May 18th, 2007 by dd
… but seriously DaDump is still waiting for his invitations. Now I’m going to have to TiVo the damn thing.
In any event, there were plenty of real winners at the Los Angeles AZN Asian Excellence Awards bash Wednesday which honored Asian and Asian-Americans’ contributions to the world of arts and entertainment.
Lost’s Daniel Dae Kim, a winner last year, and Battlestar Galactica’s Grace Park served double duty as the evening’s hosts and nominees. Kim went up against his Lost costar Naveen Andrews, though both island dwellers were passed over for the Outstanding TV Actor prize in favor of Heroes‘ Masi Oka.
Park, too, had to take solace in simply being nominated, losing out in her Outstanding Supporting TV Actress bid to The Office’s resident airhead, Mindy Kaling.
Malakar was also among the nominees present at the awards bash, though as expected he lost out in his category, the Viewer’s Choice Award for Favorite Reality Star. Taking home the prize instead was Survivor: Cook Islands champ Yul Kwon.
For a full list of all the night’s winners and more pics, continue reading…!!
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Uncategorized, Asian American, Music, Film, TV, Daniel Dae Kim, Yul Kwon, Grace Park, Sanjaya Malakar | 
1 Comment »
May 17th, 2007 by dd
In May, CNN’s “Uncovering America” programming initiative continues with a focus on the Diaspora of Asians in America in observation of Asian American Heritage Month.
Yul Kwon, winner of the controversially racially-segregated Survivor – Season 13 will be a special guest correspondent for CNN. While he was on Survivor, Kwon often talked about challenges for Asians regarding race bias, particularly relating to images in the media and in corporate America.
He will report for CNN along those lines: on the changing portrayals of Asians in the media, the pressures many Asians feel to fulfill expectations for the so-called “model minority” stereotype, and the “bamboo ceiling” that some people feel keeps Asian Americans underrepresented in Corporate America.
This from the winner who stated outright that his intention was to use his Survivor money — in part — for Asian American philanthropic causes. This from the winner whose original reason for auditioning for Survivor was to combat negative stereotypes of Asian American men…. good on ya!!
Posted in Korea, Asian American, TV, Yul Kwon | 2 Comments »
April 26th, 2007 by dd
So close yet so far… Ever since Yul Kwon won Survivor and Sanjaya teased us with his improbable American Idol run, we’ve seen a number of Asian Americans do well on high profile reality shows. And this past weekend was no different.
James Sun, 29-year-old Korean-American entrepreneur, bowed out of Donald Trump’s reality show The Apprentice after becoming the first Asian to go to the finals.
“It’s been a great experience for business, and there is a lot of opportunity that comes about even if you are not selected,” Sun said of his experience. “I still want to pitch Donald Trump to say, hey, even though I am not selected, I still want to do some business projects with him in Asia.”
Read more about James Sun’s “almost win” after the jump!
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Asian American, TV, Yul Kwon, Korean | No Comments »
February 26th, 2007 by dd
Sorry, Folks. It doesn’t look like there will be a repeat of reality TV’s Survivor of a Korean American winner. Paul Kim, a contestant on American Idol, is no Yul Kwon. In fact, he was the first to be voted off.
Even though he was the first to be let go of the top 24 contestants, Paula and Randy had some encouragement for the fallen star. Randy said he had to pick a song that would let him excel. And Paula added that he has “it” already: the studio and radio voice, plus the great range - Kim just over sang and picked the wrong song.
Based on the performances of the females, the men don’t seem to stand a chance and Paul certainly didn’t shine during his song performance. So although it wasn’t a great surprise, did the Asian dude have to be the first to go?! Isn’t that like how black people are always the first ones to die in horror films? A bit cliche if you ask me.
