MANAA supports the 2008 Asian Excellence Awards.
Thursday, April 23rd at Royce Hall, UCLA
http://www.axawards.com/ for more info

MANAA’s Next General Meeting is Thursday, April 17th. The monthly general meeting starts at 7:30 PM, in the upstairs meeting room of the Chinatown Public Safety Association.

Agenda items for this month's meeting include:
- MANAA appears on ABC news regarding the movie "21"
- Upcoming film, "Harold and Kumar Go to Guantanamo Bay"
- Updated Press Release on Norm MacDonald/radio show incident

MANAA Announces Its Sixth Media Scholarship!

Click Here for more information.

MANAA’s Next General Meeting is Thursday, March. 20th. The monthly general meeting starts at 7:30 PM, in the upstairs meeting room of the Chinatown Public Safety Association. We welcome your input and thoughts on pressing issues regarding the portrayal of Asian Americans in print, radio, television and movies.

We have several current events and issues to discuss at this month's meeting, including:
- Upcoming release of the movie, "21"
- MANAA's response to Norm McDonald on the Adam Carolla radio show
- Dennis Prager radio show comments about the Japanese American internment
- 2008 MANAA film student scholarship
- Results from the coalition meeting with NBC
- Feedback from APEX Mixer on Feb. 28th
- "Chinese Laundry" restaurant ads

View MANAA's press release re: Norm McDonald incident
Visit the blog at www.myspace.com/manaala to see MANAA's response to what comedian Norm McDonald said while he was a guest on the Adam Carolla radio show.

First general Meeting of 2008 is Thursday, Jan17th, 7:30 PM, in the upstairs meeting room of the Chinatown Public Safety Association. Among the topics we will be discussing are:

- our recently published 2007 newsletter
- getting contributors for the new website
- activities and events for 2008

Location: Chinatown Public Safety Association
823 N. Hill Street (between Alpine and College Streets)
Los Angeles CA 90012

General Meeting on Thursday, Nov. 15th, 7:30 PM, in the upstairs meeting room of the Chinatown Public Safety Association. We welcome your input and thoughts on pressing issues regarding the portrayal of Asian Americans in print, radio, television and movies. Among the topics we will be discussing are:

- CBS Networking/Mixer with Nina Tassler, President of CBS entertainment, executives and television producers and writers
-"Race Can Be A Riot" Event, talking with Rob Schneider about his controversial role in "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry"
- Annual report card on the television networks

Reminder: MANAA's general meeting in December is on the second Thursday of the month (the rest of the year it's usually the third Thursday). Therefore, the last general meeting of the year will be Thursday, December 13th. Hope to see you there!

MANAA's Next General Meeting is Thursday, October 18th. Monthly general meeting starts at 7:30 PM in the upstairs meeting room of the Chinatown Public Safety Association. We welcome your input and thoughts on pressing issues regarding the portrayal of Asian Americans in print, radio, television and movies. Among the topics we will be discussing are:

- ABC and "Desperate Housewives" incident
- Review of new TV shows with Asian American actors
- Other inquiries and concerns sent in by alert media watchers

Location: Chinatown Public Safety Association
823 N. Hill Street (between Alpine and College Streets)
Los Angeles CA 90012

Thursday, September 20th. Monthly general meeting starts at 7:30 PM in the upstairs meeting room of the Chinatown Public Safety Association (details below). We welcome your input and thoughts on pressing issues regarding the portrayal of Asian Americans in print, radio, television and movies. Among the topics we will be discussing are:

- CBS hiring shock jock Craig Carton to replace Don Imus
- Interview with Shalini Kantayya, MANAA scholarship recipient recently featured on "On The Lot"
- Participating in USC's welcome event for API students
- Other inquiries and concerns sent in by alert media watchers

