Jon Lee Brody is an actor and Martial Artist (he is a second degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do) with a dual degree in Accounting and Finance. Jon was accepted for admissions to prestigious law schools like Harvard and Northwestern, but he instead chose to go against the grain and pursue his other childhood dream: acting. He didn’t wait long to buy a one way ticket to Los Angeles, and since then he hasn’t looked back. You can see him TODAY in the giant summer blockbuster sequel to Star Trek – Into Darkness. We talk about his various projects and what lies ahead in his career in this exclusive interview. Read below for the full Q&A…

You have done work on TV series, films, wrote, directed, the list goes on. What was your journey like to become so multi disciplined in so many areas?

JLB: Well, when I first started, I was focused on acting. I definitely had a passion for all aspects of filmmaking but I knew that I had to take things one step at a time. Sometimes people try to learn everything at once and that very seldom works out.  I knew that I had to make sure my acting was on point, and I am still a perfectionist when it comes down to it. Then as my career progressed, I started to explore editing. The editing started when I was cutting together demo reels. And then I started applying what I learned on various movie sets to directing. That entire time, I was learning how to write screenplays. I was always a pretty creative writer, but screenplays are a different animal.  But like I said, all of these things came to me one step at a time. The journey has been great. I’m still learning and when it comes down it, I’ll always be learning. I think as my career goes on, I want to keep improving and keep learning new things.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2WIeH7vbcs

You stated you were a big fan of Good Will Hunting and Titanic. It seems dramas and well written films initially motivated you to get into the business. How has your body of work thus far correlated to the types of projects that inspired you years ago?

JLB: You’ve certainly done your homework! I’m impressed [laughs]!  I saw both of those movies when I was in junior high. And that is when I truly fell in love with cinema as an art. Up until then, movies were just a fun thing to do with friends. But it was after seeing those movies that I started to appreciate the art of filmmaking. I’m not sure if my being a fan dictates the kind of projects I take on, but they are definitely two movies that I look to for inspiration.

As an multi-racial actor, do you find it a struggle to interact with casting directors based on your Korean ethnicity? Has this situation decreased due to your resume building over the years?

JLB: Casting has actually been pretty good to me and I’ve had a chance to play a variety of roles. I’m very grateful for that.

You’re very tall and you are passionate about sports. Down the line, could we possibly see you take the leading role in a Jeremy Lin bio pic? Would that be of interest to you?

JLB: I do love basketball. Jeremy is a guy who I admire. He had an uphill battle just getting to the NBA. And then another uphill battle to stay in the NBA. And those battles will continue. As far as playing him in a movie, that’s a tough one to answer. Ultimately, it’s not up to me. But if the director and producers thought I was the right fit then sure. But the most important thing is that his story would be told right.

Of course you are in the big summer blockbuster Star Trek Into Darkness. What could you tell us about your character?

JLB: I play a Star Fleet Security Officer. Not much I can say other than I am a redshirt. I’m sure any Trekkie knows what that means…[laughs]!

Interestingly enough, the producers’ background on the film is in TV, which means there’s always a last-minute possibility of changing story, dialogue, character points, action beats, etc. Having worked in TV as well, were you able to adept a bit better on-set to how things operated?

JLB: Well, there’s that possibility on any set. Because things can change on set and you have to be prepared for that. My improv training helps because that keeps you on your toes just in case something doesn’t go as planned. I always make sure I’m well prepared for my roles no matter how big or small, because any change at that point is a cakewalk.

Moving forward in your career what kind of actor would you like to become. I can see you acting alongside Meryl Streep but at the same time blowing up a building in a new Expendables film. Which route would you prefer as an actor without getting pigeonholed?

JLB: That’s very nice of you to say! Thank you! First and foremost, I just want to make sure I’m the best actor possible. I want to make sure that what I do comes off as authentic and real. As far as what kind of roles, I do love action or superhero movies. But I also love comedy and drams. I guess I’d like to be able to dabble into lots of genres.  I’ve gotten more into directing lately and I actually would like to explore deeper into that realm.

You have a chance to put your moves to work in ‘Hurricane Kid’. What is the status of that film? 

JLB: We actually haven’t shot ‘Hurricane Kid’ yet. It was put on hold but we are back up and running. We did a full rewrite of the script and decided to not shoot in 3D. Can’t say too much about it at this point but all of the changes are definitely for the better!

What are some of your favorite Asian films or anime?

JLB: Like anyone, I love ‘Old Boy’. You can’t go wrong. But one of my favorite Korean movies is ‘Bittersweet Life‘ with Byung-Hun Lee (GI Joe) or ‘The Man From Nowhere‘. Those are movies that everyone should definitely see! As far as anime, I do like ‘Akira‘ and there’s this anime movie called ‘Princess Mononoke‘ that I really liked. I haven’t seen it in years but I remember liking it very much.

