Kevin Tsujihara, The 1st Asian American To Run A Major Hollywood Studio

Okay, I'm late to the party on this one, but I had to blog about it regardless since it is a Jeremy Lin like watershed moment for Asian Americans. Kevin Tsujihara will become the first Asian American ever to be CEO of Warner Bros, let alone any major Hollywood studio and will be replacing Barry Meyer who has held the position for almost 14 years. According to the LA Times, Meyer had some kind words to say about Tsujihara,

"Everyone needs a leader, and Kevin was the person best equipped to unify the company at this time," Meyer said in an interview. "We just thought he was the best choice for the whole company...It was about the person and the character of the person," Meyer said. "The digital transition is one that is happening and it is affecting every part of our company. Kevin has really been at the forefront of that, and leading that charge, but Warner Bros. is really about the products that it makes."

I hope this means that more Asian Americans will finally have a fair shot at the big screen devoid of tokenized stereotypical Asian characters.

Steven Yeun On Conan

First time I saw Steven Yeun it was on YouTube a couple of years ago where he played this Asian-American male character out in Chicago. He's in this scene with his buddy buying some BYC Korean underwear explaining the importance of it in order to get the ladies. I tried searching for it on YouTube again, but came up unsuccessful.

Who would've thought that same guy wind up on becoming part of one of the most popular shows in America as Glenn on The Walking Dead? Great to see a regular, English speaking Asian-American male coming on a late night talkshow like Conan. 

K-Town Reality TV Show to Air on YouTube

Finally. Some atypical shit on Asian-Americans. Yes, Asians are alpha, assholes and all about partying. K-Town shows you a glimpse into Asian-American nightlife partying. I was at Bellasco the night they were filming. Hope they didn't get my ass on camera! LOL

A Question to Asian-American Women & Why More Asian-American Guys Should Date Non-Asian Girls

This past weekend I hung out at night with the homies and had some fun in the city. I decided to do something different, and by different I mean my friends and I went to a bar that was filled primarily with white people which was a breadth of fresh air, similar to this clip here from The Mentalist.

There's something about my American side that conflicts with my Asian side; it is this clique-ish, tribal behavior Asians have where ever they go. I'm just as guilty as the next Asian, but it's not like I act like this 24/7. Look, I'm the type of guy who isn't afraid to roll into a club, bar or lounge solo and start chatting it up with random people. How many Asian guys, let alone guys of any ethnicity period, are comfortable enough with themselves to do just that? Very few besides my homie DL, but that's what social gatherings are all about...to have fun with friends and open up to meeting new people and remembering new faces.

So if there's one thing I find really annoying at times, it's how Asian-American girls at Asian parties are always in these cliques of 3-5 chicks and constantly in transition. Fellas, you know what I'm talking about right? You go up to a group of Asian girls to chat up one or two of them, and next thing you know they give you the same old, "Well...we're gonna go now", and then they bounce.

A letter from Tim Chiou guest starring on 2 Broke Girls

After the whole 2 Broke Girls alleged racism debacle, the producers of the show had a casting call for a "Hot Asian Guy" to star as a web designer where he and Caroline will have a thing for each other. Things are definitely going to heat up. Looks like Alpha Asian Gentleman Tim Chiou will be staring as Edwin cajoling Caroline even after hours at work. NICE.

I thought this was blog worthy so I decided to give him a shout out and ask him about the selection process and what this means for Asian-Americans. 

Hi MaSir,

Thanks for the shout out! Its been good to get a lot of buzz from the casting. I wish I could say something interesting about the selection process, but it was pretty straightforward. Just like any other audition I've had. To me, it was just your average day of work.

I know there has been some controversy surrounding 2 Broke Girls, and a lot has been made of what the existence of my role means, but at this time I am going to abstain from commenting on it. I think time will shed some more light as to what it all really means. But I will say that I went in there to do a job, and I just tried my best to do that job well. And I had a great time doing it. There are some very talented people working on that show, and I feel blessed to able to have the experience of working with them.

Again, thanks for the email. Hopefully, you'll watch the episode when it airs, and that people will ask for more Edwin! 

Cheers,

Tim

Hey, I'm all for it as long as he's not doing kung-fu, being nerdy or fobby. Keep Edwin on the show and make him a total player or a sweetheart who ends up getting engaged to Caroline. Just don't make him a stereotypical Asian male!

CNN Takes Notice Of "Hollywhite" Washing (FINALLY)

Wow. I never thought I'd see this on the homepage of CNN but it looks like somebody at the major news network is finally taking notice of "Hollywhite" washing of ethnic-based roles. Maybe next week they'll shed some light on Apple's incessant use of white male/Asian female pairings in their ads! The author dissects a slew of movies released recently where actors of color are unfairly neglected of playing the leading roles while being snagged up by white actors.

