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In Spring 2016 - a rare convergence of prominent and influential artists of Chinese/Asian and American descent will be gathering together for a special night of performances in Las Vegas. They will be transcending boundaries to celebrate amazing creative partnerships that have occurred in the past, ongoing partnerships and a vision of the infinite possibilities that exists in the future. The participating artists' demonstrated unity of passion and compassion will also support efforts to meet the needs within the United States such as cancer, relief to disaster victimes and various community needs through the Black Card Circle 501c-3 organization. The night shares a vision similar to YoYo Ma's Silk Road Project (and other similar efforts) to connect different cultures through music. With the crop of students moving through college right now includes the largest group of mixed-race people ever to come of age in the United States (representing the fast-growingdemographic shift driven by immigration and intermarriage) (link), the common knowledge that the United States will be majority-minority nation by 2042 with the country will be 54 percent minority by 2050. . . and Asian Americans increase from 5 percent to 9 percent (link) and minorities now make up about 35% of the population in the United States (an increase of 5% from 2000 - link) - the greatly needed event represent the fast-approaching multi-cultural and cross-cultural world that our youths are living in. It is great that in a country where multiple languages are spoken, President Obama's "100,000 Strong Initiative" has embraced the latest changes by cultivating a greater understanding of different communities by their summer program for American high school students to learn Mandarin. In a world where American high school students have long been taught other languages such English, Spanish, Italian, French, German and others - at last, Chinese/Madarin is being taught. Peter Sellars (American theater director who is a professor of World Arts and Cultures at UCLA) states that the "irresistible" power of music has been responsible for social and even political change" . . . "Music can be a powerful democratic force, able to push boundaries in authoritarian societies." In addition to various prominent music artists of Asian descent (link) listed below - the night will include the various intersection of music and sports by highlighting the film projects such as the NBA's "Amazing" that features "Ugly Betty" star Eric Mabius (link), NBA All-Stars (Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, Magic Johnson and others) and actors of Asian descent, the Kevin Spacey-directed film starring Kevin with Daniel Wu (link) and others while incorporating a "Social Media/New Media"/MTV format - link). The night proclaims with a loud voice that the "Yellow Ceiling" should not exist. It is our hope that August Wilson's words ("culture has not always been valued; it certainly has not been valued by White America") describing the times that he lived in is slowly changing. It is comforting that the old axiom utilized by a long-standing and prominent entertainment executive regarding culture and what the next ten years held for Hollywood as a business - he stated in essence that the the people who had run Hollywood "in 1920" were still running it now and would still be running it "ten years from now" (link) - is not a working and successful model in these days of a multi-cultural and cross-cultural world where the United States will quickly be a "Minority-Majority" nation. The days of the Asian Exclusion in Hollywood (link) has been an obstacle that should be transcended. AAA Celebrations follows the tradition of the CMA Music Festival that provides rare opportunities for great talents to gather without the pressure of awards-show competition. "To me, the biggest 'win' is to be able to perform at those things," Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles stated. "I feel our live performance is so strong and so indicative ofwho we are, that is the moseewewst positive thing. (link) From the guiding hands of Danny O'Donovan (The Jackson's manager has produced concerts at China's The Great Wall and India's Taj Mahal while working with legends like Frank Sinatra, Liza Minnelli, Sammy Davis Jr. , Marlene Dietrich; Ray Charles, Count Basie, B.B. King, James Brown, Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix and Chuck Berry - link), to Ken Pedersen (former Senior Vice-President of Virgin Records Worldwide to Morgan Carey (Mariah Carey's brother expertise in promoting Asian artists in the U.S. saw him take Skull to David Henry Hwang (who worked with Elton John on "Aida" and Phil Collins in Disney's "Tarzan" - link) to Darlene Chan (producer of the annual Playboy Jazz Festival) to Ken Mok (E.P of American' Next Top Model - link) to the others who are either consultants or part of the Event's Board of Advisors - the event management's unique skills and expertise will assure that the highest quality will be attained. Utilizing AAA Celebrations format and vision as a visionary architect of a fast-approaching world, "magical moments in time" will be long remembered because the night will filled with highlight artists/performances that will inspire while motivating others to aspire for even greater heights of creativity by transcending boundares of prejudices, stereotypes and other factors. This "World Campfire" hopes to provide a platform and example of being passionate about having compassion for all. The event's vision is to create exciting new universes that others can participate in. The program subscribes to their firm belief that "All people, regardless of ethnicity or nationality, are united by a desire to enjoy life, and those desires supersede differences and bind us together." (link). Visit our Facebook Page (link) to get the latest updates and to share your ideas.
