Time names AANHPI on its list of 100 Most Influential people.

Nineteen Asians and Asian Americans made Time magazine's list of the 100 Most Influential People.

One of the covers the news magazine chose featured actor Simu Liu, whose portrayal of Marvel superhero Shang-Chi last year and his activism regarding representation of AANHPI in movies made him one of the most visible and outspoken AANHPI personalities in 2021.

“There is no caption that exists to articulate what I am feeling to be included among such legendary and exceptional people,” Liu wrote in his Instagram post.

“But what if this moment isn’t about me at all? What if I’m merely a conduit to a much more impactful discussion about a group of people who have struggled to feel seen, respected, and equal?” said Liu in the article about him written by fellow actor and Asian Canadian Sandra Oh.

“If I happen to be an instrument, a passing storm that changes the tides this particular year, then so be it. I will make as much thunder and lightning as I can while the clouds are here.”

Liu was among the 19 Asians and Asian Americans chosen to be on the annual list. Other actors included Michelle Yeoh, Keanu Reeves and Taiki Waititi . 

It was no surprise that included on the list were the expected political leaders Xi Jinping, President of the Peoples Republic of China and athletes such as Eileen Gu, the California snowboarder who competed for China in the Winter Olympics, but also  lesser known influencers Emmet Shelling, an advocate for trans rights in Texas; and Netflix’s head of global TV Bella Bajaria, the Indian American executive who helped diversify the streamer's content.

The list of 19 most influential AANHPI and Asians are: Simu Liu, Nathan Chen, Taiki Waititi, Bella Bajaria, Sevgil Musieva, Michelle Yeoh, Guatam Adani, Hwang Dong-Hyuk, Khurram Parvez, Xi Jinping, Yoon Suk-Yeol, Keanu Reeves, Karuna Nundy, Sun Chunlan, Maya Lin, Peng Shuai, Eileen Gu, Michelle Zauner and Emmet Schelling.

Most notable was who did not make this year's list. Not repeating this year was 2021 Nobel Peace Prize Winner Maria Ressa, the embattled Filipino American journalist who made the list in 2019, and US Vice President Kamala Harris, the highest ranking AANHPI government official who made the list in 2021.

Time magazine will celebrate the 2022 Time100 list of the world's most influential people with the return of the annual Time100 Summit and Time100 Gala on June 7 and June 8 in New York City.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

Win a date with Keanu Reees

Asian American & Pacific Islander actor Keanu Reeves is donating his time for a charity.

What would you tell Keanu Reeve if you had 15 minutes with him? You can have the movie star's undivided attention - for a price - all for a good cause.

The 55-year old actor is auctioning off his time to the highest bidder in an auction that would benefit Camp Rainbow Gold, an agency providing "emotionally empowering experiences to Idaho’s children diagnosed with cancer and their families."

If you're interested, you better act quick and click here. The bidding for the Zoom call ends on Monday, June 22. As of Wednesday morning, June 17, it was already up to $16,700.

The benefit is a fundraising efforts for Camp Rainbow Gold following a postponed event due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Hollywood Reporter. 

"We quickly realized we wouldn’t be the only ones moving our fundraiser to an online auction,” said the charity's executive director Elizabeth Lizberg. "We also realized after months at home, people are craving connections and experiences that are safe but fulfilling."

The Hollywood trade magazine also reports that besides Reeves, other items donors can bid on include former Fifth Harmony member Ally Brooke who will perform a 15-minute private Zoom concert; legendary voice actor Rob Paulsen who will mimic some of his memorable characters from Jimmy Neutron to Pinky and the Brain while also donating swag and a recorded voicemail message. Other offers include: a signed Andy Grammer guitar; a spa day; custom tattoo design; and getaways to Mexico, a dude ranch, and Sun Valley. 

This is not the first time the Hawaiian Chinese American actor has helped out a charity. He has donated his fame and time to various cancer chairities in the name of one of his sisters who died of leukemia.

The star of the Matrix franchise and Bill & Ted adventures, recently played a fictional version of himself in a Netflix romcom, Always Be My Maybe starring Ali Wong and Randall  Park.

Keanu Reeves goes public with new girlfriend

Alexandra Grant and Keanu Reeves seen outside of a Los Angeles restaurant.

Hawaiian-born Keanu Reeves, one of Hollywood's most eligible bachelors, introduced his new girlfriend to the public last weekend.

