Arthur Dong at CAM

Roughly 150 people RSVPed for last night's screening of Hollywood Chinese at the Chinese American Museum in Downtown L.A.--in conjunction with the current exhibit of the same name--and the planners thought that perhaps 120 showed up. (I don't think they counted Wendy or Eloise, above.) Award-winning filmmaker/second-time curator Arthur Dong and I did quick Q&A sessions before and after the movie. The first segment was amazingly easy and excellent, maybe because we were amped and there was a captive and eager crowd.


This is what half of the crowd looked like from the stage. (Way in back you can see longtime reader and friend of GR, Thomas Nakanishi, who works practically next door to CAM at the Office of the Mayor. Hence, the suit. I believe you can spy GR's own Michelle on the very left border.) I have to admit that the second Q&A wasn't quite as flowing as the first--perhaps because I was playing with Eloise during the film or the crowd was getting restless, leaving, etc. But Arthur was still great and it was still just as much fun.


Another view from my seat onstage... Of course, that's Arthur in the foreground. In the middle is the awesome Dora Quach from CAM. In the background is the snack table, which was ravaged! No snacks were left whatsoever, but you can visit the exhibit through the end of May 2010 and buy the DVD from the filmmaker himself. I highly recommend both.