Hollywood Racism: Tower Heist

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Tower Heist (2011), the new movie starring Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy, is the latest installment in blatantly racist movie-making. Stiller plays a high-end condo manager in Manhattan who bails out a local criminal (Murphy) to steal a stash of cash that one of the wealthy condo residents swindled from the condo staff. It’s been nearly thirty years since Murphy played nearly the same character in his breakout role in 48 Hours, and the fact that he is still cast as a jive-talking criminal speaks to how little has changed when it comes to the portrayal of black Americans in popular culture.

Hyperbolic racial stereotypes are still sooooo amusing for some.  As LA Times film critic Betsy Sharkey writes, ”Murphy and Stiller are a good pair, with Murphy once again mainlining his ghetto-comedy crazy and Stiller suited up for another straight-man gig. These are the kinds of roles they both do best, and their face-off in the front seat of an out-of-control car is worth the price of admission.” (Now reverse the names in this quote to see how racialized and racially offensive it is.)

Perhaps more disturbing is the way in which film critics are talking about this movie as a comback for Eddie Murphy  (“Eddie Murphy’s Road to Reddemption,” “Tower Heist: Murphy is Back on Top,” “‘Tower’ Heist Features Eddie Murphy Back in ‘Classic ’80s Form“). What does it mean when playing an insultingly stereotypical black criminal is deemed “redemption” for a black actor whose movies have grossed nearly $7 billion worldwide? And where, exactly, did Eddie Murphy go? The Shrek series grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide, while his Nutty Professor and Doctor Dolittle franshises grossed $428 million and $470 million, respectively. Murphy has appeared in a steady stream of successful movies in the past decade, including Dreamgirls for which he was nominated for an Academy Award.

Closer examination of media critics’ analysis reveals a nostalgia for Eddie Murphy’s breakthrough role as a criminal in 48 Hours. Jon Niccum writes that inTower Heist “Murphy shows flashes of the aggressive, non-family-friendly persona that made him a superstar following 48 Hours. Aggressive?  Non-family friendly?

To summarize, Eddie Murphy grossing oodles of money as a successful director, producer, writer, and actor in films featuring him as a doctor, a veterinarian, a dedicated father, and the voice of a beloved donkey in the second highest-grossing animated film of all time is considered some sort of failure, but playing a jive talking felon is redemption. Huh?

There are many ways to interpret this — that Hollywood and movie critics (and many in society) are more comfortable with black actors playing damaging, stereotypical roles involving criminality, violence, and deviance (remember back in 2002 when Denzel Washington finally won the Oscar for playing a crooked cop?); that male actors are failures if they appear in family-friendly movies, regardless of how economically successful these movies may be; that to be considered successful, male actors have to appear in movies geared towards male audiences.

Whatever the reason(s), it is embarassing for Hollywood and its “critics” to continue to be so ignorant. Eddie Murphy called out the movie industry’s racism at the 1988 Academy Awards during his presentation of the Best Picture award: “I’m going to give this award, but black people will not ride the caboose of society and we will not bring up the rear anymore. I want you to recognize that.” Two decades later, Murphy finds himself riding the caboose, furnished by the creators of Tower Heist.

Music: Hitomi Shimatani - Sara Souju

Music Video: Stephanie Cheng - Health Education

Unoriginal Racist Hollywood remaking "Kung Fu"

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The gears are spinning again for a “Kung Fu” remake. Yes, that Kung Fu, the same television show from the 1970s that rejected Bruce Lee, cast a white actor instead, and infuriated a famous Avatar: The Last Airbender actor…
On October 31st Deadline reported that actor Bill Paxton is in negotiations to direct a remake of the 1970s television series Kung Fu for Legendary Pictures. According to Deadline, the film will be produced by Legendary Entertainment next summer. We don’t know very much about the proposed remake, but it’s rumored that John McLaughlin (Black Swan) will write the script. As far as we are aware, casting has yet to begin and no actors are linked to this project.

Kung Fu was an American television series that ran from 1972 to 1975. According to the Bruce Lee Foundation, Bruce Lee pitched an idea very similar in concept to Kung Fu, about an Eastern monk in the Old West. Unfortunately, although the studio loved the idea, when the studio moved to produce Kung Fu, the lead role was not offered to Bruce Lee, but to a white actor, David Carradine.


n the 2006 documentary The Slanted Screen, Japanese American actor Mako Iwamatsu (voice actor of Iroh in Avatar: The Last Airbender) recalled confronting studio executives about the casting in Kung Fu..

