The Time Has Come: Asian Americans Arrive on the Red Carpet

By Amy Lieu

Asian American actors and members of Hollywood's entertainment industry graced the red carpet at the 20th Anniversary Gala Celebration for the Coalition for Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (CAPE) at Union Station in Los Angeles Nov. 12, 2011.

The evening honored the talents of Asian Americans in entertainment and celebrated the advancement of diversity in the media.

For years, Asian Americans have been under-represented in Hollywood.

However, CAPE's red carpet event indicated more Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) talent are in entertainment today. AAPIs have come a long way

Maggie Q, the beautiful and savvy renegade spy from Nikita shared space with Carrie Ann Inaba, the talented dancer and one of the judges for Dancing with the Stars.

George Takei, who played Sulu from Star Trek, YouTube musician sensation David Choi, and professional poker player Maria Ho, who has played in the World Poker Tour were also among the celebrities on the red carpet.

The Gentlemen of YTF also strutted the red carpet; the group includes Ryan Higa, the most subscribed YouTube personality, as well as Victor Kim and Dominic of Quest Crew, who won the third season of America’s Best Dance Crew.

Asian American Talent Shines at Kollaboration 11

By Amy Lieu

With every strum of the guitar, tap of the drum, tune of melody, and dance to the beat, song and dance performances were engrossed with emotion, energy, and passion.The annual Asian American talent show competition, Kollaboration 11, presented its eleventh year and season finale at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live November 5, 2011. The flagship show in Los Angeles was its last stop after touring for 15 shows across 12 other cities in the United States. Its motto: empowerment through entertainment.

Many notable Asian Americans graced the pre-show red carpet including actress Bai Ling (“The Crow” and “Lost),” and journalist Lisa Ling, host of “Our America” on the Oprah Winfrey Network.

With the underrepresentation of Asian Americans in U.S. entertainment, Kollaboration gives popular and up-and-coming artists a stage to showcase their talents. The competition show aims to inspire and empower young Asian Americans to pursue their dreams in entertainment, a career path that some of the artists have said has not always been encouraged by their parents. 

Lights dimmed and curtains opened as former contestant Ensemble Memo from Kollaboration Acoustic 5 (the acoustic version of the talent show earlier this year) opened the night’s performances. Special guest performer and popular YouTube singer Clara C serenaded the audience with her sweet voice, tambourine, guitar, and accordion.

Update:

July 17, 2012

Goodbye New York, Hello Houston! 

After weeks of speculation, Tuesday night the New York Knicks announced it would not match the Houston Rockets' offer.

Emotions have been running high with Knicks fans. To quote writer Ian O'Connor at ESPNNewYork.com, "Jim Dolan just made one of the dumbest moves of his basketball life"...

Meanwhile, Lin remains a gentleman, thanking the Knicks and showing enthusiasm for Houston. 

Twitter comments: (@JLin7)

For the latest on Jeremy Lin:

ESPN.go.com

July 5, 2012

This afternoon Jeremy Lin agreed to a multi-million dollar offer sheet by the Houston Rockets. Numerous sources say that the Houston Rockets' offer is reportedly a four year $28.8 million deal with Lin. The contract cannot be signed until after the NBA moratorium ends next Wednesday, July 11, 2012, then the New York Knicks have three days to match the Rockets' offer or let him go. 

This story is evolving day by day, and in some cases hour by hour.

(Video image by Suzanne Joe Kai at a press interview with Jeremy Lin in the NY Knicks locker room at Madison Square Garden March 11, 2012)

March 9, 2012:

The greatest thing about Linsanity is that Jeremy Lin can win, he can lose, but he has already achieved the near impossible. In just a few short weeks, he's turned a country on its head and made it examine how Asian Americans are viewed in the mainstream.

AC Team members head to New York this week with high hopes to see Jeremy Lin play in a Knicks game. When we watch him, we will be watching a talented basketball player, but we will also be thinking about the historical milestone he has already achieved - for all of us.

Related Update: 

February 23, 2012:

Following on the recent racist and racially-offensive incidents in coverage of NBA star Jeremy Lin, the Asian American Journalists Association has issued guidelines on how to and how not to cover Jeremy Lin.

These guidelines are good for everyone, not just news media. 

You would have thought that by 2012 our nation's news media wouldn't need such etiquette lessons, but the recent incidents prove otherwise. Let's hope AAJA's advisory serves not only as guidelines, but as a warning shot that any future incidents will not be tolerated. 

Born in Los Angeles and raised in Palo Alto, California, Jeremy Lin is a native born American.  

AAJA introduces its guidelines with the following:

On Sunday, March 11, 2012, Shinsai: Theaters for Japan, will be performed at 3pm and 8pm at the Great Hall at Cooper Union, Seventh Street at Third Avenue in New York.

Thom Sesma Photo by Lia Chang

Shinsai: Theaters for Japan, a two performance benefit to raise funds that will go directly to Japanese theater artists devastated by last year’s great earthquake (Shinsai), will feature Michi Barall, Cindy Cheung, Joel de la Fuente, Angel Desai, Ann Harada, Jennifer Ikeda, Paul Juhn, Peter Kim, Ken Leung, Li Jun Li, Jennifer Lim, Angela Lin, Paolo Montalban, Olivia Oguma, Jon Norman Schneider, Thom Sesma, Sab Shimono, Jade Wu, Johnny Wu, James Yaegashi and Stacey Yen, under the direction of Tony Award-winning director Bartlett Sher.

UPDATED: 3/6/12 12:45pm

Jennifer Lim Photo by Lia Chang

Broadwayworld.com reports that Patti LuPone, Richard Thomas, Mary Beth Hurt, Jay O. Sanders and Henry Stram will join forces with the previously announced Asian American actors to raise funds that will go directly to Japanese theater artists devasted by last year’s earthquake when they appear in this Sunday’s March 11 benefit performances of Shinsai: Theaters for Japan, at the Great Hall at Cooper Union (Seventh Street at Third Avenue).

Patti LuPone and Henry Stram will appear in the 8pm performance only. Jay O. Sanders and Mary Beth Hurt will appear in the 3pm performance only. Richard Thomas will appear in both the 3pm and 8pm performances.

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