Asian Excellence Awards

[SunWuKong]

anybody watched this? what do you think? is it a good thing? or is it a joke?

i know a lot of complaints about it comes from the people that they include in the ceremony and the people that they give awards to. do you think they should be more exclusive? maybe exclude it from Asians who are not Americans? maybe exclude it from mixed Asians who pass as white and do not identify as Asian in the public media? etc?

personally i think it's a joke, but also a step in the right direction. unfortunately they're severly limited because there aren't many Asian Americans in the spotlight.

[mzhsacramento]

anybody watched this? what do you think? is it a good thing? or is it a joke?

i know a lot of complaints about it comes from the people that they include in the ceremony and the people that they give awards to. do you think they should be more exclusive? maybe exclude it from Asians who are not Americans? maybe exclude it from mixed Asians who pass as white and do not identify as Asian in the public media? etc?

personally i think it's a joke, but also a step in the right direction. unfortunately they're severly limited because there aren't many Asian Americans in the spotlight.

Didn't see all of it. Maggie Q's acceptance speech was pretty cringe-worthy.

Other than that, get rid of Rod Schneider, Tarantino, Kenny Q, and then it may be heading towards the right direction.

[tripostrophe]

^are you serious about those three? Damn. I missed it but now I'm kinda glad?

[SunWuKong]

Other than that, get rid of Rod Schneider, Tarantino, Kenny Q, and then it may be heading towards the right direction.

supposedly, Rob Schneider is pretty outspoken about being part Asian, so i don't mind him being there. and in his movies i've seen him sneak in that his character's mother is Filipino.

[tripostrophe]

supposedly, Rob Schneider is pretty outspoken about being part Asian, so i don't mind him being there. and in his movies i've seen him sneak in that his character's mother is Filipino.

I remember a part from one of his gigilo movies he had his 'father' talking about his 'mother,' and i think it played on the whore/mail order bride thing.

[Banana]

I laughed. I cried. Now that I think about it, I'm laughing again.

[rice cracker]

I remember a part from one of his gigilo movies he had his 'father' talking about his 'mother,' and i think it played on the whore/mail order bride thing.

Represent!

[Golden Monkey]

Didn't see all of it. Maggie Q's acceptance speech was pretty cringe-worthy.

Other than that, get rid of Rod Schneider, Tarantino, Kenny Q, and then it may be heading towards the right direction.

Did I miss something? Are Tarantino and Kenny G hapa?

http://www.axawards.com/

[SunWuKong]

the inclusion of people like Tarantino and Kenny G is part of the reason why i asked the questions in my first post in the thread. if you don't think people like those two should have been in the show, what would you like to see as some rules on who to include and who to give awards to?

i think they included Tarantino last year, too. maybe he's putting down money or promoting the awards. who knows, but i agree he's pretty unnecessary. i have to admit though that Kenny G played a great sax version of Teresa Teng's 月亮代表我的心 。

[Banana]

Just another pointless show where some Asian people celabrate their supposed greatness when in reality, most are pretty untalented and could be replaced with a piece of wood.

I gave up on Asian American media fecal soup a long time ago, Watch movies and shows from Asian if you want to watched decent roles for Asians. There is only so much one can take of the same stuff.

[USCTrojanzNo1]

I've read/heard numerous complaints that this show had too many "quasi-Asians" (hapas and Indians) and didn't focus too much on "real" Asians (like Chinese, Koreans, Japanese in the media). Some have suggested that the Asian Excellence Awards should only focus on authentic Asian and Asian American representation in the media (the Yul Kwons and the Masi okas) instead of the quasi-Asians (Rob Schneider, hapas, Sanjaya, etc.).

Not my words, but the jist of some complaints I read and heard.

On another note, I was surprised that neither Cheryl Burke nor Apolo Anton Ohno (from Dancing with the Stars) were nominated for Best Reality TV Star. I mean, they put friggin' Sanjaya as a nominee but not Ohno???

And yes, Cheryl Burke has also been pretty outspoken about her Filipino background (her mother is Filipino).

