Author Archives: tinabot

Photographer George Masa in Ken Burn’s “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea”

Posted on January 30, 2013 by tinabot

The George Masa mentioned by President Obama in the above video (9:00) was originally born as Masahara Iisuka in Japan in 1882. After his father’s death, he came to the United States to study engineering at the University of California. … Continue reading →

Posted in History | Leave a comment

8Questions with Jason Tobin, Actor

Posted on January 24, 2013 by tinabot

As a teen in the early 90s growing up in LA and OC Asian American communities, everyone knew about the murder of Stuart Tay by other high achieving teens. Rumors flew about the computer theft planned, about drama over a … Continue reading →

Posted in 8Questions, Entertainment, Movies, The Working APA Actor | 4 Comments

Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch

Posted on January 22, 2013 by tinabot

I love Studio Ghibli films, Pokemon, and the Japanese role-playing game series “The Tales”. So when I heard about the Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, I was thrilled. Not only does it integrate the best game play … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Video Games | Leave a comment

8Questions with Quentin Lee

Posted on January 17, 2013 by tinabot

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YH2Fl0aq_ko Writer, director, and producer Quentin Lee was born in Hong Kong, immigrated to Canada as a teen, and is now active in the industry in Los Angeles. He attended UC Berkeley, Yale, and UCLA in the U.S. Lee’s films … Continue reading →

Posted in 8Questions, Entertainment, Movies | 2 Comments

Photographer Quang-Tuan Luong in Ken Burn’s “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea”

Posted on January 15, 2013 by tinabot

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogGc98wlUoI In my continuing research for my COWBOY NINJA historical western (free to read here), I’ve taken to watching the amazing PBS series The National Parks: America’s Best Idea by Ken Burns. This thing is 6 episodes long, nearly two … Continue reading →

Posted in History | Leave a comment

8Questions with Dan Lin, Producer of ‘Gangster Squad’

Posted on January 11, 2013 by tinabot

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qilrVR0miPU Terminator Salvation. Sherlock Holmes 1,2, and 3. Lego: The Piece of Resistance. Godzilla. Stephen King’s It. Death Note. Justice League. What do all these disparate movies past, present, and future have in common? One amazing Taiwanese American producer, Dan … Continue reading →

Posted in 8Questions, Entertainment, Movies | 2 Comments

Justin Lin Still Set to Direct Terminator 5?

Posted on January 4, 2013 by tinabot

The rights to the Terminator franchise has finally reached a deal close with plans to make new movies, potential TV projects, video games, and merchandise. Originally, Justin Lin of Better Luck Tomorrow and Fast & Furious directing fame was part … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Movies | Leave a comment

Donnie Yen’s “Dragon (Wu Xia)”

Posted on December 20, 2012 by tinabot

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIiGQ8soaZs&feature=youtu.be I remember the good old days when America would get the first releases of major movies and the rest of the world would have to wait, sometimes a few months or up to a year, for the same movies … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Movies | 4 Comments

New Giant Robot Film “Pacific Rim” Eerily Like Anime Evangelion

Posted on December 18, 2012 by tinabot

Who doesn’t like movies with giant robots? Add dimensional travel, giant monsters a la Godzilla, and humanity’s last stand and you’ve got Pacific Rim, the perfect recipe for a 2013 blockbuster. What I find amazing is that in both story, … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Movies, TV | 1 Comment

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2012 TV Series

Posted on December 11, 2012 by tinabot

Okay, I’ll admit, when I first heard about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles back in the late 80s when the first cartoon series came out (and I was 10), I remember thinking “Ninja TURTLES? That is the stupidest thing I … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Reviews, TV | 2 Comments

Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness from Nickelodeon

Posted on December 10, 2012 by tinabot

I’ve been catching the Hulu streaming releases of the Nickelodeon’s series Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, and as huge fan of the Kung Fu Panda movies, I have not been disappointed. I was wary at first, thinking the TV … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Movies, Reviews, TV | Leave a comment

Bei Bei’s Chinese Gu Zheng Music

Posted on December 7, 2012 by tinabot

When I was in the middle of writing my teen fantasy martial arts fiction novel a couple years ago, I often used youtube to find inspirational classical Chinese dance and music to help inspire me. One of my favorite videos … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Music | Leave a comment