tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29769707.post4973051963372869239..comments2024-02-10T18:19:36.406-08:00Comments on Newspaper Rock: Twilight movie premieresRobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01478763837213733775noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29769707.post-80550953899610266712009-01-03T13:22:00.000-08:002009-01-03T13:22:00.000-08:00There's no way that Lautner would ever be confused...There's no way that Lautner would ever be confused for white. Come on. The guy has brown skin! You have a more white phenotype than he does. Right? <BR/><BR/>As for casting Johnny Depp as Tonto, that's a travesty. No excuse there.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29769707.post-4217736733522933242008-11-30T11:07:00.000-08:002008-11-30T11:07:00.000-08:00I think Anonymous meant that this is only done to ...I think Anonymous meant that this is only done to Native characters. The Depp "Lone Ranger" would be an example of that.<BR/><BR/>Yet again, I am not sure what he is trying to say.dmarkshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07269773990064736457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29769707.post-13795576146596476772008-11-30T09:39:00.000-08:002008-11-30T09:39:00.000-08:00Bottom line for me is simple and obvious. No one w...<I><BR/><BR/>Bottom line for me is simple and obvious. No one would ever (in any other race or the ACLU and especially the NAACP) cast a role that is supposed to represent an Asian, African-American or person of any other race in this country as ANYONE other than a person of the corresponding race! Period. </I><BR/><BR/>Not true. Look up the movie "21", for example, where a group of college kids, mostly Asian IRL, were played by white actors. Or the upcoming Lone Ranger movie with Johnny Depp. Or Memoirs of a Geisha, which cast Chinese actresses in the main roles. Or the short film "West Bank Story" which cast an ethnically Indian woman as the female lead, rather than an Arab actress. Or "A Mighty Heart" with Angelina Jolie as Marianne Pearl... so many examples to choose from, and these are just relatively recent ones.Lucillehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03225011724349777456noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29769707.post-36021564224480239652008-11-27T08:08:00.000-08:002008-11-27T08:08:00.000-08:00As for the claim that movies have no relevance to ...As for the claim that movies have no relevance to Native life today, that's a perennial topic in this blog. For one response, see <A HREF="http://www.bluecorncomics.com/2008/08/influence-of-movies.html" REL="nofollow">The Influence of Movies</A>.Robhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01478763837213733775noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29769707.post-22375408532555405362008-11-27T08:03:00.000-08:002008-11-27T08:03:00.000-08:00Is this so-called "furor" necessary, Anonymous #1?...Is this so-called "furor" necessary, Anonymous #1? Fifty years ago, people like Rock Hudson and Audrey Hepburn were playing Indians. In the last decade or two, people like Wes Studi and <A HREF="http://www.bluecorncomics.com/abeach.htm" REL="nofollow">Adam Beach</A> have started playing Indians. That's a significant improvement.<BR/><BR/>What do you think caused these casting changes? Did Hollywood ignore all the voices raised in protest and just naturally evolve on its own? If that's what you think, okay, but I'd love to see the evidence for your hypothesis.<BR/><BR/>The smarter guess is that Hollywood heard the "furor" in the 1950s and 1960s and responded accordingly. In fact, I'm confident we could find quotes from studio executives saying they were reacting to public criticism. Do you really doubt that this happened?<BR/><BR/>And now <A HREF="http://www.bluecorncomics.com/2008/09/johnny-depp-as-tonto.html" REL="nofollow">Johnny Depp</A> and Taylor Lautner are playing Indians. So what do you think...that we should return to the era of the 1950s and 1960s? Because that was such a good time for Indians in Hollywood and overall? If that's what you think, okay, but I disagree.Robhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01478763837213733775noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29769707.post-62743636611615782022008-11-27T07:57:00.000-08:002008-11-27T07:57:00.000-08:00Almost every movie and TV show includes minorities...Almost every movie and TV show includes minorities among the secondary characters these days. That's not enough to impress me. What does impress me is when minorities are the <I>lead</I> characters and the white characters are secondary.<BR/><BR/>BoxOfficeMojo.com lists 631 movies with domestic grosses in 2007. I believe only two Native films--the low-budget <A HREF="http://www.bluecorncomics.com/2007/12/review-of-four-sheets-to-wind.html" REL="nofollow"><I>Four Sheets to the Wind</I></A> and <A HREF="http://www.bluecorncomics.com/2007/05/review-of-imprint.html" REL="nofollow"><I>Imprint</I></A>--made the list. Since Natives make up 1% of the US population, they should've starred in six major movies, not two relatively minor ones. They're getting only a third of the exposure they deserve.<BR/><BR/>It's time to stop accepting crumbs from Hollywood's table and start demanding real change.Robhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01478763837213733775noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29769707.post-12056102412885013462008-11-26T12:47:00.001-08:002008-11-26T12:47:00.001-08:00Bottom line for me is simple and obvious. No one ...Bottom line for me is simple and obvious. No one would ever (in any other race or the ACLU and especially the NAACP) would cast a role that is supposed to represent an Asian, African-American or person of any other race in this country as ANYONE other than a person of the corresponding race! Period. <BR/><BR/>Writer's ignorance, etc. not-withstanding, it's about "Hollywood" and it's about how far we have unfortunately NOT come in "race relations" as it relates to our Native American community in this country. There's no excuse. None.