Every day, the team at Broadway Box picks a video clip of a performance as the "Hot Clip." On Thursday, they picked Eva Noblezada, star of Hadestown and Miss Saigon, singing "Don't Forget Me," from the NBC series Smash.
In the song, she displays her great control and shows why she's in demand on Broadway. She inspires show-stopping goosebumps at the 2:18 mark.
Noblezada shows her great versatility in her movie debut in the recently released Yellow Rose, in which she plays an aspiring country singer. Yeah. Country!
Yellow Rose is an American film. Who would have thought that a story about a Filipina American teenager and her ambition to become a country music star would combine into a single story; much less told in a movie that breaks all stereotypes to make film-making history?
Now, imagine trying to pitch that story to a Hollywood studio.
“I was constantly asking white, male, Hollywood for permission to make Yellow Rose, and getting, ‘no’.” director/writer/producer Diane Paragas, tells Golden Globes, the association of journalists writing about Hollywood for foreign media.
Texas-raised Paragas falls into one of the movie industry's smallest subsets of a subset – a woman of Asian descent directing a movie, writes "Golden Globes." In pitching her story, she went against all the stereotypes Hollywood has about Asians, not only in her film's un-Hollywood storyline, but also as an Asian American who has never made a dramatic feature before. Most of Paragas' previous filmmaking experience was in documentaries.
Paragas' movie broadens the perception of the undocumented immigrant. The story of Rose Garcia, as played by award-winning Broadway star Eva Noblezada, and her pursuit of her love of country music is a story about the American dream from the perspective of someone from the outside looking in.
Yellow Rose was released theatrically earlier this month under the aegis of a major studio, Sony, to rave reviews and the thunderous applause of the Filipino American community, who noted the historic aspect of the film -- the first Filipino American movie released by a major studio, which picked up the film after it picked up numerous awards through the film festival circuit.
The movie was released in 900 theaters across the country and still posted $150,000 domestically in its opening weekend -- not an overwhelming explosion, but not a box office bomb either. The limited response was no doubt influenced by the practice of stay-at-home social-distancing spurred by the coronavirus.
During its opening,Yellow Rose received an 85% in Rotten Tomatoes, a site that combines all the reviews of critics and the movie-going audience, a score that beat out the box office leader that weekend, The War With Grandpa, featuring big-name stars Robert De Niro and Uma Thurmond.
It is a shame that the film was released in the midst of a pandemic that is affecting every aspect of American life. If it was released a year earlier, we'd be hearing wider acclaim and audiences would be seeing this movie in droves .
Despite the coronavirus, audiences risked going out to the theaters. Most of them loved the movie if social media reaction can be used as a gauge.
Hopefully, an interview by the Golden Globes brings the movie to the attention of the foreign press and won't be forgotten when the Golden Globe nominations are announced later this year. Noblezada's first-film performance, which received almost universal praise, should be noteworthy and the original compositions should get some recognition by awards committees.
Youtube singing star AJ Rafael was effusive in praise: "I saw my mom, my sisters, my titas on that screen," wrote the Filipino American influencer. "Sitting in an American theater, watching this Filipino American movie, hearing a classic Filipino song sung as a lullaby, seeing those faces on screen -- it felt empowering. It was truly surreal."
Phil Yu, who writes one of the most widely read social media blogs, "Angry Asian Man," wrote in his praise: " I want to live in a world where movies that look and feel like this get made and celebrated every damn day."
Filipino American director Diane Paragas announced the theatrical release date of her film Yellow Rose.
After winning 13 awards in the film festival circuit spread over the past year, the feature film will open in theaters during Filipino American History Month on October 9, confirmed Paragas on social media.
Yellow Rose is the timely story of a Filipina American teen from a small Texas town who fights to pursue her dreams as a country music performer while facing the threat of deportation
The film stars Tony Award nominee Eva Noblezada (Hadestown, Miss Saigon) in her feature film debut, Tony Award Winner Lea Salonga (Once on this Island, Miss Saigon), Princess Punzalan (Mula Sa Puso), Dale Watson (Friday Night Lights), Gustavo Gomez (The Walking Dead), Libby Villari (Boyhood), and Liam Booth (Ghosts Never Sleep).
