NPR + Casting In NYC

A little bit ago I posted up some information on casting in NYC and it's nice to see that NPR did a story as well.

Read it here.

Spike Lee + Asian Profi'Lin

Since it's still flu season (and I'm a wuss) going in and out of consciousness, I'll just send a link.

At Least Jason Whitlock Didn't Say It Wasn't Racially Insensitive

Unlike a lot of other White People, at least Jason Whitlock apologized for what he said about Jeremy Lin and reflected:

Fox Sports’ Jason Whitlock apologized for an insensitive-at-best, and racist-at-worst, tweet about Knicks guard Jeremy Lin, which Whitlock posted after Lin’s 38-point performance against the Lakers on Friday. In a thinly-veiled reference to a stereotype about Asian men, Whitlock tweeted, “Some lucky lady in NYC is gonna feel a couple of inches of pain tonight.”

And then he at least learned and apologized:

Later Saturday, Whitlock, who is black, wrote on FoxSports.com, “I've cried watching Tiger Woods win a major golf championship. Jeremy Lin, for now, is the Tiger Woods of the NBA. I suspect Lin makes Asian Americans feel the way I feel when I watch Tiger play golf. “I should've realized that Friday night when I watched Lin torch the Lakers. For Asian Americans and a lot of sports fans, his nationally televised 38-point outburst was the equivalent of Tiger's first victory in The Masters. I got caught up in the excitement. I tweeted about what a great story Lin is and how he could rival Tim Tebow. “I then gave in to another part of my personality — my immature, sophomoric, comedic nature.”

Here's to hoping he learned something this time around.

And yes - that was an awesome game - guess Kobe knows how Lin is now...

In Pictures: When White People Attack

NY Daily.

Lin Gets More Love From USA Today

No really, he is.

Washington Does Good

Closer...

Washington has moved closer to becoming the seventh state in the nation to legalize gay marriage.

The state House of Representatives on Wednesday voted 55-43 in favor of a bill to allow same-sex couples to wed. The state Senate approved the proposal last week on a 28-21 vote.

"Marriage is the word our society uses to describe committed lifelong relationships," said Rep. Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, a gay lawmaker who helped lead efforts to push the bill through the Legislature, The Seattle Times reported.
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"I would like for our four children ... to grow up understanding that their daddy and papa have made the kind of lifelong commitment to each other," Pedersen said. "Marriage is the word we use in our society to convey that idea."

Matt Damon, The Semi-Talented Mr. Uckley, And Ripping Obama (AKA When White People Have Remorse)

Maybe it's the fact that Damon's last string of movies just haven't been that good, or maybe it's the fact that he's just looking a little more like a poochy White Guy and just needs to lash out at someone (and yes I realize that types ad hominem and personal and that also using those two words together is a little redundant but I can't help it on both because I'm feeling a little verbalitastic, or verbalicaustic, whichever you might choose, and yes btw, those are made up words).

Or - maybe it's the fact that he's just another White Guy who only sees it from his POV, which would be a White Guy's POV (and yes, that's also redundant, but maybe there's a reason for all this redundancy?) who maybe doesn't understand what it takes to be the first President Of The United States Of America Who Hasn't Been White? Who not only has to deal with bridging the gap from a political sense, but also a racial sense? And having to do it all while inheriting a fragile economy both here and around the world?

I mean if you think about the studies that have educated us over and over (and over yet again) about how we as POC earn less and have to work harder than our White Counterparts because of stereotypical perceptions and racial bias, doesn't it hold true than that the first President Of The United States Who's Not A White Male still has to work against those same perceptions and racial biases?

That while he can be bold and strong as a leader - as he as - that like it or not he still has to work within the system doing things just a little differently?

Maybe it's just me - but how does a President take out Bin Laden yet still get questioned about "having balls"?

I wonder what the sentiment would be like if this was Clinton instead of Obama?

And maybe it's just me again - but I wonder if Damon is really saying something like this:

"This is what I get for helping to put this Black MF in office. He can't get shit done. He has no leadership and now I look like the stupidest MF because I told all my White friends that you know what - this guy's it. But you know what? He's not. He can't get it done and I should have known better. He's just your typical n*****."

Then again - that's probably just me.

Stats, A Roundtable, And Under-Representation: Asian American Performers Action Coalition

Click on the image for a larger version

Definitely sounds like it will be a great event to learn more about what's not being done, the reasons why, and what the future could hold.

ASIAN PERFORMERS GROUP UNVEILS REPORT ON UNDER-REPRESENTATION OF ASIAN ACTORS ON NEW YORK CITY STAGES.

