[[Flower Drum song, Rogers and Hammerstein Musical / Movie
Rogers and Hammerstein. One of the least well know of the R&H
musicals, it was the first and perhaps only major studio movie with
an all-Asian cast. The only speaking white part was the mugger, which
says a lot about some Chinese view the Americans. Their musicals
alway pit two groups, Navy vs. Islanders, Cowboys vs. Farmers, here
it's the modern American way vs. the traditional Chinese way in chop
suey San Francisco chinatown where the two meet and co-exists, sort
of. The most endearing legacy that most people may not realize is the
hit song "I enjoy being a girl" which keeps popping up in the oddest
places in the 80s and 90s despite it's being the ultimate
anti-feminist song.
In the Asian community, it suffers from the impression that it
stereotypes Asians, but on the other hand, it's the closest thing
Asian Americans have to a Porgy and Bess or Fiddler on the Roof.
I've heard of some Asian communities doing it, either as is or
updated, but with the current prohibition of whites acting as Asian
parts, there is little chance mainstreamers would attempt to do it
without an all-Asian cast, which also puts it at an even bigger
disadvantage as compared to doing the zillionth production of
Oaklahoma.
If you ask me, I was disappointed at the ending, the nice Chinese
American girl who likes number one son should have gotten him, not
the shy mail order bride, but then she didn't try very hard to get
noticed.
z54\clipim\2001\12\14\flower\image1.gif 2,3 Review David Henry Hwang revises
"Flower Drum Song" Northwest Asian Weekly Dec 8, 2001 p. 9
MIchael Huchwara Associated Press
z54\clip\2001\11\flowdrum.txt
http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/showbiz.today/featured.story/0111/04.html
'Flower Drum Song' stays close to roots By Lauren Hunter CNN Showbiz
Today Reports November 7, 2001
DAVID HENRY HWANG'S REMAKE OF FLOWER DRUM SONG A HIT
z53\clipim\2001\10\29\flower\flower.htm
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis/web/vortex/display?slug=flower28&date=20011028
Seattle Times October 28, 2001 'Flower Drum Song' gets makeover By
Misha Berson Seattle Times theater critic musical comedy has
resurfaced in Los Angeles, in a revisionist version written by noted
playwright David Henry Hwang it was the first Broadway show with a
large cast of Asian Americans — from Pat Suzuki (a winning singer
"discovered" by Bing Crosby at a club in Seattle) to the petite,
Japanese-born Miyoshi Umeki. decline ... a paradoxical convergence of
casting requirements and a bitter backlash by Chinese Americans ..
[that it was stereotyped and dated]
Rodgers & Hammerstein time June 8, 1998 p. 181. R & H
wrote nine musicals together. five are legendary hits
Oaklahoma, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, and
the Sound Of Music. The Flower Drum Song was also a success,
but not in the same league.
FLOWER DRUM SONG REVIVAL IN WORKS \clip\97\97\flowsong.txt
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/chronicle/article.cgi?file= DD1911.DTL&directory=/chronicle/archive/1997/10/09
Thursday, October 9, 1997 · Page E3 ©1997 San Francisco Chronicle
Woo, `Flower Drum Song' Stars to Get Golden Rings Asian American Art
Foundation awards Edward Guthmann, Chronicle Staff Writer
Re-issued by MCA on home video early 90s.
