RIP Glenn Rhee, long live Steven Yeun

Steve Yeun seems to console Lauren Cohen, who plays his onscreen wife Maggie during Talking Dead's special 90 minute show after The Walking Dead Season 7 premiere that saw the end of Glenn Rhee.

IT HAS BEEN a week since Glenn Rhee was killed in The Walking Dead's Season 7 premiere and the fan furor refuses to die.

The character of Glenn Rhee, played by Steven Yeun, was among the last of the original group of survivors in the zombie apocalypse setting in The Walking Dead and was much beloved by the show's fans.

Killing off the fan favorite was more than just a turning point in the storyline, it was doing away with one of the few fully developed and complicated AAPI characters that has ever been on American television. Glenn exposed millions of viewers to an AAPI character that they could identify with, someone they could cheer for and care about.

Since Glenn's death last week, fans have been grieving the loss of one of the character they invested a ton of emotional capital, not to mention their Sunday evenings. A columnist in Arkansas wrote an obituary that was widely circulated.

Written by Andrea Bruner, it starts out, "Glenn Rhee, husband, father-to-be, warrior and friend departed from this world October 23rd. He was 32."

The fan meltdown and subsequent uproar was so great that series creator, Robert Kirkman felt compelled to explain the plot-turn to Entertainment Weekly.

"It’s just that there’s a lot of material that comes from Glenn’s death in the comics,’ Kirkman said. "And while we do try to change things up to keep things interesting for the audience, and for me, this is one that there’s so much that comes from Rick.

"There’s so much with Negan, because that character is someone that he killed, and definitely Maggie is someone that kind of gets put on the trajectory that affects a great number of stories and a great number of characters moving forward.

"So it was kind of essential that that part of the scene at least remained intact, unfortunately," he added. 

The Walking Dead cast says goodbye.

I don't buy that. Kirkman's explanation might carry more weight if he hadn't already substantially diverted from the comic storyline by allowing two (white) characters to continue to live, long after their comic counterparts died: fan favorites Carol, played by Melissa McBride and Daryl played by Norman Reedus. 

So, like so many before them, the producers thought the Asian guy was dispensible so we have to live with the results. It is what it is.

Steven Yeun has been trying to make sure that he is very much alive. He has a movie thriller, Mayhem, coming out in which he plays the hero, a guy who has to fight his way out of a dangerous situation. Hmm, sound familiar?

He is also signed up for another sci-fi project  Okja, directed by Boon Joon-Ho (Snowpiercer). which has an absolutely crazy pollen. It stars Seohyun An as a girl who befriends Okja, a genetically manufactured pig, the plot follows her mission to retrieve her now giant pig after he is kidnapped by the corporation that created him. It sounds like dystopian Clifford: The Big Red Dog.

Yen also scored a cover of Entertainment Weekly. Writes Fusion:

As far as as our research has turned up, Steven Yeun is one of three male Asian actors(and one of two living ones) to have an Entertainment Weekly cover all to himself since the magazine’s launch in 1990. As far as Asian actresses go, Mindy Kaling graced the cover back in 2013, as did Lost‘s Yunjin Kim in 2010. (We’ve reached out to EW for confirmation and will update with their response.)

Yeun has definitely appeared on EW covers before—and technically, he’s been featured on a cover by himself, as one of six different “collectible covers” of the same Walking Dead special issue, released in February of this year. The other five covers were of his Walking Dead costars....

Steve Yeun’s EW cover isn’t just a big deal because it pays homage to one of the most beloved characters in modern television—it’s a disruption, a declaration that your heroes can be Asian, too.

In the meantime, Yeun may have found a new job as late-night host Conan O'Brien. Yeun is a funny guy. He's a frequent guest on Conan, traveling with him to Korea for a couple of shows last year. Watch Yeun's guest stint from last week.

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We now know who dies in "The Walking Dead" and AAPIs are not happy

SPOILERS AHEAD:

READ NO FURTHER IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN SEASON 7, EPISODE 1 OF "THE WALKING DEAD."

THE ONLY Asian/American to survive the zombie apocalypse was killed off last night (Oct. 23).

Yeah, yeah, we know it's all pretend. Nevertheless, the death of Glenn Rhee as played by Steven Yeun in The Walking Dead, hurt. It hurt bad. Studies have shown that the emotions we undergo for our favorite fictional characters are real but not as long lasting as the real thing, thank goodness.