“I recall having a meeting with executives of Warner Bros. about David Carradine portraying a Chinese character in Kung Fu. And I remember this vice president said, ‘If we put a yellow man on the tube, audiences would turn the switch off in less than 5 minutes.’
And I got really red in the face and I said, ‘wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute…’ And I went back to this point of Sessue Hayakawa, you know. But I guess he was too young to remember.” – Mako, The Slanted Screen

Kung Fu is a classic example of “racebending.” As Avatar: The Last Airbender martial arts consultant Sifu Kisu noted during the The Last Airbender casting controversy in 2009: “I mean goodness we all know David Carradine was by far superior in the martial arts compared to Bruce Lee, go figure.”
During the show’s run, Carradine’s character, Kwai Chang Caine, was presented as a half white, half Asian Shaolin monk, even though the actor was not of Asian descent. While Asian actors often appeared in supporting roles, they still faced a glass ceiling. Actress Barbara Hershey also guest starred in an episode of Kung Fu, playing a Chinese woman named Nan Chi.


Bruce Lee popularized the kung fu movie genre in America. Kung Fu took a step further and popularized the “a White person ‘masters’ Asian martial arts’” trope in mainstream American film. (Sound familiar? Iron Fist, 3 Ninjas, The Forbidden Kingdom, Dragonball Evolution, King of Fighters, The Last Samurai etc.) This trope continues to persist—for example, in 2009, white actor David Henrie was cast to play Chinese American martial artist Tommy Zhou in the movie adaptation of The Weapon.


And grasshopper, this isn’t the first time a remake of “Kung Fu” has been shopped around, either. Back in 2006, Legendary Pictures was prepping to shoot the film with Albert and Allen Hughes as directors.
(While this remake never panned out, Legendary Pictures and the Hughes brothers later climbed aboard the Akira remake–the Akira being produced by Warner Bros, the same studio that rejected Bruce Lee for Kung Fu all those years ago–before departing the project several months later. Small world.)
Will Caine in the Kung Fu remake also be played by a white actor? In September 2007, casting calls for “Kung Fu” were released…

“Male, 20-35. A handsome mix of East (Chinese/Asian) meets West (American). A man with the emotional capacity of a young Clint Eastwood. Charismatic and charming, Caine was raised by Shaolin monks after his mother’s murder and became a highly skilled fighter. In addition to being a strong actor with the right look, the actor for this role should be athletic and although not required, some martial arts training, gymnastics or ballet are a plus.” – September 2007 casting call for “Kung Fu” remake

…pretty much encapsulating the difficulty Asian American actors have in finding work in Hollywood. For example, while the casting call states “West (American)”, the word “American” is being used as shorthand for “white American,” framing Asian Americans as Eastern and non-American. The casting call also places emphasis on “the right look.” The casting language for the main character, Caine, was later clarified in a December 2007 casting call:

“In the film, Caine is male, 20-30 years old with a Chinese mother and American Father.” – a December 2007 casting call for “Kung Fu”

These casting sides are three years old, from a previous attempt at a remake. Who knows what the casting call will look like this time around, in a post-The Last Airbender world. Can a remake of Kung Fu heal the flaws in the show’s past?

Music: Tanya St Val - Tropical

sick, disgusting Hollywood: The effeminization of black men

clips from movies where black men are hired to act and dress like women


There is news from Texas where a black male rapper who probably watch the movies in the above youtube clips is wearing lipstick and women's clothing trying to start this sissy movement calling it "XY" movement now he is trying to spread his sickness to other black men


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DALLAS, TEXAS—

There's a gender bending movement underway on the streets of Dallas. It's called the XY Movement and it's being lead by a young artist who wants people to use fashion to cross lines.

Your eyes aren't fooling you. Yes, he's a guy. Yes, he's wearing lipstick and flower print tights too.

"A lot of people feel like a lot of colors or tight clothes is homosexual. I feel like it`s more of an expression of me," said XY Movement creator Daryll Duane Philips II.

Daryll Duane Philips, 19, a Dallas-based artist who goes by the name DPhil Spanglishman.

"The only obstacles are in your mind, that`s the way I feel. I had to break down those barriers in my mind to where I was just confident enough to do it," said Philips.

He's started what he calls the XY Movement. It's an attempt to blur gender lines a little further.

"The first time I stepped out of the house, I was nervous, I'm not going to lie," he said.

