Have you noticed the significant increase in Korean-American actors and actresses on TV and movies lately?  Have you noticed there are more men than women in Hollywood?  You would think that there would be more women in front of the camera because let’s be honest, Korean women are great to look at which makes sense in such a visual medium.  Not that the Korean men aren’t studs but who doesn’t like looking at a Korean women?  They are undeniably beautiful women.  Then again, I guess it does take more than just looking good in front of a camera to make it in Hollywood.

This is a an anecdotal story I’m going to share and it does not provide any empirical evidence as to why there are more Korean guys than gals on the screen.  However, it does suggest something.  In my earlier days living in NYC, I roomed with actors and guys who worked at a movie studio.  I was the odd man out because I had a regular job unrelated to the entertainment industry.  I once asked one of my buddies if he ever saw Asian guys out on the audition circuit.  He quickly responded, “Are you kidding me?!  Those guys get more work than most actors out there.”  Huh?! What?  He continued to tell me that though there are only a few roles seeking Asian male faces, there were even less auditioning for them and he suggested that I just give acting a try – even though I had very little acting talent.  Well, to best illustrate this perception, let’s do a quick roll call here.

Ladies on a TV show or in a film in 2009
Smith Cho, Moon Bloodgood, Grace Park, Jamie Chung, Kelly Choi, Margaret Cho, Jenna Ushkowitz, Sandra Oh, Lindsay Price & Yunjin Kim

Guys on a TV show or in a film in 2009
Daniel Henney, Tim Kang, Ken Jeong, Aaron Yoo, John Cho, Rex Lee, C.S. Lee, Justin Chon, Rick Yune, Sung Kang, Rain, Lee Byung Hun, Daniel Dae Kim & James Kyson Lee

We may have missed a few folks but these are the Korean-Americans who were in a prominent role in their film or show.  Now 14 to 10 in favor of the men doesn’t seem like a big difference, but if we were to count up the hours of coverage or viewer impressions, then we would see the greater disparity. We don’t have time to count up every second and sum it all up but here are a couple proxies.

Weekly TV program comparison: Tim Kang, Ken Jeong, Rex Lee, John Cho, C.S. lee, Daniel Dae Kim and James Kyson Lee are in key roles on current weekly network television shows.

Movies: Only Moon Bloodgood and Jamie Chung were in big screen films this year versus John Cho, Aaron Yoo, Ken Jeong, Justin Chon, Rick Yune and Sung Kang.  And don’t forget that Hollywood is really gambling with Ninja Assassins and the predominantly Korean cast with Rain as the lead role.

So what are we trying to say?  Simple observations suggest that America is becoming more accepting of the Asian male and there are more opportunities for them.  But what about the ladies?  My conclusion is that there’s that much more competition on the female side of the fence where they’re competing against more open non-ethnic/racial specific roles.  Though they may be going on casting calls for Asian-American woman between 25-30, they’re also going on casting calls for (all) women between 25-30.  I thoroughly root for all the Korean women on the big and small screen, but I wish there were more of them up there.   Don’t you?

So who are the Korean-Americans that are on television today?  You might be clicking on the remote going from one channel to another, but along the way you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the numerous Korean-Americans who are on American TV: they’re on reality shows, they play gay characters, and of course they show some skill and intelligence.  You’ll find a Korean-American actor or host on a show almost every night of the week.  Here’s a roll call of Korean-Americans who are living large on your high definition television this summer.  Don’t forget, John Cho and Daniel Henney will be leading another group of Korean-American actors into new shows this fall.

Tim Kang: The Mentalist is one of the highest rated shows on television and Tim Kang plays Kimball Cho, one of the main characters who assists Simon Baker’s character.  Even if you haven’t seen The Mentalist, he’s probably familiar to you because he’s had a great run on commercials.  You can see him on Thursday nights @ 10pm on CBS.

Grace Park: She’s a rising star who’s coming off of a successful run on Battlestar Gallactica.  She’s well known for her lingerie shoot on Maxim and for being voted FHM Magazine’s 100 Sexiest Women in the World, but you’ll find her weekly with Benjamin Bratt on The Cleaner, Tuesday nights @ 10pm on A&E.

Margaret Cho: She’s the most famous Korean-American comedian.  Whether you like her jokes or not, you can’t argue her success.  She’s been going strong for a long time, and she’s currently on a cross country comedy tour.   You can find her on two different television channels: her comedy special, Beautiful, on Showtime and on  Drop Dead Diva on Sunday nights @ 9pm on Lifetime.

Kelly Choi: She’s the ex-Ford model who’s gone from local NY TV host to a national TV show.  She’s not just a pretty face either, because she has degrees from William & Mary and Columbia University.  It’s hard to believe that she’s a foodie because she’s so skinny but some people are just blessed with great genes and metabolism.  Check out Top Chef Masters on Wednesday nights @ 10pm on Bravo.

Rex Lee: How did a gay minority become one of the favorite characters of a show fueled by male testosterone?  He started out as the abused assistant to power agent Ari Gold (Jeremy Pivens), but the audience came to love the guy because of his banter with Ari and the boys.  Sunday nights are back with Entourage – 10pm on HBO

Moon Bloodgood: She made a big splash this summer in the blockbuster, Terminator Salvation.  She’s one of People Magazine’s most beautiful people.  She’s got one of the coolest names and you can see Moon Bloodgood on Burn Notice on Thursday nights @ 9pm on USA.

Former fashion model Kelly Choi is hosting the newest cooking show in the Top Chef franchise: Top Chef Masters.  This time it’s world-reknown chefs pitted against each other for cash – of course for charities.  So who is Kelly Choi, the new hostess for Top Chef Masters?  She’s a Korean-American from Virginia who found success in New York City.  If you’re a New Yorker, you’ve probably seen Kelly Choi on local TV on her show Eat Out NY, where she reveals great restaurants.  She’s also the host of the nationally syndicated show Secrets of New York.

Kelly happens to be a former Ford model and won Elite Modeling’s “Look of the Year” competition.  A couple years ago, she was voted as “One of the Sexiest New Yorkers.”  But she’s not just a face and body.  Kelly is a graduate of William and Mary College and has a masters from Columbia University.  And tonight, she earns more foodie stripes as she begins hosting Top Chef Masters on BravoTV.

Kelly Choi sure likes to eat.  Who can blame her, she’s got the metabolism of a model.  Then again, she was a Ford model once.

New York Magazine tracked her movements and meals for a week to see where she goes and what she eats.  After reading the article, you would think that her full time job is to eat.  From Fege yogurt to monkfish, you’ll be hard pressed to surpass her diverse tastes.  We all think we’re foodies but when you listen to Kelly, you realize that there’s a different vocabulary required to be classified as a real foodie.  Read>