DEPT Pop-arazzi
STORY Olivia Ouyang
ISSUE FALL 2012
Go On, NBC
Suzy Nakamura plays teacher’s pet to Matthew Perry’s class clown in the highly anticipated return of the Friends’ star to NBC.
Suzy Nakamura
Matthew Perry (Friends) returns to NBC as Ryan King, a sports newscaster who loses his wife in a texting and driving accident. Ryan thinks he’s ready to go back to work, but his boss, played by John Cho, is insisting that he go to therapy. Ryan reluctantly complies, wreaking havoc at the group meetings led by a woman whose only training is her previous work with a Weight Watchers outreach program. Among the group therapy members is annoying teacher’s pet Yolanda, played by Suzy Nakamara.
For those looking to experience Burma without leave their home – look no further. Naomi Duguid’s Burma: Rivers of Flavor takes you on a culinary journey to the Southeast Asian country, as she got to know the local residents and foodways. Check out some of our favorite recipes after the cut!
AUDREY
ISSUE: Spring 2013
DEPT: COVER
Yung At Heart
Elodie Yung may kick some serious ass (with double katana swords!) as Jinx in the upcoming film G.I. Joe: Retaliation, but we get to the heart of what really matters to the French Cambodian actress.
This summer is already gearing up to be a highly anticipated movie blockbuster season – with one of them being The Wolverine. This past week, a teaser trailer and stills were posted on Entertainment Weekly, which featured Japanese models Tao Okamoto and Rila Fukushima, who play Mariko and Yukio respectively. The Wolverine marks their first Hollywood production (as well as Okamoto’s first foray into acting). I’ll admit, while Tao Okamoto is one of my favorite models, Rila Fukushima looks pretty badass. Check them all out!
Photo via Jezebel
Margaret Cho is not known for biting her tongue. The outspoken Korean American comic has never shied away from confronting homophobia, racism, sexism and body intolerance in her stand-up routinees and in her personal life.
But a recent incident left the funny woman at a loss for words.
While attending a well-known Los Angeles Korean spa, or jjimjilbang, Cho began to feel uncomfortable and unwanted. It should be noted that she is heavily tattooed — extensive body art she wears proudly. An otherwise pleasant spa experience went downhill
after other patrons complained about her appearance, specifically her tattoos, as being offensive.
Cho recounts the experience in an editorial piece for Jezebel, where she explains that after she was prompted to cover up to avoid further upsetting anyone in the spa, the indescribable frustration she felt at being treated differently.
“My tattoos represent much of the pain and suffering I have endured. They are part of me, just like my scars, my fat, my eternal struggle with gravity. None of our bodies are ‘perfect’. We live in them. They aren’t supposed to be ‘perfect’. We are just us, perceived flaws and all. I am just only myself. … Their intolerance viewing my nakedness –- as if it was some kind of an assault on their senses, like my ass was a weapon – made me furious in a way I can’t really even express with words -– and that for me is quite impressive. This bitch always has some shit to say.”
Cho, a native of San Francisco, has arguably paved the way for many Asian Americans in popular culture, film, and television.
Despite the emotional reaction the incident caused, Cho still found a way to find humor in the situation.
“I restrained myself from saying “joo-goo lae?” which loosely translated means, “you want to die?” I didn’t say it. I thought it. but I didn’t say it.”
Reposted from KoreAm.
Judith Hill performing “What a Girl Wants” on The Voice.
Season 4 of The Voice is here! Christina and Ceelo are sitting out this season – and I’ll say that I’m pretty pleased with Shakira and Usher filling in their shoes. Monday night’s premiere episode opened up with a big bang (complete with a lovely rendition of The Beatles’ “Come Together” by the four judges). However, what REALLY caught my eye was seeing two Asian women appear as contestants on the show (and both from Los Angeles!): Leah Lewis and Judith Hill. Fifteen year old Lewis is an adoptee from Shanghai, while singer-songwriter Hill has made a name for herself when she caught the attention of the world as she sang the lead on “Heal the World” at Michael Jackson’s funeral. Lewis didn’t get selected to a team, but Hill got all four judges to turn around for her (she eventually went with Adam Levine).
Leah Lewis performing “Blown Away”
Meet Judith Hill!
Judith Hill singing “What a Girl Wants”
Ever since Hyun Bin was discharged from the army earlier this year, I’ll say he’s taking his sweet time finding his next project. While I respect the actor take all the time in the world for the perfect project, I’m actually really waiting for one thing: Hyun Bin’s post-military duty abs. In the meantime, enjoy this adorable shoot for Esquire Korea.
Dept: The Good Life
Author: Elyse Glickman
Photos: Adrienne Gunde
Wildflower Linen’s Youngsong Martin strives to make the world more beautiful, one gala at a time.
Though Youngsong Martin made a name for herself in fashion design in her career’s “first phase,” it was only a matter of time before her passion for designing unforgettable environments was reignited. This unique talent originated during her childhood in Seoul, where she constantly sought new ways to brighten the sur- roundings of her family’s small home. It resurfaced in 2001 when, while helping her niece make a bold wedding day statement, she found the fabrics available to her “industrial and bland.”
The attention to detail and refinement doesn’t end there. Guestrooms are sprawling enough to feel like a private Tuscan villa. The washroom is more spacious than most studio apart- ments I’ve lived in as a college student, and its gold fittings and crystal lamps made me feel like I was in Pretty Woman. And what does every Pretty Woman do? Take a bubble bath, of course! I have never felt so fancy taking a bath; the separate soaking tub is big enough to fit two comfortably (or in my case, me and my sizeable food-baby from the night’s eating (mis) adventures). By nightfall, I was nestled in exquisite European linens atop a bed that embraced the body just so. Oh, their bed ruined me for life; theirs is the beautiful carriage to my pump- kin back at home.