He uses social media to spread his message and he says it's catching on.

"Actually on Twitter, this guy, I looked at this picture and he had on lipstick and he was like yeah man, I did it to support what you`re doing. I was like man that`s crazy," said Philips.

He has girlfriend whose learned to embrace it too.

"It`s fine. I wear lipstick. He wears lipstick. We share lipstick," said Philips' girlfriend Joy Nguyn.

Despite the comments her friends and family share.

"I get mostly negative comments, oh he`s gay, that`s not cute. Guy`s shouldn't wear lipstick or tights, but I really don`t care," said Nguyn.

Philips says he's just in touch with his feminine side

"I believe I`m 40 percent female, basically because of my emotions. I`m a very emotional person. Very emotional," he said.

And thinks other men should be too.

"Everyone has a soft spot. I just embrace both sides," said Philips.

Minnesota Candidate Recieves Racist Message From Alleged Rival Supporter

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Bee Kevin Xiong, candidate for Saint Paul City Council Member in Ward 6, received a voicemail full of racist rants from a man alleged to be a supporter of incumbent Dan Bostrom.

Xiong, a long-time East Side Resident of Saint Paul, is running against the nearly 20 year incumbent Dan Bostrom for a seat on the Saint Paul City Council.
“You Hmongs have taken over this whole state.  We’ll never vote for you, because you’re Hmong,” said the man in the message, along with a couple four letter words.  You can listen to the message here.
There are no elected officials in Saint Paul or at the State Capitol from the Hmong Community.
Xiong met with his supporters at Polly’s Coffee Cove in Saint Paul on Payne Avenue Monday, a favorite haunt of Councilman Bostrom, to assure voters that he was going to stand strong in his candidacy.
Saint Paul residents go to the ballot box today (November 8th).
Upon listening to the message at the gathering at Polly’s Coffee Cove, two regular customers said they recognized the voice as another coffee shop regular often seen talking with Dan Bostrom.
Xiong has built tremendous momentum this election cycle across the East Side electorate and his signage outnumbers Dan Bostrom’s 3-to-1.
DFL insiders have privately said that Dan Bostrom’s campaign has become desperate in recent days, and when campaigns get desperate, supporters and workers do desperate and strange things.
Mr. Bostrom could not be reached for comment.

Music Video: Hitomi Shimatani - Jewel of Kiss

Music Video: Stephanie Cheng - Hong Fa Wui

The "Model Minority" Myth: Asian Americans and Stereotyping

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Recent events, from Occupy Wall Street to Rep. Scott Garrett’s (R-N.J.) comments on “other” ethnicities’ work ethic, have catalyzed important discussions on inequality and prejudice in the United States. However, the popular discourse, from editorials to social media coverage, often overlooks one growing population: Asian Americans.
Asian Americans encounter relentless stereotyping in popular culture, wide disparities in educational achievement and income, and high rates of bullying in school and on the internet. Yet these instances often garner little attention outside of the Asian American community. This broader ignorance of issues related to this diverse population poses significant obstacles for the community to legitimize of its claims to inequality and in creating public awareness of said issues.
Compounding this breach are stereotypes, particularly the model minority myth. This seemingly ubiquitous label purports that Asians are predisposed to achieve educational and economic success in America. Supporters cite socio-economic statistics such as the 2005 median yearly income, which was $61,594 for an Indian American male as compared to the overall male median of $41,965. Such statistics fail to note that Asian Americans were one of the first immigrant groups to have a large percentage of its members come to the United States having already achieved professional status or educational and economic resources.
This myth of inherent ability has serious consequences for inequality. The model framework ensconces a greater ignorance of the real issues faced by the population while downplaying its successes.
For instance, in pop culture, Asian impressions often fail to garner the same universal rebuke as other racially tinged jokes — even when those jokes are performed by white actors. Such instances add to the forever foreign construction of Asian Americans. Saturday Night Live’s depiction of presidential candidate and former U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman speaking in a generic “Chinese accent,” an attempt to mock the public fascination with this ambassadorial credential, helped underline society’s greater orientalization of Asians. Soon after, comedian Stephen Colbert’s Chinese character (Ching Chong Ding Dong) appeared to make his guest, Huntsman himself, squirm in the spotlight.   
While significant in its own right, the inequality debate also tends to focus on the disparities across major groups (blacks and whites, rich and poor), and not within them. Yet, again, the model minority myth obscures the realities of divergent living standards and educational achievement within a highly diverse sub-population.
Still, despite this slow rate of inclusion into the popular discourse, there have been some positive signs of change. For instance, one well-covered news story points to San Francisco, a city over 21% Chinese, where Japanese American candidate Jeff Adachi may become the first elected Asian American mayor in the city’s history.
And in pop culture, the international fashion chain Forever 21 has come under fire for its culturally insensitive Oriental Girl necklace. Petitions for the stores’ removal of this stereotypical image are slowly picking up steam.

