07.27.06
Posted in Uncategorized at 6:02 pm by Jon Silpayamanant
Is Stan “The Man” getting desperate for ideas? I’m just not so sure how a “Superhero reality show” is supposed to work…???
http://www.whowantstobeasuperhero.tv
Each contestant begins with an original idea for a superhero, a self-made costume, and their best superhero mojo. From thousands of hopefuls, Stan Lee chooses the lucky finalists who move together into a secret lair. There they will begin their transformations — and their competition for the opportunity to become real-life superheroes. Over the course of the series, they will test their mettle, try to overcome their limitations, and do what it takes to prove that they truly are super.
The finalists will leave their former lives behind and live as their brainchild heroes 24/7, all under Stan Lee’s watchful eye. Each week, our aspiring heroes will be challenged with competitions designed to test their true natures. No one will be leaping over tall buildings in a single bound; our superheroes will be tested for courage, integrity, self-sacrifice, compassion, and resourcefulness — all traits that every true superhero must possess.
Permalink
07.06.06
Posted in Uncategorized at 8:15 am by Jon Silpayamanant
Artist: Jirapat Tasanasomboon
Title: Superman vs Phi Pek
Technique: Acrylic on canvas
Size: 50 x 70 cm
Year: 2004
Jirapat Tasanasomboon was born in 1971 in Samut Prakarn and completed his Master Degree from Silapakorn University in 1999. He applies a pop-art style to his subjects who often feature well known (super)heroes from cartoons such as Batman, Superman and Spiderman as well as science fiction movies. His heroes are depicted in a distinctive Thai setting and are often seen interacting with traditional Thai heroes and mythical figures, most of whom are characters in the Ramakien (Ramayana). It might be seen as an indicator of the complex relationship between Thailand and one of its closest allies. Sometimes a loving relationship, but at other times struggling. Jirapat has participated in several art shows in Thailand and also in Korea (2003).
Jirapat Tasanasomboon
Related Links:
Subtext? or no-text? (pt. 1)
The Oral Tradition and the Many “Ramayanas”, by Philip Lutgendorf.
The Poetics of the Ramakian, by Dr. Theodora H. Bofman
Many Ramayanas: The Diversity of a Narrative Tradition in South Asia, ed. by Paula Richman.
__________
filed under: Asia; Southeast Asia; Thailand; Jirapat Tasanasomboon; Phi Pek; Superman; art
Permalink
07.04.06
Posted in Uncategorized at 12:51 pm by Jon Silpayamanant
From an old review of Richard Nisbett’s book The Geography of Thought: How Asians and Westerners Think Differently . . . and Why in the Village Voice, Orienting the East: U. Michigan Psychologist Richard Nisbett Asks: Do Asians and Westerners Think Differently? by Hua Hsu (April 16-22, 2003)
In 1944, the eminent Chinese anthropologist and sociologist Fei Xiaotang accepted an offer from the State Department to spend a year working in the United States. Fei’s stint began with all of the excitement and wonder promised by this still-rising star among nations, but as the months drew on he grew exhausted with the fidgety, restless nature that outlined every feature of American life. He returned to China wiser and more attuned to American customs, but thankful that they were not his own: “American children hear no stories about ghosts. They spend a dime at the drugstore to buy a Superman comic book. . . . Superman represents actual capabilities or future potential, while ghosts symbolize belief in and reverence for the accumulated past. How could ghosts gain a foothold in American cities? People move like the tide, unable to form permanent ties with places, still less with other people. . . . In a world without ghosts, life is free and easy. American eyes can gaze straight ahead. But still I think they lack something and I do not envy their life.”
Permalink
