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Covers daily Asian-American news and issues for the Asian-American community. Features Asian-American videos, Asian-American blogs , celebrity news and Asian-American entertainment features.
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Michelle Wingshan Kwan born July 7, 1980 is an American figure skater. She has won nine U.S. championships, five World Championships, and two Olympic medals. She has remained competitive for over a decade and is the most decorated figure skater in U.S. history. Known for her consistency and expressive artistry on ice, she is widely considered one of the greatest figure skaters of all time.
Personal Life
Born in Torrance, California, Kwan is the third child of Danny and Estella Kwan, Chinese immigrants from Hong Kong. As a child, Kwan grew up speaking a mixture of Cantonese and English at home. In addition, she also speaks some conversational Mandarin. Kwan’s interest in figure skating began at the age of five when she followed her two older siblings (ice hockey player Ron and figure skater Karen) onto the ice. Karen and Michelle began serious training when Michelle was about eight years old. They practiced three to four hours a day, waking up at 3am to skate before school and going back to the rink right after school to skate again. Paying for their increased skating-rink time led to financial hardship for Kwan’s working class family. Her mother took on a second job and her father started working extra hours to finance the rink time and coaching fees. Eventually the family decided to sell their house, but that still was not adequate to finance the children's skating careers. When Kwan was ten years old, her family could no longer afford a coach, but they were offered financial assistance by a fellow member of the Los Angeles Figure Skating Club that allowed them to train at the Ice Castle International Training Center in Lake Arrowhead, California.
Kwan attended Soleado Elementary School in Palos Verdes, California, but left public school to be homeschooled starting at the age of 13. After graduation from Rim of the World High School in 1998, she attended UCLA for one year. In the fall of 2006 she transferred to the University of Denver with the intent of majoring in political science and minoring in international studies.
Summary
Kwan has won five World Championships (1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, and 2003), the most by anyone in the ladies' division since Carol Heiss (1956–1960), with whom she is tied for the most wins by an American. She has won nine United States Figure Skating Championships (1996, 1998–2005), tying the record for most set by Maribel Vinson-Owen (1928–1933, 1935–1937). Kwan's eight consecutive U.S. Championship titles (1998–2005) and 12 consecutive U.S. Championship medals (1994–2005) are both U.S. records. She is the only woman in figure skating history to reclaim the World title three times (1998, 2000, 2003). She has also won a silver medal at the 1998 Nagano Olympics and a bronze medal in the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. Among her many accolades, Kwan is a recipient of the prestigious James E. Sullivan Award, which is given to America's best amateur athlete; she was the first figure skater to win the award since *** Button won it in 1949. Kwan has received a combined total of 57 6.0s (perfect scores) from her National and World competitions throughout the years. At the U.S. Nationals alone, she holds the record for most 6.0s. Because figure skating is no longer scored on a 6.0 scale, Kwan's records will stand indefinitely.
Early competition
In 1991, Michelle and sister Karen began training with Frank Carroll. After one year of coaching by Carroll, 11-year old Michelle placed 9th at the junior level at the United States Figure Skating Championships. At the age of 12 in 1992, Kwan passed the final test to become a senior-level figure skater despite the disapproval of her coach. In 1993, Kwan finished sixth at her first senior U.S. championships. The next season, she won the 1994 World Junior title.
In 1994, Kwan finished second to Tonya Harding at the U.S. championships, which ordinarily would have earned her a spot on the U.S. team to the 1994 Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway. That place, however, was instead given to 1993 national champion Nancy Kerrigan, who had been sidelined by an assault and battery (eventually connected to Harding's ex-husband Jeff Gillooly), after a practice session at those championships. The 13-year-old Kwan went to Norway as an alternate but did not compete. Kerrigan and Harding both dropped out of eligible competition before the 1994 World Championships, where Kwan competed and finished eighth.
At the 1995 U.S. Championships, Nicole Bobek won the gold medal, while Kwan again placed second after struggling with her lutz jump in both the short program and free skate. She advanced to the 1995 World Championships. During her free skating performance, she landed 7 clean triple jumps—more than any other skater and placed 4th.
Artistic development and 1998 Olympics
Following 1995, Kwan developed a more mature style. Her new, more artistically expressive programs were "Romanza" (short program) and "Salome" (free skate). She also improved her speed and her jump technique, and performed more difficult choreography. In 1996, Kwan won both the U.S. Championships and the World Championships. In the latter event, she edged out defending champion Chen Lu in a very close competition in which both competitors garnered two perfect 6.0s for Presentation in the free skate.
In the 1996–97 season, Kwan skated to "Dream of Desdemona" (short program) and "Taj Mahal" (free skate). It was during this year that Kwan debuted a change-of-edge spiral, which is still considered her signature move. However, in this season, Kwan struggled with her jumps because of a growth spurt and problems with new skating boots which she wore for an endorsement contract with the manufacturer. She fell twice and stumbled once in her free skate at 1997 U.S. Nationals. She also lost the Champion Series Final and World titles to Tara Lipinski that season.
