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Speculations were rife that Jackie Chan has been approached for a role in Shahrukh Khan’s first sci-fi film Ra.One. But now it’s confirmed that the Chinese-American actor Tom Wu is going to be part of the film, and not Jackie Chan.

For those who don’t know Tom Wu, he is a martial arts expert, who was earlier seen in films like Revolver, Shanghai Knights, Batman Begins and Tomb Raider II.

Welcoming the actor to his team SRK tweets, “...a big welcome to Tom Wu in the film cast. He is so humble and such a sport... really nice to have him on board.”

As for now, SRK is not in India but in London busy with the ‘Ra.One’ shoot and also down with cold and fever. “Throat feeling better now... can go on the sets and make some noise to feel important hopefully,” scribbles Khan on his Twitter page.

The movie also features Arjun Rampal, who has even gone bald for his role, while actress Kareena Kapoor plays ...

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Jeremy Lin took a seat in a small room in front of an array of television crews, photographers and print media Wednesday afternoon. He'd never seen anything like that at Harvard.

"This is unbelievable," Lin said after the Warriors signed the undrafted free-agent guard. "I've never been part of something like this."

He's being celebrated as the first Asian American player signed by the Warriors since Raymond Townsend in 1980 - and one of a handful in NBA history.

"I consider myself a basketball player more than an Asian American," said the Palo Alto High grad who led his team to a Division II state championship in 2006. "I'm ready to play at this level and I appreciate the support of the Asian community. This is a dream come true. I always wanted to be in the NBA and now I get to do it with the Warriors, the team I grew up watching. ... I had my Latrell Sprewell poster and Joe Smith jersey."

The 21-year-old Lin averaged 16.4 points, 4....

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BigNews.Biz - Jul 18,2010 - It’s a two week film festival in Dallas scheduling films from 10 countries including; China, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. This year’s event is the 10th annual Asian film fare that includes a variety of genres and film styles, from action epics and crime dramas to charming romantic comedies and eclectic ruminations on the meaning of life. Movie fans can beat the heat with two weeks of films by taking Dallas flights. It’s not just a film festival but it provides audiences a combination of cinema and cultural experiences. This fare is proud to once again offer a fiery palette of movie options to Dallas enthusiasts with some thing for every one’s interest including; gangsters, aliens, monstrous wildlife, ninja, geisha, sexy ladies, math geniuses, farmers, sharks, young lovers, ghosts, pickpockets, taxi drivers, shipyard workers, zombies, ballet dancers, wolves, and much more.

These films were screened at the Landmark ...

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‘Himpapawid,’ ‘Mountain Thief ‘and ‘The Arrival’ take centerstage in NYC fest.

NEW YORK —When Asian CineVision (ACV) announced last month the 24 feature films selected to screen at the 33rd Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF10), focus shifted on the three feature films from the Philippines: Raymond Red’s Himpapawid (Manila Skies), Gerry Balasta’s Mountain Thief and Erik Matti’s The Arrival.

The festival celebrates and showcases the latest works by filmmakers of Asian descent, as well as films that explore themes and issues prevalent to the Asian community. This year, the AAIFF10 feature film line-up includes selections from both a national and international pool of filmmakers.

"The Filipino film industry is one of the fastest growing in Asia," states Martha Tien, Program Manager of the AAIFF10. "We are proud to present Raymond Red’s critically acclaim...

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A documentary filmmaker, health advocates and federal officials are coming together this Thursday, July 15, 2010, to lead a discussion on health issues critical to Asian and Pacific Islander American communities and an inspirational upcoming feature documentary film, THE POWER OF TWO.

Yul Kwon, Survivor: Cook Islands champion and Deputy Chief of the Consumer & Government Affairs Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission, twin global health advocates Anabel Stenzel and Isabel Stenzel Byrnes, and Academy Award nominated producer Marc Smolowitz (The Weather Underground, 2003) will present at a briefing produced in conjunction with the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) on July 15 at 10:00 a.m. in the Capitol Visitor Center, room HVC-215.

