Danny Pham shares three things that he’s learned from Jake Shimabukuro’s music for his Life on Four Strings Contest entry.
Has Jake Shimabukuro’s music impacted your life in a similar way? Let us know in a video and you could win a chance to meet Jake in person.
Videos must be submitted by May 17th.
Enjoy Jake Shimabukuro? Then enjoy the documentary film Jake Shimabukuro: Life on Four Strings this Friday on PBS nation-wide. Follow Jake’s story of becoming a Ukulele sensation and revolutionizing notions about the instrument. Check out their Facebook page for more information.
Also, if you are interested in meeting Jake then check out our video contest here: http://bit.ly/jakecontest2013
Let’s all enjoy Jake’s music together!
The first entry to the Life on Four Strings Contest is a fun one!
If Jake Shimabukuro’s music has impacted your life, we at CAAM would love to know! You can sing, dance, act it out or simply tell us—it’s up to you. Be as creative as you’d like. Who knows, you might be the one who wins a trip to meet Jake in person! But remember, videos must be submitted by May 17th.
In episode 2 of “They’re All So Beautiful” the question of whether only white men have “Yellow Fever” was raised. In this episode, the tables are turned and the question being asked is, do Asian women have “White Fever?” Some Asian American women share their opinions on their “preference” for White men while others share how uncomfortable “Yellow Fever” makes them feel in the fourth webisode of “They’re All So Beautiful.”
In the past CAAM has been proud to broadcast many excellent short films during our annual festival. In April, we will be bringing a special selection of short films back for one night online on OVEE, a new social screening platform. Check back in May for more broadcasts of popular Asian American films!
Current OVEE TV schedule:
Shorts Selection
April 30th
12:30pm
Jake Shimabukuro: Life on Four Strings
May TBA
Seeking Asian Female
May 29th, 8pm PST
Shorts Selection Films:
Lobster Shmobster (Dave Quion & Kyle Ross/USA/2 minutes/year(2007))
The story begins with a cheery cartoon lobster, then takes a dark turn. The lobster is then captured in a grimy kitchen in this short, roughly 90-second animated film. Excellent colorless animation coupled with a dramatic story and soundtrack make this work of animation certain to please casual viewers and die-hard animation followers alike.
The Others (Aram Siu Wai Collier/USA/9 minutes/year)
The Others features found footage of Hollywood actor Lou Diamond Phillips’ numerous ‘ethnic characters’ and places them in dialog with each other, literally, by employing classic Hollywood editing style and storytelling tropes. Through these conversations comes an investigation of identity, ethnicity and authenticity.
As this short film points out in the opening credits, actors throughout history have had their roles restricted by their race and ethnicity. Phillips himself is a collage of numerous ethnic groups, having played characters from a wide “ethnic” background.
Love Bang! (Việt Lê/Cambodia-USA/6 minutes/2012)
“Saturated with eye-popping colors and insatiable desires, Le’s “sexperimental” music video examines historical trauma, collective memory and the effects of rapid modernization in Cambodia and Vietnam.”
Performers don the costumes of a soldier fighting to survive, a bull aggressively running around, and colorful space-age style costumes. Coupled with a catchy tune, this short film is sure to delight fans of music videos.
Lady Razorbacks (Laura Green/USA/4 minutes/2011)
When a group of Pacific Islander women decide to start a rugby team in East Palo Alto, California, all they have in mind is getting in shape. But this group of women - who range from teenagers struggling with school, to church-going college students, to mothers of six - find the field an unexpected sanctuary. Fijians, Tongans, and Samoans discover common ground learning the sport they grew up watching their brothers, uncles and cousins play. In a space where hitting hard and caring for each other are synonymous, they learn new ways to express themselves, support one another, and challenge the stigma attached to their community.
As a documentary film about community, this work illustrates the hope that the sport gives these young women.
The Postcard (Josh Kim/South Korea/15 minutes/2007)
In this Korean language short film, a young man simply referred to as “boy” catches the eyes of two women working in a post office when he sends a mysterious postcard with a romantic overtone. The women grow to suspect that the postcard was a secret message intended for one of them. However, the true recipient of “Boy’s” postcard is actually meant for another post office worker. All in all, The Postcard is an excellent film about the struggles of pursuing love while struggling with being alone.
http://caamedia.org/blog/apa-heritage-month/2013/04/24/apa-heritage-month-2013-what-to-watch/
Photo by Merri Cyr
It all started in 2006, when a video of Jake playing George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” was uploaded on YouTube. Twenty million-plus views later, it stands out as one of YouTube’s first viral videos. Jake credits it with jump-starting his career.
In celebration of the national broadcast premiere of Jake Shimabukuro: Life on Four Strings, YOU could win a chance to meet Jake in person!
Check out our blog on CAAMedia.org to find out more about this contest.
http://caamedia.org/blog/contest/2013/04/18/win-a-chance-to-meet-jake-shimabukuro/
Check out our Storify to see the conversations happening about “yellow fever” and the new web series, “They’re All So Beautiful”
When people talk about “Yellow Fever,” the perspective of Asian American men are often missing from those conversations. So what do Asian American men really think of “Yellow Fever?” In Ep.3 of “They’re All So Beautiful,” Asian American men share their thoughts on what they think of “Yellow Fever” and how it, in turn, affects them.