"It's no co-incidence that the film finally got financed in this era when anti-immigrant tensions are at an all time high. At the same time, there is a hunger for Asian-American stories like never before," said Paragas, after the success and acceptance of Crazy Rich Asians and The Farewell and the award-winning performance of Darren Criss playing Filipino American psychopath Andrew Cunanan in The Assassination of Gianni Versace.
"My hope is that Yellow Rose puts a human face on the plight of Dreamers, while entertaining the audience with original Americana music that they might not have listened to before," said Paragas, who immigrated with her family from the Philippines when she was four.
The Filipino American film Yellow Rose will be distributed by Sony Pictures.
Since its debut at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival last Spring, the movie of a young undocumented Filipina American's quest to become a country singner, Yellow Rose has been gathering plaudits at film festivals from coast-to-coast.
With Sony's acquisition, the feature movie directed by Diane Paragas and starring Broadway star Eva Noblezada, will be able to have a wider theatrical release.
Yellow Rose, which also features Lea Salonga, is Paragas' feature debut and the first film role for Noblezada, who was recently nominated for an Tony for her role in Hadestown.
“Yellow Rose has been a labor of passion for over 15 years and I’m thrilled that we can now share this very relevant story with the world,” says Paragas. “We have the added honor of representing the real experiences of Filipino Americans, Asian Americans, and all immigrants seeking a better life in America.”
Eva Nblezada was nominated for a Tony for her portrayal of Eurydice in the musical Hadestown.
It's a big week for Eva Noblezada, 23, who lwas nominated for a Tony award Tuesday (April 30), The following night, her first movie, Yellow Rose, premiered at the Los Angeles Asian American Film Festival's opening night.
This is the Filipina American's second Tony nomination in three years. She was nominated as Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for her role in Hadestown, a musical retelling of the Greek myth of Orpheus.
She was also nominated for a Tony in 2017 for her role as Kim in a revival of Miss Saigon.
In all, Hadestown led all Broadway productions with 14 nominations. Her role of Eurydice was easy for Noblezada to connect to. "I love the fact that (our director) Rachel Chavkin didn’t want me to play the victim," says Noblezada. "She has to be strong. I want to represent the modern woman."
Other nominees for best musical actress include: Stephanie J. Block ("The Cher Show"), Caitlin Kinnunen ("The Prom"), Beth Leavel ("The Prom"), and Kelli O’Hara ("Kiss Me, Kate").
Two other Filipino Americans who received nominations for this year's Tony Awards, are Robert Brill for set designs in Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations, and Clint Ramos for his costume designs in Torch Song.
The winners are to be announced on June 9 at the 73rd annual Tony Awards, held at Radio City Music Hall, hosted by James Corden, and broadcast on CBS starting at 8 p.m. EST.
The "big break" for both Eva Noblezada, left, and Lea Salonga was in playing Kim in 'Miss Saigon.'
THE SPARK that was lit with Crazy Rich Asians continues to send its embers throughout the movie industry as doors open for projects with Asian and Asian American protagonists or themes. One of those CRA embers may help the production of "Yellow Rose," an independent feature starring Tony Award nominee Eva Noblezada will headline alongside Tony winner and Miss Saigon veteran Lea Salonga and country music star Dale Watson.
“With the increased demand for diverse Asian American stories in Hollywood, I can’t think of a better time to develop this film,” said director/producer Diane Paragas, “’Yellow Rose’ has been in development for over 15 years, and we’ve selected an incredibly talented cast to help tell this story.”
The project wrapped filming last month and is now in post-production.
The film follows the tale of Rose, a 17-year-old Filipino American teenager from Texas who dreams of becoming a country music icon. She has to fend for herself, however, when her mother is arrested by ICE, and must choose between following her dreams without her mother or leaving her passions behind. Tony winner Salonga is set to play Rose's aunt.
Yellow Rose has original music composed and performed by the cast and Paragas. The cast also includes Liam Booth, Gustavo Gomez, Libby Villari, and Princess Punzalan.
