2011 is going to have some changes here on Slowdancing with Strangers. I want to make better use of this space. The original scope of this site was mainly event photography, with an emphasis on candids, but the idea of Slowdancing with Strangers is about sharing an intimate moment with someone you don’t know. I think that idea can extend to affecting  social and political change, hopefully by getting strangers motivated and passionate about issues that are important to me.

I met Harold Kameya a few months ago when he wrote to me after watching my It Gets Better video. He and his wife Ellen are the founders of PFLAG in Los Angeles  and are also featured in one of the films discussed below. He put me in contact with some great LGBT activists here in LA and I am more than happy to help promote these films for him.

PBS Hawaii will be airing two powerful GLBT family films that we have been promoting and distributing:  Anyone and Everyone and Out in the Silence. We were recently informed that the two films will be shown on PBS Hawaii (Channel 10), back-to-back, next month on Sat., Feb. 12.  First, Out in the Silence will show at 8 p.m., followed by Anyone and Everyone at 9 p.m.

Out in the Silence was featured in the Star Advertiser when it was screened at the Hawaii International Film Festival, last October.  It is a documentary about a gay high school student who was bullied in school, and is very timely with the recent rash of young suicides due to bullying.  The film makers, Joe Wilson and Dean Hamer, have made many friends in Hawaii, and have provided us (Da Moms) with some copies of this film to distribute in Hawaii to organizations and programs that will use it for community educational purposes.  You can find out more about their film and project at:  www.OutintheSilence.com or call us for a free DVD copy.

Anyone and Everyone was released in 2007 and shown on many Public Television stations on the mainland but has not yet shown on television in Hawaii.  This film is also a documentary, about parents and their gay/lesbian children, and their struggles with conflicting religious and cultural beliefs.  The families are from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds, including a Japanese American family that has roots in Hawaii.  Harold Kameya (father) was born and raised in Maui, and Ellen Kameya (mother) was born and raised in Honolulu.  They have raised their children in California.  Da Moms has been distributing this DVD, also without charge, to organizations and programs for community educational purposes, through funding from Equality Hawaii, and the Hawaii Peoples Fund.  For more information on this film, go to:  www.anyoneandeveryone.com.

Please share this information with other supporters of the LGBT community on your mailing lists so that this PBS Hawaii airing will have a large statewide audience.  We also ask that you all make your appreciation known to PBS Hawaii for this showing of these two supportive LGBT films.  This is an opportunity to make our LGBT (and supporters) presence felt as PBS members and viewing audience.  And hopefully, this will be the start of regular LGBT programming on PBS Hawaii in the future.
(via Harold Kameya, originally from Jo Chang and Susie Roth)

]]> http://slowdancingwithstrangers.com/2011/announcements/pbs-hawaii-to-air-two-lgbt-family-films-february-12th/feed/ 1 http://slowdancingwithstrangers.com/2010/announcements/do-your-part-and-rage-4-haiti-this-friday-in-chinatown/ http://slowdancingwithstrangers.com/2010/announcements/do-your-part-and-rage-4-haiti-this-friday-in-chinatown/#comments Wed, 20 Jan 2010 08:44:54 +0000 kristel http://slowdancingwithstrangers.com/?p=1174

The people in Haiti still need our help! You can still donate to tons of different charities, including the American Red Cross.  Every little bit helps–so even if you just skip buying lunch for a day, it’ll make a big difference!

This Friday January 22 2010,   Rage 4 Haiti will be putting on a fundraiser at THREE Chinatown venues:  Soho, the Manifest, and Next Door. There will be auction items and a great line-up of live local musicians who have generously volunteered their time and talent.   100% of the proceeds will go to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund.

For more information about the event, just read on.

Via facebook:

RAGE FOR HAITI is a way to raise awareness of the catastrophic earthquake that has killed thousands of people in Haiti. We’re just a group of girls who wanted to get involved in some shape or form to raise money for the victims of Haiti. Figured everyone likes to go out, so why not for a good cause?! Rage for Haiti is the perfect solution to get the community involved. 100% of door proceeds and money raised through a silent and live auction will be donated to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund (http://clintonbushhaitifund.org).

