Jeremy LIn's Got a New Gig with ESPN

And Other Items of Note From Angry Asian America.

Jeremy Lin shines in Luka Dončić breakdown on ESPN's 'NBA Today'

Yes, you love and remember him from the era affectionately known as Linsanity. But after retiring from pro basketball last year, Jeremy Lin has a new gig -- with ESPN. The former New York Knick debuted as a special guest commentator on the network this week. On Friday, in a segment on NBA Today, Lin walked studio hosts Malika Andrews and Tim MacMahon through what makes Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Dončić so dynamic. And did a pretty awesome job. This is a good look. It's great to see him on this next chapter of his career and I'm hoping we'll see more of him on this side of the coverage.

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How casinos in New England are exploiting Asian communities for profit

It's no secret that casinos deploy sophisticated strategies designed to entice people to wager beyond their means. And their favored target: people of Asian descent. A three-part Boston Globe series found that New England's largest casinos are relentlessly targeting people of Asian descent across the region, often with devastating results, driving people toward addiction and sapping wealth from Asian communities.

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Another Alysa Liu mural in Oakland — this one with Kristi Yamaguchi

Another mural for a champion. Two champions, actually. Artist Julie Engelmann has created a mural celebrating hometown hero Alysa Liu -- at the Oakland Ice Center, where Liu first learned to skate -- alongside 1992 Olympic figure skating gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi, who also hails from the area.

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THE AUNTIE SEWING SQUAD RESISTANCE PLAYBOOK: A New Documentary Film

The Auntie Sewing Squad Resistance Playbook is a feature-length documentary that follows the Auntie Sewing Squad founded by Kristina Wong, a collective of mostly BIPOC women volunteers who came together on social media with a mission: to protect vulnerable communities from COVID-19. This national network of hundreds of Aunties, Uncles, and non-binary volunteers turned their living rooms into "sweatshops," where they sewed and donated cloth facemasks to counter the US government's failure to provide protective gear for its people. They are currently in the homestretch to complete the film, and are asking for crowdfunding assistance. Your contribution would support editing, sound design, color correction, and other aspects of postproduction before they get the documentary out into the world. For more information, go here.

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No Other Choice Limited Edition Poster

"They didn't really send you the eel, did they?" I must have this incredible No Other Choice poster by acclaimed artist James Jean, celebrating legendary director Park Chan-wook's cinematic masterpiece. Limited edition print of 1000. Available from NEON.

Kim's Convenience Comes to Los Angeles

And Other Items of Note From Angry Asian America.

Center Theatre Group Presents: Kim's Convenience

Attention, Los Angeles theater-goers! Before it was a TV show, it was a play. The award-winning play Kim's Convenience comes to Los Angeles, presented by Center Theatre Group. This award-winning comedy drama, which inspired the Netflix hit, is a hilarious, feel-good story about a Korean family-run corner store. Mr. Kim works hard to support his wife and children with his Toronto convenience store. As he evaluates his future, he faces both a changing neighborhood landscape and the gap between his values and those of his Canadian-born children. Playwright Ins Choi, who will also star in the production as the titular character, calls Kim’s Convenience his "love letter to his parents and to all first-generation immigrants who call Canada their home." The play March 21 to April 19 at the Ahmanson Theater. For tickets and more info, go here.

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Asian American Food Habits Survey

Help out some academic researchers who are some interesting work around Asian Americans and food. The study, administered by Dr. Oliver Wang (California State University Long Beach), Kelli Kimura (UC Irvine), and Sam Titus (UC Irvine), aims to explore intersections between food and identity, especially as it relates to the diverse community of Asian Americans. You can help them out by completing an online survey.

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Why Gene Luen Yang’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Matter Again

Last year, American Born Chinese writer Gene Luen Yang started writing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics for IDW, becoming the first Asian American writer to pen a flagship title for the 40-year franchise. He says he sees the turtles -- and their bi-cultural identity -- as quintessentially Asian American.

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VOTE NOW: Which KPop Demon Hunters doll should we make?

Toymaker Mattel has two potential ideas for upcoming Kpop Demon Hunters dolls, and they're asking fans to vote on which one they'll make available for pre-sale later this year. Choose between the Demon Jinu doll and a Sleeping Bag Mira doll. Styled in the likeness from Saja Boys' performance of "You Idol," the Demon Jin Doll comes with a robe, hanbok, pants, hat, shoes and other accessories. The Sleeping Bag Mira doll, sporting the her iconic look from the character's introduction, includes a sleeping bag with drawstring toggle, spiked hair cuffs, earrings, and bodysuit. See videos of the figure prototypes and cast your vote here.

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THE AUNTIE SEWING SQUAD RESISTANCE PLAYBOOK: A New Documentary Film

The Auntie Sewing Squad Resistance Playbook is a feature-length documentary that follows the Auntie Sewing Squad founded by Kristina Wong, a collective of mostly BIPOC women volunteers who came together on social media with a mission: to protect vulnerable communities from COVID-19. This national network of hundreds of Aunties, Uncles, and non-binary volunteers turned their living rooms into "sweatshops," where they sewed and donated cloth facemasks to counter the US government's failure to provide protective gear for its people. They are currently in the homestretch to complete the film, and are asking for crowdfunding assistance. Your contribution would support editing, sound design, color correction, and other aspects of postproduction before they get the documentary out into the world. For more information, go here.

