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 Tadashi Nakamura to talk about Third Act, his acclaimed documentary about his father, pioneering filmmaker Robert A. Nakamura, aka "The Godfather of Asian American Media." Tad talks about growing up in the shadow of his revered artist/activist parents, and the pressure that evolved into pride and partnership; making the movie he always knew that he had to make, and the challenges of putting himself front and center in the film; and how the camera -- and the ticking clock -- became the ultimate intermediary for father and son. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of making Third Act.
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 back acclaimed legendary playwright David Henry Hwang, who talks about his new take on the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Flower Drum Song, now playing at East West Players in Los Angeles. He talks about rewriting and re-contextualizing the book for this beloved show (still only one of the few Broadway musicals to center Asian Americans); refreshing some of the more outdated and regressive elements of the story -- including a few of the cringe-inducing lines from David's own 2002 revisal -- for contemporary times; and how this staging of Flower Drum Song represents a full-circle moment for David's life and career.
Generations call Robert A. Nakamura the godfather of Asian American film. Tadashi Nakamura calls him Dad. In his documentary Third Act, Tad turns the camera on his father as they confront art, activism, and aging. From World War II incarceration to cultural awakening and a Parkinson's diagnosis, the film is a tender portrait of legacy, inherited trauma, and the final chapter of a shared creative life. Third Act premieres May 25 on PBS' Independent Lens (check local listings) and will be available to stream on pbs.org.
Rapper, actor, and writer Jonnie Park, aka Dumbfoundead, joins Ronny Chieng on The Daily Show to discuss his new memoir SPIT: A Life in Battles. They talk about getting his start in battle rapping at 14 years old in Los Angeles, evolving from freestyle battles to prepared matchups, developing a thick skin as the only Asian in the rap battle arena, dabbling in other mediums like acting in Nemesis and writing for season 2 of Beef, and chronicling his story through the different family, immigration, and career battles he’s faced.
Deli Boys returns! In season two of the acclaimed crime comedy series, the Dars are drowning in dirty cash and Philly's sketchiest crooks are circling. Enter Max Sugar: casino king, money launderer, and Lucky's new crush who turns laundering into a chaotic situationship. Raj plots revenge on Ahmad, Mir tries to expand DarCo without blowing it up, and Philly D.A. Andrew Chadwater hopes one big bust will make him mayor. Season two, starring Asif Ali, Saagar Shaikh, and Poorna Jagannathan, premieres May 28 on Hulu.
Anil Kochhar, a North Carolina State University donor, gave graduates of the school's Wilson College of Textiles a lot more than just words of wisdom when he delivered their keynote commencement address earlier this month. The entrepreneur also announced that he would pay off any student loans taken out by the college's graduates during their senior year. "I hope that all of you leave... today not only with a degree but with greater freedom to pursue your goals, take risks and build the lives that you've worked so hard to achieve," Kochhar said, prompting loud cheers, applause and a standing ovation from the class of 2026.
A Grain of Sand: Music for the Struggle of Asians in America was one of the first recognized musical albums expressing Asian American identity. The 1973 work -- preserved at the Smithsonian Institution -- combines elements of folk, jazz and blues. It's often considered a blend of political statements within a collective art project. Sojin Kim, curator of the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, details the album's legacy and place in American history for WBUR.
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 back friend and filmmaker Bao Nguyen, director of the Netflix documentary BTS: The Return, which follows global pop supergroup BTS -- Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook -- as they reunite and record their highly anticipated comeback album Arirang. Bao talks about riding shotgun and spending the summer with the biggest band in the world; getting an intimate glimpse into the group's camaraderie, artistry, and unique dedication to their massive fanbase; and what it means for BTS to represent their nation and culture at this pivotal moment in their career. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of making BTS: The Return.
A bill designating May 17 as "Bruce Lee Day" in California was announced Wednesday to honor the legacy of the San Francisco-born actor and martial arts star. The bill, which would encourage schools and communities to teach Bruce Lee's impact, was introduced by San Francisco Assemblyman Matt Haney. If it passes, he would become the first Chinese American to be recognized with a day in California state law.
The resignation of Arcadia, California mayor Eileen Wang, who pleaded guilty to acting as a foreign agent for China, has sparked backlash and reignited fears of anti-Asian discrimination. Cue the wave of racist comments, which hit social media as soon as the FBI announced the case against Wang, casting suspicion, fear and discrimination on Asian communities as a whole. Nothing new in these United States of America.