Andrew Wallenstein of The Hollywood Reporter appears to empathize with minority actors,

I think this stems from a long-held frustration regarding the access of minority actors to leading roles. It's bad enough that they are far less likely to be cast in those roles in general, and it's downright galling to them that in roles in which they are perceived as having a natural advantage they are still getting beaten out.

Its not just downright galling to minority actors, but also a slap in the face to every non-white American citizen who's lived here since birth. As a child, watching Bruce Lee on screen was an inspiration for many Asian-Americans. It put a spin on the way I viewed Asian men. Like Margaret Cho once said, "You don't have to study to be a doctor when you can be one on TV."

To be fair, I began questioning the diversity of minorities in Asian entertainment. The argument goes something like, "Well you don't see whites starring as the lead in Asian films." This may be true on the surface but try living there before you make such a hasty generalization. I guarantee you will see in an Asian country such as Japan bending over backwards in order to cater to white people. In fact, I've seen white and black guys in Japanese dramas starring in lead roles, on Japanese talkshows, gameshows and Japanese advertisements. Plus, we all know Japanese women are notorious for having a penchant for white American men. Seems pretty fair to me.

An Asian-American guy with the handle "Shad0wrunner" has been doing an awesome job refuting every negative comment against CNN's inquiry of Hollywhite's racism toward minorities. My favorite comment of his, "the business-world of Hollywood will eat itself." I couldn't agree more.

Grace Park is awesome

Grace Park is beautiful. I don't say that too often since I don't find Asian women all that beautiful. Cute and pretty yes, but beautiful is a little bit tougher to come by. Don't ask me what the difference is because that's another discussion altogether it itself. So the first time I saw her was on a Canadian TV teen show called Edgemont and it was love at first sight. Okay, maybe not LOVE but I guess you could say I was a bit infatuated with her. She had a refreshing look with a demeanor of the all-Canadian-Asian girl which is quite different from the US. If you go to Canada, you'll know what I'm talking about.


NOTE: I love Canadian TV shows because they're much more ethnically diverse as opposed to the US. Everyone should watch Edgemont if you get the chance. If Canadian hotties such as Grace Park, Kristin Kreuk, Sarah Lind, etc. aren't good enough reasons for you to watch it, then I can't help you.

I think the role that took her career to the next level was starring as Number 8 and Boomer in the hit TV series, Battlestar Galactica. My friend was a huge fan of that show. I was never into SciFi all that much besides Star Wars but given the rave reviews from critics and viewers alike, I should probably watch it sometime when I get the chance.

Then just today I read online that she's going to be playing in a remake of the 1960s TV series Hawaii Five-0. I wasn't even born when the show came on but I do know it was famous, because everyone uses that term "5.0" when referring to cops. In addition, its notable theme song.

Congratulations on your new starring role in Hawaii Five-0!! Much love and success to ya.

P.S. Gain about 10 lbs. for me my Grace. As beautiful as you are, yes, a few lbs here and there wouldn't hurt. 

The Return of Vanishing Son

For those of you who were too young or never even heard about this series, you're in luck.  As I mentioned in my previous blogs, the televised movie series Vanishing Son is one of the few movies where an Asian-American man gets romantically involved with a white woman.  And not just any white woman.  This was the HOT Noxema chick of the early-mid 90s who he repeatedly makes passionate love to.

As my buddy DL mentioned, it was my brotha Russell who represented and held it down for the Asian-American men out there proving, yes, Asian-American men ARE sex symbols in the country they were born in, America.


I even did the dirty work for you so you can watch the part I'm referring to when I speak of "passionate love".

5 Asian Men Changing The Face Of American Entertainment

Recently I've become much more aware of the involvement of Asian men in American entertainment. They're not your stereotypical Asian males portraying repulsive William Hung like traits causing nearly every Asian American male to cringe with embarrassment and sheer contempt. In fact, these guys really do possess talent and confidence. Confidence is of significance here since it is one of the major things Asian American women complain about their fellow Asian brethren lacking.

I remember I went on a verbal rampage complaining about how the White majority controlled media and entertainment industry continues to use these token ugly, dorky, fobby Asian males to incessantly reinforce and perpetuate negative stereotypes. This kind of shit had plagued me since the days of Long Duck Dong from Sixteen Candles. But even with the barrage of racist depictions of Asian men, I believe something positive transpired from it. William Hung may indeed be the Asian Male Anti-Christ but he also re-ignited a sense of social awareness absent in the Asian American community since the tragic death of Vincent Chin. And with awareness, change usually follows.