Lastly, what advice do you have for any budding actor out there that wants to pay his dues and earn respect?

JLB: 9 out 10 times you will be rejected. And that 1 other time, you’ll got a 50/50 chance at best.  But it really helps to just have a positive attitude every time you step into that audition room. You also can’t make quitting an option. If you truly want this and truly love it, you’ll find a way to sustain it.  But at the core of it all, you gotta just keep working hard. And even after you get that booking, you gotta keep working harder. Sometimes people get a role and they get complacent. But in actuality, the higher you climb that ladder, the harder you have to work. When you’re on top of the hill, everyone wants to knock you off. It’s tough work getting up to the top, but it’s even tougher to stay there.

J.J.Abrams enjoyed great success in 2009 rebooting the Star Trek franchise to produce a cinematic experience which managed to please both traditional Trekkies and new fans alike. After the inclusion of lots of Asian actors we really felt the need to bring coverage front and center. The film’s premise revolves around Captain Kirk, expertly played by Chris Pine who seems to flawlessly ooze the required arrogance required for the role, pursuing a fugitive across the galaxy, only to discover there are greater forces at work than simply the terrorism or a madman. As the plot unfolds, the safety of Kirk’s crew, or his ‘family’ as he values them, are continuously threatened and endangered, although this primarily comes from treachery within the hierarchy of the federation, as opposed to Cumberbatch’s menacing villain. When Abrams introduced us to his interpretation of the Trek universe, the element of time travel was essential to the first movie’s plot, producing some confusion amongst an otherwise enjoyable storyline.

‘Into Darkness’ places far less emphasis on the time travel aspect. Fan or not, you are going to love this. Because it wouldn’t confuse the ignorants of the back ground either, since it stands as an independent film where characters and scenes have been explained exactly enough to not overdo, keeping the pace on. Even with the unexpected twists, one as an audience would always know where the outline is headed, which can make it dull. But what clearly over-shadows such shortcomings are the various layers. Just when you think it’s all going to be capturing or fighting off John Harrison, you come across the Marcus shade, after that the Harrison betrayal and then the retaining of cryo-pods. Still not to assume it’s over, it has an enjoyable chase sequence between Spock and Harrison where at the end Spock’s asked to keep him alive to use his blood as a cure.

As originally stated the film does move at an exhilarating pace moving the story along, keeping the adrenaline high, and providing plenty of entertaining action. One of the best things about ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ is the perfect balance it strikes between being one for the fans and also a film that newcomers can readily enjoy. For the Trekkers, there are clever and often funny nods to the franchise (Tribbles! Gorns! Red Shirts!), but for people who’ve never seen anything Trek-related before, this is just as accessible – “The aim was to make a movie that could stand on its own terms”, Abrams outlined. This is a non-stop thrill-ride of a movie with three-dimensional characters, humour, rug-pulls, heart and plenty of lens flare.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAEkuVgt6Aw

In comparison to its precursor, Into Darkness doesn’t pull off the slick ride of Star Trek. There’s a lot of good stuff here, and the film manages to make even a darkly lit hangar look beautiful. It’s just Abrams’ decision to try and pay homage to a bygone age which has not quite worked as smoothly as last time round. Secrets are revealed, relationships are broken and tough choices are made to walk the thin line between good and evil. Thus making it into a racy cinematic experience which maintains its pace throughout the 133 minutes keeping you hooked to your seats all the time. It’s a movie nobody should miss irrespective of whether you have seen any of the Star Trek movies before. Watch it you won’t get bored even for a minute.

Every girl dreams of being an enchanted princess, but how many stop to think about all the grim and horrible things that happen in fairy tales? That’s a lesson Tamaki learns all too graphically when she’s attacked on the way to her grandmother’s house by creatures she thought only existed in myths! Fortunately, she’s rescued by an extraordinary young man: one who’s not only part demon; but her future classmate as well, and one of the protectors that Tamaki will need if she’s going to fulfill her destiny as a Tamayori princess. A destiny that no one’s bothered to tell her she’s inherited until now! However, lets consider that this is in part, a reverse harem series for girls. The characters themselves are not badly done. But it does follow very predictable story arcs. She is pretty transparent in who she likes from the first episode, which is similar to traditional harem anime on the boys side too. The romance side plays on it’s tip toes which is similar to regular harem.

This is a very underwhelming series. It should have not been given a full season run let alone a season two. But if you haven’t seen better then I’m sure this series is anime gold. It might not have been professionally made and not everything they do will move you. In fact, some conversations struck me as boring and out-of-topic. The female protagonist doesn’t even carry romantic attachments to the males around her. The romantic element is needed in every good anime so viewers have a relation to the character that they recognize in their daily lives. If there isn’t one you need a bloody gory action packed show like Hellsing.

