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 Bruce 245: They Call Us Charlie Chan and Anna May Wong

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 Katie Gee Salisbury, author of Not Your China Doll, a biography on the life and career of movie star Anna May Wong. They discuss the "golden age" of Hollywood, the enduring popularity of film sleuth Charlie Chan (who was inspired by real-life Honolulu police detective Chang Apana), The Good Earth, the legacy of yellowface and performance/perception of Chinese-ness.

Man Wanted For Coronavirus-Related Racist Attack in Queens

And Other Things to Know From Angry Asian America.



Man Makes COVID-19 Related Anti-Asian Remarks and Breaks Woman's Cell Phone
In Queens, police are looking for a man wanted in connection with a racist attack on an Asian woman in Rego Park last weekend. On Sunday morning, a man made coronavirus-related anti-Asian statements to a 36-year-old woman. The woman then tried to use her cell phone to take a photo of the man, but he slapped it out of her hand, causing it to fall to the ground and shatter. Then the man ran off. Real brave, asshole.

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Director Jon M. Chu 'Disgusted' By 'Crazy Rich Asians’ Sequels Casting Scam
A Twitter user named Alan Baltes, claiming to be an actor and casting associate, posted a notice saying that the supposed Crazy Rich Asians sequels, China Rich Girlfriend and Rich People Problems, were casting Asian actors, ages 20s through 40s, for lead roles via "live Zoom auditions." Director Jon M. Chu says they haven't started casting yet, the casting call is bogus, and this scam targeting hopeful Asian actors is "disgusting."

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Koreatown's Restaurants Struggle to Survive During Pandemic
Since California's dining room shutdown began in mid-March, the restaurants and bars in Los Angeles' Koreatown have struggled alongside the rest of the restaurant industry hoping to come out on the other side of the pandemic. Unlike Manhattan's Koreatown, which is dominated by corporate ownership, LA's Koreatown is a mosaic of small businesses, so most have chosen to stay open to earn whatever revenue they can by offering pickup, delivery, or both.

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Fighting COVID-19 Anti-Asian Racism with Research
Chuck Liu is a clinical psychologist and researcher at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa, where his team is launching a study examining the effects of COVID-19 stressors on the mental health of both Asian Americans and the broader population to help understand the formation and impact of racism during this critical time. It's a unique study that looks not just at COVID-related racism and its effects on Asians, but tries to understand the factors that shape racist anti-Asian attitudes among non-Asians as well. However, this is a large study with 3000 participants and five waves of data recruitment, so they're raising funds and could use your help. Find out more here.

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Watch Over 50 Asian American Documentaries on Public Television in May
In honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month this May, World Channel will showcase the stories of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the U.S. with 52 documentary films. With themes of social justice and courage, these films highlight the myriad of ways in which Asian Pacific Americans have triumphed and impacted history.

Casting Call Seeks Actress to Play Anna May Wong

Things to Know From Angry Asian America



"Must be able to carry a tune."
I've been seeing this casting call passed around, looking for someone to play screen icon Anna May Wong in the upcoming Paramount Pictures film Babylon: "ANNA MAY WONG: aged 30-40's; Chinese-American; based on the real person, Anna May is a dynamic singer/actress in the 1920s who moves in the top Hollywood circles but still struggles against racial stereotypes in the roles she is asked to play. Must be able to carry a tune. Shooting will begin approx. June/July 2020 in Los Angles. To be directed by Damien Chazelle and starring Brad Pitt and Emma Stone. If you are interested in pursuing, please send your picture/resume to Francine Maisler Casting at FMCselftapes@gmail.com." Good luck.

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A new virus stirs up ancient hatred
"This coronavirus is new. But the diseases of xenophobia and racism are not. And as history has shown, outbreaks of the latter are potentially harder to contain, and far more lethal."

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Berkeley Law School Drops Boalt Name Over Racist Legacy
The name "Boalt Hall" was removed from the University of California Berkeley's law school after a yearslong process that determined, in essence, that the school should no longer honor a man whose most notable work was rooted in racist views -- views that were instrumental in legitimizing anti-Chinese racism and in catalyzing support for passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. Good riddance.

