With July 4th coming up many of our minds are on what we are doing for the holiday weekend. And even die hard barbecuers might want an escape from the steamy weather so many of us will spend part of our days off at the movie theater. On Wednesday our program will give you a taste of whats coming at the multiplex with a dash of Tell Me More flavor.
The movie version of the Nickelodeon cartoon series Avatar: The Last Airbender is ready for its close up with the live action film opening at theaters on Thursday. The TV show developed a loving cult following of fans many of whom are all ready hating on this movie. Thats because while the characters leading the show were clearly Inuit and Asian most of the top roles in the film cast went to white actors. Fans of the series are furious and fighting back about what they see as the waste of a rare opportunity to give Asian American performers a big screen break through. And the anti buzz has been building on blogs such as Angry Asian Man and Racialicous for months. At Racebending.com a network of disappointed fans has organized a campaign to boycott the film and call for more opportunities for Asian American performers in Hollywood.
On Wednesdays program we will hear from a pair of our favorite pop culture guests Wesley Morris of The Boston Globe and Jeff Yang of The San Francisco Chronicle about the controversy and what kind of roles actors of color have gotten in this years summer films. And as always on Tell Me More, we want to hear from you. Are you planning to see The Last Airbender? Does the controversy matter to you? And what difference if any do you think it makes to have people of color star in the latest blockbusters?
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