Margaret Cho makes her grand return to television tonight with VH1's "reality sitcom" The Cho Show. It looks like it's going to be a very wacky, irreverent, interesting show featuring Margaret and her entourage. It's not exactly a reality show, but a "sitcom starring real people," as Cho describes it. I don't exactly understand what that means, but based on the first episode, it seems to imply that Margaret's parents will be coming over to visit. A lot.

In tonight's premiere, Margaret is invited to accept an achievement award from KoreAm Journal. She's apprehensive about the distinction, recalling the criticism she received for 1994's All-American Girl—particularly from the Korean American community. Not only was it an awful experience making the show, she had to deal with the hate from her own community. She remembers once being called "the worst thing to happen (to Koreans) since the demilitarized zone." Ouch.

The episode shows her working it out, ultimately deciding to go to the awards gala. I found the "conflict" a bit overplayed for TV, but hey, it makes for interesting television. There's a moment with her discussing the award with fellow comedian Bobby Lee, who tells her that she's the reason he got into comedy in the first place. Seeing her perform, as a Korean American comic, is what convinced him that he could make it in comedy too. It's a cool scene.

Personally, I think Margaret's parents, Seung Hoon and Young Hie Cho, could end up being the breakout stars of The Cho Show. Here's a good review of the show from Los Angeles Times: TV review: 'The Cho Show'. And here's an interview with Margaret: Margaret Cho: Reality strikes.

Anywyay, The Cho Show premieres on VH1 tonight, but if you can't tune in, or the Tivo's broken, the entire first episode is actually available for viewing online at Margaret Cho's Blog. I'm told it's also available as a free download on iTunes.

It's all going down tonight, the live season two finale of America's Best Dance Crew. Who did America crown the winner? Check out this video interview my pal Chrissy did for Yahoo! TV, talking to the final two crews—Super Cr3w and SoReal Cru—about their experience on the show (and why you should vote for them): Super Cr3w & SoReal Cru Dish On Their 'ABDC' Experience & Rally For Your Votes. Here's video of the championship showdown between the two crews:

SoReal Cru
http://tv.yahoo.com/show/41723/videos/9283597
http://tv.yahoo.com/show/41723/videos/9283565
http://tv.yahoo.com/show/41723/videos/9283583

Super Cr3w
http://tv.yahoo.com/show/41723/videos/9283591
http://tv.yahoo.com/show/41723/videos/9283559
http://tv.yahoo.com/show/41723/videos/9283569

As I've said before, I'll completely happy if either team takes it home tonight. I think Super Cr3w is the obvious, strong favorite to win. They've been nothing short of amazing every week. That said, you definitely won't see me complaining if SoReal wins. Both teams have heavy Asian American representation. Either way, it'll be pretty awesome to see.

British swimmer Steve Parry is a former Olympian who won a bronze medal in the 200m butterfly at the Athens games. He never even came close to achieving what Michael Phelps has done in the pool. However, in the above video, he gets a tiny taste of what it might be like to be Michael Phelps... because these Chinese tourists, despite Parry's clear disclaimers, are under the mistaken impression that he is the actual Michael Phelps. Tall white dude with a swimmer's build? Must be Phelps. Eh, you know. They all look alike.

Here's a great piece from the Huffington Post by Deanna Lee, talking about her powerful experience arriving in Beijing for the Olympic Games, and the swell of pride she has felt as a Chinese American watching the international competition unfold: A Chinese American at the Olympics (or, an American Chinese?)

Meanwhile, the controversy over the Spanish basketball team's racist slant-eye photo seems to have died down a bit, after receiving a great deal of attention last week. But did people in China even care? Were they offended at all by the gesture? Did they even know what it means? Here's a story on Chinese reaction (or lack thereof) to the photo: Spain's snafu angers few Chinese natives.

Still, stateside, a lot of people are angry: A mockery of Olympic ideals. The fact of the matter is, an insult like this will probably resonate most with folks like me, who have lived in North America and have had to deal with slant-eye jokes and ching chong chants from day one. It's just a simple, ugly fact of growing up Asian in America: you're going to deal with racist fools.