Set against the vibrant backdrop of Hong Kong, The Season is a high-gloss drama that follows a group of close-knit friends gathering for a summer of sun-drenched splendour as the boating season begins. The glamor unfolds as a young newcomer joins this society for the summer. When secrets are revealed, the line between ally and enemy blurs, and ambitions could change everything. The Season premieres on Hulu on June 17.
"Trump and the right wing are correct about one thing. It would be ideal if nobody cared about immutable differences, and we didn’t need to have things like Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. But if recent history teaches us anything, fear of differences that stoke the worst in human tendencies can easily explode to the surface."
"Ota Tofu has survived in Portland since 1911. I use the word survived, because many of the Japanese-owned businesses of the early 20th century in Portland did not. Their owners were placed in prison camps by the US government during World War 2; only 1/3rd of the Japanese community returned, finding their businesses sold or confiscated. The founders of Ota Tofu were brothers, and one died in the camps."
Gather up. It's our turn to help seal the Honmoon. The rumors are true. Netflix is teaming up with AEG Presents for a KPop Demon Hunters global concert tour, promising to bring "a live experience that will bring elements of the two-time Oscar-winning film to life in spectacular ways." At this point, there's no indication whether the tour will feature any of the actual singing talent from the films. But if you're a superfan, that might not matter. For now, you can join an official waitlist for further information.
In celebration of Heritage Month, the new HBO documentary The A List: 15 Stories from Asian and Pacific Diasporas centers AAPI identity and community, interviewing fifteen influential individuals across generations, experiences, and communities. The profiles include legendary journalist Connie Chung, Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth, "Basement Bhangra" creator DJ Rekha, chef Yia Vang, and actors Sandra Oh, Kumail Nanjiani and Bowen Yang. You can watch it now on HBO Max.
Whoa. Randall Park is the new face of Priceline. After serving decades as the travel booking site's iconic pitchman, William Shatner is handing over the title of Pricline Negotiator to actor and comedian Randall Park. The Fresh Off the Boat star's first order of business? Helping to launch Priceline's biggest summer sale ever with the "Unbummer Your Summer" campign. I gotta say, aside from being a talented, funny performer who deserves getting that bag, Randall is perfectly suited for the public face of Priceline. Love it.
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is now a musical. Jamie Ford's beloved 2009 novel, a multi-generational family drama and love story set in Seattle's Chinatown International district during World War II, has been adapted by bookwriter Lainie Sakakura and composer/lyricist Paul Fujimoto into legit stage musical. While the full-fledged production is still in the works, they're staging a sneak peek benefit concert of the musical's first act this month at Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute in Seattle.
"Asian Americans are bound by two stereotypes: one that excludes us from being American, and one that includes us at the expense of others. Our role is conditional, but our cultures are alluring. As Chinatown fills with lines for the latest boba drops and waves of attention around the next Asian trends, it's easy to see this moment as celebration. But what often goes unnoticed is what and who was left behind: the community that is still fighting for recognition, safety, and belonging."
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, writer and educator Scott Kurashige, author of American Peril: The Violent History of Anti-Asian Racism. He talks about his personal journey into Asian American activism and movement scholarship; the erasure of anti-Asian racism and colonial violence, and why it seems we are constantly learning and re-learning this history; and why legislating and prosecuting hate crimes isn't necessarily the answer for multiracial solidarity. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of writing American Peril.
Welcome to May, folks — the month formerly known as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
And as this month begins, I've rarely been more puzzled and annoyed than I have been over the past few weeks, watching the bizarre backlash against Jin Chao, the small but pivotal part played by actress Helen J. Shen in The Devil Wears Prada 2.
Shen, best known for her mesmerizing lead turn in Broadway's robots-looking-for-love musical Maybe Happy Ending, is delightful in the role. The character herself is fun, witty and has a real and welcome story arc that ends with her boldly saving the day for Anne Hathaway's Andy and Meryl Streep's Miranda Priestley. She even gets a style glow-up, and is clearly positioned to play a bigger role in a third installment in the story, if there is one.
(Which is not unlikely: The movie banked $77 million at the North America box office and earned $233 million worldwide in its opening weekend, setting it up to match and maybe beat the original's blockbuster take.)
