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GOLDSEA |
ASIAMS.NET |
ASIAN AMERICAN ISSUES
LISA LING & RICK YUNE
(Updated
Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 06:06:47 PM)
he's the most watched Asian woman on American TV. He's the year's hottest Asian American movie hunk. She's 26. He's 29. She's 5-5. He's 6-1. She's Chinese. He's Corean. Both are unquestionably American. She's daringly bubbly. He's recklessly intense. What makes them special to many AA minds is that they defied the odds and the unwritten laws of the American media to become the lone bona fide Asian American star couple.
Rick Yune was barely one when his family left his native Seoul, Corea for Silver Springs, Maryland. His education has been enviably ivy-covered -- private schools topped off by a Wharton MBA. Then came a stint as a Wall Street stock trader and modeling for Versace and Polo. He made a memorable film debut in December 1999 as a young Japanese American husband accused of murder in Snow Falling on Cedars. Yune's character walks and gets the girl. A breathless Newsweek profile didn't hurt his career. His intense and classic Asian features add sizzle to The Fast and the Furious (2001) and will undoubtedly do the same for The Fence (2001).
Lisa Ling is a Sacramento native who got her start in TV at the age of 15 as a reporter for a syndicated teen magazine show called Scratch. Just as she was about to leave for Boston University, Channel One asked her to become one of its peripatetic on-air reporters. She attended USC while working full-time at Channel One's Hollywood studio. All her dates at USC were white, it's rumored. Soon after graduating she joined the panel of The View, ABC's popular daytime talkshow and began spending time with a Disney exec named Morgan Wandell. The fact that Disney is ABC's parent company led to resentment and innuendo. What really raised AA eyebrows was an Old Navy commercial showing Ling cavorting with a group of men and uttering the line "I like my men strong and good-looking". The beef? None of the five men are Asian.
Little wonder that many were skeptical of rumors that surfaced in early 2000 that Ling and Yune had become a couple. Some speculate that it's a sign that Asian men are ascendant. Others suspect it's just Ling's effort at rehabilitating her image with her Asian American viewership. Still others are just glad to see an Asian-Asian star couple at long last.
What do you think?
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WHAT YOU SAY
[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]
Lisa Ling is so smart and elegant. I want her to be my wife.
BillFong
Tuesday, April 23, 2002 at 05:32:07 (PDT)
OMG!!!!!! *shakes head* I thought other races were crude to their own, but damn these comments on this issue takes the cake. When will you guys learn that no matter if you are here in America or in China, the Western world has a hold on everything.
Over in China they listen to rap, hip-hop and lord knows what else and they perpetuate these images, but there they aren't considered a sell out because they are "Making fun of the stupid Americans," but here in America you have some of the most prominent AA personalities doing their thing and they get persecuted because of it.
Lisa Ling is too white and Rick Yune is not Japanese enough, well what would make them more or less Asian. They both have careers in a business where you either roll with the punches or it's good bye. I know that if any of you could be in their shoes right now, you would and then who would be the sell out?
Send all hate mail to my e-mail addy. Please spare the board with all your BS propaganda.
Russell's Sweet Delight keshayork@rocketmail.com
Tuesday, April 23, 2002 at 00:40:35 (PDT)
rick yune deserves better. Oh and isnt he a little shorter than 6'1? btw hes a fine piece of man!!
korean eggie from siliver spring
Monday, April 22, 2002 at 06:26:42 (PDT)
Hey! Here is my question. Does Lisa Ling even know how to speak Chinese? Does she even know the language? If she doesn't, then she is WHITE WASHED regardless of what you say. But if she does know how to speak it, then she is an Asian Sista!!!!
SF_AZN_GAL
Sunday, April 21, 2002 at 03:24:10 (PDT)
cool person
i dont think rick yune cares or even has the time to visit this site nevermind take advice from a stranger on a internet forum.
But i do agree that he can definately get thousands of white girls out there if he wanted to but maybe he is happy with lisa ling, remember some people dont date others just for the image.
AZN Realist
Friday, April 19, 2002 at 07:23:27 (PDT)
Some people seem to be of the opinion that being a "sellout" consists of not knowing anything about your ancestors culture. I disagree. An Asian-American can be totally ignorant of Asian culture and still be a strong person and positive role model for other AAs.
Look at Lucy Liu. She speaks Mandarin and majored in Chinese Studies. But what does she do? She profits from stereotypes of Asian women to gain fame and money. Need her to play a stripper/hooker/all-around slut? No problem. Need her to put on a fobby accent? Get naked? No problem.
Being or not being a sellout has nothing to do with culture. It's about self respect.
Mizkreant
Thursday, April 18, 2002 at 18:57:57 (PDT)
That's her choice. If she is happy with Ricky Yune, leave it at that.
chinalova
Sunday, April 14, 2002 at 19:17:09 (PDT)
Hey Rick get brave and marry a white woman ull break some barriers there dude, ppl accept white men with asian bitches so have some balls man and get racy, Bruce Lee did it, go on you can do it!
cool person
Saturday, April 13, 2002 at 04:20:33 (PDT)
I think there needs to be Asian Americans in creative control over media spots that depict Asians / Asian Americans. I don't blame Ling for the commercial, because I'm pretty sure she was just doing what she was told to do. The problem, is that the people in control of the commercial are out of tune to sensitivities in the Asian American community. That's what needs to change.
I hated the Snow Falling on Cedars book, but I liked the movie. Good job Yune.
Shaun
Thursday, April 11, 2002 at 20:10:31 (PDT)
he is so hot----------well he's not married yet so i still have a chance---right?-----anyway they look really cute together-------damn he so hot--really hot--
nc chick
Sunday, April 07, 2002 at 21:02:22 (PDT)
I only stumbled onto this site cuz I was browsing to find Rick's pix... About Lisa Ling and him being a couple, hell it's business. But aside from the fact that he's practically WHITE washed to the core, I dont think it really matters to him what he dates. I think the only thing that gets him excited is "its what he wants!"
He may be 11 yrs older than me but he is SO hot it's not even funny..and I loved in "Snow Falling on Ceders"
Koreana from BC-Canada
Tuesday, March 26, 2002 at 16:20:24 (PST)
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