Reeves, who recently starred in the Netflix comedy, Always Be My Maybe, is one of the movie industry's enigmatic leading men, avoiding the public limelight or any controversies that haunts some celebrities. He has not been romantically linked in decades it seems, and has never been publicly affectionate with a woman while on the red carpet during his 35-year career. 

Reeves, 55, was seen holding hands with business collaborator Alexandra Grant, 46, at the LACMA Art + Film Gala Presented By Gucci in Los Angeles.

The Chinese American actor, 55, and the artist, 46, never let go of each other as they shared private glances while posing for dozens of photos in front of the international press.

Keanu collaborated with Alexandra on the books "Ode To Happiness" in 2011 and "Shadows" in 2016.

While Grant provided visual art for the volumes while Reeves wrote the poetry.  

The business partners also founded their own publishing house, X Artists' Books.

Grant is a Los Angeles-based artist, who uses language and exchanges with writers as a source for imagery in sculpture, painting, drawing, and video.

Reeves's was linked with several actresses earlier in his career but the most significant relationship was with actress Jennifer Syme. They began dating in 1998 and, in 1999, Syme became pregnant with their daughter, Ava. 

His daughter was tragically stillborn at eight months. In 2001, Syme drove her car into a row of parked cars in Los Angeles; she died instantly. She was only 28-years-old at the time.

Since then, he's talked about being alone and practically disappeared from the Hollywood party scene.

Keanu, who by most accounts is a genuinely nice guy, is one of Hollywood's busiest actors, including the highly anticipated fourth film of the Matrix franchise, which will see him reprise the role of Neo.

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Dwayne Johnson showcases his Samoan pride in newest flick

One of the most in-demand actors in Hollywood is superstar Dwayne Johnson. A movie with Johnson in it is almost a guarantee to make lots of money. 

Johnson's celebrityhood and star power is so bright that he is at a level very few actors are at. Perhaps only Tom Cruise is the only other actor who can rival Johnson's popularity among the world's moviegoers. Those two actors are at the top of money-earners in Hollywood. Everybody else is a notch below.

Johnson is so successful, whenever critics, movie producers, agents and fans list their AAPI stars, he is often left off the list even though he has a Samoan tattoos on his chest and arms and he's never tried to hide his Samoan heritage.

To be truthful, producers want Johnson for his star power, not because he might fill a diversity quota. His action-hero characters are never identified as Samoan. Their ethnicity is not essential to the story and no one has ever questioned it.

However, in this age of inclusion, Johnson for the first time in his storied career, is playing a Samoan American character in his newest movie Hobbs and Shaw, a spinoff of the Fast & Furious franchise.

To drive home the point of his Pacific Islander roots, there's a point in the movie where he returns to Samoa and calls on his cousins to help his character, Luke Hobbs, and his buddy Deckard Shaw, played by British actor Jason Stratham.

"You guys familiar with the Haka? OK great,"  Johnson asked the audience at CinemaCon2019. "Well, we don’t do that in this movie. But what we do is called the ‘Siva Tau.’ The Siva Tau is the Samoan version of the Haka and we still call upon our ancestors. 

(In this trailer), Johnson continued, "I lead the Siva Tau and for the very first time in a blockbuster tentpole movie we’re very proud to showcase our two cultures, England and culture of Samoa.

"It’s the very first time we’ve seen Samoa ever featured and ever showcased in the movie…Yes we have the explosions and the epic-ness of everything you’d expect from a Fast and Furious movie but now you also have this mana, the spirit that we lived in Jason and I, David, all of us.

Its a Wakanda moment, similar to the hair-tingling scene in the groundbreaking Black Panther when an army of African warriors respond to their leader.

Led by Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) the Samoan warriors enter battle.

(It's not the first time that Johnson, again playing Hobbs, featured the Haka in his films. In Fast & Furious 8, he taught a girls soccer team the haka to intimidate their opponents.)

When Hobbs and his brothers and cousins do the Siva Tau, its enough to make an AAPI audience cheer.

In Hobbs and Shaw, Luke Hobbs' ethnicity is essential to the movie plot.  Despite using his consider influence to insert Samoan references in his movie, Johnson's position at the top of the star charts is not in danger if he plays an ethnically specific character that reflects his real-life heritage. Johnson remains an almost untouchable star.

But it helps the conversation in Hollywood these days if the big stars like Johnson and Keanu Reeves, who had an important role in the recent Asian American-themed romantic comedy Always Be My Maybe, occasionally remind the Tinsel Town's decision makers that AAPI actors have already proven they can draw multi-cultural audiences.