But you wouldn't know that from her 30 seconds of screen time in this promotional clip, which featured Jin meeting her new boss Andy for the first time. “If you don’t want me, you can interview someone else. That’s totally fine,” Jin says. “I did go to Yale, 3.86 GPA, lead soprano of the Whiffenpoofs, and my ACT score was 36 on the very first time."
Jin's brief nervous self-introduction was enough to send the Internet into a meltdown — even though very few people had seen the full movie (and certainly none of those who were engaged in discourse about the character online).
We're presenting a 40th anniversary screening of The Karate Kid Pt. II, featuring a fun live "Crane Kick Commentary" with star Tamlyn Tomita, myself, and some good friends. It's happening Saturday, May 2 at the Japanese American National Museum, followed by the Angry Asian Man 25th Anniversary Party at Far Bar. And for you, faithful supporter, use the discount code ANGRY25 to get 25% off your ticket price.
THE KARATE KID PT. II
Democracy Center @ JANM
May 2, 2026
7:30 pm
$25 Info/Tickets
This 40th anniversary screening, presented in celebration of the 25th anniversary of Angry Asian Man, will feature a live “Crane Kick Commentary” with star Tamlyn Tomita, and guest commentators Phil Yu, Jenny Yang, Jeff Yang, Dino-Ray Ramos, and Rebecca Sun.
Summoned by his dying father, Miyagi returns to his homeland of Okinawa, with Daniel, after a 40-year exile. There he must confront Yukie, the love of his youth, and Sato, his former best friend turned vengeful rival. Sato is bent on a fight to the death, even if it means the destruction of their village. Daniel finds his own love in Yukia’s niece, Kumiko, and his own enemy in Sato’s nephew, the vicious Chozen. Now, far away from the tournaments, cheering crowds and safety of home, Daniel will face his greatest challenge ever when the cost of honor is life itself.
ANGRY ASIAN MAN 25th Anniversary Party
Far Bar
May 2, 2026
10:00 pm
$25, (FREE for festival artists; RSVP required) Info/Tickets
Celebrate 25 years of the Angry Asian Man Blog! Join us after the screening of The Karate Kid Part II to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Phil Yu’s blog, Angry Asian Man.
Come out and help me celebrate a quarter century of this blog and our community!
For info and tickets, go here. And remember: use the discount code ANGRY25 to get 25% off your ticket!
FBI Director Kash Patel filed a lawsuit Monday against The Atlantic over a story it published Friday that alleged he drinks to excess and has had unexplained absences at the bureau. Seeking $250 million(!) from the magazine, the defamation lawsuit alleges that the story is a "sweeping, malicious, and defamatory hit piece." Sure, Kashyap. I mean, it's not like excessive drinking, unexplained absences and "freak outs" will get you booted from the Trump administration. But I'm pretty sure this guy's days in the job are numbered.
Former Hawaii governer George Ariyoshi -- the first Asian American to serve as governor of any U.S. state -- died Sunday night at the age of 100. Ariyoshi, a Democrat, was Hawaii's longest-serving governor, leading the state from 1973 to 1986.
In Eugene, Oregon, a string of ongoing burglaries appear to be targeting the Asian American community. Police say burglars surveil potential targets, disable surveillance devices, and rob homes where there's likely cash, jewelry and other expensive items while the victims are at work. According to the Asian American Council of Oregon, this crime ring has been hitting the community for several years.
Former State Controller Betty Yee dropped out of the 2026 California governor's race on Monday, saying she was unable to raise the necessary campaign funds and additional support from undecided voters. Yee was one of the earliest to enter the race, running on her experience handling the state budget and her family’s middle-class, immigrant background, but she could never quite gain a foothold in the polls. With six weeks left before the primary, she announced her campaign was folding.
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 rapper/actor/writer Jonnie Park, aka Dumbfoundead, author of the new memoir SPIT: A Life in Battles. He talks about why the time felt right to share his story through this book; coming up in Koreatown and finding his voice as an artist through the Los Angeles battle rap scene; making the leap from music to movies and TV in projects like K-Pops! and Beef; and why I'm the only person who calls him by his government name. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of writing SPIT.
South Asians are a powerful, visible minority with top roles in the overwhelmingly white Trump administration. They’re also facing a racist backlash, fueled in part by the white nationalist Groyper movement.
