Distinctive, Not Separated

(images courtesy of aang-aint-white.livejournal.com and also to iroh.org)

Sorry if this is a bit off-topic in regards to the posts below (they're great! They shouldn't be ignored just because this long rant pushed it down...). The story’s been hanging around for a long while now, but I feel like I should speak up on behalf of the issue as well, after floundering around and getting more uneasy on the subject.

There are many things that take a turn for the better, but also for the worst. So is the case with Hollywood. Sometimes, they might take a bad to average story, and turn it into a remarkable epic, but there are also times when they take a magnificent story and world and turn it into a plot-mush with missing storylines and maybe even some storylines that didn’t exist before.


But isn’t that something that should be expected? Movies were made to provide entertainment, but for the production company, they’re also made to bring in big bucks. Unfortunately, it can get a bit desperate. Every time that they bring a story or idea—that’s not heavily recognized by wide audiences, but that are more directed towards a specific audience—to the big screen, they’re taking quite a risk. Of course, that’s why they have large promotions and advertisements for the movie, but if they can’t get people to come and pay $8 to watch it, it’s a dead shot.

So, they decide to cast big-name actors. Surely everyone would come and watch their favorite celebrity, because they just know that he/she is going to make any movie great, right? Haha...ha.

It just doesn’t work. No matter how many household names you put into a movie, if the roles don’t fit correctly, it just fails. But what is especially annoying is when a movie is completely demoralizing a tale, and morphing it into an artificial money gobbler.


I could be talking about Eragon, but no, that’s not what I’m trying to focus on (even though I do have things to say about how they demolished the book, but that’s something else). My main point right now is The Last Airbender. Viewers of Nickolodeon are sure to recognize Avatar: The Last Airbender, an American “anime” of sorts, that centralizes around a Asian-styled fictional world where a struggle of balance upon four elemental nations sets the story. I’m not quite an avid Nickolodeon viewer, but I am an avid channel surfer. A couple years back, I was surfing, diving, and paddling through channels, and that’s how I stumbled upon Avatar. I’ve been a fan ever since, and probably always will be.

And yes, if you’ve been following this article, you would know what they’re planning for it—they’re turning this magnificent show into a movie. “Here it goes again…” is an expected thought. As with every story-turned-movie, it’s highly probable that it’s not going to be as stunning as the original, but at least it’d be decent…hopefully? Nope, no, nada. Here comes Tom Sawyer with his whitewash...too bad he couldn’t stick to fences.


In exchange for taking the story of Avatar and turning it into a movie, they decide to surprise the fanbase with HUZZAH four Caucasian actors in the lead roles (well, now it’s reduced to three), namely: Jackson Rathbone [from Twilight], Nicola Peltz, Noah Ringer (no actual visible picture of him as arisen yet, but still plausible), and Jesse McCartney (who backed out due to “schedule problems”…or so they say. He’s been replaced by Dev Patel from Slumdog Millionaire). “Um…and what’s so bad about that?” Let’s see…the entire world of Avatar is Asian-based, Asian-styled, and Asian-themed. Four major forms of martial arts are presented. Settings throughout the series depict Asian cultural monuments, items, and details. Chinese-language characters are frequently shown on scrolls, artwork, and other props. I think the big picture has gotten clear.

Yes, yes, I know that this is just how the big, bad movie industry goes. That’s the way of life in the world of Hollywood. But on a deeper level, this morally affects many people, both by Asians who feel betrayed and by the huge fanbase following (which includes me). There are so many Asian actors and actresses out there, who are struggling to find a chance in this industry. Not just actors and actresses, but talented ones. But for some reason, they just don’t seem to get a breakthrough. This issue further exposes this struggle. The Last Airbender is a massive opportunity for Asian actors to show what they’ve got. Almost every character in the Avatar world is Asian and Inuit (this excludes what they physically look like—this is based on their actual character). But instead, they decide to cast trendy actors in the lead roles, in the hopes of bringing in an audience (which is a highly probable theory). But you know what? They’ve got that completely erroneous. Instead, they should try to bring in the audience that is already loyal to the series: the fanbase, which may I say, is giant. Not the hot-guy-obsessed-fangirl, NO.


This has been circulating for weeks and months now. Of course, I’m not the first to speak up on this subject. Take a look at Saving the World With Postage, a blog on LiveJournal that’s been in the process of a letter-sending campaign to stop Paramount in its tracks and to make them reconsider their decisions. Has it been successful? Well, the casting of Dev Patel and the removal of Jesse McCartney—*cough* emphasis on "due to schedule problems"—is highly suspicious. But it’s still a step into bringing some righteousness to the ordeal.