Honestly, to me it seems like none of the characters have any real personality, they are just too flat and dull in my opinion. I don’t particularly like any character nor do i feel excitement when they “fight”. Also, they seem to contradict themselves WAY TOO MUCH (if you watch it you’ll know what I mean) and it gets annoying after a while. And if it wasn’t bad enough to learn that every plan she’s had for the future has to change, to top it all off, Tamaki still has to start attending a new high school as well! The new girl in school will have to learn how to deal with some very, very old school-type problems in a hurry in Hiiro no Kakera. I loved the short segment at the end of each episode where you spend a private moment with one of the characters. I thought that was so cool and a nice touch. The art work of the characters and scenery is lovely, The music, especially the opening themes, is beautiful! But, I believe I’ve said that already. Must be the lack of good things to talk about!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNA3j-ALIv4

This series gave me nothing but frustration. Usually cliched characters deliver something, but the guys didn’t even play their romantic parts. They were just sullen and ornery, except when they’d occasionally bat their eyes. We didn’t learn anything about their characters. Normally each harem guy has a back story? They skipped all that. There is nothing new or unique in this anime that hasn’t been used before. I thought that maybe it was just the way too slow pace they set for the show but no… it really doesn’t get any better it’s completely boring. In spite of the poor pacing of this series, the characters are endearing, the setting is lush, and the plot, while not entirely unique, is a strong one. This anime is mainly aimed at fans of the game.

This is a surprisingly good film. Despite the mediocre quality of the visual animation it didn’t affect the entertainment value of the movie not so much. Initially my biggest fear was seeing this cartoon sourcing or stealing ideas from all other existing cartoon films as I noticed some of the creatures had characteristics ‘borrowed’ from the Madagascar Penguins, Powerpuff Girls and so forth. Fortunately, it had enough ideas, interesting elements and sense of humor (which was sometimes very lame in my opinion) to sustain itself.

At the elite St. Claire’s Elementary School it’s day 1 of term, with a whole lot of new students entering through the gates for the first time ever. Among them are Mako, Mi and Mu, three little girls who wander through the vast corridors of the school – though “wander” may not so aptly describe their doings. Mako, to be sure, is zooming and bouncing about with seemingly inexhaustible energy and in complete over-excitement about the life she is about to start, while Mi, proudly of rich descent, is inspecting the hallway decor (Greek marble) only to find it doesn’t quite measure up to her standards. And then there is Mu, whose face we can barely discern behind that curtain of long, dark hair and bangs, her sharp, hidden eye fixed on that insect that’s whizzing about, golden fly swatter poised for attack. Near the old Science Room Blabbermouth, Little-Miss-Luxuries and Geek Girl run into each other and are warned by builders not to enter the place – words that of course have zero effect on three curious kids. In they sneak and stumble across a human anatomical model, soon taking him apart and beautifying him, Renaissance-style.

It is a commendable effort from an unknown anime production house. The major flaw that I see is that the progression of the plot is not clean cut. Never mind the visual quality as of course I don’t expect a film such as this to be of the same standard with blockbuster Disney/Pixar cartoons. But I feel the animators had squeezed in too many big actions at a very fast pace – even the dialogues got mixed up and confusing for the audience at times. As a matter in fact, the whole movie looked like a very messy party. Whether this was the intention or otherwise, I feel they had slightly ignored the importance to keep things a little less messy, and allow more focus on the plot that matters, which would have made this movie easier to follow and hence more memorable.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtB6WeuHZ5w

There are also some definite adults-only jokes, including a strategically placed (and shaped) elephant drawing and a scene that involves an umbrella grabbing some balls that would have never survived in a USAmerican animation. A straightforward and simple story it may tell, yet by getting its characters right and taking care to serve up some amusing details and a good mix of – uncensored – humour and intelligence, Hōkago Middonaitāzu turns out to be more than just a fun ride for the kids and has its heart in the right place with some of the subtler messages it contains.

Kim Jee-woon’s, the indisputable master of violent, disturbingly intense thriller-shockers (A Bittersweet Life, I Saw the Devil), latest project is a consciously minimalistic, yet deeply enjoyable and visually stunning rom-com entitled One Perfect Day. Though it’s only a 35-minutes long short film made as a part of the 40th anniversary campaign arranged by the famous Korean clothing brand Kolon, the film’s still perfectly able to please the audiences with its light-heartedness, and invite them to contemplate on the topic of love and its way of shaping the nature of one’s life.

