And the culturally clueless award goes to Tiffany “New York” Pollard!
When New York learns her manager has scored a spec commercial (read: unpaid) for a Japanese energy drink on Monday’s episode of New York Goes to Hollywood, her faithful assistant, Lizza, asks, “So, what do you know about Japanese culture?” Her response: “I like Thai food.” You can just imagine New York sitting home watching the Beijing Olympics hoping to soak up Japanese culture.
So off she goes on a Japanese-culture field trip. Her first stop: a dry cleaner, where she asks the woman behind the counter if she’s Japanese. New York learns she’s Korean and asks, “Is that the same as being Japanese, or not at all — not even close?” You just have to hope she’s playing the clueless card for the cameras.
After an unsuccessful visit to a nail salon, New York and Lizza go to a sushi restaurant, where she learns some Japanese phrases from a sushi chef. But not before the chef tells her it’s chef’s choice — and serves her octopus. “This sushi chef is so pushy, trying to feed me all kind of fish with tentacles and testicles and fried duck and guinea pig,” she says in disgust.
Armed with her very, very limited knowledge of Japanese culture, New York arrives on the commercial set. “I’m a little bit scared of ‘em because I know they know karate and I feel if I say the wrong thing or offend them, they might take me out,” she tells the camera.
Cue the temperamental commercial director, who hits his assistant director in the head with a script when he learns she’s sent New York the wrong version of her lines. He later attacks the art director when the boards New York is supposed to be chopping won’t break. Can the show’s producers manufacture any more stereotypical behavior?
And, of course, New York — wearing a Japanese wig — can barely swallow the energy drink she’s supposed to be pitching. (Watch the clip.) “The drink tastes like rotten eggs, rotten feet, but mostly fish oil,” she says, but manages to finally down it and karate-chop her way through a successful take. She’s one step closer to getting that Oscar! Or, should we say, Razzie.
Next week: Mama New York is back — and she’s about to take over New York’s magazine photo shoot! –Serena Kappes
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