A.C.E. / U.S.A. August 15, 2016 A.C.E. CALENDAR THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 13 Dreams, diversity hallmarks of USA’s new “Falling Water” By Lynn Elber AP Television Writer EVERLY HILLS, Calif. — For actor Will Yun Lee, his role in the USA Network’s new series “Falling Water” is a dream come true. The Asian-American actor says the drama about peoples’ interconnected dreams represents a big change from the typecasting he’s encountered in his 18-year career. “I think I’ve done every single Chinatown episode of every single show,” Lee told a TV critics’ meeting. This time, the “Hawaii Five-O” and “Strike Back” cast member said, his character won’t be stuck doing martial-arts fight scenes and he welcomes not having “to do a roundhouse kick for some strange cinematic reason.” The series, described by executive pro- ducer Blake Masters as a “metaphysical thriller,” features a diverse cast but does not make ethnicity the focus, Lee said. It’s never the “focal point of any of our characters being a woman, being black, being Asian,” he said. “Falling Water” also stars Lizzie Brochere (“American Horror Story,” “The Strain”) and David Ajala (The Dark Knight, Fast & Furious 6). As the series unfolds, three unrelated people come to understand that they’re dreaming parts of a common dream that “might hold the key to humanity’s fate,” said Chris McCumber, the NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment executive who oversees channels including USA. Masters said the show’s premise is that B FREE OUTDOOR CONCERT. On Thursday, September 1, a free outdoor concert featuring perfor- mances by Portland Taiko, the Portland Youth Philharmonic (pictured), the Oregon Symphony, and others, takes place at Tom McCall Waterfront Park in downtown Portland. The performances are followed by a fireworks show beginning at nightfall. (Photo courtesy of the Portland Youth Philharmonic) Continued from page 12 Pamanhikan and It Runs in the Family, held in partnership with the DisOrient Asian American Film Festival (August 24). For info, call (971) 340-4861 or visit . “Bending Nature” Aug 20-Oct 16, noon-7pm (Mon), 10am-7pm (Tue-Sun), Portland Japanese Garden (611 SW Kingston Ave, Portland). View “Bending Nature: Four Bamboo Artists in the Garden,” an exhibit featuring the work of four internationally known bamboo artists — Jiro Yonezawa, Shigeo Kawashima, Charissa Brock, and Anne Crumpacker — in three outdoor locations around the garden. For info, call (503) 223-1321 or visit . “Sundays on The Bridge” Aug 21, 1:30-6:30pm, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral (147 NW 19th Ave, Portland). Attend “Sundays on The Bridge,” events held in con- junction with “The Bridge,” an international, interfaith art exhibit featuring 47 Arab, Persian, and Jewish contemporary artists from 15 countries of Muslim, Christian, and Jewish traditions. The day includes a talk (1:30- 4:00pm) with rabbi Ted Falcon, imam Jamal Rahman, and pastor Dave Brown, who are known for their unique blend of spiritual wisdom and humor as well as music by Ritim Egzotik (5:00pm) and a closing ceremony for the exhibit. Ritim Egzotik features a collection of diverse musicians who play a variety of instru- ments including Arabic keyboards, Arabic ac- cordion, Turkish elektro saz (called a maqam), Turkish id, darbuka, riqq, katim, electric and acoustic fretless guitars, violin, and acoustic up- right bass. For info, call (503) 222-9811, e-mail , or visit . “Animation & Experimental Showcase” Aug 22, 7pm, Clinton Street Theater (2522 SE Clinton St, Portland). Attend the “Animation & Experimental Showcase,” a special collection of animation and experimental films from women around the world. Featured films include Kalawa by Sara Celeste Martin, Swallowed Whole by Heidi Kumao, Red Line by Mona A. Shahi, Olilo by Ao Li, Mirage by Yaya Xu, and others. For info, or to obtain a complete schedule of films, call (503) 267-1126 or visit . Kailash Kher Aug 27, 7pm, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (1037 SW Broadway, Portland). Attend “Ishq Anokha,” the 2016 world tour of Kailash Kher. The concert is presented by