They Call Us Bruce 192: They Call Us Sexy Asians

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 Susie An and Esther Yoon-Ji Kang, hosts of WBEZ Chicago's Shoes Off: A Sexy Asians Podcast. They talk about scheming up the podcast as a shameless, naked excuse to interview sexy Asians; the public radio hoops they had to jump through to get it made; and why listeners in search of "bold sexual discourse" might be disappointed. And of course, they discuss The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of sexy Asians.

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How Filipinos in the Mission Recorded the First Asian American Rock Album
In the 1970s, San Francisco rock band Dakila was the second Filipino band signed to a major label in the U.S., the first American band to record a track in Tagalog -- and the first to put their Filipino identity front and center.

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The Summer Camp
Where We Are is a series about young people coming of age and the spaces where they create community.

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The unseen Asian American mental health crisis
Asian Americans' psychological state over the last few years has been one of hypervigilance and pretending -- constantly having to act as if everything is "business as usual." But as Asian Americans across the country continue to grapple with violence, cracks are appearing in their ability to live their everyday lives.

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Abi Balingit's Cookbook Mayumu is an Ode to the Sweet Side of Filipino Cuisine
The Dusky Kitchen blogger Abi Balingit's new cookbook Mayumu: Filipino American Desserts Remixed is crammed full of recipes for sweets like adobo chocolate chip cookies, halo-halo baked Alaska, and much more.

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Beverly Soon Tofu's Monica Lee Writes the First-Ever Cookbook About a Koreatown Restaurant
Monica Lee's forthcoming cookbook Sohn-mat features traditional Korean recipes from the legendary Beverly Soon Tofu, one of LA's most famous Koreatown restaurants, including soondubu jjigae.

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Two action icons and a pop star take ‘John Wick 4' to new heights
No Hollywood franchise is doing ballistic, balletic, bone-crunching fight action better than the John Wick series — and in its newest installment, a murderer's row of talent joins Keanu Reeves to take the hit-man saga to the next level.

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How to Stay, When to Vanish
Jean Chen Ho's Criterion essay about Bi Gan's Long Day's Journey Into Night, the pandemic, her sense of time, and the ending of a relationship.

They Call Us Bruce 191: They Call Us Everything Everywhere All Asian Oscars

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, recorded the day after the 95th Academy Awards, we welcome perennial favorite guests Rebecca Sun of The Hollywood Reporter and Dino-Ray Ramos of DIASPORA to debrief and discuss a historic night at the Oscars, for Everything Everywhere All at Once, Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Daniels -- and Asians in general.

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No, my Japanese American parents were not 'interned' during WWII. They were incarcerated
The Los Angeles Times officially halts the use of the word "internment" to describe the mass incarceration of 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry during World War II.

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What counts as an 'American name' in a changing nation
The Washington Post's Marian Chia-Ming Liu asked readers if they felt the need to Anglicize their names to fit in. She showcases just a few of the thousands of responses she received.

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'RRR's' 'Naatu Naatu' made Oscars history. But South Asian dancers feel betrayed
After a milestone night for Asian and Asian American inclusion at the 95th Academy Awards, the South Asian community is still feeling the sting of being left out of the live performance of "Naatu Naatu."

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Why 'Everything Everywhere All At Once' feels more like reality than movie magic
"I'll admit, this movie is a family hot pot of ridiculousness... But even though my friends have described me as cold-hearted and the Grumpy Cat meme in real life, I was unexpectedly emotional while watching it."

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For Asian Americans, thrill of Oscars offset by rising anti-Asian hate
The historic success of Everything Everywhere All At Once comes almost a year after the Atlanta spa shooting, with anti-Asian attacks still on the rise.

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Ke Huy Quan, Comeback Kid: The Oscar Winner on 'Everything Everywhere,' Kissing Harrison Ford and Why He's Worried About What Comes Next
Comeback kid Ke Huy Quan talks to Variety in the aftermath of his amazing, inspirational Oscar win.

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Joy Ride: Adele Lim on Her SXSW Directorial Debut and Telling a Story About Messy, Thirsty Friends 'On Our Terms'
Teresa Hsiao, Cherry Chevapravatdumrong, and Adele Lim wanted a film that showed young Asian women having fun and being messy, telling a story on their own terms. Joy Ride follows a young woman who goes on a business trip to Asia and decides to track down her birth mother while she's there.

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‘Everything Everywhere All at Once' Is Big Winner at the Oscars
In a historic night at the 95th Academy Awards, Everything Everywhere All at Once won seven awards, including for best picture, original screenplay, directing and in three of the four acting categories.