See - A&E The Sound Of Movies laser disc review is here:
http://wsf2.usatoday.com/life/enter/laser/leld084.htm
Hu's on First column: Asian Week Jan 15, 1989
Forbidden City, Flower Drum Song
The Musicals Home Page
http://musicals.mit.edu/musicals/shows/Flower_Drum_Song/
Synopsis
http://musicals.mit.edu/musicals/shows/Flower_Drum_Song/ synopsis.shtml
%%rising sun
doc936:risesun.txt Rising Sun
doc938:movies.txt Rising Sun, Joy Luck Club, Power Rangers
@@Music
From:
Date: Sat, 10 Mar 2001
soc.culture.asian.americcan
there is a more complete list at
http://members.tripod.com/~usasians/index.html)
here are selections on who should be in the apa "hall of fame" (of
course, subject to everybody opinion) - the list has to be the "top ten"
HALL OF FAME
the artists are listed in alphabetical order
** yoyo ma
** michael kang (from string cheese incident)
** james iha (from smashing pumpkins)
** beat junkies
** blackeye peas (1 of the member is a filipino)
** INVISIBL SKRATCH PIKLZ (w/q-bert and others)
** Hiroshima
** Deftones (bass player is Chi Chong)
** Wide Mouth Mason (opened for the Rolling Stones)
** DJ Honda
@@Musical
%%Making Tracks
Off-broadway rock musical hit written by broadway cast member of Miss
Saigon based on Asian American history from the time of the railroads.
http://www.nwasianweekly.com/editorial/making.html
z55\clipim\2002\04\22\welly\welly.htm
Welly Yang’s “Making Tracks” in Northwest
By Sarah Lorenzini
For the NW Asian Weekly
http://www.kimsoft.com/1997/grace991.htm z55\clipim\2002\04\22\prem\prem.htm
Making Tracks
A Benefit Concert for Our Children in North Korea 1999
http://2g.org/makingtracks/news/ News release Issaquah / Everett 2002
Lyrics to Picture Bride
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Palace/6981/albums/kingandi.html
Seattle PI story on Welly Yang
z55\clip\2002\04\22\wellypi\wellypi.htm
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/theater/61293_fanf08.shtml
z55\clip\2002\04\tracks.txt
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/theater/62783_tracksq.shtml
Immigrant story comes full circle in 'Making Tracks' Tuesday, March
19, 2002
By ELLEN A. KIM SPECIAL TO THE POST-INTELLIGENCER
From cheap railroad labor laws to life-destructing internment camps,
the history of Asians in America isn't the cheeriest subject for a
rock musical. And while "Making Tracks" may even begin and end with a
funeral, it's a far-from-tragic mood, a worthy effort to weave music
and drama with a slice of Asian Americana.
z55\clip\2002\04\tracks.txt
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=tracks21&date=20020321&query=welly+yang
March 21, 2002 Theater Review Ambitious 'Tracks' just takes on too
much By Misha Berson Seattle Times theater critic
@@participation
doc941\artspart.wk1 Arts participation by race white=1.0
Ranked by Asian Ranked by Black
Asian/Other Blacks
Opera 144.1% Jazz 160.4%
-------------------------
Ballet 130.6% Plays -113.1%
Art Museums 102.9% Reading literatu -122.7%
Classical Music -104.8% Musicals -127.5%
------------------------
Reading literatu -142.6% Art Museums -143.8%
Arts/Crafts Fair -158.0% Opera -178.9%
Historic Park -171.8% Ballet -181.5%
Musicals -172.4% Classical Music -191.3%
Plays -172.5% Arts/Crafts Fair -192.1%
Jazz -206.1% Historic Park -210.8%
@@rock
asian.arts.rock
\doc\95\12\asbands.txt
"Asian Bands Rock" Seattle Times Sept 24, 1995 Story about new
Asian American bands that break stereotypes. Includes Seattle
trio "Lotus", and rap group Seoul Brothers.
\priv\96\16\asband.txt Chicago Tribune April 26, 1996 "Orient
Express Asian-American-Lead Bands on Track for Film Festival
@@television
%%All American Girl
\priv\95\08\allamgi.htm `All-American Girl' Stirs Debate Among Bay
Asians / New sit-com promotes distorted view, some cla (HTML) Jan 16,
1995
%%Amount of Viewing
"Black Viewers May Stay Loyal to Fox" Wall Street Journal Oct 4, 1995
p. B1 Blacks watch televsion 15% more than the average household
W1.00 B1.15 H?.?? A?.??