DIANE PARAGAS
The director Paragas was born in Minneapolis but returned to the Philippines when she was a year old. She came back to the US at age four and spent the rest of her youth in Lubbock, Texas, where she studied painting, music and film.
“I am a Filipina American like Rose. When I was 3 years old, my family fled Manila and martial law and ended up in Lubbock, Texas as it was the only place that would take us," writes Paragas. "I grew up in a fairly racist environment and by the time I was a teenager my only refuge was music. So I formed a punk rock band.
"An actor friend of mine suggested I write a script about my upbringing, but when I first conceived of the script I thought that it would be more compelling if the lead character loved everything about Texas including and most importantly the music. It would be the ultimate unrequited love: to love a place so much that doesn’t love you back. And with the crackdown of immigration in her town, Rose’s very citizenship is questioned as well.”
It is not the first time that Noblezada and Salonga worked togehter. The two Filipinas held a joint concert at Carnegie Hall in 2016 celebrating the music of Broadway.
Paragas, while known for her commercial work, has done well-received documentaries including Brooklyn Boheme¸ a feature-length documentary about the African American arts movement for Showtime that she made in tandem with writer and critic Nelson George featuring Spike Lee, Chris Rock and Rosie Perez to name a few.
She is also in production for a feature documentary about an wrongfully convicted illegal immigrant called The Three Lives of David Wong.
“To me, commercials, documentaries and narrative films are all about storytelling, ” she says. “I don’t distinguish between them. Whether I’m working with a big crew, a small crew or by myself, it’s all storytelling.”
The cast of 'Hamilton' accounts for a lot of the increase in casting of minorities on Broadway.
THE LIGHTS of Broadway appear to be shining brighter for minority actors, singers and dancers but they dim when it comes to Asian/American performers. Though the 2015-2016 season was touted as the season of diversity with the musical Hamilton leading the way, there were fewer Asian American artists hitting the stages of New York City, the live performance capital of the U.S, according to a report compiled by the Asian American Performers Action Coalition (AAPAC) released its annual report, "Ethnic Representation on New York City Stages." “It’s a very positive outlook for the industry,” said Pun Bandhu, a member of the AAPAC steering committee. “However, Latinos and Asians are very removed out of the diversity conversation still,” he told NBC News.
Diversity on New York's stages shows overall improvement with 35% of all roles going to actors of color and disabled actors, a new high, according to the report. Overall, Asian representation dropped 5 percentage points from the previous season, to only 4% according to the latest report. It was the steepest drop among all minority groups.
This drop came despite the short run of the George Takei-inspired musical Allegiance, which featured a predominantly Asian cast and marked the first time an Asian/American composer and lyricist, Jay Kuo, was produced on Broadway, according to the report. "We hope this report will be used as a resource to track casting trends, point to inequities where they may exist and provide a measure of how much further we have to go. We are hopeful that these numbers hint at better days ahead and are grateful for your continued interest and commitment to these issues," said the AAPAC steering committee in its report.
Although the last four years has shown a trend of increased use of minority actors, as has been the case since the AAPAC began its annual reports, white actors continue to dominate the stages. Caucasians are the only ethnicity to over-represent compared to their respective population size in New York City.
According to the 2010 Census, whites made up only 33% of New York City's population while 26% were made up of African/Americans. 26% Latino and 13% Asian/American.
The season of Broadway hits Hamilton and The Color Purple was the most diverse in the 10 years for which AAPAC has data. Representation of actors of color hit a new high of 35% of all roles, besting last year’s record of 30%. Non-traditional casting has largely remained unchanged over the last 10 years, but jumped significantly this past season.
The news, however, is not as celebratory if you’re not a musical theatre actor. For the first time since AAPAC has been collecting data, the study was able to compare plays to musicals on Broadway to further analyze where opportunities exist and where they is room for improvement for minority actors.
While Broadway musicals hired 43% minority actors this season, plays on Broadway hired only 16% with the vast majority, 14%, awarded to African/Americans) helped by productions such as Eclipsed, which also brought the rare instances of an African/American female director and an African/American female playwright to Broadway, The Gin Game and The Crucible.
