June 19, 2018

Los Angeles

A new day has dawned at the Los Angeles Times, the 136-year-old newspaper has a new owner, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong. Dr. Soon-Shiong is a biotech billionaire with a vision to revitalize the newspaper. He told the New York Times, "The newspaper is really important to bind the community." "It bound us in my world of South Africa, and it's really a voice for the people." 

(Photo credit: Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)

Read about his interview to the New York Times "L.A. Times's New Owner Plans Big Moves. First Up, Relocating to the Suburbs."

Click here to the story about new owner Dr. Soon-Shiong by the Los Angeles Times writers Meg James and Andrea Chang. On Monday he announced that journalist Norman Pearlstine would become executive editor, a 50 year veteran in journalism, with an impressive career at Time Inc. magazines, the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg News and Forbes. 

October 27, 2013

Rumors floating on the web say that Jackie Chan's 101st movie 'Chinese Zodiac' is his last major action comedy, but we hope those rumors are false.

Ryan Pearson, AP Entertainment Writer sheds some hope. He reports that the 59 year old isn't quitting anytime soon, and just completed filming another installment for his "Police Story" franchise, and is in talks to do a movie with his "Rush Hour' co-star Chris Tucker. 

Click here to the movie's trailer:

http://youtu.be/4YtAbUU5jk8

Chan wrote, directed and starred in his action comedy 'Chinese Zodiac' about a team trying to steal some of the bronze statues representing the twelve animals of hte zodiac from the Chinese Palace which were stolen from Beijing in the 1860s.

The film is now in theaters in the U.S., and was released in China last year. Since the movie's release two of the statues were returned to China by the head of Gucci's parent company, Francois Pinault.

Related:

JackieChan.com - Jackie Chan's Official Website

Los Angeles Times (video)

AP Story on Jackie Chan

The Washington Post on Jackie Chan

On Thursday, August 22, 2013, don’t miss Elusive Paradise: National Geographic photographer Michael Yamashita’s Shangri-la at 10:00am at the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) Convention at the New York Hilton.

National Geographic photographer Michael Yamashita at a book signing at the Asia Society on February 21, 2013 for his new book Shangri-LA. Photo by Lia Chang

Yamashita will start off the session with a short presentation on putting together and selling a book project, followed by a slideshow of his images of a rare and fast-disappearing view of Tibet which are featured in his new book, Shangri-La (along the tea road to Lhasa).

Yamashita fell in love with the region over fifteen years ago, and his photographs offer a record of a way of life that has flourished in the rarefied heights of the Himalayas for centuries but is now threatened with extinction.

AAJA-NY chapter members Michael Yamashita, Lia Chang, Henry Moritsugu, Marilynn K. Yee and Stan Honda at the opening reception for the AAJA Convention at The New York Hilton on August 21, 2013.

Michael Yamashita has been shooting for National Geographic magazine for over 30 years, combining his dual passions of photography and travel. After graduating from Wesleyan University with a degree in Asian studies, he spent seven years in Asia, which became his area of specialty. Returning to the United States fluent in Japanese, he began shooting for National Geographic as well as many other U.S...

Arlington, VA

This summer, Broadway vet Thom Sesma (Titanic, The Times They Are A’Changin’) is busy appearing in three shows all hailing from Thailand. In July, he appeared as The King in the critically acclaimed Music Theatre of Wichita’s new production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic The King and I.

Kim Huber and Thom Sesma. Photo by Christopher Clark, Music Theatre of Wichita

Production Photos: Music Theatre of Wichita’s The King and I Starring Thom Sesma, Kim Huber, Alan Ariano, Karl Josef Co, Kay Trinidad, Tami Swartz at Century II Performing Arts Center through July 14, 2013 

Thom Sesma as The Engineer in Miss Saigon. Photo by Christopher Mueller

Tonight, Sesma revisits the role of The Engineer for the first time since leaving the Second National Tour of the Tony Award-winning musical Miss Saigon in 1997, in Signature’s production of Miss Saigon, directed by Signature Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer at the MAX Theatre, 4200 Campbell Avenue in Arlington, VA., August 16- September 22, 2013.

The day after Miss Saigon closes, he begins a 29 hour reading of a musical called Behind The Painting, which hails from Thailand. It stars Thai pop sensation “Bie”, and was presented in Bangkok by Broadway producer Thakonkiat Veerawan. The American adaptation is by Richard Maltby (with whom Sesma worked with on Broadway’s Nick and Nora) and David Shire in collaboration with Thakonkiat (“Tak”) and is being produced by Tak and Jack Dalgliesh.

Signature’s...

July 25, 2013

San Francisco

San Francisco blogger Rich Lieberman has reported in his "Rich Lieberman 415 Media" blog that KTVU-TV has fired three of its veteran producers over the gaffe involving the fake names of the Asiana airline pilots broadcast on its news program. 

Leiberman provides a blow-by-blow account of his story of the firings. Click here for the full story

Meanwhile, San Francisco Chronicle columnists Andrew Ross and Phillip Matier, who is also a radio and TV broadcaster, credit Leiberman with breaking the news of the firings, and comment in their Ross & Matier SFGate.com blog on the reaction by colleagues.

Ross and Matier report that many colleagues were saddened but not completely surprised given the international attention the gaffe got, including a threat - later dropped - by Asiana to sue the station. "People are definitely down about it," one source said.

The columnists cite Randy Shandobil, a former KTVU political editor who left the station 2 1/2 years ago commenting on the gaffe as an example of a systemic problem with news reporters pressured and overtaxed everywhere. For the full story by Ross and Matier click here.

RELATED:

Update July 17, 2013
 
Asiana Airlines drops plans to sue KTVU-TV

UPDATE July 15, 2013

The Associated Press reports that Asiana will sue KTVU over broadcast of bogus names of four pilots of Asiana Flight 214 at SFO.

Asian American Journalists Association Issues Statement on KTVU's Bogus Names of Pilots of SFO...