Ken Jeong of NBC’s Community spoils the Valentine’s fun for his students in this short video clip. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Christina Lee hosts Korean Beacons Weekly Monday Mashup highlighting some of the weekly headlines in Korean American news.

This week, December 28, 2009 we cover:

Korean Beacon 2009 Top 10 List: #5 – Ken Jeong
Korean Beacon 2009 Top 10 List: #4 – John Cho
Korean Beacon 2009 Top 10 List: #3 – Rain

Send comments to: beacon@koreanbeacon.com

Ken Jeong became “that” guy this year.  Y’know, the guy you keep seeing in a bunch of movies but you don’t know his real name.  Ken Jeong made a huge splash in the surprise summer hit, The Hangover, when he jumped out of a car’s trunk in his birthday suit.  He kept on rolling with roles in The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard, All About Steve, Couples Retreat and a co-starring role as the cantankerous Senor Chang in NBC’s new show Community.  He already has a full slate of work in 2010 and the future keeps looking brighter.  This is pretty incredible for a guy who gave up medicine to pursue a career in comedy and acting. Ken was a doctor in residency down in New Orleans, but he decided to give it up to go to Hollywood.  How many Korean parents would’ve rolled their eyes if their sons or daughters said that they were going to Hollywood after having gone through medical school and residency?  Ken defied a parent’s logic and believed in his comedic abilities.  Now he’s “that” guy that cracks people up in the hilarious character roles he plays.  What Ken Jeong showed us was that even in Hollywood, you can still make it even without looking like Brad Pitt.  As long as you have dedication and talent, the dream is possible.  There are many kids out there who are doing what they’re parents want them to do because it’s the most conservative route.  Ken just showed us that you can follow your passions and beat the odds, and that’s why he’s #5 on our list of top ten most influential Korean-Americans in 2009.

So what happened the past week with Koreans and Korean-Americans?  Well starting this week, we’re beginning a series called Monday Mashup or “Beacon Bits” as we affectionately call it here.  You can find the lovely Christina Lee reviewing the events and people that made the news during the past week and a few quick opinions on top of it.  If you have any thoughts or topics you’d like us to cover, don’t be afraid to email us at “beacon at koreanbeacon (dot) com.”

So who do the Korean boys want to date?  Netizens were asked which “Female celebrity you would most want to have a date with on Korea’s first snowfall of the year.“  Well, according to an Internet poll that was conducted last week, Jessica of the very large girl band SNSD was the winner with 30% of the 792 votes.

John Cho is a MAN!
John Cho sure had a man week. He was selected as one of People Magazine’s Sexiest Men (for the second time) and he showed up at GQ’s Men of the Year ceremony at the Chateau Marmont. And he’s having a good career year with a big part in Star Trek and on ABC’s FlashForward. Not bad for a guy who smoked pot in Harold and Kumar and coined the acronym “MILF.”

What are the hottest flats in South Korea?
According to an article in the Korean Economic Daily, the hottest flats worn by Korean women are from Tory Burch. Maybe that’s why the Wonder Girls showed up at her shop during Fashion Week.

There Was a Korean that Walked the Victoria’s Secret Show
Chanel Iman is partially Korean and she strutted her stuff down the Victoria’s Secret lingerie show in New York last week. It’s referred to as the Super Bowl for supermodels.  How many Korean girls have that kind of bootie?!

You Know You’re Famous When TMZ Decides To Film You
Ken Jeong who broke out this year with his full frontal nudity in The Hangover was spotted by TMZ because they like hanging out at LAX and in front of LA nightclubs.

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?

Is Ken Jeong the first Korean-American to ever appear on The Tonight Show? We’re not completely sure but he may have made history with his appearance last night with Conan O’Brien.   He’s had a spectacular run this year with roles in The Hangover, Couples Retreat and now a network TV show on Community.  And he’s got a bunch of things lined up.  He’s “that” guy and he’s got more roles lined up in the near future.  Pretty darn good for a guy who quit medicine to pursue comedy.  I wonder what his parents think of him now for giving up the American dream of being a doctor.  Check out his appearance next to Serena Williams.

