Category Archives: hawaii

Daniel Dae Kim wants you to vote and send you to Hawaii

Daniel Dae Kim wants you to vote and send you to Hawaii
In a facebook post yesterday, actor Daniel Dae Kim decided to hold an online contest to send one lucky voter to Hawaii and spend time on the set of Hawaii Five-O. Here’s more from Daniel Dae Kim about the contest:

Show me you voted and you could win a free trip to Hawaii for two with a 3 night hotel stay, plus a set visit to Hawaii Five-0! #iVoted

Hi folks-

In an effort to encourage all of us to vote I thought I might do more than your usual PSA or well meaning-tweet. I’ve decided to hold a little online contest where the winner will get to spend some time here in paradise and visit the set of Hawaii Five-0.

Here’s what you need to do to enter:

1. GO OUT AND VOTE! It doesn’t matter whether it’s early voting, absentee voting, or the old fashioned go-to-the-polls kind. It doesn’t even matter who you vote for. Just get out there and do your thing.
2. Show me proof. Take a picture of yourself at the polling station, or with your postage ready absentee ballot – something to show me that you did your part to shape the future of our country. Then ATTACH THE PHOTO TO A TWEET AND SEND IT TO ME WITH THE HASHTAG: #iVoted
3. Wait until November 9, when I will go through the submissions FROM THOSE WHO FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER and announce the winner!

How will I choose the winner?
I will copy all of the tweets from followers who attached their photo along with the hashtag #iVoted and store them starting today, so early voters get just as much of a chance as those who vote on November 6th. In fact, voting early will probably help you get noticed and counted since so many more of us will be voting on Election Day. The more definitively you can show me you voted, the better your chance of winning. If it’s kind of questionable based on the pic, I may not count you in for the final round. On the other hand, if you take the time to show me a little flair or creativity with your post or photo, it may not guarantee you’ll win, but it will definitely help you catch my eye and get put into that final selection group. From there, I’ll pool all the eligible submissions and choose someone randomly.

Once chosen, the winner will be personally contacted by me on twitter, and we’ll start making travel plans!
I’ll fly you and a guest to Honolulu from wherever you live in the CONTINENTAL US, ALASKA or even HAWAII (in case you don’t live on Oahu :). You and your guest will stay at the Modern Hotel in Waikiki (courtesy of me and the good folks there), where you’ll stay for 3 nights. All travel should be complete by the end of February 2013. On one of those days you’ll also get to visit the set of Hawaii Five-0 as my guest and watch us shoot.

That’s it! Now I’m kinda new at this whole contest thing, so I don’t know all the legal mumbo jumbo, but hopefully everyone who participates will do it in good faith just like I am. Feel free to retweet this link to all your friends, but be sure to tell them that if they want to participate, they must follow my account so I can be in touch with the winner.

*Finally, as a little added BONUS, on Election Day I’ll go online to hold a live tweet session (I’ll let you know the time later) with all those who entered, just to say thanks for doing your part.

Thanks so much for reading this very long post, and thanks even more for voting. In the election of 2000, a difference of only 536 votes decided the presidency of the United States. Your vote CAN make a difference. Let’s make it count.

Good luck!

You can also get details here.

Here’s more voting PSAs: Bee a Winner : Desi Voting, Wake up the Asian American vote in North Carolina, Muslims NOT Allowed to Vote?, (Don’t) VOTE #TakeAction PSA, Get out the Vote, 10 minutes with Aziz Ansari and Kal Penn, Reel in the Vote with Preschoolers, Officer Bart Kwan wants you to vote, Reel in the Vote with Randall Park, Embrace Your Power with Kelly Hu and George Takei, Power of the Swing Vote.

Power of the Swing Vote (see Daniel Dae Kim at the 5:56 mark)

2012 Kollaboration Honolulu

2012 Kollaboration Honolulu

Kollaboration brings the search for groundbreaking Asian American and Pacific Islander talent to Hawai’i, home to some of the greatest performers in the world. Come see the local competitors of Kollaboration Honolulu’s first show battle for the grand prize of $1,000 featuring :

Sheila Marie | Performing: Vocal
Mantra | Performing: Alternative Rock Band
JamFam | Performing: Acoustic/Vocal
Jose Ver | Performing: Comedy/Vocal
Jasmine Chun Fat | Performing: Vocal
Amanda Frazier | Performing: Band
Mike Izon | Performing: Vocal

Hosted by Justin Chon from Twilight!
Guest Performances by: David So & Blank Canvas
Guest Judges: KevJumba, Non Stop Honolulu & Doc Rock

It all goes down August 18, 2012 at Mamiya Theatre in Honolulu, HI.

2012 Kollaboration Honolulu Promo – The local competitors of Kollaboration Honolulu’s first annual show come together to perform a special cover of Anuhea’s “Simple Love Song” and Common Kings’ “Wade in Your Water.