It led Martin to found Wildflower Linens, a company that revolutionized the field of special event décor and linens. Her stun- ning tabletop concepts and couture-hewn chair covers have since wowed attendees of the Vanity Fair and Oscars Governor’s Ball after-parties, a DreamWorks premiere at the Venice Film Festi- val, as well as numerous charity galas, weddings and Presidential Library events. “While much of the interior design field focuses on permanent installation, there is a certain artistic freedom that comes with designing interiors for a specific event,” she says. “It is the story of Cinderella, where you have the potential to make any- thing happen. Another advantage is that when I design something statement-making for an event, the chair I am creating the design for will not talk back to me.”
After all that rest and relaxation, I could have opted for an array of activities: a golf outing on the 380-acre, Tom Fazio-designed golf course; dinner at Addison, its AAA 5-Diamond restaurant, or even a complimentary limousine ride within 14 miles of the estate. (I contem- plated utilizing this service to dine at a nearby taco stop. Hey, whether inhaling cabeza tacos or nibbling on caviar, a true lady always travels in style.) Instead, I opted for a beautification day at The Spa, its award-winning, 21,000-square-foot, full-service day spa.
Youngsong Martin in her studio.
“When planning a look for a one-night event, I focus on what’s on the tabletop rather than the surroundings,” she says. Whether you have an apartment or a mansion, “figure out what things you want your guests to pay attention to at your event. Next, transform those decorative ele- ments into a sensory experience. Guests will be drawn in from the moment they see the flicker- ing of the candles, and colors of the tabletop. Once you have made a statement, guests will focus on that rather than the rest of the house.”
In the coming months, however, Martin plans to expand to a “third phase” of home décor, bringing the glamour of special events to the everyday home. “When planning a look for a one-night event, I focus on what’s on the tabletop rather than the surroundings,” she says. Whether you have an apartment or a mansion, “figure out what things you want your guests to pay attention to at your event. Next, transform those decorative ele- ments into a sensory experience. Guests will be drawn in from the moment they see the flicker- ing of the candles, and colors of the tabletop. Once you have made a statement, guests will focus on that rather than the rest of the house.”
Color is one way Martin likes to make a statement. “We are moving away from the natural ‘eco’ look, like burlap and natural fibers, and are moving back to bright colors like orange and fuchsia, but in a completely different way from a few years earlier when Indian designs were big,” she says. “Today’s patterns integrate black or white ‘non-colors’ with brights.”
From galas to the home to the community, Martin is all about beautifying her environment. Recently honored for her multi-faceted charity work on National Philanthropy Day in Orange County, Calif., Martin believes “that any solid business model should include social responsi- bility. We need to pay attention to other people regardless of how much our business makes. We need to be a part of the community as well as exist within it.”
Deepa Mehta’s much-anticipated new film MIDNIGHT’S CHILDREN, based on the acclaimed novel by Salman Rushdie who also wrote the screenplay, releases in select theaters on April 26. The brand new US trailer and poster have just premiered for this eagerly awaited all-star motion picture event which boasts an incredible cast including Seema Biswas, Rahul Bose, Shriya Saran, Siddharth, Soha Ali Khan, Shabana Azmi, Samrat Chakrabarti, Satya Bhabha, and Anupam Kher.
MIDNIGHT’S CHILDREN was an official selection of the Toronto International Film Festival and London Film Festival and will now hit theaters nationwide this spring starting with New York on April 26 followed by additional cities in May.
MIDNIGHT’S CHILDREN
Release Date: April 26 in NYC, other major cities in May
Director: Deepa Mehta
Screenplay and Novel by: Salman Rushdie
Cast: Satya Bhabha, Shahana Goswami, Rajat Kapoor, Seema Biswas, Shriya Saran, Siddharth Ronit Roy, Rahul Bose, Kulbushan Kharbanda, Anita Majumdar, Charles Dance, Soha Ali Khan, Zaib Shaikh, Shabana Azmi, Anupam Kher and Darsheel Safary.
Music: Nitin Sawhney
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3z6F5YMAhSc
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/midnightsmovie
Twitter: https://twitter.com/midnightsmovie
Official Site: http://midnightschildren.com/
Distributor: Paladin and 108 Media
SYNOPSIS:
At the stroke of midnight on August 15th, 1947, as India declares independence from Great Britain, two babies are switched at birth by a nurse in a Bombay hospital. And so it is that Saleem Sinai, the bastard child of a beggar woman, and Shiva, the only son of a wealthy couple, are fated to live the destinies meant for each other. Over the next three decades, Saleem and Shiva find themselves on opposite sides of many a conflict, whether it be because of class, politics, romantic rivalry, or the constantly shifting borders that are drawn every time neighbors become enemies and decide to split their newborn nation into two, and then three, warring countries. Through it all, the lives of Saleem and Shiva are mysteriously intertwined. They are also inextricably linked to the history of India itself, which takes them on a whirlwind journey full of trials, triumphs, and disasters.
We’re giving you a thumbs up for your abs too.
Our latest S.H.A.G. (SMOKING HOT ASIAN GUY!) is none other than South Korean heartthrob, Song Seung-heon. Song Seung-heon is returning to kdrama-land with the MBC meloadrama When a Man Loves on April 3rd! While we don’t know how much of his abs will appear in this upcoming drama, we can give you this picture for now to hold you over. Click on for more pictures of him in action …..as a mob boss?
