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8.21.2023

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Searching for Maura
Maura came to St. Louis from the Philippines to be put on display at the 1904 World's Fair. Records suggest that, after her death, a Smithsonian anthropologist took part of her brain.

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Reading—and Writing—Like an Asian American
"I had to fill in what was missing with the history we all need -- because who we are to others should never be the lies that live in the gaps between words."

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Baker's cookie portraits offer bite-size Asian American history lessons
Growing up, Jasmine Cho didn't see stories of people like her. Now, she creates intricate portraits of Asian Americans using an unexpected medium -- sugar cookies.

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A Major Hollywood Diversity Report Shows Little Change - Except for One Promising Stat
According to a new study on Hollywood diversity, despite the talk of progress, not much has actually changed onscreen -- with one major exception: in the last 16 years, the percentage of Asian characters with speaking roles onscreen skyrocketed from 3.4% to 15.9%.

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'Beef' Creator Lee Sung Jin on his Original Ending, "Life-Affirming" Feedback and Season 2 Plan
The triple Emmy nominee also explains why the Netflix limited series became his most personal work to date.

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Randall Park Fought Like Hell to Get Here
Actor Randall Park talks about his journey from TV "diversity showcases" to his promising directorial debut Shortcomings, the strike, and representation.

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The Immortality of Enter the Dragon
This month, Bruce Lee's martial arts masterpiece Enter the Dragon celebrates its 50th anniversary. His daughter, Shannon, reflects on the film that changed everything for Hollywood -- and her family.


8.18.2023

They Call Us Bruce 208: They Call Us Love Boat Revisited

Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.



What's up, podcast listeners? We've got another episode of our podcast They Call Us Bruce. (Almost) each week, my good friend, writer/columnist Jeff Yang and I host an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America, with a strong focus on media, entertainment and popular culture.

In this episode, we rewind and revisit our 2019 conversation with filmmaker Valerie Soe, director of the documentary Love Boat: Taiwan, and writer Abigail Hing Wen, author of the bestselling young adult novel Loveboat, Taipei -- now adapted for the screen as the feature film Love in Taipei, starring Ashley Liao and Ross Butler. They discuss the Taiwanese summer cultural program notoriously known as "Love Boat" and why it was the perfect, long overdue moment to tell these stories.

8.06.2023

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How 'Shortcomings' went from groundbreaking comic to Randall Park’s directing debut
Randall Park's feature film directorial debut Shortcomings, now playing in theaters, began as the classic 2007 graphic novel by acclaimed cartoonist Adrian Tomine.

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The Unsung Asian American Hero Behind the Golden Gate Bridge
Wallace Fong's expertise in electricity and power made him the engineer who helped build the Golden Gate Bridge, which opened on May 27, 1937.

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What Trump tried to take from me and families like mine
"Donald Trump has finally been indicted for his attempts to prevent the peaceful transfer of power. He's been accused of stealing our vote, but it's more than that — he was stealing our voice."

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The Entertainment Industry Told Me I Didn't Belong, So I Wrote a Play to Prove Them Wrong
"I made Did You Eat? (밥 먹었니?) as a love language to my inner child, as an expression of self-love to who I am, and as a love letter to all Korean daughters. It's reflective of my healing journey from generational trauma, representative of my rebellion against the industry, and symbolic of my promise to keep learning how to love."

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The Smithsonian cancelled an Asian American Literature Festival. The organizers kept it going.
NPR talks to Regie Cabico, co-organizer of this year's Asian American Literature Festival that's holding events in Washington, D.C., after the Smithsonian controversially cancelled a larger event.

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Viet Thanh Nguyen Considers the Memoir
Viet Thanh Nguyen discusses writing his first memoir, A Man of Two Faces.

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The Complicated Triumph of 'Here Lies Love'
Here Lies Love, David Byrne and Fatboy Slim's Broadway musical on the life of former Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos, is a breakthrough for Filipino American performers, but at what cost to the historical truths it dances around?

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8 Novels Exploring the Experiences of Asian American Men
Joe Milan Jr., author of The All-American, recommends books about young Asian men navigating race, identity, and coming of age.

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Randall Park Says 'Shortcoming' Was Inspired by Noah Baumbach's 'Marriage Story'
Randall Park says he never thought of himself as a leader before he directed Shortcomings.

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Ally Maki on Playing a Messy Character in Randall Park's Anti-Rom-Com 'Shortcomings'
When Ally Maki got the script for Shortcomings, she read it in one sitting and knew she had to be a part of it.

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Sherry Cola on How 'Shortcomings' Puts 'the Glasses-Wearing, Chubby, Asian Queer Girl on the Map'
Sherry Cola calls working with Randall Park in Shortcomings a full circle moment.


8.04.2023

They Call Us Bruce 207: They Call Us Shortcomings (with Randall Park and Justin H. Min)

Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.



What's up, podcast listeners? We've got another episode of our podcast They Call Us Bruce. (Almost) each week, my good friend, writer/columnist Jeff Yang and I host an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America, with a strong focus on media, entertainment and popular culture.

In this episode, we welcome Randall Park and Justin H. Min to talk about their new film Shortcomings, based on the 2007 graphic novel by Adrian Tomine. They discuss Randall's directorial debut, parodying Crazy Rich Asians, sandwiches, getting away from the rep sweats and feeling free to make stories about unlovable, messy Asian Americans like Ben Tanaka. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of making Shortcomings. (NOTE: This episode was recorded before the start of the SAG-AFTRA strike. They Call Us Bruce fully supports the actors and writers unions and their fight for fair contracts.)