Kwan regained her U.S. title from Lipinski at the 1998 championships, in spite of competing with a toe injury. Many people consider her performances of her Rachmaninoff short program and free skate set to William Alwyn's "Lyra Angelica" at the 1998 U.S. Championships to be the high point of her career from both a technical and artistic standpoint. The performance earned her eight perfect 6.0s and left one judge in tears.
She was the co-favorite to win the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan. She won the silver medal, with the gold medal being won by rival Tara Lipinski and the bronze medal by Chen Lu. Lipinski and Chen both retired from competitive skating shortly after the Olympics, while Kwan went on to win the 1998 World Championships in Minneapolis.
As a side note, a controversy was sparked when MSNBC used the headline "American beats out Kwan" to report the result of the Nagano competition.
From 1998 to 2002 Olympics
Kwan continued to compete as an eligible skater in the 1998–99 season, although she bypassed the fall Grand Prix season and instead chose to skate in a series of made-for-television pro-am events. Her "regular" competitive programs that season were "Fate of Carmen" (short program) and "Lamento D'Ariane" (free skate). At the 1999 U.S. Championships, competing against a weak field, Kwan attained her third title. At the 1999 World Championships, Kwan did not skate her best, and placed second behind Russian competitor Maria Butyrskaya.
Kwan's win at the 2000 U.S. Nationals was controversial to some. She was criticized for planning an easier jump in her short program than her competitors (a triple toe loop rather than a triple flip), and then she fell on this element in the competition. The judges nevertheless placed her third in that segment behind younger challengers Sasha Cohen and Sarah Hughes; however, the placement still kept her in contention for the title. Ultimately, she won the free skate with the best performance of the night, capturing 8 of the 9 first-place ordinals.At the 2000 World Championships, Kwan was again in third place after the short program, behind Butyrskaya and Irina Slutskaya. In her free skate, Kwan landed seven triples, and won that segment of the competition. Butyrskaya lost her commanding lead by finishing only third behind Slutskaya in the free skate, allowing Kwan to win the overall title as well.
In 2001, Kwan again won the U.S. Championships, receiving first-place ordinals from all 9 judges in both the short program and free skate. At the 2001 World Championships, Kwan was second behind Slutskaya in the short program. Kwan won the title with her "Song of the Black Swan" free skate, executing 7 triples, including a triple toe loop/triple toe loop combination.
In the fall of 2001, Kwan and Carroll decided to end their coaching relationship. In interviews, Kwan said she needed to "take responsibility" for her skating. Coachless, Kwan arrived at the 2002 U.S. Championships in Los Angeles amid the media's scrutiny over her separation with Carroll and her season's inconsistencies. Kwan won the competition with a revived "Rachmaninoff" short program and a new "Scheherazade" program for her free skate, securing a place on the 2002 Olympic team. Joining her on the team were Sasha Cohen (second) and Sarah Hughes (third).The 21-year-old Kwan, along with Russia's Irina Slutskaya, were favorites to win the gold. Kwan led after the short program, followed by Slutskaya, Cohen, and Hughes. In the free skate, a combination of a flawed performance by Kwan (two-footing her combination and falling on her triple flip), a perfect performance of Sarah Hughes, and Irina Slutskaya beating Kwan in the free skate, saw Kwan receive the bronze medal. Kwan finished the 2002 season with a second place finish at the World Championships.
Continued competition
While the question of her retirement to the professional level lingered, Kwan continued to compete on the Olympic-eligible circuit. She added three more U.S. championships (2003–2005) and a fifth World championship (2003) to her list of victories. Her wins at Nationals brought her consecutive winning streak to an all-time record eight and her title total to a shared record of nine.
Coached by Scott Williams, Kwan won all phases of every competition she entered in the 2002–2003 competitive season with her programs: "The Feeling Begins" (short program) and "Concierto de Aranjuez" (free skate). She won the U.S. Championships again and regained her World title.
In 2003, she hired noted technician Rafael Arutunian as her coach, with whom she attempted to increase the technical difficulty of her programs. In the 2003–2004 competitive season, she skated again to "The Feeling Begins" for her short program, and "Tosca" for her long program. Again, Kwan won the U.S. Championships. At the 2004 World Championships, after a difficult qualifying round, Kwan was penalized in her short program for going two seconds over time. Then, just as she was about to start her free skate, there was a disruption caused by a spectator entering the ice surface, who had to be removed by security staff. In the end, Kwan placed third at the championships behind Shizuka Arakawa of Japan and Sasha Cohen.
During the fall seasons of 2002 to 2004, Kwan competed in only one Grand Prix event, Skate America in the fall of 2002, which she entered as a last-minute replacement. She won the event and qualified for the Grand Prix Final but chose not to compete in it. Kwan chose to not compete in Grand Prix events in the 2003 and 2004 seasons where the new judging system was being used.
