ASIAN POP Reality Bites / Have Fook Yu and Fook Mi hit the big time?

Asian Americans have struggled to break into prime time since the dawn of television. Now, in the age of reality television, opportunity finally seems to be knocking. Or is it?

We all know TV is far from a perfect mirror of reality. After all, we don't live in a world where all little kids are precocious wiseacres, all dads are warm but wacky buffoons and all teenage girls are, like, totally hot. But is it too much to ask for television to depict a world that even vaguely resembles our own?

The CBS sitcom "King of Queens" takes place in a region of New York where one out of five people is Asian, yet none of the regular or recurring characters is Asian American. You won't find any of Orange County's half a million Asians on Fox's "The OC." And though the WB's "Charmed" is set in San Francisco, the three witchy Halliwell sisters seem mysteriously oblivious to the fact that a third of the city's population -- the Asian third -- has magically vanished.

In fact, although Asian Americans make up about five percent of the U.S. population, we represent just 2.7 percent of all regularly appearing characters on prime-time TV and have only a handful of the starring or recurring roles in television's traditional staple commodities: dramas and situation comedies. Oddly enough, hope has come from an unlikely source: reality TV, which has offered a backdoor means for some of Asian America's most dynamic talents and, uh, colorful personalities to finally find a spotlight on the world's biggest stage.

On ABC's breakout reality hit "Dancing with the Stars," Carrie Ann Inaba was showcased as one of three professional judges evaluating the fancy footwork of celebs like Evander Holyfield, "Seinfeld"'s John O'Hurley and "General Hospital"'s Kelly Monaco. And NBC's much-buzzed-about new reality program "Three Wishes" features Diane Mizota as one of its three "angels," who travel across small-town America, making dreams come true.

Wonder Twin Powers -- Activate!

Both Inaba and Mizota have had solid careers -- Inaba, an original "Fly Girl" on the groundbreaking sketch-comedy series "In Living Color," is one of the most sought-after choreographers in Hollywood, and Mizota has flourished as a host for cable programs like Discovery Kids' "Trading Spaces: Boys vs. Girls" and G4's gadget countdown, "Filter." Yet before they received the reality TV call, the most visible on-screen work that either had done was their blink-and-you-missed-it cameo as the "Fook Twins," Fook Yu and Fook Mi, in "Austin Powers 3: Goldmember."

"I think Carrie Ann and I are going to be connected forever," laughs Mizota. "Eric [Stromer, one of Mizota's fellow "angels"], his wife's a choreographer, and when I saw her the other day, she said, 'Hi Diane, I saw your twin last week!' The Fook sisterhood is a bond that can't be broken."

Despite the Fook Twins' cult popularity -- the backpack-sporting pair were the focus of online adulation and even co-starred with Mike Myers in a high-profile Motorola cell phone campaign -- neither Inaba nor Mizota were flooded with offers after the blockbuster commercial success of "Goldmember."

"I kind of thought it would open doors. It was a pretty memorable role, and I thought casting directors would be more likely to want to see me, but things weren't really that different," says Mizota. "I was still struggling to even get seen for guest-starring roles -- to be honest, before I was cast on 'Three Wishes,' 'Trading Spaces' had ended production and 'Filter' was only shooting once a week, so I was pretty unemployed. It was a humbling experience."

Inaba, for her part, went back to working behind the scenes as a choreographer while pursuing her interests in television production, developing a documentary on underground house music in partnership with fellow dancer-choreographer Eric Nies (best known for his stint on MTV's "The Real World").

"Actually, before I did 'Austin Powers,' I'd just finished work on the movie 'Showgirls,' which was a nightmare," says Inaba. "I was like, 'OK, that's it, I don't like this biz, I'm done.' I went back to school and took some law courses, thinking, 'Hmm, maybe I'll become a lawyer, instead.'"

Swimming Upstream

Mizota and Inaba are smart, beautiful and talented. Unfortunately, that's not a guarantee of instant success in showbiz. Both flirted with -- and ultimately gave up on -- acting, making the decision to follow less frustrating paths through Hollywood.

"After a while, the grind, the constant rejection, I just didn't have the heart to stick it out," says Mizota. "I have a friend who's an exec at a major network, who told me that in one meeting someone asked about casting Asian Americans, and one of the top brass said, 'Well, we're having trouble there, because Asians are just not funny.'"

