Yes, I know the FM show at the Roxy is happening tomorrow, too, but BEFORE you roll over there, tune into http://framagazine.com/live/davidchoi at 7pm PST! Aiko and I will be interviewing David Choi, singer/songwriter/producer of YouTube fame.
It should be a fun show. Aiko’s gonna cook something, we’re gonna interview David, all you peeps who’re watching live will be able to chat with us, ask David questions, and request songs for David to sing. There will be some giveaways and perhaps a few special guests. For those of you who can’t see it live, the episode will be up right after it airs.
P.S. - We’ll be heading out to the Roxy after the show, so for those who make it to both our show and FM’s show, well, we’ll have to toast to that.
Last year, my friends contacted me about their friend Michelle Maykin who was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (a cancer of the blood). After seeking a bone marrow donor amongst her family, she needed to find a match from a stranger. Tricky thing is that there was and is a lack of Asian bone marrow donors out there. So her friends and family started ProjectMichelle.com in hopes of finding a bone marrow donor for Michelle. A donor was not found, so she went with another option: double cord transplant. Things seemed to be going ok post-transplant, but the cancer came back. After that, she decided to keep fighting and started undergoing chemo again this month. However, according to her doctor, the cancer is now chemo-resistant and she only has 4-6 weeks to live… That must be the hardest news to hear at the age of 27 (I’m only a year younger than her…-_-). Michelle being the fighter that she’s been has decided to try out Eastern medicine…
I was very sad to read the latest update on Michelle and am more than ever determined to meet her, and no not in the next 4-6 weeks, but when she is healthy and cancer-free!
Michelle needs prayer and I am praying that Jesus will heal her. Jesus can heal all! Yes, He can. Please pray with me.
A few months ago, I played a small role in a short film called Lily’s Hope. About a Chinese girl who is forced into prostitution, the film’s intention is to raise awareness about sex slavery. I’ve posted the video here, but check out the website, too, it has a lot of great links to resources about modern day slavery: www.lilyshope.com.
Sounds like a movie title, no? Haha, j/k. It’s just my way of trying to have a random title that’s fitting to this blog ;P
So it’s been busy the past several weeks. Daniel and I moved again. Oi vey. This was my 6.5th time moving since officially moving down to LA 3.5 years ago (6.5 cuz’ I first crashed on my relatives’ couch). We’re in downtown LA now. I never thought I’d live downtown, but after 3 weeks of being here, I’m actually diggin’ it. Our new place is dope… which is potentially a problem. We’ve had visitors almost every single day since we’ve moved here! People come over ’til really late, too… so I’ve been sleeping really late… playing Rock Band ’til past 3am… sometimes ’til 5am… you see why this could be a problem? Haha. >_< The other night, Lanny and Pedro came over and they ended up staying 24 hours! I did a double take at one point, cuz' all of a sudden Lanny was wearing Daniel's clothes. o_O
So what's up with "Stephanie, Gilbert, and a Ferris Wheel" you ask? My clever way of summing up a few events from the past 3 weeks...
Stephanie. My character’s name in Andrew Oh’s short film, “Miracle Mile.” Andrew did a great job directing and the piece turned out really solid. The premiere took place at the Talent 1 Media Film Festival two weekends ago. Daniel and I attended the screening and enjoyed a lot of the films, especially “The Agent” ones. Def looking forward to next year’s TOMFF.
Gilbert. Nickname given to me by Hans of Tatum Jones (maybe I will explain why in another blog). He actually dedicated their song “Wingman” to me at Calista Wu’s CD release last week. Haha. Oh man, Calista was awesome and Bordello was PACKED. I could barely maneuver around peeps as I was trying to help with some filming. It was fun though. Aiko and I danced during TJ’s set then blew bubbles at Calista as she was performing. I also lost my voice screaming “ENCORE!” at Calista, haha. THEN… a few peeps came over afterwards (of course).
Ferris Wheel. Rode one for the first time this past Saturday! Haha. Went out with Daniel’s fam for a pre-Father’s Day dinner in Santa Monica. It was nice. I had some pretty good salmon… but wayyy overpriced IMO (Ocean Avenue Seafood). Walked over to the pier afterwards and after mentioning that I’d never gone up on a Ferris wheel, Daniel went and bought us some tix It was nice, the view was really cool. And no we did not make out up there if you were wondering.
