Old friends, new friends!

Hollywood to blame for Asian underrepresentation?

If you're portraying the Prince of Persia or an Asian monk or an Egyptian queen...why are you white?

By Lisa Respers France, CNN
June 18, 2010 4:36 p.m. EDT
There was a time when if a white actor or actress was cast in the role of a character of color, there was very little outcry.
When Swedish actor Warner Oland portrayed Asian detective Charlie Chan or Elizabeth Taylor was cast as Cleopatra, the Queen of Egypt, there was no call for boycotts or publicized outrage.
But times have changed, and these days some fans ask the question why, with so many talented black, Latino and Asian actors, does Hollywood continue to pass them over?
"It seems that not a year goes by where this debate isn't had, and I think it's a worthy debate," said Andrew Wallenstein, editor for The Hollywood Reporter's website. "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."
...
"It's acting folks," wrote a commenter named Dianne. "You don't have to be the color of the person you're impersonating. How far do you want to take this? We should fire Hugh Laurie immediately because he's an Oxford, England, born actor playing an American on House M.D.?"
...
Fans recently cried foul at the casting of Jake Gyllenhaal as the Prince of Persia and the young actor Noah Ringer as the adolescent hero Aang and other actors in the upcoming film "The Last Airbender." There were even calls for boycotts of both films.
...
Craig Detweiler, director of the Center for Entertainment, Media and Culture at Pepperdine University, said Hollywood has "a long and painful history of misrepresentation."
"Whether you are talking about Warner Oland as Charlie Chan or Angelina Jolie as Cleopatra, given opportunities to give actors appropriate roles, Hollywood often defers to box office," he said. "With 'The Last Airbender' you have four Asian/Inuit roles that all went to Caucasian actors."
Detweiler said he believes "Prince of Persia" suffered at the box office because moviegoers didn't buy Gyllenhaal in the title role. "Sometimes Hollywood sabotages themselves by having lower expectations than the audience," he said. "If you think about it, in an America that can elect Barack Obama it's somewhat shocking that supposedly progressive Hollywood can be so regressive in their casting."
Tyler Maddox-Simms is director of the soon-to-be-released film "Love Chronicles: Secrets Revealed," which features an all-black cast including Vivica Fox and Ving Rhames. Maddox-Simms says she has no problem with Jolie playing Cleopatra, though she understands the frustration -- especially given the dearth of roles available for minority actors.
"Personally, in my films I want the best talent, no matter what the color," Maddox-Simms. "For black actresses especially there are so few good roles every year and so few lead parts for actors of color."

Wong Fu!!!

Looks like it's gonna be good! And, Phillip Wang is looking hot as always...

Hot Weather + Express Shirt = ...

This is what hard work looks like :)

New Big Bang Song

I just saw this new video from Big Bang today. Thought I'd share it with you all.

New Mariah Carey Fragrances!!!

My University Housing Office

The view from my office...not very "sight"ful...

Love...No H8

OMG...

That's all I have to say...

Tribute to Alex Sharpe

I'm still so sad about Alex's decision to take a break :( So here's a tribute.



You'll always be in our hearts, Alex...

U of I's Mascot

So, before I arrived to the campus, I was doing my research online of the institution. And, I came across a "Mascot Issue" link on their the student affairs website. Not too long ago, they had gotten rid of their mascot, Chief Illiniwek. I never really thought about this nor did I ever realize this, but it's highly offensive to use a Native American as your mascot. It just really hit me hard.
Central Michigan University Chippewas...Washington Redskins...Chicago Blackhawks...And many more!
What's even worse is that they would have a white guy dress up and be Chief Illiniwek at games. They also have student groups against the retirement of the mascot. Alumni are pissed. "It's tradition," blah, blah, blah. Some stores that sell U of I gear are still selling shirts with the chief on it.
Let's be a little bit more inclusive and promote diversity people...

Mascot Issue

On February 21, 2007, the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign retired the Chief Illiniwek as its mascot. The following statements offer a perspective about this issue in hopes that our community can advocate for a more positive and safe campus climate. The Office of Inclusion and Intercultural Relations, by way of this web page, hopes to respectfully support and uphold the decision of the Board of Trustees, while offering a platform for constructive resolutions to this issue.

Statement from the OIIR Cultural Houses:
"The continued use of Chief Illiniwek is an obstacle to fulfilling our mission of promoting a diverse and welcoming environment that supports full inclusion for all members of the University community. We strive to respect the human dignity of all individuals and communities. Our units seek to provide arenas for the exploration of personal and community identities and opportunities to increase understanding and valuing of differences. Therefore, the retirement of Chief Illiniwek is in the best interest of our community."

LGBT Resource Center

Can you tell what community each flag represents?

Asian American Cultural Center

Me in my office. Well, actually it's the reception desk...