The film opens with a few brief, subjective shots of a glass filled with water and a woman carefully adjusting her dress. At the table in some fancy restaurant sits a man and a woman, participating in a blind date of sorts. The man (Kye-song Joon), obviously nervous and insecure, tries to impress the lady, with utterly terrible results. Though she leaves the place, he doesn’t feel discouraged and immediately takes another step in order to fulfill his probably long-lasting desire to find a perfect woman – he meets up with other girls in similarly dim-lit, quiet and chic (Shih Tzu being the word in Kye-song’s opinion) spots in the heart of Seoul. While his attention-grabbing skills are rather poor and almost always simply humiliating one of the ladies decides to go with him for a walk to the Zoo. Kye-song, being a person completely detached from the real world, finds out that the places he used to know as a child are long gone. Yet, the memories of his childhood reminded him of a rock-paper-scissors game that couples play on the famous Nansan steps. The rules are simple – the person who wins a round gets to climb a given number of stairs. The one to lose in the end has to grant a wish made by the winner. However, the lady, tired of Kye-song’s unfunny attempts at impressing her, prepares a humorously devilish plan and flees the scene. The protagonist, left alone once more, starts to reminisce about the time his father took him to the stairs, and about the party, during which one lady broke his fragile little heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQZEliPEnLs

His breakthrough moment comes in the shape of a cute puppy that suddenly pops up on the stairs out of nowhere. Kye-song finds out that the dog has been missing for a while and soon delivers him to the owner, a strikingly pretty young woman. Having nothing to lose, the lonely, incorrigible romantic decides to use the rock-paper-scissors game one more time just to see if this could be his lucky day.

One Perfect Day is mostly a rom-com like many others, but with its on-the-spot comical rock-paper-scissors sub-theme and appealing imagery (beautiful shots of Soul at night, along with petals falling carelessly on the ground) it builds up almost a farcical ambiance around its protagonist on a quest to find love. Though there’s no time for character development, the movie presents its story in a coherent manner, bringing to mind only joy and warmth. Kim Jee-woon’s return to homeland marks another milestone, proving that a talented director is able to jump through genres without any troubles.

The topic of the series concentrates on the War of Holy Grail that has been taking place in the Fukuky City for the last 50 years. The pilot actually starts with the conclusion of the previous war and develops from there on. Shiro is the only survivor of the fire that started during the last battle and enveloped a large portion of the city.He unwillingly witnesses a fight between two Servants that triggers his Reiju (Holy mark) to summon one of the most powerful Servants of the battlefield, Saber.

You mustn’t compare this series with any other to fully understand it’s plot. FSN offers much more than some cool sword fights, good animation, spectacular lights, great soundtrack, it offers excellent character and relationship development. It presents the changes that take place within the characters personalities as the events precipitate. The action reveals believable dynamic emotional and behavioral patterns of the individuals (not similar to the linear type other series use) that are constantly shaping their personalities to reveal, from under the mask of perfection, flawed characters. The Saber character is tied to a medieval legend that has been altered to fit this series and should be accepted as such. You shouldn’t watch FSN thinking that it doesn’t present the viewer with the historic fact, just remember that this is adventure/fantasy series and not a documentary and enjoy this as long as you can. The ending is sudden and unexpected and if there were twice as many episodes I would have watched them in the same breath.

Additionally, I felt that the way the characters developed was very true to form with the way real people develop, in the real world. There wasn’t any stupid completely obvious things going on; the development of Ilya and Rin was interesting to watch, but I think the way Shirou and Saber grew in their certain personalities was just interesting to watch all on its on. A few of the “surprise” people that show up (Gilgamesh?) seemed to also be unique from the rest of the cast in one way or another, meaning we didn’t have “Generic Bad-ass A” being replaced by “Generic Bad-ass B” as soon as A died.

I guess this is becoming a habit with these Blu-Ray re-issues of Anime Classics. No production Gallery Stills, no Non-Credit Openings. The new fans of this series will never know what they’ve missed unless they happen to come across the old Geneon DVDs. My opinion is this: If you’re going to do a re-issue, do it right. Include ALL of the original material (old anime trailers not withstanding of course, unless Blu-Rays are planned), but at least include all the other interesting extras that hard core fans would want. Here you just get the bare bones episodes at a very premium price upgrade. Sentai Filmworks should still be praised for bringing this collection to our living rooms however.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XF6HdDnMnCI

So all in all, a battle fought every so often to obtain the Holy Grail? The winner gets to make a wish? He becomes the master of a legendary warrior spirit? This anime is simply amazing. It has action and drama mixed together with mythology and magic. The modern day setting with legendary mythical heroes is really cool. I normally prefer anime dramas (Kanon, Clannad, Air, etc.) over action series, but this anime combines the 2 genres very well. The voice cast, animation, story, and soundtrack are all top notch. It’s a very addicting series. There are many great, and memorable characters that keep you interested in the story and wanting to know more about them. There is also a dash of comedy thrown in there to lighten the mood. It’s a very well rounded series with a lot to offer. I honestly think that no matter what genre of anime you’re into, Fate Stay/Night will make you a happy camper. I highly recommend it.

