New 'Kung Fu' is not your father's 'Kung Fu;' Thank goodness!

Olivia Liang will star in the new 'Kung Fu.'

Kung Fu is coming back to television but don't expect to see "grasshopper" and his slow motion martial art that, while beautiful to watch, was meant to disguise Carradine's lack of real training in kung fu.

Old guys like me remember the original Kung Fu TV series that aired from 1972 to 1975 and I'm not ashamed to admit I didn't miss an episode.

Currently, its in vogue to chastise the original series because 1. it was basically a plotline stolen from an idea of Bruce Lee; 2. it's portrayal of an ancient martial art/philosophy was not very good (a lot of slow-motion balletic moves; 3. it starred a white guy (David Carradine) in yellow-face.

Those were all valid criticism and I agree with all those points. But you also have to view the old series in the context of the times. The series also gave a lot of work to Asian American actors when there weren't many roles for them. Just seeing a rare Asian face onscreen was enough to celebrate and most of the time, the Asian characters were in the right side of the moral divide (even though Carradine was in yellow-face, his character was supposed to be Chinese).

Back in 1972, the last time an Asian character on American TV was shown as a strong, character was in the Green Hornet, which starred Bruce Lee as Cato, way back in 1966-67. That's a long time for Asian Americans who didn't have anyone to cheer for.

However, don't watch the 2021 version of Kung Fu expecting to see a simple reboot of the original. There are a few big differences.

• It is no longer the old west, but the new west taking place (based on the trailer) mostly in present day San Francisco.
• It is not about a lone-wolf Buddhist monk wandering around with no apparent purpose, but the monk-trained martial artist will battle present-day gangsters on behalf of her multi-generational family.
• It's Asian characters will no longer speak in the faux stilted Asian accent demanded of the original Kung Fu Asian actors, but in contemporary English, fully embracing the American culture as their own while holding on to their Asian heritage.
• The most significant change is that the lead protaganist is no longer a white guy in yellow face, but a kick-ass Asian American woman. 

Olivia Liang stars as Nicky Shen, who while visiting China, joins a monastery where she is taught Shaolin values and martial arts. When her mentor is killed, she returns home to find her community disrupted by a local gang. She must use the martial arts skills she learned to protect her neighborhood and family, and soon discovers she's being targeted by the same assassin who killed her Shaolin mentor.

“Nicky is heroic, but she doesn’t see herself as a hero," explains Liang about her character. "She doesn’t have a hero complex where she is going out to find bad guys. She sees bad things happening and feels like she needs to do something about it.”

The 2021 Kung Fu also stars Kheng Hua Tan as Mei-Li Shen, Shannon Dang as Althea Shen, Eddie Liu as Henry Yan, Gavin Stenhouse as Evan Hartley, Tony Chung as Dennis Soong, and Tzi Ma, doing what he does best portraying the father, Jin Shen.

“Not only is there representation on screen but we back it up from our writers room to all our guest directors. It is an amazing sight to behold. I’ve been doing this for a minute now and I have never seen this kind of make up,” Ma tells Deadline.

Christina M. Kim wrote the pilot episode and serves as executive producer/co-showrunner of the series with Robert Berens. Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, Martin Gero, and David Madden also serve as executive producers. 

Kung Fu premieres on the CW Network (check local listins), Wednesday, April 7, 8 p.m.

Reports of coronavirus-related hate crimes against Asian Americans hit 11-hundred in 2 weeks

By Louis Chan

ASAM NEWS

The Stop AAPI Hate Reporting Center announced during a televised town hall on Race and the Coronavirus on Aug. 2 that it has received 1,100 reports of hate and harassment against Asian Americans in just two weeks.
The town hall televised and streamed live by ABC7 in San Francisco on Facebook and YouTube attracted a wide range of civil rights activists, political and educational leaders and sports and Hollywood celebrities.

Russell Jeung, chair of the Asian American Studies Department at San Francisco State University, said reports of hate include Asian Americans being yelled at, shunned and physically attacked. He said victims have also been spat on and coughed at, raising public health concerns.

Jeung’s department launched the reporting site along with Chinese for Affirmative Action in San Francisco and the Asian and Pacific Policy and Planning Council of Los Angeles.