Ken Jeong is “that” guy again as he finds himself in another movie, “Couples Retreat.”  This guy has done more movies than Ben Stiller this year.   He’s not a doctor in this one like in Knocked Up, but he’s a relationship therapist on the picturesque Eden retreat, helping couples talk about their feelings and relationship.  Now would you open up to Ken Jeong if he walked into the room?  HA!

If you don’t know much about Couples Retreat, it’s co-written by the Swingers duo of Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau.  It’s about four couples who go to Eden, a couples retreat to help reconcile their relationships.  It hasn’t been getting good reviews but of course we do have to note that Ken is once again in another comedy this year.  They guy can retire starting in 2010 with all the residuals he’s getting.

The AMC website had an interesting feature this week, looking into the next generation of Asian-American actors and actresses.  It seems that 2009 was the year where Asian-Americans were more prominent in film and hopefully it only increases.  They called out not only the success of Ken Jeong and John Cho, but a few other Korean-American actors. Interestingly, 6 of the 8 actors they featured were Korean-American. Wohoo! Here’s the excerpts of what they’re saying about them.

Aaron Yoo
The 30-year-old actor appears in four movies this year alone, the latest being Friday the 13th, in which he graciously allows Jason to smash him into a pulp. Yoo also carried a drunk Ari Graynor around in 2008′s Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist, and played a suburban sicko in Disturbia (2007). Other actors looking to emulate his success can start with his hipster haircut, possibly accomplished with a pair of kitchen shears.

Jamie Chung
Korean-American beauty Chung’s star is on the rise. She’s scored roles on shows like C.S.I., and even won the Female Stars of Tomorrow Award at this year’s ShoWest industry tradeshow alongside her cheeky Sorority Row castmembers. Next she’ll star alongside Shannen Doherty and Dylan McDermott in Burning Palms, a satire about Los Angeles. Not bad for a girl who kicked off her career on The Real World!

John Cho
Cho’s been starring in the Harold and Kumar movies since 2004, and had small roles in big hits of old like American Beauty and the American Pie series. But this year he proved there’s more to his talent than stoner humor as he filled George Takei’s considerable shoes, portraying Lt. Hikaru Sulu in Star Trek. Look for Cho in Caller ID in 2010… and perhaps on the Trekkie convention circuit as well.

Justin Chon
This Californian has acting in his blood: His father was a movie star in Korea before coming to America. Chon, 29, began his acting career on shows like The O.C., before breaking out in the immigration flick Crossing Over and landing a part in a little movie called Twilight — in which he plays a cute guy who gets good grades and hangs out with Bella Swan. Which means: He’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

Ken Jeong
With roles in The Hangover, Knocked Up, and this month’s Couples Retreat, 40-year-old Jeong has shown the range of his comedy this year. In The Hangover, he bosses the cool kids, speaks in falsetto and gets naked as ruthless Asian crime lord Mr. Chow. Regarding his (100 percent gratuitous) nude scene in that role, Jeong commented: “I think the country is ready for tiny Asians to expose themselves.” Bring it on

Moon Bloodgood
She’s in regular rotation on TV, but Bloodgood finally made her big mark in the cinema with this year’s Terminator Salvation, as resistance fighter and love interest Blair Williams. The 34-year-old model-turned-actress (and a member of the Maxim Hot 100) is a Dutch-Korean stunner who started out as a Lakers girl. Look for Moon in Bedrooms, out later this year.

If you watched the new comedy “Community” on NBC last week, they introduced Ken Jeong as the Spanish teacher Señor Chang. It’s a funny monologue about breaking stereotypes and recognizing that an Asian man can teach Spanish. It’s hilarious!