Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
I do believe that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. But it’s clear that for many people, who say these offensive things, they refuse to see beauty in men who they view as inferior. More than a decade ago, I wrote a piece about Asian-American actors. And the response from women was overwhelmingly positive. But several men felt compelled to e-mail the newspaper to inform us that Asian men are ugly and that no one in their right mind would find them sexy.
Released in 2004, “Once Upon a Time in High School” is set in 1978. During this time-frame, South Korea was ruled under the brutal dictatorship of Park Chung-hee (the father of Korea’s current president Park Geun-hye). The movie depicts a bleak period where students had few rights and teachers could beat them at will. There’s a trickle down factor to that kind of abuse. The boys settle their differences not with words, but with fists, chairs and bats.
As a little girl, Shannon Lee grew up in Hong Kong and Los Angeles. The only surviving child of Bruce Lee — who would’ve celebrated his 71st birthday this year — Shannon is the CEO of Bruce Lee Enterprises and president of the board of directors for the Bruce Lee Foundation. Based out of L.A., the 42-year-old actress/singer/entrepreneur may be seen next in “I Am Bruce Lee,” a feature-length documentary that will soon air on Spike TV.
Jet Li. Jackie Chan. Donnie Yen. Quick. Which one of these action film stars grew up in the United States? Or, more appropriately, which one of these stars had to leave the United States before he could make a name for himself in Hollywood? That would be Yen. Sure, while he’s not as famous in the United States as either Li or Chan, he has a loyal following worldwide and an impressive resume of films — the best of which were made in Hong Kong.
Carly Simon is his mom. James Taylor is his dad. Unlike many celebrity children, musician Ben Taylor will answer anything about them and loves nothing more than to get onstage with his famous parents.
“Without a question, Bruce Lee was the uncontested idol for a lot of little black boys growing up in the ’70s. We absolutely accepted him as Soul Brother No. 1.”
Never mind how good Ben Affleck looks poured into his Daredevil costume. Let’s talk about the headgear. Why does such a fierce fighter have such teeny-tiny horns? Size must count for something, especially in the land of superheros. With that in mind, we’ve decided to dissect the functionality (and fashionability) of our top superheroes’ masks.
Though Jackie Chan is hesitant to show off his dexterous martial arts moves when he’s not on set filming, he’s game for just about anything else. Last week, the popular actor helped Fox news anchor Tamron Hall celebrate her birthday by presenting her with a cake. Later that day when a reporter asked him to sing, he broke into a pitch perfect rendition of “Always on My Mind” that was more Willie Nelson than Elvis Presley.
The opening of “Undercover Brother” perfectly sets the tone for this comedy. Driving a vintage Cadillac, Undercover Brother has one hand on the steering wheel and the other holding a filled-to-the-rim drink. As the car executes a few 360-degree spins to avoid a car crash, our cool hero has a smile plastered on his face and not a hair of his retro ‘fro out of place. Not a drop of the soft drink spills on the car’s upholstery.
“In an America where the Chinese were still stereotyped as meek house servants and railroad workers, Bruce Lee was all steely sinew, threatening stare and cocky, pointed finger – a Clark Kent who didn’t need to change outfits. He was the redeemer, not only for the Chinese but for all the geeks and dorks and pimpled teenage masses that washed up at the theaters to see his action movies. He was David, with spin-kicks and flying leaps more captivating than any slingshot. He was the patron saint of the cult of the body.”
Jackie Chan isn’t the only Asian actor ready for the big screen. After decades of being relegated to roles playing houseboys or, worse yet, losing roles to Caucasian actors made up to look Oriental, actors of Asian descent finally are getting their time on the big and little screens in America. Heck. Even the all-American hero, Superman, is played — on TV — by Dean Cain, who is part Japanese.
Urge Overkill is at a precarious point in its career. The Chicago-based trio got a taste of stardom with the one-two punch of its last album, “Saturation,” and the inclusion of its cover of Neil Diamond’s “Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon” on the “Pulp Fiction” soundtrack. Finally, the flamboyant band that dressed for success was dressed appropriately. They made TV appearances. They not only had fans, they had a celebrity fan (Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders).