Google & Gold House celebrate the 2022 star-studded and impactful A100 List

For a first-time event, the Gold House Gala was a star-studded affair honoring its list of A100 inductees in Los Angeles, last Saturday night.

Since this is L.A., the center of the movie-making industry, the affair had all the glitter and glamor of a Hollywood premiere featuring some of the biggest names in media,  entertainment, business and political worlds. Instead of the traditional red carpet, celebrities walked down a gold carpet showing off the creations of AAPI designers.

Although Gold House has been creating its list of the 100 for four years, this is the first time for the in-person Gold House Gala, after the nation has undergone two-years of pandemic-induced health restrictions which also saw a dramatic rise in anti-Asian attacks.

At the Gala with the theme of ushering in a New Gold Era for AANHPI communities, three Legends -- Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Yeoh and Mindy Kaling -- were honored for their lifelong dedication to advancing API excellence:

“I arrived here and saw the sea of amazing Asian beautiful faces and realized I’m not in Hong Kong, I’m not in Malaysia, I’m in freaking in Los Angeles, and we are celebrating each other,” Yeoh said as she was introduced by directors Jon M. Chu and Destin Daniel Cretton, and producer Jonathan Wang.

"We have so many stories to tell in our own way with our own voices. So I am so happy to see this. This is a long time coming," said Michelle Yeoh.

Yeoh, who stars in the recently released and critically acclaimed film, Everything, Everywhere All At Once, proved that she is as bold as some of the heroic roles that she has played.

“Science tells us women outlive men. But even with extra time, we have to get a lot more done,” Yeoh said in her acceptance speech for the SeeHer award at Gold House’s inaugural Gold Gala. 

“If you try to have a baby after the age of 35, science tells us that is a geriatric pregnancy. While men are just starting their lives” – Yeoh paused to give a playful nod to the three men who introduced her, directors Jon M. Chu and Destin Daniel Cretton and producer Jonathan Wang – “women are already starting the geriatric part of their lives. Hardly seems fair, right? Get down on your knees, boys.”

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, one of the busiest actors in Hollywood, added: "Our differences are our greatest strengths, and recognizing representation in entertainment and amplifying the voices and contributions of our AAPI community is of the highest importance.

"I could not be more proud of my Black and Samoan heritage," Johnson continues, "and one of my greatest passions in life is enriching my daughters' lives with our people's history so they also understand the importance of our great ancestry and its meaning. 

"Both cultures represent love, respect and power that ignites the universal feeling of family, our mana, and nodding to those who paved the road before us so that the 'rough places are made plain' and we can pursue our dreams today. Let us embrace, celebrate and illuminate the Asian American and Pacific Islanders, and all people of color, who contribute to making this country great today and every day," he said.

After being introduced by “Never Have I Ever” star Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, who was discovered by Kaling, the actress/writer/producer said:

“I like to write about complex women and some people label complex women as ‘unlikable’ because it doesn’t align with their expectations of how a character on TV should be,” she said. “Audiences have gotten used to tired Asian stereotypes, and with that it can be disorienting.”

“You want the people to be presented with a young Indian female protagonist who is funny, unapologetic, ambitious and yes, sometimes angry.”

The outspoken and unapologetic Kaling vowed to continue improving representation for AANHPI actors and stories. “If I can be a leader of some of that change, that will be the honor of a lifetime. I’m still learning. I make mistakes, but once I know better, I do better,” she said.

LOOK & SEE: What the stars wore to the Gold Gala

A recent study found that the majority of Americans could not name a significant Asian American and Pacific Islander, not even the country's Vice President Kamala Harris.

Hoping to remedy the apparent invisibility of AANHPI, the Gold House list and gala honors the 100 Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders who have most significantly impacted American culture and society in the last year. 

