I've been following Hok and his compadres from "Sickstep" who auditioned for the show the last two years. Hok made it to Las Vegas last year, but couldn't participate because he did not have the proper work visa.
Why Hok is so kickass?
1) He speaks with a British accent: It is kind rare on American TV to see Asians speaking anything except with an Engrish accent! It blows your mind just a bit and I think it makes the general public think that not all Asians are fresh off the boat.
2) He is a world traveler: born in Tokyo and raised in England.
3) He's tough: He's a breakdancer with a lot of muscle. He really breaks the stereotype of Asians as small and not athletic. And I think his partner may have a little crush on him.
All and all, I think Hok represents Asians in the media in a positive and meaningful way!
I thought he was vulnerable to be kicked off yesterday, but the right people were voted off and he continues to be a strong presence on the show.
http://www.fox.com/dance/bios/08-konishi.htm
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=4192910
Now why the 1.5 Asians? Because I saw one Asian girl as a backup dancer for Hilliary Duff. Can you imagine that gig?! I could only give it a .5 Asian because she was only on screen for a total of 8 seconds. What was her point? She basically said that hot Asian girls can dance in a mediocre fashion on tour with Hillary Diff, nothing we didn't already know! She did nothing to improve the image of Asians in the media.
Tell me what you think of my first post! Let me know if you see Asians in the media and I'll write about them.
