'Asians in Hollywood' to advocate for AAPI who work in motion picture industry

Asians In Hollywood - a new voice for Asians in the motion picture industry.

By Louis Chan
Reprinted from AsAm News
A GROUP of Asian/Americans working in Hollywood are staying united after the controversy over #OscarsSoWhite and the Chris Rock Academy Awards sketch during which he used stereotypes about Asian/Americans in his monologue.

They call themselves Asians in Hollywood and launched a Facebook page this month that has already generated nearly 1,700 likes and also have started a twitter account.

So far both the Facebook page and Twitter account have concentrated on applauding the successes of Asian Americans in Hollywood and promoting their work.

The group is building on its efforts following meetings with the Academy in May which included president Cheryl Boone Isaacs and CEO Dawn Hudson.

Still in its infancy, one of the group’s first big successes was getting recognized by the Hollywood media

RELATED: 70 Asians & Asian/Americans invited to join Academy

Even of more significance was the invitation to 70 Asians and Asian/Americans to join the Academy as voting members. They were part of the 673 people invited out of which 272 were people of color.

Among the members are Arthur Dong, Laura Kim, Freida Lee Mock, David Magdael, Marcus Hu, Jodi Long, Janet Yang, France Nuyen, Maysie Hoy, Peter Kwong, Teddy Zee, Don Hall, Chris Tashima and George Takei who all attended the meeting in May with the Academy.

“We don’t want to be a finger-pointing group,” said Hollywood producer Yang (People v Larry Flynt) to the Hollywood Reporter There’s enough of that. We want to help find positive solutions to a systemic problem. Most people, in our opinion, are not intentionally demeaning in their portrayal of Asians or in overlooking Asian actors for roles. It is the result of a hundred years of Hollywood making films from a particular point of view. If we don’t change the perception of us in entertainment and media, we will forever be sidelined.”

TGIF FEATURE: George Takei objects to Sulu's sexual orientation, 'Oh, my!'

John Cho portrays Hikaru Sulu in the Star Trek Beyond feature premiering July 22.

GEORGE TAKEI, who originated the role of Hikaru Sulu of the Star Trek franchise, is disappointed that the current incarnation of the Sulu character is going to be revealed as gay with a spouse and a child.

He feels that the character was envisioned as a heterosexual by creator Gene Roddenberry. "Unfortunately, it’s a twisting of Gene’s creation, to which he put in so much  thought. I think it’s really unfortunate," said Takei in an exclusive interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

According to news.com.au, during a promotional visit to Sydney, Australia two days ago, actor John Cho, who portrays Sulu in the upcoming motion picture, Star Trek Beyond, revealed that Sulu, the USS Enterprise's helmsman, would be portrayed as a gay father. 

Cho told Takei of this turn in the Sulu character to Takei about a year ago, Takei told THR. Takei urged Cho to tell director Justin Lin not to change the character that Takei help shaped in the original TV Star Trek. He suggested to Cho that the writers to be creative and introduce a gay character but let Sulu continue as a heterosexual.

In a subsequent conversation with director Justin Lin, Takei repeated his concerns.

The Star Trek bible does point out that in the 1994 film of Star Trek, the seventh in the franchise, Sulu's daughter Demora made an appearance.

RELATED: It got better for Mr. Sulu

The only other reference to Sulu's daughter was in a the 1995 Star Trek novel The Captain's Daughter. "It was, to put it crudely, a one-night stand with a glamazon," Takei explains. "A very athletic, powerful and stunningly gorgeous woman. That’s Demora’s mother." 

It was about a month ago that Cho emailed Takei that despite his strong objections, the writer and director decided to continue with their original idea, which, ironically, they apparently thought as an homage to Takei.

“I liked the approach, (taken in the movie) which was not to make a big thing out it, which is where I hope we are going as a species, to not politicize one’s personal orientations,” said Cho.

Takei didn't come out until 2005, well after the TV series ended. Since then, he has become an outspoken advocate for the LGBT community.

“If I wanted to work as an actor I had to keep it a secret,” Takei told News Corp last year. “Back then I couldn’t marry a white person — that was against the law here, miscegenation. But now I am married to a white dude so we have changed.”


Throughout the years, "Oh, my!" with its many variations, has become the actor's catchphrase. Takei explains here.

