Dragon Lady in LaLaLand

The play “Ascent” comes as a bittersweet reminder of the long history of anti-Asian sentiment in the United States. Yet it also reminds us that the story of Asians and Asian Americans often requires Asian Americans to raise their voices. “Ascent” is about the life and career of aerospace engineer Qian Xuesen (钱学森), missed opportunities and the consequences. Currently playing at the Skylight…

Why should someone in Florida be so concerned about the mayor of Los Angeles? So many people outside of Los Angeles seem to have an interest in the mayoral elections. When I lived in Pasadena, Altadena or Orange County, I wasn’t that concerned with the mayoral race in Los Angeles or even my hometown, but plenty of people are ready to weigh in including this person from Florida. Florida, is…

This is an example of poor analysis of the facts. People did die, but where and why did they die? In 2022 only 565 deaths from TB were reported in the US. TB is rare in the US. According to the WHO, 1.23 million people died of TB in 2024. “Globally, TB is the world’s leading cause of death from a single infectious agent and among the top 10 causes of death.” In 2024, about 10.7 contracted TB, but…

On 19 May 2026, this was shared on Facebook amongst my acquaintances. That was a day after the shooting at a San Diego mosque where two teenagers opened fire and killed three men. The screenshot used here is from a video taken at a Wylie Independent School District school board meeting in 17 February 2026. Another student, the president of the school’s Republican club said, “They were giving out…

HBO Max’s “The A List: 15 Stories from Asian and Pacific Diasporas” begins with a disheartening statement: “A lot of America is never going to see me as American” (Kumail Nanjiani).  That’s a sad statement when you consider the first Asian since the crossing of the Bering Strait to reach the Americas over 15,00 years ago were Filipino sailors (Luzonians) in 1587. That was in Morro Bay, California…

Comedian Terrence K Williams posted this on his Facebook page. The modern US flag is juxtaposed against a flag that doesn’t seem to represent any country. The white and green flag somewhat resembles the flag of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but again, this doesn’t represent Islam or a country. The first failure in this comparison is that this is a comparison of a country (where…

Sheep steal the spotlight from Hugh Jackman in the charming family-friendly murder mystery: “The Sheep Detective.” Although there is a murder, it isn’t bloody and you’ll learn a bit more about stereotypes, sheep and the nature of love in this cozy murder mystery. Based on German crime writer Leonie Swann’s  2005 novel “Three Bags Full,” the film is set in the English town of Denbrook. (The novel…

George Orwell’s  satirical allegorical dystopian novel “Animal Farm,” was first published in 1945. It was a reflection of events leading to the Russian Revolution of 1917 which was followed by the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union. Joseph Stalin was the general secretary of the Communist Party from 1922 to 1952 and the premier  from 1941 until his death (5 March 1953). By 17 August 1945, the…

Sunday, 19 April 2026, the David Geffen Galleries opened to the press. The weather was fine and walking the galleries was an expansive experience. You need to go in with an open mind, comfortable shoes and no small children. At the opening ceremonies, the unusual architecture was addressed. The exterior is not meant to be perfect–imperfection show the presence of the human hand. It provided much…

If you love theater, the circus, acrobatics or dance and live in Los Angeles, you must see Diavolo’s “Escape.” “Only  90 audience members get to see 22 artists perform on large, mobile architectural structures under the choreography of Jacques Heim, the man who choreographed the Cirque du Soleil’s Las Vegas production “Ká.” This an exclusive, private event with proceeds benefitting Diavolos’…

Riz Ahmed’s “Hamlet” takes us to modern England, a place with cars and graffiti and a lively Desi community of which the titular Hamlet is a prominent member. It’s an intriguing premise, but while the performances are often riveting, the camera work and lighting often work against the material, with soft-focus and shaky cam at moments that call calm, smoothness and better composition. The script…

When I was in Taiwan in the 1980s, people, usually men, asked to take photos of the White women in our study group. Our hosts warned them that such people often took those photos to create nude composite photos. Decades later, Photoshop would make that easier and now, in 2026, AI makes it easier still. If you think that isn’t a problem, it’s already been used to make porn of…

To get Hiroshi’s device back, Shaw and the team execute a daring heists at Apex Cybernetics. The cold open begins with Bill Randa’s desk. In 1962, he has a photo of himself with Keiko. There’s also a smaller photo of him with Hiroshi and Keiko. This is the photo we’ll see over and over again, out of the frame, but being carried in Bill’s leather-bound notebook. The song we hear is “You Belong to…

In Santa Soledad, Titan X becomes a target for Apex, forcing Shaw and the Randas to infiltrate the covert experiment. In Tokyo 1990, we see a man waiting among other men. “Okay, it’s time for bed now,” Hiroshi says in English. “Past time. Are you tucked in? Okay. Close your eyes and let the dreams come.” Hiroshi is on the telephone calling Cate while he waits for Kentaro to be born. “I’m not…

Shaw, Keiko, Hiroshi and Kentaro go roque in an attempt to find Titan X. Cate struggles with feelings of guilt. A buried secret is exposed. (13 March 2026) The cold start has us where the last  episode left us: Santa Soledad in Chile, 1957. The Scarabs (or what I call Trilobilla), have emerged from that sacred cave, responding to the call of Titan X (Krakilla). None of the villagers is outside…

If you’ve watched Netflix’s documentary, My Octopus Teacher, you’ll already been sensitive to the very possibility of intelligence in these creatures and that will partially prepare you for Weston Gaylord’s “Octopus’s Garden” currently playing at Boston Court in Pasadena. While two of the main characters are scientists, researching celapods, and there is some science talk, the play quickly veers…

What’s wonderful about WonderCon is that it is in Anaheim, a city used to hosting people dressed up in fandom and one can usually get parking at a reasonable price at or near the Anaheim Convention Center and a full weekend pass the week before. What’s not? The food prices. We got two fish tacos (with fried wheat tortilla chips) and a strawberry horchata and it cost us $24. Ouch. The tacos tasted…