December 2006 Archives
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Curse of the golden flower - Historical film from Zhang Yimou
By Tamiko
So this film broke box office records in China, it is one of the most expensive Chinese films to date, it stars Chow Yun-Fat and Gong Li, there's lots of heaving cleavage (kinda odd for a Chinese film?) and action, and it was directed by venerated director Zhang Yimou (Hero). Great combination, mix it all up, and you get Curse of the Golden Flower (Man cheng jin dai huang jin jia), also known literally as The City of Golden Armor, a Chinese historical drama film, with special effects, colorful costumes, and fight scenes that may rival the videogames...almost. Anyways, go watch it when it comes out on the 22nd!
Set in 10th century China (the Later Tang Dynasty to you history buffs) the story centers on an emperor (Chow) and empress (Gong) and palace intrigues with tons of deceit, betrayal, manipulation, rebellion, murder, and, um, incest. Oooh kay. Expect soaring music from Shigeru Umebayashi (In the Mood for Love, Hero), and choreographed action by Tony Ching Siu Tung (Shaolin Soccer, A Better Tomorrow 2)
Posted by Tamiko | December 22, 2006 | Comments (1)Tags:
Afro'robics - fitness blending African dance styles
By Tamiko
Must be energetic. Must like African drumming. Must like to dance. Want to mix up your fitness routine? Why not try out African Aerobics (Afro'Robics), a class of low and high impact fitness blending various dance styles of West and Central Africa, along with high-energy African drumming. There are two important rules to remember: take your shoes off, and smile! FREE tryout at The Roundhouse on Sunday, January 21, from 12:45pm-2:15pm.
Afro'Robics | Instructor: Jacky Essombe
Sign up @ the Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre)
181 Roundhouse Mews (Davie & Pacific), Vancouver
Phone: 604-713-1800 | Fax: 60-713-1813
Sundays: Jan 28-Feb 25, 12:45-2:15pm OR Sundays: Mar 4-March 25
$49/4 sessions or $14 drop in
Tags: Life
Cute comics, not matter what it says - Kawaii Not Comics
By Tamiko
Kawaii is Japanese for "cute," but when you add "not"...you get Kawaii Not , the 4-panel webcomic of typical everyday things doing and saying not-so-cutesy stuff. Artist Meghan Murphy may not like the kawaii, but it looks like she's influenced by the kawaii-ness of Japanese design...
You'll find cupcakes ("I think I have diabetes"), clouds ("I crap rainbows"), stars ("I'm hot and full of gas"), gingerbread man ("When I dream I bite your head off first"), chocolate swirl icecream ("I look like poop"), among other items like marshmallows, pancakes, and more.
More:
*A whole slew of Kawaii Not webcomics @ www.kawaiinot.com
*Kawaii Not store filled with tees, buttons, stickers @ www.cafepress.com/kawaiinot
*Contact Meghan at Meghan@kawaiinot.com or Meghan@ murphypop.com
*Kawaii Not's livejournal @ kawaii-not.livejournal.com/
*Kawaii Not's MySpace @ www.myspace.com/kawaiinot
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Yo! Its the Japanese food Five-0!
By Boon Kondo
The Sun's food critic Mia Stainsby reported on Nov. 25 that Japan's "minister of agriculture, displeased about what's passing for Japanese food abroad, said that starting in 2007, the government will offer official seals of approval to overseas restaurants that pass the Japanese standards of authenticity." Daaam. The French nor Italian dont even have this apparent kind of food police, perhaps this minister of agriculture could do a little consultation with cultural experts and take note that while some Japanese restaurants world wide may be able to get this so-called seal of approval, if this move gets more publicized, there is probably a greater chance that Japanese people as a whole will get stamped with a huge seal of pretentiousness.
Posted by Boon Kondo | December 16, 2006 | Comments (0)Tags:
Israeli's like!
By Boon Kondo
Islamic nations don't seem to be down with the jokes and neither were the US based Jewish rights group, the Anti-Defamation League but Israeli's apparently are. Borat's creator, Sacha Baron Cohen is, by now, as we all know, a Jew but that aside much of Borat's lingo in the clips and movie is not Kazakh but is actually Hebrew. I think i read some time back that Borat's famous greeting, "Jaghemesh!" is a bastardized Polish greeting or something. Anyhow, one last hurray for the Borat juggernaut as it has reached its zenith and Cohen has apparently already wrapped up his next character's movie, Bruno.
"You like? Israelis do..." article at Mytelus
Posted by Boon Kondo | December 15, 2006 | Comments (0)Tags:
Ethnosonic lineup this weekend
By Boon Kondo
Seu Jorge, Fede Aubele, Camera Obscura, Controller, Controller, Ozomatli, etc....
