Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez’s Sin City is pretty ugly. What do I mean by that oxymoron? Just imagine watching a dog eats your flesh, but in a black and white silhouette comical style. Sin City is disgustingly violence, yet aesthetically elegance at the same time. Watching this film is like pumping doses of adrenaline rush into my system, and my eyes are nailed to the screen for two hours straight.

Even before the first scene appears, the title sequence is striking. While the typography travels stylistically in and out of the screen, the fusion of techno and jazz added both hip and elegancy into the motion. The film then opens with a gorgeous black and white shot where a woman is standing on the balcony. The back of her dress is the only element lid in red. The soothing jazz groove in the background enhances the noir atmosphere. But the calming scene does not last for long before the film takes viewers on a much more chaotic ride where heroes, whores, blood, breasts, guns, thongs, bondages, classic cars, and much more to be discovered in Sin City.

The structure of Sin City reminds me of Aimee Phan’s book, We Should Never Meet. The three mesmerizing tales unfolded on their own, but with a clever and subtle connection between the three. They all work together beautifully. Although the casts have short screen time, they hold up the pace well. Devon Aoki is a lovely addition to the bunch. She is cute, and she kicks ass. Quentin Tarantino is credited as a special guest director. It isn’t hard to tell which part he has contributed since he is obsessed with martial arts. Beside the stories and the casts, the special effects and the cinematography are exceptional. From a designer point of view, the level of details and the juxtaposition angles are invigorating.

Aside from the misogyny – I don’t take joy in beating up women, especially from the hero and the cop – Sin City is an amazing work of art. Unless you have no taste in computer-generated motion graphics, don’t miss the aesthetic experience. It is a fantastic escapism.

Thu Minh and her producer have shaken Duc Huy’s “Va Con Tim Da Vui Tro Lai” (And The Heart is Happy Once Again) out of its routines. In this techno version, the heart is way too happy. In fact, the heart is more like on crack once again, and Thu Minh’s crack-voice mentra is nonetheless evident. I am just kidding. It is still a hot remix for the club.

Tuan Hung gives a rock up performance on Thanh Tung’s “Giot Suong Tren Mi Mat.” Although it sounds pretty hard, I still prefer my girl Hong Nhung version.

By now fans should know what to expect from Van Son production: same MC, same singers, same comedians, and pretty much same strategies. The only difference is where they would perform, and this time the place is Japan. I am not complaining since they do a great job of incorporating the cultures into the show. On Van Son 29, they introduce Japanese’s Shinto dance, folk music, and brief documentation on Japanese in general and Vietnamese people in Japan.

Van Son’s niche has always been the short comedies. Although most of them are not too bad, I only enjoy “Nguoi Ban Toi” because Van Son, Hong Dao, and Quang Minh go off the context a bit. I like it when comedians get out of the routine and be themselves. That way they act more natural.

On music, the best performances are from Nguyen Khang (“Van Yeu”) and Diem Lien (“Roi Mai Em Di”). Both songs come from Huynh Nhat Tan’s pen. I also dig the new girl Vy. Her lyrics mirror her attitude on “This is Vy.” Furthermore, her choreography, style, hair, and outfit reminded me of the great R&B singer Aaliyah.

On the much-needed improvement, they need to drop those translated songs, which are way too many on this video. Even Tuan Ngoc and Thai Thao perform a translated version of “Beauty and the Beast.” Huynh Nhat Tan is also wasting his skills on the translate tracks: “Em Can Cho Anh,” perform by Cat Tien, and “Yeu Em Suot Doi,” perform by Cat Tien and Nguyen Thang. Speaking of Nguyen Thang, his own attempt of translation on “Van Yeu” is bad. Dude looks and moves like a cheap version of Justin Timberlake, and the dancers look so trashy in their skanky skirts. Yet, the worse performance of all goes to Minh Tri’s “Khuc Hat Xot Xa.” His feminine vocals combined with his cheesy lyrics are intolerable. I try my hardest, but my hand forces me to hit skip.