District Attorney Jeff Rosen of Santa Clara County shared the story of a Vietnamese couple threatened by someone who imitated the cock of a gun and said if he had an AK-47, he would shoot and kill them all. Rosen said prosecutors are proceeding with misdemeanor charges against the suspect. His office has released a video on YouTube advising that “this is not a Chinese virus.”

Actor Tzi Ma who will appear in the upcoming live action movie Mulan and has taken part in the Wash the Hate campaign recalled when someone rolled down his window and screamed ‘you should be quarantined.’

Registered Nurse Kyle Navarro shared “he felt a rush of anger and fear” when a White man spit at him and called him a g**k as he delivered medicine to a family.

“It’s never the responsibility of the person attacked to respond,” said Zahra Billoo, executive director of the Council of American-Islamic Relations of San Francisco. “The obligation is on the rest of us. I need to intervene to do something to protect my brother and sister.”

Cynthia Choi, Co-executive director of Chinese for Affirmative Action, said the rapid rise of hate requires a “government response to address the underlying causes of racism.” She urged everyone to work collectively to stand up with other communities.

“Racism is given an amplified mike from the White House,” said Jacqueline Martinez Garcel of the Latino Community Foundation. “That this is happening right now is not surprising.”

There were also videotaped messages from San Francisco Giants Manager Gabe Kapler, Golden State Warrior head coach Steve Kerr, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, actor Hudson Yang and former presidential candidate Andrew Yang.

Yang said for the first time he felt ashamed of being Asian after three middle-age men in hoodies confronted him at the grocery store. He said Asian Americans need to demonstrate they are as American as anyone else.

That brought a rebuke from Jeff Yang, a writer for the Wall Street Journal, who said the onus on proving who are Americans should not be on Asian Americans. “That looks like we’re defending ourselves for something we shouldn’t have to defend.”

Paul Saffo, a long range tenchology forecaster from Stanford University, called bias a “maladaptation of a deep evolutionary trait…don’t pretend we don’t have it.”

“The virus doesn’t care who you are, what class you are, what race you are,” said Dr. Peter Ching Hong, an infections disease specialist at UC San Francisco. He said Asian Americans are not more likely to be infected by the disease than anyone else.

Assemblyperson Evan Low (D-Silicon Valley) says its important to call out institutional racism based on facts and data and pledged to enact laws and approve funding toward that end.

Instagram influencer @Jackfroot says he’s been sharing lots of stories of hate and evil while amplifying the good things of people stepping up and standing up.

Aimee Allison, founder of She the People emphasized that the Black community understand the pain and damage of racism.

“It requires us to show up and speak up together,” she said.

Sunday Read: AAPI celebrities decry rise of anti-Asian hysteria, blame Trump

From top left, clockwise" Henry Golding, Lana Condor, Daneil Dae Kim, Eugene Lee Yang, Celia Au and Tzi Ma.

The rising number of attacks against Asians and Asian Americans has pushed Hollywood's creative community to speak out against the senseless violence and the racialization of the coronavirus.

“Please, please stop the prejudice and senseless violence against Asian people,” Lost and Hawaii Five-0 actor Daniel Dae Kim pleaded in an a tweet announcing that he had coronavirus. “Randomly beating elderly, sometimes homeless Asian Americans is cowardly, heartbreaking and it’s inexcusable.”

Awkwafina, who had just returned to the US, has voluntary placed herself in self-isolation, even though she has not shown any symptoms of the virus. She tweeted:“Have been away working for the past few months in all of this devastation, and wanted to make double sure I was OK to travel before coming back home to the U.S.,” she shared on Instagram. 

“Haven’t said much about this whole thing because mostly I am just saddened by it. I worry for those who are most at risk for serious illness, the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions.”

“I am saddened by the rhetoric that has come out of this, and the cruelty that came as a result,” Awkwafina continued. “I hope that while we self isolate and socially distance to stay safe, we also stay sane and calm. Wishing everyone a sense of peace during this batshit crazy time – I will be locking myself up for the next 2 weeks rewatching the Tiger King. Love you all ❤️❤️❤️.”

Recording artist H.E.R. is joining headliners Elton John and Mariah Carey in a virtual concert Sunday (March 29) evening that will air on the Fox stations, 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT

What makes it unique is all the artists will be performing from their living rooms, maintaining the stay-at-home recommendations by the CDC, thus avoiding the chance of spreading the virus in large gatherings. Proceeds will benefit coronavirus charities, including Feeding America, and honoring the first responders who represent the “strength and compassion” of America.

