Diary from Cannes 2013: Day 1
May 16, 2013: It’s my first time at the Cannes Film Festival, attending as a writer/editor on behalf of Asia Pacific Arts and Audrey Magazine. I’ve been told to expect a crazy circus — as there are hundreds of screenings for both the official Film Festival and the simultaneous Film Market — and I can’t wait.
The day before, Baz Luhrman, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Amitabh Bachchan walked the red carpet for the Opening Night film, The Great Gatsby. Also in attendance was the superstar jury, headed this year by Steven Spielberg, which include Ang Lee, Nicole Kidman, Lynne Ramsay, Christoph Waltz, Cristian Mungiu, Naomi Kawase, Daniel Auteuil, and Vidya Balan.
Picking up at nearly 3 million views, this video from Los Angeles based chiropractor Ryan Lee has gone viral over the past couple of days on the internet. While we’re sure Ryan was very intentional on marketing the services of his clinic, we can’t help but wonder if he bothered to show anyone else this video before allowing it to go live on the YouTube. In fact, he appears just tad bit creepy and this video might even turn away customers. But then again, he is receiving a lot of public attention (although we’re sure he wasn’t expecting this kind).
Check out the video below!
DEPT: Pop-arrazi
AUTHOR: Kanara Ty
ISSUE: Spring 2013
“Marie Lu is at her best in Prodigy, the sequel to her New York Times bestseller Legend, giving us the most exciting follow-up to a debut novel the young adult genre has seen in a long time.”
DEPT: Pop-arazzi
AUTHOR: Kanara Ty
ISSUE: Spring 2013
“The NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of the highly popular teen dystopian novel LEGEND and the sequel PRODIGY sits down with us to talk about who she thinks would make a great day and June in the film version, her next book in the series, due out in 2014, and the importance of (hot) asian american male leads in literature.”
Hands down, my favorite editorial of the year so far. i-D once again, never disappoints. Click on for the rest of the editorial!
Kev Jumba’s “My Dad is Asian”
One of the biggest debates concerning Asian culture has been how Asian parent’s raise their children. The phrase “strict Asian parent” has become a well-known stereotype and yet many of us can find some truth in this. It is said that Asians pride themselves in their academic achievements and are generally pushed towards a successful career. But what is the price for this success? How often do we hear of Asians who are allowed only a limited social life and pushed towards their books instead. How many times have we heard the story of an Asian forced to pursue a career their parents want rather than follow their dreams. Is it worth it?
- Glee’s Mike Chang having difficulties getting his father to understand his love for dance.
Recently, this debate has stretched onto literature. “Tiger Mom” is the new phrase to describe a strict Chinese mother. The term was coined by Amy Chua in her book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother published in 2011. Chua writes of her own experiences dealing with a Tiger mom and argues that she is thankful for her upbringing. She is so thankful to her mother’s methods that she has become a Tiger mom herself. Needless to say, Chua’s praise of the Tiger mom lifestyle has become quite the controversy.
This led author Kim Wong Keltner to respond with her own book titled Tiger Babies Strike Back. Keltner delves into her own strict upbringing and claims that her book “examines why generations of kids have been made to feel inferior, isolated, suffocated, and humiliated in dogged pursuit of one goal: making their elders look good.” The book describes the various consequences of a tiger mom environment and how a child can be damaged by this way of life.
Keltner claims she meant nothing personal by her book and she is merely offering an alternative perspective to the “Tiger” lifestyle. Similarly, Chua comments that ultimately both authors come to the same conclusion- if the tiger-mom lifestyle works, it works brilliantly. If it fails, it is detrimental.
Both authors have brought up various points to their argument and have shown us that the debate of Asian parenting is far from over. Tell us what you think.
Click here to learn more about:
Amy Chua’s Battle Hymn of The Tiger Mom
Kim Wong Keltner’s Tiger Babies Strike Back
and Chua’s respond to Keltner.
Last season, Fox had very few successful outcomes. While we had high hopes for their newest multi-camera comedy Dads, the excitement may be short-lived. The comedy stars Seth Green and Giovanni Ribisi playing childhood friends (now in their thirties) whose lives are flipped upside down when their father’s decide to move in with them. The cast will also include one of our favorites, Brenda Song.
Unfortunately, the pilot preview fell short of our expectations. Aside from a few laughs, the preview began sounding problematic with Brenda Song forced into a schoolgirl outfit and performing a stereotypical “school girl laugh” in hopes to appease Chinese businessmen. We let out communal sigh of disappointment as this is followed by some racial comments played off as humor.
We can only hope that this was merely a poorly edited trailer instead of overly-used jokes about Asians. Check it out for yourself:
It is said that people become brutally honest during times of intoxication. We allow ourselves to feel heartbreak that we try to hold back, we tell people the things we are most afraid to admit, we even make mistakes- lots of them.
Watch Wong Fru’s most recent short “To Those Nights” as a reminder that the heart and mind wander to interesting places when under the influence of alcohol.
Kim Jo Kwang Su, one of Korea’s few openly gay film directors, will be holding Korea’s first gay marriage with his husband-to-be Kim Seung Hwan on September 7th. The director claims that he chose to announce his marriage to the public in hopes that homosexuals will soon be granted legal marriage rights. The two will be wedded with a ceremony, but the marriage will not be recognized legally in Korea.
The director’s fiance, Kim Seung Hwan commented, “I was able to stand here after receiving permission and support from my family, relatives and friends. My family was against my appearing before the public in person, and that′s why our wedding announcement was so delayed. They were worried about the slander that could come from some conservative groups; they weren′t against the marriage itself.” He then added that he wasn’t at all embarrassed of the relationship and the marriage to come.
Kim Jo Kwang Su claims that he is going to be inviting Moon Jae in (presidential candidate), Ban Ki Moon (UN Secretary General), and President Park Geun Hye. Kim states that by inviting people who hold leading positions in Korea, he hopes that they all can help in the advancement for the rights of the homosexual minority.
Kim Jo Kwang Su and Kim Seung Hwan are both very proud of their bold step towards equality. The director commented “Homosexuals should be given the same rights as heterosexuals. We’re going to work hard to legalize gay marriage in Korea.”
Pitch Perfect’s barely audible Lilly Onakuramara played by Hana Mae Lee
While I usually find myself rolling my eyes at most of the stereotypes concerning Asians, some of them puzzle me instead. In particular, there’s the myth that as Asians we are all naturally quiet people. But then there’s also the myth that as Asians we’re all naturally loud people. Confused? Yeah, we are too.
