CAPE Stages Gala to Mark 10th Anniversary

By Sam Chu Lin
Special to AsianWeek

The Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (CAPE), a national nonprofit organization of Asian Pacific Americans movers and shakers in the entertainment industry, is ready to celebrate its 10th-plus anniversary Thursday, Nov. 21 at the Sheraton Hotel in Santa Monica, Calif.

Fritz Friedman (left), past president of CAPE, and Lou Diamond Phillips at the 2000 CAPE event.

CAPE has set up a foundation to raise money to help “develop new APA executives, professionals and talent” and to “keep the general public informed about the accomplishments of APAs in the industry and their concerns.”

In actuality this year’s event marks the 11th anniversary of the organization. CAPE cancelled last year’s gala because of the Sept. 11 tragedies. At that time, it had planned to present its lifetime achievement award to actress Beulah Quo, whose film career began in 1955 in the mocie Love is a Many Splendored Thing. She recently passed away and CAPE is presenting Quo the award posthumously, with her husband Edwin Kwoh and her son Stewart (Executive Director of the Asian Pacific American Legal Center of Los Angeles) accepting the honor.

“Beulah was a loving, gracious and giving kind of a person,” he said. “She was always ready to lend a hand and point me in the right direction. She knew Hollywood and was ready to share. She immediately made me feel at home when I came to Los Angeles.”

Wenda Fong, one of CAPE’s board of directors and vice president of the Diversity Group for Fox Entertainment, echoed those feelings.

“She not only fought against the stereotyping of Asian Americans,” she commented, “Beulah was always helping young people to find their way in this business. She did that early on with the creation of AAPAA (Association of Asian Pacific American Artists) and worked with the studios to not only to get them to employ Asian Americans but to portray them in a more objective light.”

CAPE’s presentation of its lifetime achievement award to Beulah Quo is being considered a celebration of life.

Actress Tsai Chin (left) and Director Ang Lee.

He added, “I commend CAPE’s members for their accomplishments, and in a greater sense, I support their efforts to make sure that there are those opportunities for all people.”

One of the highlights of the holiday party will be the announcement and presentation of this year’s winners of the New Writers Awards.

Actress Keiko Agena (Gilmore Girls) and comedian Bobby Lee (MadTV) are emceeing the event. Songstress Jennifer Paz (Little Saigon and Flower Drum Song), the new break-out Asian singing group At Last and film and television composer Nathan Wang will be performing.

For more information about the CAPE gala, call: 310-278-2313 or email: info@capeusa.org.