None of the TV networks get an 'A' grade for diversity, but some are trying

Led by 'Fresh Off the Boat,' ABC rated highest by an Asian American media group.

ASAM NEWS

WHICH of the major networks would you recognize for featuring the most Asian/Americans in its programming?

The Asian Pacific American Media Coalition gave ABC an overall grade of “B,” matching the highest grade the group has ever given a network in its 16 years of issuing this report card. NBC also scored a grade of “B” in the 2010-2011 season.

The APAMC recognized ABC for a new high for actors-a total of 21 regular and 23 recurring AAPI actors in prime time series last season.

By contrast Fox scored an incomplete. The network failed to submit its diversity report despite agreeing in a memorandum of understanding to do so. There may be a reason for this. The APAMC believes there were only six Asian/American regulars on Fox series in 2016-2017. That’s the lowest since 2008.

Fox has installed a new diversity team which has pledged to submit its report as soon as possible.

CBS had 16 Asian American regulars and 22 in recurring roles for an overall grade of “B-.” APAMC says the network missed an opportunity with Hawaii Five-0. Despite being based in a state with a majority Asian American population, the coalition says Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders on the show are often limited to secondary roles. In addition, Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park were released at the end of last season.

Similarly APAMC says NBC is missing an opportunity with CODE BLACK and NCIS: Los Angeles. Both are set in Los Angeles where there is a significant AAPI population. Neither show has an AAPI actor in a regular role.

NBC scored an overall grade of C+

Overall APAMC sees an improvement in diversity it attributes to a pipeline of diversity programs coming from a memorandum of understanding signed by the networks in 2000. The multi-ethnic media coalition includes the NAACP, the National Latino Media Council, American Indians in Film/TV, and the APAMC.

The networks were also rated for behind the scenes diversity.

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TGIF Feature: Filipino American's sci-fi 'Geostorm' releases this weekend

Dean Devlin

DEAN DEVLIN is the latest Asian/American director/producer to helm a Hollywood blockbuster costing millions of dollars and tons of special effects.

Dean Devlin, who usually is the behind-the-scenes producer of movies like Independence Day or Gonzilla, has taken the director's chair for his latest effort Geostorm, which hits the screens Friday (Oct. 20).

In the last few years, a few AAPI directors have earned the opportunity to create havoc onscreen in big-budget films, including: Thor: Ragnorok, which will be released next month, was helmed by Taika Waititi of New Zealand; Justin Lin directed the well-received Star Trek Beyond; and Gemini Man, directed by Ang Lee was released earlier this month.

Geostorm is set in the near future where scientists have developed space stations that can manually control the weather, The hero, played by Gerard Butler is tasked with saving the day when the satellites go haywire, causing all kinds of natural disasters to be unleashed, creating a horrendously demolished planet.

Eath ends up resembling a three-vehicle pile-up of Devlin's other blockbusters San Andreas, The Day After Tomorrow and Independence Day. While not all critically acclaimed, Devlin's productions are wildly entertaining and end up making tons of money, which is why his latest venture reportedly cost $100 million.

Devlin started shooting in 2014, and it took two years to wrap filming. Responses of the test audiences were horrible so extensive script rewrites and additional scenes were shot to try and salvage the production.

Oct. 20 was picked as the release date prior to the natural disasters caused by Hurricanes Maria, Irma and Harvey.

As reported by Mashable, the Geostorm tagline seems slightly distasteful in light of the hundreds of people killed by natural disasters of late, leading Warner Bros to release the following statement: “We want to be sensitive to everyone who are being [sic] and have been affected by the horrible storms, including families that may live in unaffected areas."

“I don’t think these weather conditions are going to get better on their own,” Devlin noted to Variety. “We used to call them the storm of the century but now we’re seeing what happens if we don’t act fast enough — and real human beings are suffering because of that. This is a popcorn movie but I do think the underlying message has never been more relevant.”

It is not all special effects and worldwide calamities for the Filipino/American director/producer. Devlin’s Electric Entertainment has acquired all North American rights for director Rob Reiner’s “LBJ,” starring Woody Harrelson as President Lyndon Johnson, which is set for general release Nov. 10.

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'Aloha' from Daniel Dae Kim; what the future holds for him

Daniel Dae Kim: 'Hang loose, brah!'

ALOHA mean hello and goodbye. For actor Daniel Dae Kim, it's goodbye to a TV show that has made him a household face for the past seven years, and hello to a creative future in which he has more control.

