AVATAR: Publicity Wanted!
AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER
It's the publicity post!
As with everything else in our modern world, publicity is the way to get noticed. I've started with the most obvious venues - online new sites and newsblogs, specifically those that enjoy a good Entertainment-related story.
So, as with the aang-aint-white letter-writing campaign, please help me with getting this on some outside sources! Frankly, I think you can write a more eloquent email than I can, so PROVE ME RIGHT.
Media
perezhilton.com: perez@perezhilton.com
gawker.com: tips@gawker.com
io9.com: tips@io9.com POSTED!
jezebel.com: tips@jezebel.com
huffingtonpost.com: scoop@huffingtonpost.com
filmschoolrejects.com: editors@filmschoolrejects.com
scifi.com (Fandom section): scifiwire@scifi.com POSTED!
onthemedia.org: http://onthemedia.org/contact/email/form
laineygossip.com: lainey@laineygossip.com
deadlinehollywooddaily.com: deadlinehollywood@gmail.com
latimesblogs.latimes.com/the_big_picture: patrick.goldstein@latimes.com
hollywoodreporter.com: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/about_us/contact_form.jsp
variety.com:news@variety.com
awn.com: Annemarie Moody(News Editor) annemarie@awn.com
24hrs.ca: news@24hrs.ca, Editor-in-Chief: dean.broughton@24hrs.ca
metronews.ca: vancouverletters@metronews.ca (or toronto, montreal, calgary, halifax, etc)
canoe.ca: http://www.canoe.ca/Help/feedback.html --lol automated response. I'm gonna keep trying.
cbc.ca/thehour: thehour@cbc.ca
Organizations
asiansinamerica.typepad.com: editor@asiansinamerica.org
aafe.org: http://www.aafe.org/pgs/contactus.html
Hi there,
I am writing in a effort to bring to the media's attention the casting of The Last Airbender movie, to be directed by M Night Shyamalan.
The Avatar: The Last Airbender animated series was one mired in Asian and Inuit culture. To see the live-action main cast be completely turned over to white actors was a slap in the face for those loyal to the show and by extension, many racially diverse people. Even further anger was because the movie is likely to stay in an Asian/Inuit-influenced world, but populated by white people. This is Orientalism.
I'm emailing again because I have some further evidence which, I think, exemplifies why this is so important and blatantly white-washing. Here are some quote directly for Nicklodeon, who own the rights of Avatar:TLA --
"Avatar: The Last Airbender is a truly unique comic adventure with rich animation and incredible martial-arts choreography. Creators Bryan Konietzko and Mike DiMartino designed a fantastical Asian world with compelling characters and interesting creatures that will capture kids' imaginations and spirit." - Marjorie Cohn, Executive Vice President, Development and Original Programming, Nickelodeon. (http://news.awn.com/index.php?ltype=cat&category1=Television&newsitem_no=13156)
"Since its launch, Avatar has developed a fervent fan base, and not just with kids. The unique attributes of the show -- epic storytelling, Asian influence and film quality graphics -- have generated one of the most passionate fan bases in Nickelodeon's history." - Nickelodeon Avatar Related Press Releases (http://www.avatarspiritmedia.net/nickpressrelease.php)
This story has also been posted on io9.com (http://io9.com/5111680/avatar-casting-makes-fans-see-white) and Firefox News (http://firefox.org/news/articles/2324/1/Avatar-Casting-Rumors-Cause-Fandom-Tremors/Page1.html). We need more coverage and we need your help!
Again, you can find out more on the story here--
The letter-writing campaign, plus many links (listed on the left-hand side) to all of the pertinent blogs which try to debunk white-washing of Hollywood and express fan outrage:
http://aang-aint-white.livejournal.com
This has affected many people of all races and cultural backgrounds, both fans and non-fans of the animated series, both Americans and international. We are all trying to do something about it and I hope you find this story newsworthy.
Thanks very much for reading,
L. S.
In the emails to Canadian sites, I gave a sentence explaining why I thought it was an important issue for Canadians. Something about beady eyes and flappy heads.
Frankly, I think you can write a more eloquent email than I can, so if you have the time, please do so! And if you have more news sites/blogs that might be interested in this story, let me know and I'll add them to my list.
-----------------------------------------
In the meantime:
AVATAR: AN ESSAY IN IMAGES
We'll let the show speak for itself.
aang-aint-white: Many people have been telling us we shouldn't be offended. And of all the arguments we've been presented with this past week, the most common is also the most surprising: "These characters look white to me."
For those of you who're interested in this issue but not familiar with the show, and for those fans who want a reminder of what we're fighting to preserve: an essay in images, spanning the length of the series and ending as the show itself tellingly chose to.
It's stunning, to see this, truly. It reminds me how much time and effort went into making this world so rich in design, concept, costuming and colours. This is why it means so much to me.
And if you still have doubts after looking at the visual evidence, keep reading the comments.