For the 2004–2005 competitive season she skated a long program to the "Boléro" music made famous by ice dancers Jayne Torvill & Christopher Dean two decades before, and debuted a new short program, "Adagio" from Aram Khachaturian's ballet Spartacus. At the U.S. Championships, she won her 9th title, tying the all-time record previously set by Maribel Vinson-Owen. Interestingly, Vinson-Owen had coached Frank Carroll, who in turn coached Kwan. At the 2005 World Championship, Kwan did not skate her best, falling on her triple salchow and two-footed a triple lutz. She finished fourth, missing third place by 0.37 points. For the first time since 1995, Kwan finished off the podium at the World Championships. Later, Kwan commented that her lack of experience with the new scoring system had affected her performance.
2006 Olympics
Kwan looked at the 2005 Worlds as a learning experience in the ISU Judging System. She continued to train and stated that she would attempt to qualify for the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin, Italy. However, following a hip injury, she was forced to withdraw from her three planned competitions in the fall of 2005. Kwan skated her new short program ("Totentanz") at a made-for-TV event in December, 2005, but her performance was well below her usual standard. On January 4, 2006, Kwan withdrew from the U.S. Figure Skating Championships with an abdominal injury incurred in December 2005. One week later, she filed a petition with the USFSA for a medical waiver to be placed on the 2006 Olympic figure skating team. On January 14, 2006, after the United States ladies' figure skating event, the USFSA's International Committee met and in a 20 to 3 vote approved Kwan's petition under the stipulation that she show her physical and competitive readiness to a five-member monitoring panel by January 27.
Kwan performed her long and short programs for the panel on the stipulated day, and her spot on the Olympic team was established, as the panel felt she was fit to compete. However, on February 12, 2006, the United States Olympic Committee announced that Kwan had withdrawn from the Games after suffering a new groin injury in her first practice in Turin. Kwan remarked that she "respected the Olympics too much to compete." The Turin organizing committee accepted the USOC's application for Emily Hughes (who had finished third at the U.S. Championships) to compete as Kwan's replacement.
After her withdrawal from the Olympic team, Kwan turned down an offer to stay in Turin as a figure skating commentator for NBC Sports.During an interview with Bob Costas and Scott Hamilton, Michelle Kwan said she was not retiring yet. If she continues to compete until the 2010 Olympics, she will be 29 years old.
Injury
After completing the spring and summer Champions on Ice tour, Kwan underwent elective arthroscopic surgery in August 2006 to repair a torn labrum in her right hip, an old injury which she traces back to 2002. According to Kwan, the surgery allowed her to skate pain free for the first time in four years. Kwan did not compete during the 2006–2007 figure skating season. Kwan told the Associated Press in October 2007 that she would decide in 2009 if she plans to compete in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.[
Other activities
Kwan wrote an inspirational book for kids titled, The Winning Attitude: What it Takes to be a Champion. She also wrote an autobiography, Heart of a Champion, at 17.
In 2005, Michelle Kwan's family opened the EastWest Ice Palace in Artesia, California. The ice rink houses many of her skating medals and memorabilia.
Kwan has had numerous endorsement contracts and has appeared in television commercials for sponsors including Campbell's Soup, VISA, Coca-Cola, and Kraft. The Chevrolet/Michelle Kwan R.E.W.A.R.D.S. Scholarship program was established by the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors in cooperation with Kwan. In February 2006, Kwan was named a "celebrity representative" for The Walt Disney Company.
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Kelly Hu
Kelly Hu Biography:
Beautiful Hawaiian actress Kelly Hu parlayed early experience as a model and beauty pageant winner into a busy career as an actress in television and film. Kelly Hu was born in Honolulu, HI, on February 13, 1968. While a student at Kameameha High School, Hu began taking modeling jobs on the advice of her friends, which led to her spending four months in Japan working on various assignments. Hoping to advance her career, Hu entered a local beauty pageant, which led to her being named Miss Teen U.S.A. in 1985, making her the first Asian-American to hold the title. While winning the prize ironically put her modeling career on pause (pageant regulations prevent winners from taking modeling assignments), it did help her launch an acting career; after her reign, Hu moved to Los Angeles, and in 1987, after landing a number of television commercials, she scored her first high-profile acting job when she was cast as Melia, Kirk Cameron's love interest, on several episodes of the TV sitcom Growing Pains. Hu began receiving a steady stream of television work, making guest appearances on such shows as Tour of Duty, Night Court, and 21 Jump Street, before she earned her first film role, a small part in Friday the 13th: Part VIII -- Jason Takes Manhattan. Hu's next film assignment would be a bit more prestigious -- she played the wife of musician Ray Manzarek (played by Kyle MacLachlan) in Oliver Stone's The Doors. More film and television work followed, including a brief run in 1992 on the daytime drama The Bold and the Beautiful, before Hu took another stab at the pageant circuit, representing Hawaii in the 1993 Miss U.S.A. Pageant. Hu soon returned to acting, making memorable appearances on Melrose Place and Murder One, before she won the role of Michelle Chan on the action-drama series Nash Bridges. Hu lasted two years on the show; her next long-term TV role allowed her to make use of her martial arts skills (she holds a brown belt in karate) when she was cast opposite Sammo Hung on the action-comedy series Martial Law. Hu starred opposite Dwayne Johnson (aka the Rock) in 2002's The Scorpion King, the prequel to the runaway hit The Mummy.