For seven years we watched Glenn grow from slacker pizza delivery boy to bad-ass zombie killer. The character is probably the best developed and complicated Asian/American character depicted on American TV. Yeun was fabulous in the role and introduced the concept of an AAPI heroic figure that the viewing audience of all races could cheer for and identify with.

Glenn was the first Asian/American male character to get the girl. Yeah, before Vincent Rodriguez III kissed Rachel Bloom in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Glenn kissed Maggie and don't think that stereotype-breaker went unnoticed in Asian America.

Together, the lovers represented the hope for the future in a world full of death and inhumanity. Glenn was the last good guy in the show in that he never killed a human being and always held out hope for some of the hopeless people that the group encountered in their journeys, willing to give second chances even if it meant putting himself at risk. In that sense, it was inevitable that Glenn meet his end since every character on the show that demonstrated an ounce of humanity was killed off.

Glenn Rhee, as played by Steven Yeun, has killed his last zombie.

In one dream sequence, the group is having a meal and at the head of the table was Glenn holding the hapa son that he never will get to know. 

The writers used the Season 7 opener to kill of another favorite, the macho militaristic Abraham. The double death was a change from the comics, the source material for the show and perhaps took the audience by surprise. The gruesome deaths of two key beloved characters prompted the producers to do an extended special Talking Dead, the show for the fans to talk about the goings-on of The Walking Dead.

During The Talking Dead, Yeun said that he didn’t want the big dramatic death that Glenn experiences in the comic to go to any other character. "Robert wrote such a messed up but at the same time incredible way to take something away, Yeun said. "To make a story as impactful as it is. When you read the comic, you kind of don’t want that moment to go to anyone else. I think I said that, ‘Don’t let that go to anyone else.‘ To do it the way we did it, I think, was brave and super effecting."

Glenn's last words as his head was being bashed in, "I will find you," was heartbreaking.

Lauren Cohan, who plays Glenn's wife Maggie, and wears her emotions on her sleeve, interpreted that dying promise as: “In this life or the next,” Cohan says. “They’re star-crossed lovers. ‘I’ll find you, I’ll be with you, I’ll watch over you. I’ll be there.’” 

“He dies in such a Glenn way," adds Yeun. "Still not thinking about himself. It’s important that he puts those final words out as a way of saying, ‘Look out for one another.’”

These days when there's so much talk about the importance of increasing diversity on television and whitewashing of roles meant for Asians, killing off a major Asian/American character on a culturally iconic show, is a blow to that movement. I hope that the producers of The Walking Dead and its spinoff Fear The Walking Dead will give more opportunities for AAPI characters to be given a strong presence in our pop culture lexicon. Glenn will be missed.

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TGIF FEATURE: Korea still a U.S. ally despite the visit of Conan O'Brien & Steven Yeun

Conan O'Brien and Steven Yeun did a music video during their visit to Korea.

IN CASE you missed last week's special featuring comedian Conan O'Brien in South Korea here are a few clips of his hilarious visit.

His special guest was Steven Yeun, the Korean/American star of The Walking Dead. He took a break from killing zombies to display some pretty good dance moves, a flair for deadpan comedy and - lo, and behold - not bad singing pipes, either.

The American pair tried Korean food ...

My favorite bit was the K-pop music video in which they both appeared with J.Y. Park. As K-pop goes this is pretty good - catchy, nice dance moves, attractive people - even if you don't understand the Korean lyrics.

Yeun, primarily known for his action role in The Walking Dead, may be priming himself to expand his horizons beyond the zombie apocalypse. His character, Glenn Rhee, is generally thought to be the character who dies in the hit drama's finale. But that won't be revealed until the show's next season.

RELATED: Glenn Rhee's fate has 'Walking Dead' fans in a daze

Not surprisingly, Yeun, as a Korean/American was also viewed as an American. He was as much a foreigner to the Koreans as red-headed Conan. Yeun was also a bit of a stranger in a strange land. As Conan discovered, Yeun wasn't much of guide.

Have a great weekend.

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Steven Yeun gets a breakout role in action movie

Stephen Yeun is one of the few Asian/Americans
to grace the cover of a U.S. magazine.

SPOILER ALERT! 'Walking Dead' fans who don't want to know what might happen in the next few episodes should stop reading now!

GOOD NEWS: Steven Yeun has signed on to star in the motion picture Mayhem. 

BAD NEWS: Does this mean he has more time because his character Glenn Rhee might have been killed on in The Walking Dead?

