Current mood:

Fixin' for a fight

Seriously how is that not like blackface.*
Jackson Rathbone Talks Upcoming M. Night Shyamalan Film.

Due in theaters in summer 2010, "Airbender" has already begun to face a bit of controversy over the casting of white actors like Rathbone, Ringer and McCartney to play Asian characters — a concern the actor was quick to dismiss. "I think it's one of those things where I pull my hair up, shave the sides, and I definitely need a tan," he said of the transformation he'll go through to look more like Sokka.

Jackson Rathbone + tan = STILL NEITHER NATIVE AMERICAN NOR ASIAN.

*My boyfriend pointed out that it's not like blackface in that they're not doing it to exploit racial stereotypes, but I'm still deeply offended that Rathbone would summarily dismiss real and genuine concerns of many hurt and angry people with a tan.

ETA: If you're in the Philadelphia area (and how I wish I was) then see about looking into this protest being organized by aang-aint-white.

ETA AGAIN: Check out the open casting call for extras. And remember, if you're Korean, wear a ~~hanbok~~ kimono.

ETA SOME MORE: Via

atreyu - Jesse McCartney informs us that Avatar is an anime from Japan! He's been doing kung fu for like three hours a day with different ninjas and stuff! The cast is full of idiots.

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	innocentsmith 2009-01-24 05:39 am UTC (link)
	The latest: check out the local casting call for Last Airbender extras. "We want you to dress in traditional cultural ethnic attire," she said. "If you're Korean, wear a kimono. If you're from Belgium, wear lederhosen." ... Where does one even begin? (Reply to this)(Thread)

	lyssa 2009-01-24 05:56 am UTC (link)
	If you're Korean, wear a kimono. If that is a direct quote, I want to punch a bitch. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	innocentsmith 2009-01-24 06:01 am UTC (link)
	It is. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	hallidae 2009-01-24 06:42 am UTC (link)
	... ::twitch:: (Reply to this)(Parent)

	eldritch 2009-01-24 06:48 am UTC (link)
	wha-- (Reply to this)(Parent)

	inarticulate 2009-01-24 06:55 am UTC (link)
	Well, if they're trying NOT to come across as racially and culturally insensitive, they're failing. 2/2 public statements by people working on the project racist ftl? (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	innocentsmith 2009-01-24 08:29 am UTC (link)
	Clearly they're not racist. They're laughably ignorant about European culture too! (Lederhosen: not Belgian. Sorry, no.) That makes it okay, right? (Reply to this)(Parent)

	atreyu 2009-01-24 07:38 am UTC (link)
	I can't get mad anymore. I can't get mad anymore! The only thing that would make this worse is if they made the slant-eyed gesture and made 'ching-chong' noises when they did the cast calling. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	nekoneko 2009-01-24 08:06 am UTC (link)
	Then I would be certain that the casting director is my Great-Uncle, who made similar gestures when I said I was going to teach in Japan. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	atreyu 2009-01-24 08:18 pm UTC (link)
	D:! I'm... really glad no one I know has done that when I told them my similar plans. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	pharae 2009-01-24 10:08 am UTC (link)
	What the SHIT. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	weaselistic 2009-01-24 01:01 pm UTC (link)
	Considering my first reaction was: If I was in the USA right now, I'd go there wearing a dirndl! That'd show them!", this is... sobering. This sounds like they're going to plaster caricatures of Asian, European, African etc. rural medieval villages in the background of their movie. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	thebratqueen 2009-01-24 01:46 pm UTC (link)
	OH MY GOD. The levels of fail involved in that - we need new words to describe them. WTF??? (Reply to this)(Parent)

	ahiru 2009-01-24 03:32 pm UTC (link)
	Oh, the mind-bogglibng levels of FAIL. And I'm sure someone will take that call as a way of saying "See, they're not racist! The nameless extras are allowed to be ethnic, it's just the leads that have to be mysteriously white!" (On a completely different note, someone should show up with a cart full of cabbages. The most important role is still not cast!) (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	jaina 2009-01-24 04:43 pm UTC (link)
	That was my reaction exactly, that this pays lip service to the "multiethnic" thing they claim to want, but all the important characters are white. Someone had suggested that Shyamalama should play Cabbage Man, since he always puts himself in his movies. Now that is casting I wouldn't argue with. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	vejiicakes 2009-01-25 09:02 am UTC (link)
	That's pretty much what happened when.. I can't remember what union or whatever instituted this, but they brought racial quotas to the various studios. So to fulfill them, the studios brought on all the people of color they asked for. And stuck them in the background. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	southerngaelic 2009-01-24 04:08 pm UTC (link)
	............... (Reply to this)(Parent)

	nam_jai 2009-01-24 05:53 pm UTC (link)
	Journalism fail there, Naomi Tarlow. But nice job at regurgitating a studio press release, I guess! (Reply to this)(Parent)

	hyaenid 2009-01-24 09:17 pm UTC (link)
	WHAT. I'd be angry if they matched the correct clothes to the correct country. But not even managing that? Jesus Christ. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	lady_ganesh 2009-01-25 01:52 am UTC (link)
	I just don't even know what to say any more. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	stopthatgirl7 2009-01-25 02:50 pm UTC (link)
	Wow. That's just...wow. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	breathe 2009-01-29 02:58 am UTC (link)
	Korean. Kimono. Belgian. Lederhosen. ... That's a parody. Nothing will convince me otherwise. It's just... too... ridiculously. WRONG. On both counts! (Reply to this)(Parent)

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