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 ichelle Krusiec is full of surprises. Start with her name. It's jarring to have it paired with features of a full-blooded Taiwanese. When Michelle was five her natural parents gave her up for adoption to her aunt who is married to an American surnamed Krusiec. The couple brought Michelle to the States. She has called them "mom" and "dad" ever since, the same terms she still uses in referring to her natural parents.
Another surprise for an actor with such an un-Asian name is the number of rank Asian stereotypes she has portrayed.
She's played a white-washed sorority girl in the independent film Pumpkin, a Chinese nanny who bears her employer's illegitimate child on ER, even a topless, massage parlor girl who speaks with a heavy Japanese accent on HBO's now defunct The Mind of the Married Man.
"I actually took a lot of pride in playing those characters because I was told initially I couldn't play them," says Krusiec.
Fortunately, Krusiec is best known for a memorable and very un-stereotypical portrayal of the love-shy *** Wil in Alice Wu's 2004 film, Saving Face. She plays a NY surgeon who struggles to find a balance between pleasing her overbearing Ma, played by Joan Chen, and showing her love for hot girlfriend Vivian, played by Lynn Chen.
"In my opinion, it was a perfect script and I knew it was a gem of a project to be a part of," Krusiec says, "when I was being considered for Wil, I think I leapt out of my pants."
Saving Face won the 2005 Golden Horse Audience Choice Award.
With her pretty face and long list of prime-time credits, it's only a matter of time before Krusiec cements her Hollywood-fixture status. Her performance as O'Brien's daughter from the future, on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, endeared her to trekkies. Her performance as the perky Sui Blake on NBC's teen comedy series One World made her a big-sister figure for teeny boppers. And her role as host of the Discovery Channel's show, Travelers, proved that she was more than your typical girly girl. She could rough it with the best of them. In fact, Krusiec's favorite locale was about as hardcore back-to-the-elements as it gets, Ghana.
"Its the first time I experienced voodoo and meeting people who have a culture worshiping voodoo," Krusiec says "I also experienced my very first sacrifice and I was asked to drink from a sacrificial bowl that had goat's blood in it and all kinds of specialties that the local witches had put into this concoction."
Michelle Krusiec was born on October 2, 1974 in Taiwan. She was adopted and brought over to the States at the age of 5, by her aunt and uncle so her mother could better take care of her two brothers. She grew up under the influence of her strict mother.
"[My mom] gave me opportunities my siblings in Taiwan didn't have, so she was a lot stricter with my thinking: You've got to take responsibility for your life and who you are. I started getting gray hair at 12."
Krusiec's big break came while working at a dim sum restaurant at the age of 12. She was talent spotted by one of the customers.
"It sucked," she says, referring to the white homogeneity of her hometown.
Since early childhood Krusiec had known she wanted to be either a vocalist or a dancer. But it wasn't until high school that she began to actively pursue the performance arts. She enrolled in an arts academy, Virginia Governor's Magnet School for the Arts.
"I didn't really start studying theater and acting though, what I call legitimate acting until high school," Krusiec recalls, "that's when I joined an art school. That was what started my career in terms of acting."
Afterwards she attended Virginia Tech and graduated with a Theatre and English Degree. It was at Oxford while studying Shakespeare and woman's literature on scholarship, that Krusiec decided to devote more energy towards performance. She first entered the television spotlight as the host of the Discovery Channel show, Travelers. Out of the more than 50 locations she visited while hosting Travelers.
After hosting Travelers for two seasons, Krusiec went on to play Sui Blake on the teen series, One World. An ex-baseball player, David Blake adopts problem kids from ethnically diverse backgrounds. Krusiec played one of them. The show aired from September 1998 through January 2001. Although not a critical hit, it showcased Krusiec's ability to carry a co-starring role. Since then Krusiec has landed herself a number of recurring roles on shows like FOX's Titus, PBS's Mind on Science, and HBO's now defunct The Mind of the Married Man.
Despite over 30 appearances on prime-time shows and several recurring roles, Krusiec still has to fight for plum parts. Unlike co-star Lynn Chen, Krusiec was not the clear choice for her character. She met with producer Teddy Zee in May 2003. She wasn't offered the role until a few months later.
Krusiec is currently working on turning her one woman show, "Made in Taiwan," into a t.v. pilot. It is based off a mini-script she penned in college.
GS: What was the most challenging aspect of portraying the tomboy *** Wil in Saving Face?
AW: The most challenging part of playing Wil was that I had to be billingual in English and Mandarin. I spoke very little Mandarin and what little I knew was really poor, so the task of learning mandarin in a very short amount of time was daunting. Having to perform in Mandarin opposite a talented actress like Joan Chen was pretty intimidating as well so I wanted to be sure that I could have a strong understanding of the language. I studied Mandarin for a couple months for about 5 hours a day.