[SunWuKong]

I've read/heard numerous complaints that this show had too many "quasi-Asians" (hapas and Indians) and didn't focus too much on "real" Asians (like Chinese, Koreans, Japanese in the media). Some have suggested that the Asian Excellence Awards should only focus on authentic Asian and Asian American representation in the media (the Yul Kwons and the Masi okas) instead of the quasi-Asians (Rob Schneider, hapas, Sanjaya, etc.).

right. but even on the quote-on-quote "real Asians" that have been involved, i've read complaints about including those that have played stereotypical characters, or that date white guys.

[USCTrojanzNo1]

right. but even on the quote-on-quote "real Asians" that have been involved, i've read complaints about including those that have played stereotypical characters, or that date white guys.

Masi Oka's character in Heroes is sorta a stereotype, but he's extremely popular with both Asians and non-Asians. Yul Kwon also is a stereotype (the super-smart model minority) but at least its a stereotype that most real Asians don't mind (plus all the Asian girls I know think he's super-hot, and many Asian guys like him as well b/c it shows that Asians can be both super-smart and hot, the real life Asian McDreamy).

To ruffle a few feathers here, I do think that some real Asians (or at least the ones I've had to listen to @ work) resent the quasi-Asians because the quasi-Asians do appear to have had more success (and gained more acceptance) in the mainstream media. Apolo Anton Ohno is extremely popular on Dancing with the Stars and is probably the hottest name in reality TV right now, but I'm probably the only "full" Asian who thinks he's cool (a lot of my Asian friends think he's a cocky punk and claim that if Apolo were a full-blooded Asian, he would never be this popular). Of course the reason I like him is because he was dancing with the hottest chick on that show. also, Asian Indians appear to have had quite a bit of success in relationships with white women (Elizabeth Hurley married some really rich indian guy) while real Asians continue to whine about their perceived lack of success with Caucasian women.

The quasi-Asians (meaning Indians, Persians, and Hapas) have also been able to play a wider range of roles (though they too have had to play their share of stereotypes).

[bluemonq]

Looking at the website:
"The 2007 AZN Asian Excellence Awards..."

Pass. Call it an irrational bias, but anytime I see or hear 'azn' I automatically sort of ignore whatever follows. They should work on getting more A/AA into the spotlight before they try to have an awards show, because it just looks sad as it is.

[SunWuKong]

Looking at the website:
"The 2007 AZN Asian Excellence Awards..."

Pass. Call it an irrational bias, but anytime I see or hear 'azn' I automatically sort of ignore whatever follows. They should work on getting more A/AA into the spotlight before they try to have an awards show, because it just looks sad as it is.

that's actually in reference to the AZN Television Network. i think they got their funding cut a while back and now most of what they show are just movies and TV shows from Asia, and also some anime.

but i want to point out, this award ceremony could possibly promote more Asian actors and actresses in the spotlight. it was aired on E! last Thursday night.

[rice cracker]

"You don't have to be Asian to win, but it helps a shitload if you are."

I found a lot of the so called, "excellence" just laughable. I mean, I get it, there aren't a lot of Asians in the media, but nominating that horrible actor who plays Dr. Suresh on Heroes was just sad. And that is just one of many egregious examples of "excellence."

Also, I solidly hate Masi Oka. Kyson Lee wuz robbed!

[tripostrophe]

the inclusion of people like Tarantino and Kenny G is part of the reason why i asked the questions in my first post in the thread. if you don't think people like those two should have been in the show, what would you like to see as some rules on who to include and who to give awards to?

i think they included Tarantino last year, too. maybe he's putting down money or promoting the awards. who knows, but i agree he's pretty unnecessary. i have to admit though that Kenny G played a great sax version of Teresa Teng's 月亮代表我的心 。

I'd like to see a bar against people who either gave birth to a stereotype through their roles [long duk dong, 'me so horny,' suzie wong, etc.] or continually take roles that are negative portrayals of APIAs in the media. And shit, fuck tarantino, he's obviously an asiaphile who takes it one step further with his aggressive demasculinization of APIA males in his movies + aggressively pushing APIA women into the typical colonial whore boxes (e.g. Asian women dying for their white master in Kill Bill -- which I refuse to see, but I'm pretty sure I've got the gist of it by now). People like that should be nowhere near the awards. It makes the whole show feel very..."house."

