Maitreyi Ramakrishnan's Bollywood Dance Team Battles to Be the 'Best of the Best'

And Other Items of Note From Angry Asian America.

Check out the trailer for the upcoming Netflix comedy Best of the Best, set in the cutthroat world of Bollywood fusion collegiate dance. Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and Priyanka Kedia star as childhood best friends, Maya and Anjali, who join UCLA's competitive Bollywood-fusion dance team, only to discover that the road to winning the U.S. Championship is far more raucous and cutthroat than they ever imagined. Think Pitch Perfect by way of Bollywood. Best of the Best, directed by Lena Khan, hits Netflix on September 18.

By the way, this movie should not be confused with one of my favorite movies, the 1989 martial arts drama Best of the Best, starring Phillip Rhee, Eric Roberts and James Earl Jones. However, may I suggest that these two identically titled Best of the Best movies are part of a shared cinemamatic universe? Why not. Unless someone else convinces me otherwise, I'm sticking with that.

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This Bay Area city became a Filipino American haven. Now many can’t afford to stay

Daly City, CA is sometimes called the "Pinoy capital" of the Bay Area and even the United States. For decades, the city of about 100,000 has been home to the highest concentration of Filipinos of any American city. But the rising cost of housing, decentralization of certain jobs and changing economic opportunities have been driving forces behind a recent mass exodus of Filipino residents from the historic enclave.

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Chang-rae Lee on Channeling His Immigrant Childhood Into Fiction

"All immigrant children know how complicated this 'new world' is, and that no matter how much their parents may try to ride herd, they are essentially traversing this realm solo. It's a journeying full of excitement and fright, and laden with a startlingly heavy burden of responsibility, given that they are often the ones necessarily leading the way. I certainly felt so, wanting to do the right thing by us all but never knowing if we were heading in a good direction or towards some maelstrom."

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Marvel Artist Archive: Jim Lee

For your crowdfund consideration: Marvel Artist Archive: Jim Lee, an officially licensed hardcover art book showcasing superstar artist Jim Lee's iconic artwork for Marvel Comics, currently wrapping up its Kickstarter campaign. For me, Jim Lee is the greatest of all time, and his work for Marvel is foundational. I might have to get this.

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Mayor Mamdani Wears a Bike Helmet. Finally.

While New Yorkers have delighted in spotting Mayor Zohran Mamdani riding around the city on a bicycle, some safety advocates have scolded him for his failure to use a helmet. It seems that he has listened. On Tuesday, the mayor posted a video on social media, showing him viewing comments on his phone about his not wearing a helmet. Then, he unboxed one at City Hall and fit it on his head. "Safety first, New York," he said. "See you out there."

Just some everyday racism in the supermarket checkout line

"Go back to your country."



Another day, another encounter with everyday racism in the U.S.A., caught on camera. This one comes to us from a supermarket in Northern California, where over the weekend, a family encountered a fellow shopper who told them to -- take a wild guess -- "go back to your country," among other racist remarks.

The scene unfolded Sunday at the Lucky supermarket in Daly City, where a Filipino American family got into some kind of altercation with a woman in the checkout line. In an Instagram video posted by user @jennyveladera, you can see the woman behind them going off on her own little racist mutter tirade.

"Licky licky licky." She taunts them with some kind of gibberish, then asks, "You don't want me to talk Philippine?" Then, putting her groceries onto the belt, she says to no one and everyone listening, "Come on. Look at all the groceries they buy. Steal our food, steal our money, our jobs." (By the way, accusing someone of stealing food makes absolutely no sense when they are literally paying for their food right in front of you.)

Jenny, holding the camera, is understandably exasperated, and can only comment, "So racist. Oh my God."

Missing: 35-year-old Chris Mayrena

Daly City resident was last seen early Sunday, September 27



In the Bay Area, family and friends are asking for help looking for 35-year old Daly City resident Christian Mayrena, who was last seen early in the morning on Sunday, September 27. Mayrena stands 5-foot-3 and weight 130 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. Have you seen him?