Star Trek, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2016, is one of the most successful entertainment franchises of all time. The original Star Trek spawned a dozen feature films and five successful television series. Almost half a century later, the Star Trek television series are licensed on a variety of different platforms in more than 190 countries, and the franchise still generates more than a billion social media impressions every month. In 2017, Star Trek will return to television on CBS  in a highly anticipated series with a brand new cast and new characters.

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Celebrities urge AAPI voters to exercise their right to vote

A CADRE of Asian/American celebrities joined a public service announcement intended to boost the voting turnout of the AAPI electorate.

The celebrities who participated included George Takei, John Cho, Vincent Rodriguez III,   Constance Wu, Sonal Shah and Joey Quenga. 

 The PSA was launched today (May 31), a week before California's primary on June 7.

Despite being the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States and making up 12 percent of California's registered voters, the AAPI participation in the voting process lags behind other groups.

Asian American voter registration has increased nationwide 600,000 per presidential election cycle. The number of congressional candidates from the Asian American community increased from 10 in 2010 to 40 in 2016.

The campaign is a project of APIAVote with the support of Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Imprenta Communications Group, The Great Company, and Asian Pacific American Leadership Foundation.

Celebrity short takes: Constance Wu, Justin Lin, Daniel Wu, Matt Damon, Vanessa Hudgens and more

The anime characters in FullmetalAlchemist and their human actors.

Director's decision counters Hollywood's 'whitewashing' practice

When the live-action adaptation of the wildly-popular manga-turned-anime Fullmetal Alchemist hits theaters next year, its entire cast of lead characters will be Japanese.
“I want to depict something that follows the original work as much as possible,” the movie’s director Fumihiko Sori told Natalie. “The cast is entirely Japanese, but the setting is Europe. However, their race and nationality isn’t expressed in a specific form.” This news is particularly refreshing in the wake of the upcoming Dr. Strange and Ghost in the Shell movies’ whitewashing of the Asian characters in their source material, tapping Tilda Swinton and Scarlett Johansson, respectively, to play them. Read the full story here.

Asian/American actors speaking out against 'whitewashing'

"AN ASIAN PERSON who is competing against white people, for an audience of white people, has to train for that opportunity like it's the Olympics," actress Constance Wu told writer Amanda Hess in the New York Times piece, titled 'Asian-American Actors Are Fighting For Visibility. They Will Not Be Ignored'. "An incredibly talented Asian actor might be considered for a leading role maybe once or twice in a lifetime. That's a highly pressured situation." Among the actors who were interviewed were heavy-hitters George Takei, Aziz Ansari and Daniel Dae Kim. Read the full article here.

AMC has renewed martial arts drama “Into the Badlands” for Season 2

The dystopian drama will return for a 10-episode second season that is slated to premiere on AMC in 2017. The show delivered the third highest-rated first season in U.S. cable TV history, averaging 5.6 million viewers per episode. “With its deep dive into authentic martial arts, the visually stunning ‘Into the Badlands’ proved to be unlike anything else on television,” said Charlie Collier, president of AMC, SundanceTV and AMC Studios. “Co-creators and showrunners Al Gough and Miles Millar, along with a talented team of producers, cast and crew, brought us an artfully crafted series. We’re eager to return to the world of barons and blades and spend even more time with these compelling and evolving characters across an expanded second season.” It stars California-raised Daniel Wu as its leading man.

Lin

Vin Diesel wants Justin Lin to direct the final 'Fast & Furious'

Vin Diesel wants Justin Lin to direct the final Fast & Furious Universal Pictures and director F. Gary Gray are currently shooting Fast 8 for an April 14, 2017 release, which is planned to launch a new trilogy of films. Fast 8 will be followed by a ninth film to be released April 19, 2019 and a tenth film planned to hit theaters April 2, 2021. Forward-thinking star Vin Diesel is already coming up with a master plan for Fast 10, which a new article from Wired indicates could include the return of Read the full story


'Space Jam 2' has found its director

It's finally on now. While Space Jam 2 has lingered in the minds of basketball and sneaker enthusiasts behind a regular season filled with Curry and Kobe headlines, LeBron James' summer is now closer to set. As The Hollwood Reporter breaks, the busy Justin Lin will direct the sequel to the cartoon classic. It's nice to be in demand. Read the full story

Chinese/American actress nominated for 2016 Tony Award

Phillipa Soo was nominated as Best Actress in a musical for her role as Eliza Hamilton in the Broadway hit Hamilton.  All together, Hamilton, the diversity-setting, rap-inspired musical set a new record with 16 nominations. Read the full story