Ethnosonic plays SAT & SUN @ noon on City TV
Posted by Boon Kondo | December 15, 2006 | Comments (0)Tags:
"Shalom/Salaam/Word Up" - giving political hip hop broader meaning
By Boon Kondo
URB mag feature on how the youth of Israel/Palestine are using hip hop as a vehicle for efforts for unity and expressing division
"Sometimes I used to write my lyrics WHEN the F-16s and the Apaches in the sky were intruding on the people around me. Those things affect me so much and make me feel like there's something big in me that's gonna explode my inside. I can describe exactly how I feel through my lyrics."
Shalom/Salaam/Word Up full article by Jason Newman
Y-Love & the N.O.M.A.D.S. clip 1, clip 2
Channels of Rage documentary: about 2 MCs, collaborators and friends, Subliminal (Israeli Jew) and Tamer Nafar (Palestinian)
DAM (Da Arabian MCs), Tamer Nafar's group
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More world music tops...
By Boon Kondo
A couple more year end best lists in world music, these both from Popmatters (not sure why they have 2 but they are from 2 different writers). Both lists are topped by Ali Farke Toure from Mali who just passed away this year. He is touted as the "the King of the desert blues singers," which as Popmatter's Michael Keefe points out is "a slogan that purposefully mimics the label attached to Robert Johnson (here substituting "desert" for "delta").
Globespotting: Best World Music of 2006 by Michael Keefe
East and West: World Music in 2006 by Deanne Sole
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Riddum from the Rising Sun
By Boon Kondo
World Clash champs Mighty Crown Soundsystem @ Atlantis, THURS, DEC. 14
Hip hop out east from Japan is nothing new but not too many have heard Japanese MCs take upon the Jamaican patois of the dancehall reggae toaster like a Sean Paul or Beenie Man. The Mighty Crown Soundsystem are a Yokohama based soundsytem crew of DJs (selector) and MCs that was formed all the way back in '91. After living in Brooklyn from the early 90s and honing their craft, Mighty Crown entered and won the World Clash competition in '99 (dancehall equivalent of hip hip battling competitions) which is open to all soundsytems (Jamaicans, Americans, Europeans, etc) and who were more recently joined in by 2002 dancehall queen (dancehall booty dance competitions), Junko "Bashment" Kudo as Japanese natives to top world dancehall competitions (2002 also had DJ Kentaro from Japan winning the world DMC (DJ) Championships).
Mighty Crown have since been touring world wide and play club Atlantis, this THURSDAY, DEC. 14.
Read more on Mighty Crown HERE
Some Mighty Crown youtube clips
Junko's self written bio and background blog (on coming up on the dancehall scene in Japan, busting stereotypes, going to compete in Jamaica against Jamaican girls, etc)
Junko booty shakin vid (warning: dancehall booty'ing puts hip hop videos you've seen to shame)
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(Exclaim mag's) Outernational Vibes of the year
By Boon Kondo
These kind of year end best lists usu remind people that, yeah, the year is coming to an end. This year's top artist of Exclaim mag's "Funk, Soul and & Outernational Vibes" list is a southern Californian of Panamanian descent, Aloe Blacc. Originally of hip hop act, Emanon and signed to Stones Throw records (home to the late, great J-Dilla, Madvillain, Peanut Butter Wolf, etc), Blacc broke out on his own this year with his salsa, merengue, calypso and reggae roots of Panama and meshed it with a modern smoothed out hip hop soul sound that have lead some to dub him as the "indie R. Kelly."
Exclaim's Funk, Soul & Outernational Vibes of the Year complete list here (Do check out the bit on Latino hip hop and culture too at the bottom. Some potential future Latin Canadian stars are also mentioned)
See what went down in the other genres in Exclaim's general Year in Review
Aloe Blacc myspace
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18th Street Lounge 100th release, Thunderball's return
By Boon Kondo
Another whatever loungey remixed CD might be more than a little tired these days but considering that the whole modern jazz/lounge/outernational-tempo genres and remix albums alike have been largely built upon the house that Thievery Corporation's 18th Street Lounge label built, ESL Remixed being that label's 100th release is somewhat significant.
ESL's Thunderball is also back with their 3rd full length player in Cinescope "bridging the gaps between electro, Bollywood soundtracks, hip-hop, drum&bass, soul, funk, reggae, jazz, and lounge, all awash in beautifully lush string orchestrations."
Posted by Boon Kondo | December 11, 2006 | Comments (0)Tags:
New bicultural magazine for Asian Canadians on the go - Blink|Magazine launches
By Tamiko
Blink and you'll miss it! Heard that before? Well, you're hearing it again, right here, right now, because you might just miss the first issue of Blink|Toronto magazine if you don't get a move on and buy it asap! On sale since November 20, 2006, you can find Blink at Chapters and Indigo.
