Uglydoll Unfolds in the LA Weekly

LA Weekly write up on David Horvath Sun-min Kim and Uglydoll. It’s still an amazing ride that they’re taking. From a walk in at the shop to still going strong. They’re solid Angelinos. I’m glad to be part of the history and it’s amazing that people walk in to the store and mention the story back. It matters to many, and that’s why we keep stocking Uglydoll at GR – and it’s why we often get olds and ends that the other shops don’t. It’s only fair. The story is now 11 years old and continues on, since it happened.

Here’s an except as written by Gendy Alimurung

“Kim sewed that drawing into a doll made of soft felt and mailed it to Horvath. It had a simple, funny charm. When he received it he was so excited, he wanted to call her. But it was nighttime in Korea. Instead he ran over to visit his friend Eric Nakamura, who had just opened the store Giant Robot on Sawtelle in West L.A. “OK,” said Nakamura, examining the doll, “I’ll take 20.”

“He thought I was pitching a product,” Horvath recalls.

Kim sewed the dolls. Those initial 20 sold out in one day. “I was horrified,” Horvath says. “We were going to send people there to look at them. It didn’t make sense.” But Nakamura ordered 20 more. Then 40 more.”

Ready for J Kid Pop?

This isn’t the most exciting thing in the world but the girl on the left is a huge star in Japan. Her name is Mana Ashida and as a child of 7 years, she’s a hit. If K Pop is going to reign with sexy girls, then why not combat it with a new genre of J Kid Pop? With an older demographic and aging population, this is odd and something that’ll be studied.

“Most impressively, respected Japanese advertising agency Dentsu named Ashida the sixth best Japanese “product” of 2011—placing her in front of hybrid cars and emergency supplies.” (The Atlantic – Mana Ashida)

Tokyo Sky Tree Opens

That’s the Tokyo Sky Tree. It’s a huge structure that exists just to have it exist. A tourist trap, a monument or a testament, it’s huge and open. It’s 634-meter (2,080-foot) and will get featured in films and more. The Tokyo Tower as much as any huge monument made appearances in films including one of it’s name sake. (Huffington Post – Sky Tree)

Goh Nakamurathon – 40, 40, 41 hours to go

Anyone who’s read Giant Robot magazine, been to one of the shops, or visits the website knows that we’re big supporters of Goh Nakamura and his music. While his roots are in ’80s metal and his style is more like Elvis Costello or Elliott Smith, his worth ethic is as indie as you can get. He plays living rooms and theater lobbies, sits in on local jam nights and community gatherings. Most recently, he’s been featured in two independent features, Surrogate Valentine and Daylight Savings, which are making the film fest circuit.  The movies directed by David Boyle are very cool and I hope everyone supports them, but in the meantime Goh hasn’t been releasing enough of his own new music… Yes, the Music from the Motion Picture CD is a cool collection of tunes and scores from both flicks, but we fans are ready for a full-on album.

The Dream Sessions, Goh’s latest Kickstarter effort, would remedy that. He’s trying to raise money to record sessions in three studios. Three cities, three different sets of musicians, same rad guitarist and singer. To help publicize the campaign, he’s been webcasting live sets featuring various friends playing music or just hanging out. Today, I was the visitor, and brought Eloise as long as well. You can watch the link here, in which she sings along to The Ramones and The Go-Go’s and dances around to The Beatles. How lucky are we? Coming up on Wednesday is Tamlyn Tomita, star of Karate Kid II and patron saint of Asian American cinema. I hear she used to skateboard in pools, so watch the webcast, jump in the chatroom, and request Agent Orange’s “Bloodstains” or some other skate rock! Then support Goh, a rad musician, good friend, and awesome guy.

I LOVE NY Bags Mistaken for a Bomb

Takashi Miyakawa is a furniture designer and according to his attorney, the illuminated bags he was putting up was for NY’s Design Week. He put them on lamp posts around town. He was caught by police and was arrested and now getting a month long mental evaluation which means he must have said something odd. (Daily mail UK – Takashi Miyakawa)

Mining in Mongolia

Who’s making cash? It’s not just China but it’s quiet neighbors to the north are also growing at a large rate. It’s not all about building but it’s also about mining. The rich will get richer, and the poor who have to dig up the copper and so forth will end up poorer than ever. It’s an opportunity and won’t last forever. (NPR – Minegolia)

The Solar Eclipse in West LA

The Eclipse peaked at 6:38. This was at that moment across from Giant Robot store

This is a closer view.

That’s Tru Nguyen with her eclipse viewer!

T-Rex Auction is Today

Get this for a cool million. I wish I could get it. Imagine, it’s 8 feet tall and 24 feet long. It can fit into a huge living room. (Business Week – T Rex) It’s also of some controversy, the President of Mongolia is asking to halt the auction! (USAToday – Mongolia) Where did it come from? Mongolia… is it legit? The auction house says so, but it’s like a National Treasure, isn’t it? Either way, hope I get to see it in person one day.

