From ‘Boost local, not Pan-Asian talents’, 22 Oct 2011, Life! Mailbag
(Helmy Sa’at): It is preposterous that the local television industry keeps shoving Pan-Asian stars down Singaporeans’ throats (New Face To Watch, Life!, Oct 18). Is this what Singaporean viewers really want?
The rationale to justify such decisions is that Singaporeans can better relate to Pan-Asian stars on television. Really? What does it say about the appreciation of local talent? Local talent should be developed even if it means scouting for them from local grassroots productions.
Even if, as claimed, the aim is to represent another minority in the mass media, Pan-Asian stars are still restricted to stereotypical characters, such as ‘a visitor from overseas who is obsessed with Chinese culture’. Where is the realism? It is important for the local TV industry to approach this matter seriously, considering the long-term ramifications, instead of cashing in on the good looks of Pan-Asian stars.
The ‘Pan-Asian’ hunk in question is Tom Price (English-Hong Kong Chinese), due to star in a Chinese New Year special with Zoe Tay. Other imported personalities include George Young (Greek-Chinese) and Utt (Thai-American). It’s not just attractive multi-hyphenated males in the limelight, though. A string of female artistes with Fly Entertainment include the likes of Angela May (Thai-American), Nikki Muller (Swiss-Filipina), Rebecca Tan (Australian-Singaporean) and Stephanie Carrington (American-Korean). But are these Pan Asians really a threat to local talent as what the writer wants us to believe? No English-speaking ‘Pan-Asian’ as far as I know have left their mark on the entertainment business as our locals have (think Adrian Pang, Gurmit Singh, the Noose team) . Or maybe our locals no longer find it appealing or sustainable to act/host for Channel 5 anymore, and that would partly be the marketing/programming people’s fault for not making the station exciting or attractive enough. And then there’s CABLE. At best, acting in silly local dramas would be a mere stepping stone for greater prospects. Look at Ng Chin Han (dropped the unpronounceable Ng recently), graduating from Masters of the Sea to supporting actor in blockbusters like the Dark Knight and Contagion, but that’s a sacrifice (Masters of the Sea) and risk (moving abroad) that few are willing to take.
The question should really be whether foreign actors of ANY descent are stifling the potential of local stars here, not just people with part Caucasian DNA in them. Plain-ASIANS like Robin Leong (of Triple Nine fame) and Allan Wu are non-local (and not too shabby in the looks department either), so why isn’t the writer complaining about these guys too? (One has turned acting into (kungfu) chops and the other put a chop to acting altogether). How about Hong Kong/Malaysian/Taiwanese actor-hosts having a chunk of the media pie then (who may not have the looks but simply charisma and gift of the gab), leaving struggling Channel 8 artistes in second-fiddle roles? Shouldn’t Channel 8 staff be more worried about OTHER Asians?
The Singaporean celebrity ‘hunk’ is also a dying breed (Does anyone remember ‘Polo Boys’, do we even care?), and unless someone the likes of James Lye comes around to titillate audiences, that eye candy niche will continue to be filled by ‘Pan-Asians’, whether the writer likes it or not. Channel 5 is a variety no-man’s land if not for American soapbox, and this obsession with Pan-Asianism is probably a last business resort to keep Channel 5 afloat, if not for the NEWS then at least for fans of POLO BOYS waiting in bated breath for the elusive second season.
But it’s not just Singapore that’s caught up in the Pan-Asian wave. The quintessential ‘Pan-Asian’ is none other than international siren Maggie Q (American-Vietnamese). The male lead in spook-fest ‘Shutter’ and the local film ‘Leap of Love’, Ananda Everingham, is Laotian-Thai-Australian. The Asian-looking guy in ‘Wolverine’ Daniel Henney is Korean-American. ‘Pan-Asian’ is just a fashionable buzzword in the glamour circuit, be it film or modelling, to describe anyone of mixed Asian and Caucasian heritage with physical attributes that appeal across the hemispheres, hence the prefix ‘PAN’, which suggests ‘cross-continental’. It also helps if they know martial arts, but that’s just stereotyping. Everyone else who isn’t a celebrity is just ‘Eurasian’, though that too has problems when you’re talking about individuals with one white non-European parent. Would you call Tiger Woods Pan-Asian (Black-American Indian-Chinese-Thai-White)? Or how about Keanu Reeves for that matter (English-Irish- Portuguese-Hawaiian-Chinese)? If someone like Keanu applied for a hosting job in this region we would probably call him ‘Pan-Asian’. Elsewhere, they’d just call him Keanu Reeves.
One of the first ‘Pan-Asian’ stars in this region is Nadya Hutagalung (Indonesian/Australian), who had her break as a ‘VJ’ for MTV Asia in the 90′s. MTV Asia, in fact, is known for hiring hosts with the ‘Pan-Asian’ look, though even that wouldn’t save music video channels from losing popularity in the wake of YouTube. Looking at the list, you’ll find a familiar who’s- who of multi-hyphenate VJs who have stinted with MTV before pursuing their careers elsewhere: Denise Keller (German-Chinese), Sonia Couling (English-Thai), Max Loong (Swiss-Chinese), Donita Rose (American-Filipina) etc. Incidentally, a similar complaint was raised the Malaysian authorities over ‘too many Eurasian faces’ in the media in 2007, which drew accusations of xenophobia and racism. I don’t care much for TV, but I don’t see a problem with ‘Pan Asian’ actors coming here to spice up the entertainment industry, or what’s left of it (Channel 5 in particular). Let’s face it, this ain’t and never will be Bollywood, and it won’t be long before they pack their bags for a taste of greater stardom elsewhere anyway.
Filed under: 2000s, 2011, Foreign workers, Local actors, Local TV shows, Racism Tagged: | discrimination, Local actors, local TV, mediacorp tv, Racism, stereotyping