Thursday, August 16th. Monthly general meeting starts at 7:30 PM in the upstairs meeting room of the Chinatown Public Safety Association in Chinatown. Located at 823 N. Hill Street between Alpine and College Streets. We welcome your input and thoughts on pressing issues regarding the portrayal of Asian Americans in print, radio, television and movies. Among the issues we will be discussing are:

- Media Response to Complaints about "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry"
- MANAA's review of Rush Hour 3
- Reaction to an intended public screening of "Sixteen Candles" in San Francisco
- Results from the annual meeting with the four top networks- ABC, CBS, NBC & Fox.
- Other inquiries and concerns sent in by alert media watchers

Thursday, July 19th. Monthly general meeting start at 7:30 PM at the Chinatown Public Safety Association in Chinatown. Located at 823 N. Hill Street between Alpine and College Streets. We welcome your input and thoughts on pressing issues regarding the portrayal of Asian Americans in print, radio, television and movies. Among the issues we will be discussing are:

-Communications with Jay Leno about guest Chelsea Handler's offensive comments on Angelina Jolie's adopted Vietnamese son. (See a copy of our press release at www.myspace.com/manaala)

-One of MANAA's scholarship winners being a contestant on Fox's "On the Lot" and using Asian American actors in every one of her film shorts!

Saturday, June 16 – Want to participate in MANAA, but can't make the monthly meetings in Chinatown? We'll be having a special Saturday meeting at the International House of Pancakes in Covina. Time: 10:00 AM. Address: 702 S. Citrus Ave. Directions: Take the 10, exit Citrus, go north a few blocks. The IHOP will be on your right (eastern) side. Meet MANAA's new President and our Vice-President. The proposed discussion topic will be the state of APAs on Television, but we can talk about whatever community issues interest you. We also have some free gifts to give away.

Thursday, June 21. Monthly general meeting at the Chinatown Public Safety Association in Chinatown. Located at 823 N. Hill Street between Alpine and College Streets. Agenda items will include the (lack of) minority representation in next fall's TV line-up, and this summer's movies.

Meet us at Cal Poly Pomona, Thursday, April 19th!

Instead of the usual Chinatown location, MANAA is holding the April meeting on the campus of Cal Poly Pomona (address below). This meeting will be in conjunction with a one-woman show by Paula Solano, who investigates her multiple identities as a biracial (Asian and White) individual married to a Peruvian man. Her performance will begin at 7 pm in the Studio Theater in Building 24, with a question and answer period right after her performance. MANAA will join her in the Q & A session to discuss her performance as it relates to Asian American issues. A pizza and soft drink dinner will follow with an abbreviated version of a MANAA meeting. No RSVP necessary, but if you are interested in coming from off campus, please email manaaletters@hotmail.com to let us know you are coming.

Meeting Details:
Where: 3801 W. Temple Avenue (the campus is just off the 10 Freeway, near the junction of the 10 and 57 Freeways). Ask the parking kiosk how to get to Studio Theater in Building 24.
When: Thursday, April 19th at 7 pm
Cost: $5 parking, $8 for the performance. The MANAA meeting is free!

MANAA general meetings for March and April

The general meeting is back at the usual Chinatown location for Thursday, March 15th at 7:30 pm. We welcome your input and thoughts on pressing issues regarding the portrayal of Asian Americans in print, radio, television and movies. On April 23rd, MANAA will be meeting on the campus of Cal Poly Pomona. If you've wanted to participate in MANAA before but Chinatown was too far, please consider visiting us at this special meeting location. Check back here or at our myspace page for details!

** CORRECTION: MANAA meeting at Cal Poly Pomona is April 19th. **

Happy Lunar New Year!

Instead of the usual general meeting this month, several folks from MANAA attended a special Writers Guild Association screening of "Letters from Iwo Jima." Congratulations to director Clint Eastwood and screenwriter Iris Yamashita on this critically acclaimed film.

Happy New Year!