Fukunaga

Cary Fukunaga may adapt Stanley Kubrick’s 'Napoleon' as HBO miniseries

According to a new report from ScreenRant, HBO is eying a revival of Stanley Kubrick’s famously never-produced version of "Napoleon" with Cary Fukunaga directing the historical epic. If done right, this could be spectacular. Anyone who has seen the first season of True Detective (or Sin Nombre or Beasts of No Nation) knows that Fukunaga is a special talent, one that could be trusted to bring a version of Kubrick’s singular vision to the screen. The project would also have the benefit of more modern technologies than Kubrick ever dreamed of, as well as the backing of HBO, which has shown a willingness to spend big money on huge projects. An hours-long program, with frequent battle scenes, filmed in multiple countries for a massive amount of money? That sounds an awful lot like Game of Thrones. Read the full story

Vanessa Hudgens agrees to pay $1,000 fine for carving on red rock wall

Actress Vanessa Hudgens has paid $1,000 in restitution for carving a heart into a red rock wall during a trip to Sedona, Arizona. The payment resolves a citation issued to the Filipino/American on a misdemeanor count of damaging a natural feature on U.S. Forest Service land. Read the full story

'The Great Wall' aims to bridge Hollywood-China divide

Matt Damon sported a new ponytail as he told fans in Beijing about his part in the fantasy epic The Great Wall, a $150 million U.S.-China co-production which could be a game-changer for the world's second biggest film market, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The legendary fantasy film, which is described as the largest film ever shot entirely in China for global distribution, centers on an elite force making a last stand for humanity on the iconic Great Wall in China. The English-language movie is directed by Zhang Yimou and is due to finish filming in August. The global release date is Nov. 23, 2016. Read the full story

First Filipina to win 'Best Actress' at Cannes Film Festival

Jaclyn Jose has become the first Filipino to win the best actress award at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. Jose won for her performance as a mother who falls prey to corrupt police after being forced to sell drugs to survive in Ma’ Rosa. The movie was directed by Brillante Mendoza, who in 2009 became the first Filipino to win best director at the festival for Kinatay.

The Filharmonics

NBC winds up its 'Life Stories' of Asian/Americans

The Filipino/American a capella singing group, the Filharmonics, was one of the groups and individuals profiled by NBC as part of its 'Life Stories' series in honor of Asian/American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Other episodes of 'Life Stories', can be found here.

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East West Players fete Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Allegiance.

LAST WEEK the East-West Players celebrated its 50th anniversary by awarding its Vision Awards lauding the achievements of individuals who have raised the visibility of the Asian Pacific American (APA) community through their craft.

The artists honored last April 25 included the creators of the television series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, the producers of the Broadway musical Allegiance and the founding director of Pan Asian Theater in New York City. 

Emceeing the East West celebration were Filipino/American actors Tia Carrera and Mark Dacoscos.

The 2016 Honorees are:

Jay Kuo and Lorenzo Thione, producers of the groundbreaking musical, Allegiance.

Fresh off its run on Broadway, Allegiance welcomed the stage debut of George Takei and also featured Lea Salonga and Telly Leung. Kuo is also the lyricist, composer and playwright of Allegiance, his fourth musical. Thione co-wrote Allegiance with Kuo and Marc Acito.

Jay Kuo is a composer, author, producer and social media addict. He is the co-creator of the Broadway musical Allegiance, the marketing of which gave him the opportunity to help develop the Facebook and Twitter pages of George Takei and other socialebrities. He currently serves as Chief Creative Officer at the Social Edge, a leading digital publishing and social media company.




Lorenzo Thione is a serial entrepreneur with a passion for the intersection of technology, art, design, communication and social value. He is a Tony-Nominated Broadway producer and is the co-creator and lead producer of Allegiance, the 2015 Broadway musical starring George Takei and Lea Salonga, for which he co-authored the book. In developing Allegiance, he spearheaded social-media viral strategies that led to astounding growth and unprecedented awareness and audience engagement for Allegiance and for its star and inspiration, George Takei, and from there to the founding of The Social Edge, where he currently serves as Chief Executive.

Tisa Chang, Founding Artistic Director of Pan Asian Repertory in New York City.

