Gotta love Shaq’s persona. Always ready to entertain, and he does during his grand entrance at the 2009 NBA All Star game.

But what’s more impressive is to see the Jabbawockeez blowin’ up! It’s always inspiring to watch the journey of those who are truly dedicated to their passion and art. The crew has endured many obstacles but still soldier on doing what they believe in. I watched these guys on the first season of MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew and they continue to amaze me. And not just by their talent, but by how grounded they are, too.

How do I know this? I met the crew on one of their tour stops, just bumped into them in the hotel lobby. They were just checking in and seemed busy, but they took the time to chop it up with me and my buddies for a few minutes. Very cool.

I wish Jabbawockeez the best and look forward to seeing them getting more exposure and sharing their talents with the world.

You never know who’ll need some dancers to back them up at Super Bowl 2010.

Here’s the clip. (The quality of the Youtube sucks, so here’s a link to a better video)

Picture this. 4 comedians agree to play an unsuspecting game of tag. For 24 hours. Receiving punishment if caught. What could go wrong, right?

This is the premise of an episode of Owarai, a new Japanese variety comedy show on Hulu.com.

I received an email from Erin over at GakiAttack.com (what up Erin!) promoting the launch of Owarai on Hulu.com. Owarai consists of various “channels,” one of which is Gaki, described as the the Japanese version of Jackass.

So when I watched the clip from the 24 hour tag episode, I knew full on what to expect…guys being guys and putting themselves into blatantly masochistic situations our mommas told us not to do. Apparently, this type of action gets you PAID! (I’m sure half of the Jackass salaries went to taking the barbell out of Steve-O’s ass. Steve-O, you’re one tough MOFO!)

Side note: I must be hiding under a rock because I didn’t even know Hulu.com existed before this. There are tons of free videos to watch, including television series and full feature movies. If I go on a sudden “non-productive” streak, I know who to blame. (How did Hulu.com know about my infatuation with Robocop?!? I’ll buy that for a dollar!)

Sorry about that tangent. Back to Owarai. As a fan of Jackass, I was interested in seeing what this Gaki channel was all about. We all remember playing “tag” when we were little. But Owarai took the game to a whole different level.

24 hours. Being chased by an “it.” Receiving punishment if caught. Sounds like a bad S&M experience. But who would sign up for this…or maybe all this was in the “fine” print. (You producers are sneaky, eh? Whatever, it’s good for the ratings!)

You have to watch the clip. I love how unsuspecting these contestants are. They actually seem a little cocky and a bit too casual for what they are going to experience.

But when you watch the first “it” comes out to tag the contestants, you get this “oh sh*t” feeling, kind of like the first time you talked back to your Dad and you saw him reach for the belt. (or Taser in some cases)

What ensues is full of hilarity and random violence, always a great combination. I can’t explain why watching innocent men receive senseless beatings is so damn entertaining. For me, maybe it’s because I knew the “punishments” weren’t really going to inflict severe damage, but just enough to make these guys feel the sting. And their reactions are what brought tears to my eyes.

You can see it in their faces. The whole “fight or flight” instincts kick in, and well, let’s just say they definitely don’t fight. They almost give in and accept what’s coming to them. And that’s the funniest part — watching them attempt to escape, run out of gas, then fall to the ground and take the beating. Classic.

Each “it” comes out with a “punishment” of higher degree that makes you want to keep watching to see what it’s store for the contestants. I have my favorites, and some are just plain sick. Head butting, really?

So click here to watch the clip. I’m curious what y’all think, so please leave a comment below.

Meanwhile, check out the strip below for my take on the whole Gaki tag game.

Photo credits:
Gonemovies.com
Flixster.com
Hulu.com/gaki

Miley Cyrus in the news. Racy photos. We’ve heard it before.

But this time it’s not “professional” topless pictures of the 16-year old Disney queen (Is that even legal?) Instead, a photo has surfaced with Cyrus and friends apparently making the oh so original stereotypical “slant eye” gesture.

Cyrus has denied the intent of the picture saying, “In NO way was I making fun of any ethnicity! I was simply making a goofy face. When did that become newsworthy? It seems someone is trying to make something out of nothing to me.”

She went on to say, “Well, (I’m) sorry if those people looked at those pics and took them wrong and out of context!”