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Everything Everywhere's James Hong on bullying, 'yellowface' and his big break – at 94
He has worked with everyone from Clark Gable to Harrison Ford. Now the actor is finally getting the attention he deserves. He talks about hidden prejudice, tickling Kim Cattrall -- and his dreams for the future.

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Stephanie Hsu feels at peace with the multiverse
The Everything Everywhere All At Once breakout star and Oscar nominee talks the film, her career thus far, and the magnitude of this moment.

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For us weird Asians, 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' is a second chance
Jeff Yang knew of the strange, obscure, and absurd stories out there in Asian American indie film, but was shocked by the impact Everything Everywhere All at Once has had at the big box office.

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The Oscars and the Pitfalls of Feel-Good Representation
Why have we become so fixated on the award prospects of the most successful members of a minority group?

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'She had to hide': the secret history of the first Asian woman nominated for a best actress Oscar
Merle Oberon, a pick for best actress in 1936, was born in Bombay and spent her career passing for white.

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What I Found When I Looked Into the Fate of Anna May Wong, a Hollywood Star
"There is a platitude that has often been repeated in recent years: You can't be what you can't see. These Asian pioneers in cinema prove the contrary. They were each firsts in their own right, pushing forward where there were no trails to follow."

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The Family Who Tried to End Racism Through Adoption
Bob and Sheryl Guterl saw their family as a kind of "ark for the age of the nuclear bomb" and attempted to gather "two of every race."

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A Photographer Frames His Own American South
Tommy Kha's portraits blend his Asian heritage with the mythology of the South.

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The PEN Ten: An Interview with Monica Youn
In her fourth poetry collection, From From, poet Monica Youn explores Asian American identity existing in the space between a homeland and a country of residence/citizenship.

They Call Us Bruce 190: They Call Us Unseen

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 Yoko Okumura, Midori Francis and Jolene Purdy, the director and stars, respectively, of the horror/thriller Unseen. They discuss the challenges of crafting a story about two people connecting via FaceTime; the unique storytelling dynamic that occurs when a movie, not originally conceived as an Asian American story, is told by a director and two leads who happen to be Japanese American; And The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of making Unseen (hint: involves bugs).

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'I Don't Take a Single Second for Granted': Asian and Asian American Nominees on the Oscars
It was a record year for actors, but directors, musicians and other artists of Asian descent are also up for statuettes. We asked many of the contenders to reflect on their work.

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Asian Actors Have Been Underrepresented at the Oscars For Decades. Here's the History.
A record number of actors of Asian ancestry were recognized with Oscar nominations this year, led by Michelle Yeoh of Everything Everywhere All at Once, who's up for best actress. Historically, Asian stars have rarely been part of the Academy Awards.

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Hong Kong's Ageless Action Hero
Nearing 60, Donnie Yen, the last of a golden era of martial arts stars, looks back on an unparalleled career—and forward, to his role in the new John Wick film.

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Why Everyone Will Be Talking About Steven Yeun's New Netflix Series
Steven Yeun plays a smolderingly angry, increasingly desperate general contractor in the new Netflix dark comedy Beef.

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Ali Wong Gets Dramatic
Boundary-pushing stand-up Ali Wong tests her limits with an intense part on Netflix's Beef and a new real-life role as a divorced mom: "Whatever happens, I'm in my first trimester of life right now."

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Hari Kondabolu on Comedy, Race, and Being a Queens Kid in Maine
Comedian Hari Kondabolu talks about seeing space for himself on the screen, discovering how to be in the world and the first joke he was really proud of.

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How 'Unseen' Director Yoko Okumura Cast Against the Hollywood Grain in Debut Film
Yoko Okumura's feature-length directorial debut Unseen is about a women who is kidnapped by her obsessive boyfriend and held captive in the woods.

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With Turning Red, Domee Shi Explores Uncharted Animated Waters
Domee Shi, director of Pixar's Turning Red, on the joys -- and weight -- of being a trailblazer.

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Kung Fu Nuns of Nepal Smash Convention
In Himalayan Buddhism, the religious roles of nuns have long been restricted by rules and customs. But one sect is changing that, mixing meditation with martial arts and environmental activism.

They Call Us Bruce 189: They Call Us Everything Everywhere All at Once Again

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 revisit the film Everything Everywhere All at Once, now in the thick of awards season and on the cusp of Oscars glory, with an epic super-sized compilation of our previous conversations with Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu, Daniel Kwan, and of course, Michelle Yeoh -- who now all happen to be Academy Award nominees.