Join

We're moving Forums to the Community pages. Click here for more information and updates.

Avatar: The Last Airbender Forums

Nickelodeon (ended 2008)

Aang Ain't White?

  • Avatar of Chesis

    Chesis

    [121]Jan 7, 2009
    • member since: 09/29/06
    • level: 2
    • rank: Sweat Hog
    • posts: 29

    _Flutterlight_ wrote:
    It doesn't change my answer one bit. If Tiger Woods is the better actor, well, special lighting and the right make-up can do a lot in movie-making.


    What's really sad is that I think you actually belive that.

    _Flutterlight_ wrote:
    They didn't wite-wash all the main characters. You're forgetting about Toph. I'd consider her a main, woudln't you? Then there's all the still-important secondary characters like Iroh, Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai.


    They're not in this movie. One season per film, remember?

    _Flutterlight_ wrote:
    And have you considered that maybe there aren't that many good Asian and Inuit actors that fit the roles of the Avatar characters? Come on, it's not exactly an Inuit tradition to act, and there's a strong culture in Asians to get more regular-paying jobs.

    Now who's racist?

    Edited on 01/07/2009 9:15pm
    You must be registered and logged in to post a message.
  • Avatar of _Flutterlight_

    _Flutterlight_

    [122]Jan 7, 2009
    • member since: 08/29/08
    • level: 15
    • rank: Ginsu Knife
    • posts: 1,393
    Chesis wrote:
    _Flutterlight_ wrote:
    Look, I don't know where you get this "Minorities aren't cast in fantasy" idea. I know I just said this, but a year ago I went to the Nutcracker, a German ballet. Clara- the main character- was played by a Mexican girl. I've seen shakespear been preformed by Afircan Americans.


    Theater's different. Can you think of any big Hollywood fantasy movies with a minority kid in the lead?


    There's The Kite Runner. That one with the tigers... But I really don't watch movies that often, so I wouldn't know.
    You must be registered and logged in to post a message.
  • Avatar of ThisCrazyGuy

    ThisCrazyGuy

    [123]Jan 7, 2009
    • member since: 08/10/08
    • level: 8
    • rank: Super-Friend
    • posts: 700
    I'll reply to all these posts when I get back from school.
    You must be registered and logged in to post a message.
  • Avatar of ThisCrazyGuy

    ThisCrazyGuy

    [124]Jan 8, 2009
    • member since: 08/10/08
    • level: 8
    • rank: Super-Friend
    • posts: 700

    "The whole reason I got sucked into this stupid arguement is because either you or Chesis got upset at me for saying that I would be happy with the movie actors as long as they looked and acted like the characters they are playing. I was accused of ignoring the "asianness" of Avatar- which I feel I did not do. (At least as much as the two of you did with the Avatar's other influences.)"

    Okay, first of all, I didn't get upset with you, so give it up... I was complaining about the whitewashing of the MAIN cast, and generally expressing my thoughts on the subject and why it offended me, I never directly got annoyed with you... Even though I completely (and respectfully) disagree with you, I never called you out in an annoyed manner because you expressed your opinion... I confronted your arguments, and I made my own (perfectly reasonable) complaints, mainly the one about the actors looking their parts, because I KNOW that the actors don't look their parts at all... It's called debating; please don't think I'm being personal or getting upset with anyone...

    "This isn't a clear statement, so I have no idea what you mean here, and I'm not sure how to respond. Are you saying that the movie makers are going to edit out all the Asianness in the show? Or are you suggesting that it isn't fair that only 30-40% of Avatar is based off of non-Asian things?"

    I am annoyed by the fact that the (ENTIRE) MAIN CAST, is made up of people who (physically) look NOTHING like their characters... And how was that NOT a clear statement????? I am not saying that the movie will "Edit out all Asian-ness", but the fact that the main cast consists of people who LOOK absolutely nothing like their parts bothers me, as does the fact that A LOT of Asian-American teenagers aspiring to be actors, have missed out on a great opportunity. There isn't ONE Asian or Inuit person in the main cast, it doesn't matter how you want to look at it, that just isn't fair, considering the characters these people are playing are literally based on those civilizations...

    "Maybe they hired people who have fanbases, to attract non-avatar fans to the movie, so the show's fanbase can grow and we might get a spin off show. It would be expensive to go out, find, hire, and train a bunch of inuits and asians. They wouldn't have any money left over for accurate scenery and special effects, which would also offend people. And now, I've said this once, I've said this a thousand times (congradulations, you're making me sound like my mother), I said "I'll be happy IF the actors look and act like their characters." I never said that they actually DID. EVER. This is that "changing my words" and "making me look like a bigot" thing again."