Heads up. Philadelphia-based "art rock" band Miss Vintage is partnering up with Liberty in North Korea (LiNK) and traversing across the United States this fall on the Liberty Live Tour 2008 to promote awareness about the atrocities happening in North Korea. From September 14 to October 14, they'll be doing shows at 22 major universities across the country. With special performances by Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Andy Grammer.

Check out the tour video here. Each night on the tour, a representative from LiNK will be briefly speaking about North Korean human rights and the refugee crisis before Miss Vintage's set. Also accompanying the band will be Dong-hyuk Shin, a North Korean defector born into slavery and raised as a political prisoner in a North Korean concentration camp.

Miss Vintage will also be promoting their recently released second album, Our Lives Are Not Through Just Yet. Their sound is described as "a classic clash of intrigue and pop sensibilities," influenced by Explosions in the Sky, Sigur Ros, Mew, and Radiohead. To learn more about the band, and listen to some sample tracks, visit the Miss Vintage website here, as well as their MySpace profile here. To learn more about the Liberty Live Tour, go here.

As you might know, Justin Lin is directing Fast and Furious (yes, minus "the" and "the"), the fourth movie in Universal's blockbuster car-centric franchise, set for release next summer. In addition to Justin back in the director's chair, the movie marks the return of stars Vin Diesel and Paul Walker back to franchise.

While I'm not exactly expecting the Fast and Furious to be a life-changing viewing experience, I'm looking forward to seeing how Justin and Co. manage to weave the series' various characters into a cohesive story (I use that word "story" loosely). Dominic Toretto, Brian O'Connor... and Han?!

You'll recall that Tokyo Drift's plot sort of sidestepped the first two, introducing an entirely different storyline and characters. That's cool, because we got to see Sung Kang as Han—easily the coolest dude in the movie. But now we've got the fourth one coming up, and Han is apparently back. I'm presuming the movie's a prequel, because (SPOILER!) Han died in a fiery crash in Tokyo Drift. Whatever the case, I like it.

I bring this all up because I just came across this little item: Vin Diesel Directing Fast and Furious Prequel. Vin Diesel will reportedly be directing a 20-minute prequel to Fast and Furious, starring himself, Michelle Rodriguez and Sung Kang. No word on how exactly the prequel will be made available, whether on DVD, online, TV or whatever. But there you have it. Expect to see that much more of Sung Kang as Han, I guess.

The Associated Press recently ran this crazy, fascinating story on Kim Soo-im, known as "The Korean Seductress Who Betrayed America." She was a Seoul socialite is said to have charmed secret information out of one lover, an American colonel, and passed it to another, a top communist in North Korea. Sort of like a cross between Lust Caution and M. Butterfly.

In late June 1950, Kim Soo-Im was executed by the South Korean military, shot as a "very malicious international spy." In America, fueled by anticommunist hysteria, her story was salaciously recounted and depicted in various headlines and TV dramas calling her a "seductress."

However, new information has recently emerged that could apparently clear her name. The AP has obtained the record of a confidential 1950 U.S. inquiry and other declassified files that tell an entirely different Kim Soo-Im story.

Colonel John E Baird, her American lover, had no access to the supposed sensitive information. Kim had no secrets to pass on. And her Korean lover, Lee Gang-kook, later executed by North Korea, may actually have been an American agent. Oops.

From what it looks like, the entire case against Kim was little more than a frame-up. What a crazy story. Now, Wonil Kim—son of Kim Soo-im and Colonel Baird—is on a quest to bury the damaging myths about his mother: Son fights to clear name of executed 'seductress spy.' Somebody really needs to make a movie about this. With the true story.

Please Vote For Me, directed by Weijun Chen, is a fascinating look at democracy in action in China, starting at the most basic level of politics—an elementary school classroom. The film examines what happens when, first time ever, the third grade students at Evergreen Primary School in Wuhan, China are asked to elect a class monitor.

