Today I should've been off for Marting Luther King, Jr. Day. Not only because I like getting off work, and could use the break, now that school's started - can I just say that this is hella lot of studying? Lots of body parts to memorize, right now, I'm memorizing all the ittty bitty bones in the skull - but also because I felt that it should be an observed holiday and should be given due respect. Hell, even the banks are closed! But I heard my boss today.. The sole Black coworker at my day job took the day off, most likely to observe the holiday. Everyone else showed up at work, including me, because my boss doesn't observe the holiday. He vocalized that he thought it was ridiculous to celebrate "this man." That it was not "up there with Christmas." And in regards to my Black coworker taking off, he figured she was observing the holiday and remarked, "It's because she's Black." Ugh. It sometimes disgusts me how I'm one of 2 people of color in the entire setup, and the obvious mentality of not relating to "other" than White. Man, I can only imagine if I brought in my adobong pusit, one of my favorite dishes (adobong pusit is a dish of squid, tentacles and all, in ink sauce, and sometimes has a unique smell.) Not like I'd cook it anytime soon, as my culinary talents leaves much to be desired. And forget balut (chick embryo still in the eggshell)! Not only my Filipino roots be exotic to them, but I'm guessing it would be looked at with disgust as well. It's all White Americana where I work!

Usually I'm wary of commercialized stuff, but this is an endeavor by Fil-Fils and Fil-Ams to create a space in the movie industry and showcase our talents, so check this out:

“AMERICAN ADOBO”—A HIT IN MANILA, PASSES 12 MILLION PESO MARK IN FOUR
DAYS….IS SCHEDULED TO OPEN IN NEW YORK CITY ON FRIDAY, JANUARY 25 and IN L.A &
SAN FRANCISCO ON FEB. 1ST.


Dear Kababayan, Kaibigan, at Kapatid,


We kindly ask for your full support when the film “AMERICAN ADOBO” opens
next Friday, January 25th, in Manhattan, Queens and New Jersey, and on
Friday, February 1st in Los Angeles and San Francisco.


Starring Christopher De Leon, Dina Bonnevie, Ricky Davao, Cherry Pie Picache,
and Paolo Montalban, “American Adobo” is directed by award-winning director
Laurice Guillen of “Tanging Yaman.” Written by New York based writer,
Vincent Nebrida, the film is a joint Filipino-American co-production and
presentation from ABS-CBN Entertainment (who brought us such hits as “Anak”
and “Tanging Yaman”), UNITEL Pictures, and Kevin J. Foxe (who executive
produced “The Blair Witch Project”).

Shot on location in New York City (way before September 11 happened),
“American Adobo”is the heartwarming and hilarious tale of five
Filipino-American friends and their struggle to deal with their own life
choices and destinies. More than that, it portrays in a positive light the
day-to-day realities of Filipino immigrant life, the “kainan” and
“kuwentuhan”—be it as a family, as a group of friends, or as an individual.
In short, it is a film about us, by us, for us. (Ito po ay tungkol sa atin,
gawa natin, para sa atin.)

We won’t say anything more, except that it is an entertaining film to watch
with friends and family. If you are interested in reading some of the great
quotes from film critics and industry people, please visit our website on
www.americanadobo.com But rather than impose on what you should think,
we’d like you to discover the movie yourselves.

Just like what happened in the Philippines. Last Wednesday, January 16th,
“American Adobo” opened in Manila and in the provinces to critical and
public acclaim. It has since made over P12 million pesos and is now
projected to make at least P50 million which makes “American Adobo” A
BONAFIDE BOX-OFFICE HIT!

Following are the theaters where and when AMERICAN ADOBO will be playing:

THIS FILM IS WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES, SO PLEASE FEEL FREE TO
INVITE YOUR NON-FILIPINO FRIENDS.