Good times. Until next time’s random blog with a random title…
Video Plugs: Panic Shower, Kid Heroes, and Netflix
- June 22nd, 2009 -
So these days, everyone’s creating their own content and putting it online. Many people put their stuff out there and build followings. Others enter contests and such. Sometimes we’re lucky and we get featured on YouTube ;] Online video is and has been the future. Heck, you may quite possibly see a shift with peachies.net towards that direction…
For now, here are some videos to check out:
“Jill and Gary” from Panic Shower Productions. My buddy Seth Kim is in this one. If you like comedy, Panic Shower may be a good place for you to get a dose of it. Looks like they’re always coming out with content.
Patricio Ginelsa, A.J. Calomay, and the crew have entered the Skinit Spotlight Challenge on YouTube. They are one of 20 finalists! I thought theirs was pretty dang funny. If you like it, rate it, comment, and comment on Skinit’s channel to let ‘em know you dig “BODY PAINT” by kidheroes!
My, oh my… two awesome producers I know (Mynette Louie and Melissa Lee) have their films in the Netflix “Find Your Voice” Film Competition: Eric Lin’s WHY WE PULL THE TRIGGER and Maryam Keshavarz’s CIRCUMSTANCE. They’re two of the 10 semifinalists! I voted for both :X Haha. Take a look at: http://www.netflixfindyourvoice.com
If you’re Asian Pacific American, 30 or under, an emerging filmmaker, and live in LA, this is a program I would encourage you to check out! I was part of the ‘05 program and it was awesome. Great peeps, great resources, and great networking.
Haha, me 4 years younger… with a really cheesy bio.
Here’s the piece I made through the program (most of you have probably seen it):
VC’s AWC Fellowship Reboots, Seeking 2009-10 Fellows
After a short hiatus, we’re pleased to announce the return of Visual Communications’ groundbreaking Armed With a Camera Fellowship for Emerging Media Artists. The Fellowship, which debuted in 2002, seeks to provide up-and-coming filmmakers the opportunity to develop and produce new works in a nurturing environment. All works produced through AWC will premiere at the 2010 edition of the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. Check out the guidelines and download the application here.
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS IS JULY 17, 2009.
Normally, I don’t go out to theaters very much, but so far, this summer, I’ve been able to see a few movies, and so far so good.
Last night I watched UP in 3-D… such a touching film! I cried within the first 10 minutes! And honestly, I don’t even think you really need to watch the film in 3-D… the glasses are annoying at times. Pixar is definitely consistent with good storytelling here. I definitely want to see this one again.
STAR TREK. Who hasn’t seen it yet? Well, it’s def had a lot of buzz around it for awhile during this time of the J.J. Abrams reign. And for those who haven’t seen it yet, it’s def worth checking out in theaters. I’m no Trekkie, but they setup the story so well from the get go, that you don’t need to have any prior Star Trek knowledge. I also cried within the first 10 minutes… maybe even 5 minutes… haha. John Cho plays a very lovable Sulu and Zachary Quinto is hot as Spock… great casting.
I saw ANGELS & DEMONS via an advanced screening… I actually enjoyed it a lot. I’m not sure what readers of the books or viewers of the previous DA VINCI CODE movie thought, but I went into the film with no knowledge of the story, so everything was really fresh for me. A part of me thinks I might’ve liked it a tad more than Star Trek, just cuz’ of the subject matter (I tend to like psych thrillers… and even though this may not have been one, it did play mind tricks with me!).
So those are the flicks I’ve seen as of late and that might be it for me for the summer. Today I had a lunch meeting with a buncha film buffs and for the fall, it sounds like PRECIOUS is going to be really good.
The 4th Annual Talent 1 Media Film Festival is going down next Saturday, June 13th and will be a day filled with lots of good stuff. Check out the schedule here.
I checked out the film fest last year cuz’ some of my friends were involved in a few of the short films that screened. There were a lot of really great shorts and all for a good cause! Talent 1 Media is a non-profit org that strives to raise awareness to human trafficking through film. To learn more about their mission, go here.
This year, I actually got the privilege of playing a small role in Andrew Oh’s “Miracle Mile” alongside Tyler Kain and Marcus Haney. It’ll be my first time seeing the film at the festival… so I’m looking forward to it! If you follow me on Twitter, then you know that I didn’t sleep for a film shoot recently… well, this was the one… so hopefully I don’t suck! haha.
Do I look like I’m in high school? Photo by John Park.
A good idea of how last night’s vigil in LA went down:
Praying for peace and calm for the families of Laura and Euna during this time. And praying for the safe return of Laura and Euna in the very near future!
It was nice, the view was really cool. And no we did not make out up there if you were wondering.