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Yeun will be the male lead in Mayhem opposite Australian actress Samara Weaving.

Mayhem is scheduled to begin filming in Serbia later this month and will likely be released in some form in 2017.

The finale for TWD has already been taped and all the actors have been saying that it was one of the toughest episodes to do emotionally, indicating that one of the core group of survivors is going to meet his or her end.

Both Andrew Lincoln (Rick) and Lauren Cohan (Maggie) said they felt so sick with the fate of one of their castmates that it was difficult to drag themselves to work on the final day.

There has been wide speculation that it would be Glenn, apparently the only Asian/American survivor in the zombie apocalypse. Some say that the producers are making Glenn's supposed fate too obvious. He was the first to see the photographs of Negan's victims' bashed heads; a not too subtle foreshadowing of what may come.

Fans point out that the show always does an episode fleshing out a character prior to their ultimate death. That's bad news for Carol, the abuse victim turned badass survivor to someone unwilling to kill anymore.

RELATED: The rest of The Walking Dead's episodes are going to be brutal

But, don't forget Maggie, Glenn's wife, who in a previous episode told Glenn, "I can't do this anymore," after killing her captors. If she dies, it would be equally devastating for TWD fans since she is the last of her family and Glenn's reason for living.

The totally unexpected death of Dr. Denise, excellently portrayed by actress Meredith Wever, has thrown comic book followers off-balance. She was shot through the eye with a crossbow arrow, the same death that was supposed to befall red-head Abraham. But he still lives.

The fact that Abraham is still alive demonstrates that the show runners are not afraid to go off-script, which might be good news for Glenn fans, but that also puts the fate of other characters up in the air.

Yeun's casting in Mayhem will present a rare situation in Hollywood. He'll be that rare creature - an Asian/American leading man in a U.S.-made motion picture. Let's hope its a harbinger of things to come.

Yeun will play Derek Sanders (don't be surprised if the character's name gets changed to reflect Yeun's Korean/American heritage). Sanders gets fired and on the same day, a virus breaks out that allows people to act out their wildest impulses. He is trapped in a quarantined building and has to fight for his job, fight for survival and escape. Pretty bad day at the office, I'd say. Think Die Hard meets Walking Dead. Right up Yeun's alley.

It will be Yeun's biggest role to date outside of Walking Dead and could be a breakout role commercially for the actor, who is being primed as an Everyman's action-hero - a role he's had plenty of experience playing.

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

The rest of The Walking Dead's season is going to be brutal and 'sickening'

Steven Yeun plays Glenn to Lauren Cohan's Maggie. Everybody's favorite couple recently learned that they were going to be parents on the 'Walking Dead' TV drama.

SPOILER ALERT. DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU'RE A "WALKING DEAD" FAN AND DON'T WANT TO KNOW WHAT'S COMING. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!

Last chance STOP reading ... OK, here we go ...

HERE WE GO AGAIN. What the Walking Dead does better than anybody else is to have fans invest themselves in the show's characters and their fate on one of television's best loved, best acted, best written dramas.

Besides Game of Thrones, no other television show has shown its willingness to kill off their main characters than The Walking Dead.

For those of you who sighed a breath of relief when Glenn survived falling into a herd of zombies last season, get ready to get back on that emotional rollercoaster. We're almost ready to experience the death of one of the show's main characters.

In past deaths of fictional characters, we are stunned, surprised and go through all the stages of real-life grieving whenever one of the core group of survivors meets his or her demise, as if they were real people.

In fact, studies show that fictional characters that are loved actually become our friends and our feelings towards them are real, as if they are actual people. When they hurt, we hurt; when they're happy, we're happy; when they die, we grieve. The characters may be fictional, but the emotions are real.

We're in Season 6 of the show that takes place in the near future and everyone - except for small bands of survivors - have turned into the undead zombies.

If you follow the comic book, the source material for the Walking Dead, you know that the villain of villains, Negan, is about to be introduced and with him, his barb-wire wrapped  baseball bat that he calls Lucille. You'll also know that Negan uses Lucille to bash in Glenn's head.

Oh, no! Not Glenn again! Why are the show runners always putting the Asian guy in peril? 

If the show runners stick to the comics, Glenn - the only Asian survivor in the zombie apocalypse that we know of; Glenn, the nice guy who gets the girl; Glenn, the pizza delivery guy who has turned into a hardened badass; Glenn, who always sees the good in people, even if they are losers; Glenn, who had never killed a human being (until last week's show.) Our Glenn. Our hero. His time has come. 