    The movie should be popular because of A:TLA's beautiful story and appeal, not because Jesse McCartney's fan girls are craving to see him on the Big Screen... This reminds me of when people were talking about Joe Jonas playing Zuko (I know - hilarious)... It is all well and good hiring people who are popular and have huge fan bases to attract more people to the movie, but Avatar is arguably the best show Nickelodeon has EVER had, the show has made them tons of money, and even in it's ending of the series, STILL has a tremendously big fan base, why does it need people with HUGE fan bases? M.Night Shyamalan originally said that the MAIN cast was going to be kids that Hollywood have never seen before, kids making their acting debut... And is it not a coincidence that the whole main cast just happen to be White?

    If people were reading your posts and mine (correctly), then why would I be making you look like a "bigot"? They are obviously seeing the error in my posts and my misunderstanding of what you were saying, so if anything, I'm making MYSELF look like a "bigot", NOT YOU... So, you agree that the actors DON'T look their parts?

    "Well, if I didn't have to keep checking to see if people were misinterpreting my posts and changing what I said, then I would GLADLY leave and never come back. But instead, I'm forced to keep coming here to straighten you guys out."

    If you really thought this thread was pointless and a waste of time, you would say that you are done with it and state that there are bigger things to worry about, and yet you still come back... Why did you even bother starting a debate on here if you didn't think this thread was a good use of your time? I'm sorry, who have you "straightened out"?

    "Well, you know what? There's actual freaking movements over the Lunar landings all being a government conspiracy, and area 51 having UFOs hidden in it, and a lot of people are upset over those things too, but that doesn't make me believe that those are "major things" either. I think those freaking movments are silly too."

    Silly in YOUR opinion... Chesis and me don't think this is silly at all, it is actually quite an important thing... It would be nice if you said "in my opinion" after you deemed this "silly"... And once again, why on earth are you arguing over such a "silly" subject?

    "So now you're calling me insensitive? Well, since I'm so insensitive, let's talk about MY feelings for a while.

    Do YOU have to listen through history class after history class about how the evil race you came from killed, inslaved, and stole from the poor other races? White people learn in school that they horrible, nasty people that persecute others. We never here about ANY of the good things our race contributed to society, and we never learn about the bad things the other races did either.

    We don't learn about the wonders of the polio vaccine, or the horrible things the Aztecs were doing to the other Native American tribes, BEFORE the Spaniards came. Then we get out into the real world, and all we hear about is how the nasty rich white shallow people persecute others and fight ammung themselves.

    It's in movies, books, the news... We can't get away from it. From MY perspective, lack of representation in a movie is a LOT better than being represented as horrible murderous scum."

    I am half White, so I know to some extent how you feel... And actually, yes, I do have to listen to those kinds of things in my history classes, all the damn time...

    What I love is how you just ASSUMED I was talking about you, when I told people who thought this thread was "pointless" to stop bashing it... If you must know, that comment was directed at ALL the people who have come to this thread and claimed it as "pointless" OR stupid... MarryLarry, Jackson5050, Falcondude123, ranger8060, and shadowysea07, ALL claimed this thread was "pointless" (besides you), and yet you just assume I am individually directing that comment at you... I am not a fan of situations where people come to threads and deem them as "pointless" or "silly", because it makes me wonder why on earth they bother showing up in a thread if they are just going to insult it...
    Edited on 01/08/2009 2:41pm
    Edited 3 total times.
    You must be registered and logged in to post a message.
  • Avatar of ThisCrazyGuy

    ThisCrazyGuy

    [125]Jan 8, 2009
    • member since: 08/10/08
    • level: 8
    • rank: Super-Friend
    • posts: 700
    What REALLY makes me annoyed is how people are acting as if there aren't any talented Asian-American actors, that could have pulled off the roles...
    You must be registered and logged in to post a message.
  • Avatar of _Flutterlight_

    _Flutterlight_

    [126]Jan 8, 2009
    • member since: 08/29/08
    • level: 15
    • rank: Ginsu Knife
    • posts: 1,393
    Chesis wrote:

    _Flutterlight_ wrote:
    It doesn't change my answer one bit. If Tiger Woods is the better actor, well, special lighting and the right make-up can do a lot in movie-making.


    What's really sad is that I think you actually belive that.

    What's so sad about that? That I'd prefer somebody with talent to entertain me, or I believe that lighting and make-up can chang a person's appearence enough to make them look more like one race than another?

    They made Voldemort in Harry Potter look completely different than the actor looks in real life, didn't they? They could do the same thing to whoever's making this hypothetical movie of yours.