If you are a fan of anime, then you’ve probably heard Todd Haberkorn’s voice voicing some of your favorite characters.  Some of his more popular voice over work on anime includes Keroro on Sgt. Frog, Takashi Sakuma on Summer Wars and Italy on Hetalia: Axis Powers. Besides voice over, he is also an actor in front of the camera and on stage for theatre productions.  You can say Todd is a jack of all trades when it comes to acting. We talk about what drew him into becoming an actor, his thoughts on the current state of the anime industry and his amazing fan club, Team Haberkorn, among other topics.

Audio version of this exclusive interview is below for your listening pleasure. Below the audio player is text version of the full interview for our readers…

What drew you into becoming an actor? 

Todd: It’s something that I’m not really sure.  I think about that every now and then and what led me to that path.  I grew up with television.  I grew up with movies.  Even though I was very young and I didn’t realize all the different aspects of the making of a production.  I guess it was something that kind of just sort became engrained in me and felt comfortable.  So when I discovered stage and theatre and things like that, it just felt like a natural progression. I don’t really know why people choose the things they want to be.  I think it’s just like a good fit.  You can wear a size 12 shoe and one just fits more (snuggly) than the other.  I had a lot of jobs when I was a kid and from those jobs I can tell when it was like, “Oh man, it’s only been an hour, it feels like it’s been 8.”  When any time I did something with entertainment, I could do it all day.  I could be on a film set for 19 hours. Yeah, I’m exhausted but I’d want to come back and do it again the next day.

Can you tell us about your production company, Out of the Office? How did this get started?

Todd: We did projects to produce things like commercials and films, things of that nature and I would hire my buddies and I would continually hire them and they would do the same.  We were all kind of doing almost essentially the same thing just separately and one day I said, “Why won’t we just combine and come together.” So, we combined forces and it kind of just became my own little brain child because the other members of the group were already kind of engrained into doing their own thing to make their livelihood so coming together under one Umbrella Corporation didn’t fit as well into their life styles so then it kind of just became my own thing and I’d still hire them for projects. The idea behind it was to have something where all my buddies that were proficient in different areas of production can come together and we can make projects.  But, working with voice over and on camera just as my own entity, it’s a full time gig.  It’s kind of like with my theatre company that I had, there’s just not time to devote to that to make it what it needs to be to be competitive, which is a good problem to have.  It means I’m working a lot and able to do my thing so I guess if we start seeing a lot more Out Of The Office stuff it means that Todd Haberkorn stuff is taking a back seat which I don’t know how I would feel about it but who knows.

For your role as Firo in the anime Baccano, which has more of an American tone, did you find it easier to prepare for and work on?

Todd: I based the accent on the New York side of my family. It was just about being around some of my grandparents and listening to them because they lived in New York forever and ever so it was kind of a tribute to them. I don’t even think they are aware of it.  That’s an accent I’ve been able to play with off and on for years so I was glad that I finally got a gig in an anime where I can actually use it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvEZBbJ_dY8

Your voice definitely caters to specific types of voice roles.  Do you ever get afraid of being typecast and not being able to try anything new as a result? 

Todd: Sometimes I get afraid of that and there are certainly roles that I’ve done a bunch of but first and foremost I’m just really glad to continue to work.  That’s my thing, I don’t seek out roles that are the same, I just seek out work.  When I do roles that are similar in anime, for instance, it really has to do with the fact that that’s just how I got cast in that particular situation. I always enjoy the opportunity to try something new and get out of my comfort zone and I’ve had the pleasure of doing that in anime and in film and on stage.  I’m grateful for that and I hope that pattern continues.  It’s comfortable to stay in the same groove but it’s more exciting to be able to bust out and do something that you don’t know how people are going to take it.

You are a part of the web-series Star Trek Continues.  How did you land the role of Mr. Spock?  It’s not every day that you get to play such an iconic character. 

Todd: Vic (Mignogna) approached me and we had worked on a couple other Star Trek properties before and he approached me about starting his own and mentioning that he wanted me to be his Spock because of our dynamic of being friends outside of anime and working on productions. I respected his abilities and his knowledge about Star Trek. He’s an encyclopedia.  Nobody knows more about the world of Trek than he does. I knew I was going to be in good hands. So, I had to send in an audition. So he sent out scenes of the original series. What I did was I recorded them in costume and some crude makeup on green screen and I inserted myself into the original series footage so when William Shatner was talking and it would cut to Spock, it would be me responding to him. He liked that and got a kick out of it and it kind of led to the role from there.

