They Call Us Hoppers

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 Daniel Chong, director of the Disney/Pixar animated feature Hoppers. They discuss the silly, unlikely pitch for "Penguin Avatar" that actually got the green light; centering an angry Asian young woman at the heart of this adventure (and why this movie arrives amidst an incredible moment for animated Asian movie heroines); and all the fun world-building that goes into crafting a story set in the animal kingdom. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of making Hoppers. This episode is sponsored by Chinese Republicans, a new play from Roundabout Theatre Company.

Maybe Happy Ending Cast Perform NPR Tiny Desk Concert

And Other Items of Note From Angry Asian America.



Maybe Happy Ending: Tiny Desk Concert

What can robots teach us about humanity and about love? Maybe Happy Ending, the 2025 Tony Award winner for best musical, tells the unlikely story of two humanoid robots, as they fall in love while on a road trip. The show, including stars Darren Criss, Helen J. Shen, Marcus Choi, Dez Duron -- and Hwaboon -- recently paid a visit to NPR's Tiny Desk for a delightfully tiny performance.

---

BEEF: Season 2 | Official Teaser

Netflix has released the first teaser trailer for the highly anticipated second season of Beef from showrunner Lee Sung Jin. Trading the parking lot for the country club, the new season begins when a young couple witnesses an alarming fight between their boss and his wife -- setting off a high-stakes game of favors and coercion within an elitist world ruled by a Korean billionaire. Season two premieres April 16.

---

Chinatown Street to Be Named for Rescuer of Trafficked Girls

A stretch of street in San Francisco's Chinatown will be named to publicly honor one of the neighborhood’s fiercest heroes. Tien Fuh Wu spent half a century rescuing trafficked women and girls and taking care of them at the Occidental Mission Home, which was later renamed Cameron House. "Tien Fuh Wu Way" will cover the portion of Joice Street that runs alongside Cameron House, which continues to be a safe haven for children, as well as women dealing with domestic violence.

---

The Many Lives of Michelle Yeoh

Michelle Yeoh talks about playing five different characters in Sean Baker's new film Sandiwara, how Quentin Tarantino convinced her not to retire, that viral "Wicked Witch" meme, and the highs and lows of her storied career. "If there's no up and down," she says, "you've flatlined."

---

Hoppers Is the Craziest Pixar Movie Yet, and It Could Have Been Even Crazier

The new Pixar animated feature Hoppers involves body-swapping and flying sharks, both of which are absolute insanity from start to finish. But director Daniel Chong reveals that while the movie as it stands is admittedly crazy, it could have been a whole lot crazier.

They Call Us Bruce 111: They Call Us We Bare Bears

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 hos 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 Daniel Chong, creator of the hit animated series We Bare Bears. We discuss the beginnings and the bittersweet end of the show, the timely real-world issues in We Bare Bears: The Movie, and how a cartoon about a trio of bear brothers can inspire empathy and understanding in these dark times.

They Call Us Bruce - Ep. 55: They Call Us Cartoon Creators

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.

On this episode, recorded live during Asian American Culture Con at Pacific Media Expo, we welcome animation storytellers Daniel Chong (We Bare Bears), Victor Cook (Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters), Dan Santat (The Replacements) and Fawn Veerasunthorn (Ralph Breaks the Internet).

Angry Reader of the Week: Daniel Chong

"Sweet and charming things are highly underappreciated."



All right, folks. You know what time it is. It's time to meet the Angry Reader of the Week, spotlighting you, the very special readers of this website. Over the years, I've been able to connect with a lot of cool folks, and this is a way of showing some appreciation and attention to the people who help make this blog what it is. This week's Angry Reader is Daniel Chong.

Leaving a guy in a holding cell for five days, nearly killing him, is apparently not bad enough to get you fired.

DEA agents responsible for Daniel Chong's mistreatment got off with a slap on the wrist.



Remember that UC San Diego student who got swept up in a drug raid and nearly died after being thrown in a holding cell and forgotten for five days without food or water? According to the Justice Department, the federal agents responsible for almost killing Daniel Chong received only reprimands or brief suspensions from the Drug Enforcement Administration. A slap in the wrist, as they say.

DEA agents jail student 5 days with no food, water; get slap on wrist

Chong, then 23, was taken into custody during a DEA raid in April 2012, placed in a cell, then promptly forgotten. He was handcuffed behind his back, locked up for five days without food or water (or access to a toilet), and later found delirious, dehydrated and suicidal. He was never charged with a crime.

Sorry we ignored you while you almost died in that DEA cell

Justice Department report says several employees saw or heard Daniel Chong during his ordeal



Remember that guy who was locked up and abandoned in a Drug Enforcement Administration holding cell for five days? According to a Department of Justice investigation, several DEA employees saw or heard Daniel Chong in his cell, but did nothing because they assumed someone else was responsible for him.

Four DEA Agents Saw Or Heard Daniel Chong, Student Abandoned For Days In Cell

Chong, then 23, was taken into custody during a DEA raid in April 2012, placed in a cell, then promptly forgotten. He was handcuffed behind his back, locked up for five days without food or water (or access to a toilet), and later found delirious, dehydrated and suicidal. He was never charged with a crime.

Chong later won $4.1 million in a legal claim against DEA. The report from the Department of Justice, released this week, says that four employees encountered Chong -- probably in various stages of desperation and shitting himself -- and basically said, "not my problem."

Student left in DEA holding cell, forgotten for five days, receives $4.1 million settlement

Remember Daniel Chong? He's the San Diego student who was at a friend's apartment smoking some pot last year when Drug Enforcement Administration officers showed up, took him into custody, and threw him in a holding cell... where he was forgotten about and left for nearly five days without food and water.

When DEA agents finally got around to re-opening the 5-by-10 cell, they found Chong severely dehydrated, suffering form kidney failure and covered in his own feces. During his horrific ordeal, he began to hallucinate, drank his own urine, and tried to kill himself.

If you think Daniel had some pretty serious grounds for a lawsuit, you'd be correct. He sued the federal government for $20 million, and this week, his lawyers announced that he reached a $4.1 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice: DEA settles left-in-cell case for $4M.

Student abandoned in DEA holding cell for five days

This story is friggin' crazy... In San Diego, a student says he was taken into custody by Drug Enforcement Administration officers and abandoned in a holding cell for nearly five days without food and water.

Student abandoned in DEA holding cell drank own urine to survive.

24-year-old Daniel Chong, a student at UC San Diego, was smoking marijuana (4/20, you know) at a friend's apartment when DEA agents showed up. He was taken into custody and thrown into 5 foot by 10 foot holding cell, where he was basically forgotten for five days.

Things got so bad, Chong drank his own urine, tried to take his own life, and ended up snorting a powdery substance he found inside the cell -- which turned out to be methamphetamine.