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Why The Green Hornet is ripe for a return
A new movie version of The Green Hornet may soon be in the works. Indie film/TV production company Amasia Entertainment has secured the film franchise rights to the superhero property. First debuting as a radio serial in 1936, The Green Hornet follows the adventures of Britt Reid, a newspaper publisher by day who fights crime by night as the titular masked vigilante, alongside his trusty aide Kato. As we all know, in the short-lived 1960s TV version of The Green Hornet, Kato was famously played by Bruce Lee in one of his first Hollywood screen roles. Wherever this goes, here's hoping a movie reboot of The Green Hornet does Kato right.

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Almost American Girl: An Illustrated Memoir by Robin Ha
Robin Ha's Almost American Girl is a powerful and moving teen graphic novel memoir about immigration, belonging, and how arts can save a life. Robin, who grew up as the daughter of a single mother in Seoul, finds her life turned upside down when a vacation to Huntsville, Alabama unexpectedly becomes a permanent relocation -- and her mom gets married. She struggles with extreme culture shock and isolation, until she discovers her passion for comic arts.

Google Doodle Celebrates Screen Icon Anna May Wong

Things to Know From Angry Asian America



Celebrating Anna May Wong
Today's Google Doodle is a beautiful slideshow celebrating the life and career of screen icon Anna May Wong, the first-ever Chinese American movie star in Hollywood. The slideshow, created by illustrator Sophie Diao features snapshots of Wong's life, from her humble beginnings working in her parents' laundry to some of the more famous characters she portrayed in the more than 50 movies she appeared in over her career.

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LEGO 2020 Chinese New Year Playsets
Look, if you're not celebrating the Lunar New Year with an official LEGO 2020 Chinese Lunar New Year playset, then you're missing out. There's the very cool Lion Dance playset (882 pieces) featuring 5 dancing lions, 8 minifigures (including a man in a rat costume to mark the Year of the Rat), a percussionists' stage, a detailed temple gate and more. There's also the Chinese New Year Temple Fair playset (1664 pieces) featuring an ornate Chinese temple, stalls displaying an array of LEGO barbecue dishes, candy, toys, vases and dough figurines, plus 13 minifigures and a baby figure. Red envelopes included!

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MSG in Chinese food isn't unhealthy -- you're just racist
"To this day, the myth around MSG is ingrained in America's consciousness, with Asian food and culture still receiving unfair blame. Chinese Restaurant Syndrome isn't just scientifically false — it's xenophobic." Asian American activists, restaurateurs and medical professionals are calling monosodium glutamate's bad rap outdated, racist, and unscientific.

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What It's Like to Never Ever See Yourself on TV
Charles Yu, author of the forthcoming new novel Interior Chinatown, reflects on a lifetime of watching television, never seeing yourself reflected on the screen, and the generational feedback loop the denial of subjectivity creates for Asian Americans and America at large.

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Awkwafina is Nora From Queens
Awkwafina's new series Nora From Queens premieres tonight on Comedy Central. The half-hour scripted comedy is inspired by her real life growing up in Queens, New York. Raised by her Dad (BD Wong) and Grandma (Lori Tan Chinn) alongside her cousin (Bowen Yang), Nora Lin leans on her family as she navigates life and young adulthood in outer borough-NYC.

Fan Bingbing in talks to star in Anna May Wong biopic

Based on the life and career of the first Chinese American movie star



Some interesting movie news... Chinese actress/singer Fan Bingbing, most recently seen as the mutant Blink in X-Men: Days of Future Past, is reportedly in talks to star in a biopic about legendary screen icon Anna May Wong, the first Chinese American movie star.

Anna May Wong Biopic Planned at Fundamental Films

According to Variety, Shanghai-based Fundamental Films is developing Dragon Lady, based on the life and career of the Asian American silent era star. Jonathan Keasey and Brant Boivin are writing the script, which will recall Wong's poverty-stricken upbringing in downtown Los Angeles and her rise to fame in Hollywood.