To add some sympathy to the matter, Kim said on the show, “This means the world to me. I’m banking on this. This is my last chance at music.” Famous last words… [TheMercuryNews]
Posted in Korea, Asian American, Reality TV, TV, Yul Kwon, Paul Kim | 1 Comment »
December 19th, 2006 by dd
Here’s a great follow up to yesterday’s announcement that Korean American Yul Kwon won Survivor: Cook Islands. Not only did Yul “Outwit, Outplay and Outlast” his competitors, he did it with integrity and a sense of mission while shattering stereotypes of Asian American males along the way:
“I’m proud of my Asian culture and obviously we are shaped by our heritage, but it’s not all who we are… When I was growing up, I did not see people like me as positive role models. I always saw Asian computer geeks who couldn’t get a date, or a kung fu guy who couldn’t speak English,” he said. “I wanted America to see Asian Americans as they truly are.”
Athletic, good looking, extremely loyal to his friends, academically and professionally successful, humble, and able to sport facial hair! I’d normally attribute this sort of assessment to media spin control but he does come across as a genuinely intelligent and considerate person. And he’s single which means that moms everywhere are working overtime to pimp their daughters over to California for their version of Dating ‘Survivor’.
Congrats again to Yul. REPRESENT - WHOOP WHOOP!
CLICK HERE to read the SFGate.com article
Winner of One Meeee-leon Dollars!
Posted in Korea, Asian American, Reality TV, Yul Kwon | 2 Comments »
December 18th, 2006 by dd
His former competitors awarded Yul Kwon, the “godfather” of the CBS game “Survivor: Cook Islands,” with the $1 million top prize Sunday in a classic finale that pitted brains vs. brawn.
Kwon, a management consultant who was the soft-spoken strategic whiz in the 13th edition of the game, bested Oscar “Ozzy” Lusth, the effortless athlete who dominated physical challenges as the game neared its end.
With the money on the line, it was a 5-4 vote.
“It’s the first time I’ve ever felt bad that somebody didn’t win,” host Jeff Probst said. “It was so evenly matched.”
Kwon, a 31-year-old management consultant who lives in San Mateo, Calif., was the brain with degrees from Stanford University and Yale Law School. He controlled the strategic aspect of the game, particularly after he found a hidden piece of jewelry that guaranteed him one-time immunity from being voted off the island.
“The key to winning the game is maximizing the good luck and minimizing the bad luck,” he said later. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Asian American, Reality TV, Yul Kwon | No Comments »
December 7th, 2006 by dd
Despite recent controversy over segregated tribes and a general malaise with reality television, nothing seems to be able to stop Survivor from thriving… not even a coup in Fiji where the 14th season is currently being filmed!
Earlier in the week, soldiers, under the control of Fiji’s military commander took control of the Fijian capital of Suva, on the island of Viti Levu, then claimed control of the country announcing that the prime minister has been confined to his home.
According to online sources, host Jeff Probst said that filming on the South Pacific archipelago has not been interrupted. “To be shooting Survivor while in the midst of a coup is a bit surreal for all of us here in Fiji,” Probst wrote in an email. “Everyone here is safe and the disruptions thus far have been minimal. We had a few production staff stationed in Suva that we brought back to base camp…otherwise, we have continued filming without interruption.”
Posted in Asian American, Reality TV, Yul Kwon, Fiji | No Comments »
November 22nd, 2006 by dd
In addition to John Cho being named one of People’s “Sexiest Men Alive” (see earlier posting), three other Asian American men were mentioned in the same issue. They include Hong Kong’s Edison Chen, the multi-talented Asian superstar, actor, rapper, and fashion designer, Daniel Dae Kim, the Korean American on the hit series LOST, and Yul Kwon, the 31year old Korean American Survivor contestant who graduated from Stanford and Yale Law and is now a management consultant.
Congrats to them and here’s to FINALLY getting rid of that William “She Bang, She Bang” Hung stereotype!
Posted in Hong Kong, Korea, Asian American, John Cho, Edison Chen, Daniel Dae Kim, Yul Kwon, William Hung | No Comments »
