Masi Oka, the popular star of TV’s “Heroes” and the new movie “Get Smart,” talks with Chronicle reporter Ellen Lee about technology. Oka was at the downtown San Francisco Apple store to talk about his special Get Smart DVD, “Bruce and Lloyd Out of Control.”
Masi Oka talks about owning 7 Macs, getting the iPhone 3G, working at ILM, Heroes, and a real “blue tooth.”
watch the Masi Oka interview
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For centuries, Ming porcelain vases have been regarded as the epitome of priceless beauty. The Asian Art Museum’s special exhibition, Power & Glory: Court Arts of China’s Ming Dynasty demonstrates why not just vases but Ming art of many types has earned such acclaim. On view from June 27–September 21, 2008, this major groundbreaking exhibition explores the grandeur and opulence of one of the most important dynasties in Chinese history. The exhibition is divided into seven themes related to different aspects of Ming court life: government and ranks; entertainment and hobbies; daily life; architecture and court environments; technology and innovation; religion and beliefs; and education and tradition.
Power & Glory also marks the Asian Art Museum’s first ollaboration with three of China’s most prestigious institutions — The Palace Museum (Forbidden City) in Beijing, the Nanjing Municipal Museum, and the Shanghai Museum. Some of the most precious artworks from the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) from these museums, along with some of the finest items from this period owned by the Asian Art Museum, make up Power & Glory, the first exhibition in the U. S. to focus on the full range of Ming court arts. Many of the more than 240 artworks — porcelain, paintings, textiles, lacquer, jade, jewelry, architectural elements, and more — will be on public view for the first time. The exhibition provides a rare opportunity to experience the breadth and depth of Ming achievement, through an unequaled collection of works from the Chinese dynasty most renowned for its refined aesthetic and standards of perfection. The exhibition will travel to the Indianapolis Museum of Art (October 26–January 11, 2009) and the St. Louis Museum of Art (February 22–May 17, 2009).
The Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)
Ming – which means “bright” in Chinese – was an appropriate name for a dynasty whose 276 years of rule were marked by stability, economic strength, and a dramatic flourishing of the arts. The first capital of the Ming dynasty was in Nanjing. The third Ming emperor (the Yongle emperor, reigned 1403-24)) transferred the capital to Beijing, and under the Ming dynasty the Forbidden City in Beijing became an international landmark. By the end of the dynasty, Beijing supported a population of more than one million people. The Forbidden City along with the outlying region that supported it made Beijing “a service and supply center that was undoubtedly the largest of its kind in the world at that time” according to the late Chinese historian Ray Huang.
The Great Wall was built during the Ming Dynasty. That’s Power & Glory
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Johnnie To’s Mad Detective is coming to the US. This HK flick is set to be released by IFC Film on July 18 at their IFC Center in NYC and on IFC’ video-on-demand service. If you can’t wait til July, you can catch Mad Detective tonite during the New York Asian Film Festival at the IFC Center. Get more info for the screening on Sunday, June 22 @ 7:20pm here. If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area, there will also be a screening Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley as part of the Johnnie To film series on June 27 @ 8:40pm.
Mad Detective synopsis
A missing police pistol is connected to a recent series of heists and murders. Its owner WONG (Lee Kwok Lun) vanished earlier while pursuing a suspect in the mountains. His partner CHI-WAI (Lam Ka Tung) miraculously returned unharmed. Hotshot Regional Crime Unit inspector HO (Andy On) is in charge if the serial murder investigation. He knows the only chance he has in cracking the case is to ask for help from his mentor/former boss BUN (Lay Ching Wan). Bun is recognized as a gifted criminal profiler until he went mad several years ago. Bun has the gift to see into a person’s inner personality. This is where the subconscious desires, emotion and mental state are laid bare. For Bun, they are the key to unlocking a killer’s identity. But for Ho, Bun’s unorthodox approach has put doubt in his mind. What begins as a quest for answer has now taken a schizophrenic turn where truth and lies, reality and delusions intertwine.
