The American-made mini-series, Category 6: Day of Destruction, aired on network television over Queen's Birthday weekend. This was so awful that the best bits were cut from a 2000 TV movie called Nowhere to Land. Typical disaster movie: think The Day after Tomorrow with no budget. Think Randy Quaid rather than Dennis Quaid. But when I read my comment below about Arnold Schwarzenegger and immigration not changing the Anglo culture greatly, I thought of this.
   California: English is still the main language, despite centuries of immigration. Liberals and the ACLU haven't managed to get rid of 'In God We Trust'. It may not be merrie olde England because the Constitution was founded on keeping George III and his mates out, but it's 2005 and I'm still wondering why it's a big deal that Tiger Woods has African ancestry or why a Chinese leading man still can't romance a girl in a Hollywood flick. (Chow Yun-fat, you're letting the side down, bro. An action hero who gets no action.)
   But California has a melting-pot image, and in many parts this does hold true. No one bats an eyelid if two men kiss in San Francisco. Or if an Indian American can get rich on Hotmail. However, when you see what Hollywood exports, it's not there.
   Back to the mini-series. Brian Dennehy was in it. And that wiener from that other sitcom. And that girl from Facts of Life. I remember Chandra West, for obvious reasons (that guest spot on Pointman left an impression). There was one black actor. So, for starters, you think you're watching some white show on the WB or Friends. What did the black character do? He was a cameraman. What happened to him? He fell down an elevator shaft (of course, the wiener guy, who was white, saves the day).
   It's been nearly 40 years since Bill Cosby on I Spy and Greg Morris on Mission: Impossible. And yet, the racial mix in these TV series is so far removed from reality and the Californian brand. As to fellas like me—where the heck were the Chinese Americans? We've been there for a long, long time, too. But you can bet that if we were in this mini-series, the action we'd get would not be of the romantic nature. We fight for peace but can't get a piece. Boy, I'd be pissed if Hop Sing on Bonanza was the best Hollywood could do for us. posted by Jack Yan, 10:07 AM  permalink