Star Hiroshi Watanabe some how makes us care about a 40-year old divorcee named Jimmy who also happens to be a really awkward and obsessive loser when it comes to love.  The film is bolstered by a charming performance from Japanese actress Nae who plays Jimmy’s very understanding sister Aiko.  The other supporting roles are also pretty good, especially Mio Takada as Jimmy’s disapproving brother-in-law and Justin Kwong as the child uber-genious (and self made business man) Bob who mostly steals the show whenever he’s on screen with his ‘matter-of-fact’ demeanor.

The movie’s title is essentially the main thrust of the story.  Jimmy sticks to his family and his obsessions like white on rice.  And while the film is really kind of unbelievable in some instances, it’ll win you over with it’s charm and good-natured humor.

The San Diego News Network has a pretty good write up of the Q and A and some of the audience reaction after watching the film (I was also in attendance for the very same screening and yes I did pay for my own ticket to the screening.  Gotta support the arts!!!).  Read the article here:

‘White on Rice’ actors, director appear at San Diego theatrical premiere

So if you have chance to go see it I suggest that you do!  For show times in locations near you click here.

Whether or not his excellent performance in the post-season will make the Yankees sign him for another year remains to be seen.  But for right now Hideki Matsui currently personifies the best in Major League Baseball.

And for that we salute you Hideki Matsui!  Congratulations on a job well done!

GO GOJIRA GO!!!

Ever think you have what it takes to be an Asian pop star?  Do you look at BoA and think, “I can do what she does.  And I can do it better!”.

Well it’s time to put your money where your mouth is because SM Entertainment, the company that discovered BoA, TVXQ!, Super Junior, Girls’ Generation, SHINee, and f(x), as well as countless singers, actors, actresses and comedians will be holding the 09′ SM Entertainment Global Audition throughout 4 cities in the USA and Canada.  Those who are selected from the audition will be given the opportunity to represent Asia and join the global stage with SM Entertainment.  Check out smtown.com for more info!

Here are the dates and locations for the 09′ SM Entertainment Global Audition:

NOV. 15 (SUN) LOS ANGELES
1PM-7PM
Wilshire Plaza Hotel
3515 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90010

NOV. 22 (SUN) TORONTO
1PM-7PM
Toronto Korean Center (Hanin Center)
1133 Leslie St. North York. Ontario M3C 2J6

NOV. 22 (SUN) VANCOUVER
1PM-7PM
Executive Plaza Hotel in Coquitlam
405 North Road, Coquitlam, British Columbia V3K 3V9

NOV. 27/28 (FRI/SAT) NEW YORK
NOV. 27 (FRI) 3PM-8PM
NOV. 28 (SAT) 1PM-7PM
Korea Village (At Open Center, B1)
150-24 Northern Blvd. Flushing, NY 11354

Super Junior introducing the 09′ SM Entertainment Global Auditions

According to channelnewsasia.com, Taiwanese/Japanese actor Takeshi Kaneshiro was spotted in Los Angeles by fans.  This has fueled speculation that Takeshi is in talks to star in a Hollywood project in the near future.

It’s certainly not out of the question.  Korean megastar Rain is about to star in NINJA ASSASSIN, Korean actor Lee Byung-hun recently played Storm Shadow in GI JOE: RISE OF COBRA and Korean-American actor/model Daniel Henney was also in X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE.

But just because Takeshi Kaneshiro was in LA doesn’t necessarily mean he’s going to be in a Hollywood film anytime soon.  His agency even says that he’s in town on vacation visiting friends.

He certainly has the looks for a leading man role in Hollywood though.  APA also agrees since they put him on there Top Ten: Hot Asian Actors Hollywood Doesn’t Yet Realize They Need.

I’d take this bit of news with a grain of salt.  If he is going to be in a Hollywood project, let’s hope that he’s more than just the Asian guy in the background who doesn’t speak much.

Source: channelnewsasia

He doesn’t sing.  He doesn’t dance.  He doesn’t rap or do poetry.  So what does he do?  He reviews Star Wars and Transformers action figures.  And he occasionally reviews movies too.

You’re probably thinking, “That’s not a good reason to spotlight this guy!  Action figure reviewers on youtube are a dime a dozen! “.  And you’d be right, except for one thing.  He’s Filipino American.

There is a surprisingly small amount of Asian or Pacific Islander action figure reviewers on youtube.  And this is despite my own personal belief that Asians and Pacific Islanders are pretty big into action figure collecting.  I have plenty of Asian friends who collect all kinds of things – from Gundams to Marvel Legends.  But you hardly ever see any Asian/Pacific Islander action figure collectors on youtube for some reason.

Which is why I’m highlighting Filmaker Mike.  He’s very passionate about all things Star Wars, GI Joe and Transformers.  And he isn’t afraid to show a bit of his Filipino heritage in his videos (he even speaks a bit of Tagalog in a few of them).  So visit his channel and check out his reviews!

http://www.youtube.com/user/FilmakerMike

This is a pretty big gamble for Nintendo since the DSi was only released earlier this year and, outside of the larger screens, the DSi LL doesn’t really have more to offer for those who have already bought a DSi.  Perhaps they are going after the few people who were hesitant to buy the DSi at launch knowing that Nintendo probably would release another hardware upgrade in the near future.  In any case, the DSi LL has a November 21st release date in Japan and it currently goes for 20,000 yen (around $220 US).

Visit the official Nintendo website to see size comparisons between the DSi LL, DSi, and the DS lite.

www.nintendo.co.jp/ds/dsll

So when I walked into Yogurtland the first time I was surprised to see tokidoki characters splashed all over the store.  tokodoki and Yogurtland have teamed up together in a similar cross promotion campaign that Domo and 7-Eleven have.  Right now you can get special collectible spoons with tokidoki characters and special small size tokidoki cups.  There are 4 collectible spoons in all, but only two are available while supplies last.  The other two spoons won’t come out until later in November.

The campaign is proving to be very popular, at least it seems like it’s working based on how my SDAFF volunteers (who are mostly Asian-American high school students) were so excited about the tokidoki cups and spoons.  Some were even trading spoons in an effort to collect the two that are currently available.  And they can’t wait for the next two collectible spoons to come out.

For more information about the festival visit sdaff.org