Study: The Internet is an Asian/American medium

English-speaking Asian/Americans are more likely to have technical devices than other ethnic groups.

ENGLISH-SPEAKING Asians have flocked to the Internet like no other group of people, according to a new PEW report.

The popular narrative says that Euro/Americans "lead in technology adoption while other racial or ethnic groups struggle to keep up," says the analysis. However, the PEW study says English-speaking Asians are more adept in the new technology that exceeds the rest of the population, including whites.

The PEW analysis qualifies its report by noting that they did not poll non-English-speaking Asian/Americans. A 2012 PEW survey found that 63.5% of Asian/Americans say they speak English "very well."

For several years, many Asian Americans have suspected they had a larger presence on the Internet much higher than their relatively small numbers in the general populace But until now, there hasn't been any hard data to support this thesis.


Not surprisingly, the next group in the categories were whites, followed by African/Americans and Latino/Americans.

RELEASE: Almost everything about Asian/Americans

Here are some of their findings for the English-speaking Asian/Americans:

• 95% use the Internet. It is not even close. In second place, only 87% of Euro/Americans  use the Internet.
• 84% have broadband at home. The gap here is even wider. Only 72% of whites have broadband.
• 91% own have a smart phone. 66% of whites own a smart phone. When including less advanced mobile phones, Asian/American usage jumped to 98%.

Researchers surmise that Asian/
Americans' tendency to have higher education and higher income that contribute to higher use of high-tech devices.

Hopefully, the findings will convince PEW surveyors to include Asians in their other research about the Internet use and social media. 

RELATED: AAPI social networkers make their presence felt

It kind of reminds me of the surveys PEW did in 2011 that gave the education, incomes levels, education, religion, political preference, social attitudes of African Americans and Latinos. The research group skipped Asians because we were numerically too small to get accurate data.

Such a hew and cry came from the Asian/American community that PEW was forced to do a similar analysis of the Asian/Americans resulting in the 2012 "The Rise of Asian Americans."

It appears PEW has fallen into its old habits again. Several followup surveys released after this February 2016 report didn't include Asian/Americans.

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Asians insulted; Chris Rock went one joke too many at the Oscars telecast

Chris Rock's Asian joke fell flat

ASIANS were finally mentioned on the Oscars show last night (Feb. 28) but not in the way I expected.

Host Chris Rock and the writers apparently see the world in Black and White.

In show dominated by talk about diversity - or the lack of it - there was hardly any mention of Latinos or Asians. Only because the movie Revenant was nominated for Best Picture did Native Americans get mentioned.

But we cringed when Rock (or the writers) introduced the accountants from Price Waterhouse. Out came three Asian youngsters, perhaps 5-8 years old, thus playing up the stereotypes of child exploitation and math proficiency.

The celebrity-filled audience, perhaps a little sensitive because of the #OscarsSoWhite controversy, laughed nervously.

Yeah, I know, Chris Rock loves to make people uncomfortable and maybe I'm making too much out of nothing. I still cringed.

"If anyone is upset about that joke, just tweet about it on your phone that was also made by these kids," said Rock.

And Tweet, they did:

Rock's opening monologue was hit and miss but he made his point about the lack of African/American nominees and opportunities.  Is Hollywood racist, he asks. Hell, yeah, but it is not “burning-cross racist,” but it was “sorority racist. It’s like: ‘We like you, Rhonda, but you’re not a Kappa!’”

The camera obviously 

loves Chrissy Teigan,

absolutely glowing from

 her pregnancy. The 

camera kept panning

 over to her and hubby

 John Legend. After

 another joke that

 fell flat, the camera

 caught her reaction. 

The most effective bit was when he visited a theater in Compton and asked the moviegoers what they thought about the Oscar's Best Picture nominees. They hadn't even heard of them; illustrating the disconnect between the Hollywood movie makers and the real-people movie audience. Hopefully that opened some eyes of the executives at the major studios.