YTF : Yesterday Today Forever

YTF : Yesterday Today Forever

You may have seen the term YTF floating around from your favorite YouTube stars including Ryan Higa, Kevin Wu (aka Kevjumba), Chester See, Victor Kim, D-Trix, JR Aquino and Andrew Garcia. What is the meaning of YTF? This video will tell you what it is and what it means. (also see the channelAPA.com interviews with Ryan Higa, Kevin Wu, and Victor Kim.)

YTF is the historic convergence of the most popular celebrity entertainers from YouTube and the social networking communities. It was conceived by its members as a way to collaborate artistically and interact with fans around the world in an intimate, exciting way never before experienced. YTF’s mission is to not only entertain, but to share the group’s personal message of empowerment with their fans. The philosophy behind YTF – Yesterday, Today, Forever – is that success and happiness in one’s life starts with individual choice:

Yesterday is in the past.
Today you have a choice.
Forever is up to you.

With this message, the YTF crew has created a live show featuring singing, dancing and sketch comedy that carries a hip, wholesome and positive vibe. The entire YTF crew welcomes you to share in their dreams, and enjoy the show!

Their first concert is in Hawaii this weekend in Oahu, Hawaii. Here’s the info:

YTF Global in Hawaii
Hawaii Theater
1130 Bethel Street
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
Sunday, October 9, 2011
6:00 PM – Doors Open
7:00 PM – Show Starts
VIP and Platinum VIP are sold out already.
Only General Admission tickets are available for $30.

Expect more YTF concerts coming to a city near you.

YTF : Yesterday Today Forever

One Voice Documentary : Kamehameha Schools Song Contest

One Voice Documentary : Kamehameha Schools Song Contest

ONE VOICE is a documentary film that tells the story of the Kamehameha Schools Song Contest through the eyes of the student song directors as they prepare to compete in a celebration of the revitalization of the Hawaiian language. (It’s like a real life Hawaiian GLEE.) Every year in Hawai’i, nearly 2000 high school students compete in the Song Contest where students direct their classmates in singing Hawaiian songs in four-part harmony, acapella. Started in 1921, the annual Song Contest is a unique cultural celebration that has become a major event in Hawai’i. The Contest is a unique cultural celebration that has become a major local event, broadcasted live on TV, played on the radio, and streamed on the Internet. The film follows the young student leaders as they prepare to compete in a celebration of the revitalization of the Hawaiian language.

ONE VOICE shares the thrill of the competition via the personal stories of the student song directors as they experience the trials and tribulations of competition in this annual high school event. Following the elected student song directors, the audience sees how the tradition creates an indelible experience that builds class unity, instills cultural pride, and builds character. The film also explores their world outside of school by meeting their families, or ‘ohana, and revealing their hopes and dreams for the future. Through the stories and lives of these contemporary high school students, the audience will experience Hawaiian culture as it has survived, flourished, and grown through the universal power of music and song.

The film has picked up several awards. Look for it coming to a film festival near you. The documentary is from director Lisette Marie Flanary, who did Nā Kamalei: The Men of Hula.

One Voice Trailer

One Voice Clip

A Summer, A Boy and A Cab

A Summer, A Boy and A Cab

In June 2010, students from the University of Hawaii Academy for Creative Media (ACM) attended the Shanghai International Film Festival and collaborated with students from Shanghai University’s School of Film and TV Arts & Technology. The result were three short films, which played at the Hawaii International Film Festival last October as “A Summer, A Boy and A Cab”. This collection also won the Best Student Film award at the EuroCinema Hawai’i Gala. In addition, students from Shanghai attended the Hawaii International Film Festival in October, showed some of their short films at the festival, and collaborated with ACM students on more film projects. If you missed seeing these shorts at HIFF, you can now watch them below.

A Summer, A Boy and A Cab

Behind the scenes of A Summer, A Boy and A Cab

2009 Hawaii International Film Festival Trailer

The official trailer for the 2009 Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF) is finally out. The trailer stars Daniel Dae Kim from LOST and some sweet special effect.

Not only does HIFF have a cool trailer, but they also have a cool line up as well. Here’s some highlights:

Opening Night Film – Mother

Centerpiece Film – Red Cliff

Closing Night Film – The Warrior and the Wolf

Other films of note 9500 Liberty, All About Dad, Barbarian Princess, Beast Stalker, Ip Man, Children of Invention, Ong Bak 2, The People I’ve Slept With, Whatever It Takes, and White on Rice. There are some great shorts programs. Among them are A Song For Ourselves and Half Kenneth. In the music video program, you’ll see Eat You Up by BOA and Hibi no Neiro by SOUR. See the full line up here.

2009 Hawaii International Film Festival Trailer

Be sure to check out Asian American film festivals in October and November in your area including the 2009 DC Asian Pacific American Film Festival (October 1-10, 2009), the 2009 Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival (October 9-11, 2009), the 2009 San Diego Asian Film Festival (October 15-29, 2009), and the 2009 Austin Asian American Film Festival (November 12-15, 2009).