Celebrities Flock to Nation's Capital

WASHINGTON, D.C.--Actor Owen Wilson was just one of the many Hollywood celebrities who have been sighted in this capital. Superstars like Brad Pitt, George Clooney, and Harrison Ford have been here for one reason or another: to have a White House tour, meet with President Obama, to testify in Congress or just raise visibility of certain issues. Fred Paras, area Sans Rival Catering associate partner of Paul Bakken, met the "Marley & Me" star at a reception last month. "I came up to him and asked to have a photo with him," Fred recalled. "He said, 'Sure,' and even hugged me afterwards. He was very nice and approachable."

2010 APA Male Calendar

LOS ANGELES, CaliforniaThe 2010 APM calendar, which will benefit the Asian Pacific Health Care Venture of Los Angeles (www.aphcv.org), has announced its model line-up. The 2010 APM calendar, with graphic design by creative director Nareth Chuon, goes on sale in May 2009. The models include: "Survivor: Cook Islands" winner Yul Kwon (San Mateo); actor/writer/filmmaker Edward Gunawan (Los Angeles, CA); actors Ji Han (New Holland, PA) and Daniel Ichikawa (Costa Mesa, CA), and actor/model/producer Thomas Livezey (Bangkok, Thailand). The photographer is Asian American artist Jeff Sheng. He is a graduate of Harvard and UC Irvine, and his work has appeared in the New York Times Magazine, the L.A. Times, and the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles.

Vegas Mayor Endorses US-China Trade Summit

LAS VEGAS, Nevada--Amid the backdrop of Asian Pacific Heritage Month, Mayor Oscar Goodman endorsed a major U.S.-China business and trade summit, to be held at the Venetian/Palazzo here on January 3-5 next year. Las Vegas will host one of the country's largest gatherings of entrepreneurs, traders, and business leaders from both countries. The Summit promises a number of other high-level officials from China including China International Nameplate Development Association (ICP), the China Council for the Promotion of Nationalities Trade (CCPNT), and the China General Chamber of Commerce (CGCC).

Jin "PJ" Kim, candidate for NY Councilmember

NEW YORK -- Jin "PJ" Kim (D), candidate for NY Councilmember, has raised $70,000 in 12 days, according to the NY Press. Kim is challenging the incumbent, Councilmember Alan Gerson, along with other candidates: bar owner Arthur Gregory, community activist Margaret Chin and attorney Pete Gleason. Kim was in Washington, D.C. recently, at the May 13 annual event of the AAA-Fund, a Democratic political action committee based in the nation's capital.

Wu Named to Congressional-Executive Commission on China

WASHINGTON, D.C.--Congressman David Wu (D. OR) was appointed to the Congressional-Executive Commission on China by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The commission was created by Congress in October 2000 to monitor human rights and the development of the rule of law in China. The commission consists of nine senators, nine members of the House of Representatives, and five senior administration officials appointed by the President.

NAM's National Ethnic Media Expo & Awards

ATLANTA, Georgia--New America Media (NAM) will honor outstanding Journalists during its Naional Ethnic Media EXPO & Awards at the Atlanta Hyatt Regency here on June 4-5. The convention will celebrate the role of ethnic newspapers in America, while working with the media outlets to develop strategies for surviving the economic downturn. Sandy Close is NAM's Executive Director. The expo will feature a discussion of NAM's poll of documented and undocumented immigrant women; a series of professional development seminars outlining best practices for working with the ethnic media sector; the release of a new poll on ethnic media usage, and opportunities for professional networking.

The Magic of Julian Oteyza

ARLINGTON, Virginia--Artist Julian Oteyza is one of a few Filipino American magicians around. A member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians since the 1970s, he has been performing at parties and public events in between painting works of art and entertaining as a musician. Visit his website, www.guitaround.com or his blog at http://julianoteyzaart.blogspot.com. Or Email him at joteyza@verizon.net. He regaled the crowd when he performed recently at Manila Cafe in a fundraising event for Feed the Hungry and Gawad Kalinga. He picked up a red candle, covered it with a silk handkerchief and it vanished into thin air. He picked up another candle, lit it and asked an audience member to blow out the flame, and it turned into a bouquet of flowers.

New York Premiere of Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra

NEW YORK--On June 5 at 8 p.m., the Korean Cultural Service of New York (KCSNY) and the Korea Music Foundation (KMF) will present the New York premiere of the Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra. The event celebrates both KCSNY's 30th anniversary as well as KMF's 25th anniversary. It will be held at the Isaac Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall, located on 881 7th Avenue in this city. Led by the renowned conductor Daejin Kim, the orchestra features Sunwook Kim, the first Asian to ever win the top prize of the prestigious Leeds International Piano Competition. For more info, call Korean Cultural Service NY at 212-759-9550, or Korea Music Foundation at 212-942-5978.

Play Receives Rave Reviews from NY Times

NEW YORK--"American Hwangap," starring Asian actors, got a rave review in the New York Times. Critic Ken Jaworowski praised Trip Cullman's "skillful direction." He also lavished praise on Lloyd Suh's writing: "Lovingly drawn from the very first line. A Delight! Thrilling!" The play also received praises from Andy Propst, Time Out New York; Marilyn Stasio, Variety and Dan Bacalzo, from TheaterMania.

Poetry Reading on City Life

WASHINGTON, D.C.--Local poets Grace Cavalieri, Kim Roberts, Davi Walders and Traci O'Dea, and by German poet Ingrid Schulz read their poems at the Time Shadows: City Life event here last month. Poets read their works in their native language, with English translation. The Time Shadows project was established in 2008. It showcased traditional German, Chinese and American poetry on posters throughout Chinatown. For 2009, the focus was on modern-day cities. This project is funded in part by a grant from the Humanities Council of Washington, DC. Additional funding comes from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) and the ambassador of Taiwan.