JAPAN: RISING in NYC

Since March 11, the entire world has stood aghast at the destruction and devastation from the 8.9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami that continues to overwhelm Japan and its people. Through the fog of chaos and crisis comes love and light as communities across the globe come together to help Japan. Last night in New York City at Milk Studios, that light shined bright through a group show fundraiser, JAPAN: RISING.

Emanated deep from the heart of Japanese-American Mayumi Tatsuta, JAPAN: RISING is without a doubt a project of pure love. Fortunately her family in Japan has managed to remain unharmed but her homeland still has a long road of recovery ahead. Mayumi partnered with friends Ben Pruess and Erik Lavoie to concept and develop the silent art auction to aid in this recovery. Their efforts gave way to Mayumi and Ben creating A Good Gathering, a charitable events production company and platform for the event.

[caption id="attachment_4397" align="alignnone" width="225" caption="Ben Pruess and Mayumi Tatsuta of A Good Gathering"][/caption]

JAPAN: RISING brought together over 75 of the most talented established and emerging artists submitting works reflective of the same hopefulness, rebirth and rediscovery as Japan as it rebuilds.

[caption id="attachment_4399" align="alignnone" width="238" caption="Mike Perry- The Shapes Moving Up"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4400" align="alignnone" width="200" caption="Kenzo Minami- Phoenix Victorious"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4401" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Nick Zinner- Tokyo Crowd #2"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4402" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Sebastian Kim- Devon Aoki"][/caption]

South Vietnam's Former First Lady aka "Dragon Lady" Dies

Madame Ngo Dinh Nhu (aka "Dragon Lady"), former First Lady of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War, has died in Rome at the age of 86.



As the wife of the chief advisor/head of the secret police and brother of the single, President Ngo Dinh Diem, Madame Nhu acquired the role of First Lady.

Raised Buddhist and later converting to Catholicism, Nhu became known for generally speaking her mind, harshly speaking out against Buddhist protests, including against her own Buddhist father; therefore, receiving the nickname "Dragon Lady." Time Magazine quoted her as saying, “You are never going to overthrow this government because you don’t have the guts... And if you do overthrow it, you will never have me because I will claw your throat out first.”



Beyond the controversy that surrounded her, Nhu was also known for her extravagant fashionable attire, hairstyle and popularized wearing a more form-fitted and modern version of the traditional áo dài.

After the death of her husband and President Diem and the eventual fall of South Vietnam, Nhu exiled to Italy where she has been residing with her children.

Old meets new in SAIGON ELECTRIC -a Vietnamese hip-hop film

In the past few years, modern dance has taken the world by storm with shows like Dancing With the Stars, High School Musical and Glee. This focus on dance and performance may have sparked rejuvenation from the youth of Vietnam but by no means is this love for dance anything new to this country. Dance is deeply ingrained into its tradition with cultural dances such as ribbon and hat dancing. Additionally, ballroom dancing is celebrated at many wedding receptions. There are even nightclubs that host daytime dance parties for adults for entertainment and fitness. Today’s youth may have some exposure to tango and cha cha but their interest lie mostly in modern dance easily revealed on any given afternoon in Tao Dan Park with different sects of hip-hop crews rehearsing in various corners.



Written and directed by Stephane Gauger with cinematography support from Bao Nguyen, Saigon Electric (aka Saigon Yo!), portrays the story of old meets new connecting a traditional girl with modern life transitions. Mai, a traditional ribbon dancer from a small village finds herself in a new world of city life, hip-hop culture and a new best friend in Kim.



Gauger and Nguyen focused on maintaining authenticity to the culture and viewpoint of the characters:

In my wish of telling universal stories with a global outlook and a distinctly Vietnamese point of view, the seeds of Saigon Electric were planted. As the population of Vietnam grows younger and younger, youth culture is seeping onto the streets of Vietnam. Hip hop and graffiti artists are alive in today’s rapidly modernized culture. As our production team researched the best underground talent in Vietnam, we found much support from the hip hop community. Hundreds of young dancers came to audition for the chance to be captured on film, and I believe we were very fortunate in the ones selected to showcase their world of expression. My wish is to give the teenagers a voice and present to an international audience a fresh new look at the dreams and struggles of Asian youth.

- Stephane Gauger





We wanted to portray Saigon in a very realist way - not the polished,
sanitized version that many people see in other cinematic depictions of the city. Saigon, to me, is gritty, chaotic, the epitome of urban but at the same very dynamic and energetic. Also since this is a hip-hop film, Stephane, the director and the other director of photography, and I wanted the cinematography to compliment the subject of the film.

- Bao Nguyen



The film has premiered in LA and Saigon and will appear in upcoming festivals in San Diego, Chicago and San Francisco.

Happy 41st Earth Day! What is your Earth Day pledge?

