Ok, I am a big Roger Fan, er...fan of Roger Fan - well, I've used fans repeatedly over the years - ANYWAY - I have a lot of respect for the Fan Man and I am confessing now that I once played HIS AUNT!

Not only his Aunt, but his GREAT-AUNT in a really bad wig, and I was too young so all the 'age' makeup they kept trying to stick on my face, with rubber and whatever, kept sliding off - anyway - we did this show, KARAOKE NIGHTS, that was supposed to be the 'first' all Asian American tv series to be broadcast on the internet.

What it was, was a chance to meet and work with Roger Fan, Karin Anna Cheung, Phil Nee, Catherine Dao, Eddie Mui, Rena Heinrich - actually, at the time I think EVERY APA actor/actress in LA worked on it. And we worked on it feverishly. And it never got off the ground really, so all it remains in my mind, is a project where I got to meet people that were 'on the brink'. It was the summer before BLT went to Sundance. Because then I went up to Sundance and saw it and it was phenom, and then Roger and I had hot chocolate. There were so few Asian faces at Sundance that no matter where I went, people asked me if I was in that movie. (I WISH)

So the backstory on my character  in KN was that I was 'Great Aunt Suki', who once was the lead in Flower Drum Song. And then today I just realized that though I'd been called in NUMEROUS times for Flower Drum Song, I am FINALLY doing that show - in San Jose later this year.

And then Roger sent me a message on the wall thingy - SO....see, work in this business long enough and you work with EVERYONE and then you sometimes get to do the things you are supposedly 'known' for.

I just thought it was funny.

Thursday the 10th is Alec Mapa's Birthday.

If you don't know Alec and his work - you should! I've seen him in so many venues and facets, but recently I took my sister, Colleen, to see him at Joe's Pub in NYC during Gay Pride, and he was HILARIOUS. He had everyone rolling on the floor, and it was just him and a microphone.

If you have an opportunity to view any of his work - whether on You Tube  or Desperate Housewives, or Ugly Betty - DO take it. He should have his OWN tv show because of his phenomenal talent, but till then I'm thrilled that I can see him on the screen on a weekly basis sassing it up with Vanessa Williams.

I realized that I mentioned that I was in a film that recently wrapped, THE MIKADO PROJECT, and yet - I said nothing really about it. I can't really talk about the plot - or at least, that's what I'm told - but check IMDB for updates.

This film is based on a play that was directed by Chil Kong, and was written by Doris Baizley and Ken Narasaki, produced by The Lodestone Theatre Ensemble.

Lodestone is an Asian American Theater Company based in LA, that will celebrate it's 10th and final season this coming year. Chil Kong and Philip C. Chung are it's two Artistic Directors. Lodestone has it's own website, you can look up more about it there. Their next production is the Tennessee Wiliam's play, SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER - which opens August 2nd, 2008. The theater is the GTC in Burbank.

Anyway, last year, the play THE MIKADO PROJECT, got very good reviews from Backstage West, and The LA Times, and so on - and when Chil was talking to Board Member of Lodestone, Quan Phung about directing a film - that's the piece that they both felt strongly about. Primarily because Lodestone is closing, and the play was written as an ode to Asian American theater and it's archetype personalities. Quan is the Exec Producer, and there is no way this would have been possible without him. Chil is the Director and the man who had the vision to take this from the stage to the screen.

The film scrīpt is very, very different from the play - because that is the nature of film. However, the same heart of the play is there - as well as 2 of the cast members, Allen C. Liu, and myself. Allen is the same part, I was flipped to another role as a comedic foil.

I feel so lucky to have been able to work with the cast and crew of the film - AND the play - and so I just want to list the folks that were in the play, and then in the movie - because there is no WAY that anything could have been made INTO a film, without the contributions of the original theatrical cast.

They are: Blythe Matsui, Allen C. Liu, Julia Cho (not the playwright), Ron Banks, Feodor Chen,
Kennedy Kabasares, Miki Yamashita, Rachel Morihiro, Phil Young

And they were all fabulous, and I would work with them again in a heartbeat.

The main film cast is as follows: Tamilyn Tomita (Letters from Iwo Jima, Joy Luck Club), Allen C. Liu (Orig Bway Revival Flower Drum Song), David McInnis (Never Forever, Typhoon), Ryun Yu (Kissing Cousins), Raymond J. Lee (Broadway Cast of MAMMA MIA) , Yuri Tag (America's Best Dance Crew - Kaba Modern), Rizwan Manji (Charlie Wilson's War, Transformers), Gerald McCullouch (CSI), and Freda Foh Shen (Mulan, Red Doors)

The film cast was also AMAZING to work with - and I would work with ANY of them again in a heartbeat as well.  There are so many things that I would love to say ABOUT the film, about how funny everyone was and how they all stuck in there- and how great it was to see Chil helm his first feature project....but I'm afraid I'll give away plot points.

And there you have it. But...if you check back to IMDB and keep abreast of it's progress, I'm sure you'll be just as eager to see it as I am.

Hi,

Have just finished shooting the feature, THE MIKADO PROJECT, which also stars Tamilyn Tomita, David Lee McInnis, Raymond J. Lee, Allen C. Liu, Ryun Yu, and Yuri Tag (Kaba Modern) - directed by Chil Kong.

Filming finished 2 weeks ago, it is now in post.

I have a short appearing in the San Diego Asian Film Festival called The Oh Malleys.

In Oct 2008- Nov 9, 2008, I will be appearing in San Jose as Madame Liang in the revival version of FLOWER DRUM SONG.

You can check out all updates at www.erinquill.com

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I will be playing MADAME LIANG in the Bway Revival Version of FLOWER DRUM SONG in San Jose till Nov. 9, 2008.

This production is directed by Gabriel Barre, from New York, and I'm really looking forward to the experience.