The Last Airbender

[disneyboy20022]

Okay I know I will no doubt be alone in this...but I Loved the Movie.....I mean yes the ethnicity of the original cartoon series was ditched and they re-named Aang into Uung....but overall I actually suprisingly liked it. I enjoyed it more than Percy Jackson which i'll admit dosn't take much on that but I hope this trilogy does come out.....I thought it was very enjoyable and I saw it in 2-D.....Although I did like DragonBall the live action film too, however I enjoyed this 10 times more than Dragonball....

[disneyboy20022]

http://www.nwasianweekly.com/2010/07/a- ... to-stress/

Northwest Asian Weekly

The constant good news only lasted so long. It has been a mixed month for Asian American celebrities and, unfortunately, it ended in tragedy. South Korean actor and singer Park Yong-ha was found dead of an apparent suicide. Additionally, “The Last Airbender” was met with negative reception and controversy, the Black Eyed Peas made history in the UK, Filipino pop star Charice joins “Glee,” and Jay Chou and Justin Chon are featured in films.
Park Yong-ha found dead in home

On June 30, it was reported that South Korean actor and singer Park Yong-ha was found dead. His mother found him hanging by an electrical cord in his apartment in Seoul. Police believe that Park’s suicide was a result of his stress over his business affairs and his father’s battle with cancer.

Park’s funeral was held in Seoul on July 2. About 200 fans and fellow Korean celebrities showed up to mourn the celebrity’s death.

Park first became popular in 2002 when he starred in a television drama called “Winter Sonata.” The television show earned him recognition in Korea and throughout Asia.

BBC reports that suicide is the leading cause of death amongst 20- to 30-year-olds in South Korea.

At 33, Park still had so much of his life to live. My thoughts are with his family and friends during this time.

“The Last Airbender” boycotted by some Asians

I have been reporting news of M. Night Shyamalan’s fantasy film “The Last Airbender” for several months now. The film co-stars fellow Indian Dev Patel, but Asians are protesting that this is not enough. Recently, the Media Action Network for Asian Americans (MANAA) issued an official press release entitled “Paramount Discriminates Against Asian American Actors For Movie Adaptation of Asian-Based TV Series.”

Many believe the cartoon should have featured mostly-Asian actors, but the cast is a mix of ethnicities including white actors playing supposed-Asian characters.

Shyamalan defended his casting choices on “The Early Show.”

“Anime in and of itself is an art form where the features are ambiguous — they have European features. They have all kinds of ambiguous features,” he said. “The irony is that it’s the most culturally diverse summer movie of all time. We have every nationality represented.”

The Orlando Sentinel published a letter from Guy Aoki, founding president of the MANAA.

“Dev Patel [now] plays the bad guy leading a nation of brown people against the good guy white nations,” Aoki wrote. “It sends the message that Asians can’t be the heroes in their own story.”

“The Last Airbender” is the newest of a crop of movies accused of casting white actors to play Asian roles. Other past films include “21” and “Dragonball-Z.”

“Unfortunately, even Shyamalan, who’s Asian American himself, has fallen for the cynical assumption that whites will not pay money to see Asian Americans starring in a film,” Aoki wrote.

To make things worse, the film opened July 1 to terrible reviews including E! Online’s blog pondering if it is the worst movie ever. Oh, my

This is truly sad..... RIP