    Chesis wrote:


    _Flutterlight_ wrote:
    They didn't wite-wash all the main characters. You're forgetting about Toph. I'd consider her a main, woudln't you? Then there's all the still-important secondary characters like Iroh, Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai.


    They're not in this movie. One season per film, remember?

    Actually, I didn't know that until now, and in that case, there's Yue, Zao, Iroh and Azula possibly. (She's in that scene when Zuko's father gives him the scar) We could get some ethnic actors for them.

    Chesis wrote:

    _Flutterlight_ wrote:
    And have you considered that maybe there aren't that many good Asian and Inuit actors that fit the roles of the Avatar characters? Come on, it's not exactly an Inuit tradition to act, and there's a strong culture in Asians to get more regular-paying jobs.

    Now who's racist?

    Okay... how is that racist? It isn't an Inuit tradition to act in movies. Plus, there's such a strong family bond in Inuit culture that I don't think the Avatar casting crew would be able to find parents willing to have their child taken away from them for that amount of time. So that would create a large deficit of good Inuit actors who would be the right ages to play Katara and Sokka.

    I have talked with Mike Lev, the buisness editor for the Chicago Tribune. His family lived in Japan and China for over five years. He has told me that there is a tremendos ammount of pressure on Asian children to work hard at "regular-paying" jobs. Additionally, my little brother's best friend lives in Japan, and he says the same thing. So that too would create a deficit of good Asian actors who could play Azula, Zuko, Aang, ect.

    You must be registered and logged in to post a message.
  • Avatar of _Flutterlight_

    _Flutterlight_

    [127]Jan 8, 2009
    • member since: 08/29/08
    • level: 15
    • rank: Ginsu Knife
    • posts: 1,393
    ThisCrazyGuy wrote:

    "The whole reason I got sucked into this stupid arguement is because either you or Chesis got upset at me for saying that I would be happy with the movie actors as long as they looked and acted like the characters they are playing. I was accused of ignoring the "asianness" of Avatar- which I feel I did not do. (At least as much as the two of you did with the Avatar's other influences.)"

    Okay, first of all, I didn't get upset with you, so give it up... I was complaining about the whitewashing of the MAIN cast, and generally expressing my thoughts on the subject and why it offended me, I never directly got annoyed with you... Even though I completely (and respectfully) disagree with you, I never called you out in an annoyed manner because you expressed your opinion... I confronted your arguments, and I made my own (perfectly reasonable) complaints, mainly the one about the actors looking their parts, because I KNOW that the actors don't look their parts at all... It's called debating; please don't think I'm being personal or getting upset with anyone...

    Then it was Chesis then. We've been debating so long I've forggoten who said what. Maybe we should form a team.

    I agree that the actors were an enourmos dissapointment, if not for the same reasons as you. (IF the actors look like their characters, I'll be happy- they don't, so I'm not) I think we can end this part of the debate now.

    ThisCrazyGuy wrote:

    "This isn't a clear statement, so I have no idea what you mean here, and I'm not sure how to respond. Are you saying that the movie makers are going to edit out all the Asianness in the show? Or are you suggesting that it isn't fair that only 30-40% of Avatar is based off of non-Asian things?"

    I am annoyed by the fact that the (ENTIRE) MAIN CAST, is made up of people who (physically) look NOTHING like their characters... And how was that NOT a clear statement????? I am not saying that the movie will "Edit out all Asian-ness", but the fact that the main cast consists of people who LOOK absolutely nothing like their parts bothers me, as does the fact that A LOT of Asian-American teenagers aspiring to be actors, have missed out on a great opportunity. There isn't ONE Asian or Inuit person in the main cast, it doesn't matter how you want to look at it, that just isn't fair, considering the characters these people are playing are literally based on those civilizations...

    You were a little vague in your orignial statement, and I didn't want to resond wrong and risk offending somebody. Thank you for clarifying that.

    It IS annoying that the actors look nothing like their parts. They also seem WAY too old to be playing the characters they were cast as. Of course, we don't know who the casting dirrectors were chosing from. There are a lot of issues surrounding the making of a movie that nobody has taken into consideration. We don't know who tried out, we don't know how much money the casting people had to pay the actors, we don't know if they were avoiding having to train people... Maybe we should watch the movie first before making such snap judgements over who the actors are.

    ThisCrazyGuy wrote:

    "Maybe they hired people who have fanbases, to attract non-avatar fans to the movie, so the show's fanbase can grow and we might get a spin off show. It would be expensive to go out, find, hire, and train a bunch of inuits and asians. They wouldn't have any money left over for accurate scenery and special effects, which would also offend people. And now, I've said this once, I've said this a thousand times (congradulations, you're making me sound like my mother), I said "I'll be happy IF the actors look and act like their characters." I never said that they actually DID. EVER. This is that "changing my words" and "making me look like a bigot" thing again."