Kim posted a farewell message today (July 5) on his Facebook page to fans of Hawaii Five-0 after news came about that he and fellow Korean/American actress Grace Park would be leaving the hit CBS show.

Both actors have starred in the 2010 reboot of the 1968 show since its premiered, but neither was able to reach an acceptable deal with the network for the next season. The final offer made to the actors from CBS was reportedly 10 to 15 percent lower than co-stars Alex O’Loughlin and Scott Caan earn, according to Variety.

RELATED: Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park leaving Hawaii Five-0

Always the consummate professional, the tone of Kim's message was one of regret at leaving his Hawaii Five-0 family and hopefulness for the future. Not a drop of bitterness or rancor over the failed attempt to get equal compensation as his two white co-stars. But he did referenced the pay disagreement. "The path to equality is never easy," he said.

Here is Kim's full Facebook posting:

A MESSAGE TO MY FANS ABOUT HAWAII 5-0
Sorry for the delay in hearing from me, but like you I’m sure, my July 4th holiday was busy with friends and family. I’m back now and didn’t want to let any more time go by without reaching out. By now many of you have heard the news, and I’m sad to say it is true. I will not be returning to Hawaii Five-0 when production starts next week. Though I made myself available to come back, CBS and I weren’t able to agree to terms on a new contract, so I made the difficult choice not to continue.  

As sad as it feels to say goodbye, what I feel most is gratitude. I am so deeply thankful to our crew, writers and everyone associated with the show – and especially the cast, who have been nothing but supportive through this entire process. They and the crew have been my second family for seven years and I wish them nothing but success for season 8 - and beyond. 

I also want to say to thank you to Peter Lenkov, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and everyone at CBS. I will always be grateful for their faith in me to bring Chin Ho Kelly to life. As an Asian American actor, I know first-hand how difficult it is to find opportunities at all, let alone play a well developed, three dimensional character like Chin Ho. I will miss him sincerely.  

What made him even more special is that he was a representative of a place my family and I so dearly love. It has been nothing short of an honor to be able to showcase the beauty and people of Hawaii every week, and I couldn’t be prouder to call these islands home. To my local community, mahalo nui loa. 

Finally, I want to thank all of you, the fans. I’ve read your messages and I can’t tell you how much they’ve meant to me. I never, ever forget that YOU are the reason Hawaii Five-0 is the success that it is, and interacting with you online and in person around the world(!) has been one of the greatest joys of this entire experience. I’m so sorry we won’t be continuing this journey together. 

I’ll end by saying that though transitions can be difficult, I encourage us all to look beyond the disappointment of this moment to the bigger picture. The path to equality is rarely easy. But I hope you can be excited for the future. I am. 5-0 continues on after one of its strongest seasons. I’ve got new acting projects on the horizon, and as a producer, my company, 3AD, has its first show, THE GOOD DOCTOR, set to air this fall on ABC. I hope you’ll tune in. There’s a lot to look forward to and I’ll be sure to share it with you. In the meantime, 

Aloha, thank you and Happy Independence Day!
-DDK

Taken at face value, this is the equivalent of "not burning the bridges behind you." 

The AAPI actors' request for equal pay comes at a time in Hollywood when women have begun to exert their power in two high-profile cases. Recently, actresses Robin Wright in House of Cards and Emmy Rossum of Shameless were successful in getting equal pay as their male co-stars in negotiations that made news because of equal-pay-for-equal-work is still an evolving issue.

Asian Americans can be heroes, too. Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park played cops in  'Hawaii Five-0'

It makes one wonder if there's more to the story behind the story of Kim's and Park's contract talks.  “The harsh reality of being an actor is that it’s hard to make a living, and that puts actors of color in a very difficult position,” Kim told the New York Times last year.
Asian/American actors know how difficult and rare it is to get roles in American movies and television beyond the stereotypes and tokens. Kim's role as Chin Ho Kelly is one of the few that was more than just window dressing. In Kelly we see a three-dimensional character who through seven seasons has had to deal with love and tragedy, express a sense of humor and still be tough enough to take chances and deal with the bad guys.

In other words - Kelly was a fully-rounded human being, not a caricature, not a stereotype, not an "other."

In the last few years, with the controversy sparked by #OscarsSoWhite, whitewashing and yellow facing, like several other AAPI actors, Kim has been more outspoken in the lack of inclusion in Hollywood.

