December 27, 2012

New York City

Hideki Matsui announced his retirement at age 38 on Thursday in Manhattan. Known as "Godzilla" to baseball fans in Japan and U.S., the 6 foot 2 inch, 210 lb. athlete has had an illustrious career in both countries. 

He was named World Series Most Valuable Player in the U.S., and three times was named the Central League Most Valuable Player Award in Japan. He played seven seasons from 2003-2009 for the New York Yankees, and ten seasons for the Yomiuri Giants of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball.

He had a $52 million dollar four year contract with the New York Yankees through 2009. Matsui helped the New York Yankees win the World Series, defeating the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies earning him the World Series Most Valuable Player Award. At the end of 2009, Matsui agreed to a one-year $6.5 million dollar deal with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

In addition, Matsui played one year stints with the Oakland Athletics, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and the Tampa Bay Rays. He was a basebal outfielder and designated hitter, batting left-handed and throwing right-handed. 

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South Korean Film Takes Home 3 of 12 Prizes from Awards Gala

The 2nd Asian Film Awards (AFA) were handed out at the AFA's star studded gala and award ceremony on March 17 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, kicking off the 4th Entertainment Expo Hong Kong which runs through April 13th, 2008.

With 33 nominated Asian films in 12 categories, South Korea's SECRET SUNSHINE won 3, including Best Film, presented by the film's lead actor Song Kang-ho and AFA 2008 winner Miki Nakatini. The film also won Best Director for Lee Chang-dong (presented by Joan Chen and Hollywood studio chief Harvey Weinstein) and Best Actress to Jeon Do-yeon.

The Best Actor award went to Tony Leung Chiu-wai (LUST, CAUTION ); Best Supporting Actor to Sun Honglei (MONGOL ); and Best Supporting Actress to Joan Chen (THE SUN ALSO RISES ).

Best Screenwriter was awarded to Au Kin-yee and Wai Ka-fai (MAD DETECTIVE ); Best Cinematographer to Liao Pen-jung (HELP ME EROS ); Best Visual Effects to Ng Yuen-fai (THE WARLORDS ); Best Production Designer to Cao Jiu-ping and Zhang Jian-qun (THE SUN ALSO RISES ); Best Editor to David Richardson (EYE IN THE SKY ), and Best Composer to Vishal Dadlani and Shekhar Ravjiani (OM SHANTI OM ).

In addition to the twelve categories, visionary Japanese filmmaker Yuya Ishii received The Edward Yang New Talent Award from director Ann Hui and actor Chang Han, while director Hou Hsiao-hsien honored Yamada Yuji with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

www.asianfilmawards.org

Chow Yun-Fat as pirate Lord Captain Sao Feng in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Former Japanese American internee, Carl Nomura, achieves the real American dream

Carl Nomura's memoir, "Sleeping on Potatoes: A Lumpy Adventure from Manzanar to the Corporate Tower, " is the story of a former Japanese American internee who became a scientist, physicist and successful business executive. His inspirational life story is the epitome of the American Dream.

Born in a box car to immigrant parents, his father was an abusive man who moved the family around, separating his six children by sending Nomura's older brothers and sisters to stay with relatives. After his father died, his mother supported the kids as best she could but the Depression hit and the family struggled to survive.

After graduating high school, Nomura and his family found themselves the target of the relocation efforts of the American government during World War II. Along with 110,000 Japanese Americans, Nomura and his family spent two years in Manzanar, an isolated dust-covered internment camp located in California.

Determined to learn from his experiences and motivated to change his situation, Nomura went back to school when World War II ended. He earned a bachelor's degree in physics in 1948, a master's of science degree in 1949 and a doctorate degree in physics in 1953. He then began a career that would span 33 years with Honeywell, a multi-billion dollar manufacturing company. Starting as a research physicist, he climbed the corporate ladder holding positions like manager of operations and...

Julie K.L. Dam spins a funny charming tale about a style and shoes-obsessed American girl with her first novel, Some Like It Haute.

I caught up with PEOPLE magazine editor and author Julie K.L. Dam at the book party for her chic-lit novel Some Like It Haute held at the National Arts Club in Manhattan. She appears regularly on Access Hollywood, Entertainment Tonight, and Extra and writes a blog http://www.somelikeithaute.com as her alter ego Alex (the protagonist) of Some Like It Haute , due in stores in late February.

In Some Like It Haute , Julie spins a funny charming tale about Alexandra Simons, a style and shoes-obsessed American girl with all the right press passes, spending Fashion Week in Paris. A fashion correspondent for The Weekly magazine, Alex believes she will never live down her very public, very literal run-in with a six-foot model at the Chanel haute couture show in Paris. Things start looking up when she attends an avant-garde show at a trendy new dive and finds both a love interest and perhaps the hottest new designer in town! But are things too good to be true? Though Nick Snow, an American consultant working in Paris, makes Alex feel like a supermodel, she gets the feeling that hes hiding something from her. And Luis-Heinz, the Esperanto-speaking recluse of a fashion genius? Hes nowhere to be found. Following her big scoopand her heartsends Alex on a wild goose chase through the streets of Paris and tests her definition of reality. In between playing...