Granted there will always be those who only pitch-a-bitch about racial inequalities in society without actually trying to better themselves. I find this pointless since it does nothing for the advancement of the community after a while. I have no qualms over complaining if it is legitimate but it can lose its effectiveness over time if there is no follow up with action. Thankfully there are also those who use negativity as a driving force to break through racial barriers imposed upon us. They are the trailblazers who pave the way for others and serve as inspiration to succeed.

I consider the following Asian men as trailblazers. I look to them for inspiration in bettering myself.

• Rain (Bi) - What can I say? The man is complete. Yes he's a tall singer, dancer, actor, fashion artist and owner of an entertainment company. Rain is a world renown artist despite what some of you may think. *AHEM* Newsweek. To call Rain "little-known on the global stage" is grossly inaccurate. He was voted as Time's Most Influential Person in 2006 which hit a nerve with Stephen Colbert envying Rain's top spot on the Time 100 list over his 2nd. LoL. They settled their beef on The Colbert Report in a danceoff. Steve, I love you man but just like a lame hip hop dance movie, "You Got Served!" Even if you're not a fan of his music, you have to respect his diligence and dedication in whatever project he takes on. Its no wonder why the Wachowski Bros. were blown away by his performance in Speed Racer and strongly recommended him as the LEAD ROLE for the upcoming blockbuster Ninja Assassin.
  
• Eliot Chang - One of the funniest standup comedians I've seen in a long time and it's refreshing. He is clearly a professional. If he keeps it up, I will definitely put him in the same league of standup legends like Carlin, Pryor, Murphy, Hedburg and Chappelle. Some of you may disagree with me but this guy is seriously a pro. Just watch one of my favorite bits he does on "Dumb Girls". I cried out of laughter.
  I truly believe he doesn't get much exposure as other comedians because 1) he's an Asian American male and 2) doesn't cater to pleasing the mainstream by reinforcing negative stereotypes. Eliot even addresses this issue in a standup comparing Asian American comedians to UFOs. "You know there out there but you just haven't seen one." If that doesn't convince you then think of it this way. When an Asian guy comes on stage most of you aren't saying to yourself, "Finally! An Asian. Now its gonna get good!". Guilty as charged.
  
• John Cho - He popularized the acronym MILF from American Pie. Now how awesome is that? So awesome that I'm sure it gave him an unrelenting drive to make it in Hollywood. He was able to score in several comedy flicks such the American Pie and Harold & Kumar series, to a sitcom Off Centre, the role as Hikaru Sulu in Star Trek and now a TV science fiction series FlashForward. That's quite a journey from the humble MILF beginnings.
  
  
• Byung-Hun Lee - Many of you may not know of him but he was already famous in Asia prior to his US debut as Storm Shadow in G.I. Joe. Byung-Hun or Brian Lee has been acting for almost 20 years. I was really impressed with him for a couple of reasons after watching him in G.I. Joe. First, his acting was pretty good given the cultural differences between Hollywood and Hallyu. 2nd, his English was quite good with a hint of an accent which I barely even noticed. Last year when I saw him in The Good, The Bad, The Weird I thought he played a really good bad guy (contradictory I know). About a month ago I then saw A Bittersweet Life and was blown away by his performance where he plays a ruthless gangster and catches feelings for his Boss's girlfriend. Byung-Hun is scheduled to be in the next G.I. Joe. We'll see if he makes his way into other American flicks. Not bad for someone who's approaching 40!

• Daniel Henney - Yes fuckers. I KNOW he's half British-American but he's also HALF Korean and embraces that side tremendously. He looks more Asian to me than he does White. Regardless, his rise to stardom began in Korea by debuting in a Korean TV drama called My Lovely Sam Soon. Apparently Hollywood kept trying to typecast him for stereotypical Asian roles so he went to Korea to jump start his acting career. From there he starred in movies such as Seducing Mr. Perfect and My Father made his Hollywood debut playing AgentZero in Wolverine. Daniel is now part of a CBS TV hospital drama, Three Rivers where he plays a womanizing doctor. See?? Asian men are the comeuppance sex symbols in America not just Asian women. Now I haven't been able to watch the show actually since I'm currently out of the states. When I return you can be sure I'll be watching some of the episodes online. Daniel definitely has the potential to become an even bigger star and better actor but I feel he needs more energy when he's in character. Maybe its because of his suave appeal or the "ladies man" swagger he carries or because he needs to polish his acting skills a bit more. Whatever it may be, I hope he keeps at it and becomes mainstream enough for him to hold a leading role by himself in a Hollywood blockbuster.