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Compiled by East West Editors, Written by Sonu Munshi 
We’ve once again looked into our crystal ball to get a
glimpse of the future, assembling a list of ten to watch in 2008. Some are
newcomers, some are well-known, but all are poised to have an interesting
2008.
The list, however, is by no means all-encompassing. The
growth and achievements of the pan Asian American community are far and wide,
with many, in different fields, making a significant impact. There is also a
global influence felt on this year’s list as borders become blurred and East
and West mingle in new ways. And in a time when Asian actors are making a
splash on TV and Asian leaders and journalists are playing a significant role
in corporate America, on the 2008 Presidential campaign trail and more,
narrowing the field to just ten proved quite difficult. But, we feel strongly
that those on the list below are worthy representatives of the East West
movement for the year ahead.
Plus, how did we do? Review last year's picks for the 2007 10 to Watch.
Bobby Jindal
 At last count, he had 2,111 MySpace friends and
1,843 friends on Facebook. The support of countless others has placed Bobby
Jindal, 36, in a position of power as the nation's youngest governor. (Jindal
will take office in January). The Louisiana
leader is already setting the agenda, placing significant emphasis on
education, healthcare and ethics, in a state still coming to grips with the
ravages of Hurricane Katrina and with its image as a state rife with
corruption. The Oxford-educated, Rhodes scholar and Republican Congressman
plans to address the latter by implementing tight ethics laws, as outlined on
his recent blog. The fact that Jindal is the first Indian American governor is
already passé. It's what he does with the opportunity, in 2008, that makes him
noteworthy.
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Camille Mana
 As Lisa Sanchez on the UPN sitcom “One on One,”
Camille Mana played a college student. In Sideways producer Michael London's
latest venture, Smart People, Mana again plays a college student. But the stage
is now bigger, and it's safe to say the audience will be too. As Carnegie
Mellon student leader Missy Chin, Mana will share the screen with Sarah Jessica
Parker and Dennis Quaid. The film, due for an April release and a world
premiere at Sundance, is already drawing attention. But there's more to the
24-year-old actor, whose 2007 production venture Equal Opportunity earned Best
Film honors in NBC's First Annual Comedy Shortcuts Film Festival. In the new
year, Mana stars in, you guessed it, another student-oriented role as Heather
in College, a teen comedy. And a live-action indie film, The Samurai of
Strongsville, Ohio hits the festival circuit soon. If not for her acting chops,
we think Mana might just show the world she deserves attention with her newly acquired
mastery of the Japanese sword-fighting art of Kendo.
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Vikram Pandit
 Less than a year after Citigroup acquired his
hedge fund company, Old Lane Partners, for about $800 million, Vikram Pandit is
now calling the shots. Named CEO of one of the world's leading financial
services companies in December 2007, Pandit, previously chairman and CEO of the
Institutional Clients Group, comprising Citi Markets & Banking and Citi
Alternative Investments, may not be the envy of many. He is expected to help
turn things around after a rather embattled 2007 for Citi, which saw its stock
tumble following the credit crisis and endured an expected $11 billion in
losses. Citi's third quarter profits fell 57 percent, its biggest decline in
three years. After taking over as CEO, Pandit stated that management would
focus on simplifying the company's organizational structure and on aligning
businesses and resources. Wall Street will surely be keeping an eye on the
50-year-old former Morgan Stanley financial whiz. Will Pandit live up to the
challenge?
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Hiroki Kuroda
 It's official. Japanese baseball star Hiroki Kuroda is all
set to play up his magic for the Los Angeles Dodgers. But he didn't come cheap.
Kuroda's $35.3 million, three-year contract with the Dodgers makes his $3
million earnings last season— pitching for a Japanese pro baseball team —seem
like chump change. The multimillion dollar figure may add pressure to perform,
but the 32-year-old pitcher told the media recently that he's prepared to give
it his best shot. In 11 seasons with Hiroshima Toyo Carp, Kuroda racked up a
103-89 record and 3.69 earned run average (ERA) in 271 games. The Dodgers
weren't alone in wanting Kuroda on their 2008 roster. The Seattle Mariners,
Arizona Diamondbacks and Kansas City Royals also courted Kuroda, but the
Dodgers pocketed the three-years-in-a-row Japanese all-star. Will the United States
turn out to be a whole new ballgame or will Kuroda live up to expectations?
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Angela Park
 When she accepted the 2007 LPGA Rookie of the
Year award, 19-year-old Angela Park thanked her parents and her fans – in
Korean, Portuguese and English. Born into a South Korean family in Brazil and raised in California, Park, who turned pro in April
2006, started playing golf when she was just nine. This year, she tied for second
at the U.S. Women's Open, a career best. But Park now looks ready to reach
higher, to top what's been a dream year, with eight top-10 finishes. Can she
chip her way up to win majors and threaten the dominance of Lorena Ochoa and
Karrie Webb? In that same awards speech, the 29th-ranked Park may have alluded
to the high expectations when she said, "If you want to see a girl living
out her dreams, you are looking at one right now."