The Stenzel twins, stars of THE POWER OF TWO, who have endured a life-long battle against the fatal genetic disease Cystic Fibrosis and received life-saving double lung transplants, will recount their experiences advocatin...

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Every year in Washington, D.C., visitors to the National Mall are treated to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, which celebrates the culture and traditions of communities across the United States and the world. This year's festival in part highlights Asian Pacific Americans.

"This is a program that we talked about for many years," said James Deutsch, the program curator for the Smithsonian Institution's Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. "We have done programs on Asian countries. For example in the year 2007 I was the co-curator for a program on the Mekong River which featured five countries - China, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. But we have never done a program on Asian Pacific Americans in the United States."

The program features music, dance, art, cooking and lectures, all presented under large, open air tents on the large grassy expanse between the U.S...

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All in all, it was a week that M. Night Shyamalan would probably just as soon forget.

Movie critics delivered a withering verdict on his new film, “The Last Airbender,’’ heaping words like “laughable,’’ “flat,’’ and “fiasco’’ on the director’s latest effort to deliver on the promise he showed with 1999’s “The Sixth Sense.’’ But even before the reviews came in, Shyamalan was on the defensive, caught in the crossfire of a debate over ethnicity and authenticity that has implications beyond the fate of any individual movie.

At issue was Shyamalan’s decision to cast three of the four principal roles in “The Last Airbender’’ with Caucasian actors, even though the anime-style TV series that inspired the film featured lead characters who appeared to be East Asian or Native American. Furious at what they saw as the latest entry in an ignoble Hollywood tradition of “whitewa...

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About 100 protesters carried signs and beat drums outside of the Arclight Hollywood Cinema Thursday evening, as they denounced the lack of Asian actors in Paramount Pictures’ newly released film, The Last Airbender.

Based on the Nickelodeon animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender, the film has been criticized for its casting practices, since a majority of the main characters are Caucasian, in spite of the animated heroes’ Asian or Inuit ethnicities.

This alleged miscasting has resulted in a boycott of the film, called by the Media Action Network for Asian Americans, who also helped to coordinate the demonstration along with Racebending.com and the Korean Resource Center, said Guy Aoki, co-founder of MANAA.

“It was amazing,” he said, noting that protesters of all ages carried signs saying, “We are heroes” or “I am Katara,” referencing one of the lead characters who is Inuit descent in the series. “It’s great to see kids coming out and saying they reject this film....

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Another day, another shitstorm in the SF Café. A couple of months back, some of you might recall, it was one Young Turk turned Old Guard with an ill-fated article on international SF, a Caesar of dubious pontification that met a Senate of aggravated responses. Others said all that has to be said about the article at the time, and it’s sorta blown over now, so I’m not going to add my dagger; but in a couple of the responses (or responses to responses,) as the entrails slipped to the ground, fingers were pointed and the dread words whispered: cultural appropriation. As in the quote above, the link was made.

Yes. Another day, another shitstorm in the SF Café. Only today it’s a shitstorm about a Hollywood adaptation of a well-loved cartoon series — the film being M. Night Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender, the original series being Avatar: The Last Airbender, created by M...

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It's 2048. Do you know where your country is?

Actually, it's not your country anymore. The premise of Paul Heller's "Beijing, California" is that America has been invaded by China and the citizens of San Francisco are learning what it's like to live in occupied territory. It's an intriguing premise for a futuristic drama or dark comedy. The extended scenario that opened Thursday, in an Asian American Theater Company world premiere at Thick House, is neither.

It's a noble effort in fostering new work, but a half-baked result. Developed with director Duy Nguyen through three years of improvisational workshops and readings, "Beijing" circles around its central idea and samples bits of it without committing in any dramatic depth.

The story is told in three playlet "episodes" punctuated by video montages on two screens on Bruce Thierry Cheung's awkwa...

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