Tisa Chang is a dancer, actor, director, producer, celebrating 50 years in the American performing arts. Inspired by the independence and civil rights movements, she founded Pan Asian Repertory Theatre in 1977 to champion professional opportunities for Asian American artists to reach the heights of one’s dreams and aspiration with many graduates now in L/A. She is a former Executive Board member of SDC, member of Coalition of Theaters of Color in NY and a founding board member of CAATA the national coalition of AA Theatres and Artists that will produce the 5th CONFEST this October in Ashland.

Rachel Bloom and Aline Brosh McKenna, creators of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

The hit CW sitcom about a highly successful Manhattan attorney who leaves for California in hopes of finding true love with an old flame. The show follows her adventures, which include embracing her ex-boyfriend’s Filipino/American family. The would-be boyfriend is played by Vincent Rodriguez III, whose role as Josh Chan is one of the few love interests played by an Asian man.

Rachel Bloom is a comedian, actress, writer and singer based in Los Angeles. She currently stars in the TV series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend on the CW Network and earned both a Golden Globe and Critics Choice award for her performance.She has been named a comic to watch by Cosmopolitan, Time Out LA and Backstage Magazine, and has been featured in Variety and the LA Times. Rachel developed and starred in a musical pilot for Showtime called Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, co-written with Aline Brosh McKenna and directed by Marc Webb. The series was eventually picked up by the CW Network. She won a Golden Globe for her portrayal of the mentally-unbalance title role.


Aline Brosh McKenna is one of the most accomplished screenwriters working today, telling modern, character-based stories that have resonated with a wide audience. She is also one of the highest-grossing female writers of all time, with a worldwide gross of more than $850 million dollars. Currently, McKenna is Executive Producer. Showrunner on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, which has received incredible praise for its innovation, comedy, and musical numbers along with its smart and sharp approach at mental illness, feminism, diversity, friendship and relationships. She co-created the series with the series star, Rachel Bloom.

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CELEBRITY SHORT TAKES: Cho, Takei, Rodriguez, Lin and Wong

Cho: SNL needs an Asian/American host

IF DONALD TRUMP can host Saturday Night Live, why not an Asian/American? Margaret Cho wondered out loud in an interview in The Guardian. "Politics here is so undignified. It’s gotten scary and messed up. Remember Pink Floyd’s movie The Wall, when Bob Geldof becomes this totalitarian leader cum rock star? That’s happening with Trump. A reality TV star becoming president. 

"SNL has never had a single Asian-American cast member or musical act. They had one Asian-American host 16 years ago, which was Lucy Liu. Yet they want Trump, a known racist? 

"I said they should swap Trump for Ken Jeong, who’s a big star here, and I offered to be his musical guest. But no dice. If Trump becomes president, the whole world’s in big trouble. He’s using Isis to make points about mosques, immigration, torture, oil… In fact, I’ve come to the conclusion that Donald Trump is Isis."

Takei: Beyond black and white

IN A lengthy interview with the Hollywood Reporter, the entertainment industry newspaper, actor George Takei expounded on the anger he felt when Asians were a butt of a couple of jokes during the Oscar telecast. 

"I mean, diversity means much more than black and white," said Takei. "It means Asian-Americans, it means Latinos, it means LGBT people, it means Native-Americans, it means — particularly in today's context — Arab-Americans. And yet it was a show in black and white — black-and-white pictures, like going back a half-century. I was astounded at the obliviousness and the ignorance of the Academy people with regard to the notion of stereotypes." 

It prompted him to get together with other AAPI Academy members well known and respected in the entertainment industry to issue a letter asking for an explanation and an apology. The apology issued by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts was not satisfactory to the signees and the Academy said that they would meet with the letter writers this week. However, that meeting has not occurred as far as Views From The Edge can tell.

Interview by Michael Hogan

Rodriguez: Bringing Broadway training to Bay Area schools

VINCENT RODRIGUEZ III, one of the stars of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend romantic-comedy musical and who grew up in Daly City, California, came home to the San Francisco Bay Area recently and met with students of a several high schools. “Whenever I meet these kids, I tell them, ‘These are the techniques you will need in order to be successful in the rehearsal room, at auditions, or in performance,’” says Rodriguez in an article at SFGate. “When I was growing up, I didn’t have that kind of mentoring.”

