|| {FAQ} || {Racebending.com} || {Racebending LJ FORUM} ||

<sub>As fans of the original television show, we still hold the highest level of respect for the Avatar: the Last Airbender animated series and its culturally nuanced depiction of an Asian fantasy world.

The series featured Asian characters in a fantasy setting inspired and informed by a variety of Asian cultures. The cast and setting were virtually unique in American media as a celebration of people and culture of Asian descent.

For American children, it was an opportunity to witness heroes and heroines of color – an opportunity that enriched all of us, regardless of ethnicity.

We know we cannot change the casting of The Last Airbender live action movie. But this is not the end of our movement.

We want Paramount Pictures – and all Hollywood studios – to know that supporting and hiring actors of color in prominent roles will help build passionate, devoted audiences. The appeal of Hollywood’s films will expand with greater attention to the face of modern America.-</sub>Racebending.com

2/1/2010 M. Night actively campaigned to have actress Nicola Peltz, who is white, cast to play the character of Katara, one of the only strong heroines of color kids are able to see on television. [link]

2/1/2010 Professor Henry Jenkins of University of Southern California posts interview&article about Racebending.com and its founder, Loraine! [link]

2/1/2010 NYC Racebending.com STREET TEAM: February Recruitment! [link]
If you can easily commute to Manhattan then please see us at the physical meeting:

The Museum of Chinese in America
215 Centre Street, Manhattan NY
February 4th, 2010
6:30-8:30pm
(FREE ENTRY)

2/1/2010 Leaked Photos of Rathbone, Peltz, and extras in Greenland [link]

2/1/2010 Official The Last Airbender Posters released [link]

2/1/2010 RACEBENDING T-SHIRTS! [link]
Hopefully in a couple weeks we'll get to see pictures of all you lovely people in your Racebending shirts.

2/1/2010 ATLA - the Art of the Animated Series (OFFICIAL AVATAR ARTBOOK) [link]
"Since its debut in 2005, Avatar: The Last Airbender has remained one of Nickelodeon's most talked about and highest-rated animated series to date, and it's not too hard to see why . . . Not only does it offer an epic storyline, engaging characters, action, adventure, and a powerful message about the importance of hope in a world long-besieged by war, all the while serving up top-notch entertainment. It's also beautifully executed, a stunning masterpiece of animated storytelling that harmonizes Western influences with aesthetic inspiration drawn from a diverse array of cultures, including those of China, Japan, India, and the Inuit."


7/30/2009 Statement from Avatar: The Last Airbender Animatic Editor Dao Le [link]
Racebending.com has received a statement from Dao Le, Animatic Editor of the Avatar: The Last Airbender original animated series: [link]

"...Giancarlo Volpe, who directed 19 episodes of the series, and martial arts and cultural consultant Sifu Kisu of the Harmonious Fist Chinese Athletic Assn have both publicly commented on the casting controversy. East West Players--a theater troupe founded by the late Avatar voice actor Mako (IROH) and comprised of several Asian American actors who starred or guest starred in the series--released a letter sent to Paramount expressing their disappointment [link] with the casting. Earlier this month, series cultural consultant Siu-Leung Lee, PhD shared his views [link] on the cast on a radio show, and shared that all East Asian and Chinese language and calligraphy elements will be removed in the live action adaption... continued: [link] </i>

7/30/2009 The Last Airbender to replace all Chinese calligraphy in the movie with gibberish [link]
Earlier this month, Professor S.L. Lee spoke out against racebending on San Francisco's 94.1 KPFA radio. Lee's statement today confirms fan speculation that Chinese calligraphy has been cut from The Last Airbender and will be replaced with a gibberish language.

"I just received words from the movie producers. They are not going to use Chinese calligraphy at all, replacing it with unreadable symbols. I won't be participating in the movie.
It is not only a disappointment on the cast. They are removing all the successful elements of the original TV series... I am disappointed to learn that the Avatar movie has removed the successful cultural elements of the original Avatar TV series. Whether this is a right decision will be seen in the box office."

- Professor Siu-Leung Lee, cultural consultant, Avatar: The Last Airbender</i>

7/30/2009 The Last Airbender live-action-movie-manga [link]
The Anime News Network [link] wrote up a review of SDCC '09. This includes Del Ray manga's announcement that there's going to be a manga adaptation of Shyamalan's The Last Airbender.
and are cowriting! is also against the movie casting.