Besides the aforementioned "Legends," this year's A100 honorees are:

Activism, Advocacy, & Politics

• A1: Michelle Wu (Mayor of Boston)
• A1: Aftab Pureval (Mayor of Cincinnati)
• A1: Bruce Harrell (Mayor of Seattle)
• Ai-Jen Poo (Executive Director, National Domestic Workers Alliance)
• Alice Wong (Activist, Writer)
• Alliance for Asian American Justice
• Andy Kim (US Congressman)
• Chantale Y. Wong (US Ambassador and Executive Director to the Asian Development Bank)
• Lina Khan (FTC Chair)
• Maria Angelita Ressa (Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 2021)

Business, Technology, & Innovation

• A1: Tony Xu (CEO & Co-Founder, DoorDash)
• Amrapali Gan (CEO, OnlyFans)
• Anne Raimondi (COO & Head of Business, Asana)
• Changpeng Zhao (CEO, Binance)
• David Chao (Co-Founder & General Partner, DCM)
• Edward Kim (Co-founder & CTO, Gusto)
• Emilie Choi (President & Chief Operating Officer, Coinbase)
• Eric J. Kim (Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Goodwater Capital)
• Hemant Taneja (Managing Partner, General Catalyst)
• Howie Liu (Co-Founder & CEO, Airtable)
• Ivan Zhao (CEO, Notion)
• Joe Lau and Nikil Viswanathan (Co-Founder & CTO and Co-Founder & CEO, Alchemy)
• Mak Azadi (COO, Discord)
• Margaret Vo Schaus (Chief Financial Officer, NASA)
• Matthew Huang (Crypto Investor, Paradigm)
• Michael Chae (Chief Financial Officer, Blackstone)
• Musa Tariq (Chief Marketing Officer, GoFundMe)
• Parag Agrawal (CEO, Twitter)
• Patrick Chun (Founder & Managing Partner, Juxtapose)
• Roham Gharegozlou (Co-founder & CEO, Dapper Labs)
• Rohan Seth (Co-founder and CTO, Clubhouse)
• Sam Yam (Co-Founder & CTO, Patreon)
• Shou Zi Chew (CEO, TikTok)
• Susie Nam (CEO of the Americas, Droga5)
• Teddy Park (CEO, The Black Label)
• Tim Chen (Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, NerdWallet)
• Todd Park (Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, Devoted Health)

Entertainment

• A1: Simu Liu (Actor & Writer)
• Ashley Park (Tony and Grammy Nominated Actor)
• Bella Poarch (Musician)
• Bowen Yang (Actor & Comedian)
• Bridgerton (Season 2) Stars (Simone Ashley & Charithra Chandran)
• Chloé Zhao (Director)
• Daniel Wu (Actor, Producer, Race Car Driver)
• Destin Daniel Cretton (Director)
• Domee Shi (Director)
• Hailee Steinfeld (Actress, Singer, Producer)
• Jason Momoa (Actor)
• Ji-Young and Kathleen Kim (Muppet and Puppeteer, Sesame Street)
• Jimmy O. Yang (Actor, Comedian, Writer, Producer)
• Jo Koy (Comedian & Actor)
• Kumail Nanjiani (Actor)
• LISA (Musician)
• Marian Lee (Chief Marketing Officer, Netflix)
• Mary Margaret (Tech and Media Executive)
• Never Have I Ever Stars (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Richa Moorjani, Poorna Jagannathan)
• NIKI (Singer-Songwriter)
• Olivia Rodrigo (Singer-Songwriter)
• Pachinko Creators (Soo Hugh, Justin Chon, Kogonada, Theresa Kang-Lowe) and Stars (Min-Ha Kim, Lee Min Ho, Jin Ha)
• Puja Patel (Editor-in-Chief, Pitchfork)
• Ramsey Naito (President, Paramount Animation & Nickelodeon Animation)
• Riz Ahmed (Actor, Writer, Producer, Musician & Activist)
• Ronny Chieng (Comedian, Actor, and Writer)
• Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Director)
• Sean Miyashiro & Derek Hsu (CEO and President, 88Rising)
• Silk Sonic (Musicians)
• Squid Games Creator (Hwang Dong-Hyuk) and Stars (Lee Jung-jae, Hoyeon, Oh Yeong-su, Park Hae-soo)
• Taika Waititi (Academy Award®-winning Writer, Director, and Actor)
• Tan France (Television Star and Style Expert)
• Youn Yuh-jung (Actress)

