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.

We brought back a couple of “Star Trek” related articles on Hyphenmagazine.com to mark the movie’s opening. One is a Q&A with John Cho, who plays Sulu in the movie, and the other is one I wrote that examines racial stereotypes in the “Star Trek” universe.

For the stereotypes article, I talked to Daniel Bernardi, who’s written several books about race and how it’s portrayed in movies and TV. I found him by coming upon his book, “Star Trek and History: Race-ing Toward a White Future,” on the Internet. Despite its utopian outlook, just like back here on Earth, “Star Trek” is dominated by its white characters.

“What ‘Star Trek’ is really about is a future that is quote, white, and white is really articulated as a metaphor for being human,” Bernardi told me. “We can all get along if humans — read white — are in charge, and we all try to be like them.” 

“Star Trek” has its flaws, but it effort to have diverse casts, including Asian Americans, makes it a step above most Hollywood fare. I’m looking forward to the movie, despite the delay.

OK, had to geek out over this for a minute. Now I’m better. This movie poster with John Cho, whom you may know as Harold of “Harold and Kumar,” for the new “Star Trek” movie was released this week.

As you also may know, Cho is taking over the role of Sulu, originally played by George Takei. The movie, a prequel that restarts the “Star Trek” franchise, will be released May 8, 2009, just like the poster says.

If you haven’t seen The Spaces Issue of Hyphen, get it for a Q&A with Cho and a story (by me) delving into the racial stereotypes depicted in the utopian future of the “Star Trek” world.

Fellow Trekkies, I know you’re out there. Don’t tell me you’re not waiting to see this movie.

This post is also published on Hyphen magazine’s blog.

“Harold & Kumar: Escape From Guantanamo Bay” opens today and it’s my most anticipated movie of the year now that the new “Star Trek” has been pushed back to 2009. I know I’m not the only one who’s been waiting to see “Harold & Kumar.”

All the people (me included) who complain about the lack of Asian Americans in movies should go out and support this film so more like it can be made. The first “Harold & Kumar” didn’t actually do that well at the box office, but DVD sales helped make the sequel a reality.

Go out and see it!

Look for an interview with “Harold & Kumar” star John Cho, who also plays Sulu in my most anticipated movie of 2009, “Star Trek,” in The Spaces Issue of “Hyphen” (out soon).

The Spaces Issue will also have a story (by yours truly) about how Asian Americans and other people of color have been marginalized and stereotyped in “Star Trek” even though the TV shows and movies have had diverse casts by Hollywood standards.

This post is also on Hyphen magazine’s blog.

It looks like John Cho of Harold and Kumar fame is going to be the new Sulu for the next Star Trek movie, according to multiple news stories and StarTrek.com.

Yes, I am a Star Trek fan. I’ll admit it publicly (stop giggling). So, I was curious as to who would be chosen to take the part George Takei originated. I would imagine every male Asian actor in Hollywood was fishing for the part.

The plot for the movie is a closely held secret, but it will be a prequel revolving around the early days of Kirk, Spock and the rest of the Star Trek crew.

I hope they portray the early Capt. Sulu as a strong leader he eventually becomes rather than the more meek, sidekick-type of Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) from the Star Trek: Voyager TV series.

Look for Cho as well in Harold and Kumar 2, maybe my second most anticipated movie of 2008.

This post can also be found on Hyphen magazine’s blog.

The bright lights of the Las Vegas Strip.

My first visit to Las Vegas was in 1999. A buddy and I booked the best hotel deal we could find, and not knowing the geography, we ended up in the Stratosphere, at the far north end of the Strip away from most of the action.

In subsequent trips, we’ve got a little smarter and stayed at hotels at the southern end of the strip, where most of the big hotels are located, but often still trying to get a decent room and eschewing the larger luxury casinos, which have grown in size and number since 1999.

The last couple of years, trips with the buddies to Vegas have been less frequent, but the hotels I’ve stayed at have gotten more upscale. Marriage and getting older does that I guess.

We did managed to renew what for a while was an annual trip a few weeks ago. As always, there was gambling, golf (though I don’t play, and stayed behind while the rest of the guys hit the links) and there was the food. It used to be that a quick meal at any old place would do. This year we renewed a recent tradition of having at least one dinner at a nice restaurant.

It was happening already when I first visited in 1999, but now Vegas has solidified its position as one of the culinary capitals in the country. Many of the best chef’s have restaurants at the hotels on the Strip. It’s a far cry from the $1.99 buffets that a trip to Vegas used to be known associated with.

We went to Roy’s restaurant, a very nice Hawaiian fusion place (look for my story about Hawaiian food on the mainland in the summer edition of Hyphen). We ate at Roy’s a couple of years ago on our last trip as well, when we also tried Wolfgang Puck’s Postrio. The consensus was that Roy’s is a lot better. It’s not as crowded and the food was better and more affordable.

This year we tried the Sterling Brunch at Bally’s. It’s pricey, $65 per person, but it’s not your average quantity over quality buffet. It was all good. There was all the champagne you could drink, whole roasted lobster, oysters on the half shell, shrimp, sushi, sea bass, prime rib, a dessert bar and more.

Something is afoot at another regular spot on trips to Vegas: Star Trek the Experience at the Hilton. With no Trek TV show on the air now, there’s nothing to anchor the attraction to. Sure, for the hardcore fan, it’s still Mecca. But it’s been a few years since there’s been anything new and things are looking a bit dated. There was one part of the Promenade where it look liked they piled up boxes and other junk with no real effort to cover it. I still enjoy having a drink a Quark’s Bar and geeking out in the store, but with nothing new to look forward to, it’s losing some of its appeal.

It was a fun time had by all. The Bally’s buffet might have been the highlight of the weekend. That’s not something I would have said in 1999.

George Takei

Takei’s character is big honcho who shows up in America with his bodyguard to try and kidnap his son and take him back to Japan, said Masi Oka, who plays Hiro, in TV Guide.

“I just hope I get to say, ‘Dad! Sulu is my hero, not you!’ The sci-fi fans would love it!” Oka said.

It’s a natural fit for Takei, a legendary sci-fi icon, to join the hottest science fiction show on TV.

This posting is also on Hyphen magazine’s blog.

This posting can also be found on Hyphen magazine’s blog.