That's what I'm saying, Kevin Kataoka!

"Even the biggest movie ever made about ninjas didn't star Asians. It starred turtles!"

To visualize what having actual Asian and Asian-American actors starring in films would look like, check out my earlier blog post over here: "What about my stories?": My reaction to 50/50. Still relevant, now more than ever.

It's 2013! Asian people make up over 60% of the world's population. Sixty percent! China is currently the world's second largest film market. Yet, I am hard pressed to name a major movie starring an Asian or Asian-American actor since Harold and Kumar celebrated Christmas in 3D.

I do love me some Han in the Fast and Furious movies, a character know for his world-class driving ability, not for his martial art skills, bucking two stereotypes at once! Han left those sweet fighting moves to noted experts Vin Diesel and Paul Walker. But Han was seventh billed in Fast 6 after Tyrese, but before Ludacris, ahem, "Chris Bridges". Also, due to his (alleged) death in the credits, he probably won't be featured in Fast and Furious 7. Instead, we get more of this guy. I don't know who was asking for the white guy from Tokyo Drift, but welcome back, Lucas Black.

On the plus side, Fast 7 will also include Thai actor Tony Jaa... best known for his martial art movies... so there's that?

In conclusion, more diversity in media! Now!



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Like Hello Kitty,

no Asian or Asian-American women were allowed to speak on camera in The Slanted Screen. (Thanks, Margaret Cho!)

Other than actively not acknowledging half of the population, I enjoyed the film. It featured Asian and Asian-American actors talking about how Asian men have been portrayed in American media. I do understand that the film was about Asian men. However, at the end of the film, the actors talked about how change is on the horizon, and how (at the time shooting) Bobby Lee, John Cho and Margaret Cho had studio deals, so things would get better. Considering I can count five Asian characters of any gender on the upcoming fall primetime lineup, and maybe five more on cable, I do not agree that things will get better quickly at all. But if things were to get better, it would help if the film had mentioned the stereotypes that actresses of Asian descent face in television and movies. Their struggles are related and come from similar sources of prejudice and discrimination. So it would have been nice to include the women, too.

I would have been content if the film had even one Asian or Asian-American actress sitting on camera talking about anything. But the three women that were allowed to speak on camera in the film were all white, and not actors. The three women did share insightful studies of how media affects children and the problems surrounding casting and writing. One study showed that children want to see representations of themselves in their media so that they can have role models. In another study, the children expected that white people in television and movies would have roles of authority, black people and Latino people would have subservient roles, and Asian people would not be on the screen at all.

In the film, Bobby Lee told the camera, "My nickname was 'Long Duk Dong' in high school because of that character, and I think every Asian guy that ever went to an American school earned the nickname Long Duk Dong because of that character." I never thought about that when I was growing up, because I didn't have any Asian classmates until seventh grade. And then he left after eighth grade. But now, that is what I think about when some of my contemporaries laud the accomplishments of the recently departed John Hughes. They make statements like "Sixteen Candles changed my life. That's my story. I love Jake Ryan!" I don't know what a racist Asian stereotype, Molly Ringwald's panties and some naked teenage girl taking a shower had to do with your empowerment as a woman, but to each her own.

In conclusion, watch The Slanted Screen, available on Netflix. It might change your life. Probably not, but it's still good.

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"A less sleazy, Asian Jeremy Piven"

I found him! After having no luck with Google searches and being led to this other "Asian guy" by the related TWoP forum, I used my noggin, played my tape of the Office episode again, and paused during the end credits. "Tim Kang" was the only non-Anglo name listed in the guest stars. I checked on IMDb, scrolled down to Additional Details, and confirmed that Mr. Kang is indeed the Cingular guy, even though his Office appearance is not yet listed. So there you go. It only took me three days to figure this out. Brilliant.

In case the title of this post isn't self-explanatory even in context, it comes from the comments on the above video's YouTube page.