While Hamilton and On Your Feet brought more Latinx performers to Broadway audiences by making up 11% of all roles, that good news was offset by having no Latinxs at all in Broadway plays. Asians did not fare much better with only one Asian actor who was cast in an ensemble role.
The racial breakdown for Broadway 2015-2016 follows:
Caucasian actors: 65% of all roles
African/American actors: 23% of all roles
Latinx actors: 7% of all roles
Asian/American actors: 4% of all roles
Middle Eastern/North African (MENA) actors: 0.83% of all roles
American Indian actors: 0.08% of all roles
Disabled actors: 0.67% of all roles
The 'Miss Saigon' production employs an almost all-Asian cast.
Thus far, the best season for Asian/Americans was 2014-15, which saw them landing 75 out of the total 642 roles on Broadway. Closer examination shows that it’s largely due to just one production: The King and I, which features lots of Asian/American performers, but centers around a white character. That was also the year that the critically acclaimed musical Here Comes Love, based on the rise and fall of the Philippines' Imelda Marcos, had an extended run off-Broadway. The short-lived musical version of Gigi, featuring Filipina/American Vanessa Hudgens in the title role premiered on Broadway.
The King and I and the Allegiance productions have closed down but in its place was the revival of Miss Saigon, which features a largely Asian cast, including Tony-nominated Eva Noblezada, who portrays Kim, the lead role. Later this year, the musical Once On This Island will be brought back featuring Lea Salonga.
“We applaud our colleagues at AAPAC for compiling this report and continuing to hold all of us in the theatre community accountable as we strive to create a fairer and more inclusive industry,” said Heather Hitchens, president and CEO of the American Theatre Wing, in a statement. “Much more needs to be done and this report from AAPAC makes that very clear.”
'The Big Sick' has the honor fof winning the 2018 s Best Asian/American Move Award.
IT'S AWARDS SEASON: The Golden Globes were just handed out. The writers, actors and directors will be handing out its yearly awards. The Grammy's are coming and soon, the Academy Awards will be announced.
Although they are better known and have the glitz, glamor and hype, here are the award announcements that you've all been anxiously waiting for. Right? The winners for the Fourth Annual Anna Awards, granted to Asian American and Pacific Island artists for their work in 2017 because ... except for Aziz Ansari, no one else seems to recognize their work.
Anna May Wong
The awards are named after Anna May Wong, one of the earliest Asian/AMerican actors who had to endure playing the exotic, or the submissive, or the sexual stereotypes of Asian women even though she was born and raised in Los Angeles. She was a star even though Hollywood never gave her the credit she deserved nor the chance to play a role beyond the stereotypes. Views From the Edge came up with the idea for the awards in 2014 when no Asians were nominated for any award on any of the entertainment award shows. Not much has changed since then. There is no physical trophy or certificate, just a nod in their direction with an attaway tap on their shoulder. The awards categories change somewhat from year to year depending on circumstances, incidents or the news context of the period. To be clear, there is no statuette, trophy or money attached to the awards and they're presented for your enjoyment and pleasure. If it raises an eyebrow or two, that's OK, I'd like to hear from you. It may be a bit tongue-in-cheek, but it says something about the current state of American pop-culture. So, with no apologies to the Academy and the Hollywood Foreign Press, we present the Anna Awards. Best Asian/American Movie The Big Sick based on the true-life story of the interracial courtship of Kumail Nanjiani and his wife Emily Gardner. For non-Asians the movie is funny because of the performances of the great cast. However, for Asian/Americans the familiarity to the cultural misunderstandings takes the movie a notch up to hilarious. On Thursday, (Jan. 11), The Big Sick was awarded the Critics' Choice Award for Best Comedy.
'Columbus' was not nominated for any of the big awards, but the Anna's recognizes its brilliance.
