Super Tuesday means we’ll get a taste of what real red-meat Americans think politically.
And it’s likely to be scary.
After Michigan, where Romney barely won his home state, there’s less passion for the GOP, and more passion to get the president. In other words, it’s less about Mitt, not at all about Santorum, but all about “Getting Obama.”
It’s not exactly civil.
You don’t think birthers in the Super Tuesday states just packed up their tents and went away, did you?
I watched and was surprised at how unfunny the Oscars were. I laughed at Chris Rock’s jokes. But the rest of it? Emma Stone? Painful.
Lacking in humor, lacking in real diversity (lacking in Asian Americans, oh wait there was that violinist on the commercial bridges), lacking in importance. Do you really care about the fancy dresses?
Read my view on the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund blog:
http://aaldef.org/blog/watching-oscar-sacheen-littlefeather-we-need-you.html
In California, but not Hollywood, watching Oscars like everyone else. But my family’s doing it up Hawaiian-style (a coconut monkey in a hula skirt, and two tiki mini-torches on the dining table) and rooting for “The Descendants.”
The film is an underdog to “The Artist.” I liked both, but my brief time on Oahu made the George Clooney film my sentimental favorite. Besides, there were real Asian Americans in that film. Clooney is my favorite for best actor as well, but the buzz on “The Artist,” and Jean Dujardin, may be a bit too hard for film and actor to overcome.
“The Artist” was fabulous too. Beyond the silent film aspect, I thought the movie was a perfect recession era film for our modern times. When Valentin gets usurped by the talkies, it’s almost analagous to the technological upheavals that have changed numerous industries today. Maybe after tonight, the movie will be more widely released and more regular folks (aside from filmsnobs) can see what all the hubub is about. You won’t find “The Artist” in most U.S 16-plexes (at least not in my neck of the woods).
It shouldn’t be seen as a film just for nostalgic film buffs.
If you’ve lived through this recession, unemployed, with an upside down mortgage, there’s a lot in this film to which you can relate.
Still, I thought “The Artist” was about 20 minutes too long.
And I thought the dog should have been nominated.
That said, the teenager in “The Desendants,” Shailene Woodley, should have been nominated too.
I also managed to get to “My Week with Marilyn.” Michelle Williams is my choice for best actress. Won’t happen. Too much Davis/Streep talk. But Williams was Marilyn.
Got to see “Tree of Life” last night. Pretty. Arty. But not Oscar-y.
Have fun watching.
I will keep drinking Mai-Tais until “The Descendants” win something. And if they don’t, I’ll switch to banana daquiris.
And by then, I’ll be just like the guy in “The Artist.”
The New York Daily News reports that the fired writer responsible for that racist ESPN headline is apologetic and never intended a slur.
The writer,28 and clueless, readily admits to using the cliche “chink in the armor” so many times in the past that it never occurred to him it could be racist. Yeah, but he probably was never using the phrase in conjunction with an American born Chinese person.
I feel sorry for anyone fired or suspended by ESPN. But Jeremy Lin represents a sea change in how we look and refer to Asian Americans in sports.
ESPN’s zero tolerance has to be applauded. It noticed it was guilty of a double standard when it comes to Asian Americans and owned up to it in a strong and definitive way.
For example, yesterday in the NBA, Kevin Durant went for 51. Would the ESPN writer make a crack about celebrating that feat with a nice cold watermelon?
Of course not.
Now the ESPN style book will let people know how to relate to Asian Americans.
Let’s hope the shock jocks and comedians who continue to use tired Asian stereotypes as humor crutches get the message too. When they keep doing it, audiences think it’s OK to slur. Just like the clueless writer at ESPN. That’s how slurs keep their currency. But the times have changed.
And it took Jeremy Lin to make the point.