[SunWuKong]

I'd like to see a bar against people who either gave birth to a stereotype through their roles [long duk dong, 'me so horny,' suzie wong, etc.] or continually take roles that are negative portrayals of APIAs in the media.

that may leave out someone like Masi Oka. his character is the quintessential nerdy Japanese guy. he just needs to add horny to the character and it would be Long Duk Dong.

And shit, fuck tarantino, he's obviously an asiaphile who takes it one step further with his aggressive demasculinization of APIA males in his movies + aggressively pushing APIA women into the typical colonial whore boxes (e.g. Asian women dying for their white master in Kill Bill -- which I refuse to see, but I'm pretty sure I've got the gist of it by now). People like that should be nowhere near the awards. It makes the whole show feel very..."house."

actually i don't remember any Asian women dying for their white master in Kill Bill. the portrayal of Uma Thurman killing a hundred Asian guys is not the best, and of course there were complaints about kungfu master Pai Mei, but the movie had some great lines. some of them delivered by Lucy Liu (yes i know a lot of people hate her) about being Chinese and American.

[nameless]

This thing is a joke. For starters, they need to only give out awards to people who "deserve it." Okay, these awards are a joke anyway, but at the very least, get rid of the non/poor-repping Asians, hapas, and non-Asians - Kelly Hu, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, and Tarantino? WTF? But I guess if you eliminate the above, you could hold the show in someone's backyard.

I don't even think this thing is for Asians, so much as it is for Whites to think TV is diverse and/or get a good laugh. When I saw a previous years show, there were more White people than you'd ever expect in, say, a BET awards show.

[tripostrophe]

that may leave out someone like Masi Oka. his character is the quintessential nerdy Japanese guy. he just needs to add horny to the character and it would be Long Duk Dong.

I see your point, but the thing with people like Masi Oka is that the producers have allowed his character to develop into a more positive image over the season, yeah? I remember in discussions re: Heroes there was a lot of apprehension regarding his character, but people seem to be okay with him right now?

actually i don't remember any Asian women dying for their white master in Kill Bill. the portrayal of Uma Thurman killing a hundred Asian guys is not the best, and of course there were complaints about kungfu master Pai Mei, but the movie had some great lines. some of them delivered by Lucy Liu (yes i know a lot of people hate her) about being Chinese and American.

And I dunno, I think it was subtle, like all the sub-villains she had to kill like Lucy Liu's character were all Asian (with a hapa or two) -- so like the overarching message, rather than one scene or anything. But yeah, I heard about that scene too. And I dunno...even if they were great, the vehicle probably ruined what could've been decent.

[SunWuKong]

I see your point, but the thing with people like Masi Oka is that the producers have allowed his character to develop into a more positive image over the season, yeah? I remember in discussions re: Heroes there was a lot of apprehension regarding his character, but people seem to be okay with him right now?

so i guess that's an exception? his character may be well-liked, but it's still very stereotypical, especially when you consider the fact that both he and Kyson Lee speak perfect English and are playing characters with accents.

i'm just thinking, if i was one of the people put in charge of selecting who to involve and who not to involve, it would be a difficult job to appease everyone. sure, Tarantino should have been a no-brainer, and i'm guessing they included him because his high profile would give the award exposure, or maybe he's putting in money for the show, but to consider more stringent criteria, whether or not to select someone like Masi Oka would be a difficult decision. also, under more stringent criteria, i think Sandra Oh and Yunjin Kim would be the only women to be nominated for any of the awards - South Asians are out, mixed women are out, women that have played slutty roles are out, and i don't think Ming Na had any significant roles last year. even then Yunjin Kim's character on Lost hardly knows any English and speaks it with a thick accent - foreigner stereotype once again.

but i think as it stands, they're basically nominating whatever Asian person that had a good amount of mainstream spotlight for the past year. there really aren't a lot to choose from in the first place.

[Banana]

They need a catagory called: Least likely to resist stereotypical roles.

And why the fuck was Grace Park wearing a fuckin' garbage bag?