    The movie should be popular because of A:TLA's beautiful story and appeal, not because Jesse McCartney's fan girls are craving to see him on the Big Screen... This reminds me of when people were talking about Joe Jonas playing Zuko (I know - hilarious)... It is all well and good hiring people who are popular and have huge fan bases to attract more people to the movie, but Avatar is arguably the best show Nickelodeon has EVER had, the show has made them tons of money, and even in it's ending of the series, STILL has a tremendously big fan base, why does it need people with HUGE fan bases? M.Night Shyamalan originally said that the MAIN cast was going to be kids that Hollywood have never seen before, kids making their acting debut... And is it not a coincidence that the whole main cast just happen to be White?

    But if the movie doesn't bring in enough money, they won't be able to make the sequals you mentioned. So wether we like it or not, we NEED the movie to have the added popularity of Jesse McCartney's fangirls, becuase Avatar's fanbase will have grown up by the time the movie comes out, and not everybody who liked Avatar in grade school is going to watch it in Highschool. (People were suggesting that Joe Jonas play Zuko? Well, even he would be better than bleached-blond Jesse).

    Keep in mind, dirrectors are like politians, they say one thing and do another. If M. Night Shyamalan really meant what he said, then why is Jesse McCartney playing Zuko? Hollywood's seen him before. And none of the other actors are really "kids", except for Katara. And are we positive that these actors are set in stone? I looked up the movie on IMDB and it said that they were only "rumored".

    ThisCrazyGuy wrote:

    If people were reading your posts and mine (correctly), then why would I be making you look like a "bigot"? They are obviously seeing the error in my posts and my misunderstanding of what you were saying, so if anything, I'm making MYSELF look like a "bigot", NOT YOU... So, you agree that the actors DON'T look their parts?

    Because it is my experiance that people would rather be angry than informed, so they would ignore what I was saying and only focus on your comments. That sort of thing happens to me a lot, so I've probally got a chip on my shoulder about it.

    And yes, I completely agree with you. My comment that I'd be happy if the actors looked like their parts. I'm hoping that they all have to wear those plastic things the narnia characters who played satyrs had to wear to alter their appearances.

    ThisCrazyGuy wrote:

    "Well, if I didn't have to keep checking to see if people were misinterpreting my posts and changing what I said, then I would GLADLY leave and never come back. But instead, I'm forced to keep coming here to straighten you guys out."

    If you really thought this thread was pointless and a waste of time, you would say that you are done with it and state that there are bigger things to worry about, and yet you still come back... Why did you even bother starting a debate on here if you didn't think this thread was a good use of your time? I'm sorry, who have you "straightened out"?

    Chesis. Over and over again... (If I had a dime for the times I've typed "I never said that"...) I guess I'm letting my annoyances with him interfer with my debate with you, and I'm really sorry for that.

    ThisCrazyGuy wrote:

    "Well, you know what? There's actual freaking movements over the Lunar landings all being a government conspiracy, and area 51 having UFOs hidden in it, and a lot of people are upset over those things too, but that doesn't make me believe that those are "major things" either. I think those freaking movments are silly too."

    Silly in YOUR opinion... Chesis and me don't think this is silly at all, it is actually quite an important thing... It would be nice if you said "in my opinion" after you deemed this "silly"... And once again, why on earth are you arguing over such a "silly" subject?

    As I said earlier, I've been debating this so long I'm mixing you up with Chesis, who keeps changing the meanings of my statements. (I'm dyslexic. I do this sort of thing a lot, and I can't help it. Sorry.) When did I say that the whole "Aang's ain't white" movement was silly? I think that was Falcondude.

    ThisCrazyGuy wrote:

    "So now you're calling me insensitive? Well, since I'm so insensitive, let's talk about MY feelings for a while.

    Do YOU have to listen through history class after history class about how the evil race you came from killed, inslaved, and stole from the poor other races? White people learn in school that they horrible, nasty people that persecute others. We never here about ANY of the good things our race contributed to society, and we never learn about the bad things the other races did either.

    We don't learn about the wonders of the polio vaccine, or the horrible things the Aztecs were doing to the other Native American tribes, BEFORE the Spaniards came. Then we get out into the real world, and all we hear about is how the nasty rich white shallow people persecute others and fight ammung themselves.

    It's in movies, books, the news... We can't get away from it. From MY perspective, lack of representation in a movie is a LOT better than being represented as horrible murderous scum."