For Kim, he has often stated that AAPI actors and other creatives need to take the next step themselves rather than wait for the mainstream decision-makers change their minds or hand him a role. 

True to his words, Kim is currently producing his own show, The Good Doctor. Through his own production company, Kim is excited about carving out space for a more diverse group of actors and stories. 

He started working on The Good Doctor, he said, because Asian-Americans "were waiting for a space that never came," he told NBC. 

Now that he is producing his own material, Kim said he can "create worlds from the ground up. How I envision them. How I would populate them." But, he said, that also means the shape of the obstacles he faces has changed. He said that when you're a young actor, "you see systemic racism as being out there in the ether." These days, he said, he is looking at it face to face when he works directly with people to produce, write and cast the work he's involved with.


Kim added that despite the obstacles, he thinks Asian-American actors need to be prepared to blow casting directors away. "We like to talk about the ways in which we're overlooked," Kim said. "Our responsibility is to be good at what we do. ... It's important for us not to ask for charity."

For Kim, the effort to diversify starts with the decision-makers being more mindful of their process right from the beginning of the creative process. That includes seeking source material that is original, outside of their own experiences and - at the same time - entertaining.

"It takes a mindfulness because there are so many casting directors who say, ‘Oh, I never really thought of that, but sure,’ when someone who is Asian is brought up as a possible choice for a role," said Kim. "To me, that is a double-edged sword, because on the one hand, I’m glad they are open to the idea, on the other hand, why aren’t they mindful of it from the start? Why do people need to be reminded? Why is a role that shows up in black and white, without any specific ethnicity, assumed to be white?”

“The progress that needs to be made is we need to now start having shows where Asian people are in the lead roles instead of the supporting roles,” said Kim. “I really look forward to the day when no one even thinks about the racial diversity in a cast because it is so assumed that it could be anyone or anything. I long for the day when that wouldn’t be a question anymore. So we have a long way to go if that’s the goal.”

Because of the still-rare roles for AAPI actors, Kim and Park and the characters they played  had prominent roles in the fight for inclusion and why their contract negotiations held such high interest in the AAPI community.

Now that Kim and Park's departure is a fait accompli, it remains to see what repercussions the act might have on the show. No doubt the producers will try to find AAPI replacements considering that the show takes place in Hawaii and any depiction of that Pacific island state without AAPI people is just not Hawaii.

However, there is one reaction the producers might not have expected. My wife told me, "I'm through with that show. I'm not watching it anymore."

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Riz Ahmed: Lack of inclusion in media leads to alienation and Isis

Ria Ahmed speaks at Parliament

ACTOR Riz Ahmed has warned that the failure to champion diversity on TV and the movies is alienating young people, driving them towards extremism and into the arms of Isis.

Ahmed, known for his roles in Four Lions and the the Star Wars prequel Rogue One, said the lack of diverse voices and stories onscreen led people from minority backgrounds to “switch off and retreat to fringe narratives, to bubbles online and sometimes even off to Syria.”

Ahmed made his remarks in a speech in the House of Parliament last Friday (March 3) stressing the importance of diversity in the media and how it affects the self-image of minority viewers, giving them a sense of being a part of society and feeding their aspirations with a sense of hope.

“If we fail to represent, we are in danger of losing people to extremism,” The Guardian quotes him as having said, adding that young people who feel unrepresented could “switch off and retreat to fringe narratives, to bubbles online and sometimes even off to Syria. We are going to start losing British teenagers to the story that the next chapter in their lives is written with ISIS in Syria.”

Ahmed has had quite a year with his introduction to American audiences in the award-winning HBO production, The Night Of, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination and co-starring in the blockbuster, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. 

"It takes American remakes of British shows to cast someone like me," said Ahmed. "We end up going to America to find work. I meet with producers and directors here and they say ‘we don’t have anything for you, all our stories are set in Cornwall in the 1600s’. People are looking for the message that they belong, that they are part of something, that they are seen and heard and that despite, or perhaps because of, their experience, they are valued. They want to feel represented. In that task we have failed."

Although he was talking to British audience, his words ring true this side of the Atlantic where America has its own problems of breaking through old Hollywood biases and outdated business assumptions.

“If we fail to represent, we are in danger of losing people to extremism,” continued Ahmed.