Watch the Mad Detective trailer
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Last month, the California Supreme Court said denying gay and lesbian couples the right to marry each other violated the state constitution. The decision was a close 4-3 vote. The ruling made California one of just two states, along with Massachusetts, that grant the same rights to same-sex couples as opposite-sex couples. Yesterday was the first day for gay marriage in California.
In Northern California, Writer & activist Helen Zia, 55, and her partner, Lia Shigemura, 50, got hitched. The pair sang “The Chapel of Love” as they walked to the city attorney’s office to get married. The couple was also on the home page of the NYTimes briefly as well.
Meanwhile, in Southern California, actor and gay rights activist George Takei, 71, and his longtime partner Brad Altman, 54, got their marriage license. They’re planning a September 14th wedding in Los Angeles. The whole crew from the original Star Trek is expected to attend except William Shatner. The wedding will take place at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles.
While all this celebration is happening, all this can be overturned on the November ballot when the people of California will vote on a state constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. Eight years ago, 61 percent of California voters approved the 2000 marriage ban, while only 52 percent of voters told pollsters they favored the proposition. While Californians may respond with politically correct answers, their true beliefs are shown at the ballot box.
Here’s the proposed California Constitutional Amendment
LIMIT ON MARRIAGE. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.
Amends the California Constitution to provide that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local government: The measure would have no fiscal effect on state or local governments. This is because there would be no change to the manner in which marriages are currently recognized by the state. (Initiative 07-0068.)
If you live in California, vote your true beliefs at the ballot box.
Helen Zia and Lia Shigemura getting married
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George Takei and Brad Altman first in line to get a marriage license in West Hollywood
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VOLUME CONTROL 2 is JUNE 15!
VOLUME CONTROL 2 – A Fundraiser for the 2009 Summit in the Bay Area
featuring performances from:
Proletariat Bronze
Aimee Suzara
Broken Halos
Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha
Malaya Arevelo
Nate Krooks
Rodrael Guadalupe
and Youth Slam Champions Bryant Phan & Christsna Sot
with DJ shredONE
and hosts Adriel & Ruby from iLL-Literacy
6pm Doors, 7pm Show
$10-$20 sliding scale donation
All proceeds go to the 2009 APIA Spoken Word & Poetry Summit
for more information, contact volumecntrl@gmail.com
Watch Adriel from iLL-Literacy @ Volume Control 1 with $$$$$$
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Meet Michelle Maykin.
She is a 26-year old acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patient who is battling life-threatening odds of finding a bone marrow donor match by June 21st. In light of Michelle’s diagnosis, Michelle’s family and friends have banned together to launch a nationwide recruitment campaign, Project Michelle, to raise awareness of the dire donor shortage specifically within the Asian American community. The goal is to enroll 15,000 donors into the national registry in hopes of finding acute myeloid leukemia patient Michelle Maykin a bone marrow match and improve the odds for patients like her. Only 3% of all Asian Americans are registered as bone marrow donors.
WHAT: In-n-Out: The Drive to Increase Asian American Registered Bone Marrow Donors
WHEN: Saturday | June 14, 2008 | 10 am – 3 pm
WHERE: Chinese for Affirmative Action, Community Room
The Kuo Building
17 Walter U. Lum Place
San Francisco, CA 94108
COST: Free for all partial and full ethnic minorities (Asian and Pacific Islander, Native American, Hispanic/Chicano, and African American) and $25 registration fee for all non-minorities.
Lots of community support for this bone marrow drive:
Hyphen Magazine, Chinese for Affirmative Action, South Bay First Thursdays, Angry Asian Man, Asian American Cancer Support Network, South Asian Marrow Association of Recruiters, Kearny Street Workshop, Asian Pacific Islander Nonprofits of Los Angeles, and Center for Asian American Media
If you can’t make it out to the registration drive or live outside of the San Francisco Bay Area, you can get a free home kit to participate in the program.
Here’s Michelle Maykin talking about how you can help
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Michelle Maykin demonstrates how easy it is to be registered as a bone marrow donor
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