‘Forgotten Island’ Navigates The “Burden Of Representation” With Filipino Joy
If it’s Filipino, it’s in Forgotten Island. An unspeakable joy radiated from the audience at the screening I attended at the Pacific Design Center whenever any Filipino totem, gesture, or figure graced the screen. The audience was mostly, if not all, Filipino. Unless...
The Business of Belonging Part 2: The Golden Era of AAPI Representation and Those Who Were Left Behind
A moral audit (of sorts): How AAPI advocacy organizations use resources, money, and power to give back to the communities they claim to serve. Around 2018, when I was an editor at Deadline Hollywood, I had a lunch meeting at what was then known as the H Club in...
The Business of Belonging, Part 1: Finding Community, Doing the Work, and Feeling (Un)Welcomed
A moral audit (of sorts): How AAPI advocacy organizations use resources, money, and power to give back to the communities they claim to serve. During a post-movie dinner with a group of fellow Filipinos, the conversation turned to a film little known beyond the...
‘Digger’: A Movie That Was Very Committed To Whatever It Was
SPOILER ALERT: This article includes specific details about the film Digger. When we first see Tom Cruise as Digger Rockwell in his slovenly glory, he is in his bed next to a zombie cat...
‘A Different World’ Revival Is a Melanated Blessing TV Has Been Missing
SPOILER ALERT: This article includes specific details about revival of A Different World. The other day I made it my responsibility to teach a young Gen Z’er about the original A Different...
EVENTS
DIASPORA Calendar: October 5 – October 11, 2026
FILM Teen Witch – 4 PM, October 10: Top That! Behold the magic, the music, the hairspray, the tutus, and the rap battles of this camptastic spectacle of 80s awesomeness! Louise is a teenage nerd with dreams of popularity, romance, and style that always seem to elude...
DIASPORA Calendar: September 28 – October 4, 2026
FILM The Bodyguard – 7 PM, October 4: Iconic diva Whitney Houston delivers an electric performance in this glamorous and show-stopping romance. Kevin Costner plays former Secret Service agent who grudgingly takes an assignment to protect a pop idol who has been...
DIASPORA Calendar: September 21 – September 27, 2026
MUSEUMS AND ART The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art – September 22: The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art opens on September 22! It'll be crowded for a while, but I'm sure it's amazing! The new museum in L.A. celebrates the power of visual storytelling. Founded by George...
DIASPORA Calendar: September 14 – September 20, 2026
FILM Selena – 7:30 PM, September 18-19: The true story of Selena Quintanilla-Perez, a Texas-born Tejano singer who rose from cult status to performing at the Astrodome, as well as having chart topping albums on the Latin music charts. Gardena Cinema, 14948 Crenshaw...
COMMENTARY
‘Digger’: A Movie That Was Very Committed To Whatever It Was
SPOILER ALERT: This article includes specific details about the film Digger. When we first see Tom Cruise as Digger Rockwell in his slovenly glory, he is in his bed next to a zombie cat that is...
‘A Different World’ Revival Is a Melanated Blessing TV Has Been Missing
SPOILER ALERT: This article includes specific details about revival of A Different World. The other day I made it my responsibility to teach a young Gen Z’er about the original A Different World and...
DOSSIER
CLASSICS: ‘The Craft’
Talking to younger folks should make me feel old, but it just makes me feel wiser and more experienced. By default, older people have more life experience than younger folks and therefore makes us...
MUSIC: Toshi
During the late '90s and early '00s, I was very much into the neo-soul scene. I was obsessed with artists featured on Okayplayer and beyond. I loved vibing to music from D'Angelo, Floetry, Les...
THE DIASPORA LIBRARY
‘In Cold Blood’ by Truman Capote
I recently re-read Truman Capote's In Cold Blood and realized: "OMG. This is basically procedural... a true crime podcast, even." In Cold Blood shook the literary world. Capote brought literary...
‘In Defense of Our America: The Fight for Civil Liberties in the Age of Terror’ by Anthony D. Romero and Dina Temple-Raston
Since the world is less-than-desirable when it comes to civil rights as of late, I recommend the book In Defense of Our America: The Fight for Civil Liberties in the Age of Terror by ACLU Executive...