With Bandai Entertainment discontinuing sales of blu-rays, DVDs, mangas and novels, where do you think the anime industry stands at this point?  Do you believe it is still going strong?

Todd: I think it’s got similar challenges to a lot of forms of entertainment in the sense that we are in such a surplus of entertainment.  There is so many options out there that it’s very difficult for anything whether it’s an anime or a $250 million dollar movie to get people’s attention.  Now anime has its own problems. Now the convention appearances and conventions are growing but the anime industry is almost in a way shrinking and it’s very strange to think about that.  Hopefully the anime industry will continue to be around but the problem is at the end of the day, at least from my aspect of it, we are kind of just putting a different coat of paint on original material that is already out there so there is unfortunately there is only so far it can go. Whereas if you are dealing with an original property like Star Wars: Clone Wars, it has a little more wiggle room and Western animation is a little more main stream for this culture.  When you take anime, what’s funny is that there’s much more depth in anime than American animation but it’s made for a different culture and we’re simply taking it into our culture and just putting a little bit of a spin on it by dubbing it and putting out there for everyone to see.  There are different sensibilities in Japan.  Unfortunately, the majority of the US, at least from what I’ve seen, are very resistant to change in that direction.  They want cartoons that are one dimensional where it’s like good guy versus bad and that’s it.  When you bring these anime that has depth and levels and different story arcs where when people die, they actually die.  It deals with loss and death and rebirth and things like that, it’s a head scratcher for people.  You add to the fact that the industry doesn’t have a whole bunch of funding.  It’s kind of an uphill battle.  I’m surprised that it’s lasted as long as it has and I’m happy to be a part of it but  I do recognize the difficulty of that aspect of the industry.

You are also a musician.  Tell us, how has music changed your life?  Any influences in music, both past and present that have helped you build the kind of music you want to create?

Todd: Music’s a tricky beast for me because I want to create it and I have been playing music for a while but it’s only recently that I’ve tried to write more. There’s such good music out there and so many great artists and there’s also a lot of bad music out there and I think that’s with anything.  But right now, I feel like a lot of the R&B and even the mainstream rock and stuff, when you listen to what those songs are about, they’re very shallow. It’s about the beat.  It’s about the rhythm of the song.  That’s kind of the listening generation we’re in right now whereas the 60’s and 70’s, the lyrics were very thought provoking.  I think we’re going through a shift of how music is absorbed by the public right now.  For me, writing music is about an idea that begins in my head and I try to tell a journey about something that means something to me.  It’s a song that I’m putting out there for everyone to examine; it’s got little secret messages in there that only I know.  It’s a weird, groovy thing to have a song out there that everyone can hear and everyone can look at the lyrics and everyone can see but there’s still code in there that only I know.

Tell us about Team Haberkorn.  How did this team come about?

Todd: I was approached about that a couple years ago about doing a fan club and talked with a couple of people about it and I had never thought in that direction before.  A buddy of mine mentioned that we should make it a thing that supports charity.  I was excited to do that.  I didn’t realize how much of a full time job it would be.  It really takes up a lot of focus and time to make it happen.  It’s all in the name of trying to give fans a different kind of access of me and to support some good causes. We do things that no other fan club that I know of really does out there with contests and original content that we have, Korntent if you will.  We have a lot of cool ideas that we hope to get out there.  I see everything that’s put on the site.  No changes are made to the site without me knowing about it.  I try as hard as I can to make sure that I have a hand in everything that happens there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esFF68wZGG4

Do you have any favorite Asian films you would like to share with us?

Todd: I’m going to expand that with just foreign films in general.  A lot of foreign films that I’ve seen, especially when I was young, it’s kind of the same thing I was saying about anime earlier, there’s just a different sensibility in making a film outside of the US.  When you take a look at something like, (Russian films) Night Watch and Day Watch, those movies have an imagination in them that takes you out of the film almost because it’s so imaginative.  I think that’s a good thing.  From the camera angles to how the scenes unfold, it’s really astonishing to seek other cultures view on filmmaking.  There are a lot of good foreign films and there are a lot of bad ones.

What words of encouragement would you like to say for those who strive to achieve success?

Todd: The biggest thing I try to keep in mind is that at the end of the day, when people say “mind your own business”, I take that to mean you run your own business.  As an actor especially, my instruments and the tools I use are my brain and my voice and my body so that’s my business and I have to take care of that. If you think about a big corporation like Best Buy that has a legion of employees and board members working every single day to make that machine go, it’s that much harder for one person to do that for themselves.  People should keep that in mind for a couple of reasons; one because almost anything is possible if you put your mind.  I don’t want to say anything is because I can’t levitate off the bed and float off down the hall, that (isn’t) going to happen.  Almost anything is possible if you put true effort towards it.  I think that helps people give them a sense of accountability.  When you run your own business, you are aware of the choices that you make.  When people are looking to be successful, you got to be mindful of every choice that you make.  I’ve made some bad decisions in my life and I’ve made a lot of good ones and that’s the one thing that I keep in mind that hopefully helps me be successful.