Kalakendra. For info, or to buy tickets, call (503) 308-1050 or visit . Life of Pi Aug 27, dusk, Seattle Center, Mural Amphitheatre (305 Harrison St, Seattle). Pack your low-back chairs, blankets, and bean bags and enjoy an outdoor screening of Life of Pi, a fantasy adventure based on Yann Martel’s novel about an Indian boy from Pondicherry who survives 227 days stranded on a boat in the Pacific Ocean. (USA, 2012, Ang Lee, 125 mins.) For info, call (206) 684-7200 or visit . Tibet Fest Aug 27-28, 11am-5pm, Seattle Center (305 Harrison St, Seattle). Learn about Tibetan cultural heritage at Tibet Fest, presented by Seattle Center Festál. The event features traditional Tibetan music and dance, children’s activities, Tibetan food, crafts, and more. For info, call (206) 684-7200, or visit or . 2016 Portland Film Festival Aug 29-Sep 5, Laurelhurst Theater & Pub (2735 E Burnside St, Portland). Attend the 2016 Portland Film Festival, which includes eight days of workshops, panel discussions, networking, parties, and the screening of 54 narrative and documentary feature films and 89 short films selected from more than 3,800 submissions. Asian-interest films featured are Karmia Chan Olutade’s The Remnant, an indie musical in which a 16-year-old girl and her little brother seek shelter in an orphanage run by a cold-hearted man, and Irja von Bernstorff’s The Farmer and I, a documentary in which cultural barriers and tensions arise between German filmmaker Irja and Bhutanese farmer Sangay when they team up to create a television series. For info, or to obtain a schedule of events, call (503) 683-2679 or visit . Cora Cooks Pancit Sep 1, 11am-noon, Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience (719 S King St, Seattle). Attend a Toddler Storytime featuring Cora Cooks Pancit, a book about a young girl who gets a chance to be her mother’s assistant in the kitchen, and an art activity. For info, call (206) 623-5124 or visit . Free concert in the park Sep 1, 12:30pm (performances begin), 5-5:45pm (Portland Youth Philharmonic), 6- 6:30pm (Portland Taiko), 7-9:30pm (Oregon Symphony), Tom McCall Waterfront Park (1020 SW Naito Pkwy, Portland). Attend free outdoor concerts by Portland Taiko, the Portland Youth Philharmonic, the Oregon Symphony, and others prior to Labor Day weekend. A fireworks display begins at nightfall. The rainout date is September 2. For info, or to obtain a full list of performers, call (503) 228-1353 or visit . “Opening Japan: Three Centuries of Japanese Prints” Sep 2-Nov 20, 10am-7pm (Mon-Fri), 10am-6pm (Sat), noon-5pm (Sun); Sep 2, 5-9pm (reception); A6 Studio & Gallery (550 SW Industrial Way, Suite 180, Bend, Ore.). View “Opening Japan: Three Centuries of Japanese Prints,” a free exhibit of more than two dozen Japanese woodblock prints created by Hasui, Hiroshige, Yoshitoshi, and others in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. An exhibit tour is offered on Saturdays at 4:00pm for a nominal fee. For info, call (541) 330-8759 or visit . Portland Thorns FC Sep 4, 4pm, Providence Park (SW 18th Ave & SW Morrison St, Portland). Watch Portland Thorns FC take on Seattle Reign FC as part of the National Women’s Soccer League’s 2016 season. The Thorns FC squad features Mana Shim, Nadia Nadim, Jennifer Skogerboe, and others. The Seattle roster includes Nahomi “Naho” Kawasumi, Rumi Utsugi, Keelin Win- ters, and others. For info, or to buy tickets, call (503) 553-5555 or visit . Shanghai Acrobats Sep 7, 7:30pm, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (1037 SW Broadway, Portland). Watch the Shanghai Acrobats of the People’s Republic of China, who perform astonishing acts of athleticism, energy, and charm. For info, or to buy tickets, call (503) 228-1353 or visit . “Live Aloha Hawaiian Cultural Festival” Sep 11, 11am-7pm, Seattle Center (305 Harrison St, Seattle). Enjoy a day of Polynesian delights at the “Live Aloha Hawaiian Cultural Festival” presented by Seattle Center Festál. The event features Hawaiian food, live music and hula, a marketplace, and more. For info, call (206) 684-7200, or visit or . REFRESHING ROLE. Will Yun Lee participates in USA Network’s “Falling Water” panel during the NBCUniversal Television Critics Association summer press tour, in Beverly Hills, California. For Lee, his role in “Falling Water” is a dream come true. