By Ana La O
Buddha gets blessed
Most films can only hope for financial support, but the upcoming film Buddha has more than money to back it up; it has the Dalai Lama. The film, which plans to uphold the Buddhist teachings of peace and equality, has finally received a blessing from the spiritual leader himself. Buddha is based on Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Ha's epic novel Old Path White Clouds and will be produced by Michel Shane and Anthony Romano (I Robot and Catch Me if You Can) through B.K Modi's HandPicked Films. HandPicked is still auditioning directors to head the project. Production is set for May 2008.
Bombay in Texas
On Thursday May 25th, the Bollywood-inspired Broadway musical Bombay Dreams premiered in Houston. Houston is just one stop on the show's national tour produced by Independent Producers Network. Bombay Dreams, the brainchild of legendary composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, has undergone a series of changes after its unsuccessful runs in London and New York. Lead producer Nick Manos hopes that the Houston presentation of the revamped Bombay Dreams will help inspire diversity in Texas.
Murphy makes Ramen
It has just been announced that Brittany Murphy will be starring and producing the upcoming romantic comedy The Ramen Girl. The Ramen Girl follows a recently single American woman (Murphy) who tries to cure her broken heart by training to be a ramen chef. (Yes, you read that right -- she wants to be a ramen chef.) While Murphy is no stranger to films about break-ups and girl power, she does find herself in a new city -- where else but Tokyo? -- with a new co-star, seasoned Japanese actor Toshiyuki Nishida. The project begins filming in September.
From Beckham to J.R. Ewing
After much speculation, British-Indian director Gurinder Chadha has confirmed that she will be directing the movie version of the hit American soap opera Dallas. Dallas aired from 1978-1991 and followed the lives of wealthy Texan oil titans, the Ewings. Robert Luketic (Monster-in-Law) was originally set to direct the film, but left the project to work on Columbia Pictures's 21. Chadha will direct a star-studded cast that includes John Travolta as J.R. Ewing and Jennifer Lopez as his wife Sue Ellen. The film begins production in October.
Asian Women are Hot -- duh!
The results are out and a slew of Asian women have made it onto Maxim's Hot 100 List. The Maxim Hot 100 List celebrates the most successful women in film, television, fashion, and sports. Some of the Asian and Asian American entertainers included on the 2006 list are MTV VJ Vanessa Minnillo (15), actress Moon Bloodgood (53), R&B songstress Amerie (84), MySpace queen Tila Tequila (88), TLC's Chilli (90), actress Grace Park (93), and Lost's Yunjin Kim (98).
Ming-Na Wen joins new Series
Fox just announced its fall lineup and it looks like Ming-Na Wen is starring in their new drama Vanished. Vanished follows the quest of Georgian Senator Jeffrey Collins (John Allen Nelson) to find his young, beautiful missing wife Sara (Joanne Kelly). Wen will play Agent Lin Mei who helps the Collins family untangle the mystery behind Sara's disappearance.
Access Denied
U.S. Immigrations recently denied Sri Lankan-born, London-based rapper M.I.A.'s request for a work or travel visa. M.I.A. announced the issue to the public on her MySpace.com blog, stating "Roger, Roger do you hear me over!!!! The U.S. Immigration wont let me in!!!!” (http://www.myspace.com/mia). No clear reasons have surfaced for the U.S. Immigrations' decision, but sources have speculated that the denial may be related to the rapper's politically charged lyrics. M.I.A's lawyers are currently working to resolve the problem as quickly as possible. Until then, M.I.A. will have to postpone her scheduled collaborations with producer Timbaland for her new album.
Keith Tamashiro benefit concert
When famed graphic artist/designer Keith Tamashiro, responsible for the cover art of seminal works like Jurassic 5's Power by Numbers and more recently, Damian Marley's Jamrock, suffered a brain aneurysm, it was not only tragic, but hopelessly so. That's because Tamashiro, like many other artists of his ilk, does not have health insurance. However, his friends rushed to his aid, and luckily for Tamashiro, those friends happen to be some of the biggest names in backpacker rap: J5, Madlib, DJ Shadow, Cut Chemist, MF Doom, Dilated Peoples. The result is a series of events, both in Los Angeles and San Francisco, that has everyone who's anyone buzzing. First, there's the art show/auction on Wednesday May 24, at the Transport Gallery in downtown Los Angeles, where the works of such luminaries as Kofe, Haze, and B+ will be showcased. Then, there's the creme de la creme: a benefit concert at the Mayan, where said hip-hop artists will perform. The proceeds will, of course, go directly toward Tamashiro's medical expenses.
Keith Tamashiro MySpace page