Gran Torino

Rumor had it that "Gran Torino" involved Clint Eastwood (see "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly") returning as Detective Harry Callahan for a sixth "Dirty Harry" movie. Imagine my surprise when my "Hmong Today" came from St. Paul to say that the movie - being filmed now in Detroit - is actually set in St. Paul - partly in the Hmong plurality Frogtown - and involves Clint befriending a Hmong American young person who has tried to steal his prized - you guessed it - Gran Torino. Hmong Americans were apparently excited that a movie with a lot of Hmong Americans was being filmed - and by no less than Clint, who will act (for perhaps the last time? he's 77) and direct - and that there were open try-outs in California, St. Paul, and Detroit. Unfortunately, one of the Web sites explained that there are few trained Hmong American actors who can play the lead role, though some of the older family members may be played by actual Hmong Americans. Other than this, most Americans' biggest conception of Hmong Americans may come from the hunting incident several years ago when I Hmong American hunter - from St. Paul - shot and killed several Anglo hunters in Wisconsin. (Click here to see the Web log on the casting from the woman pictured above bottom: http://www.xanga.com/SandyCiGranTorino?nextdate=6%2f12%2f2008+11%3a38%3a40.333&direction=p