    I am half White, so I know to some extent how you feel... And actually, yes, I do have to listen to those kinds of things in my history classes, all the damn time...

    *Sigh* I guess you do. Sort of. (You probally don't get glares during the pre-civil war lessons though)... but still, I'd rather have my race edited out of a movie than have to listen to another broadcast/lesson about the evil things my race does.

    ThisCrazyGuy wrote:

    What I love is how you just ASSUMED I was talking about you, when I told people who thought this thread was "pointless" to stop bashing it... If you must know, that comment was directed at ALL the people who have come to this thread and claimed it as "pointless" OR stupid... MarryLarry, Jackson5050, Falcondude123, ranger8060, and shadowysea07, ALL claimed this thread was "pointless" (besides you), and yet you just assume I am individually directing that comment at you... I am not a fan of situations where people come to threads and deem them as "pointless" or "silly", because it makes me wonder why on earth they bother showing up in a thread if they are just going to insult it...

    I'm sorry I made assumptions. My posts saying that have been quoted a lot, and I think they were included in the previous post I responded to, so I automatically jumped to the deffensive. I have a brother who likes to take anything I say and turn it into something horribly controversial, and doing that sort of thing has become a habit of mine, I suppose.

    You must be registered and logged in to post a message.
  • Avatar of MarryLarry

    MarryLarry

    [128]Jan 8, 2009
    • member since: 06/16/07
    • level: 11
    • rank: Red Shirted Lt.
    • posts: 3,055

    ThisCrazyGuy wrote:
    What I love is how you just ASSUMED I was talking about you, when I told people who thought this thread was "pointless" to stop bashing it... If you must know, that comment was directed at ALL the people who have come to this thread and claimed it as "pointless" OR stupid... MarryLarry, Jackson5050, Falcondude123, ranger8060, and shadowysea07, ALL claimed this thread was "pointless" (besides you), and yet you just assume I am individually directing that comment at you... I am not a fan of situations where people come to threads and deem them as "pointless" or "silly", because it makes me wonder why on earth they bother showing up in a thread if they are just going to insult it...

    Woah, woah, woah. And here I thought you were done taking what I said out of context to justify your radical claims. I never said the thread was "pointless" or "silly." Sure I took shots at the over-reacting nutbags, proud of it too, but I never insulted the integrity of this colorful thread.

    BTW there champ, nice way to put that Flutter person in their place. That person's an idiot if they didn't realize you weren't specifically speaking to them and then pointlessly ranted about it. It reminds me of this one time, not too long ago in a thread quite similar to this one, where some crazy guy thought I was explicitly insulting him.

    Ain't hipocrisy neat!

    You must be registered and logged in to post a message.
  • Avatar of _Flutterlight_

    _Flutterlight_

    [129]Jan 8, 2009
    • member since: 08/29/08
    • level: 15
    • rank: Ginsu Knife
    • posts: 1,393
    MarryLarry wrote:

    ThisCrazyGuy wrote:
    What I love is how you just ASSUMED I was talking about you, when I told people who thought this thread was "pointless" to stop bashing it... If you must know, that comment was directed at ALL the people who have come to this thread and claimed it as "pointless" OR stupid... MarryLarry, Jackson5050, Falcondude123, ranger8060, and shadowysea07, ALL claimed this thread was "pointless" (besides you), and yet you just assume I am individually directing that comment at you... I am not a fan of situations where people come to threads and deem them as "pointless" or "silly", because it makes me wonder why on earth they bother showing up in a thread if they are just going to insult it...

    Woah, woah, woah. And here I thought you were done taking what I said out of context to justify your radical claims. I never said the thread was "pointless" or "silly." Sure I took shots at the over-reacting nutbags, proud of it too, but I never insulted the integrity of this colorful thread.

    BTW there champ, nice way to put that Flutter person in their place. That person's an idiot if they didn't realize you weren't specifically speaking to them and then pointlessly ranted about it. It reminds me of this one time, not too long ago in a thread quite similar to this one, where some crazy guy thought I was explicitly insulting him.

    Ain't hipocrisy neat!


    You're right, I AM an idiot, aren't I? Of course I shouldn't have assumed he was talking about me. Just because he quoted me before he said "Think of the other people.", gives me NO right to think that that statement was dirrected at me.

    What a bone head!
    You must be registered and logged in to post a message.
  • Avatar of Chesis

    Chesis

    [130]Jan 8, 2009
    • member since: 09/29/06
    • level: 2
    • rank: Sweat Hog
    • posts: 29
    _Flutterlight_ wrote:
    Chesis wrote:

    _Flutterlight_ wrote:
    It doesn't change my answer one bit. If Tiger Woods is the better actor, well, special lighting and the right make-up can do a lot in movie-making.


