Linsanity is bringing out the funny bone in people. 

Anton DuGong asks why there is Linsanity for Jeremy Lin but there was never any Nguyen-sanity for Dat Nguyen?

Monkey Dance Captures the Struggles of Three Cambodian American Teenagers Coming of Age in Lowell, Massachusetts

Julie Mallozzis Monkey Dance airs on PBS this May as part the Center for Asian American Media's diverse lineup of films for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. (Check local listings.)

This award-winning documentary chronicles the tough challenges facing three Cambodian American teenagers as they grow up in working-class Lowell, Massachusetts. Monkey Dance traces the teens' path through adolescencefrom their relationships with their parents and their involvement in Cambodian dance to their hopes of getting into college. Although traditional Cambodian dance ties them together and provides a connection to their parents culture, the lure of cars and consumerism often proves too strong.

Their immigrant parents escaped the Khmer Rouge genocide in the 1970s and settled in Lowell, home to the second-largest Cambodian community in the United States. They hoped for a better life for their children, toiling in low-wage factory jobs to support their families. But life in America is not what they expect. Instead of following the Cambodian saying that the leaf does not fall far from the tree, as one parent says, sometimes the wind carries the leaf away as friends pull them along.

Linda Sou has been dancing in Angkor Dance Troupe, which her father founded, since she was three years old. The 17-year-old also has an active social life, and sometimes spends little time at...

New Works of Merit Playwriting Contest is accepting scripts postmarked through July 15, 2007.

New Works of Merit Playwriting Contest - an international contest whose mission is to seek out extraordinary, socially conscious scripts from around the world - is accepting scripts postmarked through July 15, 2007.

First Prize: $300 and a reading in an established New York City theatre.
Second Prize: a reading in an established New York City theatre.
Third Prize: a reading in an established New York City theatre.

As a direct result of prior New Works of Merit Playwriting Contests:
2006: 2004 winning script Conversation with a Kleagle by Rudy Gray was produced in NYC February 16, 2006 - April 7, 2006
2006: 2003 third place script Interview by Valerie Killigrew, was produced in NYC November 2 - December 2, 2006.
2004: 2003 co-winning script Ruby's Story by Ron Osborne was produced in
NYC May 13 - July 3, 2004.
2004: 2003 honorable mention script Cry Wolf by Deborah Mulhall was produced in NYC October 7 - November 27, 2004.
2004: 2003 honorable mention script Shades by Paula J. Caplan received a free development workshop June 28-July 2, 2004 and a reading on July 11,2004.
2006: 2004 contest winner, Rudy Gray: in 2006, Mr. Gray became Resident Playwright of 13th Street Repertory Company-NYC

Six scripts that were not finalists received a free reading.

Since January 2002, Sandra Nordgren, the founder of the contest, has been responsible for the offering of over 150 readings, 35...

March 9, 2012:

The greatest thing about Linsanity is that Jeremy Lin can win, he can lose, but he has already achieved the near impossible. In just a few short weeks, he's turned a country on its head and made it examine how Asian Americans are viewed in the mainstream.

AC Team members head to New York this week with high hopes to see Jeremy Lin play in a Knicks game. When we watch him, we will be watching a talented basketball player, but we will also be thinking about the historical milestone he has already achieved - for all of us.

Related Update: 

February 23, 2012:

Following on the recent racist and racially-offensive incidents in coverage of NBA star Jeremy Lin, the Asian American Journalists Association has issued guidelines on how to and how not to cover Jeremy Lin.

These guidelines are good for everyone, not just news media. 

You would have thought that by 2012 our nation's news media wouldn't need such etiquette lessons, but the recent incidents prove otherwise. Let's hope AAJA's advisory serves not only as guidelines, but as a warning shot that any future incidents will not be tolerated. 

Born in Los Angeles and raised in Palo Alto, California, Jeremy Lin is a native born American.  

AAJA introduces its guidelines with the following:

"Jeremy Lin is Asian American, not Asian (more specifically, Taiwanese American). It's an important distinction and one that should be considered before any references to former NBA players such...

Spotlighting Follows Filipino Pop Band the Sunspots and Their Dreams of Success as Entertainers

Spotlighting , an entertaining and touching tribute to the long career of Filipino Pop Band the Sunspots, airs on
PBS this May as part of the Center for Asian American Media's first rate lineup of films for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. (Check local listings.)

The Sunspots seemed to be well on their way to success in the 1960s. The band was famous in Okinawa, Japan, and Korea as well as in their home country, the Philippines. They had landed a contract with one of the best agencies in America, played in the Latin Quarter in New York City, and were scheduled to appear on the Ed Sullivan Show. Directors Josh Diamond and Justin Lin (Better Luck Tomorrow and Annapolis ) trace the rise of the Sunspots and show how close the band came to worldwide success in this new documentary. The film shows the group in their early days, competing in local talent contests to playing American bases throughout Asia. Their success at the military bases led to a big tour in the U.S., playing in countless cities during the 1950s and 60s. The band even caught the attention of Ed Sullivan and Johnny Carson. But the Sunspots never got that "lucky break." Instead, a strike cancelled their appearance on Ed Sullivan and their management decided that instead of going on Johnny Carson, it would be better for them to go on the road as the opening act for Al Hirt and his jazz band. And, of course, the...