Lifestyle

• A1: Payal Kadakia (ClassPass Founder, Artist, and Author of LifePass)
• Bretman Rock (Digital Superstar)
• Chella Man (Artist)
• Emma Broyles (Miss America 2022)
• Jay Shetty (NYT Best-Selling Author, Podcaster, Purpose Coach, Entrepreneur)
• Kelly Huang (Founder, KCH Advisory)
• Leena Nair (CEO, Chanel)
• Michelle Zauner (Author, Musician)
• Min Jin Lee (Author)
• Nathaniel Ru (Co-Founder and Chief Brand Officer, Sweetgreen)
• Rachell "Rae" Hofstetter (Content Creator & Streamer)
• Rupi Kaur (Poet)
• Roy Choi (Chef)
• Sofia Chang (CEO, Girl Scouts of the USA)
• Sarah Burke (Editor-in-Chief, Them)
• Versha Rani Sharma (Editor-in-Chief, Teen Vogue)
• Will Lee (COO, NPR)
• Yoon Ahn (Founder & Designer, Ambush)

Sports

• A1: Chloe Kim (Olympic Gold Medalist, Half-Pipe)
• Carissa Moore (Olympic Gold Medalist, Surfing)
• Collin Morikawa (Professional Golfer)
• Emma Raducanu (U.S. Open Tennis Champion)
• Jalen Green (Shooting Guard, Houston Rockets)
• Jordan Clarkson (Shooting Guard / Point Guard, Utah Jazz)
• Justine Wong-Orantes (Olympic Gold Medalist, Volleyball)
• Lee Kiefer (Olympic Gold Medalist, Individual Foil)
• Mina Mugil Kimes (NFL Analyst)
• Shohei Ohtani (Designated Hitter and Pitcher, Los Angeles Angels)
• Sunisa Lee (Olympic Gold Medalist)
• Taylor Rapp (Safety, Los Angeles Rams)
• Xander Schauffele (Olympic Gold Medalist, Individual Golf)

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

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.

Simu Liu, Saweetie on Saturday Night Live

From left, Kyle Mooney, Saweetie, Simu Liu and Cecily Strong.

There will be a definite AAPI flavor to Saturday Night Live tonight. Actor Simu Liu will be hosting the late night comedy skit show. He'll be joined by Filipino American rapper Saweetie as the musical guest.

Shang-Chi star Liu, who’s been vocal about the lack of representation for Asian actors in Hollywood, will represent just the seventh Asian or Asian American to host in the Nov. 20 show. 

Look for Liu and fellow barrier-buster SNL regular Bowen Yang to have something to say about Saturday Night Live’s, better-late-than-never progress towards diversity. 

Saweetie premiered the brand-new song “Icy Chain,” which she plans to perform on the late-night show for the first time Thursday. “Y’all better not miss my Icy Chain performance on SNL this Saturday!” she tweeted Friday.

SNL released a promo of a skit that plays off the real-life (former) relationship between Saweetie and cast member Kyle Mooney.  Talk about awkward.

'Shang-Chi' shattering box office expectations

The Asian and Asian American cast of "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings."

Disney is happy. Marvel is happy! Theater owners are happy. Simu Liu, the star of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, is happy, (and perhaps prescient) as the first Marvel film with an Asian American superhero as it's lead is breaking box office records this Labor Day weekend.

By the time the Labor Day weekend is over, Shang-Chi is predicted to haul in a record-shattering $90 million. Add on global receipts and the total could reach $140 million.

Most of all, it appears, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are happy. AAPI moviegoers flocked to the theaters to watch the latest movie from the Marvel Comic Universe (MCU) because it's hero and good percentage of it's cast look like the AAPI film fans. 

COVID-19 health restrictions such as mask-wearing and limiting audiences failed to deter movie audiences. Asian American markets such as San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, and Honolulu overperformed as expected, reports Deadline. Eight of the top ten theaters for Shang-Chi came out of New York and Los Angeles with the largest AAPI audiences. The AMC San Francisco Metreon and Disney Orlando rounded out the top ten.

Furthermore, Hollywood should be paying attention to who is actually leaving the comfort of their living room couches and going to theaters to enjoy that feeling of being with kindred souls. According to Screen Engine/Comscore’s PostTrak:

Eighteen percent of the movie's audience were AAPI. Together with Latino (22%) and Black (18%) audiences, people of color made up  58% of the audience. Whites comprised only 36% of the movie's audience.

For a long time, AAPI community advocates have been clamoring for greater and more wide-ranging Asian representation. These numbers indicate an Asian-led film has appeal beyond the AAPI audience. Shang-Chi has a 98% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, a movie review website.

