i'm looking forward to watching this on wednesday

"American Masters: Hollywood Chinese" airs Wednesday at 9 p.m. on PBS.
it's not just blacks, latinos and native americans that get the shaft in film and television. i don't necessarily think someone has to BE let's say italian to play an italian mind you. however, i DO think a lot of ethnic roles go to the WRONG people. as an example, caine in kung fu. sure i liked david carradine but can you imagine him being played by bruce lee? WOW (they did have keye luke i'll give them that)

A Chinese Legacy in Tinseltown

By Susan C. Young

Special to The Washington Post

Nancy Kwan sips her coffee in a Los Angeles hotel lobby, still the lithe, delicate beauty who won fans around the world almost a half-century ago.

She reflects on the difficulties she faced as a Chinese actress in Hollywood, recounting a lunch in Hong Kong years ago with rising star Bruce Lee. She didn't want to squelch his dreams or ambitions, but she knew his hope of starring in the 1972 TV series "Kung Fu" was never going to happen.

"He said, 'No. No. I'm going to do this.' And I said, 'Bet,'" Kwan said of the role that went to Caucasian actor David Carradine. "I had to collect my 10 bucks.''

Despite her own phenomenal success in two early 1960s box office hits, "The World of Suzie Wong" and "Flower Drum Song," Kwan watched as Hollywood cooled on the notion of Asians carrying major films or TV shows. Kwan and other prominent Chinese actors, directors and filmmakers -- including Joan Chen, James Hong, David Henry Hwang and Ang Lee -- talk candidly about the history and future of Chinese talent in Arthur Dong's documentary "Hollywood Chinese."....

as luck would have it

the pbs nature special on ravens just happens to be on right now. it was a coincidence i came across it. wonderful show. ravens are my favorite non-canine animals

bill moyers journal

you may watch it here

"Buying the War" Four years ago on May 1, President Bush landed on the aircraft carrier USS Lincoln and delivered a speech in front of a giant "Mission Accomplished" banner. Despite profound questions and the increasing violence in Baghdad, many in the press confirmed the White House's claim that the war was won. How did they get it so wrong? How did the evidence disputing the existence of weapons of mass destruction and the link between Saddam Hussein and 9/11 continue to go largely unreported?

bill moyers is back

AND he's gonna kick some media ass

'Devastating' Moyers Probe of Press and Iraq Coming

By Greg Mitchell

NEW YORK The most powerful indictment of the news media for falling down in its duties in the run-up to the war in Iraq will appear next Wednesday, a 90-minute PBS broadcast called “Buying the War,” which marks the return of “Bill Moyers Journal.” E&P was sent a preview DVD and a draft transcript for the program this week.While much of the evidence of the media’s role as cheerleaders for the war presented here is not new, it is skillfully assembled, with many fresh quotes from interviews (with the likes of Tim Russert and Walter Pincus) along with numerous embarrassing examples of past statements by journalists and pundits that proved grossly misleading or wrong. Several prominent media figures, prodded by Moyers, admit the media failed miserably, though few take personal responsibility. The war continues today, now in its fifth year, with the death toll for Americans and Iraqis rising again -- yet Moyers points out, “the press has yet to come to terms with its role in enabling the Bush Administration to go to war on false pretenses.”...............

from pbs tonight

two hour long documentaries
(note: most stations are going to edit operation homecoming - thank the threat of fines from the fcc for that)

warriors
Filmed in 2005 in some of the most dangerous areas in and around Baghdad, WARRIORS profiles a handful of Army soldiers: five men and one woman. They range from a squadron leader just weeks into his first combat command to a seasoned sergeant on a night raid in an insurgent hotspot. WARRIORS opens a compelling, harrowing, and at times humorous, window on some less familiar sides of a soldier’s life: a look at who they are, what they do and why.
and

operation homecoming
OPERATION HOMECOMING is a unique documentary that explores the firsthand accounts of American servicemen and women through their own words. The film is built upon a project created by the National Endowment for the Arts to gather the writing of servicemen and women and their families who have participated in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

cptv in connecticut
and
wgby in western mass