May Pang's Asian Media Internet News

These days a small act can go a long way. We may think that it isn't much, but to some people it allows them to survive and it allows them to accomplish what they once thought was impossible. The HBO documentary film A Small Act, produced by Jennifer Arnold and Patti Lee, is about one woman that gave a young boy in Kenya a chance in life to overcome the hardships that he faces just to get his education. I thank director, producer, and actor Jimmy Tsai of the movie Ping Pong Playa, a Cherry Sky Films production, for giving me the opportunity to do this interview with Pattie Lee, Producer/DP.

This new NBC series based on a movie is coming this fall and I can't wait to watch it! From the previews it looks like I will get a belly load of laughter from it. It is about a guy who finds out from his company that he is being outsourced to India. This series doesn't come without controversy. Some people are saying it is promoting stereotypes  while others say it is making light of a job lost to India.

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For my 'Pick of the Week,  recently, I saw "Kites" and it was epic!  Better than the latest Bollywood movies. The actors were not only stunning, but performed brilliantly as well, there was logic and the script was original.

The movie stars Bollywood's heartthrob, Hrithik Roshan who has starred in many Bollywood movies and leading lady, Barbara Mori, who is a well known Mexican model and actress.

Hrithik Roshan treads the crooked path in the by-lanes of Las Vegas. He has married umpteen girls for the coveted green card and Barbara Mori happens to be one of his abandoned wives. But sparks fly between the two when they meet again, this time under different — and dangerous — circumstances. The mercenary couple are all set to marry a rich brother-sister duo (Kangana and Nick Brown) for their money but they soon discover they are in love and flee the rich and powerful siblings who are hell bent on avenging their dishonour. Will love surmount all odds?

In my opinion, no matter what critics may have to say, this movie was completely beautiful and is now my all-time favorite. It gives you an understanding of love as an expression of emotion and not of language, but at the same time it goes beyond the traditional love story and gives you a realistic sense of what it means to be in love and what it is likely to cost you.

After warming up to Barbara Mori, Bollywood has asked her to star in more Bollywood films.“I will come back in January, if everything goes well. I have to go through the script first before taking a final decision,” Barbara said.

I personally think that Barbara Mori should star in more Bollywood films. She fits in perfectly and who knows? Maybe Barbara will open the eyes of other international actors and actress to take on Bollywood films.

Take a look at "Kites"!

Police announced Wednesday that Korean actor and singer Park Yong-ha, known mostly for his role in 2002’s 겨울연가 or ‘Winter Sonata’, was found dead in his apartment in southern Seoul early Wednesday morning by an apparent suicide. Early reports say it looked as though he hung himself with an electrical cord.

Friends and family say the 33-year-old actor had been severely upset for awhile as he dealt with his father dying of stomach cancer, however, his suicide still came as a shock. There was no note, but family members told media that he kept saying, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” the night before his death, as he massaged his ailing father.

Park first debuted in 1997, but shot to stardom across Asia after appearing in ‘Winter Sonata’ with Choi Ji-woo and Bae Yong-joon. After that, he went on to release a series of popular albums and singles, including ‘Just Yesterday’, the opening theme to the SBS drama, ‘All In’ with Lee Byun-hun and Song Hye-kyo. He was recently cast with Yoon Eun-hye in a new drama, 러브송 or 'Comrades, Almost a Love Story,' which is a remake of a 1996 Hong Kong film, and was set to begin filming in July.

Suicide has become a major social issue in South Korea as more and more celebrities and public figures are choosing to end their lives, which often leads to thousands of 'copy-cat suicides'. After actress Choi Jin-sil died, there were a reported 1,700 within the following month. The health ministry in Seoul said that in 2007 about 23.9 people in every 100,000 kill themselves and more than 14,500 people committed suicide in 2009, which equates to about 35 suicides a day. The country now has the highest suicide rate out of all of the 30 OECD countries.

Choi Jin-sil, her brother Choi Jin-young, model Daul Kim, former President Ron Moo-hyun, Boys over Flowers actress Jang Ja-yeon and now Park Yong-ha. There is a serious problem with suicide in South Korea. Even today, it is still consider taboo to openly talk about depression or even mention that the stress of everyday life is too much to handle. Admitting that one needs help is still seen as admitting failure.

But even with suicide brought to the forefront with the rising number of high profile deaths, so far all anyone seems to do is sit back and wonder who’s going to be next.

Rest in peace, Park Yong-ha. And may all our thoughts and prayers be with his family and friends during this tough time...

source: Washington Post, JoongAng Daily, AFP

For my Pick of the Week, recently, I have been watching this Korean variety show called "우리 결혼했어요" or in English "We Got Married." The show is based on bringing two celebrities together, where they both go through the trials and tribulations of being married. The show has been going on since 2008, but it caught my eye this season with, as fans call them, the "Adam Couple" aka 2AM's Jo Kwon and Brown Eyed Girls' Son Ga In.

