"Milton," a Vietnamese-American character's ethnicity served as the main source of humor in a recent episode of the new UPN sitcom Malcolm and Eddie. When Milton complains about service to bar manager Malcolm Jamal-Warner, Malcolm's partner Eddie walks over and asks, "Who's the kung fu fool?" This gets a big laugh from the audience, and Eddie is never reproached for his act of racial harassment. Later, when Milton is found dead in the restaurant, a farcical "Weekend at Bernie's" plot ensues, culminating in a funeral in which Eddie reinvents the story of Milton's life to comic effect, drawing on Milton's ethnic strangeness: "He was a good Marine, though that's hard for me to believe" (camera pans to Milton's photograph) "....he was like a father to me...can you see the family resemblance?" Although Pat Morita's Mr. Miyagi in the Karate Kid series of films is purportedly an American World War II veteran, he speaks broken English with a heavy accent. The uniform portrayal of Japanese-Americans as foreigners, while serving the interests of racist Americans fearful of Japanese economic power, is especially inaccurate, given that Japanese-Americans are the most culturally assimilated of Asian American groups. Those who have met Martin Yan, host of the popular series Yan Can Cook, report that he speaks perfect English and that his heavy foreign accent on the show is just an affectation for the entertainment of his mainstream audience. By minimizing the cognitive dissonance between an audience that expects Asian Americans to behave as foreigners and a talented, affable Asian-American television personality, Yan has exploited a racial stereotype for his own personal benefit. Unfortunately for other Americans, Yan has not challenged the same stereotype for the benefit of all. One of few Asians who can command creative control in Hollywood, Jackie Chan has successfully transferred his phenomenal success in Hong Kong and throughout Asia into the American market with hits like Supercop and Rumble in the Bronx. These films have provided a rare opportunity for American audiences to see representations of Asian male protagonists. Unfortunately, in a nation that still has difficulty distinguishing Asians from Asian Americans, his success in the United States may also have served to reinforce images of Asian Americans as foreigners, martial arts experts, and gang (e.g., Triad) members.