Through the Eyes of Designer-Director Warren Fu

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“Sorry I’m late!” my cousin Warren apologized when he showed up for our interview. “The Jimmy Fallon taping with Julian [Casablancas, lead singer of The Strokes] ran a little long.” I wish I could have that kind of excuse whenever I’m late to an engagement. This was, however, simply another day in the life of Warren Fu, director and designer. One of Warren's most notable designs is of General Grievous, the villain in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.  He also designed…

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True Fusion: BaoHaus NYC

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Like most other Taiwanese Americans, I love food. But I hate fusion cuisine. The term implies something equally Asian and Western, but have you ever been to a Wolfgang Puck’s, perhaps at an airport? Beyond the superficial addition of some exotic ingredient to some random dish we could find at Applebee’s, there’s nothing Asian about it. Tuna with Miso Sauce? Meh. Wasabi Mashed Potatoes? No thanks. Taste aside, these dishes represent another Western appropriation of Asian culture…food created…

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In Step with Alice Tong: Prelude to Progression

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A look into the past year and a half of a talented singer-songwriter's passionate journey through life & music. by HoChie Tsai photos courtesy of Anna Wu & Shu-Jon Mao Part I. Prelude January 25, 2009. Somewhere on the Internet. Sometime in early 2009, I am introduced by email to singer-songwriter Alice Tong through one of our close friends and collaborators, Jason Lee, of TurtlistMedia.com, who at that time was helping to organize the Midwest Intercollegiate Taiwanese…

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Girl Power Leading the Way for Taiwanese American Collegiate Conferences!

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Each year, the Intercollegiate Taiwanese American Students Association (ITASA) hosts three regional conferences throughout the country bringing together hundreds of Taiwanese Americans for cultural, educational, and identity-focused programming and community-networking. The ITASA East Coast conference recently took place at MIT, and now the ITASA Midwest conference at UT Austin and the West Coast conference at UCSD are quickly approaching. At the helm this year is a group of amazing women leaders…

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Filmmaker Arvin Chen Greets the World with “Au Revoir Taipei”

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Back in 2007, I watched a short film entitled Mei, created by a young Taiwanese American filmmaker by the name of Arvin Chen. The production was memorable for the heartfelt and endearing emotions captured through the simple fleeting expressions between boy and girl working in a Taipei night market stand. What struck me even more was finding out that Arvin was able to direct his short film without having full command of Mandarin language skills. Three years later, his first feature-length film, Au…

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Greetings From Young Taiwanese American Actress Crystal Chiu, Co-star of “Children of Invention”

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TaiwaneseAmerican.org is proud to present a future star in our Taiwanese American community, Crystal Chiu! We take a moment to ask this talented young actress some questions about her role in Tze Chun's critically acclaimed film "Children of Invention." Also want to know what her favorite Taiwanese food is? Then, take a peek! She's adorable, well-spoken, and definitely has a bright shining future ahead! "Children of Invention" will have its New York and Los Angeles theatrical premiere on Friday,…

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Connecting with Janet Hsieh, Host of Discovery’s Fun Taiwan!

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Depending on where you're tuning in from, you may or may not have heard of Janet Hsieh, an American-born Taiwanese model and the current host of Discovery Travel & Living Channel's "Fun Taiwan." Broadcast throughout 25 countries around Asia, this show has gained wide recognition for Janet as she explores many of the hidden treasures throughout Taiwan! Adored by her many fans for an adventurous and playful personality, one can find her beautiful face plastered on billboards and advertisements…

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Look At THESE! The Slants Reclaim Their Eyes

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TaiwaneseAmerican.org and Turtlistmedia.com present an interview with The Slants, started by their band leader hapa-Taiwanese American Simon Young! This Oregon-based band combines the sounds of 80’s synth pop with fresh dance-punk melodies and style. Their name reclaims and celebrates the “slanted” eye as beautiful and something to be proud of and they are redefining the unlimited three-dimensionality of the Asian American body with each show they kill. While they are clearly about the music,…

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Comedian Sheng Wang and the Surreality of Everyday Mundane Experiences

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Sheng Wang is a Taiwanese Texan comedian currently living in New York. We recently caught up with him at Go!Style, an Asian American performance event in the Bay Area which TaiwaneseAmerican.org helped sponsor. When Sheng gets on stage, he just looks like your average friendly Taiwanese guy with an unassuming stage presence. But as he walks around, awesome things start spewing from his mouth as he makes hilarious commentary out of his ordinary experiences. Curious, we asked him a few questions…

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A Moment with the Actors and Production Team Behind “Formosa Betrayed.”

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Ho Chie Tsai, creator of TaiwaneseAmerican.org, chats with a few of the actors and production team behind the upcoming movie, Formosa Betrayed at the San Francisco / Bay Area's 2010 annual Lunar New Year celebration. Revolving around the theme, "Projecting Our Presence," the event was hosted by TaiwaneseAmerican.org and the 2nd generation organizations in the area including TAP-SF, TACL-LYF, FAPA-YPG, TJCC, Young TAITA, NATEA 2, NATMA 2G, and NATWA II. Formosa Betrayed is a political action…

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