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Road to Ninja is the 9th movie overall in the Naruto series. Road to Ninja” tells a complicated story where Naruto and his friend Sakura are sent into a parallel mirror world by an evil wizard, where their deepest dreams come true. Sakura, who resents her parents meddling with her life, realizes that her parents have both died as heroes. Naruto who had lived his entire life as an orphan, now enjoys the loving presence of his parents, Minato and Kushima. Both Naruto and Sakura are still cognizant though that they are living in an illusion that needs to be broken. Powerful ninja battles ensue during the night of the red moon, the only night when the spell can be broken by a mysterious scroll, and Naruto had to invoke the Nine-Tailed Fox within him in an attempt to return their world back to how it used to be.

The story was told very well, without really requiring an in depth knowledge of the animated series. The flashbacks give us the necessary historical background in order to understand better the current situation the characters are in. The clarity of this story development is quite impressive considering this is already the ninth Naruto film! I can now see why this anime series had been so popular over the years. No wonder this particular installment had just become the highest-grossing Naruto film. For “otakus” and loyal fans of the anime series, it is entertaining to see some Konoha ninjas display qualities that are the opposite of their known personalities. Some of the characters seemed unnecessary such as Guy-sensei, Rock Lee and Sai. Still, they provided humorous moments and gave a “fresh” approach to the movie.

Later that night, Sakura had a feud with her mother and stormed out of their house and came across with Naruto and the two went to the park. Sakura keeps on complaining about her life and wishes to have a different parents while Naruto feels otherwise because he’s been longing to have one ever since and tired of being alone to which Sakura lamented that if only Sasuke was around he’ll probably understand her. This is where Madara comes in to continue his “real” plan reference to the first attack earlier. Naruto: Road to Ninja contains all the good points of the series: the humor and the emotional bonds formed by the characters who display their trademark skills.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1f6ZAr84q5E

I’m a little bit disappointed though with so little screen time given to Sasuke, but overall, I enjoyed watching the movie because there is a balance of comedy (humor) and drama (emotional ties with each characters). Is this the best Naruto movie? No. While I believe the story-line is far better than previous Naruto movies where you have to save the Princess or rescue a friend, I think they could have done this one better. The fight between the two Kyuubis was kind of boring and we’ve only got mediocre fight scenes throughout the movie. It is definitely more mature as a concept than the rest of the movies since it’s supposed to be more about the psyche of the protagonists and less about some global threat. Naruto still ends everything with a Rasengan as always but that was not the point of the film. So I expected a mixture of all these positive aspects in the ninth film of the Naruto franchise.

This Girl Is Bad-Ass. And yes, Jeeja Yanin is as bad as they come. The film, written and Directed by Thai TV comedian, Mum Jok Mok, (the co-star of Tony Jaa’s “Ong Bak” and “Tom Yum Goong”) is a kind of patched together version of Mum’s TV shows, featuring his cast of Comics with TV type gags. For many, who don’t speak Thai, the jokes make no sense, even with the subtitles, (whose translations are BAD) and won’t like the humor. Mainly, this is a story about a young orphan, Jakkalen, a super-mega Tomboy, (still cute) raised by her Uncle Reuwang, (a former mobster himself, now selling DVD’s in his video store stall in the market) and she is a Bike Messenger, who happens to be delivering “Stuff”, (red powder in plastic bags, presumed to be drugs). Jakkalen, is playing a dangerous game, trying to rip off the mob, while playing rival gangs against each other.

Because she is Jeeja Yanin, of course the girl can fight like crazy, and does. Also, a sub theme is a really ugly guy has fallen for her, and is constantly, painfully, stupidly, scheming to win her over. Jakkalen, in the meantime, having her first crush, falls for a musician who is not all he seems to be, which eventually she finds out the hard way. The film has gags featuring absurd costumes and get ups worn by some cast members, Midget Muay Thai, and keystone cops gangsters who are either not straight, or can’t shoot straight either. Really, the plot doesn’t have much substance to it, and it is very difficult to divulge it with spoilers, since it is too difficult to follow anyway. I watched this film in the Thai release version, and its Western release version as well, for one thing only, and that is to watch Jeeja kick ass. One thing that is interesting, is that the English version includes about 20 minutes of Jeeja fight scenes that had been cut from the Thai version, with the distributors obviously sensing that the market in the US and England was for fans of her Martial arts prowess.