It's the publicity post!
As with everything else in our modern world, publicity is the way to get noticed. I've started with the most obvious venues - online new sites and newsblogs, specifically those that enjoy a good Entertainment-related story.
So, as with the aang-aint-white letter-writing campaign, please help me with getting this on some outside sources! Frankly, I think you can write a more eloquent email than I can, so PROVE ME RIGHT.
Media
perezhilton.com: perez@perezhilton.com
gawker.com: tips@gawker.com
io9.com: tips@io9.com POSTED!
jezebel.com: tips@jezebel.com
huffingtonpost.com: scoop@huffingtonpost.com
filmschoolrejects.com: editors@filmschoolrejects.com
scifi.com (Fandom section): scifiwire@scifi.com POSTED!
onthemedia.org: http://onthemedia.org/contact/email/form
laineygossip.com: lainey@laineygossip.com
deadlinehollywooddaily.com: deadlinehollywood@gmail.com
latimesblogs.latimes.com/the_big_picture: patrick.goldstein@latimes.com
hollywoodreporter.com: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/about_us/contact_form.jsp
variety.com:news@variety.com
awn.com: Annemarie Moody(News Editor) annemarie@awn.com
24hrs.ca: news@24hrs.ca, Editor-in-Chief: dean.broughton@24hrs.ca
metronews.ca: vancouverletters@metronews.ca (or toronto, montreal, calgary, halifax, etc)
canoe.ca: http://www.canoe.ca/Help/feedback.html --lol automated response. I'm gonna keep trying.
cbc.ca/thehour: thehour@cbc.ca
Organizations
asiansinamerica.typepad.com: editor@asiansinamerica.org
aafe.org: http://www.aafe.org/pgs/contactus.html
Hi there,
I am writing in a effort to bring to the media's attention the casting of The Last Airbender movie, to be directed by M Night Shyamalan.
The Avatar: The Last Airbender animated series was one mired in Asian and Inuit culture. To see the live-action main cast be completely turned over to white actors was a slap in the face for those loyal to the show and by extension, many racially diverse people. Even further anger was because the movie is likely to stay in an Asian/Inuit-influenced world, but populated by white people. This is Orientalism.
I'm emailing again because I have some further evidence which, I think, exemplifies why this is so important and blatantly white-washing. Here are some quote directly for Nicklodeon, who own the rights of Avatar:TLA --
"Avatar: The Last Airbender is a truly unique comic adventure with rich animation and incredible martial-arts choreography. Creators Bryan Konietzko and Mike DiMartino designed a fantastical Asian world with compelling characters and interesting creatures that will capture kids' imaginations and spirit." - Marjorie Cohn, Executive Vice President, Development and Original Programming, Nickelodeon. (http://news.awn.com/index.php?ltype=cat&category1=Television&newsitem_no=13156)
"Since its launch, Avatar has developed a fervent fan base, and not just with kids. The unique attributes of the show -- epic storytelling, Asian influence and film quality graphics -- have generated one of the most passionate fan bases in Nickelodeon's history." - Nickelodeon Avatar Related Press Releases (http://www.avatarspiritmedia.net/nickpressrelease.php)
This story has also been posted on io9.com (http://io9.com/5111680/avatar-casting-makes-fans-see-white) and Firefox News (http://firefox.org/news/articles/2324/1/Avatar-Casting-Rumors-Cause-Fandom-Tremors/Page1.html). We need more coverage and we need your help!
Again, you can find out more on the story here--
The letter-writing campaign, plus many links (listed on the left-hand side) to all of the pertinent blogs which try to debunk white-washing of Hollywood and express fan outrage:
http://aang-aint-white.livejournal.com
This has affected many people of all races and cultural backgrounds, both fans and non-fans of the animated series, both Americans and international. We are all trying to do something about it and I hope you find this story newsworthy.
Thanks very much for reading,
L. S.
In the emails to Canadian sites, I gave a sentence explaining why I thought it was an important issue for Canadians. Something about beady eyes and flappy heads.
Frankly, I think you can write a more eloquent email than I can, so if you have the time, please do so! And if you have more news sites/blogs that might be interested in this story, let me know and I'll add them to my list.
-----------------------------------------
In the meantime:
AVATAR: AN ESSAY IN IMAGES
We'll let the show speak for itself.
aang-aint-white: Many people have been telling us we shouldn't be offended. And of all the arguments we've been presented with this past week, the most common is also the most surprising: "These characters look white to me."
For those of you who're interested in this issue but not familiar with the show, and for those fans who want a reminder of what we're fighting to preserve: an essay in images, spanning the length of the series and ending as the show itself tellingly chose to.
It's stunning, to see this, truly. It reminds me how much time and effort went into making this world so rich in design, concept, costuming and colours. This is why it means so much to me.
And if you still have doubts after looking at the visual evidence, keep reading the comments.