Hyphen magazine - Asian American arts, culture, and politics

Photos of Katee Shean, Carrie Ann Inaba, Hyphen's Ken Choy courtesy of Wilki Tom Photography.

“Are you a celebrity back in the country you’re from?”

Someone walked up and immediately asked that question to Steve Chan at a Style Awards party in Hollywood last weekend. The 6'2", broad-shouldered, and dashingly handsome actor is a recent émigré to California and could not answer. He could not answer because he was overwhelmed by the abundance of superficiality, both racial and star-f*ckery, imbued in that question. And yes, he could answer in English because he studied it copiously, having been born and raised in that far, exotic locale of Detroit, MI.

As much as it pains me to forgo a diatribe about the socio-political implications involved with that question (such as “Are we really dealing with the ‘foreigner’ issue in the 21st century and in California?”), that's not the intent of this article. But how could I not include it.

Lesson in Entertainment #1: If you want to be a celebrity, know who your celebrities are.

For two weeks I had been tossing out names of celebrities to the people of CAPE, which was putting up its own major Hollywood gala, the CAPE Soiree. And while people recognize Carrie Ann Inaba and George Takei and maybe even Nicole Scherzinger, others are not as well known. Some are given celebrity status, some designate themselves as celebrities, and some campaign to be considered -- or their talent managers do, actively pitching their clients to me for the celebrity guest list.

Of course, there are degrees of celebrity. The creator of the Hollywood A-list based his system on mathematical equations, mostly those of earning power. Whatever our own criteria, Asian Pacific America's A-list is immensely important and valuable to the API community. Takei is a legend for his groundbreaking contribution in entertainment as one of the first APIs in a significant, regular, and non-stereotypical role on a TV series. He’s also celebrated for the work he's done to make this world a better place, especially his support of the API community and the LGBT community. Inaba is a dynamo: a charismatic cyclone of sexiness, wit, outspokenness, and strength. Her heart and commitment to change are evident in her charitable and community work, including posing for PETA.

 

 

(The first thing I said to Inaba was that she was one of three women this gay man would want to do. She said that was sweet.)

 

Those who do not have strong Hollywood affiliations but are treasures and pillars of the API community are deserving of celebrity status. Traci Akemi Kato-kiriyama is a community organizer, poet, and artist in multiple disciplines. She is the creator of the Tuesday Night Café Project, which has been in existence for over 12 years. Ryan Suda of Blacklava, Roy Choi of Kollaboration, and Carl Choi and Ben Tran of Plan C Group, a integrated marketing and production company, have elevated the API community, bringing a keen business sense to entertainment. They’re just as much superstars as Wong Fu’s Philip Wang, Wesley Chan, and Ted Fu.

One of the concerns CAPE fielded was dilution, if everyone was a celebrity designate and walked the red carpet. And while for some on the carpet it was a stretch, better to prop up than tear down. Isn’t that what we need in our community?

My celebrity tip sheet for the press was 20 pages long and deiniftely not lacking in formidable talent and business powerhouses such as producer Janet Yang, Vizio founder William Wang, Asia Society's Peter Shiao, actors Tim Kang, Ken Jeong, Mark Dacascos, and Academy Award nominee Iris Yamashita. CAPE had big-time players at their event

Lesson #2. Know when to leave a Hollywood party.

The party at which Steve was thought to be a foreigner was billed as an A-list, Style Awards after-party but that might've been a stretch, too. When unknowns line-dance on stage and are not very good at it, it’s time to run for the exit -- and for the gift bags.

 

Hu’s Scene

Pantheon of APIs bring cheer to Little Tokyo. A plethora of API superstars will be in A Little Tokyo Christmas, Dec 18 at East West Players in Los Angeles. Amy Hill, Emily Kuroda, and Cold Tofu’s Helen Ota are some of those involved, with Kato-kiriyama hosting a crafts fair all day along with the afternoon and evening performances.

 

Carousing and Cavorting in K-Town Kris Kringling. A cavalcade of API giants jolly-jaunt through K-town’s bars that same night, led by Lisa Ling’s hot husband, activist and MD Paul Song, along with Roy Choi, Teddy Zee, George Wang, and other API giants, ending at Café Bleu with a toy drive. It’s the K-Town Santa Crawl.