It's an intriguing premise that offers a really interesting chance to tackle a variety of issues, from China's One-Child policy to the very basic notions of how democracy works. What will these children do when provided with the opportunity to vote? How will the candidates behave towards each other and their peers? Will they resort to underhanded tactics to get elected?

It gets ugly pretty fast. Coached by pushy, overeager parents, the pressure of running for office begins its take its toll. At school, the candidates—Luo Lei (the current class monitor) Cheng Cheng and Xu Xiaofei—talk to classmates one-on-one, making promises, planning tactics (including negative ones) and at times expressing doubts about their own candidacies.

There are tears, angry outbursts, backstabbing and dirty tricks. Just like any political campaign. Except these are kids in the third grade. The film is an intimate, captivating and entertaining portrait of kids being kids, but also providing a short glimpse of the future of democracy. I highly recommend checking it out. Learn more about the film here. It's out on DVD this week.

Calling all Korean Americans (and then some). I recently heard from some of my friends at KoreAm Journal, who tell me the magazine has been going through some tough times, with advertising revenue way down. Sign of the times. Like many print publications of its kind, KoreAm isn't immune to the pressures and declines facing the industry.

I first started reading KoreAm years ago when a friend got me a gift subscription for my birthday. I can't say I've always been a fan, and sometimes the content is less than consistent. But more often than not, they nail it on the head, and it's become an important voice and resource for the Korean American community. Hey, they've been around for eighteen years. They've got to be doing something right.

And they're not going out without a fight. Determined to keep things going, they've launched a three-month Save KoreAm Journal campaign. They're hoping supporters will purchase subscriptions or gift subscriptions, or make a contribution to help the magazine. Read the Open Letter that appears in the August issue, asking for your help.

"Oh, they're going to wait until it gets dark, they're going to bring out their dragons." I'll admit, I laughed my ass off when I saw this "news" video from The Onion: The Beijing Olympics: Are They A Trap? Just so we're clear, this is not a "real" news show. But doesn't it feel like it could be? (Thanks, D Wizzle.)

According to this New York Times story, young Asian American professionals are at the heart of a sublte demographic shift in rapidly gentrifying Long Island City and downtown Brooklyn: A New Generation Moves On, but Not Too Far. Asian Americans account for 15 to 50 percent of the initial sales in some of the new condominiums under construction in those neighborhoods.

The numbers are significant because Asians account for only 10 percent of the city's population. At first, the numbers seemed to grow organically, but some developers are now marketing heavily in the local Chinese and Korean media to better ride the trend.

Does this demographic shift mean we could be seeing satellite Chinatowns and Koreatowns eventually pop up in these neighborhoods? Not necessarily. But maybe it points to something else... going mainstream?

The article suggests that the trend may just be a sign that "like their counterparts who grew up in the early-20th-century Italian and Jewish enclaves on the Lower East Side," these young Asian Americans have more buying power than their parents' generation and they are using it to meld into mainstream New York.

The Asian Hip Hop Summit Tour 2008 continues its way across the country, with shows this week in Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Chicago, and Minneapolis... If the tour happens to be stopping by your town, why not check out a show? For more information about the Tour, go here, or visit the MySpace page here.

This is underground Asian American hip hop. Who are the headliners of the Asian Hip Hop Summit? We've got the artists profiles here, in their own words:


Dumbfoundead
Jonathan Park, Koreatown, Los Angeles

When did you first get into hip hop, and how?
I've been into hip hop since I was very young but didn't actually start rapping till I turned 14 years old. I am now 22 years old and hip-hop is the only
thing i can see myself doing for a living.

Favorite hip hop record?
I have several favorite albums from Redman's Muddy Waters to Pharcyde's Bizarre Ride to Alkaholiks' Liqwidation.

How would you describe your style?
My style is humorous, witty, and clever.

What are some of the challenges you face as an Asian in hip hop?
I've overcome all the stereotypes and all the challenges have only made me stronger as an emcee. Every race has their own challenges and stereotypes, Asians are no different.

What does the Asian Hip Hop Summit Tour mean to you?
It is a chance to show the U.S. that there is large community of Asian emcees all across the U.S. that nobody knows about.


Chosen 1
Victor Nguyen, Los Angeles

When first into hip hop and how?
After the L.A. Riots, I moved to South Carolina. In 1995, I decided to rhyme, I thought it was cool. There wasn't much to do there. The only thing I was into was music, and that's how I got into hip hop.

Favorite hip hop record?
Nas' Illmatic, Doggystyle, Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt, Tribe Called Quest's Beats, Rhymes and Life

How would you describe our style?
Bi-Coastal, everything mixed in one, Asian influence with the beats.

What are some of the challenges you face as an Asian in hip hop?
It's my skin color, waking up and smelling the aroma of pho. A lot of Vietnamese rappers are gangster rappers, but I'm trying to do a different style.

What does the Asian Hip Hop Summit Tour mean to you?
I'm excited, overwhelmed to showcase our talents, not just in front of the Asian community but for all of America, and Canada.


Lyraflip
Jeffrey Salonga, Torrance, CA

When did you first get into hip hop?
I started off in fifth grade reciting Bone Thugs and Harmony. And ever since then, I've wanted to make my own music.

Favorite hip hop record?
Canibus, 2000 B.C. or Eminem, Slim Shady LP and a whole bunch more

How would you describe your style?
Very versatile, anything from smooth to fresh to really lyrical.

What are some of the challenges you face as an Asian in hip hop?
A lot of stereotypes, people thinking Asians can't rap. Basically as an MC, it's a struggle for any race.

What does the Asian Hip Hop Summit Tour mean to you?
My chance to take what I've done in L.A., locally, and bring it out to everywhere in America and show everybody what L.A. culture is about, and represent this hip hop everywhere.


DJ DStrukt
Derrick, San Jose

When did you first get into hip hop?
When my dad put in MC Hammer's album. Beats, rhythms, and rhymes.

Favorite hip hop record?
Nas, Illmatic

How would you describe your style?
Easy listening and healing.

What are some of the challenges you face as an Asian in hip hop?
I don't feel there are any challenges because we're all different cultures trying to do the same thing.

What does the Asian Hip Hop Summit Tour mean to you?
It gives me a chance to expand my horizons, meet different people, and step away from the ordinary lifestyle.


Youthinasia
Youthie, Las Vegas

Bobby Jindal will not be your next Vice President. On Sunday, the young Indian American governor of Louisiana ruled himself out of the race to become John McCain's vice-presidential pick: Indian-American governor says no to being VP pick.

On NBC's Meet the Press, when asked if he would like to be McCain's running mate, Jindal responded, "No, I've got the job I want. I'm voting for Senator McCain. I'll do what I can to help him. I'll do it as good governor." And there you have it.

He's publicly said no several times before, but that hasn't stopped speculation from swirling. This time though, I imagine it's pretty definitive. For better or for worse, we will not see an Indian American vice president this year. But he's got a bright future in the Republican party, and you can be sure you'll see Bobby Jindal rising in the ranks soon enough.

Aw yeah. Bay Area-based musician Goh Nakamura is kicking off the release of his second album Ulysses with a show this Wednesday, August 20 at Cafe Du Nord in San Francisco, with special guests Scrabbel and Michelle Amador.

I'm a big fan of Goh's music, and he's just a cool guy to boot, so I've been looking forward to getting my hands on the new album. You can listen to a clip of the first track, "Somewhere." For more info on Wednesday's show, and more on Goh Nakamura's music, go here.

All right, Dance Crew fans. The final championship performances are said and done. Super Cr3w faced off against SoReal Cru last week for the title of America's Best Dance Crew, and your votes will determine the winner. Vote for your favorite crew here. The polls close on Thursday, August 21 at 9:00am ET, and the live finale airs on Thursday night. At this point, it looks to me like Super Cre3w had the stronger performances, but to be honest, I'd be completely happy if either crew won.

Meanwhile, super fans will be happy to learn that the show is hitting the road this fall for America's Best Dance Crew Live, featuring JabbaWockeeZ, BreakSk8 and others crews to be announced. I've seen Jabba perform live, and they kick ass. I could do without those fools on BreakSk8. Anyway, learn about tour here.