    What's really sad is that I think you actually belive that.

    What's so sad about that? That I'd prefer somebody with talent to entertain me, or I believe that lighting and make-up can chang a person's appearence enough to make them look more like one race than another?

    Both. In the first case, talent doesn't trump everything. A grown man can't play a twelve-year-old or a woman unless it's for comedy purposes (where it's funny because it's *wrong*). And you can't cast someone of one ethnicity for another either - take "Tropic Thunder," as an example. The whole point of Robert Downey Jr's character in blackface was to show how completely inappropriate it was for him to play a black man.

    Second, blackface, and it's Asian counterpart yellowface, are horribly, *horribly* offensive. Making people up to look like other ethnicities perpetuates stereotypes and ruins authenticity. Nobody in their right mind would try it for fear of the backlash.

    _Flutterlight_ wrote:
    Actually, I didn't know that until now, and in that case, there's Yue, Zao, Iroh and Azula possibly. (She's in that scene when Zuko's father gives him the scar) We could get some ethnic actors for them.

    How can Zuko's uncle and sister be Asian when he's Caucasian? Do you suppose he was adopted?

    _Flutterlight_ wrote:
    I have talked with Mike Lev, the buisness editor for the Chicago Tribune. His family lived in Japan and China for over five years. He has told me that there is a tremendos ammount of pressure on Asian children to work hard at "regular-paying" jobs. Additionally, my little brother's best friend lives in Japan, and he says the same thing. So that too would create a deficit of good Asian actors who could play Azula, Zuko, Aang, ect.

    Then how does that explain the gigantic Hong Kong film industry? Or Bollywood? Or all the American-born Asian actors like Maggie Q and Edison Chen who have to go overseas to find any work? They actually tell Chinese actors here to go to Hong Kong to get experience, because nobody in Hollywood will give them a break. See http://www.asiaarts.ucla.edu/080321/article.asp?parentID=89183

    It's racist because you're making an assumption based on a stupid stereotype. Oh, I heard this secondhand from somebody who lived in China, so it must be true for everybody in China. Or gee, I saw one lousy production with a minorty lead so there isn't any evidence of a widespread problem with lack of minority representation at all!

    Of course the actors are there. Clint Eastwood found Hmong-American teenagers for "Gran Torino" to play characters of that ethnicity. They could cast real Asians and Inuits - or at least minorities - if they wanted to. They didn't.

    Edited on 01/08/2009 7:22pm
    You must be registered and logged in to post a message.
  • Avatar of gilvatar

    gilvatar

    [131]Jan 8, 2009
    • member since: 08/05/06
    • level: 17
    • rank: The Crazy Neighbor
    • posts: 5,201
    I odn't feel like quoting this b/c in the midst of one of those really long multi-topic quotes so here it it. I have a theory about the fanbase actors. Their fans will see the movie, fall in love w/ the story, and become avtar fans them selves. If it's as beautiful a story as either Crazy or Cheis said (and it is) They're bound to become just as in love w/ the show as we are. BTW Cheis, are you sure Aang is being played by a grown man? I heard he was a kid karate star.
    You must be registered and logged in to post a message.
  • Avatar of Chesis

    Chesis

    [132]Jan 8, 2009
    • member since: 09/29/06
    • level: 2
    • rank: Sweat Hog
    • posts: 29
    gilvatar wrote:
    BTW Cheis, are you sure Aang is being played by a grown man? I heard he was a kid karate star.


    When did I say that? I'm sure he's a kid. Or he should be.
    You must be registered and logged in to post a message.
  • Avatar of gilvatar

    gilvatar

    [133]Jan 8, 2009
    • member since: 08/05/06
    • level: 17
    • rank: The Crazy Neighbor
    • posts: 5,201
    Chesis wrote:
    gilvatar wrote:
    BTW Cheis, are you sure Aang is being played by a grown man? I heard he was a kid karate star.


    When did I say that? I'm sure he's a kid. Or he should be.
    Oops. Sorry. Somewhere I thought you were implyiing it. You were probubly just using an example. My bad.
    You must be registered and logged in to post a message.
  • Avatar of ThisCrazyGuy

    ThisCrazyGuy

    [134]Jan 8, 2009
    • member since: 08/10/08
    • level: 8
    • rank: Super-Friend
    • posts: 700
    MarryLarry wrote:

    ThisCrazyGuy wrote:
    What I love is how you just ASSUMED I was talking about you, when I told people who thought this thread was "pointless" to stop bashing it... If you must know, that comment was directed at ALL the people who have come to this thread and claimed it as "pointless" OR stupid... MarryLarry, Jackson5050, Falcondude123, ranger8060, and shadowysea07, ALL claimed this thread was "pointless" (besides you), and yet you just assume I am individually directing that comment at you... I am not a fan of situations where people come to threads and deem them as "pointless" or "silly", because it makes me wonder why on earth they bother showing up in a thread if they are just going to insult it...