Lin: Public has got to support AAPI movies and plays

DIRECTOR Justin Lin also says if we want to see more diversity in film, “the general public has to demand it,” in an article in Salon, that also outlines what some individual artists are doing to diversify the motion picture industry. “It’s about supporting the many talented artists and filmmakers out there trying to create work from that marginalized point of view,” said Lin, who is directing the next Star Trek movie. “Go out and buy tickets to their movies and plays, support their crowd sourcing campaigns, show the industry that there is a viable audience for this work.”

Wong: Feminism and Asian/American women

COMEDIAN Kristina Wong was interviewed by NBC News about her take on feminism in the AAPI community. "For years, I used to crash public events as a cigar smoking, dry humping, fast talking faux beauty queen named 'Fannie Wong Former Miss Chinatown 2nd Runner Up.' She was the queer, outspoken, messy and hilarious alternative to the perfect Chinese American beauty standards put on the women who compete in the Miss Chinatown pageant. I feel like feminism is about women making and living in a space that wasn't there before. It's about having the choice to choose options that didn't exist before because patriarchy dictated standards that didn't allow women and non-gender binary folks to feel they could exist safely in these new undefined spaces that were previously predominantly centered or occupied by cisgender men."

#OscarSoOffensive: Letter protesting Oscar's Asian jokes sparks Academy apology

From left, George Takei, Sandra Oh and Ang Lee. They were among the Academy members who protested the Asian jokes during the Oscar telecast.

REPERCUSSIONS from making Asians the butt of jokes at the Academy Awards continues to reverberate through the AAPI community and in particularly for those Asians in the movie industry.

Twenty-five Asians who are members of the Academy issued a joint letter protesting the what they believe was the telecast's "offensive skits" targeting of Asians.  

The signers, including some of the biggest names in the industry such as director Ang Lee, actors George Takei, Sandra Oh and Nancy Kwan - expressed their disappointment in the Academy in light of the #OscarsSoWhite controversy

RELATED: Chris Rock went one joke too many, angers Asians

The letter stated: "We’d like to know how such tasteless and offensive skits could have happened and what process you have in place to preclude such unconscious or outright bias and racism toward any group in future Oscars telecasts." 

The so-called  "jokes" involved Asian children who were oblivious to the fact that they would be the butt of the joke; and a joke from Sacha Baron Cohen about Asian penises.

"Everybody was excited because we knew that the academy was responding to #OscarsSoWhite," one of the signees, ReneeTajima-Peña told the Los Angeles Times.  "We were excited to see the telecast to see what was gonna happen. It kind of blindsided us. It was such a contrast to the language of moving forward, recognizing that this culture is multi-racial, multi-ethnic. It wasn’t even funny. It’s just dredging up really idiotic stereotypes." 

RELATED: AAPI still buzzing about  Oscar's Asian jokes

"The Academy appreciates the concerns stated, and regrets that any aspect of the Oscar telecast was offensive.," responded a spokesman for the Academy. "We are committed to doing our best to ensure that material in future shows be more culturally sensitive."

Dawn Hudson, Academy CEO also responded with a personal email, in which she said, "It was never our intent to offend anyone....It pains us that any aspect of the show was considered offensive, and I apologized for any hurt the skits caused.."

The letter dated March 9 from the 25 signees is below:

Dear Cheryl, Dawn, Members of the Board of Governors, Reginald and David:

We are writing as Academy members of Asian descent to express our complete surprise and disappointment with the targeting of Asians at the 88th Oscars telecast and its perpetuation of racist stereotypes.

In light of criticism over #OscarsSoWhite, we were hopeful that the telecast would provide the Academy a way forward and the chance to present a spectacular example of inclusion and diversity. Instead, the Oscars show was marred by a tone-deaf approach to its portrayal of Asians.

We’d like to know how such tasteless and offensive skits could have happened and what process you have in place to preclude such unconscious or outright bias and racism toward any group in future Oscars telecasts.

We look forward to hearing from you about this matter and about the concrete steps to ensure that all people are portrayed with dignity and respect.

We are proud that the Oscars reach several hundred million people around the world of whom 60% are Asians and potential moviegoers.

