It was a night of designer gowns, agent-thanking speeches and red carpet poses.

And lots of Asian American pride.  

 

The 2007 AZN Asian Excellence Awards, taped live on May 16 at the University of California, Los Angeles’ Royce Hall, brought together a page-long list of Asian American celebrities, from speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno (“Dancing with the Stars”) and Chow Yun-Fat (“Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”) to designer Vivienne Tam and Sanjaya Malakar (“American Idol”). Hosted by actors Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park, the star-studded event, televised on AZN later in the month, celebrated the contributions of Asians and Asian Americans to the world of arts and entertainment. 

Korean American winners of the night included “Survivor” Yul Kwon for Favorite Reality Star and Rex Lee (“Entourage”) for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a television series.

 

Funnygal Margaret Cho, who performed a standup routine, received the award for Outstanding Comedy Performance.

“For all the Asian kids watching, you don’t have to be a doctor,” Cho said to the audience.

She paused and smiled.

“You can play a doctor on television!”

 

— Michelle Woo