Van Son is one of the top three Vietnamese music productions in the US. While they are cashing in on their sitcoms, their music is still way behind Asia and Thuy Nga productions.

Caged bird brags proudly:
Sleeping place, I don’t need to worry.
Food includes pork and beef,
Each day eat and sleep.

Field bird gets offended,
Chitchats in her ear:
You’re losing your freedom,
Bragging without shame,

Tall peaks I enjoy,
Wide fields I play in.
Fly high in the sky,
Without a feather getting trapped.

Caged bird listened and thought,
New, but reasonable.
Since then no more pride,
Living in the cage, strained.

Translated from Tran Gia Thoai’s “Chim Long”

While waiting for my lunch at a Thai cuisine, Lemongrass, the waitress offers me some samples of pla (Thai fermented fish) she brought back from Thailand. Either my forehead has the invisible three F words “fermented fish fiend” or I complimented on their Tom Yum seafood soup with “exquisitely delicious,” I got a “real” Thai’s authentic treat. Unlike Vietnamese mam (fermented fish), pla has no uncomfortable scent; therefore, it was safe to serve even there were a few American tables in the restaurant. Just like Vietnamese fermented fish, pla’s savory flavor is perfect for white rice and fresh vegetables. As I am enjoying pla, the owner switches the music from Norah Jones to Thai’s traditional folk instrumental making the atmosphere to be more exotic, even right in the middle of the afternoon.

Lemongrass is my favorite Thai food place located right on Main Street in New Paltz, which is about fifteen minutes drive from Poughkeepsie. Like I said, the Tom Yum seafood soup is excellent. Love the spicy, sweet, and sour tang. Unfortunately, I didn’t take the photo because I was so hungry and did not think of it. Yes! I am one of those who don’t think straight when I have no food in my system. The Seafood Puket is also delicious, but the thing that gets me hooked to the place is a jar that is filled with hot peppers drowned by the fish sauce. The hot and slightly salty peppers enhanced the flavor of any dish I ordered.

“Me and Mariah / Go back like babies with pacifiers / Ol’ Dirty Dog no liar / Kickin’ fantasy hot like fire,” Ol’ Dirty Bastard rapped over the remix version of “Fantasy,” one of Mariah Carey’s successful tracks that jump-started her crossover with hip-hop. Her latest album The Emancipation of Mimi continues the trend by collaborating with some of the hottest hip-hop heads, such as Snoop Doggy Dogg, Twista, and Nelly.

The album starter, “It’s Like That,” kicks off the party with a club groove from one of hip-hop’s finest dance floor producers, Jermaine Dupri. The best part of the track is when Carey’s high-pitched vocals join Fatman Scoop’s big and brassy voice for the playful crowd-rocking lines, “Let’s go now, here we go now.” Again on “Shake It Off,” she uses R Kelly’s fast flowing technique over Dupre’s booty-dropping beat for more R&B bumping and grinding. With the support of Nelly on “Get Your Number,” she applies her whispery voice, seducing, “I gotta PIP penthouse with a sick hot tub / we can watch the flat screen while the bubbles fill it up.” She sounds so damn sexy. Other than Dupri, the Neptunes are also responsible for the bouncy productions including “Say Somethin'” with Snoop Dogg and “To The Floor” with Nelly.

After getting her listeners all soaked up, she cools them down with a few slow jams including the thug loving “One & One” with the fastest spitter Twista. On Carey’s signature piece, “Mine Again,” her powerful vocal along with her emotional delivery infused everlasting life into the cut. “Circles” is another passionate track that is filled with Carey’s high tone aesthetic. The album closes out with “Fly Like a Bird” indicating the emancipation of Mimi. She is free like a bird, and flies high to the sky.

Ho Quynh Huong is popping up everywhere. She is currently the industry’s favorite babe. Ever since her second volume Ngay Diu Dang (A Sweet Day) drops, all eyes are on her. Qualified as a fresh rising star, Huong has the style, the attitude, and the voice. Above all, she sounds best when she has blazing beats to ride with, and her album proves it.