Best Underrated Asian/American Movie Columbus, starring John Cho and directed by Kogonada, is the best movie hardly anyone has seen. It is not for everyone. There are no superheroes, no spectacular special effects, no sex and it is not cleverly hip. It is not Asian/American in theme, but its conversations of family, ambition and living to one's potential are universal. The movie is on several critics' top movies for 2017 but it failed to generate enough buzz to get the attention of the award shows. With Kogonada at the helm, the film is a feast for the eyes. Every lingering shot is beautifully framed and conveys a mood of suffocating beauty. Best Director Kogonada, who directed Columbus, his first feature film. He created a leisurely-paced essay on architecture and familial relationships. No sex, no action, just wonderful acting by John Cho, Haley Lu and the rest of the cast. His mood-setting made Columbus, Indiana, with its humid, rainy weather. lush greenery and architectural masterpieces, the overriding character of the movie. Columbus, the town, could be smothering in a way, not only weatherwise, but culturally and the way small-towns can cut off ambition and risk-taking. by its residents.
John Cho, right, discusses a scene witih Columbus director Koganada.
Best Actor John Cho in Columbus. The veteran actor once again showed his versatility in his restrained but conflicted character. His soul-searching journey never comes to an end but as he comes to accept his fate and what comes next in his own life, he launches another kindred soul on her own journey of self-discovery. It's a far cry from Cho's breakout role in the Harold & Kumar franchise or as a starship helmsman. It is Cho's best work.
Best Actress Hong Chau in Downsizing. Who can argue against nominations for the Golden Globes, SAG and possibly the Academy Awards? The Vietnamese/American plays an immigrant who speaks with a heavy accent without resorting to stereotype. She is the first AAPI actor to be nominated for the major awards since Hailee Steinfeld, a Filipina/American, was nominated in 2011 for her role in True Grit. The last time Asian American to win an acting award was Haing Ngor, a Cambodian refugee and physician, when he received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of journalist Dith Pran in 1984’s The Killing Fields.
Biggest Disappointment Killing oft Captain Philippa Georgiou played by Michelle Yeoh in Star Trek Discovery's second episode. After heavily touting the first Asian starship captain in the series, teasing about her possible storyline and building excitement in the AAPI community, the show's writers killed her off before we even got to know her. In the show's first season, the writers introduced the idea of alternative universes so I'm hoping we haven't seen the last of her.
Best Stage Performance Eva Noblezada in Miss Saigon. The pride of San Diego, Calif. where she was born, and Charlotte, North Carollina, where she was raised, Noblezada was nominated for a Tony for her portrayal of the title role of Kim in the Broadway revival of the musical that takes place during the Vietnam era. Will her success follow in the footsteps of the first Kim, Tony-winning Lea Salonga?
Best Badass Man of the Year Daniel Wu in AMC's Into theBadlands. The action series still has the best choreographed fights on television thanks to the fantastic work of Dee Dee Ku, who did the same for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Wu, who doubles as producer, demands the best from his actors, including a strenuous boot camp before they even begin filming.
Melissa O'Neil
Best Badass Woman of the Year Melissa O'Neil in SyFy's Dark Matter, in which she plays Two (aka Portia Lin). The Chinese/Canadian won Canadian Idol, but her fight scenes on both shows are well fought, fast and with (apparent) force. She doesn't hold a belt in any martial arts that I know of, but her footwork, body movement could fool me. Unfortunately, Dark Matter went dark this year.
Is He or Isn't He? Shazad Latif plays the psychologically damaged security officer Ash Tyler in Star Trek Discovery. Ash Tyler is not exactly an Asian name so that explains the question mark on his racial origins. Latif, however, was born in London in July 1988 of mixed English, Scottish and Pakistani descent. Considering Tyler's troubled past, we're not sure how long he will last in this universe.
Newcomer of the Year Kelly Marie Tran in the movie Star Trek: The Last Jedi. This pick was a no-brainer. Tran, better known for her work on Youtube, her first major break/role is HUGE in more ways than one. She plays mechanic Rose Tico, the first impactful role played by an Asian in the nine-movie Star Wars saga. Tico plays a heroic role in the war between the galactic Empire and The Rebellion and most likely will be back in Episode 9 of the franchise.
Has Finn Jones convinced anybody of his martial arts prowess in 'Iron Fist?