<BR/><BR/>As it relates to the how this affects the Hope, and how our Native children and teenagers feel about themselves...they don't need any help feeling hopeless. "Hollywood" or any situation of this kind tells them that they don't count. Worse yet, that they aren't "good enough" to represent themselves! With all the Native talent out there that would not have needed wigs, it's disgusting and backwards.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29769707.post-20660174358688718552008-11-25T13:28:00.000-08:002008-11-25T13:28:00.000-08:00The Jacob werewolf character is not a villain, ung...The Jacob werewolf character is not a villain, unglamorous minor character. Through the rest of the series, he is one of three major characters. Compared to how the girl and the vampire act, he is also the one who acts like a normal human being. Despite having shapeshifting abilities.<BR/><BR/>The Forks high school is in a county of the country that is in reality 89% white and 5% Native. It is shown in the movie as very racially diverse, much more so than reality. This includes a few of the girl's school friends, who were assumed to be white in the books but were made into blacks and Asian-Americans in the movie.dmarkshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07269773990064736457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29769707.post-40602535989388804922008-11-24T23:14:00.000-08:002008-11-24T23:14:00.000-08:00Sometimes I wonder if the furor is necessary over ...Sometimes I wonder if the furor is necessary over the selection of actors for movies or characters in books. If you have ever been to Arizona or a Mormon temple (more to the point), you'd know that Stephenie Meyer is surrounded by white people predominantly. That's probably been the mix most of her life. While having more imagination to blend other ethnicities in would be laudable, I do not find a fault with it.<BR/><BR/>Even our imaginations tend to pull directly from our surroundings, those places and people we are comfortable with. Does that mean she is racist? I would instead conclude that she is sheltered. Most of us are, regardless of race.<BR/><BR/>Now, she could have been more accurate to the legends, but then she would probably have been faulted for co-opting an authentic Native legend for profit. <BR/><BR/>I think the real question is why focus on the negative. Is all this focus on the evils of Hollywood doing anything for Native teens? I don't believe that "real Indian" teens drop out of school and take drugs because they are left out of Hollywood movies. I think there is deeper pain that needs to be addressed within the community. Opportunity is there, but the question must be raised: what opportunity do we want for our children? Do we want them chasing wealth as the white population does? Or do we want them chasing an ideal? <BR/><BR/>In a year when our nation has elected the first African American president, I feel hopeful for this country. This is just a step in the healing of racial tensions for us, but I think we should be a positive part of this. <BR/><BR/>When I read the Twilight series and watched the movies, I was elated that the Native community was portrayed in a positive light. That the legends were to be respected. That the families were strong. That there was love and respect rooted in the characters. That the beautiful white girl knew in her heart that she loved her handsome Quileute friend. That he was a Native American did not even enter the equation for her. What did was that she had another love. <BR/><BR/>Does that mean she chose Edward because he was white? No. That was where the story was headed.<BR/><BR/>While I know this was not a flawless foray into pop culture for the Native community, I saw the publicity as positive. More people are curious about the legends, about Taylor Lautner's actual ethnic background, and about the future for the tribe. <BR/><BR/>So, kids, it is up to you to flood the Hollywood studios and make good on the authenticity of the movies. It won't be 100% up take, but there are opportunities out there. Making them a reality is a tough shot, but that's true no matter the color of your skin.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29769707.post-13933640842198375102008-11-24T18:28:00.000-08:002008-11-24T18:28:00.000-08:00It's a careless appropriation, too. She could have...It's a careless appropriation, too. She could have used authentic Quileute legends as the backstory for her wolf-shapeshifters without changing a thing of the story.<BR/><BR/>It's not too late, though, for the screenwriters for the sequel movies to be authentic on Quileute matters, unlike the books.<BR/><BR/>The sequel movie, "New Moon" has been greenlighted, and much of it takes place on the La Push reservation, and the whole wolf thing is a very big deal in it.dmarkshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07269773990064736457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29769707.post-3006944561596182112008-11-24T16:00:00.000-08:002008-11-24T16:00:00.000-08:00I purposely never got into Twilight because I'd be...I purposely never got into Twilight because I'd been hearing how white it was. But the cultural appropriation Meyer has stooped to is so typical and vulgar. Ugh!brownstockinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17472919814041673363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29769707.post-49612790334633068212008-11-24T02:59:00.000-08:002008-11-24T02:59:00.000-08:00In casting, they chose to make most of the girl's ...In casting, they chose to make most of the girl's high-school friends nonwhite too.dmarkshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07269773990064736457noreply@blogger.com