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Feel free to CLICK on any of the pictures to
learn more about the selected artists and to discover prominent
artists of Asian descent from throughout the world - along with
their many successes in the United States, click HERE |
IT'S A BRAND NEW WORLDDiversity's
Growing Influence
Tamlyn Tomita (Joy Luck Club, Karate Kid 2) - who was born to Okinawan and Filipino parents - says she applauds shows like FOX’s “Glee,” which make an effort to show what it means to be a person of color. But she says opportunities for minority actors can still be limited in Hollywood. . Neal Moritz (Fast and Furious movies) states "If you're going to make movies about things that are cool, whether it's music or fast cars or extreme sports, or even the Army or the police department, then it makes sense to draw on an ethnically diverse group of talent because all those areasare actually diverse in real life." Sadly . . the industry's track record on diversity , , for every two steps up, there's one step back (remember the "White" Oscars of 2011?). ".
. . indie rock right now, like pop in general, is strikingly
hybridized. This cross-fertilization is one of the most positive
aspects of pop today. It's been renewed by a love of dancing,
cross-cultural collaborations forged on the Web, and the ever-growing Event's
Promotion of Diversity
We are following the vision of Donald Fang (Senior Director of Diversity for Wal-Mart) to going beyond being a connoisseur of talent by proactively tap into unique viewpoints and approaches and foster a culture that allows them to emerge and thrive. We are bringing divergent points of view (creataively), developing consensus and maintain credibility - a tangible extension of adopting a game-changing mindset and a forward-thinking attitude. AAA
Celebrations seeks to be a visionary architect that seeks to
continuously improve, shape and create a creative tapestry consisting
of artists from China/Asia, the United States and the world
promoting the benefits of diversity. link
Links Between
American Asians and Asia
Creating greater change for APAs outside of showbiz can also be challenging, Tomita says, pointing to anti-Japanese sentiment that emerged following the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami in Japan. With the unfortunate "Alexandra Wallace Incident" at UCLA, Adam Carolla's tirade on Manny Pacquiao and others, the general public still has difficulty of separating Asia from ASIAN AMERICANS who have been here since the early 1800s till now. In an era when there are no minorities in any of the top jobs at Hollywood studios, events such as AAA Celebrations are needed to provide the motivation for the necessary changes to be successful in the future. Chinese
Americans and other Asian Americans worry about racism as an
element in the U.S.-China dynamic. Though rarely referred to
overtly, it is nonetheless a very real element in the Asian
American community's fear of Given that television and film typically portray Asians as immigrants with limited ability to speak English (just watch Law and Order to witness the vast majority of Asians/Chinese are portrayed as immigrants, in a city that the Asian communities have been there since the early 1800s. Note: Tamlyn Tomita is on Law and Order L.A. that showed some progress) - this provides additional evidence of how strong the general public's perception that AMERCIAN Asians are automatically associated with countries in Asia - along with the current political environment tha exists. They've failed to remember that Chinese/Asian American soldiers fought in the Civil War (both sides, , Sessue Hayakawa (film actor) made $2M per year in the 1920s, Jun Bing Mar made/lost millions owning/managing American nightclubs in the 1930s, that Anna May Wong made 60+ major American films in the early 20th century, that Toraichi Kono was Charles Chaplin's right hand man, that The Kim Sisters made the most appearances in the Ed Sullivan Show during the 1950s, etc. Realistically,
cultivating a strong and mutually beneficial relationships between
China/Asia and the United States appears to be a strategic move
because of the above-listed perception and American artists
wanting to perform there. Sign of
the Times - NBA and Fans of Chinese Descent
Noting the strong increase of interest in sales and interests created by Yao Ming, the NBA's growth in China has made these markets their fastest-growing fan base both in China AND the United States. Benefits have included greater jersey sales, affiliated basketball merchandise sales, greater ticket sales (seen with Jeremy Lin in San Francisco - Bay Area native and college star who is presently playing for the Golden State Warriors) and others. With Americans and Asians often crossing the Pacific Ocean for business and pleasure - along with the general public's perception that any Chinese/Asian are immigrants - the relationships betwen China/Asia and the AMERICAN Chinese/Asians has to be recognized and acknowledged. With
Kobe Bryant having the #1 selling jersey in China and numerous
other NBA athletes have fast-growing legion of fans, with various
NBA stars having endorsement deals with high-profiled Chinese
companies such as Li Ning. An indication and/or recognition
of the influence/impact of fans of Chinese/Asian descent, the
NBA and Shanghai Film Group co-produced the Sherwood Hu-directed
film "Amazing" (starring Huang Xiaoming, Kim A. Joong, Eric
Mabius, Magic Johnson, Dwight Howard, Yao Ming and Carmelo Anthony)
will be distributed in 2011. . On-Going
Battles of Perception
"I think that the word 'minority,' from our standpoint, should mean African-American," State Senator James Meeks said, . . . "I don't think women,Asians and Hispanics should be able to use that title. That's why our numbers cannot improve, because we use women, Asians and Hispanics, who are not people of color, who are not people who have been discriminated against.st, which had an average audience of 25.4 million viewers. Morrissey (former lead singer of The Smiths) stated "You can't help but feel that the Chinese are a subspecies." Often