This year MANAA is celebrating its 15th anniversary. We welcome you to join at MANAA's next general meeting: Thursday, January 18, 2007, to review the latest news regarding Asian Americans in the media, and discuss plans for special anniversary events. Can't make the meeting? Send an email to manaaevents-subscribe@yahoogroups.com to receive monthly reminder/announcements.

Photos from the Media Achievement Awards!

Thank you for helping to make the MANAA Media Achievement Awards a great event! We announced the winner of MANAA's scholarship contest; presented awards to the writers and creators of: Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, Lilo and Stitch, television series Lost, Grey's Anatomy, and King of the Hill; and honored journalist Sam Chu Lin. MANAA appreciates the sponsors, guests, volunteers, and everyone who helped make this special evening a success. And yes, MANAA is now on MySpace. Check out the banquet pics at www.myspace.com/manaala. Stay tuned for new MANAA activities in 2007!

10th MANAA Achievement Awards

The 10th MANAA Achievement Awards will be held on Thursday, November 9, at the University of Southern California's Town and Gown. This is MANAA's biggest event and fundraiser of the year. Volunteers needed to help out! Contact us at manaaletters@hotmail.com or come to our next general meeting. And check back here for updates! Next general meetings: Thursday, September 21, 2006. Thursday, October 19, 2006.

General Meeting - Third Thursdays

Please join us for our monthly meetings which are held on the third Thursday of each month at the Chinatown Public Safety Association in Chinatown at 823 N. Hill Street between Alpine and College Streets. We start at 7:30 p.m. Our next meetings are Thursday, September 21, 2006 and Thursday, October 19, 2006.

MANAA Founding President to appear on Adam Carolla Show

MANAA Founding President, Guy Aoki is scheduled to appear on the the Adam Carolla show on Wednesday, April 26th at 9 a.m. to discuss the host's ching-chong parody of the Asian Excellence Awards and history of denigrating Asian Americans.

Adam Carolla can be heard in Las Vegas 107.5, Los Angeles 97.1 FM, Pheonix 101.5 FM, Portland 101.1 FM, San Diego 103.7, and San Francisco 106.9 FM.

Racial Caricature on Adidas HUF sneaker

INCIDENT UPDATE: After their first press release, Adidas continued to receive negative response and pressure from those who found the shoe caricature offensive. On April 26, 2006, Adidas released another announcement that it would pull the remaining shoes from the marketplace.

At the March general meeting, MANAA members discussed the controversy over a new Adidas sneaker with a caricature of a buck toothed, slant-eyed Asian. The image is reminiscent of those used in late 1800s and WWII to spread anti-Asian American sentiment.

View pictures, read more about this issue, and send your comments.

Campaign: Adam Carolla Offends Asian American Community Again

MANAA needs your help to call and write CBS Radio and urge the company to severely discipline syndicated radio host Adam Carolla for his most recent offensive comments against the Asian American community.

Listen to the audio clip and read the full article here.

MANAA announces 2004 scholarship winner-Shalini Kantayya

Shalini Kantayya, filmmaker, educator, and activist uses film/video as a tool to educate, inspire, and empower audiences. Shalini recently received the 2001 William D. Fulbright Fellowship to make a documentary film about political street theatre in India. Her recent documentary, MANTHAN ( THE CHURNING ) received the first prize award for best documentary at the Asian American Film Institute Festival (New York). Her films have been screened at international film festivals including the Toronto Inside Out Film Festival, The Ivy Film Festival, The MIX Festival, Vancouver Film Festival, The New Festival, Images and Voices of Hope, Paisley Gallery New York, and Chemould Art Gallery Bombay. Shalini has lectured at schools and universities such as The Convergence Institute of Media, The Symbiosis Institute of Mass Communications, and the San Francisco Waldorf School. She holds a BA in International Relations and Multi-Media Production at Hampshire College and is currently pursuing an MFA in Media Art production at the City College of New York. Shalini is currently working on A DROP OF LIFE, is a speculative fiction film based on a global water crisis, and CONNECTED, a documentary about how the call center industry is effecting the lives of urban Indian women.