    Woah, woah, woah. And here I thought you were done taking what I said out of context to justify your radical claims. I never said the thread was "pointless" or "silly." Sure I took shots at the over-reacting nutbags, proud of it too, but I never insulted the integrity of this colorful thread.

    BTW there champ, nice way to put that Flutter person in their place. That person's an idiot if they didn't realize you weren't specifically speaking to them and then pointlessly ranted about it. It reminds me of this one time, not too long ago in a thread quite similar to this one, where some crazy guy thought I was explicitly insulting him.

    Ain't hipocrisy neat!
    I have misunderstood people a few times, but now that I know what you meant, why does it matter? _Flutterlight_, now knows WHAT I mean, so, the problem is???? You can't really blame me for thinking you were directly insulting people MarryLarry, you don't exactly have the habit of being nice to people on here...
    Edited on 01/08/2009 11:14pm
    You must be registered and logged in to post a message.
  • Avatar of ThisCrazyGuy

    ThisCrazyGuy

    [135]Jan 8, 2009
    • member since: 08/10/08
    • level: 8
    • rank: Super-Friend
    • posts: 700
    _Flutterlight_ wrote:
    MarryLarry wrote:

    ThisCrazyGuy wrote:
    What I love is how you just ASSUMED I was talking about you, when I told people who thought this thread was "pointless" to stop bashing it... If you must know, that comment was directed at ALL the people who have come to this thread and claimed it as "pointless" OR stupid... MarryLarry, Jackson5050, Falcondude123, ranger8060, and shadowysea07, ALL claimed this thread was "pointless" (besides you), and yet you just assume I am individually directing that comment at you... I am not a fan of situations where people come to threads and deem them as "pointless" or "silly", because it makes me wonder why on earth they bother showing up in a thread if they are just going to insult it...

    Woah, woah, woah. And here I thought you were done taking what I said out of context to justify your radical claims. I never said the thread was "pointless" or "silly." Sure I took shots at the over-reacting nutbags, proud of it too, but I never insulted the integrity of this colorful thread.

    BTW there champ, nice way to put that Flutter person in their place. That person's an idiot if they didn't realize you weren't specifically speaking to them and then pointlessly ranted about it. It reminds me of this one time, not too long ago in a thread quite similar to this one, where some crazy guy thought I was explicitly insulting him.

    Ain't hipocrisy neat!
    You're right, I AM an idiot, aren't I? Of course I shouldn't have assumed he was talking about me. Just because he quoted me before he said "Think of the other people.", gives me NO right to think that that statement was dirrected at me. What a bone head!
    But it wasn't directed individually at you... It was directed towards quite a few people, and I stand by what I said, some people are really offended by this, so you guys saying it is "nothing", or things along those lines, is frustrating, especially since you obviously DO think it matters (if the opposite was the case you wouldn't put as much effort into these arguments, let alone come back)... I'll reply to all the other posts later.

    Edited on 01/09/2009 3:59pm
    You must be registered and logged in to post a message.
  • Avatar of ranger8060

    ranger8060

    [136]Jan 9, 2009
    • member since: 12/01/08
    • level: 7
    • rank: Talk Show Host
    • posts: 365

    M.Night Shyamalan originally said that the MAIN cast was going to be kids that Hollywood have never seen before, kids making their acting debut...

    Not really. I emailed paramount during the summer askinga bout other roles. They said that they are only picking an unknown for Aang. They will p[ick other roles through agents because they wanted professionals for those parts.

    You must be registered and logged in to post a message.
  • Avatar of bag2218

    bag2218

    [137]Jan 9, 2009
    • member since: 08/16/05
    • level: 12
    • rank: Evil Bert
    • posts: 2,340
    Katara and Sokka could be played by Native American Actors and im sure a white actor wouldn't be bad for Aang. But I can't picture anybody who isn't Asian playing Zuko, Toph, Mai, and Azula.
    You must be registered and logged in to post a message.
  • Avatar of ranger8060

    ranger8060

    [138]Jan 9, 2009
    • member since: 12/01/08
    • level: 7
    • rank: Talk Show Host
    • posts: 365
    Just to calrify things a bit:
    Jesse McCartney and Jackson Rathborn are only in talks to play Sokka and Zuko. It is not sure they will.
    You must be registered and logged in to post a message.
  • Avatar of Falcondude123

    Falcondude123

    [139]Jan 9, 2009
    • member since: 09/24/06
    • level: 10
    • rank: Holy Level 10!
    • posts: 2,602
    Chesis wrote:
    _Flutterlight_ wrote:

    Again, see my above response. Are you saying that if I decided to be a part of a Cherokee film, I wouldn't be Cherokee? You're doing that denying me of my heritage thing again.