Before its general release Thursday, star Simu Liu wrote a letter thanking all of those involved in the making of film and about the importance of their project as "a sharing of culture." He posted a picture of a young boy and girl looking up at the screen featuring the hero Shang-Chi fighting off the villains.

"This film will change the world," he posted on social media. "A smile where there wasn’t one before. Pride where there was shame. Compassion where there was ignorance. If we reach out and touch even one person, then aren’t all of our lives better for it?"

Whether a 2-hour, 12-minute movie can change the world is a tall order and that's a lot to put on a single film. But what Hollywood has to conclude from the huge weekend draw is that the moviegoing  audience reflects the changes that is reshaping America. 

The US Census says that the AAPI population is the fastest growing ethnic group in the country and more people are moving to urban areas where Democrats and progressive influences are strong.

The release of the film and its financial and artistic achievements come at a time when Asian Americans are under attack, racial bigotry is on the rise and the role of AAPI in U.S. history is being debated in academic and cultural circles.

As 2018's Crazy Rich Asians was groundbreaking in opening the door to a series of features such as The Farewell, Minari, Yellow Rose and the upcoming Blue Bayou; Shang-Chi will hopefully swing the door a little bit wider by expanding the treasure trove of storylines, including AAPI stories, using AAPI talent to produce, write, direct and act in those projects.

What the weekend proves is that the audience is way ahead of studio decision makers, whose biases, personal preferences and life experiences still dictate which films get greenlighted.

Asian American superhero: Marvel Studios’ 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings at theaters today

Simi Liu stars as Shang-Chi, a Marvel superhero.

The excitement surrounding the motion picture Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings  is palpable, especially among AAPI moviegoers.

Shang-Chi, one of the most highly anticipated movies of the year, hits theaters today (Friday, Aug. 3). Featuring a host of Asian American and Asian actors, the buzz surrounding the film has been compared to Crazy Rich Asians, even though the action-packed Marvel product is as different from the romantic comedy as a movie can be.

The two movies representing different genres,  are similar in one important way: the lead characters and the supporting cast are all of Asian descent.

Before Shang-Chi's debut, Marvel Studios released a featurette titled "Ready To Rise," interviewing the cast alongside director Asian American director Destin Daniel Cretton and Asian American screenwriter Dave Callaham and Simu Liu in the titular role and cast members Awkwafina and Michelle Yeoh exploring the importance of the movie's Asian representation.

"The story of Shang-Chi was actually very personal.," said Cretton, who is Japanese American. "I wanted to look at what a superhero could be. What it would mean to me. To be able to add not only one character, Shang-Chi, but to add a whole cornucopia of Asian faces that are representing something I've never really seen before."

The experience of writing for an Asian American character struck a chord with screenwriter Callahan, whose 20-year career includes writing credits for Godzilla and Wonder Woman.

I’ve never had an experience like this," said the Chinese American writer. "The moment I realized that was day three or four of writing the script ... I got very emotional and I couldn’t figure out why," he told Nerds of Color. 

"I sat back from my chair and I really checked in with myself and I audited what was happening. I realized, holy shit. I’ve never in my 19 years of writing actually been asked to write anything even resembling my experience.”

That sentiment was echoed by the movie's star Liu. "For many of us who grew up in the west, whose parents immigrated, we never really saw ourselves on screen meaningfully," says Chinese Canadian Liu, who starred in the Asian Canadian sitcoms,  Netflix's Kim's Convenience, which finished the production of its fifth and final season this year.

To help the film impress Disney and other Hollywood studios, the Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans in Entertainment (CAPE) and Gold House are encouraging Asian Americans to host viewing events by buying out a theater to increase the box office draw of the movie.

The Marvel's movies staring their Pantheon of comic book superheroes  is the biggest film franchise on the planet right now, according to Gold House president Bing Chen, who said there's a lot on the line this weekend for members of the AAPI community who want to see more Hollywood films and TV shows starring Asian Americans.

"If we can show that we can actually hold our own ground opening weekend through the biggest film franchise in the world, that is going to unlock other opportunities in other major franchises, as well as independent films, for AAPIs to lead," Chen told CNN Business. "We're two-thirds of the world and there are still people who don't believe we can open films ... A single movie does not change the world forever, but it does start to stoke it."