Sincerely,

• Don Hall, Sound Branch, John A. Bonner Medal of Commendation, Academy Governor, 18 years
• Freida Lee Mock, Documentary Branch, Academy Award winner, Academy Governor, 6 years
• Arthur Dong, Documentary Branch, Academy Award nominee, Academy Governor, 4 years
• Ang Lee, Directors Branch, Two-time Academy Award winner
• Chris Tashima, Shorts and Feature Animation Branch, Academy Award winner
• Christine Choy, Documentary Branch, Academy Award nominee
• David Magdael, Public Relations Branch
• France Nuyen, Actors Branch
• George Takei, Actors Branch
• Janet Yang, Producers Branch
• Jessica Yu, Documentary Branch, Academy Award winner
• Jodi Long, Actors Branch
• Laura Kim, Public Relations Branch
• Marcus Hu, Executives Branch
• Maysie Hoy, Film Editors Branch
• Nancy Kwan, Actors Branch
• Peter Kwong, Actors Branch
• Renee Tajima-Pena, Documentary Branch, Academy Award nominee
• Rithy Panh, Documentary Branch, Academy Award nominee
• Ruby Yang, Documentary Branch, Academy Award winner
• Sandra Oh, Actors Branch
• Steven Okazaki, Documentary Branch, Academy Award winner
• Teddy Zee, Executives Branch
• William Hoy, Film Editors Branch
• Yung Chang, Documentary Branc

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For more news about Asian/Americans & Pacific Islanders, read AsAm News.

"Allegiance" - the musical - to close its Broadway run

The "Allegiance" cast will make a final bow on Broadway, Feb. 14.

THE MUSICAL Allegiance, which opened just two months ago on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre, has set a closing date for its Broadway run - Feb. 14, 2016.

The silver lining, however, is that the producers are making plans for a national tour.

In a statement, producers for Allegiance said: 

"Bringing "Allegiance" to Broadway was not only a labor of love for our entire creative team and this company of extraordinary artists, but it was also a work with deep commitment to social relevance and impact. We are so proud to have brought George Takei’s very personal family history to the stage and – in the process – to have surfaced a chapter of history that was painfully unknown to so many. 

"By its last performance Allegiance will have been seen on Broadway by approximately 120,000 people, a number that eerily echoes the number of Japanese Americans who were directly impacted by the events that inspired our musical, and whose rights were trampled in the name of pure fear and intolerance. 

"We look forward to continuing to share this essential story — more relevant than ever, given today’s headlines — and this moving score with theatergoers across the country and around the world for many years to come. 

RELATED: "Allegiance" ready for its Broadway debut

"Audiences who have experienced Allegiance on Broadway have left the theater transformed, uplifted, enlightened, inspired, informed, and entertained. We remain committed to finding more ways in which the true impact of Allegiance will continue."

By the time the show closes, it will have played 37 previews and 113 regular performances.The storyline is partially inspired on the life of actor George Takei (who also stars) and his experience in Japanese/American internment camps during World War II.  Allegiance also stars Tony winner Lea Salonga and Telly Leung, and tells the story of a family uprooted and forced to adapt to a new mode of life demanded by a frightened country which would not dare to accept difference.

Lea Salonga and George Takei.

Allegiance, according to press notes, "illuminates one of American history’s lesser known chapters as it tells the story of Sam Kimura (Takei), transported back nearly six decades to when his younger self (Leung) and his sister Kei (Salonga) fought to stay connected to their heritage, their family, and themselves after Japanese Americans were wrongfully imprisoned during World War II. An epic story told with great intimacy, Allegiance explores the ties that bind us, the struggle to persevere, and the overwhelming power of forgiveness and, most especially."

The show features a book by Marc Acito, Jay Kuo, and Lorenzo Thione, and music and lyrics by Kuo. A cast recording of Allegiance will be released Feb. 5 through Broadway Records/Yellow Sound.

The complete cast comprises Takei as Sam Kimura/Ojii San, Salonga as Kei Kimura, Leung as Sammy Kimura, Katie Rose Clarke as Hannah Campbell, Michael K. Lee as Frankie Suzuki, Christopheren Nomura as Tatsuo Kimura and Greg Watanabe as Mike Masaoka with Aaron J. Albano, Belinda Allyn, Marcus Choi, Janelle Dote, Dan Horn, Owen Johnston, Darren Lee, Manna Nichols, Rumi Oyama, Catherine Ricafort, Momoko Sugai, Sam Tanabe, Kevin Munhall, Elena Wang, Scott Watanabe and Tony winner Scott Wise. 

George Takei on Trump, internment and New York buses

George Takei just before he went on a bus tour in the Big Apple.

CAN ONE ever get enough of George Takei?

The actor, best known for his role as Mr. Sulu in the iconic Star Trek television and movie franchise.  was honored last Dec. 10 for having his image emblazoned on a New York City double-decker tour bus - the Ride of Fame. 