Hobbs and Shaw will be released August. 2.

Keanu Reeves, reluctant role model?

Keanu Reeves was in this month's cover of GQ.

In an interview in Essence magazine, Keanu Reeves, star of the just released John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, self-identifes as a person of color.

Unlike many actors Reeves' personal life isn't splashed all over the gossip pages of various media. He doesn't shout from the rooftops that his bloodline, which includes Native Hawaiian  and Chinese ancestors, much to the disappointment of some of his fans who seek role models of similar racial heritages.

Even with a 30 year career in Hollywood playing a wide range of characters, Reeves remains a mystery.

Reeves told Essence that he "not a spokesperson" for Asian actors in the Hollywood community but he cares about "representation" in the entertainment industry.

“I hope that whatever opportunities I’ve had, or the work that I’m doing, in some way can entertain and can also—I don’t want to say teach—but have something of value come out of it,” he added.

Because of his reticence about his racial background, Reeves' announcement is noteworthy considering that most of his roles -- from the stoner in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure to the mindbending Neo in The Matrix trilogy -- are automatically assumed to be white characters. Now rethink those roles -- including Johnny Utah in Point Break and John Wick -- as a person of color and suddenly all those iconic characters become vastly more interesting.

Could Reeves be playing an Asian American in the Netflix romcom Always Be My Maybe? Maybe. The movie, which debuts on the streaming service on May 31,  also stars Aly Wong, Randall Park and Daniel Dae Kim.

With his Essence announcement, Reeves could very well be facing his most challenging role yet -- that as a role model.

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TGIF Feature: 'Always Be My Maybe' looks hilarious

Based on the just-released trailer of the Netflix movie Always Be My Maybe, the film is a lot like an Ali Wong standup routine: Hilarious and raunchy.

The movie starring Ali Wong and Fresh Off the Boat's Randall Park, will debut on the streaming service May 31. 

Not as heralded by the movie's publicists, the romantic comedy also features Daniel Dae Kim and Keanu Reeves, two of the biggest Asian American box-office "names."

The movie is part of a doze movies and TV series spotighting Asian cast members or themes that together, make up what is being called Asian Spring.

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Netflix project features star-studded AsAm cast

Keanue Reeves, left, and Daniel Dae Kim join Netflix film.

ASAM NEWS

A YEAR after Crazy Rich Asians debuts on the big screen with its all-Asian cast, Netflix is planning to premier another star-studded Asian/American ensemble cast.
Keanu Reeves and Daniel Dae Kim have joined the previously announced rromanticc comedy Always Be My Maybe starring Randall Park and Ali Wong, reports The Hollywood Reporter.

Randall Park and Ali Wnog will star in a Netflix romatic comedyi.

Wong and Park will play childhood sweethearts who broke up and haven’t spoken for 15 years. Wong plays Sasha, a celebrity chef who runs into Markus (Park) when she opens a restaurant in San Francisco. Park plays an artist still living with his mother

Filming is already underway in Vancouver, Canada, according to Variety. The film is set to be released in 2019. It is being directed by Nahnatchka Khan, showrunner for Fresh Off the Boat. 

Rounding out the cast are Karan Soni from Deadpool and Charlyne Yi, Michelle Buteau, Vivian Bang, James Saito, Lyrics Born and Susan Park.

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It's a Fact: Keanu Reeves did NOT praise Trump as a 'role model'

Keanu Reeves in "The Matrix."

FAKE-NEWS BLOGGERS are using and abusing Keanu Reeves' "coolness" factor.

Let's put to rest a quote being attributed to the popular Matrix actor. An online hoax purports to quote Reeves expressing full-throated support for Donald Trump, according to Punditfact, which gave a "Pants On Fire" rating to the totally fabricated post.

The item appears on the website supporttrumppresidency.blogspot.com, and contains a banner headline that reads: "For me, Trump is the symbol of a successful man and a role model for every young American, something that our nation was looking for for year. I don’t think that America will again have a leader like him."

The Chinese/Hawaiian/American actor has kept his political views to himself and hasn't interjected himself in any of the movements of the day, for or against Trump.

In fact, the only instance Punditfact found of Reeves discussing Trump publicly is when he appeared to criticize the president’s travel ban during a January 2017 question-and-answer with journalists at a red carpet event. Reeves, 54, told a journalist he believed the travel ban was "just terrible," according to a Jan. 31, 2017, Associated Press article.

As for the "role model" quote, Reeves' publicist confirmed the quote is fake.