#StopAsianHate Together video features Hollywood AAPI actors

Hollywood personalities of Asian descent are fighting against the surge of hate-inspired anti-AAPI violence in the best way they can by using the tools of their trade.

A year of mounting attacks has spurred AAPI actors and producers to use their media platforms to speak out against the racism against their community.

“The racist, verbal and physical assaults have left my community fearful to step outside,” Vietnamese American actress Olivia Munn wrote on Instagram. “These hate crimes have spiked since Covid and continue to increase even though we ask for help.”

Because millions of people follow the celebrities, some AAPI actors have become more outspoken in giving voice to those AAPI who don't have the outreach that the artists have built.

This recent effort hopes to raise funds for community organization in the frontlines fighting against the racist hatred.

The video features, (in order of appearance): Olivia Munn, Ken Jeong, Simu Liu, Akemi Look, Lisa Ling, Khalif Boyd, Lacy Lew Nguyen, Winston Duke, Diana Barbadillo, and Vivian Bang.

A GoFUndMe account #StopAsianHate, has been set up with donations going to a number of anti-hate organizations. 

"Together, it is our responsibility to condemn anti-Asian acts and create lasting social change," says the website. "We must amplify AAPI voices and find ways to uplift, empower, and protect the AAPI community. The AAPI Community Fund aims to do just that, addressing the urgent issues that face the AAPI community as well as broader, systemic problems."

'Mulan' movie's general release planned for this summer

The world premiere of Mulan was held in Hollywood on March 9 with much of its international cast in attendance.

Disney Studios announced that the much-anticipated general release of Mulan will be July 24. The original release date was supposed to be March 27, but then -- coronavirus happened and the world changed.

With much of China in quarantine last March, to play safe, the studio postponed the original March opening because it wants to have maximum US and international exposure and attendance for this big-budget feature starring a bevy of Chinese and Asian American stars. Disney hopes people will be allowed to attend the movies again by mid-summer.

“To avoid catastrophic losses to the studios, these titles must have the fullest possible theatrical release around the world,” an earlier statement from the National Association of Theater Owners (NATO) reads.

The delayed opening of Mulan has a domino-like effect on a bunch of other Disney-Marvel productions pushing their releases. back.

With the Mulan release moving to the summer, that bumped the Scarlett Johansson Marvel flick, Black Widow to November 6, which was supposed to be the opening of The Eternals, featuring new Marvel superheroes Gemma Chan and the buffed up Kumail Nanjiani.

The new opening date for The Eternals will be Feb. 12, 2021, which was supposed be our first look at Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, starring Simu Liu.

The first Marvel flick with an Asian hero in the lead role played by Chinese Canadian Liu, the Shang-Chi flick now is scheduled to open on May 7, 2021.

Before the self-isolate mandate went into full effect to combat the spread of the coronavirus, on March 9 Mulan had its red-carpet premiere in Hollywood to generally rave reviews from those in attendance. These glittery affairs are usually invitation only for audiences who have something at stake in the film's success.

What it takes to look like a superhero, six-packs and impossible diet

Simi Liu in shape for his role os Shang-chi and Kumail Nanjiani, ready for 'The Eternals.'

During the Unforgettable Gala honoring the work of AAPI actors and others in the entertainment industry, part of the entertainment was a comedic bit where host Simu Liu, Blues Clues host Joshua Dela Cruz, Grey’s Anatomy star Alex Landi and online personality Eugene Lee Yang all took the stage  to comment on mostly shirtless pictures of themselves from social media.

The six-pack, muscled torsos of the actors drew applause, ooh's, ahh's and nervous laughter at the apparent antithesis of the sexless, nerd stereotype draped on Asian men.

While shattering that stereotype is a worthy venture, we may be overreacting to that stereotype. We should be careful to not be promoting an image and standard that is impossible for most men to achieve. Like women have had to live up to the standards of skinny models with perfect skin promoted by fashion magazines, men can get hurt  trying to attain a new body image.

As if to underline the danger of living up to movie-star standards, a few days after the Unforgettable Awards, Kumail Nanjiani posted pictures of shirtless torso which drew a lot of "likes" from women and comments of approval and surprise at the previously healthy-but-normal bodied Nanjiani, who plays a tech nerd in Silicon Valley.