Reports that Steven Yeun, who plays Glenn has cancelled an appearance at a fans'  event after this season's finale only lends credence to Glenn's fate. The only other time Yeun missed a fan event was when everybody was asking if his character had died.

Hey, hasn't anyone over at Walking Dead read the USC report about the lack of significant Asian characters on television? Don't kill off the one character with whom we in this under-represented demographic identify!

But ...

The show runners haven't always been faithful to the comics for their plotlines. If they had, Carol and Daryl, both of whom have large fanbases, would have been killed off in the first season.

Will they veer from the comics again? Let's hope so.

Daryl, Carol, Abraham, Gabriel, even Glenn's wife Maggie, who's pregnant, have all been mentioned as possible substitutes for Glenn. 

In the past, the writers have always tried to fill in a character's personality before doing away them. Just as we're starting to know them, we lose them. So if a character is getting more airtime than usual, you can be sure their time on the show is coming to an end. That makes their deaths so much more heartbreaking. This season the writers have filled in the backstories with Fr. Gabriel, Abraham and Morgan. I would be worried if I was an actor playing one of those roles.

That would be just like the show's writers to torture the fans and also to hype fan involvement; build up hope and then pull the rug out from under the fans' feet..

All we're sure of is that someone in the main crew will fall victim to Negan's wrath. Both  Andrew Lincoln (Rick) and Lauren Cohan (Maggie) said the remainder of the season is going to be brutal. "Sickening" is the term they used.

So, Walking Dead fans, get ready to get your hearts ripped out and stomped on.

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

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

SHOCKER! Did Glenn just die on 'Walking Dead?'

Warning, warning, warning! Another spoiler! Do not proceed if you haven't seen Episode 3, "Thank you" of Season 6 of The Walking Dead.

The last time we saw Glenn ...

I'M STUNNED! I'm at a loss of words. I'm in denial.

Did Glenn - the only Asian/American survivor of the zombie apocalypse just die on the popular television show The Walking Dead?

The last image we have from last Sunday's episode 3 is Glenn screaming with zombies gorging on what appears to be our hero's intestines. It was ... well, gut wrenching. 

Glenn, as portrayed by actor Stephen Yeun, is "everyman." He was a nerd who has transformed into an action hero. He, and his wife Maggie, reminded the viewers that a trace of humanity and hope remained in the world inhabited by zombies. He believed in giving people (even those who tried to kill him) a second chance. He, of all the characters of Walking Dead, kept his humanity and never killed anyone (not counting zombies.) Never!

But ... here I am talking about Glenn in the past tense. There's some ambiguity. In the Talking Dead, which normally follows the show, they traditionally show all the characters that die on the Walking Dead. The segment is called "In Memoriam." Conspicuously absent was any mention of Glenn. To me, that is a huge oversight. Every other character who has been killed off received a lingering last "so-long" photo "In Memorium:"

Adding to the confusion, the producers felt the need to issue this statement to Talking Dead viewers:

“Dear fans of The Walking Dead, this is a hard story to tell and when we were planning to tell we knew our friends at the Talking Dead would be talking to you about it and knowing you’d all be talking, and feeling and commiserating, I knew we should say something about it lest our silence say something we didn’t mean to say or not say. So I’ll say this: In some way, we will see Glenn, some version of Glenn or parts of Glenn again, either in flashback or in the current story to help complete the story.”

Die-hard fans based in Georgia where the show is taped have sent out photos showing Yeun on the set, in costume, weeks after last week's episode was shot. Are they shooting flashback scenes? Or, did Glenn somehow survive the bloody ordeal.

So what happened? A dream, a hallucination? The character who was with Glenn in his apparent last battle killed himself and Glenn, being the good guy he is, tried to keep him from falling into the zombie abyss. Unfortunately, the momentum took Glenn down, too. How could our hero survive this? Did the other character fall on top of Glenn and that's his guts we see the zombies eating?

Or, are the writers just toying with our emotions? Is he dead? We don't know. Rumors of the character's death has been circulating for two seasons.

Tune in next week, which is a 90-minute episode, when poor Maggie hears the bad/good news. Is it too late to mount a #SaveGlenn movement?

UPDATE: The 90-minute episode didn't provide any answers. We have to wait another week to find out what happened to Glenn.