"It is completely false," said Cheryl Maisel, of talent agency PMK-BNC. "He never made those comments nor did he ever do that interview. All manufactured."

She went on to say that the actor does not participate on any social media.

This is not the first time Reeves has been the subject of a fake quote. The nonpartisan fact-finding website previously checked a lengthy cultural critique misattributed to Reeves, which also received a Pants on Fire rating. 

Not surprisingly, that fake attribution had a Russian connection.

"I cannot be part of a world where men dress their wives as prostitutes by showing everything that should be cherished," the lengthy diatribe began. "Where there is no concept of honor and dignity, and one can only rely on those when they say ‘I promise.’ Where women do not want children, and men don’t want a family. Where the suckers believe themselves to be successful behind the wheel of their fathers’ cars, and a father who has a little bit of power is trying to prove to you that you’re a nobody."

Facebook users flagged the post as being potentially fake, as part of the social media site’s efforts to combat fake news.

Punditfact found the quote attributed to Reeves in a Russian-language video that appears to show him saying the quote (in translated captions) — but he was actually talking about a Paul Gauguin exhibit in Switzerland. 

Why are the anonymous bloggers using -- to this point -- the seemingly apolitical Keanu as a poster boy to spread their lies? Your guess is as good as mine.

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Wave of Asian/American roles on TV continues into new season

NOW THAT the Emmys have been handed out and Master of None deservedly won a golden statuette for the writing of Aziz Ansari and Alan Wang, its time to look at this year's crop of new television shows in another round of "Find the AAPI actor."

It would be difficult to top the 2015-16 television season in terms of the unprecedented boom  growth of the AAPI presence. With the return of Agents of Shield and the renewal of Fresh Off the Board, that show was joined by Dr. Ken, Master of None, Quantico, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Badlands, the surprise Netflix hit The Man In The High Castle and the hard-to-ignore spectacle of Marco Polo with its cast of hundreds. 

RELATED:

• Asian/American TV revolution is happening
• The AAPI revolution on television continues into the new year

Last year was really a historic year in the annals of AAPI entertainment with over 60 AAPI actors appearing in prominent reoccurring speaking roles among the fall shows. As the year went on, mid-season premieres brought us more additions: Superstore with Nico Santos and Nicole Bloom and Conrad Ricamora became a regular cast member in How to Get Away With Murder.

Half-dozen or so shows featuring AAPI actors that debuted in 2016 didn't make the cut for a second season, but we have 22 new shows either starring Asian/Americans or at least giving them roles of substance.

So it is no surprise that the 2016-17 TV season may not as precedent-setting as last year, but with the new shows and roles, the wave of diversity that made last year so notable will continue. 

Keanu Reeves tries out television in 'Swedish Dicks,' but also eyes a mini-series perhaps in 2017

Swedish Dicks, Viaplay
This story about a pair of Swedish detectives takes place in Los Angeles. It will feature A-lister Keanu Reeves' first live recurring role on television where he is signed to play the TV stuntman/buddy of one of the detectives. Also in the cast is Vivian Bang in the role of Sun as one of the regular cast members. Unfortunately, the debut of the show is unknown at this point and we only have the assurances of the producers who say it will air later this year.
“I love how progressive the whole show is," says Reeves, part Chinese and part Hawaiian. "The scripts are amazing and it was great to have the opportunity to work with Peter Stormare again.”

Danny Pudi with Vanessa Hudgens in NBC's 'Powerless.'

Powerless, NBC
Vanessa Hudgens, like Reeves, has been able to play cross-over roles with ease, most notably in the High School Musical franchise, and recently, in the live TV production of Grease, in which she drew rave reviews. She'll play Emily Locke, the lead role, in Powerless, about a team that cleans up after super heroes who leave behind a mess while trying to save the world. Danny Pudi will play Teddy, Emily's best friend.

Will Yun Kee

Falling Water, USA
Will Yun Kee will play one of the three dreamers whose subconsciousness holds clues to their fate and the fate of the world. Cindy Cheung joins Kee in the USA channel's show.

Designated Survivor, ABC
Maggie Q never seems to have a problem finding a job. She's back along with Kal Penn in a thriller tale when the President, most of his cabinet and Congress are killed in a terrorist bombing. Keifer Sutherland plays the Cabinet member squirreled away just in the event this scenario actually happens.