Nanjiani said he wanted a new ripped bod in order to look heroic for his upcoming role in Marvel's The Eternals. Along with the shirtless photos, Nanjiani made sure to let followers know that it took a lot of work and sacrifice to attain his new body.

"I would dnot have been able to do this if I didn't have a full year with the best trainers and nutritionists paid for by the biggest studio in the world," Nanjiani wrote. 

"I'm glad I look like this, but I also understand why I never did before," he continued. "It would have been impossible without these resources and time."

The desire to look like hyper-muscled supeheroes has also come at a cost: Male body image issues are on the rise, even among young kids.

The BBC reported in 2015 that health experts were worried about muscle dysmorphia, or so-called "bigorexia," among men.

"Muscle dysmorphia is a preoccupation with the idea that one isn't big enough, isn't muscular enough," Rob Willson, chair of the Body Dysmorphic Disorder Foundation, told the BBC.

“We know about 10 percent of men in the gym may have muscle dysmorphia,” he said.

Dr. Michele Kerulis of Adler School of Professional Psychology told The Daily Mail that rate may be even higher: She claimed as many as 45 percent of frequent male gym goers male suffer from disordered body image.

Jason Momoa's Aquaman body (left) vs. his normal everyday physique.

A few months ago, when photos of Aquaman's Jason Momoa appeared online that showed him with less than a six-pack, several trollers began body shaming him, calling his physique a "dad's bod," (to which I took personal offense).

To Momoa's credit, when TMZ pressed the Aquaman star if he was “offended” about the body-shaming at all, to which he responded, “No. Not at all.” 

“Tell TMZ I’ll show ‘em my dad bod soon,” patting his stomach.

In order to get into shape for Aquaman, Momoa has to undergo a grueling workout regime and stick to a high-protein, no-fat diet, which is not sustainable, not to mention, unhealthy for long periods of time.

While the new image of muscular Asian American and Pacific Islander men is a welcome 180-degree shift away from the image of Long Duk Dong from 16 Candles, those six-pack abs come with a dangerous unhealthy price.

When Henry Golding took off his shirt in Crazy Rich Asians, women in the audience swooned and judging from the admiring tweets in response to Nanjiani's new physique, that "look" is appealing to a lot of people. We need to realize and accept that most men find themselves between those two extremes. Not all of us look good in spandex. And that's OK.

What's wrong with a "dad's bod," anyway?

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AAPI stars shine bright at Hollywood's Unforgettable Gala

The cast of 'Fresh Off the Boat' was honored with The Legacy Award at the Unforgettable Gala.

ASAM NEWS

Asian Americans in Hollywood gathered to honor their own at the 18th annual Unforgettable Gala last weekend in Beverly Hills. 

Put on by Character Media (formerly Kore Asian Media ), a who’s who of Asian American and Pacific Islander entertainers featured in 2019 came together to celebrate the icons in the entertainment industry.

Awkwafina won the best actor/actress award for The Farewell, the film’s Lulu Wang won in the director category and its entire cast received the Vanguard Award, reports The Hollywood Reporter.

“It’s almost rebirth time,” said Tzi Ma who played Awkwafina’s father in The Farewell. “We’re not stuck with all the flash and the special effects. To be able to tell a story with no thrills and just people talking, and 80 percent in a foreign language, something’s going on.”

Other winners, according to Deadline, included NBC Superstore's Nico Santos for TV actor, Charles Melton as breakout star for The Sun is Also a Star, Maya Erskine as breakout star in TV for Hulu’s Pen 15, Ali Wong for comic performance in Netflix’s Always Be My Maybe, and Bobby Hundreds as digital influencer.

The entire cast of Fresh Off the Boat won the Legacy Award which wraps up its sixth and final season February 21.  The show's stars Randall Park, Constance Wu, Hudson Yang, Forrest Wheeler, Ian Chen, Chelsey Crisp and Lucille Soong were all on hand to accept the award from Ken Jeong and Ming-Na Wen.

“It seems to have inspired other people to tell their stories, one story can’t represent a whole,” Constance Wu of Fresh Off the Boat said to The Hollywood Reporter. Wu said she felt a mixture of sadness that the show was ending, but also happiness that it inspired other stories to be told.

The cast of 'The Farewell' won the Vanguard Award and Awkwafina (left, front) was named Best Actor/Actress at the Unforgettable Gala last Saturday.