The Kardashians have a problem with Native Americans

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Kris Jenner made headlines earlier this week after saying that she “hate[s] an Indian giver.” The comment came in response to a “Good Morning America” host asking if her daughter Kim Kardashian would be returning an expensive engagement ring to soon-to-be ex-husband Kris Humphries. Now, the National Congress of American Indians has gotten involved, saying that the comments were “wrong and hurtful.”
“I hate an Indian giver, don’t you? It’s a gift … keep your gift, ” Jenner said on Thursday about the $2 million dollar ring.
In a statement made to RadarOnline, the National Congress of American Indians called Jenner’s comments “wrong and hurtful.”
“Once again American Indians and Alaska Natives have been misrepresented by a single misinformed statement. Native American people serve in our country’s military at disproportionate rates, are respected business leaders, citizens of the United States, members of Congress, professional athletes, musicians, teachers and active participants in civic life,” Jacqueline Johnson Pata, Executive Director of the National Congress of American Indians, told RadarOnline.
The phrase “Indian giving” is wrong and hurtful,” she added. “The cultural values of Native Americans are based on giving unconditionally and empowering those around them. Instead this cultural value is forgotten when negative stereotyping of Native people occurs.
“November is Native American Heritage Month and this moment calls for a reflection on the contributions of America’s first peoples to this great country. There are over 5 million US citizens identified as American Indians or Alaska Natives and 565 federally recognized tribal nations. This November we’re focused on celebrating 1.7 million Native youth under the age of 18 that face many challenges. There are many hopeful solutions and we invite the Jenner and Kardashian family to join with the country in learning more during Native American Heritage Month.”.



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 The Kardashians don't exactly have an awesome track record with sensitivity towards Native issues. Khloe wore a headdress a few months ago, twice, and for Dancing with the Stars on Halloween, Kourtney (and Mason, her son) wore Indian costumes. Though they claim Native heritage (vomit).

Who is Occupy Wall Street?

like the covert racist slutwalk movement which ignore racial stereotypes of women of colour. The occupy wall movement is predominantly white.

Music Video: Nayanka Bell - Djama

Doctor claims he can make brown eyes blue permanently

 a  form of colourism where brown eyes( the majority of the world's population has brown eyes) like dark and brown skin colour are looked down on and seen as undesirable.

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WANT TO turn those brown eyes blue — permanently?

A California inventor says he has developed a new 20-second laser procedure that will turn brown eyes blue, without damaging vision, for around $5,000.

Gregg Homer, founder of Stroma Medical in Laguna Beach, Calif., told the Daily News he’s already tested the irreversible cosmetic treatment on about 12 volunteers in Mexico, safely removing small patches of brown pigment from at least one eye in each subject.

The dramatic switch is possible because all brown-eyed people have blue-looking orbs under the layer of dark pigment that covers each iris, he said.

“People like the depth of a light eye,” he told The News, citing a company poll of 2,000 patients that found 17.5% would seek the treatment. “Eyes are the windows to the soul, and a light eye is like an open window.”

His plan is to test the full procedure in both eyes of voluntary subjects in about a year, he said. Stroma then hopes to market the treatment outside the U.S. — probably Mexico, Canada and Europe.

Maybe Johnny Depp with brown eyes. Or Salma Hayek?

Homer, a former lawyer who developed the technology with a team of ophthalmologists, is concerned more with safety than celebrity. “We’re testing way more than we need to,” he said. “We could have done everything in a year, but we didn’t want to risk harming any clinical patients.”

Prospective patients should be able to visit a doctor’s office, undergo a quick eye scan and see a rendering of themselves with the predicted shade of their underlying blue eye color. If they opt for the procedure, they’ll sit in front of what look like giant binoculars and watch a 20-second animation as a computer-guided laser breaks down their brown pigment, he said.

“You won’t feel anything,” Homer said. “Your eyes will get a little darker for the first week. Then in two to four weeks, they’ll be completely changed.”

He said he has “no doubt” he’ll get FDA approval in the U.S. — in about three years.