For her part, though Inaba says that she's generally found being Asian to be more of an asset than a liability in her career, she's also learned to pick and choose the jobs she pursues. "One thing I've learned is, don't go where it's not right for you," she says.

"A lot of performers start to feel desperate and go to every audition, every go-see, hoping that the numbers will work for them and that they'll eventually get cast for something. I think you have to go after things you know you match up well with. If they're looking for leggy girls 5 feet 8 inches and up, built like Rockettes, well, let's be realistic. That's not me."

In deciding to turn away from acting, both recognized that they were limiting their chances at grabbing one of entertainment's Holy Grails. "Of course, I wanted to be a series regular on a prime-time network show, but it was kind of on my list of goals that I never thought were going to happen," says Mizota.

"I was going out for roles in pilots, and they were all supporting roles where the breakdown says 'Asian, Latino or African American.' That was frustrating, because there really are not very many characters written specifically for Asians."

But reality TV is by definition "unscripted" -- meaning, its stars are found, not made. It also has more of an incentive to reflect a diverse portrait of the real world. "Reality TV is trying to portray reality," says Inaba. "And the reality is, Asians are part of American society. So if you're going to show American society, you have to show Asians. It's not surprising that more Asians are getting into the media through reality TV."

Nor does it hurt that there are a surprisingly large number of Asians in high places in the world of reality-based television. ABC's EVP of alternative programming, Andrea Wong, is Asian American. Ken Mok -- who created the reality series "Making the Band" while an exec at MTV -- shares the role of executive producer of "America's Next Top Model" with Tyra Banks. Jude Weng, formerly a producer on "Survivor," went on to supervise shows like "Celebrity Mole" and "Next Action Hero," and recently co-created "Mr. Romance" for cable network Oxygen. And of course, reality television as we know it wouldn't exist if it weren't for its gonzo godfather, Stephen Chao, the mastermind behind such shows as "America's Most Wanted," "Cops" and "Studs" when he was president of the Fox network in the '80s and early '90s.

"I was actually 'discovered' by Lillian Lim, the co-executive producer of Glassman Media, which is one of the most diverse production companies I've ever seen," says Mizota. "I was so excited to be working with an Asian American, because honestly, my experience in Hollywood has always been that I'm one of a very few minorities on the set."

With strong representation in the executive suite, talents like Inaba and Mizota in ongoing, audience-facing roles and an array of Asian Americans as contestants, subjects and guests, it would appear that reality-based programming is poised to trigger the community's long-awaited breakthrough into the entertainment mainstream -- right?

Reality Check

On May 12, 2004, a petite, doe-eyed wahine named Jasmine Trias was picked by millions of viewers as one of three finalists in the series that has come to define contemporary television, "American Idol." Though the Filipino American teen was subsequently eliminated -- leaving eventual winner Fantasia Barrino and runner-up Diana DeGarmo to face off for the Season 3 championship -- her success seemed to serve as something of a high-water mark for the visibility of Asian Americans on TV.

After all, this is a program that's followed with fanatic zeal by over 25 million Americans, who've consistently made it the No. 1 show on TV in the critical demographic of consumers aged 18 to 45. It's a program that has proved its ability to turn unknowns into, well, idols -- transforming winners like Kelly Clarkson into platinum superstars and showering glory even on runners-up like spindly crooner Clay Aiken.

It seemed certain that Trias would follow in the footsteps of other high-placed "AI" finalists who'd turned their "Idol" contestant status into pop-music stardom. But a year and a half later, Trias' self-titled debut, released by indie label ClockWork, has sold fewer than 10,000 copies in the United States.

"It's a mystery to us," says Gary Greenberg, Trias' L.A.-based entertainment lawyer, when asked why the album hasn't received more play. "It's in that mode of a Mariah Carey and J-Lo. We thought people would be burning up the phone lines begging to hear it on the radio."

Meanwhile, Trias has become an A-list celebrity in the Philippines, where her first single, "Excuses," has charted at No. 1 on Manila's leading radio station, and where her recent tour included an audience with the president.