This is the AACC bulletin board. It has all of the center's information, as well as staff bios.



That's me!!!



This is their kitchen. It's pretty nice...



The lounge area...



The lounge area again...



The reception desk sans moi...



Lt. Dan Choi came to U of I this past semester to speak and they have a bulletin board on him. So jealous...

One of my favorite teachers EVER!

If someone were to ask for one single reason why I study French, I would say that it is because of Madame (Mrs.) Schuetz. Madame Schuetz was my high school French teacher. Just a little before my sister's high school graduation, my sister came home to tell me that she and her husband will be retiring. I was so sad :( She had such a huge influence on me and sealed the deal on me deciding to major in French. If she could have taught me French for the rest of my life, I would have chosen that. I will miss her a lot. Her teaching style, her enthusiasm, her little side jokes, everything!

This is an email from her that I just received today:

Cher Raoul,

Je prends ma retraite! Monsieur Schuetz et moi, nous anticipons une vie de repos, de voyage et de bonnes memoires. Je suis tellement fiere de toi et de tout ce que tu as accompli. Continue a apprecier la belle langue et la culture merveilleuse francaise. Ne t’arrete jamais d’apprendre et de partager ta joie et ta curiosite intellectuelle avec les autres. Je sais que tu vas beaucoup contribuer au monde, et que tu passeras une vie de success. J’espere que tu seras toujours heureux.

Madame Schuetz

Here's a tribute to her:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGn8RwJsQ3U

Umm...What?! WHY???

If you haven't heard, Alex Sharpe has decided to take a full time break from Celtic Woman.

It has been a great joy and pleasure to be a part of the Celtic Woman family these past 3 years but the time has come for me to be with my own family full time back at home.

I would like to thank all the fans for the support they have given me from the beginning and throughout the years.

Thank you especially to Lynn, Lisa, Máiréad and Chloë for welcoming me into Celtic Woman with open arms, and to all the Celtic Woman team on and off stage….You are amazing!

I will always cherish this experience and wish everybody continued success and happiness for the future.

Yours sincerely,

Alex Sharpe

And she was such a great addition too...Good luck singing 4-part songs with only the 3 of you [singers] left!

Speaking of couples...

My sister KaBao and Emilio! It's official on facebook now. So you know what that means??? It's getting serious!!! Haha, jk. Not to publicize her relationship or anything, but I love her to death and I just want her to be happy. I highly disapproved of the last guy with whom she was involved. She hated me for it, but a brother's gotta do what a brother's gotta do. Anyway, I like Emilio and I approve :P

Couples photo

If I were to get like a couples photo shoot or engagement pictures, I want one like this one. The big one in the center. Forget everything around it. I think it's such a beautiful photo. It's love, happiness, and perfection. I like the angle that it's taken from too...*Sigh*...One day...

:)

Surgery no longer a requirement for changing gender on passport
By the CNN Wire Staff
June 9, 2010 10:07 p.m. EDT

Washington (CNN) -- The U.S. State Department announced Wednesday a new policy that no longer requires passport applicants seeking a gender change to have undergone sexual reassignment surgery.

The policy, which goes into effect Thursday, allows a gender change with a certification from an attending physician.

The doctor's certification must confirm only that the passport applicant has undergone treatment for gender transition. Limited-validity passports for applicants who are in the process of gender transition also will be available under the policy.

Previously, individuals had to provide documentation from a surgeon that sex reassignment surgery had been performed on them, according to the National Center for Transgender Equality.

The announcement was made to coincide with Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Month, the State Department said.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/06/09/passports.transgender/index.html

Just a few random things...

That's Leezel Ramos. She's also an intern here during the summer. We actually work somewhat closely together. We've been exploring, hanging out, chillin' this past week. She's cool :)



YESSS!!! They have so many Edward posters :D



Ladies...you can wash your bras in a bra bag?



I bought this to make my room feel more like home...And so I can drool over him :P



This sandwich place has a Fat Sorostitute and Fat Frat sandwich...I bought the Fat Frat sandwich. It was pretty good...



University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a Big Ten school. So...they hate Michigan. Very much...I've been told already :(



DIM SUM!!! Leezel and I had some today :)

Internship in Urbana/Champaign

Everything is going well here. My first week is over. The first two days were orientation. I met almost everyone in the division of student affairs...well, the important people haha. I met a lot of the people over breakfast, lunch or dinner. So I ate. A LOT. And, all paid for too :)

They also gave me a tour of their campus. It is HUGE and BEAUTIFUL. Their gym is the BIGGEST one in the nation. It's 10 times the size of ours. I am so jealous. I get gym privileges so I've been working out there the past few days.

I'm having so much fun already and don't want the next 7 weeks to pass by too quickly. I made tons of friends and am looking forward to them showing me a good time in Urbana/Champaign.