The Unforgettable Gala through its 18 years has become the AAPI equivalent to the entertainment industry's awards shows that often overlook the work of AAPI artists. 

"This year, we have seen more Asian American faces on screen and more Asian American projects green-lit than in the decades past. It is more important now than ever that we take this moment to award these individuals who are paving the way, because of course – we still have a long way to go," states the evening's program.

Simu Liu, who emceed the show with singer/rapper/songwriter Amber Liu (no relation) included a zinger aimed at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, according to Variety. The actor, set to  star in Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” noted that the voting body of the Golden Globe Awards nominated Awkwafina for best actress in a motion picture musical or comedy for her performance in “The Farewell” and the film itself for best foreign language film.

“Awkwafina is also having a really good year. She was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in The Farewell, or as the Hollywood Foreign Press Association calls it, ‘That movie with all the foreign people that speak Asian,'” Liu cracked, echoing a criticism that the film — while mostly in Mandarin Chinese — is an Asian American story, written and directed by an Asian American and starring an Asian American.

Writer Adele Lim who won for Crazy Rich Asians last year reminded people what the night is all about.

“We have all these stories that we’ve been sitting on and burying because we’ve been told over decades that it’s not gonna sell. We’ve seen over the few years that it’s simply not true. That’s a bigger truism we can take to the bank.”

Views From the Edge contributed to this report.

Marvel surprises at ComicCon; Canadian actor will play Shang-Chi in first film with an AsAm superhero

Chinese Canadian Simi Liu will play the role of Shang-Chi.

Marvel made a series of huge announcements at 2019 San Diego ComicCon laying out the future of Marvel films after the Avengers: Endgame completed one chapter of the comic book franchises' universe.

One of the biggest reveals was the actor who will play Shang-Chi.who will become the first Asian superhero with a film of his own. Marvel picked Canadian actor Simu Liu, best known for his role in the Canadian sitcom Kim's Convenience.

Also joining the movie will be Crazy Rich Asians and The Farewell star Awkwafina and veteran actor Tony Leung.

Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige said the movie's full title would be Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and would be hitting theaters in Feb. 12, 2021.

Marvel conducted "a really in-depth search to find someone that will capture all the dimensions that he deserves," noted director Destin Daniel Cretton just before announcing and bringing Liu onto the stage.

"I was cast on Tuesday," Liu said the lightning fast process that brought him to Hall H. "I screen-tested on Sunday in New York. This is the the craziest, craziest dream." He also said that his parents came to Canada 25 years ago with almost nothing but a hope to build a life for their family and "all I've ever wanted was to make them proud."

Hopefully, having an Asian American director will help correct some of the stereotypes that the comic book depended on for Shang-Chi. 

Created by Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin in 1973, the writers depended on all the mystical stereotypes in vogue at time, the midst of the cheaply made chop-socky movies and the TV series Kung Fu for all the lore and backstory for Shang-Chi. 

The martial arts master was supposedly trained by his father ... uh, ... Fu Manchu, the ultimate in stereotypes.

The upcoming movie, expected to premiere on  Feb. 12, 2021, offers the opportunity for Marvel and Cretton to bring the character up to date. To hell with the fanboys who cling to the stereotypes of the original pulp hero.

Feige also laid what the ComicCon attendees can expect in the next few years from Marvel, one of the richest source materials and box office treasure chest for Hollywood.

• Black Widow, starring Scarlett Johanssen, will be released May 1, 2020.

• Mahershala Ali would be joining the MCU as Blade, the vampire hunter that was played by Wesley Snipes in three movies previously.

• The Eternals will follow on Nov. 6, 2020. The audience roared is approval as the cast came on stage including Angelina Jolie as Thena, Richard Madden as Ikarus, as well as Kumail Nanjiani, Brian Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek as Ajax, Lia McHugh and Don Lee as Gilgamesh. Asian American Chloé Zhao is directing the film.

• Natalie Portman will portray a female Thor in Thor: Love and Thunder, and will debut Nov. 5, 2021 helmed by Maori filmmaker Taika Waititi.

• Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will hit theaters May 7, 2022.

• In addition, Disney+, the studio's new streaming channel, will debut later this year and will feature several series starring Marvel's seemingly endless rollcall of superheroes, aliens and gods.

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