GS: Describe shooting the love scenes with Lynn Chen
AW: It only took about 20 minutes to shoot. The anxiety leading up to it was longer. I was pretty nervous, because I wasn't sure what to expect. Both Lynn and I did a good job of trying to keep things calm and casual, but you could feel an undercurrent of nerves. We did a couple of takes and planned out some basic movements, but what you see on screen is pretty organic. Lynn also has really soft skin, so in between takes we would just lay there and chill out. I think I have soft skin too, but Lynn has never mentioned that to me.
GS: What compelled you to audition?
AW: I really fell in love with the story. It was poignant and so well told that I just wanted to be anyone in the movie at first. I thought Alice did such a remarkable job with all the characters that I was thoroughly impressed with her abilities as a writer and I was just eager to meet her.
GS: Tell us a little about turning your one woman show "Made in Taiwan" into a tv pilot.
AW: I'm in the process of selling it as a pitch idea, but it is only in its beginning stages. However, the creation of the stage show Made in Taiwan began years ago in college. It first began as an essay deconstructing my relationship to my mother. It was combined with a playwriting class and I later intended to perform it. It's taken me a number of years to slowly craft the story, but it's one of my proudest accomplishments. I feel as a story, it is both entertaining and deeply moving and as a writer, I like to think I wrote something very special. It's been a very rewarding process. The story is about a Mother who is obsessed with her husband's alleged adultery and raises her daughter in reaction to these eccentric fears.
GS: Paint a picture of your early childhood for us including a few Kodak moments
AW: Early childhood -- I remember not having a lot of money growing up and one day, a girl in the neighborhood got a bike for her birthday. Well, all of the neighborhood kids got to learn how to ride her bike that day. Each one of us took turns learning on her bike and her father or mother would push each one of us off on the bike, until we each got the hang of it. I really remember that very vividly.
One of the things my mom used to do was pack my lunches in elementary school. She used to pack the weirdest chinese food too, like marinated turkey drumsticks the size of like my whole arm. She would wrap it up in aluminum foil and I'd have to unwrap this huge turkey leg in front of all these white kids and eat it. I was so embarrassed. One time she packed a porkchop sandwich which was two pieces of bread, a porkchop and a whole tomato.
GS: What were some of the upsides to being brought up in a bicultural adoptive household?
AW: The upside to growing up bi-culturally is that you get to glean values from both Western American culture and the Chinese culture. For example, I have a good work ethic and I'm very grateful for things in America that I think most people take for granted. On the American side, I love the American sensibility for fun and a good time. I also think Americans, compared with other countries, have a high tolerance for diversity.
GS: What's the hardest part of growing up in an adoptive bicultural household?
AW: The downside is that sometimes you have difficulty reconciling your two cultures. For example, when it comes to family, the Chinese culture stresses money and family. When it comes to American culture, it's about individuality and cutting ties from your parents. Obviously, this becomes a difficult notion to balance as you get older and are trying to find your own voice as an adult. Instead, you are forced to feel like you owe your parents for the life you've been given in America. This can really cause problems in your decision making.
GS: Do you have any siblings?
AW: I have 2 older brothers. I love them like crazy.
GS: What was it like growing up in a mostly caucasian community?
AW: It sucked.
GS: What kind of student were you?
AW: High school is not a time I like to think about, quite frankly. I made straight As and thought I was really mature. It turns out I was just a dork.
GS: Were your parents supportive of your decision to pursue entertainment?
AW: Not until I started making money from it.
GS: How did family and friends react to your onscreen nudity?
AW: I haven't asked them and they haven't volunteered anything. It's pretty vulnerable to have to do that so I think of it as part of my work and nothing else. I might have heard someone say that they thought I had perky boobs and I'd have to agree with them.
GS: Where are you currently living?
AW: I live in LA.
GS: What is your process for memorizing a script?
AW: I try not to memorize unless I have to. Instead, I work on why I'm saying what I'm saying and focus on the thoughts that naturally lead from one thought to the next. If a script is poorly written, I end up having to memorize because the thoughts are disjointed. If it's a good script, usually memorizing isn't an issue.
GS: On average, how many hours a day are spent on set?
AW: When I'm on set, you come in first thing and get your hair and makeup done. You usually wait around for the camera and crew to set up lights. Then you do a rehearsal, then the camera guys adjust lights and set, then you try and get a take in. You do that over and over again until you are done with the shot. Then you move to another setup and it starts all over. That will happen for 10-12 hours. The actual time you spend in front of the camera can be as little as 1-2 hours at the very most depending on the size of your role, because so much technical work is involved in getting each shot. It's a complex and also very ensemble heavy process - a lot of people are involved. It can also be boring and exhausting occupying yourself while you are waiting, so you have to be smart with yourself and not get worn out.