    You're missing a few points here. Let me give you an example. If you had to cast someone to play an Asian guy in a movie, would you cast Tiger Woods or Keanu Reeves? Got an answer?

    Now does it change anything if you know that Tiger Woods is one-half Asian and Keanu Reeves is only a quarter? Should we cast Tiger Woods because he's technically more Asian than Keanu Reeves? Of course not. How an audience *perceives* you on screen is important. Audiences will see Tiger Woods as black. So he can't play an Asian guy, no matter how Asian he actually is. *That* is my point. It has nothing to do with denying anybody their cultural heritage to say that look *does* matter when it comes to ethnic portrayals on film.

    There are the race-neutral productions like the "Nutcracker" you saw, which are usually done to give minorities a shot at the roles they would usually be excluded from. You see it in the theater a lot, which is wonderful. But how often does this happen on television or in the movies? There's still an uproar whenever a white comic book character like Nick Fury or the Kingpin is played by a black actor. But the thing is, there's very little noise when a white actor takes over a minority role. Jake Gyllenhaal as the Prince of Persia? Fine. Justin Chatwin as Goku? Fine. Emile Hirch as Speed Racer? Not a peep. It's a double standard, and it' not pretty.

    Avatar's casting is only getting as much attention as it is right now, because this is one of the rare cases where they went and whitewashed *all* the lead characters. That's pretty bad, even for Hollywood.



    Uproar at Nick Fury being black? I didn't hear much uproar- I didn't honestly care either, despite the fact that Nick Fury is one of my favorite classic comic-book characters. And the kingpin? I didn't hear hardly anything about that, either, except maybe a little "that's really odd" here, or a "that is totally weird" there, comments which were forgotten within a few days to weeks.
    I guarantee you there wasn't as much uproar over those guys as is being made about this avatar issue.
    Also I was not aware until now that the Nutcracker was a special-case, race-nuetral show, since it is written about a girl from victorian england falling in love with a toy soldier meant to look like a victorian-era english soldier.
    Seriously, if we can watch different ethnicities playing parts like THAT, then there's no way you can call us whitewashers.
    And you're right that how an audience 'percieves' a character on screen is important, which is why soo many people are just fine that Aang is being played by a white child actor- because that how Bryke portrays, and how the audience 'percieves' him on screen.
    You must be registered and logged in to post a message.
  • Avatar of Falcondude123

    Falcondude123

    [140]Jan 9, 2009
    • member since: 09/24/06
    • level: 10
    • rank: Holy Level 10!
    • posts: 2,602
    ThisCrazyGuy wrote:
    What I love is how you just ASSUMED I was talking about you, when I told people who thought this thread was "pointless" to stop bashing it... If you must know, that comment was directed at ALL the people who have come to this thread and claimed it as "pointless" OR stupid... MarryLarry, Jackson5050, Falcondude123, ranger8060, and shadowysea07, ALL claimed this thread was "pointless" (besides you), and yet you just assume I am individually directing that comment at you... I am not a fan of situations where people come to threads and deem them as "pointless" or "silly", because it makes me wonder why on earth they bother showing up in a thread if they are just going to insult it...


    It's not that I showed up just to bash the thread or it's maker, but rather to give my opposing opinion on this subject, particularly the final aims it is trying to accomplish. Can you imagine a world where you could only post on threads you were in favor of??? Haha, it makes me giggle to imagine that; it would destroy the purpose of posting on web-sites at all... why post about things just so others can agree with you? You might as well be preaching to the choir! Threads are about active discussion, both in the affirmative of certain ideas and the negative of others.
    On the other hand, I agree that when people just outright say "This sucks" or "this is silly!" it can get annoying. That's why I apologized for saying it earlier.
    You must be registered and logged in to post a message.
Shows | Movies | Web | People | News | Videos | Community
Listings | Photos | Forums | Closed Captioning | Rating Guidelines
CBS Entertainment About CBS Interactive | About TV.com | Contact Us | Jobs | Advertise
© 2016 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. TV Guide Digital Network | Privacy Policy | Ad Choice | Terms of Use