The emphasis isn’t so much on the drama and action, but rather on the more comedic elements that Thai audiences like so much in their movie going entertainment. Not to say that there isn’t sufficient action on hand to showcase Jeeja’s formidable kickboxing talents, but that action definitely moves to a supporting role this time out. So much so, that having watched it as a foreign viewer, I can see why it took a bit longer to surface on DVD outside of Thailand itself. The fight scenes are well done, as always, by action maestro Panna Rittikrai, the Thai stunt trainer who discovered and trained Tony Jaa and Dan Chupong. I won’t spoil it, but what Jeeja does in her first two fight scenes will remind people of Jackie Chan, in the way she uses her environment, and every object in it as a weapon and/or a defense. It is very creatively done, and accompanied by some fun music that rocks and gets the pulse going faster. This film is enjoyable, entertaining, and a good opportunity to enjoy both the physical and comedic acting talents of a rising star, who I think is the new action Queen of Asia.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkm1U_adfGo

The film doesn’t match her debut, Chocolate, and is just different than her other movie, “Raging Phoenix”, and not quite as well made as the Thai/Korean martial arts film “The Kick”, in which Jeeja has a secondary role. But, it is worth watching, and will whet the appetite of all of Jeeja’s fans for the upcoming, soon to be released sequel to Tony Jaa’s spectacular film, Tom Yum Goong 2, starring both he and Jeeja, Marrese Crump, RZA, and Tazu, as well as Mum Jok Mok reprising his role in the original. This one I can’t wait for.

Daniel M. Nakamura is the name on his bills, but he’s better known to the world as Dan the Automator. A hip-hop producer extraordinaire, the Automator was instrumental in many releases during what could only be described as a hip-hop renaissance during the mid-to-late ’90s. From his first major release in 1996 (Dr. Octagon) through the Gorillaz project in 2001, Dan the Automator had his hand in a little bit of everything. Fast forward to today and he has many shows, projects, and tunes in the works as 2013 brought upon Pillowfight, which is a collaboration between Dan the Automator and Emily Wells featuring Kid Koala (Creative Spotlight #175) and Lateef the Truthspeaker. We talk about a myriad of topics as I had the chance to sit down with this legendary producer. Read below for the full Q&A…

Today, I often look for music production tips online.  How did you learn how to work the software and ultimately do what you do? Are you self-taught?

Dan the A: I have basically learned to work pretty much everything I use trough trial and error. Occasionally I refer to manuals when working on some detail of a software device or a sequencer. I guess, pretty much self taught with a bit of manual reference.

You have classical training and yet worked with a wide variety of hip-hop artists and have produced records and formed bands. It’s really hard to nail down your career path. How do you go about making conscious decisions on what to work on and which projects you want to be apart of?

Dan the A: I just make what I feel like making. My choices of who I work with or what kind of record I’m going to make are all based on feelings. I don’t know if I know exactly where things will end up but I do have a reasonably good idea of the direction.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZBwGofFyJE

Is that what initially drew you to working with Emily Wells? Since you both had a similar background and appreciate for violin and hip hop?

Dan the A: I thought she had a beautiful voice and an interesting perspective. Maybe our backgrounds had something to do with it but it wasn’t the primary reason I decided to work with her.

So, let’s say there is a relatively unknown act that wants the chance to work with you. What kind of artists do you prefer to work with?

Dan the A: I work with whatever I’m feeling. I often work with new artists because they have a fresh new perspective. I also work with established artists because I like what they do.

Late last year we interviewed Kid Koala and asked him at the time Deltron 3030 came out, if he found it difficult to excel in an over-saturated market? Being formed over 10 years ago how have you focused on remaining unique and fresh?

Dan the A: Sometimes things become big hits, sometimes they are more cult, but overall I feel like they are pushing my particular vision forward.

Now we’re in the year 4010, what can we expect from Event II and what was the creative process like on this album?

Dan the A: 3040 took a long time to make.  Ultimately it just came down to a time when Del and I were on the same page. As far as creating, the tracks were just what I was feeling the Deltron progression was supposed to be.

There is also talk about you working with Kimbra, Could you go into any detail about how you will be approaching that project and what you can add?

Dan the A: A little to early to get into.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69cwmqez1_s

Now that Del, Koala and yourself are in your 40’s, do you have a more mature approach to music or perhaps a different outlook?

Dan the A: I just make the music that I’m feeling. It’s always new to me and exciting to see how it comes out.  The outlook always changes based on exterior situations and forces. Essentially everything is its own inspiration of sorts.

Share with us a few of your favorite Asian films if you would!

Dan the A: Hard Boiled, Suicide Club, Cold Fish, Heavenly Kings, and Old Boy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijPE7fe4XTg