one has a similar dialogue such as the following: Why the
Focus on China/Asia
Many see working with artists of Asian descent in the United States and in China (through the efforts of people such as AEG China-CEO-President John Cappo - link) is that it is a gateway to the opportunities that exists across the Pacific Ocean that have provided jobs for Chinese/Asian and American youths - especially given today's job markets. Some of their reasons are listed below. 460 of the U.S. Fortune 500 companies have operations in China in 2008 According to a Morgan Stanley report, China's inexpensive goods saved American consumers $100 billion in 2004 China's $1.7 tillion of foreign reserves . . (70% of which are invested in U.S. Treasurey bills) have helped finance American consumption and spending, from financing wars to paying Congressional salaries and writing Social Security checks. More Americans are becoming increasingly uneasy about being so in debt to a "communist" country 300% increase in U.S. exports to China between 2000 and 2007; nearly every U.S. state has reorded triple-digit growth in exports to China since 2000. After Canada and Mexico, China is the third largest export market for the U.S. in 2007. Increased profits for American companies in China in 2007, U.S. firms bade over $4 billion in profits from their businesses in China, 50% more than a year ago. Communist
or Capitalist or . . . Contrary
to popular opinion that U.S. firms enter China primarily because
of the low production and labor costs, the main attraction for
American firms remains access to the 1.3 billion pool of Chinese
consumers. As Chinese exports have been getting more expensive
and Chinese consumer have more disposable income, American firms
are finding it more cost effective to produce and sell in the
same market. |
xxxxxxx | WHY & HOW WE CELEBRATE Influential
& Upcoming Artists of Asian Descent
Purpose
Behind the Format
Those
honored will be examined through their creative triumphs and their
contributions to the arts. The focus is to celebrate inspiring artists,
pioneers and projects that celebrate a new world multiculturalism
and cross-culturalism that includes Chinese/Asian, Europeans and
Americans - along with the rest of the world. This night isnot a
competition. Though there is no clear way to measure cultural influence,
but clearly, that influence has to have been positive. The only
rule is that the recipient must be living and willing to accept
the Honors in person. The goal is to make us proud of how our performing
arts can unite people - to inspire us to stand taller and straighter.
Utilizing strategic factors associated with "New Media"
and MTV provides the ability to communicate with multi-cultural
and cross-cultural audiences throughout the world. (link)
Jay Chou's
Vision of Diversity
Jay Chou (star in Seth Rogen's Green Hornet and top Asian recording star) believes music can break through any language barrier. His 2008 Hennessey Artistry event where he performed with Wyclef Jean and Korean American artist Lena Park singing "Chrysanthemum Flower Bed" provides the best evidence for this. He hopes to attract more foreigners to learn Chinese songs. . . the scene of 3 artists from different countries collaborating touched guests offstage at the performance . . . . Wyclef Jean revealed that he has always looked forward to performing in China, he also praised Jay Chou and Leehom Wang as "real musicians." On the night of the performance, Wyclef Jean will be performing with many artists on the same stage, when asked about his understanding of the singers, he became rampant with talk, he praised Jay Chou's and Leehom Wang's talent, he also called the two real musicians, "They are able to combine Chinese culture with music, the music they make is what is real music." link Special
Seating & Prices
For those who want to enjoy a great experience at the event, special seating have been arranged to help those who want to be especially close to the music and artists. High
priority will be placed on pricing that will be appropriate for
true concertgoers and for corporate purchasers. This is in recognition
that the gross receipts in North America fell 7.6% to $4.25 billion
last year from $4.6 billion in 2009, according to Pollstar. Among
the top 100 tours, each show averaged $530,067 in gross ticket
sales, down 15.4% from $626,813 the year before. The average number
of tickets sold per show also took a nosedive, down 14.3% to 8,586
tickets in 2010 from 10,018 in 2009. Distribution
Options
Since consumers are getting more of their entertainment at home with their big-screen TVs, video games and the Internet - as noted by the 66% of U.S. consumers that altered their spending habits in the fourth quarter of 2008 as a result of the bad economy. Such changes could prompt the studios to speed up their efforts to distribute entertainment via the Internet, cellphones and other new outlets. "The recession will accelerate the transformation of the entertainment industry from traditional media to tomorrow's reality of new media," said Jerry Nickelsburg, a senior economist at UCLA. Consumer
spending on DVDs, already slowing, is believed to have dropped
about 5% to 7% in 2008. The slowdown in DVD sales reflects the
maturity of the business, which began to slow in 2005, but is
now exacerbated by a drop in overall consumer spending that
began a few months ago. Access
to American Artists
The
event has direct access and personal contacts to prominent artists
through its "Board of Advisors" and "Consultants"
that include Danny O'Donovan (Executive Producer who has worked
with The Jacksons, B.B. King, Fran Sinatra, Frank Sinatra, Liza
Minnelli, Sammy Davis Jr., Ray Charles, James Brown, Bob Marley,
The Temptations, Lionel Richie, The Commodores, Jimi Hendrix.