7/30/2009 Racebending REPRESENTS at San Diego Comic Con! (+pics!) [link]
Stats:
Days at the con: 4
# of volunteers: approx. 7
# of signatures for petition: 200+
# of pins given: 1500
# of flyers distributed: 7000
# of shirts distributed: 15
AWESOME WORK YOU GUYS!

7/22/2009 SEE YOU AT SAN DIEGO COMIC CON 2009 - Check out our table and/or see you at the Avatar cosplay photoshoot! [link]
*New pic of Sifu Kisu with racebending t-shirt at SDCC [link]

7/14/2009 New Cast Photos and Promo Images [link] and [link]

7/14/2009 Apply to fight racebending at San Diego Comic Convention! [link]
"Due to popular demand, we've thrown an application form up at racebending.com. Please apply if you want to help us at Comic-Con!" [link]
Mike and Bryan are confirmed to be there- however, please do not direct protests towards them. The creators did not have a say in the casting of The Last Airbender movie. Thanks!

7/14/2009 Racebending on the radio! [link]
The radio program Living Room (on KPFA-FM in Berkeley) broadcasted a segment on the "Last Airbender" controversy 3rd July, 2009 at 12:30PM Pacific time.
HOORAY for fans pulling what media strings they have to get the word out and about!


6/10/2009 MANAA interviewed about The Last Airbender! [link]
An inspiring, highly informative read. We have their full support!

6/10/2009 New Jackson Rathbone (Sokka) TV interview - includes footage from the set [link]
He now has Sokka hair...

6/10/2009 ...Meet Avatar Aang and Prince Zuko. (picture of Noah Ringer!) [link]

5/15/2009 Our webcam is now a stamp, too: [link]

5/15/2009 A stunt double has now been cast for "karate star" Noah Ringer. [link]
An Asian one.
I guess Asian stunt doubles for Asian characters are okay in Hollywood, but Asians to play Asian leads aren't?

5/15/2009 We're this week's front page story of the Pacific Citizen! [link]
"The Pacific Citizen is an award-winning Asian Pacific American semi-monthly newspaper with a distribution of 30,000 throughout the United States and Japan. Its popular Web site averages over 300,000 hits per month. Ideally, now 330,000 people have seen this story and heard about what happened to the cast of The Last Airbender."


04/15/09 Airbender Casting director Dee Dee Rickets - LIVE! Start listening at 3:45 [link]
>>What a "The Last Airbender" extras audition sounds like!
>>Also see pics of protest
"So, what we're going to do now is, we're going to take your picture...and if you--if you can make yourself look like you're not walking off the streets of Philly, that's great! Even if that means putting a scarf around your head and making you look like a peasant villager from Lithuania, that's great! *Dee Dee Laughs* Anything! ...Because anything is going to mix it up."
Start listening at 3:45 [link]

The journal has been updated with a new FAQ: Racebending 101 section! [link]

The Last Airbender CAST.

Aang_____ Noah Ringer
Sokka_____ Jackson Rathbone
Katara_____ Nicola Peltz
Zuko_____ Dev Patel
Suki_____ Jessica Jade Andres
Zhao_____ Aasif Mandvi
Iroh_____ Shaun Toub
Ozai_____ Cliff Curtis


A list of varied reactions from the deviantART Avatar fanbase to the casting that colorfully reflect the purpose of this plz account:
[link] [link] [link] [link]
[link] [link] [link]


Official Racebending.com Supporters

• 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors

• Airbender.net

• Angry Asian Man

• Anson Jew

• Asian American Comic Con

• Asian American International Film Festival

• Asian Male Revolutions

• Avatar Destiny Portal

• Derek Kirk Kim

• East West Players

• Gene Luen Yang

• Japanistic.com

• Kollaboration

• Media Action Network for Asian Americans

• Organization for Transformative Works

• Penny Arcade

• San Francisco's KPFA

• Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology

• The Razor Kid

_{Our mission: Bring deviants up-to-date information about racism in The Last Airbender movie, and promote the Aang-ain't-White cause: advocating just and equal opportunity in film and television.}