%%Asian
z41\clip\2000\05\08\astv.txt Los Angeles Times Monday, May 8, 2000 By
GREG BRAXTON
http://www.calendarlive.com/tvent/20000507/t000043300.html Asian
American Coalition Blasts New Network Shows According to the Asian
Pacific American Media Coalition's preliminary analysis, NBC has cast
two Asian Pacific Americans in their pilots. "That is the same number
of roles that dogs have in NBC shows," said Narasaki. "I mean, we
have to do better than the pets." Fox didn't list any Asian Pacific
Americans; CBS only listed "a stereotypical Korean grocer" in a new
show, "Russo," Narasaki said. Also, she feared that CBS would cancel
"Martial Law," which stars Sammo Hung.
%%Black
Study shows black and white viewing habits coming together
http://www.foxnews.com/js_index.sml?content=/news/wires2/0203/n_ap_0203_32
2.sml 8.40 p.m. ET (141 GMT) February 3, 1999 By David Bauder, Associated
Press "NEW YORK (AP) — By standard television measurements, "The Steve
Harvey Show'' isn't a hit. Last week it ranked 101st on the Nielsen Media
Research list of 132 prime-time programs. Among black audiences, though,
the WB's Thursday night comedy is the most popular show on the air. It's
one example of how blacks and whites differ in what they watch. A new
study, however, shows the races may be finding more common ground as
networks do a better job putting together multiethnic casts. During the
last three months of 1998, six shows ranked among the 20 most-watched
series in both black and white homes, according to the study by TN Media,
an advertising buying firm. They were "ER,'' "60 Minutes,'' "Monday Night
Football,'' "Touched By an Angel,'' "NYPD Blue'' and "The CBS Sunday
Movie.''
TV SHOWS EITHER BLACK OR WHITE, NOT MUCH MIXING
\CLIP\97\02\integtv.txt www.latimes.com Los Angeles Times Monday,
January 27, 1997 Black & White TV
Sunday, January 26, 1997 ROOTS PLUS 20 But on ABC, CBS and NBC, the
three networks in existence when "Roots" aired, most TV comedies are
still largely segregated, there is not a single drama series built
around a black actor, and blacks and other minorities have minimal
presence in made-for-television movies.
%%Children
\doc\95\13\sailmoon.txt Japanese action adventure series for girls is
#1 in Asian, some European countries.
\doc\95\12\top2_5.txt
"Reluctant Major TV Networks Seek More Children's Programs"
Seattle Post Intelligencer Oct 5, 1995 (New York Times)
1995 Top 5 programs age 2-5
1) Barney and Friends (PBS)
2) Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (Fox)
3) Sesame Street (PBS)
4) Animaniacs (Fox / WB)
5) Magic School Bus (PBS)
\priv\95\04\puzzplac.txt puzzle place review
\doc\95\02\childtv.txt - 80% of TV children are white (vs. 70% in
reality, off by only 14%) "Children polled say TV encourages sex too
soon" Claudia Puig (Los Angeles Times) Seattle Times Feb 27, 1995
children television
\doc\95\02\childtv.wk1 - Children on TV by Race
Summary: Study finds that commercial TV is not diverse,
but only Hispanics are under-represented. Public TV has
minorities 5 to 15 times better represented than whites, who
are only half their population. Blacks are not substantially
underrepresented on any class of television network.
original filed under asian.arts.television.children
Based on "How Children are Portrayed" New York Times
Feb 27, 1995
White Black Hisp Asian
All in US under 18 69.0% 15.0% 12.0% 3.0%
Commercial Networks 80.0% 14.0% 2.0% 4.0%
Cable Networks 76.0% 13.0% 3.0% 2.0%
Public Television 35.0% 28.0% 20.0% 14.0%
Index White=1.00 White Black Hisp Asian
Commercial Networks 1.00 -1.24 -6.96 1.15
Cable Networks 1.00 -1.02 1.58 -1.90
Public Television 1.00 4.68 14.48 15.20
Puzzle Place - one Christian white out of cast of 6
characters vs. 70% of US population.
