If Takai Tweets It Then It Must Be Good (Aka Akira = White People)

From the Takai in the latest battle to not Whitewash us again in Hollywood:

Akira epic fail. All actors up for Kaneda & Tetsuo are white?. Sign & RT the [virtual] petition.

Do it now.

Nico Minoru, Runaways, A Little More Japanese American Internment, And Getting Your WhiteWash On?

I don't really follow the comic, but I do know this - Nico Minoru is Japanese American and if the casting call is simply for a "uniquely beautiful, nuturing and guarded" 16 - 18 year old female." there's definitely a problem.

Here's to hoping Hollywood doesn't fuck this one up too.

The Whitewashing Of “The Weapon”

Again? Really? C'mon.

From Racebending:

Well, Hollywood does it again, this time by casting Italian American Disney channel darling David Henrie to play–get this–an Asian American character named Tommy Zhou. Platinum Studios is making a film adaption of their comic book series The Weapon.
The filmmakers are emphasizing Henrie’s martial arts experience while de-emphasizing the fact that the character he plays is Asian American. This is again another example of Hollywood sending the message that white actors are more qualified to portray Asian characters than Asian American actors are.

The Weapon is written by comic book author Fred Van Lente, who is well known for helping popularize another Asian American comic book hero, Marvel’s Amadeus Cho. Amadeus, Jubilee, and Tommy Zhou are some of the very few Asian American comic book heroes in existence.

When will it ever end...

In Pics: Last Airbender

Caught the above pic from SCI FI Wire.

Good enough for cartoons, not quite ready for real-life says Hollywood.

Yay.