Cindy Cheung, Jennifer Ikeda, Julienne Hanzelka Kim, Alfredo Narciso, Debargo Sanyal, and James Yaegashi are featured in I_NY by Ma Yi at TADA Theater.

From November 7-23, Ma-Yi Theater Company presents I __ NY , a workshop production by Loy Arcenas, Lonnie Carter, and Ralph Pea at TADA! Theater, 15 W. 28th St. in New York. Directed by Loy Arcenas, I __ NY , features contributions from castmembers Cindy Cheung, Jennifer Ikeda, Julienne Hanzelka Kim, Alfredo Narciso, Debargo Sanyal, and James Yaegashi.

A dynamic collaboration among the MAGNO RUBIO creators with contributions from the cast and crew, I __ NY is a daring exploration of some of the finest, brightest, heartbreakingest and funniest New Yorkers, some born and bred, some newly arrived, some fresh off Cathay Pacific. In English with bursts of Bengali, Japanese, Mandarin and Espagnyol, I __ NY is a special mosaic of New Yorkers you rarely, if ever, see on stage.

TADA! Theater
15 W. 28th St.
(between 5th Ave. and Broadway)
Dates: Nov. 7 - 23, 2008
Time: Wed-Sat @8PM, Sun @ 3PM

Tickets are $15. Call (212) 971-4862 or visit www.ma-yitheatre.org, TDF vouchers accepted.

An R rating for the Chinese New Year Parade broadcast? Thats what raced through my mind when we saw the topless dancer on the Forbidden City float. Ben reminisces this week, as he gets ready to co-host live telecast of the largest Chinese New Year Parade in the western hemisphere.

An

Whole Lotta Phone Calls Goin’ On by Ben Fong-Torres

In the Facebook box that asks “What’s on your mind?” I announced, the other day, “I'm supposed to be writing a book, but went & moderated a panel for the Broadcast Legends – including Hall of Famer Jon Miller. Fun. Tomorrow — Friday -- 5 to 7 pm -- I'm working the phones for KNTV (Ch. 3)'s fundraiser for the victims of the Japan earthquake. If you can, tune in, call in and ask for me. I'll do Elvis, Dino, 

Dylan for you. Anything to get a few more dollars for the relief effort.”

As always, I got lots of supportive comments, of which my favorite was this, from author Susanne Pari: “This is all good, Ben, but I know writing avoidance tactics when I see them.”

Then Larry LeBlanc chipped in: “Yeah, we writers are like that.”

Yes, we are. But the earthquake relief fund was well worth falling behind a few pages. When I showed up at the Japanese Cultural & Community Center of Northern California’s building, where the phone bank had been set up, the tote board showed about $77,000 donated since 7 a.m.

It was now almost 5, and, as I took my seat, alongside TV journalists James Hattori and Wendy Tokuda, and playwright Philip Kan Gotanda and his wife, director Diane Takei (she directs plays; not her husband), and JCCNC board member Rumi Okabe, the phones went silent. It was 5 o’clock; the station hadn’t plugged the fundraiser; people were still at work or on the road.