Oscar Notes:

Where was Ronnie Del Carmen? When Pixar's Inside Out won the Best Animated Feature, I was hoping Filipino/Ameircanl Carmen, who co-directed the movie with Pete Doctor, would stride up to the stage to receive an answer. Doctor accepted the award and there was no mention of del Carmen among the 'Thank you's" the recipients accepted the Oscars even though he helped write the storyline.

Pakistani/Canadian filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy won an Oscar for her short documentary, "A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness." The film examines the case of an 18-year-old Pakistani girl who survived a brutal attack by her father and uncle bent on an "honour killing." Human rights groups estimate that about 1,000 Pakistani women are killed every year for "bringng shame" to their families. It was her second Oscar.

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Crazy Ex-Girlfriend star on why TV needs more "Asian Bros"

In Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, a kiss on the cheek is a monumental moment.

IN AN INTERVIEW with the Daily Beast, Golden Globe winner Rachel Bloom expounded on why they cast an Asian/American romantic lead in her groundbreaking television show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

In the interview, writer Samantha Allen asked:

There’s a huge conversation about diversity and feminism around your show, especially with Josh being Filipino-American. Watching it, though, it just feels real. How much of the conversation around diversity on television is actually about representing…

And Bloom answered before Allen could finish the question:

… things as they are? Josh Chan (Vincent Rodriguez III) was always going to be an Asian bro. Always. The reason we picked that wasn’t because “Oh, Asians need to be represented more on TV! How do we help that?” That was a plus! We were thinking “What hasn’t been done before? What’s a new story we can tell? What’s a new type of character?” We’ve seen the Bro. We haven’t seen an Asian Bro. 

I really think diversity is simultaneous with telling new stories because, I don’t know, “White People Hanging Out in a Coffee Shop” has been done. Diversity is just more artistically interesting to me because you’re in new territory and the whole purpose of making art, in my head, is to explore topics that haven’t been explored. 

I have never seen a show that took place in Southern California and portrayed people the way it is in Southern California. The prom king in my high school was Chinese and the prom queen was Japanese. We just didn’t think about it. It was like, “Oh, yeah, George and Mika? They’re the prom king and queen.” It wasn’t until I realized that every other show is set in some nebulous town on the East Coast or Midwest where everyone is white and Protestant… How boring is that? And that’s not truth. That’s not my truth. 

I remember as a kid living in Southern California and every TV show was set in that typical East Coast high school. And I remember seeing a high school near me that looked like that and thinking, “Oh, a real high school!” That’s not feeling marginalized. Now, if I thought about the way my school looked, imagine being a Filipino person who’s like “I’m not a real American because I’m not on TV.” We’re a nation of immigrants. That’s what being an American is. 

The question] shouldn’t be ‘Well, why is Josh Asian? Why is he the love interest? Why is he a bro?’ It’s more like, ‘Why not? Why hasn’t it been? Why did we wait so long?’ Finally, I’m seeing something on TV that mimics what I’ve seen in real life, like, legitimately.”

* * *

The good news – For now, “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” scored a season-high 0.4 rating in the 18-49 demographic, which would definitely help its case as a result of the "bump" it received when Bloom won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy. 

That's a 25% gain in two weeks = a pretty hefty jump.

Unfortunately, in the last two weeks the show lost that gain and it is back to 0.3 rating with a 1 share going up against the popular Bachelor and the finales of the X-Files and Superstore. That means only 920,000 people in the entire country is watching the series. That makes the show a prime candidate for cancellation.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is a really good show. Great talent, likable characters, clever writing and the musical numbers are fun to watch. Even without the Josh Chan character and his Filipino/American family, we'd still be watching it. Critics love it.

CW President Mark Pedowitz said,  "We believe there is a place on our schedule today for a show like this and we're going to give it a chance to get seen. You can't beat quality like this," but his support might not be enough to withstand the dismal ratings. 

Part of the problem is that the CW is the smallest of the networks and doesn't have the budget to promote its programming. It has a few breakout hits in its history, including the Flash and Arrow in the current season.

RELATED: Why you should be watching Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

The title is a little off-putting but if you watch the show, that little bit of mental illness is what drives the plot and in the show's context, it is what drives the show.

There are only a few shows left of the series. A second season is up in the air.