At President Obama’s request, President Clinton and President Bush have partnered up to help with the relief efforts in Haiti.The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund will work to provide immediate relief and long-term support to earthquake survivor and channel the collective goodwill around the globe to help the people of Haiti rebuild their cities, their neighborhoods, and their families.

A silent and live auction will be held at Soho from 7-9pm with great items such as Zak Noyle photography, surf boards, gift certificates from local businesses, concert tickets, superb wine, and more!! An amazing live auction will be held from 9-9:30pm where a few lovely ladies have volunteered to be auctioned off for dates!!!!

ONE night, THREE venues, GREAT music, AMAZING auction items, and the gift of GIVING to a great cause for only $15!! 100% is going to ClintonBushHaitiFund. It’s a small gesture but a GREAT way to everyone involved and HELP rebuild lives in a country that desperately needs help right NOW!!

RAGE FOR HAITI: SOHO!! MANIFEST!! NEXT DOOR!!

With volunteered performances by:
- O’oe Carr (Soho @ 7:00pm)
- Oliver from The Jumpoffs (Soho @ 8:00pm)
- 82Fifty (Soho @ 10:00pm)
- Kimie (Manifest @ 9:00pm)
- Anuhea (Manifest @10:00pm)
- The Deadbeats (Nextdoor @ 9:00pm)

…plus a variety of DJ’s!!!!

A bit of good news to report:  I will be a contributing columnist to the Hawaii Women’s Journal!  I just submitted a copy of my article on the quarter-life crisis for revision, so hopefully we’ll see it in print soon! Their inaugural issue in late February 2010.  I’m extremely stoked, I can’t believe I convinced their editor to let me contribute.

Anyway, the lovely people at the Hawaii Women’s Journal are going to throw a launch party at the Manifest next month and you’re all invited! Below is the information if you are interested in hanging out.

From their facebook event listing:

The Hawaii Women’s Journal is an online news and literary magazine, launching in February 25th 2010. We hope to provide our readers with the highest quality of writing, covering a diverse range of intellectually stimulating, socially conscious, entertaining and practical information.

A short-run of hard copies of the HWJ will be available at this FREE EVENT. See you there.

Hawaii Women’s Journal Launch Party
February 25, 2010
The Manifest
6pm-10pm
FREE!

DowneTowne has just announced its February 6th  theme, EROTICA! You’re supposed to dress in whatever makes you feel sexiest (e.g. lingerie, leather, other…er sexy clothes? lol), which is perfect for Valentine’s Day coming up!

If Indica’s name sounds familiar, it’s because she’s that hotness that made all the girls go crazy at DowneTowne’s Thriller and Fetish parties.  I remember taking pictures at both parties and everyone had their mouths wide open in awe. I’m not even kidding.

The get-in-before-11pm $5 guestlist should be open soon, so make sure you sign up at DowneTowne.com!

DowneTowne’s EROTICA
Bar 35
February 6th 2010
9pm-2am
$10 cover (or $8 if dressed in theme)
+21

Drink specials ALL Night:
$4 Malibu, Absolut
$5 Jamesons
www.butigroove.com Giveaways!

FEATURING SPECIAL PERFORMER, INDICA (from “Fetish” and “Thriller” events)!

DJ EZL, DJ Jimmy Taco!

Gogo Girls Mochi and special guest gogo, Vanessa!

And don’t forget, Emcee Vickydora!

Want to see more of Indica? Click here to see  pictures from the Thriller party she performed at. They’re HOT.

Just want to wish everyone a happy holidays!

It takes a lot to convince me to see a movie in the theater nowadays. Often times now, I’ll just wait for it to come out on Netflix, but there was something about Dave Boyle’s “White on Rice” that had me wanting to see it on the big screen.  I saw  the trailer randomly months ago, fell in love with it, then showed all my friends. Before even seeing the movie, we recited our favorite parts from the trailer.  I told myself that this film ever made its way to Hawaii, I’d be there to see it.

The movie follows  Jimmy (Hiroshi Watanabe,  Letters from Iwo Jima)  in his hilarious and strange quest to find love after getting divorced. He lives with his sister Aiko and her family, sleeping on the top bunk and sharing a room with Aiko’s 10 year old son, Bob.  When his brother-in-law’s neice Ramona (Lynn Chen, Saving Face, <33333) moves in, Jimmy sets his eyes on her, and so the fun begins.