Behold, the insane trailer for Street Fighter, the upcoming latest movie adaptation of the hit video game. "Set in 1993, estranged Street Fighters Ryu (Andrew Koji) and Ken Masters (Noah Centineo) are thrown back into combat when the mysterious Chun-Li (Callina Liang) recruits them for the next World Warrior Tournament: a brutal clash of fists, fate, and fury. But behind this battle royale lies a deadly conspiracy that forces them to face off against each other and the demons of their past. And if they don’t, it’s GAME OVER!" It looks chaos, and I'm digging it. In theaters everywhere on October 16.
The highly anticipated animated feature Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender leaked online months ahead of its premiere on Paramount+. An anonymous X account claimed that a Nickelodeon employee emailed him the entire film, though that appears not to be the case. The fallout has sparked a discussion over Paramount's decision to forgo a traditional theatrical release for a valuable franchise.
After going from Riverdale heartthrob to art-house breakout with May December, actor Charles Melton put his own life story into his latest role on the second season of Netflix anthology series Beef.
Supirya Ganesh, who plays Dr. Samira Mohan on The Pitt, opens up about conforming to notions of Western, white beauty standards before finding her queer community. In this essay for Vulture, she writes about the gender dysphoria she experienced when she moved from India to the US as an 18-year-old to attend Columbia University. She details a specific moment at a New York bar when someone directly asked her if she was a man or a woman.
Over the weekend, a full version of the highly anticipated animated feature Avatar: Aang, The Last Airbender leaked online -- about six months before the film was scheduled to officially premiere on Paramount+.
Acclaimed filmmaker Bao Nguyen sits down with Ronny Chieng on The Daily Show to discuss his latest documentary, BTS: The Return. They talk about following BTS' creative process as a fly on the wall, the big reunion after the band completed their national military service, the documentary narrative around honesty rather than facts, and the band's vulnerable moments when living out their normal lives.
"Revolutionary Love is not passive. It is disciplined and asks us to see no stranger, be brave with grief, harness rage as information and not as destruction, listen across difference, and reimagine institutions that were never designed to hold all of us. Through tools designed for classrooms, homes, and communities, the movement translates these ideas into practice and invites individuals not just to believe in love, but to operationalize it."
As executive chef at Perry's, an award-winning Japanese fusion restaurant in Washington, DC, Masako Morishita has made it her mission to introduce diners to a broader range of Japanese cuisine. But her path into the culinary world was far from traditional -- including corporate jobs and a five-year stint as a cheerleader for the Washington Commanders.
In this video essay, Taylor Ramos and Tony Zhou, the filmmakers behind Every Frame a Painting, reveal how Tsui Hark radically reimagines the wuxia genre in the 1995 tour-de-force martial arts movie The Blade.
The first trailer for the upcoming sequel Godzilla Minus Zero has dropped, with a good glimpse of more kaiju goodness. A follow-up to the surprise international hit Godzilla Minus One, the sequel picks up two years after the events of the first movie, continuing the story of the survivors' from the kaiju's last attack. In the closing moments, Godzilla stomps his way to the Statue of Liberty, setting his sights on New York City. Hell yeah.
Mr. and Mrs. Smith star Maya Erskine is set to make her feature film directorial debut on an untitled teen comedy for A24. Details about the movie are under wraps, but the project was reportedly the subject of a heated bidding war. Erskine, who previously has written and directed episodes of the hit Hulu comedy Pen15, apparently blew away the producers and studio with her pitch.
In Queens, a woman is accused of setting fires at three separate establishments on Monday night. One blaze was set at a Chinese restaurant with people living above it, while other fires were set outside a funeral home and a Jewish center. 36-year-old Shaniqua Fort is facing multiple charges, including attempted manslaughter, assault, arson, criminal mischief and petit larceny. While a motive is unclear, police do not believe this was a hate crime targeting either the Asian or Jewish establishments.
"In recent months, the Trump administration has revived the use of terms like 'illegal alien' and 'alien' in official communications, reversing a shift under the Biden administration toward more humanizing language like 'undocumented noncitizen' or 'migrant.' To some, this may seem like a technical correction — a return to legal terminology. But to the people described by these words, it feels dehumanizing. So why resurrect these terms now?"
A coalition of the descendants of a Japanese American internment camp and Trump-aligned wind power opponents helped kill an Idaho wind farm, but A.I.-driven energy demand keeps rising.