Diana Ross, Gladys Knight, Dionne Warwick, Patti Labelle and Tina
Turner), Ken Pedersen (former Senior Vice-President of
Virgin Records Worldwide), Darlene
Chan (Producer of Playboy Jazz Festival, Mercedes-Benz Music
Festival, Verizon Music Festival), Ken Mok (Co-Executive
Producer of "Next Top Model"), Morgan Carey (Music
Manager and Mariah Carey's brother), Ken Pedersen (former
SVP of Virgin Records Worldwide), David Henry Hwang (Prominent
Playwright/Aido, Disney's Tarzan, F.O.B.), Ray Murphy (Former
President of Eddie Murphy Productions) - among others. link Fast-Growing
Multicultural and Cross-Cultural World
The
fast-rising multi-cultural and cross-cultural worlds that will include
learning the Chinese (Mandarin) and English languages - along with
their cultures - are noted by the statistics listed below. China
will soon have more people speaking English than what exists in
the United States. The U.S. exhibit fast-growing numbers of interracial
marriages (including Chinese/Asian and Americans) that will also
be a strategic factor in the merging of these communities. The 2008
Beijing Olympics and its vision is another high-profiled step in
the convergense of the Chinese and American communities and cultures.
Minoriities will be 54% of the population by 2050 Minorities will consisit of 235.7M of 439M people in 2050 Minority children will reach 54% by 2023 Hispanic Communities ** ** Population will increase from 15% to 30% ** ** Population will increase from 46.7M to 132.8M People Black Communities ** ** Population will increase from 14% to 15% ** ** Population will increase from 41.17M to 65.7M People Asian/Asian Pacific American Communities ** **Population will increase from 5.1% to 9.2% ** **Population will increase from 15.57M to 40.6M People Working-Age Minority Population ** **Exceed 59% in 2039 ** **Exceed 55% in 2050 Fast-Growing Interracial Marriages - link Many Desire to Learn Mandarin - link Chinese Government Sending Culture Teachers to U.S. - link Growing U.S. Enclaves of Chinese (Irvine) - link More Young Americans Learning Mandarin - link China's Rapid Rise Spur Americans to Learn Chinese - link Strong Desire to Learn English - link Mandarin Speaks to a Growing Audience - link U.Sl's Presidential Election Features ** Bi-Racial (Black/White) Democratic Party Candidate ** Women Vice-President Republican Party Candiadate Connections
Between American Artists & China/Asia
Many
American/International artists feel that working with prominent
artists of Asian descent (in the United States and China/Asia)
will give them access to the following audiences that 1.3B (1/5th
of the world's population), nearly 1/3 of the World's "Under
25" years old consumers, have 250+M "Middle Class consumers,
strong economy to purchase CDs/downloads, 228.1M more cell phone
users than the United States and has four times the population
of the U.S. With Usher, Linkin Park, Bob Dylan, The Eagles, Bruno
Marsand others recently performing in China and/or Asia - they
recognize the connection.
.