"We are chilled by the constant use by the president and his administration of that term," Takei said. "We have a long history of anti-Asian hatred in this country" Star Trek star George Takei, told USA Today.

"His doing that sends a cold chill throughout the Asian American community, because he's sending a signal to the haters and his constituencies, and there are plenty of them there," he said.

Takei has not been hesitant to pointedly criticized Trump. In a tweet, he posted: "We may not have a president, but we still have great leaders. Listen to them when they say #StayHome," he wrote.

In a Hollywood Reporter interview, Wu Assassins star Celia Au pointed out the irony that the people being attacked are also the people most active in fighting the virus. "Many Asian Americans work in the medical field," Au said. "They're already risking their lives going to work every day trying to save your life. By attacking them, they are afraid to go to work. They're afraid that on their way to work, they're going to get attacked by people. … If these people don't go to work, you're not going to get care."

Shannon Lee, daughter of martial arts legend Bruce Lee, recently wrote a not-so-subtle dig of Donald Trump who have pushed the term. "Chinese virus" when referring to the novel coronavirus — which has caused a global pandemic comprising overt a half-million confirmed cases of the disease COVID-19 and over 20,000 deaths. 

"I want us all to understand there is no 'Chinese Virus.' A virus knows no nationality, and wherever and however it started, it does us no good to point fingers, ostracize, attack or demonize Asian people," she posted on her Facebook page.

Even though, Trump later cautioned against attacks against Asian Americans, the phrase is now partially blamed for the uptick of racist attacks against Asians and Asian Americans, from hate-filled messages on social media platforms to physical assaults in public.

Lana Condor, 22, star of To All the Boys I Ever Loved and its sequel To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You, was even more blunt in her social media post to Trump:

“You have no idea the ramifications your racist words & actions have on the Asian American community. You simply cannot even fathom the danger you are putting our community in. How dare you.”

“You should be ashamed of yourself. You call yourself a leader?” Condor continued. “You know what leaders do? They LEAD by setting good examples and ACTION. Something we’ve yet to see you do. You need to take notes on Chinese billionaire Jack Ma who is ACTUALLY leading – by donating tests and millions of masks to AMERICA, bc you haven’t.”

Golding's Crazy Rich Asians costar Gemma Chan used her voice to help the caregivers in the United Kingdom, which has universal healthcare.

“Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: star Chloe Bennet, sharing Condor's anger and frustration, said on Instagram, “I can’t tell you how many calls/texts I’ve received from family members, all of Asian descent, speaking to me about their extreme levels of anxiety, shame and fear,” ... “People are being verbally and physically attacked and Asian owned businesses boycotted. And this xenophobic rhetoric is the direct cause.”

On March 17, former Knicks player Jeremy Lin ripped into Trump's handling of the medical crisis and Trump's use of "Chinese virus,"

JEREMY LIN

“And I dont wanna hear about no German measles/Spanish flu [because] everyday Asian-Americans [including people] I know are threatened and physically attacked. I dont give a crap about the history of names [right now]. What I do know is this subtle anti-Chinese message only empowers more hate towards Asians.”

He added: “Can you honestly tell me there is ZERO anti-Chinese sentiment in all his characterizations of the virus? Can you honestly tell me Asians aren't being unfairly physically attacked today in the US? Is it that hard to use coronavirus or COVID-19? We playin the blame game in a crisis.”

From his home in the San Francisco Bay Area, Lin, who was preparing to return to China to finish off the season playing for the Beijing Ducks, tweeted:

“Excited to hoop again, but leaving the bay worried and with a heavy heart for the sick, the jobless and all those fighting fear, anxiety and stress over the unknown future. Shoutout to our medical staff in the 50 states for working tirelessly and everyone keep doing your part in slowing the virus!

He also added a message for his fans and why he's returning to China  to play ball in trying times such as these.

“The world needs basketball now more than ever. I still remember when I went through my toughest moments and worst injuries. You guys were there for me. I hope to return the favor. As all you beloved fans told me the day after my knee injury, keep fighting bc we’re #NeverDone.”

