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The two Asian characters on Fox’s Glee lock lips—a major TV milestone for Asian Americana, right? But Oliver Saria argues, the show gets “the whole Asian thing” mostly wrong.
I heart Glee…maybe more than a heterosexual man in his mid-30s should admit. I confess that I enjoy the singing and dancing, but I also tune in to watch the multifaceted portrayals of the various characters unfold on the show. Usually, they start off as broad caricatures (the Jock, the Drama Queen, the Ditz, the Slut, the Gay Kid, the Sassy Black Girl, the Asian, etc.,) but eventually develop into authentic, complex personalities.
Recently, however, the Asian characters on the show seem to be backsliding while they simultaneously receive more airtime. For the most part, I commend the writers for breaking the mold when it comes to Mike Chang (portrayed by Harry Shum, Jr.) and Tina Cohen-Chang (portrayed by Jenna Ushkowitz). Neither one is a soulless, grade-grubbing automaton with rivers of resentment for his/her overbearing parents. Tina is neither a dragon lady nor a geisha, but an angst-ridden goth chick with a fake stutter and an angelic voice; Mike is a jock rather than a hapless nerd who clearly knows more dance steps than kung fu moves. (Incidentally, the blogosphere has dubbed Shum “The Situ-Asian” for his washboard abs.) He in particular is a rare breed in the realm of television comedies. In a show with no shortage of geeks and gays, Mike is one of the few Asian male comedic characters on television that is neither.
Perhaps most surprisingly, the Asian girl on the show is actually dating the Asian guy. When was the last time you saw that on American TV? Okay, Lost had South Koreans Sun and Jin, but everything on that show was strange. And sure, The Secret Life of the American Teenager has two Asian American teens, Henry and Alice, who are not only dating, but doin’ it on the regular because cable is just freakier that way. Still, it’s kind of a rarity to have two ethnic minorities at all on any given show, let alone dating one another.
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Photo via NYTimes
Lt. Dan Choi, the Korean American who became the face of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal movement, re-enlisted in the military on Tuesday, this time as an openly gay man.
Choi, who was honorably discharged from the military after coming out, created a stir when he and Cpt. James Pietrangelo II were arrested for chaining themselves to the White House fence in a non-violent protest.
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The new old trophy wives: white women
By Oliver Saria
Illustration by Noah Dempewolf
Tiger Woods did Tiki Barber a solid. Last month, mere days before the 2010 Masters Golf Tournament—where Tiger made his return to the PGA tour after his obsessively publicized sex scandal—the New York Post’s Page Six broke the story about Tiki Barber’s own longstanding extramarital affair. Luckily for the retired New York Giants running back, nothing could come close to the sheer breadth and depth of Tiger’s douche-baggery. In comparison to Tiger’s gaggle of porn stars, Tiki’s infidelity with a former NBC intern seemed almost quaint. Besides, most of us were too enthralled by the scintillating visual spectacle that is televised golf to pay much attention to certain minor details that emerged surrounding Tiki’s marital woes. Detail #1: Ginny, Tiki’s wife of 11 years and mother to his two sons, was 8 months pregnant when he confirmed that his marriage had ended. Detail #2: Not only was she pregnant, she was carrying twins. Detail #3: Not only did Tiki dump his wife (who is in her mid-30s) at the roundest her body has ever been, he dumped her for a smokin’-hot, 23-year-old, flat-bellied blonde.
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Featured Event
One of the the biggest Asian cinema events to hit Southern California opens on May 10. The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, presented by Visual Communications, features the latest works by established and emerging filmmakers, along with seminars, panel discussions and symposiums on topics relevant to Asian Pacific cinema.
Opening Night features “Shanghai Calling,” directed by Daniel Hsia and starring Korean American Daniel Henney, who plays a Chinese American expat lawyer navigating his way through the mean streets of Shanghai (the picture above also indicates he is a raisin smuggler). But does he take off his shirt? Go watch the movie to find out! read more
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@ Craig and Meghan: Please call us at 310.769.4913 or email esther@iamkoream.com to order a copy/check on your subscription.
Hello KoreAm,
I went to the Sunnyvale Border store to purchase the current issue (Feb 2011, Vol. 22, No. 2); but, I was disappointed to learn that they only sell magazines that their distributor sends them (and won’t do special orders). Is there anywhere in the South Bay that I can pick up a few copies? Or can I order them from you?
Thanks,
C
Hello, I subscribed to the magazine December 13, 2010, and i have not received the Dec 29th issue. I don’t know if snail mail is just extra slow, or somehow I wasn’t sent one. Just curious and wondering about that. If you could let me know either way, i would appreciate it.
Thank you.
Meghan
Duluth, MN
Hi Sharon. To purchase a specific issue, please click on the 2009 link or here: http://iamkoream.com/magazine/back-issues/2009/
We can also process your transaction over the phone. Please give us a call at the office 310.769.4913 during normal business hours.
I want to buy your August 2009 issue ONLY… is there any way I can do that?