They Call Us Bruce 222: They Call Us Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom

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 James Wan, filmmaker behind iconic movies like Saw, Insidious, The Conjuring, Furious 7, Aquaman and now, its sequel, Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom. He talks about his journey from making indie horror flicks to tentpole blockbusters, shares his tricks for avoiding sequel-itis, and attempts to say something bad about Randall Park. Presented in partnership with Gold House.

They Call Us Bruce 221: They Call Us Blue Eye Samurai

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 two of the creators behind the Netflix animated action series Blue Eye Samurai, co-creator/co-showrunner Amber Noizumi and supervising director/producer Jane Wu. They discuss some of the personal connections that sparked the tale of mixed race warrior Mizu, bringing a decidedly Asian American take on an Edo-period samurai story, and the lengths they went to assemble the personnel for one of the most badass shows you'll ever see.

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There's No Christmas Lunch Like a Korean American Church Lunch
Miyuk guk, good vibes only: After-service meals have long been key spaces for first-generation immigrants establishing themselves in the United States. But younger Koreans are finding less need for them.

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Can a play solve the mystery of the Monterey Park mass shooter? Survivors aren't sure
A new play tries to make sense of the mass shooting at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park. While the play aims to help a community heal, it was created with limited input from those tied to the massacre -- and despite the concerns of many survivors.

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America Loves Chinese Restaurants, but Michelin Gave Just One a Star. It's in San Francisco
Chef Brandon Jew's restaurant occupies a lonely position among all the top-tier establishments in America.

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The Bitter Taste of 'Not Too Sweet'
No one is louder about good desserts being "not too sweet" than the Asian American diaspora. Asian Americans have claimed the phrase as a defiant shorthand and a cheeky rallying cry. But is that maxim really true?

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Pittsburgh baker honors Asian American activists with cookie portraits
Jasmine Cho turns cookies into works of art. As part of her mission for social justice, the Pittsburgh baker creates detailed portraits of unsung Asian American heroes.

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Shohei Ohtani: What it means that the new face of MLB is Asian
"If you want to be a dominant offering, then you have to be international and representative of people who are not considered the archetype of said sport," said a marketing expert.

They Call Us Bruce 220: They Call Us The Golden Screen

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 live at Bās Bookshop in Honolulu, we celebrate the release of Jeff's new book The Golden Screen: The Movies That Made Asian America, which explores the history of Asian Americans on the silver screen, and the iconic films that have shaped Hollywood, representation, and American culture. We talk about why this moment in representation seemed like the right time for this book, how Jeff chose the movies that "made the cut," and a reconsideration (or reimagining) of Long Duk Dong. Also, in The Good, The Bad and The WTF, we offer some unpopular opinions about Asian American cinema. Special thanks to Aly Ishikuni-Sasaki and the team at Bās Bookshop.

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32 Best K-Dramas of All Time
These are the 32 best K-dramas of all time, according to Jae-Ha Kim.

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I won the National Spelling Bee. This is what it takes to master spelling.
"The secret to spelling is understanding the 'how' and 'why' of language."

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Lucy Yu’s thriving New York bookstore burned down. How can she rebuild without burning out?
Lucy Yu, who runs what's believed to be New York City's first Asian American woman-owned bookstore, lost her brick-and-mortar business to a fire earlier this year. The Guardian asked three experts to consider Yu’s predicament and share their advice on her plan to reopen Yu & Me Books in its original location in Chinatown.

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Qui Nguyen Was Done Writing Plays. His Family Pulled Him Back In
With Poor Yella Rednecks, playwright Qui Nguyen continues to tell his Vietnamese American family's immigrant story. Maybe one day his parents will even see the shows.

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Disney Rejected Her a Few Times. The 'Wish' Director Just Kept Trying.
After she was finally hired by Walt Disney Animation Studios, Fawn Veerasunthorn worked her way up the ranks, and has applied that lesson of perseverance to her new film.

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How Greta Lee, not Greta Gerwig, came to star in 'Past Lives'
Greta Lee describes Past Lives as the role of a lifetime: "[Celine Song] gave me the space to use my full facility, no strings attached, and without being burdened by having to do this extraneous labor. Just getting to act."

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Meet Charles Melton, the Breakout Star of May December'
Ex-Riverdale star Charles Melton transformed himself for Todd Haynes's new drama May December. As an actor, he's caught between wanting to be seen and wanting to disappear.