Ricky Wong, Ching Chong Ding Dong and other Oriental Delights

I'm synching with Tom and Kat's blog or something but they're in China and today I offer some hilarious Chinese humour. Or rather, it's borderline racist humour directed at Chinese people but I laughed so it must be OK.

Firstly, Ching Chong Ding Dong, which the Comedy Network has decided to omit from their website. It's offered on Comedy Central's website and Colbert Nation but Canadians can't view the streaming clips because they're blocked. But I digress, Ching Chong Ding Dong is a character by Steven Colbert, who was discovered through a satellite intercept before an interview with Bradley Whitford in November 2005 ("Pthoo-hoo, I rove tea! It's so good for you! Come here pretty American girl, kiss my cup and make it all sweet. I don't need no sugar when you around. Come crimb into my rickshaw and I give you ride to Bangkok! Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo !"). Unfortunately for Colbert, Ching Chong Ding Dong was brought up when Colbert was vetted for a position on the Obama transition team. See it here at 5:35. After the "discovery" of Ching Chong Ding Dong, blogs like Angry Asian Man, Hyphen's and the now-defunct Asian Media Watch freaked out. I don't consider it particularly offensive but I will respect the fact that some people might. They might not want to continue reading this.

This past spring I was flew Cathay Pacific to New York, which offers better taste and entertainment than Air Canada. On board, I got my own little entertainment console, which was delightful. TV highlights included Summer Heights High, written and directed by Chris Lilley. I watched the whole series last night. My eyes have that weird burning sensation but I think it was worth it. Summer Heights High is a mockumentary set in an Australian high school and follows the lives of three characters all played by Lilley. I'll let the LA Times fill you in on the characters. They are:

the drama teacher Mr. G; Ja'mie a rich, private-school girl -- she first appeared in "Nominees" -- who is spending an exchange term in public school; and Jonah, a 13-year-old Tongan disciplinary problem.

Both Mr. G and Ja'mie are grotesque, self-involved, self-dramatizing, self-aggrandizing characters who see themselves as basically, even immoderately, good. "I come from one of the most expensive private girls' schools in the state," Ja'mie tells a school assembly by way of introducing herself, "but I'm actually really cool. Please don't be intimidated by me. People always quote, 'Private schools create better citizens.' But I would say they create better quality citizens."

Mr. G (whom Lilley first developed on the series "Big Bite") uses his drama classes as a stage for himself. He dreams of building a towering campus performing-arts complex, bearing his name, and when a student dies of a drug overdose, he hijacks the tragedy as a subject for his next school project. "She's been sent by an angel to give me an idea for a musical," he says holding up the dead girl's picture with a smile. "So I'm just over the moon."

I love this show and now it's on HBO Canada. Hurraaaay!

Lilley's previous show, We Can Be Heroes, has a similar premise. Heroes was about the search for Australian of the Year and also featured Ja'Mie. Lilley plays all 5 finalists, one of them being 23-year-old physics student Ricky Wong seen here:



A Preview of Summer Heights High:
Ja'mie:


Mr. G