I dig dinosaurs. Really. Here’s some older photos from a previous visit to the Field Museum.

Photos from a visit to the LA Natural History Museum just this year.

Helping Janet Liang Benefit Concert

Janet Liang is now in Houston getting medical treatment. Hopefully the famous quote, “Houston, We have a Problem” will be nothing but a joke since Janet and her strong spirit has just arrived. Her Leukemia is at 82% of her body, she has a 30% chance of survival, and she intends to be in Texas for the next six months recovering. (janetliang blog)She’s a busy one and there’s a concert coming up in her honor and also to raise funds. It’s Helpingjanet.com Perfect 10 Concert that’s taking place in LA. The money goes to Janet’s medical bills and if you want to help her but are far away, there is a paypal link at the bottom of her home page at helpingjanet.com. It’s not a Kickstarter to make something later, this is a plea for here and now.

Ironically, today I opened up my mail from saturday and this was in my small pile of packages and junk. It’s from the National Marrow Donor Program. It turns out, I’m a preliminary match for someone out there. It’s probably not Janet, or is it? The chances are slim that I’ll actually be a match for anyone since that’s just how the odds work, but it’s timely that this comes in the mail. Is it a sign of anything? I hope so.

If you look at the date, I joined in 1990. I saw a small mention of a donor drive happening near my house. A Japanese American man needed marrow. I had no idea who he was, but I decided to show up and give it a try. At the time, they drew blood and that was how it worked (Now it’s cheek swabs that you can do yourself). Having not donated blood, it was a little uneasy even if it was the quantity of a nosebleed. The folks there offered me a piece of cake and cookies and were amazed that I showed up without knowing the person. In 1991 I received a similar notice as below, and nothing happened after going in for a further blood test. Now 22 years later, here’s my second time around. I hope I can help.

That’s Janet, Jane Lui and Tamlyn Tomita at Giant Robot 2.

From Jackie Chan! “Unretiring”

Hello all my friends and fans,

Yesterday in my press conference in Cannes for Chinese 12 Zodiac I said that this movie was my last big action movie.

Today I was shocked when I woke up to read all the news coverage that I was retiring from doing Action movies.

I just want to let everyone know that I am not retiring from doing action movies. What I meant to say is that I need to do less of the life risking stunts on my movies. After all these years of doing so many stunts and breaking so many bones, I need to take better care of my body so I can keep working.

I will continue to do international action movies.

And I will keep improving my English

I love all of you!

Jackie

Jackie Chan Retiring from Action Movies

The Bronze! This movie, Chinese Zodiacs comes out 12.12.12 and it’s supposedly Jackie’s last action movie. It’s no secret that his body is severely beat up from the years of stunts gone wrong. He’s retiring from action movies which then leaves the next question. What will he do in front of the camera? He’s already of legendary status and maybe one of the greatest on screen martial artists in history. His credentials may never be broken. What’s left? Comedy (he’s a funny man, but will it translate outside of China? His English is about the same from the 80s) Love stories (see Jackie kiss a woman correctly on screen which is something he hasn’t gotten right yet) or Drama (a tough sell when he’s as typecast as any actor can be. He can’t be taken seriously, or can he?)

Blind Activist Boards for the USA

Blind activist Chen Guangcheng boards a plane for the USA. Here’s video. He’s with his wife and kids. No more torture, unless they go down the line to his other relatives. He’ll be at NYU Law on a fellowship. Was the video exciting? It didn’t do much for us.

73 Year Old Japanese Woman Summits Everest

Tamae Watanabe makes it to the top. She held the previous record at 63 years of age. The oldest is a 76 year old Nepalese man who did it in 2008. Congrats.

Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival: The Working Man, Goh Nakamura, Closing Night

The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival just ended and now I’m wondering what to do. Sounds like a good time to share some pictures. Of course, my focus was on my pals from The Working Man enjoying a moment in the spotlight.

I spotted my good friends Tadashi Suzuki (the star) and Wing Ko (co-director) before the shorts program began, and had a good time hanging out with them, saying hi to friends, and looking forward to their artful skate video’s hometown premiere. (more…)

Closing Night LAAPFF (Film Festival)

Another year rolls by. The LA Asian Pacific Film Festival has run through a week of film programming. Congrats to the folks who work on this festival. It’s looking up – way up. The closing night took place at the CGV Cinemas in Koreatown. The pics don’t do the event justice, but that’s my cousin Michael Aki who starred in the film, Daylight Savings. Yes, there are better photos of him, but these are iPhone specials!

People dancing and Michael stares at who knows what. A starlet?

Then it’s beer time. Chug.

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