When Steven Seagal and Bai Ling arrived at the AZN Asian Excellence Awards 2008 ceremonies in Los Angeles, everyone turned each other to mouth an audible “WTF?” over the din of screaming fans. But Korean American Baby director, Peter Juwan Chung, was surprised he wasn’t invited to walk the red carpet at all on April 23, 2008, and probably suffered the sort of insomnia that leaves you staring at your ceiling at three in the morning, asking yourself, “Have they even SEEN my movie?”

(photo: Juwan Chung)

Well, Juwan, start building your trophy case .... right .... now.

It pains me to say that Hollywood loves your insecurities.
But it sometimes dishes it right back. Sometimes?
I meant to say, most of the time.
Umm, maybe always.

While those who can afford it hire honorary papparazzo at private parties, if you’re a Hollywood insider and have made a ground-breaking first film ... but still haven’t been hounded by stalkers with cameras, you just have to wonder if you’re doing something wrong.

I know, because I was talking recently to Juwan about his omission from the AZN AXA 2008 line-up, and it stung ... a little.

“I wasn’t even invited,” he bemoaned. “I guess no one knows who I am yet ... but I’ll get in somehow.”

And get in, he did: Juwan was a good sport and showed up in a suit and smile, which more than I can say about Quentin Tarantino‘s ceremonial uniform of a ratty black trench coat with sneakers at last year’s award show.

Things only got better later that week because Juwan won the Best Director Award for his Centerpiece Presentation of Baby, at the 3rd Annual DisOrient Film Festival in Eugene, OR. He took home the shiny award—“the nicest thing [he’s] ever gotten”—on April 28, 2008.  Producer Jason Serrato and actor David Huynh also attended.


(storyboard: Affiliated Entertainment)


Baby follows the life of three boys surviving East L.A.’s gangland, and also stars Rush Hour‘s Tzi Ma.


(trailer: Affiliated Entertainment)

Note to Juwan: girls like trophy cases.
Oooo ... sparkly, sparkly.

For the rest of us, pray that Steven Seagal never arrives at the same party with Chuck Norris and Jean-Claude Van Damme in tow, thereby effecting a martial arts trifecta so ludicrously powerful that a wormhole may just appear a la The Forbidden Kingdom and send them tumbling back in time to save the Monkey King. And, if it does happen, please don’t forget to take Bai Ling with you.



7 Comments

I understand that AZN needs to cater to a more mainstream audience in order to get their television deal, but part of me thinks “what’s the point?” if they can’t integrate it with what the true Asian/Asian-American entertainment industry is doing…