“In the mind of the Isis recruit, he’s the next James Bond, right? Have you seen some of those Isis propaganda videos, they are cut like action movies. Where is the counter narrative? Where are we telling these kids they can be heroes in our stories, that they valued?”

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#HollywoodSoWhite: Report says Hollywood has mostly a black & white view of America

THE 89th ACADEMY AWARDS airs Sunday (Feb. 26) with a different look. This year's awards show might give the appearance of progress in diversity with black actors nominated in every acting category and two black-themed movies nominated for Best Picture. But don't talk about progress to Asian and Latino actors, directors, producers and writers. There's only one Asian nominated in the acting categories and zero Latinos.

Compared to the last couple of years that gave rise to the #OscarsSoWhite social media campaign last year, the 2017 Academy Award nominations are definitely more colorful. 

But before Hollywood begins to pat itself on the back, the UCLA’s fourth annual Hollywood Diversity Report reveals that despite the increase of nominees of color, the exclusion of people of color and women, Hollywood has a ways to go.

RELATED: The Anna Awards are for overlooked AAPI artists

The annual report, published by UCLA’s Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies, does note that women have made some strides in Hollywood in the past year, and that several television shows featuring diverse casts have been successful. But it also finds that racial minorities and women remain severely underrepresented in film and television hiring.

Despite the Oscar nomination of Dev Patel for Best Supporting Actor in Lion and Auli'i Cravalho singing "How Far I'll Go" from Moana, Asian and Asian/American presence will be missing. In an effort to showcase the diversity of the movie industry, you'll see some AAPI presenters such as Dwayne Johnson and Riz Ahmed, but essentially, we're rendered invisible, once again.

The only Asian to be nominated for an Oscar, Dev Patel is a
long shot to win an Oscar in the Best Supporting Actor category.

“While there have been some improvements, especially in television, the numbers remain disheartening across the board,” said Darnell Hunt, the report’s lead author and director of the Bunche Center. “At the heart of it is the fact that Hollywood is simply not structured to make the most of today’s market realities.”

People of color made some progress in five of the 11 categories (lead performers in films, lead performers in broadcast scripted shows, lead performers in broadcast reality shows, lead performers in digital scripted shows and creators of broadcast scripted shows). Minorities lost ground in four of the 11 job categories (film directors, film writers, lead actors in cable scripted shows and creators of digital scripted programs) and held ground in the other two (creators of cable scripted shows and lead performers in cable reality and other programs).

Minorities make up 40 percent of the U.S. population but only 13.6 percent of lead actors in theatrical films and 10.1 percent of Hollywood directors.

On TV, hit shows like “Empire” and “Fresh Off the Boat” gave a diversity boost in 2014–15.“In terms of sophistication of content, television might be considered to be in something of a golden age,” said Hunt, who also is chair of the UCLA sociology department. “But in terms of representation and opportunity, we still have a long way to go. White men are still dominant, and women and people of color struggle to get the opportunities to succeed.”

Ana-Christina Ramón, the report’s co-author and assistant director of the Bunche Center, said the lack of diversity has a societal impact that extends far beyond the entertainment industry.

“Authentic storytelling humanizes those who are often depicted as stereotypes or not worthy of being depicted at all,” she said. “Representation matters to the little girl who has yet to dream of who she will become and to the grandmother who has never seen someone like herself on screen.”

The report’s authors also point out that the lack of diversity in Hollywood also has a clear economic impact. Bunche Center research has consistently found that film and television content that is more diverse tends to be more successful — both among white and minority audiences — and delivers a better financial return on investment.

“Less-diverse product underperforms in the marketplace, and yet it still dominates,” Ramón said. “This makes no financial sense.”

Hunt said audiences are only becoming more diverse, and they’ve demonstrated that they search for stories that reflect our more diverse world — factors that will be critical for Hollywood’s long-term success.

Lately, Hollywood has been trying to get into the enormous Chinese market that could surpass the U.S. market this year. Chinese investors have been making inroads in Hollywood by buying studios and investing in coproductions.

Given Chinese audiences' increasing appetite for movies like The Great Wall with the internationally bankable Matt Damon in the lead role, it "feels like a missed opportunity" that Hollywood isn't developing bankable Asian/American stars for this market, Hunt told USA Today.

Part of the problem is that studios have historically been focused on Europe, where U.S. films have been distributed since the beginning of the movie industry, but represents "a relatively small part of the world's population," Hunt says. 