WILL HOLD INDUSTRY ROUNDTABLE ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012, 7 PM. “CHINGLISH” AUTHOR DAVID HENRY HWANG TO MODERATE.

The Asian American Performers Action Coalition (AAPAC) released preliminary findings today on the representation of minority actors on New York City’s most prominent stages during the last five years. The full report, which will be released on Monday February 13th in conjunction with an industry roundtable, tallies the ethnic make-up of casts from all shows which opened on Broadway during this period and productions from sixteen of the largest not-for-profit theatres in New York City: The Atlantic Theatre Company, Classic Stage Company, Lincoln Center Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Club, MCC, The New Group, New York Theatre Workshop, Playwrights Horizons, Primary Stages, Public Theatre, Roundabout Theatre Company, Second Stage, Signature Theatre, Theatre for a New Audience, Vineyard Theatre and The York Theatre Company. It is the first report on minority casting in New York theatre ever to be released publicly.

Promisingly, the report reveals that the percentage of minority actors in relation to total number of roles has increased, hovering at or near 21 percent for the past four years compared to 14 percent five years ago. In addition, the percentage of minority actors cast in roles which were not racially specific (what is commonly referred to as non-traditional or inclusive casting) rose year to year, an indicator of creativity within the casting process and, possibly, the breaking down of traditional racial stereotypes.

Still, only 10.6 percent of all roles this past year were cast without regard to race and very few minority actors were seen in leading roles. With very few ethnic and minority stories in mainstream New York theatre during this period, expanding non-traditional casting seems to be the best way to secure more employment opportunities for minority actors. Numbers for Native American, Arab American/Middle Eastern and disabled actors were negligible and practically non-existent.

Most of the gains came from African-American performers who far outpaced their minority counterparts. Percentage of African-American performers to total number of roles doubled to 16 percent in the 08/09 and 09/10 seasons compared to 8 percent five years ago, dipping slightly to 14 percent this past year. African-Americans were far more likely than any other minority group to be cast in a role that did not specify race. Though far behind in total numbers, Latino performers also doubled their visibility, accounting for 4 percent of total roles this past season compared to 2 percent five years ago.

In contrast, Asian American performers do not seem to be a part of the trend towards more inclusive casting. Asian American performers saw their numbers drop, from 3 percent of all roles five years ago to 1 percent in the 08/09 and 09/10 seasons with a slight up tick to 2 percent this past year. While they were as likely as their Latino colleagues to be non-traditionally cast five and four years ago, in the past three years numbers of non-traditionally cast roles increased for Latinos while they decreased for Asians.

• Asian Americans comprise 12.9 percent of New York City and is the city’s fastest growing major minority group, yet Asian American actors accounted for only 1.6 percent of all available roles in new productions on Broadway, 3.2 percent of roles at non-profit companies and 2.3 percent of roles when looking at the industry as a whole.
• There were only 18 Principal Broadway contracts for Asian American actors in the last five years.
• Asian American performers are the least likely among the major minority groups to play roles that are not defined by their race.

In response to these findings, AAPAC will hold an industry roundtable with prominent producers, artistic directors, directors, playwrights, agents and casting directors to have a dialogue on access and representation of minority actors on NYC stages and how best to overcome obstacles to more inclusive casting. It will be co-presented with Fordham University and will be moderated by Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang (Chinglish, M. Butterfly):

AAPAC and Fordham University present
"RepresentAsian: The Changing Face of New York Theater"
Monday, February 13th, at 7:00 pm
The Pope Auditorium at Fordham University
60th St/and Columbus avenue, just inside main entrance

To RSVP, send an email to aapacrsvp@gmail.com Seating is limited.

Roundtable participants are currently being confirmed and announced. For more information check out the FB page.

Asian American Writers' Workshop Call for Creative Nonfiction Fellows: New York, NY

Don't say you didn't know.

Open City: Mapping Urban Asian America, a new online magazine on Asian American news and culture in New York, is hiring creative nonfiction fellows to produce content on the vibrant immigrant communities of Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. The new magazine will offer smart takes on Asian American (particularly immigrant) culture as it's lived in New York right now. Imagine stories on: the proliferation of x-rated video stories in Sunset Park, migratory patterns of Little Pakistani residents, karaoke bar culture, gentrification in Chinatown, or how Korean taco trucks define ethnic borders and space.

Applications are due on February 17, 2012.

How to apply: aaww.org/opencityapply.
For more info., contact Kai Ma, editor, at kma@aaww.org.

2012 SFIAAFF + Become A Ukulele Star

You still have time damn it!

And yes - you can also get early bird tickets too.

Calling All Wannabe Ukulele Stars!

