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Northwest Asian Weekly

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Brahms, Mozart, and … Takemitsu?

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The Japanese are considered to be one of the biggest consumers of classical music. Despite the global economic downturn, concerts are constantly being presented in Tokyo and other cities. The number of foreign artists and orchestras performing in Japan has also been increasing.

‘Glamorous, elegant, timeless, revolutionary,’ pearls of wisdom from The Shanghai Pearl, burlesque dancer

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Jenny Ku’s apartment is cloaked in sequins, feathers, and fishnet stockings. Her laptop is red — a shade almost as bright as her lipstick — and so is her tea kettle, which brewed jasmine tea on one of spring’s sunnier days. But that doesn’t compare to the 17 pairs of peep-toe pumps peeking out from her rows of boas, dresses, and masks.

Indian American will host MTV Movie Awards

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How was everyone’s March? It’s time for an update on last month’s activities of your favorite Asian American celebrities! Tiger Woods announced his return to golf, “The Cove” won Best Documentary at the Academy Awards, Aziz Ansari prepared to host the MTV Movie Awards, and Nicole Scherzinger joined the cast of “Dancing with the Stars.”

“Sun” documentary about Tibet has many bright spots

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Given the 50 years of tension between the Chinese government and Tibetans, China can’t be expected to support the documentary film, “The Sun Behind the Clouds: Tibet’s Struggle for Freedom.” According to an article in Salon magazine by Andrew O’Hehir, Chinese film officials responded to the film’s inclusion in the Palm Springs International Film Festival by yanking two high-profile Chinese films from the festival’s lineup.

‘Warlords’ missing 16 crucial minutes

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Peter Chan’s Chinese battle epic, “The Warlords,” opens with a creepy voice narrating, “He told me — that dying was easy and living was hard.” But who is speaking? And who is he speaking about?

“Ching Chong Chinaman”: The unexpected name in Asian American identity

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First thing I thought about before seeing “Ching Chong Chinaman” was, ‘great, another Asian American satire,’ “Joy Luck Club” references and all.

In the case of ‘Formosa,’ fact is better than fiction

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“Formosa Betrayed” begins with a huge flurry of action. The film is set in 1983 at Taiwan’s Chiang Kai-shek International Airport, and soldiers surround a trio of running men. Shots go off and one Chinese man falls to the ground. Armed officers pull a second Chinese man, Ming (played by Will Tiao), out of sight. The third man, American FBI agent Jake Kelly (played by James Van Der Beek), ends up in an office with Susan Kane (Wendy Crewson), the American Liaison to Taiwan. Before the soldiers rush in, he must explain his actions to her.

Nujabes’ death shocks fans and colleagues

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It has been confirmed recently that hip hop producer extraordinaire Jun Seba passed away on Feb. 26 after a fatal car accident in Tokyo’s Minato Ward. Efforts to resuscitate Seba at a hospital in Shibuya were unsuccessful. Seba died at the age of 36 …

3 digi-cams + $44,000 = 3 films about loss

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Each year, South Korea’s Jeonju Film Festival supports three filmmakers to shoot a half-hour film using digital cameras. Each filmmaker receives a budget of 50 million Korean won (about $44,000). The results from last year’s show featured three up-and-coming Asian directors using their electronic tools in distinctive manners.