Watch Barack Obama get inaugurated as the as the 44th President of the United States at the U.S. Capitol. He makes history as the first African American to hold the office. Someday there will be an Asian American President too.

In the meantime, here's some Asian American influence around Obama's life and inauguration:

Maya Soetoro-Ng - Barack Obama's Half Sister
Konrad Ng - Barack Obama's brother-in-law
Yo-Yo Ma to perform at Obama inauguration

The Inauguration of Barack Obama 2009

Another film with a lot of buzz at Sundance 2009 is "Paper Heart," which follows writer/actress Charlyne Yi across the country asking people questions about love (like woman on the street interviews). This mockumentary also has Michael Cera as Charlyne Yi's boyfriend. It is unclear if they are in a real relationship or not. Here's the synopsis for "Paper Heart":
PAPER HEART follows Charlyne as she embarks on a quest across America to make a documentary about the one subject she doesn’t understand: Love. As she and her friend and director Nicholas Jasenovec, together search for answers and advice, you get the idea that this new generation’s cynicism isn’t the whole story. On their journey, Charlyne talks with an eclectic array of friends and acquaintances, including scientists, bikers, romance novelists, and children. They offer diverse views on modern romance, as well as various answers to the age-old question: does love really exist?

Shortly after filming begins, Charlyne meets a man after own heart, Michael Cera. As their relationship develops on camera, the pursuit to discover the nature of love takes on a new urgency when she risks losing the person closest to her heart. Combining elements of storytelling, reality and fantasy, PAPER HEART brings a fresh perspective to the modern romance and redefines the classic love story.

PAPER HEART was directed by Nicholas Jasenovec and co-written by Nicholas Jasenovec and Charlyne Yi. The film stars Charlyne Yi, Michael Cera, and Jake Johnson as Nicholas Jasenovec.

Director Nicholas Jasenovec talks about Paper Heart


Movie clip from Paper Heart

"Spring Breakdown" is the second feature film for director/writer Ryan Shiraki. The movie stars Rachel Dratch, Amy Poehler, and Parker Posey as "three women vacation together at a popular travel destination for college co-eds on spring break". There was a lot of buzz for this movie.

Although the film made its world premiere at Sundance 2009, the film was completed in 2006 and slipped through the cracks when Warner Independent Pictures shut down. now the film looks to be headed straight to DVD with a simultaneous video-on-demand release around Spring Break 2009. Theatrical release looks unlikely.

Sundance Channel interviews the cast and director of Spring breakdown


Los Angeles Times poses unusual questions to Ryan Shiraki


More about Ryan Shiraki

Ryan Shiraki wrote and directed the feature Home of Phobia (Freshman Orientation), which premiered at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. Spring Breakdown marks his second feature as director. As a screenwriter, he's written for Warner Brothers, Fox, Dreamworks, Revolution, Miramax, and Focus. In television, he's had projects with ABC, FOX, HBO, Showtime, and The WB channel. He was formerly a producer on NBC's Saturday Night Live. Shiraki currently resides in Los Angeles.

Kal Penn has been a major Obama supporter early on. He continues to support Obama by announcing USAService.org. The site is tied to Obama's "Renew America Together" initiative.

What does service mean to you?

What will you do on January 19th, National Day of Service, to serve your community? Let us know by submitting a reply-video. Individuals and organizations can create a 3 minute or less YouTube video designed to tell the story of what they plan to do on MLK Day. The videos could be dramatic, heartfelt, comical, or narrative -- whatever best captures the spirit of the Renew America Together campaign.

Three winners will be selected. The winning videos will be posted on www.USAService.org, and the creator of the single best video will get a personal phone call from First Lady Michelle Obama.

Kal Penn Announces USAService.org

"Sometimes a Great Notion," is the first episode of Battlestar Galactica's final half-season, which also means your last chance to see Grace Park in the Sci Fi Channel series. If you missed it, you can still catch Grace Park in Battlestar Galactica: Face of the Enemy, the web series that bridges season 4. Tune in Fridays on the Sci Fi Channel to catch the last episodes.

Although the Battlestar Galactica series is ending, you can still catch Grace Park on The Cleaner.

Battlestar Galactica Final Episodes