GS: How do you celebrate when you complete a project you're particularly proud of?
AW: I eat. A lot. And then I go out into the sun.
GS: What is your exercise/fitness regimen like?
AW: Right now, I haven't exercised in over 6 months. I was a fitness fanatic in the past, taking dance classes and fitness classes almost 6 days a week. I think I just got a little worn out and so I've been taking a break. I think it's good to eat in moderation and do things where you are applying yourself both physically and mentally. Working out just to work out can be pretty dull.
GS: What are your favorite pastimes?
AW: I love to dance, listen to new music, catch up on films. I love trying anything new and I really love to travel.
GS: Any favorite television shows?
AW: I love Curb Your Enthusiasm
GS: Favorite movies?
AW: Cinema Paradiso, Aliens, Betty Blue, Bladerunner, Forrest Gump.
GS: Favorite designers?
AW: Twinkle, Marc Jacob, Diesel.
GS: Are you currently seeing anyone?
AW: Yes.
GS: How did you meet?
AW: With our eyes.
GS: What is the least pleasant part of your day?
AW: The part where I'm so tired I just want to relax, but as I'm about to sit down, my doggie Stella looks up at me with her sad eyes and tells me I'm a lousy mom for not walking her.
GS: What is the most pleasant part of your day?
AW: When I first wake up and I feel like today, anything can happen!
GS: What do you consider the pinnacle of your career?
AW: I'm not sure if I'm able to see that. I am so immersed in it, I think you can only see things like that when you have some distance.
GS: What do you consider the least pleasant part of your career?
AW: The unpredictability of this business can really wear you down. I also can't stand the egos which you seem to encounter from time to time; you sometimes wonder if there is a God.
GS: Describe your dream role
AW: My dream role is working with a visionary team of people who are all working with the same amount of passion, faith and respect for one another and in the story we are all trying to tell.
GS: How do your amp yourself up for an audition?
AW: Actually, I don't amp, I try to relax. Usually amping means nervous energy and I prefer to be more grounded when I work unless I'm doing something which requires a lot of physical stamina like improvisation and I need to be in my body rather than in my head. Then I might do a lot of stretching and freeing movements with my body.
GS: Are you interested in pursuing work behind the camera?
AW: At the moment, I most interested in continuing my work as an actor. Later on, I feel I will naturally gravitate towards directing and/or other talents when the time is right. I am very interested in continuing my writing and hope that desire will never go away.
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Maggie Q
Actress Maggie Q was born Maggie Denise Quigley on May 22, 1979, in Honolulu, Hi. She is of Vietnamese and Irish-American descent and was a fashion model and television personality before she became a movie actress. She has achieved stardom in Hong Kong and has appeared in Chinese films, speaking Cantonese, regardless of her non-Chinese heritage. Maggie's film debut came in 1999 in the movie "Guhuozni Jiqingpian Zhi HonXing Defeige" and has had roles in "Around The World in 80 Days," "Taped" and "Rush Hour 2." Her most famous roles are as Zhen Lei in the action film "Mission Impossible III" and as Maggie Wong in the Ping Pong adventure movie "Balls of Fury." Maggie is a supermodel in many parts of Asia, has appeared on more than 100 magazine covers, and has been romantically linked to British-Korean superstar Daniel Henney and Chinese American superstar Daniel Wu.
Born Maggie Quigley in Honolulu, exotic actress Maggie Q first made a name for herself in Hong Kong cinema, starring in such actioners as Gen-X Cops 2 and Naked Weapon. Her first appearance in a state-side film came with a bit part in 2001's Rush Hour 2, but her first large U.S. role wouldn't come until 2006's Mission: Impossible III. With a genuine American blockbuster under her belt, Q soon landed a number of Hollywood films. In 2007 alone, she could be seen in the sports comedy Balls of Fury, the action sequel Live Free or Die Hard, and the suspense thriller The Tourist.
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Lucy Alexis Liu (born December 2, 1968 in Queens, New York) is an Emmy Award-nominated American actress. She became known for her role in the television series Ally McBeal (1998–2002) and has also appeared in several notable film roles, including Kill Bill and the Charlie's Angels films.
Early life
She was born and raised with her brother, Alex Liu, in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York by Chinese immigrant parents. Liu has said that she grew up in a "diverse" neighborhood.Her family spoke Mandarin at home and she did not learn English until she was five years old. Her father was a civil engineer and her mother a biochemist in Taiwan, but they sacrificed those careers to come to the United States. Liu, at her parents' insistence, devoted her spare time to studying. She attended the Joseph Pulitzer Middle School (I.S.145) and she graduated from New York City's prestigious Stuyvesant High School in 1986. She attended New York University for one year, before transferring to the University of Michigan where she joined the Chi Omega sorority and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Asian Languages and Cultures. At one point, Liu worked as a waitress in Michigan.