New York City, it's time for some Korean cinema. The 2008 New York Korean Film Festival opens this Friday, August 22, and runs through the 31 at Cinema Village in Manhattan and BAM Cinematek in Brooklyn. Things kick off on Thursday night with a VIP reception and special screening of Hwang Jin-Yi, with special guests actor Yoo Ji-tae and director Chang Youn-hyun.

With fourteen features films on the schedule, there will be all sorts of stuff to get your Korean cinema on. Some of the latest and greatest films from South Korea screening at the festival include: Spare, Epitaph, Hellcats, Once Upon a Time, Le Grand Chef and Forever the Moment.

In addition to the features, the festival will also be hosting a short film festival and competition on August 25 at Cinema Village, a lecture on the work of veteran actor Ahn Sung Ki on August 27 at The Korea Society, and a screening of the documentary Cinema Korea on August 28, also at The Korea Society. For more information about the festival, visit the website here.

The Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment (CAUSE) just launched a new get-out-the-vote public service announcement, "Embrace Your Power" to encourage Asian Pacific Americans to vote in the November 4th election. Here's the press release: CAUSE LAUNCHES NEW PSA URGING THE ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN COMMUNITY TO VOTE

Watch it here. The PSA features a couple of prominent, big name Hollywood actors, George Takei (Star Trek) and Kelly Hu (X-Men 2), and is directed by George Huang (Swimming with Sharks).

Is it just me, or is it kind of awful? To be honest, I'm pretty disappointed. I understand what they're trying to do, and no doubt, getting the APA community out to vote is an important, vital cause. But there had to be a better way to get this message across, rather than resorting to the old martial arts scenario.

Come on. George Takei as the old master and Kelly Hu kicking ninja ass? Really? Aren't we past this kind of thing? There's really no need to resort to Crouching Tiger tactics, especially when addressing our own community. You don't need to fool us with the mystical, chopsocky stuff. Save that for the Flying Daggers crowd.

CAUSE produced a similar PSA back in 2004, "The Least Likely," which, while kind of cheesy and overly dramatic, at least tried to do something different, offering an entertaining and compelling message. The whole "least likely" to vote thing—that's a powerful statistic.

Okay, I get it. You have to get people's attention. You've got two cool, likeable Asian American figures here. Surely, they could've come up with something a little more classy and challenging. I'm not even asking for something mind-blowing. This just feels a bit tired.

Attention all filmmakers! The San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival is now accepting submissions for its 27th year. The SFIAAFF is the nation's largest showcase for new Asian American and Asian films.

Since 1982, the SFIAAFF has been an important launching point for Asian American independent filmmakers as well as a vital source for new Asian Cinema. Out of all the Asian American film festivals in the land, it is, by far, my favorite.

As usual, they're looking for a little bit of everything—narrative, documentary, international features, and short films. For more information about the festival, and how to submit your film, go here. The early deadline is September 5, and the late deadline is October 3. Get to work.

While I'm talking about films, this one's for the Korean American filmmakers out there... the Project Sunlight 2008 Short Film Contest is "an incubation project for filmmakers of all levels to shed light on the untold stories of the Korean American Diaspora."

Initiated by the USC Center for Asian-Pacific Leadership's NetKAL program, Project Sunlight is looking for online YouTube submissions focusing on Korean American or native Korean stories from an American perspective. Short films should be between 3-8 minutes in length, but you can use any format of your choice, including: a traditional narrative, a feature film trailer, or animation. Submissions can be posted on the Project Sunlight YouTube channel.

The top three finalists will be selected by the Project Sunshine committee, and a panel of industry professionals will determine the first, second, and third place awards. The top three finalist films will premiere during the 9th Annual DC Asian Pacific American Film Festival, September 25 - October 4, 2008. For details on the contest, including how to submit your film, go here.

And finally, the 5th annual Chicago Filipino American Film Festival is accepting submissions of feature-length, documentary and short films, as well as animated films and music videos. The deadline to submit is September 15, so it's coming up pretty quick. For more information about the festival, which runs November 7-9, go to the website here and download an entry form (PDF) here.