OPENS FRIDAY, JANUARY 25

Manhattan—Village East Cinema, 12th St. & Second Avenue, 212-529-6799
Showtimes daily: 12 noon, 2:20, 4:40, 7:00, 9:30
(plus 11:45pm on Fridays & Saturdays)
Group price discount of $6.00 is offered for groups of at least 20 and more
Regular price is $10.00 / for senior citizens is $6.00

Queens—Jackson Triplex Cinema, 82nd St. & Roosevelt Ave., 718-335-0242
Showtimes Friday thru Sunday: 1:00, 3:00, 5:00, 7:00, 9:00, 11:00
Monday thru Thursday: 1:20, 3:30, 5:45, 8:00, 10:45
Regular price is $7.00 / Matinee price before 5pm is $4.00
No group sales discount / for senior citizens is $4.00

New Jersey—Regal Hadley Cinema, 1000 Corporate Court, S. Plainfield NJ
Showtimes not yet available
(for details & directions, call the theater at 908-668-6943)

OPENS FRIDAY, February 1 in L.A. and San Francisco
Los Angeles:
Landmark Westside Pavilion, 10800 W. Pico Blvd., LA CA
Showtimes not yet available
(for details & directions, call the theater at 310-475-0408)
Laemmle’s Pasadena Playhouse 7
673 East Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91101
Showtimes not yet available
(for details & directions, call the theater at 626-844-6444)
Edwards Park Place 10
3031 Michelson Drive, Irvine CA
Showtimes not yet available
(for details & directions, call the theater at 949-440-0880)

San Francisco:
Landmark Opera Plaza, 601 Van Ness (btwn Golden Gate & Turk)
(for details & directions, call the theater at 415-771-0183
(we will keep you posted on possible South San Francisco or
Daly City theater booking)

Pinoys and Fil-Ams across the United States are e-mailing us, asking us
where and when the movie will open in other cities. The answer depends on
how we will perform in these three initial cities. IT IS CRUCIAL HOW WE
PERFORM ON THE OPENING WEEKEND, beginning with January 25 in Manhattan,
Queens & New Jersey, then February 1 in Los Angeles & San Francisco. WE
THEREFORE APPEAL TO EVERYONE TO PLEASE TRY THEIR VERY BEST TO WATCH THE MOVIE
ON THE FIRST WEEKEND. AND IF YOU’RE IN ANOTHER CITY, PLEASE CALL OR E-MAIL
YOUR FRIENDS OR FAMILY MEMBERS IN THOSE CITIES TO PLEASE SHOW UP & SUPPORT
THIS MOVIE ON THAT WEEKEND, SO THAT IT WOULD BECOME POSSIBLE FOR THE FILM TO
EVENTUALLY REACH YOU. We have also received inquiries from as far as
Australia, HongKong, and Italy—yes, we are planning to go there as well, with
the help of our distributor, Outrider Pictures.

Remember, this is not a one-time screening only; the movie will play for at
least one week, but we need everyone’s support so that it will play longer
and that more Pinoys and Fil-Ams can see it eventually. Tickets are at
regular prices—the same that you would normally pay to see a Hollywood movie
or an art-house film near you. YOUR SUPPORT WILL HELP MAKE IT POSSIBLE TO
BRING MORE FILIPINO MOVIES IMMEDIATELY TO THE UNITED STATES, AND MORE
IMPORTANTLY, MAKE MORE MOVIES ABOUT THE LIVES OF FILIPINOS IN AMERICA AND
ABROAD. IT WILL HELP OPEN DOORS FOR OTHER FILMMAKERS AND INCREASE OUR
VISIBILITY IN MAINSTREAM AMERICA. IT’S ABOUT TIME THAT WE ARE REPRESENTED
UP ON THE SCREEN.

Please e-mail us with any inquiries or suggestions.

THANK YOU SO MUCH. MARAMING SALAMAT PO! SA ATIN PO ITO!

MABUHAY ANG PILIPINO!

Sincerely,

The cast & creators of AMERICAN ADOBO