We're looking forward to the finale in mid-April, which will feature Broadway star Lea Salonga. How fun can that get?

Get your friends and family to start watching Crazy Ex-Girlfriend to save it from becoming another footnote in television history ... or, we'll all be saying, "Remember that TV show with the Filipino/American leading man ...?"

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend airs Monday nights, 8 p.m. on the CW network.

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Presenting the Anna Awards (the alternate Oscars for AAPI actors)

Cary Fukunaga, wins the "best director" Anna Award for 2016

IT'S AWARDS SEASON again. Peoples Choice, Emmies, Oscars, there's a whole lot of categories in which Asian/American and Pacific Islander actors WERE NOT nominated. Not because they have any  less talent, but mostly because of the lack of opportunities for meaty roles in big and important movies, television and stage shows.

The biggest award show of them all, the Academy Awards, is coming up this weekend and a handful of AAPI, African/American and Latino/Americans were picked to present the coveted trophies, a deserved honor in itself, but ostensibly, to add a little color to the #OscarsSoWhite proceedings.

RELATED: #HollywoodSoWhite - The incredible 'Whiteness' of being

Anna May Wo

To make up for the lack of recognition for Asian/American and Pacific Islander performing artists, there is always the highly anticipated awards handed out by Views From The Edge, which debuted last year. This year, we have had to abandon the (admittedly self-promoting) Eddie Awards from last year because - as we belatedly learned - there is already an Eddie Award sponsored by the American Cinema Editors named after the legendary editor, Eddie Shore.

After much deliberation, this year we decided to rename these awards to the Anna Awards, named after Anna May Wong, the first Chinese/American star in Hollywood. Despite the lack of acting opportunities for Asian/American actresses, she actually turned down a role because it cast Asians in a bad light. Hooray!

You might notice that most of the awards were given to TV actors. That's because the motion picture industry has not caught on to the changing demographics of the American audience. The 2015 television season, including streaming media, is historic in the number of offerings featuring AAPI actors. Let's hope this diversification of the entertainment industry is more than a trend.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: The categories are made up entirely by whimsical me and really have no serious artistic merit. They are subject to change at a moment's notice or a sudden change of heart or because I didn't have my morning cup of coffee. The Anna Awards considers the performances by AAPI artists in all the performing arts in the year 2015. Enjoy!)

Envelope, please! The Anna Awards for 2016 go to:

Cary Fukunaga

Best Director: Hands down, it has to be Cary Fukunaga for directing Beasts of No Nation, an encgrossing drama about Africa's child soldiers. His direction helped showcase Idris Elba's talent enough to earn Elba acting nomination for the Screen Actors Guild. Critics say Beasts was snubbed and should have been nominated for Best Picture. Fukunaga also got an Emmy for directing the critically acclaimed first season of True Detective for television.

Best Newcomer: Priyanka Chopra hit American TV screens in a big way this season on her hit show Quantico. The Bollywood actress has made the transition with ease and U.S. audiences have shown their appreciation by voting her Favorite Actress in A New TV Series in the Peoples' Choice Awards. She will also present at the Academy Awards next week.

Priyanka Chopra

Best Actor Hardly Anyone Has Seen: Joel de la Fuente for his portrayal of the Japanese Chief Inspector Kido in Man In The High Castle. This excellent alternate history story based on the classic Philip K. Dick novel, is on Amazon so it is not accessible to great number of viewers. But if you have Amazon, you've got to tune in to watch veteran actor de la Fuente make his calculating smart character, a bad guy, almost sympathetic, always a step behind the American rebels and subtly showing his doubts about the Nazi persecution of Jews.

Joel de la Fuente

The Huang family opened the door for other Asian/American families.

Best Asian/American Family Portrayal: This is a tough one but it is a nice problem to have. For the first time in history we have more than one Asian/American family to consider: Josh Chan's family in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Dev Shah's family in Master of None, and the Park family in Dr. Ken. However, this year the award will go to the Huang Family on Fresh Off The Boat. The parents (Constance Wu and Randall Park) especially are excellent. I like the inside jokes that only Asian/Amerian viewers would catch like the scene where the family is watching the show "All-American Girl" that starred Margaret Cho and one of the sons turns to the mother with the comment, "Still no shows about Asians." The best comedy and pathos comes from the friendly way the writers and producers approach race by not hitting you over the head.  In FOtB, you can find yourself laughing but then realize the not-so-funny "truth" of those race-based situations. 