Gilmore Girls, Netflix

Brenda Song

Keiko Agena will reprise her role as Lane Kim, young Rory's best friend in the long-anticipated return of this popular show on Netflix. The show also stars Lauren Graham and Alexis Biedel in the title roles of this cult classic

Pure Genius, CBS
Brenda Song as Angie Cheng and Reshma Shetty as Dr. Talaikha Channarayapatra will be part of the ensemble cast in the Silicon Valley drama.

Berlin Station, EPIX
Tamlyn Tomita stars as Sandra Abe, in this espionage drama. Abe is a quiet presence leading the efficient operation of Berlin Station while having an affair with her boss, a CIA operative.

Jesse Rath

No Tomorrow, CW
Jesse Rath, an Indian/Canadian, is the boyfriend (at least for a while) of the lead character Evie in this dramedy about the pending end of the world. Sarayu Blue plays Kareema, Evie's sarcastic co-worker, who is a droll nihilist.

Chance, Hulu
“Chance” is described as a provocative psychological thriller that focuses on a forensic neuropsychiatrist played by the popular Hugh Laurie. Playing his loyal assistant will be Greta Lee.

The Great Indoors, CBS

Christine Ko plays Emma, one of those annoying millennials who is an expert on social media (is that redundant?) in this sitcom about millennial vs. anyone over 30 in a magazine setting.

Anthony Ruivivar

Frequency, CW
Filipino/Chinese/American Anthony Ruivivar portrays Stan Marano, deputy chief of police in the show based on the movie in which a detective is able to  contact her late father via an old ham radio.

The Good Place, NBC
Jameela Jamil plays Tahani Al-Jamil, a fellow deceased wealthy philanthropist who traveled extensively around the world. Jacinto plays Jianyu, a phone "Buddhist monk" who’s actually an aspiring Filipino EDM DJ from northeastern Florida

Pitch, Fox

Mark-Paul Gosalaar, who is part Indonesian, plays catcher Mike Lawson and Tim Jo as Eliot, the San Diego Padre's publicist in this story about baseball's first female pitcher. Comparisons to Friday Night Live make this one of the shows to check out.

Sandrine Holt (Ho)

McGyver, CBS

Oh, those Canadians! They're taking over! Sandrine Holt, another Chinese/Canadian is making waves in Hollywood. Her latest role as Patricia Thornton, an ex-field agent of a mysterious intelligence agency who doesn't hesitate getting in on the McGyver action.

Mary + Jane, MTV

Kosha Patel plays Jenee on MTV's Mary + Jane, a comedy about two 20-something best friends who run an all-female weed delivery service in Los Angeles.

Van Helsing, SyFy

Terry Chen plays a leader of a group of  humans in the dystopian adventures of the granddaughter of vampire killer Vanessa Van Helsing played by Kelly Overton.

Katrina Law

Training Day, CBS

Taiwanese/American Katrina Law left Arrow to take on the role of Detective Rebecca Lee, an LAPD officer with the LAPD’s Special Investigation Section (S.I.S.). who looks up to Bill Paxton's character, the morally ambiguous Frank Rourke.

The MIck, Fox
The Mick follows Mackenzie a brash, two-bit hustler from Rhode Island who must assume guardianship of her sister’s three high-maintenance children. Susan Park plays Liz.

Timeless, NBC
Sakina Jaffrey, an Indian/American, plays the leader of the scientists in this time-traveling adventure show.

Gotham, CW
Jaime Chung joins the regular cast the returning Gotham,which tells the story of the city that spurred Bruce Wayne to don his cape and hood. As journalist Valerie Vale, she joins a cast that already has B.D. Wong as a regularly occurring character 

Lilan Bowden and Peyton Elizabeth Lee play sisters in 'Andi Mack.'

Andi Mack, Disney
We look forward to the third television show featuring an Asian/American family in Andi Mack. It stars a trio of Asian/American actresses including 12-year old Peyton Elizabeth Lee in the title role, veteran Lauren Tom as the mother and Lilan Bowden will play her troubled sister. The series has started filming in Utah and will have a winter debut in 2017. With the Huangs of Fresh Off the Boat and the Parks of Dr. Ken, the Macks will be the third show centering on an AAPI family.

Sometime later this season ...

Rain
Keanu Reeves as a half-Japanese detective in the mini-series Rain may ease the pain of what may be the loss of Steven Yeun of The Walking Dead. (This has not been confirmed, but if the TV show follows the comics, it's bye-bye to everyone's favorite pizza delivery guy.) In Rain, Reeves plays a war-veteran-turned-assassin in this thriller. He is also the producer.