Trust your eye when exploring The Armory Show 2010’s cavernous collection of new art by living artists, and you will discover exceptional works of fine art among the Asian artists exhibited. More »

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From Rekuru: Saturday night, I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing a local New York City music group called FiRESiGN. Comprised of lead vocalist Aya and bassist Masaki Yamada, the two have a long-standing background in music, with Masaki originally being the lead singer in the heavy metal band Ezo (formally known as Flatback). Coincidentally, Ezo has been named as an influence for such artists as Steve McDonald of Redd Kross and Michael Steele of the The Bangles. With that said, here’s the interview. Enjoy. More »

From Rekuru:

So up until now, I’ve been writing about Akira Kurosawa films I had already seen; only now have I taken advantage of the riches of the Film Forum going on now in New York and seen for the first time Kurosawa’s High and Low (1963). I do encourage everyone living in striking distance of New York to get out and attend this thing; it’s a great opportunity. As for High and Low itself, I strongly recommend it–perhaps not on a level with Rashomon and Ran, but at the same time, it presents a side of Kurosawa you don’t get from his best known films. More »

From Rekuru: “Freedom is something you have to fight for.” - Professor Yagihara

This is a line from Akira Kurosawa’s 1946 film No Regrets for Our Youth which, coincidentally, sums up the entire theme of the film. Set in Kyoto after the Manchurian Incident, No Regrets tells the story of three classmates attending Kyoto University and their life-long struggle for freedom amidst militaristic, fascist opposition. While the film has long gone unnoticed (most likely due to it not being available on DVD until just recently), No Regrets is a powerful and fantastic film that’s definitely worth a watch. More »

From Rekuru: Before Akira Kurosawa came to be known for his largely popular Seven Samurai and Rashomon, there was The Men Who Tread on the Tiger’s Tail. One of the first films to be directed by Kurosawa, Tiger’s Tail, released in 1945, tells the story of a famed general on the run after his brother puts out an order to have him killed. Along with five trusty samurai (one of which is a young Takashi Shimura, a Kurosawa-regular) as well as a cunning bodyguard, the seven go on the run, disguised as wandering priests. More »

From Rekuru:

Fresh to the Tokyo police force Murakami (longtime Kurosawa regular Toshiro Mifune) is not having a good day. Besides having his gun stolen on a crowded bus, his police-issued firearm is now being used by a criminal for robberies and worse. What’s a guy to do? Well, take to the hot summer streets and do some detective work for one. More »

Our interview with Utada this year wasn’t at all the last we’d hear from her. According to Live Nation, our beloved Utada is scheduled to embark on a tour called “In the Flesh” really soon. More »

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First off, congratulations to the New York Yankees for winning the 2009 World Series championship. That’s number 27 for them, which is just utterly ridiculous.

It would be too much to say that Hideki is the reason why the Yankees won number 27, but tonight, Game 6 of the World Series it was the Hideki Matsui show. Godzilla, as nicknamed by his loving fans and teammates, hit 2 home runs and was responsible for 6 of the 7 Yankee runs. That ties a World Series record. In other words, he was the MVP tonight and ended up being the MVP of the entire World Series. More »

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I would like to introduce my new hero. His name is John Liu and he just became the new comptroller of New York City. He also just made history being the FIRST Asian American to be elected to citywide office. A democrat who was formerly a Queens councilman, Mr. Liu defeated Republican Joe Mendola by a wide margin (76 percent to 19 percent). More »

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Watching Christoper Wong’s “Whatever It Takes” documentary made me feel both happy and ashamed to be American. Happy that filmmakers have the freedom to express themselves about issues calling for attention and ashamed that this issue is education. Clearly as shown in the documentary, it’s something that America greatly needs help with. For the slums of South Bronx where the documentary is set, completing high school is a rare event for most students. More »

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It’s very touching to see how fans, both Asian and non-Asian, unite to bring Park Jae Bum back. More »

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Wonder Girls are seen at another fashion event again. This time, they brought their love of Disney to Vivienne Tam’s Spring/Summer 2010 fashion show. Mickey Mouse was featured in the girls’ outfits for the evening. More »

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JAPAN CUTS returns for the third year in a row! Known for being the only large-scale annual Japanese film festival in North America, JAPAN CUTS brings Japan’s newest films to New York City with 27 screenings, 18 premiere films, 7 special guests, and 2 parties. Presented by Japan Society from June 30-July 12, JAPAN CUTS is chock full of exclusive Q&As with filmmakers, special events and more. Films screened between July 1-5 are co-presented with the New York Asian Film Festival and the awesome team at Subway Cinema. More »

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On Wednesday June 24, Deep Foundation is throwing a party for the release of their new music video Sleep which features Jay Legaspi. The music video was directed and created by Choz Belen, and I must say that the released preview looks awesome. More »

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Today’s the big day — opening nite for the New York Asian Film Festival! Kicking off 2009 will be WRITTEN BY from writer/director Wai Ka-fai, who will be live in and in person all the way from Hong Kong tonight. The rumors are true that Lau Ching-wan has canceled his appearances in New York City due to fear of swine flu. (Yes. Really.) Tonight’s screening is sold out at the IFC Center, so please stop messaging for help buying tickets. I can’t help you. No one can now. But Wai Ka-fai will be attendance at all three screening of WRITTEN BY. Speaking of which, we have our NYAFF ticket winners! More »

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In New York City, it’s that time of the year again. When birds are singing, Central Park is abuzz, drunk people wander around the Lower East Side all nite long, and it’s time for Asian films! Subway Cinema is once again throwing the New York Asian Film Festival with a monster schedule this year. (Check it here.) To sweeten up the summer even more, Subway Cinema and Ningin are combining forces to give out TWELVE free tickets to (almost) any screening of the NYAFF. How do you win? Easy. Follow these instructions and no one gets hurt: More »

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As promised, here’s Tina Chou’s photo recap of Japan Day @ Central Park! Check out the kids doing their version of the Japan Run. I think the distance for each kid’s race was 50 feet for each year old they were. Plenty of bonding time over some traditional Japanese board games. And tons of drinks and food being cooked and given away free as a thank you to New York City. Artists performing included Orange Pekoe, Ai Kawashima (pictured), Yaz Band, Taro Masuda, and Soichi Muraji. Wish you were there now? More »

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Japan Day @ Central Park! I’ve lived in this neighborhood for 6 years and have never seen so many people, Asian or non, at the 96 St subway station. Tens of thousands of people came out to take enjoy the fantastic weather, with a sudden spring shower interruption, in New York City’s Central Park with a festival of Japanese sights, sounds and tastes. More »

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Tomorrow is Japan Day in New York City. If anyone is going, you just might find me there. I might be the only girl wearing a Ningin t-shirt. I dunno how yummy the food will be, but it should be fun to try! For now, here’s a list of tasty Japanese food to look at.

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Japan Day @ Central Park returns this year to New York City, Sunday, May 31. Among the entertainers will be Kollaboration 2009 winner Kenichi Ebina, Jpop singer-song writer Ai Kawashima, and Japan Gold Disc Award winners Orange Pekoe. The festivities will be held at the East Meadow of Central Park (Fifth Avenue and 97th Street). There’s lots of food and music — and it’s all free! Take my advice and go early else there won’t be any chow mein, gyoza, gyudon Over Rice, miso soup, and sanuki udon noodle left. (Yes, I have learned the hard way.) More »

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