Jackie Chan trains Jaden Smith in the remake of "The Karate Kid."

Aly Morita contacted me the other day about publicizing her call for a boycott of the remake of the Karate Kid, saying it’s another example of Hollywood perpetuating stereotypes about Asian Americans.

It was right after I started seeing commercials for the new movie that made me wonder how Asians (it’s set in China) and Asian Americans would be portrayed, so it was good timing. I gave Aly a call to find out why she wanted a boycott.

The remake has blockbuster written all over it. Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith are among the producers of the new movie and it stars their son, Jaden, as the young martial arts student. Jackie Chan plays the wise mentor, updating the iconic and Oscar-nominated Mr. Miyagi role played by Aly’s father, Pat, 25 years ago in the original film.

Aly, who wrote about her relationship with her dad in the Inside/Out Issue of Hyphen, told me she’s aware that she’s criticizing a film that stars two actors of color, which is a rarity. And she’s aware that she opens herself up to criticism by passing judgment on something she hasn’t seen.

“All I’m asking is they not pay to see it in a movie theater, wait for the DVD or Netflix,” she said of her Facebook boycott page. “Be conscious of where the money is going.”

That would be Hollywood, which many would agree hasn’t given Asian American actors many good roles, or many roles at all, and hasn’t moved much beyond kung fu imagery created for characters such as Mr. Miyagi.

“Growing up, I always struggled with fact that my father played Mr. Miyagi as my own identity politics started to form,” she said. “I’ve come to my own personal peace with it.”

But she says not much has changed since her dad taught Ralph Macchio to “wax on” and “wax off.”

“It’s been 25 years since the original came out, and we’re still dealing with the same stereotypes,” Aly said. “Where are the other roles for Asian American actors? Why is the karate master the one role that people can respond to?”

The original Karate Kid movies, despite the stereotyping, were a step forward.

“For anyone that grew up during that time period, finally there was a movie starring an Asian American actor,” Aly said. “It had a good 10-year lifespan, and I think for a lot of Asian Americans, even those who had problems with the character of Mr. Miyagi, it was like, ‘Wow, I could star in a film if I was Asian American.’ I think it was very inspiring for a lot of people. We haven’t had that in some time.”

Of course, boycotting the movie doesn’t allow you to judge it on its merits. Aly’s protest is more about the entertainment industry than it is about the Karate Kid remake. Like she says, we’ve been complaining about Hollywood for years with not much to show for it.

Whether it’s a boycott or blogging about it, she says the only way Hollywood imagery of Asian Americans will change is if people inform themselves about the issue and speak out.

“I don’t know, maybe we should boycott every movie that’s not representative of who we are as people,” she said. “That remains very frustrating because it’s 25 years later.”

So, will you boycott Karate Kid?

This post is also on Hyphen magazine’s blog.

Daniel Dae Kim moves from "Lost" to a role in the new "Hawaii Five-0."

The new “Hawaii Five-0,” with Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park, will feature two of the most high-profile roles for Asian Americans on TV this fall.

Kim moves from “Lost” but stays on the islands for the new ”Five-0,” playing Chin Ho Kelly. “Battlestar Galactica” alum Park plays Kona “Kono” Kalakaua. Alex O’Laughlin plays the lead as Steve McGarrett, son of the character played by Jack Lord in the original series. Scott Caan plays Danny “book’em Danno” Williams.

The show is not a remake of the original but a reboot set in present day. Here’s a preview of the show.

One thing that hasn’t changed is the cool theme song.

Who can’t get into that?

Recent shows set in Hawaii have been busts. With “Flash Forward” canceled and Lost ending its run, Kim and Park, along with Sandra Oh on “Grey’s Anatomy” are pretty much it for Asian American characters with big roles on TV. Maybe some of that “Lost” island magic will keep Kim and Park on the air longer than “Flash Forward.”

How’s “Five-0″ look to you? Will you watch?

This post is also on Hyphen magazine’s blog.

John Cho plays FBI agent Demetri Noh in "Flash Forward."

ABC has  canceled “Flash Forward,” the  sci-fi show that starred John Cho in one of the most visible televison roles for an Asian American actor in recent years.

Cho played FBI agent Demetri Noh, who was part of a team that was investigating why everyone on the planet blacked out and saw visions of the future.

The high-concept show started with a bang and seemed to have promise. After a few bad episodes, I thought the show was starting to pick up. But it never caught on with many viewers, and a  three-month hiatus didn’t help, so ABC canceled it.

The show was also notable for having Noh in an  Asian-black interracial relationship with a character portrayed by Gabrielle Union.

At least  we’ll see Cho in sequels to “Harold and Kumar” and  ”Star Trek,” but I’m disappointed ABC didn’t give “Flash Forward” a chance. Anybody else wish it was renewed?

This post is also on Hyphen magazine’s blog.

