They Call Us Bruce 219: They Call Us The Mash-Up Americans

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 Amy S. Choi of The Mash-Up Americans, who talks about starting her podcast/media company with a question ("Why not us?"); bringing the Mash-Up lens to the images and stories that don't get told in overly simplistic news verticals; and the latest season of their podcast, which aims to give you The Ultimate Guide to a Mash-Up Life. Also: stay tuned for a special bonus episode from The Mash-Up Americans featuring one of our favorite individuals on the planet, Randall Park.

They Call Us Bruce 218: They Call Us Mustache

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 filmmaker Imran J. Khan, writer/director of the indie coming-of-age film Mustache. He talks about facial hair, Alicia Silverstone, telling culturally-specific stories without having to simplify or over-explain for audiences, and the bizarre time traveling that happens when you make a movie about a Muslim American family and community set in the late 1990s.

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6% of Asian characters on streaming have lead roles and most have 'proximity to whiteness'
Of the top films and television shows on streaming platforms that included at least one Asian cast member in 2022, only 6% had an Asian character in a leading role, according to a new report, "A Balancing Act for Asian Representation: More Visible But Not Yet Specific." The study found 42% of AAPI characters had light skin and most female characters had a white male love interest.

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'Defining Courage' tells the story of WWII 'Nisei' soldiers
NPR speaks with David Ono about his new stage show, Defining Courage, which shares the story of Japanese American troops born in the United States but seen as the enemy by their own government.

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'We begged them': Some Monterey Park shooting survivors feel left out of donations
In the aftermath of the Monterey Park mass shooting, the Monterey Park Lunar New Year Victims Fund raised over $1 million. But some survivors -- witnesses present at the massacre who saw their friends and family killed -- did not tehnically qualify to receive funds because they were not physically injured.

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Why the attacks between Ramaswamy and Haley seem so personal — and spiteful
As the playing field shrinks in the Republican presidential primary campaign, no two candidates have been at each other's throats quite like Vivek Ramaswamy and Nikki Haley.

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It’s Not Thanksgiving Without White Rice
"For many Asian American families who celebrate Thanksgiving, it's logical that rice has a seat at the dinner table."

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Filmmaker Celine Song and Musician Yaeji Compare Notes on Maid Costumes and Hotel Room Service
To mark the release of Yaeji's latest single, "easy breezy," she talks to Past Lives filmmaker Celine Song to unpack their relationships to their crafts, audiences, and identities.

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How ‘Blue Eye Samurai’s’ Exploration of Mixed Race Identity Helps It "Break All of the Boxes"
Amber Noizumi and Michael Green, co-creators of Blue Eye Samurai, discuss how various elements of the Netflix animated series' production -- including its art, music composition, setting and casting -- helped deliver their 17th century tale of revenge.

They Call Us Bruce 217: They Call Us Quiz Lady

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 Jessica Yu, director of the comedy Quiz Lady, starring Sandra Oh and Awkwafina. She talks about bringing her diverse (and Academy Award-winning) directing experience to a wacky feature comedy; assembling and working with a team of dream collaborators for Quiz Lady; and how they reworked the original script to better reflect the nuance and layers of these mismatched Asian American sisters. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of making Quiz Lady.

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How a Chinese restaurant in Detroit taught a queer L.A. writer everything he knows
When Curtis Chin started writing Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant, it was a different memoir. But the COVID pandemic nudged the book in a different direction.

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Jeff Yang's new book is a 'cheer out loud' for the films that made Asian America
NPR speaks with authors Jeff Yang and Preeti Chhibber about The Golden Screen: The Movies that Made Asian America. The book looks at films that have shaped Asian American identities.

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Asian Americans' Political Strength and Alliances Face Test in New York
Whether they stick with Democrats or continue their shift to the right, Asian American voters will help decide competitive races on November 7.

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In Nikki, Vivek, and Kamala, Indian Americans Find Incomplete Representation
The presence of Kamala Haris, Nikke Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy as standout contenders speaks to the complexity of the politics of representation; while their ethnic backgrounds are intertwined with their political identities, they all differ in distinct ways from the average Indian American voter.

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The Man Without a Face
What if Hollywood studios had cast an actual Asian actor in the role of Charlie Chan? In fact, incredibly, they did. And it wasn't just one Asian actor, but three -- a detail that is mostly forgotten today.

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Thirsty Suitors Is a Hilarious and Refreshing Game Made for the South Asian Community
"I feel seen by this game."

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"Blue Eye Samurai" addresses multiracial shame, "to be ostracized from both sides," in Edo-era Japan
Co-creator/executive producer Amber Noizumi and director Jane Wu of the Netflix animated series Blue Eye Samurai discuss Maya Erskine, the masks we wear and a vengeful woman masquerading as a man.

They Call Us Bruce 216: They Call Us The Clones of Bruce

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, presented in partnership with the Hawaii International Film Festival, we welcome actor/filmmaker Daniel Wu and HIFF artistic director Anderson Le -- fellow Bruce Lee superfans -- to discuss the fascinating documentary Enter the Clones of Bruce, which explores "Brucesploitation," the unique (and often bizarre) 1970s martial arts film subgenre that exploded in the wake of Bruce Lee's untimely death. They talk about Brucesploitation as a classic supply and demand scenario (powered by "all-look-same" racism), their favorite Bruce lookalikes -- Li, Le, Liang, et al -- and the wildest phases of the Bruce Multiverse. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of the Clones of Bruce.

This episode is sponsored by the Westside Theatre's Little Shop of Horrors, starring Constance Wu and Corbin Bleu. Use the discount code LSOPOD10 for $10 off tickets.