Is he, or isn't he?: Bobby Morley, who plays Bellamy Blake in The 100. He's one of those Filipino/Australians who has found success in Hollywood (actually the show is taped in British Columbia). His character is not race-specific and it appears he uses makeup on his face to look a bit lighter (whiteface?). But if you Google his mugshots, his browness shines through enough to make you ask, "Is he half-Asian?"



Bobby Morley

Chrissy Teigen

Best Tweeter/Personality: For the second year in a row, the award goes to  Chrissy Teigen. The irreverent don't-care funny Tweets have made her a go-to during the awards shows. When her husband performs, watch out for the camera to pan over to her. Whether co-hosting Tyra Bank's F.A.B. fashionista TV show or swaying lip-synching celebrities in Lip Sync Battle, she is sure to come up with biting remarks, riposte's and repartee. I love her response to haters.

Best Badass Man: That would have to go to Daniel Wu, star of Into The Badlands on AMC. He's also one of the producers of the martial arts epic that takes place in a future dystopian America where guns are outlawed. That premise allows for a lot of swordplay, kicks, punches and acrobatic jumps and somersaults, a perfect imagined world for the Hong-kong style of spectacular choreographed fight scenes. The opening fight scene is a classic.

Michelle Yeoh's character (left)  in 'Strike Back' was instrumental in one of the main character's death.

Best Badass Woman: It was a pleasant surprise to find Michelle Yeoh on the last season of Strike Back, where she played the villainess, a spy for North Korea. She was able to demonstrate her physicality and familiarity with martial arts moves in the TV shoot'em-up in marvelous fight scenes. All-in-all, she was portrayed an evil character not to be messed with. Runner-up: Agent May as played by Ming Na Wen in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. For some unfortunate reason, the show shied away from Agent May-centric stories this season.

Let's See More Of Him: This is a first-time category also. Because this past year we've seen a number of roles that put more facets on the Asian/American image. One of the most intriguing characters on TV is that of Job as played by Hoon Lee in Banshee, which will end its run this spring. The former Ninja Turtle appeared in the Broadway production of the King And I over the summer but obviously, this talented actor has got more to give. 

Hoon Lee

Best Performance in A Musical: Obviously. it must go to Vanessa Hudgens for her role in the Grease Live production. Her portrayal of a brassy, but vulnerable, Rizzo drew raves and industry admiration. Her solo rendition of "There Are Worse Things I Could Do," was made even more poignant because Hudgen's father died less than a day before Grease Live went on the air. We just need to keep the Filipina/American actress away from National Monuments.

Vanessa Hudgens as Rizzo in 'Grease Live.'

Many fans thought Steven Yeun's character
Glenn Rhee was a goner.

Most Buzz & Angst: This is the first year for this category (because I didn't think of it last year.) but I had to find a way to mention The Walking Dead's non-death of Glenn Rhee as played by Steven Yeun. In terms of buzz, it generated as much, if not more, discussion than Jon Snow's non-death in Game of Thrones. For weeks, the Walking Dead producers kept us guessing the fate of everyone's favorite good-guy in the zombie apocalypse. Is he dead? Is he alive? What about Maggie? How could he survive? Was that his guts being eaten by zombies? The questions and theories kept coming up on discussion boards, talk shows, columns and blogs (including this one).

Lea Salonga

Best Broadway Performer: Lea Salonga in Allegiance reminded Broadway why she was the first Asian/American artist to win a Tony, as she played the main female role in the musical loosely based on the experiences of actor and social media master George Take, who made his first appearance on the Great White Way in his role in this show. With Allegiance now shuttered on Broadway, let's hope that Salonga doesn't wait so long to return to the New York stage.

Emma Stone in a bad case of whitewashing
in the motion picture Aloha.

