky readers! Just comment by Wednesday, October 13, 11:59 p.m. and retweet for an additional entry. As always, you must have a U.S. mailing address to win.
Good luck!
Audrey contributor Tamae Ishii shot some very stylish Asian Americans at New York Fashion Week last month. Here, some of our favorites and why.
This is “how to wear your cocktail dress for day” 101:
Sheer polka dot tights are hot.
Why this works: Camel-toned accessories (a staple in daytime chic), a faded denim jacket and rugged lace-up booties tone down what could have been an evening-only piece in her closet. Try something similar with your favorite cocktail dress!
Next, we have a lesson in mixing it up at night:
Plush meets hard-edged.
Why this works: The plush brown wrap takes an otherwise typical all-black evening ensemble into the current season. (That hardware-embellished bag doesn’t hurt either.) Don’t be afraid to mix it up — it’ll keep you warm at night, too.
When in doubt, go grey:
Grey leather.
Why this works: An instant update to all your outfits, leather is especially a standout in an atypical hue like grey. Pair it with the season’s pencil skirt, and you’re pretty much set.
Another shot we really liked:
Shiny slippers are so cool, but oddly enough, I think the best part of this look is that bright red chair contrasting with his geek chic look.
And of course, nothing makes a statement better than a broad smile. Work it like Joe Zee, creative director of Elle magazine …
Joe Zee, creative director of Elle magazine.
… or Kelly Choi, host of Bravo’s Top Chef Masters.
Kelly Choi.
– Tamae Ishii
