New? Yes. Improved? Hmmm….

Well, we up and did it.  We finally made good on our threat and pulled the plug on the “old” Asian Talent Online.  Specifically, we vacated the hosted version of the page and switched over to a WordPress.com account.  You may not have noticed, however, because our www.asiantalentonline.com domain name remains the same — but now it points to a different place. 

Why have we taken this step?  Several reasons, but mostly it boils down to the expense of keeping up a “real” website that we no longer have much time to maintain.  Add to that the guilt associated with not properly executing our core mission — and the nagging lazy feeling we had about ourselves because we took a long, long hiatus. 

So — we’ve switched over to a “free” blog page.  That way, if we don’t update regularly we won’t feel too terribly, awfully bad about it.  And it’s better than the other option — the Nuclear Solution that would wipe the site off the face of the internet altogether.  We contemplated that several months ago but (to our great surprise) we got LOTS of email asking us NOT to chuck it all. 

Therefore, in the interest of keeping the brand more-or-less alive and satisfying the small band of the faithful, Asian Talent Online shall live on.  Whether we prosper or not is anybody’s guess – but at least we can say we’re still in here pitching. 

For a while (possibly forever) you will notice a really choppy look to some of the previously published articles on the site — that’s because the transition from self-hosted blog to WordPress-hosted blog was not seamless.  In fact, lots of material did not make it through the wormhole and, we imagine, burned up somewhere in cyberspace.  As time goes on we will attempt to resurrect some of that content, so don’t despair.  And if there was something you really, really liked on the old site, let us know and we’ll make reposting that a priority.

That’s about it for the moment.  As always, thanks for dropping by and please check back often.  In spite of everything, the fat lady hasn’t sung yet.

ATO

Leslie Ishii – She's Everywhere!

The talented Leslie Ishii is one busy individual!  Fortunately for us, she has time to record her adventures in a blog!  Keep up with her RIGHT HERE.

Miwa Gemini “Lies”

Miwa Gemini

A note from Miwa:

Hi everyone,

The big day is almost here! 

The new album will be released on May 31st, through iTune, amazon, me, etc. etc and you can listen to it on Pandora radio. (Read a recent review of the album from MTV Iggy)  The album is entitled “Fantastic Lies of Grizzly Rose” and making of It has been a really really long journey but she’s all worth it!  I hope you like it and please please let me know your thoughts (better yet post it somewhere on the web!)

I will be having release show here in NYC on June 3 at the Living Room and I’m going on the road! 

Joined by many talented musicians on the stage (Matt Brundrett, Nick Tardif, Aaron Burns to name a few) the Living Room show and it’s going to be amazing!

Friday, June 3
The Living Room – NYC (154 Ludlow Street)
9pm
Free!

And here, for your listening pleasure, is a cut from the Album entitled “Good Night Trail”:

 

 

More about Miwa and her new album HERE

Help Build The Ice Hotel

OK folks – pledge drive time. 

A push is underway to help market a YA (young adult) fantasy novel before it hits the big screen. 

WHAT IS IT?

This debut, self-published, fantasy YA novel, “The Ice Hotel” is now being adapted to screen by 2011 Oscar-nominated screenwriters, Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson  - (THE FIGHTER - best original screenplay).  

The book needs your help to get out into the world…

WHY DOES THE BOOK NEED HELP?

According to the author …..

Prior to the making of the film, we want to market the book so that it reaches the widest audience possible in its original/book form.  At this point, most of the marketing has been via word of mouth and some internet push – eg: the reader-submitted “fan photos” with the book on the Amazon page and in the “fans with THE ICE HOTEL” Facebook album.  The money will pay for different levels of Twitter advertising via twtMob, including but not limited to celebrity-endorsed tweets and YA reader-focused marketing;

WHAT WILL THE MONEY PAY FOR?

 for legal fees associated with trademarks, licensing and other agreements.  The book and the author are represented by M.E.T.A.L.® Law Group;

for bulk purchase of the symbolic ‘two dog tags and a whistle on a chain’ necklace, which will be distributed at events promoting the book;

for gifting of the book to Los Angeles Children’s hospital and writing/reading focused nonprofits and public libraries;

for additional marketing efforts including Facebook, LinkedIn and similar internet ads – as well as print ads in publications aimed towards readers/young readers, ie: Celebrity High magazine;

for “fan photos with THE ICE HOTEL” contest and prizes.

A Tiger in the Kitchen

Here at ATO we don’t usually write reviews (we’re haughty enough to think that inclusion of someone on this site is review enough) but you’ll forgive us if we effuse just a little over “A Tiger in the Kitchen”, a heartfelt (and hunger-inducing) book by Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan.

Cheryl, as you can read in more detail HERE, is a Singapore native who came to America for college and, eventually, landed jobs with several publications including the Wall Street Journal.  When the Journal gig ended, Tan fulfilled a dream by returning to her homeland in a yearlong quest to master cooking the foods she loved as a youth.   In the process she reconnected with her family in ways she didn’t anticipate – producing a “more-than-she-bargained-for” experience.  The same can be said of the book detailing the author’s quest, as  the reader is immersed in a strange yet comfortable culture stocked with lively characters who, bit by bit, share fascinating tales of rich, full lives.  No mere cookbook is this.

Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan

I must admit – “A Tiger in the Kitchen” truly surprised me.  I’m probably not a member of the target demographic for this book, and it certainly isn’t my usual sort of “read” — but I loved it anyway.  It’s really all about families and connections and opening your mind to people and things you never fully appreciated before.  You’ll come away from it with the realization that families are pretty much the same everywhere – and some of the best bonding occurs over food and food-related occasions.  Other reviewers have covered this ground much more adroitly than I could – so I’ll just say that “Tiger” will make you yearn for bygone days, long-gone people and big, noisy family gatherings. 

Cheryl Tan’s masterful prose really makes this material work.  Her writing is crisp and nimble with more than a hint of bemusement.  She portrays her relatives colorfully yet respectfully – and leavened with a large dollop of  playful irreverence.  You know — the way only family members can get away with.  I love that quality in a writer – that ability to pull the reader into the milieu and make them feel like an insider.  Tan achieves this in ways that are artful, unforced and organic to the storytelling.  It may be her strongest stylistic gift.

If I had to nitpick “A Tiger in the Kitchen” at all, it would only be for the paucity of recipes and the total lack of pictures of all these fascinating people and the glorious food they prepared.  Tan so vividly describes all of this that you crave some visuals.  However — redemption is at hand in the form of a Tan’s gorgeous BLOG — a top notch effort that features boatloads of bee-yoo-tee-ful photos, recipes, updates and tons of other stuff.  Indeed a worthy companion to a first-rate book.  Need more?  There’s also a well-maintained Facebook page — just search for “A Tiger in the Kitchen”.  That seems to be the best way to keep up with Cheryl’s latest adventures – and if you have a question she’ll probably answer it herself (because she is, by all accounts, a sweet and generous person). 

“A Tiger in the Kitchen” is available at a bookstore near you and in outlets like Amazon.