Career
Liu began acting in 1989, after auditioning for a role in the University of Michigan's production of Alice in Wonderland during her senior year. Liu was cast in the lead role, although she had originally only tried out for a supporting part. Liu had small roles in films and TV (including the "Hell Money" episode of The X-Files and "The March to Freedom" episode on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys) before landing a role on Ally McBeal. Liu originally auditioned for the role of 'Nelle Porter' (played by Portia de Rossi), and the character 'Ling Woo' was later created specifically for her. Liu's part on the series was originally not meant to be regular but the enthusiastic audience response to the actress' 'feisty' Ling Woo secured Liu as a permanent cast member. It also earned her an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, as well as a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy Series. Liu cemented her reputation playing bad girls by portraying "Pearl" the sadistic dominatrix/hit woman for the Chinese mafia in the film Payback (1999).
Liu became better known with her turn as Alex Munday in the Charlie's Angels film, alongside established Hollywood stars Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz. The film opened in November 2000 and was a hit, earning more than $125 million in the U.S., and a worldwide total of more than $264 million. The sequel, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, opened in June 2003 and was a box-office hit again, earning more than $100 million in the U.S., and a worldwide total of more than $259 million. In between the two films, Liu starred with Antonio Banderas in Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever, a critical and box office failure.
Liu next played O-Ren Ishii, one of the major villains in Quentin Tarantino's 2003 film, Kill Bill. She won an MTV Movie Award for "Best Movie Villain" for the part. Subsequently, Liu appeared on several episodes of Joey with Matt LeBlanc, who played her love interest in the Charlie's Angels movies. She also had smaller roles as Kitty Baxter in the film Chicago, and as a psychologist opposite Keira Knightley in the thriller Domino. In 2006, she played leading lady and love interest to Josh Hartnett in the crime thriller Lucky Number Slevin. Other appearances include a cameo on the animated show Futurama and recently, The Simpsons.
In April 2006, the documentary Freedom's Fury premiered, with Liu as executive producer. The film dramatizes the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, climaxing with the infamous water polo showdown between Hungary and the Soviet Union at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, known as the 'Blood in the Water match'.
Her film 3 Needles was released on December 1, 2006. In the film, she plays Jin Ping, an HIV-positive Chinese woman. Liu agreed to star in the film for lower than usual pay because she wanted to spread awareness about the way AIDS is improperly treated in China and Thailand. Liu's other recent roles include Code Name: The Cleaner, an action comedy released January 5, 2007 and, Rise, a supernatural thriller co-starring Michael Chiklis in which Liu plays an undead reporter, Watching the Detectives, an independent romantic comedy co-starring Cillian Murphy, and Kung Fu Panda, an animated film scheduled for 2008 in which she will voice a snake. Liu has also signed on to star in Beautiful Asian Brides and a new version of Charlie Chan which has been in pre-production since 2000; she will produce both films.
Liu has guest starred as lawyer Grace Chin on Ugly Betty episode 16 "Derailed" and episode 17 "Icing on the Cake".
She stars in the Sex and the City inspired TV show, Cashmere Mafia on ABC.
In 2007, Empire magazine named her among the "100 Sexiest Movie Stars".
She lives with her brother and his wife in New York.
Wikipedia.org
Starpulse.com
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Tia Carrere
Tia Carrere (born January 2, 1967) is an American actress, model, and singer, perhaps most widely known for her role as Cassandra in the feature film Wayne's World and in the TV series Relic Hunter.
Early life
Carrere was born Althea Rae Duhinio Janairo in Honolulu, Hawaii, the daughter of Audrey, a computer supervisor, and Alexander Janairo, a banker. She is of Filipino, Chinese, Spanish and Hawaiian ancestry. Carrere longed to be a singer as a child. Although she was eliminated during the first round of her 1985 Star Search appearance at the age of 17, she was spotted by the parents of a local producer while shopping at a Waikiki grocery store and was cast in the b-movie Zombie Nightmare.
Film and television career
Following this initial success, Carrere relocated to Los Angeles and, after working several months as a model, landed a first ever role in the U.S. TV series Airwolf in early 1985. Her first major break though was in the daytime soap opera General Hospital. She played the role of Jade Soong Chung from 1985 to 1987. She also had a guest appearance on The A-Team, which was supposed to lead to her joining the cast. Unfortunately, her General Hospital obligations prevented her from joining the team. Her character was dropped after one episode, and was never mentioned again. She also made guest appearances on the shows MacGyver ("The Wish Child") as a sexy karate instructor as well as a different assassin character in a later episode ("Murderer's Sky"), on Anything But Love as the adopted daughter of Marty Gold (Richard Lewis), and Married... with Children as Piper Bauman, a rival of Kelly Bundy's who attempted to steal a modeling job from her.
After appearing in the 1991 action film Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man and Showdown in Little Tokyo, she emerged into the public spotlight when cast as Cassandra, a rock singer and love interest of Mike Myers' character Wayne in Wayne's World (1992) - a role she reprised the next year in Wayne's World 2. A trained singer, Carrere performed all of her own songs in the two films, and the Wayne's World soundtrack features her vocals. She turned down a role in Baywatch to audition for Wayne's World. In 1992 People magazine named her to its annual "50 most beautiful people" list.