[USCTrojanzNo1]

so i guess that's an exception? his character may be well-liked, but it's still very stereotypical, especially when you consider the fact that both he and Kyson Lee speak perfect English and are playing characters with accents.

i'm just thinking, if i was one of the people put in charge of selecting who to involve and who not to involve, it would be a difficult job to appease everyone. sure, Tarantino should have been a no-brainer, and i'm guessing they included him because his high profile would give the award exposure, or maybe he's putting in money for the show, but to consider more stringent criteria, whether or not to select someone like Masi Oka would be a difficult decision. also, under more stringent criteria, i think Sandra Oh and Yunjin Kim would be the only women to be nominated for any of the awards - South Asians are out, mixed women are out, women that have played slutty roles are out, and i don't think Ming Na had any significant roles last year. even then Yunjin Kim's character on Lost hardly knows any English and speaks it with a thick accent - foreigner stereotype once again.

but i think as it stands, they're basically nominating whatever Asian person that had a good amount of mainstream spotlight for the past year. there really aren't a lot to choose from in the first place.

So by your criteria, Sun, looks like only the following people who would be eligible to win any awards would be the following (by virtue of being a full-blooded, "true" Asian):

Yul Kwon
John Cho
James Sun
Yau-Man Chan
Daniel Dae Kim
Sandra Oh
Yunjin Kim
Justin Lin
Sung Kang
BD Wong
Will Yun Lee
Ken Leung
Margaret Cho(?)
Bobby Lee(?)
Masi Oka(?)

I'm surprised (well, not really), at the number of East Asians who do not want Indians or hapas to be included in this list of awards. so I guess that means Russell Wong would be out?

[tripostrophe]

so i guess that's an exception? his character may be well-liked, but it's still very stereotypical, especially when you consider the fact that both he and Kyson Lee speak perfect English and are playing characters with accents.

Well, I haven't seen too much of Heroes so I guess I can't really say anything beyond what I've heard -- which is that he has an everyman appeal to his character or something? But yeah, I dunno how to feel about the accents.

i'm just thinking, if i was one of the people put in charge of selecting who to involve and who not to involve, it would be a difficult job to appease everyone. sure, Tarantino should have been a no-brainer, and i'm guessing they included him because his high profile would give the award exposure, or maybe he's putting in money for the show, but to consider more stringent criteria, whether or not to select someone like Masi Oka would be a difficult decision. also, under more stringent criteria, i think Sandra Oh and Yunjin Kim would be the only women to be nominated for any of the awards - South Asians are out, mixed women are out, women that have played slutty roles are out, and i don't think Ming Na had any significant roles last year. even then Yunjin Kim's character on Lost hardly knows any English and speaks it with a thick accent - foreigner stereotype once again.

Hm...I dunno about excluding S(E) Asians and mixed/hapas, but I think negative portrayals would be a good starter. Consider that we're such a small portion of the population, and this is compounded by all the divisions within and between us -- if we can start seeing each other as at least allies, if not people who share a common struggle, then media seems as good a starting place as any. And I guess you have a point with the foreigner stereotype, which I began to forget about as the season progressed..

but i think as it stands, they're basically nominating whatever Asian person that had a good amount of mainstream spotlight for the past year. there really aren't a lot to choose from in the first place.

[deez nuts]

So by your criteria, Sun, looks like only the following people who would be eligible to win any awards would be the following (by virtue of being a full-blooded, "true" Asian):

Yul Kwon
John Cho
James Sun
Yau-Man Chan
Daniel Dae Kim
Sandra Oh
Yunjin Kim
Justin Lin
Sung Kang
BD Wong
Will Yun Lee
Ken Leung
Margaret Cho(?)
Bobby Lee(?)
Masi Oka(?)

I'm surprised (well, not really), at the number of East Asians who do not want Indians or hapas to be included in this list of awards. so I guess that means Russell Wong would be out?



from your list it would be just these three:

Justin Lin
BD Wong
Ken Leung

just the chinese ones is all i care about and i would want to win. oh and deuce bigalow cuz he kicks ass. no yau man chan because he was born in malaysia. ken leung's chinese background is also kinda iffy since i don't see anything online to verify his chinese background. but, i will give him the benefit of the doubt.

[rice cracker]

Well, shit, let's just break down the awards to "Korean American Awards," "Chinese American Awards," "Japanese American Awards," and so on.

Sellouts need not apply. Same goes for war babies, unless they look Asian.

Edit: above comment is not directed at anyone posting so far, but at the people complaining about the award participants. I think the complaints themselves really say a lot about the complainers than the show.