Eddie Vedder: “Jake is taking the instrument to a place that I can’t see anybody else catching up with him.”

Brian May: “Amazing uke playing to be relished.”

Calling all wannabe ukulele stars! Are you ready for a little YouTube fame that’ll get you onstage to open for ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro? Jake’s fans will compete in an online ukulele contest and the chance to open for him at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (2012 SFIAAFF) on Wednesday, March 14, 2012 at the historic Castro Theatre in San Francisco.

Jake will be in town for the world premiere of a new documentary on his life and career, so the evening will be very special for all. The film, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Tadashi Nakamura, is a production of the Center for Asian American Media, who has presented SFIAAFF for 30 years.

Millions of fans around the world first discovered Jake through his now-famous YouTube clip performing George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”:

Now it’s your turn! Much like Jake’s rise to popularity, contestants will submit their own video playing one of Jake’s songs. The winner will take center stage for an once-in-a-lifetime moment and perform one song before Jake Shimabukuro.

Contest Rules:

1. Create your own audition song video and upload it to YouTube.
(tag it Ukulelestar and CAAM. If you’re on Twitter, #Ukulelestar)
2. The song must be originally written by Jake himself.
3. Email the link to jakecontest [at] caamedia [dot] org with your name and phone number. All entries must be submitted by midnight on February 20, 2012.

That’s it! Our panel of esteemed judges will then select five finalists for the final round of voting and that is when we turn to you, the YouTube community, on February 20-26, to help us choose the winner!

We’ll announce the winner on February 27, 2012.

Good luck and start practicing!

Debbie Spend It Now Random Thoughts

1. Yes - that's some racist xenophobic take me back to the days of me love you long time bullshit.

2. Not really that surprising that Hoekstra, on Fox News no less (gasp!), denies that it's a racist ad.

It's LINSANITY!

Sure, Tim Legler doesn't think Lin will be able to keep it up at "this level" - but that's okay - sometimes we really are the sleeping giants - and no, that wasn't an allusion to anything that you might be thinking, and yes - you know as well as I do that sometimes we chinky MF's just don't get the credit we deserve (and yes, I did use that phrase in that way for all the reasons you can probably guess, but if you can't, there's not much I can do for you).

Some More Random ESPN'ness

Before the game was over, the Madison Square Garden fans were openly cheering "M-V-P!" for Jeremy Lin.

Lin signed with the New York Knicks two days after Christmas and saw little playing time in his first month. However, on Jan. 28, he played 20 minutes and racked up six assists. This Saturday, he played 35 minutes and scored 25 points against the New Jersey Nets. By Monday, he was the starting point guard, putting up career-highs with 28 points, eight assists and eight turnovers to lead the Knicks over the Jazz, 99-88, without either Carmelo Anthony (left in the first quarter with a groin strain) or Amare Stoudmire (mourning the loss of his brother).

One thing that separates Lin from the other point guards on the Knicks' roster is his passing ability, especially in the pick-and-roll. Against the Utah Jazz, Lin repeatedly gave Tyson Chandler and Jared Jeffries the ball in good position to score. The two forwards combined for 23 points, mostly because of Lin's ability to find the dive man.

Open Call: Locating The Sacred Festival

I got word from Elana Chang, the Festival Coordinator for this year's Asian American Arts Alliance's "Locating the Sacred" festival Open Calls and wanted to make sure and post up the information.

OPEN CALL FOR ARTISTS & SPACE HOSTS

The Asian American Arts Alliance (a4) is pleased to announce its call for artists & spaces for the 2012 "Locating the Sacred" Festival!

"Locating the Sacred" is a twelve-day, twenty-event festival that brings together artists & spaces in New York for creative explorations of the "sacred". The festival acts as a showcase of the vibrancy of the local Asian American community and aims to provide all New Yorkers with fresh ways to think about what constitutes sacredness today. Artists from all backgrounds and spaces from across the five boroughs are encouraged to apply.

Applications will be open from January 3rd - February 20th, 2012.
The festival takes place September 12th - 23rd, 2012 .

For more information about the festival visit their site.

It's Flu Season

That's all...back to the rock I live under for r&r to get rid of the plague.

I Agree + MSNBC + Al Sharpton

Sharpton on Newt Gingrich's racist code phrases:

“He’s going after a southern mentality, and racial allusions, always wrapped around when he refers to the president, when he talks about this food stamp stuff,” MSNBC anchor Rev. Al Sharpton observed. “These are — Newt Gingrich is many things, stupid is not one of them. He knows exactly what he’s saying, he knows exactly who he’s playing to, when you look at that map, when you deal with the northern border of Florida, which is southern Alabama, he knows what card he’s playing.”