To me, this couple is really cute; just seeing them together, makes me feel all cozy inside. I normally see Jo Kwon being so rambunctious and humorous on other variety shows that it sometimes questions me about his 'diva' like personality. However, on We Got Married, we get to see this other side of him; how he cares for his woman and what he would do in such situations. As for Ga In, I love her personality. She is one of those ladies who can stand for her own but when she needs someone to comfort and care for her, one look and she got it. She has these tendencies of making Jo Kwon jealous, the push-pull effect, where the woman pushes the man away but really it just pulls him in to love her more, however I feel like she does that to test if he truly cares for her; and he passes every time. In some ways I can relate to Ga In, since I like putting my man to the 'test.'

Even though We Got Married is a just a television show and the married couples are supposed to be fake, I personally feel that The Adam couple would make it well in real life; as from watching the show, I see a very strong bond grow between them. Just recently, Kwon spent money out of his own pocket to by Ga In couple rings. Although his event to give it to her was sort of fail (They went to the movies where he hid the rings in the popcorn so when she would reach for some popcorn, she'd find them. Later he found out, she doesn't like movie theater popcorn.), it still turned out well since she did end up finding the rings, her face glowing in happiness. They were even asked to make a couple song during the 2009 holiday season called "We Fell in Love." Are they trying to hint their fans? Should they date in real life? It looks like it's getting serious between those two and I would hate to see this relationship end once their time is up on the show.

For anyone who is interested in a show that shows true character and humor at the same time, I do recommend We Got Married. Maybe future newly weds might learn something after watching it!

Watch "We Fell in Love"

source: BEGISLOVE4 @ youtube

Hollywood is constantly making remakes. For the most part, they need to leave the originals alone. A few nights ago I decided to go to the movies, (thanks to a friend named Edward Hong) with a posse of friends, including fellow AMIN writers: Lara Visconti and Jessica Dawson to watch The Karate Kid 2010 movie. I was so skeptical. I am a fan of the original one with all of its cheesiness. I do admit that I watched  all of  The Karate Kid sequels ever made. Part two was my favorite, because Mr. Miyagi, played by the late Pat Morita, and Daniel, played by Ralph Macchio, went to the beautiful island of Okinawa. I hated part three and the feminist in me  likes part four just because for a change a girl was The Next Karate Kid.

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Yes, it's true! After shooting down rumors of being on Glee in the past, Charice has announced that she will be joining the cast of Glee!

Charice stated on her Twitter, "It's official. I'm on Glee (next season) but story behind it. When the rumor came out, it wasn't true. But then after that; I tried to audition. And i made it!!! Let's Party!!!!"

Entertainment Weekly has revealed that Charice will play an exchange student with powerful vocals that gives Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) a run for her money.

Seems like Charice is definitely excited, I know I am. I've been a huge fan of Glee since season 1 and this is definitely making me excited for the Fall!

Source: Entertainment Weekly, Twitter

Rap artist SEAMO has announced that his newest single will be released August 4th.

The new single is titled Umi e ikou and will be used as the theme song for Fuji TV's upcoming fall drama "Moyashimon." The b-side titled My Style is the Best is currently being used in commercials for suits.

I'm definitely looking forward to this single as well as the drama "Moyashimon." For those of you who aren't sure what this drama is, it's about a boy and his strange ability to see bacteria and other micro-organisms. Although this seems like a strange plot, "Moyashimon" is very funny and even touches on serious topics such as gender identity.

Source: JaME World

Watch the commercial featuring SEAMO's b-side song, My Style is the Best

Lee Jung Jin, known for his acting in past dramas such as Love Story in Harvard and 9 Ends 2 Outs, has been added to the cast of the upcoming melodrama, Runaway. The upcoming drama stars Lee Na Young and Rain.

The story of Runaway centers about how a large amount of money disappears during the beginning of the Korean and the situation arises again in 2010. Then drama takes the viewers through a 'chase' in which the characters end up in different Asian cities. Lee Jung Jin plays the chief investigator  who chases Rain and Na Young, as the two main characters are fugitives in the drama. Lee stated:

“I’m definitely blessed to be participating in such well-made projects like my recent movie The Fixer and the drama Runaway. Viewers will have big expectations, and I want to leave them with a strong impression.”

The drama has begun filming and is scheduled to air later this year.

source: dramabeans, allkpop, asiae

ORICON's weekly ranking has been released on June 15 and it's been revealed that Kimura Kaela's new single "Ring a Ding Dong" has ranked number 1 on the charts! The single was just released on June 9th and has been used in several advertisements in Japan. That's not all the good news for her. On June 1st, Kaela announced that her and actor Eita (who is now in the drama "Sunao ni Narenakute") are engaged and will be married. There have also been rumors of her being pregnant as well.

Congratulations to Kimura Kaela on her immense success and engagement! I don't know about some of you but the first thing that came to mind when I heard the title to the song was SHINee. Then I heard the song and automatically thought of Mary Poppins. SHINee + Mary Poppins = Kimura Kaela...? I think not. Who knows, maybe this will end up being my ringtone in the future.