Best Asian role played by a non-Asian: We should call this the Emma Stone award. Her portrayal of a hapa in the movie Aloha came right after last year's #OscarsSoWhite fiasco so the criticism heaped upon the actress and director was enough for director Cameron Crowe to issue an apology. No amount of spray-on tan could convince anyone of Stone's character's mixed-race origins. Unfortunately, I expect this award to have more nominees next year.

Best non-Asian role played by an Asian: That would be Phillipa Soo, who plays Eliza Hamilton, the wife of one of America's founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton, in the Broadway musical Hamilton. The hip-hop musical is the hit of the season and might very well give Soo a shot at the Tony award, Broadway's equivalent to the Oscar.


Phillipa Soo as 
Eliza Hamilton



Best Asian/American zombie: Well, let's just say, "the only Asian zombie" that we know of. Susan Tran played the nice, little old lady who liked to putter around in her garden next door to the main characters' house in Fear the Walking Dead, the West Coast spinoff of The Walking Dead. It is a relief to know that Glenn (Steven Yuen) from the original series, might not be the only AAPI to survive the zombie apocalypse. Travis Manama, who plays the main protagonist Cliff Curtis, is Maori/American. Unfortunately, Susan won't be returning in the second season. 

Susan Tran

"Crazy Ex- Girlfriend" got the Filipino family gathering right.

Best Show Not Being Watched: The winner (in this category, winning is losing) is Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Ii don't get it. It is one of the most original and entertaining shows on American TV this season. Is it because CW is the least watched network? Is the title scaring off a lot of people who might otherwise enjoy it? It is not because of the diverse cast, their talent abounds in the musical rom-com, the imaginative original songs and production numbers, an Asian/American romantic lead in Vincent Rodriguez III and the show introduced viewers to TV's first Filipino/American family, the Chan's. But the ratings are miserable - last not only in its time slot but last in Monday night's prime time. A second season is questionable so be sure to watch it while it is still on the air. Runner-up is Truth Be Told featuring Filipina/American actress Vanessa Latchey, who plays a Filipina married to a Euro/American. Race relations was supposed to be key part of the show which wanted to be edgy but the writing didn't match its expectations resulting in lackluster reviews.

Best Stereotype Buster: Aziz Ansari as, well as the character Dev Shah in Netflix's groundbreaking show Master of None. In the series, Ansari plays Dev Shah, a millennial Asian/American actor struggling to make ends meet while juggling his love life, his relationship with his parents and battling Asian stereotypes - in other words, a well-rounded human being with flaws and hang-ups. Good news for fans, the show will have a second season, but not until 2017. Runner-up honors go to Rene Gube for playing Father Brah, a hip, Filipino/American priest in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. 

Aziz Ansari



Most Groundbreaking Role: Vincent Rodriguez III, who, as Jose Chan, is the object of the obsessive "love" of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend's title character played by Golden Globe winner Rebecca Bloom. The CW romantic comedy musical  is struggling to find an audience despite glowing critical reviews. But hey, an Asian/American romantic leading man is historic. Through the season we've seen the Josh Chan character rounded out as a not-too-bright, but sensitive young man that you wouldn't mind to having a beer with.

Vincent Rodriguez III

Worst Portrayal of an Asian/American: For the second year in a row, Matthew Moy's character Han Lee in Two Broke Girls wins this ignominious award. The character is a short, desexualized Korean diner owner with a heavy accent and is often the butt of jokes. Producers have tried to round out Han Lee by occasionally allowing him to go out on dates. The only redeeming grace for this negative stereotype is that he occasionally is given a biting response towards the other characters.

Matthew Moy

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Review: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon II, a cut below the original

Michelle Yeoh is back in the sequel to the long-awaited Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

"CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON: Sword of Destiny" suffers from being compared to the original which won an Academy Award as Best Picture.

Since it was first announced several years ago, it became one of the most highly anticipated sequels for its legions of fangs the world over. Alas, it didn't reach the high bar set by the first film.