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Tahmima Anam
 Her educational, family and worldly credentials are
impeccably varied - a PhD in Social Anthropology from Harvard University; her
father, Mahfuz Anam, editor of Bangladesh's largest circulating English daily
newspaper, The Daily Star; she herself raised in Paris, New York City and
Bangkok and now a resident of London. But it's her ties to her homeland of Bangladesh that
Tahmima Anam ultimately used as the backdrop of her debut novel, “A Golden Age.” The
book, set in 1971, during Bangladesh's
war of Independence, is shortlisted for the
prestigious Costa First Novel Award in the UK. “A Golden Age” also was
shortlisted for the Guardian First Book award. The book is set for a U.S. release in
January. Anam’s writings have also been published in The New York Times, Granta
Magazine and The New Statesman. If the critics' response to her writing is any
indication, Anam should be a formidable force in the literary world.
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Mascots of the 2008 Olympic Games
Remember Misha, the adorable bear, or Hodori, the friendly
tiger? Now add Beibei, the pure and gentle blue fish; Jingjing, the happy,
black panda; Huanhuan, the passionate, red Olympic Flame; Yingying, the agile,
yellow Tibetan Antelope and Nini, the innocent, green swallow to the Olympic
mascot family. Yes, we do realize they are characters and not actual
individuals, but as Beijing
takes center stage of sporting glory in 2008, representing the spirit of the
ancient international competition will be the Fuwa five. The world's attention
will no doubt be on the athletes gunning for gold, but there'll be no
competition in embracing these mascots, carrying the message of friendship and peace.
All five names combined—Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni—in Chinese mean, "Welcome to
Beijing."
Theirs will be a true iconic presence in the year ahead as we root on the
athletes. A few names we could be watching include teen gymnast Ivana Hong,
part of the winning U.S.
team in the 2007 World Gymnastics Championship, and 14-year-old diving prodigy
Haley Ishimatsu. Both could make a splash if picked for an Olympic spot.
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Russell Peters
 He's been selling out shows across the globe. London, Sydney and, of
course, Canada.
Born in Toronto, Russell Peters reportedly
became the first South Asian to headline and draw a packed crowd at New York's Apollo
Theatre. The stand-up comic's own heritage provides rich material. Peters draws
upon the lives, stereotypes and yes, even accents, of the Chinese, of Indians,
Filipinos, Pakistanis and other Asian immigrant communities, who see a slice of
their own lives in his brand of humor. So what's next? Perhaps the most
well-known platform yet, as Russell will get to deliver punchlines at Madison Square
Garden in New York in February. For those who can’t make
it there, the show will be released on DVD, only the second since 2006's Outsourced.
All that, coupled with a recently inked script deal with FOX for a sitcom
project, makes Peters not just a well-known star, but a star climbing to even
greater heights and certainly one to watch.
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Bamboo Shoots
 If MTV isn’t part of your regular TV surf, then
you might not have heard of this alternative rock group. But Bamboo Shoots,
mtvU's Artist of the Year for Best Music on Campus, is gaining indie ground.
The five-member band is poised to make it big, if a deal worth up to $1.5
million with Epic Records and a performance on “Late Night With Conan O'Brien,”
are any indicators. Who's who? Avir Mitra (lead vocals, guitar), Karl Sukhia
(backup vocals, bass and keyboards), Shiv Puri (drums), Ankur Patel (dhol,
tabla and percussion) and Ahmed Mahmmoud (lead guitar). The band is currently
recording its debut full-length album in California
with legendary producer and member of Talking Heads, Jerry Harrison. No date is
set for a release yet, but 2008 seems likely, and that’s something to look
forward to.
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John C. Liu
 As councilman from Queens
and chairperson of New York City Council's transportation committee, John C.
Liu, wields substantial power in the local political scenario. Liu was recently
in the news for pushing a "Riders' Bill of Rights," urging the
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in New York to improve service in the wake of a
commuter fare hike. Elected in 2001, Liu's term expires at the end of 2009. But
the former manager at consulting firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers isn't winding down.
A "Contribute" button on his Web site mixed with suggestions of
running for anything from comptroller to public advocate and rumors he is
eyeing the Democratic nomination for mayor, once Michael Bloomberg steps down,
helped us vote unanimously to keep track of Liu in 2008. He's already said to
have raised well over a million dollars for an unspecified race. Setting the
stage in 2008?
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