Though today is Earth Day and celebrating this day brings awareness to how we should be taking care of Mother Earth, EVERY DAY SHOULD BE EARTH DAY!

In 2009, Patrick James of GOOD proposed an open call for commitments to Earth Day through pledges:

If you ask me, Earth Day is pretty much useless. You don’t get the day off of work. The parties are terrible. And, when the generally inconsequential day draws to a close, very little in the way of lasting impact has taken place-and even less takes place in the days, weeks, and months that follow. All that said, I don’t want Earth Day to be inconsequential. So this year, as I’m only somewhat delusional, I’m making an effort, on a small and personal level, to turn Earth Day into an impetus for lasting change.

James committed to reducing his red meat intake. Readers responded with pledges to use plastic bags less or ride bikes more often. This year GOOD asks for pledges again and reinforces that "The goal of these pledges is twofold: to infuse a stupid holiday with a modicum of meaningful action, and to commit to improving your relationship with the world around you."

I’m going to start an herb garden in my back yard.



What is your Earth Day pledge?

Refinery 29 and Style Bloggers To Follow

Refinery 29 is by far one of my favorite references for what's going on in fashion and lifestyle overall. They gathered some of their favorite style bloggers and profile them here so take a look-see and get inspiration for who to follow to be on top of what's trending!

TVOTR's Gerard Smith Has Passed

It was a sad day in New York City and a sad day for music with heartbreaking news of Gerard Smith’s passing yesterday. Known as the bassist of one of Brooklyn’s finest bands, TV On The Radio, Gerard was also a father and a good friend to many. The band posted the news on their website:

We are very sad to announce the death of our beloved friend and bandmate, Gerard Smith, following a courageous fight against lung cancer. Gerard passed away the morning of April 20th, 2011. We will miss him terribly.



News of Gerard battling lung cancer surfaced about a month ago and TVOTR has been touring without him in support of their newest album, “Nine Types of Light.” Due to the unfortunate loss of their friend, they have cancelled five upcoming shows.



My most sincere thoughts and prayers are with those grieving the loss of a friend, brother, son and father.

Ari Marcopoulos presents Directory

Dutch photographer and filmmaker, Ari Marcopoulos, presents his most recent project ‘Directory,' a book and show that opened in New York last night at White Columns.

The book is printed to look like a phone book and the show features hundreds of black and white Xerox prints that dress the stark white gallery walls.





Marcopoulos began his career assisting famous pop artist Andy Warhol. Similar to Warhol, he draws inspiration from the community that surrounds him. Though he carves out his own unique visual voice capturing playful every day moments of friends from urban city downtown art, skater and snowboarder scenes.





I have special love for this photo of an old friend who sadly passed a few years back, Harold Hunter, known from Larry Clark’s film 'Kids'.



Marcopoulos captures and maintains Harold’s lighthearted and loving spirit and reminds me of  the beauty of photography taking a single moment and making it last a lifetime. RIP Harold.

Panda Bear's "Tomboy"

Noah Lennox, founding member of Animal Collective, is Panda Bear and releases his sophomore solo album "Tomboy" this week. You can stream it's layered loveliness here before you buy it.

As always, be prepared to enter the ambient realm of a fantastical journey that is Panda Bear.

Bob Dylan played China. Next stop: VIETNAM.

Music legend Bob Dylan performed in China and heads to Vietnam to play for the first time ever. He played in Beijing on Wednesday, April 6 and in Shanghai on Friday, April 8. Choosing a less controversial path than Bjork did with Tibet sentiments at her China show, he apparently “’charged through’ his set list… leaving out any banter with the audience between the songs…” according to The Telegraph. His set included “Tangled up in Blue” and “Simple Twist of Fate” but intentionally void were popular protest tunes “Blowin' in the Wind” and “The Times They Are A-Changin’”. As expected, especially with foreign acts, a set list and program have to be submitted and approved beforehand and during this extremely sensitive time of crackdowns on activists, artists and writers, it was probably a good move on Dylan’s part to keep things kosher.

Similar to China, Dylan’s set will have to be pre-approved for his upcoming Ho Chi Minh City show today, April 10. However, as there may be a stronger connection among the Vietnamese with his romantic anti-war songs along with the special tribute to Trinh Cong Son, it will be interesting to see what Dylan's set will actually consist of today.



During these exciting moments of massive progress for Vietnam economically and culturally, indeed “The Times They Are-A Changin’”. Hopefully different than China, this song will actually get stage play!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCWdCKPtnYE

Bob Dylan Tickets @ L'Usine

Hey ya folks,

We've already told you about the Bob Dylan concert on Sunday April 10th to pay tribute to the legendary Vietnamese composer Trinh Cong Son.

Well, L'Usine has 50 general admission tickets and 50 VIP tickets available for the concert at RMIT on Sunday April 10th.  Supplies are limited so get them while you still can.

If you missed our last Bob Dylan Trinh Cong Son post check it out here