In Minnesota, local authorities are investigating the arrest of a Hmong American man by federal officers as a potential case of kidnapping, burglary and false imprisonment. In January, ICE officers bashed open the front door of ChongLy "Scott" Thao's home at gunpoint without a warrant, then led him outside in just his underwear and a blanket in freezing conditions. He was returned to his home a few hours later when these ICE geniuses realized they had made a mistake -- a mistake that might mean criminal charges.
The White House announced that former California congresswoman Michelle Steel has been nominated to be the U.S. ambassador to South Korea. Steel, who is Korean American and a conservative Republican, lost her bid for re-election to her Orange County congressional seat in 2024. The nomination will require congressional approval. This administration continues to elevate the worst damn people.
Laufey has assembled an all-star cast for a sixties pool party in the new video for "Madwoman," off the deluxe edition of the Icelandic-Chinese singer's Grammy-winning album A Matter of Time. Directed by Warren Fu, the video features some of the most celebrated stars of the moment: Heated Rivalry breakout Hudson Williams, Olympic gold medalist Alysa Liu, KATSEYE's Megan Skiendiel and The Summer I Turned Pretty's Lola Tung -- or, as one commenter put it, "the wasian avengers."
According to Isa Briones, "some people need to brush up on theater etiquette" -- specifically, the audience member who shouted out her The Pitt character's name mid-performance at Just in Time. While starring on Broadway as 'Connie Francis' in the hit musical, Briones shared that an audience member inapropriately yelled out "Dr. Santos!" during the show. "I'm not Dr. Santos. I'm not even Connie Francis. I am Isa Briones, one of the actors in the show you have paid to enjoy," Briones wrote in an Instagram story. "You are not a kid at Disneyland. You are an adult man at a Broadway show. Act like it."
Hey, wanna be in a movie? Ang Lee is casting extras to be in his latest movie Gold Mountain, a historical drama set during the 1850s California Gold Rush, shooting in and around the Sacramento this July. According to the casting call, they're looking for faces of a variety of ethnicities to play townspeople, kids, railroad workers, male horseback riders, blacksmiths, butchers, wagon drivers and coal miners. If you're interested, refer to the flyer above. Good luck!
Coachella attendees got a "Golden" treat when the singers behind Huntr/x -- Ejae (Rumi), Audrey Nuna (Mira), and Rei Ami (Zoey) -- made a surprise appearance, joining the ladies of Katseye (Daniela Avanzini, Lara Raj, Megan Skiendiel, Sophia Laforteza and Yoonchae Jeung) on stage to perform their Oscar-winning hit from Kpop Demon Hunters.
Awkward. On Friday, the Seattle Mariners unveiled a statue outside T-Mobile Park to honor Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki. Unfortunately, the bronze sculpture, which features Suzuki in a signature pose, was damaged upon being revealed to the public. When the tarp was pulled from the statue -- with some difficulty -- the figure's bat was bent backward at the handle. Womp womp.
For comedian Sheng Wang purple is more than a color, it’s a way of being. From his style... to the way he floats through the world writing jokes based on the small, fleeting moments of life, Weng's aura is maintaining a sense of tranquility and creating impact with his art by not trying so damn hard. It's no shock that his second Netflix special Purple is the most revealing of who he is at a time when folks are finally paying attention.
In Kelly Yang’s latest novel, The Take, two women swap blood as part of an experimental antiaging therapy that's suddenly fashionable in California's high-income districts. A vibrant skewering of our youth-obsessed culture, it's quite the detour for a children's book author known for boldly blazing new trails.
Acclaimed cartoonist Derek Kirk Kim talks about this latest comic book Royals, a mind-bending crime caper about telepathic twin brothers set in the shadowy back alleys of Seoul, South Korea.
BTS has made a triumphant return as the biggest music act in the world. But how are the members of BTS -- j-hope, Jin, SUGA, RM, V, Jimin, and Jung Kook -- going to be with spicy food? BTS takes on the wings of death and discusses the process of making new music, what it’s like the morning after performances, the secret to the perfect tteokbokki, how to play “369,” and the best anime songs of all time.
IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson welcomes comedian Hasan Minhaj, who talks about growing up Indian American Muslim in northern California and the immigrant experience as it stands today. He also opens up about fatherhood and asks Mrs. Obama and Craig for parenting advice. Plus, he explains why magicians are more impressive than comedians, and why clowns are the least respected of the bunch.