This Squad Has Made 60,000 Masks for Vulnerable People

And Other Things to Know From Angry Asian America.



A comedian’s tour was canceled. So she started the Auntie Sewing Squad.
Los Angeles comedian Kristina Wong was planning to take her new one-woman show on tour in the spring when it was suddenly canceled because of the swiftly spreading novel coronavirus. Wanting to put her time to good use, she reached out to the homeless population in her community and donated tents and air mattresses, and also paid to have two washing stations installed so people could keep their hands clean. Then a friend showed her a news story in March about Los Angeles-area hospitals pleading for face masks. Wong knew it was time to pull out her Hello Kitty sewing machine and leftover fabric scraps.

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Trump administration rescinds foreign students rule
The Trump administration on Tuesday rescinded a policy that would have stripped visas from international students whose courses move exclusively online amid the coronavirus pandemic. The move comes after the policy announcement last week sparked a flurry of litigation, beginning with a suit brought by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, followed by California's public colleges and later a coalition of 17 states, among other challenges.

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💥Shang-Chi

Marvel's intro of an Asian superhero couldn’t come at a better time (although postponed due to COVID).
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“Let’s show them the beauty of our culture” - Bruce Lee#shangchi #marvelstudios #marvel #imcharliewen #brucelee #great #asiansuperhero #mcu pic.twitter.com/vvqZV7oC4g

— Charlie Wen (@imcharliewen) July 11, 2020

Shang-Chi Concept Art
This is totally unofficial, but still kind of interesting. As we all know, Shang-Chi will make his cinematic debut in next year's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. While we've nearly nothing of what Simu Liu will look like as the Master of Kung Fu, Marvel Studios' co-founder and former Co-Head of Visual Development Charlie Wen recently shared his own unofficial fan design for Shang Chi. I'm not crazy about the head gear.

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Kelly Marie Tran Boards 'Monsterland' Anthology Series at Hulu
Kelly Marie Tran, best known for playing Rose Tico in Star Wars, has signed on to appear on Hulu's upcoming anthology series Monsterland. Based on the collection of stories from Nathan Ballingrud, the eight-episode series will feature encounters with mermaids, fallen angels, and other strange beasts which drive broken people to desperate acts. According to Variety, Tran will play the character of Lauren in an episode titled "Iron River, MI." Her character has just returned to her small hometown to be married. Lauren managed to build a new life for herself after her best friend, Elena, went missing when they were 16.

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'Ravi Patel's Pursuit of Happiness' Moves To HBO Max, Gets Premiere Date
The CNN Original Series Ravi Patel's Pursuit of Happiness is a four-part buddy comedy docuseries that follows actor/documentarian/philanthropist Ravi Patel as he travels the world seeking answers surrounding life's universal questions. At each stop throughout his journey, Patel is joined by a friend or family member, with whom he shares a big conflict or question about life. Driven by an obsession to constantly learn and grow, the series offers an unfiltered look at Ravi's personal struggles with each topic and the earnest comparison of social norms domestic and abroad. Ravi Patel's Pursuit of Happiness premieres August 27 on HBO Max.

Get This Cool Shirt in Support of #OperationPPE

And Other Things to Know From Angry Asian America



Heroes Wear Masks
Kolbe Yang, 16-year-old son of acclaimed graphic novelist Gene Luen Yang -- and a talented artist in his own right -- has created "Heroes Wear Masks," a mecha-inspired t-shirt design to support USC architecture students who are using 3D printers to create personal protective equipment for health care workers on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic. All proceeds from shirt sales will go to #OperationPPE.

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Suspect Identified in Vandalism Spree Targeting Asian-Owned Businesses
Asians Behaving Badly... smashed windows edition! In San Jose, authorities have identified a suspect in a recent vandalism spree targeting Asian-owned businesses in the South Bay. 42-year-old Tai Van Trinh is accused of smashing windows of eight different businesses in San Jose and Milpitas in the early morning of April 22. Trinh, who drove a black 2004 Toyota Tacoma with Texas plates, is still at large.

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Foon Hay Lum, Pioneering Chinese Canadian Activist, Dies at 111
One of Canada’s oldest women, Foon Hay Lum, who was separated from her husband for more than 30 years by the Chinese immigration ban and later helped secure a formal apology and compensation for all Chinese Canadians who paid the head tax, has died after being diagnosed with COVID-19. She was 111.

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Auntie Sewing Squad
Kristina Wong started the Auntie Sewing Squad last month to find sewing help with requests she was getting from nurses for facemasks. Since then, they've distributed thousands of masks to essential workers and vulnerable communities, including 1300 masks to the Navajo, Lakota and Quechan Nations, and another thousand masks to farmworkers and people transitioning out of ICE detention. They're still looking for volunteers who can help cut and sew. They're also taking donations of 100% cotton fabric and elastic. Join the Auntie Sewing Squad group here. You can also Venmo funds to "GiveKristinaWongMoney."

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Music Video: Dumbfoundead & Satica - "Inside"
Los Angeles rapper Dumbfoundead has released a two-song collaborative quarantine project titled Inside/Outside with singer Satica. The two tracks, produced by Big Banana, explore the themes of being locked "Inside" during this unique quarantine era, and the excitement of finally getting through it in "Outside." Here's the official music video for "Inside."