This new bicultural quarterly aims to promote "consciousness for the vitality and richness of culture that defines Asian Canadians." If that whiffs of railroads, gold rush, and fishing villages, blink again...Blink magazine focuses on the modern Asian Canadian experience, which defies "the tired categories, refusing to keep still, ever dynamic, and pursuing excellence."
Blink and bling...Blink expects to target young and young-at-heart Asian Canadians who "pursue the newest, the fastest, the sexiest, and the most beautiful." Their motto? LIVE. THINK. STYLE. PLAY.
More:
*Website under constructiom, but keep on checking @ http://blinktoronto.com/.
*Blink's MySpace @ www.myspace.com/blinktoronto.
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Diplo/M.I.A. nooz...
By Boon Kondo
Is Spin mag's 2005 artist of the year and DJ of the year still together? Who knows? But it does appear that the Dipmeister is now mastering M.I.A.'s hugely anticipated sophmore album and word is also that M.I.A. did, in fact, hook up with Timbaland for the record. So we got Promiscuous Girl, Sexyback and then we'll get Sexy Tamil Tigress Girl next? Anyhow, M.I.A. has apparently been hanging out in Liberia and America's premier baile funk ambassador not only recently remixed M.I.A.'s web leaked XR 2 but also finally seems to be near the completition of his Favela on Blast documentary. Some of the images seen in this preview might be familar since we've been bombarded with the cool of Brazil in recent times but now under the funk of the favelas, the ghettoes of Rio can be united with any suburban joe in the western world. With what uniting factor? Well, booty beats of course.
Posted by Boon Kondo | December 10, 2006 | Comments (0)Tags:
The 13th Annual Winter Solstice Lantern Festival - Winter Wonderland, y'all
By Tamiko
Does it really feel like the holidays yet? Find out at the The Secret Lantern Society's 13th Annual Winter Solstice Lantern Festival on Friday, December 22nd. Six Vancouver neighborhoods (Yaletown, West End, Granville Island, Statchona/Chinatown, Commercial Dr) with glow with colourful paper lanterns, fire, live music, dancing...and skating! These six little community festivals reflect the unique nature of each neighbourhood for an intimate evening out with special attractions.
Friday, December 22, 2006 |6:00 - 10:00 pm
13th ANNUAL WINTER SOLSTICE LANTERN FESTIVAL
One festival, six neighbourhoods
Produced by the Secret Lantern Society
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Dragon Boys on Movie Television
By Alden E. Habacon
More:
From May 2006 Archives:
Disappointingly, Steph Song wasn't interviewed. Voted one of the Top 10 Sexiest Women in the World by FHM readers in Asia", Steph also stars in the film (and in fact learned Cambodian from scratch for her role).
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Give a holiday cheer using world architecture @ GeoGreetings
By Tamiko
"How Geeks Show They Care" is the caption for the GeoGreetings (HERE) website which allows you to spell out a greeting by using aerial photographs of letter-shaped buildings, highways and other architecture out there in the world.
In PEACE: the P is a building in Indianapolis; E is a building in Chicago; A is a building in Hamburg; C is a building in Calgary.
So if you need an interesting way to send FREE holiday messages, or just want to bilk Canada Post, then make your way to GeoGreetings...a Google Map mashup that will entertain you through the holiday season! Ho Ho Ho!
Posted by Tamiko | December 7, 2006 | Comments (0)Tags:
December 1st - World Aids Day
By Tamiko
Take Action Today! INTERNATIONALLY: Around 40 million people are living with HIV throughout the world - and that number increases in every region every day. IN CANADA: Every 2 hours, someone in Canada is infected with HIV. An estimated 58,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS - a 16% increase since 2002. Of these Canadians, 27% do not know they are infected with HIV/AIDS. Ignorance and prejudice are fuelling the spread of a preventable disease.
World AIDS Day, 1 December is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV and AIDS. The theme for World AIDS Day 2006 is accountability. Stop AIDS. Keep the promise.
* You: Wear a red ribbon
* Me: Talk to people
* Us: Get involved in events
More:
*Vancouver World Aids Day list of events @ www.vhaccc.org.
*United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS @ www.unaids.org.
*AVERTing HIV/AIDS website @ www.avert.org/worldaid.
*World Aids Day website @ www.worldaidsday.org.
*World Aids Campaign @ www.worldaidscampaign.info
*Vancouver Aids Organization website @ www.aidsvancouver.org
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Afro'robics - fitness blending African dance styles
Cute comics, not matter what it says - Kawaii Not Comics
Yo! Its the Japanese food Five-0!
Ethnosonic lineup this weekend
"Shalom/Salaam/Word Up" - giving political hip hop broader meaning
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