[deez nuts]

Well, shit, let's just break down the awards to "Korean American Awards," "Chinese American Awards," "Japanese American Awards," and so on.

Sellouts need not apply. Same goes for war babies, unless they look Asian.

that's what i'm saying, baby! except for deuce bigalow, he transcends asian ethnicities and war babies cuz he is that awesome.

[SunWuKong]

So by your criteria, Sun, looks like only the following people who would be eligible to win any awards would be the following (by virtue of being a full-blooded, "true" Asian):

Yul Kwon
John Cho
James Sun
Yau-Man Chan
Daniel Dae Kim
Sandra Oh
Yunjin Kim
Justin Lin
Sung Kang
BD Wong
Will Yun Lee
Ken Leung
Margaret Cho(?)
Bobby Lee(?)
Masi Oka(?)

I'm surprised (well, not really), at the number of East Asians who do not want Indians or hapas to be included in this list of awards. so I guess that means Russell Wong would be out?

no, i'm being the devil's advocate, speaking hypothetically, because there are so many complaints about who are invited to present at the awards and whom the awards were given to. personally i don't think they need to have a very stringent criteria on who to include. but i agree it's strange to invite someone like Tarantino.

[bluemonq]

Here's a compromise - what if most of the awards had the stricter criteria, and then there was an award, something like "Greatest Contribution in Direct Advocacy" or whatever that was open to pretty much anyone?
that's actually in reference to the AZN Television Network. i think they got their funding cut a while back and now most of what they show are just movies and TV shows from Asia, and also some anime.
I'm well aware of the network. The name just keeps me away.

[nameless]

screw all this, i was Asian Razz Awards.

[USCTrojanzNo1]

screw all this, i was Asian Razz Awards.

I propose a new award show.

As we all know, this year has been a scandalous year for Asian Americans. From death threats and cheating scandals to impersonating Stanford students, 2007 has been a pretty embarassing year for Asians and Asian Americans. Some time ago, Asians proudly boasted of being the model minority, the one group of individuals who were completely infallible with top flight academic credentials and impressive white collar jobs. Many Asians proudly upheld the yuppie image and loved to brag about making mid six figures by the time they reach 28.

So in honor (dishonor?) of this noteworthy change of Asians from the Model Minority to the Mentally Screwed Up Minority, I have proposed this award: the "Most Embarrassing Asian or Asian American Incident" of 2007.

Here are the nominees

Joseph Cho: Former University of Pennsylvania law student threatened to kill a couple of South Asian students from Drexel. Cho thought that they were "terrorists." Some have speculated that this was an invidious hate crime; others believe Cho just snapped.

Kenneth Eng: an Asian Supremacist who thinks that Asians are superior and blacks are an inferior race. He was also recently arrested and jailed for threatening a woman and her dog. Some say he's just a mental screw up; others believe he might be The Dragon Master reincarnated.

Duke MBA students: 34 Duke MBA students were caught in a major cheating scandal. 9 of them face expulsion. These 9 students claim that it was all a "cultural misunderstanding" and believe they were expelled in part because they were Asian (looks like Asians are picking up a technique that blacks often use: playing the race card).

Allen Lee: Chinese-American student wrote some story fantasizing about killing everybody in school. He was arrested for disorderly conduct, but criminal charges were dropped. Although I had a hunch that Allen was just writing a sick joke, I think that he should be disciplined by the school. If I were the school principal, I would give Allen Lee as much as one week in-school suspension. I would furthermore prohibit Allen from attending his high school graduation. Allen should have known better (especially in light of the VT tragedy).

Azia Kim: insecure Asian student tried to masquerade as a Stanford University student. Some say that her actions were justified and that she should be allowed admission as a full-time regular student. Others believe she's just an insecure nutjob.

(Note that I did not "nominate" Seung-Hui Cho. We all know what he did and for me to make him a part of my satire would be a sick joke. Just thinking about the pain that all his victims' families and friends suffered makes me feel uncomfortable.)

[deez nuts]

we definitely need an asian razz award to break the model minority myth!

[eos]

my sister and i watched this last week.

i asked how they were able to persuade random asians on the street to dress up and fill up the theater on such short notice.