I was lucky enough to see the movie at HIFF this year and it had me laughing to the point of snorting at one point. Hiroshi Watanabe is hilarious, even in person, and his portrayal of Uncle Jimmy is funny and endearing all in the same breath. Boyle has chosen a great ensemble cast, but really it is Uncle Jimmy who shines in this movie (he has some of the best lines!).

For those who missed White on Rice’s debut at HIFF, the movie is getting a theatrical release come October 30, 2009 at Dole Theaters.  I don’t often endorse movies, but White on Rice is a gem that’s meant to be seen on the big screen with a bunch of your friends.  I’ve had the pleasure of meeting director Dave Boyle in person and he’s a really down to earth guy whose put his heart and soul into this film.

Do your part and support this great independent film. For more information about the movie, you can go to their website or their facebook page.

WHITE ON RICE-THEATRICAL TRAILER from Dave Boyle on Vimeo.

My mom sent me an email this morning about something really cool happening this Saturday: Thrill the World. What is that, might you ask? Well, it’s a worldwide event where organizers are getting people to do the thriller dance ALL AT THE SAME TIME ALL OVER THE WORLD. I think they’re trying to set the world record actually.  This is not the first year they’ve done this, but with the recent passing of Michael Jackson, I think this would also be a neat way to celebrate his life and music.

Supposedly there are three locations on Oahu where people will be doing the dance, but I will most likely be at the Pearlridge center since it’s right near my house (and frankly, I’d be amused to see Zombies at Pearlridge walking amongst the tweens). Everyone will be doing the dance at 2:30pm (because of our time zone differences, but you’ll still be dancing at the same time as people around the world), but you gotta register at 10am. There’s more info at the end of this entry.

There were dance workshops earlier this week, but if you’re like me and only caught wind of this now, you can also get the dance script online here.

You can also dress as a zombie, if you like! But no masks, just zombie face paint. You don’t want the kids to cry that zombies have taken over the mall.

If you want more information about the event itself and what time you should be there, read more after the jump.

See you guys there!

Here is what the day will look like:

10 am   Event day registration. You can also pre-register with our host groups, Aliamanu Middle School Drama Club or Kumu Kahua Theatre. Everyone needs to register so we can qualify for another the world record! You can also download the forms here, fill them out, and bring them to the event.

11:30 am  Rehearsals: If you didn’t get a chance to practice at home, we’ll teach you at Pearlridge Center, Uptown Centre Court. As we mentioned earlier, everyone needs to dance the same choreography for world record consideration. Besides, the next time you’re at a party and you hear Thriller, you’ll be able to zombie like a pro.

2:00 pm Announcements and last minute instructions.

2:30 pm Official simultaneous dance begins.

2:36 pm Congratulations! Give your zombie neighbor a high-five! Mahalos and final thoughts.

The newest Downetowne theme is ANYTHING. BUT. CLOTHES. But I will tell you that Ruby said NOT to come naked. I mean, you could, but I don’t know if you’d get in or if that’s advisable for walking through chinatown late at night.  So be creative! Garbage bags, blankets, pillow cases, maybe some strategically placed paper plates, who knows!

Next week Tuesday (Aug. 18)  Shokudo is launching their new late night menu and Metromix will be there to celebrate! Shokudo is one of my favorite hangout spots to grab drinks and grub with my friends. With the addition of their $3 late night pupus and drink specials, you can bet we’ll be there to take advantage of the $3 honey toast (yes, you heard me right).

So come down to celebrate–the event runs from 10pm-1am. There’s incentive to come early: gift bags go to the first 25 guests and the first 100 guests will receive masks to wear during the party. Who can say no to Metromix SWAG?!

Here’s the original listing from the Metromix Page.

Below are some of the Shokudo dishes I’ve been loving lately. Notice how the Honey Toast is right smack dab in the middle.

“In a world filled with hate, we must still dare to hope. In a world filled with anger, we must still dare to comfort. In a world filled with despair, we must still dare to dream. And in a world filled with distrust, we must still dare to believe.”
-MJ