Last week, The Daily Show gave their take on several of the controversies at the Beijing Olympics. You'll recognize more than a few of the things the segment touches upon: Special Olympics Update - Controversies. Amazing how they somehow managed to work in a reference to those idiotic Six Flags commercials. Right on the money.

Canada, you've got gold. Yesterday, wrestler Carol Huynh won Canada's first gold medal at the Beijing Olympics: Canada's Huynh grapples to gold. That kicks ass. Her win is considered something of an upset, defeating defending three-time world champion and Athens silver medalist Chiharu Icho of Japan.

The five-foot-one Huynh is a three-time world championship medallist (silver in 2001, bronze in 2000 and 2005) and placed 5th at the 2007 world championships. These are her first Olympic games. More here: Golden triumph for Canada. Finally, Canada. Celebrate.

Oh look, it's Spain's men's basketball team doing the good ol' chink-eye for this ridiculous photo, in honor of their trip to the Beijing Olympics. Slant-eye = Chinese. Get it? Ha ha. What better way to mark the occasion than to potentially offend a billion people? Smart.


But wait, Spain's women's basketball team got in on the chink-eye action too! Anything you can do, I can do better...


Then came this photo of Spain's 2008 Federation Cup Tennis team. The chink-eye strikes again! Beginning to see a pattern? Props to that fool in the back in pink shirt, perhaps too drunk to realize that the rest of his teammates are doing the Chinaman Slant.


Hold up now. Argentina's Olympic women's soccer team wasn't going to let Spain have all the fun. Hell no. Here's a photo of them doing their best chink-eye too! Was this taken before or after they got their ass beat by China, 2-0?

Not since the 4th grade have I seen such a mature display of respect. What a great week for making fun of Asians. To think, we've got like nine more days of Olympic competition left. Who knows what could happen between now and the Closing Ceremony? Anyone else want in on the chink-eye action? The cameras are ready. That's racist!

Another Olympian to be proud of: U.S. swimmer Natalie Coughlin. No, she's not the female Michael Phelps, but she is arguably the best woman swimmer at the Beijing Olympics: Coughlin takes bronze for 5th medal.

Yesterday, she earned her fifth medal, a bronze-winning performance in the 100-meter freestyle. She's also collected bronze medals in the 200-Meter Freestyle Relay and 200-Meter Individual Medley, a silver in the 100-Meter Freestyle Relay, and a gold in the 100-Meter Backstroke. Kickass.

And in case you're wondering about her background, Coughlin's mother Zennie is from the Philippines. Here's a story on Natalie from the Philippine Daily Inquirer: Natalie Coughlin: The 'gold' that got away. And here's an interview with her in the Asian Journal: Natalie Coughlin: Like Fish to Olympic Waters.

Southern California, mark your calendars. The guys from Far East Movement are partnering up with Wong Fu Productions, along with a bunch of other artists, to bring you one big-ass all-ages concert in San Gabriel Valley next month: International Secret Agents Concert. They're throwing a positive concert for the youth to show the industry that there's not only a scene of Asian American entertainers breaking into the mainstream on their own, there's also a large untapped community audience that's hungry for it too. Here's the event info: There you have it. September 7th at the San Gabrial Mission Playhouse. They're aiming for this show to be big, and they want to pack the house, so if you're interested, call your friends and get your tickets now. For more info and updates, go to the event website here.

This is a great story on a group of former enslaved sweatshop laborers who, exactly 13 years after winning their freedom, became sworn U.S. citizens this week: Thai slave laborers freed in El Monte become U.S. citizens.

The workers, from Thailand, made national headlines in 1995 when their sweatshop was discovered in El Monte, California. Enslaved behind razor wire and around-the-clock guards, more than 70 laborers were forced to work 18-hour days for what amounted to less than a dollar an hour.

Ultimately, law enforcement officers arrested eight operators of a Chinese Thai garment sweatshop in an early morning raid in August 1995 and freed 72 Thai immigrants, some of whom had been held captive for at least four years.