Ah, the famous words…”those people.” I suppose the picture could have been taken out of context when you were just acting goofy. Who knows, maybe the flash was really bright and they all had to squint? Gotta love Angry Asian Man’s rant on this picture. (BTW, keep up the good work over there brotha man)

Being Asian American, I took a look at the picture to see what the fuss was all about. I saw the photo, and I believe that Cyrus meant no harm. It’s not her fault, her dad IS Billy Ray Cyrus.

But taking another look at the photo, I was actually surprised that anyone could think this photo was in any way a reference to Asians. Not everyone will feel the same, so in Cyrus’ defense, I took the liberty of pointing out some things that clearly show no reason for anyone to associate this picture with anything Asian. (except for the Asian guy, which I’ll get to later)

Here’s the famous picture, with my observations. (see below for my notes)

1. It’s pretty obvious that this guy is not making fun of Asians. He’s stretching his eyes downward, not upward, which means he’s actually a Star Trek fan trying to look like Spock. Got give it up to a guy confident enough to come out of the “geek closet” and out himself as a Trekkie. (But come on, a real Trekkie would bust out the Vulcan greeting)

2. Same guy. He’s wearing a cross. We all know that the majority of Asians are Buddhist and don’t wear crosses. So, he can’t be making fun of Asians. I think this guy is just really confused. Come on, he’s wearing dogtags. I bet they say something like “Starfleet Commander” (see #1)

3. The famous Peace sign. Yes, Asians do use the Peace sign in photos, but this guy is doing the “bunny ears.” So this guy is definitely not making reference to Asians. Asians don’t do “bunny ears.”

If Asians do anything “animal-related” in photos, we’re usually hugging our Hello Kitty dolls.

And the hand-on-mouth gesture? Again, yes, Asians are famous for that (it’s a cultural thing). But by the look on his face (and on the girl’s next to him), he’s probably dealing with a little “backfire” from the girl’s “tailpipe.” (he must know about this tip to lower everyone’s blood pressure)

4. This guy is definitely not making fun of Asians. It’s painfully obvious that he has an infatuation with Robert Pattinson (of Twilight fame) and is trying to do his best impression. But he just ends up looking like a broke-ass Josh Groban instead.

5. Where do I start? First of all, I have some questions.

Dude, you’re obviously over 18 years old so why do you have an underage girl on your lap?

What’s up with the “O” face?

Oh yeah, it’s all good because you’re her “boyfriend“…

This guy isn’t making fun of Asians…he has bigger plans. He’s only 1 roofie away from executing “Operating sMiley”…

6. An Asian guy! Miley obviously can’t be racist because she is hanging out with an Asian guy…or at least let him stay after delivering the take-out…or after he fixed their computers (BTW, where’s your Geek Squad outfit?)

Photo Credits:
Sue Bauman
Paramount

I’m the King of The World!

For a second consecutive game, Yao Ming actually voiced his opinion on the current state of his team, the Houston Rockets, what had become of them.

“When you are soft yourself, everything will feel tough,” Yao said. “It’s not because they are so tough. It’s because of how soft we are. “It’s weird that we changed that quick. I never had that feeling. I feel like they traded me to another team, a new team I’ve never been on before.”

Wow, those are harsh words from the normally reserved Yao. His years in the NBA must have hardened him…or maybe it’s playing with T-Mac and streetball legend Rafer Alston. Playing with those two will definitely give you a quick lesson in Smacktalking 101. Or it could be the frustration of playing under Jeff Van Gundy for so many years that made him bitter.

I like the new Yao. It’s about time that he takes a step up and grow a backbone. The whole ‘soft-spoken, I’m Chinese so I must be humble’ act has worn a little thin. It’s time to bring out the beast!

Go Yang Yang Go!

Ok, Asian parents have gone far enough! The picture to the left depicts a 4-year old Chinese kid riding a Beluga whale. First you want us to get good grades so we can get into a top notch college. And when we are working our tail off at college, we have to score a kick-ass internship. Then after the internship, we’re expected to land a high-pressure job at a Fortune 500 company and climb the corporate ladder at a breakneck pace.

But now we have to learn how to ride whales before even starting Kindergarten?!? Now THAT’S asking too much.