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xxxxxxxx | EVENT AUDIENCESNew Multi-Cultural/Cross-Cultural
Audiences
2010 U.S. Census documents that the nationwide population of white
children declined by 4.3 million, while Asian and Latino children
grew by 5.5 million. Asian population also grew 43%, increasing
from 10.2 million in 2000 to 14.7 million in 2010 , , , Asians now
account for about 5% of the nation's population.link
American
and International Audiences
United
States will be majority-minority nation by 2042. By 2050, the country
will be 54 percent minority as Latinos double from 15 percent to
30 percent of the population, Asian Americans increase from 5 percent
to 9 percent, and
African Americans move from 14 to 15 percent.link Chinese
Fans of American Artists
Chinese
audiences are thristy to hear prominent American artists, actors,
athletes, etc. In recognition of that, three of the biggest players
in the U.S. live entertainment business - Live Nation, Anschutz
Entertainment Group (AEG) and Ticketmaster -- have all staked claims
in China. Linkin Park (2007), Nine Inch Nails (2007), Roger Waters,
the Cure, Christina Aguillar, Muse, Stone Roses' Ian Brown (2006),
Beyounce (2008), Public Enemy (2007), New York Dolls (2007), Ramones
(2007), II Divo, Gwen Stefani, Renee Fleming (Beijing Olympics),
Angela Gheorghiu (Beijing
Olympics), Sumi Jo (Beijing
Olympics), Marcello Giordani (Beijing
Olympics), Salvatore Licitra
(Beijing
Olympics), Larry Gatline and
the Gatlin Brothers, Sarah Brightman (Beijing
Olympics), Cincinnati Pops Orchestra
(Beijing
Olympics) and Jonas Kaufmann
(Beijing
Olympics)have performed in China.
link
Chinese
Consumers
* One of the top concerns Chinese consumers have is One of the
top concerns Chinese consumers have is product safety . . . clothing
doused in toxic dye, condoms lubricated with vegetable oil, watermelons
injected with dirty water to make them heavier "Casino
Players"
Recognizing
that having an event means meeting our venue partner's need means
addressing the needs of their core business - "Casino Players
- while maintaining the intregity of the event's goals and purpose.
As a result, our promotion will include focusing on the demographic
groups that \fit the following descriptions:
** ** Chinese - Along with Asian and American ** ** 'Successful Older Business People ("Old Money") ** ** Young Entrepreneurs/Internet/Online Moguls (Age: 21-28): ** ** Seekers of Quick Individual Fame ** ** Speak Mandarin, Cantonese and English ** ** Travel Consistently Between U.S., Canada, China/Asia & the World ** ** Adept in Chinese and U.S. Business and Personal Cultures ** ** Multi-Cultural, Cross-Cultural and Transnational Demographics ** ** Family, Friends and/or Business Associated Travel with Him ** ** Have Chinese and Multi-Cultural Personal, Social and Business Contacts ** ** Enjoy Chinese and American entertainment and relaxation ** ** Constantly Seeking "Good Luck" and/or "Good Fortune" for Business Casino
Players Motivations
Since gambling is a form of social activity and part of a festive celebration - attending high-profiled events filled with prominent people provide excellent reasons and prestige to gather since it provides the socialization environment that Chinese casino players seek - along with providing multiple options of entertainment and relaxation at the hotels. Along deepening their friendships, it is a form of business networking or guanxi opportunities that will present itself at this "once-in-a-lifetime" event that brought great prestige to China. Their attendance at this event will provide positive impact considering their general belief in fate, luck, feng shui and karma. Many casino managers, marketers and game designers can devise ways to encourage Chinese gamblers to play more by recognizing these factors Why would they come? It's good karma would provide the financial motivation to gamble for money considering their extended history of experiencing great insecurity caused by political and economic events in the United States, China and elsewhere. Everyone wants to be rich and enjoy the material gains in the potential for earning quick wealth - shortcut to financial achievement. At higher social class levels, excitement, entertainment and social rather than monetary values may better explain such strong interest in gambling. link) Casino
Players' Entertainment Taste
“Casino Players” are attracted to prestigious and memorable entertainment experiences that provide relaxation to themselves, their business associates and their families. “Casino Players” are looking for entertainment that would be of great interest to the people traveling with them – such as wives, husbands, children, business associates, friends, etc. that would provide more time for business networking and/or gambling. This could include entertainment that is geared towards concert-goers between the ages of 18 to 25 that would their need for excitement, entertainment and social/network opportunities. "Casino Players" are appreciative of seeing a program filled pretty actors and models while providing exciting entertainment that provides something more than what they receive in China. Seeing their favorite artists in different and more exciting situations (which could include “meet and greet” with their favorite singers) provides additional motivation to attend this event.
Successful Productions
This event is targeted at the Chinese "Casino Players" whose backgrounds and likes are fast-changing that reflects China's influence in the world, along with their on-going efforts to be inclusive with the world's lifestyle. Our goal is to reflect this fast-growing trend by meeting the needs of the "old school" Chinese business people and wealty young entrepreneurs with popular Chinese artists while meeting their desire of American artists who are popular in China. Our management answer these above-listed issues by having personnel that addresses all related issues. (link) |