Ngay Diu Dang is like an experimental project for Huong. She covers everything from pop, jazz, rock to hip-hop. Surprisingly, the most successful track is Duc Tri’s “Toi Tim Thay Toi” (I Find Myself). She knows how to swing her gorgeous voice – smooth, deep with a slight cracked mantra – around the intoxicating jazz chord. After listening to that song, I just want to grab her and say, “Look ma, this is it. Give me more of it.” But even with honey pop performances, she is never unlistenable. For instance, she flows in and out of a pleasing up-tempo pop tune on Vo Thien Thanh’s “Ngay Hom Qua” (Yesterday) The mesmerizing sax breakdown gives the song a fragrance of jazz.

To give listeners different flavors, she switches up her style to blend in with various genres. Her delivery becomes rock-up when she covers Le Quang’s “Tinh Yeu Khong Quay Ve” (Love Doesn’t Return) to give listeners a taste of rock. Then she chops up her flow on Ha Dung’s “Tinh Yeu” (Love) for the hip-hop vibe. On the quieter tracks, including her own pen’s “Muon Yeu Anh” (Want to Love You), she transforms them into romantic ballads.

Whether Ho Quynh Huong doesn’t have a clear path of where she wants to go or she is being greedy, her all-you-can-eat buffet is still chewable. Although I am not a fan of flashy pop songs, I have to give her props for bringing them to my ears. Nonetheless, I still hope she would have a more focused direction on her next album.

Thu Hoai’s soulful and slightly scratchy vocal is seducing. Her expressive performance on Lam Phuong’s “Mot Minh” (Alone) is both convincing and entrancing. Although she only sings for fun, I can see some potential in her voice, especially for jazzy grooves. Thu Hoai and her band, the Magic Night, are rocking the east coast and representing Philly. If you are getting married and would like a magical night for your party, check out their website for booking info.

Goi (salad) is an appetizer that many alcoholic heads love. They can drink and enjoy goi all night. There are many types of goi: goi du du (green papaya salad), goi ngo sen (lotus stem salad), goi da heo (pork skin salad), and goi bo. Each has its unique flavor, but my favorite is goi coc (ambarella salad). Unfortunately, ambarella is hard to find and way to expensive in the States.

Ambarella is one of my desired fruits. Just thinking of the juicy, sweet, and sensational taste of trai coc chin (ripe ambarella) is making me drooling all over. I also love the sour and crunchy taste of it deeps into mam ruoc (fermented shrimp paste) or fish sauce mixed with sugar and hot peppers. Any coc fiend out there?

Will Smith is mad and he is not taking any heat from that “fat, ugly chic in New York on the radio, saying [he’s] gay.” Will takes a stab at Wendy Williams on one of his angry tracks, “I Wish I Made That/Swagga.” He actually says the F. word on his latest album Lost & Found.

Like his previous recordings, Will has a handful of tracks for the club heads including “Party Starter,” “Switch,” and Snoop’s combo “Pump Your Brakes.” Unlike his previous recordings, however, he has a few issues to get off his chest. On”Tell Me Why,” along with Mary J. Blige, he touches on September 11 and the war on Iraq. “Mr. Nice Guy” hits Em up and Ms. Williams too. The title track “Lost & Found” takes it out on the rappers, ” Why should I try to sound like ya’ll sound? / that’s what’s wrong with the rap game right now / Man, it’s like a circus wit a bunch of clowns.”

While Will claims to be original, doesn’t he sound like DMX when he starts off “Party Starter” with, “get on the floor?” Doesn’t his flow resemblance Rakim on the first verse and Lloyd Banks on the second verse of “Wave Em Off?” Could “Could U Love Me” be 50’s “21 Questions?” Let’s not mention his true story “Loretta” reminds us of Eminem’s “Stan.”