Before he went on a bus tour of the city, he was interviewed by NBC (and here) and he talked about life in general, his own life, his Broadway musical Allegiance and why we should all get involved in our communities by giving back somehow.

He's an activist for human rights and has become a social media star and he's not afraid to go where no one has ever gone before. Most recently, he responded to Donald Trump's plan to ban all Muslims from entering the United States.

Trump's widely criticized proposal has drawn comparisons to the United States'  war hysteria-driven and xenophobic decision to place some 120,000 Japanese-Americans into internment camps during World War II -- a plan Trump would not outright disavow. 

Ironically, Trump issued his insane idea on Dec. 7, Takei noted, the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, "the very event that put us in those internment camps," said Takei.

Takei, ever a social media networker, issued an invitation on Dec. 9 to the Donald to watch the musical Allegiance, inspired by Takei's own experience. "If you want to see how tough it was from the comfort of your seat, you can be there with us in the camps and see what it was like for families like mine who were unjustly imprisoned by a politics of fear much like the one you're campaigning on," Takei challenged. 

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Roanoke mayor apologizes for statement about Japanese American internment

Syrian refugees fled the violence in their country.

FACING blistering criticism for citing Japanese internment camps in his defense of limiting Syrian refugees, the longtime mayor of Roanoke, Va., issued an apology today (Nov. 20).

Mayor David Bowers, a Democrat who has been mayor for 16 years, said he didn't expect the international attention his comments would bring. He told the city council that "it's just not in my heart to racist or bigoted."

“I want to say today that I apologize to all those offended by my remarks,” he said. “No one else is to be blamed but me.”

His statements Wednesday requesting that local governments and agencies suspend Syrian refugee assistance in the area.

he longtime mayor of Roanoke, Va., who faced criticism this week for citing Japanese internment camps in his defense of limiting Syrian refugee assistance, apologized on Friday.

He said he did not anticipate the international attention his comments would bring.

Mayor David Bowers apologizes.

The mayor, David Bowers, a Democrat who has held the position for 16 years, said at a special meeting of the Roanoke City Council that “it’s just not in my heart to be racist or bigoted.”

“I want to say today that I apologize to all those offended by my remarks,” he said. “No one else is to be blamed but me.”

He was referring to the statement he issued Wednesday in explaining his opposition to allowed Syrian refugees entrance to the U.S.

“I’m reminded,” he wrote, “that President Franklin D. Roosevelt felt compelled to sequester Japanese foreign nationals after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and it appears that the threat of harm to America from ISIS now is just as real and serious as that from our enemies then.”

When questioned about his statement, instead of apologizing, he doubled down. By Friday, his tone had changed but not before angering Democratic Party leaders and former Japanese/American internees.

George Takei, who was one of 120,000 people of Asian descent put in internment camps in the wake of 1940s-era prejudice

pointed out that Bowers was wrong to call those interred as “foreign nationals” since two-thirds were U.S. citizens. Also, he said there was never any proven incident of espionage or sabotage from the Japanese-Americans held.

“There was no threat. We loved America. We were decent, honest, hard-working folks. Tens of thousands of lives were ruined, over nothing,” Takei wrote on his Facebook page. Takei’s personal story of the camps inspired the Broadway musical “Allegiance,” in which he also stars. He invited the mayor to attend a performance.

“I was raised in an internment camp," said Rep. Mike Honda (D, Silicon Valley), "and know firsthand how that dark moment in our nation’s history led to repercussions that have resonated over the year."

 

The young Mike Honda, center front.

"I am outraged by reports of elected officials calling for Syrian Americans to be rounded up and interned. We simply cannot let the extremist perpetrators of these hateful acts of violence drive us into such a misguided action. For it is when we allow these criminals to lead us down a dark path, away from our principles and ideals, that we as a country suffer.


“The Japanese and Japanese Americans interned after the bombing of Pearl Harbor was an outrage, as was turning away Jews at our borders who were fleeing German persecution. We cannot allow this to happen again and reverse the progress we have made in the last several decades."

Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz put out a statement saying that "his rhetoric has no place in our party." In addition, Bowers lost his position in the Hillary Clinton Virginia Leadership Council.

"I anticipated that the statement might receive some coverage in the Roanoke Valley, but I did not in any way anticipate that it would trend internationally over the Internet," said Bowers.

"It's just not in my heart to be racist or bigoted," he added.