Protest Against Detail's Article "Gay or Asian"

Click Here for the flyer on the protest in New York being run by Asian Media Watchdog.

Get YOUR voice heard! Sign the online petition here!

(Requires the Adobe Acrobat plug-in- Click here to get the plug-in - if you can't view)

Pilots Featuring Asian Pacific Americans In Contention for the Fall 2004

Click Here to read about and support Asian-Americans who are in upcoming features for the major networks. This is where it all starts!

MANAA Announces its 4th Annual Media Scholarship!

Click Here for more information.

Campaign Against Mr. Wong!

“Mr. Wong” DVD has been released by National Lampoon and Maverick Entertainment and is in stores now. The internet cartoon depicts an 85-year-old hunchbacked Chinese houseboy in the service of a Caucasian socialite. True to many harmful stereotypes, he is as a lemon-yellow buffoon with slanted eyes, bucked teeth and tortured pronunciation.

Click Here for more information.

Feb 10,'04 Read Maverick's Response

Feb 10,'04 Read Amazon's Response

MANAA Movie Review: 50 First Dates

An Adam Sandler movie based in Hawaii, the film features Asian-American actors such as Amy Hill, Nephi Pomaikai Brown, and Joe Nakashima just to name a few. The movie brings a level of authenticity not found in many features based in Hawaii. Click Here for the Review

MANAA Movie Review: Twisted

MANAA reviews early script for Twisted, with Russell Wong, Ashley Judd, Samuel L. Jackson and Andy Garcia. Click Here for the Review

MANAA Movie Review: The Great Raid

Brave Filipino’s in action! Read MANAA’s review of a production draft of “The Great Raid,” a not yet released feature film about a US Army mission to raid a Japanese POW camp in the Philippines during World War II. It was the most successful U.S. military raid of its kind and relied on the help and ingenuity of the Filipino Resistance and its leader Captain Juan Pajota (played by Cesar Motano). Click Here for the Review

MANAA Movie Review: The Perfect Score

The Perfect Score is a clever teen comedy about six high school kids from different walks of life that devise a plan to cheat on the SAT. The film features an innovative performance by Leonardo Nam in the part of Roy. The character Roy (beautifully written by Mark Schwan, Marc Hyman, and Jon Zacks and directed by Brian Robbins) was never meant to be for a specific race. But casting an Asian American made it surprisingly refreshing.

FULL ARTICLE

BANZAI UPDATE

Sponsors pull from "BANZAI" as ratings drop and Fox censors their message board.

FULL ARTICLE

ATTENTION ASIAN AMERICANS!!!

Have you seen the promos for "Banzai" (www.fox.com/banzai/) and it angers you? Want to do something but do not know what you can do?

FULL ARTICLE

Charlie's Angels Shocker: Lucy Liu's dad is white!!!

Better Luck Tomorrow Special Screening and Reception!

Martial arts star Russell Wong (Romeo Must Die) stars in this unique drama as an ex-cop who sacrificed everything and must now rebuild his own life as a teacher and mentor to a diverse group of teenagers. From the writer and executive producer of The Karate Kid and Kiss of the Dragon, and the executive producers of Smallville, The WB's Black Sash features a multigenerational cast, dazzling martial arts and stories of hope and redemption.

Fast & Furious Franchise Continues to Keep Asian Males Out of the Spotlight

Ugly racial stereotyping on the Tonight Show of Feb 11, '03

Letter to Jay Leno.

We are disappointed and upset at your highly racist and insensitive remark you made on February 11, when you once again made a crack about Koreans eating dogs.

U.S. Rep. Howard Coble, R-6th, about Japanese internment during World War II

Letter to David Letterman

MANAA president Guy Aoki appearance on Politically Incorrect

The "White-Washing" of Television MANAA'S Partnership with the NAACP Media Coalition

Restrictive Portrayals of Asians in the Media and How to Balance Them