More than 40 of them gathered last Sunday to celebrate with the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, which successfully fought for a $4-million settlement from manufacturers and retailers for their exploitation and won an uphill battle to gain legal status for the workers.

It's been a long, hard, sometimes horrific journey for them to becoming Americans, but they made it. And hopefully, because of their plight and international attention it drew, fewer immigrants will have endure what they had to go through.

I've had a lot of confused folks writing in to tell about this headline shirt being sold by CNN: Asian women seek groveling man. Yeah, I know what you're thinking. What the hell? If I'm not mistaken, the shirt is actually a reference to this stupid story that ran last month.

I can see how the shirt would be completely confusing without any context. It still makes little sense, since the headline has actually changed to "Cafe provides royal treatment." Funny, the wording on the shirt has actually been changed from "groveling, white" to just "groveling," though the original headline is still up at the top of the page.

Depending on how you look at it, the shirt conveys multiple, equally confusing messages about Asian women. I'd be curious to see if anyone actually buys it and wears it... and why.

On Friday, U.S. soccer's Natasha Kai headed in an overtime goal to give the United States a 2-1 victory over Canada, securing the Americans a spot in the Olympic women's soccer semifinals: US makes Olympic soccer semis with win over Canada.

It was a diving header in the 101st minute, off a cross from the left flank by Shannon Boxx. The team now moves on in an attempt to maintain its record of reaching every Olympic final. The U.S. won in 1996 in Atlanta, was runner up to Norway at Sydney 2000, and won again in Athens in 2004.

Natasha Kai is one of those hard-to-miss athletes on the field. She's the rocking the badass tattoos, the emblazoned headband and the odd-colored shoes—one white shoe and one red shoe and a white headband with the uniform numbers of three U.S. players injured just before the Olympics. Here's a local Hawaii news story on Natasha: Kai stepping it up for injured teammates.

Take a look at this. Joe Doughrity's short film, the interracial hip hop love story Akira's Hip Hop Shop, starring James Kyson Lee, is currently available for viewing online for a limited time (this month only) as part of the Con-Can Film Festival out of Japan. And if you like it, why not vote for it? The winner gets a trip to Japan and meetings with people in the Japanese film community. View it here.

Joe also informs me that he's actually written a feature version of Akira's Hip Hop, changing up some of the movie's characters and elements and setting it Los Angeles' historic Crenshaw/Rodeo neighborhood. It sounds pretty cool. They're hoping to get the project off the ground in 2009. To learn more about the movie, visit the website here, and the MySpace profile here.

Here's the Organization of Chinese Americans' joint press releaase with the Comittee of 100 speaking out against the Spanish basketbal teams' chink-eyed photo pose, which hit mainstream attention this week. As you can probably guess, they are offended: More than the photo, what bugs me is Spain's basketball players' insistence that the gesture is not in any way meant to be offensive or insulting. Here's a great column from the Los Angeles Times' Bill Plaschke, who hits the nail on the head in regards to why Pau Gasol and his teammates' response to their racial slight is unacceptable: Plaschke points a finger at Gasol.

As you've probably heard by now U.S. gymnast Nastia Liukin won the all-around gold medal in Beijing on Friday, beating teammate Shawn Johnson, who took the silver medal, by a mere six-tenths of a point: Liukin edges Johnson for all-around gold.

Here's a nice story from last week on 16-year-old Shawn Johnson and the longtime coach behind her success, Liang Qiao, a former Chinese gymnastics star who is now called Chow: Johnson Balances Life and Gymnastics.

He was never an Olympian, but in his 12 years on China's national team, he won more than 30 international medals. Chow moved to Iowa in 1991, eventually opening his own gym with his wife, Liwen Zhuang. One day, 6-year-old Shawn Johnson walked in, and he's been coaching her ever since.