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP) dreams are not a Greek chorus to the characters’ lives and instead are the other half. Gale Anne Hurd, his fellow executive producer, fielded a query about why the series is on USA rather than sister cable channel Syfy. It’s “grounded in people. It’s not like we’re going to a different world or saying aliens exist or zombies exist,” Hurd said, adding that it fits with USA’s series “Colony” and “Mr. Robot.” Ajala shared one of his own dreams, one in which he received a call that “Falling Water” would be picked up to air. Two days later, he learned it was true. “That was one of the sweetest dreams,” he said. “Falling Water” premieres October 13. Ichiro Suzuki donates 3,000-hit souvenirs to Hall of Fame Even Olympic selfies are complicated by Koreas’ rivalry By Steven Wine Continued from page 16 AP Sports Writer IAMI — Ichiro Suzuki has donated to the Hall of Fame some of the gear he wore when he collected his 3,000th career hit, including his jersey, a pair of cleats, his arm guard, and batting gloves. The Suzuki collection at the Hall of Fame numbered more than two dozen items even before his triple in Colorado, which made him the first Japanese player to reach 3,000 Major League Baseball hits. When he and his Miami Marlins teammates returned to Marlins Park to begin a homestand, Hall of Fame president Jeff Idelson was there to collect additional Suzuki souvenirs. Suzuki, a baseball history buff, has visited Cooperstown six times. q M Snapchat removes filter amid claims of racial insensitivity VENICE, Calif. (AP) — Snapchat has removed a filter for photos that some say promoted racist Asian stereotypes. The social media app’s filters, also called lenses, allow users to change their appearance with silly faces or morph themselves into cartoonish animals and other characters. A filter that Snapchat says was inspired by Japanese animation placed slanted eyes on a user’s face. The filter was quickly derided by Snapchat users on Twitter. One Asian-American user, Grace Sparapani, told The Associated Press in a Twitter message she was “shocked by how much it looked like the classic cartoon caricatures of Asians — squinty eyes and buckteeth.” California-based Snapchat told USA Today the filter was taken down and won’t be used again. The company says its filters “are meant to be playful and never to offend.” a big deal to outsiders, but they often stim- ulate deep emotions on the Korean Penin- sula, which has been divided by the world’s most heavily armed border for decades and where many long for eventual reunifica- tion. Inter-Korean ties, never good, have been terrible in the past decade of conservative rule in the South. But there were friendlier days under previous liberal governments in Seoul, and they were often seen most clearly in sports. North and South Koreans, for instance, marched together under a flag that symbolized unification during the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Whatever happens in politics, many South Koreans love seeing their athletes treating North Korean competitors with respect, and there’s always lots of media attention on these moments of harmony. North Korea also cherishes the idea of unification, and much of its propaganda is aimed at stirring such feelings in the South, though the North’s vision is of a single Korea controlled by Pyongyang. When North Korea’s women’s soccer team won gold at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, and the South won bronze, many South Koreans expressed delight in seeing players from both countries celebrate together after the medal ceremony, smiling and putting their arms around each other. Similarly, the Rio Olympic selfies represent a small thaw in otherwise frigid ties — just as long as it’s all reported to the authorities. AP writer Kim Tong-hyung contributed to this story from Seoul, South Korea. Give blood. To schedule a blood donation call 1-800-G IVE-LIFE or visit HelpSaveALife.org.