What do you guys think?

Do yourself a favor and visit Megan's YouTube channel! Hit the jump for more studio photos...

As advertised on the BANANA 2 website, a gathering of Asian Pacific American bloggers from across the country will participate in BANANA 2 on February 26, 2011, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the back lot of CBS Studios in Studio City, CA. BANANA 2 is a follow-up to the inaugural meeting in 2009 co-hosted by myself and Lac Su, author of I Love Yous Are For White People, who has enlisted the help of a small group of bloggers and community activists to produce an event highlighting and amplifying the online voices of Asian Americans.

The conference will provide an opportunity for bloggers and their readers to build a stronger community by beginning conversations and building relationships beyond the conference. Conference panels will include topics on using blogs and social media to create meaningful social change, working with businesses and corporations and defining the role of Asian American bloggers. The first gathering featured bloggers from Angry Asian Man, Minority Militant, Neaato (Network of Entertaining Asian American Talent), Hyphen Magazine, Mochi Magazine, Channel APA, Bicoastal Bitchin’, AArising, Antisocial Ladder, Nikkei View, VisualizAsian, Kimchi Mamas, Asian Pacific Americans for Progress, DVAN (Diasporic Vietnamese American Network), bigWOWO, Sepia Mutiny and of course our very own 8Asians.

On a personal note, I’m truly overwhelmed to see that our vision was able to grow in such a short amount of time. Since November 2009, I would have never expected our conference to develop into something of this nature, and it makes me proud to see that our community is willing to come out from different parts of the country in order to attend this event. Although I wasn’t as involved as much as last year’s BANANA, I’ve taken the time to see that a lot of planning and devotion has gone into the process of developing our panels and workshops. This time around, we’ve assembled a core of devoted individuals who have worked very hard in order to take our idea to the next level. Instead of one giant panel like last year, we will be breaking our topics up into different discussions. For those of you that plan to attend BANANA 2, I will look forward to seeing each and every one of you! Be sure to attend my panel, as I will be hosting the Pop Culture panel along with my ChannelAPA partner, Kevin Hsieh.

For program information, you can visit our event page and stay updated with our agenda. A complete schedule of panels and presenters will be announced in late Jan. 2011.

Conference admission is $20 per person. Participants will be able to register online here now until Feb. 25, 2011. Readers of 8Asians can also enter for a chance to win two passes here before January 25th!

This is the extended version of our entry titled "Kill Joy" for Toyota's Presentation of YOMYOMF.com's INTERPRETATIONS."

Please visit this link to comment on our entry: http://interpretationsfilm.com/member...

The rules required two criteria:
1. The short had to be 3 minutes or less.
2. The dialogue could only be: "It's not something I would do." "Well?" "It's not what I expected." "You sure?"

SYNOPSIS:
On routine patrol through a small Iraqi hamlet, a convoy of US Army vehicles is suddenly ambushed. Private McKay, the squadron's newest recruit, finds himself thrust unexpectedly into his first ever combat experience. His ears ring from the shrieking of exploding shells, but McKay hesitates to return fire. In a matter of seconds his understanding of warfare is forever changed as he raises his gun and unloads on the target. An epic film about the war in Iraq, the film is basically about the danger of socialization, the power of social change, and the effects of warfare on our veterans. While there have been countless war films in the past, Kill Joy seeks to present an unbiased glimpse into the lives of those fighting in Iraq. As an objective film that seeks to neither glorify nor condemn the US invasion, it hopes to encourage viewers to think about their world view and challenges them to make their own mind about armed conflict on a very real, applicable level.

DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT:
Soldiers are often not understood. Our film, Kill Joy, seeks to provide you with a glimpse into a day in the life of an ordinary US Army private and how he has to come to terms with killing for the first time. The film is about how males in America are brought up and socialized to kill, and how traumatizing killing someone can be for the men and women serving in our armed forces. 

Starring: MIKE NCNAMEE, FRANK T. ZIEDE, JASYN JEFFERIES, DICK LAWRENCE, SAMMY PUEFUA
Directed by: BRIAN L. TAN
Produced by: FPS PRODUCTIONS
Written by: TY COUGHENOUR
Executive Producers: BRIAN L. TAN, STEVE NGUYEN, ANDREA PASQUETTIN, CLIFFORD TJING
Director of Photography: GRAHAM ROBBINS
MUSIC BY: TONY FIALA