While it appears that acting opportunities are improving for Asian Pacific Americans in Hollywood, it is still a rare sighting to find a handsome, sexy Asian American male in a non-stereotypical role in mainstream television and movies. Unless you are one of the lucky ones cast in the TV series Hawaii Five-0, Asian American male actors are more often cast in roles as thugs, geeks, martial arts experts, or as tourists or characters with a funny foreign accent.

Nareth Chuon and Jason Peers, two young professionals in Los Angeles are on a mission to make a difference.

First, they spent their weekends and nights after their day jobs producing a health and fitness style calendar called the 2010 Asian Pacific Male (APM) Calendar featuring handsome and sexy Asian American men to raise funds for charity, with renowned photographer Jeff Sheng, one of the three original creators with Chuon and Peers. The calendar and the charity fundraising was a hit. 

Now, Chuon and Peers want to take their calendar and charity fundraising concept to television. They have just completed filming a reality TV pilot based on their experiences co-producing the calendar project, with hope that the episodes will begin production in Spring, 2012. 

Peers said the original project was a success because "people had never seen anything like this before." Before the 2010 Asian Pacific Male Calendar Asian American men were usually photographed on "rafts or holding a bamboo fan," he...

American Film Institute names Ang Lee's "Brokeback Mountain" as one of the ten best movies of the year.

American Film Institute names Ang Lee's "Brokeback Mountain" as one of ten movies receiving AFI Awards for 2005. "Capote", "Crash", "The 40-Year Old Virgin", "Good Night and Good Luck", "A History of Violence", "King Kong", "Munich", "The Squid and the Whale", and "Syriana" complete the picks for AFI movies of the year.

AFI's almanac records the year's most outstanding achievements in film and television. AFI TV programs of the year include: 24, "Battlestar Galactica","Deadwood", "Grey's Anatomy", "House", "Lost", "Rescue Me", "Sleeper Cell", "Sometimes in April", and "Veronica Mars".

AFI AWARDS celebrate the collaborative nature of film and television by recognizing film and television creative ensembles as a whole-those people in front of and behind the camera.

AFI will honor the creative ensembles for each of the honorees at a luncheon on Friday, January 13, 2006, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles, California.

About the American Film Institute
AFI is a national institute providing leadership in screen education and the recognition and celebration of excellence in the art of film, television and digital media. AFI trains the next generation of filmmakers at its world-renowned Conservatory, maintains America's film heritage through the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and explores new digital technologies in entertainment and education through the AFI Digital...

"Brokeback Mountain" named Best Picture of 2005 while director Ang Lee was named Best Director for the same film by the New York Film Critics Circle

"Brokeback Mountain" scored with the New York Film Critics Circle with nods for Best Picture, Best Director for Ang Lee and Best Actor for Heath Ledger. The 30 member group voted for its 71st annual awards for excellence in cinema today at the Algonquin Hotel in New York.

Wong Kar Wai's "2046" was selected as Best Foreign-Language Film, with "2046" lensmen Christopher Doyle, Lai Yiu Fai and Kwan Pun Leung sharing honors for Best Cinematography. Hayao Miyazakis animated adventure "Howl's Moving Castle, " was named Best animated feature.

Werner Herzog will be honored for two of the Best Non-Fiction Films for his documentaries "Grizzly Man" and "White Diamond" and Best First Film was given to filmmaker Bennett Miller for "Capote." "The Squid and the Whale" written by Noah Baumbach was voted Best Screenplay.

Reese Witherspoon was named was named Best Actress for "Walk the Line." The award for Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress went to William Hurt and Maria Bello for their work in "A History of Violence."

NEW YORK FILM CRITICS CIRCLE
The New York Film Critics Circle is comprised of critics from daily and weekly newspapers and magazines based in New York. The group is the oldest critical group in America and its annual awards are considered a precursor of the Oscar nominations. Newsday film critic Gene Seymour, the...

Director Justin Lin's FINISHING THE GAME opens the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (VC FILM FEST 2007) this Thursday May 3.

THU, MAY 03 - 07:00 PM | Directors Guild of America, Theater 1, Los Angeles

Egos fly and collide as hard and high as the karate kicks in this scathingly smart swipe at racial stereotypes and movie-biz hypocrisy. This new feature film by Justin Lin (BETTER LUCK TOMORROW, Festival 2002; THE FAST & THE FURIOUS: TOKYO DRIFT) is a wickedly conceived comedy spoof about the search for the "new Bruce Lee."

JUSTIN LIN's solo directorial debut, BETTER LUCK TOMORROW, premiered at Sundance in 2002. He was named one of Variety's "10 to watch" and was honored with a John Cassavetes Award nomination at the 2004 Independent Spirit Awards. In 2003, Lin established his production company, Trailing Johnson Productions, and produced and co-directed the documentary SPOTLIGHTING. His other directing credits include ANNAPOLIS and THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS: TOKYO DRIFT. Lin holds an MFA in film directing from UCLA's School of Theater, Film, and Television and serves on the board of directors of Visual Communications.

Southern California's largest Asian American film festival launches the celebration of Asian Pacific Heritage Month at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles.

From comedy and drama to documentaries and shorts,
VC FILM FEST shares the stories of Asian Pacifics in America and abroad.
Justin Lin's FINISHING THE GAME opened the VC FILM FEST tonight at...

Join me tonight as I light a candle at Rockefeller Plaza for Detained Journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee.

Join me tonight as I light a candle at Rockefeller Plaza at 6pm in New York, where one of five candlelight vigils is being held across the United States in solidarity for the safe return of American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee to their families.

May 19 marks the start of the tenth week for Current TV reporters Laura Ling, a Chinese-American, and Euna Lee, a Korean American, who were detained at North Koreas border with China on March 17.

Ms. Ling and Ms. Lee, their cameraman Mitch Koss and their Korean Chinese guide had entered China to interview North Korean defectors living along the PRC-DPRK border near the Tumen River. According to JoongAng Ilbo, a Seoul based newspaper, they were detained by North Korean border guards on March 17 as they were walking along the shallow Tumen River into North Korea. Although Koss and the Korean Chinese guide were able to escape capture by the North Koreans, Koss was detained by Chinese Border guards, and released.

North Korea has stated theyre suspected of hostile acts, and has charged them with spying and illegally crossing the border. Their trial date is set for June 4. If found guilty, they could be served a sentence of five to ten years in prison.

Come out to show your support in New York City, Chicago, Portland, Los Angeles or Orlando for their safe return home. Below are the details.

New York, NY
Time: 6-8pm