Fil-Am up for Best Actor at Emmy Awards

LOS ANGELES — "The Assassination of Gianni Versace" star Darren Criss, who is of Filipino descent, could become the second Asian-American actor to claim an acting award at the 70th Emmy Awards on September 17, after Riz Ahmed's win last year for "The Night After," a notable back-to-back outcome if it happens.

Criss earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for starring as serial killer Andrew Cunanan in the second installment of Ryan Murphy’s “American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianna Versace” in 2018.

Criss will be up against Antonio Banderas (“Genius: Picasso”); Benedict Cumberbatch (“Patrick Melrose”); Jeff Daniels (“The Looming Tower”); John Legend (“Jesus Christ Superstar”); and Jesse Plemons (“Black Mirror: USS Callister”) for the award.

Born to a Cebuana mother and a father of English, Irish, and German descent, Criss was raised in California. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from the University of Michigan.

The 31-year-old is best known for portraying Blaine Anderson in the hit musical comedy series “Glee.” His cover of Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” became “Glee’s” fastest-selling single that reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified “gold” in America. Likewise, he was nominated for an Emmy in 2015 for composing the song “This Time” for “Glee’s” finale.


Apart from being a TV actor and singer, Criss co-owns the musical theater company StarKid Productions, for which he famously portrayed Harry Potter in the musical “A Very Potter Musical.” In 2012, he made a Broadway debut when he replaced Daniel Radcliffe in the play “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.”

In 2015, Darren’s duet with Filipino Tony Award-winning singer-actress Lea Salonga of the Disney classic “A Whole New World,” which Salonga recorded for the animated movie “Aladdin,” went viral on social media.

Darren is engaged to his girlfriend of more than seven years, Mia Swier.

Apart from him, Sandra Oh has the chance to become the first performer of Asian descent to win a lead drama actress trophy at the 2018 Emmys — a victory that would coincide nicely with the landmark box-office success of "Crazy Rich Asians." The Korean-Canadian is nominated for the spy thriller "Killing Eve" after receiving five supporting actress nods for "Grey's Anatomy."

A streaming service or basic cable series has yet to win top comedy, something that FX's "Atlanta" or Amazon Prime Video's "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" could change.

Issa Rae of "Insecure" or "black-ish" star Tracee Ellis Ross could become the second African-American to win as best comedy actress, following Isabel Sanford (1981, "The Jeffersons") by 37 years — and making for a 21st-century first.

The 70th Emmy Awards will air on September 17 from Microsoft Theater, Los Angeles, California. — Reports from Associated Press/Lynn Elber

source: philstar.com

Asian-American leaders laud Obama nomination of Fil-Am as federal judge

A woman lawyer could become the first Filipino-American to serve as an Article III federal judge if her nomination by US President Barack Obama is approved by the US Senate.

Article III judges enjoy lifetime tenure.

The nomination of Lorna Schofield was immediately hailed by Asian-American community leaders.

“I am honored to put forward these highly qualified candidates for the federal bench,” President Obama said in nominating Schofield and three others. “They will be distinguished public servants and valuable additions to the United States District Court.”

“As a second-generation Filipino American, Ms. Schofield’s nomination and confirmation by the Senate would make her the first in the history of the United States to serve as a federal judge,” said National Federation of Filipino American Associations chairman Ed Navarra. “Given that Asian Americans are significantly underrepresented in the federal judiciary, Ms. Schofield’s addition will greatly enhance the judiciary’s diversity.”

“We congratulate Lorna Schofield on her nomination to serve as a federal district court judge on the Southern District of New York,” said Nimesh M. Patel, president of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association. “She is an exceptionally well-qualified nominee, and we thank both President Obama and Senator Schumer for putting her name forward to serve on such a distinguished court.”

“It is exciting to finally see a Filipina American have the opportunity to serve as a federal judge,” said KAYA: Filipino-Americans for Progress co-chairman Jason T. Lagria. “Growing up, there were not many Filipino lawyers I could look to as role models, and I hope her nomination inspires members of our community to follow in her footsteps.”

Schofield is a second-generation Filipino-American, the only child of a post-World War II Filipina immigrant who raised her after her father left them when she was just three years old.

She received a full tuition scholarship to attend Indiana University and earned her law degree from the New York University Law School in 1981.

In 2008, she was named one of the nation’s 50 most influential minority lawyers by the National Law Journal.

She served as Assistant United States Attorney in the criminal division of the Southern District of New York for four years where her significant cases involved prosecuting domestic terrorism, arms smuggling, and tax fraud.

Schofield was the first Asian American Pacific Islander to chair the Litigation Section of the American Bar Association’s largest section, which has over 60,000 members, and has also served as a member of the ABA’s Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary.

source: interaksyon.com

Knicks guard Jeremy Lin named to Time’s 100 Most Influential list

New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin, who captured the world’s imagination earlier this season with his Cinderella run for the struggling NBA team, has been named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.

Lin, an Asian-American product of Harvard University, overcame long odds to become a cult hero for fans of the struggling Knicks. United Stated education secretary Arne Duncan, a fellow Harvard alumnus and also a former Crimson basketball player, wrote Lin’s profile for Time.

“He’s dispelled the idea that Asian-American guards somehow couldn’t hack it in the NBA,” Duncan said, “and that being a world-class athlete on the court is somehow at odds with being an excellent student off the court.”

Left undrafted by NBA teams last season, Lin was signed to a two-year deal by the Golden State Warriors after an impressive performance in summer camp. But he was unable to get any significant playing time with the Warriors, and was cut twice in his second season — first by Golden State and then by the Houston Rockets — before being picked up by the Knicks.

Lin was on the verge of being cut by the Knicks when former coach Mike D’Antoni took a flyer on the untested guard, and he responded by stringing along several memorable performances, leading the team to wins without stars Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire.

But Lin’s amazing year was cut abruptly after he suffered a knee injury. He underwent surgery in April for a lateral meniscus tear, which rendered him out for the season.

source: interaksyon.com