White Male
White Jewish Female
Asian Female
Hisp Female
NatAm Male
AfAm Male
%%Hispanic/Latino
http://www.seattletimes.com/extra/browse/html97/hisp_060497. html
\clip\97\15\latino.txt The Seattle Times Company Wednesday, June 4,
1997 TV portrays Latinos negatively, study says by Chuck Taylor
Seattle Times staff reporter During 1996, about 1 percent of news
stories in those half-hour broadcasts focused on Latinos and issues
related to them. Latinos represent about 15 percent of the national
population.
From: SDRAOUL@aol.com Subject: TV
Brownout 11 June 1997
%%Jag
Asian guy on Jag asks for help
%%Management
Living color eludes the TV front office
http://www.sptimes.com/News/22299/Alive/Living_color_eludes_t.html
By ERIC DEGGANS St. Petersburg Times, published February 22, 1999
"According to figures in a recent speech by Federal Communications
Commission Chairman Bill Kennard, only 18.2 percent of upper-level jobs
are held by minorities in the broadcast industry. The number of minority
TV station owners fell nearly 50 percent last year -- to about 13 of the
country's 1,200 TV stations -- with ownership of all broadcast outlets by
minorities at about 3 percent. Recent U.S. Census projections show black
people, Asians, Hispanics and Native Americans comprise about 30 percent
of the population."
%%NEWS
More women, minority TV reporters gaining air time
http://www.spokane.net/news-story-body.asp?Date=021799&ID=s532649&cat=
Richard Huff - New York Daily News "Having stood in the shadows for
decades, women and minority correspondents are getting more air time than
ever before on the Big Three evening newscasts, according to a new survey.
Women covered 28 percent of the evening-news stories in 1998, up from just
16 percent in 1991, according to the latest report from Southern Illinois
University, which tracks this subject yearly. Minority reporters covered
15 percent of the stories last year, up from 7 percent eight years ago,
the survey found."
BBC CREATES NEWS JUST FOR UK BLACKS - THEY PREFER US/CNN
http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=000208632407947&rtmo= 32f1467c&atmo=32f1467c&pg=/et/96/6/10/nbbc10.html
\clip\97\03\blaknews.txt UK News Electronic Telegraph Monday June 10
1996 BBC launches black news
%%race
Summary
Ranked by Asian representation
Pub Tel children W 1.0 B 4.68 H14.48 A15.20
Commercial children W 1.0 B-1.24 H-6.56 A 1.15
92 Theater films w(1.06)1.0 B 1.11 H-2.61 A-1.22 N 1.35 doc\94\3\sagact.xls
Female roles W(1.13)1.0 B-1.36 H-3.09 A-1.23 N-8.52
Cable Netw children W 1.0 B-1.02 H 1.58 A-1.90
92 Television actors W(1.11)1.0 B-1.02 H-3.66 A-1.93 N-1.55 doc\94\3\sagact.xls
92 Screen Actors W 1.0 B-1.53 H-2.85 A-2.00 N-1.61 doc\94\3\sagact.xls
Commercials W(1.14)1.0 B-1.36 H-2.25 A-3.95 N-1.59 doc\94\3\sagact.xls
92-3 TV shows W(1.07)1.0 B 1.42 H-9.62 A-4.01 doc\95\07\primtime.wk1
Prime Time TV 03 W(1.15)1.0 B 1.04 H-5.2 A-4.6
Roles on TV shows W(1.07)1.0 B 1.34 H-5.84 A-5.84 N-2.34
Committed crimes W 1.0 B 1.00 H 4.00 A ?.?? N ?.??
Negative Portrayal W 1.0 B-1.33 H 1.56 A ?.?? N ?.??
