Roger Ebert 1942-2013 Photo: RogerEbert.comRoger Ebert lost his battle with cancer today. He will be greatly missed. Most famous for his film criticism, he was the first movie critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.

Since 1967, and up to just two days ago he wrote a column for the Chicago Sun-Times.

He authored twenty books, and co-hosted several long-running syndicated television shows including Siskel and Ebert at the Movies. 

I will remember Roger Ebert not only for his reviews and commentary, but also for his advocacy of Asian American cinema.

I thank Roger Ebert for his outspoken support and standing up (literally) for a film called Better Luck Tomorrow.

When Ebert stood on his theater seat and yelled back at an audience member who was chastising the film's director Justin Lin and his cast on stage for making an "empty and amoral" film, it was a watershed moment in Asian American cinema.

Mind you, this was at the third screening of Lin's film Better Luck Tomorrow at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival where alot is at stake. Filmmakers are hoping that distribution deals are made. 

A video posted on Youtube captured the moment. (click here for the full story with the Youtube video). The audience member said, "You know how to make a movie. But why with the talent up there and yourself make a film as so empty and amoral for Asian Americans and Americans?"

Jeremy Lin talks with Charlie Rose on 60 Minutes April 7, 2013 Photo: 60 MinutesJeremy Lin talks with Charlie Rose on 60 Minutes. The interview airs Sunday, April 7, 2013 on CBS at 7:00pm ET/PST. 

Here's a preview clip from 60 Minutes with Lin talking with Rose about Asian American stereotypes. 

April 6, 2013

Last night's television show Rock Center with Brian Williams aired a story about the 'super album' The Masked Marauders. 

The story included a clip from the movie Almost Famous of actor Terry Chen playing Ben Fong-Torres, former senior editor of Rolling Stone magazine, and author, Emmy award-winning broadcaster, and long-time columnist here.

News anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News, Brian Williams has had a curiousity since childhood about a 1969 music album he bought called the The Masked Marauders - a record album touting that it was an album of music recorded in secret by a super group with the likes of John Lennon, Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney and Bob Dylan.

Now, after more than four decades of the album's original release, the television network news anchor with his own show got the chance to look under the mask of the infamous album.

He talked with The Masked Marauder's prankster

Sacramento, California

April 14, 2013

Photo: OneLoveforChi.com  Chi Cheng (1970-2013) Grammy-winning American bass guitarist and Deftones band member  

www.oneloveforchi.com posted sad news today. It published a message from Jeanne Marie Cheng, mother of American musician and poet Chi Cheng that he passed away last night.

The website, originally started by a fan was dedicated to communicating updates and raising funds to aid in the recovery of Chi Cheng who was seriously injured in a car accident. It reported that a candlelight vigil is planned tonight, Sunday April 14 in Cheng's memory at 6:30pm at Cesar Chavez park in downtown Sacramento. 

Cheng, bass guitarist and co-founding member of the Grammy-winning alternative metal band Deftones died April 13, 2013 at age 42, after more than four years of medical care following a car accident in Santa Clara, California in November, 2008 which left him in a coma.  Born Chi Ling Dai Cheng in Davis, California, he grew up in Stockton and joined the Deftones shortly after it formed in a Sacramento garage. 

Updates on the website said that he was showing signs of improvement including regaining partial consciousness and moving his legs on command. By summer 2012 he returned home to further recover.  But he took a turn for the worse this weekend.

Cheng recorded five albums with the Deftones, debuting in 1995 with Adrenaline to

April 12, 2013

Seattle

Photo: JunieHoang.com 

Actress Huang "Junie" Hoang has lost her lawsuit. She sued IMDb for refusing her request to remove her correct age from her IMDb Pro account. A federal jury in Seattle ruled against her lawsuit.  

Hoang, now 41, originally filed suit in October 2011 against IMDb.com and its parent company Amazon.com for revealing her true date of birth, which she said opened her up to age discrimination. 

In March 18, 2013, all of her claims against Amazon and all but one of her claims against IMDb were dismissed, and on April 12, 2013, a jury found that IMDb was not liable for the remaining claim for breach of contract.

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