And to quote Vagabond Sal:
“What does this casting choice say to me, the angry Asian man? It says that every time somebody speaks more slowly and loudly to me because they assume that English isn't my first tongue, they're right to do so, because I'm not normal….It says that every time somebody asks me to translate a random set of pictographic characters for them, they're right to do so, because I know ancient Asian secrets. It says that when Rosie O'Donnell said that Asian people talk in alternating tones of ching chong ching chong, she wasn't being offensive, because we really do all sound like that.”

I’ve had my say.

-the clam.

Note: Racial issues and opinions regarding them are highly debatable and controversial. I am not encouraging the act of racism, but I am only expressing my thoughts and beliefs on how it should be correctly interpreted.

"They're after me lucky charms!"

"Where's me pot o' gold?"

Truth is, there was never a pot of gold to begin with.

The myth of the leprechaun has dated back centuries, the first being recorded c. 1900. Those mischievous green men have sprinkled their Lucky Charms throughout history, past and present. Even today, people are still lurking around to find that rare (and most truly, non-existent) faeries. Yes, leprechauns are faeries.

Are they wealthy? You bet. Why else would people be so desperate to find a leprechaun? Countless stories and tales have recounted the greed of mankind, kidnapping the impossible leprechauns to enhance their own wealth. Binding them up, taping their mouths, and locking them up in cellars—all have been tried. But in the end, the leprechaun's wit and cleverness manages to prevail.

Rarely are leprechauns portrayed as a child, or a young being (except for Lucky the Leprechaun...dang, I want cereal now). Whenever you see a leprechaun being portrayed (let it be a play, a TV show, etc.), it's always an old man. I myself don't even know why.

"OW! Why'd you do that for? I'm wearing green...I think."

That's the usual reaction from folks that neglect the number one rule on St. Patrick's Day: wear green. Everyone knows this, at least, the people who have had been pinched before for not wearing green. For those who have not yet known this, I feel bad for that awful bruise you have there.

YAY for March's theme: Stereotypes and Living (hey, did you notice that new feature?). Why? Because yet again, leprechauns are a general stereotype for Irish people and culture. You might not know it, but Irish folks take great offense when leprechauns are used to depict an Irishmen's living. The image of a leprechaun evokes "greed, money, and wit", and the Irish believe that this hurts Ireland's rich culture. So don't you go prancing around asking Irish people where the leprechaun is (we all know it's at the end of the rainbow...right?). No, seriously. Don't.

Anyhow, Happy St. Patrick's Day. Remember to wear green on the 17th...or feel the pain of the pinch. Hah, pain of the pinch...I crack myself up...'kay, that was entirely cheesy.

-the clam.

P.S. Look out for the special St. Patrick's Day celebration Acquired Minds banner (to be posted tomorrow). ;).

Don't Make Me a Target

Guess who
No, not the Guess Who, you dumbo.

Don't you think it's shocking how things are these days? All the labels, stereotypes, and stuff?
Well, there's not much one person alone can do, and that's likely to stay that way for a long time. Pretty much everyone fits into one of the predesignated categories: jock, nerd, weirdo, goth, etc., etc. It's sad, even the very people who claim to be the ones who go against the stereotypes have themselves formed their own label. The individualist became a conformist the second he became an individualist. What a conundrum that is.

Everybody has a child in them somewhere (no, it does not have to THERE). lalalala

A lot of people accuse others of "selling out". Mostly artists, musicians, bands, and more. Like that means anything, with more resources, they can do better stuff. They can still make the music, or anything else, they've been doing with a major label. Maybe they changed, but perhaps it's just what they've really wanted to do for their whole lives. As Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello put it "We're not interested in preaching to just the converted. It's great to play abandoned squats run by anarchists, but it's also great to be able to reach people with a revolutionary message, people from Granada Hills to Stuttgart." As long they do what they do right?

Pretty much, the only thing you can do is to say ," **** it all". Then again, that's already hard enough to do.

Just look at pop culture these days. Most of us know everything about Gossip Girl or One Tree Hill, or everything about Britney Spears' latest problems. Yet, most of us don't even know the policies of Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and etc., or what they're going to do, how they're going to handle the pressure, and things of the sort.

Just some stuff that make fun of all that. blahblah and muhuhaha
(that last person on that second link is....funny...)

For a random thought, aren't there a lot of people who have covered Rihanna's Umbrella? It's just' "Woah!" A quick search on Wikipedia or YouTube will give a huge list. These include covers by All Time Low, Mandy Moore, Taylor Swift, Plain White T's, My Chemical Romance, and Tegan and Sara. If you've seen some other certain posts by someone, then you'd know which one I thought was best.

Oh no..............I ran out of Klondike Bars! NOOOO


The funniest commercial I've ever seen. hahahahaha