Asians and Hispanics are consistently the least represented, about
1/5 to 1/10 on TV programs. Blacks are over-represented on prime-time
TV roles, and have the fewest number of negative portrayals. In no
area are Blacks less than 60% of their population. Asians
over-represented on PBS, and close to parity in children's
programming, movies, and women roles.
Asian women are much better represented than Asians in general, part
of the "Connie Chung effect", while black women are
under-represented, the same effect found in cross-racial dating.
z68\clip\2003\06\mintv.txt
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26501-2003Jun24.html
Study: TV Largely Ignores Hispanics (washingtonpost.com)
By LYNN ELBER The Associated Press Tuesday, June 24, 2003; 3:24 PM
""Prime Time in Black and White," show little progress toward
diversity, according to Darnell Hunt, the principal study author and
director of UCLA's Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American
Studies."
Also Study: Hispanics Underrepresented on TV. According to UCLA Study
USA Today June 25, 2003
Prime Time TV 03 W1.0 B1.0 H-5.2 A-4.6
Pop PT TV Rate vs white
Black 12.5 15 1.04
White 70.0 81 1.00 (1.15 vs pop)
Asian 4.0 1 -4.60
Hisp 13.5 3 -5.17
DOC922:ASIANTV.WK1 Asians in TV
roles on TV shows
W(1.07)1.0 B1.34 H-5.84 A-5.84 N-2.34
Asian and Hisp last, B over
women actress roles
W(1.13)1.0 B-1.36 H-3.09 A-1.23 N-8.52
Asian women in particular are close to parity, > black women
\doc\94\18\hisptv1.wk1 - TV roles by race
Summary
Index White Black Hispanic Other
Roles on major TV shows* 1.09 1.30 -9.84
Committed crimes 1.00 1.00 4.00 NA
Negative Portrayal 1.00 -1.33 2.25 NA
Portrayed Poor 1.00 1.33 1.56 NA
* Index white vs. avg, other white = 1.00
source: Hispanics Get Fewer TV Roles, Rick Du Brow (LA Times)
San Jose Mercury News 9/7/94
Study: Fewer Hispanics on TV than in 50's Michelle MIttelstadt (AP)
Seattle Post Intelligender 9/7/94 p. B5
\priv\95\07\contrast.txt - criticism of All American Girl,
Hispanic TV shows.
\priv\95\07\mintv.txt - text of article
\doc\95\07\primtime.wk1 Prime Time TV by Race 1992-93
Washington-based Center for Media and Public
Affairs, 1992-93 season:
TV US Rate Index
Ranked by Index
Black 17 12 1.42 1.33
White 81.2 76 1.07 1.00
Asian 0.8 3 0.27 -4.01
Hisp 1 9 0.11 -9.62
$$assertive doc935:aswommg.xls - women cite assert as career barrier
$$Awards
@@Oscar
Academy Awards for Films:
See Crouching Tiger 2001 won 4 awards.
z48\clip\2001\03\oscard.txt Diversity in Oscars Still Elusive The
academy has failed to live up to the promise of '72, when three black
actors were nominated. Global financing, foreign markets' preference
for white faces and the industry's racial composition are cited.
LORENZA MUNOZ, Los Angeles Times. Saturday, March 24, 2001
http://www.latimes.com/news/state/20010324/t000025394.html
For films from 1990 through 1999, only 19 nonwhites (including Asians, Native Americans,
African Americans and Latinos), or about 8% of the nominees, were included in the top five
categories: leading actor, leading actress, supporting actor, supporting actress and director. Only
two--Whoopi Goldberg (supporting actress in "Ghost") and Cuba Gooding Jr. (supporting actor in
"Jerry Maguire")--actually won.
\doc\94\19\oscar.txt Numerically Speaking A. Magazine Summer
1994
2 Asian Actors have won Oscars
0 Asians in Premiere's 100 Most Powerful People in Hollywood," 1993
2 Asians in 1994 (Scott Sassa no. 83 and Ismail Merchant no. 91)