The Try Guys' Eugene Lee Yang shared a tweet posted March 13 that while at a local coffee shop, "an older woman in front of me demanded her drink get remade because her barista was Asian."

Yang tells The Hollywood Reporter that because he's a comedian, his response was rather abrasive (telling the woman while he was not Chinese, her "ugly-ass knockoff purse" was), but he understands not everyone can give that type of a response and get away with it.

"My job is literally clapping back every day online as a comedian. It wasn't hard for me," Yang tells THR. "That's not the truth or the situation for almost every other Asian American, particularly those who are elderly, those who might have a language barrier, those who are young, those who are female. They don't have that option." His biggest advice to those who experience hate amid the coronavirus outbreak is to "remember you're not bad inherently, you're not wrong."

The rising incidents of racism against Asians gave other celebrities the incentive to launch the "Wash The Hate" campaign, which encourages people to wash their hands, to stem the growth of the coronavirus.

Sparked by an incident that occurred to actor Tzi Ma while visiting a store when a man drove his car past him while saying, "You should be quarantined." The incident shocked the actor, who plays the father in the new incarnation of Mulan, 

Mulan's Tzi Ma spoke with THR about a recent visit of his to Whole Foods in Pasadena. The actor said a man drove a car past him while saying, "You should be quarantined."

"This is in Pasadena, a really diverse community. I was really caught off-guard, and that taught me a lesson," Ma tells The Hollywood Reporter. "I should always be on guard in these troubled times."

The Asian American communications agency IW Group teamed up with Ma to create the social media campaign -- #WashTheHate.

The campaign hopes it will encourage people to practice the CDC recommendation of washing one's hands frequently. But there's another message in the movement.

"We’re hoping this campaign sends a message of solidarity and compassion to the world," Ma shared in a statement. "Hatred and division aren’t going to prevent this virus from spreading and will only make an already difficult situation even worse. We’re calling for everyone — regardless of their race or country of origin — to recognize that we’re all in this fight together."

'Tigertail' trailer hints at an epic tale of an immigrant's journey, acculturation & regret.

Hollywood stalwart Tzi Ma plays the central character, the older Pin-Jui ,looking back on his life.

ASAM NEWS

Fans may be familiar with Alan Yang’s work on the hit TV series Parks and Recreation or Master of None, the latter of which won him an Emmy. But for his latest project, Tigertail, Yang ventured back into the world of film.

On Thursday, Netflix dropped the official trailer for the Tigertail, which is written, produced and directed by Yang. The film is set to debut on the streaming service on April 10.

An epic drama that spans continents and decades from 1950s Taiwan to present-day New York City, Tigertail follows the life of an impoverished Taiwanese factory worker who leaves his homeland seeking new opportunities. 

According to an official synopsis, the young Pin-Jui (Hong-Chi Lee) decides to leave his homeland and the woman he loves to go to America. But years of monotonous work and a loveless arranged marriage leave an older Pin-Jui (Tzi Ma) a shadow of his former free-spirited self.

Unable to sympathize with his daughter Angela (Christine Ko) and at risk of living out his retirement in solitude, he must reconnect with his past in order to finally build the life he once dreamed of having.

According to Vulture, Tigertail began as a 250-page script with multiple points of view before its focus was narrowed down to the central character, Pin-Jui. 

In the course of editing, Yang said the movie told him what it wanted to be. And he went with it – even cutting out scenes of John Cho, who is an executive producer for the film. 

Yang described the final product to Vulture as his “fever dream” of how he imagines his own father’s immigration story, fictionalized and “emphatically not” his father’s story in some ways. Still, Yang said working on the film affected their relationship, in addition to his own understanding of what it meant to be Taiwanese and Asian. 

“Where I grew up, being an Asian person was something that was almost seen as an impediment when I was a kid,” Yang said. “When you’re a little kid, being set apart is not necessarily the thing you want. It’s not necessarily a strength. But when you get older, and especially when you’re lucky enough like I have been to be able to start creating your own movies and shows, the stuff that sets you apart is the stuff that’s gold.”

Tigertail also stars actors Hayden Szeto, James Saito and. Supporting cast members in the multi-generational story include Joan Chen, Yo-Hsing Fang, Kue-Mei Yang, Kunjue Li, and Fiona Fu.