Hey John Cho fans... if you're in Los Angeles, you might want to check out his band Viva La Union (formerly Left of Zed) playing this Saturday, August 16 at Cafe-Club Fais Do. Yes, the guy we know and love as Harold has been in a band for years, but they haven't played in a while. The details: According to Peachies, they've invited two great musicians, blues ukulele player Jason Arimoto and singer/guitarist Sam Geunjin Kang, to play as well. Sounds like it's going to be a cool show. For more info, and to check out some of their music, visit Viva La Union's MySpace profile here.

Former U.S. Olympic gymnast Dominique Dawes offers her final expert analysis of the Chinese women's gymnastics team's gold medal win over the U.s. Basically, it comes down to one key fact: Chinese were better.

And this is only the beginning. Could this be the start of Chinese domination in gymnastics? Yes. As Dawes concludes, "The Chinese women are now the full package. They have combined their high difficulty skills with an unshakable mental toughness, and those were the reasons why they won their first team final gold on Wednesday."

Also check out the embedded side video interview with Dawes giving her take on whether Chinese gymnasts are underage (because, let's face it, they look REALLY young). She gives a really great, well thought-out analysis, despite the interviewer tossing her such leading questions. Big props to her for not taking the bait.

Oh snap! Wait a minute. Just in case you can't get enough of Spanish athletes pulling the ol' chink-eye... Gawker has uncovered another photo, this time of Spain's 2008 Federation Cup Tennis team, doing the same slant-eyed pose: Spanish Tennis Team Also Strikes "Chinky-Eyed Chinaman" Pose! More here: Second Spanish team photographed making 'slit-eyed' gesture.

The photo can be found on the Spanish Tennis Federation website. Spain apparently beat China to move into the Fed Cup finals. And as we all know, there's only way to celebrate a win like that. All together now. Chink-eyes! Purely done out of respect and affection, of course. Making their nation proud. (Except for that one dude in the back sort of doing kind of a limp rock 'n' roll thing.) That's racist!

UPDATE: Mainstream press is picking up on this one too: Another Spanish team discovered making eye-slant gesture.

Police in Sacramento are warning residents to be on the lookout after a rash of robberies targeting Asian women: Police: Robbers Targeting Asian Women. There have been five attacks since the end of July, all happening between 9:00pm and 11:00pm, when victims pull into their driveway and step out of their car.

According to authorities, two men, between the ages of 16 and 20 years old, are being sought in connection with the robberies.

Although all the victims have been Asian women, police say they're not considering the robberies a hate crime since the alleged robbers are only going after money and goods. So they're not haters... just thieves.

But there's got to be a reason why these guys are targeting Asians. Maybe they think it'll be easier, and the victims won't fight back, or they'll be less willing to report the crime. Whatever the case, the victims' race is informing their actions. Watch your back, ladies, and be careful out there.

Actor Shelley Malil was arrested this week for investigation of attempted murder after his former girlfriend, Kendra Beebe, was stabbed more than 20 times, leaving her critically injured: '40-Year-Old Virgin' actor arrested near San Diego.

You might remember the Indian American actor from a small role in The 40-Year-Old Virgin as one of Steve Carell's co-workers, as well as a number of other small roles in movies and television over the years. He also has a small role in Jessica Yu's Ping Pong Playa.

Malil was arrested and charged with attempted murder, allegations of using a knife, domestic violence and causing grave bodily injury. Crazy. He pleaded not guilty today in court: Actor Shelley Malil pleads not guilty to attempted murder charges.

Get ready, America. According to new projections released by the U.S. Census Bureau, racial minorities will be the majority in America by 2050: Minorities expected to be majority in 2050.

Minorities, classified as those of any race other than non-Hispanic, single-race whites, currently constitute about a third of the U.S. population. But that's going to change, baby. By 2042, they are projected to become the majority, making up more than half the population. By 2050, 54 percent of the population will be minorities. And by 2023, more than half of all children will be minorities.

The Asian American population is expected to increase from 15.5 million to 40.6 million, or from 5.1 percent to 9.2 percent of the population.

No, it's not part of some nefarious master plan for people of color to take over the nation. It's just the way the population happens to be shifting. Calm down. Still, expect lots of misguided white people to freak out after hearing these projections.