It has all the flash and dash of clashing swords, fantastic jumps and flips that introduced the Hong Kong-style cinematic martial arts to the mainstream audience,  as the original but it lacked the depth and presence a Chow Yun Fat and the lyricism and spirituality that director Ang Lee was able to infuse throughout the original.

Oh, the action that took your breath away in the original is still there. Yuen Wo-Ping, who did the action choreography for Ang Lee, is at the director's helm for this one. His forte is present in all the fight scenes, especially a almost beautiful battle that takes place on a frozen lake as the opponents glide through the fight as if they're in the ice dance competition in the Olympics.

Michelle Yeoh reprises her character Shu Lien, a panther-like martial artist with deep emotions that struggles to control. While Donnie Yen does well in the action scenes, he doesn't come close to matching Yeoh's complexity. Yen makes you appreciate gravitas and soulfulness Chow Yun Fat brought to his character. When Yeoh and Yen are alone with each other, Yeoh might as well have been conversing with a wall.

Promising newcomer Natasha Liu Bordizzo and Glee's Harry Shum Jr. brought some cuteness to their budding relationship and both did more than well in their fight scenes. Jason Scott Lee could not do much with his one-dimensional villain.The other characters were just archetypes with no real depth. I suspect those missing elements may have been left in the editing room floor to trim it to its 105 minute length. 

In this era of #OscarSoWhite, the talented all-Asian cast could have been the best example to bury any antiquated notion that an American audience always needs a white actor to relate to (ala The Last Samurai with Tom Cruise) for a film to be successful. My fear is that the less-than stellar reviews might reinforce that idea among Hollywood's studios.

The U.S.-China co-production was released on this side of the Pacific on Netflix and on select IMAX screens simultaneously. However, the movie was released in China a week earlier and is doing well enough financially to perhaps earn another sequel. The trans-Pacific partnership might be a harbinger of a growing trend but producers and studios shouldn't sacrifice quality for the sake of profit ... uh, wha'? Quality over profit? Am I dreaming?

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"The Eddie" surfing competition honors Hawaiian lifeguard

Big-wave competitors attempt to grab a wave at Waimea Bay yesterday.

FOR A FEW brief hours, the eyes of the surfing world were on the North Shore of Oahu where the "The Eddie" big-wave competition was being held. 

Conditions need to be just right for the Eddie Aikau competition to be called. Consistent wave faces of at least 30 feet in Waimea Bay throughout the day.

Eddie Aikau

In over 30 years, those requirements have only been met 9 times, including Thursday, Feb. 25. The event was last held in 2009.

The competition is named after Eddie Aikau, a legendary Hawaiian lifeguard who was lost at sea. In 1978, the 31-year-old Aikau joined an expedition to sail a replica of an old Polynesian canoe 2,500 miles to Tahiti. During the trip the canoe sprung a leak. Aikau pulled off his jacket and paddled for help. He was never seen again.

He was the North Shore's first official lifeguard. With more than 10 years in the lifeguard tower at Waimea Bay, making over 500 rescues with no loss of life on his watch.

Elite surfers from around the globe grabbed their boards and hopped on planes when organizers gave the green light for the event earlier in the week, despite the fact that it could be canceled at any time. 

Within hours of the organizers' announcement, thousands of onlookers descended on Waimea Bay where the Super Bowl of surfing was being held.
Clyde Aikau, 66, Eddie's younger brother, was the sentimental favorite. He won the event back in 1986 using his big brother's surfboard. This  year, he ended up in the 20th spot before announcing his retirement from professional surfing.

Hawaii's John John Florence, who wasn't even born when the contest began, won the $75,000 first place prize. For years, the 23-year old has been tabbed the next great surfer in the world, and on Thursday, Feb. 25, the Haleiwa native sealed the deal by winning big-wave surfing’s most prestigious contest.

Those in the competition will all tell you, they do it to honor the greats who preceded them led by Eddie Aikau. Around the beaches of the North Shore, you'll see an occasional beat-up, faded bumper sticker. It says simply, "Eddie Would Go."

Watch Kala Alexander and Makuakai Rothmans collide in one of the

bigger waves at this year's Eddie.

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