"This whole idea that Hollywood has perpetuated for years that people of color don't travel overseas as leads is pretty much an artifact. ... The rest of the world wants to see diversity because the rest of the world is diverse."

By next year -- or more likely in 2018 -- AAPIs will have a better chance of garnering an Oscar nomination with all-Asian casts slated for the live-action Mulan and Crazy Rich Asians that are slated for production this year. Whether or not these two films will be critically acclaimed remains to be seen but you can bet Hollywood will be eyeing the box office receipts when these movies finally make it to the big screen. If the movies are hits, you can be sure there will be more opportunities for AAPI in front of, and behind, the camera.

“When a business is overlooking the desires of its customer base, it is serving them poorly and leaving money on the table,” Hunt said. “For a variety of reasons, studios, networks and talent agencies — the institutions that decide what films and shows will get made and how they are promoted — have to diversify so they are no longer demographically and culturally out of step with their audiences.”

“Those changes will not only make our culture richer," said Ramón. "They will make the industry richer as well.”

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Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson: Will being named 'Sexiest Man Alive' be the breakthrough for AAPI actors?

Dwayne Johnson is second AAPI to be named 'Sexiest Man Alive.

IT'S AN ANNUAL honor bestowed on a celebrity every year, but for Dwayne Johnson and the Asian/American & Pacific Islander community, Johnson being named People's Sexiest Man Alive, means a little more.

The half-Samoan, half-black actor is the first non-white male to receive the title since Denzel Washington in 1996—20 years ago! The last time an AAPI man won the honor was 1994 when Keanu Reeves garnered the title.

With the animated movie Moana due out before year's end in which he voices the demigod Maui, several movies due out next year and starring in the HBO's Ballers, Johnson topped the list of Hollywood's A-list earners in 2016.

In an understatement, the busy actor says he feels like he's reached a "pinnacle" point in his career.

Growing up in Honolulu, during his teen years, "I was unsure of who I was and who I wanted to be,” he told People Magazine.

One of the most appealing things about Johnson is his willingness to go against type. Many he-man types are satisfied to portray essentially the same character in movie after movie; you know, the steely-eyed, strong-jawed, man of few words and la preference to use muscle when in a fix. He played many of those characters in his action movies in the Fast & Furious franchise. G.I. Joe, Hercules and San Andreas among a host of others.

The physically-imposing actor - was a football player and a wrestler before he began his acting career has also played a tooth-fairy, an unwilling parent and an over-the-hill football player. In other words, he's not afraid to laugh at himself and the image associated with him.

Like many Samoan/Americans, he thought football was his ticket -to fame and fortune and a way to taking care of his family. Injuries sidelined his budding pro-footbally career and ultimately, he was cut from the Canadian Football League. "That failure was tough; that was a tough pill," he admitted to People.

He fought off a bout of depression before finding himself in the wrestling ring, following the path of an older relative.

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• 'The Rock' tops list of higest paid actors

From acting in the ring, it wasn't a far stretch to acting in the movies. By using his muscles to grab casting agents' attention, he was able to land a covey of action roles.

This year, Johnson was named the highest-paid actor. 

AAPI actors are not seen as box-office attractions, often passed over for white actors, even when the role calls for an AAPI actor. When will Hollywood producers and casting agents overcome their inherent bias against AAPI actors?  With all the publicity surrounding diversity in the #OscarsSoWhite and #WhiteWashedOut controversies, maybe Johnson's breakthrough will dispel their doubts.

Don't hold your breath. Not much changed when Keanu Reeves was at the top of his popularity.

It will likely take Johnson, Reeves, along with Jackie Chan, Priyanka Chopra, Constance Wu, Daniel Dae Kim, Steven Yeun, Hailee Steinfeld and a host of others to achieve similar bankable status before the studio heads change their thinking. 

More importantly -- and more difficult --  the aforementioned stars will have to start making noise by talking openly in all media available about the need for AAPI inclusion and identify themselves as AAPI every chance they get. Forget being "exotic" or "ethnically ambiguous," or passing for white. They have to mention their roots as often as they can; not only for their personal well-being, but for all those who follow. 

In an Instagram message announcing being name People Magazines Sexiest Man Alive, Johnson said, "Remember, sexy isn't something you 'try and be.' Sexy happens naturally when you're comfortable just being yourself."

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