Trias isn't the only Asian reality TV star whose talent and appeal have failed to cross over into the American mainstream. Harlemm Lee, winner of NBC's ill-fated "Idol" competitor "Fame," has been virtually invisible since his victory in 2003 -- he published an open letter on his Web site stating that he was left penniless and homeless after the network failed to deliver on its promises to promote him or market his album.

Dat Phan, who won the first season of the same network's "Last Comic Standing," has continued to tour the comedy club circuit but has been essentially absent from TV, the movies or anywhere else you'd imagine the "funniest man in America" to show up.

The fact is, there's just one Asian American who's been able to successfully transform reality TV fame into real-world fortune -- and that's Berkeley's own William Hung.

"God, William Hung is embarrassing, but you have to hand it to him, he made the most of it," says Shii Ann Huang, who was the first Asian American contestant on the mother of all reality TV shows, "Survivor."

"A lot of people come off of these shows thinking it's going to launch their career, but it doesn't really happen. I mean, people came out of the woodwork wanting to manage me, but that taste of fame is so difficult to retain that you have to really want it to keep it, and I realized that at the end of the day, I didn't. I did a few guest appearances here and there, and then I went back to my career."

Now a broker for New York's Corcoran real estate agency, Huang says that her "Survivor" status is an "icebreaker" at best. "No one says, 'Oh, Shii-Ann, I saw you on "Survivor" -- I want you to sell my house.' I mean, I would love that, but it just doesn't happen."

Voting Asians Onto the Island

Huang, Inaba and Mizota agree that while they see the mainstream opening up to Asian Americans, the changes are slow, and every two paces forward seem to be followed by one back.

"Just to see Asian faces on prime-time TV is a huge step from where we were even two or three years ago," says Mizota. "I've been saying this to myself for 10 years: baby steps, baby steps, baby steps -- as long as we keep moving forward."

"I think any time an Asian is on TV, it's a good thing," agrees Huang. "Even if it's on the most horrible reality show, it's still better than it was when we were growing up. I'd rather see an Asian eating a rat on an island than guest-starring as a dry cleaner or something. If we can do that, people will start to accept that we can do anything. Maybe after seeing that, execs might start saying, 'Oh, right, Mrs. Parker on my new sitcom could be Asian.'"

-- Pam Ling

Show: "The Real World: San Francisco"

Best Known For: Kooky hair

Now: Married to fellow Real Worlder, toonsmith Judd Winick, and working as a doctor. The couple had their first kid, a son, on May 27, 2005. Serves as unofficial consultant for Winick's new animated series, "The Life and Times of Juniper Lee."

-- Curtis Kin

Show: "Big Brother"

Best Known For: Being a nice guy and still winning third place, good for $50,000

Now: Assistant U.S. attorney in Los Angeles

-- Lola Corwin

Show: "Temptation Island"

Best Known For: Being such a ho that she was immediately booted from the show

Now: She posed for Playboy shortly after her nano-stint on the program, and continues to model for girlie-site Bikini.com and soft-core "exotic beauty" calendars

-- Tareq Kabir

Show: "Average Joe"

Best Known For: Making snide remarks -- and, apparently, hiding the fact that he's an actor

Now: After appearing on the show, Kabir guest-starred on the short-lived dramedy "Miss Match" and returned to "Average Joe" in 2003 to shill for show sponsor eHarmony.com.

-- Phuc Le

Show: "Average Joe"

Best Known For: Stupid jokes about his name, sadly. But this roly-poly accountant won over viewers with his party-hearty attitude.

Now: Not sure -- back to accounting, probably

-- Ivana Ma

Show: "The Apprentice"

Best Known For: Getting fired for taking off her skirt in public -- but somehow, we suspect her name had something to do with it.
Now: Marketing herself and doing the speaker's circuit, with some of her fellow "apprentices." You can hire her for stuff at her Web site.

-- Raj Bhakta

Show: "The Apprentice"

Best Known For: That goofy, Tucker Carlson-esque bow tie

Now: Managing his family's real estate

Jeff Yang is author of "Once Upon a Time in China: A Guide to the Cinemas of Hong Kong, Taiwan and Mainland China" (Atria Books) and co-author of "I Am Jackie Chan: My Life in Action" (Ballantine) and "Eastern Standard Time" (Mariner/Houghton Mifflin). He lives in New York City.

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