There'll be an Island presence when nominees vie for AZN Television's Asian Excellence Awards, which will be taped today at UCLA's Royce Hall, and aired May 24 on E! Entertainment and AZN-TV, which isn't available in Hawai'i.

Daniel Dae Kim of ABC's "Lost" will co-host the ceremonies with Grace Park of the Sci Fi Channel's "Battlestar Galactica."

Kim is a nominee for outstanding actor in TV, along with co-star Naveen Andrews.

Two actresses with Island ties are competing for outstanding TV actress: Yunjin Kim of "Lost" and Kelly Hu of ABC's "In Case of Emergency." And Maggie Q, a Honolulan, is a nominee for outstanding supporting actress in a film ("Mission: Impossible III.")

Sanjaya Malakar, the one-time Kaua'i resident who was an "American Idol" finalist this year, is a nominee for best reality show star.

The awards honor achievement among Asians and Asian Americans in movies and TV. This year's key nominees are derived from such projects as "Babel," "Letters From Iwo Jima," "Heroes," "The Namesake," "Grey's Anatomy" and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."

Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com.