Taiwanese Films at the SF International Film Fest

The Festival is proud to present Secret, directed by Jay Chou. Taiwanese pop superstar Jay Chou makes his directorial debut with this engaging romance about a pair of young music students (Chou and Kwai Lun-mei). This musical romance is set in an arts college, the Tamkang Secondary School (the director's alma mater), where a piano prodigy falls for a mysterious woman whom no one else at the university can see. This film screens on April 30 at 6:15PM and May 2 at 1:30PM at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas and then again on May 4 at 9:00PM at the Clay Theatre. For more information: http://fest08.sffs.org/films/film_details.php?id=72 Orz Boyz is directed by Gillies Ya-che Yang. Two mischievous and highly imaginative boys spend a hot Taiwanese summer scheming to enter the seaside kingdom of Orz and escape their troubled home lives in this bittersweet, often hilarious tale. As it turns out, we learn that the children want to stop being kids because their respective family situations create many difficulties and challenges for them. This film screens on May 3 at 12:45PM and May 5 at 9:30PM at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas and May 6 at 3:45PM and May 8 at 5:45PM at the Clay Theatre. For more information: http://fest08.sffs.org/films/film_details.php?id=64

CubeFreak, Featuring Tyson Mao, at Newport Beach Film Fest

A film by Erika Speed Location: Edwards Island Cinemas(inside the Fashion Island mall), 999 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, 92660 Time: 11 am Run time: 75 min. | USA Remember the Rubik’s Cube? What started as a worldwide fad has now become a competitive sport called “speedcubing,” with competitors unscrambling cubes in as little as twelve mind-bending seconds. “CubeFreak” tells the story of three people fascinated by the Rubik’s Cube: Tyson, a brilliant mind from Caltech, who has resurrected the cube competitions around the country, Macky, the 2006 Guinness Book World Record holder, and Sunil, a quirky yet exceptional high-school student and cube connoisseur. The film follows these cubers on the quest to bring the cube back to the forefront of popular culture. Read our prior Spotlight "Conversation with Tyson Mao" by clicking here. Read more about the film at CubeFreak.com Check out the Facebook page: Click here. See the Film Festival site and purchase tickets: Click here.

"Sublingual" Music Video Release Party

Directed by Taiwanese American music video producer and filmmaker Karen Lin, this video features the music of Scott Tang. It will also premiere at the VC Film Festival in Los Angeles on May 3rd. Also, watch for the YouTube release in a couple of weeks! Event: "Sublingual" Music Video Release Party "Celebrate the release of my new music video..." Time: 8:00pm Where: Chop Suey Cafe & Lounge, 347 E 1st St, Los Angeles, CA (where it was filmed) To see more details and RSVP, follow the Facebook link below: http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=11912932105

2008 Asian Excellence Awards

Where: Royce Hall, UCLA When: Red carpet arrivals: 5:30pm. Show begins: 7:15pm Cost: Tickets $80/$60/$20 Use discount code: TAPAXA to save $20 for $80/$60 tickets. Hosted by Dancing with the Star's Carrie Ann Inaba and MAD TV's Bobby Lee, and featuring comedian Russell Peters Performances by Grammy nominated artist Tia Carrere and surprise ALL STAR PERFORMANCES! With presentations by Hollywood's brightest stars, including James Kyson Lee, Parminder Nagra, Cheryl Burke, Sharon Leal, Rex Lee, Janina Gavankar, Navi Rawat, Michelle Krusiec, and more. This program will reach a broad national televised audience with the premiere on E! Entertainment on May 1 at 6 pm ET/PT. The show will also be available on Comcast On Demand throughout the month of May in honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. For more information, check out the website at: www.axawards.com and place your vote for the Viewers Choice Awards! The Asian Excellence Awards is the only nationally televised event celebrating significant Asian and Asian American achievements in entertainment, the arts and other disciplines that have had a profound impact on American culture. The show will be taped live on April 23 at UCLA’s Royce Hall. Welly Yang, the creator and one of the executive producers of the Asian Excellence Awards, is a Taiwanese American actor, singer, producer and founder of the Asian theatrical group Second Generation, which produced the earlier version of the “Asian Excellence Awards” known as “The Concert of Excellence.”

TAPS Seattle Annual Charity Auction

Time: 7:00pm Place: Community Center at Mercer View, 8236 SE 24th Street, Mercer Island, WA 98040 7:00pm Silent auction 8:30pm Scholarship presentation 8:45pm Live auction Admission: $15 – (Enter before 7:00pm to get a free drink) Early ticket purchase: advanced ticket purchase deadline April 16. Please contact Milton at 206-303-7877 to purchase tickets in advance. To help us get a headcount for the event, please sign up here We will have food - come taste some authentic Taiwanese food! Come to the biggest event of the year!! TAPS welcomes you to our Annual Charity Auction as we step into our fourth year since the founding of the organization. The majority of proceeds from the auction fund our Cultural Diversity Scholarship program. Each year, as TAPS awards scholarships to high school and college students, we pose an question to each applicant: how do you think Greater Seattle area has benefited from Cultural Diversity in this region? Come to the TAPS Auction this year as we present awards to the scholarship winners, followed by an exciting night of silent and live auction at the Community Center at Mercer View. Please visit our auction website for auction news and the latest items that had been procured! Some really exciting item for you to see! www.tapsauction.org Interested in volunteering for the auction? Please contact us at Taps.in.seattle@gmail.com

Free Public Speaking Seminar for TAP-SF

Taiwanese American Professionals in SF is promoting a Public Speaking and Presentations series by Francisco Dao. He is a wonderful motivational speaker who will help you overcome your nerves and learn to speak in public with confidence and power, how to use storytelling, psychological influence triggers, humor, and improvisation so you can become a master speaker. Time: 7:00PM - 9:45PM Location: Santa Clara Convention Center. Cost: FREE! Normally tickets are $97, but it's FREE for young professionals in our Taiwanese American community. Enter the code TAP. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER! Read more at KillerAttitude.com For brief video clip on Francisco presenting Business Confidence 101, CLICK HERE. Also a tutorial on better copywriting can be found HERE.