Ang Lee Flies jetBlue!

Last Tuesday, I flew out of JFK International back to Sacramento on JetBlue -- feeling the beginnings of a flu that is still very much with me. As I sat and waited for my flight, I consumed my dinner of bottled water and a power bar, checked my email on the BlackBerry, and almost did a spit take when I saw Academy Award winning director Ang Lee walk by.

I am usually not taken aback by celebrities, and most people's notion of celebrity doesn't include film directors. But I really felt obliged to pay modest homage to the groundbreaking filmmaker, having admired his work since The Wedding Banquet, his other "gay film."

His oeuvre thus far transcends any categorization, with subjects ranging from marial arts fantasies (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), to American comic book heroes (The Hulk), to Victorian romance (Sense and Sensibility), to the Civil War (Ride with the Devil) and modern suburban familial angst (The Ice Storm). More important that his technical adroitness is his ability to elicit great performances from his actors that reflect the subtle yet intense humanity that permeates his work.

I thanked him for his wonderful work. But I failed to press the point home that Hollywood needs more stories about Asian-Americans, perhaps the most underrepresented minority in Tinseltown.

Mr. Lee seemed shocked that someone recognized him, but was pleasant and generously fulfilled my autograph request -- on the back of one of my business cards.

That small encounter was probably the highlight of my trip, along with witnessing Eileen Atkins's stellar performance in Doubt that previous Sunday.

In other Ang Lee news, Brokeback Mountain won top honors at the GLAAD awards. Big surprise there...