March 18, 2021 • No Comments • Entertainment News

CAROLE BETHUEL/NETFLIX © 2020(LOS ANGELES) — Emily in Paris star Ashley Park has gone viral with an impassioned plea about the plight of the Asian-American community, in the wake of Tuesday’s deadly shooting spree at Atlanta-area spas.

Six of the victims were Asian women, and although the alleged perpetrator said he wasn’t motivated by race, the incident comes on the heels of increasing violent incidents aimed at Asians across the country since the start of the pandemic last year.

Park captioned her video, “3 deadly shootings targeting Asian Women in Atlanta yesterday. I couldn’t sleep. …ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.”

Park, who is Korean-American, began the tearful video by saying she posted it because, “I’m so tired of people not knowing what’s going on.”

The actress said that violence aside, there is “societal programming” that degrades people in her community. “The amount of times in my life that I’ve been asked where I’m from before what my name is … you do understand…the undervaluing that does,” she said. “Starting with children, when every Asian kid should be able to be good at math and play a classical instrument…”

The Tony-nominated actress also declared, “This racism starts at a very small level. It starts with things that you say. It starts when someone calls a virus that shut down the whole world the ‘Kung Flu virus.’ It also starts when you roll your eyes or make fun of Asian waiters or Chinese food delivery people and the nail artist.”

“I’m guilty of that, too,” she admitted. 

Park added, “I do hope that this younger generation lives in a world where they don’t have to deal with this, or they at least have the tools and allies to deal with it better than I am dealing with it now.”

By Stephen Iervolino
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

March 18, 2021 • No Comments • Entertainment News

ABC News/Stephen Iervolino(LOS ANGELES) — While you may have had trouble doing anything but bingeing TV during the pandemic, 89-year-old William Shatner has been killing it. 

“You know, I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve been really doing well,” the multi-tasking Star Trek icon admits to ABC Audio.

“I’ve been vaccinated. Nobody in my family has gotten the disease, my wife’s got her first shot. My kids are getting vaccinated. I mean, it’s just…been ‘OK,'” he says, seemingly embarrassed. “And, as so many people who have lost loved ones, I have been fortunate enough not to have.”

Aside from being healthy, Shatner has been very productive. “Let me tell you why,” he explains. “I’ve been able to focus on things so there’s no extraneous noise or people.” 

The accomplished equestrian says, “One of the things that I made a giant leap is my ‘seat’ on riding a horse because I’m able to go frequently and focus on that horse. I’ve become a better rider, much better rider.”

He adds, “I’ve been able to create an album, actually two, with a friend of mine who’s a poet and with a guy who’s a musician….We’ve created…two albums [that were] picked up by Universal Records…”

Shatner adds, “I’m doing a podcast. In this time with the distancing, I’m doing a show called The Unexplained, which has become a hit on the History Channel. I got all kinds of things going…”

For good measure, he reveals, “I’m going to interview three authors and do this new idea for a book club. I mean, it’s just one thing after another. It’s fantastic.” 

The Unexplained returns Friday night, April 2 on History.

Oh, and what’s more, Shatner can be seen On Demand on March 26 in the romantic comedy Senior Moment.

By Stephen Iervolino
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.