They Call Us Leonardo Nam

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 our old friend Leonardo Nam, who stars in Disney's Descendants: Wicked Wonderland. He talks about his journey as an artist from Argentina to Australia to Hollywood, where he first broke through in films like The Perfect Score, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift; his unexpected and delightful villainous turn as Maddox Hatter in Disney's wildly popular Descendants franchise -- including his very own full-fledged musical number; and the joy of getting to share this family-friendly project with his kids. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of making Descendants: Wicked Wonderland.

They Call Us Wong Kim Ark's Descendants

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 Annie Lee, Managing Director of Policy for Chinese for Affirmative Action, and Sandra Wong, great-granddaughter of Wong Kim Ark, whose landmark 1898 Supreme Court victory established birthright citizenship in the United States. They discuss the history of United States v. Wong Kim Ark and its profound impact on American citizenship and civil rights; the contemporary political challenges to birthright citizenship and the erosion of constitutional rights; and the importance of educating the next generation about Wong Kim Ark's legacy.

Rest in Peace, Wai Ching Ho

And Other Items of Note From Angry Asian America.

Wai Ching Ho, 'Daredevil' and 'Iron Fist' Actress, Dies at 82

Wai Ching Ho, best known for her role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, playing crime boss Madame Gao in Daredevil, Iron Fist and The Defenders, has died. She was 82. Her Hollywood career spanned over forty years, with roles in Fresh Off the Boat, Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens, and Turning Red, among many others.

Most recently, Ms. Ho starred in the excellent narrative podcast Aunties. Written by Kevin Yee, and also starring Rosalind Chao and Lauren Tom, it's a fun comedy/mystery series that follows three Chinatown shopkeepers who secretly fight crime and gentrification. I highly recommend checking it out on Audible.

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What a subway ride with white supremacists taught me about America

"On the Fourth of July, while I was on my way to a party, I found myself riding a Washington Metro train surrounded by hundreds of masked white supremacists. A subway car is supposed to be one of society’s great equalizers. But it was the last place I expected to reflect on what it means to be an American."

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Dallas man sentenced after admitting anti-Asian bias motivated 2022 salon shooting

In Dallas, a man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to a hate crime for shooting three women inside a Korean-owned hair salon. 41-year-old Jeremy Theron Smith pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon classified as a hate crime for firing more than a dozen rounds at Hair World Salon in Dallas' Koreatown in 2022. According to investigators, Smith had apparently "experienced delusions" that Asian people were trying to harm him.

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San Francisco Chinatown’s historic Great Star Theater seeks emergency funds to stay open

The Great Star Theater in San Francisco is asking for the public's support to stay afloat. The historic Chinatown theater launched a GoFundMe campaign this month seeking $45,000 in donations to cover essential operating expenses. The nonprofit venue, which celebrated its centennial last year, is described as the last remaining Chinese theater in any Chinatown in the United States.

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Gemma Chan Shares Update On Anna May Wong Biopic: "It's A Really Resonant Story"

Gemma Chan shares that her upcoming biopic on Anna May Wong, the first Chinese American movie star, is "still in development," with producer Nina Yang Bongiovi and playwright David Henry Hwang adapting Graham Russell Gao Hodges’ 2012 biography Anna May Wong: From Laundryman's Daughter to Hollywood Legend.

They Call Us The Furious

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 actor, martial artist, and stuntman Brian Le of MartialClub, whose credits include Everything Everywhere All at Once, Paper Tigers, and this summer's gritty action thriller The Furious. He talks about his humble beginnings from watching kung fu flicks on bootleg VHS, to making YouTube videos with his brother Andy as self-taught action stars; getting to work with some of the world's best film fighters in The Furious -- and the steep learning curve of making action movies in Asia; and channeling his inner baby to play the unstoppable henchman Ho. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of making The Furious.

They Call Us Asian American Voters

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 check in with Christine Chen, Executive Director of Asian Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote), and Karthick Ramakrishnan, Executive Director of AAPI Data, to get a pulse on the upcoming midterm elections. They discuss the challenges of voter engagement — including new and ongoing barriers to voting (and how you can take action); significant data trends across Asian American and Pacific Islander voter demographics; some of the urgent issues affecting AAPI voters; and key races to keep an eye on that could shape the future of our democracy. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of the upcoming midterm elections.

They Call Us Noma's Kevin Jeung

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 Kevin Jeung, Chef of Research and Production at the legendary restaurant Noma -- named the World's Best Restaurant -- which is finishing up a 16-week residency in Los Angeles. He talks about neglecting to inform his parents when he dropped out of college to pursue cooking full time; the culinary experimentation (both failure and success, but mostly failure) that happens inside Noma's Fermentation Lab; and what the $1500 per seat menu actually looks and tastes like. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of doing a restaurant pop-up in Los Angeles.

We Are One Step Closer to "Bruce Lee Day" in California

And Other Items of Note From Angry Asian America.

California bill to create Bruce Lee Day heads to Gov. Newsom

In case you hadn't heard: we are one step closer to Bruce Lee Day. A plan to officially designate May 17 as Bruce Lee Day in California is headed to Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk after winning unanimous approval in the state. The bill would honor the martial arts icon's impact on film, culture and Chinese American history, and would make Lee the first Chinese American commemorated with a day in California.

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Eugene, Springfield Asian American households still may be targeted by burglary ring

Despite recent prosecutions of a burglary ring targeting Asian American business owners and households in Oregon, local law enforcement say there has been an increase in organized burglary activity, and Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander households in the Eugene and Springfield communities could still be at risk.

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@thesavbananas G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S😮‍💨 @Kelsie Whitmore #savannahbananas #bananaball #fergie #glamorous ♬ original sound - thesavbananas

Watch Savannah Bananas give Kelsie Whitmore legendary entrance with champagne and Fergie

You gotta smile at the Savannah Bananas giving pitcher Kelsie Whitmore, one of the baddest players in baseball, the glamorous entrance that she deserves, complete with champagne and Fergie. Already a veteran and trailblazer in the women's baseball, she was the first overall draft pick in the inaugural Women's Pro Baseball League, set to debut this year. So yeah, a fitting walk up, Bananas-style.

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'The Fast and the Furious' took the Asians out of an Asian American story

"Fans of modified Japanese import cars, like me, have a love-hate relationship with the $7 billion Fast and Furious franchise. On one hand, the movies helped popularize modified Japanese cars. People all over the world fell in love with them and the import car culture they publicized. On the other hand, the movies left out so, so much of the story."

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The Outer Threat

Constance Wu stars in the new sci-fi thriller The Outer Threat, in which the discovery of extraterrestrial life forces an astrophysicist and his family to flee from their home, pursued through the countryside by a relentless and anonymous danger. Their escape for their lives tests the limits between cosmic truth and paranoia. The Outer Threat hits digital platforms on July 10.