On November 22, 1992, Carrere married Italian/Lebanese producer Elie Samaha (she has since appeared in several of his films - none of which have achieved widespread success). Other roles in prominent films followed her role in Wayne's World, however, including the parts of terrorist Juno Skinner in True Lies (a 1994 Arnold Schwarzenegger action film), robber Gina Walker in The Immortals (1995), and secretary Victoria Chappell in High School High (a 1996 parody).
From 1999 to 2002, Tia Carrere starred as archeology professor Sydney Fox in Relic Hunter, a syndicated action-adventure series strongly reminiscent of the Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider films and video games. At this time, Carrere was featured in lad mag Maxim magazine. Relic Hunter lasted for a total of three television seasons before its cancellation. Carrere then provided the voice of Lilo's sister "Nani" in the animated film Lilo and Stitch (2002) and its spinoffs, as well as the voice of Queen Tyr'ahnee from the 2003 Duck Dodgers animated series. She also starred as Ari, a space marine-turned pirate in the 1995 adventure/puzzle game Daedalus Encounter.
She participated as a contestant on the popular reality show Dancing with the Stars but after landing on her bottom more than once, she was eliminated on February 3, 2006, placing 6th in the competition overall.
Despite using a body double for her sex scenes in Showdown in Little Tokyo, and her often expressed aversion to on-screen nudity, Carrere posed nude for the January 2003 issue of Playboy magazine. The photos were re-published in the German December 2006 issue of the magazine.
In 2007, she was set to have a recurring role on Curb Your Enthusiasm. On October 17, 2007, Carrere appeared in an episode of Back to You. On October 30, 2007, Carrere appeared in the season premiere of Nip/Tuck.
Music career
Carrere has continued to nurture her singing career. In 1993, her first solo album, Dream, was released, and went platinum in the Philippines. That same year, she was featured on the soundtrack of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, performing the ending theme, "I Never Even Told You". In August of 2003, Carrere was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by Philippine president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Her second album, Hawaiiana, was released in June 2007 and takes Carrere back to her Hawaiian roots with two-time Grammy Award winner Daniel Ho accompanying her on classic solo slack-key guitar and ukulele. The album is nominated for a 2008 Grammy Award under the category Best Hawaiian Music Album.
Personal life
Carrere divorced her husband Elie Samaha in February of 2000; she married again, this time to photojournalist Simon Wakelin on December 31, 2002. They have a daughter, Bianca, born September 25, 2005. At present, she lives in Toronto, Canada.
Wikipedia.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tia_Carrere
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Ziyi Zhang
An actress of almost eerie, otherworldly beauty and simmering intensity, Zhang Ziyi burst onto the international film scene with her role as the governor's daughter in Ang Lee's acclaimed martial arts adventure Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Stunningly convincing despite her lack of martial arts skills, Zhang's dramatic talents were equally impressive, and she was soon cast in such highly regarded films as Zhang Yimou's Hero and big-budget stateside efforts as Rush Hour 2. Born in Beijing to a working-class family that included her economist father, kindergarten teacher mother, and an older brother, Zhang found creative outlets early with dancing and gymnastics. At the age of 11, she was accepted into a secondary school affiliated with the acclaimed Beijing Dancing College. Though her skills earned Zhang numerous awards there, she soon became frustrated with the pressures of school and began seeking other creative outlets. At 15, she enrolled in Beijing's Central Drama Academy, where she finally seemed to find her niche. Fate sealed the deal when the aspiring actress auditioned for a role in a shampoo commercial directed by acclaimed filmmaker Zhang Yimou, and after working with her, the veteran director thought her ideal for the lead in his upcoming movie The Road Home (2000). Cast as a young girl who falls in love with an older teacher, the film won international praise, in addition to numerous awards.
If The Road Home had been her breakthrough, her next film, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, brought her even more exposure and fame. With few martial arts skills, Zhang utilized her dancing to perfect the moves needed for the physically challenging role. Though the actress began learning English in hopes of breaking into the Hollywood scene, her first major role in the West, ironically, found her speaking her native Chinese (which was subtitled in English). Parts in such high-profile Chinese features as Zu Warriors and Musa (both 2001) followed, and in 2002, Zhang once again stepped before the camera for Zhang Yimou in the visually dazzling, historical martial arts drama Hero. In addition to earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, Zhang Ziyi was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Hong Kong Film Awards. In 2003, she took the lead for the political drama Purple Butterfly. Later that year, she accepted a supporting role in the popular action comedy sequel My Wife Is a Gangster 2. The actress appeared in no less than three films in 2004, including Wong Kar-Wai's romantic sci-fi drama 2046. In addition to her film work, Zhang has been the spokeswoman for numerous products, including Tag Heuer, Maybelline, and Visa.
Starpulse.com
http://www.starpulse.com/Actresses/Zhang,_Ziyi/Biography/
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