Flash Forward star John Cho says that a script for the third Harold and Kumar has been written and that it will be a holiday-themed movie that takes place a few years after the last film. The new Star Trek script is being written, Cho says, but he doesn’t know what the story is about. I can’t wait to see both of them.

This post is also on Hyphen magazine’s blog.

Deborah Gibson and Vic Chao make out in 'Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus.'

“Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus“: the title alone should have kept me away, but flipping through the channels to SyFy, my curiosity was piqued when I saw that it starred 80s teen sensation Debbie Gibson (who’s all grown up and goes by Deborah now). I started watching and lo and behold, before I knew it, her character and a fellow scientist played by Vic Chao were making eyes for each other and heading to the closet for some, shall we say, intense research.

The scene is the only notable thing in an otherwise forgettable, low-budget, sci-fi flick released in May 2009 with bad acting, really bad special effects and co-starring another 80s retread, Lorenzo Lamas.

I don’t know how I missed Mega Shark when it released, but not only does it have an Asian guy in it, he gets the girl, a rarity for the movies.

Sean Lawlor, left, Vic Chao and Deborah Gibson from Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus.

There was some buzz when John Cho’s character in “Flash Forward” was paired romantically with Gabriel Union; seems people notice because seeing an Asian man in a sexual context in the movies or television is so unusual still.

For years, I was really angry over how Asian American males were portrayed and perceived. But things are changing slowly. I’m still angry, and I still take notice when an Asian face pops on my TV screen. It’s been happening more often. Hopefully, someday it will be so common, I won’t notice at all.

This post is also on Hyphen magazine’s blog.

Miley Cyrus and friends doing their best slanty.

The legal saga of the Miley Cyrus chinky-eyed photo is coming to an end. A judge has tossed alawsuit filed against Cyrus for posing in the image that’s been all over the Internet.

Lucie Kim had sued the Hannah Montana star on behalf of Asian Americans living in Los Angeles County, seeking $4 billion in damages. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert Sohigian said that while the photo was offensive, it didn’t violate state law protecting citizens from discrimination by businesses.

Kim probably had little chance of winning the suit. But had the trial gone forward, think of all the Asian-bashing witnesses Cyrus could have called on her behalf: Bo Dietl, that “Chinaman” NBA announcer, Spain’s national basketball team, just to name a few. I would have been glued to CourtTV. Oh well, the law is the law.

This post is also on Hyphen magazine’s blog.

Ken Jeong, left, in a scene from The Goods.

Recent protests over the Pearl Harbor scene in The Goods (in which Ken Jeong’s character gets attacked by fellow car salesmen for looking Japanese) succeeded in getting the offensive bit removed from trailers. But did it really change the attitudes that screenwriters or directors have about race or stereotyping? Did it show that Asian Americans have influence over how Hollywood portrays us?

Not really, says blogger Phillip at YouOffendMeYouOffendMyFamily. He writes that the protests over The Goods and other movies with offensive scenes won’t do any good because Asian Americans don’t matter at the box office. Marketers have always had a hard time defining and selling to Asian Americans, a group that doesn’t really exist, according to Oliver Wang at Chasing Chan.

Oliver agrees that protests alone may not change anything in Hollywood, but goes a step further by saying, “the main reason why ‘Asian Americans as a whole’ don’t support Asian American film is because ‘Asian Americans as a whole’ do not exist.”

Margaret Cho channels Gallagher for the Hyphen cover photo shoot.

I’d like to thank Margaret Cho for graciously agreeing to be the cover model for Hyphen’s Action Issue. The theme is right up her alley. She’s known as much for her community activism as she is for her comedy.

Photographer Ryan Schude had the fruit smashing antics of Gallagher in mind when he was planning the photo shoot with Cho. The photos of Cho killing a sandwich (the cover shot), melons and a pinata turned out great.

Dino-Ray Ramos interviewed Cho for a Q&A while she was in Atlanta shooting her TV series, Drop Dead Diva. Here’s a sneak peek at what she said.

Managing Editor Lisa Wong Macabasco has some other highlights from The Action Issue in her editor’s note. And here are some other items of interest:

• The founder of the Kogi BBQ trucks explains how he got the idea for the bulgogi tacos that are all the rage in Southern California and beyond.
• We delve into the whitewashing controversy over the cast of the movie Avatar: The Last Airbender.
• Activist-writer Grace Lee Boggs tells us what books influenced her.
• We talk to four film composers about getting the music right for action movies.

We’re also encouraging readers to take action for many of the topics in The Action Issue.

This is one of our best issues yet. Pick up a copy at a newsstand or subscribe and support Hyphen’s effort to build independent, community-focused media. Thanks for reading.

This post is also on Hyphen magazine’s blog.

Compared to Mr. Yunioshi, Gifford’s performance was just a little bit of ching-chong on national TV. If you don’t think Mr. Yunioshi was offensive, then the clip of Gifford is nothing. Al Roker is as much at fault as Gifford if you’re going to take offense.