Best Whitewashed Role Award Finn Jones in Netflix's Iron Fist and The Defenders. Steeped in Asian culture, taught the martial arts by Tibetan monks, Jones is the ultimate white savior, arrogantly admonishing actual Asians (such as Kendo instructor Coleen Wing played by Jessica Henwick) to the "truth" and "techniques." Really, what would have been lost to the overall plot if the main role was portrayed by a real-life Asian? Or, someone who doesn't just go through the choreographed fight scenes by the numbers and looks like he's had some martial arts training?
Best Stereotype Buster Award Kelly Marie Tran, wins her second Anna this year for her role in The Last Jedi. Her character, Rose Tico, is a mechanic who performs heroically in the war against the evil Empire. She didn't resort to being a martial artist, Dragon Lady, submissive or sexual plaything. At last, there's an Asian cosplayers have someone they can dress like without having to having to explain themselves. Rose Tico forever!
Unexpected Appearance of an Asian Gary Young showed up unexpectedly in Outlander, which partially takes place in the 18th century. The show follows the adventures of a Scotsman and time traveler from the 20th century. This season, the show's third, moved from Scotland to the Caribbean so for someone who hasn't read the novels the show is based on, it was a complete surprise that a Chinese character should pop up but there he is: Mr. Willloughby, aka Yi Tien Cho. Apparently, in the books, Mr. Willoughby speaks with a heavy accent and is racist characture of a Chinese man, so much so, that book readers cringed at the idea of including him in the TV series. Fortunately, Willoughby's portrayal by Young is a far cry from the book version. Mickey Rooney Award Formerly known the "Worst Portrayal of an Asian American" award we've renamed it for Mickey Rooney's embarrassing portrayal of I. Y. Yunioshi in Breakfast at Tiffany's for the actor portraying a character that best exemplifies the negative stereotypes of Asians or Asian Americans. This year, the ignominious award goes to Hank Anzaria for providing the voice of Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, the Indian storekeeper in the cartoon show The Simpsons. Comedian Hari Kondabolu took a hard look at Apu in a documentary, The Problem With Apu. He says the character exploits stereotypes of Indian immigrants. Anzaria offered a heartfelt apology to anyone who's been offended and said changes are on the way. We'll wait and see.
Outspoken social critic Chrissy Teigan - We're considering renaming this award after Chrissy, who has 9.5 million Twitter followers. She keeps winning this category year after year. The super model is not afraid to give us an intimate peek into the highs and lows of her personal life and speaks for many of us against injustice, inequality and racism and all the craziness coming out of the White House. Most recently she fought back against a racist tweeter who tried to link her to the pizzagate scandal, a fake news story created by Trump supporters.
Breakout Artist of the Year BTS - Who can forget the American debut of the K-pop band at the American Music Awards? It was like the second coming of the Beatles, girls screaming and crying and fellow artists clapping and dancing. The 7-member boy band has racked up accolades this year. Among the most noteworthy of those has been becoming the first K-pop group to crack the top 40 on the benchmark Billboard Hot 100 chart with their track "MIC Drop." How long will the BTS fever last? Who cares? Enjoy the moment while it lasts.
Truth Be Told Comedian Kumail Nanjiani's opening monologue when he hosted Saturday Night Live didn't shy away from race relations, stereotypes and his Pakistani heritage. It might have made some people uncomfortable but that's what happens when truth is spoken. Watch it below:
FILIPINO AMERICAN Eva Noblezada and Rachelle Ann Go from the Philippines, stars of the current Broadway production of Miss Saigon, perform this exclusive, reimagined version of "The Movie in My Mind."
The story: In the last days of the Vietnam War, 17-year-old Kim is forced to work in a Saigon bar run by a notorious character known as the Engineer. There, she meets and falls in love with an American G.I. named Chris, but they are torn apart by the fall of Saigon. For 3 years, Kim goes on an epic journey of survival to find her way back to Chris, who has no idea he’s fathered a son.
Don't miss this limited Broadway engagement of the new production The New Yorker calls "a dynamite Broadway revival," and that NY1 says, “Soars to the rafters!”