Koreatown-raised entertainer Dumbfoundead, aka Jonathan Park, tells it straight: “I don’t think I’m just Korean or Korean American. I’m more Koreatown than both of those labels... This is the culture I grew up in, in the neighborhood, and that’s what made me who I am. If I didn’t grow up in a neighborhood that proudly had Korean letters on menus and signs and I could be unapologetically Korean, I would not be able to battle rap in confidence and be able to have thick skin to fight opponents verbally."
Historians believe that the first Chinese woman to appear publicly in the United States was a young woman called Afong Moy, who was imported as an exotic attraction in 1834. From spectacle to exclusion, her story reveals how Asian women have long been exoticized, surveilled and denied full belonging in the American imagination and the law.
The APPEAL Leadership Program is a 2.5 day program focused on building a vibrant movement in commercial tobacco control, cancer prevention, and health advocacy in Asian American and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities. This unique leadership program will convene people from across the U.S. and USAPI jurisdictions to discuss and learn about critical health-related tobacco and cancer issues facing AAs & NH/PIs. Fellows will develop the knowledge, skills, and capacity needed to advocate and implement policy change. Apply here.
Min Jin Lee's 2017 novel Pachinko was an international smash hit. But it wasn't an overnight success. Like much of her writing life, Pachinko took the slow and steady path, reaching bestseller status about a year after publication. Ahead of the highly anticipated release of her third novel, American Hagwon, this fall, she talks about why being a "slow processor" is the best way forward in these unprecedented times.
A new program dubbed "the largest book club on the West Coast" is uniting libraries to explore an often erased chapter of the region. For the first time ever, patrons of over 140 different library systems across Washington, Oregon, and California are joining in for the "One Book, One Coast" program. The club's first pick, George Takei's graphic memoir They Called Us Enemy, follows Takei's childhood years imprisoned in incarceration camps in Arkansas and California during World War II.
After a nearly four-year hiatus, BTS has surged back into the spotlight. But the group's return to the pinnacle of pop wasn’t easy, as revealed in the new documentary BTS: The Return, which follows the group's seven members as they gather in a Los Angeles studio to work on their comeback album, Arirang. Director Bao Nguyen and producer Jane Cha Cutler talk about the making of the movie and the close collaboration with BTS and Hybe, the group’s parent company, that brought it to life.
Watch Isa Briones singing her ass off in this rendition of "Who's Sorry Now" from Just in Time. The jukebox musical tells the story of legendary singer Bobby Darin. Briones, who also stars as Dr. Santos on the medical drama The Pitt, recently joined the cast on Broaday as Connie Francis. Anything to avoid doing her charts.
"What makes an all-timer action star? Some stand out with their dexterous, daredevil stunts – think Tom Cruise in the Mission Impossible franchise. Others' chief selling point is their Herculean physique, as exemplified by the 1980s Hollywood trio of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, and Jean-Claude Van Damme. But set against these invulnerable, seemingly immortal beings, there's one truly remarkable action performer who has been happy to show that he is all too human -- Chow Yun-Fat, the star of some of Hong Kong's most pivotal, internationally influential action films."
A Vietnamese immigrant died in government custody last week, marking the latest detainee death -- the 46th person to die in federal custody -- during the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. 55-year-old Tuan Van Bui died at the Miami Correctional Center in Indiana. According to ICE, "onsite staff discovered Bui unresponsive." The cause of death is under investigation.
"Calling truth a casualty of war may imply, however, that truth survives between wars. But the reality is that militarism and the warfare state are sustained by lies which stretch over decades. The ideology of American exceptionalism is driven by the myth that U.S. intervention plays a unique role in spreading freedom and democracy around the globe. Keeping the public uninformed and miseducated has been a key tactic to tamp down dissent."
Emmy-winning Beef creator Lee Sung Jin is part of the team taking the latest crack at the reboot of X-Men for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The project, which re-introduces the mutant superhero team into the MCU, reunites Lee with Jake Schreier and Joanna Calo, who worked on the screenplay for last year's Thunderbolts.
The Grandmaster: Tony Leung
From Hard Boiled to Happy Together to Infernal Affairs to, of course, In the Mood for Love, Film at Lincoln Center presents The Grandmaster: Tony Leung, a career-spanning retrospective that gives audiences the chance to rediscover, on the big screen, why the world continues to fall for Tony Leung time and time again.
